Mikimoto Japanese Steakhouse

To be fair, this is not our go to restaurant of this type and our first experience did nothing to change that. It was close so we gave another try.
Yes, we still have loyalty to our other place, but this has become a great alternative, partially due to the staff.
They have one or two staff members that, admittedly, seem a little befuddled but the cooks and one server/​hostess makes up for any short comings.
Jax has won us over. She is friendly, offers suggestions and has a personality that just makes you want to come back. My wife and I were impressed enough that we requested her and on of the cooks in particular for our company Christmas party this last Christmas that we decide to have there.
Once you have met her, you will understand.
A great server can overcome a lot of short coming, however that is not the case here THe food is solid and the their is a great variety of sushi, especially for those of us that just discovered sushi in the last few years.
The 4 stars is only indicative of a few things, such as adding toppings to the shrimp, that we have become accustomed to at other restaurants, one or two of the chefs are not big communicators and the fact that during winter months, they tend to keep it very cold inside. We;re working on that as we are in there so that may change soon.
We do recommend.

I have been to this place at least three times and every time its been absolutely delicious tons of food great atmosphere. All the chefs I have had have been excellent but Brian definitely makes at the funnest so if you go there see Brian to be your cook. They also do birthdays and it’s just a blast for the whole family

I Have been there several times food is always amazing very courteous staff and very funny chefs if you’re hungry right now you might want to start eating at the sushi place it took us about an hour for our whole meal it’s dinner and a show and I will continue going there

Food was great, fried rice was awesome. The have kids prices, so that was nice. It was still pretty pricey so it is a special occasion place. It is a nice addition to DeKalb. The waitress was not the best. She was not attentive, maybe they need to add more staff at dinner time… We will go back for special occasions

Called an hour early to see the wait time. Lady on the phone said walk-​ins were about 30 minutes so we asked to make a reservation for 7. We got there at 6:53 and were told they just filled all the tables and we’d have to wait 30 – 45 minutes for a table. Why even bother making a reservation. Never going to bother going back.

I love love love this place. They have the best food in Dekalb county and you get a lot of food it is a lil expensive but to me it’s worth every damn penny. I think the chefs are great and put on a great presentation for their table. The waitresses are super nice and work hard for their money. If I lived right by there I would eat there at least three days a week Way to go miki motos you rock

Good service

We have eaten at Fushi Yami many times before and decided to try the new Steakhouse. Food was good and it was very entertaining. But the prices were ridiculous! $ 90.00 for 4 people to eat and we even shared. I about crapped myself when I saw how expensive it was. Next time go straight to Fushi Yami next door and get the same exact food minus the show and spend 50.00 less for 4 people.

This place is similar to Benihana’s, if you’re familiar with that. I’ve been here twice and had good experiences both times. The wait staff was polite and made sure your stay was great. The chef for our table was great and made sure that we had fun while we were waiting for our food to be cooked. Every time I’ve gone I’ve left stuffed and with a to go box. Give it a try!

It was certainly decently entertaining and the food was an adequate verson of hibachi, but the prices are very high and the food was comparatively underwhelming. They are going for upscale dining, but I wish at least a few restaurants in DeKalb didnt feel the need to have tvs.

If you want overpriced, average sushi this is your place! The only reason I believe this place gets business is because it’s in a small town and nobody here knows any better.

Fantastic food and a wonderful experience. The wait staff was nice, knowledgeable, and very pleasant. the only loss of a star, is because even though a week in advance, we had made 5:00 reservations, we did not sit till after 5:45. definitely will come back again!

Yay for fresh food in Dekalb! We did not have a reservation. The lovely hostess was super sweet and told us the habachi table would be a 10 minute wait. No problem for us — we sat at the bar. I ordered a glass of sauvignon blanc and my guy had a special martini — raspberry lemon drop with a sugar rim (sugar rim was not needed — drink was sweet enough). We then looked over the menu. The bartender was very friendly and helpful.
Once we were seated, we waited with anticipation as we watched the table next to us be entertained and served by the chef. Lots of laughter ensued and we giggled along with them. This is a table sharing place, unless you are a large party of 8. We sat with a family of 5; we were 2.
The staff was attentive without being too intrusive. Our server was in training and the senior server who was supervising was on top of her game and made sure we were taken care of. The only thing that I didn’t enjoy was noticing the stoic owner or manager supervising. Smile, for chrissakes!
I ordered the shrimps and scallops, my guy ordered the filet mignon and lobster tail. All the meat was super fresh! If I had to be really really picky, I would say don’t order the «spicy» when the chef asks. I would leave all the food plain and enjoy the dipping sauces they serve on the side. Our chef was entertaining and cooked our food perfectly.
All in all, a very enjoyable experience. Mikimoto satisfied my inner foodie brat.

Have been here 3 times now and it does not disappoint! Food is good and Asian boy (so says his name tag) does a great job! Planning on going back next Monday. Try this place if you are in the DeKalb area!

I strongly suspect my credit card information was stolen by their staff! Originally, I gave them 2 stars… see original review below…
We were very disappointed by our experience at Mikimoto. The food tasted fine, however, our chef didn’t really give a performance. He simply cooked and did very little show. I expect a lot more, after all, I’m paying a premium for the experience. I’ve been to Japanese steakhouses for lunch with Mexican chefs (trainees?) who did more than our chef did. One other thing… both my wife and I were overcharged for our entrees. Tell me what I’m going to pay… don’t try to steal a few bucks from me.
This was probably the poorest Japanese steakhouse experience I’ve had. The value isn’t there. The ethics/​professionalism isn’t either.

Think Benihana only better prices. This spot is located in DeKalb and was a pleasant surprise since I had never heard of the place. The only thing that irked me a bit was that their specialty cocktails were not special at all… either too strong or too just not tasty. The food however was fantastic!

I’m in favor of anything that can bring a bit of culture to DeKalbia, and Miki Moto does a decent job of fitting that bill. Having recently visited two different Japanese steakhouses in the Naperville/​Aurora area, I was impressed with this one. Our hibachi chef was actually better than those I had previously seen – more entertaining and engaging, and his cooking tricks were a notch more impressive. Plus, it was entertaining to watch everyone at the table try to catch bits of egg in their mouths as he tossed them.
It was clear from observing other tables that the hibachi chefs have a specific «show» they do – they all seemed to have the same tricks and same overall length of process. Nonetheless, what they do is done well, and I appreciate the fact that you can order either sushi or hibachi while sitting at the hibachi tables; I have seen other places where you have to select one or the other.
I also enjoyed our waitress. She was a little hard to hear at times over the clatter of hibachi chef cooking, but she went the extra step to make small concessions, such as teaching someone at our table how to use chopsticks and bringing staff over to sing a «happy birthday.»
The only real snafu to our visit was the apparently untrained hostesses. While waiting to gather enough people to fill a hibachi table, the hostesses gave us at least three «false starts» of «we will seat you now» in which we got up and started walking a few steps but they weren’t actually ready to take us to our table. As mentioned in another review, the waiting area also meant a blast of cold air every time a new group entered or exited.
The location is also confusing. The night we were there, a number of higher-​income theatre-​goers were eating before they made their way to the «the show” – an NIU theatre department production across the street. However, the rest of the businesses in the Junction Plaza are geared – rightfully so – to college students or at least to a broader population, which makes this option out of place. This particular location, I assume, is where it is because of Fushi Yami next door, but 1) without comparing the menus directly, I suspect that most or all of the sushi is identical yet more expensive, and 2) costs are pretty expensive for DeKalb, with most of the hibachi meals priced at $ 18 and up.
Overall, a solid choice and a good addition to the area’s offerings. Hope it makes it!

My husband and I went here because we had heard that it just opened.
The ambiance was very nice. We liked the food, though I will have to go back for sushi. I expected more of a show from our chef, but it might be that its just new.

Spoiler ALERT:… this place is amazing. I should preface with the info that I am big sushi and hibachi lover.
I was able to dine in on 2÷9÷13 and was initially skeptical that I have been to a fair amount of hibachi and sushi restaurants in my day. We used to frequent Domo 77 in Wheaton and Naperville and I would say this place far surpasses Domo in just about every category.
I could not have been more impressed with Miki Moto!
The Décor: A+ — everything was updated and hip without feelings cliché and camp.
The Service: A – We came in on a busy Saturday without reservations. There was a wait for Hibachi so we opted for sushi instead. Our waitress was quick and attentive. She also made sure we were aware when we ordered rolls that usually took longer to make which I appreciated. Don’t remember her name.
The Drinks: A+ — Seriously, best cucumber martini I have ever had (and I’ve had many) – a friend recommended it as a great secret recipe the bar manager Brittany makes and when I approached the bar with the request she was happy to make it for me. Thanks to her as well for making some seriously great suggestions for beers for my fiancé. His favorite was the Asahi (he is normally a Sapporo guy but wanted to try something new).
The Food: B+ –I was happy to see the old standards but with LOTS of new additions. We tried the special roll of the day «Alien Toes» or something like that. The name was made me weary but the waitress said it was delicious and she was not wrong – first deep fried roll I have ever had and I loved it. We tried a lot their specialty rolls and I especially enjoyed the Huskie Roll.
tl;dr — Cool/​swanky décor, quick seating for sushi, gotta wait for hibachi, Bartender Brittany sets the new standard for Cucumber Martinis, be adventurous with the specialty rolls.

Decided to try Miki Mono after seeing that it has opened up. Keep in mind that they recently opened so there will always be kinks to work out. We think they did a good job right out of the gate. Walked in without a reservation which did not seem to be any problem. The décor is awesome by the way, especially the Kick-​azz clock”.
When we got into the dining area… oh now I see this is a teppanyaki joint (like Benihana). Honestly I’m not a fan of teppanyaki for various reasons. It will be louder, you do sit around a cook top with others, there will be flying eggs, tricks, and what not antics. I do not recommend this if you want to actually converse with your dinning partners. The flame trick alone is not something I would want small children near. But then again if you are looking for a change of dining in DK, this might just do the trick for something adventurous. Miki Moto does fill a missing niche in the DK area, so that is pretty cool. If you do not want all the antics then there are other non-​cook top tables you can sit at for a more traditional dining experience.
Sushi fare looks to be similar in style to Fushi Yami, I have not compared menus yet. But I do plan to do this. The items we ordered were prepared quickly (considering sushi) and were quite delicious. The presentation is kicked up a notch.
I’d still like to see bamboo chopsticks rather than balsa sticks if we’re going for upscale. I know I know… nit picking.
We will be coming back here again.
My other strong suggestion is to tint the front windows. Since the Junction’s parking lot is inclined up to the front windows, car headlights shine directly into diners’ faces and is distracting and annoying. Sort of takes away from the enjoyment but is easy to reduce.
Again good job.