Lousy seating plan. We are stuck waiting to be seated and people that can in behind us are already ordering.

My first and last time to dine there. It was lunchtime (1:15) and I ordered a simple bento - teriyaki beef, sashimi, sushi, salad, rice, miso soup. The first hint things would go sideways was when the server brought the miso soup - WITH A SPOON STICKING OUT OF IT. A.) never serve miso soup with a spoon, ask the customer if they want one and B.) never serve any food item with a utensil stuck in it. The worst thing? The miso was lukewarm, containing only *3* mini-cubes of tofu (1/2 the size of a sugar cube) and 2 skinny shreds of seaweed. The bento box arrived. Looked fine. Then the discoveries - the meat was not sliced through completely. I'm an expert with chopsticks (raised with them) and can get most things apart, but I ended up having to pull the pieces apart with my fingers. The meat was either a low-quality grade or just overcooked - or both. THE RICE WAS COLD. Not lukewarm - cold. I cannot find wasabi in the bento box to apply to the sashimi, and the server never comes back around so I can request some. I start on the sushi - and find the wasabi underneath the sushi. The salad was unmanageable as it's clear they are buying some kind of average bagged salad mix and the pieces of lettuce are huge. Not gonna wrestle with that with chopsticks. The server never came back asking if I wanted a tea refill (that is mandatory in an Asian restaurant!). Sayonara! read more

For sure you will be skipped if you are not a certain type of person. I'll leave an example here: Two people walk inside the restaurant, one of them is from salinas (latino) and the other one from Carmel. The one from salinas comes in first and sits and five minutes later the person from Carmel shows up and also sits at another table. Waiter goes directly to the person from Carmel knowing the person from salinas was first. There I said it. read more

I had the lunch bento box w chicken and tempura. The service was good and quick. The food was good for a reasonable lunch time price. I'd recommend Kokoro for lunch. read more

I am very impressed. Sushi rolls are not 75% rice like most places these days. The ramen is also amazing, I prefer the Shoyu kind. Ingredients are fresh. Price is fair and the dinning room is very clean. If you are fortunate you will get Kelly as your server. Kelly is attentive but not constantly bothering you while eating. She is very upbeat and friendly, the kind of server that makes you want to come back! read more

we walked in, we were waiting to be seated. they weren't that busy; two girls standing in the back. finally after what we thought was a reasonable time, my husband walked up to them and they said to seat ourselves. So we did. Several minutes more went by and another group of people walked in, they walked right up, handed them menus and proceeded to while totally ignoring us. We got up and walked out. read more

For me, this is the best sushi place in Salinas. Their Salinas roll is bomb. It's a deep-fried sushi with salmon, avocado, carrots, and cream cheese. Their side salad is awesome too. The dressing is tasty. The miso soup is delicious. Their Vegetable Yakisoba is very good too. They don't just put ordinary veggies. II would give 5 star for food and cleanliness. The reason why I gave four is that the service here is always very slow. Don't come here starving or hungry! To note too, they are closed between 2(i think) to 5 pm. read more

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1. Their sushi is excellent; some of the best I have ever had. 2. Horrible service; will not return. My boyfriend and I had sat down looking forward to a very delicious meal however it did not turn out that way. They brought me my sushi almost right away and said my boyfriend's meal would be right out as well. After a 1/2 hour with no wait stuff checking us and watching many people who had arrived after us already eating and finishing their dinner we realized something was wrong. By the time we flagged someone down (as our waitress had not been by the table for over a half hour) to let them know of our situation a person FINALLY apologized. No explanation except there are new staff members. They did not in any way try to make up for the extremely long wait and error. THAT is why I will not be back for a very long time if ever. read more

What a wonderful surprise! In town for the first time with our family. Decided to have Japanese. Found Kokoro Sushi a few blocks away. Never heard of it. We decided to give it a try. The food was absolutely wonderful. We had a party at five. Each of us got something different. All of us were very pleasantly surprised at the quality, quantity, and reasonable pricing. The best part was our waitress, Alejandra. She was excellent in service and attended our numerous requests promptly. read more

Got sushi from this location while I was visiting my family down in Salinas. Based on the food I tried and ordered, I'm a bit perplexed at the rating of this location cause it's actually really good food. The only reason why I'm a little bitter and not putting a 5 star is there high price specialty rolls are a bit small. My little cousin ordered a basic shrimp tempura roll and it was enormous and far cheaper than the Rudy Roll. If I put that issue aside I really enjoyed their sushi. I would really like to get sushi here again when I come back to visit my family again! read more

Kokoro Sushi - Kids Meal Beef Teriyaki - Sushi Bars Near Me - Salinas, California

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The food was great! The service was really good. The portions were good. I had the sashimi lunch special and I was surprised at the amount of fish I got. It was so fresh and buttery. Loved the seaweed salad, edamame and the calamari. Will def be back! read more

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Take your business else where. These place AND it's workers just want your money. They don't care about service or efficiency. My order for udon and a CALIFORNIA ROLL (you know the roll that actually has now raw fish in it) is taking about 130 minutes. I'm thinking they have to catch the imitation crab. Girl at the front couldn't care less. Doesn't seems like she even wants to earn her money. THIS OLACE SHOULD BE SHUT DOWN. IF YOU DONT WANNA EARN MONEY THIS WAY JUST SAY THAT. BUT DONT JUST SIT THERE AND DISH OUT SUB PAR SERVICE. DIABOLICAL! read more

Excited to try this place. Fresh and tasty and a good variety of sushi. Will definitely go again.

My favorite sushi spot in the the 831. Service is good and ambiance is very chill. Always craving this place!

This place rocks New decor New menu Great food Awesome service Best chefs in Salinas valley read more

Kokoro Sushi - Sushi Bars Near Me - Salinas, California

Food is good, lobster roll is fire. It's clean, nice ambiance and friendly staff. The only thing is service is only good when there's 3 tables occupied. When it's busy such as the weekends, service is horrible. I can't blame the waiters but on the weekends it looks completely under staffed. It took our waiter 15 min to even ask what we would like to drink. Again I don't blame the staff because I see that they're too busy handling togos and door dash. Just a recommendation on the consumer side, schedule someone to work solely on togos. read more

I don't live in Salinas, but we go to Kokoro every chance we have, and when my daughter visits we always make sure we take her to her favorite Japanese restaurant. read more

Our first time giving this place a try, and hey we loved it. Shrimp tempura roll tasted as expected. My husband tried the dragon roll, I'd say I loved it but it was too spicy for me. We had the fried jalapenos with cream cheese and boy.....super delicious. Will be going soon for dinner. P.s this was a take out order read more

Kokoro Sushi - Plum wine = best I have had. - Sushi Bars Near Me - Salinas, California

My husband and I went to this place and it was a pleasant experienced... My Husband ordered Udon soup and I ordered Ikura Salmon egg it was good***** P.S My Husband Gary really love the Udon soup here read more

The most affordable, kid and family friendly business tha has deliciously addictive sushi in Oldtown Salinas. They give Shogun sushi a run for their money. I will be going back there soon eager for more amazing food and beverage choices. Thank you for being open during these troubling times. read more

Best sushi ever! I go often and it's always super good, definitely recommend! The noodles and teriyaki bowls are also great! I love everything they have on their menu! read more

Kokoro Sushi - Sushi Bars Near Me - Salinas, California

OMG... Those sushi chefs!!! Funny, creative, kind, & great for business. Sit at the bar & you'll quickly see what I mean. The mussels were THE BEST I've ever had. Everything was delicious- good portion sizes, fresh ingredients, & marshmallow saki!! Rickie was the perfect waitress. Don't mind the remodel as the restaurant is clean & maintaining it requires patience. read more

Kokoro Sushi - Sushi Bars Near Me - Salinas, California

We went here a couple days ago and the service and wait times are horrible. It took over an hour to get our food and it wasn't even busy. We had to ask our waitress how much longer the food was going to take and she had a nasty attitude. I will NEVER go here again. I definitely recommend going somewhere else.... read more

I live the diversity in their menu. They have a great menu for people who don't eat fish, and I love their sushi rolls. It does take a while when you order takeout but everyone is always so nice wether it's done in or takeout. The restaurant is located in a great spot next to bars! read more

UNFRIENDLY & INATTENTIVE STAFF-My best friends and I running New Year's Eve errands and craving sushi for lunch. Kokoro was a favorite sushi place until today's experience when we arrived and saw the restaurant not too busy with only 3 tables occupied. We asked if we could sit at a booth and a server at the register said to wait at the door because we might bseated somewhere else. After waiting for several minutes while this server & another server chatted at the cash register, all the while the 3rd table left, leaving only 2 tables in the whole restaurant, my friends and I left the restaurant and on our way out told the servers "You just lost our business." In the food & hospitality business, no matter how great the food is, you also need a balance of attention and "customer service" This combination is what brings people back... read more

OMG you all OUT DID yourselves tonight!! My heart and belly are so happy right now. Doing sushi backflips! read more

Kokoro Sushi - Hand rolls and surf clam. - Sushi Bars Near Me - Salinas, California

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5 stars because there wasn't a thing I was missing! The quality of the fish was excellent! I had salmon sashimi for $21.95. It came with miso, and salad with that wonderful sesame dressing. The sashimi was 1/2" thick and about 2.5" by 1.5". There were nine pieces. Just wonderful! The specialty rolls were not expensive and came in more manageable bite size pieces. The service was fabulous! Can't wait to go back! read more

This place is on point with tasty appetizer and sushi! Ordered the Fire dragon roll and Rudy's roll. What a dance of flavors in my mouth!!! Definitely bringing my pals to try these rolls. read more

A friend recommend this place to us and we wanted to try something new. The food was okay- but we got our take out home and they had left out a roll and forgot several sauces. Super disappointed and unfortunately won't be back. Still trying to call them to get a refund. read more

Piss poor customer service. We went with our kids and we got our sushi rolls after about 45 minutes, and the kids chicken teriyaki plate still didn't come out until after we finished our rolls and we asked to cancel the kids plate. After the hour and a half wait to feed my kids the chicken was cooked to a crisp and the rice was cold. Everytime i tried to get my waitress attention she completely ignored our table, it got to the point where another table had to stop her and let her know we were calling her. Also they are either incompetent or just plain careless, we asked for a sub for crab to cucumber on one roll because I have an allergy to shellfish and they filled the roll with 90% cucumber and a sliver of tuna, left out the avocado and mango. I didn't say i couldn't eat all that. We felt pretty ripped off and dissatisfied about the customer service for over an $80 dinner. read more

So just left KoKoRo Sushi in Salinas without being served food. Everyone else at the table got their food. Why? "Well the chef made your rolls but someone else took them. They are working on to go orders". Wow. I don't normally write public reviews like this but I am disgusted. I refused to pay for any of the food. After waiting over 45 mins to eat... going home hungry. Too bad they used to be good, but horrid service. Never again. read more

Very good quality food.The service was amazing.Hands down the best California Roll I have ever had.Me and my family always come to eat here once a month.Highly recommend. read more

Nice place very busy seat methods need work Food was pricey but very good The staff was pressed for time To go area consumed the floor staff need a dedicated to go person read more

Slow slow slow service and horrible fish. It was a slow Friday night as not all the tables were full. It took over 45 minutes from the time we ordered to receive 2 rolls. That whole time we were not asked if we would like a drink refill. Once the rolls arrived, we didn't eat the one. The fish was mushy and tasted horrible, we both spit it out into our napkins. Never going here again. read more

Ordered take out for dinner. Teriyaki beef w California roll combo plate. Came w soup and salad. Food was fresh made, ask for meat w pink center medium rare, since the meat thickness is thin, they did a decent job. I had to wait another 10 mins past the promised time for my order. read more

Came in for lunch (twice) while on my lunch breaks from my jury service at the Salinas Courthouse. Solid sushi selection with a variety of specialty rolls, veggie rolls, lunch and dinner boxes, donburi and more. After poring through the menu, I decided to go with Noriko's Rollwhich features cream cheese, avocado, salmon and crab all crowned with another layer of fresh salmon. This roll has a nice fusion of flavors and tasted very good. Even the lady at my neighboring table kept ogling my roll with sidelong glances and remarked how good my sushi looked. Norkio's Roll is a perfect choice if you enjoy raw salmon as it comes with a double dose of salmon. My lunch partner had a bento box which looked quite good. Box came with shrimp and vegetable tempura, gyoza, 3 pieces of California roll, miso soup, salad and your choice of meat or fish. Complimentary tea and miso soup come with your meal. The miso soup is really good too; it's full of tofu, seaweed, green onions with lots of miso flavor. Tasty selections, fast and friendly service in a clean and comfortable space. Good sushi spot near Old Town Salinas. read more

Kokoro Sushi - Beef Teriyaki lunch box with tempura, 3 Cali rolls, gyoza, miso soup and salad - Sushi Bars Near Me - Salinas, California

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When I arrived, the host completely ignored us like we were ghost. Had to wait for 45min just to get a seat, and people who came after us we already seated just because they know each other! After we got our seat it took another 30min just to get one order of 2 rolls of sushi that's it! The waitress didn't came to check up on us or refilled our water. Of course I do understand if they are short staff but it started to die down, yet still we are being ghosted. Unbelievable these people did not provide any good service. P. S. The avocado was not ripe. read more

Just terrible! Came here because the Shogun two blocks away was full. We should of went home. I needed some rice with my JAPANESE food. The ice cream scoop size ball that came with my dinner was gone in three bites. Getting the waitress took 2 rings on the tables service alarm and close to 10 min. I got it! , another small scoop of lukewarm rice that we were changed a $1.50 for. This is a Japanese restaurant right. It's like chips a a Mexican joint, there free. I get it that rice cost money, but if you ask for another "scoop" your not wasting it. The wait staff here could use some outside help on basic services, like smiling with eye contact and actually meaning thank you. Last words... I'm done. read more

Low rating on the service, the food was delicious if you are ok with the long wait.. sat there for 10 min before a waiter approached our table of 2 to take our drink order! We were about to leave since our waiter hadn't returned to take our order. Finally another waiter approached our table, apologized and took our order. I'd understand if they were busy but we had gone on a Wednesday evening, only a few other guest.. Won't try this place for awhile. read more

Best sushi spot in town! I recommend the Kokoro special it's delicious! their spicy Mayo is also very good.