Maki-Yaki Express

We love this place! This is a go to spot for us to get bento boxes to go while we have a newborn at home. Bento box (~$ 10) includes meat rice, California roll, tempura, miso soup. Super bento has egg rolls and shrimp tempura roll added but minus the side rice.

This is my go-​to place for take out sushi. The customer service is always welcoming and friendly and I never mind the wait because the food is so worth it! If you’re in a rush just call in your order. The baked lobster roll is definitely a must-​try.

Love this place! Consistently great every time! They have a big menu and every time I’ve eaten there, the food has been excellent!

I love the chicken breast bowl. It honestly is delicious and always fresh. the veggie tempura is also a favorite of mine.
Downside is bad customer service, the place takes forever to make the food and it’s always messy with food on the tables (they need more employees)
I would not suggest eating there. Definitely call in your order ahead–
Also there is only one bathroom and its in the back in the kitchen– i had to use it once and the cooks had to lift a sheet and let me into the back and have the cooks stop cooking while i was in the bathroom, it was strange.
FOOD IS DELICIOUS and I’m a regular customer.

I really love this little place for what it is. I generally get a 10 dollar bento with tempura and teriyaki chicken or just the chicken bowl. I just like this place its nothing fancy but I feel good after and well fed.

I get lunch here about once a week and it is not bad, usually get the spicy chicken bowl. Sometimes there is too much sweet sauce in it but it’s okay, the sushi is also normal nothing special. It is a good place to get a quick lunch that is not a burger joint

Their food is nasty I order # 54 baked lobster roll gross! There put all this stuff on top of it so when I would pick it up it would fall a part

Couldn’t help myself. I tried to resist. But the sushi was calling me. I flipped a U-​turn and here I am, enjoying a dynamite roll and that terrific miso soup that seems to sooth the tummy for whatever ails me :-)

I just got their beef bento and chicken cutlet bento for dinner and they tasted yummy. The set came with meat, rice, veggie, tempura, and miso soup. Not bad for a $ 10 meal.
The only thing I wish I had more was rice. The meat is plenty but I ate up all the rice before I can finish my meat. It kind of make me wish I have some rice in my rice cooker (but I don’t).
Will come back again for sure.

Great variety excellent place to get lunch. Its not 5 star sushi but again for the price and rapid service well worth a visit if your in Laguna Hills looking for some lunch on your hour lunch break.

I love their Dragon rolls and shrimp tempura. Best tempura I’ve ever had. Speedy service with a smile.

I always order their bento boxes for the family. Great deal if you are hungry and less than $ 10. Bento comes with chicken/​steak, rice, california roll, veggies in vinegrete, shrimp and zucchini tempura, and miso soup. They always provide great service. Son works the register and mom/​dad are cooking.

This place is a little hole in the wall but is amazing! The food is absolutely delicious and you get such a large amount for the price. My family was very pleased with our meals and the California rolls were very fresh. We will definitely be back.

Don’t eat here. What kind of business turns away customers. They told it’s a 45 min wait with no one in line and one person waiting. If they’re so busy then hire sometime for the lunch rush.

Usually come here about once a week for the chicken bowl special and its close to my work. Come around 11:15, to beat the noon lunch rush. This happened on 9÷24÷2014. A lady and her husband came in and wanted her salmon roll with steamed rice cause of food allergy, they said No cause of the noon lunch rush. At this time it was just them and me, not sure why they made a big deal. Then she asked if she can have the salmon meat on the side with some steamed rice, and again they said no. The cashier asked the older Asian male (the owner) and he came out and explained to her that they can’t cause its lunch time and they get busy. They left and did not order food. I was still waiting for my food, and i hear the owner tell the cashier, «Never ask me about special requests during the lunch rush», any other time is ok”. Sadly i didn’t like that, when it comes to special requests i think they should do it. Unfortunately i will no longer be coming here. Just go to Sushi Yaki on Lake Forest, much cleaner place and very friendly.
Not sure why they take so long to clean the tables, when people leave. Old food sitting there. Everytime i come in they are not busy.

TERRIBLE SERVICE, TERRIBLE EXCUSES.
I love Maki-​Yaki, BUT:
This is the absolute worst service I have EVER had at a Maki-​Yaki.
I come to Maki-​Yaki in particular because I am vegetarian, and Maki-​Yaki
always allows me to order a bento with substitutions. Nothing complicated: I ask for all veggie tempura, I switch out the meat for edamame and order an avocado roll instead of a california roll.
However, about two weeks ago I was grabbing a to go lunch for myself and my Aunt. When I proceeded to order my dish, the boy taking my order said «Hold on, let me see if we can do that». This is something they have done many times before.
The boy came back from the kitchen saying that «No, we can’t do that, it’s too busy during lunch hour right now».
I replied to him, «If I ordered all of these items separately, it would take the same amount of time to prepare them.»
We argued a bit back and forth as I was unhappy that I was not receiving the same service because they were busy. I am one of the reasons that you are busy. I am willing to pay for my meal and not complain about the time it takes to prepare it, and as I am next am line, have the right to order whatever I want on your menu. Is this order too complicated for your chef? So you just say ‘no’? That I cannot order this?
On a side note, the new boy that was being trained that day was working very hard.
I ordered an avocado roll and walked away. SO UNHAPPY WITH HOW RUDE AND INCONSISTENT this location is. I WILL NOT come back to this Maki-​Yaki.

Hidden gem! Great for lunch and price is good too!
Cheap and the food comes out fast. Comes with miso soup FOR FREE!

Three stars because you really can’t expect more from a Fast Food Japanese restaurant. Unfortunately I did and was slightly disappointed. The sushi rice was dry and falling apart. Made it difficult to eat. The chicken terriyaki bowl was pretty much the same. Dry rice, dry chicken and not enough terriyaki sauce. The nice surprise was the addition of the miso soup. I will go back but without the higher expectations next time.

After a magical day at Disneyland, my sister found this place thanks to her new Unilocal app! We both had low expectations because it doesn’t look like much; it’s next to a 7 – 11, in the middle of a small shopping complex within an industrial community. However, thanks to the generally positive Unilocal reviews we decided to commit to Maki-​Yaki!
I was surprised by their extensive menu. Bento, sushi, and teriyaki oh my! I decided on #53, spicy pork bowl. Within about 5 minutes, I was devouring the well marinated sukiyaki style pork, with a solid kick. I was impressed by the meat to rice ratio. (Usually, bowls tend to me 80% rice and 20% meat.) This was about 60% rice and 40% meat.
Downside: No restrooms available for the public! Boo!

Maki-​Yaki Express is a fast-​food café where you can get a quick 30 minute Americanized-​Japanese lunch under $ 7.
Most of the basic sushi rolls are offered as well as a variety of bento boxes. The chicken bowl lunch special ($ 5.99) appeared to be a popular order. It included teriyaki chicken with light sauce, steamed rice, steamed vegetables, two pieces of California Roll, and a fountain soda. The quality of the bowl was standard and the portion was just right for lunch. The food was made-​to-​order by one chef.
An interesting story:
Halfway into my meal, I noticed that a couple complained profusely to the chef about the quality of the chicken offered. The woman stated that the chicken tasted rubbery and was «so much different from normal». She requested for a new bowl as she thought she was entitled to. This seemed like an American thing to do — ask for a replacement if the food tastes bad or substandard. Surprisingly, the Japanese chef overreacted and judging from his attitude, he appeared to be offended. Rather than offering a replacement by making the chicken bowl again, he insisted in a defensive yet polite manner that the cashier will give her a full refund. The woman reluctantly accepted the money and left Maki Yaki dumbfounded.
This event demonstrated that the chef was confident in his culinary skills and the consistency of his products. It appeared to me that his belief was if a customer was not satisfied from his food, then he or she would not like the replacement either and should deserve a full refund. For this experience alone, I will return to try the chef specials.