Makoto Sushi - Kelowna

This little sushi joint is off the main business strip of Kelowna and in a neighbourhood of middle class homes called Glenmore. Yes, the Kelowna Golf and Country Club is across the street but mainly it's single family homes with the odd corner store. But therein lies its charm; a quaint family run place away from the craziness that is "the Harvey strip".Decor is open and modern with lots of space in between tables. The background music is a combination of Blue Note jazz (Billie Holiday, Ella Fitzgerald, Cleo Lane) and 70's pop (Neil Sadaka, Engelbert Humperdinck, etc;). not unpleasant but certainly not Japanese. Staff are friendly with a typical Japanese greeting even though the chefs are Korean and the one waitress is a New Zealander.We ordered the prawn and yam tempura, Makoto roll, spicy scallop roll, spider crab roll, and fatty tuna roll, and spicy salmon sashimi. Tempura was excellent; hot and crisp batter and fresh prawns and large slices of yam. Two thumbs up. The rolls were also very good; fresh rice cooked recently, large servings of seafood and very tasty although the spicy scallop roll was my least favourite as it lacked the flavours of the other three. An interesting note: the chefs here seem to have an affinity to the use of dill in their dishes, uncommon for sushi. not to my liking. The spicy salmon sashimi was my only criticism for two reasons: 1) they did not use the finest cuts of salmon and numerous pieces were a little stringy and tough, and 2) the spicy sauce was poured on top of the salmon and not marinated. This causes an uneveness in the coating of sauce with the portions in the middle of the pile getting little to no sauce at all.Price/value is typical for this type cuisine; not cheap but not an establishment I would stay away from. The bathroom is large but was a little messy when I went in; would prefer a cleaner experience.All in all, a generally pleasant meal that I would have no qualms about returning to, not only because it is so close to home. Fix a couple of minor issues and I would happly give it five stars. But for now, a solid four stars.

We love Makoto! Always have friendly and fast service for both take out and eat in. My all time favourite is the crunch roll!

I visit Makoto often (at least 3 times per month) and every experience, except one, has been great. The cooks and staff all greet you when you walk through the door. The food is fresh and delicious. Best Sushi cones! Only one time the server (who was new) gave our order to someone else and it took so long to remake that we had to take it to go.

We absolutely adore this restaurant and visit frequently. It can get a bit crowded at times, but we believe it's definitely worth the wait. My personal favorite is the spicy chicken karage, but everything we order is consistently delicious. The staff is incredibly friendly, we often receive complimentary dessert, and the ingredients are always fresh. We've even used this restaurant for casual business meetings a few times.

My wife and I are big fans of sushi and we just can't resist it. One place we keep coming back to is Makoto Sushi. The food, service, and value are all top-notch and keep us from trying out other restaurants in Kelowna. Next time you're in the mood for sushi, do yourself a favor and head to Makotos - you won't regret it.