Taro - Balham in Wandsworth

You don't expect the best Japanese food in Balham, but it's good enough for a dinner with friends. The only comment is that the sushi/ sashimi dishes aren't the best quality seafood,but at these prices that's to be expected. The miso soup was poor......no flavour of miso. Service was great with very patient friendly staff. Taro has become a regular 'local' Japanese & in all circumstances beats an Uber alternative.

Average for me. Price is okieish. Bento box is good. If they could cater menu with less pricy options ,I would be happier and come back. If not,just average for me because of the price.

Always amazing food and service here. Really authentic - reminds me of Japan.

Really fresh and delicious sushi, great service and a buzzing atmosphere

I can not complain enough about this. I had order some take away and received it just to find out that one of the containers was broken. I have tried calling the driver straight ahead and no answer, Tried calling the restaurant and they blame the driver. I asked over and over about taking accountability for this às and asked if they would send a fresh one as there was cold fish mixed with the broken broth which can lead to food poisoning. They refused and carry on saying that I needed to call to a different currier than the one I’ve order from even when I repeat over and over I did not order with them, just for them to tell them it was the same. I am sorry it’s not the same if I call Mac Donald’s to try fixing an issue that I have with Taro is it? They carry on insisting they have packed it properly. I have advise that if I get food poisoning due that good it’s their responsibility as they are the one who cooked them. Please see video attached on how well pack this was. No one is accountable apparently.

Authentic Japanese restaurant super fresh fish, great service and friendly atmosphere. They have a full menu including vegan options. I highly recommend this place!

Impeccable service from start to finish… Highly recommend this restaurant to anyone looking for a great meal.

They got our food delivery order wrong and the sushi tasted weird.

Service and food was just wow….highly recommended place

Very disappointing Valentine’s Day! We ordered our meal on Uber Eats yesterday at 6.30pm before the dinner rush and after waiting 90 minutes with no progress I called the restaurant. They first put the blame on the riders, but I could see that 4 riders had been assigned to the job and left the restaurant empty handed. They then said they were completing the order and it would be ready imminently. 30 minutes later the order was cancelled! We waited 2 hours and it was a bitterly disappointing experience. It was 8.30pm and I had to scramble for a local alternative to feed the family. I appreciate how busy Valentine’s Day must be for a restaurant, but something clearly went wrong with the process and we were let down!

Service was amazing despite busy schedule and food was absolutely delicious

Shocking delivery service - still no food after 2 hours. Kept saying we’re just doing it every time I called up. Said it would be ready in 10 more minutes and then just shut.

Very busy, very rushed and very slow. The pork don was not very tasty. Sushi and sashimi was nice. It took ages to serve us and the food came uncoordinated and slow

The customer service is appalling. I understand it can be busy during Valentine's day, i called to enquire about how long my food will take on deliveroo, i was told at 19.40 that the food is being bagged. I tried to call the restaurant multiple times and it went on voicemail. I understood my number was being blocked, so i used my partner's at 21.15 and thats when i found out that the food was going to be ready in 10min. I asked deliveroo to cancel my order and issue ne a refund, because I would've been patient only if i was told the truth, but i was lied to and the members of stuff didn't sound sorry at all, they were just apologetic for the sake of "good image". I will never order from them again.

Been craving for sashimi and Taro never disappoints! Sashimi boat did the trick. Love the way they arrange the sashimi boat... And there's also a little surprise in there 😉

Taro Balham was a fantastic find! Fresh, tasty Japanese dishes with great service. The sushi and ramen were spot on. Vegetarian options available as well. Will be back!

Great food and excellent service!

Everything was so good! Special hot food was delicious Tonkasu Ramen. Shusi was lovely. Sushi & Sasahimi

I recently had the pleasure of dining at Taro japanese and I must say, it was an unforgettable experience! From the moment we walked in, we were warmly welcomed by the staff, who provided outstanding hospitality throughout our visit. The food was absolutely delicious—every dish was expertly prepared, bursting with flavor, and beautifully presented. Whether you're a foodie or just looking for a great meal, this place does not disappoint! The ambiance was perfect—cozy, inviting, and well-maintained. The staff was attentive without being intrusive, ensuring that we had everything we needed for a wonderful dining experience. Overall, I highly recommend Taro japanese to anyone looking for great food, exceptional service, and a fantastic atmosphere. Can’t wait to visit again! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Absolutely amazing, the staff were very welcoming and service was incredible. I had the duck bento and was in shock for amazing it was! Would definitely recommend!

One of my favourite place. Always great food specially sushi and ramens.

I had a nice lunch here today (Saturday). She ordered the teriyaki chicken don and I ordered the teriyaki duck don. For a starter we ordered the tempura eel avocado roll. It was sublime. The “dons” were substantial so careful not to over order. We couldn’t finish them but they were tasty. The tempura eel was out of this world and we will be going back to just eat as much of that as physically possible! That dish is a 10/10.

Ordered chicken ramen on Uber Eats and it just wasn't very good, noodles came in a separate box and were all glued together - the chicken itself wasn't very good at all, sadly

Ordered via Uber Eats and I have usually had great food from Taro. But just had the chicken ramen and it was dreadful. Zero flavour, and the chicken was terrible quality, hard and felt cheap. Very disappointing. It’s actually put me off from further orders. Do not order the chicken ramen.

Great food - really love the tofu bento box. Reasonable prices.

Quality of sushi rice was poor and food is overpriced

Love it! I keep coming back to try new things. And I always leave with a full belly

I had an absolutely amazing experience at this restaurant! The service was top-notch – the staff were attentive, friendly, and went out of their way to make sure everything was perfect. As for the food, Every dish was bursting with flavor and beautifully presented. It’s rare to find a place that nails both service and food quality like this. I can’t wait to visit again..

Food is reliably good and staff are friendly.

Great service and great food. Took someone who has lived and worked in Japan and she was impressed with the quality.

Service is super slow. Food tastes good. Atmosphere is noisy

Great Japanese restaurant. The tonkatsu is delicious and the price is also really good.

I had a really nice sushi platter! Tasted fresh and satisfying

The actual space was a bit tight but comfortable enough since it was not too crowded. But a full house would make it quite tight. ☺️ Service was quite efficient and effective and our dishes came in a timely fashion but not all together for the 3 of us. Something to work on definitely so the food doesn't get cold. The food was delicious 😋 We had a pork Ramen, a chicken Ramen (good portion of chicken)and sushi platter. Starters were also appetizing 😋☺️

I am a regular at Taro. The food is good especially the sushi is very good, great portions and size, very filling and well done. The currys and teriaki a bit Less good in my opinion. But the worst thing is the service. This is the only restaurant I have been in which the physical costumers are completely overlooked to give all their attentions to the take away and Uber/ delivery drivers. So you are there waiting for someone to come around forever to ask for some water when they are all there prepping their takeaway and giving bags to the drivers. Also the service for the costumers that are seated and paying for service a good 12.5% is basically 0 while people who are not paying for the service charge ( takeaway) get all the attention. This drives me mad if it wasn't the best sushi place in Balham I would have stopped coming here long time ago.

Good lunch deal, tasty food and special thanks to Rika!!! Perfect service and attention.

I wouldn't even give the curry to my dog and the sushi was lukewarm. There was so much noise coming from the open kitchen that you could hardly have a conversation.

Great local restaurant, I like to bring the kids. Service is friendly and relaxed, even when we cause confusion with the various requests from the kids. Food is tasty, good quality & arrives quickly.

We went for dinner here on a weeknight. The food was quick, delicious and fresh - we ordered several different items including fish, veggie and cooked meat/fish sushi, gyoza, salad and tempura prawns. The portions were all decent sizes for the money and the plating of the food was appealing. Whilst service was fast, the only constructive feedback I’ve give is that we specified three items to come as starters but actually received our food in a completely different and random order. As a further suggestion, it would be great if they could serve 0% beer such as Asahi Super Dry 0% on the menu to give pregnant people (like me) and other non-alcoholic drinkers the option to enjoy Japanese beer with their meal.

This is a great place to chill out with your favourite ice cream

Ordered from Uber eats and rarely do I enjoy a meal enough from there to leave a review however Taro was excellent. The portion sizes of the bento boxes are perfect and the packaging means everything arrived as intended. Very quick delivery and everything tasted super fresh. If you want a take out but don't want to feel horrible after I'd give Taro a go!

great service…. food was delicious

Best food I've ever had at this restaurant, tried their chef special roll and tuna steak bento was amazing, miso soup tastes just right! Just what was needed for the weather. Highly recommend eating here!!!

My review is based off a tuna steak bento box. A Google images search of "tuna steak bento" is what I was expecting. The tuna was in thin slices, cooked to very well done and then drowned in teriyaki sauce making it impossible to taste. The rice was soggy, pickled ginger dry and edamame unwashed. For 22 pounds I was looking forward to a nice meal but Sainsbury's quality is higher

Amazing food and high quality sushi Good portions reasonably priced Best in balham Highly Recommend

Food are so delicious and environment are good.

Was eating here with my friend and was recommended lots of delicious food by the young waiter with red/ purple hair was really sweet and offered vegetable sushi because my friend couldn't eat the sashimi from the bento box. Definitely will be coming back again!!! Food came fast and service was great

We ordered a tuna steak bento box and we got pork instead. I called the restaurant and explained we received our order with a wrong meat. The lady who made our food tried to convince us that this is tuna. I told her the taste is definitely not a tuna taste but she insisted that it was indeed tuna. The taste was not tuna, nor was the texture! Of course, anyone can make mistakes, but being seen as stupid is a lot! They did not want to solve my problem at all just keep saying that is a tuna. This is not the first time we have ordered this. Last time the tuna steak was different. As everyone can see in this pictures this is not tuna. I asked one of my friend who is a chef what he thinks about it and he said the same. My partner could not have his lunch because he doesn’t eat pork. What's even better they didn't even want to give compensation for this bad experience!! This so rude! They only want the money and the satisfaction of the guest is no longer of interest to them. 👎🤢🤮 Reply to the owner : Why would I say it wasn't tuna? Why would I say that?? And what about the taste and texture?? I hope everyone in the kitchen knows what kind of meat to use for a tuna steak, or at least it would be good if they had a good eyes. 🥴🙄

Great quality food for a very reasonable price. The staff are friendly and helpful! The food is always out quickly and tastes absolutely delicious. I go here a few times a month - my favourite restaurant in Balham!

Went mid week for a family meal. Decent food - though I do wish they would give less of rice and more of chicken or veg on the ' don ' dish. A little bit on the pricy side Will defo go again

Kalawati Aryal, Nishesh and Megha are excellent definitely will be coming back !

Nice open restaurant (looks better than the Soho restaurant and is bigger)

Nice place and we sat outside and watched the world go by. Staff all friendly... but service way too intense at start - huge menu and we were asked to order within 1 min, 3 mins and 5! Spicy edamane beans - I was expecting hot and fresh and rolled in spices. What we got were fridge cold and drowning in a thick goopy over sweet sauce. Tempura prawns came in a thick greasy batter like you'd get in a fish and chip shop. Sushi was decent enough aside from slice of inedible rubbery octopus. Sashimi wasn't elegant slices of premium raw fish but huge CHUNKS. Gag. And while the salmon was fresh the tuna was stringy and chewy. Jasmine tea was a pot full of dust not tea leaves. Honestly... For 40 quid each with no alcohol... Don't think I'd recommend.

What a gem of a restaurant! Some of the best Japanese food I have ever had. The sushi and sashimi were very fresh and clean. Everything was beautifully presented. Huge choice of dishes. The chefs worked skilfully and quickly. Service was friendly and efficient. Not expensive! Good atmosphere and not surprised to see a steady stream of takeaways being sent out. A great find!

Excellent food. Such good value. Great menu!!! (With the exception of the octopus balls which weren’t very nice) but the sushi & ramen etc was fab.

Really good quality food, especially the fried chicken. Very very annoying to have to fight our way into the restaurant through a big crowd of Deliveroo drivers all waiting in their helmets at the door where a poor member of staff was frantically trying to control the situation, occasionally shouting at them to get out. The drivers also stared at us and the food. Overall felt like we were competing for service with a hundred people not even in the restaurant and so the service really suffered and it took a long time to get anything. Food is of very good quality and tasty, except the octopus balls which were gross. Excellent value. Would recommend to the restaurant that diners in the restaurant should be given priority, but I imagine they make much more money on take out.

It is a small restaurant with very good Japanese and Asian food.

The food was very dissapointing. We had two Bento boxes, the sashimi was cut in huge chunks and roughly. The rice under my grilled salmon was overcooked and soft and my plum wine came in a champagne glass I have no idea why. I was expecting a great experience as I had been to the one in Soho. One of the chef's kept coughing too whilst cooking which wasn't the best feeling after being served food to eat. This was very dissapointing experience!

This was an appalling meal. We were excited that a new local Japanese place had opened in Balham, and as such set out to try quite a lot from the menu. All dishes were disappointing both taste wise and presentation wise. The sashimi salad was just sashimi in a bowl with a few leaves and 1 cherry tomato cut in half but not separated, no dressing or presentation. The yaki-tori was extremely small pieces of chicken on the skewer like off cuts, and in retrospect we should have resturned the dish immediately. The sushi was tasteless and lacked presentation or appeal. The beef teriyaki was also underwhelming. We had some other dishes which were all poor, I've actually forgotten what they were. We tried both versions of the mojito and both tasted like chemical fragranced hand wipes. Service was inattentive and completely disinterested. We gave some simple polite feedback at the end of the meal and as anticipated, the staff didn't seem interested or at all surprised! To top it all, it's not a cheap restaurant. The same money could have bought us an extremely good meal in Tsunami down the road in Clapham. I can't see the restaurant lasting, locals certainly won't be returning after one experience there, unless is relies on the people popping in for a noodle dish to take home on the way from work - but there are much better options for this. This restaurant hasn't appeared on TripAdvisor yet, perhaps to avoid an onslaught of negative reviews?

Taro is, and will forever be my favourite restaurant. I’ve been coming here for 5 years now, whenever I’m either local or for a special occasion. This attests to its unique ability to provide fantastic sushi and reasonable prices. The food is simple, fresh (never more than a day old) and well served. Specially spider rolls are a must here. The staff are continually friendly too. Keep it up Taro

Vegetarian Bento box was amazing. Nice atmosphere. really good spot.

I used to love this place, but feel it has really gone downhill recently. Food seems to be incredibly hit and miss with consistent sub-par service. You repeatedly have to ask for plates/glasses/soya sauce. Music is seriously awful, why would drum and bass be played on a Friday night? I’ll go to Fabric if I want to listen to this.

Eat here often and am never disappointed, and always satisfied. Food is tasty, decent portions and reasonably priced. Lunch menu is especially good value. Good service. Well recommended.

Reasonable price with good portion & quality

Ordered sushi from here via Deliveroo. Really solid sushi, way better than average. For reference, I lived in Japan for 8 years and am consistently disappointed with sushi in London but this was great honestly.

Great gyozas and good ramen, starters came at the same time as mains though. Very nice place feels quite Japanese and nice atmosphere. If you’re too close to the entrance you would be disrupted by all the Deliveroo though

I’ve been to Taro several times and the food is consistently delicious. Some the freshest sushi I’ve had and loads of food to fill you for the price. Very authentic Japanese menu which I’ve enjoyed exploring, the lunch time offer helps with this. The service is a bit slow but the staff are really nice. Nice music as well. Will keep visiting

Quite an average restaurant. My friend usually takes away and has a good experience. The service people took forever to understand but we’re asking for even though it was on the menu. I ended up with a lunch Bento box even though they aren’t served at the weekend personally not a good experience for sushi, but the food was okay

Good cheap Japanese food. I got the tofu steak bento.

Ordered on deliveroo, ramen broth very disappointing in both pork ramen and tonkotsu. No depth or flavour. Hard boiled egg in ramen and overcooked soggy noodles. Wont order again.

Really amazing service. Waiters are so kind. One lady literally sprinted down the road after me because I forgot my bag it was so sweet. Will defo come here again :)

I waited for over an hour for delivery only to get a phone call from the restaurant 5 minutes before the rider arrived at my house saying that they forgot to pack an item which was my daughter’s entire lunch. No attempt of redelivery was offered, they just asked me to cancel the item on Deliveroo. My daughter has an eating disorder and can only eat a very limited spectrum of food from a handful of restaurants. But letting a child starve doesn’t seem to matter to them at all. Totally irresponsible!

Very cozy place. Delicious food, had sushi and spicy chicken. Reasonable prices and food portions were also pleasant. Polite staff, helpful and fast. Very nice.

To date the best Tonkatsu Ramen I have ever had. Taro has always been a great place to go for sushi anyway. Go!

Great selection of sushi and other Japanese favourites and a simple Japanese style interior with a few seats outside for when it's a nice day. I would recommend the duck teriyaki don but be prepared that it's a lot of food!

My favourite local sushi restaurant! Reasonably priced and great quality! Staff are always friendly. We mostly dine in but on occasionally we get takeaway.

They have good value sashimi 🍱 here but it's not as good quality as some other places, particularly the eel but it's still nice. Veg gyoza 🥟 and edamame spring rolls are very much my thing here too.

We had farewell meal here for a friend and although it was sad to say goodbye we did have an amazing meal, and the staff we're great, and the food as always was amazing

Worst sushi we’ve ever tried (we tried dragon roll, salmon roll and California roll). The rice was over cooked and just awful. Edamame was ice cold, the tempura vegetables not good at all. Not going back for sure and spent £68. Next time I’ll just go to Sainsbury’s cause the sushi there is better

Whilst working for a week in Balham, my wife and I ate lunch here everyday day. 100% excellent meals and service.

Best sushi place in Balham with a great selection of options. Would recommend the bento boxes 🍱

Just ordered takeaway and the sumai and tempura chicken avocado rolls were amazing. Chicken gyoza was also really tasty! Really recommend!

Small local sushi spot. This place is my go to when I can’t decide what I want to eat or when I want to dine alone. I love warm sushi and plum wine so it’s what I usually get. I have tried other things on the menu and no complaints.

I’ve been to Tokyo over a dozen times. This is actually exactly the amazing food you would get in Tokyo. Do yourself a favour and dine here. Amazing!!!

Very othentiq Japanese food. Highly recommended

My favourite sushi place in south London for sure. I’ve brought friends and family here and every time we walk out so full and satisfied with our meals. I average around £16 per head every visit. The service is welcoming and Daniel is a warm passionate manager who clearly cares about the business and customer experience. I had never tried tempura fried sushi before to which he kindly offered on the house and he was not wrong. I need encouragement to try something different. He sealed the deal and I am a forever fan. Despite living in Surrey this branch is the closest to me so it’s become a monthly visit. It would be weekly if I could! The price range is fair, even the catering staff are friendly and exchange a smile. Mon-Fri after 5:30pm it’s an extra 10% off the bill. I have relatives coming from Bali next week and I’m being sure to book a table because this place does get busy! It’s not a big restaurant so there can be a wait for a table during peak hours, but it’s ideal size because the chefs have never made me wait longer than 10-15mins for my food. Unlike much larger scaled restaurants. So I recommend!

Disgusting overcooked rice warm sushi , not coming again . Avoid x

A really lovely little place on Balham high street with a lovely garden out the back too.

Omg I've walked past this place so many times and never gone in mainly because it was super busy. HOWEVER, on this occasion, I had mum with me, and said let's go! I'm so glad we did, the food was very reasonable in price they gave you so much and the vegan options were lovely. I would usually eat from a particular chain restaurant in the area if I were feeling lazy to cook, but I will certainly be replacing my go to food pace as a result!!

Came in for lunch time, portion was really good and very tasty, it wasn’t a bit order but the Katsu curry was delicious. Will definitely be coming back. Thank you.

Had an amazing first experience. Food was 5/5 and the service was so attentive, friendly and fun. Would definitely recommend.

Service has become appauling got food after the rest of our table had finished Sushi did not have much ginger had to order more. Wasabi no longer spicy. Won't be visiting this Taro again.

Oh dear Taro - Balham what have you done? Bland food, portions smaller, service terrible, that is if got served at all. This one off my list of places to go. Kennington Taro here I come.

Oh dear. I do this review with a heavy heart. Came here prevoiusly about a month ago and the service was slow. Thought we would try again today. Ordered food. Talked about allergies and asked for a substitution. All ok so far. Previous time we asked for extra ginger as the portion size was small. They gave us more but charged extra for it. Mentioned the need for lots of ginger with the sushi, only got one piece per Balham roll set - see photo. When made a comment, some more was brought out - was expecting to pay more for it. Allergy information was obviously not passed onto the chef as it was present on the sushi set - but my son eat it, so he was happy. My hot dish, which usually comes before the sushi sets did not turn up. We asked for clarification on the order and were told he would check. 10 minutes later an order was put in with no communication regarding status. No apologies, or explanation so order could be refined or cancelled. By this time, my family had virtually finished their meal. My food arrived and I had to eat up quickly so as to not keep them waiting. Asked for bill to find the hot meal had been charged for at the full menu price not the lunch menu price. Had to query this as well. Overall, as expecting to have a nice relaxed lunch, only to find I had to hurry the main part of my meal. Getting customes in is the difficult part of the industry at the moment. Once the customer is in, you would expect some form of customer service, with good communication and a smooth customer service. I am sorry to say, but Balham has now put me in a position of not wanting to go back any more to Taro. We love the Kennington branch as there is smooth interaction from the staff, but Balham ... Will not be going back, as it is not cheap and would like some form of positive communication, as we know thing do go wrong at times. It is not rocket science - just talk to the customer so they are in the loop and not trying to second guess what is going on.

Delicous sushi, worth my time and money! Came to eat with my friend and was served by Tom-working very fast and gave great customer service. The sushi sets were of good quality and didn't contain that fishy taste I was worried for, making it enjoyable as well as smooth to eat. I would definitely come again sometime 👍

Absolutely loved my experience at Taro Balham! came out for dinner on a Sunday with my children and they loved the kind service and really enjoyed the chicken katsu set for the kids, portion size was a bit big but overall really amazing taste. When my salmon teriyaki bento box arrived I was surprised at how much comes inside it, the rice was soft and fluffy and the salmon was cooked well. Very flavourful. I would definitely visit again and I highly recommend it for people that are visiting Japanese restaurants!!

Been here multiple times since it was first opened, their quality seems to be going downhill. Had a bento box, rice is chewy and is obviously overnight rice. I eat Japanese food often and it’s the only time I had overnight rice at a Japanese restaurant.

Eaten at both the Soho and Kennington brand and was our first trip to the Balham one. Sadly we wished we hadn’t bothered. Not only was the restaurant freezing cold but the service was some of the worse we’ve ever had. No fault of the the two servers. They were totally understaffed and over worked with a Sunday lunch service. Don’t bother going if it’s busy

This was just about the worst sushi I’ve had in a really long time. The service was quite bad as well. We only came because it was a friends’ choice. Had I seen the reviews I would not have come here at all. There are certain standards when it comes to sushi. It’s hard to make sushi pretty, and sometimes we use western ingredients to enhance the flavor - I get that. My biggest concern trying a new sushi restaurant is the possibility of warm and mushy rice and the overuse of cream cheese and mayonnaise 🤢. This place did EXACTLY that. Eating raw fish with a mouth full of very warm rice, along with cream cheese and mayonnaise… was just not anything I would ever look forward to. Some dishes don’t specify the ingredients they use, and you can’t really tell what’s in the photos. Also during our dine-in experience, I was ordering the sushi boat, and then I wanted to add an extra order of Ikura. To which the waitress said “we don’t have any Ikura today.” Well then when were you going to tell me that, because that’s one of the items included in the boat?? Thankfully, I found that out sooner rather than later, and I was able to cancel the boat. We didn’t mention that part of course, but throughout our time there, the waitress seemed like she did NOT want to be there. All in all, I can’t believe a place like this is still in business in 2023, but I guess maybe some people prefer it for the price or just don’t know any better 🤷🏻‍♀️

Prawn tempura roll was nice and clearly made to order. Balham roll was hard very cold (like so cold it hurt my teeth to bite) - likely premade and served from fridge. WAAAY too much disgusting mayonnaise (not even flavoured so why?!?) on everything. Gyoza delivered with a literal thimble of dipping sauce. Half filled miso soup. My usual sushi place was closed but this was a shocker. And very expensive!! I’ve had taro before and I remember it not being great but this was really awful. Never again!!