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I didn't find it to be 4+ stars worthy of awesome but it is a passable place to enjoy a meal.
My food was good, I didn't indulge in the sushi but had one of their meal dinners. The beef teriyaki was good, the meat was tender and easy to break apart with my fork. Tempura was delicious, all crispy where appropriate so that was good.
Only gripe was that they are quick to clear your plate while you could still be eating. Please keep your hands off my plate until I am done with my meal, thank you.
This place is your basic "Kitaro" or "Kiki" -esque Japanese food joint. It's by no means authentic nor carefully prepared but it's a quick fix for sushi. Don't expect attentive service - you get what you pay for.
Or so I thought...I'm sure this rarely happens (actually, this should never happen), but after finding a used Band-aid in the bottom of our food, we were more than grossed out. The least the restaurant could have done was give us newly prepared food, but all we got was a 10% discount.
I don't expect them to get on their knees and apologize but really, I would've rather had another encounter with that bug in my parmigiana (that Italian restaurant had great service - remade everyone's entree, charged us nothing and the manager came over to offer an apology) than with that nasty, disease-infested Band-aid.
Any business that cares about their customers at all would have acted more appropriately. We were willing to put up with their mediocre food, their undesirable customer service, but this was the last straw. We were regulars who work in the area that frequented Mikado every so often but now we know our business is unwanted, so we will take it elsewhere.
Bad, bad, bad, bad, bad, bad, bad, bad, bad, bad, bad.
BAD.
Too much rice used. Poorly-made rice. Bad fish.
BAD.
so I come back to this place and once again, greeted promptly as well as remembered from my last visit. This time I asked them to just 'surprise' me. The cutie I mentioned before(I forgot her name) and the dude who made my 'Dream' roll last time had a lil conversation and agreed on a choice...'tadaa' TULIP roll. Looked beautiful and tasted just as delightful. IT'S A WRAP!!!!! this is my Sushi joint in the area.... I think i'm just gonna try all the different rolls every time I come through...
I was craving for sushi and this is pretty much the closest sushi joint where I'm at so I said to… Read more »
Quick update: The Hamachi sushi was good. The soft-shell crab was crispy and had a nice crunchy texture but unfortunately I just couldn't taste the crab at all. The Oyako Don was a bitter disappointment and I couldn't go beyond the halfway point (I am someone who usually cleans up his dinner plate).
My $24 was $19 down the drain.
I would recommend the Sushi (but skip everything else).
Been here for the first time today and decided on the Bento Box combo with Tuna Rolls and Spicy… Read more »
Came for lunch one day and had the chirashi,
Let's just say that they took the fish out of the ocean, but they most DEFINITELY did not take the ocean out of the fish. I'm just thankful that they had plenty of wasabi, because when you're crying, you tend to notice the fishy taste less.
Two stars because I am giving them the benefit of the doubt that their cooked food is better.
Great neighborhood sushi restaurant. We had the eel and bbq roll, soft crab shell roll, spicy tuna roll, salmon teriyaki, garlic fried chicken teriyaki and fried oyster teriyaki.
Entrees came with miso soup, salad and rice. Ambience was inviting
and comfortable. This place isn't as trendy as Sushi to Dai For in downtown San Rafael, but the prices are reasonable and the food is good!
I will definitley will be coming back as a regular!
You get a lot of food for the buck, and I'm a fan of that. Its not mind-blowingly good food, but it is good, and again, the price is right. Add to that a clean restaurant and friendly staff, and I think this place is a winner.
They should lose the aquarium though. Those fish don't look happy. And by the way, RIP arowana.
Really bad service!
A very nice, young female server set a plate of sushi under my nose and politely thanked us for being so patient. We HAD been patient because several customers who arrived after us had long gone, and we had been silently staring in the direction of the waiters hoping to eventually get our check. I thought that the sushi was a complementary dish to appease us for the poor service, but I thought I'd ask since it it arrived after we'd finished our ice cream.
I stopped a curt waiter who was running past and asked if this was our order. She yanked it out from in front of me with a rude remark and slapped it down in front of the people at the next table. Luckily, I had sneezed into my napkin. PS They never brought the check. I had to go to the hostess to pay.
I was craving some Sushi this Monday, so some buddies and I decided to try this place out for dinner. Although it wasn't the most amazing Sushi place I've ever been to, I would definitely grab a bite to eat here again.
13 bucks got me a two item combo plate, with rice, miso soup, and salad. For my combo items I got the spicy tuna rolls and some chicken Katsu, which were both pretty good. Not bad for the price.
The waitress was very attentive, and asked us how we were doing throughout the meal. The place was clean, and well kept .
Maybe I just haven't been spoiled by some of the nicer Sushi places in the bay area yet, but I wouldn't say this place is as horrible as some of the reviews make it out to be. Bottom like: If you're looking to impress a date with a swanky sushi place, try somewhere else. But, if you're looking to grab a cheap bite with some friends, Mikado is pretty darn good for strip mall sushi joint.
ok, so after not eating here for a year, I thought I would give it another chance. Hooray, they changed from that pink ginger to natural. I was told by the waitress that this is the third sushi chef they have "gone through".
I wanted sashimi, but all they had was a 12 piece for $18.95. Not wanting that much, or spending that much, I asked the waitress if I could have a half order. She first said no, then yes, what did I want. I ordered. The pieces of fish were one inch square! Tiny. Fresh, but small portions. Their Hotate (scallop) was off color. Best left for scallop salad, not nirgiri. It had an off ammonia taste.
When my bill came, they charged me $16.95!!! WTH for 6 dinky pieces? I asked why so expensive and she said since I told her what fish I wanted, (she asked me, duh) they charged me nirgiri prices! I mean, I did not order nigiri, and was not told it would be so much more for a half portion! She went in to the back and I could hear the sushi guy say, tell her 10 dollar 98, no less, no less. OMG. Needless to say, they won't get my business again.
The lady sitting at the table in front of me told them she was going to write a review on yelp since it is consistently good having eaten there a like 3 times in 2 years! They gave her a free sake. I wonder if I should have told them I'm an elite! Nah.... I like undercover! :)
Can someone tell me why oh why does this place use that commercial cheap pink colored ginger instead… Read more »
Ok had to give this place an extra star since they had a really good roll that knocked my socks off and nothing has recently in the way of sushi. I recommend the crazy monkey roll. Its all my favs on one roll and was BOMB! Unagi, hamachi, avacado and a bit spicy. Dont be intimidated, not that spicy! But it was dang good and not very expensive.
Hungry on Easter and this was one of the only places open. Ordered a couple of the veggie sushi rolls and the fried tofu. About $25 for a to-go order. We get home and there's 6 little bits of sushi and 4 pieces of tofu. Are you kidding?! And none of it was very impressive either. I've had much better veggie sushi than this and I didn't have to sacrifice body parts for it.
Do not recommend at all - at least for the veggie stuff.
We've been here a few times and even though I'm not a sushi fan, I'll have the same thing every time: a two-entree dinner combo with sesame chicken and beef teriyaki. All their food is good eating.
No air conditioning (hotter than outside). Small, chintzy portions. Flavor unimpressive, like the didn't really know how to cook Japanese food. Poor value.
This place isn't bad for sushi in Marin. The rolls and sashimi are fresh, and the atmosphere isn't bad at all. Bento boxes are a great value here at $8 and change. Obviously, San Francisco has more -- and more authentic -- sushi restaurants, but Mikado is one of the better Japanese restaurants in the North Bay.
Way above what I, for one, would expect from a strip-mall sushi joint.
I was initially sad to see the old Chinese restaurant that was here change over, but not after I sampled some of the fare at Mikado. Quite good, fresh, maybe not Taiko-poundingly awesome but solid and fresh.
Service is enthusiastic and attentive, prices are moderate and hey, look! Booths and an actual bar you can sit at and watch your sushi get made. Just don't judge this book by its cover, because it's not exactly auspicious from the outside, nestled back between a donut shop and ubiquitous Starbucks.
Mikado is a regular haunt of mine and I count myself lucky to have competent sushi within a couple of minutes of my home.
Not too long ago I needed something new then my usual meal of trash and cat piss (obviously that's not what I usually eat and if you believed me you suck). I decided on this new sushi joint down the street from my house. Well, I picked the wrong place to partake in sport gluttony because it was a little pricey. But none the less I will give you a run down of my meal:
-Miso soup
-Deep fried california roll (I KNOW! And it's wonderful) 8 pieces
-Tuna, shrimp tempura, crab, and avocado roll 12 pieces
-Spicy tuna roll 8 pieces
-Ama ebi 4 pieces
Chicken Teriyaki platter which consists of a sizeable amount of chicken, white rice, 4 pieces of the cali roll, and a side salad
I then had some deep fried ice cream I think; I don't remember because I blacked out from way too much raw fish. I had a dream that my Reptoid Alien Overlords revealed themselves to me and I started crying because I wish I was robocop. Odd dream, but I often do cry from my lack of robotic body parts. I then woke up in my bed the next day out $50 bucks and colon filled with Japanese delights.
All in all, not bad look the menu up and down first before ordering. I will go again but I prefer a place where my life is in danger from poisonous fish; I'm a risk taker.
Eaten here a few times, most recently delivery. Everything is fresh and tasty. Much more than I would expect from strip mall sushi.
Good Stuff!
had lunch at mikado today, food was very good, but marred by my totally unengaged server. As i sat down, he asked if i was ready , when i said no , he disappeared/ when he brought my bento box, he just put the dish down without saying a word and without picking up my dirty dishes. there was no wasaibi or ginger on plate; it took a while to get him back. amazing since there were only 3 occupied tables. I was never asked if i wanted a refill on my tea. and i had not realized the bill had been put on my table , because he did not , once again , say a word. while i was dining , he reached over my head and grabbed the soy sauce bottle to refill, not acknowledging what he was doing and startling me. i will return for the food , but not if i spot that particular server. there are other eating places in that mall!!!!!!
Great sushi place.
Fresh fish, great prices and service is awesome.
Glad there is a great place like this close to home. Hate most if not all other sushi places in Marin.
i should start this review like I start most conversations with my wife - with a confession. In this case, my confession will be strictly culinary in nature. My name is Mike, and I'm a sushi addict. When it comes to sushi, I am powerless. I wasn't always this way...
...I used to live in Foster City and my wife worked at a private equity firm hell bent on burning out its best people and systematically undermining the self esteem of its secretarial staff. Good times. And by good times I mean the place may have actually been an outpost of Hell. I was never actually there long enough to catch a glimpse of Satan at the vending machine, but I'm pretty sure if I had visited my wife more often I would have been invited to join the man's fantasy football league.
Anyway. The one silver lining in two years of my wife's indentured servitude was that they would order in lunch every day for the partners. Lunch was always from the finest places in all the land, and it was always brought in in quantities that far exceeded the amount that could actually be eaten by those in the office. For me, this was a big win, especially on sushi days, when wife would bring home styrofoam containers full of the most expensive sushi around. It became routine for me to plow through up to 70 rolls in a sitting, and so began my spiral into addiction.
In Marin, there are some truly great sushi spots - Robata, Samurai, Sushi-ran, Taki, Sushi to Dai For and Sushi Ko are all on my list of spots that I'll never say no to. The problem is that none of these awesome destinations are within walking distance of my house in Terra Linda.
Enter Mikado Sushi.
Brought to you by the folks who opened the Mikado restaurants in San Francisco, this one is newer, cooler, and best of all I can stagger home after killing the sake bar. In a word, it's awesome.
The food itself is amazing. I saw some plates being prepared as I walked in, and immediately got really excited. Then when it was actually delivered, there were no disappointments. Mikado offers a mix of sushi and cooked foods, including a bunch of hot and cold apps and small plates. More importantly, there's a solid sake list, with at least 20 different sakes available in both a bottle and cup. I recommend the bottles.
I went with my wife, our 2 year old son, and another couple with their 2 year old daughter. The staff was amazingly nice, and super tolerant - they custom made some rolls for the kids, brought plenty of napkins, and pretended to be cool with it when my son dumped a miso on his chest. We ordered about 3 rolls per person, a couple large Asahis each, and 2 bottles of sake (one was on the house), and the bill came to around $170 before tip - totally reasonable for the amount of food and drink we ordered. We obviously tipped out strong because the kids were little animals, and we plan to make this a weekly stop at least, and most likely more than that for me. I have no qualms hitting this place up at 9 on a Wednesday and staggering home at 11:30 to bed.
A great place for family eats, or for a quick and delicious bite with a friend or two.
This rating is based on a takeout meal I ordered this week, which was Chicken Teriyaki Donburi, so I am definitely going to have to try it again, for dinner, with Sushi included. My take out was very very tasty, and for less than $9.00 I got a big bowl of chicken and rice, yummy mi so soup and a salad.
It's hard to find an entire meal for under $9.00 in these here parts....so I'm sold! The chicken was fresh, grilled to perfection and was garnished with those yummy yellow pickles, little bits of ginger, and something else, which not only gave the chicken bowl a more diverse flavor, but the presentation was lovely as well.
My only issue was that there wasn't enough teriyaki sauce and the meal got a little dry towards the end. No biggie, next time I just ask for extra sauce! This place is definitely worth trying, even if it is in the strip mall, the food is total quality. I can't wait to get back there!
If you need your sushi fix and you're in the neighborhood, this will do the job, but it's not a destination restaurant. I've eaten here twice for dinner and both times it seemed just okay. The rolls are smaller and I don't think the fish is as fresh. The spicy tuna roll is very spicy, so watch out! I agree with Christine about the pink pinkled ginger, though I'm not downgrading it for that.
The service is good, and a nice touch the last time I ate there was complimentary mochi ice cream for dessert. Prices are pretty reasonable.
A couple of people I know recommended Mikado to me with accolades. I was absolutely delighted to agree with them after my first visit. When I went to Yelp, I was shocked to see so many unfavorable reviews, including things that just weren't true.
First of all, the ginger doesn't get any whiter. Second, I have been there 3 times now, and each time, at the door, EVERY employee stops what they are doing to greet me.
The sushi tastes fresh, the presentation is gorgeous, the decor simple, the restaurant clean, the staff VERY friendly. The different people I have gone with totally agree with me.
Mikado has a great sake selection and they will answer all questions.
I especially give two thumbs up because the edamame is fresh and clean, not furry, old and dirty like alot of places. Best of all, they will make whatever you want. My choices vary from the menu a bit and they always comply and never have made an issue about it.
I find their prices reasonable and portions to be huge. I'm not quite sure what other Yelpers have ordered but I always look at other diners' food (to see what I'm missing) and their portions look large as well.
For the naysayers...give it a second chance. I will continue to go back and would go every day if I lived within walking distance.
I went here with a friend for lunch and had a bento box. Everything in the box seemed good. Had the Chicken Katsu, Beef Teriyaki and a tuna role. I found the service to be good and the menu to be reasonable.
My boss and I decided to get some Japanese food after working on an extremely arduous job (we usually always opt for Asian food after a hard day of work). First we immediately thought to go to King of the Roll #2... Now their sushi roll may fall apart on you, but they still have good, fresh fish that makes for perfect sashimi and/or nigiri. But anyway, we opted not to go to King of the Roll #2 due to the fact that they close around 2 P.M. on weekdays... Who does that in such a highly populated work area!?
So I then suggested Taki in Novato because it's pretty damn good sushi and that is that! But then again Taki is in Novato and we were bordering the Terra Linda-San Rafael border... Fuck no! We weren't about to deal with the 101 North-bound traffic on a Friday afternoon! So my boss then suggests this newer sushi place in Northgate... I enthusiastically said yes as I was about to die of starvation and dehydration.
And off we went to Mikado Sushi for a nice, relaxing, and not to mention delicious, meal! I opted for the bento box with the combo of vegetable tempura and teka maki roll. SUPERB! The tempura was nice and crispy (not soggy or nastay), and the sushi was rolled perfectly... I hate when sushi rolls fall apart! As for my boss, he had the tempura as well, along with the seared white fish, which was deliciously tender and juicy. We also decided to get a handroll that was presented beautifully, and tasted equally as great!
I was quite happy to enjoy a new (and good) food experience in Marin County!
P.S. They have ramen here... I was very close to trying it, but I was apprehensive due to my last experience with ramen (never get ramen from Sushi Delight... SO BAD!)... So next time I will try the ramen at Mikado and report back!
P.P.S. They have very interesting roll combinations... Next time I will for sure be trying to walnut prawns roll (supposedly a very popular roll at this joint).
i figured i should write at least one sushi review since i use a sushi icon for my profile.
so, one night i decide to stop by mikado on my way home. a friend of mine was coming to meet me so i text messaged him the name of the restaurant and order while i wait (no, i wasn't being rude, he wasn't hungry). after looking at the specials on the whiteboard, and my love of spicy tune, i ordered the "SFFD". my friend showed up and shortly after the SFFD arrived.
WOW!
not only did it look like a work of art, it had a variety of lovely, spicy flavours.
YUMMY!
next, we (yeah, he tried some, couldn't resist) ordered the SFPD. it was substantially more mellow. similar to a california roll.. satisfied and still talking about the SFFD, we mentioned to the host as we were on our way out the door, that we would be back for the paramedics.
:-)
Best sushi place in Marin i have been to. Big portions, good food. The miso soup is better than most, and the shrimp tempura is godly....
Delicious sushi! They create very beautiful art forms with the sushi also. The Cherry Blossom and Walnut Roll are my favorites so far. The restaurant is clean and the help friendly. A little pricey for the portions served.
i don't know what all the bad reviews are about. I live close to Mikado, so it is easy to walk over there for a good sushi dinner, or to get takeout. The servers are always very nice and recommend good rolls, drinks, etc. I have always had excellent food, and I LOVE their shrimp tempura (even though I am not normally a fan). The Titanic roll (not on the menu) is excellent and HUGE... 49er roll... YUM. The fish always seems fresh and overall it is a good restaurant.
My wife and I had a lovely dining experience at Mikado this week. I was really happy with the service and the quality of the food. They also have a nice selection of Sake on a special Sake menu. I found the prices to be reasonable and I'm very sure we'll go back again.
I just wanted to let people know to check it out. Because it's off the beaten path a little in the shopping center next to the doughnut shop and FedEx Kinkos it's easy to miss.
Update: 3/29/08
We have been back several times and this place just keeps getting better and better. If you haven't tried this place yet you really should. The service is truly excellent and the food is wonderful.
Pretty good food, not as good and authentic as Taki though, but then you're not paying Taki prices either.
San Rafael, CA
Category: Japanese
San Rafael, CA
Category: Sushi Bars
San Anselmo, CA
Category: Sushi Bars
San Rafael, CA
Category: Sushi Bars
San Rafael, CA
Category: Sushi Bars
