Takara 88
Takara 88
Chicken teriyaki
Chicken and shrimp hibachi
Sashimi Platter
a large platter of sushi on a wooden table
a bowl of sushi with a note on it
Plate of assorted sushi rolls
Various rolls - spicy tuna, California, and King Crab
Godzilla Roll and tuna sashimi
Bar
sashimi, food, sushi and sashimi, sushi
No-place-better (for quality and value) and n the madison area.
Maki rolls
Where the food belongs
California roll, spicy tuna roll, King Crab roll
Avocado Roll
Menu
Outside
Green apple bubble latte smoothie
Avocado Roll & shrimp cucumber roll
Spring rolls
Shrimp tempura bento
Adrianne M.
Sep 6, 2024
Consistently good food. As beautiful as the restaurant is, personally I love sitting outside on the patio.
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Tricia C.
Mar 10, 2022
My sister-in-law and I had been craving sushi, so we decided that after our nail appointment last week we would go out for some. We wanted to try a new place, so she suggested Takara 88. I am so glad we branched out from our usual spot! Takara 88 is right in the heart of downtown Middleton, right across from the post office. There is a parking lot in the back, but don't assume you'll be able to snag a spot - there are several businesses that share it, and street parking in downtown Middleton has become a nightmare. The place was pretty packed, so we were glad that we made a reservation. The staff was very kind, and you could tell they are used to crowds, so they worked efficiently to get us to our table. Once we sat down, our group ordered a bottle of wine, and it was the perfect pairing for fish. We enjoyed some edamame before the main event, and it was great! I would imagine it's pretty hard to mess up steamed soy beans, as I have never had a bad experience with them. I ordered the Badger roll and the Salmon Fire roll, and the latter knocked my socks off - makes the top 5 of the BEST sushi I've ever had! Now, it doesn't take a genius to look back through my sushi reviews and deduct that I opt for the *cooked* sushi options, but I still consider myself willing to try different things. For me, jalapeno in a sushi roll was what I imagined to be an odd combo. Not the case at all, and I highly recommend it! I really can't wait to return so I can have it again.
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Stephen V.
Mar 29, 2023
Second time was everything I needed and wanted from a sushi place. The fresh salmon yellowfin was the best thing ever. Ahi is the tuna I eat often in recent months, but having it served fresh enough to be raw is a treat to experience here in the Midwest. Typically salmon is my favorite seafood but these days I think I'm leaning towards the tuna more and more. The presentation of the item I ordered was something I didn't expect and in truth I won't be ordering whatever it was again. I didn't think to take a photo of the plate on delivery, which is something I regret more than actually ordering something that was so ornate when it didn't serve the dish itself. Since I wasn't able to clearly understand the answer of what some of the garnishes were, I can only assume some were not meant to be eaten, the flower itself I decided wasn't even tasting. The white shredded nest of something I couldn't identify by taste or visual, it was ....interesting?A side bowl of rice was a bit of a challenge being that I long ago gave up trying to look sophisticated by having proficiency handling chopsticks. So it wasn't able to really accompany the meal too well. I'm certainly pleased that I decided to revisit Takara, the previous visit left me thinking I lost my appreciation for sushi when I wasn't drinking with my meal. I'm still certain I have a far greater appreciation for sushi when it's accompanied by vast quantities of saki, a couple beers, and maybe a good liquor to get into the mindset. My very first time eating sushi 30yrs ago was done on the condition the friend who dragged me out to eat raw fish was part of a "you buy drinks, and I'll eat your raw fish". I loved the experience. But didn't repeat it for another decade, and I was willing to do it, alcohol wasn't a condition, it was just an excuse to do both together. So I did come to love the taste and the experience.
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Melissa F.
Mar 19, 2022
Terrible. Will not be back. Good was fine, but the issue was the service. Apparently they changed their menu pricing. But we didn't use the menus and ordered sushi from the table slips. When the bill came we were overcharged on almost everything. I asked the waiter for help and he brought over a menu and showed us the different prices. I showed him the order slip I used from the table and he got the manager over. Same deal but she did honor the pricing in the end. She then had the slips removed from all the tables. I'll assume she didn't honor the other diner's who ordered from the table slips. As I was signing the bill, the waiter came over and noticed we had taken a low sodium soy Soave from another table. He held it up and said it's all the same soy sauce that they just refill the bottles. So was it low sodium or not? Don't know! Pretty sure the bottle be filled with what it's labeled as. But apparently here it isn't.
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Charles L.
Sep 6, 2022
Ordered some takeout from here and got the Salmon Fire Roll, the Spicy California Roll and the Tri Color Naruto. The Salmon Fire Roll was delicious and the Spicy California Roll was your normal Spicy California Roll. I wasn't expecting the Tri Color Naruto to be rolled in a giant piece of cucumber but that might just be my inexperience with sushi.That being said, that was my least favorite. For sushi, it was very messy and hard to eat. All in all, the food was good and I'd come back if I'm in the area.
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Shammy S.
Oct 26, 2021
The staff was very welcoming and friendly. The menu options were good and the decor was pretty good. Tempura wa just ok as were the edamames. The rolls were pretty good, but nothing noteworthy.I may come back to try some of the specialty rolls for a more comprehensive review.
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Thuy Dan T.
Mar 30, 2021
Updating my review here with a take-out order that we had delivered for my parent's anniversary and it was beautiful! We ordered a sashimi/sushi combo and all the fish tasted quite fresh and were cut in larger than usual cuts (no complaints there!). The sushi rice was on the softer side, but everything else was pretty good. The wasabi/ginger did not have any strong flavor so I was always trying to use more and more of it until it was gone (which is very rare to use all). Overall, I would order the platter here again because it's a reasonable price with nice portions.
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Jason H.
Mar 8, 2023
Always yummy. I usually get the same thing (miso soup, Rainbow Roll, and another roll which does change) and it's always tasty. There's really not much more to say. The people are nice. The service has always been good. You should come and try it.
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Cole M.
Feb 14, 2025
Best sushi spot in west Madison by far in terms of quality! Quite a few other spots went AYCE, but Takara 88 has maintained their high level of standards!
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Debbie Z.
Nov 11, 2024
So this is a bummer. I loved Takara on Whitney Way and went for years, until they changed their business model to have the moving sushi conveyor belt. ICK! Anyway, I finally got over to Takara in Middleton and I couldn't stay. First, the smell of heavy grease fire was thick in the air. Was it a one off, or don't they have proper ventilation? I was concerned about what that lingering smell would do to my food and my clothes, and it sure was having an effect on my appetite, etc., and was contemplating leaving when one of the staff came and started spraying a heavy duty cleaning spray near me....I just couldn't believe it. That was it. I had to leave. Smells in a restaurant matter. Using caustic cleaning spray? Next to a live human being about to eat? Makes me wonder at what other bad decisions they are making that people aren't seeing. I felt sick for quite a while after.
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