Maru Japanese Restaurant

Truly a mom-and-pop shop, Maru is an old-school Japanese restaurant that opened in 2003 in Allandale on Burnet Road. The quality of the fish is good, if cut a little haphazardly, but overall the food is pretty lackluster. The nigiri and rolls are on the large side. Casual and quaint, service is also friendly, and there’s never a wait. The broad menu goes beyond sushi, including udon, yakisoba, and teriyaki dishes, and cheesecake bites for dessert (the best part of a meal here), which sometimes come out a little frozen.