Absolutely in love with Koo! Discovered by accident as I live nearby, and it's one of my new favorite restaurants in SF. Perhaps, being new to California, I'm just not used to the quality of the sushi here, but for my taste, this was in line with some of the best sushi restaurants in NYC. Highly recommended: most things on the special menu, especially the hamachi carpaccio (the ponzu sauce and jalapeno/tomato/onion combo topping the sashimi are to die for) and the chu-toro. Also the U2 roll, tuna & salmon tartare with shrimp chips and gauc, and the miso marinated black cod, which was unusually served in a hearty broth. Can't wait to go back! read more

This dog must have been a cat in a past life. He likes his seafood too much for a canine especially the kind of seafood served by Koo. Don't anyone tell my parents about my feline suspicions. They'll cut off my allowance and this dog won't be able to afford to eat at Koo anymore. read more

very good sushi. service was good also. they kept pouring green tea just like my mom would... not too many reviews from japanese customers here, but i grew up in japan eating good/bad sushi and i have to say, koo's fish was very nice and tender, draping over rice balls. i will be going back there soon! all 5 of us were happy with their food/service. read more

The spoonfuls of happiness are a must! The reviews below are accurate, and one thing is for sure, the appetizer is sure to make you smile after your first bite. I'd also recommend the "best roll" - an inside-out salmon roll with thinly sliced lemon on top. Very tasty. I was not impressed with either the cooked black cod or the yellowtail cheek/collar. Both were a little overcooked and underseasoned. read more

NIce quiet place to dine out...very cozy enough to linger and enjoy...great service and very efficient...water and tea were filled constantly no questions asked. Delicious sushi and they have some of the freshes fish. Small dishes are decent to share ...go for the eggplant and hamachi kama!! Desserts were affordable..homemade cookies with green tea gelato....YUM. Parking can be very difficult, but there is a parking lot where u can park just one block up btw irving and judah. My experience at Koo would only tell me to go back again ...WONDERFUL authentic japanese food!!! read more

A cute little sushi spot in the inner Sunset. Being that there are sooo many great sushi spots in the sunset it doesn't really stand out, but I did really enjoy my meal. I got the yummy veggie combo and a beer, and my friend got an assortment of veggie rolls and a salad and we each paid $25. Decent. This is really probably a 3.5. read more

For those looking for high quality traditional edomaezushi in SF, go here. Do not order the "spoonful of happiness" or be distracted by the lengthy list of big rolls. Stick to the special fish, most of which is flown in from Japan. I've been looking for a place like this in SF for a long time. read more

Legit Japanese restaurant with authentic sushi and dishes. Coming from a sushi lover who used to live in Tokyo this is a great restaurant, friendly wait staff. Make reservations beforehand as they can often be booked on weekends and Thursday nights. read more

Probably the best and freshest sushi in San Francisco, maybe that I've ever had. A liiiiiiittle pricey, but there is a price for quality food. They have a rediculous list of sashimi to order from, and the chefs specials are always amazing. If you order the "Spoon full of happiness" you might not ever eat sushi at another place again. ITS ONLY 10$ WHAAAAAAAT?!?!?! Anyone who gives this place a bad review knows NOTHING about sushi! Ive been eating sushi all over California since 8 years old, this is as good as it gets. read more

Fresh fish, specials based on what's good, the best app ever (spoon of happiness). Sashimi, nigiri, rolls are all good, as well as non-sushi Japanese fare. Consistently ranked in the tops in SF. read more

Price: If you're looking for an inexpensive meal, this is not the place. Food: A creative menu: Spoon full of happiness is off the hook extraordinary. This was served with a refreshing sake, between the smooth, cool and sweet portions of white fish, uni, quail egg and tasty sauces. Kumamato oysters were fresh and meaty, with the peppery daikon on ponzu. Miso soup: pretty uneventful. Tempura: Good, but nothing extraordinary. Bamboo Tower: fresh and light white fish, shrimp and scallops with tasty greens and light onions. Hamachi Kama: the best I have had. The yellow tail jaw is roasted and served with daikon and a dipping sauce. This part of the fish must be ultra fresh as it will turn quickly and if stored incorrectly or prepared, can be dry and very fishy. This had crispy skin and fresh moist meat around the bones. Ambience: Pretty tight quarters. Kind of surprised to see kids there. Service: Above average, although the order was incorrect, the food was so good, we did not send back. We will try the sushi next time, which clearly means, "We're going back." read more

Great. Spoonful of Happiness was really fantastic. I would go back just for this. Five stars for that. 3 stars for the roll selection. I didnt like the salmon, lemon, asparagus roll. Wish they had more options. Stick to the nigiri. We did order some of the fresh scallop and uni, and both were 5 stars. I'll be back. read more

a. may. zing. Sashimi platter: a little pricey ($24 for 12 pieces, but very very tasty): maguro: A+, white fish: A, hamachi: A+, salmon: A+ Spicy Tuna roll: different than any other I've had and delicious Rock N Roll: UNAGI. YUM. so good Special Sushi Hamachi Toro: if butter were present in fish form... this is it. Melt in your mouth hamachi heaven. availability of Asahi beer on draft: A+ Service: excellent. as soon as my husband finished his beer, he was asked if he wanted another. He gave a little nod, returned to our conversation, turned around and the new beer was there. Ninja beer refill. Will most definitely go back. p.s. get the REAL WASABI. totally worth it, totally delicious. read more

I's always nice to come here for a real Japanese food. They have great happy hour deal! Sushi is fresh, and the location is good for Inner Sunset neighbors. Maguro and Avocado temaki is so good! read more

I went there almost two years ago, and I've been looking for an excuse to go again - super fresh fish, creative rolls that really aren't that expensive when you compare to other sushi places, and a really nice atmosphere. A bit cramped, though, so yes for dates, no for big group dinners. read more

This is the best sushi I've had in a very long time! I went with a friend for dinner and we stuffed ourselves, sampling even premium items, for only about $100. Sushi is expensive, but Koo provides excellent value in a very nice environment, even with the K line trains rolling past. read more

Honestly, I do not understand how this place got such a great rating. Yelp 4 star rating fooled me. I have definitely had better sushi and rolls. I could tell they used frozen fish for sushi. The dragon roll was okay okay. The spoonful of happiness was alright. The tuna tartar was good. I would probably never go back to Koo again. I feel like I wasted my $100 on mediocre food. read more

Very nice place!!! The food is delicious and rich of flavor! My favorite is special sushi served on the spoon!! It's worth a Michelin Star!!! Thank you Chef Suzuki very much! I come back soon! read more

I've always wanted to give this place a try and I finally did! Too bad I was a little full from earlier so I didn't eat to much. I got their best roll, and Yesssss! It is their best roll... for the first few bites. The lemon became too overwhelming and I had to take it off my sushi to eat the rest. it is so pretty good regardless. Shared an appetizer with some friends too, that was delicious. Too bad this place is so hard to find parking, took me a good half hour to find panning and it was really far away. Definitely expect that to happen if you want to go there on a Friday night. read more

Koo - The best roll - Japanese Near Me - San Francisco, California

I like how they have a large selection of imported fish. Very fresh and yummy and very friendly staff!

THE best sushi in all of SF. Tried it all, and wouldn't go anywhere else. Everything is amazing here, including the service, but my personal favorites are the Best roll, Azteca roll and the Japanese eggplant. The specials are always worth trying, too. I cannot recommend this place enough. read more

Some (not all) of the fish was amazing. Ordering off their catch of the day list is strongly recommended. Pricy but worth it. The service was a tad slow but it was a busy Friday so take that with a grain of salt. Would definitely go again. The maguro we had (off the catch of the day list) was quite possibly the best I've ever had. The others were just good, but that maguro...I would go back just for that. read more

The spoonfuls of happiness is AWESOME! The fish is good quality and the rolls were good. The service was also good

This place is overrated :/ Food is mediocre and for the price you pay it should definitely taste better. I've ordered sushi rolls and cooked food here and I wasn't impressed by any of it. Service here is also pretty blah. I'd recommend going elsewhere for sushi. read more

The food is very good, I love the spoon full of happiness. It's also pretty near Golden Gate park and the museums.

Went here this past weekend on a Saturday night. We had reservations. The restaurant was crowded but we were greeted and seated immediately. The sushi was phenomenal! Just superb! The service was excellent! We loved it and will definitely be back to Koo soon! read more

Anything but koo (cool). Staff didn't greet us when we arrived. Once we got their attention, they left us waiting for 10 mins with no help. Finally sat us then left us at the table with no service (not even water and menus) for another 10 mins. Got up and left... read more

The restaurant has a nice,cozy, relaxing feeling to it. Went with two other people and had: Tuna and salmon tartare: It came with shrimp chips! yum. Japanese Eggplant Dengaku: The miso sauce is really good on this. You could probably take this sauce and put it on anything else. :) A special plate of halibut sashimi ( I can't remember the name of it for the life of me, but I just remember I had fun pronouncing it): The fish was soooo fresh. I didn't really care for the muscle part that was piled next to the ginger, but according to the waitress it's supposed to be the best part. You must get this if it is available. Azteca roll and the Dragon roll: both good, but not that stars of the show. Miso Black Cod: It was really good! The fish has a nice flavor to go with the texture. Mt. Fuji Cake with ice cream: How can you pass up rich chocolate cake filled with white chocolate, especially when it's only three bucks? Add a scoop of ice cream for $1.50. Go to Koo for super fresh fish. The rolls aren't as creative(still good), however the quality of the sashimi is excellent. read more

Three words: Spoonfulls Of Happiness. Oh yes, they are heavenly. I can't get enough of this place! read more

Came here on a Friday night and didn't have a reservation but they were very nice and fit us in between reservations. The sushi was wonderful. We had the spider roll, the u2 roll and the king crab dynamite hand roll. All three were very good I would definitely recommend the king crab dynamite!!! A little pricey but it was worth it. read more

So far my favorite sushi in San Francisco. I went here with the boyfriend for my birthday and the fresh picks were amazing. You get what you pay for and in this case it's true, you'll pay a bit more than some of the lesser sushi places but it's well worth it. read more

Amazing fresh daily sushi selection. We also had the soft shell (crawfish?) roll and the shrimp tempura roll (can't remember the name). Sushi super fresh and amazingly delicious. Only down side was that the service was really slow. Not sure if they were just out one waitress or what but it took forever to get our check... read more

love my fish raw. we've been coming for years now, and we come for their "catch of the day" sushi specials (wish they updated this online more often!) and we try just about all the sushi specials. we don't come here for their rolls, but they look good if you're into that. we always start with their "spoonful of happiness" -- yums! definitely my favorite place in the city for raw fish!! bill came to over $200 (w/tip, for 2), but we ordered A LOT of sushi (including an order of the spoons for each, live scallop, toro, uni w/quail eggs, 2 sake specials, just about all the sushi specials -- basically, all the pricier items). not cheap, but when it comes to raw fish in the city, you're not going to find this quality of fish for cheap. and we always reserve for bar seating -- service is good. sushi chef takes care of the food at a pace, waitress takes care of the drinks. nice sake selection. street parking is not super easy, but i usually find something within a few blocks. read more

No wait on a weeknight (+), clean (+), friendly service (+), fast drink refills (+). However, the sushi was not super fresh, creative, or delicious. It didn't taste bad but not ultra fresh. 1-2 rolls tasted fishy (sign of fish past its prime). The roll with the salmon and thin lemon slices on the outside was easily the best. Probably won't be back because there are sooo many sushi places to try instead. read more

My search for a Sushi place to frequent continues. I did challenge them: Uni, good when masked with quail egg and soy sauce in the spoonful of happiness, not so good nigiri. I love uni when it's like a lovely sea-flavored sauce. This was off, which was surprising because it was on the "specials" menu. Perhaps it was a "special" not because it was special, but to turn-over inventory... Kani, I like a nice piece of leg meat on my little ball of rice; Koo offers a crab-salad that tastes of mayonnaise. Shiitake mushroom similarly could not hold a candle to fondly-remembered culinary delights. Things that were tasty: Oysters Fried calamari The famed spoonful of happiness Soft-shell crab handroll I really wanted to like this place, because it's so near to my home. Here is why I cannot go back: We had a party of three; my friend and I arrived and told the hostess that the third member of our party would be arriving at 6:15, about 25 minutes later. The place was pretty empty. So, we ordered drinks and appetizers. At 6:15, our third called, to apologize, because she was having trouble parking. At 6:40, the hostess came by our table and told us we had to be out by 7:30. We told the hostess that our third was looking for parking. She explained that people were coming in and she needed the table. This was probatively false. There were plentiful open tables, and naturally we started monitoring the foot traffic. There was no crush of eager diners, more like crickets. If we weren't ordering enough to pay their rent, our server surely could have handled one more table of non-existant diners... Along these lines, I conform to the etiquette of taking-up restaurant space for protracted periods and was planning on tipping double. Unfortunately, the hostess felt the need to lay down the law, leaving us no chance to reassure her, or to make a bargain. When our third walked in not long after that, we had guessed what she'd like to eat and ordered. Needless to say our suppositions were not spot on. Our primary dining experience was very hurried and unnecessarily stressful. Koo gets one star back, because our server was great. In toto, I shan't be returning, and the quest continues. I would be eternally grateful for a recommendation to a place where I can acquire Kani and Uni as described above. The ideal location will be a bit closer than Samurai in San Diego. read more

My family and I had dinner last night @ Koo. It was a bit pricey, but it was very good. I had the 'spoonful of happiness', which was actually 2 spoonfuls of happiness with a shot of cold Sake. I also had the King Crab hand roll. They were both fantastic. My daughter had the dragon roll...unbelievable. My wife the Rock and Roll with same reaction. The blue fine tuna was melt in your mouth. Service and dining room were great! Best parking is a few blocks up the street at the UCSF public parking structure. read more

This place has a unique menu along with many traditional sushi favorites. Everything we ordered was super fresh and super delicious! The hamachi was fantastic, the ahi/sake tartar with shrimp chips was amazing, and we very much enjoyed a roll with asparagus tempura inside and fresh salmon and lemon on top. The staff was friendly, the service was outstanding, and the ambiance was very nice. This is a great little girl's night spot or date night. Overall, YUM. YUM. GREAT. GREAT. Highly recommended for any night of the week! read more

Delicious. Absolutely fantastic. Realllllly fresh sushi and creative hot dishes (the shrimp and potato dumplings with a whole shrimp in each and mouthwatering perfect dumpling with chili sauce was outta sight). I love sushi and Japanese food in general so I eat it quite a bit and this is the best Japanese food I've had in San Francisco. The rice in the sushi rolls is very high quality, not too sticky or gummy like cheap (I assume) sushi rice. A superstar of a roll was the Best Roll (real name), which was a unique combo of ingredients and flavors I hadn't seen at other sushi places - Tempura asparagus, avocado inside and salmon with thin lemon slices on top - it all worked together so well. Even their standard spicy tuna roll was the best I have ever had. AND...The prices are very reasonable, given the high quality and generous portions (the amazingly good spicy tuna was $6 for 6 large pieces, Best Roll $8.50). My husband and I had 3 rolls, 2 small hot dishes and each had a glass (generous size) of sake for $60. Pretty great for the best sushi I've had in town! Going back soon and bringing friends! read more

Always a delight for fresh sashimi. Been going here for years. Pros: -Spoonful of happiness ( price went up to $12; I remember when it was $10, but still delicious) JUST DO IT like everyone says (trust me) -service is excellence ( the owners are the chef and usually the wife is the hostess; very sweet) -sashimi is very fresh! -free parking in front ( if you can find it) or around the restaurant -takes reservations for parties of 2! -great date spot Cons -on the pricier side, but well worth it -not a lot of rolls; focused more on fresh catches read more

Consistently great food, friendly staff, and easy parking. I love this place - especially their happy hour specials and short rib lettuce cups. read more