This is our third visit, and it definitely did not meet our expectations. There was only two waitress working the floor. We got sat quickly but had to wait quite a bit before our orders were taken (in fact the party that sat after us got food before we did). The sushi.. was just ok. Lack luster. Fish to rice ratio was off. The server never came back to check on us to make sure meal was going well or if we needed anything else.. so service was also.. sad. We had aome good memories here, but likely we will never return. There are TONS of great sushi places in Columbus, and this is one i would recommend to skip. read more

See all

The food is so good, ambiance is decent. We ordered 4 rolls and it was just the perfect amount. The salmon in the Sukra Roll was so fresh. Quick service. Definitely a cute little place. read more

Kooma sushi Restaurant - From bottom to top: Kinky Roll, Sakura Roll, Dragon Roll, and Green Castle Roll. - Japanese Near Me - Columbus, Ohio

A very small and quiet space for this little restaurant! Located ina very busy side of town, right by the parking garage, if can be kissed if you walk by. It's very quiet and small, dark ambiance. I'm sure you can park in the garage or around North Market and walk on over. We got 2 regular rolls and a specialty roll that ended up being okay. We were a bit disappointed because everything started tasting the same and didn't have much flavor to each roll. And they weren't very big, crumbled when they were picked up, and didn't taste all that fresh. It was also a bit expensive for 3 rolls, we paid $43 before tax and tip. I don't think I would come back unless I was craving sushi and this was the only option around. Staff was very nice, responsive, and filled our water often! read more

Kooma sushi Restaurant - Japanese Near Me - Columbus, Ohio

The sushi was bomb, we ordered a bunch of rolls. I appreciated the suggestion that I didn't need the miso. The ambiance was chill. A bit of wait, but worth the wait. read more

Visited kooma today for lunch today and was very frustrated with how long it took to get our food. We were on our lunch hour and were very rushed to eat due to the amount of time it took just to get our food. If you are on your lunch break, I would not recommend this restaurant. read more

We popped in on a busy Saturday before the start of a Crew match AND a Blue Jackets game. The area was super busy. Nice Tinis, goyza, and rolls. The Tuna was a bit tasteless though. Excellent service. read more

Kooma sushi Restaurant - Japanese Near Me - Columbus, Ohio

Right by the parking garage on Vine. I've seen this many times, but always bypassed it for the flavors of the North Market. When my first choice was overflowing, due to a timing mistake on my part, I noticed this nearby. It was half full but I was able to get in and have a seat at the sushi bar. A couple of interesting specials, beautiful fresh seafood on display at the bar, super service. And really good sushi. Best in town? Up there, anyway. I had unagi, a spicy tuna roll, and the Green Castle roll. Unagi was two pieces of nigiri, big tender slices of eel, nice flavor, on perfect rice. Tuna roll wasn't particularly spicy, but it was flavorful, and made with fresh tender fish. Also a good size. The Green Castle is shrimp, scallops, and crab, with loads of sauces and extras. Very tasty, almost too rich. Very good. All beautifully plated, and came out quickly considering how many other patrons there were. I left stuffed, and actually happy with the price. $40 for a lot of good sushi. read more

Kooma...decided to visit our favorite spot for sushi NOT KNOWING, owner would be Having a bad day. I'm patience, but to be the 3rd table in the restaurant & once the restaurant got full, NO JOKE WE WERE THE LAST ONE TO GET OUR FOOD... The server did great, he apologized for the confusion the owner made while he was angry putting orders in. read more

I've been a Kooma patron for well over 10 years & it's the only place I will eat sushi in Columbus!! Everything is fresh, consistently delicious (whether you eat at the restaurant or get it to go) & the owner is a sweetheart - you can tell he takes pride in his restaurant! read more

Best Sushi in Columbus! Small family atmosphere inside. Staff are friendly and attentive. read more

Kooma sushi Restaurant - Japanese Near Me - Columbus, Ohio

Food was really good, however the service was not good. The guy who served us was rude & not very friendly. Would probably go back but order to go. read more

This place never disappoints. We thoroughly enjoy ourselves every time we are here. The service and food is excellent. I usually get the 2018 roll. So delicious! I highly recommend. This is one of the best sushi restaurants in Columbus! read more

This restaurant is a little tucked away but worth a visit. It was a chilly night so I wanted something warm and this meal hit the spot. The miso soup was rich in flavor and the hibachi plate was pretty good although the shrimp were pretty overcooked. The sauce that came with it though was super delicous. I also ordered some eel and sadly by the time it got to me it was quite cold. It seemed like they only had one server for the whole place so the sushi bar got backed up with orders a lot. read more

See all

What a fun little sushi spot!!! Here for a convention and our Uber driver actually told us about this place, said it was one of his favorites! The place is definitely a hole in the wall gem, walking distance from our hotel and downtown. They have a full bar and wine, beer, etc. The ambiance is fun and Korean themed. They have super fresh sushi, and their rolls were amazing too! We had their 2010 roll and some other "basic" rolls and they were great. The nigiri and sashimi was killer. They have toro tuna and the yellowtail sashimi was so fresh and yummy! If you order multiple rolls they actually bring all of them out at once rather then by each roll and I actually really liked it this way so you can try everything!!! Also had their house wine and it was pretty good for its price!!! Pricing all together wasn't too bad either so we will definitely be back next year!!! read more

See all

The best sushi! The seaweed salad is sooo good along with all the sashimi. And the service is top notch. The servers are very attentive.

Honestly--I love Kooma. Tucked around the corner from High Street, this little sushi spot always offers super fresh sushi, delicious Japanese food, and an overall huge menu for anything you're craving. It's never too busy (which is a good thing for customers, maybe not a good thing for them), but they seem to never be overwhelmed by the amount of people or orders. I love sitting at the sushi bar and watching the orders being made. I absolutely recommend this place. 100%. read more

Kooma sushi Restaurant - Some of my favorite rolls! Red, white and boom roll, misty roll, eel and cucumber roll, sweet shrimp nigiri and red snapper nigiri - Japanese Near Me - Columbus, Ohio

See all

I ordered two rolls, quality was on par with other sushi restaurants in the area but the rolls were incredibly small for the price.

It was a fun experience going here for the first time with a girlfriend on a slow week night. Upon entering, it has a simple dark interior with somewhat of a 90's feel, almost like a sushi restaurant on the set of Friends. We were seated quickly and served attentively by a classic guy who was also pretty Friends-worthy. He seemed like a career server that could make his way in any fine restaurant in the world, very professional and timeless. Not overly friendly or too casual, subdued in a way that allowed the restaurant to stand for itself. We ordered soup with shumai that was perfectly delicious. Dark bowls made the shumai stand out and the plating looked elegant. Flavor was authentic and mild. The 2 specialty rolls we ordered were definitely good and up to par with all of the best sushi in Columbus, but it's not quite at the top of my list, though I would be happy to have sushi here again if any other friends asked me to Kooma. I would also like to try some of their hot dishes. I will say that pricing is not that obvious on the rolls and I thought a couple of them seemed a little high when we determined what they were. The house hot sake was satisfying though :) read more

See all

We were in Columbus for a wedding and found this terrific Japanese restaurant with sushi. We arrived about an hour after they opened and were seated. The waitress gave super suggestions that really rounded out our experience. The sushi and sashimi were very high quality and the presentation of the food was appealing. Great restaurant! Hope they continue their success. read more

I have been to Kooma many many times over the years and generally been very satisfied. I was recently there and it was a disaster!!!! The server was Benjamin and he should not be serving... ANYTHING ! He delayed taking our order, took care of two other parties before us, did not tell us the soup we ordered was made from scratch and did not get our sushi order to us until the soup was ready 35 minutes later. He did not bring us any chopsticks so I went and got them myself. The whole process took 55 minutes and there were only 4 groups come and go during our visit. At that point while we were eating our sushi- could not eat the soup because it was scalding hot- I asked Ben to put the soup in a to-go container. It took him awhile to find one and what he brought us was a mini container that did NOT have the entire soup order in it. I was obviously very disappointed and did not complain yet he was well aware of my distress. Ben NEVER SAID HE WAS SORRY NOR ACKNOWLEDGED HOW PITIFUL THE EXPERIENCE WAS. THE LEAST HE COULD DO WAS SAY HE WAS SORRY AND OR KNOCK THE PRICE OF THE SOUP OFF . I WILL NEVER EVER GO BACK THERE ! read more

I came here for a business lunch, and all I can say is 'meh'.... Both service and food left a lot to be desired. We were seated almost immediatley, and that's the only great thing. We were given paper menus to order sushi, no pencils, then our water came out much later, didn't get a chance to order drinks other than the standard tap water. We placed our order - two of us got sushi/sashimi and two of us got cooked/hot meals - all of it came out together - which is a positive; I really hate when half the table gets their meal, and the others have to wait for theirs. The sushi definitely left a lot to be desired, descriptions didn't match up to what was presented, and the sashimi was flavorless with a far too salty soy sauce (and I am a fan of salt). The server wasn't seen often, and seemed very stressed when seen, despite there wasn't a lot of patrons. --- I'm sure there's a outlier that exacerbate the stress. Overall, I can't really recommend this restaurant based on this visit, but am happy that others enjoy it. read more

Overall this place has some basic sushi, and it is OVER priced. Definitely a cool first experience when getting the huge Godzilla roll, but I wouldn't go back. Super loud place, couldn't even hear my husband right in front of me. Service wasn't great, and food was subpar. The food was pretty disappointing, wouldn't recommend. read more

Kooma sushi Restaurant - Godzilla Roll - Japanese Near Me - Columbus, Ohio

See all

I wanted to try this place out, a few reviews stated it was AYCE, when I arrived I was told it is NOT AYCE. I decided to sit anyways. After going through the menu I noticed a .50 cents charge for sriracha, which is absurd to me. I still ordered a few rolls and was disappointed with them all. I would NOT recommend this place. read more

Excellent! Food was authentic and good! First time and didn't know what to expect, albeit, my expectations were exceeded in taste. I will definitely be coming back soon! So satisfying! read more

Wish I could do 3.5. Kooma has consistent sushi. The 2018 roll however was just too Try Hard to be delicious. Too many flavors and a mediocre experience for the price. The sauce overpowered the roll. My California roll with avocado was good though. The green tea was a bag but warm and in a pleasant warm mug. This location needs a windbreak at the front. Every time the door opens you get cold blasted. read more

Kooma sushi Restaurant - Japanese Near Me - Columbus, Ohio

See all

Pretty good sushi. Fresh. They have proper sushi chefs. Waitress was a pro. Had the tuna appetizer and a specialty roll. Can't remember which. High quality. Better than Rishi. read more

Have to say Everything is amazing! Friendly staff and amazing food !!! My boyfriend is really picky but he has no complaints about the food. read more

See all

I couldn't decide if I wanted to eat here or bring take-out up to my hotel. But the combination of the relative smallness of the interior plus the booming loud voice of a bar patron bragging about his football knowledge made my mind up for me. Kooma is not a gigantic place. When you walk in there is an L-shaped bar with about ten stools. There are maybe twelve tables, and 8 spots at the sushi bar. I only saw two servers, but they had their hands full tonight -bringing bar drinks and food to the diners, clearing and cleaning tables, and dealing with the take-out crowd. Honestly, they could have used a third helper tonight because it was pretty crowded. I ordered a spicy coconut tuna roll ($8) from the special board. It was terrific! Topped with crunchy cocounut threads on the outside and filled with silky and spicy tuna goodness on the inside. My entree was Shrimp Yakisoba ($13). It was a nice bowl of soba noodles with shredded carrots, onions, and peppers in a tasty sauce with six shrimp. Very basic, but very delicious. The noodles were freaking perfect and the sauce was delicious. My very nice server, Cecilia, offered me a drink while I was waiting; and that was a nice touch. I sat at the sushi bar, sipped a club soda, and watched how this little place filled up with people rather quickly. Twenty-one and a half bucks before tip was a good value for the excellent dinner I had tonight. Nice job Kooma ! read more

See all

The sushi was absolutely amazing!! I had to order seconds it was that good. Definitely recommend the red white and boom sushi. read more

Kooma sushi Restaurant - California rolls, Greg Roll, Red , White & Boom Roll - Japanese Near Me - Columbus, Ohio

Decent sushi at a decent price. Every once in awhile we stop in here before a show or a Blue Jackets game and we get good service and decent sushi for the price. I also like that they have Dortmunder Gold for $3.50 - that's a $6 beer at other restaurants. Kooma also serves wine and sake. We haven't had the chance to order sake from here yet but would like to. Overall I'd say if you're in the area and want good service and good food, this is a great stop. read more

Really wanted to try a new sushi place and forgot that this place was right next to the North Market. The prices were comparable to every other sushi place I've had, not too expensive. The specialty rolls were $12-$15, which was normal. I got the Sunday Morning roll (my personal favorite) and the sweet potato roll. I was expecting the sweet potato to be mushy/cooked, and was shocked that is was crunchy and hard since it was deep fried. The Sunday Morning was good. It just wasn't anything too special. read more

Kooma sushi Restaurant - Japanese Near Me - Columbus, Ohio

Kooma's sushi is a small sushi spot offering sushi and other Japanese options including udon and traditional rice dishes. The location is fantastic just steps from high street and north market. Service was a bit rushed, but effective considering how busy the restaurant was. I was surprised how quickly our food and drinks arrived in light of the number of other very large parties in the small space and few servers available. The ambiance is comfortable with hanging ikea lamps, but not quite as trendy as some of the other short north offerings for a similar price point. However, you likely won't face the same wait times here as you would with some of the other restaurants. The food was good and delivered quickly. We had a sushi specialty roll and a dinner box shared between two of us as we just wanted a light meal. Bottom line, Kooma's is a solid option if you want a good and reasonable meal without all of the frills in a trendy area. They're seemingly good with groups too. read more

Kooma sushi Restaurant - Spicy Crab Specialty Roll - Japanese Near Me - Columbus, Ohio

Ordered the dinner box (nigiri is chef's choice) and the shrimp habachi dinner (which comes with miso soup). The dinner box was ok. Nothing too spectacular. The nigiri was a bit room temp and the chicken seemed a bit overcooked. It filled the stomach. I didn't get a little sauce dish for soy sauce so I used the little square in the middle that had ginger in it. The shrimp habachi.....was....AMAZING!!! Oh the pan is super burning hot so don't touch it. We weren't warned so hubby's fingers were burnt... It was very flavorful and it a fair amount of different colored veggies to satisfy. It comes with rice but it might not be enough. Will definitely come back for the habachi!!! read more

Kooma sushi Restaurant - Japanese Near Me - Columbus, Ohio

See all

Came here for a mid-week dinner prior to a show down the street. It's a small space, so I was glad to find they weren't slammed. The list of beer and wine is rather short, but they have $3.50 for bottles of Dortmunder Gold, which is a pretty good deal for a craft beer. We had an assortment of sushi rolls, and they were tasty and a fair price for the quality. The gyoza were just okay - I probably wouldn't order those again. I would be interested to check out their lunch bento boxes, and the hibachi looked decent as well. You are still in the Arena District, so prices for dinner will still be a little steep. Our server was attentive, and the space was clean. If you're in the area and looking for something that isn't just bar food (or upscale bar food), Kooma is a solid choice! read more

Kooma sushi Restaurant - Four rolls, one plate! - Japanese Near Me - Columbus, Ohio

We've eaten from here twice - once inside and most recently pick up. I love their sushi! There aren't that many options in Columbus and they would top my list - decent prices, food quality and tasty side dishes. The rolls are good portions (pet peeve: teeny tiny speciality rolls). Everything came nicely packed (although I wish they had recyclable boxes) when we picked up, and it was ready in 20 mins. When we visited the first time and dined in, I had just had a baby and wanted sushi and booze. The pours were big, which gets a A+ in my books. We will be returning! read more

This place has always done a great job. Service is always good, food is always perfectly what was ordered and comes out pretty quick considering how busy they are when I go. Place is very nice inside and clean. Prices are a little high and some don't seem to fit. $12 for a huge bowl of bibimbap, but $22 for a really thin / shredded / small portion bulgogi. Other than some prices to portion ratio not really seeming to make sense and the prices being too high for some, it's a really solid choice for great food. read more

See all

A business trip brought me to the area and I was craving sushi. Found this little gem and it was great! 3 of us had 3 rolls and each of them had their own delightful taste. Every table was full and service was a bit slow; they only had 2 chefs and 2 waitresses and we were told "your sushi is up next" but it was 2 other tables food, who were seated after us and we didn't have any apps! Selection is wide but if you're looking for a quick bit, if it's busy, try another night. read more

Kooma sushi Restaurant - Mango roll, dragon roll an some other delish roll! - Japanese Near Me - Columbus, Ohio

Yuck. This used to be my favorite Sushi restaurant. It's gross now. The quality of the ingredients has gone down hill to the point I will not eat here ever again. read more

Walk, run, Lyft, drive or Uber elsewhere. Hate to leave such a harsh review however was extremely let down. read more

See all

Kooma was the first restaurant I ever tried as an adult in Columbus about 10 years ago. I liked it then and I like it now. First of all, now that Haiku is gone, it is really the only spot in the area where you can get good sushi. Kooma is a tiny restaurant and is located on Vine Street in the Arena District. Parking is not ample however, you can park in the garage and get a discount if you bring your parking voucher into Kooma. I have never tried this, I just know that it is available. When I go to Kooma, I take the free Cbus because it is convenient for me but keep in mind that if you're driving you may want to plan ahead for parking in the event there is something going on at the Convention Center, etc.., Now, as I said before, this is a small place. It provides a super intimate setting and is a great place for catching up with a friend or a romantic dinner. They also have a nice bar where you can sit and watch the sushi chef make your meal. This is another great option. They do take reservations and that might be a good plan if you're going on a weekend. This restaurant has an expansive drink menu and an almost overwhelming sushi menu. They have so many different options. I love the Bluejacket roll and I also get a lot of their traditional sushi. I am always disappointed that they don't serve Masago but I get over it because they have so many other awesome options. I have never had something here that I didn't like and I have never had a bad time. The prices are a little high but I feel like the quality mostly warrants it. I plan to keep my 10 year tradition of dining at Kooma going because it is definitely one of the best sushi spots in town! read more