For his first and only restaurant job, Chris Ishikawa started at Miyuki during high school in 2001 as a busser. He learned the business intimately, working every position until he took ownership in 2016 from the original founders, his aunt and uncle, Janet and Chief Sakaguchi.
In 2023, Ishikawa decided to divest his ownership but stay on as a server and sushi chef, selling the restaurant to retired Santa Cruz County Sheriff and customer/fan turned owner Paul Tashiro.
Miyuki as a small community-based restaurant frequented by many loyal regulars, with a clean and minimalist “like walking into a friend’s living room” ambiance, punctuated by Tashiro’s touch of law enforcement and first responder patches.
Ishikawa says the cuisine is traditional, authentic Japanese with a home-cooked feel, best begun with appetizers like baked scallops with special house sauce, albacore tataki, oyster shooters and scratch-made gyoza.
Main dish mainstays are a house-marinated short rib, teriyaki proteins and an award-winning ramen. There’s a strong sushi selection, like classic sashimi and nigiri as well as popular rolls like the Dragon (shrimp tempura, unagi, avocado, sweet sauce) and the Tokyo (spicy tuna, hamachi, avocado and tempura crumbs). Dessert is Marianne’s ice cream in myriad flavors and beverages include Japanese beer and local wine.
Describe your front-of-house/back-of-house blended skillset.
CHRIS ISHIKAWA: Throughout my early years at Miyuki, I started as a busser/server and made lifelong acquaintances with both my coworkers and guests. When I became an owner, it was very important for me to learn to make sushi in order to be able to know how to do every aspect of the business. Now that I have sold the restaurant, I enjoy working here because I get to see all of our regulars and continue to foster those relationships, minus some of the stresses that come with ownership.
Tell me more about your ramen.
We have curated a signature ramen bowl that we only serve on Wednesdays. We felt like the Watsonville community needed a really good, authentic bowl of ramen, so we started offering it about two years ago. It’s been very popular and has gained a good local following. The broth is a tonkotsu/soy sauce base, lightly rich and savory, made with homemade dashi for depth of flavor. It also comes with fresh noodles, chashu pork and a perfectly soft-boiled egg.
452 East Lake Avenue, Watsonville, 831-728-1620; miyukirestaurantwatsonville.com
