A la carte sushi orders of, counterclockwise from upper left, sake avocado maki, octopus nigiri and salmon maki. Served with the sushi are wasabi, shredded daikon radish and ginger. (Matt Wagner/Stars and Stripes)

Life in the rural Midwest didn’t leave me with much choice when it comes to Japanese food.

The interest to try it has been there for 15 years, and I was ready to give it a shot upon moving to Germany. But I had heard the complaints from colleagues who had been stationed in Japan about how the Japanese food in the Kaiserslautern Military Community wasn’t up to snuff.

Yet when a buddy mentioned a new Japanese restaurant, Mizuki, on Eisenbahnstrasse in downtown Kaiserslautern, I decided finally to dip my toes into the scene. I first tried it with a group of four on a Saturday evening in mid-January.

The food exceeded my expectations. I ordered the chicken gyoza and beef tenderloin yakitori — someone pointed out the irony of it being beef, when yakitori translates to grilled chicken — and I enjoyed the filling and savory taste of both appetizers, especially when dipped in ponzu and teriyaki sauces.

The bar area at Mizuki in Kaiserslautern, Germany, includes local favorites as well as Japanese beers like Asahi and Kirin. Sake and nonalcoholic beverages are served, too. (Matt Wagner/Stars and Stripes)

The ground floor at Mizuki in Kaiserslautern, Germany, usually is full, especially on a weekend night. The Japanese restaurant opened in December 2023. (Matt Wagner/Stars and Stripes)

My main meal was salmon teriyaki. I liked the sweet and tangy taste of the sauce mixed with the fish, rice and vegetables.

I even sampled some sushi from my buddy’s sake maguro deluxe sushi meal, something I never thought I would do, let alone enjoy. I found myself munching on them while learning how to keep wasabi from burning my nostrils by using a touch of soy sauce to dampen the effects.

Still, my untrained palate couldn’t tell whether Mizuki, which opened in December 2023, was close to the real deal. I turned to our bureau chief, who spent 13 years reporting out of South Korea and Japan, and his family for the job two weeks later.

They noticed that the menu consisted of pan-Asian dishes, a theme for many Asian restaurants in the Pfalz. That didn’t cloud their judgment.

Mizuki in Kaiserslautern, Germany, offers sushi sets like the salmon and tuna deluxe meal. (Matt Wagner/Stars and Stripes)

I ordered the King Udon meal and a couple of sides of sushi: two tako (octopus) nigiri and six salmon rolls. My first taste of the udon was acidic and worried me, but the next spoonful tasted as though the broth had mixed well, and I had no problems.

The noodles were too soft, almost melting in my mouth without the need for chewing. A similar observation was noted with the kids’ udon. It received a thumbs-up from their daughter, which, considering how picky most kids tend to be, was high praise.

The King Udon had pieces of asparagus in it, a nod to the German palate. As for the sushi, I had tried salmon previously, but the octopus was a daring choice for me. And that gamble paid off. I enjoyed the chewy texture and I’d eat it again.

The barbecue duck at Mizuki in Kaiserslautern, Germany, comes with an orange-teriyaki sauce, a cucumber salad and rice. The dish is a part of the grill menu at the downtown Japanese restaurant. (Matt Wagner/Stars and Stripes)

The King Udon at Mizuki in Kaiserslautern, Germany, includes the noodles along with shrimp, asparagus and other vegetables. (Matt Wagner/Stars and Stripes)

My boss ordered the duck served with an orange-teriyaki sauce. He said the duck had the perfect mix of meat and fat, but the sauce was quite sweet.

His wife got the Mizuki poke bowl, which consisted of salmon, tuna, butterfish and various vegetables, as well as a lot of sauce. It also was served with well-prepared Japanese short-grain rice, which seemed to impress the duo. They also enjoyed the jasmine tea.

Overall, they said the poke was very good and that the duck was solid, if not exceptional. The sushi put Mizuki on the top level of Japanese restaurants in the city, and the effort also put into the food arrangement was noticeable and appreciated.

The Mizuki poke bowl includes tuna, salmon and butterfish with avocado, lettuce, peas, bell peppers, other vegetables and rice. It's one of the non-Japanese items on the menu of Mizuki in Kaiserslautern, Germany. (Matt Wagner/Stars and Stripes)

The menu is more expansive than others in town, giving you plenty of options.

It’s also a little more upscale than many similar eateries, meaning you probably shouldn’t walk in wearing a replica Arsenal 1991-1993 bruised banana jersey, like I did.

Mizuki also can be a splurge for a meal, but you receive plenty of food for the price. It’s worth a try if you have a hankering for sushi or, like me, want to taste Japanese food for the first time.

Jasmine tea is poured into a teacup at Mizuki in Kaiserslautern, Germany. The tea is one of the numerous beverages available at the new Japanese restaurant downtown. (Matt Wagner/Stars and Stripes)

The decor at Mizuki in Kaiserslautern, Germany, includes this faux cherry blossom tree. (Matt Wagner/Stars and Stripes)

Mizuki

Address: Eisenbahnstrasse 9, Kaiserslautern, Germany

Hours: Monday and Wednesday through Friday, 11 a.m.-3 p.m. and 5-11 p.m.; Saturday, 11 a.m.-11 p.m.; Sunday, 12-10 p.m.

Prices: Food ranges from 5 euros for soups and appetizers to 34 euros for an item off the grill.

Information: Phone: +49 631 37 32 5171; Online: mizuki-kaiserslautern.de. Reservations recommended.