Everything I come in to eat unlimited sushi I end up leaving happy. The buffet portion is good but not many options other than the staples. They wait staff has always been great and always on top of refilling drinks and clearing plates. I recommend to everyone I know!
The food is great, especially for the price! They have a full sushi bar, a good buffet with plenty of good, fresh food. We always catch the lunch buffet which is around $11. Well worth the money!
The sushi buffet is consistently good. I’ve been coming here for years. The place needs some renovation but this doesn’t affect the quality of the food. The lunch and dinner menu is the same but the lunch price is a great deal.
This place is good if you want options. Half the bar is hot foods that many know and love in Asian foods. I suggest the simple dishes for the most flavor. The other half is cold for the sushi, which is varied and excellently prepared. In the middle is a hibachi flat top that allows for very fresh stir fry to be made. The stand alone bar on the floor gives you the final piece of the equation: fruits and veggies alongside dessert. Can’t go wrong with this setup. There’s something for a whole host of people. Just come with an appetite and remember to pace yourself with small portions.
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Decent Asian food is so difficult to find around here. For years now, I've had one, lone place that I could truly call "yummy". Now I have two. I've been to Makino twice now--lunch both times--and I will definitely be going back. To be able to have everything from sushi and seaweed salad to fried rice and sesame chicken to pork dumplings and spring rolls to fruit and desserts--it is worth the $10 lunch price. The staff keeps the lunch buffet well-stocked with fresh food. My personal faves are the tempura shrimp roll, seaweed salad, fried rice, pork dumplings, their delicious green beans, and their fantastic coconut shrimp (I regularly crave it). The servers have been pleasant and helpful, and made a practice of keeping our drinks filled throughout our meals and often anticipating our needs before we expressed them. My understanding is that the dinner price is $18 and the set-up is an all-you-can-eat type of ordering from your table. I haven't gone for dinner; and knowing the prices for sushi rolls alone at other restaurants, the lunch buffet is such a good deal--I think I'll stick with that.
Came in late, still got good service.. Great sushi, even late. They were nice enough to bring out fresh food when I came in shortly before closing. It's a bit pricey, but worth it.
Rachel-Anne McWitty Ely
+4.5
The price is right, just stick with lunch.. I've been going to Makinos now for about 5 years. I've been to both the lunch and dinner buffet, and for me, it's the lunch all the way, for a couple of reasons.
Firstly, the sushi on the lunch buffet is a la carte. When I bring people who are on the fence where sushi is concerned, this is really important. You don't want to order 5+ pieces of sushi that they may or may not enjoy. During lunch, you can walk around and pick and choose what you like, a piece here and there, and what you'd like to try that you've never had before. I personally feel bad if we waste a lot -- so I try to avoid that as best I can. And believe me, there is no, "Oh, hey.. can we take the rest of this home with us?" Makinos doesn't play that at all. One time we had a really large party for the dinner buffet, and it made me heartsick to see how foolishly we'd over-ordered, but the waitstaff was overly adamant about how we couldn't take anything with us, and things got a little weird with the hovering, and feeling like we were then being monitored. That was probably the only negative experience I'd ever had here, but it left an impression.
It didn't, however, stop me from coming back. The sushi is fresh, I like the hibachi (when I have room for it!), and I love, love, love the Mussels Makino. The obligatory Asian fare that's included on the buffet is sometimes hit or miss for quantities, but taste hasn't ever been an issue. If they could just bring the whole tray of coconut shrimp to my table, I'd be ok with that.
I usually stick with the ice cream for dessert, with a couple of macaroons, though occasionally, I'll try what I think is tiramisu.. but it's not phenomenal. Love the fruit, love the salad choices. All in all, Makinos is our go-to place for celebratory sushi gluttony (within reason!)
Fan from the beginning. I used to live in Athens (about an hour south) and would occasionally stop into Knoxville for one thing or the other. I love Asian food and when I saw Makino's on a trip up to K'ville, I decided to give it a try for lunch. Turned out it was their grand opening week. I was bowled over by the sushi. The other stuff was pretty good, but this was the first time in years I had eaten great sushi for a very reasonable price. Now I live in Cleveland so a trip to Knoxville is an excuse to have lunch at Makino's. I still love it. I am now on a gluten free diet and am able to eat a great deal there. Their rice noodles are wonderful and the variety of shrimp is great too. I am impressed by the fact that I can go in the middle of the afternoon and most of the food is still fresh. Great place!
Not bad for sushi prices.. I love sushi, however I have not wanted to explore different options due to prices. This is a great place to figure out what you like or dislike without spending an arm and a leg in the process. It is not what I consider "regular affordable dining" but it is a great treat from time to time. Staff is pleasant, the place is clean, ambiance is relaxing and the food is fresh.
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No better value for sushi..... Upon entrance, you can see the entire buffet, which is quite large. Typical asian buffet food is what you'll find here; fried rice, general tso's, coconut shrimp, crab legs, etc.
However, in the middle is a hibachi grill offering steak, chicken, or shrimp (ribeye and scallops at dinner) along with the usual hibachi veggies (squash, onion, mushroom). The benefit here is that you can get as much as you want, with any combination. That's correct, any combination. They also have the usual hibachi sauces (ginger, shrimp) which can be added in an unlimited amount. To accompany the hibachi grill is miso soup and a light salad with house ginger dressing.
The cost of a lunch buffet is right under 10 dollars. For the amount you can get at the hibachi grill pays for itself. The hibachi is nothing special, however, it isn't anywhere near bad.
Sushi for lunch is divided between different sushi rolls and nigiri available at the bar. Usually the popular rolls like the philly, California, and spicy tuna are always out. The guys also throw out a few special rolls which are delicious. The nigiri sushi has all of the favorites as well, red and white tuna, eel, red snapper, yellowtail, mackerel, surf clam, salmon, and others. The nigiri is crazy fresh, amazing, and is served in bite sized portions which are my favorite.
Dinner...
You are seated by a server and given a sushi menu without prices. The sushi menu has just as many options as any great sushi restaurant.
The great thing about dinner is that the sushi is included in the price. (around $18)
Order as many hand rolls, special rolls, nigiri, and sashimi as you wish. The bill doesn't increase. The sushi is all brought out to the table.
The sushi is fresh and tastes great. Nothing out of this world, but for $18 and my regular 50 piece sushi plates, this is the only place to visit without spending $60+ dollars per person.
Also, all of the normal hibachi items (adding ribeye and scallop) and regular asian buffet foods and desserts are out as well during dinner.
In addition, between 4:00 and 6:00 pm (the last time I was there) the restaurant takes $3 dollars off each dinner plate. What a value!!
So Makino. A place for the starving sushi lover, the hungry hibachi eater, and every one else in between (whose wallet is tight). A great place for a sushi beginner. A great place for a hibachi beginner. THE BEST place for value.
Not a place for an expensive night out..
Chaep Sushi?!. Makino is affordable sushi epically at lunch. The lunch price is 17.99 and there is a huge selection but please stick to the sushi the rest is not so good. The sushi, oddly is quite good and for the price. Give this place a try for lunch.
Good deal for lunch, too expensive for dinner.. The food is pretty good. fresh sushi. love the udon. not really like the hibachi, but it's ok to try. If you are not sure, try the lunch buffet first, the dinner buffet is very very expensive unless you have coupon.
Lunch is $14. Came in on a Saturday and was totally blown away by everything!! It’s all you can eat but cooked to order. You sit down and choose from a sushi menu and a hot menu. They will bring you as much as you like, but will charge extra if you leave too much behind so be cautious.
Me and my husband love coming here for lunch since they started doing the made to order all you can eat. Such quality and freshness. You know you'll be getting freshly made quality food every time you order. They have one menu for sushi and nigiri and one for hibachi and other non sushi dishes and sides.
I've been here twice so far. I love how the buffet system works what's covid. It's all-you-can-eat, you just let the waitress know your order and they bring it straight to your table. It reduces waste. The first time I went was earlier in the day when they first opened so food came out rather quickly. If you go during their peak meal times, it can be quite delayed. Everything was delicious and our server was so polite, helpful, and refilled drinks often.
All you can eat hibachi and sushi. Currently you order from your table and it is brought fresh to you. We were a party of 7 and we tried a lot of different things. Everything we ordered was good.
Service was great. We were seated quickly, and our server was prompt, attentive, and polite.
This has become one of our favorite restaurants. I definitely recommend trying it.
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Although I do miss some of the items on the buffet that I really enjoyed, like the sweet cucumber, I think I like the all-you-care-to-eat menu better. Here's why you might too:
Every dish is fresh and either hot or cold as it should be. Nothing I ate tasted was anything less fresh than right from the cooking pan it came from. I can pace myself and keep getting searing-hot items fresh each refill and this has really contributed to a better dining experience because everything tastes like it was intended to and hasn't just been kept warm. No one is unleashing their kids to do whatever at or to the buffet, no one is picking at, into, or over the food--your food is getting much less exposure to the public.
This is likely helping them to keep the prices low. With every other place taking advantage of the inflation and gouging prices, better food a little less fast than getting it yourself is helping at least me realize I'm full two plates ahead of when I would normally realize it. Though we've kept minimal leftovers on our plate, this is because we've planned ahead to be members of the clean plate club. If you abuse the system and are used to leaving 4 uneaten plates of food and increasing costs for all, they warn they will charge you for it, and I think they should.
Some people have said they've had to wait for a while to get their next plate, and thought I'd weigh in on my experience there: I've gone at off-peak times, after lunch rush and haven't had a problem. One thing, though, that I didn't like is that the original order paper came back covered in food smudges for re-use. Is there another solution to this like a laminated page with a dry erase marker or something else?
Lunch buffet is $14 and dinner is $20, but unlimited sushi made to order makes it a great deal if you eat a lot.
Dinner is more expensive because they have fancier rolls topped with different fish and avocado available as well. The buffet includes a very good hibachi menu and their normal buffet menu, but everything is cooked to order since nothing is kept ready at the buffet anymore since Covid.
The service is always great and I absolutely love this place, I recommend it to anyone I know who loves sushi.
Food here was so fresh and delicious!! One of the best I've had in years.
Side note- the buffet is not an option right now but the food is made to order and is all you can eat. It's definitely worth it and so so yummy!! Our server was extremely fast and very nice too ❤️
My god one of the best places to eat...ever. Despite the lack of a walking buffet, you still have access to unlimited food at a reasonable price. And the food is delicious, made fresh in the kitchen you can taste the fresh meat and seafood. The fried foods are not too oily and perfectly crisp. The price is cheaper than a main course and a appetizer anywhere else. Please eat here and support this business.
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