Sushi Rock

OUTSTANDING from the beginning to end. My 8 year old son literally said that everything was the best he has ever had! For cocktails, you must try the infused vodka drinks. Delicious Mixology Experience! The Strawberry Salad and the Rock Salad were flavorful and a great start to the meal. Miso soup was also a favorite. Onto the entrée options, we enjoyed the Tropical Treat bite by bite; the best sushi we have had. The Ahi Sashimi melted in my mouth. The sliders were great for the folks in the family that do not eat fish. Now onto dessert: You must try the Mochi Cake and the Purple Sweet Potato Cheesecake (trust me it doesn’t taste like sweet potatoes). The staff was extremely attentive and so warm and welcoming. Overall, it’s a must go to. We LOVED it!
PS. They played great tunes.

Wonderful food and service! Visited with the owner for awhile and he was a very sweet man. The poke stack was delicious and the sweet potato cheese cake was amazing!

I’m never coming back to the Big Island without stopping by this place! We stumbled on this restaurant after enjoying the beautiful pololu hike. The owner and wait staff are incredibly passionate about their food and it definitely shows! The hospitality was also phenomenal. This place is a must see if stopping by the big island!

Despite all the good reviews, I hadn’t intended to try this place until it was recommended by a local while we were visiting Hawi. Being from Seattle, and having lived for a time in NYC, I consider myself pretty spoiled when it comes to sushi. I was not prepared to be as blown away as I was.
First, we made it easy on ourselves and ordered the omakase, along with three delicious cocktails — the mai tai, the Big Island Iced Tea, and the King Kam. All three were good, but the mai tai was the clear winner — not too sweet, and spirit-​forward, just the way I like it.
The initial apps (the seven spice ahi, the ceviche, and the tenderloin with pesto) were delicious, but the sushi was a revelation. The pairings of traditional sushi components — tuna, sushi rice, cucumber — with local ingredients like papaya, ono, and grass-​fed beef was inspired, inventive, and downright delicious. With every roll, we kept saying «Now THIS is the best sushi I’ve ever had.»
When we were already thoroughly impressed and satiated, then they brought dessert. The Valrhona chocolate flourless cake was impeccable, everything a flourless chocolate cake should be, and the key lime pound cake was bright and flavorful, but the true marvel was the sweet potato cheesecake. If I’d been ordering for myself, I likely wouldn’t have chosen it, but thank heaven for divine/​chef intervention — this cheesecake was magic. I don’t know how they achieve that balance between rich creaminess and delicate toasted crumb, but it was far and away, one of the best desserts I’ve ever had.
Yes, the ambience is rustic and the service is casual, but the food alone makes this a 5 star restaurant. The only comment I have is that it was almost criminally underpriced, we had to leave a large tip just so we could sleep at night.
My advice — arrive hungry, and give in to the omakase, you won’t regret it.

Come here! It’s in Hawi (not wildly touristy) but you find yourself getting tired of the Kona scene come here. They have a very extensive menu (you can find everything from sushi to sandwiches to pastas to entrees here). Get the sushi. They are quite innovative with it. My boyfriend for the Bombay roll — which is a Indian take (think ahi meets beef then travels to india and bathes in curry sauce). It was a great place that we stumbled upon in the town of Hawi. I ordered the veggie poke to go (I would recommend against getting it — if you are vegetarian and are feeling left out because all your friends are eating ahi poke and want to try it for he sake of trying it — then go ahead but be ready to be disappointed and to get stir fry veggies in soy sauce). This place is great for people with dietary restrictions. I’m vegan and gluten free and I can vouch for the fact they have tons of options on the menu.

I guess there’s a reason that this place asked if we had reservations. Unique, fresh, and great service!
Cousin and I dropped in on the way back to Kona from Pololu Valley. Everything else in Hawi seemed to be closed by then (about 6pm), but we Unilocaled and found that not only was Sushi Rock still open it had glowing reviews from 300+ people. We parked just 2 streets up on Hwy 270 and walked right in.
For food, we got the Waimea (? if I remember correctly) platter to share. It was about 28 pieces of sushi to share, and much more than enough. I could not get enough of the mac nut/​papaya roll! It gave a sweeter taste to an already sweet fish and enhanced the overall buttery feel. Cousin got a limeade to drink and I got the house pineapple soda. Both were light and refreshing without being too sweet (who knew I could say that about soda?).
Service was so attentive. We apparently had the owner and one waiter checking in on us quite regularly. Both were very knowledgeable about their specials and educated us well. Our only regret is not fitting in some of the cool desserts, but I guess we have to save that for another time! We sat next to a table of regulars for whom the food was already prepared by the time they got in. Talk about attentiveness.
They have a sweet kitty roaming around the premises too. Will be back~

The freshest sushi I’ve ever had! As a New Yorker, it’s refreshing to go somewhere with such generous portions of sushi, too. Staff is very friendly and personable (so is the owner!). You must stop here while on the big island!

Wow ! Just super delicious! We got there just before closing, so didn’t have much time to think.
The waiter was really helpful to recommend us their specials. Best sushi place on the Big island!
Great service!

The setting is amazing and the food is just as amazing. Unbelievably fresh fish. The sushi rolls were delicious. My wife had the Bombay Sunset, which is a beef roll. She said it was amazing. Check out this wonderful place.

Super friendly staff with lots of helpful tips on what to order and what to do around the area. Came here on a rec and did not disappoint!

Guys I really don’t know what write about this place… it is just pure amazing. everything melts in your mouth!
Do yourself a favor and try this place out. We came here two years ago and it still has the same amazing or even better food:) my best description is like fireworks in your mouth:) the service is terrific and everything is perfect!!!
Every year we pick a different Hawaiian island for spring vacation and I think this place will make us pick Big Island again next time:)

We went to Sushi Rock last night for the first time. We’ve been coming to the Big Island of Hawai’i for over 20 years, but somehow we missed this one — never again.
The food, service and general fun of Sushi Rock was stellar from start to finish. Make no mistake, it’s not fancy — your faded shorts and broken-​in flip flops are most welcome, but your stomach will feel like it’s in gastronomic paradise.
Our family of four was greeted warmly upon arrival by the owner Peter and his staff. After looking at the menu, Peter gave us some excellent advice: if you like the individual ingredients in a sushi roll — don’t overthink how it will taste raw, just order it. We did, and we weren’t sorry! In fact, several rolls have cooked or seared fish or meat, so there’s something for everyone. And for picky eaters like our son, there are three types of sliders, served on housemade pretzel rolls — he practically licked the plate.
A few of our highlights:
Rock salad with cilantro miso dressing
Sushi rolls:
Hokey Pokey
Bombay sunset
Special Ono roll
Indo w/​peanut sauce
Kohala
And for dessert, Purple Sweet Potato cheesecake — perfect for the mature palate that wants something sweet, but not overly sugary!
Do yourself a favor and take the drive to Hawi from your hotel on the Kohala coast — the trip is beautiful along the coastline and the meal will be memorable!

Top notch service from Curtis! Best sushi in Hawi. Have a seat on the lanai and enjoy one of their many delicious cocktails. They make a variety of infused vodkas and mix them up with some awesome ingredients. The «Ginger Not Maryann» is amazing. So refreshing! On the food front, you can’t go wrong either. We started with the Fish cake appetizer made with mahi mahi over fresh slaw. The fish was so fresh it must have been caught the same day. The shrimp stack is a must… served over a bed of fresh seaweed salad. Best seaweed salad I’ve ever had. Even the miso soup was to die for. For rolls, we tried the Captain crunch, Pipeline topped with sirloin (will blow your mind) and the ming dynasty with Ono, my favorite — melted in our mouths. For dessert we tried the famous purple sweet potato cheese cake (with macadamia nut crust and coconut manor drizzle) was the perfect way to end the meal. Bottom line… stop in and try for yourself !!!

Nothing special
it is just Average sushi at best.
I guess if you’re talking The island of Hawaii, pretty good but if you’re talking sushi as a world traveler it is just average

Stop here. We had two ahi rock pockets, try these. A bit messy, but worth the challenge. We then moved on to the chef’s choice for rolls and nigiri. All the fish was amazing. Definitely not what we are used to in the Midwest. The pizanno roll was not traditional but very good. The addition of caramelized onions took this dish to the next level.
All in all, a great find.

I only wish I could have gotten back but we went on our last day! :(
The Hippy Dippy No Fishy Poke roll was the best sushi I have ever eaten. It’s vegetarian, yes, but so good! I only wish I had more room for dessert — it looked decadent!

The epitome of awesomeness on every… single…level. If Unilocal offered 6 stars I’d still wish for 7. This place is the BOMB of all sushi places I’ve ever been to, including Sushi Samba in Las Vegas. The ceviche (Italian style) with a thin slice of citrus is reeeeeeeeeeeeedic. The cocktails are blown away… the Chili Lili is a memory maker… as is the Purple Passion special roll for dinner and the purple sweet potato cheesecake with a maple drizzle that puts Juniors in Brooklyn to shame. Service was fast, friendly, and familiar, with the owner Peter hailing from NYC. Love it. Loved all of it. Can NOT wait to be back. This place alone is a destination. No joke. No exaggeration.

By far the best sushi on the Big Island. The staff is friendly, the restaurant ambiance is totally chill and aloha.
It is true: order the specials (always fresh and eclectic in taste). Also, be sure to get something (a roll) with seared sirloin.
Last but not least, do not skip out on dessert. The purple sweet potato (ube) cheesecake is decadent and perfect with a French press coffee (or green tea).
Will I be back? Yesssssssss.
Bonus points: the mosquitos started to bite (we chose outdoor seating), and the staff (Curtis!) offered deet free bug spray! (And it worked… no more bites).

Best sushi on the island! I stumbled upon this place after a hike in Pololu Valley. It might be my favorite food discovery on the island yet! I decided to give it a try after reading a few people’s reviews about having the best sushi of their lives here. And Sushi Rock sure didn’t disappoint!
I started with the Banzai ($ 7). Let me tell you how good this is. It was so good I ended up ordering another. And I still wanted thirds after that. The braised shiitake mushroom in this makes this hand roll INCREDIBLE. It’s deliciously sweet and perfectly complements the fresh ahi and unagi. Best hand roll of my life!
The special rolls are pricier but definitely worth the price. The Purple Passion ($ 20) was absolutely fantastic. I got it with the tenderloin on top and it was jaw dropping amazing! It was perfectly seared and so juicy. Paired perfectly with the purple sweet potato and tiny piece of apple!
I ordered the Makai ($ 14) from the Inside Out rolls and it was great too. I had mine rolled in Mac nuts and it was pretty good. I liked the Purple Passion more, but that set the bar really high so it’s an unfair comparison.
Even though I was feeling pretty stuffed I still had to try their Purple Sweet Potato Cheesecake ($ 9) for dessert. It is AMAZING! Fantastic flavors all around. Love the coconut maple drizzle on top. It didn’t taste too heavy like most cheesecakes. The chef said he uses half the amount of cream cheese in this recipe so I’d like to say this is a healthy dessert: P bonus!
Overall I’d say this is one of the best restaurants on the island. Coming from San Francisco where they’re supposed to have the best, pretentious sushi places, I’d say Sushi Rock blows SF sushi out of the water! Love the unique and fresh ingredient pairings. Don’t leave Hawaii without trying this place!

Stopped by while driving to the north end of the big island, what a great find!
We had Poke Stack which was really good. All fresh ingredients and made to order.
Also had the Chef’s salad with Tri Tip which was also very good, I wish the meat had been sliced thinner, but that’s just me, seems like most people like it the way it was served.
You can’t beat the freshness, one of the farmers brought veggies straight from their garden while we were eating!
They have a pretty extensive menu so I am anxious to stop by here on our next trip. That cheesecake looked really tasty.