The restaurant was tucked in a back corner of a very quiet strip mall ... can be hard to find if you are not actually looking for it. Ordered some nigiri and rolls ... was A-OK ... fish is not exactly fresh and the sushi rice doesn't has enough favor to it. I would give the food a passing grade of 3 stars But the service and atmosphere took away a star to make it two ... as soon as you walked in, I am not sure if it's the decor or the feng shui in this restaurant ... the energy is just so low that you can see that on the tired sushi chefs' face and spotty memory staffs' action ... not only one of the order was forgotten, we have to remind them to go get the change for our bill .... ~_~ read more

Ugh. There are far better sushi places in Phoenix for the same price that you need to pay here. First off, if you are looking for Shabu Shabu, I would not recommend it here. Our server was completely unhelpful, and seemed so impatient trying to explain how the Shabu Shabu works. The more questions we asked, the more annoyed she became. Definitely big red flag already! Basically in the menu, Shabu Shabu only offers you 1 option. Thinly sliced beef with assorted veggies (some greens, noodles, mushrooms). All this for $30!!!! When we got the dish, I was shocked at how lean the meat was. The cut was no good at all, I felt like I was at some cheap chinese buffet getting ready to eat at the Mongolian BBQ grilling station. The veggies were alright, but I felt the broth was a bit too salty. We ordered some sushi too, but didn't feel that unique to me. I was quite disappointed in this restaurant, given the fact that it's in such a nice area of town. read more

Can't say enough good things about Sushi Ko. A regular group from work and I go at least once a week and sometimes as much as 3 times a week for lunch. The specials are great and the quality of the food is always excellent. If you are looking for a glam-type of sushi bar that serves dozens of western rolls then go to Ra.... but if you want tasty, reasonably priced AUTHENTIC sushi then Sushi Ko is the place! read more

Sushi Ko is your typical overpriced Japanese restaurant. A bunch of my friends had shabu shabu, and it looked okay, except that it was $30 an order (enough for two people), and consisted of about 3/4 vegetables and 1/4 meat. No thanks - I'll take a hotpot at home any day. I opted for the ebi fry. A bowl of lukewarm, salty miso soup, a bowl of salad with miso dressing, a small bowl of rice, 4 shrimp and 2 small onion rings for $18. If you think that's a good deal, you're insane in the membrane. Our waitress was okay, but she had a seemingly tough time explaining how many people each order of shabu shabu would feed (honestly, I think she was just trying to get us to get more orders of shabu shabu). She was pretty friendly though throughout our meal, and did a decent job of checking on us every once in a while. The restaurant is pretty small and is tucked away in the corner (literally). I only found it because I stopped inside the shopping center to text a friend for the location, and happened to spot a few getting out of their cars. After parking, getting out of my car, and walking towards my friends, I still couldn't see where the restaurant was. What a horrible location. Mediocre and expensive food + horrible location = no thanks. At least we got some entertainment afterwards out in the parking lot (thanks G!). read more

One of my favorite quick go-to sushi restaurants when I am meeting friends in that area. The restaurant aesthetically and general ambiance is nothing to right home about by any stretch of the imagination, but it is comfortable, quick, and most importantly, reliable for good sushi. Two things I love on the menu - Sushi Ko roll - baked rock shrimp, scallops, and crab over a spice tuna roll. It is not fried, but served warm. It is a satisfying meld of flavors and textures. I dare anyone not to love it! Sashimi Salad - Tuna over mostly lettuce. I ask for it with the Sushi Ko House dressing instead of the special soy dressing. Makes a huge difference. The sushi chefs are very accommodating if you want to make changes. Yesterday I asked if I could have the Red Snapper (my new favorite fish)instead of the tuna in the sashimi salad. It was heavenly! It was served with heaps of the red snapper on the plate, a rarity in a sushi restaurant. Are there more innovative sushi restaurants in the area? Absolutely. But there is a reason Sushi Ko has been around for fifteen years -- no frills, reliably fresh and moderately priced -- it will always be on my dining repertoire! read more

Some of the best Sushi I've had! Great service and great food! The Salmon was top quality and the beer very cold. We will be back!

I came here with a company of a dozen for a belated birthday dinner. The highlight of our feast was the Shabu Shabu. Service - 2: The communication was unclear which caused some confusion and a rough start to our dining experience. It was one of those trying to be helpful but not really because the answer led to more confusion. A better explanation of the Shabu Shabu arrangement would have resulted in a more positive experience. Food - 3: The spicy poki was a tad bit salty and not as fresh tasting as I imagined. Sushi was just OK, nothing to rave about. The raw meat for our Shabu Shabu was finely sliced, but was dry on the serving plate. Plus, there was not much of it either. Supposedly, their serving size is for 2 people. The soup itself had light flavoring. PLENTY of veggies and non-meat though! Price - 2: For a Shabu Shabu of this quality and quantity, not worth it. If all I had was that, I would still be hungry. Ambiance - 2: Very low key, nothing flashy humble little place. I remembered only 5 booths, 2 or 3 tables. Sushi bar had like 5 chairs? Tiny place as you can tell. :) Location - 2: Its kind of hard to find due to the way the the shopping complex is. Not very noticeable from the parking lot. You need to drive by or walk inside the shopping area to find it. The positives were refilling drinks and replenishing the soup stock for the Shabu Shabu. A complimentary dessert was brought out towards the end for the guest of honor. Price and Service were the main factors that made this a 2-star experience. read more

I've been going to this place for years and have always meant to write a review but never got around to it. Well, since I've moved out to the boonies in Gilbert I haven't been for a while. I stopped in recently for lunch and decided and I'd finally commit and write the review. This is one of my favorite sushi spots in the valley. They always have a great selection on the specials menu and the fish is always very fresh and perfectly prepared. I usually sit at the sushi bar so I can only speak to the service there. They are prompt and very, very friendly. There's often some other people at the bar who seem to be regulars and on a first name basis. The have an awesome happy hour, but it is only from 5-6. No drink specials but it's half off all nigiri. Sometimes they will even extend that to items on the specials board. It's a steal. I've had several cooked items, mostly off the specials board. They all rocked. Between starting this review and finishing it I drove here all the way from Gilbert for dinner with family that was in from out of town. It was worth the drive. I tried a new dish- chunks of cucumber with salted plum. Totally amazing and under three dollars. I highly recommend it. Umeboshi (Japanese plum) is sour and wonderful. If you've never had it this dish is a great intro to it. I sat at a table this time and the service was good, even though it was totally packed. It was Friday around 7:30 and I had to wait approx 15 min for a seat. After reading my fellow yelpers I can't wait to go back and try the shabu shabu. read more

There's nothing wrong with Sushi Ko. Unfortunately, when compared to the huge variety of Sushi places in the immediate area, there's nothing special about this place, either. When a place has "Sushi" in its name, you'd expect the Sushi to be it's highlight, but Sushi Ko actually has bigger selection of cooked food that sticks out on its dinner menu. Very little on the Sushi menu looked like something I had to try, and even less looked unique. Also, if you are a Sushi novice, be prepared to ask the server a lot of questions, because there is very little explanation of what's in the rolls. We had the Tuna Roll. Tasted like any other Sushi restaurant's. The Jalapeno Roll. This was pretty good. Yellow Tale, Jalapeno, and some little green things on top. I was a little disappointed that something with Jalapeno in it didn't have more heat, but I would still recommend this roll. Sea Bass. Served with mushrooms and a really good sauce. It was cooked perfectly. Sushi Ko is an okay restaurant to check out. I'm glad I experimented and tried a new Sushi place, but I don't know if I'd go out of my to head back. If you do decide to go, it's also a little hard to find. Sushi Ko is tucked a way in a hidden corner of its shopper center. To find it, just look in between Chompie's and the massage parlor. read more

The default 3-star review is described by Yelp as "A-OK." And that is exactly what this place is: an A-OK place to grab sushi for lunch on a weekday. We mostly ordered the nigiri lunch combos. Because you know, real sushi eaters don't go for rolls, at least that's what I'm told by my nigiri-eating friends. It was okay. The tuna was definitely the best morsel on the plate and no one liked the salmon. We ate it of course, but no one really went nuts for it. Distinguishing factor: quick service+price+convenience combo read more

Whod'a thunk, a fantastic shabu shabu place in AZ?!!! I love shabu shabu and am always on the hunt for a good one when I travel. I found this place through the reviews here and oh my, it was way yum. It wasn't as good as some of the other places I've tried in San Francisco but definitely up there. This restaurant has a combination of sushi, other standard fare and shabu shabu. I was there strictly for the shabu. They sat me at a HUGE booth and I wondered about that until I got all my food. Oh my, it did take up the entire table and it was just me! It's a ton of food between the sliced beef and the vegetables and the hot pot, there was no way I would finish everything. I dug in. The sauces that came with the meal was mouthwatering good. The only improvement I would suggest to them would be to slice the beef a tad thinner but other than that, the food and the service was pretty spectacular. Warning, the shabu shabu platter is a TON of food and well worth the $30. I would definitely recommend splitting the meal with someone, I left most of the veggies uneaten because I wanted to make sure I ate all the good stuff first. read more

We decided to eat here because we had to stop off at Home Depot. Started off with the Edamame; ordering for our main course, Sashimi and Tempura, Dragon roll and Tempura Roll. Had hot tea and my wife had Kirin light. The server was polite and attentive. The food was awesome. Sashimi was fresh, Tempura was cooked to perfection and sushi rolls were amazing. Our only issue was when we got the bill, they had overcharged us. They had me down for two dinners. And when using my coupon from Restaurant.com, they automatically added the 18% gratuity. I caught it after they had charged my credit card, but they politely made everything right. Love their food and we'll be back. read more

Sushi - 4 stars Service - 2 stars Ordered some rolls to go from Sushi Ko. Told that it would be an hour or so. Asked the person who took order to double check if it would really be an hour. She checked and said it would be "like half an hour or so". Go to pick up the rolls half an hour later. Check and see that all the avocado in my rolls is brown. Me: Can they redo the rolls with green avocado. Sushi chef: Avocado in those rolls is supposed to be brown. Me: I've never had brown avocado rolls before; can you remake them? Sushi chef: These rolls have been ready for 20 minutes, if you had gotten here earlier they would not be brown. Me: Well it's a good thing I showed up now b/c originally I was told an hour. (in my head I'm thinking "What is the story? Is it that avocado in rolls is supposed to be brown or that I didn't show up soon enough? Either way - I'm not eating these!!!) Sushi chef: Fine we will remake them. Take rolls home. Sushi is okay, not good, but okay. Probably won't be back. read more

The $10 for $20 deal is what prompted us to eat here for lunch one day, and it was well worth it! Seeing all the reviews that talked about the poor service, I was a little apprehensive but figured, what the hell! The hostess was very polite as she sat us, and our server was great! She had our drinks and our soups and edamame out to us in no time. We ordered the sashimi platter, the Ichi Roll and the Eel Cucumber roll, and there were no complaints! $13.95 for a good sized platter of sashimi is a hell of a deal. I rarely order sashimi because most places want $15 for 5 or 6 pieces of mediocre fish. For $14 I got 6-8 pieces of 4 different types of fish: yellowtail, salmon, tuna and a marinated fish that tasted almost like Hawaiian poke, but I couldn't tell you what it was. It was damn good though. The fish was fresh and flavourful. The Ichi Roll has spicy tuna, crab and seabass, topped with tempura flakes. It was cool, light and refreshing. Perfect for a warm day! For the eel and cucumber roll, I actually subbed out the cucumber for avocado, and I'd absolutely recommend the swap! Get it with eel sauce and tempura flakes, for crunch, and it's amazing. So I'm not sure what the circumstances were behind those who had poor service, but that was definitely NOT our experience. We'll definitely be back, especially if they have more deals to take advantage of! But even without the coupon, we've absolutely found a new lunch spot. read more

I've ordered To Go Lunch by phone for myself and my husband from this restaurant during the COVID pandemic and the prices have always been higher than the posted menu on the website. (I told the woman who gave me curbside delivery about this, even though I paid the higher prices.) Today, I tried to order from the To Go Dinner menu and the sushi price is listed as $22; the woman who spoke with on the telephone told me the price is $28. I did not order at such a high price, but when I told the woman (presumably the owner), she denied that there is such a price! Be aware that while the food is good, there's considerable discrepancy between To Go Prices posted and what you're going to pay. Too bad the staff is not willing to look into this when a customer brings it to their attention as I did several weeks ago and again today. Not the nicest way to run a business! read more

Sushi Ko is the best sushi so far I ever had . I live in Chandler but will drive all the way to have sushi here. The owner and the stuff there so friendly and service was great....plus the chef originally from Japan. read more

Chanced upon this restaurant while looking for a place to ear in Scottsdale area, the place is quiet. clean, friendly and attentive servers, as you enter the restaurant, you are immediately led to your table and given great service, the menu is fairly complete for a Japanese restaurant and the rolls are plentiful. Now for the food, the ala carte items such as the rice dishes and others are all authentically tasting, similar to what you would taste while in Japan, the sashimi and sushi pieces, I must admit are very very fresh and impressive, the ootoro sashimi or prime tuna belly is the best I have yet tried here in North American it literally melts in your mouth, so flavorful that we ordered it thrice, of course the ootoro sashimi may be a little bit more expensive than the normal tuna but believe me it is definitely worth it, we were fortunate enough that while we were eating, a asian looking gentleman approached us and asked how our food was, he sat with us and chatted while we finished our lunch, turns out that this gentleman is a professional seasoned real estate guy and we were able to exchange so much notes, hoping to do some collaboration in the future, Sushi ko definitely a must go to place for japanese food lovers for Arizona, try it and definitely no regrets read more

Went here twice and both times the service was pretty bad. It took forever to get our orders in and forever to get our food out. I think the place is understaffed or something. However, the servers themselves are really nice though when they stop by and make small chat. I just think there is not enough servers on the floor so everyone ends up waiting for a long time. It also amazes me how both times I went, the restaurant was incredibly packed. My roommate guessed that most of the patrons there were people who didn't want to wait for Hiro Sushi down the street. As for the food, it was disappointing for what you pay. The quality of my chicken katsu dinner was so bad. The chicken made my mouth sad. I'm pretty sure I'm never going here again. If you have any other choices for sushi when you are in the N. Scottsdale area, which you do, I would suggest you try there before here. read more

Ordered almost $100 worth of sushi today and neither the yellowtail nor the salmon were fresh. The tuna was questionable as well. We ordered a shrimp tempura roll and it clearly had been made earlier in the day. The tempura was cold and soggy. Ick. Won't be back. read more

Awful. Went last night and ordered vodka/soda and rum/coke, both with lemons. Indifferent server needed tutorial on soda water and conferred with sushi chef.She also added that she "wasn't a bartender and that she didn't drink" She then inquired as to type of vodka and I stated bar was fine, and a double as well. She returned w/ a glass of soda; no vodka or lemon. She left to bring rum/ coke, but returned 5 min later w coke no rum, and no lemon. We saw this was going downhill quickly so we cut our losses, and left for another local sushi place. No need to bother coming here. read more

I went here last night for dinner with a couple of friends. The sushi is ok and the service is awful. I ordered Miso soup and my friends ordered the octopus salad to start. My soup came out and I finished it well before their octopus salad came out. When it finally did, we had no plates. Waited 5 minutes and not only did our waitress never come by our table, neither did any others. Finally had to walk up to the sushi bar and grab 3 plates. We ordered sashimi and 3 rolls. Took FOREVER. This place sucks for ambiance so you don't just want hang out and have a leisurely meal here. Alas, that's what we ended up doing. I felt depressed when we finally did leave due to the terrible light, decor and well...everything. After our sashimi and rolls came out we had to flag down our waitress again and ask for soy sauce dishes. She said they were out. Out? How is that possible? Walk your lazy ass to the back and wash 3 for us! Seriously. So I pointed to the 3 empty place settings at the sushi bar that had sauce dishes and asked, "So those 3 aren't available either?" She did go and grab them for us. The sashimi was pretty good, but the rolls sucked. They were lacking in any real flavor and weren't rolled correctly so they kept falling apart. I actually just gave up and left hungry. No point in consuming calories I'm not enjoying. In a nutshell, this place really kinda blows. I have no idea how they are still open. I wouldn't recommend it nor will I be returning. read more

Sushi Ko is my other favorite neighborhood sushi spot. The happy hour from 5-6pm on Sun-Thurs is the best deal in town. I usually stuff my face with 1/2 priced unagi, ama ebi, escolar and spicy scallop nigiri. Service is pretty good and there are usually seats up at the bar when I'm pressed for time. I'm hoping to try their shabu shabu one day. read more

My favorite sushi restaurant! Fresh fish, wonderful recommendations, the best sake! The waitress is chatty, remembers my order and preferences. While the peak times can be very busy causing service to be extremely slow, the quality far surpasses any of the chain sushi restaurants in the area. read more

My family and I love this place - fantastic sushi at a reasonable price. The atmosphere is a little funky - but in a wierd way it works. We love their volcano roll - which a special but is quite frequently on the board. A lot of people don't know about it because it's tucked away into a corner (next to Chompie's) - but for that reason it makes it seem more like a hidden gem. It's never over crowded (I don't think I've ever had to wait for a table) and the service is always great. read more

Love this little hole a wall sushi restaurant. We are always welcomed with a great hello. The fish is fresh n yummy. And the ambiance is a low-key vibe. Prices are right too. read more

Excellent quality of fish and very little crowd. The place down the street is an old favorite but I'm going to come here more often. It was also more affordable. read more

The hard part is finding it. I just happened to be looking the right direction and caught a glimpse of it hiding back in the corner of the shopping center. Very good quality food and service. I would go back in a heart-beat. My goal in life is to get there early enough for the lower prices so I can really pig out! read more

shabu shabu! much fun and delicious! They cook the dish at your table with generous portions and fresh ingredients. Serves 3 to 4... Service was fun and very friendly! read more

Sushi Ko - Shabu shabu - Sushi Bars Near Me - Scottsdale, Arizona

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I like this restaurant. Laud back feel. Not super fancy. Great Japanese sushi chefs, fresh fish and reasonable prices.

Gluten/celiac folks! This is the sushi place for us! I am always a little shy about asking because I know a lot of people assume it's just some fad to be gluten free. I hate the attention, can't stand having to be an annoyance to restaurant staff- especially since I waited tables for about 15 years. Our waitress not only knew exactly what I couldn't have, every time she brought something to our table (my partner ordered an array of things) she told me specifically "you can't have that, you can have this though!" It was awesome I felt like she was my waitress/mom looking out for me! I was about to order the miso soup and she stopped me! She even provided g-free soy sauce! (I always bring my own) They even have an option where you can create your own roll - and she gave me the go ahead for the soft shell crab and another crab roll that uses real crab not imitation (imitation crab has wheat flour in it). Anyways, food was great and I was SO surprised to have my needs met- especially since I know I'm always risking getting sick from ordering a roll at a sushi place. Awesome all around! I'll definitely be back. read more

This is a great place for lunch. Their lunch menu is not expensive and it tastes great. They seem to be dedicated to great service. I usually come here once a week. read more

Food is amazing. Love the salmon shioyaki and gyoza. Love the sushi too. All of it is great. I will drive far to come here and eat. Service is great, Sadako is the best!! read more

Excellent everything! This is the 20th, minimum, time we've been here and you just have to know what to order. First off, the fish is fresh, so any sushi good to go. One of our favorite, Salmon Nagiri with thin sliced lemon, ponzu sauce and scallions. Next, a favorite our Phamily introduced is to, Hot Pot! Thinly sliced steak, tons of veggies and noddles! Yum! Plus you can spice it up with all kinds of sauces. Lastly, and my personal favorite, chicken fried rice! Delish! Can't wait to take some home with me! Great service, always, why try places you scratch your head at and say why doshite?! read more

Excellent,authentic, pristine clean, organized. very fresh fish!! Would highly recommend

Casual atmoshere, great sushi! We went there with a restaurant coupon and had a great meal! The tempura was just perfect, they had very good special rolls and the staff was friendly and attentive. We'll definitely go back! read more

Nice little sushi joint tucked away into a recessed corner of this strip mall. I went on a weeknight and it was almost full (a good sign). I was very hungry so I ordered one of those sushi combo's we often see on menu's these days.I was still a little uncertain if it would all fill me up. I was full before I even got to my tuna roll. The roll was fantastic by the way. It had a generous portion of tuna as opposed to some tuna rolls I have had at Sushi restaurants where the tuna is no thicker than a pencil (90% rice - 10% tuna). Sushi Ko's roll was more like 60% rice and 40% tuna. The service was very fast and friendly but not overbearing. I will be back. read more

The restaurant is hidden away in the corner of a busy strip mall near Chompie's. Happy hour is Sun-Thu 5pm-6pm, when all sushi (non-market priced nigiris not makis) on the menu are 50% off. Most items are $4-$5. The highest price item is amaebi (raw sweet shrimp) $7, which was huge and very fresh. The head is served deepfried which is better than any french fry. I also like the oysters with ponzu sauce. read more

The sushi here is beyond fresh. This is not something you get at a normal sushi place. My favorite is the spicy tuna roll.. delicious.

Thanks to Mark P. and Kristen S. I decided to check out this restaurant based on their reports. This is my first time in Scottsdale AZ and I wanted to go to a Japanese restaurant without the glitz or glam. To find Sushi Ko (from 101): I suggest turning right on N 92nd St and then turn left into the shopping center (look for Starbucks and Quiznos). You'll see Chompie's sign...you can't miss that one. To the right of that establishment, you need to take a very short walk down an alley and there's Sushi Ko. You will not see this restaurant from the parking lot route. I went to Sushi Ko on Sunday on or about 7:15 PM and I was immediately seated. There were 2 sushi chefs (one Japanese and one Mexican). The sushi bar was filled so I took a small table. Upon sitting, I noticed two bottles of soy sauce (one at full strength...and the other with low sodium). Since this was my first time here, I ordered enough food to sample their cuisine. Here's my dinner order: 1. Yakko Tofu (cold tofu): The tofu was fresh and served perfectly cold. The seasoning was also good. It could have used some bits/strips of nori (seaweed). The cube of tofu is small (3 x 3). For the price and size, I felt it was a little bit much...should be $2.75, not $3.50. I know...that's petty, but it's important to note if you order this. 2. Beef Teriyaki (dinner): The miso soup has bits of tofu and soft seaweed. The flavour was very good...not too salty. The dinner salad was good, but a little too much salad dressing for me. Ask for it on the side. The beef teriyaki was served with short 1-inch spears of asparagus, a slice of potato, slices of carrot, and 1 broccoli crown. The beef is served on a hot plate, but it's important to request for your specific cooking preference (rare, medium rare, medium). Otherwise, the steak will come out medium. If the hot plate is sizzling, your steak may be slightly well-done. There is enough teriyaki sauce to enjoy your meal. And, if all else fails, ask for more. :) Of course, eating at a Japanese restaurant is not complete without some sushi. 3. 4 pcs of Salmon (Sake) Nigiri: The salmon was fresh and not fishy tasting. The natural oil of the fish was perfect. The slices of salmon were very generous and thick. The sushi rice was fair. It needs a little more rice vinegar to sharpen the taste. 4. 4 pcs of Yellowtail (Hamachi) Nigiri: The yellowtail was also fresh and not fishy tasting. It was not as smooth or "buttery" in texture which is essential to yellowtail. The slices were also very generous and thick. The sushi rice was fair. It needs a little more rice vinegar to sharpen the taste. 5. 2 pcs of Eel (Unagi) Nigiri: I absolutely loved the way this was prepared...the Unagi was grilled leaving a crispy edge. The flavour was very good and in spite of the sushi rice...it did not diminish the overall taste. 6. 6 pcs Salmon Roll (Sake Maki): The salmon was excellent (as stated above in Nigiri format), but the sushi rice is what didn't pull this through. The surrounding nori was a little too soft, and should be a little crisper. My overall dinner cost was $54.00 including a soft drink. The meal above is really for two people, but whenever I try a new restaurant...it's important to order a lot so that you can get a better spectrum of the cuisine. By in large, I really enjoyed this restaurant. The staff was very friendly, attentive, and cordial. I even had an opportunity to talk to the chef who grilled my steak. :) This "whole-in-the-wall" restaurant is great. It is indeed much more preferable than the other Japanese restaurants that have loud music, loud tvs, fusion, and drinking atmospheres. If you want to go and have a nice quiet Japanese dinner, this is an excellent choice. Thank you for your time! Bon Appetit! :) read more

Nice, quiet sushi place. The fish is always fresh and the servers are all professional and friendly. Also, it's nice having a go-to for sushi on Mondays when most independent sushi joints are closed. Naomi Garnice gives it four stars! read more