One powerfully snowy night, in a powerless Athens, two hungry college students began the search for food. They were not picky, but simply hungry. After finding the Beechwood shopping center (and all of Alps Rd.) in complete darkness, they considered returning home to feast on raw ramen and warm beer. That was not an option. The search must continue! Many miles of perilous driving later... success! Downtown, somehow, still had power! The friends trudged through the slush and snow, following their noses and rumbling tummies to.. Shokitini! Although crowded with fellow hungry, college students, they did not have to wait for a table. They ordered right away and were soon inhaling delicious little rolls of rice and raw fish. The atmosphere was pleasant and warm. Popular music played in the background. After a mind blowing dessert of fried oreos, it became clear: the voyage had been a success. read more

I truly do not like this place. The atmosphere would be fine if there wasn't a giant 20ft. TV behind the sushi bar. It mainly played commercials during our dinner. Our server was very sweet, but wasn't really able to answer any questions we had about the menu. The green tea had a dishwater smell about it. The sushi was very fishy smelling and tasting. not good flavors. Overuse of sauces to try to cover up the poor quality fish. I have eaten here many times because a lot of people throw parties here in the Karaoke rooms, which are a blast. This place has great potential, but they need a lot of work. read more

3.5 stars rounded up. Service lacked (she was sweet but not ATTENTIVE which is key to my dining experience). The hot tea in the pot is ridiculous...it kept pouring everywhere but my cup! The sushi was tasty and fresh...pricing wasn't too ridiculous either ($7-$12 a roll). *DO* sit at the bar. They gave us complimentary salad appetizers and 2 pieces of dynamite mussels that are normally $8 for the appetizer size. SO THOUGHTFUL! Instant tip to the tip jar. They also gave us complimentary fried oreos for dessert. That stuff is DELICIOUS. I initially thought it was some fried rice ball topped with whipped cream...but nope. That fried sucker in there is a piece of oreo. I like the decor, it gave the place a snazzy lounge vibe to it. Very chic is the word. I'd come here again if I'm feelin' the mood for some sushi downtown. Otherwise I'd head over to Ru Sans. read more

Good bar scene with a unique, well-priced selection of martini's & mixed drinks(try the banana pudding martini). The sushi chef will make your rolls without rice(wrapped in cucumber) for those of us watching are carbs or gluten). Upstairs features private karaoke suites to enjoy with friends. Loved the service, upscale atmosphere, and food. read more

I was a bit skeptical based on some of the reviews, but I'm a believer now. We went on a Friday night and sat at the bar. Let me just say that J.J. is awesome. We ordered three rolls, but weren't counting on the freebies they dish out, including a salad (with crab) and roasted mussels with spicy mayo, masago, and cheese. When our rolls came, we also got some seared tuna and chicken. I was so stuffed from everything that I was about to bust! But then they gave us the most divine creation to ever cross my lips...tempura-style fried oreo. Yum! We'll be back. (Plus the karaoke party rooms are awesome!) read more

My last couple of trips have been lackluster, though my date was as happy as ever with our food. A couple of weeks ago, I visited and, after waiting a bit to get a table for two, I noticed a strange, gross, off-putting smell all around us. Was it some weird upholstery cleaner? Table cleaning spray? My date couldn't smell it at all (and it's true I have a very sensitive nose), so that made me decide NOT to mention it to anyone at the restaurant. My hypersensitivity to things means I often notice things other people can't, and when I try to explain "that weird smell" or "that really weird vibrating sound," I mainly get odd looks. So I didn't mention anything. Restaurants/cafes, please use UNSCENTED cleansers and don't have your servers wear strong perfumes. Those scents can definitely alter your customers' experiences at your store. All my sushi bites tasted vaguely of that weird, weird smell. I've used "weird" far too many times in one review. So be it! Food was a solid a-okay the last two trips; nothing wowed me as it had in the past. read more

Sitting at the Sushi bar is always a pleasure. My wife and I have been here more than a half dozen times in three years and the sushi is always fresh and the overall food quality is excellent. The list of rolls is extensive but not overwhelming. The service is consistently good, our most recent server, Maddie, was excellent - very attentive and made us feel welcome. read more

Shokitini - Delicious sushi and rolls - Sushi Bars Near Me - Athens, Georgia

Terrible service and sat people who were just putting their name down before us after we had been waiting and they had not. Our waitress rarely came by and did not even give us the time of day when she did. Food was fine but service but horrific for the prices of this place. read more

This restaurant is amazing! The sushi here is so so good. If you go be sure to sit at the chef's table. They are so fun to talk with and friendly! The sashimi chef special is bomb as well as the rolls. Fried Oreos for dessert made the meal beyond perfect. read more

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Very disappointed in our service tonight. Appetizers came out at the same time as the rest of our food. There is no room on our table. We asked he to hold other food back but she crammed it all on the table. This is not acceptable. read more

My friends and I got stuck in Fourth of July fireworks traffic, starving by the time we got back on the highway. "Let's go to Shokitini!" the driver excitedly suggested. "It's open until 2!" My meal was perfectly soothing after a full day in the sun. I scarfed down my shrimp syumai: six pieces of steamed dumplings on a bed of shredded lettuce. I'm glad I wasn't sharing the app with anyone, as the dumplings were half the size of what I'm accustomed to. I decided to try our waiter's favorite roll: the Shokitini. It was prepared a lot like a rainbow roll, with different pieces topped with tuna, salmon, a white fish or avocado. The coolest part was the sirloin steak that filled the inside. Really original and tasty. I completed my meal with green tea ice cream, of course, and was pleasantly surprised with the generous portion. For once, I felt like I had eaten enough dessert. read more

TERRIBLE SERVICE. Booked a karaoke room to celebrate graduation... ended up being late due to traffic and graduation running long (we take responsibility for this). The server had an attitude before we even started ordering. Eventually, she stopped coming to the room, and they started sending other servers to us. One of our orders was wrong due to a miscommunication with the sushi sheet, and one was just simply wrong. After sending it back, we still received the wrong items. We also received little to no instructions on how to work the karaoke machine, which delayed singing for the little time we had left in the room. After all of this, we sang TWO songs before we were shut off. Somebody came into the room, didn't say anything, and rudely unplugged everything... leaving us sitting in silence in the dark. For the price we paid to celebrate a special night, this was unacceptable. As somebody who works in customer service, I understand we all have bad days. However, communication and attitude need to be improved. We've been here quite a few times with no issues, but this will prevent us from ever coming back. read more

We love Shokitini and have been here many times. The UGA roll is our favorite thing to order. We recently tried the karaoke room for the first time and it is very fun for small/medium groups. The song selection was large and The service was attentive. read more

I'm surprised with the quality of sushi here in Athens. It's slowly becoming a more Asian populated place in terms of its food. The only two sushi places that have had good ratings is Shokitini and Utage. Everything else seems to be take out or not authentic, Americanized sushi. Shokitini is an interesting place, a very modern and hip ambiance. It's like half into the ground, so walking downtown, it's almost dipped into the streets, which made it a cool sight to see. It was getting late on a Sunday night, so it was't super busy, but our sushi still took a while to arrive. I was here for a date so it was a chance to talk and hang out, but we were so hungry by that time that we were watching the 3-4 sushi chefs they had that night. I forgot what we ordered, but I remember I wanted to try the Chef's special roll? Basically a roll that was left up to the chef. It was not bad but nothing spectacular. It was slightly spicy imitation crab roll center with some tobiko (black fish roe) on top with a sauce and more imitation crab meat. I'm not the biggest fan of spicy so it just tasted like regular sushi. There were two spider rolls that they had and we got the jumbo. Afterwards, I felt like I had been cheated. Usually spider rolls are huge, almost twice the size of a regular California roll. You're supposed to almost stretch your mouth all the way to get that one bite sushi experience that's supposed to happen. Instead it was just a regular sushi roll with rice on the outside. I asked the server and the only difference was that the jumbo had more rice and maybe a bit more of the other ingredients, but still only 1 soft shell crab center. For almost twice the price of the junior, I'd rather get the junior. The sushi tasted like sushi. There's nothing bad about the place and the mood there is pretty nice and casual with a upscale bar-like feel. But given that, there's also nothing super amazing about the place. The sushi is priced a little high. We spent about $60? 65? for two people and I think it was somewhat not worth it, but I had my sushi fix. I might go back again if I really crave sushi and I can't afford to go back home to get me some Hayakawa, but it's not the worst, and I'm impressed by the quality since it is a college town. read more

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Been a long time fan (12 years) of Utage but recently decided to give Shokitini a shot. I was more than pleasantly surprised. The food was excellent, on par, and better in some aspects than Utage. The fish was fresher and the grilled Hamachi Kama was very good. It's actually cooked to perfection, not deep fried or baked to leather. The variety of sushi had me staring at the menu for a while. A little bit of something for every taste. A great selection of rolls and sashimi, as well as, non-raw dishes. The tempura oreo desert was beyond good and a great end to the meal. The wait staff needs training in treating the customers, well, like customers. They are often very busy, sometimes surly, but helpful and nice most of the time. We sit at the sushi bar most of the times we go and the chefs were constantly giving us samples to try. They were very friendly and open to any questions we threw at them about their specialties. I love my sushi chefs. Decor is asian sports bar fusion. Nothing spectacular, but very warm , comfortable and inviting. I do despise the large screen TV with non-stop sports programming. A simply video of a japanese landscapes, downtown Tokyo, snow on the temples would work much better at setting the ambiance and atmosphere. I do highly recommend Shokitini to any sushi lover. and they are open LATE! read more

My wife and I ate here the last time we spent any considerable time in Athens, which was back in November 2012. I am a big fan of Utage and wanted to try this place downtown. I was not disappointed. I can't recall everything I had that night, but I know I ordered sushi and the calamari appetizer. I was astonished to find the calamari was almost exactly the calamari I had experienced at Utagi for years. I had found the best calamari I had ever tasted again! I definitely hope to eat there again the next time I visit Athens. The atmosphere in the restaurant was also very nice. read more

We are in town for a concert at the 40 Watt, and were craving sushi. Was very good. Fresh fish- the hamachi Kama was exceptional. If I'm ever in Athens GA again, I'll be sure to stop in. read more

I love Shokitini! I've been on a business trip in Athens and have eaten here 4 of the 9 nights... haha, maybe a bit extreme but it's that good. I had no expectations for Japanese food in a landlocked Southern town, but the sushi is SUPER fresh! Service is really friendly and efficient... and they have karaoke! Can this place get any better? read more

This place was awesome about accommodating a very large group of people Sunday night for an after-wedding afterparty. We rented both private large rooms upstairs for karaoke, and the waitstaff were super attentive about keeping the food and drinks coming as we ordered them. The place is clean, with a decent song selection (English and Korean music). They will serve food and drinks from the bar and kitchen downstairs directly to the rooms as you order which makes for a much easier time to have fun without having to navigate those stairs to get your own drinks. Awesome business, very easy to work with when trying to plan an event. Cool bar downstairs too with an outdoor space for warm summer nights. read more

Love this place!!! Came here on Saturday night to get some dinner after the Blind Pig turned us away, and we were so glad they did! This place is awesome. Me and my husband each ordered one roll. I ordered the Crunch Roll and hubby ordered the Power Roll. My roll was amazing. It tasted just like the crunch roll at Niko Niko in Buford (which is my favorite sushi place) so I was very happy. For dessert we had something I had never heard of: fried Oreos. Oh.My.Goodness. Those things were addictive. Soft yet crunchy. Wow. Definitely order those when you go. Service was also quick and friendly, and business hours are great. Will be back for sure! read more

nothing about shokitini is good. the drinks are terrible the food is terrible, the service is terrible. by far the worst restaurant you could pick for hibachi and sushi read more

Having been to this restaurant on numerous occasions, it seemed like a no brainer to go again because the food and service had been great. Giving 1 star is very generous after our most recent experience. Rented karaoke room to celebrate an event. We arrived later than expected due downtown traffic, but host greeted us warmly and stated most with reservations that night were also running late. We were taken to our karaoke room and given vague instructions on how to use karaoke machine. Shortly after instructions, server returned to take drink order. She acted as though us being there was an inconvenience and provided little to no feedback when our party ordered drinks. We attempted to be engaging and asked her for suggestions during ordering of drinks and food, to no avail. Instructions on how to order sushi were minimal. Expectations and reality did not match. There ended up being several problems with our order....wrong items, drink not made as requested, and items not prepared as ordered (fried v steamed). Server did not introduce herself and snapped at several people in our group. items sent back to the kitchen to correct were returned incorrectly (shrimp v pork). The final straw was when someone entered the room without identifying themselves and disconnected the karaoke with no explanation and left us sitting in the dark. With the delay of our arrival, having to reorder food items, and not knowing how to operate the karaoke machine, we were only able to sing 2-3 songs. We left the restaurant a bit dismayed with what we had experienced. No apologies or explanations were provided. A simple, 'we are closing' or 'time to go,' would have been appreciated. The first encounter at the restaurant where we connected with the male host was the only positive take-away from the night. Be wary if considering renting the karaoke room. overall, the staff was unaccommodating, rude, and lacked basic effective communication skills. Will NOT be back. read more

This was my third time going to this restaurant. The food has never disappointed. Had the best sushi experience of my life tonight courtesy of chef Brian making me a custom special. Chef to chef this restaurant gets an A+ rating from me. I would highly recommend it and I will definitely be returning. read more

I have to say that Athens really doesn't have that many sushi places in Athens. So, in writing this review, I wonder if I should compare this place to the other sushi restaurants I've been to in my life or just the ones in Athens. I'm settling on the former. The sushi at Sokitini is really not that great. I mean, it will do in a pinch - if you're really having a craving. But, overall, I would say it is pretty average. read more

The food is good. The dumplings and the sushi was really tasty. It is definitely one of the nicer sushi places in town, and I'll be back. The Hawaiian chicken looks good and I think they give a couple extras if you sit at the sushi bar. I was turned off a little when we entered though. We waited a couple minutes to be greeted. There was no hostess present and a waitress walked right by us without any acknowledgement of us there but she clearly saw us. When she walked by us again, I asked if there was a hostess and she said yes. She hesitated and then said she could seat us. The service after that was just mediocre. I will be back for the sushi but I hope the service is better next time. read more

We came here for a birthday party. We rented the room upstairs for karaoke. After waiting an hour in the room, our server finally asked us for our drink order. 30 minutes and no drinks later, he took our food order. After asking to speak to the manager, they refused. We sat here longer still hungry and thirty. Drinks eventually came an hour and thirty minutes later. Very disappointed with our service. Sadly I won't be back, Disappointed birthday girl. read more

Here right now for a 21st birthday. Been sitting for an hour and haven't even received our drinks. Didn't get to order for half an hour. Went to complain, was told they could take our order out and we could leave if we wanted. Our request to speak to management was ignored. It's a group of 15 of us, so gratuity is automatically added, and it clearly shows. I would NEVER return and I would never recommend anyone have a party here. Way to ruin our night. Update: didn't receive half of our order. read more

The location is prime and the restaurant itself is great for date night! I enjoy the saketinis, shrimp shumai as well as their hand rolls! The maki rolls are decent from what I've tried, not super huge and pretty well priced. The sashimi is also decent quality, not the absolute best but you can't expect that in Athens, GA. Presentation is obviously important to them and the prices are fair. read more

Shokitini - Sashimi deluxe - Sushi Bars Near Me - Athens, Georgia

Really good atmosphere and the sushi was great. It's hard to fine good sushi in the south. There are mamy options. My friend and I shared Regular sushi combination, Philadelphia roll and salmon roe. The reason for the 3 star is that I got a bad stomachache right after... Maybe not because of the food but because I haven't had raw fish for some time. Either way, I'll give this restaurant another try read more

Shokitini - Sushi Bars Near Me - Athens, Georgia

I loved this place. I got a chef special roll and it was delicious. They make different roles every night! You also get a free salad, mushroom appetizer, and desert which is awesome! read more

Shokitini - Chef special - Sushi Bars Near Me - Athens, Georgia

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Fun place. =] Though I honestly didn't get to try the food/drink... aside from a sip of a mai tai. Lol. Went here with the bride and bridesmaids after the reception to go to the karaoke portion this place offers. So I'm probably going to review this more for the karaoke aspect, the decor, service, and what I generally saw.~ The place was packed. It reminded me of a fancier Rusans. The place just looked really nice. The karaoke was upstairs away from all the bustle from the dining in customers. Service was very friendly considering they seemed to be extremely busy and our server apparently had another room full of very loud singing drunks to attend to. I really wished I could have tried the sushi. It looked delicious. Next time I'm in Athens I'll definitely keep this place memo'd. =] read more

I have mixed feelings about this place. The sushi is solid but not the best I've ever had. The atmosphere is ok but not great. I had a big group up in one of the big back rooms and the waitress was very nice but the food took a long time. We tried to go back and use one of the big rooms but they insisted on charging us $50 an hour for its use when previously they hadn't charged us. Our group went elsewhere. Overall the food is solid and the restaurant is good but not great. read more

This is my go to place for sushi in Athens. The atmosphere is pretty great and the bar is nice. It does get a little pricey, but for the quality of sushi and the great drinks and friendly bartenders, it's worth it. read more

Soooo good! The sushi was fresh and expertly prepared. If you are in Athens and like sushi.. this is the place to go!.

First time here and we loved it! The food was wonderful and from our experience, the service was great. Can't complain about a thing. On top of everything, I really enjoyed the atmosphere. It was decorated nicely, super cozy and well-lit. As for the food, very tasty and fresh! The sushi rolls themselves were good size (had to take some to go)!Was totally satisfied with taste and presentation. If I ever crave sushi while I'm in downtown Athens, I'll know where to go! read more

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The veggie sushi rolls were pretty good, better than a certain place in downtown that starts with a U. The waitress was very knowledgeable about what was in the food (e.g., that the salad dressing was vegan). Also, first time I'd ever seen Asahi Black. It was $5 for a bottle, but she talked me into it and I didn't regret it. It was awesome. Decor was nice, clean, and relaxed on a weeknight around 6pm. I'd go again. read more

This place was little inside of the main road (W Broad st) so it could be little confusing if you are a first timer using GPS to find it. But it wasn't super difficult. Came as my friend's wedding after party. Most of the time we stayed at the karaoke room. Their room was huge for a large number of guests like ourselves. The staffs were super friendly and all but their food was eh~ Udon was salty, fried calamari was nothin but fried crumb... Only this that I could mention a-okay was the sushi. If you know what you are getting this place is a pretty decent place to hangout with your friends for pretty much any occasion. The friendly staff will make it up to you, or maybe we just had a great ones on Sunday nights. Overall, great place to go but one suggestion would be try to bump up the food taste a little. read more

I love Shokitini - we have several good options in town but Shokitini's sushi is definitely my favorite. It's a fair price for good quality sushi and there is a good variety of options. I've had a couple iffy service experiences but the service is usually pretty good. The reason I docked a star is because I recently had a group that wanted to do karaoke (which is VERY fun at Shokitini). I was with my friend when she booked it, but when she called to confirm a couple days before, they denied ever having taken the reservation. accidents happen but they didn't apologize and wouldn't even acknowledge that it was their screw up. We rescheduled at Iron Factory (same owners) but it took about two days of voicemails, texts, and calls to actually set it up. It just seems like a flawed and kind of inefficient system to book their rooms so be aware of that and if you haven't heard anything call and confirm your reservation. read more

Definitely a sushi place worth going to! We decided to head to Athens for a night of debauchery and chose to grab some sushi at Shokitini. When we arrived the placed was packed but we were able to grab a seat at the bar. The bartender 'Buddha' was attentive and personable even thought he was swamped. We both ordered a mojito (delish!) and proceeded to ask for menus which were delivered promptly and as we received them we were given a heads up that they had just received a $400 sushi order for take out so our food might take a while and that he would give us a complimentary edemame appetizer. The heads up would have sufficed but ++++ for adding the free appetizer on top! We ordered some sushi and a squid salad appetizer on top of the free edemame and lef me just say... TRY THE SQUID SALAD! It's delightful!! The sushi was fresh and well made and competitively priced! All in all a great place! Will definitely be back! read more

If you want Korean food This is not it If you like rolls and fusion korean/chinese Its ok Overall server coordination was ok Food generally ok read more