We had a table of 5 ordered several apps and rolls. It was good but not great. Service was good, super sweet and attentive. Ambience was normal sushi Japanese vibes. It was clean!! Teriyaki steak had great sauce and flavor unfortunately had a lot of fat. The temporary was fresh and crispy and really good. I haven't had The Lion King for many years and this one was so so, our maybe just wasn't as good as I remembered. The only wine choice is Chardonnay, but had a good sake selection read more

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The Teriyaki chicken, and Teriyaki beef bento with rice combination is cooked soft and delicious. The dragon roll tastes good. Good service and a peaceful ambiance. Rainbow roll is delicious and melts in my mouth. They need to make sure the California roll sticks together and does not easily come apart. The Lion King Roll was a little salty because of the Japanese mayonnaise sauce. I am not use to it. read more

Solid sushi although they ran out of toro, friendly staff. You know this is a real Japanese restaurant as the entrance was dark, they accept no tips & they are closed on Sundays read more

First time coming to Capitola. We looked for a place to eat near our hotel found this sushi spot 10 min walk from our stay. We get to Miyako and instantly welcomed and seated. Ordered and food arrived quick! It was absolutely delicious!! The restaurant was nice and fresh and had nice jazz music playing. Not too loud. It was so tasteful. The ambience and the food! Just absolutely incredible! If you are nearby it is a must go!!! read more

Miyako Japanese Restaurant - Delicious! Salmon teriyaki bento box with gyozas. - Japanese Near Me - Capitola, California

Been coming here for years and everything is always top notch. Sushi wise the fish is very high quality and beautiful presentation. Everyone working there is always friendly and helpful. read more

I have been eating at Miyako since the mid 90s and still love it just as much as then. It is the most reliably good sushi in Santa Cruz. My favorite is the simplistically pure Dynamite Roll. This roll is just a bit of tuna with very tasty Japanese chili, and it is lovely. I was there a few days ago and am typing this as I wait for them to open today. Never have I left unhappy or unsatisfied. They open early for a sushi restaurant and are only closed on Sunday. I highly recomend Miyako. read more

What a fabulous dinner! Very nice layout, doesn't feel rushed and the staff are very friendly and helpful! Had a chicken teriyaki roll and Yamaki roll and they were full of filling and super tasty. Partner had a Bento Box with Salmon Shioyaki and tempura and it was so much food - definitely worth the price! Haven't been happier with a dinner out in quite some time. Glad I ventured out of my comfort zone and found this gem! A new favorite!! So good I couldn't put down my chopsticks to take pictures! read more

Rolls were okay, a little bland. Bento box had great portions. Will try more options with bento boxes but prob have rolls somewhere else.

Over 25 years I have been counting on MIYAKO to make me the best, freshest, most healthy meals and I have never been let down! Gracious and with a full tilt menu for all the sushi, sashimi, rolls, appetizers and Bento Boxes, Eel Donburi--- I have always ordered massive amounts of sushi especially, and I actually get excited when I know I am eating MIYAKO's great dishes and such. MIYAKO is my favorite of all restaurants in Capitola. I have had sushi in 30 different countries- and we are fortunate to have this restaurant and such fine people as own and work there. They make me smile, and that smile is both healthy and genuine. Always a treat!!! Eat healthy. Keep happy! With best regards to us all, Eric L. read more

I've been here multiple times. Food is good, but I think they're uncomfortable when a single woman eating by themselves. They hover over you and make sure you eat. They make sure you pay. It's just strange! I felt very uncomfortable. I probably will not be back. read more

One of our favorite Japanese restaurants! Never a disappointment. Food is always good, service is prompt and friendly. It gets busy on the weekend so best to make a reservation. read more

It was so good. The Sapporo beer is super refreshing with the sushi too. The staff is super nice and the ambiance is cozy and comforting. This is our new go to! read more

Miyako Japanese Restaurant - 41st roll, dragon roll, and spider roll! - Japanese Near Me - Capitola, California

Went to Miyako for the first time yesterday. It was a mixed experience. The restaurant is tucked away in a strip mall adjacent to a BevMo across from the Capitola Mall. The interior is airy and has high ceilings with well spaced seating that affords views of the three sushi chefs working behind a counter at the rear of the restaurant. The menu is extensive and printed in a tiny trifold format, more a "to-go" format than a traditional dining menu . We were a party of four. Our friend ordered a tempura dinner, along with a sushi roll and another appetizer. I ordered a bento box with tempura and teriyaki beef for $22.00. I asked about adding a second meat (chicken), but was informed that I could only add it as an appetizer. The hostess/floor manager mistakenly thought I had ordered it and shortly thereafter presented a dry, overcooked small tray of "chicken yakatori" to me as my third bento box option. It was $10.95, I believe. I should have sent it back to the kitchen. The tempura served was delicious, as good as any I have eaten, The steak served in the bento box suffered from a common tendency of many Japanese restaurants-using a lower grade of lean beef, instead of upgrading to a skirt or flank steak which would offer a more tender, flavorful choice. Service was an issue. Two members of our party ordered chirashi and mixed sashimi. Those two dishes were not served until the multiple courses served to the other two of us had been consumed. Meanwhile, I watched as other tables who'd ordered after us were fully served and a large takeout order was filled-before the chirashi and sashimi were brought out. Thus, 30 minutes passed before 2 at our table were served their dinners. The chirashi and sashimi were fresh, though modest in portion size compared to many sushi restaurants. There were two young ladies helping to serve. Both were very sweet but inexperienced. Music played in the background was standard "dental office" musak, which seemed oddly out of place. We drove some distance to dine there. There were some definite positives. The tempura was delicious and the dressing for the green salad struck a high note with everyone. Service was overly reliant on the one woman who was the floor manager/hostess. She was scrambling throughout dinner to serve the room. No apology or accommodation was offered for the complete breakdown in service for two of our diners. I would guess that service might be better if the restaurant was not at near capacity as it was last night. read more

We love their food selection. Staff are friendly. Great customer service. We will back for more! read more

Miyako Japanese Restaurant - Combination Sashimi is amazing!!! - Japanese Near Me - Capitola, California

A great find, I'll definitely be back. Had sushi, sashimi, soup and appetizers. Next time will try handrolls.

[IN A NUTSHELL] great sashimi, fresh fish, classic sushi roll [VERDICT] - APPROVED [RUN-DOWN] I think overall a great sushi place if you're ever craving sushi in Santa Cruz/Capitola area. I can not say much for in person experience, but I can say that the to go patting was still super nice and that it almost felt like bringing the restaurant home with the plating. I can't wait to try this in person after COVID. I think this is just a sushi restaurant, nothing too special. [SCORE & ORDER] OVERALL: 3.5/5 * Maguro Sashimi $27 (3.5) & Sake Sashimi $23 (4/5) -Wow just great sashimi. I really enjoyed the sake sashimi more. It was so buttery and so soft and tasted very fresh (or as fresh as restaurants get). I would recommend this dish although it was a little pricey. The sake sashimi came with 12 pieces (the dinner order) and the maguro sashimi came with 7 pieces (the appetizer one). The dinner sashimi also comes with miso soup and salad. * Scamon $11.95 (3.5/5) -The scamaon roll was pretty good (came in 6 pieces). Nothing too special about this one. It came with salmon in the middle and supposedly quid (but I didn't taste that much squid). I think I enjoyed this roll because it was deep fried. * Big Curi Roll $13.50 (4/5) -The Big Curi Roll (came in 5 pieces) was a must try. I am someone who enjoys variety and so this roll is the roll to get if you like combination of different fishes. The combination was so great and I would highly recommend getting this one. * Philadelphia Roll $9.95 (3.5/5) -A very simple roll (came in 8 pieces). The nice salmon and cream cheese combination is one that I always enjoy, and of course with salmon. MMM delicious. I would recommend getting this roll if you want something simple. * Lion King Roll $14.50 (3.5/5) -The lion king (came in 8 pieces) is a classic roll. I think I didn't enjoy this as much because the sauce was a little too much and there wasn't that cooked top that I would have enjoyed. I think it needed a little more time in the oven to get that crispy top of the sushi. And especially for the price of the sushi and the amount, I wouldn't say it's worth getting, at least here. * Spider Roll $11.95 (3/5) -The spider roll (came with 5 pieces) was an ok roll. I also think this roll wasn't that special. The combination of everything was good and the crab was also super delicious. * Chicken Teriyaki Roll $8.95 (--/5) -I think this is a great roll for those who do not like raw fish. It came with I believe unagi sauce which was a great add on for this roll. [SERVICE & ATMOSPHERE] (not reflected upon review score): I did not eat this at the restaurant. As of May 28, they are currently doing take-out and not in person dining. I however did take pictures of the inside for when they potentially open soon. The cashier/waitress was super nice and they also have this cute little chopstick for kids which has a grip for easier grabbing. read more

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The food was just ok, in my view, and I've lived in Japan and eaten a lot of Japanese food. I always get agadashi tofu when I eat at a Japanese restaurant, and this version was thickly coated with some type of substance (tempura?) and the sauce was not very flavorful, making the whole dish rather blah, especially after the coating got soggy. The spicy tuna roll was ok - the fish had a mushy texture and I worried I might get sick (I didn't). Even the plain rice tasted weird. We were there an hour before they closed and I guess they wanted to close early but I didn't appreciate the wait staff coming to our table to swap out the soy sauce bottles as my friend and I were in a deep personal conversation. I would not go there again. My friend, however, LOVED the food. read more

Always consistently good and fresh. The service and ambiance are also great! Must try in SC' read more

Miyako Japanese Restaurant - Tuna, unagi 1, sake rolls - Japanese Near Me - Capitola, California

The staff was friendly and the food melted in my mouth! I would recommend the lion king roll. It didn't look like much from the outside. read more

Delicious sushi right by our hotel room in Capitola. We got rainbow roll, spider roll, tuna nigiri and some miso soup. It was all fresh and well prepared. We did takeout and they gave us ample soy sauce, ginger etc. definitely recommend if you're in the area! read more

Miyako Japanese Restaurant - Sushi - Japanese Near Me - Capitola, California

Great service, was seated right away for a party of two. Food was excellent- miso soup, edamame, super California Roll, Rainbow Roll and shrimp tempura roll. Friendly server and host. Hidden gem! We live on the west side and only discovered this restaurant because we were shopping at the spirit store. But we will be back! read more

Great sushi in the heart of Capitola! This place was pretty packed on a Saturday night. It took a while to be greeted and ask for a table, but we understood since there were only a couple employees on the floor. I didn't mind service being a bit slow overall since we took our time eating. Plus, the servers were very nice and accommodating! We got mixed tempura bento, vegetable udon, California roll, spider roll, and unagi avo roll. This bento was different from the usual because it had crab stick pieces and they were delicious! Never had that before and now I want it all the time mixed in my tempura bento meals. I would also say price was fair. In fact, some of the rolls were cheaper as compared to other cities. I would definitely recommend this place when in Capitola area. Close to the mall, the beach, and honestly just good food to satisfy my sushi craving read more

Miyako Japanese Restaurant - a variety of food - Japanese Near Me - Capitola, California

Best sushi experience. Authentic Japanese sushi and high grade fish. We were astounded at how much sashimi we got for the low price!!

Good quality, fresh fish, friendly service. They've clearly been in business for a long time and have kept standards high. Looking forward to trying it again. read more

Lovely family type place, kind of hidden ina plain Jane strip mall but inside quaint and bright. Sushi was fresh and flavorful, the seaweed salad "ocean salad" on the menu was some of the best I've had anywhere. Overall friendly authentic and comfortable. read more

It took me a while to find this place even though it's just around the corner from my house. I should say it took me a while to discover the quality of the food. The owners and staff are super friendly and there is always good service. Plenty of good sushi and sashimi options but also other Japanese entrée choices. I appreciate that the rolls are made with a little less rice, unlike some other places where the roll is so damn big I can't even fit it in my not so small mouth. read more

My son spit out his California roll, and was dry heaving. I examined the rolls, and the avocado was rancid and mouldy. We took it to go, and I don't feel like driving back to return it. But I'm grossed out. I love fresh avocado, but nothing is worse than rotten avocado. I'm really surprised the chef put this avocado in the roll, which he made while I waited. Very disappointing. read more

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Food was great, wait staff were friendly and efficient, and the atmosphere was pleasant with neat Japanese art & artifacts on display.

Don't treat you friendly, frowning upon not ordering a drink besides water. They have Covid plastic up instead of seating at the sushi bar, it's definitely an off-putting vibe. They charge $14/tuna hand roll for mushy tuna (YUCK!!!) rice, cucumber and a tiny avocado slice so small I couldn't even taste it. The one avocado slice was 4 times thinner than the cucumber. I'm hoping they read this and consider making some alterations, too many competitors in our town to stay stagnant. read more

The atmosphere is very relaxing, the place is quiet and clean. Service is good and the food is also very good. read more

Miyako Japanese Restaurant - Dragon roll and Spider roll! - Japanese Near Me - Capitola, California

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It was hard to find a reasonably priced japanese/sushi place in Santa Cruz and Captiola, so we were really happy to find this place and their great prices!! We were seated right away, and the service was great! We were offered edamame on the house :) Ordered a teriyaki chicken bento box which choice of california roll as a side, and the portioning was so big that it was perfect to split between two people. We were pleased to see a lot of vegetarian options, as well! Would definitely come back again!!!! read more

Miyako Japanese Restaurant - teriyaki chicken bento box and california roll, with side of rice, salad, etc. - Japanese Near Me - Capitola, California

If you want to impress your date with great atmosphere, then Miyako is probably not the place. But my review is only about the food. I preface my two-star review by saying their menu item portions are quite generous and prices were reasonable considering those portions. But overall their food was bland, lacking any flavor, let alone authentic flavor. We ordered Karaage chicken. In Japan it is always marinated before deep frying; this was unseasoned chicken and the coating was nothing special. Also, it's supposed to be served with Kewpie mayo for dipping; instead we got tonkatsu sauce. Not the same thing. The Agedashi Tofu was also tasteless. The tofu should have a soft, stretchy mochi exterior, but this has just been deep fried in tempura batter. Dry and bland. It should also have plenty of bonito flakes and scallions, and this had nearly no toppings. Finally the dipping sauce was more of a brown hot water without any dashi flavor in there. Big disappointment. The bento box we ordered came with 8 large pieces of shrimp tempura, but was over cooked with no seasonings and served with their famous "brown water" dipping sauce made it pretty boring. The last item was a sushi roll with hamachi outside stuffed with avacado. It had a nice taste and their fish is obviously quite fresh, but the price of $16.50 for a razor thin piece of fish was a joke. I would recommend staying away from this place if you want anything close to authentic Japanese food. read more

A group of us,no less then 4 .eat from here at least 2 times a month. The meals are super fresh. The staff is super with it . It's cozy and friendly. You feel like your one of their best friends. I love getting fresh flavorful good food at reasonable prices. read more

Best sushi in Santa Cruz by far! The freshest fish and friendliest staff. My wife and I eat there once a week at least!

Clean friendly good quality, Sushi good quality at a reasonable price, tempura outstanding, perfect for even the non-sushi lovers...Great atmosphere soft music, ocean videos playing along with sumo wrestler's great lunch buffet special Get there before noon lunch fills up Finish your plate before you go back for more read more

Miyako Japanese Restaurant - Japanese Near Me - Capitola, California

A pearl hidden away.. The place Is surrounded in darkness from the outside but once you're inside the light engulfs the place and brings a cozy atmosphere to the room. The room itself has simple decor. The waiter and waitress showed us our seats and were thoughtful with our questions (we had a few). The food itself was presented beautifully on a gaint planter, and throughout our meal we were checked up multiple times. The food itself was heavenly, as a person who tends to be picky with sushi I really enjoyed the place. I myself got the Dragon roll and the shrimp tempura (deep fried). The presentation was neat and the taste was a whirlwind, as I loved the mango within the sushi. The shrimp tempura had a nice crunch to it and a mouth full of flavor coexisting with one another. I only wish they would have drizzled more sauce upon the rolls as some needed more than others. I had an amazing experience for my first time and expect to come back very soon. read more

Miyako Japanese Restaurant - The deep fried shrimp tempura roll - Japanese Near Me - Capitola, California

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I can't even trust yelp when it comes to restaurants near Santa Cruz. Four stars for this place? Are you kidding me?! Do you even know what good Japanese food is? Even Japanese restaurants in San Francisco completely stomps on this place and all the other "Japanese restaurants" here in Santa Cruz. I'm just going to lay it all out. I ordered the Rainbow Roll and the Bento Box: Chicken Terriyaki and Saba. This was for dinner. Pros: -Open 30 minutes later than the other Japanese restaurants around this area (the only reason why I ended up going here) -Service was good but I'd expect that since I was 1 out of 2 tables they had to serve -I'm not a fan of Kimchi but apparently it's homemade and fresh (wait... why is there even kimchi served in the bento box at a Japanese restaurants?) -I'm not a huge fan of nuts but it's kinda cool that there were little bits of nuts in my Rainbow Roll sushi -The miso soup actually had a decent amount of seaweed and tofu (probably because we were pretty much the last people to be served..) Cons: -Man, I already knew I was going to drop almost $35 here just for a bento box and a specialty roll) and if it hadn't been for that togo's sandwich I ate an hour before coming here, I'd probably leave hungry -The saba tasted SUPER fishy which means that it was re-cooked/microwaved. How can my bento box come out in like 5 minutes if you need to grill my fish AND my chicken? -Disappointed in the sushi selection. Yeah, I'm aware that my pro list IS longer than my cons but I just feel unsatisfied for what I paid for. People in the Santa Cruz area need to raise their standards for sushi. read more

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Fresh delicious sushi! Some of the best in town. This is one of those chill, unpretentious places where you can get great sushi without waiting 45 min or dealing with a loud environment. The staff is always super sweet. Pre-COVID I enjoyed their lunch buffet but now we get takeout. I confess I have shamefully called close to closing time and they cheerfully took my order (and got it right!). We are creatures of habit and tend to order the same thing: Shrimp tempura, Phily Roll, Mango Mania... sometimes the DeLaVeaga or Hawaiian(I love having nuts in my rolls) Sadly they are closed Sundays so if you are craving Sushi on that day you are out of luck. read more

I have been eating at Miyako's since the 90's and it is a home town favorite. Great sushi and decent prices...I love this little hole in the wall! read more

Stopped in for lunch and decided to try the lunch buffet because everything looked so good. I counted 8 different types of sushi rolls including Spicy tuna, Calif roll, salmon, avocado/cucumber and some other unique combos. They also had a cabbage salad similar to kimchee but not as fermented, cucumber/carrot salad, bean sprout salad, vegetable tempura, gyoza, cellophane noodles stir fried w/veggies, baked tofu and a few meat dishes (chicken, beef, Maybe something else?) I tried everything that did not have meat in it and it was all fresh and delicious. Several people seemed to be enjoying the items with meat also. I am looking forward to returning for dinner sometime to try some more of their sushi rolls. The photos look great. read more

Miyako Japanese Restaurant - My first plate of food from the lunch buffet, before I tried the tempura and "starch" noodles. - Japanese Near Me - Capitola, California