09/17/09

Damn Good!!!

by LoLMT

I was in town for an event and stayed at the extended stay across the street. i was craving sushi so a friend and I went for a late nite dnner. The Sushi was the Bomb!!! i had something that had TExas in the name. Then i had a bloody mary. DAMN it was good. i didn't even get a headache the next day or woozie. When i'm back in Austin..i'm hitting this place up again.

• Pros: on 6th st; near hotels
• Cons: none

06/24/09

Great Restaurant!!

by LynnRandalls

I only go there during Happy Hour special when they serve nigiri sushi & rolls for only $3, $4 bucks. Good service, resonable price with good quality of food. WIll come back again!!

• Pros: Affordable price, good quality of food
• Cons: Bad parkings!!

03/01/09

Best sushi in texas

by yakuza

this is one of a kind restaurant in texas......great food and fresh sushi........I'll be back soon!!!!!

• Pros: sushi
• Cons: great place

02/09/09

Amazing Sushi and Great Service

by bhd414

I've walked or driven by this place a thousand times, but had never gone in. There are a limited number of sushi options for lunch downtown and I thought I'd try Maiko. The service was prompt and courteous. Water was on my table and a waiter greeting me within a minute of being seated. I looked through the lunch specials and had a combo that had a spicy tuna roll and 4 pieces of nigiri. The special also came with miso soup and salad with a typical ginger dressing. The soup was great, not too much tofu, but enough. The salad was rather large for a side salad, but was great. The dressing was a familiar ginger type dressing, but a little sweeter. It was great. The sushi was amazing. It was comparable to Kenichi or Musashino. The fish was high quality and seemed to melt in my mouth. I'm not that fond of salmon typically, but the salmon here was very fresh. Additionally, there were additional pieces of sashimi that were amazing. I would highly recommend this place.

• Pros: Great sushi, moderate price, great service
• Cons: None

08/12/08

Worst experience ever...

by smoothlikebuttaah

We came in to Maiko on Tuesday evening excited considering we had never been there before. We were seated and then it was downhill from there. We ordered mushroom miso, vegetable tempura and two sushi rolls all at once. The miso tasted like soy sauce. The vegetable tempura was very disappointing. It took our waitress twenty five minutes to get us our rolls. My date actually considered grabbing the rolls off the bar, where we could see them stagnating for 15 minutes. In the meantime we looked at the art on the walls that represented 90?s deco and the cheesy carpet that resembled a Las Vegas casino that is about to be demolished.The atmosphere could not par up to how much they charged for food, especially because the food was also not that impressive. We checked out the rolls under the bad lighting and we were wondering WTF the chef knew about sushi. The website boasts this great looking presentation and it is non-existent. Moving on, the orange tuna roll did not have any hint of orange, was mostly rice and the fish was not fresh. The Maiko roll was all hype also.The best part was our waitress was gone the whole time. ?no exaggerating and my date asked her where she had been, and if she had been in the back smoking a joint the whole time. Instead of being comical about it to chill out the tension, she freaked out and had an enormous attitude. She asked if we wanted to talk to her manager, getting way louder than our decibels and we just said, ?no, we just wanted to let you know we were not pleased with the service.? Not even mentioning the ridiculously large bill for the quality and quantity of the food. She chickened out bringing us back our change and had some random guy from the back do it, while he told us to ask for him if we ever had any problems again there. It would have been a nice gesture if he had told us his name! Way overpriced, but I guess they have to pay the rent for that bangin? location.

• Pros: none
• Cons: ambiance, food, service, & value

05/15/08

Tasty sushi

by ChucoMonster

I have to admit, I am no expert on sushi. But I eat lots of it and, before sushi, I would NEVER eat any fish. But Maiko is one of the only places that I like to go to eat sushi in Austin. I've been to here quite a few times over the last few months, and their menu seems to be getting better! The menu seemed a little small, and didn't have too much variety, but now it seems to be getting underway. I only wish they had more vegetarian options ? not many places in Austin offer a good selection of veggie rolls, so this is kind of disappointing. However, what they do offer is delicious ? the rolls are not too small and have the right balance of rice, fish, and flavor. I admit, I get the same stuff all the time, but every once in a while, I get adventurous and try some different rolls ? so far I've never been disappointed (anything I haven't like was due to my own personal tastes).

I also enjoy the appetizers, like the tempura. The Maiko Salad is one of my new favorites, as well ? it's tangy and sweet, with goat's cheese. Delicious! The hot rock is always fun, but more important, yummy. And instead of just ordering the miso soup, I like the wild mushroom miso soup. It's worth the extra $2. I've also tried their delicious desserts! (Yeah, I like to eat!) I was pleased with the truffles and with the sorbets. A friend and I shared both theses desserts and we both found them to be not too filling, and so were a nice end to the night.

The service could use some work, but in the last few times I've been there, I had a waitress that was both attentive and nice. She wasn't too much of a bother, but didn't ignore me. It is a bit pricey, but I understand it's a business ? profit is important. Nevertheless, I'm never bothered to drop a good amount here.

• Pros: Tasty sushi, good menu selection, great atmosphere, sushi chefs are always fun to talk to
• Cons: Service could be better, not enough vegetable rolls offered

05/12/08

Want to get sick? Try Maiko! Seriously awful sushi.

by austind

I've never posted on here before but my experience at this place made me register for an account.

Just wanted to let you know we will not be returning to this restaurant. My girlfriend and I came in Sunday night and were looking forward to our meal as I've always wanted to try Maiko. I've eaten a lot of sushi over the years and Maiko is definitely the *lowest* quality sushi I've ever eaten. The last bite my girlfriend took tasted like it had been rolled in dirt (yes, really). The fish quality was horrible, some unfresh, and our sushi rolls were pretty much all RICE. Besides the 'bad fish' flavor the rolls didnt look neatly assembled either, they looked like they were thrown together and I was worried with each bite that the tiny pieces of sushi would fall apart. There was hardly anything in the sushi. Waitress was nice, service was good. But seriously, I can't say enough BAD things about their horrible food. I wouldn't go back if you paid me

• Pros: design/decor, location, great water and sake
• Cons: everything else. sushi is horrible

03/29/08

For the best Sushi and Sashimi, this is the place!

by JohnAndDeborah

The staff at Maiko are truly the best in Austin. An excellent experience started as we entered the door of the restaurant. We were warmly greeted by the hostess given the best seat in the house and began a wonderful evening enjoying our favorite sushi and sashimi. Our waiter was one of the best and very knowledgeable of the menu and he took the time to give us delicious details of every dish that we ordered.

To our delight as we began to order, the waiter brought to our attention that we were on time for the Maiko Sushi Happy Hour, on a Saturday Night WOW! It is difficult to choose a favorite, each and every dish was prepared to perfection. But, one you must taste is the Spider Roll. Very tasty with crispy softshell crab and a spicy aioli with avocado and cucumber. When we were preparing to leave the owner came to our table thanked us for coming to Maiko and asked how we enjoyed the meal. What a great experience!

• Pros: Valet parking, wonderful ambience

03/09/08

Dine here frequently - Always impressed!!!

by marleyzaza

I came here to look up the number to Maiko, and I am shocked to see ANY poor reviews. I feel like the below reviews are from a competitor or from someone who is just shameless about the things they say about someone's business. I couldn't disagree more with the negative reviews. I started going to Maiko when they opened their doors 2 years ago. We went for a friends birthday party. Now I dine their on average once a month - usually on the weekends for dinner with friends. First of all, the service is impeccable! The waiters are all very personable and helpful, but without being wordy. I hate going to a restaurant where the server is either too absent or too in your face. The service at Maiko is neither - it's always excellent - so much so that I always tip well over 20%. Secondly, the food is great! I've never had a bad meal at Maiko. My boyfriend does not like fish at all, and he LOVES their Chilean Sea Bass dish. It's definitely worth a try on your first visit. My personal favorite is Walu nigiri at any sushi restaurant, and Maiko's is always great. For rolls, I would recommend trying the dragon roll or the hook roll (which has walu or "escolar" in it.... yum). Maiko also carries a great selection of wines, and for really reasonable prices. On top of all of this, Maiko is just a really great, fun place with a great ambiance, perfect for the after work crowd. I promise you will have an excellent time, and you will fall in love with this cozy little joint just like I have! Plus, you'll find they have a great little party room in the back - great for birthdays... they even have a little karaoke set up for these kind of occasions. I hope you enjoy your meal and this restaurant as much as I have!!!!

01/28/08

Fun atmostphere, great service, fresh, unique menu

by kixsis10

It shocks to see so many bad reviews about maiko. I frequent this establishment and am always VERY satisfied, if not more. The music is always hip, the food is fresh and innovative, the drink are always great and the servers and bartenders are knowledgeable and more than ready to ensure that you have a wonderful experience. I have experienced long wait times for the food, but come on people, its all hand made. I will continue to frequent Maiko and support this great restaurant.