O-Ku - Nashville

My fiancé surprised me with dinner reservations at O-Ku for our anniversary. I love sushi, and have eaten it a lot. This was some of the best sushi we’ve ever had! The playboy was delicious (add the waygu on top) and we also really loved the Nashvegas. Our server Nicholas was amazing and took great care of us and was very friendly and attentive. He even took care of our appetizers we ordered as a gift to us, and we made sure to take care of him as well. Thank you Nicholas! We will definitely be back.

I went to O-ku and sat outside with my Dog. After the manager Thomas checked on our table and asked for my dog’s name, the waiter came back with a personalized gift bag with my dog’s name on it and a stuffed toy. The food was amazing but their customer service is through the roof!

This was our second visit in two months. We love the atmosphere! The sushi is delishious, and so fresh. The service is impeccable, with our servers recommending their favorites. We will be back!

Incredible food with a stunning presentation! If you enjoy sushi and other items, this is a must. Whether you have a group or a date night, the atmosphere is perfect. We were greeted promptly and sat immediately, our server Greg was phenomenal and made sure he asked about allergies and diligently checked everything I ordered to make sure it wouldn’t make me sick. The food was exceptional - especially the ribs, waygu and salmon, which were all tender and delicious. You must go here.

Unbelievable food and even better service ⭐️Our server Alex made us feel so special and spoiled us. She was also very knowledgeable with the menu and so patient with our questions 😆 Highly recommend! We loveddd the Tennessee Two Step roll and the black magic. Delicious cocktails and some of the freshest fish I’ve ever had. Don’t miss the mochi either 🤤

From my first visit to my 3rd time at O-Ku and honestly for Nashville there aren’t enough good words or space to truly discuss this place. Its amazing every time. The ladies are excellent at helping you pick out something to eat and hilarious also. The portions are great and the quality and taste of the food is even better!!! Love the atmosphere and vibe of the restaurant it’s never too noisy!

This last Sunday December 1st was our first visit, I'm not much of a sushi guy but my son wanted to go here for his 21st birthday. It was fantastic, from the food, to the environment and our server Michael was kind, attentive and did everything to make my son feel special for his 21st. They printed a custom menu that said " Happy 21st Birthday" across the top. Was unexpected! They gave him a flight of cocktails to try and gave dessert for the whole table as part of his Omakase, including an eclair that he absolutely loved. My son wanted the Omakase with the sake pairing, The experience was special and memorable which is all I wanted for him. Thank you for a wonderful time!

Undoubtedly, O-Ku is the best high-end sushi restaurant in all of Nashville. We came as a party of 8 to celebrate my girlfriend’s birthday and made a reservation about ten days in advance. O-Ku printed special menus just for our party, which was a nice touch. They also let my girlfriend pick a dessert as a birthday gift. She chose the carrot cake and loved it. Our waiter was incredible and gave great recommendations. The food was unbelievable! What we all enjoyed the most were the Poke Tuna Tacos, Hamachi Carpaccio, Tennessee Two Step roll, Playboy roll, Salmon O-Ku Nigiri, and the Hotate O-Ku Nigiri. The absolute best bites of the night were the Salmon O-Ku nigiri and the Poke Tuna Tacos. You have to come here! Make your reservation now!

Great sushi spot in Germantown. We had the Omakase with a sake pairing. So good! Best piece of salmon I have had in a while! And all the courses were excellent in taste and presentation. All the dishes were presented beautifully and well described as were the sake pairings. High ceilings created some fall down noise but not terrible. Recommended!

Just one word for this place . AMAZING! It was our anniversary and we were greeted by two glasses of champagne. Really adorable It is super fancy , super busy but you go here for the experience and the delicious sushi options They have plenty of Sake options and chef specials. Make sure you get the recommendations of the server because they can cater to your tastes . We got the Black magic and the salmon sagnoi both were lovely and delicious. We also did get the corn street style starter which was good . Make your reservation before hand . Highly recommended!! This place has an outdoor patio if you have furry friends along and obviously the super fancy indoors as well.

The food was amazing! They were able to make most things gluten free including the tempura shrimp. The Hamachi was melt in your mouth delicious. The only complaint I have if there is one to be had, was the noise level. It was so loud you could hardly talk to the person at your own table.

My wife and I tried this spot for Valentine’s Day! We loved every sushi roll we had and would definitely recommend the poke tacos! I believe our favorite roll was called the Playboy but Nashvegas was great as well. Our server was excellent too, we will definitely be back.

My husband and I came here for the first time on Friday to celebrate his 32nd birthday!! It was the perfect spot to celebrate!! Not only was it perfect date night vibes but the food and drinks were incredible and service was top notch. This is the first restaurant that has ever reached out proactively about the “birthday celebration” option I had selected when I made the Open Table reservation. The general manager reached out to me to learn more about my husband’s favorite drinks, foods, hobbies etc! We showed up to personalized menus celebrating him and a complementary Japanese whiskey old fashioned for my bourbon-loving husband! Not only that but they also threw up in a complimentary dessert!! We were so touched and impressed! They truly went above and beyond! Lastly, our waitress Keyauna MADE this experience! We can’t wait to go back and see her specifically! When we told her we were sushi-newbies and might need some help navigating the menu, she lit up- taking the time to walk us through what the different items on the menu were and pointing out all of her favorites. She did not steer us wrong- everything she recommended was incredible! She was so knowledgeable and passionate and took great care of us! This is now one of our new favorite spots in Nashville. Thank you Keyauna and O-Ku for a special night!!

Fabulous meal. Food came fast, good service, most every dish was good. We loved the wings especially. Also good: beef and chicken skewers, and most every sushi roll. Nice drink selection too. Great place for a birthday meal or anniversary dinner. Not super fancy, but upscale enough. T-shirt and jeans, or dressed up, you should be fine either way.

Went for a surprise birthday dinner, our reservation was booked on the wrong day but the hostess worked us in. The ambiance is modern and well decorated. Our server was amazing and went over the menu in depth. We tried specialty rolls, sliders, sashimi, sake, and dessert cocktails. All delicious and not too bad of a bill!

Delicious sushi, tasty miso soup. We stayed at the bar because we didn’t have a reservation. I strongly recommend a reservation even if you go on a Thursday night. The bartender was very nice and walked us through the menu. Somone came and offers us some shrimps for free. Too bad I don’t remember the name of the dish. And why there are so many young and beautiful people In Nashville? 😀 it seems that the city is young and vibrant. Can’t wait to go back to Florida and feel young again.

We had a fantastic time celebrating a portion of our honeymoon here! We started off with the rock shrimp which was incredible! We both got miso soup which we would highly recommend! I ordered the Predator role and it was both our favorite rolls! I would highly recommend celebrating here and coming for any date night!

O-Ku is amazing! Everything we had here tasted amazing. That alone would have made for a great night, but our server Luke went above and beyond! He really made it special and had great recommendations. The cocktails were great and the Playboy roll is a MUST try here. 10/10 will be back for more

Had dinner here for my daughter’s college graduation. The restaurant was amazing!! They created personalized menus to congratulate the graduate and I was able to bring in decorations for our table. Communication was easy and I always received a reply when I had questions. Our waiter, Greg, was super helpful, patient and knowledgeable. Food was delicious….we ordered at least half the menu! Definitely recommend O-Ku!

We spent our 13 year anniversary there. The ambience was super chill and relaxed. Our waiter Keith was super knowledgeable about the menu and the food came out perfectly. I had the teriyaki bowl and my wife got the Playboy. The corn was also super tasty.

My mom & I came for a special occasion dinner, and arrived to an amazing ambiance. Upon sitting down, we were greeted by our server, Cory. Cory is the nicest server we have had! He explained the whole menu without hesitation, answered our questions with no problem and even gifted us an appetizer for our celebration. Drinks were so delicious. The food? AMAZING. My mom & I have never been big fish people, but we decided to give it a try. Yellow fish is amazing. We ordered the O-ku rock shrimp, Playboy roll, and Nashville Two Step. When I tell you we loved everything! Every single thing was delicious. I would definitely come again over and over again. 10/10

Me and my family are visiting Nashville for the first time and were wanting to find a good sushi spot. This place is amazing and beautiful inside. Food is great and Issac the server is even better. Would recommend 🙂

I made a reservation for my best friend’s birthday through the website and was contacted by management asking if the guest of honor had any favorite colors/hobbies etc, so I was immediately impressed before we even arrived! When we got there for our 5:30 reservation, the hostess immediately acknowledged the birthday girl and we were given personalized happy birthday menus which was SO sweet. At 5:30 most tables were empty, but the place quickly filled up and there were people waiting to be seated when we left around 7:30. The happy hour deals were great, and we got a discounted but very large portion of the kung pao cauliflower which was SO good. We were brought multiple birthday treats including the shishito peppers (yummy, and our waiter thought to hold the bonito flakes since I had said I’m vegetarian!) and another small plate for the birthday girl. I had the green goddess roll, and my friend got the Nashvegas roll as well as a raw fish dish that she said was delicious. We finished with a surprise birthday mochi ice cream trio—all very yummy. Service was great and our waiter was super kind and knowledgeable about the menu. I really appreciated his understanding of my dietary needs. The atmosphere is very nice and it was a little noisy but I could always hear my friend. Some of the smaller tables are pretty close together, but that seems typical of all restaurants now, and there were several other seating options like the bar, larger tables, booth seating, and maybe some high top tables too. Parking was par for the course, AKA it sucked. $22 for 3 hours in the attached lot, or you can attempt the limited street parking. Overall recommend for a fun sushi night especially if it is a birthday!

I don’t usually write reviews but our NYE’s visit to O-Ku warrants one! The food was incredible (especially the crispy rice), ambiance was super vibey but our server, Chris, was the highlight! He was super accommodating of my annoying gluten/dairy sensitivities & went above & beyond to make options work. So appreciative. We can’t wait to go back!

Walked in thinking it was a different place , but still chose to eat here. Soo glad we did! Food was incredible, our server Nathan was very kind and attentive, and prices were reasonable. Cannot wait to come back!

My husband and I spent the evening at O-Ku to celebrate our third wedding anniversary, and we had the most wonderful time! First, everything we ordered was incredibly delicious and so fresh! We aren’t super knowledge about this type of cuisine, but we even tried things we hadn’t eaten before — like eel — and were pleasantly surprised! Next, the service was fantastic. Our server, Sam, was very thoughtful and attentive. And the atmosphere/restaurant itself was beautiful and clean and fun! But what really blew us away was how special the staff made us feel in celebrating our anniversary. We received a handwritten card signed by many staff members, a lovely anniversary gift, a personalized menu, and lots and lots of free food! I’m sure all of this came easily to them and is probably something they do regularly, but we were just overwhelmed with how kind and thoughtful it was. We will be back for every special occasion from now on (and non-special occasions too)! Thank you for making our anniversary so memorable.

Incredible service and the best birthday surprise ever! They went above and beyond to make my mom’s birthday so special. Every dish was absolutely delicious, and the attention to detail made the evening unforgettable. Our waiter, Sam, was attentive, knowledgeable, and truly elevated the experience. The manager was so kind from the reservation process to customer service in the restaurant. Highly recommend!

We ordered takeout from this restaurant, but after trying the food, I would definitely recommend dining in for the full experience. The restaurant is in a great location, and the atmosphere when you walk in is warm and inviting, making it feel like a spot where you’d want to sit down and enjoy a meal. The sushi was absolutely delicious—fresh, flavorful, and expertly prepared. I was pleasantly surprised by the quality. We also tried the fried cauliflower, which had an interesting and unique flavor. While it wasn’t my personal favorite, it was still enjoyable. My husband, on the other hand, loved the steak. It was cooked perfectly and packed with flavor. Overall, it was a great meal, and I’m looking forward to trying more of their menu. I’d give it a solid 4 stars for the delicious food and the pleasant atmosphere.

The Tennessee Two Step is one of the best sushi rolls I’ve ever had. The staff was great. Our waiter Nicholas and the manager Tiffany just made sure that we had the best time. Their Onna Old Fashioned is classic and new simultaneously and very refreshing. (Forgive the photo quality).

Loved the ambiance and decor of the restaurant and the staff were friendly. Wings were amazing, best part of the meal. Also enjoyed the chicken donburi. We did not like the tuna crudo at all, which was disappointing since it was a $30 app that went to waste. Desserts were fine but tasted like something you’d buy at the grocery store, not necessarily high quality restaurant desserts. Also had the miso soup, edamame, ribs, and a few drinks which were all decent enough. Overall a fine meal, but nothing special.

Sushi was fresh. Service was fine. Our server was great but the cocktails took forever each round we ordered. The location is fine, parking lot sucks. The ambiance/atmosphere is fun and trendy. We ordered two small plates, one entree, and three rolls to split between 3. It was the perfect amount of food!

Good spot for some decent sushi and Japanese dishes. Highlights dishes of the night were the Tebasaki and the Yakitori. The flavors were spot on and cooked to perfection. The other dishes we tried were good, but nothing I would go back for. If you’re looking for a more modern chill environment in Nash, this spot is for you.

All the food was very delicious. The space is loud and crowded so bear that in mind about ambiance. Our server was very friendly and knowledgeable. Knocking down a star because we went for our anniversary and made a reservation note and didn’t have any acknowledgement of it, which would’ve been nice. Felt like any other date night which was a little disappointing. Would’ve picked a different anniversary spot but would make a good standard date night

I think they changed their menu up from the last time I went. The rock shrimp which is usually my favorite was way different. Sushi is still great. Also didn't see the wings on the menu anymore

We were pretty excited about trying O-ku but unfortunately our experience left us a bit disappointed. The bottom line: you kind find better quality sushi and better service at a better price elsewhere. The details: We arrived and were put on a 30 min waiting list for a bar seat. 45 minutes later I went in to check and found 5 bar seats open (and many tables inside and outside) and was told they were ‘just’ getting our spots ready. The receptionist wasn’t very warm or attentive but the bartender who served us was nice and knowledgeable on the menu. We ordered black magic, shogun, eel of fortune, seaweed salad, and a couple pieces of nigiri and sashimi. Overall the black magic was good and different but not really worth the price. The seaweed salad was good but just like what you would get elsewhere for a little cheaper. The shogun was pretty good and I would order it again but the eel of fortune was a bit misleading and didn’t taste as much as eel the other fish in the roll. The nigiri was the most over priced at $9+ a piece (when most places would offer 2 pieces per order) and I even opted for some of the pricier nigiri like the blue fin and fatty tuna. Overall I was disappointed in the quality of these and would not order again. It was dry and lacking in flavor which is not typical for these fatty fish nigiri. Overall my wife and I agreed we would not come back. The food wasn’t horrible but we can get better sushi elsewhere and for a better price for better quality.

This is the second time we’ve been to O-Ku. The first time we went was a few years ago and it was a 5 star experience. My husband and I were so excited to come back! When we arrived, the restaurant was practically empty and we were sat at arguably the worst table location in the restaurant. We didn’t say anything and just accept it. As the restaurant became busier, they tried to seat the table next to us twice & the customers asked to move to a better table. Anyway, on to the food. I ordered the Shogun cocktail, which was excellent! We ordered the poke tuna tacos for an appetizer. After about 10-15 minutes, we ordered sushi for our dinner. Our dinner came out before our appetizer. This absolutely never happens in fine dining establishments. This is something I would expect at a Chili’s. I let the person know that brought out our entree that we ordered an appetizer. There was no apology & any other restaurant would have taken the appetizer off our bill. When we did receive the tacos, you receive 3 small tacos for $24. I enjoyed the texture and crunch of the shell, but the flavor was very underwhelming. It just tasted like raw fish in a taco shell. My husband and I ordered 3 signature sushi rolls. Two of them were fantastic, the one in the middle (see picture) was not very good. Overall, we enjoyed the sushi. Lastly, our waitress asked us if we would like another drink & I asked if they had coffee and cream (I didn’t have a menu in front of me). She said yes & brought out a French press and a mug. She forgot the creamer, which was no big deal. A poured my coffee and put creamer in and realized that I also didn’t have a spoon or any utensil that I could use to stir the creamer in. It took about 10 minutes to get our waitress’ attention to get a spoon. By the time I got a spoon, the coffee was lukewarm. She then brought out the dessert menu, where I saw that the coffee was $10 (for 2)! I really wish she would have informed me when I asked if they had coffee. I did not want 2 cups of coffee, and my husband didn’t want coffee. So I wasted a cup of coffee and spent $10 on one cup of coffee for me (which was lukewarm by the time I could drink it). Had I known, I would absolutely not have ordered coffee at all. Our bill was $130 and our experience was less than average. I am so disappointed because the first time we came here, we had such a wonderful experience. The service and overall quality of the food has gone downhill. I’m not sure if we’ll ever drive 45 minutes to visit O-Ku again.

Great venue and attentive staff, but the food was dry like it had been sitting for most of the evening. Crispy rice salmon appetizer was stale, as was the sticky ribs. The specialty rolls were good, but the rice was old. Overall poor quality for the price.

I chose O-Ku to celebrate my birthday (12/30) and made sure it was clearly noted multiple times, including in the reservation. Unfortunately, the experience was extremely underwhelming and did not come close to the birthday celebrations this restaurant advertises and routinely provides for others. The food was disappointing. I ordered the Tennessee Two Step, Eel of Fortune, Titan Up, and O-Ku Rainbow rolls, and while they looked appealing, the flavors were not what I expected and ultimately unenjoyable. I also ordered the Machida drink, which I disliked after only a few sips and gave away. Service was equally lacking. Our server, Justus J, did little beyond taking orders. He never asked if anyone wanted another drink, did not offer a birthday dessert, and provided nothing beyond a quick verbal “happy birthday” at the start of the experience and when dropping off the check. Instead, he attempted to upsell a dessert, which felt inappropriate given the situation. After leaving, I returned to retrieve the receipt and saw multiple OpenTable reviews describing elaborate and thoughtful birthday experiences—custom menus, gifts from O-ku, and desserts. This made it clear that my experience was not only disappointing but inconsistent with how O-Ku treats other birthday guests. I spoke with the manager, Tiffany, who admitted that they typically reach out in advance for birthday reservations for the birthday menus but failed to do so for mine. While she offered a round of drinks and a dessert as a correction, the dessert should have happened during the actual reservation—not after the fact. The only positive part of the night was the manager, Tiffany, and the bar staff, Jimmy and Thomas. They were attentive, professional, and genuinely kind. Thomas ensured I immediately had a lemon drop martini, and Jimmy brought out a matcha KitKat dessert with a candle, allowing me to make a birthday wish. Their effort was the sole reason this review is not one star. Unfortunately, having to return inside to salvage what should have been a celebratory dinner disrupted the rest of my birthday plans. O-Ku failed to deliver a basic birthday experience, let alone the elevated one it promotes. I would not return, and if I ever did, it would only be for a lemon drop martini and the matcha KitKat—and only if Jimmy and Thomas were behind the bar.

Monday night we celebrated a birthday, the restaurant wasn’t overly busy. Parking here is an annoyance as there is little street parking, no valet, and they don’t validate. 4hr lot parking is $11 for reference. When we were seated, we quickly noticed how bright the lighting was. The service started off friendly, but quickly shifted to pushy and rushed. We ordered cocktails to start. They were good, but took awhile to arrive at the table. The Rock Shrimp appetizer had good flavor, but were caked with batter. The Rib appetizer fell off the bone, but was heavily salted. I wouldn’t order them again. The edamame was standard and the assortment of sushi rolls we shared amongst the table all had nice flavor profiles. The sushi rolls were all a bit heavy on rice, but nice presentation. There seemed to be a bit of a disconnect between the pushy server and the manager. The manager on staff was friendly and engaging and even made a point to drop off desert menus for the table. The issue was the server was already dropping our check. 1/2 way through dinner the dynamic quickly shifted to how fast can I get this table out of the restaurant, this made for a very mediocre experience. A group of 4 celebrating a bday were in and out of the restaurant in 1hr. We have dined at O-Ku many times, unfortunately we won’t be back for quite sometime.

Walked in for a reservation at 7:15 and the host asked us if we wanted to sit at the bar. We said no because we had a reservation. We didn’t get sat down at the table till 7:30. Once seated we didn’t get greeted till 10-15 min after that. Asked a basic question about the menu and the server responded very rudely. The food was not up to par either. Made one of us feel sick. Do not recommend this place at all. There’s plenty of better sushi places in Nashville.