Part of a series about independent restaurants and stores in the Northwest Ohio area.

Sushi may not be for everyone, but those who do enjoy it often have particular tastes: specific cuts of specific types of fish, preferences of toppings or fillings for various rolls, even a liking for the California roll made by certain sushi places.

While I’ve been to several sushi places within five miles or so of the University of Toledo, where I work and go to school, I haven’t found one I like quite as much as I like Taruman.

Taruman, which technically counts more as a sushi takeout restaurant, is located at 7430 West Central Avenue in what the maps tell me is Toledo.  I’d definitely say it’s far out enough on Central to be in Sylvania, though, so if you’re a Sylvania resident near Central Avenue, it’s one of the closest sushi places.

Food & Beverages

As a sushi place, Taruman serves sushi.  Usually, they’re open for lunch and dinner, and from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on weekdays there is a lunch special, which is written on the white board at the front of the shop.  There are a few basic categories of food at Taruman.

First, there’s nigiri sushi.  Nigiri is the type of sushi that has a small pat of rice with a piece of fish, seafood, or other item on top.  I haven’t really tried the nigiri at Taruman, but I have tried one: the tamago nigiri, which is sweet fried egg.  It was a little odd-tasting, but as far as I can tell, it’s because sweet fried egg in general tastes very strange to me.  (I’ve had it elsewhere and felt the same way.)

The second category I would include are the regular and vegetable rolls, or maki sushi.  Maki refers to something round, so a maki is a rolled sushi.  I usually get maki sushi, since it’s my main preference.  There are standard rolls like the California and Philadelphia rolls as well as a variety of vegetable/vegetarian rolls.

The third category is specialty rolls.  I haven’t tried Taruman’s specialty rolls, but those I go with often do.  From the reviews I’ve heard from friends, the Monster roll and the Dragon roll are both very good.

The fourth category of sushi is the te-maki, which translates to hand-roll.  These are cone-shaped sushi often filled with deliciousness.  Taruman actually has a kimchi te-maki, which would sound interesting and delicious if I liked kimchi.

There are other offerings as well, such as udon (a type of noodle), edamame (lightly salted, steamed soybeans in the pod) and miso (a traditional Japanese soup made with tofu).

A variety of beverages are also available, including the Japanese soda Ramune, hot tea, and more.

Critic’s Conclusion

I GREATLY recommend Taruman to any sushi-lover in Northwest Ohio – and anyone just trying sushi for the first time.  Taruman is the second place I had tried sushi, but the first place I actually enjoyed it – and after that, I headed there regularly.

Personally, my favorite thing about Taruman is the service.  The staff there is great – the chef is a very nice lady, and I’m sure that by now she knows my face, since I’m there pretty often and usually get the same thing.  I haven’t met such a friendly staff in a restaurant before!

In regards to food, I widely recommend the California roll or spicy California, especially if you like spicy sauce.  That’s pretty intense coming from me – I usually can’t stand spicy things!  The Philadelphia roll is also good.

One note: I’d recommend Taruman as a lunch visit.  While it’s charming inside, it’s not the sort of place you would impress your date.