Miraku

Though I love their sashimi their service is beyond awful. The servers are very rude and you wait forever for everything.

I have to say this is the one of the best sushi restaurants I’ve been to in a long time. It is my go to sushi place. The employees are all very nice, place is clean, sushi is great, and the location is easy to find.

Homey-​atmosphere that are hard to come by nowadays. I usually get the makuonochi ~$ 16 (beef or salmon or chicken teriyaki, sashimi, tempura, tsukemono, miso soup, rice, and ice cream)!

Food and service have always been spot on! Prices are great and the squid is awesome! We have ate here regularly! Always are go to place for Japanese food!

Have been here four or five times with my coworkers. For the most part it’s been pretty good.
Most of us typically get one of the lunch combos which typically means you get your food pretty quickly. Ton-​katsu, teriyaki chicken, salmon or beef, tempura are good, but not exceptional.
Miraku is often busy at lunch but usually the staff which includes the cute little Mama-​sans are moving pretty quickly and efficiently. Yesterday however it took forever to get us seated, and then forever for our waitress to show up. The one order of Sushi showed up in short time, but then two of the lunch combos took quite a while to be delivered, and the third was finally brought to the table when the three other guys were just about done with their food. That last lunch combo was Tonkatsu and Tempura. Nothing at all complicated. Maybe they were just having a bad day. But I swear that their layout is so inefficient with drink station, and kitchen location all spread out. Wait staff seem to spend most of their time spinning their wheels.
One other thing that we all noticed on this occasion and on the previous occasion, is that there was a stench of sewage in the waiting area. It smelled horrible and the smell of course wafted over to the tables. There is something very wrong there. Sewage backing up, or sewage ventilation is clogged. Either way this has to be a health issue in addition to it just being disgusting.

The sashimi hasn’t been very fresh tasting the last couple of times I’ve been here. Also, when I bit into the tuna sashimi, I hit sinew, which made the texture chewy.
Aside from the sashimi, everything in my previous review stands.

The chef makes really delicious and fresh sashimi and nigiri that everyone must try. If you have never tried the super white tuna, order it! Its fatty and gives you a sweet creamy texture. SUPER DELICIOUS! The grilled squid as well as the saba shioyaki are things you must order from the kitchen. The saba shioyaka was grilled nicely and was not super dry or burnt. the moment you put it in your mouth, you taste the delicious chewy fish. The grilled squid is very chewy and on the side had some.veggies. if you like regular rolls, the california roll is super delicious. They use real crab meat and dont over stuff it with mayo. It really does look like the restaurant cares for its customers and the food they give. From. the tea (a mix of matcha and brown rice) to the fancy sashimi, everythimg was PERFECTLY done and presented. Must go!!!
I really love the environment. The moment you step in, you feel like you are in japan! One of the waitress was wearing a kimono and the decoration was very nice. The service was really good and everyone. there is.friendly!

I love their decorate. Traditional Japanese decorate and food is fresh. Compare to the other restaurant the price is acceptable. This is the best place in walnut creek downtown for me since I always like the Japanese food. I highly recommend their dinner combination and Sashimi. I definitely will be back next time.

Delicious fish, friendly staff, pretty clean. The rice was covered in sugar. I know there is sugar in the rice but this was a little over the top for my liking. I’d come back again though. Edamame, miso and dessert were offered complimentary which was a nice touch.

Food was great and the ambiance was awesome. Loved the little old ladies in their kimonos. The amount of Japanese customers follows in the «go where the locals go» tradition for good authentic food.

The food is always really good but service is awful. The old kimono ladies never have a smile on their face and have the most annoying voices ever. They never come check up on you and it’s impossible to get their attention because they’re just standing around talking to each other… one of the older ladies that doesn’t wear a kimono (she wears all black and has glasses) is just straight up rude and not helpful. Always rushes to get orders, like literally expects to take your order a second after you sit down and if you don’t have your order ready she doesn’t come back to the table for like 30 minutes. She also makes faces and rolls her eyes at you when you ask for something. I really wish the service at miraku was better. The food is always great but because of service I don’t know if it’s even worth going back.

Had a late lunch here with some friends after hiking at Mt. Diablo. Missed the lunch special. Had the early dinner Tonkatsu special fir $ 9.99 and my daughter requested rainbow roll without cucumber or avocado. When her order came, the roll still had cucumber in it. Since my daughter was so hungry, she ate it. To make it up, they brought her some seaweed salad. My tonkatsu was good. No complaints from me. My friend’s ordered assorted sushi. The green tea ice cream given at the end of our meal was very nice. My friend advised me that their lunch deals are a good value. Will come for lunch next time instead of dinner.

Well, they blew my first udon experience. Thanks.
I’ve never had udon and I really didn’t know what to get. The older ladies were more than unwilling to help me out. They were impatient, but had time to grab each other and stand in front of our booth and laugh at my boyfriend for hanging noodles across his bowl with a chopstick so that they cool down… But don’t ask them for a recommendation.
The bathrooms smell like sewage and it seeps into the main dining room.
Pass.

Where do I begin… I almost hate telling people about this place because I love it so much I don’t want it to get lines out the door like some places in the bay area. However it is truly amazingly fresh and I have NEVER been disappointed.
If you like chardonnay like myself, I recommend their Wente and thankfully they keep their drinks inexpensive to offset the cost of a delicious sushi (or sashimi) dinner.
I typically order the sashimi dinner but have loved everything I’ve ever tried when venturing outside my comfort zone. Salmon Kama (special) is amazing. I’ve had some decent rolls but emphasize the fish is SO fresh… better than anywhere I’ve ever been that ordering as much sashimi (they also have a sashimi appetizer) as possible is really your best bet. If you’re the type to recognize fresh fish and order more «plain» things instead of tempura and cream cheese on everything, come here! I’ve been to other places with more popularity for their speciality rolls but if you have the fish, it is just not the same. Anybody can make fried sushi rolls and it will turn out «decent». When you want good quality, fresh daily sashimi and care about the «melt in your mouth» flavor of the actual fish, I highly recommend you come here. Although admittedly, I hope it remains my little secret sushi place, off the beaten path of the other downtown Walnut Creek restaurants. service also impeccable most nights.

I’m conflicted, and I’ve only been here once, but maybe the conflicts will resolve themselves.
Pros:
++ Solid, delicious sushi. Smaller sushi menu is nice — I don’t need 800 variations on the same roll, I want 12 – 15 distinct rolls to choose from. I like a subtle menu.
+++ Wonderful miso soup, some of the best I’ve had in the area. Unique, flavorful and delicious.
+ Free edamame? Wonderful.
+ Very good prices for the amount of food, including the combo specials.
+ The interior is good, clean and comfortable. The booths are a nice touch for a hint of privacy.
Cons:
—? I’m sorry, is this place like borderline racist? I am familiar with Japanese culture and went with a friend who just moved here after three years in Japan, and we were both laughing in awe at some of the ridiculous play acting that happens. Titter Japanese women in kimonos, really? I saw them drop the act multiple times when they were out of line of sight (or so they thought.) So odd.
— Very, very slow service. We were one of five or six parties there with an equal amount of wait staff, and our four rolls took almost an hour to all come out, staggered. Strange.
— Parking is god awful. Stick to the street.
I will be back!
(Oh also, I don’t know if this was a restaurant thing or a party thing but for someone’s birthday they played the most awesome, most obnoxious, best Generic Birthday Song over the loudspeakers. I want to hear it every day for the rest of my life.)

I loved the ambience of Miraku and the traditional Japanese décor, accompanied by waitresses dressed in traditional Japanese clothing. It is no doubt a lovely restaurant appearance-​wise. However, my visit was slightly marred by the fact that my sashimi slices did not taste fresh at all. That being said, I love how Miraku provides patrons with free green-​tea ice cream (I am addicted to anything matcha-​flavored).
I would be hesitant to recommend this restaurant to friends and family. The fish obviously was not as fresh as it could have been.

My first comment on Unilocal.I am Japanese food lover, and Miraku is traditional Japanese restaurant owned by family more than 30 years (The waitress told me). The service is great, food is great, and ambience is great. Sukiyaki is my favorite, and all fish taste fresh. I will definitely come back!!!

We love Miraku! One of our favorite Japanese restaurants in the East Bay that is traditional in every sense of the word — fresh food, friendly service with the sweetest Japanese ladies, and décor. The prices are also totally reasonable for the quality they provide. I used to order a lot of catering for work and my clients were always excited when I told them I brought Miraku.
This is one of the few places where I’ll order futomaki and sukiyaki because they actually know how to make it. Keep up the good work!

~3.5 stars
Cute sushi place with traditional Japanese décor. The waitresses were older Japanese women and wore kimonos, which was super adorable. Parking can be bad when they’re busy since they have a small lot. I came here for a work dinner and the service was pretty good for such a large party — the waitress was attentive and the food came out in a timely manner.
We shared a bunch of appetizers and sushi rolls. The Agedashi tofu was delicious and I definitely recommend ordering it! The gyoza was nice and crisp and the sauce that was drizzled on the plate was very tasty. The chicken skewers were good but I didn’t eat all of mine because it looked a little too pink for comfort. The salmon was cooked perfectly! The side salad, miso soup, and mixed tempura were also good and comparable to most other sushi restaurants. The reason why I gave it 3.5 stars instead of 4 was because the sushi rolls were disappointing. They were small and plain and didn’t taste that great.
Overall, I liked the food and the ambiance. I wouldn’t mind coming back but I wouldn’t go out of my way to come here either.

This fabulous little sushi place doesn’t look like much from the outside; however the inside is beautiful, the food is amazing, and so is service.
I absolutely love the décor. The dim lighting, the beautiful pond int he middle of the restaurant, and just the over all vibe of the place is very casual and comfortable. Our server was very prompt and super friendly. Within five minutes of ordering our food it was placed in front of us. Perfect for those who are on time constrictions.
We started with complimentary edmame, then sipped on some miso soup which was hot and tasty. The broth was very flavorful without being too salty, and I loved the diced scallions for the little crunch factor.
I ordered two rolls: The Gemini Roll, and the Tuna Poke roll. Both are very reasonable price wise, and the fish has got to be some of the freshest I’ve ever seen at any sushi restaurant. The color on them was just gorgeous, and the flavor was «Oh my god» good. The rolls are not giant, they are actually very modest sizes, perfect for lunch time. Both rolls have tuna in them, one was spicy and the other not. A perfect balance in my opinion.
One of the best sushi places I’ve visited in the Walnut Creek area. Very much worth every one of the 5 stars.