Tawara Japanese Restaurant

Another great lunch at Tawara. This time had the beef rice bowl and the flavor was excellent and the sushi is fresh as usual. Fast service even during lunch rush! They keep the hot tea flowing too.

A family favorite for authentic Japanese sushi and food. Such a family favorite that we are on a first name basis with the staff. The inside of the restaurant is authentic Japanese and has two private dining rooms with sliding doors that can be closed. The booths are extremely cozy and private. Or you can be seated at a table, personally I recommend the sushi bar because it's awesome to watch the sushi chefs at work.

Service is extremely friendly and personable. You will never have to wait for anything.

Miso soup here is probably one of the best I've had, a must try item. The ginger salad dressing is phenomenal. The shrimp and vegetable tempura is very filling and always ask for extra tempura sauce and tempura well done for a perfect crunch. Sushi: we ordered the sunset roll, special tuna roll, spicy crunchy California roll, and shrimp tempura roll. Perfectly delicious however lately the rolls haven't been rolled that tight and tend to fall apart as you pick them up.

We ordered the vegetable gyoza appetizer and unfortunately it was cold/perhaps not prepared properly which was shocking for how on point Tawara normally is.

Yaki soba here is outstanding. I recommend the vegetable yaki soba over the meat options. Shrimp teriyaki was also delicious and comes in a larger size for sharing/families.

A must try place for sushi and food! The green tea is also amazing so definitely try it out!

Went out for lunch and got the Shoyu Ramen & Pork Katsu. My partner and I were very dissatisfied and disappointed in the food. Both dishes lacked flavor, tasted very plain and the flavors that were there weren't enjoyable. The bean root overtook all other flavors in the ramen. As for the pork katsu, it was extremely oily and filled with oil inside the pieces. The food at the market has much more flavor and tastes better in my experience. I love the place itself, the atmosphere is very nice, tidied up, dim lights. The setting is nice. The employees are also very kind. The only issue was the food itself which I wouldn't return for.

Atmosphere & Service: 9/10
Food: 2/10

Solid Japanese restaurant on Ramsey Main St. I started off with the Takoyaki ($8), which was delicious with a fried exterior and well-cooked octopus inside and a tasty creamy mayo sauce. I also got the Yaki Udon with shrimp ($15), which was sautéed (not in soup) - it was decent, kind of just tasted like normal udon noodles without the soup rather than actually being sautéed or crispy though. The Manhattan Roll ($7) was pretty good. The prices were about average.

We sat in a traditional tatami room, which is an interesting and authentic experience where you take your shoes off and sit on mats with the wooden table in front (there is actually an area under the table where you can put your legs/feet). There are also some 2 person tables and some 4 person tables, but when we (4 people) arrived for dinner on a Sunday night, there was only the tatami room available.

The interior is designed in a typical Japanese restaurant style with wooden seats/tables. The staff are average friendliness/attentiveness and the service speed is fine. There is a large parking lot in front of the shopping plaza. Note that there is also a small connected grocery store right next door called Tawara Mart, which sells authentic Japanese groceries.

Overall, if you are looking for Japanese food in the Ramsey area, Tawara could be a good and convenient option.

One of the most authentic Japanese tasting dishes in this area! On the way home from a weekend getaway, we found this place available for pickup which is only twenty five mins from home. Tried a rice and noodle dish and I was blown away by the flavor and authenticity in the food. You can just tell it's a level above.

Seems to be family owned and I believe the daughter was helping to run the front desk and pickup. Very busy which is a good sign. Really recommend trying this place out, their lunch specials are affordable!

Nicely decorated and the ambiance felt authentic. We were seated in the side booth and it was nice and cozy.

So many options. Very filling and great value. I'm surprised by the extensive menu. Food was delicious. The clam soup was a touch too salty. I really liked the bento box I got which had sashimi, sushi, spinach, fried tempura and vegetables, chicken kaarage, and miso soup with rice.

If you have time, I also recommend you stop by the Tawara Mart next door.

On a super hot summer night I was looking for a good place to eat. No cooking for me. Since we all love Japanese food this looked like the obvious choice. The restaurant is located in a strip mall with plenty of parking. It's a small cozy place with tables lined up against the left side of the rectangular shaped restaurant. Service was quick and our server was pleasant. I ordered the salmon teriyaki for an entree and vegetable gyoza as an appetizer. My food was delicious and well seasoned. I was able to use my chopsticks without incident. Yay me!

I would say the best sushi in Bergen County. Fresh and flavorful. I've been here twice this week and will most likely come back a 3rd time. I think the trick is to order the sushi you like and slowly work your way through the kitchen menu.

We have been wanting to try Tawara ever since we came to the Tawara market next door. We made a reservation at 7 PM and were seated promptly. There are a lot of choices on the menu so everyone is sure to find something they enjoy. We had the Mexican Roll, Takoyaki, Chicken Katsu, and the cold udon noodle with tempura set. The takoyaki was filled with large chunks of octopus! All of the food came piping hot! I appreciate that immensely. Staff was attentive and kept refilling water/tea. The roll was delicious according to the other person who had it. It was a very satisfying meal! Everything was seasoned well without being too salty! Will definitely come back!

This is the only real and authentic Japanese food restaurant in the area. I lived in Japan for years and this is as close as you will get. It's so much more delicious than the "Japanese combo" restaurant that are so popular