A friend and I dropped in for lunch on a spring weekend. We enjoyed our visit to Kiko, and I would happily return for another meal there. Atmosphere: decor has a Japanese feel to it - there are traditional design elements and motifs (for example, a gorgeous kimono is displayed on a wall), but overall done in a modern and fresh way. Lighting/temperature/music were all appropriate and contributed to a lovely atmosphere in which to have a meal. Service: Friendly and prompt. We were greeted at the front of the restaurant and shown to a table. When our rolls were brought out, our waitress noticed that the kitchen had made an error and given us a different roll than what we had ordered. Once she recognized this, she immediately stated the problem and took our plate back to the kitchen. In only a short time, she returned with our new plate. She also kept our tea cups filled throughout the meal. Food: delicious! It's a step above most sushi I've had here in Ottawa. We had: miso soup, assorted tempura, dynamite roll, scallop roll, and tamago nigiru. Particular standouts for me were the tempura (fresh, hot, crispy, light, and cooked just right), and the scallop roll (wonderful textures and flavours - the sauce complimented the mild scallop flavour without overwhelming it - it was made with attention to flavour balance). Other items (miso soup, dynamite roll, tamago) were certainly among the better versions of those dishes that I have had. Overall, it's one of the best sushi places I've visited here in Ottawa, and I'm eager to go back again - it may become my new go-to sushi place. :) read more

I love this restaurant,definitely on my top 5 for Ottawa! The food is superb along with the beautiful ambiance which keeps my family coming back again and again. Keep up the excellent work :) read more

Delicious. The Salad to start was one of the best I've had. The sushi rolls were perfect. Tasteful, fresh. I got the spicy platter and my boyfriend got the veggie platter. And then we shared. A bit pricey overall, but definitely showed in the quality of the food. If we could afford it, we would come back here often. Also we only got an entree each, no drinks or appetizers or dessert. So for us it was about $20 per person before tax, but if you got anything more than the entree, it would go up higher than $30. read more

If you love sushi pleeeeeze get out and support this place!! There is no other sushi restaurant that I have found in Ottawa that has fresher fish, or a more creative sushi menu. After years of living in Vancouver where I mindlessly sucked back sushi, not appreciating how GOOD it was, I moved to Ottawa and after swearing I would NEVER eat sushi in this town again, I found Kiko. The decor I find quite beautiful with very clean lines and a urban zen feel. But the decor alone would not have brought me back again and again. The sushi is quite simply, exquisite! Regardless if you are ordering a simple tuna maki roll, or one of the more intricate creations, the rice is perfect, the fish is fresh and the shrimp gyoza are unbelievable! Miso soup? YUMMY! Agedashi Tofu? MORE PLEASE! The only down side is that it is a little on the expensive side, but...good fish doesn't come cheap, and life's too short to eat bad sushi! read more

Absymal service. Waited 90 minutes and no dinner. Clueless waitress. We ended up walking out after a blank stare when we asked if the food might be coming. Absolute disregard for people's time. Very disappointing. Steer clear of this place. They should take some lessons from the Heart and Crown at the end of the block. At least they know how to put food on a table. read more

We wanted some sushi last night, the trip to Montreal a couple weeks back has sparked our need for more sushi. We ordered the same appetizers as we did in Montreal, the soft shell crab was meaty and amazing. The age dashi tofu fell a little short, there was too much of a floured crust on the tofu and the broth was not as flavorful. Kiko had a great sake list, we had the Demon Slayer...which was a very good choice. We ordered some sashimi and maki rolls, the saba was extremely good. It's been a while since we had good saba, I am glad we placed that second order to get saba. My wife enjoyed the spicy salmon the most, which we did not order by the way. They mixed up the order, we were originally ordering spicy scallops. We did reorder and got the spicy scallops, I don't recommend it was mediocre. It was like a confused California roll. This is one of the best sushi restaurants in Ottawa, the quality and service is amazing. I can't believe I rarely eat here when my office is right here. read more

Great place. Fantastic fish, including wild pacific salmon sashimi the night I was there. Very high quality. Lots of types of rolls, but perhaps too many with spice or cream cheese and not enough savory. I'll be back again and again for sure. read more

Have been on several occasions. Food is very good, but service is consistently incredibly slow.

A decent place to get sushi in Ottawa. Been there several times and happy with the food and service. Usually have sushi but tried Kasu Don last time which is surprisingly tasty. Will keep going back. read more

Having lived in Vancouver, I had a hard time finding good fresh Japanese food in Ottawa. Kiko is by far the best. Staff is always friendly and fish is always fresh. We always get the Alaskan roll and mango crepes for dessert. They will validate parking which is great because finding parking on Preston can be an issue. read more

Love this place. For the past two years we have made it a tradition to go here for Valentine's Day. Extra yummy, melt in your mouth flavour, and the service was great. read more

This is an email I sent to Kiko after eating there once, I thought I'd share it. They never did reply, but that's not surprising. They should be ashamed, as should any restaurant in Ottawa claiming to have good sushi. ******************************************************************************* I just wanted to relate my experience at your restaurant today, if you're looking for feedback. As other reviewers have noted, the service was a bit slow but I can live with that. What most sushi reviewers don't know is that good (and authentic) sushi can't be had in Ottawa, because they've never actually eaten properly prepared sushi. Your homepage claims that you have "2 chefs specially trained by a Japanese Sushi Master in Vancouver, each having over a dozen year's experience". I find this extremely difficult to believe, unless that "Sushi Master" worked in an all-you-can-eat establishment. I have, a very times in my lifetime, had the pleasure of enjoying true sushi. Once in Vancouver, and a few times here in Ottawa many years ago at Icho Restaurant which was down on the market. I believe Icho is now closed because the owners may have moved back to their homeland, which is very unfortunate. I keep hoping that one day I'll find a place in Ottawa that can serve sushi the way it's supposed to be served, and when I came across your restaurant last night while doing a web search and you touted your chefs as being trained under a sushi master, I actually got my hopes up a little bit but I was skeptical. When myself and a colleague from work when in today at lunchtime, we sat at the "sushi bar" and we couldn't even see the chef preparing the sushi because the bar is solid instead of glass (that was the 1st bad sign). We ordered sushi - one hamachi and one maguro as samples, and then we waited quite a while. Occasionally I would peek over the "sushi bar" to see what the chef was doing and finally I saw him making our order. When I saw that he didn't rub wasabi on the sashimi before placing it on the rice, I knew we'd be disappointed. And surely we were. The portions were quite small, the rice was kind of cold, and overall it was bland and there was really no particular pleasure in consuming it. Have you ever had really good sushi? I have, and it's been many many years since I've had it, yet it's so memorable an experience that you'll never forget it. This wasn't even close. We had four small pieces of sushi and it cost us $18. We paid and left (and I did try to provide constructive feedback to the server but she seemed put off - I suppose that's to be expected since she's probably never eaten good sushi). Sushi is sushi - wasabi is a part of it and there are no exceptions. If one was to ask a true sushi chef to modify what they were making, I believe it would be a grave insult to them. I could maybe understand if a customer specifically asked for no wasabi because they were allergic or something, but that should be the exception. Anyways, the wasabi is only a small part of it (and I'm quite sure it wasn't even genuine wasabi, was it?). We paid and immediately left and proceeded to 168 Sushi, where we got similar quality fare and it was AYCE for less than what we paid for four meager pieces. Please don't get me wrong as this is not an insult, but if you're going to claim certain things on your website please try to live up to them! There is no way in God's name that a true sushi chef, with 12 years of experience and who trained under a true sushi master, would EVER serve fare like that. Knowing the discipline and dedication that a true sushi chef is subject to, it would be unthinkable and literally impossible. Unless they've forsaken everything that they learned. I would appreciate a reply to this email from the owners of the establishment, only to know that they've actually read it. Whether you take it as an insult or take it for what it is, I have no control over. read more

Tried Beef Don for the first time since I am not a seafood person and was pleasantly surprised with it. I would order it again as it was much better than I had expected! read more

I posted this on their Facebook page but wanted to give some Yelp exposure too! Kiko Sushi Bar might seem out of place in Little Italy but this resto raises the standard for good food in the area :-) Not only is the sushi fresh, amazingly presented, and heavenly tasting, but the owner, Nikki, was also a joy to chat with! She took the time to ensure that the meal was to our liking, and at the end spent a while talking about her take on Ottawa and the Ottawa restaurant scene. She's a displaced Vancouverite and so as kindred spirits we had lots to discuss. Her perception after four years in the nation's capital is that it is far, far removed from the vibe and beat of Vancouver. Not better or worse, just different. There was so many things on her menu that sounded incredible but we simply had no more room after polishing off a sushi boat (yacht more like it!) and all the courses that came with the sushi dinner for four...we ended up ordering two more sushi plates...one called "Rapture" indeed lived up to its billing! Highly recommended for a group or intimate date, we will be going back to Kiko again! Due for another visit soon...will be bringing wife and friends to share this treat with as well! read more