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Koko Izakaya

4.3 (120 reviews)
Closed • 5:00 pm - 11:00 PM
Updated 3 weeks ago

Order Koko Izakaya Takeout or Delivery

Koko Izakaya Photos

Business Info

KOKO IZAKAYA ATMOSPHERE

What's the vibe?
Casual
Dogs allowed
Happy hour specials
Good for groups

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Recommended Reviews - Koko Izakaya

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Reviews With Photos

Eilien L.

This is our go to favorite izakaya in Sunnyvale. Love the ambience, very cozy and they open late. Which perfect for us, corporate slave haha. We ordered sake maki, tempura udon, Galbi skewers, oyakodon, and katsudon. The food portion was large with good quality for the price. Will definitely coming back for more!!!

Karaage Chicken
Pranathi B.

*USP: Korean and Japanese restaurant with an extensive menu covering bibimbap to udon and rolls to bento boxes and skewers. *Ambiance: cosy restaurant with a huge mirror along one wall and Japanese style paper lanterns on the ceiling. *FOOD: we tried a little bit of everything and across the board the food was kind of decent but not memorable. Chicken karaage: the batter on this one was weird. It was more like popcorn chicken and very greasy as well. Our family normally tends to clean this dish up in a few minutes but here there was a lot left and no one wanted more after the first serving. Bento box: nice way to try a lot of dishes, we got the veggie rolls as one of the sides and it was good. Nabeyaki udon: strong flavor of unwashed chicken. Not very enjoyable. Bibimbap: this one was difficult to eat and there was no cohesive element binding the individual components all together.

Phong T.

Koko Izakaya has a great atmosphere, and the vibes are just right! As mentioned on their menu, "A PLACE WHERE GOOD FOOD, DRINKS, AND PEOPLE COME TOGETHER." It's located in the Hacienda Center plaza between Marie Calendar's and Michael's. 4.5 rounded up to 5. SERVICE This is the only area needing improvement. Usually, only two servers are present, and water refills or check deliveries aren't quick. We've had to wave down servers twice to settle checks, though we weren't in a rush. We also heard a table next to us waiting impatiently and loudly yelled, "excuse me," to get a server's attention. FOOD - Takoyaki - Bento Box (spicy pork and chicken katsu) My partner and I ordered bento boxes the first time we visited. It comes with soup, salad, and a choice of sushi. There are several protein options. The portions are generous for the price, and everything was delicious and enjoyable. On our second visit, my party ordered quite a few items to try, and everything was tasty! The Flamin Dragon roll was set on fire while in foil and left for two minutes, which added a fun element to the experience. - Galbi Korean BBQ Short Ribs - Skewers: Chicken Thighs, Asparagus & Bacon, Rice Cake - Special Sushi: Caterpillar, Flamin Dragon Overall, it's a great spot to grab drinks, enjoy good food, and have a good time. The vibe is super chill.

Thanh T.

One of the few places open later in the area. Had a lot of different choices on the menu but also a lot was sold out. The food was overall decent. A good place for a late night meal.

Quality of the food was a lot better than expected. Mentaiko pasta recommend. Service is good

The food smells good. We are till yet to have the food, will let you guys know how it is.

Skewers
Dong Wook C.

Nice to see another Izakaya spot pop up in Sunnyvale. This one has an extensive menu. Also lots of Japanese influences in the decor. Nice aesthetics. Clean and organized. Tried some of their skewers and plated items, including their garlic steak and grilled fish (saba). Food was tasty. Izakaya is generally not cheap but what's nice about it is you can order a bunch of small plates to try a wider variety of items. This restaurant is in a plaza that also houses Michael's and Safeway. Large shared parking lot is available.

Inside

This restaurant has a lot of different foods in one. The atmosphere is great lots of planters

Pristine L.

Good oysters, very generous with the lemon slices, makes it look cute too! The cocktail sauce is balanced.

Chicken Gizzard
Colin S.

I really enjoyed the chicken gizzards, and the ramen broth was full of flavor. The restaurant had a great atmosphere, and I love that they're open until 11 p.m. It wasn't too crowded when I visited later in the evening, which made the experience even more enjoyable. It's a great spot for a relaxed, late-night meal!

Wendy T.

The service was good. It has sushi rolls & beef tofu soup was pretty good. There wasn't much options for the skewers. I ordered the chicken gizzards & hearts, they were dry & hard. No bueno. They offer happy hour for mainly the drinks & tofu soup.

Overcharging tips
Dustin K.

Very unhappy with our experience at Koko Izakaya. The suggested tip amounts printed on the receipt were significantly inflated. Our pre-tax subtotal was $121.00, so a 20% tip should have been $24.20. Even calculated after tax, using the total of $132.80, a 20% tip would be $26.56, not the $31.16 shown on the receipt. Customers should check the math carefully before paying. The food was also mediocre and overpriced. The unadon bowl seemed to contain roughly three servings of rice for every one serving of eel. The seafood udon pasta arrived with about half of the clams and mussels still closed, which made us uncomfortable eating them. The restaurant offered to remake the dish, but the replacement had the same problem, with about half of the shellfish still closed. Between the inaccurate tip suggestions, high prices, and disappointing food quality, this was a 1-star experience.

Jamie S.

Definitely not impressed. When we walked in, we were pointed to a table. Not led to one. Pointed to one. When we said we needed a bit of time to look over the menu the server rudely told us: "order from the tablet then. It also has pictures" Well...as you can see from the pictures below, no pictures were on the tablet menu. Our appetizers came. Miso soup was warm, not hot and overwhelmingly salty, which meant it was not fresh. And there were no tofu pieces in it. Gyoza was the same story. Warm, not hot. I've also never have described sushi as "puffy" before, but my Philly roll was OVERLY caked in rice. Also all fish tasted off, so the fish was not fresh as well. This is the first time my partner and I left food on the plate. At no point did any staff check on us. I had high hopes for Koko. But we will definitely not be returning.

Rolls a plenty. Baked fancy rolls better, sashimi topped rolls a little too brave for the quality of fish.

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Reviews are largely positive. Many highlight the fresh and flavorful food, cozy and lively ambiance, and friendly and attentive service.

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Koko Izakaya Reviews in Other Languages

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Enka Japanese Izakaya

Enka Japanese Izakaya

4.3(370 reviews)
2.1 mi
•$$
Happy hour specials
Takes reservations

Ha! I came to Enka AGAIN! This time, I treated another friend to dinner. This was her first time…read morehaving Izakaya, so it was extra fun to experience it all through her excited, first-time eyes. Spoiler alert: She LOVED it! I made reservations for a Friday night at 6 pm. It was pretty empty when I arrived, but by the time we left, it was packed. We were seated in a booth at the back of the restaurant. It was very dark back there, but that didn't take away from our experience. My friend tried the house-made ginger ale, and she couldn't stop raving about it. She especially loved eating the whole slices of ginger at the bottom of her cup. I tried a sip and agreed it was refreshing. Since this was my friend's first time at a Japanese Izakaya, I ordered an assortment of dishes for us to share. Okay, I HAVE to tell you about the garlic edamame. It was one of the stars of the night. It wasn't just covered in chunks of garlic, like I've had at other restaurants. It was charred over the flame, so it had a salty, garlicky, and smoky flavor. DELICIOUS! We also got the Grilled Mochi. That was another hit. The chewy squares of mochi were covered in their special Enka sauce & served on crispy nori. Yum! We only ordered one item from their special menu that night. Their Garlic Fries were perfectly light, airy, and crispy. My friend said she had never had anything truffle-flavored before. I was surprised that my least favorite dish of the night was the salmon sashimi, as sake is my usual favorite. For some reason, the pieces we had weren't tender and melt-in-your-mouth. The Wagyu Steak Yakitori was super flavorful and tender. That was another great bite from the grill. We both loved the Grilled Salmon Belly w/Salt. It was flaky, juicy, and fatty. The Unagi Don was really good flavor-wise. It was interesting that the egg wasn't a wet scramble, but strips of cooked scrambled eggs. It was served with some pickled veg, which added a nice acidic crunch. We tried the Chicken Thigh Yakitori w/Enka Sauce. Again, such a simple ingredient, but it packed a ton of juicy flavor. The last savory dish was the Assorted Tempura. My friend doesn't usually eat a lot of fried food (I know, what's wrong with her?). hee hee But even she enjoyed the light and crispy shrimp and veggies. For dessert, I tried a scoop of their Yuzu Sorbet, and my friend tried their Green Tea Ice Cream. The food at Enka was great! My friend had a blast trying so many new things, and I enjoyed all of the tasty bites. Enka is definitely one of my new go-to favorites.

where do I begin! Wish I can give this place more than five stars. Happened to be in the area and…read moredecided to give this place a try. it's a bit small inside, but thankfully it was past lunch rush so I was able to get seated promptly (party of 2) . Every dish we ordered was so delicious and it's the only restaurant here that reminded me of my trip to Japan. The menu items here are beyond rolls or bento boxes. they have a special lunch menu that is also available on weekends and I can't wait to return soon. it is a nice quiet place for a date night. The staff is very kind and very patient. Easy location to find and ample parking

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Enka Japanese Izakaya - Uni poached egg shooter

Uni poached egg shooter

Enka Japanese Izakaya - Grilled Squid

Grilled Squid

Enka Japanese Izakaya - Yuba Shot

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Gochi - Cupertino - Instagram @aintgotnothingbutbodyfat

Gochi - Cupertino

4.0(2.4k reviews)
1.5 mi
•$$

Came here for lunch on a Tuesday. Restaurant was not busy, but had a quiet vibe to it with soft…read moremusic. They offer regular tables and chairs or a sunken table with a pit. Tori Karage - 5/5: this is the closest I have come to chicken Karage tasting like the ones in Japan. I have been searching for authentic Karage and I found it! Buta Torotoro - 5/5: soft and tender pork belly in a soy sauce based broth with a lightly poached egg. Very delicate and tasty. Shiromaguro Tataki - 5/5: very fresh. Good amount of ponzu and garlic oil without overpowering the fresh fish. Spare Ribs - 5/5: tender spare ribs that have been braised. Another delicate dish that will melt in your mouth. Hamachi Carpaccio - 5/5: fish was fresh with finely chopped jalapeño. Again the ponzu and garlic oil was very complimentary without overpowering. Sake and Hirame sashimi - 5/5: fresh and great as expected. Salmon Aburi - 4/5: this one was fresh, but the wasabi cucumber did not provide the crunch I expected. May skip this to try other dishes next time. Overall, the quality of the food was top notch. Price is expected as this quality level. Service was good for lunch. Great spot for a date night for sure. Will be bringing my wife back.

Positives: love the traditional Japanese seating, options for food choices, servers were kind and…read morenice Room for growth: service- encountered some rudeness, bad etiquette, prices are high Food highlights : meatball with radish , eel rice with dashi, agedashi tofu. Pizza was just okay. Overall, would go again for ambiance and creative food!

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Gochi - Cupertino - Interior

Interior

Gochi - Cupertino - Unagi meshi

Unagi meshi

Gochi - Cupertino - Hiyashi Somen

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Hiyashi Somen

Nokori - Wagyu Burger and thick cut French Fries.  It may very well be the best tasting upscale burger I've had in the South Bay!

Nokori

4.1(38 reviews)
3.8 mi

Want whisky? This is your spot! Whisky flights available with four different tiers ranging from $25…read moreto $225. Lots of whisky based drink options as well as several beers on draft and select wines. Lots of specialty drinks too to tickle your fancy as yours truly isn't a big whisky drinker. Give me vodka or gin please. Anyway, ambiance is cool with several lounge tables to communal tables and bar seating. Bar bites from chicken karaage to agadashi tofu to burger! Can also order from the full menu of Adrestia, official restaurant of hotel. Service is friendly and efficient. Prices for drinks range from $14-20- going rate nowadays. Cheers to 2026! Let's go and make it epic and elite, friends!

Nice and spacious with lots of different types of seating: tables and chairs, couches and coffee…read moretables, stools at the bar, high chairs at a shared long counter-like table. It had an upscale vibe, but it was in the lobby of a hotel! The menu was interesting -- Japanese whiskey cocktails mainly -- and some food items. If you ask, you can get a little dish of nuts as a complimentary snack with your cocktails. The cocktails were delicious, like the "East Meets West", with most cocktails ranging from $16-20. They have a separate menu for wine and champagne that they brought us awhile later. I think you may need to ask for that if they don't give that to you right away. The drinks were delicious and made pretty quickly, but if you expect table service at this lounge, you may be waiting a long time. We found that the best way to get drinks here is to go to the bar to order, and they can bring the drinks over (or you can wait for them, of course). For the price, I'd expect better service but you may need to go further than Sunnyvale. Overall I think Nokori is a decent bar lounge, and I love the niche is on Japanese whiskey.

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Nokori - Seating area

Seating area

Nokori - Yellowtail Crudo

Yellowtail Crudo

Nokori - Lobster Sando

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Fugetsu - Sunnyvale - Deluxe Okonomiyaki - @rayz

Fugetsu - Sunnyvale

3.9(761 reviews)
1.4 mi
•$$

If you're going to come here during dinner time on a weekend I suggest making a reservation because…read moreit does get busy. Parking can suck too. The workers were really nice and they accommodated our large group. The had interesting drink which I forgot to take a picture of. They also have beers by the pitcher. As for the food, I got all seafood, and the fish was actually pretty fresh. I got the salad and I thought it was going to be a small plate but it was actually a huge bowl made to share, so keep that in mind. I will coming back to try all the other stuff on their menu. If you are looking for some good eats in the downtown Sunnyvale area I recommend checking out this place.

It was a hit or miss experience for us. We should have only ordered their signature, which is…read moreokonomiyaki, and nothing else. I got the deluxe okonomiyaki, which was delicious!! However, my boyfriend was not a fan of pork belly and seafood, so he was wary to try any okonomiyaki. He finally chose to try their steak rice bowl, because there is no way you can go wrong with steak and rice, right? Well, to our surprise, his choice turned out to be his worst meal he ever paid for. The rice was not hot enough, or I could say, room temperature. There were a bunch of raw white onions and pickles in it, I guess they were the culprit for the room temperature rice. The onion and pickle smell and taste were just too strong that we could barely had any taste of the rice and the steak themselves. Basically, we felt like we were biting a whole white onion fresh from the grocery bag. We also ordered gyoza and chicken karaage, which I think they were frozen and reheated in microwave. The chicken meat was rubbery and tasteless. We did not finish any of them and didn't even want to pack the leftover to-go. Service was okay. We were seated right away but waited for a while to make an order. We didn't really have a designated server. The one that seated us and took our order was really knowledgable in terms of giving recommendation. But we didn't see him again after that, and some other servers helped us during our dine-in.

Photos
Fugetsu - Sunnyvale - Inside - Rokko/Fugetsu shared same premise

Inside - Rokko/Fugetsu shared same premise

Fugetsu - Sunnyvale - Gyusuki yakisoba

Gyusuki yakisoba

Fugetsu - Sunnyvale - Negi-tsukimi pork okonomiyaki

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Negi-tsukimi pork okonomiyaki

GIWA - Bread w/ Butter & Jams (came w/ the GIWA Scramble)

GIWA

4.3(1.4k reviews)
1.2 mi
•$$

The vibe and foods are good. The mushrooms salad is so…read moreyummy. It is really a nice place to hangout with friends.

Fantastic service! I stopped by to celebrate a few birthdays on Sunday at 11AM. I've been avoiding…read morethis place because I heard they have a long wait and the food is mediocre, but I'm glad I finally got to try it out. I called ahead of time to see how early I need to arrive. The person over the phone said 20 minutes should be enough and they were right, though I still ended up showing up 40 minutes before the rest of the party got there (They don't seat you until the full party is there). It worked out though because the large table we had to wait for was being cleaned up. There was another party of 12 who got there right before I did too. Eventually, we got seated. We ordered a Korean Palace Patty Benedict and a Matcha & White Chocolate Cream French Toast. I feel like everyone's food was out within 10 minutes, every fast! The Benedict itself was just alright. The pork patty was a little dry and underseasoned, it could have used more of that sauce, but the bread it was on was nice and fluffy, and more unique than a traditional english muffin. The french toast was pretty good, no complaints there, and I feel like it was fairly priced. At the end of the meal, we were provided with 5 complimentary scoops of chocolate ice cream to celebrate 3 birthdays (one was a 1 year old, but hey it still counts I guess). The ice cream was pretty good, and I can't complain, free! I'll gladly come back and take my family next time. Service was top-notch and noteworthy of coming back. Food was just alright but I can try something else next time. Goes to show that service does matter :).

Photos
GIWA - Seating area

Seating area

GIWA - Dutch baby pancakes

Dutch baby pancakes

GIWA - Long prime rib

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Long prime rib

Koko Izakaya - korean - Updated October 2026

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