This is the best sushi spot in the valley solely for their service. Sushi is of course fresh and delicious, but the ladies that serve here make it such a pleasant experience! We love it here, it's our new go to for something cozy, local and feel-good! read more

Makoto is one of those rare restaurants that feels like home the moment you walk in. The food is incredibly authentic and consistently delicious, but what makes this place truly special is the people. The owner is always so pleasant and welcoming -- all smiles every time I arrive -- and the staff is just as cheerful. My waitress even remembers my favorite table, which makes every visit feel personal. The food is outstanding. Their hard‑to‑find tempura soba is my absolute favorite -- perfectly cooked, comforting, and full of flavor. I'm also a huge sushi lover, and Makoto never disappoints. The fresh tuna sushi, salmon sushi, and rainbow roll are always top quality, beautifully prepared, and incredibly fresh. Even the oysters are consistently fresh and tasty. Makoto is the kind of place you keep coming back to because everything -- the food, the atmosphere, the people -- is just that good. I'll always eat here. Highly recommend. If you want a shorter version, a more emotional one, or a punchier, more energetic style for Yelp, I can shape it however you like. read more

Makoto Sushi - salmon egg sushi ikura - Japanese Near Me - Encino, California

See all

As someone who truly loves dining out--and who spent years working in restaurants myself--I don't say this lightly: Makoto Sushi in Encino is everything hospitality should be. From the moment you walk in, you are treated with genuine warmth and respect. Ren, the owner, consistently expresses sincere gratitude for his customers, and it shows in every detail of how the restaurant is run. His appreciation is not performative--it is felt, and it sets the tone for the entire experience. The wait staff are impeccable--attentive without being intrusive, professional, kind, and incredibly consistent. You never feel rushed, you never feel overlooked, and your dining experience is always handled with care. As a former waitress myself (including my early years working at Rosti in the late 90s), I know how demanding restaurant work can be, and I make it a point to always tip generously in cash as a reflection of that respect. Makoto's team exemplifies the kind of service that deserves that appreciation every single time. And of course, the food is outstanding--beautifully presented, fresh, and consistently excellent. It's a place where you can relax, enjoy, and trust that you will be taken care of. After 30+ years of dining out all over Los Angeles, I can confidently say that Makoto Sushi is one of those rare establishments that truly values its guests and delivers an experience to match. After 30+ years of dining out across Los Angeles, I am proud to support businesses that genuinely care about their clients--and Makoto Sushi absolutely does -- Maureen Delaney read more

See all

Enjoyed a nice dinner. While the selection of specialty is limited and a lot with imitation crab (which I'm not a fan of) the one we picked was unique and good. I especially liked the spicy tuna on rice cake. The salmon skin handroll was great as well. The staff were friendly and attentive. Free parking in the back! read more

See all

Makoto Sushi is hands down one of the best hole-in-the-wall sushi spots in Encino. The staff is always friendly and welcoming, and the quality is consistently excellent. Honestly, every roll on the menu is good, but our favorite is the 420 roll -- so good we order it every time. One thing we really appreciate is that they're happy to customize rolls, which makes it easy to get exactly what you're craving. My husband is a big sashimi fan and loves the king crab, green mussels, bluefin, and tuna belly -- all super fresh and consistently delicious. You can really taste the quality of the fish. Bonus points for being baby/kid friendly, which makes this an easy and stress-free spot for families too. No frills, no hype -- just great sushi done right. If you're in the area and want reliable, high-quality sushi, Makoto Sushi is a must. read more

See all

Great sushi spot in the valley! We ordered several dishes. The salmon carpaccio was out of this world, we ended up ordering it twice. I really enjoyed the yellowtail carpaccio as well, though some others in our group didn't like as much. I liked that it was tangy from the citrus. We got several rolls... the BLCR, Rainbow, Laker, and Jazz Roll. All of them were good, Laker was a bit too creamy. I also got a tuna tataki salad which was really delicious, I'd definitely get it again. The prices are a little steep overall though. The service was good! The waitress was really patient with us as we kept ordering dish after dish throughout the meal. read more

Literally my favorite place, i love getting yellowtail cappuccino, el cabron is my new fav roll and having the miso soup . Come here with my husband almost every weekend . Literally my favorite sushi spot anyday ! And theyre so kind and full of hospitality! read more

Makoto Sushi - Japanese Near Me - Encino, California

Don't get turned off by the decor... Makoto decor is stuck in the 90's sushi diner atmosphere. Now that I go that off my chest... the sushi exceeded our expectations. We ordered the albacore/ crispy onions, yellow tail hand rolls and two other rolls. The sushi was so fresh, the service was fast and friendly and a last minute Saturday night sushi craving this place was perfect. read more

Makoto Sushi - Inside the restaurant - Japanese Near Me - Encino, California

I was in the hood and this cute unassuming sushi house stood out! I think they just repainted the outside to this bright Lucious red! Once inside we were warmly greeted by the sushi chefs and serving staff. We chose a high quality cool saki, Junmai Ginjo. It was light and refreshing. Great find! I wanted a teriyaki Steak combo and really loved it. Stand outs were the miso soup and the super crunchy veggie tempura. My GF loved her yellowtail carpaccio and her special tuna roll. All together it was a fun date night! read more

See all

The servers are kind and seem to help each other which is nice! The restaurant is decorated cute. The food was not great in my opinion. The spicy garlic edamame was the best thing on the table and it was slightly undercooked. The crispy rice spicy tuna had extremely hard rice that was white in color and the spicy tuna was not spicy. :( the white ninja roll was drowned in sauce making it unable to taste the fish or any ingredient of the roll. And the avocado roll's nori was not chewable (I did send this back and they took it off the check). read more

See all

Amazing food for the right price, great service and ambiance. Try the rolls and the hand rolls and the carpaccio.

A favorite sushi spot of mine in the valley. Attentive service, excellent food. Low key vibes. Loved everything I ordered. Highly recommend. read more

Makoto Sushi - Japanese Near Me - Encino, California

See all

One of our favorite sushi spots! Get the edamame! The sauce they use with it is amazing! Highly recommended.

Very cute hole in the wall sushi place! Nice staff and the food was good. Pricey for what it is though.

Some of the best sushi in town. The tuna Tataki is delicious. The Shishido mushrooms are also delicious. Some of the best albacore I've had.

Went there for early dinner Food was great and service was nice as well. The restaurant is clean and designed in old school way which always fells comfy read more

I've never had a bad experience at this place. I try to make it a point to come here at least twice a year. I feel like I'm in Japan because it's our own little spot that never doesn't have a space for us. read more

Makoto Sushi - Japanese Near Me - Encino, California

Nice presentation on the rolls! This restaurant is cute and cozy, it's a skinny narrow restaurant with tables and seats at the bar. They get pretty busy which is a good sign- they've got fans! The food is delicious. The restaurant is clean. The bathroom is clean. Parking is limited but there's street parking. Sometimes that prevents me from returning to a business as often, but not for thus place. I recommend it! read more

Makoto Sushi - Casanova Roll - Japanese Near Me - Encino, California

See all

Prices are very high Does not match the food or experience Would not recommend unfortunately read more

Fire, one of my favorite spots in the valley. Everything is fire and their garlic pasta is the bomb!

I'd driven by this restaurant a few times and finally decided to try it on a recent Saturday night. Everything was delicious- spicy garlic edamame, oyster shooters, white ninja roll, salmon sushi and unagi. We sat at the bar, and the chef was so friendly and fun. We found the tv's a little annoying, as they were just showing depressing Spectrum news, not sports or anything fun, but overall we had a great time and look forward to returning. Great quality for the reasonable prices, too. read more

My girlfriend has been dying to show me this place for the longest and she did not missssss!!! We ordered a few rolls but the rolls I posted were by far my favorite , this 420 roll is a blast in your mouth, the shrimp tempura is soft and not too crunchy, amazing roll Service is very friendly and fast Small to medium place , so I wouldn't recommend going with a big group Only downfall is that they're Kinda pricey, and for a person that can down several rolls then the check can start piling up !! read more

See all

Average, and for $200 not worth it. The best thing here was the miso soup with the mushrooms in it. I would spend my hard earned money elsewhere. Fish was not fresh - you could tell it was frozen. Service was great but it's a small little place. Local homeless people wondering around and sleeping right outside. But that's LA right now. What can you do? read more

We randomly ran into this place many years ago while trying to catch Pokemons with Pokémon Go. Last time we were here was 2019 and everything tasted great. Simple sushi place. We finally came back here today (2022) and they have a fancier menu and options. Miso soup and salad was great. We ended up ordering a sashimi dinner combo and tempura sushi combo. To be honest, I was a little disappointed. It just didn't taste fresh. We still want to give them another try, we tried a lot of their specials last time and those were great. read more

Makoto Sushi - a close up of a plate of sushi - Japanese Near Me - Encino, California

See all

Found this spot at the last minute and right when we came in everyone was so attentive and nice. First off they have street parking and some parking in the back. The place itself sits on the very corner of the block so it was easy to find. The place itself is quite small so coming with a large party maybe a bit hard. It wasn't busy so we were seated quickly and since it was hot outside it was nice cool! They had a lot on their menu so I can say that there is something for everyone. If you don't want sushi you can order chicken and if you want cooked fish they have it as well! The variety is really good. The prices weren't to bad either so I wouldn't definitely recommend for people to come through if they are looking for a new spot to try out read more

I love everything food and especially sushi. I have to have it everytime I travel. I come to LA often and was invited to eat at this little corner sushi restaurant for the 1st time. The staff is super sweet and welcoming. Service was a lil slow but it might have been near closing time. What lacked in speedy service definitely made up in flavor. The 423 Roll was fresh, simple and flavorful, you should definitely pair it with fresh Wasabi! Everything we tried was delicious. read more

See all

Amazing. That's all I have to say. Customer service, amazing. Food, amazing. Place, amazing. I've never actually liked sushi but I came here with family and was completely shocked and made me look at sushi differently. Would easily come again. read more

Went to this place last week and was super impressed! Fresh fish and extensive menu. The shishito peppers are out of this world!!! Will be back. read more

I just met the owner of the Makoto sushi restaurant . What I can tell you they are very generous and have good food . And you are going to enjoy that sushi place. 5 star service and food with hot sake. Thank you read more

Makoto is by far the best sushi in the valley! My wife and I go here all the time and every time it hits. Service is great, quality is great, staff is great! read more

Incredible My Daughter And Her Buddy Nick Have Been Telling me About This Place For A Few Months, We were Greeted properly. Seated Fast Looking At Menu All Looked Great ordered some sashimi salmon read more

I'm not big on sushi so when I eat it it has to be fresh and made the way I want. Which they are good at both. They also have my favorite cold sake which is a bonus. I would definitely recommend giving this place a try. read more

Makoto Sushi - Grilled salmon, crunch roll, sashimi platter. - Japanese Near Me - Encino, California

This place is a gem... and yes it does play '80's music, which is awesome. The sushi is fresh and delicious and the prices are affordable. The ambience is good for conversation and the place is clean. The service was friendly and quick. This is somewhere we will definitely visit again when we are in the neighborhood! read more

What a great group of people serving delicious Fresh QUALITY food. All of the one off sushi or hand rolls I ordered were fresh and delicious and nicely dressed and beautifully prepared and I can go on an on and on. My fave is the King crab handroll and yellowtail belly . . . and Asahi on draft. read more

See all

I absolutely LOVE this restaurant. I love the casual eclectic atmosphere, the staff is very friendly...there is one sushi chef in particular that is VERY kind every time we go in (I will get his name next time and update the review). The sushi itself is some of the best in the city. I highly recommend the tuna toro...it's delightful. I am quickly becoming a regular here. read more

See all

Great food, service and atmosphere. The tatsuta age that I had was perfect, and I have no complaints about the experience! Recommended. read more

Makoto Sushi - Tatsuta Age (竜田揚げ) - Japanese Near Me - Encino, California

The sushi always tastes fresh and the the service is great. I enjoy listening to the 80s music playing softly in the background. It's a nice place to go with friends or on a date. For appetizers, I've tried the green mussels and garlic edamame which I highly recommend because they are so good. I have tried the spicy tuna on crispy rice, Spanish mackerel, yellowtail belly, and albacore belly which have all been great. read more

Always give them 5 stars. Always welcomng, courteous, and their food is great. Never once was I disappointed. read more

See all

The rolls here are like snacks from Ralph's deli section. Man I've never had sushi so small. A $16 Casanova roll was a small roll with a tiny slice of salmon on top. Not the typical portion size I'm used to for that price. First and last time. read more

Makoto Sushi - Japanese Near Me - Encino, California

Food (2/3): The food was fairly good but honestly there are better alternatives for the price. Service (1/1): The service was okay. The place was fairly packed when I went(good sign). It took them a while to help us out but otherwise everything came. Quality (1/1): The place was clean. I sort of liked how they gave us bottled water instead of glass cups most likely for sanitary reasons. read more