Favorite Japanese restaurant in Norfolk. Authentic Japanese food, and the owner is super nice, always treats me like family.

Craving sushi we decided to try Kotobuki. I walk by all the time with my dog and they are always so amazing and have a little fresh water bowl out for him, but this was my first time going to eat, but it will not be our last!!! The service was really good, they were attentive and smiling. The resturant itself was cute and had a nice decor. You could sit Japanese style, at the bar and watch or at a regular table. Compared to other local sushi places we have gone to in the Norfolk/Ghent area, this place stood out!!! We started with the Sashimi Delux. It had a nice variety with large portions of each fish. I had the Duling Dragon which I will be going back to have it again for sure. The different fishes all blended together well and provided a unique taste. My husband has the Uni with salmon roe which was delicious. The Uni was cream and the salmon roe was savoury when it popped. They didn't try to overcompensate with too much rice, they let the sushi stand out. They also had a variety of Japanese desserts that we will be going back to try for sure! read more

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Food was so tasty, we had full dinner course of appetizer of Gyoza and Miso soup which was fantastic. Followed by a couple different sushi rolls and the Katsu Curry. Wrapped it up with fried Oreos and I couldn't be more pleased with how amazing the food taste, I normally don't leave food reviews but it was too good, my wife and I came back the next day for lunch and it was just as great! read more

Great service and delicious food, we go here whenever we have the vegan sushi cravings read more

Kotobuki - Vegan sushi - Japanese Near Me - Norfolk, Virginia

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This place is cute and I love the Japanese-style seating, but I think the sushi is kind of a miss. I've been twice, the first time I got the dinner for two. That is mostly cooked options, with a few rolls. It was decent; nothing too special but it covered the itch for Japanese food. Last weekend we returned, and got 4 different rolls and some pieces of nigiri. The rice was super lacking! It was over cooked and barely tasted seasoned. The fish was fine, the salmon was tasty. But really, the bad sushi rice ruined the meal for me! It's rather pricey too. Honestly, I would just go down 21st and visit Koshi instead for better/cheaper sushi. read more

A large group of us ladies came in for Galentines Day. We made reservations for 8 of us in the early evening. We already had 2 of our friends waiting. We had an appointment for 6:15 and we knew we were running really late, so we had our friends order our food while we were on our way. This was my first experience sitting Japanese-room. We took off our shoes and sat on the floor. This was interesting. The service was spectacular! They had all our foods to order, and they immediately gave us our drinks. All our food was beautiful! I ordered the King Cobra speciality roll and it was delicious as well! Some of my friends ordered the chirachi and they both loved it! They also mentioned that it was a pretty good portion. I love the fact that it's a family local restaurant. I can't wait to bring my husband here. I know he's going to love it! Also, it's in a great location. Definitely a must! read more

Very fresh sushi and the presentation is unmatched! Plus...THEY HAVE VEGAN OPTIONS!!! What more can I say? Lol

Nigiri and rolls were good. However, the agedashi tofu was bland and the edamame was overcooked. It took 45 minutes to get our drinks including water. Nearly 1,5 hours to get food. The owner was completely rude and unapologetic with an excuse of a large party (but less than half the tables were filled). The average food definitely does not excuse the attitude and service. read more

Kotobuki - Waiting for over an hour, only agedashi tofu and edamame so far. Nearing 1,5 hours, still no food. Took 45 minutes to get water. - Japanese Near Me - Norfolk, Virginia

Original Japanese Restaurant. The restaurant is run by a Japanese family, the food is excellent everything is fresh and it's made with love. Great place for meetings. This has become my favorite Japanese restaurant. read more

Went for Dinner wife and I .only 8 people in the restaurant when we got there. We are seated and 10 mins later a busboy comes tp take our drink order. 5 mins later he returns and we say we ready to order. Than we are told there is only 1 server and she is working on to go orders . 15 mins pass and server still more concerned about to go orders than people sitting in restaurant . Left a Five on the table for my beer and walked out . read more

This was my first visit to this restaurant and it was AMAZING! A friend recommended this place and took me on Friday night. She loves it here. When we entered the restaurant it seemed at little crowded at first but we were quickly seated. There was a very large party seated near us but the waiters and waitresses balanced their attention very well from what I could see. They have so many selections that I had trouble making a decision. I am a novice when it comes to traditional Japanese sushi I must admit, so I had some questions. The waitress was very helpful and very nice. After much deliberation I decided on the Hurricane Roll. Let me tell you it was sooooooo good that I also got another order of it to go. I also got an order of the sweet potato roll. That's was great as well. I will defintely be back! This place was very clean and the decor was really nice. As you can see from the pictures the plates were really cool as well. Thank you Kotobuki for making this experience so wonderful. read more

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Kotobuki is that type of restaurant you want to show off to your friends. They offer regular seating but the coveted spot is the traditional Japanese seating. You get to take off your shoes, relax, and enjoy the food/ambience. I came with a friend and her mom. They've been there multiple times and raved about their food. Of course that made me excited since they lived in Japan for quite a few years and have tasted the real deal. I opted for the chicken katsu with curry rice while they had the Okinawan soba (Their favorite. "Tastes just like the one in Japan") and veggie fried rice. The katsu was perfectly fried and not oily. The curry was very savory and less sweet than what I was used to but delicious all the same. The potatoes and the carrots in it were so good and just melted in your mouth. It was heaven. I had a taste of the soba and it reminded me of a very light ramen. The broth was clear and less heavy than ramen broth but it hit the spots. I also enjoyed the texture of the noodles. There's nothing like a good slurp that gets your appetite going. The fried rice although meatless still packed a punch. It was surprising and I enjoyed all the veggies in there - the corn being new and a pleasant surprise. The service was nothing short of perfect. I didn't catch the name of our waitress but she mentioned that her mom was from Okinawa and I believe she handles some of the cooking as well. Our waters were refilled constantly and they made sure to check up on us without smothering us. I can't wait to go back and try more of their menu items! I've definitely talked highly of Kotobuki countless times to my husband! Haha. read more

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I am here for Kotobuki! Family owned and operated this place has great fresh fish for all the sushi lovers out there. The actual restaurant is super cute, with a large sushi bar for you to eat at and lots of tables for groups. The best part is the booths that you can sit in. They are elevated so you it feels like a traditional style of Japanese dinning. (Shoes have to come off to eat here, so no stinky feet!) Start with an appetizer my friends, they come out fast and are a good proportion to hold you over before dinner. I recommend the edamame and the octopus. I always get the chirashi bowl here, so good! They really jam pack it with a great variety of fish. It comes with soup and a salad so if you will almost guarantee leave full. read more

Outstanding sushi!! Four people, one massive order and everyone went away happy. I loved that the vegetarian and vegan options that were clearly labeled. The service was also excellent. Highly recommended! read more

Really tasty Japanese food! I loved that they had traditional style seating available - from the outside it sort of looks like a hole-in-the-wall, but inside it's charming and bright. Our server greeted us promptly and recommended a dry sake for us. The sake was legit delicious! Our party ended up going through a couple bottles of it. For food, we got the edamame and the vegetable gyoza as starters while we were waiting for everyone to arrive. Personally, I felt the edamame was over-cooked and under-salted. Didn't have that crunch I typically love. The vegetable gyoza was fried instead of steamed, and for what it was it was tasty. Their dipping sauce was on point, which is something that generally isn't at Japanese places around here. For dinner I went with sushi - I got both the salmon and the white tuna nigiri along with a rainbow roll and the summer breeze roll special. These were all delicious - the fish on the nigiri was fresh and melted in my mouth. The summer breeze roll really is something special - it sounded odd (strawberries on top?) but man did it work. It's phenomenal. My only teeny criticism is that I didn't think the rice was seasoned enough - but that may just be my personal preference for preparing sushi rice. Overall, this place was solid and not particularly busy for a Friday night. The wait staff was quick and friendly and the food was delicious. Personally, I thought the price for quality was entirely fair. It's not an AYCE place folks - this is the real deal. So for a special occasion or a quick lunch, try it out. read more

Kotobuki - Sushi for two! That top roll is the summer breeze special and it was seriously delicious! - Japanese Near Me - Norfolk, Virginia

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We waited for 20 minutes while all the servers looked at us and walked passed us. we decided to sit down at a nearby table while waiting and a server came by very angry and told us that they were at capacity and we had to leave. it would have been nice to know 20 minutes ago that they were at capac. very rude service. read more

Lots of vegan options and great service. We usually go at lunch and prices are very reasonable.

This is simply great. The mark of a good restaurant is when you return over and over, and you are treated like long-term good friends. I've traveled many times to San Francisco over the last 25 years and made it my mission to explore where there are "good" (at least to my palate) Japanese restaurants. Kotobuki is better than anything that I found, in my personal opinion, on the west coast. read more

Haven't gotten to yet much here because I was on a no rice diet when I came here but I got the Japanese egg drop soup and it was yummy! The kids got udon and they loved it, my nephew got another round. They were super friendly and attentive here. Prices aren't too bad as well. Would like to come back to try more of their food read more

Worst experience ever!!! Ordered squid, waited 25 minutes, told they were out. Felt bad, ordered Sashimi, easiest thing ever to make, after 20 minutes gave up. Still charged me $16 for the Saki I wanted with my meal. NO apology, didn't care. Unacceptable!!! read more

My new favorite Japanese spot in the 757! The staff is always kind and attentive. Food is delicious and portions are a great value for the price. I like the Mt Fuji roll & gyoza. I will say the first two times we came service was slow but they have drastically improved on this and I've now been here close to ten times and plan to keep coming regularly. read more

They're not vegan, they fry their " vegan " items in the same oil they fry their non vegan things in

I walked in at 2:40 pm on a Sunday - understanding they'd be closing soon but just wanted a small order of sashimi and tempura. The first server tells me to grab a seat anywhere. Then a woman comes up with a menu, sighs, and says "I just turned off the open sign." Absolutely embarrassing as she stood there, clearly wanting me to leave. And so I did, as dinners around stared awkwardly, just as uncomfortable as I was. As someone who previously managed a restaurant, I will say if you post your hours and then refuse to serve customers who come in during those times, that's unacceptable. And I can promise I'll never come back. read more

This spot delivers consistent, great quality sushi, and I am so glad I found them! I normally order the chirashi dinner, bar it is always delicious. Fish is fresh and flavorful, rice is seasoned perfectly. Really it is the best I've found in the area. So good!! read more

The sushi is ok here but I went with my daughter and asked for a bowl of white rice and it cost $3.50! And there was a $3.50 restaurant fee as well. Spent $7 on basically nothing! read more

Amazing unique sushi rolls. Very nice staff- they always remember my family andwe have been loyal customers for 20 years! All food delicious. Chicken teriyaki, tonkatsu, fried oreos,and every sushi roll especially crazy angel, red dragon, king cobra,and Chesapeake bay roll read more

The sushi wasn't spectacular and they added an additional 12.5% meal tax. After doing a quick google search as told by our waitress, Norfolk.gov explicitly states it's 6.5%. They almost doubled the tax which increased our bill by quite a hefty fee. read more

Service was amazing super friendly staff. The vegan menu was to die for so many options. Cute and cozy establishment would definitely come back. read more

I've been coming to this restaurant for the last seven months and honestly the foods always been good especially the curry, but I do like to venture out to the other stuff. I order a lot of the sushi because it's helped me with my weight loss journey and the staff are so sweet and have become a home away from home. The owner is a sweet older Japanese lady who does most of the cooking by herself bc and she's treated me like a grand daughter. Truly going to miss this place . Only leaving bc of the military read more

We were greeted promptly when we came in and seated right away. Restaurant is very clean and had a nice quiet atmosphere. Our waitress was wonderful. She answered all our questions and was very attentive. All the food we had was delicious! I ordered Inari which was not on the menu but they made it for me anyways, eel and cucumber roll, and spicy tuna roll. The inari was moist and sweet but not too wet or too sweet and the sushi was fresh and a hefty sized portion. My husband had the seafood katsu and loved it! They also had a vegan menu and vegan desserts. We picked up a vegan cheesecake to go for my brother and he said it was good. Highly recommend this place! read more

Kotobuki - Eel & cucumber roll, spicy tuna roll, Seafood Katsu - Japanese Near Me - Norfolk, Virginia

I have NEVER been to a Japanese sushi spot with so many vegan options. Well done. Yes, some may comment on the slow service, but the food is complete quality. The rolls are elegantly presented and the ingredients are fresh. Panko crusted tofu was amazing. We met the owner and she explained that the restaurant was struggling with hiring additional servers and her mom is the sole cook in the back kitchen causing the slower than usual service. Talk about commitment and courage to rise above the pandemic! read more

Our lyft driver recommended this place while we were on vacation. The service was amazing and the food was so good. One of the best egg drop soups I've tasted. The batter on the tempura was delish. We loved everything. Pros: Great food. Attentive servers. Nice ambiance (they had a nice Japanese room). Friendly staff. Only cons: We asked what was in the mixed veggie tempura, the only thing she got right was the broccoli and shrimp (which was listed). There was no sweet potato or regular potato. Instead there was eggplant (i think), squash or carrot, and bell pepper. The bathroom was also not the greatest. Not from here, but if we ever come back, we will definitely eat here again. read more

I would give zero star if i could.I wonder how great they are so you would like to wait for 45 minuets and then they inform you that your dinner is on the way for another 20minutes!!! It's okay you can cancel your order and charge you 16 bucks for 2 cups soup and 2 salad which should come with dinner for free? Such a wonderful dinner!!!!! And the waitress who looks like a manager there is sooo awful and mean to me! read more

On a visit to the Norfolk area this past week, I looked up local vegan eateries. I came across Kotobuki. I looked up the menu and discovered there were options for myself and my mate. We were both impressed with the food. The miso soup was so good and flavorful, I could have just had that and been satisfied. We ordered: Mango Salsa Roll, Vegan Sesame Chicken, Kentucky Roll and Chicken Teriyaki box. . The owner spent time speaking with us and engaging in conversation with many of the diners. She defiantly appears to be a no-nonsense type of person. She also gave me additional information about the area and additional Vegan eateries that I could enjoy. read more

VEGAN SUSHI? Oh yes. Oh so good. But it doesn't stop there. For starters, the Japanese seating is amazing. I love the immersion into the Japanese culture as soon as you come in. Don't want to sit Japanese-style? (Or take off your shoes?) Thats okay! They have western-style seating as well. You have to get the Ocha (Green Tea). Its authentic, so let it settle before sipping :) The service is wonderful and they always remember you when you come back. To me, this shows how appreciative they are for your business. The menu is extensive for lunch and dinner with an entire page dedicated to vegan dishes, including sushi. The miso soup in also vegan. Now, let me tell you, I am not usually a fan of miso soup, but this stuff is AMAZING. My husband loves miso and said that it is the best he has ever had! I ordered the Buddha Roll and the vegetarian shrimp tempura roll. I could not tell the difference which means the texture is on point! Both rolls are amazing and I always order them because I cannot imagine not choosing something different. My friend always gets the assorted veggie rolls with sweet potato, cucumber, and carrot and then dips them in the vegan spicy mayo. Btw...I think Mayonnaise is the devil. But the vegan mayo takes away all of the things I don't like. Sooooo I will actually eat "mayo" here. Thanks Kotobuki! This restaurant isn't just for vegans! Its for anyone who loves great sushi and Japanese food with a wonderful restaurant experience! read more

Kotobuki - Vegan Miso! - Japanese Near Me - Norfolk, Virginia

I want to gush superlatives about this place but I can't think of any that are good enough. I can't get over how fantastic Kotobuki is. Our waitress was AMAZING. From some things she said, I gather she is part owner, but definitely daughter to her mother who is the owner. She was so helpful. We had a few questions and she was eager to answer them. All around a very pleasant person. I wanted her to join us for dinner! Our entrees came with miso soup and a salad. Both were delicious. We tried the vegan lobster roll. I know, I was skeptical at first too. So many places will say 'vegan something', but ultimately you're just getting the same sad soy protein with a different sauce and it all tastes the same. Not here! I swear it had the exact texture of lobster. I really want to try the other vegan rolls. We also ordered the vegan ramen. The broth was the most delightful, complex broth I've ever had. Fantastic umami and depth of flavor. I could just sip on that for a meal. Our waitress also gushed about the great vegan fare in this area and gave us suggestions for other restaurants. I asked about good bubble tea options and she actually went next door to confirm that they had vegan bubble tea. I've never had better service than I had at Kotobuki. I would come back to Virginia just to enjoy another meal at this restaurant. I give them all the stars. read more

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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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My first experience here is to-go, and it was still awesome, which is hard to find! From the phone call order, picking up and paying, to eating the sushi, everything was 5 stars. I ordered the sweet potato roll, asparagus roll, cheese roll, and a shrimp tempura roll. Delish! read more

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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I have been here twice, once for dinner and once for lunch. The staff has been very nice both times. My dinner trip was pleasant and the food was pretty good. Today's lunch was a different story. I always get seaweed salad. This one had less vinegar than I like, but it was fine, until I got to the lettuce at the bottom of the bowl, which was browning and off putting. The sushi lunch combo was even more disappointing. Knife work: the rolls were not cut evenly all 6 pieces were different heights and some weren't cut at 90 degree angles. All of the fish cuts showed equally poor cuts, including the tuna which was jagged. Sloppiness is worrying at a sushi restaurant. Freshness: Along with the browning lettuce, I was disappointed in the fish today. The tuna was grainy and had several breaks between the layers, indicating either it was old or previously frozen, neither of which is desirable. I know the combos and specials are often where restaurant move the stuff that needs to get cleared out, but I still expect better than what I got today. This place is by no means the worst sushi place in town, Norfolk has some really bad ones, but I don't think it is good enough to give repeat business or recommend to others. read more