I'm in Japan right now. Bored. Typhoon coming so I have time to catch up on my favorite Hampton Roads chow-downs. Kotobuki is my favorite Sushi/Japanese restaurant in Hampton Roads. I ate here at least every two months. Service was always great for me. I typically order curry tonkatsu (deep fred pork loin)on rice, sashimi and a specialty roll (whatever is on the board). All great! What puts this place points above the rest is the desserts. Tempura battered Oreo and cheesecake bites. They have great vegetarian options to cater for the hip/healthy Ghent area folks as well. read more

Kotobuki - Tempura battered Oreo & Cheesecake bites. Yummy!! - Japanese Near Me - Norfolk, Virginia

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Great vegan sushi options. Fun place to sit down in (they ask you to take your shoes off) but you can also find them on delivery apps if you want to stay in. This is my favorite sushi spot in Hampton Roads. read more

If you're looking for a legitimate sushi bar, give this place a try. Their sushi chef knows what he is doing. The rice to fish proportion is good and he actually knows to put the wasabi in the sushi pieces. Sashimi were generous portions and everything tasted fresh. Their tamago is made from scratch in-house, not store bought. It was nice to have some decent miso soup that isn't watered down, like you get from lot of the other places. We also received excellent customer service. Side note: be prepared to spend some money. read more

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My co-workers brought the vegan tempura fried vanilla ice cream to me one night while I was working and raved about this place, so I decided to try it out the next night. We got the salads, miso soups, 4 orders of salmon sushi, a spicy tuna hand roll, takoyaki, kotobuki roll, mt. fuji roll, and 2 kitchen entrees. All the food tasted delicious and I'd definitely come back here. The desserts are what I look forward to trying more of. The restaurant is clean and the waitresses were great! Always kept our waters full and checked on us often. read more

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Not bad not bad. I've been going to the places around here like Mr. Shwarma, Tropical Smoothie, Farm Fresh, I never noticed it was there the whole time. My boyfriend and I came here during Finals Week to celebrate all that hard work and studying we put in and sushi was it. For drinks he ordered a can of the large Sapporo beer, taste like bud light. I ordered some Hot Green Tea. We started with the Ika Robataki (squid) appetizer and he loved it. I ordered seaweed salad bc it's what I always get when I eat Japanese. That was good as well. He was in the mood for Udon noodles and ordered the one with Shrimp Tempura. It was pretty good. I ordered some special rolls: Dueling Dragon (good but too much sauce), Eel Maki (alright), and King Cobra (the best one out of all the rolls I got). Overall our server was kind, helpful, and refilled our drinks. Despite it being busy the day we went (Friday Night I believe) anddd under staffed. They still managed to get the food out and make sure we were satisfied. Will come back during lunch time when I'm craving sushi on a budget. read more

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Food's always great. I go here several times a week usually. Place actually closes at 9pm

Kotobuki has such a wide variety of foods for anyone's preference. I have been here multiple times and have never been disappointed. I ordered the tofu steak on my last lunch go around and it was so flavorful, it was fried just right with a big teriyaki punch. They also have a lot of vegan options. The atmosphere is calming and the staff is very friendly and accommodating. I suggest their ramen and sweet potato roll! read more

Kotobuki - Tofu steak, sweet potato roll, house salad - Japanese Near Me - Norfolk, Virginia

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I love this sushi restaurant. As a vegan, the options are incredible. Kotobuki was offering faux meats and vegetable rolls years before the vegan options exploded in Ghent. My favorite sushi roll is the Buddha roll. It is a perfect mix of textures and flavors. Their salad has a spicy ginger dressing that enjoy. If you're not in the mood for sushi, their warm dishes are awesome too. I love the sesame chicken, which is perfectly cooked seitan chicken in a sweet, sticky sauce. I'm also a fan of the eggplant ham platter. Sounds weird, but it's great! The service at Kotobuki is wonderful. I love visiting them when I'm home and the owner is one of the sweetest people you'll meet in Ghent. If you're looking for vegetarian Japanese food, this is the spot! read more

I traveled to Norfolk on business from the Midwest. When given the opportunity to eat fresh seafood, I couldn't miss out so I gave Kotobuki a try. WOW! Best sushi I have ever eaten. I spoiled myself with the Sushi Deluxe, which included ten pieces of the chef's choice and a California Roll. I can't remember all of the pieces I got but it included a soft, amazingly delicious white tuna, tuna, salmon, mackeral, shrimp, clam, etc. Even the California roll was delicious, topped with eggs. The deluxe also comes with a bowl of miso and the house salad and let me tell you, the house dressing is to die for. All this was $20, which I thought was extremely reasonable. The chef has his own secret recipe, but they do have it for sale. $8 for the smallest container, but it's probably more than a cup or so of the stuff and it's completely worth it. In addition to having great food, the service and atmosphere is terrific. I was seated immediately and she asked if I wanted the bar, but noticed quickly as I looked at the little booths where you have to remove your shoes and seated me there with a smile. Then I couldn't make up my mind what I wanted and the waitresses tending to me came over often to see what questions I had, make suggestions and were very patient and supportive when I ordered the deluxe and they were sure to tell me what each piece was the chef selected. The waitress also noticed how much I loved the dressing, so when my sushi came she quickly grabbed me a bowl of the house dressing in case I wanted to dunk my sushi in it. You are usually provided with just chopsticks and the waitress was busy and I was comfy in my little shoeless nook so I tried to just wait until she came to ask for a fork, but she quickly recognized before I even noticed she noticed and came back with not only a fork, but also some chopsticks rigged with a wedge of paper and rubber band so I could practice. I can't say enough about how awesome this place was. I hope I can return someday and I think everyone should give it a try. Oh, parking, I actually parked in the food market across the way and walked across. read more

Wow!! Wow!! Wow !!!! This place is a 10/10 with amazing service !!! Our waiter was so warm and loving! Made good suggestions and even made my own specialty roll. We had the moon beach roll in addition which is AMAZING !!!! I also had the miso soup. No complaints here and by far my favorite place for sushi in norfolk ! This is definitely my new sushi spot !! read more

Kotobuki - Moon beach roll & a specialty roll with shrimp tempura, spicy tuna, cucumber, avocado and topped with spicy crab!!! - Japanese Near Me - Norfolk, Virginia

Came in for lunch a while ago. I was in the area for a meeting, and decided to meet up with the bf and looked on Yelp. Found this place as being about midway to where we both were, and glad I picked it! I wouldn't have thought the interior would look nice, since it definitely didn't look like it would, based on the exterior..but it was very nice inside. Sushi bar, table sitting, and floor mat (but raised) seating available as well. Service was nice, the waitress was attentive but not smothering. The business was pretty empty when we got there, however began to pick up as it got closer to past noon. I chose the teriyaki chicken lunch bento that came with rice, side salad and fried sweet potato nuggets. The chicken was great, light and flavorful. There was definitely a good sized portion including the rice, very satisfying. The salad was crisp and fresh, and the dressing was very good. Would definitely go back if in the area! read more

Kotobuki - Teriyaki Chicken bento - Japanese Near Me - Norfolk, Virginia

Kotobuki puts the SUSHI in SUSHI! Omg the vegan rolls are amazing and the vegan cheesecake bites are SUPERB! The rolls were bigger than tour average sushi rolls and were clearly made with love. I will be going back very very soon. The employees were nice too! read more

Kotobuki - Japanese Near Me - Norfolk, Virginia

We visited today for lunch after purchasing an Amazon Local deal. The sushi tastes really fresh and they have a good selection of different rolls. The Kentucky fried chicken one is really different from most sushi places. I wasn't too crazy about the Salmon Skin roll. Service was decent, though the waitress was a little odd as she sounded like she didn't think my out of state ID was real (I ordered a beer). They were out of Sapporo Light though it was on the menu, so I got the Kirin Light. All in all a solid restaurant for sushi. Interior is also very nicely done. read more

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Do not eat here , they drop their food on the floor and hand it right to the customers. My cousin that used to work here told me she found a beetle in her food also . read more

The Takoyaki is amazing. If you mostly eat special rolls, you might prefer a different sushi spot. It was too expensive for the quality of the special rolls. read more

I'm hesitant to give a review based only on my visit with 2 others during the Ghent Summer Bar Tour. That said, I also believe that many restaurants shine when the pressure is on. The GSBT seemed ample opportunity to compare how some restaurants respond under the same conditions. It was busy, but not busy enough that all tables were full. We sat for nearly 20 minutes before anyone even approached to ask if we had been helped. This was after 2 people had bussed tables right next to us and could notice we had no drinks or menus. After our drink orders were taken, our server returned and, mid-order, had to step away to get something to write with. 4 sushi rolls were too much to handle by memory I guess. Our order arrived fairly quickly and the rolls (asparagus, tuna, cucumber and sweet potato) were very tasty with the perfect amount of rice. I found it odd that before we had finished, our server told us our bill total and asked if the price was ok. We couldn't figure out if that was a hint that she wanted us to pay right now. A few odd moments and some room for improvement, but it was good enough that I'd consider a trip back... after I use my Groupon at Volcano a few blocks down 21st St. read more

Everything about Kotobuki is above average. Excellent service, and amazing food. The gyoza are excellent, and the King Cobra roll will blow you away. They have an amazing selection of Japanese taking and beer, as well as wine. I can't wait to come back! read more

Kotobuki - California roll, rich roll, spicy tuna roll, shrimp sushi and King Cobra roll - Japanese Near Me - Norfolk, Virginia

Kani salad was a little sour and tasted off. Sushi was not up to par. Shumai was good. Would not recommend this place most likely.

I had a very pleasant experience during my recent visit to Kotobuki. It was my first time dining here, and it certainly won't be my last. The atmosphere was very relaxing and the staff was super friendly. They have an extensive vegetarian menu, so both carnivores and herbivores will enjoy this place. I ordered the takoyaki, which had the savory and melt-in-your-mouth feel, but I think it was deep fried. Not bad! But not traditional takoyaki, it was like a crispy seafood fritter. I also ordered a sashimi appetizer, which was delicious. The sashimi tasted fresh. I will say that I did not enjoy the pieces of imitation crab that were included in the sashimi plate, it seemed misplaced to have a piece of super processed fish on a plate of fresh sushi. I still ate it because I don't like wasting food, but in my opinion, it should stay in a maki roll and not on a sashimi plate. Either way, I'd order it again, sans the imitation crab. Overall, great experience, lots of food options, and nice attentive staff will keep me coming back when I visit the 757 again. read more

Kotobuki - Takoyaki - Japanese Near Me - Norfolk, Virginia

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This is own by traditional Japanese. We went there so many time. Majority time, we went there in dinner time. The average price for dinner per person is 15-25( minimum)haha...Only one time we order lower than $15 dollar is lunch time. I like salmon teriyaki here. I don't like beef sukiyaki ( for me, it taste too strong and salty. I am not sure if it is original favor like that. Because each japanese restaurant is very different when they made sukiyaki). Oreo tempura is good. Fried cheese cake also good. In conclusion, kotobuki probably is best Japanese restaurant in Norfolk read more

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The sushi is so good, but not worth the ridiculous wait. My husband and I waited an hour and a half at least for our food and finally ordered it to go because we were on a time crunch. They were not apologetic about the wait nor very attentive. The chairs are also super uncomfortable and we were both very sore by the time we got home. The food is great, but I'll be ordering in next time if I ever come here again. read more

Their sushi looked fantastic. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to taste it, as I spent over an hour waiting for my order before leaving. I'm normally not one to whine about slow service, but this was a Wednesday evening, and I watched FOUR tables get served while I waited, hungry, waiting for someone-anyone to put something edible in front of me. The one extra star is for the beer they managed to serve me, which made me less irritable after waiting an hour to not be fed. read more

So let me explain why it's a 3 star. We came at 10:35 and I completely understand it's near closing and workers want to go home. I saw it in their face and I felt their pain. My husband and his friends were drunk and we only stayed till 17 after closing. The sushi was great. Our server? He was so sweet and phenomenal. The female who I am going to assume is the manager was RUDE. Yes it was 1105ish and she literally turned off the lights and said "alright goodnight". In the most condescending and rude tone basically telling us to get the hell out. Instead of saying "thank you for your time, we appreciate you guys dining with us but we are now closing etc etc". She just yelled "ok goodnight". Look I've worked in the restaurant business. There is a reason why they close at certain times. I mentioned we were aware we are near closing and we will leave quickly (didn't even have to enclose that to them) but I did because i didn't want to be an obnoxious customer. Yet I was given a shitty hand with the manager. Like i said server was great and I hope he gets all that tip for his sweetness but the woman I was not happy about. read more

Do NOT recommend. 45 minutes to get water. Over an hour for appetizers. 1 and 1/2 hours for food. Understaffed, understandable but they need to support their server and communicate to patrons. Mentioned to owner that their server needed support and she did not take well to the suggestion. read more

As always, very good sashimi. Friendly service and very clean atmosphere. Not a ramen shop but the miso ramen was excellent!!!

Fantastic relaxing atmosphere. Superb quality sushi. Generous cuts and portions. Top left Red Dragon and Dueling Dragon rolls, Mt Fuji, and nigiri selection. read more

Kotobuki - Japanese Near Me - Norfolk, Virginia

Loved it enough to write my first ever review on Yelp. Walked in an hour and a half before closing, was greeted and seated. Atmosphere very warm and inviting just like the service. Food was delicious, seared tuna, tuna in sweet chili sauce, tempura udon, Agedashi tofu, and miso soup.... Satisfied and filled us up. Definitely recommend trying this place if you're in the area. It is a bit pricey but the foods well worth it. Fresh and delicious and Let's not forget the warm and very invitingly polite service. Arigato!!!! read more

Kotobuki - Japanese Near Me - Norfolk, Virginia

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Came with my husband for late night sushi. We had never been there before and I asked our serving what was a good choice for sushi when she replied in a snarky voice "everything is good here" we just stared at Her in disbelief that she had answered my question in that manor. The sweet tea from this place can give you diabetic coma of how sweet it is. For 3 rolls and one sweet tea $50 was a little unnerving. Go somewhere else and save your money. read more

Delicious food and great service. Best Japanese food in the area. Also, if you are vegan, they have a huge selection of vegan food options. read more

This place was in an unexpected surprise! The first thing I noticed was that they have traditional Japanese style seating. That's not something you see every day. There is regular seating available, but come on, let's not be lame. I noticed that their menu is accommodating for people with dietary restrictions. There are vegetarian options, and they are happy to swap out white rice for brown upon request. The service was fast and friendly, and the place was decorated with a lot of unique choices. Their sushi, shashimi and hand rolls are a little pricey than some other places, but in my opinion the quality made up for this. I ordered several specialty rolls and they did not disappoint. Their egg drop soup was great. The appetizers (gyoza and edamame) were done right. My friend ordered The curry chicken, and the bit that I tried was delicious, though more on the mild side, not my preference. We tried the tempura fried Oreos for dessert, and yes. Those. You should try those. I love good sushi, and this spot certainly qualifies. I will definitely be returning. read more

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The waiters and waitresses are so adorable and really care about your food they are so good about refilling waters and checking on how you're doing! The sushi is good but I wasn't too impressed with the ramen. The lighting, music and anterior design is very much Japanese so it feels authentic! read more

Sadly, this place is good with food but don't go on a weekend evening. They can't handle the people, even if they have 40% of the tables full. Also, the daughter, or whoever she is likes to give attitude sometimes to customer. Only go for lunch, also the place is pricy. I think it's time I find a new spot, sadly. read more

Aight so listen y'all this ain't a sushi buffet. it's hella good tho but it's mad expensive. Take a girl on a date here if you rich rich and she like sushi read more

With the recent shift in Downtown Norfolk to this all-you-can-eat-with-kinda-crappy-rolls model, we decided to venture a little further out to try somewhere new. Kotobuki didn't disapoint. Their rolls were fresh, the environment was lovely and I felt like we got a great return for what we paid! Rock star of the day was the Moonbeam roll, it had this hint of torched/smokiness, a bit of heat and tied together with an assortment of sauces. Their house salad ginger dressing was also on point! Our server was also wonderful! Funny, charming, and kept the drinks full. Most notable miss here was the incredible void of salmon in their specilaty rolls department. As a voracious salmon consumer it was a bit of a let down to see this missing from the menu. I also felt that some of their rolls were a little too similar, like the Moonbeam was pretty close to the dueling dragons. Lastly, I get a little bummed when there's no picture menu. I love to see what I'm getting into. You don't need every roll pictured, but a few snaps of your best offerings goes a long way. Not quite a home run, but i'm definitely a fan of Kotobuki, glad they're not goign to the AYCE model!! read more

So I've been in desperate need of amazing sushi and I found it tonight. Everything came out perfect and fresh. The staff was kind and accommodating to me. I'll def be back while I'm in town read more

After being seated, my family and I waited around and had to ask for our orders to be taken. Waitresses seemed disorganized and stressed. We then proceeded to wait over an hour without any word of where our food was. When my mother asked, she received a very rude response from the manager: "I don't know, honey. It could be another 30 minutes. you can cancel your order if you want". So we canceled our order and ate at Pho '79 next door. Really put a damper on our evening and I would caution anyone from going there again. The manager's sheer lack of professionalism is appalling. read more

Management called me out for "complaining about the restaurant" when I simply asked about a table with no attitude. Kind of rude to assume your customers are complaining and give an attitude when a simple question was asked in curiosity in regards to the seating. Food took close to 40 minutes and 3 different servers couldn't decide who wanted to serve us. Personally I didn't think I did anything wrong except try to get dinner with my friend but I guess i won't be returning between the rude management and servers. Food wasn't bad but if you want friendly servers and food in a timely manner I can't say this is the place for that. read more

EXCELLENT! DELCIOUS! Just left and I'm planning on my next trip! 1. Buddha Roll - So tasty, YUM! Shiitake mushrooms, kampyo, asparagus, shiso, horseradish sprouts; topped with avocado and vegan spicy mayo, 8 pieces. 2. Hugged Rolled Salmon and Seaweed - My new FAV! Vegan salmon and avocado wrapped in soy wrapper; covered with seaweed salad and sesame seeds, 8 pieces. You don't know what you're missing until you've had these!!! read more

Thus is my go to Sushi restaurant. The sushi chef has creative special rolls and is always ready to customize something. Oh and their Spicy Cucumber Salad is light and refreshing and won't burn your throat unless you ask them too. The staff is friendly and attentive. There is parking in the rear of the restaurant with an entrance that leads to the seating area... just follow the hallway that winds. It was renovated inside for an updated look about 2 or so years ago and has held up quite well. read more

Kotobuki - Dueling Dragon Roll and white Tuna roll... has great creativity in specialized rolls and fun Sushi bar atmosphere. - Japanese Near Me - Norfolk, Virginia

The service is great , loved the restaurant astethic also the food I order was great why I can't give it 5 stars is because some of the food that the other person was going with me which was the seafood katsu box , the sea food in it tasted really bland other then that awesome restaurant would recomend for anyone trying diferent cuisines or interested in Japanese culture. If I had to choose my favorite dish for now it would be the tacoyaki. read more