If you are ever in Yorkville area, looking for something affordable and tasty. This would be my suggestion. They are the only korean/japanese spot in this area. Affordable yet elevated -- try the Lobster bibimbap! Asian pear salad was nice and refreshing. My friends had sushi and sashimi and they said it was fresh. Pretty packed on a friday night. Make sure u make reservations. read more

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So yummy! Went there last night and had the lobster roll, salmon roll, tamago sushi and salmon roe sushi. I also had their house hot same which was very good. I have been coming here for years and I will continue coming back. read more

KOKO! Share Bar - Hot sake - Korean Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

My husband and I went to KOKO! for Winterlicious. It is located in the heart of Yorkville. The restaurant is on the bottom floor of a complex, so you must go down a flight of stairs to enter. It is quite small with limited seating. Their Winterlicious dinner menu is priced at $45/person. The food was very good - I especially enjoyed the salmon salad. It had such a wonderful, unique flavor profile and was very fresh. We also ordered sake. Our server was friendly and attentive. Will definitely be back. read more

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This place is located in the basement. Entrance has steps to go downstairs. Small place with some seats available, all booths. Need to call in advance if you have a big table. Service was prompt, you can sit yourself pretty much anywhere so long as you make eye contact with the server. This place is a mix of Japanese and Korean food. They have a nice selection, decent pricing for Yorkville. The seared salmon tasted a bit too fishy for me and the dynamite roll, not your usual fish tasted but not as fresh as I was expecting. I feel like Yorkville is a "fancy" place and food should be fresh. Japchae was good but the noodles weren't. Was too sticky together. The beef though was amazing, best one I've tasted. Cod miso was okay, mediocre, not the best. Overall I would give it 3.5/5 but will round up for that amazing bulgogi beef and the espresso martini with tequila, I thought that was a perfect cocktail. read more

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I have tried to go here for the longest time, as I am a fan of Korean food, and I got my fill of both here. Jumping on the Summerlicious prix fixe menu, I went with a couple of friends for dinner on a sunny July evening. The weather outside matched my mood as we got into the restaurant. The table was cozily set but spacious enough that myself and my dining companions weren't on top of each others meals. I started with the seared tuna salad, which was many kinds of delicious and an excellent appetizer. Next were the Galbi beef short ribs, L.A. cut. The marinade for the ribs was exceptional, as I savoured the flavour with every bite of beef. To finish the meal, a nice slice of Japanese green tea cheesecake. All in all, a great meal to be had on an equally pleasant summer night. read more

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Mom and daughter date night in Yorkville, and thank goodness we booked ahead! Koko was completely packed, and they weren't accepting any walk-ins--we even saw the guy behind us get turned away at the door. Safe to say, this place is in high demand, and after our meal, we totally understood why. The vibe inside was sleek and modern, but still warm and inviting. The service was super friendly, and we felt taken care of the entire night. We kicked things off with the newly added Seared Salmon and Sashimi Appetizer, and it was the perfect start. The salmon had this beautiful, light sear that gave it a hint of smokiness while keeping it melt-in-your-mouth soft. Pair each bite with the mixed green at the bottom, and you got a mini salad bite. The sashimi was incredibly fresh--clean, delicate, and just the right bite. For mains, we had to try their Bibimbap (we picked lobster) which was their signature dish. We were recommended to add some bulgogi and an egg to the order, and honestly, it was everything we hoped for. The stone bowl came out sizzling hot, with crispy rice at the bottom soaking up all the flavors. The lobster was tender and juicy, adding a rich, buttery touch to every bite. Mixing everything together--the soft egg, the umami bulgogi, fresh veggies, and the bibimbap sauce, a sweet and spicy sauce plus flavourful bulgogi sauce--was pure comfort in a bowl. We also got the Sushi Assortment, and every piece was perfection. The salmon was silky, the tuna was buttery, and the snapper had a slight sweetness that made it stand out. Super fresh and beautifully plated. For dessert, we went with the Japanese Cheesecake in mango and green tea flavors. Light, airy, and just the right amount of sweetness. The mango had a bright, tropical flavor, while the green tea had that subtle matcha taste that we love. A perfect way to end the meal! Of course, we had to try their cocktails! The Jeju Island was citrusy, refreshing, and slightly floral--so easy to sip on. The Cosmopolitan was smooth, well-balanced, and had just the right amount of kick. Overall, Koko was such a great spot for our mom-and-daughter night out. With delicious food, great ambiance, and a dining experience that felt special from start to finish, it was just perfect! If you're thinking of going, make a reservation! This place books up fast!!! read more

Tofu bibimbap is good. Love the rice. Hot sauce on the side added more flavour. Wish there were more veggies though. read more

KOKO! Share Bar - Tofu bibimbap - Korean Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

Stopped by Koko Share Bar at the owner's request, which was a privilege! This hidden gem in the heart of Yorkville might be easy to miss since it's an underground restaurant, but what lies inside is a delightful mix of Asian cuisine. The restaurant is long and narrow, which offers more intimate seating compared to group settings. Our server, Luna, was amazing--juggling our table, other patrons, and the owner's requests during a busy rush with ease. Props to her! We had a selection of bibimbap, ranging from lobster to the staple choices of chicken, beef, and tofu. The hot stone bowls were the perfect centerpiece for all the bibimbaps. My personal favourite was the beef bibimbap, which offered a perfect balance of savoury beef, fresh vegetables, and that comforting taste of home from the rice. Overall, although Koko Share Bar is well-hidden, it's a gem you might pass up if you're not looking carefully. Recommended! read more

And in a very unlike me manner, we also didn't share at the Share Bar. It didn't stop me from ordering the salmon aburi sushi ($20) to start, the rice adorned with thick cuts of salmon topped with lime aioli. At KOKO, there was just enough of the mayo to take on a hint of smokiness and to add a splash of creaminess without making the sushi greasy. I would have liked some stronger finishing ingredients to create more interest - like the customary jalapeno slice, a dab of chopped olives, or even a sprinkling of green onions. The aburi was good but lacked pizazz. Based on my friend's recommendation (and plenty of other reviewers), I had to try KOKO's roasted miso black cod ($36). It's a solid dish but with a few changes could be even better: including some of the miso sauce on the side for those who want a more flavourful fish or to pour over the steamed rice, removing some of the cod's bones to make it easier to cut into (even the large shards were left behind), and roasting the skin longer so that it becomes crispier. Still, I appreciated the decent sized piece of black cod, which was fresh and flaky and there was a nice variety of vegetables included to create a balanced and healthy meal. If only there was more seasoning on the vegetables that seemed to be merely steamed. read more

KOKO! Share Bar - a plate of sushi rolls - Korean Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

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Food was authentic, fresh, & delicious! Service was quick & friendly. Definitely a hidden gem in the city- can't wait to return :) read more

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I had the tempura u-don noodle soup. The tempura was served separately. Yet there were bits and chunks of tempura soaked in the noodle soup that you just couldn't eat. Staff was attentive. But payment machine had issues. First time the tap didn't go through. Second time it ran out of receipt paper. It's not a bad option for food at that price in that neighbourhood but I will try something else next time. read more

A friend of mine suggested we meet for dinner after work at KOKO! Share Bar, a modern Korean Japanese restaurant in Yorkville, halfway between our offices. I wasn't familiar with Koko so I looked up their web site. The menu had a lot of choices but I was more interested in their Korean offerings. Prices were a little high but on par for Yorkville. We made reservations online. It's a very small and cozy space below street level. Our table was at the back of the restaurant, right in front of the bar. Coat hangers were on the wall next to the bar. The table settings were simple and elegant, with the chopsticks in bamboo pencil-case type of box. Nice touch. After looking over the menu, we started with Edamame (steamed soy beans - $6), Galbi Grilled Beef Short Ribs (marinated in garlic, soy, ginger, red wine, with steamed rice - $25), and Bulgogi (thinly sliced strips of marinated ribeye steak, assorted vegetables - $21). My companion had mentioned to our server that she doesn't care for peppers and I don't care for zucchini and our server acknowledged that. The edamame arrived shortly after ordering. It could have used a few more grains of salt but it was okay. The galbi was served on a bed of onions on a sizzling platter. The ribs had grill marks on them also. Looks good. The bulgogi was served in a bowl and, although we mentioned our preference to not have peppers or zucchini, the only vegetable in there was carrots (and a ton of onions). Hmmm, surely they must have had some other kind of vegetables in the pantry, if not just for colour and presentation. Other dishes on their menu include mushrooms, okra, and leeks. It was a little disappointing but not a major issue. We didn't order this dish for the veggies. So, how did everything taste? Good, but neither authentic Korean nor Japanese. I like onions (and we ate most of them) but I've never seen onions used so much in Korean or Japanese cuisine, especially in these dishes. Neither dish had the flavour profile that we expected. Maybe a sprinkle of sesame seeds or a few drops of sesame seed oil might have changed that. This is also the first Korean restaurant I've been to that didn't include any side dishes (kimchi, pickled radishes, bean sprouts, etc.). I missed that. There is, however, an item on the menu called Kimchi Trio (assorted Korean sides - $8). Overall, the food tasted good, just not authentic. The service was good but it seems like everybody finished at the same time and it took a while to get our bill. For the value, I'd probably go somewhere else. read more

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Their Roasted Miso Black Cod was great, maybe the best fish I've ever had. Their house rolls were great too, highly recommend. read more

KOKO! Share Bar - Roasted Miso Black Cod - Korean Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

The food comes in perfect size. Tempura breading shows the expertise of the chef. I recommend their sushi platter and seafood pancake. Service is cozy and welcoming. I love the green tea utensils. They are just beautiful. read more

Mediocre food at expensive prices. The korean fried cauliflower (1.5/5) was undercooked and the sauce was cheap tasting and simply drizzled on. The bulgogi (4/5) was decent but too salty. read more

Service was terribly slow at Monday lunch hour. Took almost 10 min just to order drink, and then after ordering food, more waiting. Restaurant was about 1/2 full, only 1 server. Not impressed with this Japanese/Korean fusion mess. read more

Oh this is a funny little spot. I went here for lunch a couple times for work. It was good for me to spread my wings and try the offerings of this asian fusion house. It's a lovely space which I would expect in Yorkville. Love the choice of art and boxed chopsticks found at each table. The food was good but not spectacular. I would say as a lunch experience in the area it is one of the better places to go. Fast, fresh and not as generic as what is around you. Having tried the sushi, bibimbap, bulgogi bowls, gyoza and edamame I would say like many - a 3 to 3.5. The food compared to what you'd find in even small mom and pop places in little korea is not as good. The depth of flavour just not there but it's satisfying on a quick lunch. Make no mistake, eating in yorkville will mean you will pay much more than any other area of the city. Take advantage of the lunch special where you get salad, miso soup and your entree for under 20. It's a lovely respite from all the other spaces in the area. It's a little hard to find so keep google maps hand and remember to look down as this place is at ground level. read more

KOKO! Share Bar is the newest effort by restaurateur and hospitality consultant Sang Kim (Blowfish, etc), and master chef, Shin Aoyama. The two worked together on Ki Modern Japanese, where Shin was the executive chef. I was lucky enough to be invited to the grand-opening where I could sample several of the dishes. I cannot explain how lucky we are as Torontonians to have access to a talent like Aoyama. And even though the space is small, it's designed beautifully to be warm, inviting, and intimate, which is the key to making the "Share Bar" concept work. Apparently, sharing food is a major part of Korean cuisine culture, and at KOKO! you're encouraged to dip right into the plates of your dinner companions. Being able to share the experience of every single morsel that arrives at your table is one of the most extraordinary things I have had the chance to be a part of. The bar could perhaps use a bit more variety, even keeping within the theme, but as it's only the first week, I'm sure this will come with time. The service is really what makes this place special. In a city where so many of us have had some of the worst service imaginable, Sang Kim has spent an immense amount of time hand-picking only those individuals who are the most committed to GREAT service. In an article by Daniel Alexandre Portoraro, of martiniboys.com, he explains "Kim put out an open call to applicants; 192 answered, and each were sent the question of 'how to make the world a better place'. 57 answered, and each of them went on a 15-minute walking interview with Kim, talking about similar questions." This will no doubt be one of Toronto's top restaurants in a very short time. I highly recommend the tuna and the butterfish. I also highly recommend making a reservation before there's a waiting list. ;) read more

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My husband picked this place for my birthday dinner and our experience was amazing. The restaurant was super accommodating by letting us dine in a bit earlier than our 8pm reservation time. The servers were amazing and always ensuring our water were filled and checking in to see how our food was. They didn't make us feel rushed and we were able to enjoy our meal, the torched salmon was amazing and my husband loved the calamari so much that he wouldn't share them with me! We also ordered the lobster bibimbap and beef bibimbap, which we both enjoyed and you can add as much or as little of the gochujang (which we added a lot!) thank you for making my birthday such a great experience and ending our night with such good food! read more

KOKO! Share Bar - Calamari, lobster tempura roll & torched salmon roll - Korean Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

Went for lunch with my cousin today and I ordered the lobster bibimbap and she had the beef bulgogi. The food was very bland and incredibly over priced. Atmosphere was good and service good. Food sucked. Definitely not like a traditional Korean restaurant, where the food is much better and tastier and the prices are way less expensive. My cousin's order wasn't so great either. "This doesn't taste so great, but at least I'm eating healthy" was her comment to the very low low sodium levels in both our dishes. Overall, my experience was ok. I wouldn't go back. Cheers. read more

KOKO! Share Bar - Lobster bibimbap - Korean Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

On a recent trip to my beloved Toronto, I happened upon this little basement gem and then returned 3 or 4 times because I liked the vibe of the restaurant and the style of food so much. The service team are all nice. The various bowls are all great. I enjoyed their spicy seafood bouillabaisse. Even the sushi is terrific, but Koko's obvious crown jewel is their Koko Korean Bibimbap which is rice, vegetables and meat served in a sizzling stone dish which can be any of a variety of meats. The rice gets crusted against the stone serving dish which enhances the texture of the dish. It's great tasting, but good showmanship also. It's fun to watch the whole restaurant's patrons visually following the server as they bring this dish out. If Toronto weather is cold, I've got bad news and good news. The bad news is that Koko has a definite draft coming in from the front door so choose wisely for seating although to be frank, it's a small restaurant with few choices. They try to make up for it with strategically located space heaters. The good news is that their various bowls and soup style dishes here will all warm you to your bones. This place is great. I'll definitely return on future trips for sure, and I even got my business partner liking it even though he prefers big fancy expensive restaurants. read more

This is a great lunch place in Yorkville. My co-workers and I frequently come here for bibimbap (veg, kimchi, avocado, bulgogi, chicken) because the bowls are delicious, the right size (for lunch), come quickly, and are not super expensive. The best part: they always manage to get the crispy rice just perfect! It's also rare to have to wait for a table. read more

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Quick bite on a Friday just before we head to the Varsity to catch a flick. Ordered Chirashi and sashimi lunches. Cozy tiny spot with neighbours very close to you on either side. That's how we heard the very awkward performance review feedback convo next to us . The guy was terrible at giving feedback as he did all the talking and the poor woman was silent. He would benefit from a leader training course or two. Food was good and service was fine if a bit slow for lunch. read more

I am so glad I was shown this place. I would have easily walked by it without knowing what it was. Great Korean options from bibimbap to kimchi are offered. My friends and I did a sharing of the Kimchi Pancakes which I recommend getting an order for yourself. It was light with a thin seared pancake, similar to scallion pancakes you would find in a Chinese restaurant. For my main entree, I ordered the Galbi Grilled Beef Short Ribs. The meat was absolutely tender. The flavor had hints of ginger and even when the meat was gone, I couldn't help but suck on the bones to get every bit of meat off. The atmosphere is calm and cozy. This place does not seat a lot of people. When I went, there was no wait but if there was, I would still wait. I only saw one guy serving tables and he was very friendly. The feel was more casual so if you're expecting someone to wait hand and foot, this is not the spot for you. Definitely an option for a date or where you want a leisurely meal with no feel of being in a rush. read more

KOKO! Share Bar - Galbi grilled beef short ribs - Korean Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

Was a little hard to find off the street, but it's seclusion makes for an intimate dining experience. Food was absolutely incredible! We got croquettes as an appetizer, a lobster tempura roll, and beef teriyaki bowls. A lot of food for two people, but so flavorful that we finished everything with no issue! Pricing was good for ordering so much, and split between two people. Can't wait to come back in the future! read more

I was scared to ask for more rice. I'm surprised by how positive the reviews are for KOKO! Share Bar. I wasn't overwhelmed by either the service or food. What I did enjoy was the live band, which happens every Wednesday night. Food: At first glance, you think, wow what a great price for such innovative, delicious sounding dishes. Then you order a bunch of dishes off the menu expecting it to be plenty for your group. The food arrives, much smaller than anticipated and you're thinking, oh shit, how do I ration this amongst my group of hungry friends. I get the whole share bar/tapas restaurant. It's not best with big groups, or if you're incredibly hungry. We knew this, but didn't expect such little portions. We were a group of six and we ordered about 8 dishes between all of us including the Bossam: A Platter of Spicy Chicken (or pork) with a side of rice (and I mean 'side' in its most literal term), a few shreds of lettuce leaves (and by few I mean 2.5) and some sauces (enough for one dip) $50 I know it serves only two but for $50 I'd expect enough rice and lettuce to actually experience the dish as it's supposed to be eaten. We asked for some more lettuce and rice a couple times and the waitress had to check with the manager who scowled at us. Why are they stinging on their cheapest ingredients. (Oh and they charged us for the extra lettuce and rice) However, I was impressed by the Roasted Miso Black Cod $22. Again this was a bit smaller than a normal entree size, but enough for everyone to have a small bite. Also, I love the design of the place, great space for hanging out with friends for a drink and a few bites. Overall, I don't think the Asian tapas menu is for me. I rather enjoy being satisfied by my meal and not worrying if I'll have enough to eat for the night. KOKO, is for someone who likes to eat in Yorkville and is looking for some interesting small tapas eats. I apologize for sounding harsh. At least my group of friends and I have a great story out of our night there. read more

Very expensive for the type and quality of food served here. Our group of 3 had drinks and apps before dinner and it came up to $60++ (we each had 1 drink and only had a couple of appetizers to share between us). I love tapas and i love korean food...you're better off in Koreatown or a real tapas bar. I can't justify paying entree prices and getting tapa sizes read more

This is a 3.5 star review. The 2 standouts for KOKO! Share Bar - the amazingly friendly and engaging service, and the warm, cozy decor (the wood on the ceiling and some of the walls is refurbished from a barn in Peterborough, so I hear...). We were pretty much the first people at the restaurant that evening, and we were given the same spiel that all diners were when they entered about this being a share bar, so sit anywhere and share! By the time we left, the restaurant wasn't yet full and of all the groups we saw, no one group had chosen to sit with another. I would say that while the idea of a share bar experience is an interesting one, it's probably still going to take some time to get use to in this area of town. Besides drinks, on our menu were the L.A. style ribs, Beef Tenderloin 'Tosa-Style' signature modern rolls with seaweed and rice on the side. I have a bias for kalbi as I simply love them, and more often then not, I have intense cravings for them especially at bbqs in the summer. As such, while the L.A, style ribs were delicious, I felt that that it was over priced for what it was and nothing really special that I couldn't get at any other Korean bbq place. The rolls were pretty and innovative. The seaweed was a disappointment - too sweet, too warm, not crunchy enough. I've had better at sushi buffets. In sum with a miscellaneous thought: I've got to say it again, the service is very good at this restaurant. I think there's room for improvement for the menu quality. The washrooms seem like they were leftover from whichever establishment occupied the space before and doesn't match the rest of the place, which is trendy, modern, and hopefully, not over-hyped. read more

It was my first time, and will be my ABSOLUTE LAST time ordering food from here. I was craving for some sort of Asian food and figured maybe because of the price being on the more expensive side and the images looked good that it might at least tasted decent. But, that was far from the truth. I refrain from ordering sushi because I know there are only a handful of places in the city that does amazing sushi. Therefore, I order a Tofu Bibimbop takeout for lunch thinking you can't mess up on bibimbop. But, I was wrong--you can, and the quality was no way worth the valued I paid. I was extremely disappointed. I had order bibimbop takeout from other places and this was nowhere near comparable to the many bibmbop I had. Based on this experience, I have very little faith that any other dish would taste amazing. Sending a warning that you might be disappointed for you you get and pay for. read more

My boyfriend and I came mid afternoon for a snack. The restaurant has a nice decor and vibe to it. The service was great and the food portion was good as well. We ordered the bibimbap and sometimes the bibimbap is all rice and little toppings. KOKO has more toppings than rice, which was a nice bonus. We enjoyed our meal. However, $20 is a little more on the expensive side. We will only come to this place for more nicer occasions. read more

The service was great. We managed to snag the last table available on a Friday night. Reservations are probably a good idea as the place gets busy. We had the dinner for 2 with pork belly, chicken, and bulgogi. The meats were fantastic. It came with lettuce and rice as well. We didn't have enough lettuce and asked for more, which ended up being $3 extra when we saw the bill. The bibimbaps others had looked good too, would like to try some next time. read more

KOKO! Share Bar - Dinner for 2 - Korean Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

We had a great dinner with friends. The service was top notch, very attentive. Food was excellent, the cod was my favourite but the short ribs vanished pretty quickly too! Sometimes with sharing style restaurants I am left feeling like I have to fight for my share but the portions were generous and more importantly easy to share. No awkward chopstick disections or boorish stabbings to divy the food up. On a recommendation we tried a reisling which I quite liked but our friend did not. The wine was happily taken back and something different was brought out. It did seem as if they were running low on things, dessert was unavailable and they were out of a few of the white wines on the menu. We got there for 8:00 and the place was half full. By the time we were making our way out into the torrential rain the place was getting packed. read more

This restaurant is really quite a gem hidden in the Yorkville area. Things I liked: a) Service. I think this has been mentioned numerous times already, but the service was truly exceptional, especially for Canada, which I found to be lacking in most restaurants. Our waitress was attentive and helpful throughout our meal. b) Seafood Hot Pot. The soup was very rich and packed with signature Korean flavours. There were plenty of seafood and the scallops were cooked perfectly... shrimps were definitely overcooked, but we can overlook that ;) c) Decor. The restaurant is small and cozy, combined with the decor, it created a very welcoming atmosphere; not too dark, not too bright. Things I did not like: a) Appetizers. The appetizers were somewhat lacking in my opinion, and we ended up not ordering anything from it. b) Coffee. The coffee was disappointingly bland. I would not order this again. Overall, a very pleasant experience, and I would definitely go back! read more

I'll make this short and sweet. I was here on a date a little while back and ordered the japchae and the bibimbap. We were both pretty pleased with our food which was great because we were a little restricted in terms of what we could order because of some food allergies. The food was good, nothing to rave about though especially considering the price. The waitress was very nice and gave us recommendations for sake and chatted with us. We actually stayed until the place was closing since they didn't have anyone waiting which the staff were very gracious about. Pros: - cool vibe - great staff Cons: - price Would come back to try the share plates. read more

Sat down and the tables weren't wiped. Ive never seen such an overpriced sushi for 6 pieces that looked like shit. The seafood hotpot was filled with sour tofu and shrimp that had gone bad. It was disappointing beyond words. read more

KOKO! Share Bar - Korean Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

Food is mediocre, servers are nice but service is slow. Hence the 2 star. Price and portion is the problem. You can charge more per dish because of your premium Yorkville location. I see no problem with that. But please, if you want to be stingy, at least don't be too proud of it. The dish I ordered comes with a "bowl" of rice, and all my complaint is about that "bowl" of rice. Notice my quotation marks around bowl, because it is not a bowl of rice, it is half a bowl at most. Ok, when I saw that "bowl" of rice I thought to myself, maybe they are out of rice or the person fill the bowl just didn't fill it up. Surely, they can't be that cheap saving 5 cents on rice risking making their food unpresentable. So I finished that rice, and I am of course still hungry. So I asked a server, can I get more rice? To that the server politely replied, so you want extra rice? Maybe it is because English is not my first language, more and extra sound like synonyms to me. I replied yes to that. A bit later, the server did come with a "bowl" of rice. It is still a half filled bowl, but I thanked the server and let him go. At this point, this is still a 4 star place. A bit pricey, but the environment and location can justify it. However, it was the experience after I got the bill put this place into the 2 star category. I saw the bill and I was charged $2 for the extra rice. Ok, $2 is a fair price, most places I have been to also charge around this for rice. But then I realized that I was not informed by them in anyway that they will charge me $2 for the "bowl" of rice. So I explained my experience to the server and ask about what can they do about it. The server said, ok this time we will not charge you $2 for the rice but next time you will need to pay for it. They were not apologetic in anyway, made no comment about not informing me. I wasn't particular happy with their response, but I said ok. Then the server said, we charge extra for everything. He said it with a disdainful and arrogant tone. He is not wrong, they can charge extra for everything. However their value and moral is not something I can agree with. Friendly advice to the business owner: Why not get smaller bowls? read more

This was a nice find down the street from my hotel. It is very casual and was pretty empty when we got there. I thought it was Korean but it was also fairly Japanese. I had a great glass of unfiltered saki so all was good. The sushi was fresh and good but I've had much better. Some of the sauces on the sashimi were way too heavy. I guess they can learn from Sugarfish in LA, which is my favorite! The kimchi was good and the service was attentive. I will come back to try the Korean BBQ menu. read more

We were huge fans of the Japanese restaurant that was formerly in this location, so decided to continue the tradition of stopping midday for an asian lunch between boutique hopping (Sprezzy is a dedicated Holt's shopper, after all) and try KOKO .We love sushi and I have a fondness for Korean, so we had hope that this might become a favorite. Our last lunch left us most unimpressed. We ordered a roll with tuna in it and had to send it back because the tuna was -- ewww -- brown. After said roll was returned to be remade we were informed that the chef sears the tuna first always. Heh? Who the hell makes a tuna roll with cooked fish?! Also, the boyf hated an orange colored sauce (mayo? french dressing?) they liberally applied. By that time my mediocre beef bulgogi had been sitting out to cool, and had become cold, tough bulgogi. Not good. It's a shame because the interior is quite nice -- I love the gorgeous varnished wood tables, the authentic chopsticks in wooden boxes and the small, Tokyo-like interior. Who knows, maybe one day it'll revert back to a cute, little Japanese mom & pop place that makes their own soy sauce like the former residents. read more

The service was great, the food was excellent! I had some sashimi (very fresh), the kimchi trio (heaven for a kimchi lover), and the vegetable, dumpling & egg soup (hit the spot). I'll definitely go back. read more

Came to KOKO for lunch service on a late Friday afternoon. Ordered two lunch dishes (miso soup and salad with ginger dressing included): 15 PIECE SASHIMI AND RICE (5/10) - Sashimi platter was an assortment of salmon, white tuna and red tuna. Pieces were unevenly cut and didn't taste fresh. The fish tasted like it has been sitting in the fridge for a while. SPICY CHICKEN AND VEGETABLES WITH RICE (5/10) - Chicken slivers stir fried in sweet and spicy sauce. The sauce reminded me of the Korean hot sauce you put into a bimbimbap. The dish should really be called Spicy chicken and rice since two pieces of carrot and onion strips wouldn't be classified as "and vegetable" in my books. Rating Summary: Food: 5/10 - Food was mediocre and sashimi wasn't the most fresh Atmosphere: 7/10 -Nestled in the heart of Yorkville, clean, modern décor, moderate amount of seating, no background music Service: 5/10 - Water service needs improvement, slow service for a lunch hour, and hot food arrived cold. I wouldn't recommend coming here for lunch if you expect to be serviced quickly. Took 45 minutes from time of ordering to when our first dish came out. Several tables around us noted orders were not correct and food came out cold. There seemed to have been only two people working, one server and one cook. The cozy restaurant was fairly busy and knowing that this restaurant has been in existence for few years I'd think management would be able to staff accordingly for the anticipated lunch traffic. Likely will go to elsewhere for Korean/ Japanese food in the future. read more