Drive-through sushi saved this Arden Arcade restaurant during COVID. Now it’s a business fixture

Customers roll up to the drive-through window at 2338 Fair Oaks Blvd. in Arden Arcade, the site of a former Wendy’s. They leave with takeout containers full of donburi and yakisoba plus whatever sushi Ulemj “Uugii” Tsogtgerel is slicing.

Tsogtgerel and his family own Makisu Sushi, likely the Sacramento region’s only drive-through restaurant focused on sushi. Opened in 2018 near Loehmann’s Plaza Shopping Center, it took advantage of desperate times to attract new customers and establish some staying power.

Makisu has a relaxed dining room, too, and certain dishes are best ordered when one has time to sit down and enjoy them — nigiri should be eaten as immediately as possible after construction, for example, and $100 sushi boats lose the charm of their presentation when taken to-go. But the 100+ rolls on Makisu’s menu will keep well enough on a short ride home, Tsogtgerel said.

The “ugzilla” roll, a play on Tosgtgerel’s nickname, features spicy tuna, jalapeños and the crunch of soft-shell crab tempura underneath seared salmon steak slices and housemade guacamole. There’s a “carne asada” roll filled with beef teriyaki, cream cheese and asparagus tempura, and the signature “fresh prince,” in which a sweet yuzu sauce pokes through spicy tuna and salmon. Fish wraps eschew nori and rice, instead twirling sauced-up albacore around spicy tuna and avocado or salmon around imitation crab.

Tsogtgerel’s mother Oyunaa Zagol immigrated from Mongolia in 2003; he and his sister, Nomi Oyunbileg, followed in 2006. He worked in local Japanese restaurants throughout the 2000s and 2010s, including Sumo Sushi, which Makisu replaced in 2018 on Fair Oaks Boulevard (a Roseville location remains open).

Business was slow at first, but when the COVID-19 pandemic came around, Tsogtgerel figured it was time to start using the drive-through window left behind by the original fast food tenant. He sliced fish, Zagol made kitchen dishes and Oyunbileg served customers through the window, most of whom ordered online to minimize person-to-person contact.

Makisu’s revenue doubled throughout the pandemic, and some customers came back to dine indoors. Thirty to 40 customers now use the drive-through window each day, accounting for 20% to 25% of Makisu’s revenue, Tsogtgerel said.

The three family members continue to work together at Makisu, named for the bamboo mat used to roll sushi, along with Tsogtgerel’s fiancée and a small staff. Some customers such as Angelik Trujillo are still wary of drive-through sushi, but having eaten in Makisu’s dining room in the past, she was willing to give it a shot on Monday.

“I wasn’t too sure about it at first, but I’m excited to try it out. I’ve never done this before, but a coworker suggested it ... and I do like the sushi here,” Trujillo said.

What I’m Eating

While Makisu offers grab-and-go convenience, you’ll want to stay a while at Kinjo Hand Roll Bar, which celebrated its two-year anniversary in Richmond Grove this month. Dennis Ng, who also owns Kansai Ramen & Sushi House in Tahoe Park, has admirably filled the shoes of Chinese-Hawaiian breakfast institution Harry’s Cafe with his modern Cali-Japanese concept.

Ng came up in Sacramento’s early 2000s sushi scene, working at Taka’s (now Ju Hachi) under the famous Taka Watanabe. He now employs Watanabe’s son Trevor as a sushi chef at Kinjo, which translates to “neighborhood” in Japanese. It’s a fitting name for the intimate, lively dining room, where regulars belly up to the L-shaped bar for hand rolls are wrapped in cylindrical nori tubes and placed on Kinjo-branded wooden boats.

A full meal at Kinjo feels like a never-ending smorgasbord of delights ferried across the bar: bright yellowtail ($8.50) rolled on top of a shiso leaf, smoky, crunchy salmon skin ($7) with apple slices and teriyaki sauce, lightly iron-y uni ikura ($15) sourced from local seafood favorite Sunh Fish Co.

The ocean spring ($8.50) special, though, was arguably the best hand roll of the bunch. Deep red bluefin tuna cubes were complemented by kimchi-infused ponzu, pickled daikon, carrot strips, mint and jalapeño slices, culminating in a fresh-tasting, all-in-one experience that balanced savory, spicy and acidic flavors beautifully.

Smoked brisket ramen ($16.50) is another standout special, this one also offered at Kansai throughout the winter. A cook at a noteworthy local barbecue restaurant smokes the meat during his time off and sells it to Ng, along with umami-loaded broth packed with its own beefy flavor.

Kinjo Hand Roll Bar

Address: 2026 16th St., Sacramento

Hours: 11:30 a.m.-2 p.m. and 5-9 p.m. daily

Phone: 916-594-9011

Website: kinjohandrollbar.com

Drinks: Craft beer bottles, sake, soju, soda and tea

Vegetarian options: Small plates such as spicy garlic edamame, an avocado-cucumber-sweet chili hand roll and ice cream, including Asian flavors such as ube and Thai tea.

Noise level: Somewhat loud — noise can bounce around a bit in the tight space

Outdoor seating: Two streetside tables

Openings & Closings

▪ Oaxaca, Ernesto Delgado Hospitality Group’s new Mexican restaurant and mezcal bar, has quietly kicked off its soft opening at 3400 Broadway, Suite 170, in North Oak Park’s Broadway Triangle. Initial items include a squash blossom soup, barbacoa tacos and cucumber-jalapeño “mezcalitas.”

▪ Ai Bao Noodles & Tea also recently began its soft opening Jan. 26 at 660 Auburn Folsom Road, Suite 101, in Auburn. Ube taro marble milk teas and iced matcha lattes accompany noodle soups, dumplings and loaded waffles at the cafe.

▪ One more soft opening: Con Azucar Cafe, a Bay Area-based chain that made its first regional splash in Downtown Commons. Franchisee Alan Jiménez brought the Mexican-inspired coffee shop to 630 K St., where it now serves pan dulce and horchata lattes.

This story was originally published January 30, 2025 at 11:15 AM.