O-Ku Sushi

Went to dinner last night since it was the sister restaurant in Charleston. I’ve been to the one in Charleston and it was good. Great to see a familiar restaurant in Atlanta on my business trip.
Menu was a little different. But very good. Ate mostly the apps.
Maguro and Chips was delicious with its spicy tuna tartare, avocado and chips.
Hamachi Crispy Rice was made to perfection with yellowtail, chili paste over crispy rice.
But my favorite was the Hamachi Carpacio with yellowtail cilantro, garlic ponzai.
Not going to lie. Probably going again tonight!

Some of the best sushi I’ve had in Atlanta. We visited Saturday night and sat at the Sushi Bar. Our waiter, Kim, was extremely helpful and made our meal great. We started with the Hamachi carpaccio, which was excellent, and then proceeded to the nigiri omakase tasting. The chef prepared a wide variety of nigiri and explained as he served them. All were fantastic; a few favorites were the otoro, Japanese uni, and salmon citrus. The atmosphere is what you would expect of a nicer sushi restaurant, and the staff were quite friendly and approachable. Definitely look forward to visiting again soon.

Beautiful space. Lovely staff. Amazing Sushi!
Went here for a «date night» with the hubs. It was quiet but then again it was early. The bar was a great place to start out with a drink and an order of the crudo. We moved to table and ordered several rolls and I ordered some sake. The rolls were outstanding, and even better, they came out one at a time instead of on one large plate which can feel a bit like eating out of a trough. Our waitress was gracious, helpful and friendly. We will definitely be back in the future to partake in the rooftop bar. Great addition to West Midtown!

It’s been an hour 15 minutes and we have not gotten our food. We’re starving. However they do serve soy sauce in nice little porcelain containers.

This place has great sushi in addition to a good atmosphere. They recently opened in West Midtown, so it hasn’t gotten very crowded yet. It is tucked in a building in the very back so you have to drive around the building to get there. But the entrance is near the intersection of Brady Ave and Howell Mill Rd. I am happy to see the new influx of restaurants in West Midtown. We have needed a good sushi place for a long time now. I will be back!

My boyfriend and I came here for dinner a few nights ago and everything was amazing! Mohammed was our server and he was excellent! He was professional yet friendly and willing to have a good conversation with us. All of the food we had was absolutely delicious! My personal favorites were the Tempura Oysters and the Yellowtail Carpaccio. My boyfriends favorites were the Misoyaki and the Salted Caramel Chocolate truffle that we had for dessert. The restaurant itself was beautiful and had fantastic atmosphere! Everything from start to finish was amazing! We are whole heartedly looking forward to our next visit to O-​Ku!

I tried O-​Ku with friends for the first time last night and our entire experience was hit-​and-​miss.
The hits: O-​Ku has an interesting menu with a large variety of sushi-​esque dishes. I tried a few pieces of sashimi and ordered two rolls for myself. The highlights of my meal were definitely the ahi tuna and ceviche roll, which was covered in delicious, citrus-​y seafood. I also ordered the shogun cocktail which was gin-​based and tasty.
The misses: It seems that O-​Ku, as a whole, is having some growing pains and organizational issues. Our waiter forgot one of the dishes we ordered and COMPLETELY changed the large sushi order my two friends got together. When they asked why they didn’t get the pieces of sashimi they ordered, the waiter said the restaurant was out… so he just winged it and brought them what he thought was «a good deal.» And speaking of a good deal – I’m not sure that such a thing exists at O-​Ku. While my food was tasty, I’ve had equally good, high-​quality sushi for a lot cheaper. I was especially shocked by the small plate we ordered – which included four very thin, very small pieces of fish and a half of an avocado covered in some sort of sauce for $ 17.
While the food was good at my first trip to O-​Ku, the overall experience and service was just OK for a night that ended in a very pricey bill.

I had high expectations for O-​Ku knowing that it’s was an Indigo Road restaurant and most of them were met. The buildout is trendy and sexy, the food was heavenly, and the service was just okay.
We were there on a Monday night and the restaurant was a little over half full. Our server started off great and gave us a (too) lenghty breakdown of the menu and also informed us of a happy hour they were running. Luckily we ordered 5 minutes before it ended so all our rolls were half off. She wasn’t as attentive after serving our drinks and taking our order, but I’ll give her the benefit of the doubt since they just opened.
What was great: Sugar + Spice Martini, Hamachi Crispy Rice, Ise Ebi Hako
What was good: Marilyn Mon Roll, Baja California
We also shared their sangria sake which sounded intriguing, but we probably could have done without it.
I will try more off their dinner menu next time I go back. We saw a lot of amazing looking/​smelling entrees pass our table that should be given a chance too.

My new go to place in Atlanta. On a Saturday night, we were seated immediately. Service was incredibly attentive and informative when it came to the menu and what to order. The atmosphere was trendy and upbeat but not too loud. Ate here twice on my trip and everything was incredibly fresh and delicious!
A must try in Atlanta! Can’t wait to go back.

Great new spot! Sushi was extremely tasty, service was swift, & ambiance was enticing. Nice crowd sitting at the bar, as well as in the dining room. I will 100% be returning!

This was our first time to O-​Ku. It only recently opened about 2 months prior. My wife and I enjoy sushi. The sushi was plated very nicely and tasted very fresh. However, I thought that it was a bit expensive for what we received. When we finished what we had ordered, we actually ordered a bit more. We had a little bit of an early dinner prior to seeing a show at the Fox. When we got back to our neighborhood, around 11 pm, I was still pretty hungry and had to make a Waffle House stop.
We also got a bottle of sparkling sake. Initially, it sounded great. Our server said that this was at a tasting they had done recently. However, in the end, I had a little buyer’s remorse. It was 5% alcohol and I finally figured out that this was more of a wine cooler type of beverage (for $ 33 and 330 mL).
Afterwards, we toured their soon to be open bar upstairs and outside. It has a nice view of downtown (after you look over the parking lot). I can see that this will be a hopping scene when it gets warmer. The location of this restaurant is in hip and up-​and-​coming section of Howell Mill Road.
The best part of our meal was our server Alleena. She was (in my wife’s words) «adorable». She was knowledgeable and quite helpful on helping us choose our food from this less than traditional, but hip and «new generation» sushi restaurant.

Great service, amazing food, and an awesome atmosphere! Highly recommend it!

This Charleston favorite just opened up shop in West Midtown. Exposed brick walls, sexy bar and vibe makes this a great addition to the already burgeoning West Midtown food scene. I can’t wait to come back and sit at the bar for dinner. We were able to get a sneak peek at the rooftop patio and its going to be phenomenal. Very loungy and great view of downtown. So on to the nitty gritty: this is what we ordered and it was amazing!
HAMACHI CRISPY RICE yellowtail, chili paste, scallion over crispy rice
GINDARA SAIKYOYAKI miso marinated black cod, spinach, glass noodles
NEW SPIDER ROLL soft shell crab with avocado and salmon on top
SALMON SASHIMI delicious!
Note: Parking is behind the building and restaurant cannot be seen from the street (so your Über driver knows!)

I really enjoyed our dinner at O-​ku! We had a lot of rolls, tuna tacos, and tuna tartar and it was all really unique and tasty. The fish seemed very fresh too! We will be making this place one our regulars on the west side!

The food has great potential. The service is horrific. Don’t miss the Rock Shrimp. Skip the Truffle Pork Belly — unless you like gelatinous pork belly.

Tried out this new place in Westside. We were seated almost immediately on a Friday night without a reservation, even though it was packed.
Our server was really helpful and nice and provided us with great suggestions. We ended up trying quite a few items, rainbow roll, sake sashimi, peaceful warrior but the most memorable items:
Aji Skeleton — a whole mackerel, and deep fried fish skeleton. Out of all of the items we tried, the presentation of this dish was amazing. The flavors took me by surprise: the sashimi was light, refreshing, and a touch of sesame oil. The fried skeleton really did taste like potato chips, like the server had suggested.
Truffle Kakani — pork belly in a light truffle sauce. This was a pleasant surprise, the pork belly was well seasoned, and had a salty, sweet and smoky flavor. The one disappointment on this dish — the egg was poorly cooked, the egg white was still runny.
The one downside of this visit was how long we waited for our food. It took almost an hour for our food to get to our table. I would highly recommend!

What a fabulous time.
Came to O-​ku tonight for my honey’s birthday with a large group.
From start to finish, it was perfect !
Appetizers ranged from hamachi in ponzu to rock shrimp tempura, otoro and uni spoons and the list goes on.
We are a rowdy bunch and Kate handled it with an effortlessness of a true pro. (I’m talking wine on wine on sake, «I’ll take another» before the glass is half gone) kinda group.
Everyone enjoyed the evening and the rolls were favorites.
As a whole we prefer raw sushi but the few tempura items killed it.
A couple rolls we ordered:
–eise ebi box –table favorite!
–fantasteak — my favorite
–dragon roll — yum
–over the rainbow roll –great but nothing overly special
Honestly I’m baffled by the low reviews left for O-​Ku…
Service was top notch and the ambience is both romantic and swanky. Sleek wooden accents and smooth granite tables.
The candles made it an intimate evening and the boozy craft cocktails made for a great birthday bash!
We ordered multiple bottles of unfiltered sake, Albariño bottles (obvi) and some great house creations–
–Jazzmanian Devil
–shogun? Not sure the name but a tasty little number
–Peaceful warrior (my favorite)
Go to O-​Ku, try the chef specials –tonight was white fish nigiri somethin somethin
–taste the cocktails and soak up the effortless atmosphere because there is NOTHING like this place in west midtown.
Finally! A sushi spot in my area that competes with the best in Atlanta
So. Much. Yes.
PS! Order the Smoked Salmon Sake. That is all.

Ive been waiting for this place to open but unfortunately a little bit disappointed. I mean it’s not bad, the staff was super nice and friendly, but the food wasn’t impressive at all. Don’t think i’ll be back there, there are more better places for a good quality fish in Atlanta.

A restaurant should start with the chef, good produce, fresh seafood, and an idea. Instead of — oh, wow, we have a really cool bar and really great interior design.
I have to ask — and the food? What about the food?
Apparently, O-​ku is a restaurant that thinks faux-​Asian design, random sticks, a Japanese mural, and a paper lantern lights is a substitute for quality food.
The food is really subpar for a restaurant of this price range and purported quality. The sushi involves compacted hard rice and slightly not so fresh fish. The fish itself is overly fishy in a flavor instead of the cleaner tastes one can find at competitors like Umi, Shoya, or Sushi Hayakawa. Even the sashimi here was poorly cut with far too much connective tissue with overall poor fish quality.
Of the dishes that are tasty, they are highly Westernized and involve copious deep frying or mayonnaise, not what I look for in Japanese cuisine.
The bar drinks themselves are also subpar for Atlanta. For $ 12-​$ 15 drinks, one can certainly find better elsewhere. Most of the drinks here taste like their base (bourbon, tequila, etc) with minimal effort in combining appropriate bitters for something more complex or nuanced.
The perhaps saving grace of the restaurant is the excellent service and lovely interior design to make up for subpar food. For better bang for your buck, try local competitor Wagaya which at least has a nice bowel of ramen for $ 10 dollars versus the $ 60 you’ll spend here.

For the past few weeks, my boyfriend and I have been driving past O-​Ku, anticipating its opening as good sushi is always welcomed around here. There’s another location in Charleston, but I’ve never been before. We called ahead to make reservations, but you can definitely just walk in. When we entered the restaurant, we were met by lovely hostesses who were welcoming and prompt. The seating area is dimly lit (perfect for those intimate meals, but not the best lighting for those instagram photos ;)) and the décor is pleasing to the eye. To note, there is plenty of parking in the back!
Once we were seated, we were greeted with a kind waiter who was attentive throughout the night and made our dining experience a pleasure. We were provided with complementary edamame (win!) and then ordered the «over the rainbow» roll and the truffle kakuni. The rainbow roll was delicious and fresh, though it’s pretty much just your usual rainbow roll. BUT… the truffle kakuni! WOW. It’s braised pork belly, shitake mushrooms, jidori egg, accompanied with sweet truffle sauce. The flavors were absolutely amazing, and I was incredibly sad when I ate the last piece of pork belly. I would come back just for that dish.
In fact, I’m pretty much going to come back and try all of their dishes, if possible. There are so many great options, it was really hard to narrow it down to just two for this visit. Price range is to be expected for a high end sushi restaurant, so be prepared to spend roughly $ 15 or more per entrée/​roll/​chef specials. To note, there are multiple «chef tastings» options (omakase), which would be exciting to try one day!
One final thought: They have a rooftop space that will be opening in March (construction still happening), but we were given permission to check out the space, and the view is gorgeous and breath-​taking! You can see the skyline! I’m so excited for when it opens in March and will definitely be back to check that space out.
Overall, our friends and I shared a great meal and had great service. Will be back!