We weren't expecting much when we walked in as we were just looking for simple sushi but Kakuna went beyond our expectations! We were seated pretty quickly since it was relatively empty that day so it was quiet inside. We ordered 3 rolls, 2 scallops, and some jalapeno bombs. The citrus roll was our favorite as it was super refreshing and light. The baked roll was super rich and creamy, exactly what we were craving. The scallop nigiri (not pictured because we ate it too fast) was super fresh as well. Kakuna sushi might become our staple as the sushi quality is fantastic and the price point is great! read more

Kakuna Sushi - Citrus Roll - Ramen Near Me - San Jose, California

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I came here for the ayce with some friends over the weekend. It was not busy. There were some challenges around ordering because we were a larger group and the menus were limited. Taste: - We got the premium so we got to try a lot of the nigiri. It was good but the rice tasted very sweet. The rolls themselves did not stand out to me too much but my friends like the baked rolls. We also ordered some premium ingredients off of the menu but they never came. Service: - This was not good aside from the challenges around the menus. Parking: - We easily got parking but I heard from a friend sometimes the plaza will be full so they will park elsewhere. read more

Kakuna Sushi - Ramen Near Me - San Jose, California

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Came for dinner on a Friday night and this place does get busy but it could be because it's the only sushi spot that is close in the area. First off the place gets super stuffy as there is no air movement and doesn't seem like they turn the AC on. Rolls are average at best with way too much sauce that over powers anything else. Not even worth listing what I ordered and the sushi rice is off as when you pick up a roll it falls apart. The sashimi was like warm and extremely slimy. Won't come back as there are better places around even if they are farther. Service is average and the place is clean and modern on a plus side. read more

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I don't think there's any AYCE sushi place in San Jose that compares to Kakuna sushi. It's a bit pricey, especially if you do the premium menu, which has the nigiris and specials. The sushi is worth the price, especially if you're not willing to drive to Ultra Sushi in San Mateo, or Sake2Me in Fremont. My friends and I stopped by for dinner Sunday evening. We were surprised by how big the restaurant was, but it wasn't busy so we were seated immediately. The AYCE menu had a good variety, but not many appetizers. You have 3 rounds and the rules were written on the menu. My favorite roll is the crunchy mango!! The only downsides we experienced were that the rice was a little too mushy and sugary. They also gave a lot of rice for the nigiris so we were struggling to finish our last round. The lion king roll was not good. The waitress is really nice though :) I would definitely be back next time i'm craving AYCE sushi! read more

Kakuna Sushi - nigiri's - Ramen Near Me - San Jose, California

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Kakuna is son favorite sushi roll place and since it was his grad celebration we came here. Food was better this time around. I ordered from the early dinner section and got salmon Kama bowl and you two rolls, eel and tempura. Salmon Kama was fresh no smell and cooked perfectly. Rolls also were tasty. My son got the Omakasa assorted sushi box. Mind you my son and I don't eat raw seafood so we were adventurous today. Beautiful presentation and lots of variety. We on the uni, oyster and large size of fish egg. Well at least we got to try it. Rest got bento box of chile. And grilled salmon. Our food was good but service not so much. Service had to get up or flag down the host to get his attention to get water refills or order. read more

Kakuna Sushi - Ramen Near Me - San Jose, California

Great staple sushi spot with clean and spacious interior, ample parking in plaza, fair prices and portion, and decent quality. They have an AYCE option but we opted to order a la carte instead. The prices are very fair for the portion and quality of food that you get. Service was courteous and neutral - not particularly notable. Nigiri moriwase: presentation was amazing, generous pieces of fish with good fish:rice ratio. I could taste the good quality of the nigiri. Good pricing. Ichiban roll: baked roll full of flavor but kept completely disintegrating every time we picked it up. Kalyan roll: delicious, lightly seared salmon, flavorful. They do catering party trays (available on their website) that seem pretty good value! We'll definitely be back. read more

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Food 5/5 Service 5/5 Ambiance 5/5 Walked in and was able to get seated quickly on a Friday. Friendly and attentive service. Everything was delicious, accommodating and priced fairly. They do have AYCE menu as well. I would be back again with family and friends. read more

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Large selection of items on their menu. Tons of open tables. My group got 4 rolls to share and a bottle of soju. Food came out pretty quick for a Saturday night. Service was a tad lacking as we had to flag servers down for items we needed, but over all food was great and vibes were awesome. read more

Kakuna Sushi - Sushi Rolls - Ramen Near Me - San Jose, California

Solid sushi spot! A chain restaurant with other locations on McKee and in Fremont Arrived on a Friday night around 7:30PM. The place was pretty full, but got seated right away! They offer AYCE and also have decent lunch/happy hour specials! My bf and I ordered takoyaki and 3 rolls: -49er: I really like sushi rolls with the thin slice of lemon, but my bf not so much. It's a mix of salmon and scallop, tempura, and imitation crab. This one was my favorite! Very refreshing and light. -Sumo: this one only came with 5 pieces. It's spicy tuna, unagi, imitation crab. Not bad. More of a filler roll. -Simba: baked salmon, mayo/cheese sauce, imitation crab. Very filling and rich. I forgot how heavy baked rolls are so I might stick with just the raw ones next time! Their menu was overwhelming due to the wide selection, but that just means I have to come back and try more rolls! Pricing is on the more affordable side too. Plus easy parking. I'll be back! read more

Kakuna Sushi - 49ers Roll (scallop/salmon with tempura, crab, lemon), Sumo Roll (uni, spicy tuna, crab) - Ramen Near Me - San Jose, California

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I was looking for a new sushi place to try in San Jose, and I stumbled upon this place on TikTok. So I decided to give it a try with my partner. We were super hungry this day after getting off of work on a Friday night. We saw there was an AYCE menu and decided to try it. The quality of the fish is great and they cut the slices of the fish thick on the nigiri. There is a little too much rice for my preference but I don't typically eat that much rice daily so just my own preference. You can taste the fresh ingredients and the fish just melts in your mouth. I didn't have a bite of fish that I did not like. The table next to us seemed like regulars and made comments that it was a super slow service day. I can agree unfortunately the service was super slow but I can tell they were short staffed. We entered the restaurant around 6pm and left around 8pm. So for the 90 min ayce time limit we left after but were only able to get two rounds in since the food settled while waiting for our last order. My partner and I stated we'd go again and probably order off of the ala carte menu instead Worth a try! And not just "as see on TikTok" the quality is there & I wouldn't let one slow service day be a big deal. read more

Kakuna Sushi - AYCE Nigiri & limited premium items Salmon Belly Nigiri & Oysters - Ramen Near Me - San Jose, California

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My friend chose this place to eat because he said it was AYCE. We came here during lunch. The place wasn't busy so we were seated right away. They have a good amount of seating for groups. They have a time limit and an order limit per round for the AYCE. You are given a paper which gives you 3 rounds and 6 orders per round. Service for our 2nd round was a little slow. Portions are big if you get the rolls which will fill you up quick. We stopped at our second round, we were stuffed. Food was good and price was fair for AYCE. read more

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Thanks to Yelp, because there's no way I would've found Kakuna Sushi just driving around. Kakuna Sushi is kitty corner to Branham High School in the Meridian Park Plaza center where you'll find Lunardi's & CVS. There is a ton of parking, so no worries there. I met a friend on a Saturday afternoon around 11:30. There were only a couple of customers at that time, and when we finished chatting at 2:30, it was once again pretty empty. The servers were respectful and gave us our space and refilled beverages throughout our visit. We had salmon nigiri (their orders are singular, so if you want the traditional 2 pieces, you need to order 2), a Dragon Roll, Volcano Roll, Lion King Roll, & Hokkaido Roll. The portions were large and the quality was very good. Kakuna Sushi has an AYCE option but we didn't feel that hungry. I will definitely go back. read more

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AYCE sushi. Decent quality and taste. Nice service. Large slices for the nigiri. Would pass on the spicy tuna nigiri, the color was a bit off. Lots of baked rolls. read more

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Not too many AYCE sushi restaurants nowadays and was surprised there is one near home. Came for lunch on NYE and there were a handful of tables taken but it's such a large restaurant it seemed emptier. There are two choices of AYCE options and the premium gives you access to nigiri and a choice of one of the 5 ish premium options. I do appreciate how you an order rolls and some of them only have 4 pieces so you can order more variety. Our rolls and appetizers came out quickly, but the nigiri took awhile. It seemed as if they wanted us to get full from all the other food. The carpaccio was pretty good, the fish seemed fresh. The boujee roll was really tasty, a lot of fried lobster pieces. The Gilroy Garlic was my favorite so had to order another one of those. The nigiri did not seem very fresh at all. I was excited for the salmon belly but it wasn't very good compared to other places. I also ordered the pork belly ramen to end and it's a big portion but wasn't a fan of it. There were only two servers that were juggling a lot but they still managed to do so with a smile. I would definitely come back for the rolls only next time, though the omakase platters looked really good. read more

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Went again for AYCE weekday dinner! My party of three did the regular AYCE (so we couldn't do premium items like nigiri). But we enjoyed the variety of rolls we got to try with this option. I am going to have dreams about salmon avocado hand roll. The salmon came in thick quality slices that were fresh. Good ratio of rice to fish. Overall for the AYCE the rolls did not feel overstuffed with rice so we appreciated that a lot!! The Kakuna, Lemon Salmon, and Bubble were some of our favorites! Kakuna has a nice seared/torched flavor. Lemon Salmon was refreshing. Bubble is tempura scallops (never tried that before but it's so yummy). At the beginning, the food came quickly and the service was very attentive. However, for our last round, it took 20+ minutes to get the first roll of the round. At this point, we were starting to get full so the wait made the last couple bites a bit painful LOL Overall, not usually too crowded and moderate sound level. read more

Kakuna Sushi - Kakuna Roll & 49er (AYCE) - Ramen Near Me - San Jose, California

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Great alll you can eat sushi tasted fresh and yummy. Fast kind service quiet setting but great for loud laughs and enjoyment with friends read more

Kakuna Sushi - Ramen Near Me - San Jose, California

This was my second time at Kakuna Sushi with my family, and we came around 6pm for an early dinner on a Sunday night. There were 2 other parties at that time, and we were told to pick any table we'd like to sit at. By the end of our meal around 7:30pm it was definitely busier but still with plenty of tables open. The service was fine throughout, and the space itself is brightly lit and spacious but not too fancy. We got the Omakase box, a deluxe chirashi, the hokkaido roll, citrus roll, and mango crunch roll to share across 4 of us. The quality of the fish in the omakase and chirashi bowl is really good, and everything was fresh and cut into generous, thick slices. The rice in the chirashi bowl was surprisingly good - you could tell it was fresh and had a good bite with each grain of rice holding its shape - this was a really pleasant surprise! The rolls weren't as good this time as we remembered, and you can actually see from my photos of the citrus roll from the last time we came compared to this time that there was significantly less salmon inside the roll, and more pickled radish, and we felt that there was less sauce/flavor as well. Despite this, the quality of the fish is still great even in the rolls - just wasn't as satisfying this time around. Overall, Kakuna Sushi offers really great quality fish and sushi rice at a reasonable price! I definitely enjoy the omakase and chirashi, and would come back again for those :) read more

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This was my first time dining at this restaurant, and my friends and I chose it as a spot to catch up. We went with the premium all-you-can-eat menu, and it was absolutely worth it. All of the nigiri we tried were amazing. I'm a huge tuna fan, and the tuna here really stood out in terms of freshness and flavor. The carpaccio was also very good, and I enjoyed the oysters as well. One standout item for me was the special boujee roll and the spicy scallop handroll, which was stuffed really well and not rice heavy. The only item I didn't care for was the eel nigiri, which was oddly slimy, but aside from that, the fish quality across the board was great. We easily ate more than the cost of the AYCE per person, so it felt like a great value. The restaurant has an open, casual layout, making it a comfortable place to sit and chat for a while. The servers were attentive and always ready to take additional orders without us feeling rushed. There was plenty of parking outside, which made the visit even more convenient. I would definitely come back again to try more of their rolls and, of course, eat more tuna. read more

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Meh... I was excited for Kakuna ayce since there aren't a lot of ayce in the south bay. Service was okay, the waiter checked in on us twice for orders. It's spacious inside with lots of seating. The first round of sushi was good. We got a mix of different rolls. It went down hill starting the second round. The hand rolls we ordered were horrible. The spicy tuna was weirdly dry and not flavorful and it was a huge amount. The sliced cucumbers were soggy and there were also so much in there. Not sure if it's just this location or just the ayce... read more

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Tried out the AYCE sushi at Kakuna. It was tasty and the servings were very generous- large slices of sashimi. We tried poke salad, sashimi salad, different nigiri's, spider roll, sumo roll, spitfire roll, rainbow roll, saba mini don, edamame, boujee roll , hand rolls and more. Service was good, very clean. read more

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I was really impressed with this sushi (ordered through DoorDash), best part, our order did not break the bank. I appreciate their pricing - it is no where near as high as some places which find to be too expensive. Their chicken katsu is tasty per my 8 year old, could possibly use more salt? But otherwise, decent bento portion and we love the Gyoza. We did a few rolls, my favorite is the Citrus roll. So unexpected but I think its radish and preserved lemon inside, adds a burst of flavor - Dragon Roll is really good as well. We are excited to have a great place so close to home! read more

I've lived in the neighborhood for a while and was genuinely surprised I hadn't noticed this spot until now. I decided to give them a shot for a to-go dinner and came away quite impressed with the quality, even if there's still a bit of room to see what they can really do. The Food I ordered the Spider Roll and the Chirashi Deluxe. The fish was noticeably fresh--no "fishy" aftertaste here--and the rice had a nice, subtle balance of vinegar that didn't overpower the toppings. For a deluxe chirashi, the portion was fair and the variety was good. It's exactly the kind of "decent" sushi you hope to find right around the corner. Atmosphere & Service I picked up my food around 5:30 PM and the place was already starting to fill up with customers. It seems like a popular local haunt, which is always a promising sign for a sushi joint. The staff was efficient, and my order was ready and packed well for transport. Final Verdict While I'm starting them at a strong 3.5 to 4 stars for this first visit, I'm definitely putting this place on my list. It's a reliable, quality option for a weeknight dinner. I'm looking forward to dining in next time to see if the full experience and presentation can push it even higher! Does this capture the "reliable neighbor read more

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This place was so empty i thought i messed up by going here. BUT luckily it was super tasty (it was raining so probably thats why there were no people). They had such unque rolls like the charizard or the splash brothers. The flavors were pretty fresh and my friend () also really enjoyed the chirashi don that she got. The colors were so unique and just overall a pretty yummy place to try read more

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Careful, this place closes earlier than posted hours. We went there 18 minutes before closing on a Saturday night and they said they were closed, even though others were in there dining. read more

Tried Kakuna for the first time and it was delicious! We came for their AYCE sushi at dinner. There's an option to do AYCE or ala carte. The AYCE menu has limited options, maybe about half of the offerings from their ala carte menu? The food was good, however, for those who plan to do AYCE, their rolls, nigiris, everything on that AYCE menu is regular portioned size, so be careful when ordering. Nice staff, decent size restaurant (can accommodate big or small groups), and good food. I'd recommend and would come back. read more

First off - delicious sushi, excellent price point. Their online menu is fantastic, nice pictures and descriptions. We ordered... Orange Blossom $13.99 My favorite - salmon inside and out. Kakuna roll $13.99 I don't like onions, and I forget to ask them to take it out sometimes, but the roll is still very good with it. Volcano roll $13.99 This had some sort of cheese mayo on top?? I liked how much roe was on this roll. Chicken Teriyaki Bento $13.99 +$4 cali roll - I liked it, bentos come with soup, rice, salad, 2pc gyoza. The California rolls were so good and the chicken was nice. Beef Teriyaki Bento $15.99 +4 cali roll - this was okay. The beef didn't taste bad, but I've definitely had better and it didn't really have teriyaki flavor. I wouldn't order it again. The place looked clean and the chefs making the sushi did such nice work and was constantly busy making new rolls. Service was meh, leaning on not good. I got my food about 50min after ordering on the phone when they said it was going to be 20min. I walked in 25min after ordering, and waited another 30min til my order was ready. I have no clue if my order was forgotten or if they did not stagger the orders enough. The restaurant was less than 1/3 full at the time. Only one person was kind and apologetic and offered me a drink (he was wearing glasses). I said no thanks. I would have preferred they take off one of the $4 CA roll add ons haha. The food almost dropped too because the other server that gave me the food loosely tied it closed. I'll admit I'm being generous even after the bad service, but the staff making the food were making it non-stop and everything looked and tasted great. This place is otherwise solid. read more

We wanted to try a different sushi place, but specifically a place that also had bento boxes or rice plates. We found Kakuna on Yelp and noticed a lot of great reviews so we decided to try them out. One thing to note is their pricing. It's super affordable compared to a lot of sushi places! I was actually surprised with how affordable the price was since I usually get unagi and unagi is usually on the pricier side. We ordered the Umami Roll, Salmon Skin Roll, Beef Teriyaki, and Pork Belly Bao. Both rolls were very good! I feel like the Beef Teriyaki was a little on the harder side, but the flavor was still really good. I think the Pork Belly Bao was just okay and the outside seemed a little burnt. The food actually came out really quick and I really appreciated that the server constantly checked up on us. When we went, it was a little later in the day so it wasn't too busy. We would definitely come back to try more! read more

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We arrived at Kakuna sushi for a late Sunday lunch. The restaurant is located in an older shopping plaza in San Jose close to Branham High School. Parking is easy and accessible in the large parking lot. The old Sushi Factory use to occupy this space back in the day. It was great to see what it is nowadays. The restaurant is large inside with plenty of tables and booths. The modern decor is simple and bright. We ordered salmon nigiri, unagi nigiri, lion king roll, salmon kama bento box with add ons of California rolls, vegetables tempura, and Chardonnay wine. Everything was tasty and delicious. My salmon kama bento box had large proportions and was so fulfilling. There was a sweet flavorful ginger soy sauce that went well with my tender salmon kama. My favorite dish was the lion king roll. The white sauce on top was sweet, savory and went very well with the roll. Overall we enjoyed our experience at Kakuna Sushi. The staff was friendly and accommodating. I do have 1 gripe, I definitely recommend some large flat screen TVs in the front area of the restaurant. I was impressed with the price point and quality of all the food. We will definitely be back. read more

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I was really hoping to give this place a 5 start review since I live so close but a one star is already pushing it. 1) The hostess took forever to take our order and quite frankly, it was incredibly possible she was high 2.) We ordered the seaweed salad- it wasn't fresh and extremely warm 3.) Spicy garlic edamame - there was no garlic and some weird powder with spice. Everywhere else it comes out pippin hot and delicious. 4- The sushi was meh The part that was the most amusing of all, we let the hostess know that the seaweed salad didn't taste fresh and both plates were untouched. She told us that we've never had seaweed salad before and only refunded one plate. Don't waste your time for mediocre sushi and subpar service. read more

Kakuna Sushi - Spicy Garlic Edamame- No spice, no garlic. Dry and cold - Ramen Near Me - San Jose, California

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Kakuna Sushi is a great spot for quality and reasonably priced sushi. They have multiple locations around the Bay Area and do party trays. I dined-in at this location recently and it hit the mark for me! The restaurant is pretty spacious and good for large parties. I ordered the Crunchy Mango Roll, Kakuna Roll, and Lion King Roll. The rolls came out quick and were huge! We heavily enjoyed the raw fish rolls -- my favorite was the Kakuna Roll. The Lion King was a slight miss for us so I recommend sticking to their recommended rolls. Service was average, although it may be due to how large the restaurant is. Despite that, the servers were friendly and fast. read more

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If you're looking for HUGE sushi rolls at a great price, Kakuna is your spot! The first thing I noticed about Kakuna during my first visit was how big the restaurant was lol. They have a HUGE space so I definitely think it'd be a great spot to go to if you have a larger party. I've been here a few times since my first visit and the Crunchy Mango roll has constantly been a favorite of mine. I'm usually a Lion King person at other sushi restaurants but the one here just doesn't hit the mark for me. The rolls are around $14-18 which IMO is quite the steal for the size of the roll. The quality here is good, not great (def good enough to meet any sushi cravings though lol) The service is alright, because the restaurant is so big it was a bit difficult for us to get a hold of the servers whenever we needed something. A plus though: they are SO fast to come out with the rolls after you order. Not only that, they also do large sushi orders if you plan on doing something for a party! read more

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They lil slow, service is mid, the place is nice and sushi be banging Trust. RIP KENZO

We tried this sushi spot while in the area and weren't expecting much, so it ended up being a great surprise. We went with the AYCE at $45 per person, which is very reasonable for a weekend dinner. Orders came out quickly and everything tasted fresh. Standouts were the hamachi nigiri, volcano roll, chicken udon soup (loaded with chicken), and the spicy tuna hand roll, which actually had a nice kick. The space is casual, spacious, and great for large groups, making it an easy spot for a relaxed dinner. Service was efficient and the pacing worked well despite it being AYCE. Solid quality, good value, and definitely worth checking out if you're nearby! read more

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Great food and a huge variety of choices . And quite reasonably priced. Very polite staff too.

After work, my friend and I were looking for a place to grab some food. After going through our usual spots, we decided we wanted to try somewhere new. I stumbled upon Kakuna Sushi, thought the place looked good and we came here for dinner. The restaurant itself is big - there is plenty of seating nicely spread out. No worries about accidentally eavesdropping on the next table here! When we walked in on a Tuesday evening around 5:30, there were a few other groups inside, but it wasn't busy. The staff let us know we can choose our seats and we found a spot near the back area. The menu is extensive! There are tons of rolls - ranging from the classics to specialized to baked/cooked ones. There's also ramen, udon, bentos, etc, for folks who don't want sushi. There is something for everyone! After looking through the menu several times (we just couldn't decide which ones to try), we eventually made up our minds to order The Chainsmoker, Cap'n Crunch and another roll that I forgot the name of plus some tempura. Everything was delicious - portions were great for the price and it was too much food for the two of us. I really enjoyed the Chainsmoker - the potato flakes and bacon added a nice contrast to the rest of the roll with a good crunch on it. The other two were good as well and the flavors melded together nicely. Service was wonderful - staff left us alone to enjoy our meal, but would always check on us as they went around the restaurant to see if we needed anything else. This would be a great place for friends to catch up/hang out, family and date nights. I'm definitely coming back! read more

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YESSSS FINALLY A GOOD AYCE SPOT. Not gonna post on TikTok cause I want to gatekeep. quality of fish Price Service and ambience All elite! Good sizes and they don't fill you with crazy amount of rice. Some rolls are 4 pieces so you can get variety. read more

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The AYCE option was just okay. I wouldn't say it's worth it, but it's also not bad value. It's very limited though based on the rules (limits on rolls and nigiris per round) but it'll definitely fill you up. Flavorwise the rolls were good but the fish isn't the freshest read more

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First time checking out Kakuna sushi with my bf and we enjoyed coming here! This place is very spacious with plenty of seating tables. We ordered the sake don (salmon sashimi with rice about $20 - so worth it!), black garlic ramen (good portions but this just okay), and the Kakuna sushi roll (yummy!). I'm impressed with the pricing of the sushi rolls- definitely one of the few spots with more decently priced sushi spots - most rolls around $13-$15. Would definitely come back here in the future! Came back to try the sumo roll, 49ers (has salmon yum), and the baked Ragin Cajun, all very yummy!! read more

Kakuna Sushi - Ramen Near Me - San Jose, California

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Good food overall. Miso soup was done well. It came out piping hot with good miso flavor and a lot of tofu! Chicken katsu was a little over fried as you can tell by the dark color of the panko breading. As such it was dry. The flavor was good and the bento was a good value. Ill give them the benefit of the doubt that they usually cook it accordingly. The nigiri is sold as single piece but was fresh and a large piece of fish. No complaints. The service was fair. Food came out fast. I think the main draw / focus is their sushi. I will definitely come back for it. read more

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Affordable sashimi and omakase! Came for lunch on Friday and there were plenty of tables. The restaurant is pretty spacious so it's great for small or large parties. Service was also very attentive and friendly. Giving 4 stars as some of the fish tasted a bit fishy and left a lingering taste in my mouth, but didn't get sick or anything. read more

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