Koo Japanese Restaurant

Amazing quality and preparation! The tempura shrimp in one of the rolls was freshly fried! Still warm and succulent. The nigiri was outstanding. Hot sake, I don’t know what they use, but had some really nice notes.

March 2025: It has been over 15 years since I have eaten here. Was very excited to see if this restaurant has maintained their quality. I liked that they had a "catch of the day" menu to highlight specials. Ordered an Irving roll and a few sushi nigiri. Everything was very tasty 😋. My favorites were the Irving roll, the Shima Aji, the hamachi toro, and the tamago! Would come back again for more delicious sushi. Service was very friendly. Nice local spot.

Love the atmosphere of the restaurant! Reminds me of smaller places we visited in Tokyo. The sushi is very good and is made to order. NOT a buffet. Order from the large menu and they'll serve you. $19.95 for lunch all you can eat. Delicious and a great value. Dont order too much as there is no carry-out and you have to pay extra for left overs.

Recently eaten at Koo! We sat at the sushi bar where we could watch the chefs prepare rolls as we ate. The food was delicious! We had the "Best" roll which is the one topped with lemon, as well as the "J & L" roll and the spicy tuna roll. Everything was . The Best roll was very unique, with a strong lemony flavor. The J & L roll was very good, and a great way to try the dragon roll and the kamikaze roll in one go. The shrimp tempura on the inside honestly blew me away, the fried crust's flavor was very apparent but blends in well with the rest of the roll. Finally the spicy tuna roll (my personal way of telling is a sushi restaurant is good or not) had great flavor and was in fact - spicy. Overall a great experience with great service, and the house sake (warm) pared great with the rolls we had. Would definitely recommend Koo if you're looking for a higher tier of sushi without completely breaking the bank! Ambiance was relaxed but high end.

Love the ambiance. Feels like you're tucked away in a restaurant from central Japan. The service is great too. But the food leaves much to be desired. Teriyaki salmon was well cooked but a bit murdered in a pool of sauce. The trout and amberjack nigiri were a bit dry. The rice too. Maybe it services people with this particular preference, or we are on an off day. Bummer because we love the feel of this space and the staff that served us. The art too!

Quick and fast service….. delicious food! Girlfriend chose it as a restaurant to take me to for my birthday….. She chose well! Would recommend! We tried the combo meal, fried tofu and tempura ice cream (green tea) Will be returning!

There’s a lot of hyperbole in Google reviews that makes it hard to distinguish fine from good to great. Koo deserves all the praise and compliments and five-star ratings. Friends took us to Koo — and reserved the bar seating — for the absolutely best sushi I’ve ever had. The bar experience is unique from the dining room: the sushi chefs make sashimi based on the day’s fish inventory and keep serving until you say to stop. This is among my top 10 restaurants of all time. When I visit SF again, I’ll be back.

I found this place via Maps and its high rankings and was not disappointed. The service was quick, and the Sushi fresh. I can recommend the ‘Best’ Sushi due to its unique lemon flavor. 🍣 🍋

Went on a weekday dinner, no wait for a table. Found a new go-to spot! The sushi was fresh and flavorful. The service was so so friendly and fast. Friendly ambiance. All other parties there looked really happy too. Still dreaming about the eggplant dengaku. I want to try everything here!

The spoonful of happiness is amazing. Came here on a whim and just wanted to sample a few items. We ordered the spoon full of happiness, amaebi, and hamachi toro. Service was quick and server was friendly. This restaurant seems family friendly too as there were tables with families and little kids. Atmosphere seems like a blend between casual and fancy? Overall, the nigiri were fine and the seafood was fresh. Didn't feel very "wow'd" but it was good. I did notice the pieces were smaller than other establishments I've been to and the prices are a bit higher here too. The star is definitely the spoonful of happiness. The sake pairing was smooth, refreshing, and delightful. My wish is that they will have happy hour one day.

Was literally craving for their spoonful of happiness and man it did not disappoint! Had to get the sweet shrimp and one of their specials while I was at it! Service was nice and quick and we beat the rush so we didn't have to wait long!

My friend lives so close to Koo so I've been a few times. Clean and inviting establishment. Every time I've gone, the staff have been kind and the food is always high quality and fresh. I'm surprised more people don't talk about Koo outside of it being a neighborhood staple.

We walked into the restaurant being super hungry. So, we ordered Godzilla tofu, salmon w/avo, Kumamoto oysters, spoonfuls of happiness, Aztec, green tea, black cod, baked scallop, steamed rice. My favorite bites were the spoonfuls of happiness! They seriously made me happy. The rich, luxurious bite of the Uni with the raw quail egg just involves joy! I would eat 5 more spoonfuls of that if I could afford it. Every thing else that we ate was unmemorable and lacked true flavor unless the flavor was just salt. My group was not impressed, but I'm still glad that I tried the spoonful of happiness.

I love their dragon and caterpillar rolls. All of their sushi is expertly done. I had to-go and eat-in experiences with Koo and both are exceptional. Super attentive staff and great service for eating there and nicely packed food for taking things to-go.

Magicians. Sit at the sushi bar, prepare to be amazed. So, I'm biased. This is my local sushi joint. But every single time I pop in, I leave happy, full, and content. Could any of us really ask for more? The team behind the counter is exceptional and the rest of the house is caring and attentive. Eat in, dine out. I promise you will be one happy camper.

Came here for the first time for dinner and it's a a pretty standard sushi restaurant. Would come here for the happy hour menu if I were to come back. Not too fancy, not too casual. The shrimp tempura are smaller than I anticipated.

Food: spoon full of happiness, crawfish hand roll (my fav), duck salad, spicy tuna, and koo roll Service: quick attentive Ambiance: romantic, dark, intimate Cost: ~80 for just me Parking: a bit hard to find parking on Irving but park on the side streets usually 2 hour parking Overall: love coming here and will continue, dine in and take out

4.5* I think I may have found my regular go-to sushi place based on convenience and balance of quality to price! The $30 sushi combo is always very satisfying --a variety of 5 nirigi + the California roll that comes with it is substantial and tasty (wish there was less Mayo but I'm in the minority on Mayo) + the wakame salad has a good "crunch" texture to it + miso soup! The amaebi nigiri $12 was decent, the shrimp heads had good crunch. The hotategai nigiri $9 was delicious! Compared to Amami SF, the quality here is bit better though you get less sushi for the same price. It works out though because with delivery fees from Amani the price evens out. (It was the last straw when Ubereats delivered me fast food instead and refused to refund or replace.) If dining in, ambiance is also classy at Koo vs hole in the wall. *Their online ordering system from their website did not work for me. I was charged but Koo said they did not receive the order. Call in for take out.

This place consistently has the best BEST sushi. So fresh- the staff is always welcoming and the sushi has consistently been amazing. I often order from there and they're always willing to bring the food to your car.

Cane here for my cousins bday and we all had a blast. Food is fresh and delicious . Service is awesome and fast. I definitely recommend this place if haven't tried. They been here for years even before pandemic. It's a yummy hidden gem. My favorite was the spoon of happiness since it comes with a shot of sake. Happy Face. Overall we all had fun and loved the place.

3.5 stars, rounding up to be generous. Food was good but nothing special. Hand rolls pictured are part of happy hour. $7 each and pretty good and big! The nigiri were not part of happy hour. Quality was great but slices felt thin. Overall quality of everything we got was good but something was missing for me. TLDR; Came here for happy hour to save money but I have realized that happy hour anywhere rarely ever saves money lol, especially at a sushi spot and you have a larger than average appetite

Excellent food, unpretentious atmosphere and attentive and friendly service. What's not to like? All good and recommended.

Koo is located on the bustling streets of Irving & 5th Ave in the Inner Sunset. I've been here a handful of times with friends and we always get the same thing - the Koo omakase. There is street parking here and the N(?) muni stop is right across the street. Service here is good, as the wait staff is always checking in and the sushi chefs are fun to interact with. The Koo omakase menu includes a starter from the chef, Spoonful of Happiness, goma ae, assorted sashimi, miso soup, and nigiri. The thing we always look forward to is the Spoonful of Happiness - it's quail egg w/ uni and monkfish liver. It's soo good. I think the goma ae dish was spinach w/ sesame sauce for us. The assorted sashimi was amberjack, tuna, and scallop. My favorite nigiris are the red eye snapper, king mackerel, hamachi toro, and bluefin toro as part of the omakase menu. The chef surprised us with a couple dishes including fried cod and a fried shiso leaf w/ spicy salmon and avocado and they were both so delish! I wish it was on the menu. At the end of your meal, if he asks if you want his spiciest roll - don't do it! unless you're up for the challenge... but be warned, this is like Thai spicy! Always a great experience coming here when I'm at the sushi bar. I would say Koo is one of the best bang for your buck omakase (~$100 but not 100% sure cause my bf pays haha) and reminds me closest to Japan sometimes. Check out my Tiktok/IG on it - demandyingfood :)

I think this is one of the few restaurants that take reservation over Google Forms... I wasn't too sure if I would get a response, but I got an email confirming my reservation request within a day. I don't think it was necessary, since there was a good amount of seating available when I arrived. I think the food is solid, but nothing was particularly impressive. The fish is fresh, and you're guaranteed quality, but I don't think anything differentiates this spot from other sushi restaurants I've been to. We ordered: Spoonfuls of Happiness ($17) - This was fun, though for $17, the pleasure is gone pretty quickly. We each got a shotglass of sake, which we sipped on between spoonfuls. There were definitely a lot of flavors on each spoon, though if you don't focus, you'll swallow it too fast to really gauge them all. Ankimo ($12) - I wasn't sure about this one, but it was super fresh. Baked mussels ($10) - Creamy baked mussels. How can you go wrong with these? Flying Kamikaze Roll ($16) - I barely remember what this tasted like. Spicy Tuna Roll ($11) - Pretty basic roll, nothing special. Rock N Roll ($12) - I liked this one. The creamy avocado and sweet unagi were a good combination.

Recently eaten at Koo! We sat at the sushi bar where we could watch the chefs prepare rolls as we ate. The food was delicious! We had the "Best" roll which is the one topped with lemon, as well as the "J & L" roll and the spicy tuna roll. Everything was . The Best roll was very unique, with a strong lemony flavor. The J & L roll was very good, and a great way to try the dragon roll and the kamikaze roll in one go. The shrimp tempura on the inside honestly blew me away, the fried crust's flavor was very apparent but blends in well with the rest of the roll. Finally the spicy tuna roll (my personal way of telling is a sushi restaurant is good or not) had great flavor and was in fact - spicy. Overall a great experience with great service, and the house sake (warm) pared great with the rolls we had. Would definitely recommend Koo if you're looking for a higher tier of sushi without completely breaking the bank! Ambiance was relaxed but high end.

I am writing to update my review of Koo, from 2012. The reason is of course everything changed with the pandemic. Our lives are demarcated by the pandemic: the past; the prolonged anxiety of COVID-19, a fever dream experienced by everyone; and now the uncertain future, in a world divided and fraught, between the optimism of rebuilding for the better and the realities of climate change and war. So a respite for dinner, a place to dine with family and friends, to enjoy the food and the conversation, is all the more vital and to be appreciated. But anyone with an opinion should confirm the facts which form the foundation for that impression remain true enough. I can do that from a recent visit with my wife. The waiter even recognized from before. It must have been a good two years since the last time he saw us. The main point of my original review is the unostentatious decor belies the outstanding fare. That remains true. The interior is plain and simple. The food is excellent. The chef is playing with Japanese themes. S/he is skilled. Too many fanciful rolls have debased sushi elsewhere. The changes are subtle here. We have tried most dishes. Our regulars among the small plates include the godzilla tofu, which is crispy tofu; eggplant dengaku, which is traditional; baked mussels, agedashi tofu, green beans, tempura, and deep fried whole smelt, all of which are all more conventional (and superb). The goma ae vegetables, stuffed jalapenos, fried calamari, and black cod are worthwhile as well. Among the main dishes, the handrolls are all tastefully creative: the dynamite with scallop; the crawfish; and the king crab. My wife has enjoyed several other rolls. They are not "my thing." I would say they have higher quality ingredients than at the Japanese restaurants that have earned the ire of the would-be guardians of washoku standards. We usually sit at a table. They have a funny little one in an awkward space, for two. The bar is off to the side. It offers the convivial feel of sushi bars around the world. The service is obliging. They are welcoming to families, and if you show up early the crowd includes youngsters. There are multiple Japanese restaurants in the Inner Sunset, probably a higher ratio of superlative choices than any other neighborhood, even Japantown. They are all in the middle bracket of prices, not the bargain deals that might make you anxious about the risk noted on menus, of consuming raw fish, nor the asking prices so dear only those with more money than judgment would pay the rate. We live within walking distance (uphill afterward from Koo, so we typically drive). That makes us lucky. The Inner Sunset itself is in vogue. That is not as fortunate for anyone looking for parking. Koo is worth a drive. Bring a date who will value the evening.

Azteca Roll: fantastic roll, ordered it as it was the server's favorite roll. I forget his exact words but described it as a super California roll which I completely agree with Flying Kamikaze Roll: a bit plain in terms of texture and flavor complexity Maguro Nigiri and Sake Nigiri were decent. Service was great!

The quality of the food is back. Both cold and hot dishes were well executed and tasty. It is not a fancy restaurant but a local gem if you like Japanese. Excellent selection of sake with one of my favorites, "born gold." Courteous staff and attentive when needed.

To understand how simple but perfect a good piece of sushi is, is too understand the art of food! The energy and thought that goes into giving you the best possible experience you can have in one bite of food, is what Mike and Sue are trying to do at Koo! Serving the inner Sunset! Cheers

Nice atmosphere and very good customer service. However I ordered two baked rolls and they weren't as hot as I was expecting. I'm used to baked rolls coming out in foil, these did not. The customer service however was great. For those with sensitive ears, there is a humming noise in the restaurant coming from a fan or something.

Food was pretty good, definitely hit the spot for the sushi craving I had. The service was quick, and the atmosphere and vibe of the place was also nice and cozy. I walked in around 5:30 on a Monday and the receipt indicated I was customer #5 of the day so people were in and out pretty fast. The place was decently busy considering the time of the day and how they just opened in the past half hour, but I didn't have to wait long I came for Happy Hour, as I was curious about the menu changes since it wasn't updated in the past couple of years. It went up a couple of dollars, which is still reasonable. My favorite was probably the BEST roll (actual name) -- I was worried the lemon would be too zesty or sour but it was just the right amount. I enjoyed the freshness of the salmon on top, along with the tempura on the inside 8/10 The Dynamite hand roll was also delicious, although the rice to filling ratio wasn't my preferred amount. I haven't had a restaurant hand roll before, so hard to say if this is typical, but it was definitely more rice heavy towards the end of the cone. The spicy mayo mix wasn't very noticeable, but the scallops were good. 6.75/10 I saw a lot of people order and mention the Godzilla tofu, so I had to try it given I'm typically a bigger fan of tofu compared to my friends. The tofu itself was okay, but I wasn't as much of a fan when it came to the topping which was a bit too strong for my tastes. Garlic and miso are strong though, so it makes sense. I couldn't tell exactly that i was garlic miso without looking it up either honestly. The crispiness and toppings were also not exactly evenly distributed, so each bite was kinda different which wasn't my favorite. 5.75/10 Overall, pretty good and would come back again to try other stuff. Some unique items and the fish quality were also highlights!

Have been to Koo numerous times for Covid takeouts, it is indeed my favorite go-to sushi restaurant! Freshly prepared daily picks always offer a variety of great quality fatty bellies: otoro, sake belly, uni, eel... Accompanied by s grilled goodies and other small plate choices, koo is truly a crowd pleaser.

Good food, good service, fair prices, it's what to expect for a Japanese restaurant. I'll come back

I have to say, I had high expectations for this place. I have walked by this restaurant for over 10 years never trying it but hearing only good things about it. Well... we finally tried it and I was happy with the meal.The Sushi was nothing special but it did taste good and come out correct. Was not super impressed by anything to push it to 5 stars.

Did take out with my sister. It's so hard to find parking in SF so I went with my sister to pick up the food. This place is on a block with all residential. It is the only restaurant on this side of the block. The street before has out door dinning all over the place. For a second I thought I missed the place but we saw it. When I ordered the food for dinner it was going to be ready in 15 minutes so that was nice. I got the deluxe mixed sushi. It was fresh and tasted great. My sister just got a California roll. I think they used real crab in it or at least it tasted close to it . We enjoyed it and probably go there again. I was so hungry when we got to my Mom's that I forgot to take a picture or check it. Oh well .

sushi here is really good. The inside decor is also the dim light setting and would be perfect for dates and hangouts. The sushi rice is made very well and I can tell the fish is pretty good quality. Service is also good and attentive. Parking is a bit hard to find since it's very busy around the area.

I came here for my boyfriend's birthday last week and I had a great experience here! It was a Sunday night, and I made reservations online ahead of time so that we can ensure that we get bar seating. Very similar to Sushi Sam's in San Mateo, Koo offers a authentic Japanese experience at an affordable and casual setting. We opted to both get the nigiri omakase, priced at $60 starting. We also decided to get one order of spoonfuls of happiness because it seemed popular and we wanted to try it. At the end, our bill was almost $100, which is less than the estimated $60 each + the spoonfuls! What happened was that our chef decided to bill us individually (al le carte) for each sushi order, which ended up cheaper than the estimated $60. I am extremely happy with their customer service because it shows to me that they are respectful and charging the customers accurately, rather than making as much money as you can get off them. They even gave us a complimentary fried tempura ice cream for my boyfriend's birthday, thank you for making the effort! The quality of the fish here was great. Everything was fresh and it seemed like they exclusively get most of their fish shipped directly from Japan. The chef makes sure to ask if you have any dietary restriction and even asked if there are any fish you don't like. Everything seemed to be thought out and planned correctly, with the spinach + asparagus salad and miso soup came at the end to soothe our stomachs. (Rather in the beginning to fill you up).

My friend took me to here one time and it was so good that I had to take my boyfriend here! I love their sampler set because we got to taste a little bit of everything and their spoon of happiness is so good! I highly recommend their sampler set because their fish was so fresh and it tasted so good! I want to come back here again to try their sushi! It looks so good

Ordered from Koo for Mother's Day and to be honest I was very surprised how fresh the fish was! The toros were MELTING IN YOUR MOUTH good. I would honestly recommend all the sashimis- scallop, sashimi trio, amaebi, salmon toro, hamachi toro and toro. The rolls were mediocre to me which is why I took away a star. Staff was super nice. Easy to order and pick up.

I can't believe I never Yelped this place! Have been coming here for 20 years!! When I was single, then married, and now with kids. We love their Spoonful of Happiness, Hamachi Kama, Rolls, Gome Ae, Hamachi carpacio. Everything is delicious and service is always top notch. The only thing is the there is only one bathroom! It's okay, the food and service make up for it. The place also has a nice ambiance and very warm.

What a culinary experience! Felt like I was transported to Japan savoring fresh and delectable nigiri and sashimi. Spent the day at Golden Gate Park and when it came time for dinner, I was craving nigiri and sashimi. Searched on Yelp and decided to give Koo a try. What a lucky find! Since this was impromptu, I didn't have reservation but was still able to get seated at the sushi bar. I chose the Koo Omakase which started off with Spoonful of Happiness, Sake, Goma Ae , Assorted Sashimi, Nigiri - 7 pcs and finished off with Miso Soup. The sushi chef asked if there's anything I don't eat or if I had any preference. Told him I eat everything but preferred white fish. The chef really tailored to my preference and almost every piece of nigiri I got was white fish. Every single piece of nigiri was exceptional. Same goes for the Assorted Sashimi. My favorite was the Uni, which was sweet and rich(think sea butter!). It was so awesome that I added on another piece. The Spoonful of Happiness consisting of Uni and Ankimo was definitely the highlight of the meal. True to its name, the two spoons were simply an explosion of happiness and favors. The Goma Ae was also impressive. Even though it might seem simple with just spinach & asparagus with sesame sauce, you could distinctively taste the freshness & uniqueness of each component. The asparagus was just WOW. Everything worked in perfect harmony. The Koo Omakase at $75 was a steal! This is definitely on the lower price range when it comes to omakase in the city. I have had more expensive omakase elsewhere in the city and my experience at Koo was comparable, if not better. Everyone from the wait staff to the sushi chef was exceptionally hospitable and professional, further enhancing the overall dining experience. Even with adding an additional Uni nigiri and Kinmedai nigiri, my bill only came to around $100. This price is extremely reasonable, given the memorable and stellar experience. I'll surely be returning for more!

Ordered take out many times during covid. Online app is convenient. It texted your phone to confirm the order and texted again when food is ready. Wakame is always good. Sushi roll and Sashimi nice and fresh. Staff is efficient. Will ordered again if want Japanese food. Also easy to park outside to do quick pickup.

A great, no frills sushi spot in inner sunset. Reasonable prices, friendly staff, and good sushi all make for a wonderful experience! They have some of the best tamago I've had outside of Japan, which is great because I've found almost all of it disappointing since having the real deal. The rolls were delicious and artfully crafted. The Rock & Roll is a classic, hard to go wrong with that for me personally. I love the sweetness of the eel sauce lathered all over the rich & creamy eel, with a bit of creamy yet refreshing cucumber to top it all off. The Best Roll was quite good, and it was the only roll with Salmon on it so it became an easy choice. The asparagus tempura & avocado topped with salmon & super thinly sliced lemon all worked very well together, as the asparagus provided a crunch & dark earthy flavor, the avocado provided a rich creaminess, the salmon added the fatty & buttery smooth flavor, all topped with a small bite of lemon-y zing at the end. Great flavor combo. One of the catches of the day was some marinated white fish that I hadn't ever had, but it was quite good! I'll have to go back & ask the waiter what exactly that was, but all in all this is one of my local neighborhood favorites & a place I go to more regularly than most! Definitely worth a stop

The fish and uni at Koo were amazingly fresh. From their starters to their omakase, everything was delicious. The hamachi carpaccio was super fresh, and the jalapeno added a fiery kick to each bite. The spoonfuls of happiness came with two different spoons but I extremely fell in love with the one with uni in it. The rice and fish on the nigiris for the omakase were perfectly proportioned. The toro and chu-toro literally melted in my mouth like butter, and I really enjoyed this one nigiri that tasted like smoked bacon (sorry, don't know the name). Just when I thought the uni from the spoonful of happiness (Santa Barbara) was good, the uni on the nigiri (Hokkaido) was even better. It was a lot sweeter and tastier. Service was impeccable with my tea always being filled before it hits the end of the cup. Our waiter was also very knowledgable about the fish in our omakase and he gave us good recommendations on what to try (like the hamachi carpaccio). Overall, great place and would love to be back to get my omakase fixes!

Excellent sushi and shrimp dumplings. Friendly service and local atmosphere. We have been back five times.

Picked up a couple of items for takeout: -Chirashi ($35) -spicy tuna roll ($9) -soft shell crawfish hand roll ($8) -king crab dynamite hand roll ($10) It was more than enough food for my partner and I (this is really saying a lot - he eats like a monster) and the cuts of fish in the chirashi were fresh, with the perfect smooth texture. We especially loved the hand rolls, and our meal came with some miso soups! We're pretty sure we were the last order of the day, but the staff were kind and friendly as we waited for our meal. Delicious food, and done just as well as if you were dining in. Let's keep Koo going! :)

Got their Omakase and it definitely left us leaving full! Fish was fresh and presented bestifully! I'm personally starting to learn how to eat sushi and as a starter I was surely satisfied! The hamachi is always a must get! Not as soft as other places I got it from but still good! Servers were super sweet and very attentive, love them and this place!

I came here with a group of Yelp Elite friends claiming Koo as one of the best sushi spots in town. We had reservations for 5 and were immediately seated and served hot tea and water. We mainly came for the Happy Hour menu which contains a selected number of appetizers, handrolls, and drinks for $5. I went for two handrolls --Salmon and California. Per recommendation, I also got the Spoonfuls of Happiness ($14). To start off, we shared the Stuffed Jalapenos ($5 for 4 pieces) and Godzilla Tofu ($5 for 8 pieces). I liked that the jalapenos were stuffed with chopped hamachi and nicely roasted, which was a great starter. As for the tofu, it had good flavor on the outside, but not so much on the inside. Now comes the star of the show at Koo: Spoonfuls of Happiness. It comes in a shot of chilled sake and two spoonfuls --one with uni and quail egg in ponzu sauce, and another with ankimo (monkfish liver) wrapped with white fish. You start with half the shot of sake followed by the lighter spoon with the uni and quail egg. Then back to the sake to finish the second spoon. This entire dish was quite the presentation and experience in itself. The flavor profiles truly balances the flavors and enhances your tastebuds --so creamy and melt in your mouth! Trust me, you can't come here without trying this. As for the handrolls, they were quite standard. I'm not usually a big handroll fan except for Kazunori in LA, so these were decent. The fish was fresh and rice was warm and soft, but the nori was a bit chewy to bite into. It's a good item choice for happy hour though. Overall, pretty delicious sushi here. The menu is quite reasonable in pricing and I am much more excited to come back and try their omakase. I also appreciated that the waitresses continued refilling our waters and hot tea even after we finished our meal as we continued chatting for another half an hour or so.

I've been hearing so much about Koo for the past few years. And from the yelp ratings this place looks promising! Well, there is also a phrase that says promises don't come easy. My friends and I made reservations for a Friday and were seating promptly. This place has air conditioning, so dress comfortably. The waiter came with our drinks pretty quick and we already studied the menu the night before and already know what we were going to order. We got the omakase, 1 was the nigiri and sashimi omakase, and the other the Koo Omakase. We did get a few appetizers to start out. We ordered the Hamachi Carpaccio, the Santa Barbara Uni, Hokkaido Uni and the scallops two way. The Hamachi Carpaccioi was ok, it was cut a little too thick, so it didn't have the melt in your mouth taste. The second thing that came out was the Spinach salad. You had to mix it well with the sesame dressing, which i liked. The Spoonful of Happiness came out next. One spoon had the uni with the egg, the other i think was hamachi. The Uni and the egg spoon was my least favorite. The egg was a little over powering. You couldn't really taste the uni that well. The other spoon had the hamachi and that was better, because you can taste the freshness. For each spoon, they recommend you take a sip of your sake first before each bite. I thought the sake was ok, it was a light sake to me, and was a little smooth, not as smooth as i normally like it to be. Next came the Santa Barbara and Hokkaido Uni. Both of the uni's were fresh, but the Hokkaido one, won by a mile. It was more fresh, like fresh from the sea fresh. You can also taste the sweetness more compared to the Santa Barbara one. I don't know what sauce they added to it, but it made it really good. The sashimi came out next and i was disappointed with portion of the slices. They were really small. The tuna didn't taste that fresh to me, i liked the scallop and the butterfish one more. The scallop tasted super sweet, which was good. The butterfish did taste more fresh compared to the tuna. The Nigiri was ok, I felt there were two out of the 7 that didn't taste as fresh. We told the waiter in the beginning , that one of the omakase needs the wasabi omitted, but he forgot. He also forgot our scallop two way. We actually asked about the miso soup after our appetizers but he said it comes last. Miso soup comes out last? hmm, ok, maybe it's a new modern. He did feel bad that he forgot our scallop and the wasabi dish, so he did give us some mochi ice cream. Overall, i understand that some people have the off days, but we were the first customers and there wasn't any customers for a while, so i was a little disappointed with the service. The food was ok to me, i have to say that i like Saru a lot more. If i wanted Omakase, i would recommend Wako or Saru, sorry Koo, you ain't cool enough for me.

While Koo has a good happy hour, and one that lasts until 7pm, I wasn't blown away by their handrolls... When they're wrapped ice cream cone style, the fish just falls out of it and it's all clumped together at the top with the rice all at the bottom. Other than my issues with hand rolls, their J&L roll was good, with a good fish to rice ratio. And their Spoonful of Happiness is just that - a definite must-order and one of their specialities. As for service, very good. We paid our bill and staff were still coming around to fill our tea and waters. I'll have to come back for their omakase as their prices were very reasonable!

Koo is a cozy neighborhood sushi spot in a quiet area. I stopped in for dinner with a friend one weekday evening and the restaurant filled up quickly. We split the veggie tempura appetizer, which was perfectly crispy and a great start to the meal. We also split a bottle of crisp and refreshing chilled sake. This place is known for their starter called Spoonfuls of Happiness, which the gentlemen next to us ordered and explained. We didn't end up getting it, but I definitely would try it next time. It was something really unique that I'd never seen before. I ordered the sashimi combo, with 3 pieces each maguro, hamachi, salmon, and albacore. The combo also comes with miso soup and a house salad or wakame (seaweed salad). The fish seemed very fresh and each piece was perfectly cut. Hamachi and salmon are my favorite - they're so buttery! It was a lot of food for $29 so I was happy. Service was good and we had no complaints there. If I lived in this area I would frequent this place often. I don't think I'd necessarily seek it out or drive a long way to get there, but if you're area and craving sushi give it try.

I had a lovely meal at Koo last night. I was in the city to meet N for dinner. We decided on Koo. It was a close call because parking was a ___, but patience pays off and we found a space just a few blocks away. We ordered: Hamachi Carpaccio- very good, but I would have preferred it to be sliced a bit thinner. Shrimp Dumplings- delicate and sweet, a nice warm course. Toro- this was fantastic. I will return for this. Dragon Roll- well prepared and fresh Tekka maki- a classic tuna roll. They make it the way it should be made. Hot sake- not as hot as I like. This was nearly a 5 star visit, in addition to the minor food/drink issues, the party seated next to us was disruptive and became extremely distracting. I really don't feel is was the fault of Koo, these things sometimes happen, but it did, however, affect our overall experience. There are so many dishes that we missed, I plan to return soon.

I love Koo. Really fresh fish, with large pieces. Appetizers are all really nicely prepared. All waitstaff are friendly and kind. We either sit at the sushi bar or a table.

Food and service was great. Bill came out pricier than expected but everything was yummy.

Came here for my partner's birthday and it did not disappoint! We did the nigiri and sashimi omakase, a good value for the price. The nigiri consisted of a number of different pieces, all different in texture and flavor. But what struck us the most was the wasabi - it was so good we ate all of the mound of wasabi that came with each fish dish. I could eat their wasabi all day. Even though the nigiri course was more of a "showstopper," I really liked the cuts of fish in the sashimi course. We got scallop, tuna, and kampachi. The kampachi was so good, and the scallop so fresh and tender. Thank you Koo for a great birthday meal!

Okay super delayed review. Sorry everyone! We had a reservation on Valentine's Day and thank you to everyone who talked about parking issues. Thank god we left the house early because we circled around for a good 20-30 minutes before finding a spot. When we got there, we had to wait a few minutes to get our table. One small thing I had noticed was that not all the tables had roses. I know it's a small thing but kinda sucks when you have a two person table and someone else has a two person table but you don't get a rose. After seeing all the reviews and photos, we opted for the Koo omakase because we had trouble deciding but really wanted that spoonful of happiness. I think that was the most unique part of the meal. The goma ae was meh and probably my lowest rated dish of all omakase dishes I ever had thus far. It's not that bad, but definitely isn't something I intend to order. Some of the fishes we had were: amberjack, Hokkaido scallops, ocean trout, hamachi toro, bluefin tuna, etc. My highlights are the scallops and the toro, I just love how much fat the toro has and how it coats your mouth.

We almost don't want to write about this hidden gem tucked in between bustling Irvine & Judah shops and UCSF, because we want to selfishly keep the sushi bar accessible to us! Okay, fineeee, we'll tell you about Koo. This neighborhood sushi spot has a casual and calm atmosphere. The restaurant itself is pretty small but the sushi bar is even smaller with only 6 seats and 3 sushi chefs for the whole restaurant. We sat with chef Toshi for our first experience, and since we met him, we've been back three times! There are lots of choices for people new to sushi (rolls, hot appetizers, etc.), but also for more seasoned fans. We ordered sashimi right away: Hamachi Belly, Chu Toro, Toro and Salmon Belly seared (Toshi added garlic ponzu for a treat!). The fish is fresh and melty tasting, and the rice is flavorful - sweet with a hint of vinegar. Our tummies were off to a good start. In the hand roll department, we are notoriously difficult to please. It's just that it's very easy to mess up a hand roll! They can have soggy seaweed, inappropriate rice to fish ratio, over or under-seasoned, etc. etc. Toshi, however, blew our minds. His salmon skin hand roll is EXCELLENT: chewy and crispy salmon skin topped with a sweet unagi sauce (we asked for this addition) made for the flavor explosion we love to experience in this dish. The final homerun was the spicy scallops hand roll. Unapologetic fans of Izakaya by Katsuya in LA, it's been near impossible to find hand rolls even close to them in the Bay. We asked Toshi if he would try to make a spicy scallops hand roll with sesame oil, tobiko, spicy mayo and sriracha and he humored us. The results were INCREDIBLE: sweet, savory and delicious hand roll. We asked him to try the same recipe with albacore and our mouths are watering even remembering how good it was. If you can score a seat at the sushi bar, definitely give Toshi a shot at making you a few dishes. You won't be disappointed!