Makomae Japanese Cuisine

A hidden gem. Makomae is a Japanese run sushi spot with excellent quality fish and more authentic sushi/food. They have a wide selection of fish, including changing selections from what they get from Japan. They're also known for their Omakase, but you should make a reservation in advance. If you like cooked rolls, unagi sauce and teriyaki, this isn't the spot.

What a gem! The Premium chirashi bowl was absolutely delicious! And Uni and Ikura don - so good you want to squeak with every bite. Japanese uni was tender and sweet, perfect! And lunch prices are super reasonable. Note: Makomae opens at 11:30 am, but by that time there's already a line of people waiting.

One of the best sushi places I’ve been to in the states. The fish is super fresh and melts in your mouth. The restaurant is run by Japanese people and the chefs are also Japanese. However, this place can get superrrrr busy. We came around 12 and had to wait around an hour. The restaurant itself is small, so your food comes out reasonably quickly. The service is attentive. It’s a great restaurant with great food! The quality is worth the price! They also have fish you can get that’s flown from Japan. Crazy!

Not many places in LA offer hard to get fish from Japan. I was impressed with their unique fresh fish and the quality of sushi. I will definitely return for another great experience. I sat at the sushi bar and had great service from the chef.

Makomae is a hidden gem of a Japanese restaurant in Diamond Bar. We went for (my bday) dinner on a Wednesday - without a reservation - and there was about a 20 minute wait, so not too bad. Here's what we recommend: - Premium chirashi bowl ($34.95): this was amazing value. There was chutoro, uni, amaebi, salmon, tuna, and a whole lot more in this bowl. We even got the fried shrimp head on the side with it. Fish was amazingly fresh and we were very impressed! It's a must try! - Salmon skin salad ($11.95): another dish with amazing value. It was overflowing with salmon skin. Another must try! We also tried the fried geso aka squid legs ($7.95), agedashi tofu ($6.95), and gyutan aka beef tongue ($8.95). These were ok, we'd recommend sticking to the premium chirashi and salmon skin salad. There is also an omakase option available for 10 pieces that comes out to like $60-70pp. Not bad value given how expensive omakases are in LA. There are limited tables at the restaurant so get there early. Or make a reservation ahead of time. Ample parking spaces in the lot. Would highly recommend and will definitely be back.

Quality definitely lower than before. Lunch special is unbeatable for the location and price. Won't be getting the Omakase anytime soon but their lunch special is a must!

The fish is always fresh here, staff is friendly and the service is efficient. Can't recommend this place enough, the chirashi bowl is my go to. The prices are good for the portion sizes.

Love coming to Makomae for my omakase needs and a la carte cravings. Friend is a regular here and brought me for my first visit. We did omakase and it's the kind where the sushi chef keeps the sushi coming until you tell them stop. We must have had 20 rounds before we were full and moved onto green tea ice cream for dessert! Everything was so good, I wanted it to keep going, but had to call defeat after 90 minutes. I had a weekend lunch for my second visit and got the two lunch specials from the sushi bar: sushi and sashimi combination (6 pcs sushi, 6 pc sashimi, 1/2 tuna cut roll for $16.95) and the assorted sushi (8 pc sushi and 1/2 tuna cut roll for $15.95). Also added in the corn tempura (one of my favorites from the first visit - $6.95), fried oysters (3 pc for $10.95) and the shrimp and vegetable tempura ($9.95). The two lunch specials also come with miso soup and salad and were quite a good value with the amount of fresh seafood included. I enjoyed the appetizers selected and would love to try the karaage and baby bomb next time! They were pretty busy on both visits so service was okay, but a little slow. They forgot the beer that BF ordered and they didn't come by to refill our waters, but they were good with clearing the empty plates off our table. We definitely felt we were in Japan though, as the servers and sushi chefs conversed in Japanese during our stay. Best to come in small groups, as it's easier to seat groups of 2 at the tables or sushi bar than groups of 4 or larger. Plenty of parking in the plaza, though the spots can get a little tight.