I'm so very bummed to write this review - we've loved Buko for years! But the quality the last few visits hasn't been up to par, and I just experienced maybe the worst service I've ever had?? I ordered one roll - literally one roll. And kept watching table and table get heaps of food. Finally asked what was what, and they clearly hadn't put it in or there was some mishap. No worries - it happens. Until I notice the roll HAD been delivered - just to the table next to me. (Why no one at that 5 person table didn't think to mention to their server that they didn't order it is confusing, buuuut anyway). They remade the roll but it took a wildly long time and my kid had already plowed through his two cucumber rolls and edamame. Their only solution was a lackluster "sorry" and they comped the edamame. Honestly? Not good enough. They should've comped the roll - again, the entirety of my dinner - because the whole thing was so screwy. I still paid the bill and tipped because I'm a sucker, I guess? But sadly this will be our last time at Buko. Hoping someone reaches out. read more

Good menu , decent prices and the best staff ever. The food is excellent, fresh tasting fish.

Cute restaurant. Amazing hand rolls and amazing price. Staff is very helpful and amazing. I love this place!

Excellent local family owned restaurant has served this neighborhood for 30? years. Busy on the weekend, but great weekday happy hour!

Sushi Skillfully and artfully prepared. I love the food here so amazing. Quality and food always fresh. Must try. read more

Buko Restaurant - delish items - Sushi Bars Near Me - Glendale, California

Nice cozy restaurant. I loved the food - we tried a few things, Volcano roll was excellent. Service also good- timely and accurate.

3.5 stars I literally grew up going to this small, family fun restaurant; we loved it!!! It has recently changed owners, however, and the food is different now. Overall it's still fairly good, but not the same. If you went to the old Buko, try it with that in mind. They have greatly expanded their menu and have many more options now. The chicken teriyaki is still good, but they changed the sauce a bit and it's not quite as good. Okay if you are craving Japanese. read more

Always amazing food. Good prices and super fresh. Never disappoints Baked Scallop Roll read more

I used to get Buko takeout about two times a week for around $80-100. I was basically spending around $700 a month of my money here, until one of the items I always order kept missing a big piece of salmon (Japanese Burrito). The burritos became very small and flimsy, therefore not worth the price. This happened on 4 different orders. On the 3rd order, I was dining inside and told my server, but the chef and him refused to put the missing salmon inside our Japanese burritos. We loved the food and are sad to part ways, but they clearly don't give a shit about my business, nor delivering an item with the full ingredients it's supposed to come with. read more

Yummy Nice stuff, good atmosphere, delicious food. 100 % I'm recommending this place read more

Buko Restaurant - Omg, I loved it. What was the name! Help - Sushi Bars Near Me - Glendale, California

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Great selection and service! Was in town cloth family and stopped at their favorite spot. The fatty tuna belly was perfect! read more

Buko Restaurant - Back bar - Sushi Bars Near Me - Glendale, California

I took my nearly six year old grandson here for lunch as a treat. The boy loves sushi and Buko is at the top of his list. We parked out front mid-day on a Saturday and were seated as early guests. The waiters and staff all seem to know him, so I think we got the royal treatment. I ordered two sets of rolls both spicy options--scallops and tuna roe. He ordered nigiri--tuna on rice. We also shared gyoza. The food here is excellent and the presentations are stimulating. I also had a glass of wine, although there is also beer and saki on hand. It's not a cheap date but the visit is worth every cent. I am also told they have excellent takeout food if you want to order for delivery. read more

This place is OK nothing to fancy or something for me to go back to. It's pretty small and it's in a plaza next door to a dance place and Armenian market/bakery. Came here thinking its was great but ehhh I had better and what I should have done is gone to another sushi resto, which has more varieties in sushi and sashimi. And they don't have Ramen. UGH. My daughter had the udon and tempura which she loved. The waiter was very nice and brought a bowl of ice. Smart guy in giving a bowl of ice you don't see that around at all. You usually have to ask for it. My beef teri and tempura is good but not filling. The hubby ordered the chicken teri and tempura with California roll (Cali roll was different kinda plan. No mayo in imitation crab like the others) I didn't get to taste his chicken teri not a fan of the sauce. So if you see my beef teri picture it's just the meat and no sauce. Food was decent. Service was good. Kitchen is very clean (saw it since the bathroom is through the kitchen. well organized). Nothing biggie with the decor. They are nice and gave my little girl a origami flower. read more

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Incredibly rude inpatient man always answers the phone to take phone orders. Use to order and dine here often but the quality of food and service have been so terrible lately. They even refuse to correct and replace incorrect orders. Leaving out an entire piece of fish on several occasions. Can't justify ever coming back here. read more

AMAZING AMAZING AMAZING! This little hidden jem is family run (or so I think) always great service super attentive to all their customers. I love sitting at the sushi bar- the chef is very friendly and has a great sense of humor. Their Albacore sashimi with crispy onions is my ultimate favorite!!! Anything albacore here is delicious, they have amazing shishito peppers too. By far my favorite seriously #1 goto sushi place! read more

Buko Restaurant - Sushi Bars Near Me - Glendale, California

Nice little neighborhood gem. Loved everything we tried. Glendale roll and yellowtail carpaccio were my favs. We asked them to slice the carpaccio thin, as that's how we like it. Excellent service. Chill atmosphere. Will definitely be back. read more

Buko Restaurant - Glendale roll - Sushi Bars Near Me - Glendale, California

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Love this place. Delicious food, wonderful staff and very reasonable prices. I don't like seafood, but love their teriyaki chicken and veggie tempura. I hear their sushi is great, but don't eat it. Also, they have a nice outdoor eating area for COVID times and a cute inside when we're able to eat indoors again. Highly recommend! read more

Buko Restaurant - Chicken teriyaki and vegetable tempura - Sushi Bars Near Me - Glendale, California

I love this spot is down the street. Sushi is fresh and tasty. My go to hamachi kama is always tasty. Service by all the staff is on point. They are tentative. The last time I was here there must have been a hiccup somewhere, but you can see the sushi chef and wait staff tried their best make up for the hiccup. read more

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This stuff bussin respectfully the food is high quality and the place of here is rlly nice and I like it so yea eat here it's good read more

Buko Restaurant - Ramen - Sushi Bars Near Me - Glendale, California

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Great quality and very fair prices for sushi. Only outdoor seating is available but it is free of any wind or noise. Great place to grab some lunch and it's away from the busy areas in Glendale. We had the crunch rolls, albacore roll and lobster roll. read more

Buko Restaurant - Outside dining very private and relaxing - Sushi Bars Near Me - Glendale, California

Buko is a glendale gem. They have a good sushi bar but my favorite is lunch and dinner bento meals. Great combinations. The Katsu cutlets are great. Highly recommend. read more

Order the Dinner Combo. We each had one of these, and they are very generous with their servings. Comes with miso soup and salad. Oh, and the fish is so fresh! Lots of leftovers. They even offer desert with the dinner combo. Ambiance and servers are so welcoming and attentive. Next time, I will try something new on the menu. Highly recommend this family restaurant. read more

fast service, delicious food; what more could you want? we both got the udon; one with chicken, one with beef and it was hearty, flavorful, with great portions and noodles! highly recommend if you're looking for some udon in Glendale! read more

Buko Restaurant - chicken udon - Sushi Bars Near Me - Glendale, California

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Amazing food and service my family has been going for over 7 years! If you need good quality sushi go to buko

Good hole in the wall sushi. Service is legit. Food is delicious. Good spot for locals too.

Solid little Japanese restaurant with great staff. We usually order a few of their dinner combos. Also, plenty of kid friendly choices on their menu. read more

best potatoes in the world no cap all fax no printer !!! must order it on the side so fire , beef and chicken teriyaki are also amazing ! best japanese restaurant in town i promise you and ive been to many all around the world read more

[Background for context: I've eaten sushi in Japan and the old Tsukiji fish market, and I sometimes make sushi. To me, good sushi uses high-quality fish and prepares it simply and creatively.] I was really hoping to like Buko - the ambiance is really fun and it's close to our house. Unfortunately we had a very meh experience. -Salmon sushi - thick cut and too chewy --Unagi sushi - overcooked and swimming in sauce Spicy tuna with rice - over-fried and covered with mayo -Albacore delight roll - overdone, sloppy, and swimming in sauce Most things on the menu are fried, baked, and/or covered in sauce, which usually equates to poor quality fish. Yet you don't see the cost difference reflected in the menu prices, at least at dinnertime. read more

We enjoyed a nice meal outside. Everyone in our group had the dinner special with 2 options. Something about their tempura is soooo good! Topped dinner off with sharing the hot sake. Very fast & friendly customer service. Delicious food! read more

Super bummed about our experience here. We're currently on the look-out for finding our local sushi-go-to restaurant, since we just moved to the area & we were really hoping this was it. Unfortunately, that was far from the case. We walked in & thee entire staff were all seated at a dining booth, with only one booth taken by another party. As we walked to the table they pointed to, the first thing I noticed was the booths seat had a patch over the destressed part of it. I thought ok, thats kinda cheap of them. Whatever. Philadelphia roll - smallest pieces of salmon, extremely chewy (couldn't chew through the fish), it had a different tint to it than the usual salmon color and dull in taste. Albacore sushi - Dry, bland & almost as if it was sitting out in warm tempature all day Miso soup - was actually tasty & we def appreciated that Soy beans - hard Salmon roll - (Shrimp tempura added $4extra) Literally had to be the smallest pieces of salmon over the roll. It didn't even wrap around half of the roll. Im serious when I say IT WAS A JOKE. Their eel sauce isn't that somewhat thick dark texture consistency, it was cheap in taste & almost looked like a watered down teriyaki sauce. If you like specialty rolls or fresh sushi a la carte don't bother coming here. I've been into sushi for 11 years & I've never noticed a restaurant cut so many corners or dined somewhere w/such poor quality fish. All of there specialty rolls have cali inside, too simple & too basic. Also, a possible sign they're lazy & already have them ready, they'd just add the top to it when ordered. So, I thought ok... I'll customize a roll, to make the best out of this trip. I ordered a salmon roll.. feeling rushed, which was a bit reasonale, I just added shrimp tempura to it. I thought of spicy tuna, or spicy albacore but I wanted to get something they couldn't possibly do wrong. It did make it better but this trip was just not enjoyable although we really did try. My partner usually doesn't complain & he said he didn't like the service, it wasn't personal or warming, nor inviting, they came to our table 4 times before we were ready & as we were eating they dropped off the check. Nowhere near closing time. He also said the restroom wasn't very clean & it had very poor water flow from the faucet. Its located through the kitchen. HE NEVER COMPLAINS! lol We'd normally order more, even if it doesn't take me much to get full but we were repeatedly disappointed & surprisingly I wasn't full & we both left still hungry. Thats how small the rolls are. Overall, we do keep in mind running a business is really hard but I just could not visit this place again. read more

Now that there's been a change of ownership, sadly, the standards have gone down. Food portions were about half of what it used to for about the same price. In the past, I can't finish my rice and had to give away what I couldn't finish but now, I could finish my rice, my main dish and could still eat a little more. ~_~ We come by on average twice a month for teriyaki salmon and tonkatsu because they are really, really good- cooked to perfection but our recent visit was a huge let down. My salmon had some inedible charred bits. I would have expect it to be a little tender in the middle but it was a little rubbery, experiencing some friction as I chewed. The sauce was a little too salty for me. My husband who loves tonkatsu said he would not patronize Buko again. He thinks Buko is now Korean owned. Brown rice wasn't offered to us so I guess there isn't such an option anymore. I felt the rice portion seems to more child friendly than adult friendly. I can't help but feel that the new owner of Buko isn't as generous as the late owner judging from the overall food portions we received. The mustard they gave initially with the tonkatsu was just a smudge on the plate thus we asked for more. I definitely miss those days when the waitress comes to refill your green tea ever so often without having to ask and even surprising us with a little origami. My green tea wasn't refilled this time. Cold green tea now comes in a can. Food presentation is severely lacking. I remember the Japanese place lots of emphasis on food presentation and that there must be at least 5 colors on a plate so as to look appetizing. I do appreciate the new updated decor and the increased variety of food offered but it just didn't meet our standards. Perhaps, this could be the place for the diet-friendly. As we paid the bill and walked out of the front door, I could still picture the old lady who would stand by the counter and say very sincerely 'arigato gozaimasu' (thank you). Those were the days.. read more

Buko Restaurant - Teriyaki salmon (now in a smaller portion) and tempura. - Sushi Bars Near Me - Glendale, California

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This place is pretty legit with amazing service! I posted picts of what I ordered. THE ORDER: HOT and SPICY TUNA ROLL: 5 stars....I usually never order spicy tuna anything, because well, I don't prefer it. I was told to order this and MAN was it the best decision ever. Great texture (more chopped than mushed), mixed with sambal rather than Sriracha, which made it truly spicy and unique. The pieces were huce, but I didn't care....I shoved that beast in my mouth. The cool crunch of the cucumber, the toastiness of the sesame seeds....AMAZING. DEF ORDER THIS. Chicken Teriyaki and Sashimi Lunch Combo: 4 stars....Savory Miso Soup, Brown Rice, salad with thousand island-style dressing, Snapper and Tuna sashimi, scoop of cold mashed potato, and teriyaki chx. Lemme tell you...the chx was the bomb...perfectly charred how I like it, drenched in sauce. Mmmmm. The sashimi was ok, nothing special, the potato was forgettable, but overall, it was just like the perfect combo of food. so balanced...YUMMERS. THE SERVICE: 5 stars, out of this world. No better service anywhere. OVERALL: Based on the Spicy Tuna Roll I had, I think I will go back and just get the sushi. THe Lunch combo was good, but that roll changed me into a believer of tuna! I formerly worshipped salmon and yellowtail religiously. Oh, and I tried the hubby's gyoza......BEST GYOZA ! Must order item!! Oh, and I loved the coziness of this place as well as the fish tank! Such a great spot for a well-balanced meal after a night of drinking. Oh, and super reasonable! I DEF RECOMMEND TO ALL YELPERS. enjoyyyy! xo- andrea read more

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It was very hidden, Looks small and is actually big in the inside, the quality is super good with the sushi. Especially the miso soup, I have had many miso soups and this one is up there and as well as the dragon roll. The eel on the sushi was very flavorful read more

Buko Restaurant - とんかつ(tokatsu ramen) - Sushi Bars Near Me - Glendale, California

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Buko is an affordable, quality sushi/Japanese restaurant nestled in a small strip mall in Glendale. The service is kind and efficient. They do a nice job of taking care of guests. My family shared a plate - chicken katsu/beef ribs - both really delicious! We had yellowtail, tamago, ebi and halibut nigiri - all really fresh and nicely prepared. Our roll was the Hawaiian - it was a bit dry and lacked some umph! All in all a great little spot that welcomes families and couples alike! read more

Buko Restaurant - All that's left - Sushi Bars Near Me - Glendale, California

Buko is the best sushi in the area! Friendly staff, delicious and fresh. The lunch and dinner specials are amazing. We have been going for years and it is even great take out. read more

My go to spot for bento boxes... love the food and the service!!! Oh yea the ice cream!!! So yummy read more

Always quick pickup, nice workers and great quality food! I've never had a bad experience here. Parking can get a bit busy some nights, but honestly there are a lot of other surrounding businesses. Not the fault of the owners read more

As Elijah respectfully stated, this shit really bussin...... and ngl the sauce slaps. respectfully, of course. read more

Buko Restaurant - a sushi garden. - Sushi Bars Near Me - Glendale, California

I used to frequent this place a lot during 2001-2003. I have fond memories of the dinner special and the green tea ice cream. But I must say this place has definitely changed. The quality of the food has gone down a bit but not drastically. The portions have definitely gotten smaller. The green tea is not the same brand which melted in one's mouth and left the green tea after taste. :'( The place definitely has a new contemporary feel. With a lot of cartoons hanging on the walls. The place is tight but service is quick and overall pretty friendly. For example, the sushi chiefs greet everyone who walks in the door (that's pretty awesome). Now for the FOOD: the short ribs are delish but chewy. The teriyaki chicken is also fabulous as is the tempura vegetables dipped in the tempura sauce. I must say I was blown away by the teriyaki salmon. It was SO GOOD I may have to make another trip soon. The rolls were decent (spicy tuna and caterpillar). Nothing that delivered the wow effect. Over all experience was Good and I'd come back to sample more items. read more

Buko Restaurant - Yummy rolls - Sushi Bars Near Me - Glendale, California

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Still amazing even during covid, the owner walks around the parking lot to help customers park during busy hours. LOVE this spot. My wife is Japanese born and raised and lived most of her life in Japan and she LOVES this restaurant I think that says a lot. read more