Mikata Izakaya — Restaurant in Vienna

Mikata Izakaya: A Missed Opportunity in Faux-Japanese Dining

Japan feels farther away than ever when you step into Mikata Izakaya. Their carefully curated decor and impeccably framed Instagram moments might trick you into expecting an authentic Japanese dining experience, but don’t let the ambiance fool you. Beneath the veneer of flashy food photos lies a sad imitation of the real thing.

Let's start with the Ebi Tempura. If you've ever had tempura in Japan, you know it's an art form—light, crisp, and pristine. At Mikata Izakaya, it’s a travesty: soggy, stale, and reeking of cheap, overused oil. The shrimp itself tasted like it had seen better days, long before it hit the fryer. This was not tempura; this was an insult.

And then there’s the karaage. Proper Japanese karaage is a masterpiece of marinated chicken, coated in a delicate crust of potato starch and panko, fried to perfection. Mikata’s version? Limp, flavorless chicken wings. Yes, chicken wings! Calling this karaage is not just lazy, it's deceitful.

The sushi was passable—if your standards are low. The fish was serviceable, but the rice? A sad, under-seasoned blob that fell apart before it even reached my mouth. Sushi rice should be sticky, tangy, and a harmonious partner to the fish, not an afterthought.

Mikata Izakaya is proof that all the social media savvy in the world can’t mask a lack of culinary authenticity. It’s a place for the TikTok crowd, not for those who understand—or crave—real...

This is a fine place for Japanese hotpot & sukiyaki. Overall the service is fine, except some unnecessary asking of one’s reason in Vienna. They’ve got this petit dehydrated hand towels in a little sakura shaped dish and they would pour lemon water over it prior to your cater.

I’ve got the sukiyaki & fried tofu. They’re all fine. Soup base for Sukiyaki is a bit too dense/thick… fried tofu is better than 85% of the places in Vienna where this dish is available.

The very downside is it took SUCH A LONG TIME for me to have my food. I waited for 40 MINS for the sukiyaki!!! When it arrived it’s all raw. I would understand the long time if things are partly done, but no.

Perhaps having your consumer noticed when the kitchen is busy is a good idea? I got so hungry that I started to mix the rice with some of the soup from the fried tofu.

Total bill was around 32£ according to Barclays. Won’t say it’s...

The waiter was quick and had a lot of attention to detail. Thanks for being there for us with recommendations and occasional chatting. We ordered okonumiyaki, onigiri and donburi with housemade ice tea and lemonade - all of them tasted great and were presented to be visually stimulating as well! We also had some cocktails (baby girl, midnight lady, sunshine boy) and they were great. Again presentation and taste were awesome. We sat outside and were able to enjoy a mellow summery breeze. It wasn't too busy. Definitely a plus in my opinion.

The interior looked like it was created with lots of love to detail. I wanna sit inside next time we visit. Preferably when it's a little cooler as well so we can order the fabled shabu shabu, looking forward to that.

TL;DR attentive waiter with great service. Awesome food served with lots of love to detail. Location looked great and atmosphere was nice. Coming...