Really high-quality buffet for both lunch and dinner. Servers are nice and attentive. Can get a bit loud at times when there are lots of people, but that's to be expected. There are four main components to the buffet itself: 1) The typical buffet food section Pretty generic stuff here, fried rice, chow mein, teriyaki chicken, etc. I usually don't get much from this section, but the coconut shrimp is pretty good. 2) Soups There are a few flavors of soup you can order here. One of the more special ones is the udon noodle soup. Really hard to come by these in buffets (at least the ones I've been to). The only problem is that sometimes the chefs who run the grill have to do this too, so they may end up putting starchy water into the soup. 3) Hibachi grill Another buffet, Hibachi Grill & Supreme Buffet, offers this too. However, I think Makino does this a bit better, as they have fewer choices but higher quality. There are some choices that are only offered for dinner (scallop and salmon steak?), but there are ample lunch choices. 4) Sushi Ahh, my favorite. You can go up and grab whatever you want for lunch; lots of rolls for you to choose from as well as constantly-replenished nigiri. I find that their salmon tastes a lot fresher than their tuna, but both are very good. The chefs do _not_ put wasabi under the nigiri. If you go for dinner, they give you an order sheet which you order sushi off of. There are a lot more choices on the dinner menu, and you can order sashimi which isn't a lunch choice. Some of my favorite rolls are the Green Dragon roll (lunch/dinner), the Makino roll (lunch version only -- don't like the soy wrapping the dinner version has), and the crunchy crab (dinner only). Great restaurant! Love the fact that the manager actually walks around and greets people. Definitely one of the better buffets in Knoxville.
(4)
Michael Y.
I try to avoid "all you can eat" places, but, I must admit I keep sneaking back here for lunch. The sushi is good, much better than grocery store sushi. I admit I love Nama, but dislike the Nama price tag. The amount of sushi I get here for $10 would cost $40 at Nama. Ok, sure the clientele and ambiance are not as sexy as Nama, I appreciate the value. The seaweed salad is great, chicken is good and the standard Asian fare is good as well.
(5)
Dave C.
A place I will come every year if I will be going to Bristol! Awesome and wow. Can't believe this place so traveling over 575 miles just for this meal
(5)
Fangfang E.
I usually don't comment, but I think this place deserves a higher star rating. Frog legs r real tender, grilled steak is tasty, the variety of sushi is large, with Asian flavored ice cream, $9.95 for lunch. What more can you ask for?
(5)
Anthony C.
Great crab legs, friendly service, made to order sushi, fresh sashimi all at only $17/person. 4 stars which would be 5 but I gotta wait how I FEEL tmrw bc this deal is almost too good to be true :/
(4)
Tami L.
Pricier than most of the buffets, but WELL worth it. We usually come for dinner, and I swear that I could eat nothing but crawfish and crab legs. Soooo good. The crawfish are spicy, and the crab legs are always perfect. The clams are also delicious. They take the time to give their food spice and flavor, no cutting corners. Great selection of sushi that is always fresh. Other notable items are the coconut shrimp, sashimi beef, and salads. They have a hibachi grill, but I've no idea if it's any good. I'm always too full of seafood to try it.
(5)
Yongquan L.
If I could give 0 star, I will so do it. The food are not fresh. It's just a normal buffet, not as the pictures showing! Do not believe those pictures! There is no fresh fruit except orange, which is the lowest quality ones. I'm very impressive about the artificial flavored scallop. I saw a reward saying top 100 Asian restaurant in the USA, how's that even possible ?
(1)
Tiago K.
This is a nice Asian buffet. If you get the food when it's fresh, then it's really good. The crab rangoons and coconut shrimp are delicious. The pot stickers are good. Lots of variety of sushi. Go when it's busy so there's more turnover. It's only $9.95 for lunch but at dinner, the sushi is made to order. I always visit Makino's when I am in town.
(5)
Susan P.
Dinner is definitely worth the trip, especially if you like sushi! For $20 you can consume all the sushi /sashimi, Chinese buffet food, hibachi, oysters, and desserts! Its my go to restaurant when I'm craving sushi ~
(4)
Eileen Y.
Not sure if it was really all you can eat sushi because they never gave us our menu back after two orders. Though the food was standard buffet fare. The wait staff was okay, what you expect from a Chinese restaurant. Only stopped here on our way home, interior needs a little love.
(2)
Salmaan T.
Everything is 5 stars with the exception of the chinese food section. The coconut shrimp is great, the other items are okay. The hibachi is very good, considering you get to pick whatever you want. I had the steak and shrimp. The steak is ribeye and I had a couple of pieces of steak that were more fat than meat but no other issues other than that. The sushi was surprisingly very good. You can get sushi from the buffet or they make it for you. Even the price of $18 for dinner isn't bad, and the lunch deal ($10.50) is as good as it gets. Would definitely go back.
(4)
Amity L.
Each time I'm in town (and even when I'm not) I make an effort to stop by this place. I have only been here for dinner and as far as buffets go this place is AMAZING. The dinner is about 20 dollars a person (tax included) and yes that is a little steep but you'll definitely get your moneys worth. Although their selection is small, it has everything that you would want to eat. They have a hibachi grill and UNLIKE most other places they serve ribeye steak and salmon along with your usual chicken and shrimp. For the ribeye steak, it is not the typical frozen pieces that can barely classify as steak, it is the whole shebang. They take a whole piece of steak and grill it for each serving. Usually when I go to buffets I try not to order these items because they fill me up quickly, but for this place I'll make an exception. They also have unlimited sushi that you can order from the bar so each piece and roll is made specially for you with a selection of specialty rolls, sashimi and nigiri (like a regular sushi restaurant). They have unlimited crab legs, crawfish, steamed clams and oysters. I can't wait to go back! Just writing this review makes me excited (yes I love food, especially good food), in fact I'm going back in a couple of days. Lastly, it doesn't hurt that their servers are really nice too.
(4)
Virginia T.
The food here is not very flavorful and it all has a weird bitter-sour undertone. Even the fresh made hibachi grill fare has the same bland, slightly rancid taste just strong enough to ruin the plate. The flounder I ordered was cooked well but again, was bland except for an odd 'off' taste. My husband's steak was overcooked and chewy. The sushi was also bland and poorly prepared. Some of it disintegrated while being placed on the plate. The 'spicy' sushi was as bland as the un-spicy and all of the rolls tasted the same regardless of the composition. The selections at lunch were very limited and the Sesame Chicken was a strangely colored soupy mess. The fried scallops were store bought, thawed, generic seafood, but were also one of the best things on the buffet as they did not have the strange stale seasoning on them and they were not overcooked, The same cannot be said for the Teriyaki Chicken which had no teriyaki flavor at all and was dry and overdone. Considering the price I expected better quality food. Go to Wasabi instead, Better food, better prices, better ambience.
(1)
John S.
Probably my favorite Asian buffet in Knoxville. Their potstickers are awesome. They are deep fried and have a decent crunch to them. Normally I avoid buffet sushi like the plague, but the sushi here is actually a very good quality. Not the best sushi I've had but hands down the best buffet sushi. They also have a steak sashimi (I think that's the name). It's served rare to med rare and you get it from the cold bar next to the grill. It's more tender and flavorful than the steak from the hibachi grill. One of my favorite lunch spots. This place is always a good choice.
(5)
Santiago R.
Really good Japanese Buffet, they offer a variety of, not only sushi rolls and sashimi, but also dishes you can help yourself to. In buffet terms, it's on the pricier side for its area, but in my humble opinion worth every buck spent. Many have been the times that I drove about an hour from my hometown just to feed the crave for this place, if you think regular buffet sushi is good enough for you, be sure to visit one of "America's Top 100 Asian Buffets." Excellent quality for the price-range, excellent selection, always left satisfied. So, for what the concept of a buffet is worth, I can safely say there is still hope, thanks to places like this. This is the only buffet I can go to with absolutely no regrets. A total #recommend.
(5)
Alyson W.
Awesome place to get your sushi fix. Great selection of rolls, and sashimi. Adults $18 and kids under 10 $8 (3 and under free). Great place to introduce kids to sushi, and other unique foods (crabs and oysters on half shell). You can end the meal if you have room with some hand dipped ice cream as well :)
(4)
Susan P.
We went back. That says something there. Went earlier for the lunch buffet to see the difference. A Very Nice difference! Upgrade by a star. If you're looking for a good AYCE sushi experience in Knoxville on a TIGHT budget, this is your place! I'd come here for lunch before I went out to dinner anywhere else. The rolls had a great variety, cruchies, sauces, originals, vegetarian, and combo rolls on display. Noodle bar. Shellfish on ice in the center (shrimp and mussels) and a good refill rate on the side bar of Chinese fare. I would go back again. And again. And again. Because it's not only good, it's cheap.
(4)
Dmitriy B.
The food is very unflavorful. The food bar is a LOT better than the sushi here. The quality of sushi here is awful... Ordered a Philly Roll, received a roll with 60% cream cheese and 40% tuna from a can, their Orange Chicken is good though... Eat here at your own discretion, I won't be coming back...
(1)
Ricky T.
Lunch with a drink came down to around $10. Service is always excellent, they always make you feel very welcome there. The sushi selection is excellent! very fresh, and you sure are to save so much more money when the sushi is unlimited. Hibachi is excellent as well! oh and the fried rice and scallops! Definitely one of the better buffet's I've been to for the value. I haven't been there for dinner, but the word is dinner prices go up to around $18... so maybe a bit steep.
(4)
Leonard D.
I'm not sure where the people are eating that are writing these good reviews, as my last two visits have been less than good. They advertise fresh shrimp and oysters on the sign out front, but none of these have been on the buffet in my last two visits at dinner time. I would suggest that you get there before 8:30pm. They do have chicken teriyaki and coconut shrimp on the buffet, but not much more. Most of the offering had one or two pieces on the buffet (looked like the last two had been there a while), and the pudding all had a crust on them. The one bright note was the selection of sushi made to order. Staff is friendly and the sushi was delivered to my table very quickly. Water had a strange taste to it (kinda a fish taste and smell), so I had to add a lot of lemon to be able to drink it. I will not go back for dinner again, but maybe lunch is better if they actually have customers and put items out on the display, otherwise the package of sushi I bought at Publix earlier in the week was a btter value at half the price.
(2)
Matt C.
Best value in Knoxville for sushi. The sushi fish is bought fresh every morning and you can really tell. The rolls are NOT small. Lunch sushi is pre-made, after about 5:00 you get made to order with the buffet, which is $3.00 off before 6:00 for the early bird special, i.e. go between 5 and 6 for the absolute best value. ***EDIT: They no longer offer the early bird special.*** The hibachi is wonderful, all items are fresh and plentiful. The hibachi chefs will cook it just as you like it and their shrimp sauce is TOP NOTCH! Everything else is just fluff for me, but there is a great raw bar INCLUDING my favorite... oysters. I generally avoid the crab legs, but they are ok, I just don't like boiled crab legs, I prefer them steamed. There is a small selection of chinese items that are all tasty as well as some great oriental vegetables and seaweed salad. You just can't go wrong at this place! The food is excellent, the price is right (even without the early bird), my only complaint is that the atmosphere needs updating. It's a little dank and old looking, and I've sat at more than one sticky table. Totally forgivable considering I eat about $75 worth of sushi every time I go. The staff is friendly and absolutely on the ball, you will never sit long with a half-filled drink or an empty plate on your table. Bottom line, this is absolutely one of the gems of Knoxville and one of our favorite places in east Tennessee to eat.
(5)
Sean M.
$20 all you can eat, made to order sushi. If you can't see the value in this then you will do just fine going to one of 30,000 other Asian buffets in the East Tennessee area. This is a great bargain if you, like myself, typically run up a $70-$80 tab at a sit down sushi restaurant. You can choose to mess with the buffet or not. I will agree with other reviewers that the buffet portion is no better or worse than the hundreds of other Asian buffets that dot the East Tennessee restaurant scene. But the all you can eat sushi and the fact that you can get it made to order...it's not sitting out on a buffet...is worth the price of admission in my book. NOTE: I think the made to order sushi is only available during dinner. At lunch (which is about $10 cheaper) they have a wide selection on the buffet.
(4)
Larry M.
$18 all you can eat buffet and made-to-order sushi menu INCLUDED. You can't go wrong. The atmosphere appeared a little sketchy when we got there, but definitely try it. We were very pleased with everything. We'd definitely go back.
(4)
Doug G.
Not bad for a buffet!!! Loved the coconut shrimp. Great price for lunch. I would go back. My daughter eats here all the time and she loves it.
(4)
Susie C.
This place is decent. $18 for dinner on buffet. I've had better in Chicago, but this place in Knoxville TN isn't so bad. We can order fresh sushi unlimited times. The sushi rolls were decent. I really enjoyed the nigiris especially the salmon. Delicious! Drinks are not covered in the buffet. It is extra cost. They have a mix of Chinese/Japanese foods there. My fiance really enjoyed the hibachi rice that he and my other friends kept going back for more. The stir-fry was good, too! I loved the scallops. Sushi was decent - I've had better but it is a sushi buffet so I can't have high expectations for really good sushi. Overall - we had a decent time. Price was good. Food was good. It was pretty quiet for a Saturday night on a Memorial Day weekend, tho. Service was good. Our waitress was friendly and smiled the entire time while serving us.
(3)
Kevin Y.
As far as all-you-can-eat buffets go, Makino offers a pretty large selection of decently made Asian-american dishes for a cheap price. I was pleasantly surprised to find that Makino offers a decent selection of specialty rolls in the buffet, and if you really want to get the most bang for your buck, you should focus your attention on these. As far as the other dishes go, I'm a big fan of their coconut shrimp and teriyaki chicken. Avoid the tempura, which isn't particularly fresh or well-fried. One of my tempura vegetables was a gigantic piece of broccoli that was both hard to fit into my mouth and a little too raw for my taste. The decor of the restaurant isn't much to write home about, but it does offer a pleasant environment for you to enjoy while you gorge yourselves. Overall, there's nothing amazing about the food here, but for the price (and the fact that it's a buffet), Makino does a fairly good job at satisfying its customers.
(3)
Jennie C.
I'm a little torn when it comes to buffets. They can be a crapshoot sometime. You'll end up getting something that's been sitting under the warming lamp. Not this place. For a cool Hamilton, you get AYCE during lunch. Sushi, teriyaki, soups, you name it. And those sauteed green beans in soy sauce? Mmm, mmm, good. Wouldn't recommend spending anymore (but that's just me) for dinner, but I can't turn down a place that provides AYCE for $10 during lunch. This place is a good solid 4 stars, but I took 1 away during one visit. My friend and I were foolish to order WAYYY TOO MUCH sushi. The waitresses knew we were struggling and kept giving us the evil eye. Despite being there for 2 hours (to slowly peck at it), I was able to finish the last roll (eating it and secretly tucking it away in my purse). Yeah, I understand it's business and I shouldn't waste food, but I shouldn't have to be stared at constantly to make sure I eat it completely. Kind of unnerving, no?
(3)
Christina A.
We always enjoy the sushi here and the hot buffet is good! In terms of sushi, it's not the best ever but certainly better than some others we've tried in the area.
(4)
Janette C.
I'm always leary of sushi buffets but this place was great! Delicious. Fast. Not overly expensive.
(4)
Lena J.
A word of advice with Makino, at least as far as I see it: Dinner prices are not worth it.. Lunch prices totally are. Buffets are usually horrible, and I'm sure that everyone with taste-buds knows that. That said, Makino is a pleasant surprise. The sushi is good, and fresh. The color of each piece of fish is vibrant and clean, and you can watch the men making your sushi right behind the bar itself. The other hot items (tempura, fried rice, coconut shrimp, etc.) are alright, but nothing to write home about. They usually have a variety of soups out, though the only one I've had is miso, which...pretty much tastes like your average miso soup. There's also a cold bar filled with the usual fruits, jello, and other deserts, even ice cream. The only thing I've noticed, which is a problem when it comes to even good buffets, is that after a while everything starts to taste the same. Maybe it's just me, but after a few pieces of sushi, I feel like I've had enough of the 'Makino taste' in my mouth. However, for the price of the lunch buffet, Makino is a solid choice. The servers are nice and attentive, and the sushi is never sitting out long. Makino is the best buffet option in Knoxville, but not the best place to get sushi, by far.
(4)
Melanie T.
$17.95 all you can eat Japanese buffet, CRAB LEGS anddddd sushi! It can't get better than that! They also had $3.50 mixed drinks and $6 bottles of sake! I'm from the Chicago suburbs and a Japanese buffet like this would of ran us almost $30 a person and that's not including sushi, so to me this place was a steal! I loved everything about the place... it was clean, the people were nice and polite, the presentation of the food was gorgeous, the food was fresh and replenished when it got empty and I was never a fan of sushi until I came here! My husband and I came here randomly on a mommy-daddy date away from the kids on Sunday and we're going back tonight (Thursday) with the kids!
(5)
Zhu L.
The lunch buffet is cost-efficient，about $9.5 per adult. Go to enjoy the seafood especially the crab legs in the dinner buffet，approximately $16 each person.You can also try many exotic Chinese snacks such as fried dumplings wonton spring rolls. Salmon sushi here is very good.
(4)
Joel S.
Good price for lunch, I've never been for dinner, but it's significantly pricier, and I think the only difference is crab legs. The sushi bar is amazing, huge selection (for East Tennessee at least), fresh ingredients, and above average (if not quite amazing) quality. I've never tried the hibachi, but friends have said it is good. The rest of the food bar is fairly sparse, consisting of a few generic Asian dishes and some shellfish, and didn't seem to be quite as high quality as the sushi and hibachi.
(4)
Sara L.
Oh my gosh, easily one of the best eateries in Knoxville - and definitely my favorite! Plenty of space, with a beautiful, clean atmosphere. The food is always fresh, lunch or dinner - the hot foods are hot, the colds foods are cold, and the sushi is always immaculately prepared. All their different soups are great, and you can never go wrong with the hibachi grill (though it's not right in front of you; it's at the buffet with the rest of the food, lol). At lunchtime, the sushi is on display at the buffet - but at night, you're given a list at the table to choose from, and you get all you want. It's a little pricey in the evening (about $17 a person, I think), but the lunch price is $10.50 - and for all the amazing coconut shrimp, shredded seaweed, edamame, udon soup, crab legs, and sushi you get, it's a total steal.
(5)
Rosalyn J.
This was my first time eating here and I can't wait to come back when I am in town. It was soooooooo good!!! From the chilled shrimp, to the Hiabchi rice and Chicken Teriaki and the yummy crab legs. This place was wonderful!! For 17.95 you can eat all you want. The only downside is the service sucked here. No one ever came to check on or ask if I wanted more to drink. They get a 1 for that...
(5)
Deborah L.
Who erased my review? i post it again. The one of owners is a really crazy guy. On weekday night, the sashimi that we ordered was so late and less numbers than we ordered. So, we complained to the server about that and the sushi-man, the owner of the restaurant, came out and blamed us back. He kept repeating, "In buffet, all you can eat but not all you can waste! If you don't finish up of all the rolls that you ordered, you can't not order any more sashimi. That's the common sense" with a very strong accent. What kind of Buffet has that kind of common sense? His way to treat the customer was very RUDE and UNPLEASANT. It was so awful that kind of guy owns the business. I do like to stop any more customers from getting treated in that bad way. After that happened, I promised that I will never visit there any more. Forever...
(1)
Joshua B.
The food and service were fine, until the point I was at the grill area waiting on my food to finish and saw a roach crawling beside the grill. The cook knocked it off to the side before anyone else saw it. I enjoyed my meal until that point, but after that I was afraid to eat anything else because if it was that close to the grill, then it could very easily crawl onto the grill and end up in the meal.
(1)
Ramon L.
Good sushi at a good price! This is not a small deal, since it is usually way overpriced. It is an all-one-can-eat place, but the quality of the food is good and the price is reasonable. They have fruit and ice cream and other extras. There are some choices for a meat-and-potato friend. The place is clean and bright and pleasant. Safe for an evening one just doesn't want to cook.
(4)
Claire L.
food here are great! especially their crawfish during the weekend, ( Cajun spicy!), service: 4/5, food: 4/5 !! great place if you are looking for a seafood buffet around Knoxville!
(4)
Amber B.
We go to Makino at least once a month! It is the best all you can eat sushi that I have ever had! We would easily spend over $100 for the amount of sushi we eat when we go there. I like the last 3 rolls on the order sheet the best. They are the chefs special. We always get great service and the owner or manager always has a smile on his face. One thing I can say that I don't like is we sometimes do not get all the rolls that we order and they are often out of the Tuna Tataki (Prob bc its amazing). Most of the time if we ask the server she/he will bring the roll we did not get. We love that there is unlimited sashimi and other great Japanese food to eat as well. Even if you do not like sushi Makino is a great place to go bc they have a grill that you can pick what you want, crab legs, many different kinds of shrimp, and much more. If you are really hungry and love sushi and Japanese food this is a great place to go! They also have great drink prices!
(4)
Andy P.
Right next to Chuckie Cheese on Kingston Pike - you can't miss their sign. They say they are Knoxville's largest upscale buffet and they might just be right. If the price wasn't so steep I would be a lot happier with it but then again it does have over 50 kinds of sushi every meal. I wasn't overly impressed with the sushi but it was good. I'm not a big sushi eater but I tried 4 or 5 kinds. They have a large hibachi grill to cook your food like at any Japanese steakhouse and they seemed to do a good job with that. The buffet had a large variety including a great amount of seafood and it was very good. The fruit and dessert bar were good and also had a variety of choices. The dinner menu included crab legs but they were cold and I wasn't impressed. The other seafood made up for it though and I was well satisfied when I left. My only complaint is that when I pay over $20 for a meal I expect more service - even if it was a buffet.
Takes Reservations : No Delivery : No Take-out : Yes Accepts Credit Cards : Yes Good For : Lunch Parking : Private Lot Bike Parking : No Wheelchair Accessible : Yes Good for Kids : Yes Good for Groups : Yes Attire : Casual Ambience : Casual Noise Level : Average Alcohol : Full Bar Outdoor Seating : No Wi-Fi : No Has TV : Yes Waiter Service : Yes Caters : No
Dan H.
Really high-quality buffet for both lunch and dinner. Servers are nice and attentive. Can get a bit loud at times when there are lots of people, but that's to be expected. There are four main components to the buffet itself: 1) The typical buffet food section Pretty generic stuff here, fried rice, chow mein, teriyaki chicken, etc. I usually don't get much from this section, but the coconut shrimp is pretty good. 2) Soups There are a few flavors of soup you can order here. One of the more special ones is the udon noodle soup. Really hard to come by these in buffets (at least the ones I've been to). The only problem is that sometimes the chefs who run the grill have to do this too, so they may end up putting starchy water into the soup. 3) Hibachi grill Another buffet, Hibachi Grill & Supreme Buffet, offers this too. However, I think Makino does this a bit better, as they have fewer choices but higher quality. There are some choices that are only offered for dinner (scallop and salmon steak?), but there are ample lunch choices. 4) Sushi Ahh, my favorite. You can go up and grab whatever you want for lunch; lots of rolls for you to choose from as well as constantly-replenished nigiri. I find that their salmon tastes a lot fresher than their tuna, but both are very good. The chefs do _not_ put wasabi under the nigiri. If you go for dinner, they give you an order sheet which you order sushi off of. There are a lot more choices on the dinner menu, and you can order sashimi which isn't a lunch choice. Some of my favorite rolls are the Green Dragon roll (lunch/dinner), the Makino roll (lunch version only -- don't like the soy wrapping the dinner version has), and the crunchy crab (dinner only). Great restaurant! Love the fact that the manager actually walks around and greets people. Definitely one of the better buffets in Knoxville.
(4)Michael Y.
I try to avoid "all you can eat" places, but, I must admit I keep sneaking back here for lunch. The sushi is good, much better than grocery store sushi. I admit I love Nama, but dislike the Nama price tag. The amount of sushi I get here for $10 would cost $40 at Nama. Ok, sure the clientele and ambiance are not as sexy as Nama, I appreciate the value. The seaweed salad is great, chicken is good and the standard Asian fare is good as well.
(5)Dave C.
A place I will come every year if I will be going to Bristol! Awesome and wow. Can't believe this place so traveling over 575 miles just for this meal
(5)Fangfang E.
I usually don't comment, but I think this place deserves a higher star rating. Frog legs r real tender, grilled steak is tasty, the variety of sushi is large, with Asian flavored ice cream, $9.95 for lunch. What more can you ask for?
(5)Anthony C.
Great crab legs, friendly service, made to order sushi, fresh sashimi all at only $17/person. 4 stars which would be 5 but I gotta wait how I FEEL tmrw bc this deal is almost too good to be true :/
(4)Tami L.
Pricier than most of the buffets, but WELL worth it. We usually come for dinner, and I swear that I could eat nothing but crawfish and crab legs. Soooo good. The crawfish are spicy, and the crab legs are always perfect. The clams are also delicious. They take the time to give their food spice and flavor, no cutting corners. Great selection of sushi that is always fresh. Other notable items are the coconut shrimp, sashimi beef, and salads. They have a hibachi grill, but I've no idea if it's any good. I'm always too full of seafood to try it.
(5)Yongquan L.
If I could give 0 star, I will so do it. The food are not fresh. It's just a normal buffet, not as the pictures showing! Do not believe those pictures! There is no fresh fruit except orange, which is the lowest quality ones. I'm very impressive about the artificial flavored scallop. I saw a reward saying top 100 Asian restaurant in the USA, how's that even possible ?
(1)Tiago K.
This is a nice Asian buffet. If you get the food when it's fresh, then it's really good. The crab rangoons and coconut shrimp are delicious. The pot stickers are good. Lots of variety of sushi. Go when it's busy so there's more turnover. It's only $9.95 for lunch but at dinner, the sushi is made to order. I always visit Makino's when I am in town.
(5)Susan P.
Dinner is definitely worth the trip, especially if you like sushi! For $20 you can consume all the sushi /sashimi, Chinese buffet food, hibachi, oysters, and desserts! Its my go to restaurant when I'm craving sushi ~
(4)Eileen Y.
Not sure if it was really all you can eat sushi because they never gave us our menu back after two orders. Though the food was standard buffet fare. The wait staff was okay, what you expect from a Chinese restaurant. Only stopped here on our way home, interior needs a little love.
(2)Salmaan T.
Everything is 5 stars with the exception of the chinese food section. The coconut shrimp is great, the other items are okay. The hibachi is very good, considering you get to pick whatever you want. I had the steak and shrimp. The steak is ribeye and I had a couple of pieces of steak that were more fat than meat but no other issues other than that. The sushi was surprisingly very good. You can get sushi from the buffet or they make it for you. Even the price of $18 for dinner isn't bad, and the lunch deal ($10.50) is as good as it gets. Would definitely go back.
(4)Amity L.
Each time I'm in town (and even when I'm not) I make an effort to stop by this place. I have only been here for dinner and as far as buffets go this place is AMAZING. The dinner is about 20 dollars a person (tax included) and yes that is a little steep but you'll definitely get your moneys worth. Although their selection is small, it has everything that you would want to eat. They have a hibachi grill and UNLIKE most other places they serve ribeye steak and salmon along with your usual chicken and shrimp. For the ribeye steak, it is not the typical frozen pieces that can barely classify as steak, it is the whole shebang. They take a whole piece of steak and grill it for each serving. Usually when I go to buffets I try not to order these items because they fill me up quickly, but for this place I'll make an exception. They also have unlimited sushi that you can order from the bar so each piece and roll is made specially for you with a selection of specialty rolls, sashimi and nigiri (like a regular sushi restaurant). They have unlimited crab legs, crawfish, steamed clams and oysters. I can't wait to go back! Just writing this review makes me excited (yes I love food, especially good food), in fact I'm going back in a couple of days. Lastly, it doesn't hurt that their servers are really nice too.
(4)Virginia T.
The food here is not very flavorful and it all has a weird bitter-sour undertone. Even the fresh made hibachi grill fare has the same bland, slightly rancid taste just strong enough to ruin the plate. The flounder I ordered was cooked well but again, was bland except for an odd 'off' taste. My husband's steak was overcooked and chewy. The sushi was also bland and poorly prepared. Some of it disintegrated while being placed on the plate. The 'spicy' sushi was as bland as the un-spicy and all of the rolls tasted the same regardless of the composition. The selections at lunch were very limited and the Sesame Chicken was a strangely colored soupy mess. The fried scallops were store bought, thawed, generic seafood, but were also one of the best things on the buffet as they did not have the strange stale seasoning on them and they were not overcooked, The same cannot be said for the Teriyaki Chicken which had no teriyaki flavor at all and was dry and overdone. Considering the price I expected better quality food. Go to Wasabi instead, Better food, better prices, better ambience.
(1)John S.
Probably my favorite Asian buffet in Knoxville. Their potstickers are awesome. They are deep fried and have a decent crunch to them. Normally I avoid buffet sushi like the plague, but the sushi here is actually a very good quality. Not the best sushi I've had but hands down the best buffet sushi. They also have a steak sashimi (I think that's the name). It's served rare to med rare and you get it from the cold bar next to the grill. It's more tender and flavorful than the steak from the hibachi grill. One of my favorite lunch spots. This place is always a good choice.
(5)Santiago R.
Really good Japanese Buffet, they offer a variety of, not only sushi rolls and sashimi, but also dishes you can help yourself to. In buffet terms, it's on the pricier side for its area, but in my humble opinion worth every buck spent. Many have been the times that I drove about an hour from my hometown just to feed the crave for this place, if you think regular buffet sushi is good enough for you, be sure to visit one of "America's Top 100 Asian Buffets." Excellent quality for the price-range, excellent selection, always left satisfied. So, for what the concept of a buffet is worth, I can safely say there is still hope, thanks to places like this. This is the only buffet I can go to with absolutely no regrets. A total #recommend.
(5)Alyson W.
Awesome place to get your sushi fix. Great selection of rolls, and sashimi. Adults $18 and kids under 10 $8 (3 and under free). Great place to introduce kids to sushi, and other unique foods (crabs and oysters on half shell). You can end the meal if you have room with some hand dipped ice cream as well :)
(4)Susan P.
We went back. That says something there. Went earlier for the lunch buffet to see the difference. A Very Nice difference! Upgrade by a star. If you're looking for a good AYCE sushi experience in Knoxville on a TIGHT budget, this is your place! I'd come here for lunch before I went out to dinner anywhere else. The rolls had a great variety, cruchies, sauces, originals, vegetarian, and combo rolls on display. Noodle bar. Shellfish on ice in the center (shrimp and mussels) and a good refill rate on the side bar of Chinese fare. I would go back again. And again. And again. Because it's not only good, it's cheap.
(4)Dmitriy B.
The food is very unflavorful. The food bar is a LOT better than the sushi here. The quality of sushi here is awful... Ordered a Philly Roll, received a roll with 60% cream cheese and 40% tuna from a can, their Orange Chicken is good though... Eat here at your own discretion, I won't be coming back...
(1)Ricky T.
Lunch with a drink came down to around $10. Service is always excellent, they always make you feel very welcome there. The sushi selection is excellent! very fresh, and you sure are to save so much more money when the sushi is unlimited. Hibachi is excellent as well! oh and the fried rice and scallops! Definitely one of the better buffet's I've been to for the value. I haven't been there for dinner, but the word is dinner prices go up to around $18... so maybe a bit steep.
(4)Leonard D.
I'm not sure where the people are eating that are writing these good reviews, as my last two visits have been less than good. They advertise fresh shrimp and oysters on the sign out front, but none of these have been on the buffet in my last two visits at dinner time. I would suggest that you get there before 8:30pm. They do have chicken teriyaki and coconut shrimp on the buffet, but not much more. Most of the offering had one or two pieces on the buffet (looked like the last two had been there a while), and the pudding all had a crust on them. The one bright note was the selection of sushi made to order. Staff is friendly and the sushi was delivered to my table very quickly. Water had a strange taste to it (kinda a fish taste and smell), so I had to add a lot of lemon to be able to drink it. I will not go back for dinner again, but maybe lunch is better if they actually have customers and put items out on the display, otherwise the package of sushi I bought at Publix earlier in the week was a btter value at half the price.
(2)Matt C.
Best value in Knoxville for sushi. The sushi fish is bought fresh every morning and you can really tell. The rolls are NOT small. Lunch sushi is pre-made, after about 5:00 you get made to order with the buffet, which is $3.00 off before 6:00 for the early bird special, i.e. go between 5 and 6 for the absolute best value. ***EDIT: They no longer offer the early bird special.*** The hibachi is wonderful, all items are fresh and plentiful. The hibachi chefs will cook it just as you like it and their shrimp sauce is TOP NOTCH! Everything else is just fluff for me, but there is a great raw bar INCLUDING my favorite... oysters. I generally avoid the crab legs, but they are ok, I just don't like boiled crab legs, I prefer them steamed. There is a small selection of chinese items that are all tasty as well as some great oriental vegetables and seaweed salad. You just can't go wrong at this place! The food is excellent, the price is right (even without the early bird), my only complaint is that the atmosphere needs updating. It's a little dank and old looking, and I've sat at more than one sticky table. Totally forgivable considering I eat about $75 worth of sushi every time I go. The staff is friendly and absolutely on the ball, you will never sit long with a half-filled drink or an empty plate on your table. Bottom line, this is absolutely one of the gems of Knoxville and one of our favorite places in east Tennessee to eat.
(5)Sean M.
$20 all you can eat, made to order sushi. If you can't see the value in this then you will do just fine going to one of 30,000 other Asian buffets in the East Tennessee area. This is a great bargain if you, like myself, typically run up a $70-$80 tab at a sit down sushi restaurant. You can choose to mess with the buffet or not. I will agree with other reviewers that the buffet portion is no better or worse than the hundreds of other Asian buffets that dot the East Tennessee restaurant scene. But the all you can eat sushi and the fact that you can get it made to order...it's not sitting out on a buffet...is worth the price of admission in my book. NOTE: I think the made to order sushi is only available during dinner. At lunch (which is about $10 cheaper) they have a wide selection on the buffet.
(4)Larry M.
$18 all you can eat buffet and made-to-order sushi menu INCLUDED. You can't go wrong. The atmosphere appeared a little sketchy when we got there, but definitely try it. We were very pleased with everything. We'd definitely go back.
(4)Doug G.
Not bad for a buffet!!! Loved the coconut shrimp. Great price for lunch. I would go back. My daughter eats here all the time and she loves it.
(4)Susie C.
This place is decent. $18 for dinner on buffet. I've had better in Chicago, but this place in Knoxville TN isn't so bad. We can order fresh sushi unlimited times. The sushi rolls were decent. I really enjoyed the nigiris especially the salmon. Delicious! Drinks are not covered in the buffet. It is extra cost. They have a mix of Chinese/Japanese foods there. My fiance really enjoyed the hibachi rice that he and my other friends kept going back for more. The stir-fry was good, too! I loved the scallops. Sushi was decent - I've had better but it is a sushi buffet so I can't have high expectations for really good sushi. Overall - we had a decent time. Price was good. Food was good. It was pretty quiet for a Saturday night on a Memorial Day weekend, tho. Service was good. Our waitress was friendly and smiled the entire time while serving us.
(3)Kevin Y.
As far as all-you-can-eat buffets go, Makino offers a pretty large selection of decently made Asian-american dishes for a cheap price. I was pleasantly surprised to find that Makino offers a decent selection of specialty rolls in the buffet, and if you really want to get the most bang for your buck, you should focus your attention on these. As far as the other dishes go, I'm a big fan of their coconut shrimp and teriyaki chicken. Avoid the tempura, which isn't particularly fresh or well-fried. One of my tempura vegetables was a gigantic piece of broccoli that was both hard to fit into my mouth and a little too raw for my taste. The decor of the restaurant isn't much to write home about, but it does offer a pleasant environment for you to enjoy while you gorge yourselves. Overall, there's nothing amazing about the food here, but for the price (and the fact that it's a buffet), Makino does a fairly good job at satisfying its customers.
(3)Jennie C.
I'm a little torn when it comes to buffets. They can be a crapshoot sometime. You'll end up getting something that's been sitting under the warming lamp. Not this place. For a cool Hamilton, you get AYCE during lunch. Sushi, teriyaki, soups, you name it. And those sauteed green beans in soy sauce? Mmm, mmm, good. Wouldn't recommend spending anymore (but that's just me) for dinner, but I can't turn down a place that provides AYCE for $10 during lunch. This place is a good solid 4 stars, but I took 1 away during one visit. My friend and I were foolish to order WAYYY TOO MUCH sushi. The waitresses knew we were struggling and kept giving us the evil eye. Despite being there for 2 hours (to slowly peck at it), I was able to finish the last roll (eating it and secretly tucking it away in my purse). Yeah, I understand it's business and I shouldn't waste food, but I shouldn't have to be stared at constantly to make sure I eat it completely. Kind of unnerving, no?
(3)Christina A.
We always enjoy the sushi here and the hot buffet is good! In terms of sushi, it's not the best ever but certainly better than some others we've tried in the area.
(4)Janette C.
I'm always leary of sushi buffets but this place was great! Delicious. Fast. Not overly expensive.
(4)Lena J.
A word of advice with Makino, at least as far as I see it: Dinner prices are not worth it.. Lunch prices totally are. Buffets are usually horrible, and I'm sure that everyone with taste-buds knows that. That said, Makino is a pleasant surprise. The sushi is good, and fresh. The color of each piece of fish is vibrant and clean, and you can watch the men making your sushi right behind the bar itself. The other hot items (tempura, fried rice, coconut shrimp, etc.) are alright, but nothing to write home about. They usually have a variety of soups out, though the only one I've had is miso, which...pretty much tastes like your average miso soup. There's also a cold bar filled with the usual fruits, jello, and other deserts, even ice cream. The only thing I've noticed, which is a problem when it comes to even good buffets, is that after a while everything starts to taste the same. Maybe it's just me, but after a few pieces of sushi, I feel like I've had enough of the 'Makino taste' in my mouth. However, for the price of the lunch buffet, Makino is a solid choice. The servers are nice and attentive, and the sushi is never sitting out long. Makino is the best buffet option in Knoxville, but not the best place to get sushi, by far.
(4)Melanie T.
$17.95 all you can eat Japanese buffet, CRAB LEGS anddddd sushi! It can't get better than that! They also had $3.50 mixed drinks and $6 bottles of sake! I'm from the Chicago suburbs and a Japanese buffet like this would of ran us almost $30 a person and that's not including sushi, so to me this place was a steal! I loved everything about the place... it was clean, the people were nice and polite, the presentation of the food was gorgeous, the food was fresh and replenished when it got empty and I was never a fan of sushi until I came here! My husband and I came here randomly on a mommy-daddy date away from the kids on Sunday and we're going back tonight (Thursday) with the kids!
(5)Zhu L.
The lunch buffet is cost-efficient，about $9.5 per adult. Go to enjoy the seafood especially the crab legs in the dinner buffet，approximately $16 each person.You can also try many exotic Chinese snacks such as fried dumplings wonton spring rolls. Salmon sushi here is very good.
(4)Joel S.
Good price for lunch, I've never been for dinner, but it's significantly pricier, and I think the only difference is crab legs. The sushi bar is amazing, huge selection (for East Tennessee at least), fresh ingredients, and above average (if not quite amazing) quality. I've never tried the hibachi, but friends have said it is good. The rest of the food bar is fairly sparse, consisting of a few generic Asian dishes and some shellfish, and didn't seem to be quite as high quality as the sushi and hibachi.
(4)Sara L.
Oh my gosh, easily one of the best eateries in Knoxville - and definitely my favorite! Plenty of space, with a beautiful, clean atmosphere. The food is always fresh, lunch or dinner - the hot foods are hot, the colds foods are cold, and the sushi is always immaculately prepared. All their different soups are great, and you can never go wrong with the hibachi grill (though it's not right in front of you; it's at the buffet with the rest of the food, lol). At lunchtime, the sushi is on display at the buffet - but at night, you're given a list at the table to choose from, and you get all you want. It's a little pricey in the evening (about $17 a person, I think), but the lunch price is $10.50 - and for all the amazing coconut shrimp, shredded seaweed, edamame, udon soup, crab legs, and sushi you get, it's a total steal.
(5)Rosalyn J.
This was my first time eating here and I can't wait to come back when I am in town. It was soooooooo good!!! From the chilled shrimp, to the Hiabchi rice and Chicken Teriaki and the yummy crab legs. This place was wonderful!! For 17.95 you can eat all you want. The only downside is the service sucked here. No one ever came to check on or ask if I wanted more to drink. They get a 1 for that...
(5)Deborah L.
Who erased my review? i post it again. The one of owners is a really crazy guy. On weekday night, the sashimi that we ordered was so late and less numbers than we ordered. So, we complained to the server about that and the sushi-man, the owner of the restaurant, came out and blamed us back. He kept repeating, "In buffet, all you can eat but not all you can waste! If you don't finish up of all the rolls that you ordered, you can't not order any more sashimi. That's the common sense" with a very strong accent. What kind of Buffet has that kind of common sense? His way to treat the customer was very RUDE and UNPLEASANT. It was so awful that kind of guy owns the business. I do like to stop any more customers from getting treated in that bad way. After that happened, I promised that I will never visit there any more. Forever...
(1)Joshua B.
The food and service were fine, until the point I was at the grill area waiting on my food to finish and saw a roach crawling beside the grill. The cook knocked it off to the side before anyone else saw it. I enjoyed my meal until that point, but after that I was afraid to eat anything else because if it was that close to the grill, then it could very easily crawl onto the grill and end up in the meal.
(1)Ramon L.
Good sushi at a good price! This is not a small deal, since it is usually way overpriced. It is an all-one-can-eat place, but the quality of the food is good and the price is reasonable. They have fruit and ice cream and other extras. There are some choices for a meat-and-potato friend. The place is clean and bright and pleasant. Safe for an evening one just doesn't want to cook.
(4)Claire L.
food here are great! especially their crawfish during the weekend, ( Cajun spicy!), service: 4/5, food: 4/5 !! great place if you are looking for a seafood buffet around Knoxville!
(4)Amber B.
We go to Makino at least once a month! It is the best all you can eat sushi that I have ever had! We would easily spend over $100 for the amount of sushi we eat when we go there. I like the last 3 rolls on the order sheet the best. They are the chefs special. We always get great service and the owner or manager always has a smile on his face. One thing I can say that I don't like is we sometimes do not get all the rolls that we order and they are often out of the Tuna Tataki (Prob bc its amazing). Most of the time if we ask the server she/he will bring the roll we did not get. We love that there is unlimited sashimi and other great Japanese food to eat as well. Even if you do not like sushi Makino is a great place to go bc they have a grill that you can pick what you want, crab legs, many different kinds of shrimp, and much more. If you are really hungry and love sushi and Japanese food this is a great place to go! They also have great drink prices!
(4)Andy P.
Right next to Chuckie Cheese on Kingston Pike - you can't miss their sign. They say they are Knoxville's largest upscale buffet and they might just be right. If the price wasn't so steep I would be a lot happier with it but then again it does have over 50 kinds of sushi every meal. I wasn't overly impressed with the sushi but it was good. I'm not a big sushi eater but I tried 4 or 5 kinds. They have a large hibachi grill to cook your food like at any Japanese steakhouse and they seemed to do a good job with that. The buffet had a large variety including a great amount of seafood and it was very good. The fruit and dessert bar were good and also had a variety of choices. The dinner menu included crab legs but they were cold and I wasn't impressed. The other seafood made up for it though and I was well satisfied when I left. My only complaint is that when I pay over $20 for a meal I expect more service - even if it was a buffet.
(3)