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    Jacknife

    4.4 (99 reviews)
    Closed 11:00 am - 9:00 pm
    Updated 1 month ago

    Order Jacknife Takeout or Delivery

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    JACKNIFE ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Moderate noise
    Outdoor seating

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    Recommended Reviews - Jacknife

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    Jenny K.

    Stopped in for dinner on a Thursday night. Lots of seating available, it wasn't too busy. I ordered the salmon nigiri and orange crunch roll. Both were good but pretty expensive. Decent spot for quick sushi.

    Salmon & Spicy tuna rolls
    Dana C.

    Delicious, fresh, thoughtful sushi rolls. Lots of options, order at the counter or at the self serve computers. Very clean, very modern, wonderful staff and lots of seating options indoor/outdoor.

    LIVING ON THE VEG, RAINBOW, CURRYSMATIC
    Willow O.

    Really tasty fast-casual sushi! They have a unique spread of rolls as well as sauces. I tried two vegan rolls, green machine and the currysmatic and they were really good and unlike any sushi I have ever had before. The person I was with had the rainbow roll and a poke bowl and said that the fish was excellent and fresh. The packaging makes it really easy to take to go as well

    LEI'D BACK POKE
    Ellena K.

    Always the best choice for casual sushi in Madison. Sometimes hit or miss with rolls. This time, the Nola roll was interesting - because of the combo of corn and tuna, but probably a personal preference. Spicy salmon did not seem as fresh as usual. Pear pressure is always my favorite, I really love the crunchy jicama and pear combo. Presentation was beautiful, as always. Also worth mentioning that Jackknife's ordering is always a quick and an efficient process. When you online order, you can just walk in and pick up your order from one of the cubes. Make sure to sign up for rewards!

    ANGRY BADGER, PEAR PRESSURE, MISO SOUP
    Steph H.

    Came in for the two roll special and it was fantastic. It came with a side of miso and I upgraded to their "fancier" rolls for a few dollars. Super filling, fresh, and healthy lunch for downtown diners!

    Rainbow and yellowtail
    Vince L.

    Fast food type sushi. Lots of choices. You order at the counter and the food is brought to your table based on the number tag they give you. Nigiri, rolls, even noodles. Obviously not the same as a sit-down traditional sushi place, it was way better than I expected. Good portions, freshly made, clean, all good. 3.5 stars.

    MIGHTY MUSHROOM and GREEN MACHINE
    Lexi G.

    Jacknife is a counter-style sushi/noodle/rice bowl spot. The space is clean, open and bright, with fun wall art and decor. I like to come for sushi, but the bowls seem to be the best bang for your buck. I've tried all the vegan sushi rolls, but my favorites are the Mighty Mushroom and Green Machine. I also like the cold sesame noodles. They carry some fun drinks, if a little over priced. I've never had an issue with it being too busy and not being able to snag a table. Overall, it's a great casual spot to get fresh and tasty Japanese food! And bonus points for having a vegan menu.

    Jordan B.

    Jacknife is a really fun place to grab a bite to eat. I love the witty catchphrases and designs in the interior. Everything is neatly setup and organized too in terms of getting silverware, water, extra sauces, etc. Food wise, the sushi is good! Ramen you can find better at other places though.

    Vince H.

    Takeout from Jacknife. First thing - the containers are great and convenient - really feels like a meal. They've definitely improved their quality since opening. The rice quality is great - and the shrimp was cooked to perfection. The portion sizes were also great, well worth the price!

    MISO PORK BELLY BOWL
    Aurora A.

    HOLY CRAP!!! This is one of the best places in Madison for lunch right now. For $16 you get any half bowl and ANY roll. The miso pork belly bowl was so delicious! Plenty of food even for a half a bowl. The pear pressure is a popular roll for a reason. Such fresh salmon. The green machine and King Kong (not pictured) were absolutely fantastic as well. We received our order about 6 minutes after ordering and the workers were so nice and helpful with ordering! They provide high quality soy sauce too :) new favorite sushi spot. The place gets plenty of natural light and has free Wi-Fi. Only thing I wish they had were backs on all their chairs, but that's so minor overall! CANNOT wait to try more of their rolls and bowls

    King Kong & Nola Roll Lunch Combo

    My mom is obsessed with the Jacknife and always begs me to come here. The sushi is always SO fresh and I adore their salmon nigiri. I love that they have so many unique vegan sushi options, as that can definitely be a rarity when it comes to sushi. My favorite roll that I've tried here would definitely have to be the King Kong Roll. I do wish that they had a couple more fun salmon-based rolls, as the Pear Pressure wasn't my favorite combo. The staff is very friendly here and the food tends to be ready very fast. The vibe in the restaurant is very nice & they even have a kids area with coloring supplies and toys.

    Ebibody Rock & King Kong sushi rolls
    Fawn J.

    Jacknife is an amazing must try place for sushi lovers in Madison!!!! This is a casual sushi spot or upscale fast food place for sushi and sashimi! I was extremely impressed with every interaction I had with the workers that worked there. Who is the hiring manager? :) First, I had called to ask some questions about the menu and the lady was extremely courteous and informative. When I got to Jacknife walking into a beautiful, modern, well cleaned atmosphere with great unique wall decor, my order was taken care of by a very friendly gentleman. My order came out to me lightning fast and I specifically remember being served by the same gentleman who had a really amazing smile. It was nice to be served with an awesome, warm, genuine smile! :) I tried the King Kong & Ebibody Rock sushi rolls which had an excellent impressive presentation and absolutely delicious!!! My favorite out of the two was the king Kong which was black tiger shrimp, cream cheese, avocado, & spicy aioli! I plan to go back to try more items on the menu! My only little thing that sort of threw me off was the price point or after tip it seemed a little pricier than I was expecting but I still enjoyed the sushi & excellent customer service! It really made a huge difference!

    Basil Pesto Poke Bowl and Shrimp Sushi

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    2 months ago

    Great food!! Awesome service!! Very helpful. Everything went very smoothly. Thank you

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    7 months ago

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    28 days ago

    The take out is so easy and ordering on the website also. Food is always top notch I'm a big fan of lunch special with a roll and bowl.

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    1 year ago

    Really fresh sushi. The miso soup is full of flavor and generous bits of seaweed and tofu.

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    10 months ago

    The online ordering was super slick. I also really like all the food allergies that you can pick from, it felt safe for my celiac daughter!

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    2 years ago

    ALWAYS EXCELLENT!!! Never felt a hair of a reaction, and that's so rare with Asian cuisine for me. Love Jackknife and Sushi Red

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    2 years ago

    My coworkers & I love Jacknife! The delivery service is always superb and the food fresh!

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    Tavernakaya

    Tavernakaya

    (322 reviews)

    $$

    Capitol

    Furious Surly IPA was great, Ramen was outstanding. Service by all from the door to the server were…read moreawesome

    After seeing a YouTube video with a master Japanese sushi chef trying American-style sushi, a new…read morephrase entered my lexicon: "Mayonnaise Roll." Regrettably, I will encounter one during my visit. More on that later. I started off with a Mojo Mojito (N/A). Big points for noticeable mint notes, something which was forgotten in two I had previously (in different spots). That said, it was a little sweeter than I prefer, but this is a matter of taste. For my app, I ordered the OG Pork Buns. These were great! The buns were soft, and the pork was tender and well balanced in terms of ratio of meaty to fatty. It was also sauced the perfect amount, and had a great amount of cucumber for freshness. While I can't put it in the S-Tier, I will easily give it a B, maybe an A if I am in a good mood. The only changes I would prefer (also personal preference) is a little acid for brightness, and a shift towards the fatty end of the ratio. Then we arrive at the fated Sunset Salmon Roll. On the surface, it promises to be a roll to remember: two kinds of fish, three kinds of veggie (including jalapeño), tobiko, and mayo. Instead, anything the roll tried to do was lost as the balance was way off. The quantity of rice was such that it seemed as though the rice was the main event, and everything else was cast as "Waiter #3." To make matters worse, the Yuzu mayo was very strong, further shifting focus away from the fish and veg. Thus, we arrive at "rice and mayo roll." When asked how I was liking things, and I communicated as much, the bar-server offered to change it to something else (thank you very much). That something else was two sets of Nigiri: Unagi & Seared Tuna (Bincho Maguro Tataki). For the Unagi, this was perfect with no notes. The eel was cooked and sauced perfectly, and the balance of rice to protein was ideal. Good job. I can't say the same for the Seared Tuna. The kiss of fire can elevate a piece to otherworldly levels, but only if done correctly. Here, the flame seemed to be applied as an afterthought, and added nothing of value to the fish. The only thing it did was take away some of that amazing freshness sushi-grade fish has by partially cooking it. Any smokey and roasty notes were not in the building. Final verdict: Tavernakaya got off to a promising start with a great virgin Mojito and pork buns. However, it faltered severely when it came to sushi. While the Unagi Nigiri was a strong contender, the Sunset Salmon Roll and Seared Tuna Nigiri were poorly executed. Thus, while I am not against trying their ramen on a later day, I'll likely steer clear of the sushi side of the menu.

    Umami Ramen & Dumpling Bar - Pan seared pork dumplings

    Umami Ramen & Dumpling Bar

    (441 reviews)

    $$

    Williamson - Marquette

    If you go for ramen, your best bet is to go for the tonkotsu or miso ramen. They make their noodles…read morein house, so they are fresh and springy. And they adjust the noodle thickness based upon the broth type, so that's good. But if you like shoyu ramen, this really isn't their strong point; it will be more like a lighter tonkotsu broth with thicker noodles. They also offer dan dan men and chuka soba in the summertime, but it's not really the Japanese style. They have both indoor and outdoor seating, and the staff is very nice and attentive. Service is quick. I stopped by on the way to Breese Field and it was a delicious quick dinner. The bamboo shoots are made with a canned variety, instead of dehydrated, and the marinated egg is really just soft-boiled. So if you're a ramen snob, set your expectations accordingly. Even still, it was a solid bowl of ramen

    We came here for restaurant week in the winter. There was a wait which we counted on! We decided to…read moreput our name on the list and run across the street to IO for drinks and games while we waited. Once we got called, we were seated at the bar which was a great experience. Our server was attentive and filled up the many diet soda refills of my partner and my water refills. We got dumplings which were delicious, then Ramen, then mochi ice cream to close it out. The ramen was flavorful and the dumplings were the star of the show. They were juicy and delicious. I love that it's in a house-like building and there are many different rooms. It feels cozy and comfortable. I will return again for ramen. It's my #2 place in Madison!

    Jacknife - sushi - Updated May 2026

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