Kotobuki

I have only been here once for lunch. This review is based on that experience and will obviously need to be updated once I return for dinner (which I plan on following a very satisfying lunch experience.) I was told to get here early… When they open… They fill up fast… They do!
We got here shortly after they opened and it was already packed, luckily, there was a table for four seemingly waiting for us. The service was quick and the waiter came over, poured water, and took our drink and food order. They move quick here. Clearly, that want you in to enjoy, and get out quickly to make room for the people waiting.
They have an amazing menu selection here but having a time restriction I simply went with the
Miso Soup and CRAZY yellowtail, served with tobiko, avocado roll topped w/​diced fish, tempura flakes, scallions & spicy mayo concoction.
The Miso soup was absolutely the best I have had, savory and flavorful (don’t they both mean the same thing?) There were nice pieces of tofu inside, unlike the few mortals you usually get in the soup elsewhere. The yellow tail was exquisite… Just so fresh. I loved the topping with a little bit of crunch and heat from the mayo «concoction.» Loved the warm towel…
While we we there, the next table ordered the Sushi for two… (There were two at the table.) To me, it looked like sushi for 4. There is no question that I will put that item on my «you must order list.» The menu was clearly the biggest menu I have ever seen at a sushi restaurant and I am looking forward to returning and starting right from the top. Thank you to my fellow Unilocalers on avoiding the crazy lines here, but it seems unavoidable.

Thursday lunch and the place is full. There is a good reason for it. The fish is fresh and prepared with pride. I got there at noon and the restaurant rapidly filled after that. However that didn’t stop them from giving us excellent service. The lunch menu was a bargain. $ 15.00 for Sashimi which came with soup and a salad. My friend asked for his Chirashi to be cut extra thin and it was served exactly as ordered. I heard that there is a line out the door at night on the weekends. Probably worth the wait but I’ll stick to the lunch hour here.

Good sushi and sashimi. Their sushi sashimi combo for two comes with fried oysters, salad, miso soup, rolls, sushi, and sashimi. It is a great value! Their sushi rice is a bit on the sweeter side but everything still tasted fresh.

Good Lunch Special. Service was timely even with a packed house for lunch. Maybe a bit higher price than I’d expect from similar places but great fora sit down sushi dinner!

This is a great sushi restaurant. It was very clean and modern. The wait staff was excellent; quick to refill drinks and on the spot to take the order and check if anything else was needed.
I had a few «amateur» rolls as they called them (spicy tuna, shrimp and salmon) along with a side of tuna sashimi. Everything was very fresh and tasted great. I will be coming back here when in the area again and would recommend it to anyone.

Looking to meet up with my best friend in Smithtown area for Sunday night dinner and found this gem on Unilocal.From outside, the restaurant looks very simple and casual, especially the fact that it just says «Sushi» on top. When we walked in, the interior is beautiful, modern and give you a clean feeling.
We both ordered appetizer from The Super Special List and was so satisfied. I liked the pepper tuna roll with lobster salad the best! The Spicy Tuna Sandwich was good but I don’t usually dig the mayo on sushi thing. The waiter also kindly recommended a well balanced sake for us (nothing too dry or too sweet), we went with junmai ginjo. For dinner, I got two rolls: Jumping Shrimp which had nice whole pieces of panko-​fried shrimp, and the Shogun that had 3 types of fresh fish in it wrapped in cucumber.
Overall we really enjoyed the food, the atmosphere and the welcoming staff, would for sure come by again!

Let’s get one thing straight… food is very good… so why the two stars? They are pushy. You sit down with friends and they want you to order within 5 minutes. Ok so you order… now while you are eating the waitress keeps coming to you and says «are you ready for the check». So you say no. and Continue to eat only to be harassed 5 – 10 min later when by being asked «are you ready for the check». Few times a night and you get annoyed. This isn’t the first time. It happened during lunch time too. Now I understand they take time off to nap in the afternoon but why would you want to rush when the customer is spending a lot of money (sushi isn’t cheap). The seating is similar to Manhattan style (elbow to elbow). I have not gone back in few months. …and probably won’t go back. Shame because it’s a nice restaurant.

Let me start by saying I have been all over LI for sushi and this is definitely the best I’ve had. Every time we go we get the sushi and sashimi combo for 3 because it’s just too good and we don’t want to miss it. It comes with soup, salad, fried oysters, and then the flying saucer dish the size of a spaceship filled with sushi, sashimi, rolls, Naruto, and salmon carpaccio. It is A LOT of food! Can easily feed 4, maybe 5.
The fried oysters literally melt in your mouth. The sushi is always fresh and you can taste the quality as opposed to other places. I never really care about presentation but this place does it right because it tastes just as good as it looks.
Best bet is to go about 15min before it opens (because there will be a line) and be apart of the first seating to avoid a wait.
One caveat is that the service is hit or miss. Never a change with the quality or taste of the food but sometimes it can take a while. However, it hasn’t stopped me from going time and time again.
Once you try kotobuki you will be disappointed with any other sushi you eat. This place is the best!

The place is small, cramped and loud. But there is a reason on the weekend lines form out the door here by 4:45. The sushi is delicious and fresh. They don’t get anything wrong in that department hence the crowds. Sushi for two is enough for three people and their sushi pizza appetizer and other rolls are highlights. It is worth the effort to get a table here!

Good food here, but I’m giving a low rating because of the service. Came here on a weekday for dinner with 3 other people. We were able to sit down right away. Ordered the sushi & sashimi special for 3, and it was still even a lot of food for just 4 people !! We had a lot leftover. We were debating whether we should get other food as well, but good thing we didn’t order anymore because that was enough. So we ended up just ordering that.
10 minutes later we get our soup, then another 10 minutes after we get the salad… don’t know why it was so slow…
Anyway, 30 minutes goes by after we ordered, we were pretty hungry and wondering why the food hasn’t come out yet.
The servers rarely came by in the area that we were sitting at. We tried to catch the attention of 2 servers who definitely saw us but they just ignored us. Then my brother went to the front desk to ask why the food hasn’t come out yet, and the person there said it’s not her problem… Our server rarely came over to us. when she finally came by, we asked her why it’s taking so long to get our food and that we’ve been waiting almost an hour and she kind of talks back to us saying «No that was not 1 hour…» and had like an attitude. And I heard her talking with the other servers about us. I could hear everything
We weren’t going to leave a tip at all… but then when the sushi FINALLY came and ate it, I would say it was pretty tasty and the fish was fresh.
Overall, the food was great, it’s just poor service…

Consistently the freshest sashimi I’ve experienced… Anywhere. Seriously. I have been eating sushi since I was a kid and I’m truly spoiled to say that Kotobuki was one of the first places I tried– likely the reason for my obsession.
If you’re new to sushi or experienced in sushi but aren’t completely certain what «good» sushi is go to Kotobuki. Kotobuki should be your standard of what sushi should taste like. Fresh, flavorful and elegant.
Best way to start is with a tuna avocado salad. A simple salad with tuna, avocado, cucumber and spicy mayo, yet one of the best things I have ever eaten. Yes.
If it’s your first time get the sashimi or sushi/​sashimi dinner. These plates are a selection of the freshest fish they have that night. If you’re lucky you’ll get some of the cooked salmon with wasabi sauce. Too good. This will give you a good idea of the Kotobuki brand.
If they have the fried oysters with lemon butter, you’d be foolish not to get an order… Or two.

I and probably half of the sushi and sashimi diners in Manhattan were completely devastate by the closure of Kotobuki’s East Village location. The Long Island location is very close to the Stonybrook University campus.
The restaurant is located in a strip mall. Don’t expect a fancy sign with the restaurant’s name on it. Just look for the giant SUSHI sign. (I thought the address was wrong at first, or that the restaurant had changed hands).
Arrived at 7:30pm and all of the tables were already taken, except for the one in the middle of the room. Bf and I almost had dinner with strangers as each of the small tables were only separated by 3inches.
Simply ordered the sushi and sashimi for 2. Not sure if the patrons on Long Island usually order that combo because our server seemed very pleased for us (not in the 16% tip way).
Appetizers:
Miso soup — I generally don’t care for it as most of the time it tastes like MSG soup with tofu. But I do like the miso soup from Kotobuki. It’s tasted very savory with a bit of pepper and tofu.
Fried oysters — very good. Everyone should order this. The oysters were still moist, even though they were fried. The butter sauce that the oysters sat in really completed the flavor.
Salad — just okay. Lettuce and cucumber with the house ginger dressing. It’s a hit or miss depending on who prepared it because my salad was very wet. As in there was leftover tap water in the bottom of my bowl.
Now to the best part of the meal: the sushi and sashimi!
I loved their presentation. Everything was placed in a large round shaped box. All pieces of sashimi in their rightful place. Don’t order extra bowls of rice as there is more them enough to food for everyone.
The sashimi was so good and fresh. It melted in my mouth! I love the salmon especially. I was surprised that there was white tuna and sweet shrimp because it wasn’t included in the east village location. Sweet shrimp was delicious, everyone should try this. And yes, the fried shrimp head is ediable. The seared salmon was delicious; it was presented in a tiny bowl, with mayo and pepper seasoning. The roll were yummy, especial the UFO roll with cucumber instead of rice on the outside of the roll. But then again, I would eat anything with avocado.
Eating here had me thinking, why do I do this to myself. The food was so good, and I was super full afterwards. Why pay for a mediocre sushi buffet when you can go to Kotobuki for quality sushi and sashimi at almost the same price!
FYI sushi and sashimi for 3 can feed 4 – 5 people.

Found another Kotobuki location! It’s unfortunate that the East Village restaurant closed down. This location is a bit far from the city and if it were not for work, I probably would not make it all the way out here (1.5 hours on the L.I.E is not something I’d prefer to go through). Besides the distance, the food quality is still on par!
We ordered a few appetizers, but the shining star were the sushi and sashimi specials for 2 and 3 to share among 7 people — turns out that’s more than enough food for everyone. If you know a sushi and sashimi lover who can eat a lot, definitely bring him/​her along! The fish was very fresh and the sushi rice was at a perfect body temperature. The melt-​in-​your-​mouth tuna was just delicious!
Only down side is the cold hand towel and the time it took for our tea and food to get to us. Hand towels given at restaurants are usually nice and warm. What we got was a cold, damp towel. It also took just a little too long for our appetizers and platters to come out.
Will definitely come back whenever I’m around the area!

Lets start off with I eat sushi a few times a month and have tried all the sushi spots in the area and this one is far better than the rest. I love the crazy tuna roll and gold coast. The fish is always fresh and service is great. I normally take out but have eaten in a few times. Be sure to get in early as it fills up fast. Just a reminder if you call for take out the call waiting hangs up after 2 min just call back trust me its worth it. I once called 12 times.

A stable in my monthly trip back home to Long Island as month as bagels and pizzas are to NYC. I always split the sushi + sashimi combo with my mother and we house it to perfection. I keep coming back for the rich sashimi slices. Their makis are good but the quality of their fish really stands out with an almost buttery finish on texture.
I come back so often now, opening the menu is just a hassle at this point.

When kotobuki in the city closed I was devasted. But thankfully they have multiple locations and this one is perfectly located halfway between the hamptons and the city, aka perfect pit stop on the way home!
The food is great. Obviously. We sat at the sushi bar bc even though it was a Sunday night the place was packed. Chatted with the sushi chefs who are super friendly.
Food:
— bf and I each ordered a small Sapporo. Let me tell you, it was not small. We prob could have shared one
— spicy tuna pizza!!!: the reason I came here. Even though location is diff the spicy tuna pizza is still on fleek. Crispy, spicy and sweet all at once with fresh tuna and Kani salad. This is a must get when at kotobuki
— crazy tuna roll: it’s a tuna roll topped with TONS of crunchy spicy tuna. And by tons I mean enough that if I had a side of rice it could have been a second roll
— spicy scallop: really great but it had crunch which I didn’t love. The version on the city had seaweed on the outside which I prefer
— spicy girl: pretty much the salmon version of crazy tuna except there is also some yellowtail in it. Also a Delish roll. The salmon was awesome
— beach monster: my fav for the night. It was creamy and smokey with a bit of crunch. Aka perfect

My boyfriend had told me about how good this place was and he was right. We went couple of nights ago and as soon as you walk in, you can already tell the place is so organized and clean. as we sat down, waitress came to greet us quickly, you have a big variety of food on the menu, I recommend you order the Tuna Sandwich! Amazing! the sushi is so fresh, atmosphere is great. I definitely recommend this restaurant!

How to spot Kotobuki from the outside? Don’t look for the Kotobuki sign look for the shady «Sushi» sign that has a weird entrance that makes you believe you’re going into a doctor’s office which takes you to the actual restaurant. Run on sentence much?
I came here around 6:30 pm on a Tuesday night, not that packed and of course the waiter puts my friends and I next to the only other people in the restaurant. They bring out some cold noodle; weak noodles and weak flavor. The waiter brought out the «Harry Potter» like menu. Jesus, they had 99 problems and the content of the menu was most of them.
We ordered the Shrimp Tempura with Vegetables app which was basically a 8 piece veg tempura dish with 2 pieces of shrimp. I personally had the Spider Roll and The Mardi Gras. The Mardi Gras was great, the Spider not so much.
I think Tomo on Main Street is better than this place.

OH… Good ol Kotobuki with the near cult following, singing of the BEST sushi on long Island… Is it just that Kotobuki and I are just not meant to be? Perhaps.
I went into this place today after the long salon visit and shopping I had to do for a nice quick quiet lunch. I had come earlier but and checked in around 1245 but it was so packed I decided to come back in a bit and go shop a little more. Guy at the desk looked annoyed– no biggie I really will come back… when there is a seat for me.
I return at 140 on the dot and take note that lunch ends at 230. Plenty of time. More tables now the crowd is ²⁄₃ gone.
I get seated (I am alone). I take a look at the menu, decide on Shrimp go-​go appetizer (which is a finely filleted shrimp wrapped around asparagus, deep fried and served on lemon butter sauce 12.95) and the Chilean Sea Bass with Miso glaze, same price. I wait to give my order… and wait
I sit there… I watch waitresses walk past me. Nobody comes or even looks my way. I am about to leave because 15 passed and then a lady comes asks what I want to drink I say lemon water and she brings water with no lemon and green tea. It was the tea that made me stay. I really wanted it.
I finally order.
My Shrimp go-​go is placed in front of me. It was good, a bit under salted but I liked it. A few minutes later the Chilean sea bass comes out. There was something about how she put it down and pointed at the fish and said «is grilled sea bass» made me look harder and notice off the bat that, this is more than grilled it VERY CHARRED. I mean overdose. I am so hoping it hasnt ruined the fish… nah no way… this is the infamous KOTOBUKI RIGHT?
Yeah. It was like a big charred rubber puck and I was praying it wasn’t old on top of it because it tasted So OFF. The sickly sweet miso glaze burned onto it didn’t help. How can any self respecting chef treat a luscious piece of elusive chilean sea bass this badly? I figured they hate me. Look… This fish is delicate. It needs about 3 minutes of grill each side, and a squirt of lemon and its magnificent. This was so overcooked I dont know what they did.
I called the waitress back and said: «Pardon me, I need to tell you… the gogo shrimp was excellent but this fish is just not edible it hard and burned.»
Her reply? «I will take it off your check but there is nothing wrong with that fish okay?»
(UHHH…yes lady, there is. Bigtime. I tried to eat it and it was crap.)
…wait WHATT???
I was beyond aggravated. Poor poor service. (I did see some wonderful servers but not the one I got)
What is the hype about this place? They manipulate raw fish best? They cant properly COOK food though.
They are slow, inattentive and rude. There was no way for me to twist this into anything else. I really believed I was going to have a nice relaxing lunch and was made to feel like a burden from the moment I sat down.
Good manners go a long way, and I hear this place closed their Manhattan location recently. I wonder why… could it be this attitude isnt going over well in the best city on earth? Maybe. Hauppauge’s business crowd can keep Kotobuki, I will never come back again. I am not buying into the hype.

A pleasing quality of rolls that is hidden away in Eastern LI. We had a reservation for a large group and was seated in their larger table in the back. The whole restaurant is small and it is nestled in an unassuming strip mall in Hauppauge. The décor is clean, modern and restrained. The service was good.
We had ordered platters of their sushi-​for-​4 and 2. As a part of that order (I think?) we got some interesting cooked clam appetizer. It was refreshing but I don’t think I would order it separately. The rolls and the sushi were delicious. They did not skimp on the fillings. I was skeptical about being full as we had split the whole thing among like 8 people but we were all pretty full by the end of the meal.
They hit all the mark I expect from a regular sushi place. The platter catered to both the more refined taste and the tempura-​fry-​everything crowd. The only weird thing they had was this Chipotle mayo tuna and avocado thing. I love avocado but the mayo was overpowering. We had fried ice cream for dessert which was also interesting. I haven’t had much fried ice cream, but this was the first time I saw the ice cream wrapped in pastry before being fried.
I have gone to the Kotobuki in the city before and I can attest that after comparison, this one is better in quality.