Always a fun experience going to Kotobuki! The sushi is great, the tables are unique and the…read moreservers and staff are always very friendly and helpful. Ambiance is always nice and calm when we come for dinner. I'm sure we'll be back again next time we're in town!

SKIP Kotobuki in Norfolk - Worst Sushi Experience EVER…read more Kotobuki in Ghent is a disaster. I gave this long-running spot a second chance, after a poor first experience, and it was a mistake. A friend insisted we return, and the service was shockingly bad, the sushi was subpar and the overall experience was the worst. From the moment you walk in, Kotobuki screams neglect: dead plants, servers dressed like they're doing yard work and a pervasive smell of old fry oil. We had reservations for the "traditional Japanese" sunken-table room, where we removed our shoes and climbed into our seats. One dirty pair of slippers sat at our table, while a random pair of construction boots lay abandoned nearby. The "ambiance" was completed by 70s soft rock -- Lionel Richie instead of "traditional Japanese" music. Our server took my order for a dirty Stoli martini, then disappeared for an absurd amount of time only to return and say they couldn't make it -- with no explanation. We hunted through the limited menu while our server vanished completely. The owner eventually stopped by, and I had to specifically request a sushi list. Tired of sitting cross-legged, I briefly put my feet into the pit under the table. Rather than place my bare feet on the filthy floor, I slipped my shoes back on for a moment. That's when the owner's daughter stormed over and aggressively accused me of saying, "Screw you and screw Kotobuki -- I'm not following the rules!" She launched into a rude, insulting lecture about "Japanese custom" while I sat there stunned. I immediately took my shoes off again, just to de-escalate, but the evening was ruined. No customer should be verbally assaulted over something as basic as not wanting bare feet on an obviously dirty floor. In an awkward position, not wanting to ruin the evening, I ordered my food. The sake was watery and flavorless, the house salad was sad, wilted iceberg lettuce drowning in bottled ginger dressing, and the sushi arrived lukewarm with questionable rice that called for a palate blinding amount of wasabi. It was boring, poorly prepared, and far below average. This was one of the worst dining experiences I've ever had. Hand to God! Had this not been a special evening with a dear friend, I would have walked out the second the owner's daughter chastised me at the table. Management at Kotobuki clearly doesn't care about customer service or basic standards -- especially when family members are allowed to treat patrons this way. "Japanese tradition" doesn't excuse poor hygiene, rude staff or substandard food. In America, we have health codes for a reason. If you want decent sushi in Norfolk, go literally anywhere else. Kotobuki is just a lazy dive. There's nothing special on the menu, very little sushi selection and nobody seems to care. If you choose to ignore this warning, lower your expectations folks, you are about to be disappointed. The only thing good about this restaurant, is the opportunity to tell you how much it sucked.

Went here on a whim with the family and what a pleasant surprise. First off, trying to find it can…read morebe sneaky as it doesn't stand out in any way with it's outdoor signage. It's the true definition of a 'locals hidden secret'. The staff were all super friendly and pleasant to talk to and work with, the food... wow.. just absolutely delicious. I went for a sampling of sushi and entree and wasn't disappointed by anything I ate. This restaurant is a true hidden gem that if you're a sushi fan, must be on your 'to visit' list. Food Taste: 5 Overall Service: 5 Value of service to cost: 5 Facility: 5 Ambiance: Very small, intimate place that is very pleasant to have a simple date at. No crazy decor, just simple and elegant. Repeat customer: meh.. maybe Dog Friendly: no

I love a sushi place that has really yummy cooked dishes like teriyaki salmon, chicken etc. I come…read morehere for that because they have the best quality salmon and teriyaki flavor compared to other restaurants. I love the a la carte temaki and sashimi rolls as it gives you an opportunity to try as much as you can. Reservation is highly recommended as it gets packed fast because it's a small space.

Tried Hokkaido for the first time yesterday specifically because my sister wanted AYCE. When we got…read morein, we were greeted and seated immediately which was great. However, we were given the regular menu. I just assumed maybe it was no longer AYCE. We asked a server walking by and she did inform us there were 2 menu options. She brought us the AYCE menu. I think when we were greeted we should've been asked which menu we'd like or at least given both. Anyway, I had a house salad, a shrimp tempura roll, the Ginza roll, a volcano roll, and the seafood fried rice. I also tried my sisters salmon skin roll. I really like their ginger dressing on the house salad compared to other restaurants. The Ginza roll is a cooked salmon roll with cucumber. I really liked it. However, if you prefer something a little less fishy tasting with some crunch, I'd recommend the salmon skin roll. It has a light salmon taste since there isn't much actual salmon in it. I did not like the volcano roll at all. It was really mushy and something was just off about it. The fried rice was really good BUT I don't like that the menu says it comes with "crab" when really it's imitation crab meat. The shrimp in it are huge tho and the rice itself is really flavorful. Overall, we had a good experience. Everything was fresh and came out fast. Our server was on top of it even tho she talked entirely too fast and I barely got anything she was actually saying! The restaurant itself is a nice vibe and super spacious. It could definitely be a good spot for a large party. $26.99 isn't bad at all for AYCE. I'd definitely visit again. Oh yea - If you pay with a credit card, don't forget to get it out of the holder. Their holders don't have the little slot up top where your card sticks out. It was placed behind my receipt copies when handed back to me, and I ended up forgetting to grab it. Had to go back and get it today. They did still have it and there weren't any unauthorized charges on it or anything!

You can't beat the price for this quality of sushi! I got the salmon lover and it was very good…read more Salmon was creamy and buttery. It was also only $17 which I felt was a steal compared to other sushi places. Service was indeed slow but there were only 2 people for the entire restaurant. They need to hire more staff. I wouldn't come here for a high end date night place, but this place was great for casual and cheap sushi with good friends

Service was great! Punctual and kind. Very attentive. We got seated pretty quickly but I want to…read moreshare even though it says Hibachi in the title, they do not do the traditional hibachi where they cook in front of you. It is an item you can order off the menu. The rice was supposed to be fried rice but it wasn't any type of fried rice I'd had before. The ginger salad was good as was the soup. All and all, it was fine I was just really wanting that hibachi experience.

I had a friend who was craving sushi, so I suggested this place. I was talking it up for having…read morecute seasonal rolls since I got a candy cane roll in December. Imagine my surprise when I find out that it wasn't a December special and I can order a candy cane roll year round. I ordered this roll and a teriyaki salmon bento box. Everything was fantastic. The salmon has a great glaze and was cooked to perfection. The dinner box was a huge portion (especially with the additional sushi roll) so I had lunch the next day. The staff are always very friendly and there are never enough people in here for how good this place is.

Top notch service and delicious sushi and rolls. We order the crazy tuna roll and the top favorite…read more"Osaka roll. Will come again!

This has been our favorite and go-to sushi place for a long time. 8-9 years. We ate here today with…read moremy daughter who's visiting from Florida. Our first meal was this lunch. First, our poor waitress forgot my soup and when she returned with it, it tasted straight up like beef broth. Second, the sushi were bland and mine had cooked salmon that was all dark salmon. It was so gamey, so fishy. And it fell apart. My daughter had a bento box and she said the salad was disappointing. But the biggest issue was my son's "bridge" or whatever wooden structure his sushi was on, had mold. We were 1/2 into our sushi when she brought out the vegetable tempera that we requested as an appetizer. It was flavorless as well. 3 people, 3 lunches and 1tea and $65 later a lesson learned. We need a new sushi house. Like all young people they did not want me to complain.

Straight gas, best ramen I ever had. I drool just thinking about this place. i recommend it to…read moreeveryone!

Visited the Norfolk Osaka Ramen location after already familiar with the VB and Chesapeake…read morelocations. I've gone to the latter two locations several times in the past. There's paid street meter parking outside the restaurant. We went during weekday dinner time which I am glad. I don't want to think about where else we should have parked otherwise during busier times/semester. The service here is incredibly slow. We were seated in front of the register with 3 people working the floors and only us being the diners, too. Food tasted ok. Broth was lukewarm/tepid due to the ice cold toppings added straight out of the fridge. The chashu tasted great. Noodles were nice and chewy. Too bad I felt like I was eating out of a bowl of spit. I think I prefer going to the Chesapeake or VB locations. This location is not worth paying for parking and be frustrated waiting for everything including receiving utensils and checks.

Typical sushi place in Hampton Roads that is owned by Chinese people. Got pick up sushi there and…read morethe usual just grab and go with no words. You and cream cheese is typical. The bento box is worth the price.

Everything is great about this place to the ambiance, food and service! A great spot to visit…read moreoften!

Exceptional service, food was good and variety was very nice. Wish there were more salmon roll…read moreoptions but the peppered tuna was amazing.

My friends and I used to come here quite a bit, but we've recently decided it's just not worth it…read moreanymore. Coming from Asia, I know exactly what traditional, high-quality Japanese and Asian food should taste like, and this place falls short on almost every level. To put it bluntly: if a restaurant like Volcano opened in China, it would have gone out of business a long time ago. The food is simply not authentic, not fresh, and not that great. The Rice Trap: They load you up with an insane amount of rice. It honestly feels like they are trying to cheap out and stuff you full of heavy carbs rather than letting you enjoy the actual fish or ingredients. The "Americanized" Pandemic: This place suffers from a common issue found in many Asian fusion spots across the US--it's heavily Americanized. It loses all the traditional, delicate flavors of real Japanese cuisine. Ambiance & Noise: The restaurant is always way too loud. As for the decor, it tries to mimic a Japanese style but fails to capture that clean, elegant, and serene vibe. Instead, it just feels like your generic, slightly greasy American-Asian diner. If you are someone who has never had real Asian food and just wants to try something generic for the first time, it might pass. But if you're looking for a genuine, high-quality traditional dining experience, or want to treat your friends to a nice meal? This isn't the spot. It's just not worth the value.