O-Ku in Charleston - Phone Number, Reservations, Reviews

Tyler was amazing this evening, very kind, and very knowledgeable! As a waitress, i really appreciated it and thank you for making our time here pleasurable!

Restaurant week offers different options either if you prefer seafood or meat . I selected sea food and I was not disappointed.very high quality tuna. A bit more pricey than last year.

Fantastic food and drinks- service started off strong then trailed off. Our server was great but extremely busy so I’m not sure if they were short staffed in early evening. Definitely coming back - loved it

One of my favorite spots in Charleston. The food, service, drinks, and atmosphere have been consistently fantastic for many many years. I love taking advantage of their Monday through Wednesday Happy Hour as well as their incredible full menu. They are perfect for a special occasion or just a regular old sushi craving. And just an added bonus they make my favorite cocktail of all time, the Sweet and Spicy 😋

We recently dined at O-Ku and, unfortunately, found the experience to be underwhelming. The sushi rolls, while fresh, lacked creativity and variety. Each roll seemed to feature the same few ingredients, making it hard to distinguish one from the other. There was nothing that truly stood out or made us feel like we were experiencing something unique. The spring roll was another letdown. It felt more like a summer roll in both taste and presentation, and the portion size left much to be desired, especially considering the price. Shrinkflation seems to have made its way onto their menu. Overall, while the ambiance and service were pleasant, the food didn't live up to our expectations. We hoped for more distinctive flavors and better value for what we paid.

We came here on a bachelorette and everything was amazing! Our waiter went above and beyond for us and even brought out 2 free appetizers for our group! I recommend this place it’s amazing

This has been one of my fav spots for many years now. After not having been for quite some time, it was really nice to experience the same level of quality, flavor, professionalism, and care that I came to expect from Oku. The food was beautifully presented and tasted even better. My all time favorite cocktail, the Sweet and Spicy, was on point. Our server and the support staff were friendly, welcoming, and professional. In an ever changing Charleston it is delightful to know that I can rely on Oku to remain top notch

An amazing experience! We celebrated my fiancés birthday and they made it a 10/10 evening. The food was phenomenal - the Brussel sprouts are a must, and the staff was just a delightful.

Came for dinner to celebrate something. They mentioned it right away and were very generous celebrating with us. Tyler was an outstanding server as well!! Started with bao buns and dumplings. Both were delicious. Never had bao buns before they were better than expected. For sushi my favorites were the playboy and the fuego fiasco. Not too spicy and tons of flavor. We also got prawn queen and baby dynamite and they were good too. We also got to try the usuzukuri and kanpachi carpaccio - both raw but sooo good and that’s not usually our speed. Try it! They finished with a glass of champagne for us :) highly recommend!

Amazing! The food and service was top notch and they made me feel extra special for my birthday! I’d give 6 stars if I could.

Thank you Sam and the chef for making our first time experience amazing.

I had an excellent dinner at O-Ku. The service was incredible and the food was awesome! I highly recommend dining here. They go above and beyond for their customers.

My mom and I shared the Omakase experience Friday night & loved it! This was our first time ever having an Omakase, we shared each of the 6 courses and were blown away with how delicious each plate was. Neither of us have ever enjoyed salmon until we had two dishes that featured it last night. The Usuzukuri was amazing! Our server, Tyler, was extremely helpful and friendly the entire night & made sure we enjoyed every aspect of the experience.

LOVE this restaurant! We are locals and we used to come a lot, but we have stopped going because you took away the Teriyaki Chicken dish, and replaced it with Karrage Chicken. This Karrage is just greasy chicken nuggets. Please bring back the Teriyaki Chicken! Also please bring back the Buffalo Cauliflower! It’s so much better than the Brussels Sprouts. We realize that you need to change up the menu, but leave the favorites on the menu and try new things tool We miss O-Ku and would like to start coming back.

Waitress wouldn’t even look at us but other than that food was great

Excellent food and service. We will definitely be back.

The quality of the food was not what we expected. Dynamite roll has changed and did not have any jalapeno. The salmon roll did not seem fresh. The spicy tuna roll and dumplings were the only ones that lived up to our expectations.

Food was beautiful to look at and delicious to consume. Service was excellent and a cozy atmosphere.

Had a group of 8 for my bachelorette party dinner and had such a great time! Food was delicious and our server, Alexis, did a great job and made us feel so welcome and celebrated. Highly recommend!!

Experience was awesome! Food was delicious, vibe was fun! Highly recommend!

The Lemon roll was absolutely ridiculously amazing. The service was top notch and friendly. We shall return. Ps - the crispy rice is a must as well.

My family and I didn’t have a reservation but the hostess was very accommodating even with a 20 minute wait. Our server, Rachel, was super kind and extremely helpful. Special shoutout to them!

Fantastic Service. An amazing venue for a birthday party.

Yummy and great ambience 10/10, would recommend :D

Jesus please visit this restaurant, Holyyy moly This was the BEST restaurant experience I’ve had in Charleston!! Top 3 in life ! Our Server Sam was absolutely amazing. He was so knowledgeable, and so charismatic.! The food was to die for the drinks were absolutely amazing!! The atmosphere is top-of-the-line I will 100% be back. This will now be date night GO to !!

The food was delicious and the atmosphere was fabulous. Sam, our waiter, and Sam, the manager, were attentive and friendly. Overall, a wonderful dining experience.

Girlfriend’s first time. Perfect service. Special thx to the kitchen for sending out a cpl fantastic dishes. Will be sending you fun ppl. And will be back. Thx. Colin.

Service was excellent, sushi quality was ok, not great but good experience overall

Great variety of dining options. And they advised me and prepared a special gluten-free menu. I enjoyed it very much.

We went in for some cocktails. They were very tasty. The atmosphere is cozy. The staff is very friendly. We didn't order food, but I think we'll definitely come back on our next vacation and try it.

Party of 10 and didn’t get service or told about the menu til probably 25 minutes in. After that it was evident the server was done working for the night and came across agitated. Food was not worth the time.

We love O-ku and half price sushi night. They did minimize the sushi offering on half price night, but happy to still have the Sugar-spice drink. We miss the firecracker roll on the main menu but lucky for us the chef still made it! 

Everything was delicious! Our server lara was amazing and recommended the salmon usuruzuik ot was phenomenal! The happy hour is a great deal too!

Loud atmosphere, service was slowly as the place was busy. The food was good, but over salty and overpriced for small portions . Drinks were very good and refreshing.

The food and service are both excellent! I highly recommend Oku!

It seems like a clean and friendly restaurant.

We came here excited to try the sushi and we ordered the $30 roll that others had mentioned on line. I was underwhelmed, it tasted bland and honestly do not understand why it was $30. We have eaten exceptionally good food while we have been in Charleston. This meal was average at best. On a positive note, our server was delightful and my cocktail was yummy.

Great experience all around. Server was excellent and so were the rest of the staff.

Best sushi in Charleston. Everything we ordered was delicious. Great cocktails.

Unfortunately the restaurant booked a bar crawl group during dinner hours and the restaurant was overwhelmed with a bus full of very loud very drunk people. It was too loud to even attempt a conversation at the table. The waitresses were even complaining that they had to yell to communicate. The food was very good but the overall vibe was terrible. We were hoping for a much better experience for our birthday celebration and we extremely disappointed. I would not go back or recommend the restaurant to others.

Oku is our “Go To” Charleston venue. Great staff, great food, and excellent service. Both “Toms” should be congratulated! Jim & Elizabeth

The fish was fresh, but the variety of sashimi seemed a bit limited and pricey. The rolls were tasty but modern in style with a good bit of saucing. (Not my style.) The service was attentive, and I appreciated the manager making the rounds to tables to check on things. The ambiance was energetic and was doing a good job attracting a crowd of young professionals. Overall, this is a solid choice if you are looking for a hip place to have sushi and drinks with friends, but it might not be the right spot it you are hungry and looking for a quiet evening of conversation.

Loved the restaurant. Just wish we knew it all came at once. You can eat and be done in 45 minutes and we were looking for a less rushed meal.

Wonderful food and service! So happy we came to this restaurant! Family had a wonderful time!

O-Ku was a classic yet modern and upscale Japanese cuisine experience with attentive service and great food. It is slightly pricey but if you're prepared for the bill it's one of Charleston's best restaurants!

Crunchy crab roll, bao buns, and chicken dumplings. All pretty delicious. Bao buns were the least favorite, but the other two were great. Would come back!

We were disappointed with O-Ku. We had a reservation and were seated by two tables of loud obnoxious colleges girls. The girls took a lot of the servers time, hence the mediocre score. For the value, the food quality and the overall environment, I doubt we will return. Disappointed.

The food was delicious and the service was great!!!!

Our food was quick to come out and our server and service were exceptional! The food was absolutely delicious! Will have dinner there again!

Incredible! Fantastic in every way. Super fresh sushi rolls, great apps, drinks, service and ambiance. Highly recommended!!

Excellent Excellent Excellent Great Saki Great Sushi

great dishes, interestingly prepared and plated. the braised short rib and chicken dishes were wonderful. service was attentive without being intrusive. we'll be back.

This place is great!!!! They honor their reservation! Service was very attentive and the food was AMAZING!!!!

This was a great experience. Really nice to stop and have drinks and appetizers before going to another restaurant for dinner, but you could definitely stay for a meal.

The hostess was welcoming and we loved the restaurant theme/decor. Very contemporary and comfortable. Alyssa was a friendly and helpful server. She had great recomndations for our visit and made sure we had everything we needed. She was professional and pleasant. The manager was approachable and made it over yo our table to help tidy up our plates. Food was amazing and we cannot wait to return! Excellent! You must go!

We were there at 5p and therefore the crowd wasn't there just yet. I ordered the braised short rib and it was excellent. My friend ordered the wagyu beef and we were a little disappointed with that. He nor I was expecting that he had to cook the beef at the table. Especially being that type of beef is so expensive. Either way it was a lessons learned.

Alyssa was our sever and she was very attentive and took good care of us. Sam the manager stopped by to see how everything was going and how we like our meals. We always have a good time and great meal at Ok-u.

We’ve come to O-Ku on a Sunday and it was super busy. We got a seat at the bar and ordered many things off the menu. The bao buns are yummy & the sushi rolls are really fresh and delicious.

We have been to Oku twice and each time had Sam as our server. The sushi is a tasty mix of fresh ingredients. The vibe is like a Vegas lounge. And Sam is the mood, cool, confident and captivating. He makes the experience with his excellent recommendations and service. Ask for Sam and you won’t be disappointed!

Really good, innovative Japanese in Charleston. On par with the best of the Bay Area.

One of the reasons we travel to Charleston is because of restaurants like O-Ku. The sushi is so fresh and delicious.

Great dinner Great vibe Great service Great food.

The best spring roll I have ever had

Alexis is the absolute best! She always takes care of us and her service and knowledge of the menu makes a world of a difference. My family has been coming to O-Ku for many years and we will continue to do so in the future! Amazing variety on their menu- 5 stars all around!

I love O-ku and brought my wife here to help her ease into good sushi. Unfortunately this time it left less than a stellar taste. Her wagyu nigiri was torched far beyond it should’ve been and her lobster nigiri was wildly chewy. It took about an hour for us to get our entrees and our initial appetizer was brought out incorrectly. My second drink never made it to the table. I’m hoping this was a fluke but for the money, I can’t afford to not have a good experience.

The Lobster Temaki blew my mind generally. Everything else was up to par, but that dish was special. Worth it.

Very good fresh food. Nicely presented by excellent staff.

Good food. But the music did not at all match the clearly Modern Japanese vibe they show. But music makes the atmosphere. Shame the foods good. The beach techno weird music.

Our dinner @ O-ku was a prearranged part of a first-time visit to Charleston. I choose not to pick into reviews or even a menu to keep the element of surprise to its max potential. I felt my efforts were worthy! I was pleasantly surprised from the moment we were invited to our table, throughout the dinner, to the goodbye. I experienced an outstanding hospitality and dining. Everything I tasted was skillfully done and presented in an appetizing way. The service was highly professional: welcoming, tentative, friendly.

Fantastic service, great variety, interesting cocktail menu

Server knew exactly what we would like and really delivered! Margaritas were great and the salmon and lemon roll was delicious. (server had a boot, forgot her name!)

For non sushi eaters, I found the dumplings way too crispy and with virtually no taste. They had no chew…tough, in fact …like bricks. Neither my partner nor I enjoyed them. The Karaage chicken was crispy on the outside, but also overcooked in my opinion, with what tasted like BBQ sauce on them. Totally forgettable. Much prefer a softer inside, mayo glazed karaage. Both these things were probably described accurately on the menu, but not to my liking. What once was my favorite chs restaurant, I would now hesitate to recommend to any non sushi eaters. My husband loved the sashimi as he did on prior visits. It is of the highest quality for sure, and I’d recommend to any sushi enthusiast.

We thoroughly enjoyed our dining experience at O-Ku. Ambiance was great, service amazing and all the food we had was wonderful. We will be back.

Great food & service! Will return!! Good managers!

Laura was fantastic! The host staff was all smiles, very accommodating and friendly! Food was delicious and my friends and I had a wonderful time! Laura turned me on to a new yummy tequila AND was very helpful with the menu. We are just happy and thankful. Thank YOU ALL!!

AMAZING food and service! We loved our waitress, Rachel! Such a great place for a group meal!

Amazing!!!! Loved everything. Another fantastic Charleston restaurant.

Excellent service - our waiter explained the menu and made recommendations (which we appreciated)! Fresh sushi rolls - we loved the lobster roll with black rice. Nice ambiance and clean. We will definitely be back!

I read through reviews to see what other folks felt about this place, and in general I agree. The sushi is great and food tasty. I'd recommend that some of the dishes include a side of white rice. The hot dishes like the beef short rib and the chicken karakage have a great sauce and are very flavorful. They would pair well some rice! Also, if you do order the rice, you get a small bowl with some rice haphazardly thrown in the bowl. It's weird the presentation of the rice is so poor, relative to the presentation of the other food there. So yes, a really good restaurant that could get even better by upping their rice game.

This is the first place we go when we arrive in town or even just passing by! 10 out of 10 through all of the service, food, and ambiance of this place! It gets noisy when it’s packed but that’s normal in any place!

Great experience ! Would recommend to everyone . Bartender Stacy made this amazing martini for me and my partner .

Amazing service, food & experience! Went for happy hour with a friend and it was great as always.

Some of the best sushi I have ever had. The place has a nice atmosphere and the server was spot on with his recommendations. Must the the Black Magic rolls!

Great service, server made great recommendations and they were on point. The Black Magic roll is a must!

The food was very good! The music is quite loud, making it difficult to converse at times. Would definitely go back !

High expectations for Oku but throughly disappointed in the food and the kitchen service (not the server). Took over an hour to receive all of our order. Too much sweet mayonnaise based sauce on everything ordered. We had the chefs specialty flight of custom Nigiri ($85) which was dry and chewy. Worst sushi experience ever. Publix sushi would be a better purchase.

Was not what I expected, as it was unlike any other Japanese restaurant I had ever been to. Most of the dishes were very different than I had seen before. They service our meal and didn't serve our companions meal until several minutes later, instead of all at once. We probably will not go back on our next visit.

Lara was so amazing to have as our person to work with! She suggested the most wonderful dishes to try and made us smile and laugh throughout our stay! All dishes were fresh, creative, beautiful in presentation, and so delicious! O-Ku in Charleston is our new favorite restaurant!

Always love my visits here! The staff is so friendly and the food is great every time.

Food was absolutely excellent. The place had music that seemed a little too loud. Even though my eyes are perfect, I had a bit of trouble seeing the menu because the lighting was a bit low. The service was the main reason I'm giving it three stars. Our waitress only came to the table about five or six times in total. We had glasses that needed refilling and sushi that needed ordering, but she kind of just avoided us it seemed. At the end of the day, I would recommend this place as it seems like my experience was probably a fluke, but it was my experience nonetheless.

Best sushi we have had since living on the west coast. Highly recommend.

An astonishingly good place to have dinner! The sushi, spring rolls, and dumplings are original, showing creativity and freshness. Our favorite was the spring rolls with fresh greens and a sauce we wanted to take home. The service was outstanding, with explanations and attention from our server that were sincere and very helpful. The owner came and talked to us about our experience of the food. All in all, a wonderful place in Charleston that diners shouldn't miss.

Food was outstanding had a variety of preparations and all were excellent.

Excellent dinner. My wife and I had a fantastic time. The food was excellent in the service outstanding. We will be back

As my wife and I wandered the streets of Charleston looking for a place for dinner we saw a small line forming outside the restaurant. We took this as a sign to give them a chance. Lemme say, well worth it. 10/10 experience with our super attentive server Lily. We had A-5 Wagyu tobanyaki, sushi, dumplings, fried rice and mochi.

Sam was a pleasure to have serving us. He had great recommendations and was very personable. Cannot wait to come back!

This experience was the best we ever had. The food was outstanding and the service was top tier. Worth it!

Great experience. We ate at the Charlotte location earlier this year and the Charleston location did not disappoint a second time. Some of the best sushi we’ve had anywhere.

O-Ku really was such an experience. It was my friend’s birthday and they really went above and beyond. There was a lot of detail put into her special day. The food and drinks were amazing and the ambiance is great.

O-Ku really was such an experience. It was my friends birthday and they really went above and beyond. There was a lot of detail put into her special day. The food and drinks were amazing and the ambiance is great.