We were traveling from out of state and were in search of the best sushi restaurant in town and definitely found it. The sushi was amazing! Beautiful restaurant, excellent service and one of the best sushi dinners we have had. We will definitely return when in town!
I really enjoyed my experience. My server was very kind and her service was impeccable. I did notice the manager was stopping by tables and greeting people but made it a point to not speak to me and my guest. Not sure what that was about but it was obvious. Not sure I will go again.
Our server Austin was so wonderful and knowledgeable. We went for our anniversary and got to take advantage of the happy hour menu - highly recommend the shrimp and the dumpling appetizers. The scallops were fantastic and and the Gyuniku were so good. Highly recommend both!
Kasey Poole
This is the first place I ever tried sushi with my boyfriend. A year later and we celebrated our one year here. Such a great place. Every single waiter/waitress we have had here the past year has been nothing but nice, cool, and gives great recommendations for the menu. The general manager here is friendly. The assistant manager, Erica, is nice. Nicole, would be one of our favorite waitresses here. Can't go wrong at O-Ku!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Sushi, Sushi Rolls, Tuna, O-Ku Rock Shrimp, Spider Roll, Salmon and Lemon, Spicy Tuna Crunch, Dumplings
Claudia
My friend and I had a wonderful dinner! The food is amazing and the cocktails were fabulous and delicious!! I would have to say the best part was our server! Nicole was super friendly, very knowledgeable, and provided the best service ❤️ We can't wait to go again!!
James
Just had a birthday day dinner here and this is by far our favorite place to go. The manager went above and beyond for us, the food/drinks were delicious, and the service was great.Most of our favorite restaurants fall off and we stop going, but this place has remained top notch.Thanks again to the team for a wonderful night. Can’t wait to go back.
My wife and I decided to go to O-Ku for our 10-year anniversary. It was a special dinner date for us, exactly ten years later to the day.When planning, I sought something contemporary in the sushi variety ?. O-Ku delivered on both counts and much more.Eric, our waiter, made our special evening extremely memorable. He was professional and attentive, giving us just the right amount of space to enjoy our night—a perfect balance.The presentation of the dishes was beautiful, and it was clear that the team takes the time and effort to ensure each plate meets their high expectations.We spoke with the manager, Paul, who played a significant role in making our night memorable. He presented himself as a true professional. He seemed to be a manager who prides himself on being actively involved in the operation and was often seen assisting the crew with whatever was necessary.Everything we had was wonderful, but some highlights of the experience included the o-toro spoons, rock shrimp, A5 Japanese Wagyu (an amazing experience as you get to cook it yourself), and the signature nigiri, which was truly out of this world. The sea bream, salmon, and o-toro nigiri were bursting with flavors.Truly, this night was one we will remember and talk about as we continue through life. We will cherish the memories of the amazing staff at O-Ku and how they treated us. We will certainly be back to enjoy their hospitality.Thank you sincerely!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Sushi, O-Ku Rock Shrimp, Wagyu
Zel
Just ok.Very loud club music, does not match the atmosphere.Service good and fast.Food is pretty good but not worth the price imo.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 3
Service: 4
Lonna Strider
We celebrated my husbands birthday here. This is the second time we have been here. Both times the food, service, drinks and atmosphere were amazing! This last time, the restaurant went out of their way for amazing service and thoughtfulness. They got a personalized gift for my husbands birthday and took amazing care of us. I wish I could rate them higher than 5 stars!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Cheryl Suratos
Amazing experience! We’ve been to many Michelin restaurants and Oku should definitely be on that list. The GM, Paul, is outstanding. He has a fantastic team behind him who is very personable and delivers top notch service. We will be coming here more frequently now that we moved here. I would give them 10 stars if I could.
O-KU Raleigh impresses with its exquisite Japanese cuisine. The USUZUKURI, featuring thinly sliced salmon with black volcanic salt, pickled wasabi, and truffle ponzu, is a flavor masterpiece. The MORIAWASE, an eight-piece nigiri selection, showcases the chef's finesse with fresh, perfectly prepared fish. Combined with great ambiance and service, O-KU offers a premier sushi dining experience. Highly recommended for sushi enthusiasts in Raleigh.
Robert Reynaud
Had a friend in town. She loved it. I thought everything was fresh, tasty and very well prepared. Delicious.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Sushi, O-Ku Rock Shrimp
Paul Nguyen
If you are a sushi fan. This is not the place to enjoy good sushi. First, the rice for the nigiri was hard and cold, this gave the texture an unpleasant, “grocery store” sushi feeling. Gourmet sushi rice and fish should be slightly warm/room temperature. I ordered the sashimi/ nigiri combo for $75, it was only a few pieces, at this price point the quality of the sushi was extremely underwhelming. We also ordered a sushi bowl, where there were scraps of fish on top of rice. It was okay, but definitely not worth $28 that we paid for.The decorations and lighting looked nice, it was a cozy dimmed dinner vibe. On appearance, it gave off the impression of a good date night spot, however, the music they played in the restaurant was awful. I feel like every restaurant downtown feels the need to blast noisy club music and unfortunately this restaurant is not an exception. When I go out to eat sushi, I don’t want Taylor swift blasting in my ear.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 1
Service: 4
Shelby Massey
Great service and food but flat coke
Nick Britt
I thought I loved sushi, but after eating at O-Ku I quickly realized I never tasted amazing sushi. This is the best sushi I've ever had, above and beyond. We ordered two rolls to split and decided to order a third one. Akira, Angry Salmon, Ha Ha Maki recommend those rolls in that order. Usually when I've had sushi the spicy description has always been lackluster but I can say for Akira and Angry Salmon they actually have a kick. I'm excited to go back and try this place again, it was fantastic. Now let me speak about the service, we went for our anniversary dinner and I've never had such a wonderful experience from a restaurant, we received a signed card from staff and a gift. Our server Emily was amazing, she and the restaurant truly made this a memorable anniversary dinner.
We were traveling from out of state and were in search of the best sushi restaurant in town and definitely found it. The sushi was amazing! Beautiful restaurant, excellent service and one of the best sushi dinners we have had. We will definitely return when in town!
I really enjoyed my experience. My server was very kind and her service was impeccable. I did notice the manager was stopping by tables and greeting people but made it a point to not speak to me and my guest. Not sure what that was about but it was obvious. Not sure I will go again.
Our server Austin was so wonderful and knowledgeable. We went for our anniversary and got to take advantage of the happy hour menu - highly recommend the shrimp and the dumpling appetizers. The scallops were fantastic and and the Gyuniku were so good. Highly recommend both!
This is the first place I ever tried sushi with my boyfriend. A year later and we celebrated our one year here. Such a great place. Every single waiter/waitress we have had here the past year has been nothing but nice, cool, and gives great recommendations for the menu. The general manager here is friendly. The assistant manager, Erica, is nice. Nicole, would be one of our favorite waitresses here. Can't go wrong at O-Ku!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Sushi, Sushi Rolls, Tuna, O-Ku Rock Shrimp, Spider Roll, Salmon and Lemon, Spicy Tuna Crunch, Dumplings
My friend and I had a wonderful dinner! The food is amazing and the cocktails were fabulous and delicious!! I would have to say the best part was our server! Nicole was super friendly, very knowledgeable, and provided the best service ❤️ We can't wait to go again!!
Just had a birthday day dinner here and this is by far our favorite place to go. The manager went above and beyond for us, the food/drinks were delicious, and the service was great.Most of our favorite restaurants fall off and we stop going, but this place has remained top notch.Thanks again to the team for a wonderful night. Can’t wait to go back.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Sushi Rolls, O-Ku Rock Shrimp, Otoro Spoons, Spicy Tuna Crunch, Dumplings
My wife and I decided to go to O-Ku for our 10-year anniversary. It was a special dinner date for us, exactly ten years later to the day.When planning, I sought something contemporary in the sushi variety ?. O-Ku delivered on both counts and much more.Eric, our waiter, made our special evening extremely memorable. He was professional and attentive, giving us just the right amount of space to enjoy our night—a perfect balance.The presentation of the dishes was beautiful, and it was clear that the team takes the time and effort to ensure each plate meets their high expectations.We spoke with the manager, Paul, who played a significant role in making our night memorable. He presented himself as a true professional. He seemed to be a manager who prides himself on being actively involved in the operation and was often seen assisting the crew with whatever was necessary.Everything we had was wonderful, but some highlights of the experience included the o-toro spoons, rock shrimp, A5 Japanese Wagyu (an amazing experience as you get to cook it yourself), and the signature nigiri, which was truly out of this world. The sea bream, salmon, and o-toro nigiri were bursting with flavors.Truly, this night was one we will remember and talk about as we continue through life. We will cherish the memories of the amazing staff at O-Ku and how they treated us. We will certainly be back to enjoy their hospitality.Thank you sincerely!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Sushi, O-Ku Rock Shrimp, Wagyu
Just ok.Very loud club music, does not match the atmosphere.Service good and fast.Food is pretty good but not worth the price imo.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 3
Service: 4
We celebrated my husbands birthday here. This is the second time we have been here. Both times the food, service, drinks and atmosphere were amazing! This last time, the restaurant went out of their way for amazing service and thoughtfulness. They got a personalized gift for my husbands birthday and took amazing care of us. I wish I could rate them higher than 5 stars!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Amazing experience! We’ve been to many Michelin restaurants and Oku should definitely be on that list. The GM, Paul, is outstanding. He has a fantastic team behind him who is very personable and delivers top notch service. We will be coming here more frequently now that we moved here. I would give them 10 stars if I could.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Restaurantji Recommends
O-KU Raleigh impresses with its exquisite Japanese cuisine. The USUZUKURI, featuring thinly sliced salmon with black volcanic salt, pickled wasabi, and truffle ponzu, is a flavor masterpiece. The MORIAWASE, an eight-piece nigiri selection, showcases the chef's finesse with fresh, perfectly prepared fish. Combined with great ambiance and service, O-KU offers a premier sushi dining experience. Highly recommended for sushi enthusiasts in Raleigh.
Had a friend in town. She loved it. I thought everything was fresh, tasty and very well prepared. Delicious.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Sushi, O-Ku Rock Shrimp
If you are a sushi fan. This is not the place to enjoy good sushi. First, the rice for the nigiri was hard and cold, this gave the texture an unpleasant, “grocery store” sushi feeling. Gourmet sushi rice and fish should be slightly warm/room temperature. I ordered the sashimi/ nigiri combo for $75, it was only a few pieces, at this price point the quality of the sushi was extremely underwhelming. We also ordered a sushi bowl, where there were scraps of fish on top of rice. It was okay, but definitely not worth $28 that we paid for.The decorations and lighting looked nice, it was a cozy dimmed dinner vibe. On appearance, it gave off the impression of a good date night spot, however, the music they played in the restaurant was awful. I feel like every restaurant downtown feels the need to blast noisy club music and unfortunately this restaurant is not an exception. When I go out to eat sushi, I don’t want Taylor swift blasting in my ear.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 1
Service: 4
Great service and food but flat coke
I thought I loved sushi, but after eating at O-Ku I quickly realized I never tasted amazing sushi. This is the best sushi I've ever had, above and beyond. We ordered two rolls to split and decided to order a third one. Akira, Angry Salmon, Ha Ha Maki recommend those rolls in that order. Usually when I've had sushi the spicy description has always been lackluster but I can say for Akira and Angry Salmon they actually have a kick. I'm excited to go back and try this place again, it was fantastic. Now let me speak about the service, we went for our anniversary dinner and I've never had such a wonderful experience from a restaurant, we received a signed card from staff and a gift. Our server Emily was amazing, she and the restaurant truly made this a memorable anniversary dinner.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5