On Monday I had a very long overdue lunch date with my friend Rachel at Mikado Japanese Restaurant west end location at 9942 170 Street.
It’s also been a very long time since I’ve been to Mikado but it used to be a restaurant I frequented often for lunch! I’ve been to both the downtown and south side locations many times (all wonderful experiences) but this was the first time I’ve been to the west end location.
Going for lunch at Mikado is where you’ll get the biggest Japanese food bang for your buck, I’d say. Mikado’s lunchtime bento boxes are delicious and affordable. You get a massive selection of high quality, great tasting food.
I ordered the A1 Sashimi bento box which came with chicken teriyaki, sashimi, salad, rice, and tempura ($13.50, pictured above). Rachel ordered the A1 Sushi which came with chicken teriyaki, sushi rolls, salad, rice and tempura (Also $13.50, pictured below).
This was Rachel’s first time at Mikado and she was very impressed. From the decor to the food presentation to the taste and the quantity of food, she definitely wanted to come back after having her meal!
And I completely agree. Mikado’s lunchtime bento box comes loaded with delicious items. The tempura isn’t as greasy as it is at some other places, and the veggies are big, unlike some other places where the tempura could be described as puny looking. The sashimi is soooo good. And when you consider how much a few pieces of sashimi costs if you order it separately, getting 5 pieces plus other food for $13.50 is a great deal.
We also shared the Green Tea Tempura Ice Cream. This was our first time trying it and we both agreed the tempura batter aspect of the dessert wasn’t that great. We ended up leaving a lot of the tempura on the plate but ate up the yummy green tea ice cream.
I’ve had other food from my previous experiences at Mikado before but have never written a review – so I’ll take this opportunity to also recommend Mikado’s Sushi Pizza, Chirashi Bowl, Dragon Eye rolls, and Seaweed Salad as well. I’ve also had their Beef Teriyaki and rice but wouldn’t recommend it at the price it’s at. You’re better off getting your beef teriyaki at Mt. Fuji- yum. It’s much better and a lot cheaper.
I wouldn’t recommend Mikado for dinner based on cost alone. If you’re not as frugal as I am than dinner would be lovely there but lunch is my preferred dining time because the lunchtime bento boxes are a really delicious and cheap option. Dinner pricing-wise it’s on par with a lot of other Japanese restaurants in Edmonton so it’s not ridiculous or anything, it’s just too much than I’d like to pay for dinner, lol.
Overall I’ve always had a great time at Mikado! One of my favourite Japanese spots in the city and all of the locations have great service. I also think it’s really cool that Mikado is Alberta’s first Japanese Restaurant! Serving Edmonton since 1972, it’s definitely had time to get their food and service right. ;)
Have you been? What did you think??
Linda :)