Makoto Vail

Fabulous and memorable dining experience at the Makoto, located in the Grand Hyatt. The ambiance is wonderful, service attentive and food was served quickly to order and piping hot. Our server gave us great suggestions from the extensive menu. Our favourite was the wagyu beef hot stone and the passion fruit dessert served bubbling hot with a scoop of mango sorbet. One of the best desserts I’ve ever had! Highly recommended. Can’t wait to come again next time we are in Vail

Makoto completely exceeded our expectations. The beautiful, modern decor sets the tone right away, and the food was absolutely delicious - every dish was full of flavor, beautifully presented, and clearly crafted with a high level of culinary expertise. Very impressed with the chef’s skills! The chocolate dessert was out of this world and the perfect way to end the meal. The service was Impecable - caring and attentive staff which made for an exceptional dining experience. Can’t wait to come back.

Makoto Vail was such a great find. The vibe inside is quiet, warm, and a little dim in the best way and perfect for actually talking without yelling over a crowd. We went on a Tuesday night and luckily, were able to get a table without a reservation. The food was so good. We ordered the tuna crispy rice with serrano chili, the crispy chicken dumpling with miso mustard, the spicy yellowtail roll, the salmon avocado roll, and the frosty wagyu fried rice with jidori egg. Everything was delicious, but the tuna crispy rice deserves special attention — it was honestly one of the best things I’ve ever tasted in my life. Perfect texture, perfect flavor, just perfect everything. The service was great too — friendly, attentive, and really on top of things without hovering. Overall, if you’re in Vail and want amazing sushi and Japanese dishes in a calm, cozy atmosphere, Makoto Vail is absolutely worth it. I’m definitely gonna go back one more time before my holiday is over!

Hiroko is our server and she is AMAZING. The food is so great, the wagyu beef fried rice is so yummy. The sushi rolls are really good. We are so glad to dine here. All the staff here are nice and attentive. Great job, everyone!!! We definitely will return in February when we come back for skiing season.

We sat in the bar as a party of six and had an excellent experience from start to finish. Service was outstanding. Our waiter, David, was attentive, knowledgeable, and paced the meal perfectly. The drinks were delicious. Mixed drinks, sake and the Sapporo on draft was crisp, cold, and exactly what you want with sushi. We started with the chicken dumplings, shishito peppers, and tuna crispy rice….an excellent opening lineup. The mustard miso sauce on the dumplings was truly special and elevated the dish. The shishito peppers were a standout as well…tempura-fried, which brought out a natural sweetness and made them feel fresh and original rather than standard. Next came the hamachi crudo and the truffle salmon. Both were very good, but the truffle salmon really shined. It was creative, unique, and something you don’t often find on other menus. The hamachi was delicious, though more familiar if you frequent sushi restaurants. We finished strong with the wasabi fried rice, dynamite hand roll, spicy yellowtail roll, salmon avocado roll, and spicy scallop roll, plus toro and hamachi sashimi and a sushi sampler that included nine assorted nigiri and a spicy tuna roll. The spicy scallop roll is always a must for me and it hit the spot. Every single dish was on point! Fresh, well-balanced, and beautifully prepared. Overall, the food was truly delicious with not a single complaint. Excellent service, great energy at the bar, and consistently strong dishes throughout the meal. This is a must visit.

We dined in and gah-lee! It’s amazing! Everything is on point with no failure! Same goes out to our server Javier he was extremely nice! He recommended drinks and they were delicious! If you stop by definitely ask for Javier 10/10 he is awesome The food and drinks being so good will definitely reflect on the check 😂 But it’s worth it!

This was hands down one of the best dinners we've ever had. From the moment we arrived, the atmosphere was perfect: romantic, inviting, and thoughtfully designed. We would have come here for the ambience alone. If you get the chance, definitely sit outside. It really adds to the experience. Eddie made the night truly special. He helped guide us through the sake options, and his recommendations were spot on. Anytime we had questions about the menu, he explained everything clearly and even shared some background behind the dishes, which made the meal even more meaningful. We were celebrating, and the entire team made us feel like honored guests. Every course, from appetizers to dessert, was outstanding. Everything was fresh, made in house, and full of unique and memorable flavors. The drink pairings throughout the night were perfect. Huge thanks to everyone involved, including the food runners and the manager who checked in on us. The entire experience was seamless, and we’ll definitely be back. We’ll also be telling our friends to check it out. 🍣

Hiroko was amazing! She was the most attentive server ever. We have went to Matsuhisa for years but Makoto is definitely the new favorite!

This place has some of the best sushi rolls I've ever had. I love that they also offered the option of ponzu sauce, which I found to be less overpowering than soy sauce. This allowed you to really taste the flavors of each roll. The service was excellent, and the food was phenomenal--probably one of the best places I've had sushi. Every ingredient tasted so fresh that I didn't need to dip every roll in soy sauce or ponzu. We ordered the shrimp tempura uramaki, which was probably the best shrimp tempura roll I've ever had--so crispy! The spicy yellowtail uramaki, rainbow uramaki, and negi toro hosomaki were also delicious. For dessert, the Flaming Death Star was phenomenal. Not only did they light it on fire, but the unique flavors complemented each other perfectly! The ambiance was fabulous for a date night. We went during the walk-in timeframe, but be sure to make a reservation if you plan to visit for dinner

My husband and I dined at Makoto Vail with another couple. While the food and ambiance were great, the service and cocktails left a lot to be desired. Overall, I would consider returning, but with some adjustments to our orders. Cocktails: We tried several, and unfortunately, none were up to par. The first round included two watered-down, overly bitter whiskey drinks for the men, a yuzu drink with clumpy egg white foam for my friend, and the wrong drink for me (the bartender added orange juice despite my request for just mezcal and soda). The second round featured two house tequila Old Fashioneds, which tasted good but appeared on the bill at a shocking $38 each--twice the expected price! My friend and I also ordered a mezcal cocktail, which was almost undrinkable and had a strange, sour plum at the bottom. Spending over $200 on 8 terrible drinks was a shock & hard on our wallets! Apps: The hamachi ponzu was phenomenal--fresh and full of flavor. The wagyu dumplings and tuna crispy rice were also great, though I wish the shishito peppers hadn't been fried. It took away from the dish completely and felt unnecessary. The house ginger salad dressing was delicious and served in a generous portion, but the choice of leaves didn't work well. They used long-stemmed leaves that were tough to eat and lacked a good texture or taste. Mains: the beef yaki noodles were rich and delicious, and the seabass was cooked perfectly--soft, flaky, and full of deep flavor. However, despite the waiter assuring me the dishes were dairy-free, I was up all night, so I'm doubtful they were.. In summary, while we enjoyed the food and ambiance, the cocktails and service definitely need improvement. Next time, I'll be more careful with my drink orders and ask more questions about allergens.

This place was delicious, great sushi in Vail and it was easy to go with a group of nine folks to share everything. We split a bunch of apps, got crispy tuna rice, fried rice, noodles, and ended with a bunch of maki rolls! Fun and fancy atmosphere and was the perfect post skiing dinner.

This restaurant was delicious. We ordered the yucky noodle, which was probably the best thing we ate there and the best yakisoba noodle I've had. We also ordered the sushi chefs sampler which came with 12 pieces and a monkey roll very fresh. Very good quality great variety of fish. We also had the Wagyu hot stone, where you cook your own meat. We were celebrating an anniversary and the restaurant congratulated us. They helped make it special! For dessert, we had the ice cream with miso caramel, which was also a light yummy end into the meal. The ambulances the restaurant is nice, the place is wooden, good view. Our waiter was wonderful. They were fast bringing the food out when we're ready for the next course they kept the table clean. Overall a fantastic meal I'm confused by some of these reviews.

This is probably now my favorite spot in vail. The ambiance was cozy and intimate. Our server Hiroto was attentive. The food was amazing. Really good sized portions and prices that matched the portions. The chicken ramen was delicious as was the fried rice. My favorite though was the waygu beef hot stone. INCREDIBLE. We also had the flaming Death Star dessert which was lots of fun.

My wife took me here for my birthday. I was pretty excited because I'd never been and love to try new things and new restaurants. I wouldn't say that it ruined my birthday, but our experience was pretty poor. Now, I understand that the valley is short staffed during the mud season, but it was not busy (a Wednesday night). We were seated on the patio overlooking the river. So far so good. Our waiter said he'd be right with us, so that's fine. After I ordered my cocktail from him, it took at least 20 minutes to get it. We had to ask another staff member to find our waiter at least 3 times. Each time he came, but no apologies. We ordered and all of our food came out at once. Both of our appetizers, our a la carte sushi and our sampler all could barely fit on our table and then our waiter disappeared again. We had to ask other staff to take plates off our table because it was so full. I found all the food to be mediocre. The sashimi wasn't very flavorful, the crispy Brussels sprouts were not crispy at all. We also ordered the tuna crunch rice dish and that was crunchy, but the tuna was more of a pate. Not what we were expecting, but it did look nice. That dish was just okay. For my birthday dinner, I ordered the $80 sashimi sampler and it came on a tray that took nearly a quarter of our table. See above about not taking empty plates away. My wife also asked for a hot tea and that never came. When we were done, we had to ask another server to find our waiter again after waiting about 10 minutes. He came and bussed our table and brought dessert menus. We declined dessert, but did ask for the manager. Pretty quickly the manager came and we talked to him about all the mis-steps. The manager was very apologetic and ended up making it up to us. All of the other staff that we dealt with were just fine. It was just our waiter and the fact that the food was just meh. We were told that they hoped we would come back at some point. I'm not sure that will happen, but it might. My friends rave about this place but it was not a pleasant experience for us unfortunately. It seems from some of the other reviews that the service is either hit or really really miss. It seems we got the latter.

Seriously - Makoto is the BEST restaurant in Vail!!! The outdoor seating was picturesque (Beautiful Aspen Trees as a backdrop!) Wagyu beef on a hot stone was just the beginning of our epicurean adventure with dynamite handrolls and the best sushi I've ever had. My gratitude to the entire team, especially the wonderful managers who checked on us and made us feel like royalty. My husband and I can't wait to be back!!

Best sushi and ramen hands down in Vail. Thank you for being accommodating and kid-friendly. Wagyu beef was delish. Loved the little patio overlooking the river. We will for sure be back!

Excellent Sashimi! The BRAISED BEEF YAKI NOODLES is the bomb! Wonderful service at the Bar! Beautiful decor and a fabulous view too!

If you're looking for a good sushi spot in Vail, look no further! We ordered the Rock Shrimp & Spicy tuna Crispy Rice as a starter and can't stop thinking about how incredible both those starters were. For rolls we ordered the Spicy Yellow Tail, Spicy Tuna, and a Rainbow roll. All of the rolls were so flavorful, delicate, and delicious. Our server knew the menu inside and out and we loved his recommendations. We sat in the "outside" area, but it's really just a covered area with floor-to-ceiling windows that lookout to beautiful Vail. Highly recommend sitting in the "outside" area, but the inside of the restaurant is also so aesthetically pleasing. I can't wait to come back!

Is there a 6th Star option? I had the pleasure of dining at Makoto during our stay in Vail, and to say it was one of the best meals I've ever had, would be a huge understatement. We were fortunate enough to have outdoor seating with the amazing view of the base of the mountain and river beneath, which set the tone for our wonderful meal. The crispy tuna is a must for a starter...absolutely delicious. We treated ourselves to the wagyu beef with a beautiful table presentation and an amazing tower of some of the freshest sashimi I've ever had. I have to say, what took our meal to the next level was the service. Our servers were attentive and engaging and made us feel so welcomed. The restaurant manager also popped in to make sure we were having a great time. I can't say enough great things about our experience at Makoto, other than we cannot wait to go back when we we're in Vail!

I wish to give a 3.5 star here but can't so am settling for a 3 star. Overall, there were a lot of goods and a few misses. Some of the misses in my opinion are not ok given that this is at a Grand Hyatt that charges a pretty penny for the privilege of staying here. Let's start with the goods. The service was fantastic. Honestly, I kept wondering why can't all hotels in North America provide such good service. I could not argue with myself at leaving a generous tip (something I have of late started to reconsidered and implemented or rather not for just the 'expectation' of a tip by default). Our server kept checking in on us to make sure everything was good. There was a young gentleman (I believe he has a bright future in the restaurant industry as while he was young, he had the well intentioned conversation and the way he would deliver the meals describing what they are. Sadly, didn't get his name but I think he will do really well), our water glasses were kept filled all the time (and we do drink a lot of water). Overall, we were taken care of with a lot of genuine care. My wife ordered a non alcoholic passion fruit mocktail. She LOVED it (I did not as that's the one note I can't take; sour). We got the roasted brussel sprouts with this amazing dip (spicy Asian dip that was made in house). Well charred; soft enough to bite yet perfectly al dente. The spicy edamame took me by surprise. I typically am the kind of person who prefers to let the traditional things just be. In Japan, (I'm sure it's changed now due to the tourism effect), you would never get these fancy edamame. It has always been simple and mostly with just a bit of salt. This spicy edamame was actually very very good. It came in this saucy gravy if you will that had the right amount of spice to it but also had these small pieces of garlic that brought out so many different flavors. Amazing. My wife ordered the veggie and garden uramaki. The garden uramaki (I believe this one is with the pickled vegetables) was OUTSTANDING. The other veggie one was pretty average. I ordered the unagi sashimi which was HEAVENLY. Beautifully grilled to perfection, soft, juicy and just full of flavor. Now to the misses; The garden uramaki while delicious was not built properly. Both of us tried to hold it with the chop sticks but it kept falling and opening up. A well done sushi roll would never do that. I ordered the sakura pork tonkatsu for my main meal. Honestly, nothing special about it. It started out really beautifully cooked from one end and as I made my way past the middle, the meat was clearly slightly overcooked and chewy. Point of this? This tonkastu was not cooked well. The biggest miss was honestly the saddest. This will sound so funny but I kind of am a Hyatt and a Japanese food sucker. I almost feel I am personally vested in these two so I really expect perfection. To better understand the rest of the review, I have to point out that their menu online is NOT updated to their most current menu on site. This in my opinion is VERY important and cannot be missed due to the caliber of the space. (One of the two rolls my wife had above is not on their online menu while what you will see below is the opposite) I saw this whiskey on their menu which I REALLY was looking forward to try. MARS FUYU CHESTNUT FINISH. When I placed the order with our server (who by the way was super nice and as I mentioned took great care of us) went to the 'boss' to see if he could help. Since she referred to him as the 'boss', I'm assuming he was the manager. Great service and very honest and bright. Thing is, he came and said they actually don't have that whiskey. You know where I'm going with this. This is a whiskey guys; you can't not have your drinks up to date. A LOT of money is made on this. I cannot fault the manager for this though as he's not in charge of keeping the menus up to date (only because this establishment is within a hotel premise). What he recommended though (this I was shocked and kind of wonder if he was fully aware of what I wanted to try) over 3 times the price of what I wanted to try. I wasn't going to spend over 3 times for a 1.5 ouncer so I decided to request another one. Guess what? They were out. This in my opinion (again, this is perhaps not the manager's fault but whoever does the purchasing and maintaining) is unacceptable at a place of this caliber. Again, he apologized and brought 2 options. So I ended up trying the Nikka Miyagikyo single malt peated. Honestly, I LOVED this whiskey so in all, it did work out. I tried a new whiskey that I want to now add to my collection. That said though, I cannot leave the establishment off the hook for some of these big misses and hence the 3.5 star review. But do try it out as you will LOVE how they treat you.

Dined at Makoto from beginning to end, and it was a beautiful experience. Although we had reservation issues, Rodrigo took care of everything--what an amazing guy in every possible way! I was outside when he resolved it all so seamlessly. Coming from Japan and living in LA, I was blown away by the incredible food. Eddy, our waiter, was hilarious and kept us entertained throughout the evening. The drinks were phenomenal, making the entire night unforgettable. Because of his outstanding hospitality, I would highly recommend Makoto to others and will definitely be dining there again soon.

The shrimp and crispy tuna were both great appetizers! The service was great too & the outdoor seating was very nice. The highlight was the crispy tuna, definitely get it!!

Two fabulous experiences at Makoto. In May we asked the chef to create a memorable meal. Every course was perfect, crispy rice cake with tuna, deep fried Serrano peppers, sushi, sashimi and the beef & lamb were memorable! we were anxious to return in November but this time we had children along for there first fine dining. The servers knocked it out of the park! chopstick instruction, dignified their very personalized meal plans and dazzled with a flaming chocolate dessert. Cannot imagine a more beautiful setting for a delicious meal in Vail.

Everything was oversauced and a bit salty which is a shame if you're dealing with some nicer fish and wagyu. When you don't even need to add your soy sauce and feel each piece is a bit overly saturated with soy sauce that isn't good (not sure if I've been to sushi restaurant where every nigiri piece already has soy sauce?). The shishito peppers was probably the best and the dynamite roll was alright. Then you feel like you have to finish it all bc you're already paying a good bit.

Just average is my basic review of the food. Tried several sushi maki rolls and they were okay. My friends had the same take. For the price I expected something better than average. Also my wife is gluten free and they had basically nothing on the menu for her. In this day and age I found that surprising. She ended up having steamed rice and they also recommended "chicken." The "chicken" was about 3/4 cup of steamed chicken! Not even salted! I laughed when I saw it. When I got the bill I saw they charged $7.00 for it. I get the place is touted as a high end joint but seriously?! Bottom line I wouldn't go back, but you probably figured I'd say that by now. But hey the view was good so that's worth a star. Otherwise this would have been a 2 star experience.

Horrible servers. Would not recommend it to anyone especially visitors because I don't think they are a true presentation of Vail residents.

Can't believe I am the first one to report on this wonderful restaurant. It is inside the Grand Hyatt hotel Restaurant has great decoration, warm service, quality food and very reasonable price. I find it incredible value in the rather expensive Vail area. We had Sashimi deluxe, a beautiful assortment of fish, uni and ebi. Appetizer was delightful too. Chef is young and cheerful. Get a table at sushi bar if you can.

Took my lady here for her Birthday. We chose the patio with a scenic view. The manager, Rodrigo, and staff were pleasant & enthusiastic about the dishes, drinks, and presentation. It is a fabulous dining experience at Makoto.