SushiMakio

Super high quality outside of NYC. Worth the trip if you are in the city, but an amazing surprise for us in the Hudson Valley. Update: visited again 3/23. Truly top notch sushi for anywhere and reasonably priced compared to NYC

An Incredible privilege to be able to eat here. The best sushi I have ever had.

It was an honor to dine here. Thank you to master sushi chef Makio and his team for the excellent sushi and experience.

Authentic! Without any doubts the very best sushi I've ever had in the past 10 years. I was mesmerized by the famous chef , doing his art right there on the other side of the counter. For those writing reviews here disappointed with portion vs price ratio : this is a place of food art not a lo-mein takeout joint. If you need to fill your bellies on a budget, your best bet is buffet or hot case in grocery store. Thank you Chef!

Sushi was excellent, but the other dishes weren’t-especially not the vegetarian options. My partner got a roll she didn’t order instead the one she ordered. She took a bite before noticing and alerted the owner that she hadn’t gotten the right roll. He made her pay for it, because she” had already taken a bite”. This is so unbelievable as they were the ones who had made the mistake. What were they planing doing with the roll, giving it to someone else???

Word of mouth brought me here and it was such a satisfying dining experience. The service amazed me at first (my needs were so promptly taken care of), then I took a bite of the food... Just wow. I couldn't say enough about this place. Too bad I found out about it a little too late. It's a must-visit if you are in the area.

I ordered fusion, philadelphia and graffiti rolls. It was all delicious and savory. Also miso soup and edamame was delicious too. People were nice and friendly. They also have special appetizer of the day too. It’s a little small place but cozy and nice local restaurant! I really recommend this place if you like sushi. 🍣

The food was amazing. Hence the single star. When I ordered my first roll the menu was quickly taken from me. When I got the food it was amazing. But wanted another roll of sushi. I must have sat there for 20 minuets with an empty plate before anybody asked me if I needed anything else. Mind you there’s only 1 other couple who mind you came after me and got all their food first. All I got was a simple dragon roll. Again amazing food but the service was horrible, the food is over priced. Would not dine in again. I’d give 0 stars if it weren’t for the food. Would NOT recommend.

Delicious sushi from a small mom and Popples highly recommend Also, this is a very lovely area to visit for a road trip just to try all the little bakeries, restaurants, gift, shops, antique shops, and all these little small towns in the Hudson Valley. You will not be disappointed.

Great service and impeccably prepared food make this a hidden gem. I heartily recommend one of the sushi or sashimi platters for two. Eating at the bar is probably most fun as you can watch a world class chef produce some unbelievable creations.

Food always fresh and artfully prepared. Service is always friendly and and helpful. The ambiance is bare but has a very friendly vibe. Can never get too much of Makio and his adorable wife!

Best sushi I have ever had! Fish is so fresh and flavorful. This is by far the best sushi place in the hudson valley and I cant wait to go back. Great job by the wait staff and of course the sushi chef

This is my favorite place and I am writing this review with a bit of sadness. Went last week and I noticed a few changes. The miso soup which is generally so rich and flavorful was a bit weak. I look forward to the miso, and usually take some to go because it is so comforting and complex. My roll, I forget the name of it, had snow crab salad in it was so laden with mayonnaise. Not as delicate as I remembered. My friends mussels which we ordered on our last visit, were also a bit different, sauce seemed a bit weak. Maybe it was an off night. I don't know. But please don't let things slip. We still love you and look forward to returning.

Fabulous food with incredible service. Some of the best sushi in the Hudson Valley. Always great.

It was fine, but a California roll here costs $10. I thought maybe it would be made with real crab for that money, but nope. Not only is everything more expensive here, it's also smaller...? Stick with Yasuda & Kyoto

Great sushi, I go as far as to say the best in the Hudson Valley. Daily specials are inventive and always fresh.

When i crave top notch sushi or spectacular seasonal offerings this is my go to place. I have never been disappointed with the quality or presentation of the food. It is a small restaurant so reservations are must. The mussels are glorious and I have sometimes had the appetizer portion and another appetizer in leu of a main.

Place is great. Don't let the strip mall fool you. Fish is fresh. Sushi chef knows what he's doing.

Nope. Nope. Nope. All of the raves for this place are blowing my freakin' mind. I am a huge sushi fanatic, high-end and low. I have omakase'd at many of the best places in NYC, Miami and LA (Sushi Zo, Shuko, Sushi Seki, Tanoshi, Yasuda, Nokazawa, Azabu, 15 East, Sushi Noz, etc etc). Obviously no place upstate will likely be near that level, but Makio, with its insanely overblown reviews promising just that was waaaay worse than even generic places in the area that cost 1/3 as much. I never thought I'd have much to say about Momiji, for example, but it seemed comparatively *great* after Sushi Makio). Worst chirashi I've ever been served...slimy fish and overcooked rice. Insanely pricey rolls that were squishy and flavorless and immediately fell apart when picked up. We sat at the sushi bar and made friends with the guy sitting next to us. When he insisted on treating us to a round of toro at the end of our meal, our first instinct was to decline...not out of modesty, but because we didn't want any more almost inedible toro (we'd already eaten and not remotely enjoyed it). We took one for the team and slugged it down with the rest of the best thing we were served all night...sake. What gives, Hudson Valley? For real. Do you actually think this is excellent (or even edible) sushi? Have you ever had sushi before?! Or is Makio running an inordinately successful cult I need to check out? If it makes this food taste good to you, I'd love some of what you're smoking.

We have been a frequent visitor to this restaurant. We are very disappointed with the quality of our to-go order, charged more $ then what the website says, being rushed out of the restaurant when picking up the food, etc. The quality and customer service has changed. They are expensive and nothing you can't get in a regular restaurant around the Kingston area.

I am consistently impressed by Sushi Makio. The ambiance and service is always phenomenal, and the food really makes it. The chefs always provide generous cuts of fresh fish and deliciously creative dishes. I am fortunate to have this place close to my home, but needless to say, no matter where you are in the Hudson Valley it's worth the drive.

I've been enjoying fine Japanese cuisine for decades, and in many countries. This surprising, hidden-in-plain-sight gem out does them. Freshness and ingenuity meet tradition- in the hands of a sushi master we recently had one of the best meals, ever. And now a local gem to visit and revisit!!

Not very good as far as sushi is concerned. I'm not in love with their cuts, also their rolls fall apart, There are so many decent restaurants in the area why them?

Overpriced mediocre sushi. Spent $100 per person for basic sushi, not even good sushi, simply basic. We spent 2 hours waiting on 5 rolls and 1 toro sushi. Toro was decent but overpriced and service was absurdly slow. I waited for 25 minutes for 1 roll. Time management is key here. If you're craving sushi in upstate this will definitely give you some relief but I wouldn't say it's worth it.

Always first rate, fresh and delicious sushi that never disappoints. I remember the first time I went and thought to myself "there's sushi this good in Kingston, NY!?!?!?! " It's a treat to have such a kind and caring staff that truly values their customers. I noticed a few comments complaining about the price and I have to say that yes - it can be a little pricey at times depending upon what you get, but you're paying for quality and that's exactly what you get.

BY FAR the best sushi around - at least in a 25 mi. radius if not further. No other establishment I've tried can even come close in terms of freshness, depth of flavor, presentation, and professionalism. Super friendly service, and prompt. I would honestly say don't even bother with anywhere else.

I rarely feel such a compelling need to write a Yelp review, let alone a bad one, but given the mass delusion going on with this place, I unfortunately have to, for the sake of my fellow patron. First off, on the positive, the people are nice who work here, the service is totally fine. But that's it. We had been hearing clamoring about this place for a while as one of the best sushi places (or often THE best) in the Hudson Valley. Granted I don't usually associate the area with fine sushi, having spent a ton of time here for many years, but I was eager to give this place a try, given the rave reviews. What proceeded to happen here was a total confusing abomination. I was fine with its strip mall location and crappy ambiance (in fact I deluded myself into thinking maybe that meant they put all their effort into sushi!). We all know sometimes the best food can be had in bad ambiance. We arrived to see famed Chef Makio and a young student behind the sushi bar, looking serious and hard at work, as if they were in Jiro's kitchen or something. I'm thinking, "hey maybe this is gonna be good, they look very intent and meticulous!"- Mistake. So we order a wide variety of things to sample, including nigiri, a chirashi bowl, and several rolls. Now let me explain that this place is NOT cheap at all. We eat sushi a lot and are willing to pay good money for good stuff no problem. We're fortunate enough to afford great sushi in the NYC area. And fortunate enough to be able to discern good from bad. We also eat regular take-out sushi as well. This place is incredibly over-priced for what turned out to be BAD, medicore sushi. It was one of the most pathetic, worst chirashi bowls I've ever seen. Terrible sushi rice. Bad fish, tasteless, low-quality. They had those silly crab sticks in it, even! Nigiri was low-grade, and the $30 special roll was worse than $10 rolls I've had at take-out places. I'm sorry, but this was offensive. I'd be fine with it if it were cheaper, but you can't do that to people. It's bad sushi masquerading as high-end, and people don't seem to know better, or care, and keep endorsing this place. It's not cool and it's really wild seeing these reviews. Drive an hour south and go to Okinami in Norwood, NJ, and learn what good sushi actually is...and it's cheaper. I don't know where Makio gets his fish or was trained, but I won't be back to find out. Please improve, Makio, or have your prices reflect what you really are...another average mall sushi place, but with some superflous fanfare around it.

Amazing sushi spot in kind of an unexpected location. Definitely pricier than the other local places but 100% worth it. Always delicious specials and the million dollar roll was super memorable and out of this world! Perfect for a date night or a treat for real, fresh, taste the different sushi. Worth a stop for sure!

I wanted to LOVE this place. It's small, nice service and the owner is Japanese. All really good things. I ate lunch there and it was pretty good, not great and VERY expensive. Maybe I caught them on a mediocre day or we didn't order well. The best thing we had was the mackerel sashimi, they have a great selection. I honestly can't remember anything else I ate there.

Absolute best sushi in the Kingston area! Probably the Hudson Valley too. Highly recommend--haven't eaten in yet, but can't wait to do so post pandemic.

This restaurant is a little jewel, a fine, simple Sushi restaurant housed in a very unassuming physical shell. The quality of fish is reliably always top notch and they have lovely sides as well. It's not for non-fish-eating friends - although there will be a small handful of delicious things they can order, the choices are very slim. That said, it is a sushi restaurant so this is perfectly reasonable. I recently ordered the special Omakase menu and it was mostly very standard fare - tuna, salmon and yellowtail twice! I get more interesting choices when I order from their regular menu. But as always, the fish was so fresh and delicious and it was all prepared brilliantly by the chef and his wife in the kitchen. With a friendly cooking staff and servers, Sushi Makio is one of my very favorite restaurants in the region and offers some of the best and freshest sushi I've had in my life. Highly recommended!

Our favorite sushi place. SushiMakio's team are incredibly warm and inviting. We are picky about our sushi, and the fish cant be topped. There are so many dishes here that we love: mussels (a special), the tuna tower, the oysters when they have them and of course the sushi/sashimi. Excellent sake selection as well! Beautiful presentation. Oh the ginger creme brulee, the ice cream and the layer cake are amazing as well. Hmmm, guess where I'll be this weekend?

The Good. I love being greeted with a hot towel. Instead of just Sapporo and Kirin, they had local Kingston beer as well. The shumai and sugar snap peas were quite tasty. The fish was fresh, the presentation gorgeous. Overall, an enjoyable meal. The Bad. We probably ordered eight of the Makio Must-Have and Signature rolls, plus a few appetizers and a noodle dish before it was enough food for four. This was far, far more expensive than we expected a sushi dinner in the Hudson Valley to be, mostly because the rolls were far less food than expected. I do feel as though presentation takes precedence over taste here. The Graffiti Roll (shrimp, tuna, yellowtail, salmon, crab, avocado, cucumber, tobiko), while tasty enough, is essentially separate, smaller pieces of each of the fish listed, as opposed to a roll where all pieces include each ingredient listed. Not the combination of flavors we were expecting, and not ideal for sharing. The Ugly. -Our poor waiter accidentally threw soy sauce all over my mother. Luckily, none of it got on me. -Being a horrible son that is relieved when your mother gets things spilled on her, rather than you.

One of the best sushi place I tried. Quality of sushi is really fresh. We ordered the sushi and sashimi combo, salmon roe, Fushion roll & rich and famous roll. All were very good and highly recommend the rich n famous roll.

Sushi Makio was surprising. Given the half strip mall location, the unassuming makeup of the restaurant decor, the worn out furniture and place settings, the food is actually appetizing, and the servers quite accommodating. Before visiting my expectations were pretty high given the ratings and given some of the local reviews I had read. I definitely wasn't expecting an empty parking lot adjacent to the main road that was similarly less travelled. A half filled restaurant on a Saturday evening gave a slight pause that perhaps maybe another option should have been considered. First item we tried was the mussels in a miso broth. This dish had subtle flavor combined with medium sized mussel meat, that created a delicious appetizer. In fact , it was so delicious that I basically slurped the remaining broth after the mussels were finished. It was also generously plated which allowed 4 to share. The sushi platter for two was filled with the standard favorites. The fish was fresh and plated nicely. My other dinner companion enjoyed their rolls and stir fried noodles. The restaurant did eventually fill up a short while after we received our main entrees. Overall I enjoyed the mussels in miso broth very much and the entree but wondered about the specials rolls on the menu. If I should return, I will definitely try the special rolls.

Amazing sushi! Great people. I cannot wait to come back! Enjoyed sushi dinner with miso soup. The wasabi is amazing.

Went for an omakase dinner and was blown away by the flavors and presentation. Have gotten takeout several times as well and have never been disappointed.

Don't let the exterior fool you. This is a classy, clean restaurant. Great spot for a date or if you are on 87 and need a quick but nice meal. High quality food at a reasonable price. No crap served here.

We had a gift card for Sushi Makio and decided to give it a try. From the outside, the location of this place is really deceiving. I've lived in the area for more than 20 years and never even knew it was here. The inside could use some updates but as soon as we got our food it was clear that the decor didn't matter. The service was great and the food was even better! I recommend this place to everyone now and can't wait to return.

Awesome !!! We are from CT and spent the afternoon at Camping World It was dinner time so we yelped soneplace yo way and saw the great reviews here. Well it lived up to the great reviews and more. We sat at the sushi bar and were treated sooo well. We had a special app which was amazing (shrimp balls that were sooo creamy and delicious ). Then we had a few of their signature rolls which were outstanding !!! The staff was sooo delighted Ul and friendly. The bathroom was immaculate Can't wait to go back. We go to the Rhineback wine festivals so will def head back here !!!... It's a must stop for avid sushi lovers !!!!

Hands down, the best authentic sushi place in the Hudson Valley. This is real sushi served up by a master.

Fresh yummy sushi I would recommend this, unfortunately we weren't able to dine inside because of covid, but would absolutely want to in the future, and also try their omakase.

Amazing sushi and amazing staff! My favorite sushi place in the hudson valley and great location/vibe.

This place is the real deal! Locally my husband and I are very used to t he same old, same old when it comes to sushi. It's good (and fresh) but more focused on portion size (i.e., big rolls) and all kinds of concoctions who it comes to rolls. Mostly it all tastes the same no matter which restaurant you go to. It's fine, but nothing special. Sushimakio is different. Even the waitstaff is very knowledgable about what they serve. First the atmosphere is a little different - the tables have table cloths. It's small. I would recommend a reservation. We were there on a Wednesday evening and the place was pretty full. Although we had a pretty quick dinner, it seems like a place where people linger in order to enjoy their food. Looking around we saw a wide variety of scrumptious looking dishes. Our server let us know of several specials including a salad, an appetizer and a roll. We opted for the special salad - a watercress salad in which the watercress was cooked then chilled and served in a ponzu sauce with a bonito flake topping. Yum! So much better than the typical iceberg lettuce which is just an excuse for ginger dressing. On the regular menu I noticed their regular salad actually had good greens (mesclun and radicchio with ginger dressing) and there are also two types of seaweed salad. We then had three rolls - the special which was a spider roll. We also had the rich and famous roll (yellow tail with and almond topping) and the wicked tuna roll. All the fish was so fresh and tasty. They were nice size but not the jumbo type. This place is a bit more expensive than other local sushi restaurants but definitely worth it. We want to go back for their Omakase dinner (24 hour advance reservation required). We will certainly be back and highly recommend Sushimakio.

Just simply......the BEST sushi, hands down! It was with Makio that I learned to really like and enjoy sushi, back when he operated Amici Sushi in High Falls. That's where I also stumbled upon sparkling sake....but that's a whole other story. Sushi really is an art and Makio is a Master! But not just in presentation.....no, no - he is a Master at preparation as well. I could go on and on, but my first sentence sums it up. if you are someone who wants to give sushi a first (or second) try....this is the place to do it! If you are a sushi lover and have yet to experience SushiMakio.......I feel sorry for you.

This man is a true master with great cred, from Cafe Sayokan at 18 E 18th Street in the late 70's. Went to Westchester, put his kids through college and after a few years at Chef's on fire in Canal House, High Falls he has been here for 5 years. He goes down to the city to buy his fish every week. Nonne up here comes close to his quality. If you want all you can eat sushi or don't know the difference, go somewhere else. At 70, he only gets better. A true bargain for superb cuisine. When he retires in a few years we will have mediocre sushi up here.

Specials are pretty expensive not really a decent portion and was not out of this world tasting sushi

If you can separate service from sushi, then you might be okay just focusing on the food. . . The prices are high for what you get, the waiter was rude, unfriendly and reluctant to be of true service. It felt to me that Makio-san left it to westerners to run his restaurant instead of creating an ambience that is conducive to eating well, with music that supports digestion and courteous wait staff that makes the experience all the more special. Makio-san may not fully understand the American way but toward this end, we say replace the music and the western gent with someone kinder, more gentle and respectful, as is the Japanese way. If he is not happy working for Makio-san, perhaps he should leave as his energy does not suit the hard-working ethics of Makio-san who may not know how to express his feelings honestly. For consumers: Read the menu and prices first so you won't be shocked when the bill arrives. This is the only Japanese Restaurant in Kingston with the highest prices; other Asian Fusion restaurants are owned by other than Japanese so they do not charge as much, do not use the same ingredients and are simply duplicating food without the cultured heart and soul that goes into creating authentic ethnic fare. For Makio-san: Have confidence that your food is good and that you need not charge such high prices. If you were to charge fairer prices ($23.00 for noodles???) you may find people lining up outside just to get in to taste your fare. This is not Tokyo! Even NYC has better prices. For the western gent: Your purpose for the restaurant is to support Sushi Makio in being the best at what he does and what they offer. Any discourtesy to their patrons is a direct reflection on him/them. Then we can enjoy a taste of Japan in Kingston and don't mind patronizing an establishment that is deserving of our hard earned dollars and offers attentive, friendly service.

Let's start this review with the obvious. This is, hands down the best Sushi in Kingston, and probably all of Ulster. It's a small place with attention to detail. From the decor and intimacy of the sushi bar. The owners where on hand behind the bar, Serving delicate and fresh sushi. With a small kitchen staff and excellent service upfront, it was a pleasure to dine. My enthusiasm is pretty high, but having tried others, I finally found my Sushi spot. So, don't walk, run. I went on a slow rainy Wednesday night. They prefer reservations for busier days, but all an all cheers to Sushi Mako for setting the bar!

OK, now *this* is the Sushi I dream about for the next three days. Makio is just fantastic. The ambiance is nothing to write home about but who cares??!! The sushi is simply beautiful, delicious, fresh, gorgeous. Just what you want, right? The rice is perfect (my first point of inspection every time). My regret is that I haven't gone back in quite some time. It's across town for us and until just a few weeks ago, our kids had absolutely no interest in sushi. So unless we planned in advance, it was hard. The time has come for my triumphant return to Makio! (grin) I can say, with no hesitation, that this is (my opinion of course) the best sushi in ulster county.

How is this place not 5 stars?!? There are no words that could explain the greatness. We couldn't stop smiling from the service, to the food--it was a beautiful experience. Give them all your money and respect!

To say that Master Chef Makio's restaurant in Kingston is baffling in its quality is prosaic, bordering on absurd. The freshness of fish he is able to bring in mirrors his confidence in his product and the adoration shown in the eyes of his CIA trainees and his loyal customers. Do not allow the location in a strip mall or that the decor is unassuming deter you. This is, in fact, pretty traditional for truly authentic Japanese sushi joints. My fiancé is a sushi nut and has eaten at some of the premiere and obscure sushi restaurants from LA, NY, and Japan. She agreed that this was on par with the best she has ever tasted.

I almost don't want to review Sushi Makio so no one else knows how gifted the chef is and how thoughtfully prepared everything is. If I can't make it into the city, this is the place I go especially to try something new.

really excellent sushi in a clean, simple place on a random strip in kingston. go in and enjoy - keep this fantastic small biz alive. we had an extraordinary veg roll, crunch roll, california roll and salmon sushi - and a bottle of nice dry sake. the best!

I don't understand what the big deal is about this place or why it has such high star reviews. Yes, the sushi was good. Not outstanding or better than average. The prices are really outrageous and portions are small. I guess you can say that's for the quality but to me, they have the same quality as any other sushi place I've been to. Go to Kyoto in Lucas ave if you want more bang for your buck. They have a much larger menu and their rice isn't overly sticky and chewy. I think people like to think they've found a gem in this hole in the wall but in reality, it's just average sushi with a high price tag.

This was our first time here. We love Japanese food and frequent two other restaurants in the area which are both good. We decided to try sushi Makio after reading other reviews. It is authentic sushi made by the owner who is obviously a master at what he does. The wait staff was great, music lovely and the food lived up to the reviews we read on Yelp. They have mainly sushi, dumplings and udon soup. If you are looking for hibachi or the choice of cooked entrees like teriaki, sukiyaki etc., this is not your place. We had the spicy tuna tower appetizer and sushi sashimi for two. The quality and texture of the fish was superb. It is in a strip mall off 9w so you would never find it if you weren't looking. The interior is small so call ahead for a reservation. Ambiance is not what you come for, the food makes up for it 10 fold. Go! You won't be disappointed!

I don't get the hype... and I've heard good things from people I trust. I found this to be decent for sushi in the Hudson valley, but service wasn't great - they seemed rushed and nervous (and we had lipstick on one of our glasses) and the fish was not better than across the river at Osaka (I think Osaka is good for HV but definitely mediocre if it were in any large city. Bonus points for having Toro, but that's really the only thing that stood out.

This. Place. Is. Amazing. Small space, so be sure to make a reservation! We started with the mussels and they were to die for. I'm not a very big seafood person, and I finished our appetizer by practically drinking the soy broth they cooked them in. I had one of their special rolls with a wasabi mayo and almond slivers on it but I forget what the name of the roll was called :( We finished with the Japanese ice cream mochi which was also amazing. The green tea flavor is great. I will definitely be back in the future. Best sushi in the area for sure.