Makanai

I really enjoyed this place.
Makanai is unique and flavorful.
Fair portions that’s so delicious and surely satisfying.
Nigiri is what drives me to eat more. Fresh and so tasty.
There’s so much to offer here, sushi as well are worth trying.

The best thing about this place was the tap water. Upon entering the waiter simply pointed in the direction of our table. The table had no chopsticks or small dishes for the soy sauce. When asked for water we were given ONE glass and no bottle. The glass was so small I could finish it in two gulps. The food was terrible. The rice was dry. The karage chicken felt like it was store bought and fried after taking it out from the freezer. The miso soup was made from powder. Terrible experience, terrible service, terrible food. Do not recommend.

Awful. Food quality is poor and service is worse. We went in because it was late, they were still open, and it was pretty crowded so seemed like it would be decent. Don’t be fooled.

Yummy yummy. The sushis are very very good. Try the yakitori and teriaki chicken.
It closes very early so go there early.

Ok for a casual bite if you’re in a rush, as this place will usually have spare seats.
The restaurant is run by Koreans so the food is not the best. The sushi is missing that special something, which means it has a home-​made quality rather than restaurant quality.
The display cabinet at the front has yummy crab claws, giant dumplings, takoyaki (octopus balls) and more. They’re tempting for a casual takeaway snack!
Prices are okay for casual dining but you could get better Japanese for the same prices elsewhere.

I have been to this sushi place a few times in between shopping at nearby Pitt St. The service is quite haphazard. When we dined today they seated us at a table next to the sushi train but then ignored us for the rest of our meal — we had to ask for soy sauce bowls and they didn’t offer to take our drink order or ask if we wanted anything from the freshly made menu. There was no ginger on the train or the tables which was a disappointment.
The sushi is ok — not fantastic, not terrible — just average. I didn’t see any sashimi on the train, there was mostly just sushi. You can order yakitori skewers from the bain marie at the front which are quite nice. If you are after a quick lunch and can’t face the crowds in the Myer food court then this is a decent place to go.

Don’t go here. Tourist trap.
Not fresh, more oily than McDonald’s, chefs don’t care, wait staff extremely inattentive, dirty benches and soy sauce bottles, staff tried to hurry us up even though they weren’t busy. There’s so many amazing places in sydney to eat fresh sushi and this is not one of them.

Sushi are made by Korean so the style and taste is obviously not authentically Japanese.
There are not a lot of nigiri on the sushi. Most of them are sushi rolls. For those nigiri, fishes are not cut right, small, too short and quite thin. Those Korean chefs don’t do the right justice for the fishes. They are crying and lying on plain and not equal shaped sushi rice.
Their specialty leans toward sushi roll and sauce with quite many creative rolls. If you want to try something different from traditional sushi and nigiri, you can give this place only one try in your lifetime.
Overall, not happy and satisfied with the food here. Fishes are not fresh and not done right, and portion is small for the same price as Makoto. Makoto has better sushi and nigiri for the same price.

They saw you should never meet your heroes in reality because you will only end up disappointed. The same can be applied to eating out I think.
Every Time I have walked past this place I have always said to myself (which is perfectly normal before you judge me) that I will try it out someday. From the outside the place looks amazing. The exterior has an awesome display of ready to sell sushi rolls which make your mouth water.
Inside it’s equally as nice with a massive sushi conveyer belt that goes round round round and then some. The restaurant also offers seating on the sides which allow you to order from their menu.
I opted to order Miso Soup and Curry Udon. The Miso Soup was brought out quickly. It was $ 2.50 and a decent portion serving. No complaints on that. The udon was a little slow to come out and arrived on my table without chopsticks or a spoon which would have made eating it quite difficult.
Eventually the waiter plopped it down on my table after I asked. The curry flavouring of the Udon was really top notch. Really rich in flavour and aromas. I felt though there wasn’t much else in the dish besides the noodles, a few mushrooms and meat pieces here and there but very minimal.
Not the best quality Japanese joint around the city for sure but perhaps I will stick with their sushi next time because I would be lying if I said it doesn’t look good.

The restaurant looks is large in size and looked attractive from the street. I was seated quickly and ordered two dishes from the hot food Bain-Marie’s at the front counter. I also ate some sushi from the food conveyor as it made its winding journey through the restaurant. The sushi varies in price and size. It is quite noticeable that you can get better portion sizes at Sushi Train for a cheaper price. This place is expensive for what you get.
At the end of the meal the cashier tried to overcharge me for two dishes I did not have.
I’m sorry, but I have eaten at many of these Japanese restaurants and there are better places to eat with better service towards the customer and less mistakes when paying the final bill. I won’t be returning.

Saw this place near the Westfield, seemed busy enough so decided to give it a quick try for lunch before heading to Melbourne. At least for sushi and service, they get low marks. I did not try other food options (plenty) under Japanese category so cannot comment on their quality. They did not have Tuna roll and tried to push salmon instead. Eventually I tried shrimp roll and crab roll. Average taste and quality and left me questioning the quantity of the key ingredients. No service at all — they want you to be a transaction and unfortunately that’s all they will get. In a city with so many good options, this ranks low and can be passed by.

If I am in Sydney´s CBD and only have a little time for lunch, I´ll make sure to stop at Makanai. I particularly like the sushi rolls. It´s not the best sushi in town but it´s much better than in a lot of similar sushi restaurants in the area.

I’m so glad I decided to come in here whilst waiting for the bus to go home! Who doesn’t love a sushi train? This place has a great range of sushi, more than I’ve seen at other places and all the fish was fresh, which I have to say was a nice surprise as I went in there at around 7:30 at night.
I enjoyed the signs along the belt which gave you a hint as to what was coming up next. The staff were friendly and attentive without being in your face. I will definitely be coming back here for a sushi hit!

I used to really look forward to the yakitori at this place, but they must have changed owners or the recipe because now it’s a disappointing, cold, fatty mess. They’re also understaffed.

This sushi train restaurant was really nice and there was a good amount of choice. It’s not super cheap, but it was worth it and the staff seemed friendly enough. It’s more a lunch place, but I’d definitely go back again.

Seriously understaffed and the sushi is fairly standard quality. Central location, lots of seats and its food-​to-​go; so convenience wins. A bit sheet that they charge you for take-​away wasabi sachets. I will award points for miniature wild rice tuna/​avo rolls, which is my fave.

Passed by this place all the time while I’m walking down Pitt Street. They have the sushi train and its usually pretty busy.
My coworker and I decided to go for lunch. We got there just after 12 and it wasn’t too crowded yet. We sat at a table but it was near the sushi train. We both got the Prawn Udon and shared three rolls. There was a really nice prawn roll, a salmon/​tuna roll and another sushi roll. The rolls were nice as we were starving and had to wait for our udon. The udon came out maybe 6 – 8 minutes later and it was good, but a bit bland for my taste.
The service is just okay, the girls are friendly enough but not super attentive.
I’ll probably go back and try some more rolls or the bento box.
They had bi bim bap, which I really like, but thought it was weird to order Korean food from a Japanese place.

I usually like to write semi-​decent or semi-​lengthy reviews but I don’t have too much to say about this place. The food was forgettable and pricey for what you get. There are better sushi trains in the city for better price (Sushi Rio, Sushi Hotaru, Makoto come to mind) and the service was lacking.
The good news the train is large enough that you don’t really need to wait to get seated, but I think the reason for this is because the food isn’t that good. Sushi was easy to get, but putting in an order for any of the other dishes took ages to come out. Not sure why, maybe it was an off night but that brought the score down seeing as they were simple donburi dishes. Would be good for a quick lunch if you’re not too fussy, but I’d go somewhere else for dinner.

Not a bad Japanese establishment, although I would rather be open and honest with you: you will find better Japanese restaurants in Sydney. Love the chairs; you just feel a bit of opulence: especially because you are also nearby recently re-​developed Pitt Street Mall with the new Westfield Sydney. Their sushi isn’t too bad: it is flavoursome: the rice just blends in well and nicely with the meat fillings. Their fish isn’t too bad, yet it fulfils its purpose and fills the spot. The service isn’t too bad either. If you are in a hurry and wanting a fairly quick lunch (and you have done the food court areas in Westfield Sydney to death) then this establishment is still worth coming to once in a while.
However in saying this their seaweed salad packs some punch, as well as their octopus dishes. expect soft, juicy octopus and fairly good value for your money. Some of their other salads; especially any with noodles I tend to steer clear from as they do not always taste so good; well for me anyway. Your going to be content to some degree and receive fairly good value for money for your lunch here.

Newly opened, shiny and delicious, Makanai is worth tripping up from the Pitt Street Mall. It boasts one of the largest sushi trains in Sydney and I’m told «Makanai» means «staff-​meal» — so all the food is inspired by what goodies kitchen staff would cook up after a long day in the kitchen.
Whatever it is, it’s good! You have all your usual sushi fare here, or you can order hot dishes. The staff are always very accommodating, and very talented at cramming hungry people in along the sushi train.
Most of my visits to Makanai are flying, though. I will duck in for a sushi roll or two on my way to and from meetings. They’re the best lunch on the go, and healthy to boot.
Come Sydney Film Festival time (or any event at the State Theatre) Makanai will be filled with film/​theatre goers — for sushi really must be the quickest pre-​theatre dinner about!