Tomo Japanese Restaurant

I took my wife here for an early Valentine’s Day date without the kids and it was just what we needed — friendly and accommodating service, delicious sushi, creative dishes to try, and relaxing atmosphere. The mochi was yummy for dessert, but I was really blown away by the Strawberry Delight — fried tam and peanut butter rolled in sushi rice and topped with sliced strawberries!

Im a big Unilocaler, I’ve come here a few times and they always have taken at least an hour to get my order ready when you can clearly see they aren’t that busy. Food is good, but i dont know if its worth the long wait.

The sushi was great. I’ve eaten here many times over the years and it’s always on point for the most part. My last visit I was seated immediately at the sushi bar. My sake came quickly when ordered, as did my salmon sunonmo. The main dish, chirashi took a little longer, but I assure you was well worth the wait. The presentation was beautiful, and the tasted wonderful. The sushi chefs were great and made for some good conversation. Another great dinner at Tomo.

Food was good, service was shit. They brought my appetizer out after we ate already. Instead of letting me know that the oysters were frozen and would take a while they bring them out after we ate. The whole time I sat there wondering where my freaking oysters were. Wtf? Please work on your communication skills tomo. This place used to be the best in Humboldt. The server act like we were bugging her. The food was descent but I won’t go back and whoever is bragging about it needs to get a clue.

Tomo has been rockin and Rollin’ just off-​plaza in Arcata for several decades.
These days, its arranged in a very social, semi-​open way to promote both party-​intimacy and waiter access to each station at tables and booths.
It can be somewhat hit and miss with roll planning
. And in my experience some combinations are not effective… But the cuts are clean enough, the portions are decent, and the staff are both sweet and helpful.
Within this area, if you are going to introduce someone to sushi for the first time, Tomo is just the right balance of complexity and culinary training-​wheels for you!
The space is clean and well maintained, and the typical menu items often have slight variations that make them memorable.
Tonight, for instance, the tempura vegetable basket came with a strong hint of lemon zest or juice in the batter. It was both pleasant and different.
Try it out! Many people find it to be arcata’s best… Not myself, but I still find myself here a good bit!

Went in on a busy Friday night (Arts Alive in Arcata) and there was bad service. Took us about an hour and a half to get our food. Instead, we should have just cooked at home. The food is mediocre. Kind of pricey for not too much sushi IMO.
Vegans: their tempura is vegan so eat up!
Would I come here again?
No, lots of other places to try.

Always great to get back home and have some sushi. Environment is consistently laid back and relaxing. Love it here.

This week I was working away from home in McKinleyville ca. While there, I dined at Tomo Shushi. The place is busy and appears dominated by local university students as represented by patrons and staff. I had several dishes recommended by both my server and sushi chef. Totally dissapointing is the word that came to mind in regards to all the offerings I tried. All the food looked reasonably attractive, but it all lacked flavor. The primary flavor was the rice in all of the dishes I tasted and that had a certain stale flavor. I am not any kind of sushi snob but this was the most disappointing sushi I have ever had. I was put Tomo’s food in regards to flavor on par with sushi that you might find at your local supermarket’s deli counter where their sushi samplings have been prepared hours if not days in advance. I know it sounds harsh but this sushi is just plain bad. If you are in the mood for sushi while in Arcata try anywhere but Tomo’s.

I’m originally from San Diego, which almost isn’t fair to most of the restaurants we’ve tried since we moved here over a month ago. We came to Tomo on the recommendation of several locals who called it the «best sushi» in the area. I sincerely hope that isn’t true, because I would hate to think that, for as long as we live here, we will never have really good sushi. I must admit, we are still in a bit of a culture shock (and food shock, and sticker shock) when it comes to the lacking diversity, flavor, and prices of the restaurant selection here. The only good thing about this place, besides the friendly service, was that the prices are low as compared to San Diego (but then again, everything is) and I am glad for that because there is no way I would pay actual high prices for this sushi. We ordered three or four rolls, all specialty, and one regular spicy tuna roll. All were lacking depth of flavor, even though most were topped with sauces and/​or fish or some kind. Basically, it all tasted the same, nothing stand out about any of it. It was very disappointing. We also ordered two cocktails, again disappointing. Moscow mules tasted mostly like cheap vodka and ice. Now, I’d hate to think we are food snobs, or that we aren’t willing to acclimate our palates to the local cuisine. Call me crazy, but I just assumed that moving from one coastal area to another would mean there would still be access to quality seafood. There has got to be better out there, and I hope we will find it soon. Until then, maybe we will learn how to make our own, because we will not be returning here.

If you are really cool you have a box of chopsticks with your name on it at this local favorite. Spacious, cool aquariums, friendly and efficient staff, good beer on tap, pleasant atmosphere and damn good sushi. Tomo has really upped their game with the other spot around the corner. But they hold their own and really offer a different experience. I find their specials to be consistently outstanding. And when their customers demanded that the Japanese cowboy (awesome roll) be added to the menu, they responded. If you plan to go anytime after 6pm, you should make a reservation.

I always have a good time here. The service is attentive, and maintains a lot of tables. I’ve never had to send anything back, and I haven’t been served anything ill prepared. The chefs generate really nice specials during the spring and fall when things are fresh and in season, which I really like. You can almost order straight of the specials to complete your meal, which is what I want to be able to do! All new!

Third time visiting Tomo and was extremely disappointed. Though I was never highly impressed the food and service were always ok. This time, however, felt like a complete waste of money. First of all, everything is extremely overpriced for the portion sizes. Ordered a $ 9 calamari special that came with 5 small tentacles that were so tough we sent them back. Then proceeded to order 4 rolls of sushi only to leave still hungry. I have never spent $ 40 on sushi and not been stuffed to the brim. And on top of all that the service was extremely slow. Took almost 30 minutes just to receive our appetizer and another 10 minutes before the first roll came. Maybe I’m just spoiled with good sushi being from out of town, but if you get the craving I would recommend saving your money and choosing something else to eat because you will not be satisfied and will leave with a large hole in your wallet.

Pretty good. Nothing overly exceptional but the sushi was good. Ok selection but again not great
Our waitress was really friendly, which made up for the super super slow service (food from kitchen that is). It is a really big space and when it is full expect to sit for a while before anything atrives
I’d definitely go back but with hedged expectations

I’ve had this place twice. Both times staying at the arcata hotel. The first time it took an hour and half wait to get food. So I decided to come a second time and see if maybe it was because it was a Saturday night. So I went on a Monday night… Still took an hour for sushi. Nothing special. It was mostly bland and really simple for the price. I know now that I won’t be coming back.

Tomo has always been one of the fancier places to eat in Arcata, but what you’re paying for isn’t better food or service it’s really just the setting of the ambience. Menu is pretty generic and the food quality is the exact same as Sushi Spot down the street. Service blows. Whether you call in or sit down you will most likely always be forgotten. Ive been left at the counter for an entire 5 minutes before I literally had to yell at the cook to go find me somebody so I could pay.
Not bad, but not great either.

This is not a review of the food served at Tomo, I wish it were, but it isn’t.
I walked in on a Saturday just past noon and was surprised to see an almost empty restaurant. I was seated and then promptly forgotten about; at least it seemed that way.
After sitting and reading my book for 10 – 15 minutes with no one acknowledging my presence, I decided to call it a day and I walked out.
I have worked as a food server and I use how I treated my customers as a guide to how I will accept being treated by food servers I encounter; and this is how NOT to treat those wishing to be served in this restaurant.
Most people are either really up on Tomo or not; I can’t be either as I have not had the pleasure, as yet.
I do think I will return and I will give Tomo one more crack at getting it right. After all, anyone, place, or thing can have an off day and I’m always willing to try again.
I will report back.

I’ve gone here multiple times in the last twenty years. I loved it when I was a younger teen and there wasn’t any actual sushi competition in Humboldt county. Ever since having real sushi I know not to ever order sushi here. Once you’ve had good sushi it’s hard to go back.
Currently California is in a drought. There’s a law going on about not serving water until requested for restaurants because of this historic drought. Apparently this establishment is above the law. Not only did we get water without asking, but the cleanliness of this place isn’t up to par. When was the last time they cleaned their walls or their partitions? I see a thick layer of grime & what I suspect to be mold… merely inches from where I was seated… at head level.: sigh: Not appealing.
My husband and I both got the chicken teriyaki dinner. Although the chicken was okay (although slightly rubbery) the pieces were far too large for chopsticks. Far too large. It was difficult to eat and I wasn’t about to cram the entire piece in my mouth in one go.
I will say that our waiter was great. He was prompt, polite, professional, and pleasant. When the kitchen sent out an incomplete dish he was quick to remedy the situation with a diplomatic and easy smile, leaving us not upset at all about the oversight by the sushi rolling staff (a roll came with our dinner, or else we wouldn’t have gotten one). Also, the girl filling the waters was on it. She made sure no one in our vicinity was out.
Overall I wasn’t impressed though. The polite waiter isn’t enough to make me want to eat here again any time soon. We picked this restaurant from a coin toss… it lost, but the other establishment was packed. Next time we’ll just wait for the more popular place. There are far too many great sushi restaurants close by to waste on this one. Maybe next time I come it’ll be to sit at the bar and enjoy a cocktail or two with friends, but not food.

Tomo has been a part of my life since I was in elementary school. I had at least one teenage birthday party here. I’ve since moved to the Bay Area and only come back to Humboldt occasionally. Recently, I felt inspired to go to Tomo with my mom for lunch. After not having been here for at least 8 years, I wasn’t sure it would still be good or that my early life impressions of sushi were actually reasonable. Since high school, I’ve eaten much sushi, even in Japan.
My mom and I came in and were seated by the friendly waitstaff. I have to say, the décor is pretty much the same as many years ago, just perhaps a bit more… used… Their menu doesn’t offer an overabundance of options like some restaurants.
The nice thing about Tomo is the mix of good classic sushi selections like nigiri and chirashi with some other sushi selections that have a distinctly Humboldt or distinctly Tomo twist. Lemon cured salmon? Almond butter in a sushi roll? It may sound weird, but Tomo makes it work.
When I have sushi I tend to judge on the freshness of the fish, the preparation of the rice, and the nori. Tomo gets a thumbs up for both the fish and the rice. Their rice is neither overcooked nor undercooked, and is not overseasoned or underseasoned. It has just enough of a little resistance to the teeth but is far from crunchy. The nori is fine. I got the tempura yam roll of my memories, and it was just as good. The oyster shooters were unique and fresh. The «salad style» scallop nigiri was really tasty, if just a little hard to eat neatly.
The only downside was that the service was just a little slow given how empty the restaurant was. I could have used a bit more water.
Overall, Tomo has withstood the passing of time and remains a solid sushi restaurant. And I have gained a little faith in my teenage food tastes of years past.

OK, seriously. If you eat in this town, GO TO TOMO. Fu*k that other spot.
Don’t get disappointed by other mediocre sushi, or worse, mediocre food categories other than sushi. Just go here and enjoy the excellent service and the best fish on the west coast. Oh and try the sauces, which are all made in house.
I would recommend the japanese cowboy. With a shit-​ton of extra cilantro and 7 sashimi spice on it.

Have been twice now. Both times during happy hour. It’s okay. Not nearly as great a value as sushi Tao, but it’s a good place as a primer for Sushi Tao. My sister and her partner had some appetizers and beer. We went to Sushi Tao later, she ordered more food, and it costs the exact amount to the cent at Tao. I’m telling you, you’ll never leave Sushi Tao unsatisfied! Tomo’s has not had me feeling the same for the same price. It’s a nice change in environment, but I end up wanting to go to to Tao instead. If you check in at Tomo’s on Unilocal,they don’t offer a free miso; Sushi Tao does! That’s awesome.