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    Makara Japanese Bistro

    3.9 (195 reviews)
    Open 11:30 am - 8:30 pm

    Makara Japanese Bistro Photos

    MAKARA JAPANESE BISTRO ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Casual
    Quiet
    Good for groups
    Good for kids

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    Both special giant and Salmon dynamite roll
    Larry G.

    Another first! I don't just give out 5 ! But I have to here. You know "Don't judge the book by its cover "! This is one of those places. The waitress was very sweet and took our order pretty quick. Then everything came out! OMG. The Hot Lips were Delicious! Then the rolls came out! Off the hook delicious! Special Giant, wow! Yummy. Then the salmon dynamite roll, you have to try it yourself! Delicious! Thank you for everything! Yes! I highly recommend this place to anyone who is looking for some great sushi!

    Salmon baked roll, OMG roll and the lobster roll. So delicious!
    Connie S.

    We decided to come here because we used to go to their Salida location and we loved it! We were sad they closed down their Salida location but happy that they have a location in Oakdale. We were in town and decided to check it out. They have lots of booths and tables. We sat in a booth and the server was very friendly and quick. The rolls were as we remember fresh, delicious and a great size. They have a variety and their own twist to traditional rolls. We can't wait to come back when we are in town!

    Beautiful service ... All our rolls were amazing .... Golden Gate, Cowboy, and Super Spicy Roll.
    crystal m.

    Amazing service and delicious food!!! We had the Cowboy roll, the Super Spicy roll and the Golden gate. All so good. We were served with lots of care, the place is on the smaller side but with all the great hospitality you wouldn't know. Try it out !!!!

    Spider Roll

    They are back in business in Escalon...Very small location the food is great as always... Go early if you want to dine in. The owners are wonderful as always

    Makara is now in Escalon. I just noticed online that they are open  We are so excited
    Debbie T.

    Great food and service. We are excited they have moved to Escalon. The calamari and katsu are delicious

    Broccoli ans carrot tempura and Crunchy Philadelphia roll with unagi sauce.
    Lyss R.

    Craving satisfied and I didn't even have to leave town!! I for the most part do NOT like fish... But I tried it at Osaka in modesto 10+ years ago and I really liked the Las Vegas(salmon) and Cali (crab) roll.. but I HATE modesto and have been craving sushi for the last year LOL so I caved and decided to try this place. Knowing if it's bad I'll never eat sushi again...thank God I was satisfied I ordered the Philadelphia roll to mock the Las Vegas roll from Osaka and they did good! Not as much flavor but it was deff. Close enough Everything was yummy I even saved some for lunch the day after and it was still good. I shocked myself eating it day 2 but it was good and I couldn't just throw away my left overs. So if your debating this place try it!!

    Oakdale Roll, MAKARA Roll
    Darci D.

    We usually order take-out here and it is always just as fresh and amazing as it would be dine in. Prices are reasonable and you don't have to leave town for great sushi.

    Spicy eel rolll
    Angela A.

    Food was AMAZING (I recommend the spicy eel roll) but the service was a bit on the long side.

    Jalapeno roll and catapillar roll

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    4 months ago

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    7 months ago

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    2 years ago

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    5 months ago

    Best sushi in the 209! They don't hold back on the sauce. Everyone is so sweet and it's so clean!

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    5 months ago

    Great sushi. They are very nice and do an amazing job. Large menu and I haven't had a meal I wasn't happy with.

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    11 months ago

    The food was excellent! You might drive right past it on highway 120 but it is worth a stop.

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    3 years ago

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    1 year ago

    Worst service ever, we were told 35 minute wait & ended up being over 2 hours. They are very rude & don't care about customer service.

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    2 years ago

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    3 years ago

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    3 years ago

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    2 years ago

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    4 years ago

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    3 years ago

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    3 years ago

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    2 years ago

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    8 years ago

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    3 years ago

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    3 years ago

    Delicious! We got the mother & son, Shrimp roll, & the OMG roll. Highly recommend all of them. Tastes very fresh.

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    3 years ago

    This place was amazing unfortunately they closed down, still the food was good, the service was amazing, the ambiance was amazing.

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    4 years ago

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    2 years ago

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    4 years ago

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    4 years ago

    It's good if you want sushi and don't feel like driving out of Oakdale. We like the In and Out roll and the Sunset roll.

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    3 years ago

    Restaurant is closed permanently. Showed up for lunch last weekend and there was a sign hung on the door that they are closed for good.

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    7 years ago

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    2 years ago

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    2 years ago

    Excellent food and great service....we're so lucky to have them in Escalon!!!! Can't wait to go back!

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    2 years ago

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    3 years ago

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    Page 1 of 5

    Ask the Community - Makara Japanese Bistro

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    Happy Garden

    Happy Garden

    4.3
    (67 reviews)
    0.8 mi
    $

    The pricing is surprisingly inexpensive for what you get. The service was relatively quick and…read moreefficient. When we placed our order, we were told 20 minutes. Because we had our dog with us, we waited outside and when the order was ready, the gentleman brought it out to us. We didn't order a whole lot. we had seen Happy Garden on Yelp, and it sounded intriguing. We felt that we needed to stop by for a sample even though we had already had a great lunch in Oakdale. We ordered: California Roll - 5 - I would appreciate some julienned cucumbers but many sushi-ya's no longer put those in. They add a bit of texture and flavor. Spicy Tuna Roll - 5 - Just the right amount of heat. The rice was good. I'm not sure that it was seasoned but there was enough flavor in the Tuna. Inari - 5 - A very simple dish. Sushi rice stuffed into tofu skins that have been cooked in a seasoning liquid. I wish places would offer Inari stuffed with rice, green peas, slivered egg and bamboo shoots. Of course they would charge more but that's okay. Egg Rolls - 5 - Mostly stuffed with Cabbage and Carrots. These are delicious after they've cooled down from the fryer. I could eat these everyday. The inside of the restaurant was spacious and clean. If we didn't have the Princess with us, we would have eaten in.

    We stopped here on the way to Yosemite from SF- lunch for some hungry kids. Lovely mom and pop…read moreshop, very reasonable prices for large portions! We had California roll with tobiko, udon, fried oysters (very good). Service was great. Thank you!

    Photos
    Happy Garden
    Cream cheese wontons
    Cream cheese wontons
    Nigiri sake, Maguro, Volcano roll,, Scallop roll in the front.

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    Nigiri sake, Maguro, Volcano roll,, Scallop roll in the front.
    Raw Sushi Bistro

    Raw Sushi Bistro

    4.0
    (802 reviews)
    10.6 mi
    $$$

    Very good! Loved the beef asparagus and Dante Inferno roll! Great overall experience!read more

    Sushi restaurant or a nightclub?…read more My friend and I decided to go for a night out Downtown. When we arrived at about 7:00pm, we were told there would be about an hour wait. Despite this long wait, there were actually quite a few empty tables, but was overall still very busy. When you put yourself on the waitlist, they notify you through text when your table is ready. This gave us ample time to walk around Downtown while we waited. When we received the table-ready text (just short of an hour later), we were sat quickly in a nice U-shaped booth. This seating arrangement felt a bit awkward for a party of two, especially if you are sharing food. The booth is too big to be sitting close enough to reach but too small to not feel awkward. It is perfect for people watching though since the booths face the entire restaurant. By this time, the restaurant was completely packed, with just about every booth, table, and barstool occupied. Our waiter came quickly to take our drink orders. We got a Cucumber Martini and an Espresso Martini. The Cucumber Martini was incredibly light and refreshing. The Espresso Martini was not impressive. It didn't have a strong espresso flavor and was rather watery, but still alright. This is the type of restaurant, that especially on busy nights like this where they don't accept reservations, you should allocate a lot of time for the dinner service for. There is a significant time gap between each time the waiter comes around to take your order. There was probably 15-20 minutes between placing our drink, appetizer, and meal orders. This was not a problem for us, but if you are eating here before making a show at the Gallo Center, this may be something to consider. For our appetizer, we ordered the Salmon Ceviche. It was insanely good. It was subtly spicy and citrusy. The chips that came with it were light and not oily at all. I wish the portion was larger because the two of us swallowed it up in just a few bites. For our entree, we got the Salmon Tataki and Goodi Rolls to split. They were both very good and came out on a lovely platter. They tasted very fresh and high quality. The prices here are on the higher side but is nice for a special occasion or splurge. Our server was very attentive and checked on us often. He was super friendly too. The restaurant was super lively. They were playing club music which was totally a vibe. It looked like this was the spot people hit before going out for the night. I noticed they were accommodating for both small and large parties, serving both rather quickly. I'll be back!

    Photos
    The extensive bar was stocked.
    The extensive bar was stocked.
    Seared Beef
    Seared Beef
    BTS roll

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    BTS roll

    Makara Japanese Bistro - sushi - Updated July 2026

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