i love buko! i have a weird emotional attachment to it...not sure why. maybe because it's in my 'hood or because it's clearly a family owned business that works hard to make its customers happy... my go to meal at buko is the paradise roll & japanese burrito. it's the perfect dinner. the paradise roll is a california roll with mango, jalapenos & salmon (or is it tuna??). it is a great balance of fun flavors that really work. as for the japanese burrito...sigh. i day dream about it. i doodle its name on my notebook...it's a yummy little bundle of rice paper full of tuna, salmon sashimi, crab & a shrimp tempura. it's sooo good and not too heavy because it does not have rice. love!! ::insert googly eyes here:: the spouse does not partake in the raw fish (i know, lame) so he goes for the dinner plates. the short ribs are great...good chicken katsu...and the tempura is also fab. mmmm deep fried broccoli the service is always perfect. everyone is friendly and attentive. the sushi chef (and probably owner) always comes by to check if you likes his creations. i think the only downside to buko is the parking...because it is in a shopping center there are many other stores competing for spots. i've seen a few people get sassy over spaces but that is inherently an LA wide issue right? overall i really love this place. i think it's the best place in Glendale for sushi. i've been to a few other places where the food is about the same quality but the service at buko surpasses all the other sushi joints in glendale. read more

Love the Sushi. It was extremely fresh. Family owned and operated. Went here on the recommendation of a Japanese person. Exterior made me question the place. I was pleasantly surprised. It does cost about 33% to 50% more than places like Ichiban, but I wont go back to Ichiban again. I'll treat myself to Buko, when I have sushi. read more

This place, like Hong Kong Kitchen on Pacific, is a good place to go for a quick lunch, spend almost no money, and get pretty decent food. Have been going here for a while since I live so nearby and it is great if you need good cheap food but nothing too amazing. Went today and got the beef teriyaki with the sashimi. Normally I'd give this place a 4 for everything else but the sashimi just tasted really old and nasty that I didn't feel safe eating it. Everything else was good though. I usually go with the tempura which is a solid choice but wanted something not fried this time. Mom got the California roll with chicken teriyaki. Awesome for the amount of food they give you for the price. our whole bill came out to 18 dollars or something. We got miso soup, salad, teriyaki and California roll/sashimi with a bowl of rice. Lot of food for cheap which is always a good thing. read more

We had a party of 7 on a Friday night, not easy to find a last minute spot. I called ahead and Buko held a table for us, no waiting! I grew up eating this sort of Japanese food in my grandmother's kitchen. The kids loved the katsu don, portions were large enough to fill up the teenagers in our group. The fish was fresh and firm, inari was "old school" delicious... no complaints! read more

Spicy tuna crispy rice was delicious! It's one of their specials so you have to ask the server as it's not on the menu... Pretty big portions for the price and quality food. Would definitely come again. read more

Was expecting a lot based on these reviews but it's mediocre. Mayo on albacore? Overcooked teriyaki chicken and soggy steamed shu mai that was most definitely frozen. Crispy fried onions looked like they were fried then refried again. read more

Place was clean. Sauces, including salad dressing erred on the sweet side. Food was not stale, portions small. Service was incompetent. Prices not cheap enough. No reason to ever return. read more

My fiancé introduced me to this place and we visit this place every so often. This place has good reasonably priced sushi and Japanese food choices. The food isn't fancy or flashy, but it is delicious. The place is modestly decorated and there are never any wait times to be seated. The staff is friendly and makes the dining experience all the better. We enjoy this place and will continue to go there. read more

Dinner with wife at Bukos tonight. Been there many times over the years. I ordered the Poke Bowl. It was very spicy. Tasted like a heavy dose of Sriracha as my mouth and lips were numb and ears humming after a couple bites. Told the waitress who asked if I wanted to send it back. I said yes and she took it back. A man, who I think is the owner, came to our table, I told him it was too spicy for me and he angrily said that his Poke Bowl is spicy. I told him I have had Poke Bowl in other restaurants and never had it like this. I suggested he put on the menu that it is very spicy. He angrily kept repeating that his Poke Bowl is spicy. Said he would take it off the bill, which he did, but didn't offer any replacement, nor an apology for a really unpleasant experience. Sure miss the Japanese family who were the prior owners. They knew how to talk politely to customers. read more

This is my childhood sushi restaurant. Quality at it's best. The food is amazing and the price is reasonable. I would eat here everyday if I could. The place is small and tranquil. Feels like a home in Japan. MUST COME and TRY and YOU'LL FALL IN LOVE. read more

I love that this sushi joint is in my neighborhood! I love their ramen soup and the hospitality is refreshing. I always leave in a good mood! read more

Lived in Glendale all my life and never knew about this great place. Turns out, it's been there since the 80's!! Great food--sushi is fresh and the agedashi tofu was yum! Will be returning to this neighborhood sushi bar soon :) read more

Omakase with chef Takashi was amazing. We have been here before and found the sushi to be pretty good. But the omakase experience was just spectacular. We tried all sorts of interesting fresh fish that were prepared perfectly. Didn't need any additional condiments. Chef asked if we would be willing to eat more traditional Japanese ingredients before preparing dishes. Thought this was a great place to go omakase style for the first time. read more

Needed a miso soup fix. i walked in & was greeted by the same lady who has worked there for the last 25 years. I ordered miso soup & california rolls. Total $ 12.58 WTF! She said miso soup was $6.00. I looked at the menu to see the price & of course there was no price for miso soup. She basically made up the price. Not to mention it was not even half way full. I feel i was taken advantage of. read more

Small home style family Japanese restaurant in a nice small residential community, great parking, nice staff, great and fresh food as well! Cant wait to come back! read more

Love what they've done with the place! The renovation made this place look a lot more modern (they are in the same plaza as eden). I miss the old owners, but the sushi rolls are way better now. I dunno if the hot recipes are the same cuz my friends and I got really excited to see specialty rolls. Really seems like they would pick up some new clientele. Good luck to the new owners! You guys are doing it right so far! read more

Tasty and with a happy hour that goes until 8pm! For veggie choices, it's inexpensive. And there are lots of families, often with infants, so there may be some shrieking going on. read more

It has become my favorite sushi place in Glendale. Not being on the main street and yet providing an excellent service and great food is always a plus. These guys rock, check them out read more

I really liked this place! Be sure to try the Salmon skin roll and salmon teriyaki!

I'm not sure what happened in the last couple of months, but BUKO got a giant facelift. It used to be a nice quick-stop to head over and grab a bite of sushi, but now it really is a dynamic spot to stop for a great dinner. Miso soup is top notch, and the Ramen is truly unbeatable for the valley. Honestly. I was very impressed. read more

Really amazing family-run sushi restaurant, it's been consistently good every time I've gone. The service is super nice and helpful, even going out of their way to look up vegetarian options to suggest for my veggie-eating fiancé. Order the Albacore with the fried onion strings on top - it is the best thing I've ever had. read more

Greatest secret in Glendale. The sushi is compared to anything you can find on the west side. I'm not going to say anything else to keep Yelp people away. read more

Always outstanding service. Excellent quality! I usually order chirashi bowl and am never disappointed.

I ate here for the first time yesterday with my mom during their happy hour (5-8). Service was great & the food was even better! Definitely our new go-to quick Japanese place in Glendale now :) We ordered edamame, veggie tempura, and spicy tuna roll & it was all delicious. The veggie tempura came with a lot more veggies than I thought it would so that made me very happy. I'm getting hungry just thinking about it lol probably going to order from them right now to be honest. YUM! read more

Stopped by for my first time tonight, the service, food and drinks were on point. We. Had the yellowtail sashimi, lobster roll, paradise roll and the ramen. All were so good and I left full and satisfied. I would recommend Buko to anyone and everyone. I will definitely be back when I'm in the area next!!!! read more

So far so good. Me and my wife are super glad we found this hidden gem in Glendale. Nothing beats a family owned sushi joint. Very pleasant experience from start to finish. You must try the baked scallop and lobster roll--amazing. read more

Went out to dinner with my daughter and her boyfriend, they wanted to try a new sushi restaurant in Glendale. The restaurant is family-run and everything is made with enthusiasm, passion and authenticity. You can truly taste the love. John pulled out all the stops and took us on an off-menu adventure with a tataki roll with tuna and crispy onions on top, and finished it off with his own personal version of bananas foster with a soy sauce maple syrup, caramelized pecans, bananas and vanilla ice cream - heaven! read more

I love this place. The first place we found when we moved here 3 yeats ago. Small, family run goodness!

Very cozy. Delicious food! It's a good spot to bring your friends or family. It's worth every penny.

Tried to break out of the routine of my old sushi places and decided to try Buko. I was almost turned away by the fact that it was in the back corner of a pretty sketchy strip mall, but decided to peek inside anyways. Food: sushi and sashimi were SO GOOD. Melt-in-your-mouth yellowtail, perfectly thin slices, and delicious snapper...which I had never had before, but was so impressed that I will probably try it again. The fish was definitely really fresh, which I also liked. The tempura was a little too greasy for me, so I didn't finish it, but I was more than pleased with the sashimi. Service: This story is the reason I opened a Yelp account. My boyfriend and I were eating, and he managed to drop a piece of fish into his soy sauce and splashed the brown stuff all over his light green shirt. Now, he had been having a really terrible day to begin with (self-injury, bad traffic, etc), so before I let him get too upset I whipped out my trusty...nope, I left my Tide pen in the other purse. So I waved over the waitress and asked for a glass of sparkling water or club soda, to take care of the stain. She said no, they didn't have anything like that, but hold on...a minute later, three waitresses and the owner come over. The owner has two towels in her hands, a wet one and a dry one. She leans over and SHOVES the dry towel under my boyfriend's shirt and starts blotting away at the soy sauce...WHILE HE STILL HAS A PIECE OF SUSHI IN HIS CHOPSTICKS! I was dying, he was really confused, and midway through cleaning the owner called out for another towel. She definitely got all the soy sauce out, and it definitely made the night memorable. Best date night ever...maybe. read more

great place to eat! food is yummy and the environment is so new and lovely. Mom, Dad and son are running the place. good value and nice neighborhood place to go!! read more

Best Sushi Restaurant, Extremely Fresh. The tuna crispy rice was classic so ordered another one. Eel roll good. Tip you can asks them to make the roll in brown rice if you are a health addict like me! read more

THE BEST EVER! The 2-item lunch combinations are $10, and they're worth more than double that. At dinnertime, they are more, but you get a little more. To add sushi, sashimi, etc, is 1 or 2 dollars more, and completely worth it. I enjoy the pork katsu with sushi (you get 4 or 5 different kinds of sushi!). Amazing soup, rice, a bit of cold mashed potatoes (they're supposed to be that way), and a very basic salad is included. Their hours are a little strange, so be careful to check the schedule closely before going. I'm heading there for lunch tomorrow, and I can't wait! read more

This neighborhood sushi joint isn't exactly a destination restaurant but if you live nearby it is a solid option for a quick sushi/Japanese food fix. It gets busy on Saturday nights but we usually roll in on a weekday or Friday and have no trouble getting seated. The space is small but kind of cute, decorated with lucky and hello kitties. I used to order the sashimi dinner, which is a good amount of sushi for the price (see my pix), but lately I have noticed the fish, presumably frozen, doesn't really taste like anything so I stopped ordering it. Their Americanized rolls are fine. I recommend the dinner specials which are ample; most people won't need more than the 2-item one, as you get miso soup, salad, and I think a stray potsticker in addition to your 2 selections and the plates are literally heaped with food. The udon tastes packaged but is always admirably hot. Don't bother ordering dessert; the ice cream is all pre-packaged and pre-portioned bulk stuff. Overall it's a nice little place with decent food and the staff is always very polite and pleasant. read more

Don't sit at the tables! Unless Chef Jonathan is waiting tables (a waste of his considerable talents), it's the worst service on the planet. BUT... the most amazing sushi. My husband is a sushi snob and once had a $500 a week habit. We just found this on yelp. The dad is the main sushi chef and his hysterical! If you think he's rude, get a sense of humor. Jonathan is a trained chef, worked at Nobu, and ran back when his family took over the business. I never knew the difference between good and bad sushi - as long as the fish was fresh. Now I know. They were training someone and I had a spicy tuna cut roll: how bad could it be, right? Oy. Chewy, nasty. Apparently, it's to do with the way the rice is handled, the amount of water, pressure, etc. Who knows, I can barely boil water. I'm not even a sushi fan, but I LOVE going here. Just go omakase with the chef. You'll be wowed. read more

This place is solid. Great customer service. Good food and a variety of options. We'll definitely be coming back here!

Try the Japanese burrito. Local sushi place, so it's quick and easy. Big fan of all their sushi dishes, jalapeño bombs, sashimi bowl, Japanese burrito. Not a big fan of their ramen. Staff is very kind and fast. read more

Well first let's get this out of the way, I'm giving this place 3 1/2 stars. It wasn't bad or great, just mediocre. The only reason I'm giving it a higher rating is due to my food partner adoring this place. In fact she gave it 5 stars and loved the hot spicy tuna roll. Never have I had spicy tuna that hot that cause a sweat. The rolls are enormous that it gives your fingers a work out using chop sticks. The ambience of this place is dull, it had that cafe feel. Perhaps my expectations for a Japanese restaurant is more traditional decor. The service here is excellent, very attentive and prompt. Never once did I have to ask for a refill on my drink. But what really matters to me is taste. Maybe I was pulling a tantrum due to no Philadelphia roll. I understand this is traditional Japanese food, no fancy American style rolls. But why no philly roll or even plain rainbow roll. End of Rant. The good part, I'll admit the teriyaki salmon was to die for. The flavor was so rich and savoring, it sparked taste buds that I never had. Even enjoyed the potato ice cream. It's really not called potato ice cream but I was tricked into thinking it was as I waited for it to melt. As you can tell my company was quite cunning. She was also amused by the tears in my eyes as I bit onto the hot spicy tuna roll. Then there was the sashimi which was quite fresh, it easily won me there. Each bite lead to another and soon there was none. Ironically as I write this I have realized that I do love this place, without a doubt 5 stars! Best sushi in Glendale! read more

Lunch specials are cheap here.The owner is friendly and the establishment is clean.The food here is good too.Definitely be back!

Came here for the salmon on the strong recommendation of a work buddy. It was definitely good, but not great. Reason why is because the teriyaki sauce tasted like it came out of a bottle as opposed to being made fresh. I know how easy it is to make teriyaki sauce from scratch and can tell when it cones out of a bottle. Yet, on yet plus side, the salmon was fresh and perfectly grilled. And, our server was super friendly. read more