Koiso Sushi Bar

Walked in at 5pm and they said they were sold out for the night and we cannot wait. Hostess, bad attitude and won’t go back!

Small little sushi spot with the best sushi we’ve found outside of Japan/​Tsukiji fish market! We made reservations a few weeks before our trip and I would highly recommend it. We saw several parties turned away on a Wednesday evening around 7:30.
We went with the omakase for each of us and had a piece of eel, flounder, yellow tail, big eye toro, salmon, uni, scallop, tuna, another type of toro that I don’t remember, fatty toro, shrimp, another mystery piece that the waitress said something I forgot, and of course tamago –_​-​. All yummy!
It seems like a completely family run operation. 2 waitresses and the sushi chef. I liked how it seemed like you were eating in their home kitchen. Mainly because of the refrigerator in the corner!
We definitely contemplated going back a second time during our trip. If you love sushi, this is a must-​try, when you’re in maui!

We went here for dinner and found out they are booked through March. If you are planning to come, call before you go.

Wow! Best sushi on maui! Sushi is my weakness… and this place is the real deal. I had another favorite place on Maui and this place just beat it! The fish was so fresh and uni was so sweet and the scallop roll oh my lawwwwd it was so yum wrapped with a shisho leaf around it… plus I had my honey to share it with! You gotta try this place for all you sushi lovers!

This place has got to be the best sushi bar on Maui. Reservations are needed well in advance. It’s so good that I’m thinking of making a bunch of reservations for the whole year already. I suggest ordering the Omakase and if you’re still hungry, order whichever your favorites were! Or try other things as well.

My hubbies favorite restaurant! We go every year for his bday dinner. Last night was great as always. I get the omakase, chefs choice. The fish is so fresh and light. Beautiful presentation. And always fun to watch the sushi chef in action. Best sushi on Maui!

Originally went to café olei but there was an hour+ wait at 8. We were walking and saw this place and I remembered I saw it on Unilocal and was going to call to make a reservation before. But I decided to take a chance and see if they had any open spots and I was starving.
Found the place tucked away in the corner and it was my lucky day — they had seats!!!
Ordered the omakase $ 45
Best $ 45 you’ll spend on sushi. Everything was very very fresh and delicious. Everything just melts in your mouth– in a good way. I normally don’t like uni or eel but it was actually very good! The owner is very very nice and sweet!

By far the best sushi of my life. And I’ve eaten a lot of sushi and good sushi. This is just so different and flavor filled. Some fish from Japan! Hiro the sushi chef is so kind and a true genius at his art. Must order the sea water eel. Fatty toro is $ 15 but unreal it’s so good. Waitresses were so kind and Hiro made me a special cucumber seaweed salad with crab it was so good. Be sure to call MONTHS in advance because this place is reservation only and books so fast. We arrived our second night on the island waited an hour only to learn its RESERVATION ONLY. CALL an hour before opening.
*** to the people complaining they don’t do take out, you’ve got to be kidding me. And also, this isn’t a place where you order California rolls and «rolls» with cream cheese. This is not Americanized sushi. Look elsewhere if you’re looking for grocery store sushi. ***

Best SUSHI place ever!!! I love love love UNI Its a must! Everything is FRESH! People are very friendly there. Specially the Hiro, he makes the best sushi in MAUI! AWESOME FOOD!!!

So I walk into this place, and I get asked if I can be helped, I say yes I would like to order some take out, the reply is we don’t do take out, I say cool then I’ll eat in !!
To which she replied we are fully reserved
There is no one in the restaurant
I WOULD NOT RECOMMEND THIS PLACE JUST BECAUSE OF THE ATTITUDE, sure they might have good fish but who wants to eat in a place where they have excuses for serving. Someone
So I say No to SUSHI BAR KOISO

Let me start with saying most of the restaurants I’ve tried in Maui based on Unilocal reviews have been mediocre. This one was no exception. I’m not sure if it’s because the reviewers are from areas that don’t have as good of food as where I’m from… but the reviews are so not on point with what is being served.
With the price and quality of the food that I received here, it was definitely not worth it and I won’t be making a return trip here anytime soon. Thank goodness there was no wait when I got here. The waitress and the lone sushi chef were very friendly and kind, but for the first time in my life, I was served salmon sashimi that was frosty and icy in some bits and it didn’t matter how nice they were anymore. We had put in an order for the salmon sashimi, tuna sashima, spicy tuna hand roll, unagi (kabayaki), and hamachi sushi roll. I started regretting that choice immediately after tasting the frosty salmon as I had a feeling that the rest of the dishes were going to be mediocre as well. Salmon is such a staple and if you can’t get that right, it’s hard to have faith in any of the other plates.
Boy was I right. The spicy tuna hand roll had wayyy too much wasabi in there, the hamachi in the hamachi sushi roll did not taste fresh, the tuna sashimi was really thin cut so I felt really jipped for paying $ 20+ for it. The only thing that tasted good was the unagi that was recommended but even then, it wasn’t worth $ 18 bucks. There was minimal preparation that went into it. My girlfriend saw the chef take it out of some commercial packaging, wrap it in foil, throw it in a toaster oven, take it out and drizzle teriyaki sauce on it, and threw it on a plate for us.
I’ve had way better sushi /​sashimi for the same price that I’ve paid tonight elsewhere. Won’t be coming back for sure the next time I’m in Maui.

Its awesome how nondescript Koiso is. Its a very well hidden gem.
The humble façade hides perfectly the *impeccable* product, and service the customer gets inside.
KSB — is the definition of «undersell over deliver» adage.
When I walked by the tiny strip mall sushi joint I couldnt help it but think «sushi? here? how good could it be?».
But then inspired by what I saw during a couple of spearfishing excursions, I started looking for fresh uni. Koiso came up and thus I learned of their reputation, made reservations post haste, and a few days later — proceeded to have one of the best food experiences during our time in Kihei.
Unfortunately I’ve had better uni. On the day of our visit the uni tasted like its been shipped, or stored for sometime — still good, but didnt have that sweet flavor you get from «live uni».
Everything else though — was totally next level.
Highly recommend a seat at the bar and, the omakase.

We stayed in the condos behind this shopping center, and became curious about it after doing some rentals from Boss Frog’s. I read a lot of reviews, and came to the conclusion that this is a worthwhile destination, despite the potential wait. Many complained about the difficulty of getting a reservation, but I have no issue with this. Being what it is, limiting the number of people in the restaurant at any given time is entirely appropriate. We asked about reservations on a Monday and were able to get in that Saturday.
We ordered the Omakase, since this seems like the thing to do. The chef did not disappoint. Our selection included blue fin toro, hamachi, salmon, sweet shrimp, scallop, and uni, among others. We also ordered the horse mackerel, abalone, and yet another order of the blue fin toro. To start with, the blue fin toro was… well, a food-​gasm. I believe my eyes rolled back in my head, and I may or may not have declared I would never eat again. Many of the other Omakase items were truly remarkable; the salmon was a star, as well as the hamachi. The horse mackerel was the best I’ve had, and it’s one of my favorites, so I order it most places. I was reminded, however, that abalone is priced as it is due to perceived scarcity, not due to its innate quality. The uni also was not the best I’ve had.
We loved the atmosphere. It was basic, traditional, and intimate. Sitting at the bar was the kind of environment that made you feel bad about looking at your phone, which is hardly tempting because you’ll be enthralled watching the chef work. The chef is reserved, but seems very good natured. The service was personal and attentive, and, although we had to book ahead, the process was easy, and the lady who made our reservation was friendly and polite.
Koiso is not only as high quality as one can expect, but is also the real deal. Don’t look for deep fried rolls drenched in mayo-​based sauces or grilled or deep fried anything. If you want raw fish cut and served right, this is your place. The people who are unhappy with Koiso are impatient with their reservation policy or are just plain ignorant when it comes to sushi. I can very favorably compare this restaurant with the best San Francisco has to offer. Be patient, and you won’t be disappointed.

(Context: dinner on Maui)
Get a reservation. You have to call and somehow converse with a Japanese lady, but when you get there, you’ll meet the lady and her husband who run the place and you’ll fall in love! It’s super cute, but a bit divey in a strip mall. The atmosphere inside is kind of quiet and it’s tiny, but the service is good!
The sushi, despite some people’s reviews, is not the best in the world, but it is really, really good. Also good sake!
I would say go here and get the Omakase — it’s a good variety and it’s a change of pace from the rest of the island

I looked for the best sushi in Maui and was directed to Hiro @ Kosoi.
Things to note:
— The fish is really fresh
— The rice is a bit too sticky and soft for my liking but luckily the nigiri didn’t have too much of it so it wasn’t too detrimental
— Loved the way he served the uni nigiri without seaweed. So good
— Grilled butterfish so tasty!
— Notable fish: Blue fin toro, sweet shrimp, flounder, uni, hamachi
Loved making convo with Hiro in his super cozy abode. Definitely recommend!

This place is so freakin’ good. It looks like just some mediocre sushi joint in a rando strip mall but they have really good sushi. The best on Maui for sure. And, to be clear, this is a place to come eat FISH. Delicious, raw fish. Don’t bother if you want gringo stuff like Philly rolls and veggie tempura.
Make a reservation like six months in advance at the very least, especially if you’re going to Maui at a popular time. Koiso is tiny and only seats like a dozen people. The sushi chef and his wife run the restaurant and they are both adorable. For reservations, they keep a little paper calendar on the fridge with the reservation info. It’s very old school and cute.
If you get a reservation, order the omakase. If you don’t get something specific you wanted, then order it after. We usually add on some king crab, ankimo, and amaebi. The shrimp head was maybe not the best I’d ever had but that is probably my only complaint.
They used to give you this amazing complimentary mochi for dessert but apparently their supplier went out of business or something. So sad…
Do yourself a favor and make TWO reservations, one towards the beginning of your trip and one towards the end, because you’ll want to go back after the first time. Trust me!

Dinner Omakase is the way to go, if you want the best bang for your buck. Everything was buttery and melt in your mouth. No soy sauce needed.
Make reservations, there’s only 16 seats! I loveeee it here and wish we had something like this back in San Jose
Uni lovers, this is just heaven!

Best sushi I’ve ever had, anywhere in the world.
That in itself should be enough to justify my 5 stars. I’ve had sushi in Hong Kong, USA, Australia, Thailand, and a couple of questionable places in Europe that I probably shouldn’t have eaten at… So no, not Japan… Its on my list.
This was the freshest, most beautiful tasting sushi.
I loved the quaint feel to this place. There are only (i think) 14 seats, and bookings are essential. We called 7 days before to make a booking, and got two seats. We called the next day to make it 3, and the answer was no, we’re all booked! Even people eating in the restaurant wanting to come back later in the week were told, sorry…
I love that they keep it small, and don’t sacrifice quality. They don’t rush you either in order to have a high turnover of limited seating.
I’ve read some reviews, complaining about the rice, and how much better the rice is in LA. lol Well, I went for the quality of the fish, and the knife skills of the chef. Well, cool, go eat in L.A. and leave seats open for people who really care about the sushi.
We had a lovely dinner, and would go back (if we could get a seat!) ;)

For those sushi nigiri purists,
This is bland, soggy, gummy sushi rice
Fresh fish
Hard to get reservations
A huge disappointment considering they are japanese!
For those loving rolls or just fresh fish, and don’t care about sushi rice quality. .this maybe for you but not for me.
Had the 40 $ omakase… meh.
Chef said he never reads online reviews, well he should read this one.
$ 5 for a instant miso soup though?
will try one and ever again
Those from sf or la don’t even bother

Reiterating this is important: MAKE A RESERVATION! Koiso is located at the back of the little shopping center, very easy to miss, but there are posters of fish outside of it so there is your clue to the greatness inside!
Koiso is tiny! Maybe tops 15 seats total in the whole restaurant, 11 of which are at the sushi bar. This husband and wife team works quickly, efficiently and wonderfully together! We had Omakase which was delicious, about two rolls (I loved the one with green onion, sorry my memory is hazy), and about 30+ pieces of additional nigiri selections. We also had the broiled fish, again hazy on names, but it was DELICIOUS.
My favorite was the king crab, I think we ordered like 4 orders of it with the 2 piece nigiri style selections, and the uni was one of the best I’ve ever had.
This small family-​owned restaurant delivers in high quality and a great intimate setting, and we have great sushi in San Diego so believe me, my comparison is fair. I will always dine at Koiso when in Maui, can’t wait to go back!