Great food. I'm a sushi fan, this place I see up there. Highly recommend it. From the outside it doesn't look like much. Large area inside. FYI it takes a while so be prepared.... Hot saki was on point. Well worth the wait. read more

Looks like your standard sushi restaurant, friendly staff, clean. It is certainly the best sushi I've had in years embarrassingly I've lived in the area for a couple of years and this is the first time I'm trying them. THIS IS MY NEW SPOT. Absolutely worth the money. read more

OM Guuurrr! Went here at the recommendation of one of my Jiu Jitsu instructors and bam!!! It was love at first bite. This sushi is exquisite, delectable, mouth watering goooooddd! Staff is absolutely professional and friendly. I've been her 4x since my first encounter. read more

Staff were super friendly. Went around 6pm for take out, I got vegan ramen with an additive of tofu. Around $15 and comes with a small salad. The salad tasted like it wasn't washed (very chemically) but the ramen was delicious! read more

I can't complain. I order the king cobra, crazy angel, and lobster rolls. These rolls are delicious and I had order take out, but I will definitely like to dine in at the restaurant since they have unique seating areas. read more

This place is the hands down best. Not only is there an amazing array of sushi and kitchen food, but they cater to omnivores and vegans like no other. The service is top notch and the cuisine is even better. Best sushi and Japanese food in Norfolk... No question. read more

I have been living in this area for for almost 2 years and wished i found this spot sooner. The place is warm, inviting and you can definitely feel the love that the family puts into this restaurant. They have plenty of options including ones for vegetarian or vegans. Their presentation is absolutely wonderful. read more

Off the F****** charts amazing! The Vegan options are AMAZING! The sushi was amazing! The Vegan dessert menu is amazing! I'm so full, but I want to eat more! Did I mention thier foods amazing? read more

Love this place! The chicken teriyaki dinner is the best and such a large portion too. The sushi is great, even the unusual ones with fried pork, etc. The staff is always friendly. We've ordered our food to-go before too and enjoyed it just the same. This is my favorite Japanese restaurant in the area. Great for date night too- the atmosphere is very relaxing and couple-oriented. read more

It was so much fun to go to a sushi place that offered a lot of vegetarian options! I got a couple rolls (nice) and my husband got a stir fry dish with fake chicken. It wasn't the best stir fry ever. It needed more veggies. But still, a nice alternative. The menu was expansive. The service was great. The atmosphere was calm and clean, with authentic japanese seating available. In all ways a win! read more

I have been many times. It was usually very good and the staff friendly. We live in the neighborhood so I wanted to like it which I did. Then on one visit, the sashimi came out very strategically placed on lemon slices. It seemed odd but my wife and I ate it anyway. We were both sick for the next 24 hours. I like sushi enough to accept its inherent risk, but I believe they knew the fish was a little past its prime and were trying to cover it up--something I can't accept. I haven't been back. read more

Service is great. Customer always first which is exactly how Japanese do their business. 'Gohan' (rice) is very important to sushi. However, I taste too much vinegar on the sushi. Then I have a regular bowl of rice. It's not stream hot, but just don't have the Japanese rice textile. I understood that because of the flow of the business, but I found few different Sashimi just not fresh enough. I'm a little disappointed by all the review. Remember 'Gohan' is an important key to have good sushi. read more

Went there for lunch today for my first time. I ordered the tempura lunch box. Such a good deal for the amount of great quality food you receive. Living in Japan for three years, this restaurant brought back great memories of authentic Japanese food. Parking was located in the back of the restaurant and their staff was very welcoming. read more

Been here a lot. They have the most fresh sashimi, the most fulfilling rolls, tastiest chirashi bowl. Great customer service. Very clean!! The only lacking point i find is their teriyaki, any kind of teriyaki was disappointing. They are one of the few places i go to for sushi/sashimi. Lunch is the best deal you can get, if you are like me and love chirashi bowls. They honestly have the best in the 757! read more

Ate here last night, 05/26/2016 and I really enjoyed the experience. We went in at 9:30 pm and they did not act upset with us or rush us out. They asked if we wanted any more for at around 10, so they are customer friendly. My girl order 4 different rolls, two apps, 2 glasses of plum wine, and I had a Kirin. The bill was 70 before tax and tip. I was very happy with the food and service. I would come back for sure. read more

This often overlooked place is a gem!!! The service is amazing, and the food is great best sushi place in town ( I've tried several ). Def need to try the moon beach roll! read more

The food is always very good. So, why do I only give it 3 stars? It seems that the few times I've been there, I order what I order and I end up with something else from the menu and it often seems like it's the most expensive thing. Not sure if it's a waiter trying to up the percentage on the tip, as I usually go there solo, or what. All I know is I put in a small order and walk out having paid 40 for what I estimated should have been about 16. read more

This place is amazing the owner and her mother are the best and are so friendly definitely will be coming back to this place all the time recommend the volcano roll and the iz roll outstanding read more

Kotobuki - Japanese Near Me - Norfolk, Virginia

-It's interesting that this place is run by a Japanese family but they don't offer washcloths -Tried getting a reservation and the girl on the phone seemed like she was a 16 and never been exposed to customer service -However the manager was very sweet and made sure to talk to everyone in the restaurant (I thought was a little strange that she did this before our food got here but it's the thought that counts) -dim lighting -the green tea is watered down like it is for most places (I'm assuming for Americans who can't handle it stronger) -the ramen isn't anything to write home about but it's really considering that it's not a ramen house, it's really good. Not too big, not too small. They'll give you little bowls if you wanna share with others. The noodles probably aren't made in house but the broth and toppings are quality -I would come back for the sushi especially because the rice is good, they know how to make egg nigiri, and they make hand rolls with plenty of fish portions read more

I have no idea what took me so long to go to this place, but i am so glad i went. What really got me excited is that they offered a vegan selection on the menu. Although i am vegan im also a chef so i also check the whole menu out as a whole, and I would have to say they offer a great variety menu. But first let me start by addressing the service here. I came in around lunch time going into dinner so it was only about 3 people in there at the time. The host/my server was very welcoming and gave the best greeting when i arrived. She let me pick my table and made me feel comfortable even though it was my first time there. I forgot what i ordered lol but i did capture a picture and also had the vegan fried "cheesecake" bites. The sushi was incredible and i also loved the "cheesecake" bites. I highly recommend this place to any vegan looking for some good eats or anyone in general...This place is my new sushi place! read more

Kotobuki - its vegan and it was great ! - Japanese Near Me - Norfolk, Virginia

Recently went with my family. Great family owned restaurant. Fresh sushi and sashimi. Reasonably priced. Kitchen entrees were also great, the pork katsu was crisp and not greasy. The chicken teriyaki wasn't too sweet. The miso soup was very flavorful. Look forward to coming back and trying the specialty rolls. Also, the pina colada was surprisingly good. read more

Kotobuki - Sushi/sashimi and dinner for 2 - Japanese Near Me - Norfolk, Virginia

See all

I'm going to give the Benefit of the doubt that it was due to being late and close to closing. My friend and I went in for sushi take out and we paid about 30$ total between the 2 of us which isn't bad. The prices are great but what you pay really is what you get. The tuna obviously was NOT fresh by any means. It was discolored and very obviously old. After a few bites of my salmon I stopped eating it scared of what might happen if I eat anymore and the squid was not fresh either. If you're selling sushi, make sure your raw fish is fresh or you're not selling sushi. You're selling a game of Russian roulette. But hey. After waiting 45 minutes for our food at least the waitresses were half way nice to us. read more

I joined this site purely to give the warning about this restaurant. I wanted to create a wonderful, memorable birthday for my husband. So I had Kotobuki cater 2 large trays of various sushi rolls, it cost nearly $200, but I wanted it to be special. The trays looked awesome and I collected right before the party - the food went straight from the restaurant to the table and was eaten immediately. Every single person who ate the sushi at my party had horrendous food poisoning. Hubby and I were violently sick for two days. We had to look after our kids (who had gone to bed before the sushi so ate none) whilst barely able to leave the bathroom for those two days. They were fed on chips and whatever else could be found by them and brought to us to open - we were that ill. Unfortunately we assumed it was a tummy bug as all our friends were too polite to tell us until we told them that they had been sick too. We didn't want to accuse Kotobuki without good cause, so wrote out lists of who had attended, what they ate, whether they got sick. The only two people at our party who did not get sick were the two 'oh, I don't eat that sushi stuff' people. Those who were most sick ate most sushi. I wrote a long letter to the restaurant complaining and requesting an apology because they had humiliated me by making me poison all my guests and spoilt the party. No response whatsoever. By then it was too late to report it to environmental health. I know the food tastes good people, but please beware - Kotobuki gave 24 people food poisoning that I know personally. It is not an experience I ever want to relive - the worst I have ever felt. read more

Been here a number of times; I even had my birthday dinner here last summer. Every single time I am very impressed and leave so satisfied. Their vegan options are extensive and more unique than any other sushi restaurant I have been to. I love the fact that they have an entire menu section with "veganized" things that you won't find at similar places like spicy mayo, desserts, mock meats, creative sushi rolls, etc. The staff is also incredibly charismatic, funny and attentive. I also love the traditional seating in the back and would recommend that if you want a heightened dining experience. Kotobuki is consistently one of my favorite restaurants to go to! read more

The restaurant is nicely decorated, clean and neat. The food is very delicious and well presented. I would recommend the grilled squid, hamachi Kama(grilled yellowtail collar and not on the menu), sea urchin and yellowtail sashimi. The rolls were pretty good especially the yellowtail and spicy roll. The white tuna and salmon sashimi was okay. read more

Great vegan options , and the staff members are wonderful!

Gem of Virginia you would be hard pressed yo find better authentic sushi and Okinawa dishes.

Only one chef work at Sat night and we have been waiting for an hour for food, we left without food

I am pretty sure the chef are Japanese and if that's the case this place is a great disappointment. Either way it's just an average sushi place. The fish are fresh but the cuts and perhaps the quality of the fish leave much for improvement. Today I ordered ramen for lunch and it was probably the worst I have ever had. The egg is supposed to be pickled. The meat seemed it was from a can or something. And the broth had no flavor. I will not come back. The service was great though. read more

Came here for a friend's going away shindig. The service is great, I will say that, but the food could be better. I don't eat sushi, but I had chicken teriyaki which was ok. The chicken quality in my opinion was a little low and I wasn't interested in eating the salad or the other crazy stuff they put in the "box." Not opposed to coming back, but not something I'll crave. read more

I would never claim that I am a sushi expert, but I have eaten enough to know good sushi when I find it. This place didn't quite deliver. I hate doing negative reviews, but I've had better sushi from a grocery store. I'll give it another chance because it's walking distance from my house--but they're going to have a hard time swaying me. Not 1 star because the service was perfectly acceptable. read more

All of my vegetarian friends rave about this place, and I can see why. They offer all kinds of fake meats on the menu that are so convincing, you have to do a double take. My friend and I split a sesame "chicken" and it was pretty spot on. They also serve great beer. It was a bit awkward for me to sit at the low table with my shoes off, considering I had a short skirt on. Guess I know for next time. The service was great and everything we ordered was delicious. read more

The service was so great! It was so cute finding out that it was a family business. The portions are very large and generous. Theres a homemade taste to their food, love it! I will come back with friends soon. read more

I've enjoyed the vegan sushi I've gotten from here, but that's about it. Everything else I tried was a bit... meh. I've only ordered out, so I can't say much for the atmosphere. 3 stars for now... maybe I'll change my mind later. read more

Excellent and fresh sushi. Botan Ebi came with deep fried heads and was a great recommendation by the waitress. This is an awesome place, the fish is super fresh and perfect for taking out of town guests tired of the same old chain boringness. read more

My husband and I visited this place on Valentine's Day and had a very underwhelming experience. The place had several tables being open, yet we were made to wait over an hour for our entrees to come out. The miso was good, but the appetizer we got -- fried cheese rolls -- were soft. I have had fried cheese rolls in the past in other establishments and expected a crunch, which was not there at all. As for the entrees, the curry rice katsu tasted pretty much exactly like the boxed ones you could get from any grocery store. Indeed, my husband made some curry from the box a few days later and that tasted better than what we got from Kotobuki. The staff themselves were nice, but food-wise, I was very disappointed. read more

Love the food, like the atmosphere, love, love the hostess. I have eaten at the other half dozen or so sushi places in the Ghent area and always keep coming back here. It's easily my favorite all things considered. read more

This place has tons of vegetarian and quasi-kosher options (they even have a lox/cream cheese roll!) in addition to sushi classics. The staff is so friendly and attentive. It's a little pricey but has been worth it every time we've been here. read more

When I came in I noticed the place was practically empty. I was greeted by a nice young man. After being seated it took them 10 minutes to get back to me and ask what I would like. I proceeded with my order guy don.. The soup and salad where pretty good, but the guy don tasted like straight seaweed. I've had it in a couple other places but never had that pronounced taste of seaweed. The rice was over cooked and I didn't even enjoy it at all. The lady asked me if everything was ok and I told her that it was not what I expected. She proclaimed that's guy don. Instead of asking if she could make me anything else she just shrugged her shoulders and left. I ended up paying full price to top it all off. Their sushi may be great but the kitchen items may be a bit suspect read more

Awesome fast service! Very nice staff always get takeout from here. Ramen is amazing!