Donovan H.
Yelp
Many people that live in and around the Sacramento area already know that "Mikuni" is a household name and has been billed as Best Sushi in Sacramento. I myself do enjoy their food and have eaten at several locations but as far as the best of this best, I would have to go with "Kru" for the ultimate sushi experience. However, I am focusing on this location, conveniently adjacent to the Arden Fair Mall in the heart of Sacramento.
Originally called "Taro's", then "Taro's By Mikuni", and finally named "Mikuni" (as all of their other locations are called), this has been a longstanding restaurant at this location since the mid-2000s. Located at Market Square at Arden Fair, their restaurant is housed in between a Barnes & Noble and California Pizza Kitchen. During my visit which was during the afternoon of Wednesday 8/16/2023 at around 4:00pm, I took full advantage of their Happy Hour specials that run every Monday through Friday from 2:00-5:00pm. In addition to Happy Hour, they also run daily lunch specials (7 days a week) from 11:30am-4:00pm.
Upon entering, I told the hostess that I was there specifically for Happy Hour (which is limited seating in the bar area). The layout of this Mikuni is quite unique as the bar area is directly to the left of the main entrance (from the parking lot) while the hallway leads to more of the regular seating that is viewable to the mall. It is quite interesting as it does not follow that standard square or rectangular look that is found in other restaurants. The restrooms are also towards the end area (facing the mall). During my visit, many businesses at Market Square were closed since they were in the process of putting in a "Crunch Fitness".
Once seated, I was given an iced water with lemon and a small dish with my wasabi/ginger/soy sauce. Since I was no stranger to Mikuni, I ended up ordering an appetizer of their "Edamame" (priced at $5.50 for HH). I ordered a well-known favorite of the "Fair Oaks Roll" (priced at $10 for HH) and the "Thirty-Nine Roll" (which was a non-HH roll priced at $12). My Edamame arrives first as they were very generous with the portion. My two rolls arrived shortly thereafter and were both quite yummy. The rice was moist while all of the toppings were absolutely above average and filling.
As far as the food, ambiance, and prices, everything was good and above average. The service, however was just okay and could use some improvement. When I gave my server my debit card to pay for the bill, it took him a good 15 minutes to bring it back to me. I couldn't find him anywhere and was about to ask a different employee where my card & receipt is. I know in the service industry, people take breaks or have a lot of customers but I just wanted to go about my afternoon. All in all, the Arden Fair "Mikuni Japanese Restaurant & Sushi Bar" was a decent experience. My rating, an above average four stars.