Makoto

This place has some of the best sushi rolls I've ever had. I love that they also offered the option of ponzu sauce, which I found to be less overpowering than soy sauce. This allowed you to really taste the flavors of each roll. The service was excellent, and the food was phenomenal--probably one of the best places I've had sushi. Every ingredient tasted so fresh that I didn't need to dip every roll in soy sauce or ponzu.We ordered the shrimp tempura uramaki, which was probably the best shrimp tempura roll I've ever had--so crispy! The spicy yellowtail uramaki, rainbow uramaki, and negi toro hosomaki were also delicious.For dessert, the Flaming Death Star was phenomenal. Not only did they light it on fire, but the unique flavors complemented each other perfectly!The ambiance was fabulous for a date night. We went during the walk-in timeframe, but be sure to make a reservation if you plan to visit for dinner

My husband and I dined at Makoto Vail with another couple. While the food and ambiance were great, the service and cocktails left a lot to be desired. Overall, I would consider returning, but with some adjustments to our orders.Cocktails: We tried several, and unfortunately, none were up to par. The first round included two watered-down, overly bitter whiskey drinks for the men, a yuzu drink with clumpy egg white foam for my friend, and the wrong drink for me (the bartender added orange juice despite my request for just mezcal and soda). The second round featured two house tequila Old Fashioneds, which tasted good but appeared on the bill at a shocking $38 each--twice the expected price! My friend and I also ordered a mezcal cocktail, which was almost undrinkable and had a strange, sour plum at the bottom. Spending over $200 on 8 terrible drinks was a shock & hard on our wallets!Apps: The hamachi ponzu was phenomenal--fresh and full of flavor. The wagyu dumplings and tuna crispy rice were also great, though I wish the shishito peppers hadn't been fried. It took away from the dish completely and felt unnecessary. The house ginger salad dressing was delicious and served in a generous portion, but the choice of leaves didn't work well. They used long-stemmed leaves that were tough to eat and lacked a good texture or taste.Mains: the beef yaki noodles were rich and delicious, and the seabass was cooked perfectly--soft, flaky, and full of deep flavor. However, despite the waiter assuring me the dishes were dairy-free, I was up all night, so I'm doubtful they were..In summary, while we enjoyed the food and ambiance, the cocktails and service definitely need improvement. Next time, I'll be more careful with my drink orders and ask more questions about allergens.

This place was delicious, great sushi in Vail and it was easy to go with a group of nine folks to share everything. We split a bunch of apps, got crispy tuna rice, fried rice, noodles, and ended with a bunch of maki rolls! Fun and fancy atmosphere and was the perfect post skiing dinner.

This restaurant was delicious. We ordered the yucky noodle, which was probably the best thing we ate there and the best yakisoba noodle I've had. We also ordered the sushi chefs sampler which came with 12 pieces and a monkey roll very fresh. Very good quality great variety of fish. We also had the Wagyu hot stone, where you cook your own meat. We were celebrating an anniversary and the restaurant congratulated us. They helped make it special! For dessert, we had the ice cream with miso caramel, which was also a light yummy end into the meal. The ambulances the restaurant is nice, the place is wooden, good view. Our waiter was wonderful. They were fast bringing the food out when we're ready for the next course they kept the table clean. Overall a fantastic meal I'm confused by some of these reviews.

This is probably now my favorite spot in vail. The ambiance was cozy and intimate. Our server Hiroto was attentive. The food was amazing. Really good sized portions and prices that matched the portions. The chicken ramen was delicious as was the fried rice. My favorite though was the waygu beef hot stone. INCREDIBLE. We also had the flaming Death Star dessert which was lots of fun.

My wife took me here for my birthday. I was pretty excited because I'd never been and love to try new things and new restaurants. I wouldn't say that it ruined my birthday, but our experience was pretty poor. Now, I understand that the valley is short staffed during the mud season, but it was not busy (a Wednesday night). We were seated on the patio overlooking the river. So far so good. Our waiter said he'd be right with us, so that's fine. After I ordered my cocktail from him, it took at least 20 minutes to get it. We had to ask another staff member to find our waiter at least 3 times. Each time he came, but no apologies. We ordered and all of our food came out at once. Both of our appetizers, our a la carte sushi and our sampler all could barely fit on our table and then our waiter disappeared again. We had to ask other staff to take plates off our table because it was so full. I found all the food to be mediocre. The sashimi wasn't very flavorful, the crispy Brussels sprouts were not crispy at all. We also ordered the tuna crunch rice dish and that was crunchy, but the tuna was more of a pate. Not what we were expecting, but it did look nice. That dish was just okay. For my birthday dinner, I ordered the $80 sashimi sampler and it came on a tray that took nearly a quarter of our table. See above about not taking empty plates away. My wife also asked for a hot tea and that never came. When we were done, we had to ask another server to find our waiter again after waiting about 10 minutes. He came and bussed our table and brought dessert menus. We declined dessert, but did ask for the manager. Pretty quickly the manager came and we talked to him about all the mis-steps. The manager was very apologetic and ended up making it up to us.All of the other staff that we dealt with were just fine. It was just our waiter and the fact that the food was just meh. We were told that they hoped we would come back at some point. I'm not sure that will happen, but it might. My friends rave about this place but it was not a pleasant experience for us unfortunately. It seems from some of the other reviews that the service is either hit or really really miss. It seems we got the latter.

Seriously - Makoto is the BEST restaurant in Vail!!! The outdoor seating was picturesque (Beautiful Aspen Trees as a backdrop!) Wagyu beef on a hot stone was just the beginning of our epicurean adventure with dynamite handrolls and the best sushi I've ever had. My gratitude to the entire team, especially the wonderful managers who checked on us and made us feel like royalty. My husband and I can't wait to be back!!

Excellent Sashimi! The BRAISED BEEF YAKI NOODLES is the bomb! Wonderful service at the Bar! Beautiful decor and a fabulous view too!

If you're looking for a good sushi spot in Vail, look no further! We ordered the Rock Shrimp & Spicy tuna Crispy Rice as a starter and can't stop thinking about how incredible both those starters were. For rolls we ordered the Spicy Yellow Tail, Spicy Tuna, and a Rainbow roll. All of the rolls were so flavorful, delicate, and delicious. Our server knew the menu inside and out and we loved his recommendations. We sat in the "outside" area, but it's really just a covered area with floor-to-ceiling windows that lookout to beautiful Vail. Highly recommend sitting in the "outside" area, but the inside of the restaurant is also so aesthetically pleasing. I can't wait to come back!

Best sushi and ramen hands down in Vail. Thank you for being accommodating and kid-friendly. Wagyu beef was delish. Loved the little patio overlooking the river. We will for sure be back!