DARUMA Reviews

A very great place! Went there yesterday with my partner. The place has a nice vibe to it, perfect for eating outdoor or cozy dinner indoor. Food is 10/10, might need to order the sushi next time! The ribs is so tender and has a sweet to it as well. The staff is so friendly, gave us a warm welcome. Their cheesecake is also spot on! Will come back again soon!!

Two weeks in Ireland and THIS was our most memorable meal!!
The food was absolutely delicious. I requested my salmon cooked medium and it was perfection!! Our server was wonderful and friendly. The outdoor patio was lovely! It's tucked in a bit off the street, but look for it! Highly recommended!!

Excellent find while in Malahide. Ramen was spot on, fresh noodle and velvety broth. Unagi don was bbq'd expertly and on perfectly cooked rice. Highly recommend

We had a lovely NYE meal in Daruma Malahide. The staff were so friendly, the restaurant itself is lovely and the food was delicious. We went for the set menu and added the wagyu beef and we really enjoyed it. The teriyaki chicken was delish! We will definitely be back!

I’ll be honest. Until recently my experience of Japanese food was about as authentic as airport sushi at three in the morning. I’d eaten the sort you find in petrol stations and supermarkets. The kind that looks the part but tastes like it was assembled during a power outage.

Then I went to Daruma.

And suddenly I realised something rather alarming. What I’d been eating before wasn’t Japanese food. It was merely a distant rumour of it.

I went with my gorgeous girlfriend, who very wisely took charge of ordering. Thank God she did, because if I’d been left to my own devices I’d probably have panicked and ordered something safe and embarrassing.

We went for the sharing menu, about eighty euro, and she added another dish whose name I cannot remember for the life of me. But I can remember the flavours, and frankly that’s what matters. Everything that came out was balanced, fresh and genuinely delicious. My first time eating proper Japanese food in a restaurant and it completely ruined the fake stuff I’d eaten before.

Now, in a moment of bravery mixed with complete stupidity, I decided I would eat the entire meal using chopsticks.

This was, in hindsight, optimistic.

At first it looked less like dining and more like a man trying to pick up peas with two pencils. I’d carefully grab a piece of food, lift it triumphantly… and then it would escape halfway to my mouth and fall back onto the plate like it had simply given up on life.

My girlfriend found this deeply entertaining. Apparently watching me try to use chopsticks was like watching a toddler attempting to build a tower out of jelly.

At one point I managed to pick something up, held it in the air for a second like I’d just completed a NASA docking procedure… and then dropped it straight back down again.

But I refused to surrender. Slowly, clumsily, and with the determination of a man who refuses to be beaten by two small sticks, I got better. Eventually I made it to the finish line and by then I was eating like a man who’d discovered a new sport.

The atmosphere was relaxed and not overly packed, which was nice. We booked ahead and she planned the whole thing, which after a mad day in work was exactly what I needed.

To finish, because I’m obviously a gentleman of great sophistication, I ordered vanilla ice cream and cheesecake for us to share. We demolished both with alarming efficiency and then happily rocked home afterwards.

If you’re looking for a proper date night and your first real introduction