Mikado Ryotei

Mikado has the best sushi happy hour in town in my opinion. Everything is super fresh and the prices are more than reasonable. My personal faves are the peppered tuna nigiri, steamed mussels (very nicely presented and comes with these amazing noodles!), yakitori, yellowtail appetizer and fried oysters. The udon is also perfectly flavored but isn’t on the happy hour special. Ambiance is subpar and service can be sketchy which is why I only gave four stars.

My girlfriend and I went here on Valentine’s Day, which just so happens to also be my gf’s birthday. They had a special Valentine’s Day menu, which was good. We enjoyed the food. What I want to commend this place on is the service. I had asked them if it would be ok for me to bring a small birthday cake to the restaurant around lunch time and if they wouldn’t mind keeping it there until it was time for us to have desert. They couldn’t have been happier to help me out with the little surprise. The reason I asked to do this is that my gf is gluten intolerant, and I knew that most desserts at restaurants are not gluten free. The restaurant even had some candles that they put in the cake when the server brought it out. I can’t recommend this place enough, especially if you have any special requests.

We have been going to Mikado for several years and I am always impressed with their quality, freshness, and general ambiance. That said, it’s in a stip mall and I wouldn’t always consider it for Valentine’s Day, but we made a back up reservation that we ended up having to use, and I’m so glad we did! They had a fixed menu, which I was originally not happy about, but once we ordered, it was AMAZING. We got the miso encrusted sea bass which is apparently on their regular menu, and it is phenomenal. We also got their sushi/​sashimi offering, which was much larger than expected and had several kinds of amazing options, as well as a beautiful roll shaped like a heart for the occassion. The espresso chocolate ice cream cake for dessert was ridiculously good. Mikado is always a good choice, but they really stepped it up and deserve 5 stars.

So we went there the other day right when it opened at 11am. I have to admit the service was awesome and sushi rolls were amazing and to die for. I definitely recommend spicy crawfish and crunchy roll! I was indifferent to the spicy salmon but for all three rolls it was only $ 18 and it made my bf and I really full! What wasn’t so awesome was the wagyu and house salad. The wagyu was a really tiny tiny portion smaller than my dogs paw of 7 thin slice of uncooked beef stacked on top of vegetables. Then the house salad was so small it reminded me of a child’s bowl and it felt like all the dressing was on the bottom. Couldn’t possibly mixed it in the small bowl so I expected the dressing to at least be mixed for me.

Between Jackie I. and Stefanie A.
Check out this exchange. They said it was the wasabi… lol. It was mold for sure.
One week ago
I am reporting your restaurant to the Department of Health and Human Services. Yesterday at your place on 9033 Research Dr. I took a bite of Sushi and got a strong mold taste in my mouth. I gagged and spit it out it was so gross. Shame on you for not cleaning your kitchen. So disgusting.
Hello Jackie,
We appreciate any feedback, good or bad, in order to improve our level of service at Mikado. We were very sorry that you did not enjoy your latest experience at the restaurant, and felt that our chefs had served you moldy fish.
The health inspector did come last week and everything was approved on the quality of the rice, fish, and cleanliness of the sushi bar and kitchen. In the preparation of nigiri, our chefs do put wasabi in between the rice and fish, which is a common practice at many sushi establishments. We pride ourselves on serving high grade fresh fish, and feel that this was a misinterpretation. If you do choose to dine at Mikado again, you are welcome to ask that your nigiri be prepared with no wasabi for a pure taste with only the rice and fish.
Thank you,
Mikado Management
Jackie I.
Austin, TX
34 minutes ago
That is ridiculous. I know the taste and smell of mold. I also know the taste and smell of wasabi. My daughter could smell the mold. Guess I should have saved the sample so you could not lie your way out of it. Yeah I am sure you cleaned up your act before the health inspector got there. Wow… first mold then lying. Trust me I will never dine there again and I make sure to tell everyone about my experience at your restaurant. I eat sushi on a frequently and I am positive it tasted and smelled like mold as witnessed by my daughter.
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This place was delicious. The rolls are served on a fun boat and filled with wonderful flavors. Our waitress Sera was fantastic. She was filled with knowledge and recommended the top dishes. The longhorn roll and Austin rolls were succulent. We definitely will return !!!

Worst service todate, have been coming here well over 3 years. Manager no where to be found, had 3 waiters walk by me at least 4 times each and none stopped until i asked after 13 minutes if they are now a buffet style restaurant or if they take orders at our tables. Waiter i got stuck woth (Edmond) said he hates when they seat someone in his area and dont tell him, hello knucklehead ypu walked by me 4 times looking at me each time. Than it took another 26 minutes to bring out my main dish and looked surprised when i asked if was too much trouble to get my soup and salad first. After he brought them out the waiter blamed the kitchen staff for making the order backwards. Sir own up to your own short comings as a waiter and take responsibility for your own actions and lack of attention. Be watned people if you get Edmond as your waiter.

Lunch specials are good. Ample parking and the services was great. Looking for bento boxes and buttery Escobar this is your place.

Disgusting… I took a bite of sushi and got a mold taste in my mouth. I almost yakked all over the table. Literally had to spit it out it was so gross. I am reporting this restaurant to the Department of Health and Human Services.

Can’t recommend this place high enough. My first sushi experience, guided by a seasoned pro, and I was SHOCKED that I loved it! I’m all about the experience, and the staff did an outstanding job. The ambience is GREAT. Very low key and understated classy, great feel. Because I was new, my buddy had us order a wide variety, and I don’t think I’ll remember all of them, but I know Albacore, Salmon, crab, softshell crab and more were among them. The seaweed salad was outstanding, along with the myso soup. Go. You won’t regret it.

Love this place! You can’t beat the happy hour menu! The chicken katsu is always crispy and juicy and sushi/​rolls are always fresh and delicious!

Seaweed salad is amazing! So fresh and great flavor. I love that the spicy tuna roll actually has a kick to it. The bacon wrapped scallops are great too. Great find.
I ate alone and came in when there was only a few other people eating lunch. The service was super slow for being nearly empty. Then after I had ordered, a bunch of people came in and the people who came in 20 mins after me were served before me. I think my server might have been new so that might be why.
The thing that really annoyed me was the music! They play electronic music which is a genre I like, but the songs are like Kid Bob version. The actual lyrics are sung by someone else, not the original artists. I hope management changes this.
To sum it up, the food is great! Service… not as great. And the music… terribly annoying.

I’ve been coming to Mikado for years. I like the fact that the owner/​chef Mark makes me and my family feel like his family. The food is always fresh, (Escolar is a personal favorite) and surprising (Try the pork ribs!) and the portions are generous (Im talking about you Tiger Eye). Some of the items that they put a different spin on are their Stuffed Jalapeños (OMG good!) and the grilled Sea Bass (OMG good again!) but be sure to save room for the Chocolate Espresso Pie. It is to die for! Tell Mark and the friendly wait staff Chris sent you!

**This Review is only on the service and the tempura ice cream**
I was on a craving for Tempura Ice Cream so I went around the city trying different places for their tempura ice cream. I came here because it was close to my house, but I wasn’t too impressed with it. It tasted very freezer burned to me. The service was not that great. I told them all I was getting was dessert, I like to let the waiter know up front so they don’t get mad I’m not ordering a ton of stuff. She never came back after I got my order. I had to flag someone down to get my check. That took forever to even get back. So I was a little disappointed with this place. I can’t give it a 1 star because I don’t know about the actual food.

A great place for sushi! Have tried a few in the north austin area and this one is the one I’ll come back to. It wasnt crowded at all and the servers were great. Only complaint would be that the food took longer than i had anticipated. Really enjoyed it!

This place is a hidden jem and I almost don’t want to write a review to keep it all to myself.
Sunday’s is the play, cause tons of drinks appetizer and sushi even nigiri is on social price all day happy hour.
We tried the garlic edemame (good an big portion but very spicy), the crab puffs (similar to crap wontons with dipping sauce), 3 rolls sorry I forget the names and then 1 order or escolar and one order of salmon nigiri. The escolar was my favorite. Very fresh for a Sunday cause most places don’t get fresh fish in the morning on Sunday’s (hence the happy hour deals)
I will definitely be going back.
Ellie was our waitress and she was so nice!!!

Mikado is one of my favorite places for sushi happy hour. They also have reverse happy hour, and happy hour all day on Sundays!
You really can’t beat their great prices. The quality of the fish is also really great. The nigiri tasted really fresh. Most of the rolls have tons of spicy mayo, which isn’t always my favorite, but everything tasted great. My favorite item there is the escolar nigiri — served with toasted garlic.
They also have great deals on warm sake on their happy hour menu. Perfect for cooler weather! Only $ 4 for a large (8 oz.)

Wow! This place is a must try!
Food: AMAZING! We went to their 9−11pm happy hour on Sunday evening and it was such a great deal. We order lots of small plates to share with the table– garlic edamame, beef skewers, salmon hand rolls, calamari. You have to (HAVE TO) save room for dessert! The Chocolate Espresso Cake and Tempura Ice Cream was such a cherry on top of our wonderful dining experience.
Service: I wish I got our waitress’ name because she was very pleasant, happy, and helpful! She was attentive throughout the whole night. The manager of the restaurant, Mark, also came by to greet out table!
Environment: Beautiful set up inside and has a private dining area for private parties. Very clean, very pretty. The bathrooms are ok, not what you would expect for the rest of the restaurant’s décor, but not dirty or filthy or anything like that.

I will start with the good:
Service
Tuna (regular)
Uni (taste and portion size)
Sweet shrimp
The bad:
Yellowtail (too fishy)
Toro (right? The regular tuna was better)
Sunomono salad (no flavor)
Escolar (it was dense very tough)
Grilled squid (too tough)
Overall, there are goods and bads but there are so many other great places to eat sushi in Austin. I might come back for HH, but that’s it.

All day happy hour on Sundays! What whatttt!
Highly recommend coming here during HH. All the rolls, apps, and drinks are worth it! They had an extensive menu from the basic tuna to shaggy dog rolls. What I loved most about their HH menu was all the appetizers they had for me to choose from! Usually sushi restaurants have 5 – 6 apps on their HH menu, but they had a selection from hot, cold, and robata.
What I liked:
Adegashi Tofu– Delish! Lightly battered pieces of tofu drowned in sauce. Even though it’s fried, it’s not too heavy. The tofu is extremely soft, so it can get pretty tricky trying to pick it up with chopsticks (and I’m Asian).
Spicy Edamame– Woooooweee. They aren’t joking when they say it’s spicy. I can usually take the heat at other restaurants that offer spicy edamame, but this place kicked it up a notch. I should have stopped after one… but you can’t stop eating them cause they’re so addicting!
Spicy Shrimp Hand Roll (highly recommend) — I really wish they made this into a roll! Little pieces of fried shrimp (I don’t think it was tempura) meddled in rice and spicy mayo. Perfectly balanced with cucumbers and crunchy seaweed. Every bite had a little bit of each, which I loved!
Shaggy dog– The classic shag shag. I don’t think any restaurant can mess this up nor make it any better, ha. I mainly like it because it’s an upgrade from the simple shrimp tempura roll.
Hottie Susie– A delicious fresh roll that is worth the buck! You can’t go wrong with fresh seafood lathered in spicy mayo.
The ambiance and service was great on a Sunday night! Definitely felt like place I would recommend to people for dates. It wasn’t too loud and dark enough to hide an ugly face (kidding). The bar area had a great set up, but since it was Sunday there weren’t too many people getting turnt. I will be back again for some more sushi during happy hour!

Great place with very good food quality
Seating is spacious and great atmosphere
Full bar and large win selection
Service is excellent

Boyfriend has become a regular here and been dying to take me. Finally had a chance while I was visiting to have a taste. We ordered a bit more than we could handle, but it was all worth it. Service was impeccable! Our server Tenki checked on us periodically to make sure we enjoyed our food, and checked the bar stock to make sure our drink orders were to par.
We ordered: Agedashi tofu — so flavorful and the salmon skin flakes were so tasty
I picked every single flake I could find swimming in the delicious sauce
Walu kosho — omg. Some of the most amazing escolar I’ve tasted.
Sashimi (escolar, salmon, spicy scallops, Hokkaido scallops, and albacore) — we saved the escolar and albacore for last and it was just melting in our mouths. Make sure to rinse your palate in between to fully enjoy it all!
Kyoto roll — just the right amounts of flavor from the fish and spiciness
Mikado — lots of texture with this fried roll but it was really good.

The sushi here is AMAZING. My favorite was the Austin roll, which was a riceless roll with avocado and sashimi wrapped in cucumber. The prices aren’t bad for dinner but it isn’t cheap either, it was around $ 12 – 15 per roll. This would be a great place for a dinner date because it’s pretty quiet and you don’t have to yell to be heard. It’s very dark inside though and I wish they could make it a little brighter so that you could see the beautiful sushi roll presentation more clearly.
We came here for a late dinner, and our server Keith was very nice and didn’t rush us even though we stayed past their closing time.

Popped in for lunch with a coworker. I’m torn on how to review. The quality was decent compared to some other mediocre sushi places in the area but the price was 2−3x as much. I personally didn’t think the quality was that great. The salmon was nice but the mackerel wasn’t to me.
$ 15 – 18 for lunch seemed pretty steep to me. Hence my torn review.

Asthetically a very nice restaurant inside and out.
I ordered the Kyoto, spider roll, and grilled seabass. To drink, I ordered Jasmine tea and each of the 3 times I got a refill, it was lukewarm and lacked aroma and flavor.
The spider roll had a nice topping of crunchy stuff and drizzle of sauce, but the tuna was very low quality as I had to pull the gristle out of my mouth twice. Kyoto was good, but disappeared quickly bc it was only 6 small pcs. The seabass was really good, but not worth the price either.
The total before tax for dinner for myself was $ 44 since they charged $ 2.50 for bland, tasteless tea. I think you can easily find a much better $ 50 dinner elsewhere in Austin.