I don't leave reviews often but this place is so deserving! The owners/staff are very kind :) We ordered a small sushi box, it came with 4 rolls and it was amazing. Fairly priced and so tasty. Will definitely be back again! 10/10 read more

IKOI Sushi Café - Japanese Near Me - Walnut Creek, California

Review #006 - 2025 Our favorite sushi spot in Walnut Creek was closed until 5 PM so we decided to try out a different spot since we didn't want to wait another hour to have lunch. We showed up around 4 PM on Saturday, June 7th. The restaurant was pretty empty. Only one other couple was dining in. We were seated immediately. Our waiter brought us our menus and iced water. I decided on an order of Spicy Tuna and Flamingo Roll. Our son got an order of Lion King & Spicy Geisha Roll. Hubby went with a bento box and little princess made a special request for tobiko nigiri and ikura handrolls, which the chef was willing to accommodate :) It took about 25 minutes for all of our food to come out, which in all honesty felt a lot longer because we were all starving. We were all very happy with our orders, tasty and very appealing presentation. The rolls are actually bigger than most places I've been to considering the prices are quite reasonable. The place is pretty small, but service is very friendly. We'll definitely be back :) read more

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Ikoi doesn't boast outside seating so walking in the honey and I ordered several items to-go. The space is a bit rundown and although the service was friendly and helpful, there was a bathroom cleanser smell that permeated the restaurant that was almost overwhelming, so we were glad to have ordered to-go. Once home, the honey found his barbecue chicken bento to be a bit lackluster and the shrimp tempura quite thin. Although my avocado maki was good, I always eat mine with ginger and the ginger they included had an odd flavor to it so I ended up setting it aside. Overall, I don't think their menu was a good fit for us so we likely won't be back. read more

This space is really cute! It's definitely more of a cafe vibe rather than a restaurant, but I really liked it. The staff was really friendly. The menu wasn't as extensive as other sushi places but I found that they were able to really focus on making the items on their menu well. Their fish was very fresh and tasty. I have no complaints and I would happily go back to dine again. read more

IKOI Sushi Café - Chirashi bowl - Japanese Near Me - Walnut Creek, California

This is a cute, small sushi restaurant that resembles more of a cafe. My boyfriend and I had date night here and the staff were very friendly and attentive. The restaurant wasn't busy on a saturday night so we were seated immediately. The menu is pretty limited and there are no alcoholic beverages. They do have snacks and treats on the side available to purchase. We ordered the Mango Sunshine and the Spicy Geisha Roll. Both rolls were good, but I preferred Mango Sunshine. The slice of mango on each roll was the perfect touch. It provided a nice sweetness to the roll but not overwhelmingly sweet. The Spicy Geisha Roll was a good roll but I didn't feel like there was anything special about it. I actually was not a fan of the rice cracker balls on top of the roll. They were sparse so I didn't mind too much, but if I had a choice, I would remove it from my roll. Please note both rolls are their "spicy" rolls but they weren't spicy at all. read more

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Been looking forward to try this restaurant found it new ownership, menu is different. Service was slow. Friday night very empty. Next table ordered a bento box comes with tempura shrimp asked for the dipping sauce but waitress said no they don't have it. Our order came fair amount of time consider very quiet place. Sushi was smaller sizes, the sides for the combo choices are very unusual. Also, don't have a tempura dip only comes with a sweet and soar sauce like the Thai place. The teriyaki beef looks like chinese sesame beef and definitely not a teriyaki sauce. We do go to Japanese food regularly and my husband is Japanese. This is the most strange dinner we have ever have. Lighting is a bit dark. Place is clean but more like food court feel. No I cannot recommend it. They are no longer holding the same quality of the business name from previous owner unfortunately. read more

I came in today with my brother, was greeted so lovingly by the staff. Everyone was welcoming and cheerful and I felt looked after. The Alaskan Roll was my favorite, it was a nice, refreshing flavor. I never write reviews but I just felt like I had to after meeting the people there. Great hole in the wall spot, can't wait to go there again! read more

Came here on Valentine's day weekend after finding them online since they offer sushi boxes! It is a small restaurant located by the police department. We came in right when they just opened so the restaurant was still empty/quiet but they were welcoming and very friendly, offering for us to sit wherever we liked immediately upon entering. The server was helpful with choosing our options and transparent about wait times since we were getting a box (about ~30mins) and offered waters while we waited. We ended up taking it to go because we decided we wanted to enjoy the weather outside instead. Upon opening the box to see our order, the quality looked fresh and the presentation was excellent. The Geisha Roll definitely could have been spicier, but we enjoyed the taste on all the rolls nonetheless. They also provided utensils, soy sauce (reg & low sodium), ginger and wasabi to go. Will have to come back to try more rolls in the future! read more

IKOI Sushi Café - Small Sushi Box Combo #4 : 2 Specialty 2 Deluxe Spicy Geisha, Alaskan Roll, Salmon Avocado, Spicy Tuna - Japanese Near Me - Walnut Creek, California

Very good customer service. Food was good as well. I will come back again. Thank you!!

This 4.7 star rating is absolutely ridiculous!!! We experienced a fast food sushi experience it seemed. Nobody but us there. Take out seems to be their thing. Was not impressed and cost was same a a real sushi bar. No liquor at all. Bathroom had no soap or hand towels. I hope we don't get sick. Never again!!! read more

Got the medium sushi box combo (traditional, deluxe, and specialty) rolls to go for a birthday day treat. Got the California Tobiko, Tempura, Spicy Tuna, Hawaiian, Rainbow Roll, and Dragon rolls. They were all delicious but Dragon my fav! Hawaiian surprisingly good too! read more

IKOI Sushi Café - Sushi Box Medium Combo (2 traditional, 2 deluxe, and 2 specialty) . - Japanese Near Me - Walnut Creek, California

Amazing service, friendly owners, small business owners! food was fresh and tasty!! 100% recommend

The fish were amazing. Each cut was succulent. The rolls were beautiful and delicious. The food is amazing. Be advised it's a very relaxed dining atmosphere. You're going for the quality of the food, not the scene. Reminded me in a lot of ways of a couple of the best places I had sushi in LA. read more

great food! the service was nice. and the bathroom was clean as well. the girl serving us was very sweet.

What a unique concept of casual sushi joint! Their rolls are amazing, and with reasonable prices. I would go there again for to go though. Not a good place to go on dates in my opinion. read more

sushi was good and pretty decent price point! definitely a smaller restaurant, however still worth the visit. employees are super friendly as well :) read more

IKOI Sushi Café - philadelphia roll, spicy salmon roll - Japanese Near Me - Walnut Creek, California

Great place to get quality sushi. This is actually my first time dining here since they opened. I have meant to come here but never never got to. I am so glad I got to try it out today. My roll was very fresh and tasty. Their plating is also quite nice and unique despite the simple decor in the restaurant. My husband has a nice quality bento too with delicious eel sushi, and tofu skin sushi of your choice. I will definitely try to order more from them. The owner is super friendly too. Love supporting a local family run business. read more

IKOI Sushi Café - Bento box - Japanese Near Me - Walnut Creek, California

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We ordered takeout from here when we happened to be in the area around dinner time. They are a friendly bunch and very customer-oriented. We had miso soup while waiting for our sushi. The miso soup was the best I've ever had outside of Japan! The sushi rolls were plentiful and tasty. We will definitely be back for take out but this isn't a date night spot. The inside is clean but more cafe-style than restaurant and no alcohol that I saw. Other than that, the food was better than most sushi spots at this price point. I would highly recommend! read more

I'm still discovering more sushi spots in the Central Central Costa County area but I gotta give it to IKOI Sushi Cafe, this has been my best experience. Due to Covid there's limited seating since the establishment is pretty small and narrow. Everyone there was wearing a mask following covid protocol and I loved the fact that they disinfected our table prior to being seated. Our waiter was dope and super nice. I ordered a miso soup which was very flavorful and our sushi was excellent. Not too big, not too small, and it was affordable. I liked how instead of giving us a soy sauce dispenser, they gave us packets instead. I appreciate you, IKOI SUSHI CAFE! read more

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My friend and I found IKOI as a midway point for us to meet and catch up-- did not expect to get so swooned by the food ;_; It's really good! I've been a few more times and the fish is consistently fresh & flavorful. Located in downtown Walnut Creek. The staff are very sweet and welcoming. The interior is deceptively simple-- you really wouldn't expect such high-quality sushi served here. Some favorites: - MAGURO TEMAKI (super sweet bluefin tuna) - SAKE BELLY NIGIRI (delectably fatty, w THICCC cuts) - HOTATE NIGIRI (buttery soft) - RAINBOW ROLL (absolutely loaded with fish) - DRAGON ROLL (a must for eel lovers) Reasonably priced and family-owned. What's not to love? read more

Such a cute little place! The owner/staff were so sweet and wonderful - gives the place great vibes. There's a good variety of sushi and sashimi/nigiri options, and the prices are very reasonable. We got a bunch of sushi rolls and nigiri, and enjoyed all of it! The decor was lovely, and they had some cool Asian snacks for purchase. Definitely worth checking it out for a casual sushi restaurant! read more

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Very small shop, perfect intimate setting. I came in the afternoon on a Monday and was the only one in the shop. I was warmly greeted by staff, who was super sweet and apologetic for all of the fans in the restaurant. I told her it was just a warm day outside and that was nothing to be sorry for. The server was also kind. When taking my order I had an odd request to hold the tempura and possibly trade it for something else. He obliged and said it was no trouble. I ordered the Albacore Premium Roll as well as a Philadelphia roll. Both were wonderful, fresh and prepared quickly and with special care for the presentation. I will definitely return to this location again, because the service was wonderful and attentive and the food was excellent! :) read more

IKOI Sushi Café - Premium Albacore Roll, substitute tempura for half salmon/half avocado. - Japanese Near Me - Walnut Creek, California

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This place completely exceeded my expectations. For all my years living in the local area I have never tried this little place before. It seems a little questionable when you walk in, it is a quiet little café style restaurant. It's nothing fancy. But the food was absolutely delicious. I had the most delicious miso soup that I have ever had in my life. So much flavor, it was amazing. Great service as well. Definitely will come back. read more

Food, service and staff were very good! I like the quiet ambiance and respectful staff. read more

Hands down the best sushi in town. Highly recommend. Small, yet cozy location with excellent customer service. read more

IKOI Sushi Café - Sushi - Japanese Near Me - Walnut Creek, California

Service and sushi is excellent! This place reminds me of some of the sushi spot in Tokyo. Nothing fancy but just good sushi with great service and very polite people. read more

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Wow. It's rare to find a Japanese restaurant that hits all the notes food wise. Food Predominantly Sushi in the menu which was was very fresh and tasty. Both nigiri and rolls were delicious. Not a lot of pretentious sauces to mask the fish. Tuna and eel were on point. Miso soup - nice touch of adding abura-age (fried tofu) in addition to tofu pieces. Other option (salmon, chicken) but limited to those proteins. Salmon teriyaki was subtle and delicious. Order extra sauce on the side if you like it richer. Dessert - warm mochi is a fusion cross between bread pudding (but way less sweet), form custard and mochi (rice cake). Japanese desserts are subtle when it come to sweet level so keep that in mind. Come in 4 little bite size squares. Lovely Green tea mochi ice cream. - mochi sheen filled with green tea ice cream with a floral undertone. Served with whipped cream and chocolate chips. Also lovely. Parking - tricky since the area is congested. Civic parking is only a block a way Price - standard for the area but if you come hungry be prepared to bring out the Visa! Overall - great find in the creek. Come check this place out read more

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Came to pick up a couple of their spring rolls to go, so I can't really review their sushi, restaurant, or service. The place was pretty small but nice inside. I thought the spring rolls were such a cool blend of Japanese, Vietnamese and Thai. The veggie spring roll had lots of fresh veggies and avocado. The seafood spring roll had a shrimp and imitation crab. It kinda reminded me of California rolls. Both came with a Thai dipping sauce, which was really good. Overall both were really fresh and tasty. The rice paper started falling apart near the end but not a big deal. read more

IKOI Sushi Café - Spring roll and seafood spring roll. So fresh and light. - Japanese Near Me - Walnut Creek, California

This is a long overdue update from a visit in February, after change in ownership & chef! It was okay, some hits, some misses, but definitely lacking in that special touch the previous chef had. Some items, like the intricate bowls, were no longer on the menu. Makes us sad. :( We started off with edamame, which was fine. The salmon skin salad was a bit disappointing. It was like a Western iceberg salad with cold salmon skin thrown on top. Not recommended. The miso soup was okay, but nothing special. We ordered two rolls, which had a good amount of fresh fish. They were not as expertly rolled, however, they were acceptable. The best part, thankfully, were the nigiri. Nice, generous cuts done right. See photos for details. :) The amaebi heads didn't seem crispy enough. I think they were baked, instead of deep fried. We were still a bit hungry, so we ordered one more roll. This one took forever to come out. We didn't even have time to get dessert. Awww. Overall: bad salad, okay rolls, great nigiri. No more special dishes. I think I prefer our regular TrValley spot over them. Now...we just have to find where that chef wandered off to! ;) read more

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What an absolutely lovely little sushi restaurant! By far the friendliest, most welcoming sushi spot I've visited in the Walnut Creek area, and delicious food as well. Daughter and I dropped in on a Friday afternoon around 3:30, a time when most other sushi places are closed, but we had a craving and no time to waste. I'm so happy IKOI was open, as we've now discovered our new favorite location for sushi in Walnut Creek. Ordered a Lion King and a Salmon roll to go, and the order was ready in about 15 mins. The fish was SO fresh and delicious, and presented really beautifully for a takeaway order. We ate in the car, but it appeared they do have an outdoor seating area. One thing I especially liked about this cafe was the selection of imported snacks and drinks. They have flavors of KitKat I haven't seen outside of Japan! We will definitely be returning to IKOI in the future. read more

IKOI Sushi Café - Lion King roll to go. Delicious and beautiful! - Japanese Near Me - Walnut Creek, California

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Imma be honest on the outside I wasn't inclined to try this place but OH MY GOODNESS YES MAM! So good! I'm so glad we tried here, the sushi quality is BOMB! You will not regret this place! And I'm a sushi expert btw ok I have tried so many places and this is our new spot! One thing I do wish they had music and a little more lighting in there but other than that food and service excellent! The sushi quality and service was so bomb! Will be back! read more

IKOI Sushi Café - Philadelphia , Alaska roll - Japanese Near Me - Walnut Creek, California

Just a short update, since we returned a week later to sample the non-omakase. Our response? Omagoodness! On yesterday's dinner menu was dry sake (the liquid kind), seaweed salad, tofu nuggets, Dragon roll upgraded to real crab, Rainbow roll, uni nigiri and unago Nigiri. Pics of the nuggets, Dragon, closeup of Dragon, and Flamingo. I liked the tofu nuggets but my wife wasn't so fond of them. They are nuggets in the spirit of Mikey D's - the ingredients are chopped fine and uniform inside the crunchy outside shell. Wakame seaweed salad was nice - as good as wakame gets (but as is usual with seaweed, it pretty much is what it is). Uni was smooth, very creamy, and fresh from Santa Barbara. Delicious. The anago was slightly smoky and subtle. A much more restrained taste sensation to the more "raise it to 11" taste of unagi. The two rolls displayed Chef Katsui's talent for preparation. Note the closeup of a single piece of the Dragon Roll and the thin and uniform slicing of the avocado. Any of you tried slicing avocado lately, especially ripe ones? Slippy and slidey and whoops! It's not so easy. Note also the uniform grains of sushi rice. No gluey sticky mass here. Artistry. Same for the Flamingo. And the taste of each ... The best descriptor is the word restrained. A beautiful medley of flavors, all subtly playing upon your tastebuds. A little smoke. A little sweet. A little savory. All dancing together in the land of sushi. Beautiful. Our conclusion is still - "If you want exceptional sushi and you're anywhere near Walnut Creek - you're shortchanging your tastebuds if you don't bop on by." read more

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This place is a hidden gem! Food was insanely delicious and the service was exceptional! This place is our new go to spot. I love little places like this because there's no crowd or wait and it has a cozy ambiance to it. Would 1000000% recommend, if you're looking for a new sushi place you should definitely try this one. They also have little snacks and drinks you can purchase, the strawberry kit kats are so yummy!! read more

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Ikoi cafe is a friendly local sushi spot with new ownership that was taken place sometime last summer I believe. It's a small family business located in Walnut Creek, CA. As for now they offer pick up only due to city regulations. It's best to plan and call ahead for your order. They inform you how long the order will take and call once your order is ready for pick up! They have a new menu with variety of sushi and entrees to choose from. I personally love the flamingo roll, which is a seared yellowtail roll topped with spicy mayo and serrano peppers. They also told me they will have new items coming soon! I can't wait to try more of their sushi :) Thank you & will be back soon! read more

IKOI Sushi Café - Flamingo Roll - Japanese Near Me - Walnut Creek, California

The sushi was great! It was very fresh, and the servers were very friendly. You could feel the love and care in the food they served. The ambiance was relaxing and peaceful. The decor may be outdated, but I'm giving them 5 stars because the quality of food and service is important to me. We ordered hot tea, 2 assorted chirashi bowls, 1 flamingo roll, and 1 dragon roll. This place serves quality fresh fish. Everything was delicious. I'll be back! read more

Extremely delighted with this sushi place. First time trying this place. D I will be back. Every roll tasted so delightful. I loved how soft the rice was and the perfect amount of texture. read more

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I nearly cried after eating at IKOI because it's pretty darn good for the Tri-Valley. I had almost given up all hope on finding a Japanese-owned sushi restaurant that served clean, delicious fish. Good thing for my fellow Yelpers! I came here on a Saturday afternoon for lunch, and there was no wait. However, there's only one hostess and one chef. While service was a bit slow, the food more than made up for it. Here's what we had: - Oshinko: a light, refreshing roll with only pickled radish. Delicious! - Negi Hamachi: This one had a little more mayo than I would've liked. Because of this, I didn't really get to taste the fish. - Hamachi nigiri: The hamachi was so clean! It tasted wonderful. - Sake: A glistening jewel on a bed of rice. - Amaebi: While the body was good, the heads smelled a little funky. - Uni: Perfectly placed and wonderfully smooth and buttery. Definitely come here if you're in the mood for some fresh nigiri or sashimi. We never order any of the specialty rolls because we think the true test of a good sushi restaurant is its fish. If you smother anything in sauce, of course it'll taste delicious. read more

I am still beginner in Sushi, very delicious sushi and very friendly staffs! I loved the dragon roll and spicy roll! read more

IKOI Sushi Café - Japanese Near Me - Walnut Creek, California

IKOI Café in Downtown Walnut Creek has become my favorite sushi place in the East Bay ! My friends and I came across IKOI while shopping on N. Main St. and we were curious to try. The ambience of this hole in the wall Mom and Pop shop is very quaint, minimalistic, and café-esque. You instantly get the vibe that this stop and shop sushi café was made for convenience and caters to all-- especially people on the go or in between shifts for sushi made to take home. On the left, there's a cold bar with sides such as; Classic Edamame, Seaweed salad, Egg Salad Sandwiches, etc. On the right, there are assorted Asian snacks, chips and beverages. As for the service, the IKOI staff were so refreshing and saccharine. Throughout our visit, they were very insightful, patient, and even gave us their recommendations on the rolls and pairing sides that they had on the current menu. My friends and I chose Specialty Rolls such as: Lion King Roll, Rainbow Roll, Mango Sunshine Roll, Dragon Roll and 49er Roll. They did not disappoint. Not only were they substantial in size; visually they were gorgeous ! They even formed the ginger into roses; and personally, I live for that kind of detail and aesthetics. The packaging was beautiful and spot on. It was very much worth the wait and price ! We've also come to learn that they have just reopened under new management and a new face of operation; which makes me eager to come back and see the changes over time in their menu as well as their services. Overall, this experience at IKOI has been very rewarding. My friends and I are definitely coming back again soon ! And I am definitely treating myself to another Mango Sunshine Roll ! ( and maybe some edamame on the side too ) read more

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Sushi was okay, at least it's edible, but salmon teriyaki was terrible. The fish was not fresh, they are old, serving it with Thai sweet chili sauce is a big no no along with pickled Japanese veggies. They just don't go with each other. Service is very slow, the young lady never cleaned the table after customers left for awhile. And the place was dead, just us dining. Weird vibe, used to be a coffee shop with a fireplace turned into sushi place. I can tell they don't have many experience in the food industry. Seems like a family run, would like to support them, but I saw many wrong things going on. read more