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Kukai

4.4 (248 reviews)
ModerateJapanese
Closed 11:30 am - 2:30 pm, 5:00 PM - 8:30 PM

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KUKAI ATMOSPHERE

What's the vibe?
Hipster
Casual
Touristy
Trendy

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Recommended Reviews - Kukai

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Vegan spicy miso ramen
Evie S.

Delicious vegan spicy miso ramen. I love the fried mushrooms on it. I wish it had more vegetables and/ or tofu. My general rating system: 1 star: I would stay away 2 stars: Has some good things about it but I generally don't recommend. 3 stars: Pretty good. I wouldn't go out of my way to go back but a decent place 4 stars: Great place. I would go back. 5 stars: I highly recommend stopping whatever you are doing and making plans to try it out! An Evie favorite!

Mt Fuji bowl and spicy tuna roll with crunch
Alisa G.

My son and I went to check out Tucson Gem show and after we were craving sushi. I found this place very randomly and lucky for us it opened exactly on time when we were hungry. We absolutely loved it! So delicious! The price quality is amazing especially comparing with Phoenix prices. I loved the ambiance as well. It felt very artsy and after we were done with our delicious food we explored around.

Spicy crunch roll
Kathryn W.

I have been to the MSA Annex before and possibly had a bite here forever ago. But Sunday night I had dinner with a friend here and really enjoyed our experience. Fast and friendly service and we were able to get covered seating which was good for the rain we encountered. It is all outdoor seating and there are plenty of spaces and a covered bar not far away. This whole annex is a cool place to explore btw ;) everything I ate (miso , eggroll, sushi and a few gyoza ) was delicious and really hit the spot! My friend enjoyed her onigiri that she got. It was a really pleasant evening! There is street parking and it is free on Sundays! Definitely check this place out if you're there !

Hakata-  Pork ramen, scrumptious!
Miriam S.

Always great ramen and sides. This time we notice less pork on the ramen bowl and noodles are also smaller. I guess inflation prices are shrinking the bowl. We got there just in time for opening and started the line. After 5 minutes the line was very long. Their service is always great and the ambiance at the Annex is very enjoyable.

Spicy vegan ramen
Talisa M.

Stopped by recently during a shift for a grab and go bite from Kukai and lived every bit of it. The space is cute I. The annex and I love being able to spend time if I can. It's got shops and drinks places too. The service was simple and kind, I enjoyed it. And the food was wonderful! I got to try the vegan roll and it was so delish.

Nishanth D.

My first time in a place like this, located small food court with a nice small community like feel. Stopped by to grab a quick bite. I tried the takoyaki, service was fast and pretty good value for the money. It was really good with a perfect crunch outside and softness inside. My friends tried the hand roll i think and also the udon noodles. The portions were good for the udon noodles as well.

Spicy tuna hand roll
Abigail A.

Kukai has changed over the years. Food is pretty good, however overtime it seems like portions have gotten smaller, prices have gone up (understandably), and food seems to take longer to obtain. Most recently, we ordered a spicy tuna bowl, waited 20 minutes and when we went up to ask about it, it had already been waiting in the queue to be handed out...not sure for how long since there was a pile of orders and it seemed like the person in the front didn't know where our order was, despite having been handed a buzzer... Seating is limited at MSA annex, so just be aware of that. Not a bad place to grab some lunch and food taste outweighs some of the negatives.

Grilled Salmon Onigiri , Tuna Mayo Onigiri , salmon roll, gyoza
Ben H.

We came to the Annex and stumbled upon Kukai. The menu was extensive although the sushi rolls were not over the top creative. We ordered onigiri, spicy salmon roll, and gyoza. Despite the summer heat, dinner outside was hot but tolerable. The Annex is cool itself- I'd recommend checking it out.

Chicken Karaage
Genevieve M.

One of my favorite ramen joints in town. Flavorful, fragrant and fresh! I have likely tried almost every ramen dish on the menu over time and every single one of them are delish! We also got the chicken karaage which was the only thing that is 'ok'.,, the last 2 times I ordered this I found it over battered and dry. Unless you are lucky and get there early.. your general wait time is going to be 30 plus minutes... but so worth it!' The location adds to the experience as the MSA annex has such a cool outdoor dining vibe.

Heaters on a cold night
Erin D.

On our never ending quest to find good vegan ramen we stumbled across Kukai. Since then we've come back multiple times for the spicy vegan ramen. This place has a real hipster vibe and outdoor seating but don't let that discourage you from giving them a shot. The staff is friendly and the ramen is amazing. The spicy vegan ramen has a fried mushroom that is ridiculously delicious and an amazing broth with just the right amount of spice. My daughter got the regular ramen and loved it too. My only complaint was the ramen could come with more noodles but the last time we went I found out you can order extra noodles for a small charge. I was thrilled!

Vegan ramen (right), curry with shrimp tempura (back)
Lauren S.

I have come here dozens of times and I'm never disappointed. My favorite items are the vegan spicy miso ramen and the Mt. Fuji don, but you can't go wrong with the rolls or the curry as well. We love Kukai and are so lucky to have great quality Japanese food in the area!

Salmon Hand Roll
Zuriel L.

First time trying and ordered to go. The salmon hand roll was perfect ratio in ingredients. The Tuna Mayo Onigiri had alot of rice. More rice than I expected... But other than that it was delicious. There are some things I've seen on the menu that I'd like to try so I see myself ordering from them again and order different things.

Onigiri and cocktails from westbound
Isabella J.

I love, love love Kukai. Their onigiri (all of them!) are my favorite with a bowl of tonkotsu ramen. They never seem to have slow periods these days. So it's best to arrive early and be patient. Food doesn't usually take too long to turn out. And it's always so delicious! I wish I lived closer. Love this spot

Chicken karaage, Gyu Don and pork belly onigiri

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7 years ago

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6 years ago

Friendly staff, delicious Kukai don, amazing onigiri. I'll be going back for sure!

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7 years ago

Must try new spot in town! We had the beef rice bowl and it was so great! Meat is super tender and rice is very flavorful.

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7 years ago

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7 years ago

Tasty food. Everything I've tried there has been delicious. I recommend this restaurant. The location is great also.

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7 years ago

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7 years ago

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O Sushi Restaurant - Rock & Roll (cucumber roll w sushi)

O Sushi Restaurant

4.5(294 reviews)
5.5 miMidtown
$$

O Sushi is absolutely the best sushi in Tucson, Arizona, hands down. Additionally, it is some of…read morethe best sushi I have ever had anywhere, including in the San Francisco Bay Area and Japan. Just as important as the yummy food, the Team is super nice and make it a real pleasure to enjoy one's meal here, as well. They are attentive, kind, appreciative and treat their guests like Family. And finally, I would be remiss if I did not say how much I love the ambiance. The baseball theme and passion for the game is evident and heartfelt. If O Sushi was a baseball team they would definitely be in the Big Leagues and they would definitely have a World Series appearance on a regular basis. Keep up the Amazing work O Sushi. We greatly appreciate you!

please bare in mind I'm from Hawai'i so if my judgment of quality of fish or Japanese food in…read moreTucson is too brutal please skip this review Best way to try a sushi place is order their Chirashi bowl to test the freshness of their fish. Judgment of the Ahi color when it first came out I was already skeptical. Honestly there's a lot better restaurants out there with fresher fish. The salmon was the only redeeming quality. Instead of giving more fish they give Sunomono (pickled cucumber) and Korean seaweed salad I only got one cup of water and tea. Wasn't asked for a refill. Miso Soup was the machine made one so it was a bit salty.

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O Sushi Restaurant - Dinning room

Dinning room

O Sushi Restaurant - Teriyaki Platter

Teriyaki Platter

O Sushi Restaurant - Inside

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Inside

OBON Sushi Bar Ramen

OBON Sushi Bar Ramen

3.9(1k reviews)
1.1 miPie Allen
$$

We made reservations and were seated promptly. We opted for indoor seating. It's really nice…read moreinside. Nice dim lighting. Our server was friendly and gave us time to look over the menu. We began with ordering edemame and yellow tail nigiri to start. It was from the happy hour menu which was a great start to our meal. I also got their cocktail of the day, which was pretty refreshing. Keep in mind that HH is good until 6pm. We also ordered salmon roll, teriyaki noodles with either white rice and 2 buns to share. It was good enough for two people. Overall, food tasted great. Very fresh.

I'm a big fan of Obon, so when visiting Tucson, we decided to stop in for an early dinner! We…read morearrived just in time for happy hour, so we ordered a pan-fried pork gyoza off their HH menu. The pork gyoza was good, but it wasn't very warm. We each ordered ramen for our dinner. Mine the Oban and my friend the Original. The ramen was good, but mine tasted a little different than their Scottsdale/Phoenix locations. It wasn't as flavorful and as spicy as it normally is. This location is pretty small. Not a lot of tables, but they do have an outdoor patio and a large bar. Parking is a little bit of a nightmare due to the downtown location. I did park in the parking garage across the street, and I thought it was unusual they don't validate for parking. Overall, it was a fun time and our service was good.

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OBON Sushi Bar Ramen
OBON Sushi Bar Ramen
OBON Sushi Bar Ramen

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Kukai - japanese - Updated May 2026

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