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O-Ku, Charleston, SC
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O-Ku

$30 and under
Japanese

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2 people
7:00 pm
Booked 33 times today
  • Good for special occasions
  • Lively
  • Great for creative cocktails
O-Ku, a Japanese restaurant in Charleston, South Carolina, is a triumph of execution and concept. The restaurant's menu is a modern take on traditional Japanese cuisine, and it features fresh, seasonal ingredients that are prepared with care. The dishes are beautifully presented, and the flavors are both complex and delicate. Focused on incorporating authentically Japanese flavors into the fare, O-Ku's menu is comprised of signature contemporary Japanese entrées and traditional sushi of the season reflecting the uniquely designed space. Guests can enjoy chef specialties including kurobuta pulled pork don-buri, braised short rib with shiso pesto, coconut curry, and hakozushi a box-style sushi. A wide variety of nigiri, sashimi and crudos are also available. The beverage program at O-Ku is a sophisticated blend of specialty cocktails, premium sake, bubbles, red and white wines and unique beer selections.

Order delivery or takeout

Why they're an Icon

From the OpenTable editors: James Beard semifinalists Steve Palmer and Kimball Brienza of the Indigo Road group opened the first O-Ku in Charleston in 2010. The modern Japanese restaurant deals sushi in every form—sashimi, nigiri, rolls, hand rolls, and cones—in a sleek black space filled with twisted tree branches. Esquire called it one of the hottest openings of 2010, Travel + Leisure ranked it one of the best sushi restaurants in the country in 2013, and today it counts eight locations across the South.

Additional information

  • Area
    Downtown Charleston
  • Cross Street
    King Street & Radcliffe Street
  • Parking details
    O-Ku is located on Upper King Street which offers ample on-street parking.
  • Additional
    Bar/Lounge, Beer, BYO Wine, Cocktails, Corkage Fee, Counter Seating, Delivery, Entertainment, Full Bar, Gluten-free Options, Happy Hour, Non-Smoking, Takeaway, Wheelchair Access, Wine
Gift card

Gift card

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What 2,747 people are saying

Overall ratings and reviews

Reviews can only be made by diners who have eaten at this restaurant

4.8
4.8 based on recent ratings
  • 4.7Food
  • 4.8Service
  • 4.8Ambience
  • 4.5Value

NoiseModerate

Loved For

  • Charleston

    Best Overall

  • Charleston

    Best Food

  • Charleston

    Best Service

  • Charleston

    Best Ambience

  • Charleston

    Best Value

  • Charleston

    Innovative

  • Charleston

    Healthy

  • Charleston

    Hot spot

  • Charleston

    Lively

  • Charleston

    Most Booked

Review summary

AI-generated from verified diner reviews
O-Ku in Charleston offers a "wonderful dining experience" with "amazing food" and "great service." Patrons praise its creative sushi, fresh ingredients, and vibrant ambiance. The attentive staff consistently enhances the dining experience, making it ideal for special occasions. While some find the noise level high, the overall consensus highlights O-Ku as a must-visit for sushi enthusiasts.

2,747 Reviews
  1. Lina

    Charleston

    9 reviews

    5.0

    9 reviews

    Dined 4 days ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    The food was delicious and the service was great! Our family had a wonderful time!
    O-KuResponded 3 days ago
    Hello Lina! We appreciate your feedback and are so glad your family enjoyed their experience with us! We hope to see you again soon! -O-Ku CHS

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  2. Shana

    Orlando

    7 reviews

    5.0

    7 reviews

    Dined 4 days ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Loved our Christmas Eve dinner this year. The food and drinks are always great and our server, Alexis was amazing! Order a drink from Alexa at the bar and you won’t regret it. And Steph always does a fanatic job making sure everyone is taken care of. If you’ve never been, I highly recommend!!
    O-KuResponded 3 days ago
    Hello Shana! We are so glad you enjoyed your experience with us on Christmas Eve! We appreciate your shoutouts to the team and can't wait to serve you again soon! -O-Ku CHS

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  3. Tyler

    VIP

    New York City

    154 reviews

    5.0

    154 reviews

    Dined 5 days ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    All food and drink were top notch and wait service from Elle was outstanding.
    O-KuResponded 3 days ago
    Hello Tyler! Thank you for your feedback! We are so glad you enjoyed the experience and the service from Ella! We look forward to serving you again! -O-Ku CHS

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  4. sharon

    Charleston

    1 review

    3.0

    1 review

    Dined 5 days ago

    1. Overall 3
    2. Food 3
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 4
    The change in menu does not become the Oku of 1 year ago. Speaking from a local Charlestonian there are much better choices for sushi.
    O-KuResponded 3 days ago
    Hello Sharon! As a constantly evolving sushi restaurant, we strive to maintain consistency while also pursuing the greatest combinations of flavors to present to our guests. While this means that the menu changes throughout a year, we do our best to listen to our guests and the dishes they want to see on the menu. We hope you'll give us another shot to showcase the flavors that we feel align with who O-Ku is within the sushi world! -O-Ku CHS

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  5. Annalisa

    San Diego

    19 reviews

    5.0

    19 reviews

    Dined 5 days ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Amazing dinner, service and food Sam our server was great very knowledgeable and not overbearing Highly recommend
    O-KuResponded 3 days ago
    Hello Annalisa! We are so glad to know you enjoyed your experience with us. Hospitality and a great experience for our guests is a top priority for us and we are so glad to know you felt that. We look forward to serving you again soon! -O-Ku CHS

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  6. jim

    VIP

    Charleston

    83 reviews

    4.0

    83 reviews

    Dined 6 days ago

    1. Overall 4
    2. Food 4
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 4
    We have dined here so many times now. Consistently good. If only they would bring back the spicy cauliflower app!!
    O-KuResponded 1 day ago
    Hello Jim! We are so glad you're able to feel and experience the consistency we aim to provide. We will keep the cauliflower app in our minds for a dish to bring back! Hope to serve you again soon! -O-Ku CHS

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  7. Jeremy

    VIP

    Tampa

    16 reviews

    3.0

    16 reviews

    Dined 6 days ago

    1. Overall 3
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 2
    4. Ambience 5
    Food was great. Service was good until the bar tenders friends came in, then we did not exist.
    O-KuResponded 1 day ago
    Hello Jeremy! We apologize that you felt you weren't a priority while sitting at the bar. We feel that our bar is a great spot to create an exceptional experience for our guests but seems like we missed the mark this time. Our hope is that you will come in to give us another chance to enjoy the experience we desire for all of our guests at the bar. -Sam Morgan, AGM O-Ku CHS

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  8. Tom

    Greater Boston

    1 review

    5.0

    1 review

    Dined 7 days ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Exceptional experience tonight. Service was impeccable and made my birthday truly memorable and special
    O-KuResponded 3 days ago
    Hello Tom! We love to celebrate with our guests and are so glad we were able to make you birthday a memorable one! We hope it's the best year yet! -O-Ku CHS

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  9. Kyra

    Raleigh

    1 review

    5.0

    1 review

    Dined 7 days ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Service was great! Gave great recommendations and food was excellent. Great spot to come to while visiting Charleston!
    O-KuResponded 3 days ago
    Hello Kyra! We are so glad to know we created a great experience for you while visiting Charleston! We hope to serve you again soon! -O-Ku CHS

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  10. Nina

    VIP

    Philadelphia

    33 reviews

    4.0

    33 reviews

    Dined 7 days ago

    1. Overall 4
    2. Food 4
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 4
    We found Oku to be good but not exceptional. We had a selection of sashimi with the salmon selection tasting unusually fishy, which made me question the freshness. In addition we had 3 specialty rolls that were very good. Service was great!
    O-KuResponded 1 day ago
    Hello Nina! We apologize that you felt the sashimi was not up to your expectations but we are glad you enjoyed the rolls. We are always happy to correct any issue with food during your experience so please don't hesitate to ask in the future. We hope to serve you again soon! -O-Ku CHS

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FAQs

O-Ku offers delivery in partnership with Chow Now. O-Ku also offers takeaway which you can order by calling the restaurant at (843) 737-0112.

O-Ku is rated 4.8 stars by 2747 OpenTable diners.

O-Ku does offer gift cards which you can purchase here.

Yes, you can generally book this restaurant by choosing the date, time and party size on OpenTable.

Make a booking

2 people
7:00 pm
Booked 33 times today

Order delivery or takeout

Google Map for O-Ku

463 King St, Charleston, SC 29403

Additional information

  • Cross Street
    King Street & Radcliffe Street
  • Area
    Downtown Charleston
  • Hours of Operation
    Mon, Wed, Thu, Sun 17:00–22:00 Tue 17:00–21:00 Fri, Sat 17:00–23:00
  • Price
    $30 and under
  • Cuisines
    Japanese, Sushi, Cocktail Bar
  • Dining style
    Casual Elegant
  • Dress code
    Business Casual
  • Parking details
    O-Ku is located on Upper King Street which offers ample on-street parking.
  • Payment Options
    AMEX, Discover, Mastercard, Visa
  • Additional
    Bar/Lounge, Beer, BYO Wine, Cocktails, Corkage Fee, Counter Seating, Delivery, Entertainment, Full Bar, Gluten-free Options, Happy Hour, Non-Smoking, Takeaway, Wheelchair Access, Wine
Gift card

Gift card

Send gift cards instantly by email or print to present in person.

Send a gift card
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