My family has been coming to Koi since it opened and even before that when the restaurant was Aligado. We enjoy the freshly prepared sushi and the Thai inspired dishes especially the curries and pad Thai. We have never had a poor meal at Koi. The is atmosphere is warm and intimate, making it a nice place for date night. The staff is friendly and accommodating. During Covid shutdown, they stayed open for take out orders which was much appreciated since many local restaurants closed completely. Give them a try! read more

*4.5 STARS* Despite it's awkward location on the highway, Koi's inside and food never disappoint. The inside is pretty modern and they have multiple hibachi tables in the back. I recommend making a reservation for hibachi. Koi is BYOB (which is always a positive point for me). Koi has both a delicious sushi and hibachi menu. We enjoy Koi for both dining in and for take out. Truthfully, their avocado rolls are always some of the freshest I've ever had. I particularly enjoy their hibachi noodles and rice, finding them quite flavorful. My husband typically gets chicken and steak hibachi, and it's always cooked perfectly, regardless if we eat there or get it to go. I also love their fried cheesecake. When ordering from here, their portions are LARGE! So, we usually get two meals from one order of hibachi here. I also appreciate whenever I order to go food from where, the server repeats the order on the phone. I've honestly never had a to go menu from here that was wrong. (We order to go from here about once a week, so this is an impressive statistic in my opinion.) On the downside, their hours vary and can be unpredictable- sometimes they close a little early. At times, the service inside can be a little slow. Pros: large portions & fresh sushi Downside: varying hours & slower service when dining in Overall, we really enjoy ordering both hibachi and sushi from koi. read more

Koi Sushi & Hibachi - a man sitting at a table - Sushi Bars Near Me - Hazlet, New Jersey

THIS REVIEW IS FOR THE HIBACHI ONLY because that's all I had so far. I was craving some hibachi for dinner today. I ordered the chicken and scallop hibachi which came with a soup, salad, fried rice, noodles, and vegetables. The portion was HUGE! It's definitely a great value for your money. The hibachi was good, I liked that they put a lot of hibachi sauce on the scallops and chicken to make it more tasty. I thought the noodles could of used more flavor, but the fried rice was good. You definitely get your money's worth here just look how big my dinner was. If your craving hibachi definitely check this place out. read more

Koi Sushi & Hibachi - Chicken and scallop hibachi good! - Sushi Bars Near Me - Hazlet, New Jersey

Best sushi menu ever!! The chefs can back it up with superior skills with the freshest fish ever. I've been to hundreds of sushi restaurants this place is in my TOP 5. I can't drive past this restaurant without stopping in and having a delicious and outrageous meal. I mean every single time I leave with my mind blown. The food is absolutely incredible. The service is perfect and the chefs are the real McCoy. Best lunch and best dinner ever. The prices are fair. Better than going to TGI Fridays or some boring place like that. My advice is make a visit to Koi sushi in Hazlet across from the giant movie theater. This is the place to be. read more

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They don't want business. They claim to be open until ten pm. I called to make a reservation for six people at 8:30pm and I'm told that she can't take my reservation unless we come earlier because 'sometimes the chef likes to go home early'! I told her it's after a graduation, so we couldn't come earlier she said she couldn't make a reservation 'that late'. I have never in my life heard of such nonsense. They're are plenty of other places that want our business, we won't be back. read more

Had a sushi dinner here at Koi sushi and Hibachi. It is literally on the same road as the Holiday Inn. When we walked in for dinner we could hear other customers enjoying their dinner and chatting happily with each other. Our first time having this place and we did believe this place was pretty alright. We ordered two items one is a cooked steak and shrimp combination. It also came with fried rice and noodles! Double the amount of carbs so if you are hungry you should for sure get this. Also ordered a roll that was pretty light and refreshing. I forgot the name of it but in the center it has avocado, salmon and albacore. On the top it has more fresh fish with a variety of salmon, tuna and I believe yellow tail. Overall it was a nice mixture and good blend together. Service was alright I didn't get a refill on my hot green tea for a while. Almost when we were done with our meal. But this place was still enjoyable! If your craving some Japanese food and your close by, this is a pretty decent place! read more

Koi Sushi & Hibachi - Steak and shrimp - Sushi Bars Near Me - Hazlet, New Jersey

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Never eat Sushi here ! I went for lunch today. It was open at 11:30 according to its website. I got there at 12:10. I ordered Sushi lunch A . The first bite of unknown white fish , I couldn't believe what I bit into. Sushi rice was still very warm. With no vinegar flavor. The small slice of fish on top was also warm. I tried other fish...the same thing. They were just very bad. I told the waiteress that Sushi rice was warm. She said the rice was just cooked and they did not have time to cool it. In Japan, we also start from hot cooked rice. Then add Sushi vinegar and use a fun to cool rice completely. Warm rice and raw fish combination is food poisoning waiting to happen. The green tea, which they charged me $2.00 had absolutely no flavor. I am Japanese. I was really embarrassed that they serve this as Japanese food to locals. read more

Koi Sushi & Hibachi - Sushi lunch A - Sushi Bars Near Me - Hazlet, New Jersey

A happy accident finding this place. Was visiting with some family that moved to Middletown and this place was minutes away. There were eleven of us at this dinner seating so it was great to have a large group to sample the menu. Admitting that no one has ever been here before, we were all anxious about trying this place. But upon walking in, we saw it was a pretty packed house. We all breathed a sigh of relief! After perusing the menu options, we had more high hopes that it's quite promising and luckily we're right. Sashimi was spot on and every plate was generous in portions. We didn't sit in the hibachi grill room but there was no problem ordering it (note, you should reserve that specifically if you're going for the full show, limited seats). While the photos should speak for the presentation, know the prices were reasonable based on cuisine standards and being in NJ. Our favorites/must try appetizers: roti, tuna and avocado cubes, any spicy tuna/salmon/yellowtail. I would recommend the tempura dishes and the crispy rice roll (wish it was crisper but every place makes it different). Excellent entrees: filet mignon, scallop and salmon hibachi ... All were perfectly cooked and again, generous portions. Personally I was there for the Sashimi so the sashimi dinner was the way to go. Satisfying and nicely cut pieces. Uni a la carte was also very good. Nice neighborhood gem. I'd like to return to try their Thai food options. They had red curry on the menu and lots of noodle options. read more

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Super thoughtful owners, excellent customer service. Replaced my take-out drunken noodles when I called without any problem (I thought they were spicy , but you need to ask). And the spicy version was DELICIOUS! Also, I. never had the sushi till this last order, but they were so good. Clearly quality fish, melts in your mouth. Noms. read more

Koi Sushi & Hibachi - Spicy Drunken Noodles (ask for spicy) - Sushi Bars Near Me - Hazlet, New Jersey

I had heard good things about Koi and was craving hibachi so we decided to pick some up. They provided the whole experience - soup, salad, sauces - all wrapped perfectly. Definitely a good move while hibachi places aren't operating as usual. Tons of food too! read more

Koi Sushi & Hibachi - hibachi - Sushi Bars Near Me - Hazlet, New Jersey

A group of 7 of us came here on a Saturday evening for Hibachi. DEFINITELY MAKE A RESERVATION because the place was packed! ~BYOB~ SERVICE - 5 stars - Very attentive and friendly staff. There was a bit of a wait when we got there but the hostess kept us updated the whole time. Our Hibachi guy was great as well! AMBIENCE - 4 stars - Good spot for all sorts of occasions and family-friendly. We sat in a private room for Hibachi (seats about 18) which can use a bit of decor and felt a bit cramped but comfortable and clean overall. FOOD - 3.5 stars - the Hibachi is reasonably priced for the portions that they serve. Half of us had leftovers to bring home. Food is decent but nothing that stood out to me. I didn't care for the soup or salad that came with and do wish that they can substitute one of those for some kind of dessert! (ice cream?!) Would love to come back to try their sushi & sashimi! read more

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My husband dreams of the Godzilla roll..,literally I love this place and having tried almost everything on the menu have never been disappointed. It atmosphere is calming and comfortable the service is great and the food delicious. We recently moved far away and all my Husband and daughter can talk about us coming back and eating at koi I've only done the hibachi once and it was Fine but the sushi is just to wonderful To waste any stomach room On anything else Try it you'll love it too read more

We love Koi! It has become our new sushi spot. The service is always great and the atmosphere is very nice. It's not usually crowded here, which is a bonus. The food is delicious and the prices are reasonable. Love it here! read more

I LOVE this place. My friend and I go there for dinner almost on a weekly basis and we always get the warmest welcome. The atmosphere is wonderful. Very quiet if you want to have a nice sushi dinner. They also have a hibachi section. The food is very fresh and they have a great menu. It is a BYOB and they will accommodate whatever you bring to drink. We usually bring sake that they warm up for us. The staff is very nice and accommodating. Overall it is our go-to sushi spot and the prices are reasonable too. read more

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Those of you that follow me know I RARELY give five stars to anyone! This is one of those moments and I would give 6 if I could. I can't think of ANYTHING I didn't like about this place. Wow! If you haven't gone, what the @#*&$ are you waiting for?? The place is spotless and decorated like a house you would find in Japan. Very comfy and warm. You could eat off the floor. Amazing. Next up, the service. You don't get one server or two, but everyone. If they pass by, they're stopping to serve you or see if you need anything. The food came out quick, but not too quick that you couldn't enjoy your first course. How many times do you see that, unless you're at mom's house? Blew me away. Ok, let's get to the best bit. The food!! I have been eating sushi for quite sometime now. I'm an old guy (54) and I've eaten sushi in different countries, states and restaurants. Once you've eaten it as much as I have, you can tell the difference between good and "where can I spit this out". I am big fan of Uni (Sea Urchin) and that's a sushi that will let you know INSTANTLY when it's bad. The best Uni I've had, up until last Saturday, was in Seattle. Now it's 10 minutes from my house. It was the best I've had! Ever! So creamy and delicious! I'm salivating thinking about it. In addition to that, we had Beef Negamaki, Hibachi Steak and shrimp, Hibachi Steak and Scallops. All cooked PERFECTLY!!! There is a custom in Japan. When you want to compliment the chef, you send a shot of Saki to them. This is telling the chef he did an outstanding job. Guess what, kids... I made sure two shots were sent over to the magicians behind the counter. I would have sent over the bottle if I didn't drink it myself. It's a BYOB but they will open your wine and heat up your Saki. You MUST MUST MUST go here! Also, be prepared to wait on the weekends, but not a very long wait. Either way, GO GO GO to Koi! You won't regret it!. read more

Second time here if you count our take out experience, however first time to review. The service, food and presentation was perfect. We called in for reservations and our table was ready when we walked in. A roomy booth to fit 5 and we were immediately warmly greeted by our server. The place was buzzing with many regulars as I like to always chat with other patrons. Two people at our table has a gluten allergy and our server assured us all precautions would be taken and she brought out gluten free soy sauce. The restaurant has been totally redone in a warm an inviting atmosphere. They surely offer so much and the variety will appeal to everyone. You can sit at the sushi bar, a table or the hibachi. We had a table of very sushi picky people and all agreed the sushi was amazingly fresh, delicious and we would all return. Not only was the sushi amazing but the hibachi steak was perfectly made. We relaxed, hung out and our server kept checking in to see if we needed anything. The staff is so nice!! This place deserves 41/2 stars on both visits! Gave 5 because I never understand how someone can give a bad rating to a restaurant on take out alone......booo to that person! Ok everyone this is a find in our area and suggest you to try this place. My only regret is it took me way too long to stop in for my original visit. Saw another YELP ELITE review (Scott B.) and trusted it, so glad I did. A note to the owner .....keep up the good work and your place will be around for a long time. 5 people and we ate very well for $25.00 a person. Remember this is BYOB! One more thing.....it isn't fair to rate a restaurant on take out alone! read more

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Before Koi, this used to be Aligato...my typical Saturday lunch sushi location . It has undergone a complete interior renovation several months ago and perhaps new management. Inside is very modern and updated. I have dined here twice now, both times were the sushi lunch specials. These specials come with miso soup and a salad. The service is exceptional, with the staff being super attentive (but not in that creepy way). The sushi lunches were OK, but nothing incredible. Good value but I definitely have had better sushi pieces at other locations. read more

Don't let the parking fool you because sometimes it is very empty. The food is AMAZING, the design of the restaurant is so cozy and the waitstaff are pleasant. I've only had the sushi so far but I am looking forward to a hibachi date in my near future (*wink, wink, husband) read more

Great service and fresh sushi. Thank you. Love the ambience of the place. I'm sushi lover so I got sushi mix. Toro, of course, my favorite) read more

Koi Sushi & Hibachi - Sushi by choice - Sushi Bars Near Me - Hazlet, New Jersey

Went for the hibachi experience for my sons fifth birthday and we all had a great time!, the kids always love hibachi so we've gone to places in nyc , northern nj and Florida, this place was one of the best! The quality of food was excellent, fresh, perfectly seasoned, not too salty as it can be sometimes. The service was also great, friendly and efficient. Will go back soon! read more

We were a group of six dining on a Friday evening with a reservation at Koi. The restaurant was nearly empty. The two ladies who waited on us were somewhat gruff and rude in the beginning, only getting worse as the evening progressed. The food was mediocre (neither good nor bad). At around 930pm, after we had paid the bill but were still lingering a bit in conversation, one of the two waitresses told us that we needed to leave immediately, as the restaurant was closing. When we asked what time they closed, they said 10pm, but they wanted to close early today. There was a white couple at a nearby table who were still eating and leisurely talking, and the waitresses said nothing to them (we were a mixed group- 3 whites and 3 non-whites). In any case, we obliged and got up and started to leave. As we were leaving, one of the waitresses screamed at one of us, that he had left a bag on his chair. This kind of behavior and treatment of customers is unwarranted in any restaurant. Avoid this place like the plague. read more

Always amazing high quality food. Currently I have had some dietary restrictions but they've always been amazing with my requests

Koi Sushi was such a good experience for me especially because of how important I value customer service. When I came in for a seat I was a bit annoyed about the wait but the hospitality they showed during our wait time was very satisfactory. They gave us frequent updates on our table and even proceeded to make conversation to pass the time. When we were seated we had asked for drinks and some other things and we got them almost instantly. Usually asking for a simple spoon takes 15 minutes in any other restaurant but we got ours much sooner. Last of all but definitely one of the most important, the food was great quality and had nice touches to get me and my family excited even before it reached our table. Overall great experience and I would recommend for all groups and ages. read more

Koi Sushi & Hibachi - Sushi Bars Near Me - Hazlet, New Jersey

the king triton roll is to die for!! very fresh and they are really nice. I order a lot with my job and its always a large order. Koi never skips a beat and every single thing is there every time! delicious! read more

I've come to Koi a number of times over the years and its always been great- however, this time was so bad I won't be coming back. My mom got Chicken Teriyaki that was supposed to come with vegetables; there was one piece of bok choy and three little onions. I got the Turning Leaf roll, which is supposed to have spicy tuna, crab, and sweet potato. All that was in there was a ton of tempura and sweet potato, with a shred of crab in two pieces. This was supposed to be a "special roll." Really such a disappointment and felt like a waste of a dinner. read more

This is one of the worst sushi places I have ever been to. First impressions weren't looking too great, as all 4 sushi rolls that I ordered were soaked in soy sauce. Nobody had came up to us to ask if our food was good until the end of our meal. The tuna had a gummy texture, when other places would have a nice melty tuna. My daughter had hibachi chicken with white rice, noodles, and veggies. My daughter was satisfied with the dish. However, we did not get any apologies and what was suprising is that we visibly did not eat one of our rolls and did not get it off the check. It was ridiculous enough that our rolls were drenched in soy sauce but my girlfriend had to get up and request to have that roll taken off the bill. I seriously don't understand how people are reviewing this place "good", I don't know what world their living in. Hmm. talk about service.. as soon as we walked in the place, EMPTY. Nobody there had greeted us and only said "How many?" and was seated at our table. One more thing, my girlfriend and my daughter witnessed a waitress slapping a chef on the arm jokingly while making the sushi that WE were eating. Mind you we were the only ones in the restraunt. The co-workers are so irresponsible that they were giving massages to each other while we were eating in our presence. From service to food, if I could give it 0 stars I would. read more

So happy we stopped in tonight for dinner. The food was so fresh and tasty. Best sushi I've had since moving here. My husband had the hibachi chicken, and said it was excellent. The shrimp dumplings were amazing. Loved the atmosphere, and the staff were very friendly, and welcoming. We will be back! read more

Great place for sushi and non-sushi lovers. Son enjoys the fresh sushi platter of tuna, salmon and crab while husband enjoyed the steak teriyaki and I truly enjoyed the steak and lobster hibachi. Appetizer was chicken and vegetable tempura, iceberg lettuce with tasty house dressing, edamame and miso soup. Everything was delicious and prices are reasonable. Looking forward to going back and trying something new. read more

Koi has reliably good specialty rolls, though if you want clean tasting, traditional rolls, I'd visit Fuku across 35. The decor is great, the rice cake sushi appetizer is fantastic, and recently, they began plating the specialty rolls with a little more flair (using dry ice, etc). -1 for takeout service. They haven't started making my food until after I arrived multiple times. Ordering over the phone is impossible, I highly suggest downloading their app. -1 for in-house service. On our last visit, after finishing our dinner, we didn't see a server for a half hour. We eventually figured out our bill and left cash without ever getting a check. If we can't reliably get take out and can't get decent service while we're there, there's really no need to go again. read more

First and foremost, the service here was abysmal. I took my girlfriend here to try their sushi because this restaurant had a high rating and we were EXTREMELY UNHAPPY WITH OUR SERVICE. We got our soups and salad BEFORE our drink order was even taken! When we first arrived, we were waiting 10-15 minutes before being greeted, and the worst part was that no one even bothered to come around to open our bottle of wine. The table that sat before/next to us got their bottles opened before us (and we had the same waitress). On top of it all, our food came extremely late and the waitress didn't even bother to ask us if we needed anything else and seemed bothered by the fact that we told the manager...which makes NO SENSE!! Also, when we did finally get our wine the wine glasses smelled awful. BOTTOM LINE: Think twice before coming here on a weekend because there's a chance that their service will let you down. I was better off getting my sushi from a grocery store because at least I had some type of control over my food. read more

Went here for the first time with my family, brothers and cousins. Food was delicious and fresh. Staff was amazing. Such a great variety of sushi and other Asian cuisine. read more

Cool modern decor. Fresh sushi rolls. Some nice specialty rolls. We will definitely return! read more

Koi Sushi & Hibachi - Sushi Bars Near Me - Hazlet, New Jersey

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One of my favorite sushi restaurants around this area. The quality of the food and the service is great, and the ambiance is quite inviting for a cozy, classy experience. My favorite ones are the sashimi platter, and the following rolls: twister, rock & roll, black dragon, diamond girl, and sumo. read more

Awesome! Very good quick service. Beautifully decorated. Delicious appetizers and sushi. Will definitely be back! With wine, cause it's byob! read more

Koi Sushi & Hibachi - Sushi Bars Near Me - Hazlet, New Jersey

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Ugh. Where to begin? Hub and I went for a last minute dinner tonight given 2 coups had on hand. We love hibachi, sushi, and Sapporo. Perfect for a casual Saturday night dinner. Or so we thought. We get there and we're immediately seated - never asked if we want to do hibachi, so first red flag - we assume it's only served table-side. Then we realize it's BYO - which if they actually had a website, we would've brought ours. Hub sets off for liquor store, I scratch my head and silently give my second strike. While he's at the liquor store, waitresses were kind of pushy so I ordered 2 apps - and by the time Hub shows back up (5 min) they're on the table with soups and salads and ordered apps (did you even fire those fresh?). We order entrees and after 10 minutes our entrees show.. I'm barely digesting as the food as coming at such a rapid pace. Food-wise - it was ok at best. Pork gyoza was edible. Sushi Tacos were interesting but weren't impressive. My Thai basil chicken was flavorless but I liked that the rice was separate (despite her bringing the wrong kind of rice initially - probably because she was rushing). Hub's "hibachi" was overcooked (well done steak.. Ew.. But he was never asked I guess), soggy veg and ok rice. It felt very.. plastic, and the menu was very generic and sad. My biggest pet peeve is being rushed - going out to eat can be an event, so I beg servers - I get it, turn your tables, but don't make me feel like an inconvenience. Here, we were so rushed and the waitresses were borderline creepy - anticipating your fork hitting the plate to ask you "can I get you anything else?". We were in and out in 45 MINUTES. Sit down, beer run, apps, meal, asked for coffee (which there was NONE. What is that? How do you not have coffee?????), paid and left. Power dinner for sure, and the restaurant was more than half empty. I can see why. We used 1 of our 2 coups and left the other on the table.. We won't be using it. read more

Nice spot, good food, average portion size, average price, good parking, fast and good service. Will be going back and would recommend going here. read more

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New to the area, just moved to Holmdel from edgewater NJ. Koi's was a little disappointing cause even though they are called sushi&Hibachi, there wasn't any hibachi. Apparently there's a table in the back that's hibachi but that was reserved. So maybe they should call the place Koi Sushi and maybe Hibachi? Anyway the food was ok lobster was over cooked and hard. Overall I might go back to try the sushi. read more

The decor is well done, very classy especially compared to the exterior. But you don't go to a restaurant to marvel at the foundation. The rolls we had were kinda just ok. Shrimp and mango roll was nice, single but enjoyable. Service was excellent. The presentation of the dishes was a little overly elaborate, but good for that initial shock value. I was shocked. read more

Koi Sushi & Hibachi - King Triton with lowly subject mango shrimp roll. Interesting presentation here. - Sushi Bars Near Me - Hazlet, New Jersey

I'm a frequent sushi eater and this was horrible. I was visiting from out of town, craving sushi and this had so many good Yelp reviews I though I try. I could not have been more wrong. The sushi was bland and sort of offish. I stopped eating half way through. It just didn't taste right. Disappointed I went back to my hotel. As I was walking to the room I realized something was very wrong. I ran to the door and just barely made it to the toilet in time. read more

update!!! owner is very understanding and very caring. the food is fantastic. just wish there were more servers! 4 stars for the food. deff would be a solid 5 if they had more help! sat down at about 8:07pm and got our order taken at 830pm!!!!!!!!! how can service suck in such a great place!? the table next to us has been empty for about 20 minutes and it's still not cleaned off. our water is straight from the toilet. we have to catch a movie at 9:50 and from the look of this we ain't making it. we placed our order at 830 it's currently 847 and still no food. if you have patience this place is fantastic for you. if not, i deff do not recommend. read more

Koi Sushi & Hibachi - DIRTY TABLE - Sushi Bars Near Me - Hazlet, New Jersey