KOO

I was recomended Koo by a co-worker and decided to read some reviews before I went. I stuck with alot of my traditional choices ( Shiro Maguro, suzuki and sake) and also ventured to try some of the better reviewed items (Best Roll , Spoonful of Happiness and flying kamakazi) and I also tried their baby butter fish as well which normally when I have had has been a little on the fishy side of taste but this one was just a little bland for my liking but it was still very fresh just like everything else I had ordered and the spoonfull of happiness was exactly that. This place will definitely be in my rotaion of sushi spots along with Okawa (Antioch, I from the East Bay) Ebisu and Blowfish.

Even If you dont like uni try the happiness and I gaurantee that you will enjoy it!!!!

Thanks Koo for your wonderful service I received and will definitely see you soon!!!!!

Pros: Waiteress was very attentive to our needs and knew exactly when I needed another drink

Cons: small bar area which I prefer to sit at since you always get a great story about what you are eating...parking sucked but I still lucked out and got a spot around the block on Lincoln.

They had fresh fish, fast service and excellent creative rolls. The ambiance is definitely romantic, more for couples on dates not for families or kids at all. The sushi bar only had room for 6 people so if you want to sit there, you should make reservations in advance. Their staff is friendly and fast - and sushi chefs were very attentive and although very diligent in making the sushi, also very quick. Also quite a good Sake list.

Pros: Excellent service and food

Cons: None

i work near by and have always wanted to try this place because of the reviews. so i brought my boyfriend there the other night and really loved the food. the place is romantic but is also good for a group of 8. All the tables are candle lit which give this small cozy restaurant a nice ambience. Food is excellent from the sushi to the shared plates and price is not bad at all. They also give good portion sizes for their dishes. For the two of us it came to about 60 bucks. Can't wait to go back again to try the rest of the menu.

this place is great but you must get seated at the sushi bar otherwise the main dining area looks boring. the food is remarkable with extra fresh items and creative chefs. i was happy to see a nice selection of sake yet nothing in comparision to Tsunami sushi but adeuqate. i will be back here

To start, the service here is the best. Everyone is always genuine, friendly, and accommodating. They have the freshest sashimi I have ever tasted. In fact, I don't think I ever knew good sashimi until I had it at Koo. I always order the Chef's Choice plate.Their sushi rolls are creative and delicious. For a while, all I did was obssess over when I would visit their place again because their food was so good. They serve a chocolate lava cake that is scrumptious, in the shape of a paramid, tastes like quality, and cost $3!

Pros: excellent food and service

Cons: hard to find parking

Whilst youre waiting in the street outside Ebisu for a table thats another hour away, why not reflect on the delicious sushi youre missing at KOO. The ambiance is classy and smart without being pretentious, and the rolls are creative not cliched. The fish is fresh and the tempura is light and delicious. Ebisu set the standard for sushi in the sunset and KOO meets and exceeds that challenge.

The sushi is very fresh. I know there are lines at Ebisu, a few blocks away, but the sushi really is better here. Tried The Best roll w/crispy tempura and the spider roll was very crunchy too. The hamachi was tasty and unagi tender. Be sure to order the tuna tartare w/shrimp chips, always a standout. The service is very good, our water glass and tea cups were constantly filled. The green tea gelato was refreshing and a bargain for $3, 2 sm scoops of gelato and 2 sm butter/nut cookies. Expect to easily spend $60 for 2 w/o alcohol. If you arrive early at 6pm, you won't need reservations.

Pros: innovative dishes, good food, good for sharing

Cons: reservations, pricey, parking

We appreciate the quality of their sushi and the interesting creations of fusion dishes. But, they lack a bit on the selections of sushi. Hope to see items such as real live scallops & live shrimp (not flash frozen), and more unusual fresh fish.

Pros: Fresh sushi, Good fusion creations

Cons: Lack sushi selections

I went there with 3 of my girls after reading the review at citysearch. Definetely excellent. The tuna & salmon tartar is very good. We also had the nigiri fresh sushi like tuna, uni & hamachi, all fresh. The duck salad was small but yummy and it's not skimp on the meat.
One downside, it's kinda though to find parking. But everything else is great. Will definetely come back soon.

Pros: Great sushi, innovative menus, zen ambiance

Cons: difficult parking

I was here last saturday for my buddies birthday. Excellent service and excellent rolls and freshness of sushi. The "best roll" and "dynamite" hand roll are just amazing. You must get them. You get what you pay for at Koo.

I live around the corner and had a friend over and we love sushi! This place is awesome! The service, the ambience are above Highly. The other night they had a 40 minute wait so we check out another place close by that is new. NEVER AGAIN. I am making rsv for this Friday so we can make sure to be seated! Don't miss going to KOO!

Pros: Sushi, The Staff, Food

Cons: na, na, na

We have been enjoying weekly great sushi for 20 years! My husband and I dropped in at Koo months ago as a walk by for we try new places all the time looking for quality sushi. We abandoned our old enjoyable sushi haunt that very night. We go every week without fail, driving all the way from the East Bay to sample not only their superb sushi, but their excellent cooked food also. Their desserts are incredible. Spoonful of Happiness is the absolute best taste delight!! I almost hate to spread the word in fear we will never get seats. Great sushi is so hard to find!

Pros: Quality sushi, Innovative kitchen, Great desserts

Cons: None seen yet!

I'm from Japan and have been on the hunt for "the" perfect sushi restaurant in SF. After months and months of searching, and hundreds of establishments tested, I've found it at Koo. Everything was perfection, from the taste & quality of the food, to the service, ambience, and price. Everything was wonderfully authentic - even the staff members were Japanese (and who also spoke highly polished English). I would highly recommend everything on the menu, as everything we ordered was excellent. Especially try the "Spoonful of Happiness" to start off with. Amazing. The quality and taste of the fish was impeccable. Highly rivals restaurants in Japan.

Pros: Everything

Cons: None

chicken teriyaki - nothing special
una-kyu - very fishy tasting

hamachi kama- yummy with ponzu sauce
miso cod - great
calamari - lots! good value though comes with aioli which adds to unhealthiness

Pros: great decor

Cons: parking difficult

I was never big on Sushi until I went to Koo , I love this place ! Absolutely must try's are
the "Best Roll" and "Aji" Very nice service , fast and very polite and welcoming. We usually try to get seats by the bar too see the food being prepared, and the chefs always make us some extra freebie snacks. Last time we got 3 of them ! :) Atmosphere is great for a romantic date , or cozy dinner. I virtually have nothing but good things to say about this restaurant , highly recommended.

Pros: Good value, Very tasty, Cozy

Cons: Parking, Can be packed, can think of anything

From the first bite of the Grilled Godzilla Tofu to the last morsel of Mt. Fuji chocolate cake (with white chocolate mouse filling!), our taste buds applauded this Inner Sunset gem. As residents of the Inner Sunset for the last year, we've managed to hit most of the 9th Avenue fare, but Koo had escaped us. Thank CitySearch for lighting our way. As someone who enjoys sushi, but has yet to fall in love with it, I have to say the Azteca (crab, avocado, gobo--which appears to be an orange roe, and cucumber, all wrapped in white fish, then topped with a tiny bit of jalapeno, spicy mayo, tobiko and ponzu---ooh ponzu--then lightly baked) was the finest sushi I've ever consumed.

The service was delightful, the ambience ambient, and overall, it was superb.

Make a reservation. Enjoy.

My fiance and I were visiting from Los Angeles and looking to get away from the tourist-vibe of Union Square. This place was a perfect neighborhood destination outside of the main attractions of the city. It had a great laid back vibe and very attentive service. We ordered several items from the menu and loved everything we got. The food was excellent. Our only complaint is that we ate way too much because it was all so good. The sakes were great, too. The place had a lot of diners but seemed able to accomodate walk-ins. Also, the prices were pretty reasonable in comparison to other sushi spots I've been to. Overall, great experience and we definitely plan to come back.

Pros: Great food, Friendly service, Good value

Cons: Distance from Union

Very freash and creative sushi. Try the azteca roll or any of the negri you won't be disappointed. Parking in the neighborhood can be challanging but well worth the effort, the muni train storps at the corner as an alternative.

Pros: food, service

Cons: parking

I just moved the the neighborhood and was so happy to find Koo so close by. It's one of the best sushi joints in town. Inventive, but not too trendy, super fresh. The service was friendly and the atmosphere was just right, it never seems to be too crowded, we have never had to wait for a seat, but we always go early.

Pros: food, service, sake

The food at this place is phenomenal. We went with eight people and had no problem getting seats. Had almost half of the dishes on the menu. Everything was great. I highly recommend the cajun handroll. The best part is its open until 11.

I went there for dinner at the dining room for the first visit. Sushi was average. I went back there again for trying sushi at the sushi bar. (Somtime you get higher quality of sushi at the counter)
There were about 8 seats at the counter. No customer on Friday little after 7pm. My friend and I asked for the counter seats but we were told that those were reserved. We left the restaurant and had Mexican food instead. We drove by around 8pm and guess what, no one was at the counter.

This place has amazingly fresh sushi and the service was great. We ordered the Spoonful of Happiness, Monkfish Pate, the Azteca, the Flying Kamikaze, nigiri Sweet Shrimp, and nigiri Hawaiian Moi Seabass. The Spoonful of Happiness was so incredibly tasty. It comes with two heaping spoonfuls of sushi combined perfectly with ponzu. You chase each spoonful with chilled sake. The sake and the ponzu go well together. Since one of the spoonfuls had monkfish pate in it, we could have skipped the Monkfish Pate order. The entire dinner was great but other mentionables are the Azteca cut roll. It has a tiny slice of jalapeno on top that is just the right amount of spicyness. YUM. With beer and sake, it came out to about $40 a person after tip for two people.

Pros: Spoonful of Happiness, Azteca, Ambience

Cons: Far from downtown

The greeting and decor is warm and enthusiastic. The upbeat music energizes yet does not compete with conversation. Our jackets were hung, our cold sake was delivered and we swooned over the progressive menu. We started with the monkfish pate (incredible) and continued with a sampling of shared dishes, sashimi and much more - all equally impressive. This place is reminiscent of our recent trip to Japan and we will be back to continue our appreciation of what we fell in love with on our visit - excellence in quality, presentation and service. I predict success here. There are many sushi places in SF, and this is truly the best.

Pros: unique menu, top notch staff, upbeat environment

We ordered the Tokyo crunch, Azteca, Flying Kamikaze. Toro, Hawaiian Cod and the U-2 rolls. The sushi was average and by no means justified the price. The Tokyo crunch smelt a little fishy. The Azteca which is their signature looked pretty but did not taste extraordinary. U-2 was average.

This sushi definitely did not justify the price!

Pros: ambience, decor

Cons: average sushi

Service was impeccable and dishes came out quickly. The sashimi was very fresh as well and they offer an interesting selection of fish beyond the regular ones found on everyday sushi menus (i.e. white king salmon nigiri). The Godzilla tofu and tuna/salmon tartar were also quite delicious. My only complaint is that they're not open for lunch.

Pros: Service, Menu selection

Cons: Not open for lunch!

We had a fantastic sushi dinner here. Per our norm, we went with another couple and sat at the sushi bar. We'd read the SF Gate review so we had some direction with ordering. We had the Spoonful of Happiness (amazing), Tartare with guacamole on shrimp chips, white salmon, Best Roll, Tokyo Roll, Tuna Sashimi, U2 Roll, duck salad, miso soups and more. We were very impressed with the creativity and freshness. The only thing that wasn't absolutely fabulous was the miso soup, but it wasn't bad. Definitely check it out.

Pros: Freshness, Creativity, Decor

Cons: None!

The sushi is excellent, but it's the vegetable plates which caught my attention. Probably the best goma ae (blanched spinach in sesame sauce) I've ever had. Beautiful presentation, great flavors. Very attentive and friendly service from attractive wait-staff. Nice addition to the Inner Sunset.

Pros: vegetables, sushi, Muni accessible

Cons: parking

This restaurant is excellent; food is original and fresh; I grew up in Japan and know good and ok Japanese places, and i definetely think this is the real one!

Pros: sushi and all dishes, location

Cons: no combo plates

One of my best sushi experiences ever! The owner and chef- Kiyoshi- runs a very nice restaurant with a great staff! Tuna tar tar was heavenly as is the mint spareribs! Fresh sashimi..nice decor..just lovely. Will definitely go back!

How many authentic Japanese restaurant can you find in a city? This restaurant serves very authentic Japanese food in taste wise, yet presentations of food themselves are very unique and modern. If you don't know what to start with, then go with "Spoonful of Happiness." It comes with an excellent choice of Sake shot. I'm sure your will crave more food to make youself happy and satisfied at the end of dinner.

Pros: Good quality food, Very cozy, Good service

Cons: Less parking space

very clean, good mood, nice workers, and open late restaurant!
The food is very Yummy! Every dish is sophisticated and new styles of Japanese food.
Sushi is so fresh and a wide variety of rolls are so good. Some rolls are unique and only found at Koo restaurant. They also have many kinds of Japanese sake that other places don't have.
Deserts are homemade and they are all so good!
I'll definitely go there again! The restaurant also has a nice mood so it's especially good for couples.

Pros: clean, delicious, good mood

I heard the sushi sheff, Kiyoshi, used to work at tokyo go go that's why I went to this new restaurant. I think the food was much better than what I had at tokyo go go or other popular sushi restaurants in the city. Kiyoshi is the best sushi sheff and I recomend highly this restaurant for a date spot. Sushi was great but they also have yummy dishes, for example, mint spare rib, baked black cod, tuna tar tar, and grilled egg plant. Everything is tasty here!!

Pros: great food, good atmosphere, exellent service