This is the only Sushi I want to eat in Raleigh. Speak up if you have a contender. The Katana Roll with Wagyu and crispy onions is fantastic. . I love the Bao Buns. The wings are great. I can't remember what the little dessert donuts are called but you need them in your life. read more

Holy macaroni - this place is amazing. From the second we walked in, until we walked out! Service was phenomenal, the food was *chefs kiss*. They offered us lemon, lime, or cucumber for our water and I was so baffled I took each we got 4 sushi rolls - the Tsunami roll (fried on the outside), Cali Crunch, Emperor (had wagyu on top ), and the Kurama. Complete with a Sapporo! We will be back! read more

See all

We LOVED our visit at O-Ku! Their food is phenomenal - I don't really even like steak that much and their hanger steak blew me away. Their rolls have a lot of flavor and are very inventive. Their cocktails are wonderful too! Trenton is our favorite - he's both a bartender and sometimes the manager. He's wonderful! All the staff there is always stellar. We've been three times (and counting) since they opened and love the atmosphere, drinks and food. Decor is great...fun location in the Warehouse District downtown. Parking: street parking or the Dillon garage Recommendations: Sugar and Spice cocktail (tastes like a sour patch kid with more tartness than sweetness, which I love), The Path of Enlightenment cocktail (love how savory it is), the Katana and O-Ku rolls. read more

OMG! O-KU is seriously the best place I've eaten in a long time. I recently found out about O-Ku via Instagram. Another account posted about it so it was at the top of my list of places to visit and so I am Happy that we did. When I first arrived the first thing that you notice is the parking! There is parking along the street and a few garages near by which is great. We lucked up and got a spot on the street and there was a short walk. We ended up choosing O-Ku because we had just finished our family photos in the area so we didn't have reservations but I thought that we would chance it anyway! So we walked in and we were immediately greeted at the door by 2 host and what looked like a manager. I asked if I needed a reservation and she said that they leave a few seats open for walk ins and luckily we were the last table they could fill. We were seated immediately! The ambience of the place was amazing! It seemed very romantic almost like for date night but I was soo impressed to see other small families which was encouraging. There is plenty of place for seating and there is also a full drink and sushi bar. Which I would probably choose if I were with girlfriends but I was with my family. Our server name was Jeff, and he was absolutely amazing! I cant began to tell you how accommodating he was. He brought us waters on time and he made some amazing recommendations from the menu; he practically ordered everything that he recommended. He was very knowledgeable, sweet and I will always choose him when I go back. He ended up ordering the A-5 which is a piece of Salmon with rice underneath and bbq sauce on top; it was phenomenal and packed with some much flavor. My husband ordered the Rock Shrimp for his Entree and it was soo tasty if you thought you had something trying Bang Bang Shrimp wait until you try the rock shrimp, it's crispy and flavorful. I ordered the Hurricane sushi roll and it was yummy and for my son (4) I ordered him the chicken Teriyaki with rice and it comes with veggies but I knew he wouldn't eat them so I said no veggies. Also, while we waited they brought Edamame which was delicious. My husband also ordered a drink that they have just ask for the special drink ....it's non alcoholic lol! The bathroom was really nice and clean. There's only 2 stalls, it smells great in there and the hand soap smells amazing too. For all 3 of us we ended up paying around $90! But we got a lot of food and the quality was out of this world! So we didn't mine at all. I think it's the perfect spot for a date night! The ambience is just right! It's kind of dark so it probably won't be great for photos of your food but overall it's down one of the best NEW restaurants in Raleigh! Great food, amazing service and beautiful restaurant! I will definitely be back! read more

See all

Been here two times and each time our server has gone above and beyond. On top of this the food is amazing

The food, service and drinks were fantastic! Everything we ordered was so delicious and our server, Gina, was fabulous. Overall, a great experience and we will definitely be back very soon! A new Raleigh fave! read more

Excellent food and service !!!! Authentic Japanese fusion in Raleigh Good wine selection read more

I give the food 4.5 stars and the service 2. This isn't a cheap meal and tbh you can get pretty good sushi at plenty of affordable places around the area. For the price- I'd expect abetter service. Our waiter was really careless- so much so that the reservation was for an engagement dinner and he asked us if we wanted separate checks LOL. We were just another seated table on his rotation. Go next door if you want good food paired with good service. Oak steakhouse is 10/10 every single time read more

My boyfriend had been here before, so he thought I would like it....and I did!! First, it's beautiful and the ambiance is very upscale without feeling pretentious. I had a great cab franc while he enjoyed the beer selection. The dumplings were tender with filling that was seasoned well. We had three different rolls, all of which were different but all delicious. It's my new downtown favorite! read more

Outstanding! We showed up on a Thursday evening with no reservations but the host was great about it and seated us right away. The atmosphere was chic with music playing at just the right volume to enjoy, but still be able to carry on a conversation. Saving the best for last, the food was delicious!! They have great selections and obviously take pride in their presentation. We left with our palettes completely satisfied. We will be back! read more

Had a fantastic time dining at O-Ku! The Curry Noodle, O-Ku Tuna and O-Ku Salmon signature nigiris were my favorite, would also highly recommend the honey bourbon cocktail! Our server Nicole was an angel and made our dining experience even better. We sat outside in the quaint patio, the vibe was great, not loud at all but still high energy- overall very enjoyable experience! read more

At this point I'm addicted! This is now my go-to sushi restaurant in Raleigh! Are you looking for great drinks, incredible ambience, magnificent food, and 1/2 off classic and signature sushi during happy hour from 5-7 Mon/Wed/and Fri?! Then this is FOR YOU! The ambience in the restaurant is fun, modern, sexy and cool. Candles fill the tables, the menu comes on a beautiful wooden board and with your water comes a selection of citrus slices like orange, lime and lemon. Also,it won't surprise you if a nice guy in a great suit named a Kimble comes with the warmest energy to greet you! Not only is he fun but he knows the menu IN AND OUT! And speaking if the menu - PHENOMENAL! Literally everything is so good! The flavors are balanced and well paired - all items have a secret punch, whether sweet, or spicy, to it! My favorite items are the spicy chili edamame- LITERALLY AMAZING- you will be licking every finger that comes within 5 inches of this sauce! The KATANA roll- i mean... wagyu steak. *drops mic* This place is just my fav and YOU HAVE TO TRY IT! read more

This is our third Oku location that we've tried Nashville location #1 charlotte #2 and Raleigh location dead last the customer service from the host was horrible. They couldn't find our reservation even though we showed it on our phones we were standing in the front for several minutes till they noticed my frustration and sat us. The presentation of the food was poor the rice for the sushi rolls were over cooked it kept getting stuck in our teeth. Wouldn't recommend read more

O-Ku - Sushi Bars Near Me - Raleigh, North Carolina

See all

Rolled in at 10pm on a Saturday night because O-Ku was one of the only restaurants still open at that time. I've heard of O-Ku in DC but never went so I was pleasantly surprised to find a location down here. The sushi is very good. Not quite as good as the other high end sushi places in DC, but def one of the best in the triangle area. High quality nigiri, well seasoned rice, lots of delicious rolls, and pricier ingredients like Otoro available. Unfortunately they were out by that time, but the Otoro spoons came highly recommended by our server so don't miss out! There is a well varied menu with hot food and tapas style dishes available. Our drinks were great as well. Our server was very helpful and we overall had a good experience. We had the Usuzukuri (like a salmon crudo), 8-piece Nigiri, Emperor roll, Kurama roll, and Rock Shrimp. Clouds of White is your standard vodka lychee cocktail, delicious! read more

See all

Checked out the restaurant when I first moved to town with a friend that was visiting from England. It was so good we went back the next night! A little pricey but high quality. We tried everything from the wagyu to sushi rolls and desserts. The Emperor Roll is 10/10! read more

First , second , and , third ... great food and the kindest staff . You get great food, elegant ambiance, great decor and great service. My boyfriend took me for my birthday and he couldn't have picked a better place ! The food and drinks were amazing and everyone was so welcoming . I even got a birthday card that was signed by most of the staff there with kind and genuine messages That took the cake for me ! We also were GIVEN sata andagi and Prosecco for a bday toast! We had the O-Ku rock shrimp, dumplings , curry noodles with salmon , and the salmon , lemon and orzo . Our drinks were the Clouds of white (x2 so yummy) and the sugar and spice . For dessert complimentary sata andagi and we got the chocolate miso torte. All photo worthy and the taste was pure perfection ! Such a wonderful night and great upscale Asian cuisine experience . I regret not trying any sushi but we will be back for sure . read more

O-Ku - Lemon salmon - Sushi Bars Near Me - Raleigh, North Carolina

See all

There are places that say they have outstanding customer service and then there's places that say it and actually mean it, Oku is one of those places. They say what they do and they do what they say. Everyone knows the sushi here is outstanding and the service generally is amazing. We had really slow service from the sushi bar about 55 minutes to get two rolls. We said something to the waitress, She immediately took care of it. The manager came over, No excuses they owned it. They absolutely made it right. The meal was fantastic , drinks were good and what could've been a really negative experience turned into a very positive one. I will always go back here. This place will never let you down. read more

We love going to sushi spots, our favorites have been city market and M sushi, we decided to try something different and we left extremely satisfied. The sushi was very fresh and tasty. The bang bang shrimp was the best!! Our server wasn't lying when she said it was. The service was very prompt, polite, and informative. Good service goes a long way. She even made us laugh a few times. We can't wait to come back and try again. My only small complaint was I requested to sit at the bar in my reservation and was seated at a normal table, not a big deal. read more

O-Ku - Sushi Bars Near Me - Raleigh, North Carolina

See all

What's a great first experience!!! I mentioned that it was our anniversary and they saw the note!!! Elgin (sure I spelled it wrong) was a fantastic water and made our experience great! PLEASE share that with him! We had a Sashimi and Nigiri combo which was great! A rainbow, salmon and lemon, and another roll. All of it was fantastic! We'll be back! read more

O-Ku - Sashimi combo and 3 other Maki rolls - Sushi Bars Near Me - Raleigh, North Carolina

Solid sushi spot!!! Everything was yummy and good quality - we originally wanted to get the omakase but they were not doing it. Instead we ordered the blue fin crudo, rock shrimp, Japanese street corn, angry salmon roll and 7 nigiris each. The toro and scallop are my favorites! And their lychee cosmo was amazingggg! The chocolate miso torte was also yummy :) read more

O-Ku - Sushi Bars Near Me - Raleigh, North Carolina

One of the best sushi restaurants in the Triangle. The first thing that stands out about O-Ku is the spacious environment with high ceilings and chic modern Japanese decor. Definitely a great date spot. High quality fish in the sushi. The menu is very diverse with traditional nigiri and sashimi for sushi purists, a wide range of speciality rolls, yakitori skewers, and a variety of side dishes and apps. I recommend the Usuzukuri (truffle ponzo salmon) app and the O-Toro Nigiri. There is also a good selection of drinks and cocktails. I hope they open another O-Ku in Durham one day. read more

See all

We had previously dined here 2 weeks ago and had an amazing experience from the drinks, to the food, and the service, so much so that we couldn't wait to come back. However, tonight really missed the mark. I'll start with the service, on what seemed to be a slower night for them, it took 20-30 minutes to get cocktails. We were seated for 20 minutes before our waiter (Clint) took our food order. We ordered drinks, one of the other servers bringing out food was attentive enough to ask if we wanted a second round of drinks, but then this second round didn't come out until we had inquired and finished our meal. Service aside, we persevered and ordered the carpaccio (5/5) black magic (1/5) , spicy tuna crunch (3/5) and oku baby (3/5) rolls. The Black magic (and waygu beef) were our favorites last time and the reason returned, but tonight the roll tasted dry, bland, and lacked a lot of its original flavor. The other two rolls were better, but wouldn't inspire me to come back. The signature nigiri (salmon/sea bream) was delicious and fresh. Overall, we likely will stick with M sushi moving forward, as there seems to be some serious inconsistencies in the food and service. read more

This was my first time here and I give it below avg. for the price point. My wife and I have two kids, so we were hoping for a nice evening out. The waitress did her best, so I blame it on poor management. 3 things that went wrong: 1. We made a reservation for standard seating, but got seated at the bar. 2. We wanted Omakase, but they ran out at 8:30pm. 3. I paid for the $70 NIGIRI / SASHIMI COMBO and got the most basic arrangement of tuna and salmon . I would not trust this place for any business/client entertainment. For two people spending $250+, the quality was very mediocre. read more

Came for a friend's birthday celebration right before restaurants had to shut down for coronavirus and had a good time. Shared the edamame and pork gyoza, to start - both were great, though the truffle edamame wasn't that truffley. Cocktails were also a highlight - "sugar and spice" was a huge hit, as well as the pom-tequi. The rolls here are just okay, not really worth the price. I think their small plates are more notable. Fried rice is a decent portion for $5. They kindly brought out enough donut holes for dessert for the whole table, not just the bday girl. They are amazing, too, super warm and fresh. Would return for BOGO and drinks or a special occasion. read more

O-Ku - dumpling dim sum - Sushi Bars Near Me - Raleigh, North Carolina

See all

POTATO. ROLL. That's it. That's the review. Seriously. I have been dreaming about this place and how amazing EVERYTHING was. My husband and I made a reservation for 7:15 last Wednesday. This place is located in downtown Raleigh so parking wasn't a breeze but we managed to find a spot two blocks down and were glad it was for free since it was after 6. Upon entering, someone immediately greeted us, looked up our reservation, and had us seated. The first thing I noticed was how packed the place was for a Wednesday night! Granted, they have BOGO sushi on MWF. We were then introduced to our waitress who poured us a glass of water and told us about the deals they had going on that day. My husband and I placed an order for their truffle oil edamame. It was the best edamame I've had in town. So succulent and the perfect texture. We each got 2 rolls- I got the spicy tuna crunch and the potato roll. The spicy tuna was yummy but nothing to write home about. I am still salivating at that potato roll though... it was just so freaking GOOD!! What I like about this place is that the waitresses come around asking if you'd like citrus in your water which I think is yummy and cool. We also ordered a lychee drink which was delicious but there was waaay too much ice in it. I took off one star because the restaurant is pretty dark and loud. Other than that, amaaaazing drinks, apps, sushi, and the service was 10/10. I will definitely be back! read more

See all

Literally the best sushi I've had in Raleigh. The atmosphere was chic and adorable. Even their mocktails were amazing. A lot of choices and got to try out a non traditional American sushi which was pretty neat. read more

See all

The food was fantastic! Excellent service and nearby parking was nice. Some of the best sushi I have ever had, nice ambiance although a bit dark and the menu was hard to read in the low light. Unfortunately our table was by the bathroom (not a great place for a table) and it was a bit cold inside (glad I had a jacket) but the quality of the food was outstanding. It's pricy but delicious. Definitely make reservations a day or so ahead of time for a good table. read more

See all

They skimp on the food!! I used to come here once a month with my husband to get an emperor roll it has lobster and wagu for $25 pr roll. The piece is up $2 on everything item and they put a tiny piece of lobster smaller than a shrimp and filled it with crunchy instead the roll is no where near the price also the lychee martini was made fresh with lychee before and now it made with chemical flavoring taste horrible so flavor is also a miss still great service though read more

A very tasty and high-quality new sushi spot in downtown Raleigh- albeit quite expensive for pretty tiny portions. My boyfriend and I ordered the chicken yakitori and two rolls, and while we enjoyed everything flavor-wise we were a bit disappointed that a meal that cost over $50 (before tip) left us quite hungry. My $16 roll had 8 small pieces and my boyfriend's $15 roll had 6. Our $9 yakitori dish was two short skewers. Despite the size I was still very happy with the taste- everything seemed very fresh and I really liked the sauce on the yakitori- I just wish there was a bit more of it. It is worth noting that they have some VERY tasty cocktails for both drinkers and non-drinkers. I really enjoyed a non-alcoholic lychee spritzer while my boyfriend had a very delicious sake (which was on special for $3 off). Service all-around was very good as well! All in all I definitely don't regret coming to try O-Ku but I don't think i'll be back too often simply based on price. There are quite a few high-quality sushi options in the Triangle at a much better price point so hopefully, they can find a way to stand out more at the price or lower prices to cater to a much larger (and hungrier) audience. read more

Really good time. Our group of 6 were happy with all the food - I thoroughly enjoyed my potato roll the most I think. Just had some issues with the service - everyone was super friendly but the food came out at all random times. Like my shrimp plate came out before everything else (I didn't expect it to be an appetizer); then later our friend's teriyaki chicken and salad. Like 10 mins later all the rolls except for my wife's roll. It wasn't until like 10 mins after that that we asked and were told, "oh yeah, they made a mistake and are re-making hers, so it'll be out soon," which was another 10 mins later. Again, things got delivered at like 4 or 5 different times ‍; the first couple was done with their food by the time my wife's roll got there. All that aside, cool atmosphere, friendly staff and great taste. Oh, and the rolls were half off from 5-7 that day, so even better. read more

O-Ku - California Roll & Potato Roll - Sushi Bars Near Me - Raleigh, North Carolina

See all

The service was exceptional. Great vibe, nice people, great food if your visiting Raleigh! I've been to many quality sushi restaurants and I will come here again next time I visit. read more

Came with a group to O-Ku for the first time. Started off with the Passion Punch and thought it was very light and refreshing. After being seated we saw that they have a Happy Hour section on the menu from (5-7). Almost everyone at my table took advantage of that ordering the Dumplings, OKu Rock Shrimp, Salt and Truffle Oil Edamame, Spicy Crunch Roll, Salmon and Lemon Roll, and the Tsunami Roll. I also ordered the Usuzukuri for myself which was my favorite dish. I sampled some of all of these dishes, I found the shrimp to be flavorless, no level of spice or heat at all as the description suggested. The dumplings had a good flavor and the filling was nice, the Edamame was delicious, Salmon and Lemon Roll was nice with the lemon flavor profile, much different than I was expecting, the Spicy Crunch Roll was underwhelming, I ended up giving most of it away, and the the Tsunami Roll was also a bit Meh. Our waitress was nice, but extremely confused about how to separate checks at the end, which should be taught during training. For the price point I was expecting more, so I would probably not come back to this establishment as there are several other choices in the area. read more

See all

It's not bad. Far from it. But it is not worth the hype. Typical downtown mediocre sushi with overpriced drinks and rather limited selection. Just meh... read more

Our server Xinh was AMAZING! She went above and beyond for my parents anniversary! she was so sweet and made the entire experience! LOVE HER! read more

Visited for the first time for a big birthday dinner. Service was amazing, sushi was awesome and the bartender made the best espresso martini I've ever had. We had the edamame and rock shrimp appetizers. Those were both excellent. Everyone enjoyed their food and the restaurant is beautiful on the inside. 10/10 read more

O-Ku - Espresso Martini - Sushi Bars Near Me - Raleigh, North Carolina

Amazing food !!! We had our anniversary dinner here and our waitress named Dani was amazing !!! We loved the blue fin crudo.... Truly amazing .... Fresh fish and layers of flavors make this place an instant favorite. Highly recommend read more

One of the most delicious and fresh foods I ever had in the last couple of years. as a chef (at home lol) I truly understand and appreciate the good food and very reasonable price we experienced for our anniversary and birthday party with O-Ku. read more

See all

First time here- Right off the bat, the hostess greeted us, ask if we'd dined here before, we had not. She was enthusiastic, friendly and shared some recommendations. Sat down and Marcella was our waitress. She was knowledge about the menu and recommended a lemon truffle sushi roll and the black magic roll. Both excellent recommendations by the way. We indulged in the Wagyu beef "sashimi" and fatty tuna sashimi, several wines and other items. All excellent. What's nice about this place is they do have some items you don't usually see in most sushi restaurants. We'll come back, the service was good, they all knew the menu, and made recommendations. Make reservations, thus place gets very busy. read more

This review is purely for the omakase menu. The 8 course omakase at $100 a person was very mediocre. We were a party of 4. The quality of food wasn't worth the money. They gave us the same fish for the sashimi dish and nigiri dish... How convenient..... We had to order another dish cause after the 8th course, we were still hungry... You are better off ordering ala carte and it would still be cheaper than the omakase. I really hope they be more creative and unique with the chef choice menu. It was disappointing.... read more

See all

I absolutely love this place! We came on Friday evening for a girl's night. There were ten of us. We made a reservation two weeks ago and had to wait about 15 minutes but that's just a busy restaurant for you. The ambiance is amazing. It really is beautiful inside! The service was great. It seems like everyone helps each other, and all of the servers were attentive & knowledgeable. On to the best part - food & drinks! Most of my friends went with a cocktail. They all looked great but I went with a dry white wine, per usual! They have a pretty extensive list, which is nice. The food was truly stellar. We started with the pink Himalayan salt & truffle oil edamame, which was so delicious. I ordered the fried oyster appetizer. This appetizer was outstanding - flavorful, fresh, delicious. My only complaint with this was that it is $15 for five really small oysters. I have had oysters that were just as delicious before, and you get even more for maybe $10-12? Moving on. I ordered the Black Magic (Hakozushi), and this was really great. Basically it is squid ink rice on the bottom and all of the toppings on, well, top. So good! I also got the California roll. Once again, although delicious (as most California rolls are), $11 for this style roll is a bit high. All in all, a really great experience! I will 10/10 be back! read more