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

Atmosphere/restaurant itself isn't anything too special but the sushi was great! The menu is huge so there's a lot of options! A lot of fried sushi options if you're into that! Some of the speciality rolls were a little bit on the pricier side - but had a lot of reasonably priced options as well. Overall, I really liked my meal & will go back. read more

Kooma sushi Restaurant - Agedashi Tofu (fried tofu - in a tasty soup/sauce of some sort) - Japanese Near Me - Columbus, Ohio

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I've been going to Kooma for years and this place never disappoints. When I first moved to Columbus over 10 years ago, I was told by several friends that this was their favorite sushi spot. I have a few sushi favorites and this is one of them. The sushi ingredients are always very fresh and can be customized to your taste. The spicy scallop and volcano roll are two of my go to choices. I usually get a nice variety and the servers are helpful in selection. The martinis are always delicious as well! The prices are comparable to other local sushi places. There are several parking lots and parking garages nearby. Kooma is located across the street from the north market. read more

Kooma sushi Restaurant - Sushi - Japanese Near Me - Columbus, Ohio

I went here with my step dad for some sushi. We had a few different rolls, all equally as good. The size of their sushi was smaller than most places but still a good size. We had spicy tuna roll, California roll and salmon roll. They were all good and so was the service. The restaurant wasn't busy at all when we walked in but by the time we were done it was almost full. Good spot for sure. read more

Amazing sushi - wondering why no one is talking about this place! They have a million options for classic and specialty rolls so I definitely had a hard time deciding. Really great specials on wine too. read more

Kooma sushi Restaurant - Japanese Near Me - Columbus, Ohio

This is one of the last sushi places around the Short North/Arena District area that I haven't been to, so I was glad to finally knock it off my list. I didn't realize how small the place was, and I couldn't imagine coming here on a busy weekend night and being able to get a table. Luckily, on a Monday, we were one of two tables in the restaurant. My girlfriend and I started out with the gyoza and house salads. While the gyoza was pretty tasty, and the sauce that came with it was different (but great), the house salad was kind of gross. It's served with a house/fruit dressing that ended up being pure liquid water by the end. After I had finished the actual lettuce, over half the bowl had the orange-y liquid dressing in it still. No thanks. As for the sushi, I went with the one of the fried specialty rolls. Had I known they don't list the rolls on the website, I would have remembered the name. It looked a little unappetizing when it came out, stacked like a Volcano roll, but it was actually really flavorful. It had tobiko and jalapenos on it and had a great tasting sauce pooled at the bottom. My girlfriend was not a huge fan of her spicy tuna, since the inside was a little too mushy. The pricing here was a bit high, so I'm not sure when the next time I'll try this place again will be, but if friends are going out for sushi in the area, I'd be okay with trying it again. I can't say that it will ever be my first choice for sushi in Columbus. read more

Kooma sushi Restaurant - House salad, way too much dressing - Japanese Near Me - Columbus, Ohio

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This is my first time inside of Kooma. I noticed it when coming into and out of the North Market. Upon entrance I liked the edgy but laid back intimate feel of the space. We had a reservation and although it wasn't super busy the staff did seen a little frazzled. We were seated in a little corner area and were waited on, again a little slowly and our waitress seemed.. Like maybe she may be a little new? She wasn't as informative about the sushi as I would've liked( I'm trying really hard to not compare this service to the amazing experience I had on Valentines day at Lemongrass) Once the food came I felt like it was sort of overly salty and almost like the fish wasn't quite fresh. I tried Carries sushi and hers wasn't even as good as mine. All in all I would say... Meh. For my time and money I would much rather go down the street to Sushi Ting. read more

Kooma sushi Restaurant - Spider roll and Spicy tuna Roll - Japanese Near Me - Columbus, Ohio

Nice, bit hole in the wall-y sushi place. Service was efficient and moderately friendly. The place gets busy and buzz-y so if you're looking for quiet more elegant sushi I'd not come here. Food-wise it was great. Miso was fine. House salad was good but dressed too early so the liquid sank to the bottom and the solids kinda dried out on top. The tempura was more panko crusted than battered which struck me as non-traditional but my companion liked it. The rainbow roll was wonderful as was the red, white and boom roll which was spicy as advertised. The gyoza were nice but 5 is an odd portion size; I'd suggest 3 or 6! While we didnt try them our neighbors hot stone pots looked and smelled yummy. Overall, great place and I'll be back read more

Sushi redemption for the city of Columbus, OH, came last night in the form of Kooma Sushi. Having been totally disappointed with an awful sushi meal at Rishi the night prior, I was so delighted to find that there is good, fresh sushi in this city after all. First order (~$23.00): - 1 tai (red snapper) nigiri - 1 hamachi (yellowtail) sashimi - 1 sake (salmon) nigiri - 1 hotategai (scallop) sashimi - 1 miso soup - 1 large hot sake I first ordered hamachi and scallop sashimi with tai and sake nigiri, to get a feel for the quality of fish before truly committing to a filling meal. Fortunately, my wish was granted--all four pieces were very fresh and the hamachi and scallop especially tasted amazing as sashimi. The miso soup had very little character but it did the job and came out piping hot, and similarly I did not very much enjoy the standard hot sake but at least it warmed me up. Second order (~$35.00): - 1 amaebi (sweet shrimp) nigiri - 1 striped bass nigiri - 1 shiro maguro (white tuna) nigiri - 1 smoked salmon nigiri - 2 sake (salmon) nigiri - 1 teriyaki salmon roll - 1 spicy scallop roll - 1 small Sapporo In making my second order, I tried to get some uni (sea urchin) but was informed by my waitress that the chef had rejected the most recent batch. I see this as a huge positive, because it demonstrates an integrity toward quality of ingredients that is so important in managing a sushi restaurant. The rest of my order continued the pattern of fresh & delicious, and I LOVED that they chose to use dill as a garnish. In my opinion, dill tastes great with certain cuts of fish and I would love to see them integrate this herb into one of their special rolls. Ambience was relaxed and nondescript, and the service was great. The only reason I did not assign 5 stars is that the miso soup and sake left me wondering if the non-sushi menu items were up to the same caliber as the fish. I will definitely be eating here frequently for as long as I'm doing business in Columbus. read more

Kooma sushi Restaurant - Nigiri: white tuna, sweet shrimp, 2 salmon, striped bass, smoked salmon, flanked by salmon teriyaki roll and spicy scallop roll. - Japanese Near Me - Columbus, Ohio

Hidden gem opposite North Market in the Arena District. Our go to sushi restaurant especially on a CBJ hockey game night. Small and cosy so on a game night fills up quickly an hour before puck drop. Ample parking next door which is convenient, normally $10 on event evenings. Staff are pleasant and helpful. Huge sushi menu, haven't had a bad roll. Favorites include Blue Jackets Roll, yam 2, red dragon and the list goes on. The ginger martini is wonderful - not sweet at all, which I love. Well worth a visit for any sushi lovers. read more

Very nice sushi place . I was in town for business and stumbled upon this place ! I have to say the sushi was sooo good ! I had the miso soup, Boston roll and the a bibimbap to go oh and the dinner box! (I didn't have lunch this day explains the big meal:) My whole meal was just $38 One negative - they are a bit slow hey seem under staffed . read more

Kooma sushi Restaurant - Boston roll and dinner box . - Japanese Near Me - Columbus, Ohio

By far the best sushi I have ate. Amazing fresh sashimi. Atmosphere is a hole in the wall and only the right people know about it and enjoy amazing service and food. This is now on our walking to dinner rotation. read more

when I pull up to this restaurant I'm flooded with fond memories of lunch with friends and delicious food. Their stone pot bimpinbop is my favorite. I highly recommend this restaurant- delicious food and good service what more do we need?! read more

I have tried to like this place multiple times because so many people say it's the best in Cbus. Unfortunately, I cannot get on board. I'm from the West coast so I know that sushi in the Midwest isn't usually a good as what I'm used to. But having said that, this place is just downright not good. Way overpriced too. They throw so many things into a roll you cannot even taste the fish anymore. read more

What a great little spot! I had the lunch box. For $11 I was super full and was able to try a variety of menu items, including the shrimp tempura. I'm looking forward to coming back and trying some of the rolls! read more

Kooma sushi Restaurant - Japanese Near Me - Columbus, Ohio

I'd been frequenting this place for YEARS. I've brought many friends there for their very-first sushi experiences. I shudder to think how many hundreds and hundreds of dollars I've spent there throughout the years. For a long time they were SO GOOD...including the friendly, attentive service. Now a few days ago my husband and I decided to stop in for dinner. At the front were two frowning girls...one glued to her cellphone, the other just standing there scowling. The second one grudgingly seated us, clearly annoyed. There was no one else in the restaurant but other employees. We asked for a certain table and the "server" snapped "no, that's for big parties". My husband informed her we had sat at that table many times before. She said nothing, walked to another table, and slapped the menus down. Did not offer to take drink orders, then skulked silently away. We walked out, and will NOT BE BACK. Kooma...what happened??? read more

I don't care who you are, this place is the bomb! I come here for lunch every now and then, so as far as the lunch service goes, its top notch!! I'm a tuna-holic, so my favorites are the Hawaii Roll, and maguro. The 2005 roll is a must, especially if your one of those who refuses to actually have sashimi/sushi at a suhi restaurant. But really...what are you doing there in the first place if a little raw fish is gonna freak you out? The 2 chef's working the sushi bar are masters, or as I like to put it... "Bad Moth&r4u6kers". They combine speed with quality, which means you're not gonna wait for more than 30 minutes, uness it's wall to wall, and they are getting slammed. I invite anyone who eats there to sit at the bar and watch these guys work. They put on a clinic !! The pork Katsu and Udon dishes are pretty good too. But I am all about the sushi! read more

Kooma sushi Restaurant - Yeahh boyy !! - Japanese Near Me - Columbus, Ohio

Sushi was fresh but way overpriced. Rainbow roll was small as well as the nigiri pieces I ordered.

It's fine sushi, a little overpriced and their hours are strange. I think there are better options in Columbus.

Very underwhelming experience at Kooma last night. It took at minimum 10 minutes to have our server (Hadley) stop by with water in hand giving us no chance to order an actual drink before she disappeared. It took another 15 minutes before we had the chance to order, and my party only stayed because we had walked in the cold to get there and decided to wait and see just how long it would take. The food was good for the price, my only criticism on price is to be charged a dollar for a small side of siracha. Overall, good food - absolutely horrible service. read more

Kooma sushi Restaurant - Japanese Near Me - Columbus, Ohio

The best sushi and food in Columbus. Get the stone pot. It's our favorite! All the sushi is good, also cold beer.

I work in downtown Columbus and Kooma is my go to lunch sushi place. The staff is very friendly and accomadating even though the location can get very busy and packed during lunch time. I have tried different meals there including the stone pot bibimap and various sushi rolls. I have thoroughly enjoyed everything I have tried and that is why I continue to go back. read more

Kooma sushi Restaurant - The Dynamite, Alaska, and Philadelphia rolls. YUM! - Japanese Near Me - Columbus, Ohio

I try to be positive when reviewing things. I went to Kooma multiple times before writing my original review. After my last visit, I've realized it's overpriced and the staff couldn't care less about your experience. We were greeted apathetically (leaning against the counter on the phones seemed more important) and sat next to the bathroom AGAIN when there were multiple tables available. I spent $41 on sushi, seaweed salad & two (domestic bottled) beers. Ten dollars for seaweed salad is atrocious. There's not even any crab with it like you'd typically find. I spent an hour in there, 45 of it waiting for food - none of it's being cooked, mind you. There were four sushi chefs standing around and only four other tables. The server barely checked on us, and forgot to put in my order for seaweed salad. She stated it'd take two minutes to make. If it takes so little time, why did the rest of our food take forever? Sashimi is twice the price of any other restaurant that I've eaten at. Yes, they come in orders of two, but $6.50 for two pieces of sashimi is ridiculous. I could go on and on with my list of complaints. If you're craving sushi, I would highly HIGHLY recommend waiting until you leave the Arena district. The only reason this place is still open is because it literally has no competition around it. One quality sushi place and Kooma would close down immediately. What a waste of time and money. read more

So stopped by here for lunch with a friend. I ordered 7 sashimi and he ordered a small plate of hand roll and sashimi. We had a side order of edamame. Totally came to 110 dollars. This is over priced sushi in hole in a wall place. I have been to nicer sushi restaurant and spent half the cost. Don't go here unless you want to spend money on gas station sushi ‍ read more

I am sad to say that this was the first visit for my wife and I and we can't recommend it any higher! Personalized service WONDERFUL selection of Sushi and the flavor is incredible! We will be back!! read more

Pricey... their spider rolls are small. I'm used to having a whole crab for one order. Theirs seem like they used a quarter of the crab.

So here's the story on Kooma: in the Columbus sushi world (think Pluto, not Jupiter), it's still the underdog, but has a special place in my heart. If we go out for sushi, this is generally our destination. Tiny and, admittedly, somewhat utilitarian, Kooma is the spot when you're not in the mood to get dressed up (although you can without being out of place), when you're feeling your least "scenester," when you JUST WANT SOME EFFING SUSHI AND YOU WANT IT TO BE REALLY DAMN GOOD! First - calm down. Then, head to Kooma. It's a little tricky to find your first time out. There will be no fish pond, bamboo forest or rock garden to indicate its presence. Come to think of it, even the sign just barely qualifies as such. Instead, it's tucked away behind dark, tinted glass in a little strip of businesses across from the North Market parking lot. Inside, it's much less dive-y than the exterior would indicate. (And in the winter, you'll be greeted by the Heat Dish, which looks like a satellite dish but is, in fact, the most amazing space heater ever known to man. And you will want one.) The room is quite small, though, and frequently full, but even so, I've never felt cramped or claustrophobic here. Kooma's service is minimal, to be sure, but every server I've had has been friendly and as attentive as necessary. (Don't expect balloon animals or pieces of flare, know what I'm sayin'?) You order starters off the menu, and fill out an order form for your rolls. As it goes for sushi, the rolls generally takes some time. Starters, however, come out almost instantly. Living in Austin, I'd developed a taste for Ika (squid salad) at my favorite sushi place there. After moving back to Columbus, I had a helluva time finding it at all, or if I did, it wasn't quite as delectable as I'd remembered. Kooma's finally did the trick. Craving appeased at last. As for the rolls, the spicy tuna is one of our favorite standards here, but always check the specialty rolls on the chalk board. They tend to be phenomenal and filling. And, while they keep it simple, Kooma is not without some decorum. The rolls always looks beautiful and if you're ordering large quantities for a group, you get THE BOAT! You know what I'm talking about. Our goal next time is to get the boat at our table. In a nutshell, then, choose Kooma if you: A) Are wearing the same clothes you wore yesterday. B) Are having the worst birthday of your life and feel you may go postal if a group of servers should show up tableside singing "HAPPY, HAPPY BIRTHDAY" C) Prefer to wear shoes while you eat, thank you very much. D) Have an aversion to Koi E) Are craving fresh fish rolled expertly without unnecessary frills. read more

THE BEST SUSHI IN TOWN!! This place is always the best with the fresh ingredients and amazing taste through different sushi options. Valcano Roll is delicious but every other one I tried out from their menu has been great. Great prices for the quality & taste as well. read more

Sushi: Good. Ambiance: Good. Price: Good. Bibibop: out-freaking-standing. I've been here for lunch a few times and while the lunch specials are not special in any way shape or form, the food certainly is. The place isn't overly large but I've never had a problem getting a seat at the bar during lunch and early evening. It's hard to find good stone bowl bibibop, and Kooma offers options both with and without meat to satisfy everyone's dietary restrictions. They also validate parking for a discount on the neighboring garage if you park there! read more

I have been a fan of Kooma's for years and when someone suggests Haiku or Typhoon I jump right in and point them in the direction of this place. However they bombed last night The seaweed salad had a weird taste to it's marinade. The Spicy eel and Spider roll were very mushy. And the tuna wasn't very fresh. Another BIG problem-the trash can in the bathroom had no foot pedal to raise it's lid, it required you to touch the nasty lid with your hands to throw out your papertowel. So yeah, it was me that left my hand towel on the counter, cause I eat sushi old school, with my fingers. Unfortunately Kooma lost it's spot on the top of my list of where to eat in Columbus. read more

One of the best locations for sushi in Columbus. The fish is always very fresh (with the caveat that this IS Columbus, OH), the rolls are very well done, and the prices are very reasonable. They also offer some fairly unique & tasty specialty rolls. The non-sushi offerings are very high quality as well, and the servers frequently (but not always?) give free edamame appetizers. The space is VERY tiny, which makes for a great atmosphere, but beware of filling-up fast, and bringing large groups could prove challenging. read more

My friends decided to dine here after reading Yelp reviews, it was our first experience with sushi. The food was fantastic, but the service was lacking. We placed our order at 8:30, did not get food until almost 10, and it was not our food. We told the waitress that was not what we ordered but she seemed to think it was. We ate a couple of pieces and she rushed back and took the tray away. NOT OUR FOOD. Though she knew we had taken pieces off she served it to the right table after a conference with the other girls up front. Um, gross. Then she retook our order. We were starving....what happened to our food? How can we be sure someone else hadn't touched it? She tried to compensate by giving us shots of sake on her, but really? Im not sure we will return even though the food was good. read more

Kooma sushi Restaurant - the correct order... - Japanese Near Me - Columbus, Ohio

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Not bad, not good. Service was attentive but server was not very cheerful or friendly. Sort of apathetic I guess. The sushi menu is extensive but the special rolls and individual sushi pieces were pretty small, especially for the price. read more

There were five of us and a baby (that can't eat food yet) and gratuity was added to the bill... our service was not great. The waitress kept walking off. She asked if we wanted appetizers and when we answered no, she dashed off instead of taking our orders... it's not the worst sushi ever (shrimp nigiri was wrong texture) but definitely not the best in town. We likely will not return. read more

Kooma sushi Restaurant - Japanese Near Me - Columbus, Ohio

Kooma Restaurant is one of the best places to get sushi that is close to both the OSU campus and downtown. The sushi is fresh, fun and creative. They also cater to those who do not like to consume raw fish. Their cooked items on the menu are just as good as the sushi. Kooma also has great versatility. If you want to bring in a group, it is a great place. They have sake on tap and a wide array of Japanese beer, for sake-bombers of course. It is also good for people who want a romantic atmosphere. They have these two awesome tables on the back wall that provide more privacy than one would expect. Additionally, for the quality of food they offer, the price is right! Rolls range from $4-16 (the most expensive being lobster). Their take-out service is speedy, which is also good for the nights that you don't feel like going out. The pick -up times range from about 10-15 minutes, which it pretty quick. The wait staff is fabulous. They are friendly, knowledgeable and hard working. Out of the many times I have been there, the service was bad maybe twice(and she was fired by the way). What makes this restaurant unique, is its live DJ on weekends. These DJ's will do everything from mash-ups to electronic trance. The music is not very loud, but its eclectic nature gives the restaurant a certain flair I have not yet seen of a sushi restaurant in downtown Columbus. Located right next to a parking garage, this place is opportune to get in and out. If you bring in your parking stub, they can stamp it and you will receive a discounted rate. Goldilocks would think this place is "just right." If you want to try sushi for the first time, or love great cuts of fresh fish, this is the place for you. read more

Fresh fish, stripped down style, and a decent location, but far too pretentious for their actual quality. The Bluejacket roll is interesting and quite delicious and the prices are okay overall, but there are better options for the dollar in Columbus (Tyfoon's scene and specialties are better, Otani and Hama have fresher fish for the price.) Their Buckeye Roll is nowhere near as good as Otani or Bluefish on the Point. While certainly a better option than Haiku or Zen, the hype over this place is a tad overdone. Decent, but not great. read more

This has been the worst service and experience I have had eating anywhere in Columbus...or anywhere else, for that matter. We arrived at the restaurant at 7:10 pm and did not have an order taken until well after 8. We finally received our food at 9:10pm. During this time I received 1 water refill and that was after asking 4 times. The waitress, who shall remain nameless, was unable to deliver more than one thing at a time (apparently the concept of a tray was foreign?) and wouldn't stay at the table long enough for us to ask for anything. One of the members of my party approached the owner about the quality of service. He blamed his waitress, and told us we could accept 30% off or we could leave, without eating the sushi that was prepared and had been sitting for almost 20 minutes. The sushi may have been okay, but when it sits out for 20 minutes, and is delivered at near room temperature, it's really not edible. The service and quality of food combined were beyond unacceptable. The bathroom was disgusting and filthy. The owner was rude. If I could give this place negative stars, I would. I've eaten grocery store sushi that was better presented and better tasting than this. read more

Nice atmosphere. Good Japanese cuisine in the arena district. My tempura udon was delicious.

good not great. pieces are smaller than places on east coast or in Asia and fish wasn't all easy to differentiate in taste. the eel was good, as was the snapper, but salmon was bland. not awful but adequate which is unfortunate because a bit expensive compared to similar places on East Coast. read more

Kooma sushi Restaurant - Japanese Near Me - Columbus, Ohio

So happy when I see that I'll have a day off in Columbus so I can come here. Really great fish the mango scallop app is amazing. Fish is always fresh have a solid selection of rolls and nigiri read more