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    Kuka Sushi & Izakaya

    4.2 (438 reviews)
    Closed 11:30 am - 9:00 pm
    Updated a few days ago

    Order Kuka Sushi & Izakaya Takeout or Delivery

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    Reviews With Photos - Kuka Sushi & Izakaya

    Garlic Parmesan Edamame
    Angela D.

    Super fortunate to have gone here! On a recent work trip, someone suggested Kuka for dinner. We forgot to make a reservation for the 12 of us. When we got there around 6:30 on a Monday, they were amazing and were able to seat us. We ordered apps, entree's, drinks and dessert. The staff was so accommodating, they were sweet, attentive but not overbearing, helpful and patient with all of us. I was blown away by the garlic parmesan edamame. The curry with pork cutlet was reminiscent of my grandma's. I am picky about Japanese curry. I also ordered the toro sushi and it was phenomenal! Dessert was good but the apps, sushi and curry is where they shine. I would love to go back!

    Wine glasses
    Riley G.

    Made a reservation for 7pm on a Friday night. The location is kind of hard to get to if you've never been before. Our uber dropped us off in the back of an apartment building and we walked a short distance to the restaurant. [[HIGHLIGHT]]The restaurant is very loud, we were sat at a high top table and it was kind of awkward being elevated in the middle of the restaurant with lights beaming directly on you.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] Ordered a bottle of Sauvignon blanc. It was nice that it arrived in an ice bucket, but was disappointed by the stemless glasses. The service was extremely slow. Had to ask for soy sauce, wasabi and ginger. When someone that was not our server gave it to us, it was basically empty. The sushi was just alright. For the price I would've rather gone somewhere nicer. My roommate and friend did not like their rolls at all (avocado roll and spicy salmon) the spicy tuna was good, pretty hard to mess that up. I would not get the soft shell crab roll again, the roll was big and falling apart immediately. Nobody in our party of 7 finished the food they ordered. Overall not great service or sushi, I wouldn't come back here.

    Interior
    Heidi A.

    I've been wanting to come to this place and since I was close by, I decided to stop by. I didn't care for the iced green tea that much but the rest was great. I loved the skewers and the nigiris. I think this is the first place in Arizona that I got to eat kushi yaki so I was very satisfied and happy. The service was great! [[HIGHLIGHT]]The ambiance is casual.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] Can't wait to come back when I'm close by!

    Jon H.

    We were in the mood for sushi and Kuka was nearby. I love these small sushi bars and we had to check it out. This place is amazing! [[HIGHLIGHT]]The vibe inside is perfect and the staff are awesome.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] They were friendly and super helpful. I'm a nigiri guy, not a big roll person, but I tried one of everything we got and loved them all. Sale of 1 to 10, this is my fav sushi place!

    Emily N.

    Kuka is pretty awesome and I always recommend it when someone asks for the best sushi in Tempe! I have been coming to Kuka since I started college at ASU (around the time they opened) and every single time is great. Their service is good, and their happy hour is SO WORTH IT. The prices are great for how much is served, and the surf and turf is a family and friends favorite! Will always come back and recommend to everyone!

    Beef brisket nigiri
    Sam L.

    Overall a nice spot for Japanese food on campus but definitely some things to work on. [[HIGHLIGHT]]Ambiance is nice - dim and lively like you'd expect[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] and menu has variety, are plated nicely, and kushikatsu specifically was fried well - better than most places that slap izakaya onto their name. Biggest gripe was that the beef nigiri was torched too long; which with the inflated prices was a critical flaw. Service - we were put into a corner and neglected most of the evening even though the tables next to us were chatting it up with other servers (not our server, who disappeared until we walked up to the counter to close our bill ourselves) They have happy hour $5 rolls where they serve fewer pieces at the discounted price which is still solid. Seems hit or miss depending who's working at the time. Worth a visit if you're in the mood!

    Luisa J.

    I decided to order some sushi through uber eats and was pleased with my meal. I ordered a salmon sushi, yellowtail with chilli oil, ikura, o-torro, and a spicy salmon roll. Everything was delicious! I loved the packaging it came in! It was perfect. I did however knock one star down because one of my pieces of salmon sushi was pretty dense like not the melt in your mouth how I hoped since it looked like a belly cut and I wish that the spicy salmon roll was chopped salmon instead of the smushy kind, still tasted good tho :)

    Yakitori from top to bottom- filet mignon, short rib, galbi
    Michael A.

    The sever was very attentive and went during happy hour which started at 12pm. Ended up ordering more food than what we had expected, but overall great experience. Quality of the food was super tasty and great portion size!

    Poke that came with omakase
    Lien S.

    Came here Saturday night after not being able to get in at another sushi spot nearby. We've all been here many times before though and have always liked the sushi here. [[HIGHLIGHT]]It was pretty busy around 8pm. Luckily, a table opened up pretty quickly.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] Service was great! Everyone was friendly. Our order: 2 Sake Bombers w/ Asahi $10.5 each 1 Kentucky Mule $11 Spicy Tuna Tartare $7 (1/2 off w/ sake bomber) Buzz Omakase Dinner $22 Drunken Omakase Dinner x2 $32 each Uni Nigiri $14 Fresh Wasabi $3 Everything was good and we were super full! My Drunken Omakase came with miso soup, poke, chef's choice of 11pc nigiri, 5pc roll. I chose the spicy yellowtail for my roll. The only thing I didn't really like was the poke. It was a bit fishy for me but the nigiri was delicious! I also ordered the uni nigiri. It was just okay this time. Prices have definitely gone up but $32 for the Drunken Omakase is still a good deal!

    One of my favorite sushi spots, all of the food is delicious and very high quality. Service is always great as well!

    Crunchy kilt Crunchy onion Salmon dynamite California Roll
    Hiilei W.

    Got to try this place for the first time and it was amazing. My new go to spot, we went for happy hour and the $5 rolls are incredible! Delicious, big portions at a great price. Our server, Mirei, was great! She checked on us multiple times, food didn't take long, [[HIGHLIGHT]]ambiance is clean.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] I like that they bring a water to self serve and it's cold water. We will definitely be back!

    Tempura udon!
    Kira D.

    [[HIGHLIGHT]]Cool sushi spot in Tempe![[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] We sat at the bar and our server was awesome! She was attentive AND a sight for sore eyes!! I got the tempura udon. The tempura was good. Came out crispy and delectable! The udon noodles were cooked just right, but being udon, it was definitely salty, but expected. Hubby thought his sushi was fantastic so, all good!! [[HIGHLIGHT]]You'll be in for a treat when you visit Kuka! Both, your belly and eyes will thank you as all the hot eye candy women work here!![[ENDHIGHLIGHT]]

    Happy hour rolls
    Mel Y.

    Great local sushi spot. Their happy hour is truly amazing. You can't really beat 5 dollar rolls. My significant other was being rather fancy and ordered the premium sashimi which has a lunch deal but we were an hour late for that. [[HIGHLIGHT]]Plenty of seating and tables and booth options too.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] Good drink options and specials throughout the week. Kind service and a convenient location with ample parking at the apartment complex. Would definitely recommend to those in the area or if you end up craving a mid afternoon early dinner sushi option!

    Pink Geisha

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    1 year ago

    Excellent food and great menu selections. Service was great as well. We went there for lunch and enjoyed it thoroughly

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    Food was amazing and the service was so fast and such kind servers! Will definitely be back!

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    Page 1 of 11

    Kuka Sushi & Izakaya Reviews in Other Languages

    Ask the Community - Kuka Sushi & Izakaya

    What's the parking situation like for this restaurant?

    There is plenty of parking. You can park next to Press Coffee in the parking lot.

    What's the happy hour menu?

    Yes we do 2pm to 6pm

    One tip mentioned there is a vegan menu/options available. Is this correct?

    Yes! Kuka provide selected vegan menu and rolls

    What time is your lunch for lunch menu?

    We are serving lunch 11am to 4 pm

    Do they have a happy hour?

    Yes we do 2pm to 4pm on weekdays 2pm to 4pm & 10pm to 12am on weekend

    View All 7 Questions

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    Zu Izakaya

    Zu Izakaya

    4.5
    (1.9k reviews)
    2.7 mi
    $$
    Locally owned & operated
    Sports on TV

    I had eaten at this place before when it was Zu y Pocha. I am so glad that the menu has not really…read morechanged! Stand out items to order: the corn appetizer, the yellowtail carpaccio, or the salmon carpaccio, and sashimi on the menu. We have tried almost every appetizer and all of them are good. This place is truly not known well enough for the quality of the food. Finally, the servers are amazing, and there is plenty of parking. For some reason, this place is not often busy, so you don't have to wait forever to eat.

    Awesome late night spot, for decent quality Japanese eats, and in the Tempe-Scottsdale area. Zu…read moreIzakaya was a solid post-study dinner spot when I was a student, and this time it definitely held up! We were nearby for a show, and decided to stop in on a Wednesday evening for a late dinner with some friends. They have a good happy hour menu, and my friends ordered off there, but I was craving sushi so I got the nigiri omakase. It came with miso soup, which I enjoyed, definitely hard to go wrong there. The sushi itself was decent, nothing crazy, but definitely better than grocery store quality. The tuna and salmon pieces were a little fishy, maybe not the freshest, but it was also quite late (~10pm) so I wasn't expecting too much. Beautifully presented, and the cuts were quite large which was nice! The food came out pretty fast, and the service was pleasant. The restaurant vibes are pretty dark, and moody. The bathroom was kind of scary personally, super dark and a little messy, so I decided to wait till I got home. Overall, a solid experience, and definitely a good choice if I am in the area.

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    Zu Izakaya
    Zu Izakaya
    Izakaya dinner

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    Zu Izakaya - ASU

    Zu Izakaya - ASU

    4.4
    (317 reviews)
    0.1 mi
    $$
    Happy hour specials
    Kitchen open late

    Was in AZ for work and caught up with an old friend here…read more Also, forgot to take pictures of the food, so I'll add aftermath pictures instead. Happy hour deals were great! We got: - golden Cali roll - it was good. - Las Vegas roll - not much different from the golden Cali roll; but again, good. - a whole bunch of salmon sushi, I think we got like 12 in total? - the Korean army pot soup/ramen (our server said this one and the seafood ones were their bestsellers) - takoyaki, which was delicious - and I'm not even big on takoyaki - soju and happy hour beer. Atmosphere was great, wasn't too busy as we got there right when they opened up shop. Our server was Madeline. She made the dining experience really great, made sure we had water and checking in and making sure we were doing ok. The bartender/host lady (we didn't catch her name, but she had a goth vibe) was also very nice. We were in a booth so didn't get to chat with the sushi chef. Is it the best sushi you'll ever eat? No. Is it really good for the price and variety of items? Yes. Is it good times and good vibes? Absolutely. 10/10 would recommend.

    We had such a great experience at Zu Izakaya and will definitely be back! We started with the…read morejalapeño poppers and vegetable tempura, and we were pleasantly surprised by how generous the tempura portion was for the price. Everything came out hot, crispy, and fresh. For sushi, we ordered the Jalapeño Vegas Roll and the Baked Scallop Roll, and both were absolutely delicious. I also had the California, spicy tuna, and spicy yellowtail hand rolls, while my sister ordered the California and spicy yellowtail cut rolls. Every roll was fresh, flavorful, and beautifully prepared. The quality of the fish really stood out, and everything tasted fantastic. A special shoutout to our server, Chloe, who did an amazing job! She was friendly, attentive, and made sure we had everything we needed throughout our meal. Her recommendations and great service made an already wonderful dining experience even better. Between the fresh food, generous portions, excellent service, and reasonable prices, Zu Izakaya is an easy five stars. If you're near ASU and craving sushi or Japanese food, I highly recommend checking it out. We'll definitely be back!

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    Zu Izakaya - ASU
    Hotpot, Assorted Tempura, Galbi, Oysters, Chicken Skewers
    Hotpot, Assorted Tempura, Galbi, Oysters, Chicken Skewers
    Zu Izakaya - ASU

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    Matsuri Izakaya On Mill

    Matsuri Izakaya On Mill

    3.6
    (191 reviews)
    1.3 mi

    I really enjoyed my takeaway from here!…read more I stopped in while I was staying at a hotel in the area to place a to-go order. I didn't see what was I looking for on the machine at the front I asked the woman at the bar if the item was available for takeaway and she assured me it was no problem. She let me place my order on a little handheld screen that made everything SUPER easy. She got me a water that must've had lemon or some other citrus infused in it as it was delicious. I took a few pictures of the cute decor, watched a little bit of the anime playing above the bar and before I knew it she popped back with my food all wrapped up with utensils and all! The food was delicious! I got the Takoyaki which was fantastic, nice crispy outside with a good amount of octopus inside and the Miso Katsu Chicken and added rice and miso soup for a minimal extra cost. I think my total came to like $25 before tip which on Mill you'd be hard pressed to find that kind of price for a full meal and appetizer even at a sandwich shop. Great food, great service, cool atmosphere, I'll definitely be back with friends!

    Excellent food! I visited with my wife on a Friday night due to my daughter's recommendation. She…read moremade a good one! The food was tasty! We loved the decor in the restaurant. It's right on Mill, so no complaints here. The service was quick and friendly! We'll be back!

    Photos
    Interior
    Interior
    Samurai Ramen
    Samurai Ramen
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    DOZO Izakaya

    DOZO Izakaya

    4.2
    (395 reviews)
    5.7 mi
    $$

    The service was 20/10, the kindest people I've ever had waiting on us in the USA…read more We came late and didn't realize the closing time. They told us to please stay and we are so welcome and they were over the top accommodating. Everything was so good. The spicy miso wasn't my favorite flavor but that is just a personal preference. They gyozas were so delicious I will come back again. When we left the people who were working, were all enjoying dinner together like a home family vibe going on. It was so cute and they were some of the most kind people I've ever come across. Definitely give this place a try

    We had been craving ramen for days--it kept popping up on our social media feeds over and over…read moreagain--so we finally gave in and decided to try this spot. They offer a nice variety of Japanese dishes, but we were definitely here for the ramen. I ordered the spicy miso ramen, and it came out just right--perfectly spicy with fish cake, green onions, and all the toppings. It was delicious and hit the spot. The tonkotsu ramen had a nice creaminess to it, but it could've used a bit more depth of flavor. One thing I really liked is that you can order side appetizers along with your entrée, almost like building your own bento-style meal. We went with the deep-fried gyoza and gyudon. The gyudon was a standout--definitely five stars. The gyoza, however, was just okay for me. Breakdown:    *   Spicy miso ramen:    *   Tonkotsu ramen:    *   Gyudon:    *   Gyoza: Service was friendly, the restaurant was clean, and overall it definitely satisfied our ramen craving.

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    Inside
    Inside
    Yakitori: chicken heart and skin
    Yakitori: chicken heart and skin
    Chicken Yakisoba

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    Full Moon Izakaya

    Full Moon Izakaya

    4.4
    (144 reviews)
    12.3 mi
    $$

    amazing food - even better service…read more the past two times i've visited the two servers have been exceptional. incredible reverse happy hour too!

    Full Moon Izakaya was a fun little find! The atmosphere immediately caught our attention the place…read morewas clean, inviting, and the anime decor throughout was such a cool touch. Definitely a vibe for anime lovers! Food-wise, we started with the gyoza and they were delicious. Perfectly cooked and even better dipped in the ponzu sauce! We also tried the sushi flight, which was a great way to sample a few different flavors. Overall, I really enjoyed it, although the eel was probably my least favorite of the flight just personal preference. The crispy tuna rice was easily the star of the meal! Crispy, flavorful, and the textures worked so well together. I would 100% order that again. The ramen, however, was just okay for me. It wasn't bad or inedible, but the broth was lacking that rich, deep flavor I look for in a good bowl of ramen. A little more depth and seasoning would really take it to the next level. The service was honestly one of the highlights. Our waiter was super friendly, cool, and attentive without hovering, which I always appreciate. Overall, there were definitely more hits than misses. The great service, fun atmosphere, and crispy tuna rice are enough for me to give Full Moon Izakaya another try. Next time, I'll be exploring more of the menu!

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Veggie Sushi Roll
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    Junn All You Can Eat Sushi

    Junn All You Can Eat Sushi

    3.9
    (1.2k reviews)
    0.5 mi
    $$

    a must-visit! The food is outstanding, and everything comes out incredibly fast, usually within…read morejust a few minutes of ordering. The ordering process is simple and convenient. Once you're seated, you'll find a menu with plenty of options, and if you're having trouble deciding, the Nigiri Platter by the chef is a great choice to start with. Miso soup is light and flavorful. Gyoza and tempura fried to perfection. Carpaccio is like butter. You also have a simple but nice selection of Japanese beer to complement the dishes! Highly recommended!

    Craving sushi so we came here since our usual place is closed on Sunday. Thought I try another…read moreAYCE sushi place. Place was little busy for early Sunday dinner. Got sat pretty quick and staffs were friendly. AYCE price for dinner is $34.98 lunch is $26.98. Typical rules, 2 hours, eat what you order and dishes per order. Ordered miso soup, seaweed salad, vegetable tempura and few other sushi. Tempura was tasty and piping hot. Miso soup was also pretty good along with seaweed salad. I like that Salmon roe sushi was bite size small. Over all the sushi weren't bad but the rice was bit on the sat around /undercooked on some part of the rice. Over all fish was OK on the quality but you get what you pay for. I did not try some of the other side menu items due to not being able to over stuff myself like I used to. If you are in the area and want to stuff yourself with not to bad sushi this place might work. I personally would not come back for the quality and price for the food.

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    Our new decor in the main dining area
    Our new decor in the main dining area
    Krabby Roll, Seared Salmon, and Salmon and Jalapeno Hamachi Carpaccio
    Krabby Roll, Seared Salmon, and Salmon and Jalapeno Hamachi Carpaccio
    Salmon and Jalapeno Hamachi Carpaccio

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    Kuka Sushi & Izakaya - sushi - Updated August 2026

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