O-Ku Reviews

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!

I recently visited O-ku with friends and we knew the minute we walked in we’d made a good choice. I’ve never been asked what fruit I’d like in my water, it’s a small touch but I loved that there was a whole tray that the waitress served us whichever option we wanted (lime, lemon or cucumber.) We ordered a selection of small plates including Gyoza, Edamame, Chicken Karage and Prawns. The prawns were the best tempura prawns we’ve had. They were small and might and coated in the most delicious sweet sauce. We also got a prawn sushi roll which is always our go to whenever we have sushi and it didn’t disappoint at O-ku. We also ordered a chicken teriyaki and the slow cooked beef. I would definitely say ordering lots of small plates and some sushi rolls is enough and they were much better in my opinion than the main courses. The thing that made O-ku stand out was the staff for me, our waitresses were the kindest and most helpful we have encountered in a long time. We were visiting from England and it’s the small touches like asking where abouts we were from and wishing us a wonderful rest of our holiday. We would definitely recommend.

After having eaten at O-ku Charleston (SC) several times, we decided to try the ATL location a try. We ended up taking our 7 year old daughter. You'd have thought she was a celebrity! The wait staff and manager kept checking on her and playfully teased her, while customizing her sushi and dessert to her liking on request. Mohammad was our waiter and he was outstanding! The manager came over several times but not in an obtrusive way, just friendly hospitality. The bourbon selection is excellent for a sushi joint. This was by far my best sushi experience ever. I would drive the four hours to eat here again.

I went there on a date because my date both really like sushi. I was not disappointed. The decor strikes me as very modern, minimalist with Japanese accents, mostly in the form of paper lanterns and some art painted on the walls. The lighting is soft, and a little dim, which can make it hard to see sometimes. If you go, be sure to get reservation if that's your thing, but honestly, we had a blast sitting at the bar. The staff is super friendly and very helpful in picking out both drinks and food. Lastly, their rooftop deck has a great view of midtown. It would be perfect for a spring or summer time date night when it isn't freezing

We have been here plenty of times and it always feel like a new place and the menu is always updated and the people are truly friendly.

My husband took me here for Valentine's Day and we had a great dinner! Staff was very attentive and knowledgeable of the menu and recommendations. Alleena, Stacy, Josh, and Angel were very sweet. Great service and the chef,s tastings was fresh and spectacular! Floor manager Maria came to talk to us, as well as the other patrons. Service and food was wonderful here. Menu was different and everything was fresh. We will be back to dine on the roof top in April. Highly recommend going to O-Ku!

I recently dined at O-Ku and we decided to sit on the upstairs patio since it was an amazing day for weather in Atlanta. The view of the city from the patio is amazing. We sat at the bar and was greeted by Chris the bartender who educated us on the types of sake and sushi rolls available and what he think i would like from my vague description. For sushi we decided on Big Bang, Marilyn Mon Roll, Baha California, New Spider, Yakiniku Wagyu and Hiramasa. Each roll was delicious and they came out in a timely manner. Our choice of sake was Hakatsuru Nigori. If you are a sushi aficionado I would suggest you visit O-Ku. The ambience is great, the service is outstanding and the sushi and sake are top notch.

O-ku has professional friendly staff with excellent food. We enjoyed: Yellowtail sashimi, black cod, short rib, and sushi rolls are all exceptional. The lychee caipirinha and sweet and sour cocktail are world class. Easy valet parking and a terrific rooftop bar and food.

Absolutely the best! Everything is incredibly fresh. The service was fantastic. Simon took care of us and he was knowledgeable and friendly. We sat at the sushi bar and felt like we had VIP service. The chefs and staff made recommendations and we tried a ton of new items. We weren't given a bad suggestion. Our experience, by far, was exceptional!

Went here when we visited Atlanta. Some of the best Sushi I've had. Ambiance was great and food was even better. Cool place that I'd highly recommend.

A group of 6 with reservations- we waited 30 minutes to be seated. No one was terribly upset as the restaurant was very busy, our waitress was very nice. It's very fancy and chic, but then during our 3 hour wait for sushi they dimmed the lighting too much. It was then very dark and very loud. The rooftop patio was supposed to open, but it was pouring rain so everyone was at the bar. We waited 40-50 minutes between rounds of drinks even, let alone the 3 hours for our food. They told us it was all running behind, but behind is an hour to me not 3. The manager spoke to us and credited our bill appropriately. The food was VERY good, but it still didn't make me want to come back. The mix drinks weren't bad, but nothing special, and the wine list very good. Bottom line- we arrived at 8 and left at 11:30 for sushi. We all left hungry, we had planned on ordering more once we saw the portions and if we liked it. This is not that kind of tapas sushi restaurant.

Started with the house salad with ginger dressing. It was great, larger than I expected. Then we had the tempura fried oysters, also really good. There was a kobe beef roll special that was suggested by gulleirmo (probably mispelled) bit it was awesome! My tuna and salmon were perfect and my date's black magic roll was really good too! We'll be back!!!

This is a very very good sushi place, and Chef Jackie Chang is the man! Definitely go to this place if you're a sushi fan and want high quality sushi but can't get a seat with Umi. Try to get an appointment with the master himself so he can work his magic. Chef Jackie Chang manages to balance umame, sweetness, salty, and even bitter cleanly into all his tastes so you feel full but not bloated in each clean and artfully designed dish Some fun facts: Chef Jackie Chang came from Umi and has over 15 years' experience with sushi culinary arts. He uses truffle oil as his magic ingredient in many dishes. And there's pufferfish fin sake if you ask. His wife is Japanese and he is Korean, and he makes lovely art with the sushi. Also the fish comes in Wednesdays, so food is the freshest from Thurs to Sunday. What to order: 1. Chef Jackie Chang does the Snappers and Tunas super well- I recommend it. The saba here has the sweet undeniable saba taste but not the fishy taste you will see in lower grade hong kong buffets. 2. The kobe beef is good- melts in your mouth with the perfect blend of cavier and truffle on top. 3. The oyster bathed in jellyfish and cavier is clean tasting and smooth and set in such a beautiful green leaf and sea salt setting 4. The blackened cod is cooked to perfection on miso and mirrin that has been marinated for 7 days. Perfectly flavored and unlike the cod sandwiches you have at other places, this cod is fatty and creamy. IT is paired with a blander version of Jap Chae or a glass noodle with spinach. Good pairing and very filling. 5. There's also white fish on tomato guacmole- it's kinda ceviche dish- the tomato guacamole is sweet as opposed to most ceviche which is often either too sour or too salty. this one nicely puts that sweetness of tomato in without being too overpowering 6. Seared Scallop- What's cool about this dish is that Jackie has paired vegetable purees in the corner for you to dip. The purees are sweet and mealy and very nicely blends with the tenderness and juiciness of his scallops so you get a nice sensation in your mouth- veggies add the umame that scallops don't have. Most places douse it in oils, cheese, and cream, but a vegetable puree is genius to complement. 7. Tuna tartare- again this is a magical dish because of that tartare sauce- it has a taste reminescent of nuttiness and sesame oil and soy sauce- a cleaner flavor no dought 8. Dessert- the caramel salted gelato with the apple spring rolls are a very very good ending to a good meal. Cold and yet creamy and yet refreshing b/c of the apples (made from granny smith), you want this over a chocolate in my opinion which can be too rich after a solid meal with this place 9. Sushi- Jackie makes them all well. I thought his tunas (bluefin from Mexico, Yellowfin, and chutoro) were his best, and he does the scallop and snappers super well. can't go wrong with anything he makes esp after he dips it in his special "Jackie chef sauce" Drink: Oh man, try the pufferfish fin sake if you can- it has a strong oceany taste sweet and alcohol and the amazing thing is that like an ocean wave, it clears up immeidately and is clean tasting. It is unlike any drink I've ever had. Service: Excellent hostess and great service

I finally was able to try this place with my best friend and it did not disappoint. We made reservations for a Wednesday evening at 7:30 pm. We arrived a few minutes early and had to wait at the bar so they could get our table ready. We had the Jezebel Pinot Noir, which was excellent. The restaurant was busy when we arrived and even busier when we left. FYI, you can only valet your car, unless you park away from the property and walk to it. We were seated after approximately 10 minutes and immediately served by Julian, who provided amazing service all throughout the dinner. We started with some edamame before moving to sushi. For sushi, we had: baked spicy scallop roll, caterpillar roll, over the rainbow roll and the dragon roll. All were excellent, but the over the rainbow roll was my favorite. The restaurant is very hip and chic and they are very attentive and detailed. It is more of an adult place, so I would not recommend it for kids. It is best for an intimate dinner or a small group and the dress is a little more dressy casual. We both loved it and definitely plan on coming back soon.

I've been to O-Ku twice and both times I have really enjoyed my food. The first time I ordered the Over the Rainbow roll, the second time I had the Spicy Tuna roll. Both really good options. If you are trying to fill up I would suggest a starter. Even though the food was good, the wait was very long for sushi. The first time I went with a large party so I expected a wait. Our server also let us know that it takes a while for signature rolls to be prepared. The second time it was just me and a friend. We waited over 40 minutes after ordering our food. It could have been the fact that there were other larger parties in our server's section. Either way, please be warned that you may wait. Besides the timing I like the restaurant. It's very sexy and a great place for either an intimate date or a birthday night out. The signature drinks are also good. They have a rooftop which I have not experienced as it's been cold both times I went to this restaurant. I may try one last time with O-Ku to try another roll and the rooftop.

we did not have reservation, but it was mid week early evening when we got there. The waiter was very professional, pleasant and very kind. It was our first time at O-Ku and he brought us a nice appetizer dish on the house. The food /sushi was soooo good and fresh!!

I run a bar/restaurant and I would never dream of telling a customer that we're too busy to make a drink that is listed on our menu. Febreezio, the bar manager decided that he didn't feel like taking the time to heat hot sake so he had the server tell me that the bar is too busy and asked me to order a different drink. It showed that his needs were more important than his customers and that his time is more valuable than his customers. It totally ruined our experience. Nice place, good food, terrible management and customer service. Thank you Febreezio for making it very easy to never come back here again.

My friends took me here for my birthday. Wow the meal was perfect and Pan did a great job helping us navigate the menu. We enjoyed the spicy yellowtail crunch, house salad, rock shrimp tempura, big bang roll, crunch roll, new spider roll, lobster temaki, and sashimi pomegranate Taco. The restaurant is on the backside of the building with a great view of the Atlanta skyline. I can't wait to dine on their patio and eat delicious sushi.

Okay sushi that goes a bit too heavy on the sauces -- at times it feels more like you're eating a PF Changs than an upscale sushi joint. I liked almost everything, but nothing blew my mind. I'd say my favorite thing was their "Marilyn Mon Roll," the spicy yellowtail crunch (which I will love no matter where I go), and their edamame (weird, I know, but they definitely do edamame right). While the food didn't impress, I really loved the staff, their genuinely helpful service, and the drinks. (Get the sakura cocktail!) To make this experience better than an expensive PF Changs night, DEFINITELY come early and snag a spot on their rooftop deck instead of eating down below.

To begin, the restaurant space is beautiful and the hostesses who greeted us were lovely. The menu presents well with standard American/Japanese style small plates, mains, nigiri etc. What we assumed would then continue with a nice dinner was instead one bad surprise /disappointment after the next with each dish served. An entree of seared scallops for $30 was a large plate, with four. sea scallops spaced around the plate with dollops of a tasteless dipping sauce... nothing more. Edamame, served cold and limp Octopus and squid nigiri, tasteless and room temperature Rainbow roll and Spider roll, tasteless and room temperature. Hendricks gin martini? $17; served dirty though not requested Grilled hot peppers, 6 lined up like sardines, not tasty Our bill? $156 for 2. After our meal, we walked across the parking lot to Barcelona and had a real dinner. If you're looking for the highest quality Japanese fare, skip this place, head instead for Sushi Nami on Glenridge. Never a disappointment, equally beautiful space, far superior food quality and well priced.

The sushi was Fantastic. But there were a few things that were unacceptable considering the reputation and price point the restaurant has. First thing our sushi came out all at different times and the BIGGEST thing was my sister ordered a hot meal and it came out COLD. Not just room temp but like it had been sitting out for over thirty minutes. Not to mention the restaurant was freezing. I can get over that considering it is June but a hot dish should come out hot. No excuses. Also expect to spend over 150 if you plan on getting drinks with the dinner!

Some of the freshest tasting sushi I've ever had with a really cool atmosphere. Great views from the rooftop bar. Service was incredibly slow, but if you are willing to look past that it is a great find.

I'd like to start by giving Kudos to our waiter who was a bright spot in my experience. I had high hopes and was excited about my first visit to O-Ku. Unfortunately, I was let down in a major way. From what I'd heard, timeliness is a major issue with this restaurant, even with reservations. This was not our experience. Our party of four only had a minimal wait to be seated. The issues started with the drinks. It took four tries from their list of whites to find a wine that was drinkable. Very poor quality. Then came the food. Of the over $300.00 worth of sushi and sashimi, the only memorable part of the meal was the Unagi. I'm going to be generous and say that everything else was mediocre at best. While there are only a couple of outstanding sushi restaurants in Atlanta, I can easily rattle off 10 that are better than O-Ku at the moment. I do hope that with time the restaurant is able to get better.

Bummer. This place was so good till the end. Sat at the sushi bar and had the omakase from Chef Jordan and "Sleepy". It was awesome, both the food and the customer service. Food is for sure 5 stars... But then I left the restaurant and found a scratch on the left rear bumper. Long story short, the valet company would not reimburse me and said to contact the restaurant if I wanted to ask them about any video footage. I have now called multiple times to speak to management. I have spoken to the staff (who now know me because I've called as frequently) and they assured me that management would get back to me. No one has gotten back to me and it's been over a month. This is my first restaurant review and I feel bad doing it, but honestly, customer service is part of the experience. Even if they didn't get me footage or said there was nothing they could do, it's just common courtesy and the bare minimum, in terms of customer service, to call someone back. Very disappointed and while I thought I found an excellent sushi spot for my wife and I, I won't be coming back.

We came on a Sunday and had a reservation but it was not needed at the time. We had pot stickers, teriyaki chicken, & sushi. Everything was fantastic. Loved the atmosphere!!

Had been hearing great things about O Ku so couldn't wait to try it out. The valet parking was full so we had to park down the street. No problem... We visited the roof top bar which was so cool with beautiful views of Atlanta. It was a true "happening" spot for the 20/30 year-old crowd. The restaurant itself is gorgeous. It's so loud in the restaurant you cannot carry on a conversation without screaming and it's kept very cold so Ladies...bring a jacket. The food was just OK at O Ku....nothing to brag about. Expensive sushi rolls that just were not that great.

Love, love, love O-Ku. Had our fourth visit last night. Can't say enough about the atmosphere, amazing service, cool vibe and, of course, scrumptious and unique dishes. So many new, inventive takes on sushi and rolls, not to mention apps. The sashimi is some of the freshest I've ever had in the ATL. Definitely must go. Reservations needed to get in! Megan at the front, and Kelsey and Columns make every night we go, not to mention the phenomenal sushi chefs. Just love this hotspot!

located in the Westside Ironworks building at the far end away from Howell Mill Road, this is one of the exceptional sushi restaurants in Atlanta. We like to sit at the sushi bar across the Jackie Chang for a exceptional sushi experience. There is certainly cheaper sushi to be had in ATL but Ok-U provides a variety of dishes and rolls that are expertly crafted for unique flavors. This is not your standard sushi fair. We like to eat early and beat the rush if possible. Howell Mill road gets very busy around rush hour so be sure to allow some extra time. Uber drivers seem to have a hard time finding this place. Ok-U and Barcelona are both located in the back of the Westside Ironworks Building. Yeah Burger and West Egg are located across the street from this building.

O-Ku turned out to be an excellent sushi restaurant of the more upscale kind. It seemed to be very popular, since at dinner time it was packed with guest. The choices of dishes very many, with non-standard dishes available, and everything tasted very good.

This place is trendy, delicious and had great deals. They have half off sushi rolls on certain days and certain times. Even if you can’t catch the specials I recommend going. The sushi is amazing and I absolutely loved the atmosphere. The perfect date night spot or dinner spot for girl night out. I also mostly drink wine when I’m out and their wine list was AWESOME, such great and different options.

The atmosphere is hip, the service is fantastic, but the food is what will keep me coming back. Chef Jackie Chang did Omakase for us that included different parts (not just cuts) of the tuna, creative uni dish, Kobe beef, O-toro to die for and baby Hamachi that is as sweet and delicate as butter. Had a bottle of Sancerre which went beautifully with all of the fatty and yummy fish. O-Ku is definitely one of my most favorite restaurant in Atlanta, now!!

Had girls night out with my grandmother, mom, and friend on a Friday night! They were very busy so make reservations! We sat at the sushi bar, Juliane was our server, he has great customer service skills, helped us decide what to eat, and even recommended a spot for us to have drinks at afterwards! Also accidents happen and I accidentally spilled my drink and soup everywhere Katara (I hope I’m spelling his name correctly) he was very fast and extremely helpful with cleaning up my spill and made sure I was ok and quickly got me another drink and soup! Hands down phenomenal service! And I can not forget about the sushi chef standing in front of us he was great as well, didn’t get his name but recall him saying he was new! Lastly I can not forget to compliment the sushi it was outstanding and VERY fresh. We will definitely be back :)

I love sushi so wanted to try this on our visit to Atlanta. The sushi did not disappoint and was very fresh and tasty. Good size rolls for the price. The pleasant surprise is the other non sushi items on the menu. My nephew had the salmon and I had a big taste - both of us said it was the best salmon we ever had. My wife and I but had the braised beef ribs and it was spectacular. Good drink selection and the waiter was excellent. Ordering sushi and the main course does get a bit pricey but what to expect with the high quality and ordering both. Definitely recommend.

I've only ever had sushi here and have always been impressed by the quality of the fish. The menu is limited, the prices are high, and the waiters try to push their more exotic creation. That being said, I only order nigiri or sashimi and the chefs are on point. When it comes to the fish, O-ku is a step above all the other joints.

In the span of just a few days we stopped in to O Ku twice. Once for a snack and pre dinner drinks at the bar and then again for a full meal. Both times were very good. They are conveniently located just a block or so down the road from many other west side dining options. They offer valet parking (pull to the back of the building) which was easy and efficient. When you step in the décor is modern and comfortable (really liked the chairs!) but at the same time it has a nice Japanese traditional feel as well. They have a standard bar area as well as a sushi bar. During our dinner the restaurant was quite full but the noise level was still manageable. I like to note this because too many restaurants in Atlanta seem to struggle with this acoustical design feature. On our first trip I noticed they had a nice whisk(e)y selection. Sadly, they don’t have a full list of what they have available, but the bartender was helpful and walked me through it. They have some interesting offerings I’ve not had elsewhere that I likely would not have tried if it weren’t for some skillful suggestions from the bar staff. The Nikka Coffee Still was fantastic and I also had a taste of a whisky from Thailand called Kavalan. I’d highly recommend both. O Ku excels in a lot of areas including their food. Our table really enjoyed the O-Ku Karaage Oysters. We had them both visits. I did not try them due to an allergy but they were a hit with everyone else both times. Another great dish was the Otoro Spoons. At $23 it is not cheap, but you do get five spoons worth of delicious Otoro that is flavored and presented perfectly. I would recommend the splurge here. I tried the Ahi Poke under the Sousaku Nigiri portion of the menu and it was good. Others at the table tried more from the Sousaku portion and seemed to really enjoy the Crème de La Crème. I wanted to try the Aji but was informed they did not have any that evening due to a public Holiday on Monday and not being able to get a fresh shipment of fish in. I see this as a wonderful thing! They really try to only serve fresh fish and you can tell in the taste of all their sushi. I did have their Madai which was very good and a Yellow Fin roll which was good as well, but for me my favorite part of the meal came from the Otoro Sashimi. It was excellent. For dessert we tried mochi. I’ve never had it before. It is something akin to Japanese ice cream but different. They come in 3 little balls each containing a different flavor of ice cream. Everyone enjoyed them and I would recommend trying it as a dessert. Overall I would say our service was very good. The wait staff was very attentive to our drinks and needs throughout the course and the kitchen paced the meal out well. The view from the inside facing Midtown should be mentioned because it is wonderful. They have a rooftop patio that seems it will be a huge destination once the weather warms. I rated this 4 stars but it may be closer to 4.5. I’m excited to return again and try other items on the menu.

We went to the restaurant because our concierge recommended it. Arrived an hour early to go to the rooftop to drink. The service upstairs was fairly good. We went downstairs to eat our dinner. The server explained that service was a bit slower due to a couple of chefs calling in sick. We said that was ok. Two hours later and we had just gotten our appetizers. We were so disappointed that we left and went somewhere else. The management was nice enough to comp our appetizers. Extremely disappointed.

Went on recommendation we like to try sushi places we haven’t been to. Atmosphere upbeat-millennial very nice. Staff very friendly negatives would be price and portion size. Rolls seem smaller and sliced sashimi thinner than other places we frequent. Would definitely recommend if in the area but we will still head to our other ‘go to’ place

This restaurant has it all and caters to any occasion. Regardless of how you dress you will feel welcomed and comfortable. The prices are fair and comparable to any quality sushi restaurant. We didn’t get to experience the rooftop but that didn’t diminish the experience. We went for a special occasion and to try somewhere new, and we will definitely return and recommended here. Service was on point !

The atmosphere is electric and one gets a good vibe in this place. From the standpoint of tasty and creative sushi, it was fair at best.

Valet parking first with another couple of restaurants. We were there early. So it wasn’t crowded at all. Service was really spot on. From greeter to wait staff and manager Food was excellent ,fresh Atmosphere was really up in the whole place. Very nice bar area. And a nice open roof top bar with great views of the downtown area .will return for sure

Wow! This sushi is sooooooooo good! West side is a fun part of town in Atlanta, and O-Ku has the best sushi!!!

We make sure to eat here each time we visit Atlanta. We choose their outdoor seating which is upstairs for the excellent view of the downtown Atlanta cityscape. BUT, it’s about the food! Our experience this trip was “at the bar.” We ordered drinks, appetizers and a couple Creative rolls plus 3 types of nigiri. We prefer soy paper to the traditional Nori. Our bartender recommended the “cucumber wrap” for our rolls and it did not disappoint. It was fantastic! Now i highly Recommend it as well. The service was top notch from the moment we walked in. From the phone call we Made in the way, to the hosts and hostesses and our waitstaff at the bar who had an in depth knowledge of mixology as well as the menu. Eat here! When you’re in or around Atlanta, eat here. Just DO IT !

After making a reservation based on all the marvelous reviews, our dinner was disappointing. 1st, it is important to know is they don't take reservations for the roof. To get a roof top table without waiting, you need to arrive at 5pm. 2nd, the view from the roof is not spectacular. However, the service is spectacular! 3rd, we love yellowtail and ordered every hamachi/yellowtail item on the menu. The hamachi carpaccio is topped with jalapeno and smothered in ponzu which hides any possible hamachi flavor. The green eggs and hamachi uses a similar deceitful trick of smothering the flavor of the fish with spicy jalapeno. Overly spicy makes me think they are trying to hide something. Both the Inada and hamachi sashimi were fairly tasteless and unimpressive. The only item I liked was the spicy yellowtail crunch; It was flavorful and didn't burn the tongue. If you are a hamachi lover, I recommend going elsewhere.

Intimate rooftop setting with great view of city. Can be romantic or simply a good start for girls night. Standing tables and a few seated couches and tables for two. It can get crowded and chaotic which slows service.... but it’s a bar that’s expected! If u came for dinner sit downstairs, if u wanna have some drinks and nice convo.... upstairs in the place to go.... dress up or dress down

excellent atmosphere and service. Sushi was quite good. We had the basics. Everything is ala carte. Rolls are a bit small (skinny) for the price, but all very good. We sat at the sushi bar and watched a great production line. Certainly recommend.

Went there on Saturday night for dinner. Service was excellent and the food was delicious. Price was reasonable and the atmosphere was great. Went to rooftop after dinner for the view and drink and a perfect way to end dinner.