My husband and I dined here for our anniversary while visiting Charleston, and it truly exceeded all of our expectations. This was our first time, and everything about the experience was amazing! We were immediately impressed by the warm hospitality — we were welcomed with a beautiful photo of Magnolia Plantation & Gardens, where we got married, thoughtfully packaged in a cute gift bag as an anniversary gift. We were also treated to complimentary champagne to celebrate the occasion. The food was absolutely incredible. We sampled a variety of dishes — bao buns, spring rolls, yellowtail carpaccio, crispy chicken, and sushi rolls — and every bite was delicious. We've definitely found a new favorite spot in Charleston. From the outstanding hospitality to the inviting ambiance, we truly can't say enough wonderful things about our experience.
Hayley
Had a great birthday dinner with my friends! Food and drinks were amazing! Even got a slice of cake for my birthday. It was so sweet!
Julie
The food was great - the service was Fine but the time to get our appetizers was painfully slow, particularly the edamame. Why would this aarrice after a hot dish? They were acccommodating to gluten free. When dinnwr came, we weee missing 2 nigiri which came way later. Great food but the time of service was way too long considering it wasn't that busy.
Dean
We visited O-Ku in downtown Charleston to celebrate our daughter's 16th birthday, and the team went above and beyond to make it a night she'll always remember. From the moment we arrived, the attention to detail was incredible — a personalized name sign on the table, a handwritten birthday card just for her, and even thoughtful gifts tailored to her love for art (a watercolor set and sketchbook!). It was such a meaningful gesture and showed how much they truly care about their guests. The food? Outstanding, as always. The sushi was fresh, beautifully presented, and came out remarkably fast. Every bite was top notch. Our server was equally impressive — incredibly attentive, friendly, and more than willing to accommodate a few special requests. The ambience was spot on — lively and stylish without feeling too loud. Perfect for a celebratory evening. Huge thanks to the O-Ku team for creating such a special memory for our family. We've always loved dining here, but now it holds an even more special place in our hearts. Highly recommend for any occasion!
Mary Beth
Lovely experience! We went for a birthday and they made it so special; they had a happy birthday placard out with a small gift. That made the evening so much more special and meaningful. The food was excellent; the sushi was so fresh and everything was flavorful. The dumplings are a must as an appetizer. The cocktails were also excellent, especially Beat of Our Rum. Our server was also attentive and helpful. I would definitely recommend again, especially for special occasions.
Brienne
We had the best experience! They helped celebrate my birthday and made it a special day for me and my friends! Food was really good and drinks were great!
tanya
This is our first time in Charleston, and O-Ku was recommended and I am so happy it was! The vibe is so chill, and the service was attentive. The BEST part about this restaurant is attention to their customers. I mentioned that we were celebrating a birthday and when we arrived at our table they had a sign and gift for our daughter to open! So special! Besides the food being fantastic and fresh, the service was very personalized. Thank you O-Ku for making my daughter's birthday dinner special! We will be back!!
Hecate Winter
The food "seems" to be delicious at first glance, but the taste of every dish actually eaten is far from what the food should normally taste...Every dish is unexpectedly and surprisingly difficult to swallow...and the waiter will show impatience from time to time.
Dietary restrictions: The ingredients of many dishes are not listed in detail on the menu, which can easily lead to misunderstandings.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 1
Service: 3
Yvonne Foucher
I love sushi and try it wherever I go. If you're looking for atmosphere this is your place, if you're looking to eat sushi, not so much. Extremely overpriced, 2 pieces of sashimi the size of a 50 cent piece $12, bao buns was chared and more like tough jerky. Not sure how they get away with these prices, must be the one timers. Much better sushi elsewhere. Spent $75 and walked out hungry.
Gaelle Blanvillain
Nice trendy atmosphere, if that’s what you’re after, but very loud. The service was good. We ordered the bao buns, the presentation was beautiful but the taste was not in par. They were not buns, the dough was barely cooked enough and cold, the meat was heavy and did not taste great. Then, upon the waiter’s recommendation, we had the black magic sushi for $32, the lobster taste was completely lost with the amount of inked rice, it was good, but not worth the price. We also tried the citrus Kai roll, again it was meh, and covered in salt. Overall very overpriced for what you get. Very disappointing.
From the start it was not a good experience. We were totally ignored by the bartenders while we waited for our table. The staff just seemed to act like they were too cool for us. It was also our 10th anniversary which we mentioned in our reservation and my husband mentioned when we arrived. No one acknowledged it all. We didn’t need a parade, but other restaurants made it feel like a special occasion. We ended up just leaving after appetizers so we didn’t waste any more money or time here. With all the amazing restaurants in Charleston I’d recommend skipping O-Ku and trying one of the other great options in town, both from a food and service perspective.
Chris Fox
I do love me some O-Ku! The sushi here is great! They’ve got a bunch of wagyu options which are always my favorite! I love high end dining and this place fits the bill but I always feel like for the price the value isn’t there! The ambiance is great though and definitely make reservations as they are pretty busy being right downtown. We will definitely be back in the future!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Bao Buns, Edamame, Wagyu, Sushi Rolls, Roll, Fried Rice, Miso Soup, The Playboy Roll
koko savage
This place has a great ambiance. The food was good but not great. I ordered the Kaarage Chicken, and it was good, but paying only 30$ for something I could have gotten from my local Japanese restaurant for more with the price. The servers were quick and attentive, and out of my scale, I rate it 4/10. Will be rating more restaurants in the Charleston area.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 3
Service: 4
Moe Gani
Was in town for work. I love trying sushi places wherever I am and I was pretty hungry. Decided to stop in here to see what they have. Tried the sashimi and a sushi roll. Do you see the small plate with 6 small strips of Salmon? $20usd! I was flabbergasted. I ordered a roll of sushi and headed out. The pricing is not in line with the taste. Ive had better for less.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 2
Service: 4
Nadia
The atmosphere is great, very inviting and comfortable. Service was excellent. We explained our dietary restrictions and our server made recommendations. The rolls unfortunately weren't great. We had two different ones with tuna and they were bland and had an off taste. The rest of our rolls were ok but nothing spectacular. The desserts were much better than the rolls. We would come back just for dessert and skip the rolls next time.
My husband and I dined here for our anniversary while visiting Charleston, and it truly exceeded all of our expectations. This was our first time, and everything about the experience was amazing! We were immediately impressed by the warm hospitality — we were welcomed with a beautiful photo of Magnolia Plantation & Gardens, where we got married, thoughtfully packaged in a cute gift bag as an anniversary gift. We were also treated to complimentary champagne to celebrate the occasion. The food was absolutely incredible. We sampled a variety of dishes — bao buns, spring rolls, yellowtail carpaccio, crispy chicken, and sushi rolls — and every bite was delicious. We've definitely found a new favorite spot in Charleston. From the outstanding hospitality to the inviting ambiance, we truly can't say enough wonderful things about our experience.
Had a great birthday dinner with my friends! Food and drinks were amazing! Even got a slice of cake for my birthday. It was so sweet!
The food was great - the service was Fine but the time to get our appetizers was painfully slow, particularly the edamame. Why would this aarrice after a hot dish? They were acccommodating to gluten free. When dinnwr came, we weee missing 2 nigiri which came way later. Great food but the time of service was way too long considering it wasn't that busy.
We visited O-Ku in downtown Charleston to celebrate our daughter's 16th birthday, and the team went above and beyond to make it a night she'll always remember. From the moment we arrived, the attention to detail was incredible — a personalized name sign on the table, a handwritten birthday card just for her, and even thoughtful gifts tailored to her love for art (a watercolor set and sketchbook!). It was such a meaningful gesture and showed how much they truly care about their guests. The food? Outstanding, as always. The sushi was fresh, beautifully presented, and came out remarkably fast. Every bite was top notch. Our server was equally impressive — incredibly attentive, friendly, and more than willing to accommodate a few special requests. The ambience was spot on — lively and stylish without feeling too loud. Perfect for a celebratory evening. Huge thanks to the O-Ku team for creating such a special memory for our family. We've always loved dining here, but now it holds an even more special place in our hearts. Highly recommend for any occasion!
Lovely experience! We went for a birthday and they made it so special; they had a happy birthday placard out with a small gift. That made the evening so much more special and meaningful. The food was excellent; the sushi was so fresh and everything was flavorful. The dumplings are a must as an appetizer. The cocktails were also excellent, especially Beat of Our Rum. Our server was also attentive and helpful. I would definitely recommend again, especially for special occasions.
We had the best experience! They helped celebrate my birthday and made it a special day for me and my friends! Food was really good and drinks were great!
This is our first time in Charleston, and O-Ku was recommended and I am so happy it was! The vibe is so chill, and the service was attentive. The BEST part about this restaurant is attention to their customers. I mentioned that we were celebrating a birthday and when we arrived at our table they had a sign and gift for our daughter to open! So special! Besides the food being fantastic and fresh, the service was very personalized. Thank you O-Ku for making my daughter's birthday dinner special! We will be back!!
The food "seems" to be delicious at first glance, but the taste of every dish actually eaten is far from what the food should normally taste...Every dish is unexpectedly and surprisingly difficult to swallow...and the waiter will show impatience from time to time.
Dietary restrictions: The ingredients of many dishes are not listed in detail on the menu, which can easily lead to misunderstandings.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 1
Service: 3
I love sushi and try it wherever I go. If you're looking for atmosphere this is your place, if you're looking to eat sushi, not so much. Extremely overpriced, 2 pieces of sashimi the size of a 50 cent piece $12, bao buns was chared and more like tough jerky. Not sure how they get away with these prices, must be the one timers. Much better sushi elsewhere. Spent $75 and walked out hungry.
Nice trendy atmosphere, if that’s what you’re after, but very loud. The service was good. We ordered the bao buns, the presentation was beautiful but the taste was not in par. They were not buns, the dough was barely cooked enough and cold, the meat was heavy and did not taste great. Then, upon the waiter’s recommendation, we had the black magic sushi for $32, the lobster taste was completely lost with the amount of inked rice, it was good, but not worth the price. We also tried the citrus Kai roll, again it was meh, and covered in salt. Overall very overpriced for what you get. Very disappointing.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 2
Service: 4
Restaurantji Recommends
From the start it was not a good experience. We were totally ignored by the bartenders while we waited for our table.
The staff just seemed to act like they were too cool for us.
It was also our 10th anniversary which we mentioned in our reservation and my husband mentioned when we arrived. No one acknowledged it all. We didn’t need a parade, but other restaurants made it feel like a special occasion.
We ended up just leaving after appetizers so we didn’t waste any more money or time here.
With all the amazing restaurants in Charleston I’d recommend skipping O-Ku and trying one of the other great options in town, both from a food and service perspective.
I do love me some O-Ku! The sushi here is great! They’ve got a bunch of wagyu options which are always my favorite! I love high end dining and this place fits the bill but I always feel like for the price the value isn’t there! The ambiance is great though and definitely make reservations as they are pretty busy being right downtown. We will definitely be back in the future!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Bao Buns, Edamame, Wagyu, Sushi Rolls, Roll, Fried Rice, Miso Soup, The Playboy Roll
This place has a great ambiance. The food was good but not great. I ordered the Kaarage Chicken, and it was good, but paying only 30$ for something I could have gotten from my local Japanese restaurant for more with the price. The servers were quick and attentive, and out of my scale, I rate it 4/10. Will be rating more restaurants in the Charleston area.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 3
Service: 4
Was in town for work. I love trying sushi places wherever I am and I was pretty hungry. Decided to stop in here to see what they have. Tried the sashimi and a sushi roll. Do you see the small plate with 6 small strips of Salmon? $20usd! I was flabbergasted. I ordered a roll of sushi and headed out. The pricing is not in line with the taste. Ive had better for less.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 2
Service: 4
The atmosphere is great, very inviting and comfortable. Service was excellent. We explained our dietary restrictions and our server made recommendations. The rolls unfortunately weren't great. We had two different ones with tuna and they were bland and had an off taste. The rest of our rolls were ok but nothing spectacular. The desserts were much better than the rolls. We would come back just for dessert and skip the rolls next time.
Dietary restrictions: Gluten free options
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 3
Service: 5
Loading...