Kyodai

I’m particularly a sushi snob as it gets, but Kyodai does not disappoint. Everything about this place screams contemporary sushi. I arrived as the last guest on a seemingly slow Monday night. There wasn’t a host to greet and seat me, but I’m assuming they probably would’ve been sent home early to save labor hours. The entire restaurant looked very modern and clean. There were lots of dark tones with the contrast of tan wood furniture among the Far East Asian inspired furnishings. Very appealing and classy overlay. Their little outdoor plush seating area looked inviting and comfortable. I definitely would recommend it for a fancy sushi dinner date setting.
My server David was really attentive and I appreciated how he let his natural personality flow into his service. It made my dining experience relaxed and very enjoyable. My cup of water was always full when it needed it to be and he was very knowledgeable of the menu and strong with suggestions. I like how he started my appetite with some edamame. Usually I’m the type to not like loud music while I’m eating but it was near closing time and the staff wanted to jam out to Vietnamese ethnic music. It was very thoughtful of them to ask my permission. I had no qualms about it because I can understand how it feels to just let loose when business is over.
After scouring the Unilocal food pictures and asking for recommendations with my server, I decided to get the Thunder and Mafia roll. I also felt adventurous and tried o-​toro ($ 14) and their kizami wasabi ($ 2). Toro is usually pretty expensive but I wanted to treat myself. Two pieces were served on a beautiful flat charcoal plate with a subtly sweet honey mustard sauce. The fish tasted extremely tender and fresh. Worth the $ 14? Probably, but once in a while because we all know how that can get expensive. The kizami wasabi had the texture of green onions with minced garlic and the wasabi flavor was really potent. I thought it was a well worth it add on. I don’t think the owners are Japanese so the sushi is far from traditionally authentic, but that’s what the Californian modern take on sushi is. It’s taking the sushi concept and experimenting with various local ingredients to tailor to a different taste; different, but still good.
About 5 – 10 minutes later my main course rolls arrived. Once again the sushi chef Darren nailed the presentation. Both rolls had their own flare and distinct flavors with visually appealing plates. That’s a huge compliment in comparison to other sushi restaurants in town where it’s essentially the same roll with a different name. In addition, both rolls were generously proportioned. I thought it was money well spent, $ 15 for the Thunder and $ 14 for the Mafia. The Thunder roll was especially gigantic. The crunchy texture of the panko shrimp and the fairly copious spicy tuna in the Thunder roll dominated the overall taste, but there were also subtle undertones of the chewy fried leeks. I thought the leeks complimented the combination of sauces they used. On the other hand, the Mafia roll had very intriguing flavors. The crisp and refreshing micro cilantro was a very nice touch to balance the richness of the cream cheese in tandem with the succulent scallops, shrimp, salmon and crab mix. The Mafia roll pieces were a morsel that fit in your mouth just right with one bite as it collapses when you chew. I could also taste the very appealing torched flavor.
However, the main downside was the rolls were very sauce heavy. I could hardly differentiate the taste of the other ingredients, especially the fish. Even the taste of the rice was drowned out by the sauce. Usually you can tell how good a sushi place is by the taste and texture of the vinegary rice. At least I can say the texture of the rice was where it should be, not too mushy and not too hard. But I ate all the ginger to cleanse my palette of all the sauciness in between bites and needed more water than usual to wash it down. On another day I came in to order the same rolls to go but with less sauce. The overall taste was a lot better because the rolls weren’t exploding with an overwhelmingly sweet and salty taste of their teriyaki based sauces. Overall, this place remains a go to bookmark when I’m craving sushi because the food and service are both decent.
Customer service ⁴⁄₅? (I wonder how the service is on a busy night after reading other reviews)
Décor ⁵⁄₅
Food ⁴⁄₅

Yummy sushi. Young and trendy atmosphere. Big TVs up that my friends were excited to watch the basketball game on. Service was a little on the slow side for a sushi joint but good variety of rolls and pretty filling.

Great food but service is horrible. The thunder roll is by far my favorite. Our waitress was very rude apron ordering. Also never came back to check up on us after our food was out. We needed refills on our drinks we tried to approach her but she never came to refill our drinks.

Started off with a the sashimi sampler and then the nigiri mix.
The head sushi chef doesn’t play when it comes to his craft. We also enjoyed their canned sake and tried out their rolls.
1) Mafia
2) Red Boy
3) Bluefin Tuna Roll
4) Thunder (for those who do not consume raw)

Tried them out for the first time about a year ago and didn’t think I would come back. Service was bad, food was good, and the rolls were about 3 big cut up rolls that easily could’ve been more if they were cut into normal portions .
I decided to come back recently to see if anything had changed. Service was better, but I wasn’t a fan of their sushi rolls taste, quality, and how they were cut into big pieces again. I did however, LOVE the spicy miso ramen, albacore tuna toro tataki, and k2 pasta salad. The lobster tempura was also ordered but after I bit into hard shards of shell, I decided to stop eating it after one piece because I freaked out and had to ask «what are thoooooose?! «The lobster is served with a Meyer lemon aoli and that was delish .
I know they’re a sushi joint but if I were to come back, I’d pass on the sushi and get the toro tataki, spicy miso ramen, and k2 pasta salad. Why? Because the spicy miso ramen had the right amount of heat and is served with a crispy five spice chicken leg quarter, braised pork belly, a poached egg, and bok choy. Don’t expect the chicken to be crispy by the time your food arrives though. It’s dunked into the broth which makes it the complete opposite of crispy when its brought out. The k2 pasta salad was so refreshing and had just about everything you could possibly ask for: Zucchini noodles «zoodles», cherry tomatoes, sautéed mushrooms, albacore tuna, and panko breaded shrimp .
This place is worth checking out if you’re in the mood for something different. They have so much more than just sushi to offer :)

This was soooo good! I was craving sushi and after seeing the beautiful pictures other Unilocalers and Instagrammers took I had to get something from Kyodai. After going through their over 500 photos on Unilocal I was sold! I decided on the sashimi mix for lunch and I’m so glad i picked it!
The fish was fresh and flavorful and everything they had in my to-​go order went fabulously together. Even though I didn’t eat in my dish still looked beautiful. I loved the veggies that came with it and I’ll definitely be back.
This stop is a little pricey to become a regular spot for me, but as a once in a while treat it is definitely worth it! I’ll have to go back to try some of their other dishes and see if I find a new favorite!

Went here on a whim as our usual sit down sushi place is closed on Wednesdays, and we were completely blown away!
Fresh fish, innovative rolls and a beautiful ambiance.
I must say, I think we found our new regular spot. I can’t wait to go back!

Although the décor draws customers in, the service is terrible. I was ignored so many times and the place is constantly loud. I asked the server if they had wifi (which most restaurants do) she gave me a dirty look and said «we don’t do that here».
Secondly they gave me a broken glass to drink out of. Are you kidding me? The glass was leaking, and I could have cut myself.
The food was decent tasting, however the portions were quite small for the pricing. Which brings me to the check: we were in a hurry because our über was waiting outside, we waived our server over at least 3 times and after being constantly ignored we got up and walked over to the cashier and asked for the bill. Secondly we waited 15 minutes to receive our cards back. Because of this it jacked the über price way up, the servers needs to be retrained or this restaurant needs to hire more help because that was definitely not ok.
There are other sushi/​Japanese restaurants that trumps this place any day, don’t waste your money here.

I had the sashimi mix and was impressed with the garnish and presentation. The sashimi mix was neatly piled on a wooden bowl (that was leaking unfortunately) with ice, half shell for looks, seaweed salad, dried seaweed, radish, and I believe saffron. The choice of fish tonight were salmon, tuna, seared escolar, hamachi, and another fish that looked like hamachi but a bit darker. The sashimi cuts were on the small side and we not cut all the way through, which made it difficult to eat without using your fingers to separate the pieces. Overall the dish was good but could’ve been better.
The service was outstanding with the waiter but lacked with the chefs behind the sushi bar. The sushi chefs had no interaction with us upon seating and spent the time chatting with the another customer at the sushi bar, but I digress.
The waiter was kind, and checked in just enough to be helpful but not too much to be annoying. When my gin&tonic was empty another server came by an Nicky offered a refill. The only moment where I had to wait was for the check but someone in the kitchen was kind enough to offer a complementary ice cream dish for waiting.
Objectively, I’d give this place a 3.5 out of 5. But I prioritize quality service and experience first when it comes to dining at the sushi bar at a Japanese restaurant. I’ve eaten sushi all over the country and never have I sat at a sushi bar with zero interaction with the sushi chef. Overall, I give this place a 2 out of 5.
The new guy in town continues the search for a sushi joint worth being a regular at…

Poor service. Had to constantly ask for water. Waiter forgot about our table twice. I asked for some type of hot sauce/​siracha waited 5 minutes, my daughter asked again and instead got Tabasco. My daughter then ask again for a spicy sauce they said they didn’t have it.
We had to ask twice for our check and still took about five minutes before we got it.
Overall –20 score. Hated it!

We were just there for lunch. Food is fine, my kids like it. Problem? A large cockroach was belly up under our table. We told our server discreetly. After nothing being done we switched tables by ourselves (our children wouldn’t leave) and AGAIN told the server who replied «I’ve let yet manager know. I’m following protocol»
We weren’t looking to get a free meal, but if anyone else saw it they would have caused a scene during the busy lunch hour. Don’t think I’ll be returning with my family or friends. The roach is probably still there under the table (booth) as everyone follows protocol.

I’ll give this place a second shot. I’m rating on food and service. Waitress was cool but seem annoyed with her work. My main dish was Pan Fried Udon With seafood for $ 12 and a Hamachi roll $ 5. The best part was the hand roll.
⁵⁄₅ star on presentation and taste Hamachi hand roll. Worth it and must try!
¹⁄₅ star pan fried udon seafood. The flavors don’t mix well. The udon is more like chewy udon drenched sauce. The mushrooms were cold/​frozen. The fish was over cooked. The one piece scallop was over cooked. Chewy… I’d give it no star if I could.
That’s what’s wrong with a lot of sushi restaurants when they attempt to create new dish.

Lost respect for this place. Came back to have lunch at 2:15PM on a Saturday. Waitress asks how many in our party, we say 7 (4 which were coming right behind us). She says they’ll close at 2:30, but the chef said to go ahead and let us sit down. She goes to get our table ready. One minute later she comes back and says we can no longer have lunch because the rest of us weren’t there yet. Really? It was still 2:20PM and it was pouring outside, but out we went (including a toddler) and will definitely never return.

I sometimes refrain from excitement in dining in or trying establishments in Stockton. well because it’s Stockton. and there is really nothing to compete with or lively up for in Stockton. I usually head out of town for good eats.
My friend and I were craving sushi and wanted to go somewhere in Stockton for a quick fix. We decided Kyodai since we did hear & see about it on FB for quite some time now.
We decided on the 25 piece sashimi combo and the Sacramento roll. Presentation was delightful to the eye and sashimi was excellent. Sea bass is my fave.
I didnt really care for the Sacramento roll. I felt there was too much going on on top of the roll to appreciate it as a whole. My taste buds aren’t that complex. I think :-/​
Anyhoo, I will definitely tell you that I know where to get some excellent sushi instead of driving out to Kru in Sacramento. Now it is a 5 minute drive away :)

A true gem in Stockton! I would’ve never heard of this place if it wasn’t for my friend. After looking at the food pictures– I was sold. We drove down to Stockton just to try this place and I’ll do it again. It was not an inexpensive meal, but it was definitely worth it. I’m so glad I didn’t write this place off.
We ordered a variety of small dishes to share. We had the Japanese seven spice tuna, salmon seaweed salad, Wagyu beef carpaccio, tuna tartare and cherry smoked hamachi. The seven spice tuna paired well with the garlic. We thought the salmon was mixed into the seaweed salad, but it came on the side of it. The carpaccio was melt in your mouth. A quail egg sat atop the tartare and I liked the seaweed chips that came with it. The hamachi came encased in a glass dome to trap the smoke and you can taste the smokiness of the fish. We loved everything. All of the dishes were fresh and beautifully presented. It was a feast for the eyes and mouth!

I’ve gone here twice already, and I have zero complaints about this place. I found it through Unilocal (of course)…as most can see, this woman right here (me) has a thing for sushi! Super courteous staff that are knowledgeable of their fish. I love the fact that they get their fish fresh from Japan on Fridays and Saturdays!
Mini review of what I’ve had in my visits so far:
–Lobster tempura with spicy lemon aioli ($ 10) is amazing! I’ve had it on both visits.
–Wagyu beef carpaccio ($ 22) has great flavor, however I expected for the carpaccio to be raw. Mines was cooked, still no complaints.
–Their O-​Toro (fatty tuna) is the best that I’ve had!
–2 a.m. Oysters ($ 9 for two) were pretty decent
The nigiri sushi ($ 19) was super fresh and delicious, and their wasabi is freshly grated. Love it.
All in all, I love this place. One of, if not the best Japanese spots to eat at in the Stockton area.

As an «out-​of-​towner» in a city that doesn’t offer much of a culinary scene, especially one that was not a chain… this local sushi spot was refreshing. Prices were reasonable, and the sushi rolls were beautiful and generous portions. The stockton roll was my personal favorite. We also sampled the bone marrow, but it wasn’t as good as others I’ve had. We would likely just stick to the sushi if we returned, and we are hopeful that this restaurant sticks around because Stockton really needs more local, creative food options!

Decided to come back to Kyodai because it was raining in Stockton. The rain made me think of the ocean which made me think of fish. I ended up having nothing but sashimi and sushi in my mind. Resulting in my return to Kyodai.
Customer service was kind of slow today but the server was nice. I decided to try something new. I ordered the Chirashi (15pc sashimi over rice) and the Peja Roll. My friend ordered the Sky-​sky roll and Red Boy Roll along with the bento. I have uploaded new pictures of me and my friend’s order.

I only come here for their nigri, sashimi and special fish. I always feel satisfied with every visit. The food and service has been really great and consistent which is hard to find nowadays. Thank you for sharing your passion with us Chef.

The rolls are aight, but over priced. The quality is much better than nomas, but it’s not worth $ 15 for a roll. I tried the thunder and rainbow roll. The rainbow roll is super bland and tasteless. The thunder is pretty good, but not worth $ 15.

What great food. Great staff. Fun location. Really enjoyable place. Can get a bit pricey if you’re not careful.

Although I haven’t been to all the sushi restaurants in Stockton, this one is hands down my favorite joint! The food is amazing and the service is great!!! Whenever I’m in town and craving sushi this is the first place that comes to mind. I’m so glad that Stockton businesses are growing and offering more options.

Arrived around noon during Valentine’s Day. My sis suggested that we come here for lunch. I wasn’t craving sushi at first but after running errands I was hungry. As we walked in, there were plenty of seating.
On the menu, my sis has tried Sacramento as well as the Red Boy. So I really wanted to try Red Boy because it comes with spicy tuna. We ordered the Red Boy and Mafia. Both sushi rolls were really good. Our server was really nice and helpful.
The restaurant is located on the same shopping center as BJ’s. There are several stores to shop around if you choose to stroll around area. Yogurtland is right next door. I couldn’t resist but to have my dessert afterwards.

Worst service ever. Took forever to get seated when there were clearly seats/​tables available that just needed to be cleaned/​bused. Waitress apologized for the wait numerous times, good effort on her part but the tone for the night was already set. Waste of our time. Our wait to be seated was twice as long as it took us to finish our meal. Not gonna leave a lengthy review. Food is good, but pricey. Service is horrible. Not coming back, not worth the wait. Customer service definitely needs to be addressed.

I visited Kyodai on a Saturday night and sat at the sushi chef’s bar. Chef Minh Nguyen was in front of us.
Items we tried:
Red boy (speciality roll)
Mafia (specialty roll)
Hamachi tacos (small plate)
Gyoza (small plate)
I didn’t think the specialty rolls were anything out of this world. I ordered the mafia off a recommendation and would rate it around a 2.5 out of 5.
I saw other menu items such as the ramen that I wanted to try but wasn’t hungry enough for. I will definitely give a follow up to this review upon my return. The food overall during my visit was a ³⁄₅. The atmosphere is sweet, something Stockton needs but I feel the quality is lacking, especially compared to other places I’ve been (some in town, others not).
I know Kyodai is still new so I would like to return and see how they progress with more time.
Customer service was ok, not grand. I wasn’t a huge fan of Chef Minh’s attitude or the way he spoke to us at first. I think it may just be his personality bc he was cool with us throughout the entire evening but definitely think he could use some lessons on customer service.
With that being said the ³⁄₅ is overall for food + vibe + customer service.

My boyfriend and I ordered an appetizer, two rolls, and special nigiri. Presentation was beautiful, really impressed with how everything came out. The bluefin roll was my favorite. Our server was really nice and everything was delicious! Price is reasonable considering the high quality fish they have. Will definitely be back again!

Went here because my boyfriend’s friend suggested it! It’s in the same plaza as a Five Guys and Panera Bread with some other stuff.
Some things that were ordered: chef’s special roll, 2 AM oysters, hand rolls, Mafia roll, Thunder roll, lobster bites (? it was like karaage but lobster!), and spicy hotate nigiri.
All the sushi was really good. The spicy hotate was like butter! The special roll was even plated nicely and the service was good too. It was a classy environment and also had a small bar on the side too.
I would rank it as probably top 5 sushi places in my life! It was extremely good. Don’t come here expecting cheap prices though. I think the quality reflects the prices.

Probably the best sushi restaurant I’ve been to period. Food is exceptional and it’s very surprising being located in Stockton. The wagyu beef is absolutely amazing as well as the oysters and hamachi. Everything on the menu is fresh and extremely flavorful. It can get quite busy at unexpected times but the servers do their best and they are awesome. Everyone is very accommodating, helpful, fun and professional. In my top five places to eat in Northern California for sure. Every Time we have friends and family come from out of town they love this place as well!

Let me just start off by stating that Kyodai is not your average sushi restaurant. Perfect food presentation and high quality everything is what Kyodai strives for. To start off, this sushi joint is on the pricey side depending on what you crave, but let me be clear that it is definitely worth your money. Why? Because the food is simply amazing.
I ordered the Pacific Roll ($ 8); the sauce was light and not over powering but packed a punch with tons of bold, savory flavors. The lightly fried panko shrimp that was inside the roll wasn’t too fried so it was a huge plus for me! Considering I don’t really like fried foods that much, but this was an exception!
Additionally, I ordered the 15-​piece sashimi mix ($ 22), and it was one of the best slices of raw fish I ever had! The slices were pretty thick and fresh! I highly recommend ordering this if you’re a fan of sashimi!
Overall, Kyodai definitely lives up to their standards of delivering high quality food and creating an ambience that is modern and lively. I definitely would come back to Kyodai without hesitation and it’s a must you have sushi here!

My frist time here and its So ooooooooo Good! Awesome atmosphere, friendly service, and clean. Very fresh and mouth watering dishes! The plaza is awesome and intimate restaurant. It great for couples, families, parties, birthday. Highly recommended to anyone.

Excellent food, best sushi in the area. My boyfriend doesn’t like sushi and he requested to come here. Service is great, friendly staff and very attentive

(4.5÷5) This is my favorite sushi place to go to in Stockton. The sushi is always very fresh and they have really improved on their service time as well. The only reason I had to take away one-​half star is because on my last visit the Chirashi bowl didn’t have as much «pop» as it used too.
When it was brought out it still had great looking pieces of sashimi, but unfortunately they were hidden under a fairly large pile of nori. It also felt as of the chef didn’t not add as much flair as in the past such as the edible flowers or other decorative pieces. Since it has been a while since my last visit, I’ll chalk it up to simplicity especially if people never ate the flowers. Overall it still had the same great quality of sashimi and the mafia roll I shared with my fiancé was amazing as well.
Keep doing what your doing and I’ll keep making up excuses to have date nights here with the fiancé!

I’m not a sushi connoisseur but my Mafia roll tasted bueno. It tasted fresh, the ginger and wasabi added some kick, and the service was excellent. They filled my glass of tea three times without me having to flag them down. The wasabi heat needed some quenching.
Smallish spot but clean. The bar sits only three I believe. My friend ordered the K2 roll and didn’t care for it all but he’s not a big sushi dude either. I’d go back and maybe add A sake bomb or two! Review is based on one visit.

Stock Stockton. A restaurant that has absolutely no idea what it’s doing. Go anywhere else.

I have been here twice within 3 weeks after a friend’s recommendation. Though initially my hubby and I were pleasantly surprised after our first visit, ultimately I have to conclude Kyodai is just A-​OK. Not bad for Stockton though!
My opinion may be biased by the abundance of fresh, amazing and creative Japanese and sushi dishes I’m so fortunate to be able to enjoy because I live in San Francisco. Also, I prefer sophisticated, subtle flavors when it comes to sashimi and sushi rolls. It pains me to see a roll masked by extra mayo, or a ton of random garnish just for show. How are you supposed to taste the fish? Or if there’s mayo, garnish or other textural/​flavor profiles, please make sure they actually compliment one another.
Anyways, I’ll say this — the sashimi plates at Kyodai is definitely more affordable than in SF. The fish is fresh and presentation is very nice. With that said, there is just something ever so slightly off with the texture/​temperature of the fish that makes it incomparable to SF counterparts. I think this can be pretty easily improved if the sushi chef tweaked the preparation process.
I find their rolls inconsistent. We ordered the Thunder Roll during both of our visits and I swear, the 2^nd time when it was brought out, my hubby and I glanced at each other and both thought, this doesn’t look like what we ordered last time. The rolls are good, but I wouldn’t categorize them as artfully prepared.
I also ordered the Soft Shell Crab Hand Roll and was sorely disappointed. The crab was so overly-​fried that it was entirely crunchy and actually mostly came with batter. It was like a crunchy breaded hand roll instead. Could not taste ANY crab.
Their service is also just average. My hubby asked the waiter if they have «oyster shooters.» After a brief moment of hesitation, the waiter said yes and 2 orders were placed. What came were 2 shot glasses filled almost to the rim with some sort of brown alcohol, with an oyster, a quail egg and some tobiko that all sank to the bottom of the glass. UH. Weird and rather disgusting looking! Hubs and his friend chugged them anyways, but reported that it was not a delightful experience. My suggestion is, if you’re not sure what an oyster shooter is, communicate that to the patrons instead of making something random. What we got were certainly not oyster shooters, but nothing was said to us regarding what to expect.
Now that I’m re-​reading my review, it sounds like more like a 2-​star review! But I’ll keep it at 3-​stars, because I have to force myself to remember that this is Stockton. Kudos I guess for trying to innovate the food scene in this area, but there are seriously many improvements to be made here.