MakiMoto Noosa - Noosaville

I had a wonderful Japanese meal at this restaurant. It was a nice change to be away from the hustle and bustle of Hastings Street. They also had options for those who don't eat seafood.

Tucked away in a nook on Hastings street, this restaurant was a real find. We had miso eggplant, soft shell crab, tempura prawns and teriyaki salmon, which all went down fabulously with a glass of proseco. Can not fault the food.

The normal over priced everything in Noosa is a given, but MakiMoto takes the whole bad service and weak food with to a new level. Tues night we dropped in to MakiMoto, took a seat at the sushi counter, ordered up, food was super slow to come, ok I get it it's cooked to order, they brought us someone else's food to start, we returned it, our order came one by one, not once did anyone check on us, not ONCE, had to ask for part of our order that never came still only brought part of the order, once again not once did they ask, all good need anything more drinks or how was the food, the broccoli tempura had a nice refrigerator taste didn't eat it.. still not one person asked a thing. finished up went to the counter to pay, staff ran the bill charged us for the item that never came, we had to point it out...ordered two, got one..bill was adjusted...as I went to pay SHE HAD THE NERVE TO ASK FOR A TIP.....are you kidding me 93 bucks, **** service, fatty chewy steak, stale food, and in Australia tip is ready included...ZERO SERVICE and asked for a tip....money grap folks stay away

I was pleasantly surprised by the Japanese cuisine at this restaurant, which I thought would be a lighter and healthier option. The decor was nice, although there was no view of the street. The staff were very friendly, and the prices were reasonable for Japanese food. A nice French rose wine topped off a great evening.

After some disappointing experiences with the highly rated Wasabi we had almost given up hope of finding a good Japanese restaurant in Noosa, until we read a review in a local magazine about newcomer MakiMoto. As it was in the middle of Hastings Street we decided to interrupt some fashion restocking and try it for lunch.We almost missed out. MakiMoto is hidden away at the rear of the small plaza off the steps leading to the Sebel, behind Aromas restaurant which conceals it from the street, making it more than a little difficult to find. Only advice from a friendly shopkeeper helped us locate it. MakiMoto deserves more prominent signage, pointing the way to the sheltered and shady courtyard where we were welcomed and ushered to one of the numerous tables, and offered sparkling water with our menus.Unfortunately P had some trouble with her chair, the wooden backrest playing merry hell with her crushed spinal disc. Not a problem: our waitress located a more comfortable chair at the rear, lugged it over to where we had been seated, and comfort was achieved. A good start and an indication of the responsive service.I’ve always found the best way to check out a Japanese restaurant for the first time is to go for lunch and order the Bento Box, which provides a kaleidoscope of the chef’s expertise. Another trick is to order the pickles and Edamame to enjoy with a pre lunch drink. Here, MakiMoto immediately impressed. The home made pickles were quite a change from the more common routine fare, presented in interesting shapes, textures and flavors. The Edamame was perfect.Another test is Agedashi Tofu: all too often modernist Japanese restaurants play with this old favorite. Shame on them. MakiMoto did play a little with theirs, but not too much. The tofu was silken smooth, the broth traditional, and large Bonito flakes waved a friendly welcome to us as the dish came to the table. Much better than our last Wasabi experience! {and none of the set menu nonsense Wasabi impose on paying guests!).The Bento Box which followed was….superb. We both chose the Salmon Bento, but could have selected Chicken, Beef, Sushi Sashimi or Vege. Two generous wooden boxes appeared containing a number of small decorated dishes, including Sashimi, Salmon Teriyaki with snow peas, cauliflowere and broccolini, a garden salad and a diced salmon in mayonnaise salad, with crisp, lightly Panko crumbed Tempura. Yum!Some Bento boxes can be a little light on, but this was a very generous serving indeed, so much so that P had to ask me to help out, a sacrifice I was very pleased to make.The wine list, not enormous, was reasonably comprehensive, and we settled for an excellent NZ Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc.For a total of $130 (excluding tip) I thought this was excellent value and we’re delighted we’re again able to eat Japanese on the Sunshine Coast. I’ve no hesitation in recommending this newcomer(which is, I understand, part of a growing chain….so long as they keep away from “celebrity chefs” who have ruined the Sake chain they should do well) for lunch, and, I suspect, dinner would be equally great. Origato Makimoto