Ken Sushi — Restaurant in Amsterdam

Managed to get an 8:30PM dinner reservation the night before. My partner was extremely excited to find out as she heard many positives beforehand and I was somewhat excited as well after reading the many positive reviews online.

We had opted for the ''Omakase REGULAR'', were seated at the right side of the high bar. Mark was our chef for the evening and our drinks were taken and served by a younger Asian lady of which we didn't manage to catch the name of.

Chef Mark started the evening by taking note of food allergies and preferences. He also gave a short explanation on the eating techniques as well as etiquettes. Mark was charming and made an effort to incorporate a pleasant vibe.

The lady taking and serving our drinks made sure we had everything we needed. She did give me the feeling that she was somewhat new, since she lacked a certain degree of confidence in the way she served and asked questions. I'm certain this will come with time and proper training.

The seating wasn't ideal as we were facing two dumbwaiters right in front of us. The bar was also actively being used to serve drinks to all the other guests. This made it so that there were people dashing in front of us throughout the evening.

The courses consisted out of ''20 bites'', this included mainly nigiri and sashimi with a miso soup. I was kind of surprised to find being served a ''Tao Kae Noi Big Roll'' filled with strips of salmon belly. Not because it wasn't tasty or anything, but rather that one might not expect something like that in a restaurant setting.

The food in general was just fine, nothing too special. The final course consists of either the upgrades or a favourite you had during the evening. My partner and I weren't really craving any additional courses so opted for the favourite to end the evening with. When asked what my favourite was I had a hard time answering, since none of the dishes really stood out to me as exceptional.

Does it deserve some of the reviews with low ratings? Not at all. Yes, I get it. It's advertised as an omakase experience and if you have had more ''authentic'' omakase in higher demand regions like Asia, Australia or North America. I'll have to agree that this doesn't come close. Even so, I wouldn't call it a let down. Why? Because it was €75,- per person excl. drinks and addons. You can't tell me you realistically expected an ''authentic'' omakase experience with fish sourced from Japan, sea urchin and real wasabi root at this price point. It's a business after all.

Ingredients aside, some points of improvement can be done without increasing the costs by much or any. The ambience and service could've been better curated. I didn't really have to see all the packaging, paperrolls or bottle of Nivea skin lotion near the POS system, or the POS system itself for that matter. The noise from the coffee machine, the wine fridge being refilled throughout the evening or the prepped sashimi course from the dumbwaiter didn't really do much for the ''omakase feel''. Some of the mentioned were more so in line with Chinese take-out vibes.

In my opinion, it's a bit better compared to the average sushi place in the Netherlands, but that's reflected in the price. But I don't believe it warrants the hype and full...

Ken Sushi

So it was my birthday celebration, my girlfriend surprised me with an omakase experience. I was done with work and was rushing to make it on time, the traffic was jammed everywhere so thankgod I made it to the parking. I dropped my car at the park&travel and transferred to the subway. It was a long time ago to have such a haste.. my destination? The Olympic hotel.

I was the last man arriving at the tables, and what happend? They were waiting for me to arrive. I was feeling guilty&apologized for being the last one, but such a beginning was so generous of them. Eventhough it was 8 minutes, those 8 minutes meant so much to me. And in the Japanese culture.. you know coming late is a disgrace and very disrespectful. Omataseshite moshiwake gozaimasen!

I’ve made it to the table where my beautiful girlfriend was waiting for me to join. We started with Shiso leaf tea and also my favorite iced tea “OISHI Honey” the evening was starting.

Food: Well, I think this was a whole other level of dining. Ken explained what the plan was for tonight and what we can expect. Well.. I was really excited, because this man knows the definition of it’s showtime. We were going to have 20 pieces of delicacies. After the 20 pieces we decided to make the gold upgrade to have some wagyu nigiri and also toro nigiri. I assume you have some experience with these terms or else it’s a premium beef and fatty tuna. All of this was PERFECT. Food is rated for me 9.5/10

Service: The way they present the food was already a service, omakase means I will leave it up to you chef. So basically the chef is also the person that serves you. The waiters that were around the tables had some kind of air host vibes. I liked it, they were very polite. Service is 9/10

Atmosphere: The bar was really cosy, comfy and had a warm feeling. Eventhough it was in a small corner of a hotel restaurant it was very nice dressed up. Atmosphere is 9/10

Conclusion: Well.. what can I say? This was the best experience where I’ve been to. I would recommend this place so much, it is definitely worth it! Since Ken was standing in front of me and I thought he didn’t spoke Dutch I was having a small chat with him. Ken told me they were having a new location, Geldersekade 19. Afterwards he announced it to the whole table. It was a fun evening and I would thank their whole team for this amazing dining experience. In the time that I’m writing this they have opened their new place so.. I will come back and do this all over again. For the person that is reading this right now, BOOK YOUR TABLE ASAP They deserve the 5 star rating for sure!

Thankyou so much team Ken Sushi and see...

My partner and I booked the €80‑per‑person Omakase in Tako Room 2, hoping for an authentic Japanese evening. Sadly, the experience fell short from the moment we walked in: The décor feels like a patchwork of clichés rather than genuine Japanese design. You walk through Koi Room 3, then Tako Room 2, and finally Lapu Room 1. The first two are overloaded with kitschy ornaments, while Lapu Room 1 looks comparatively tasteful.

Our chef, a friendly Dutch gentleman, told us he’d been making sushi for just one year. In Japan it takes close to a decade to earn the title of sushi chef, so learning this was disappointing. The restaurant advertises a “true Japanese omakase,” yet the owner is Thai and most chefs in Koi and Tako rooms are non‑Asian. Authenticity clearly isn’t the priority here.

The fish itself was fresh, but freshness alone doesn’t justify the price tag. Technique, seasoning, rice temperature, and pacing all lacked the finesse you expect from a proper omakase. At €80 per person, I felt more like I purchased an Instagram experience than a true culinary experience.

If you insist on trying Ken Sushi, request Lapu Room 1—at least the ambiance there aligns more closely with what you might expect from a Japanese restaurant. Otherwise, skip Koi and Tako rooms and explore Amsterdam’s genuinely Japanese kitchens instead.

Additionally, we faced two problems: • Drinks – My beer arrived with mysterious debris floating in the glass. The staff couldn’t identify what it was and simply swapped it for a new one. • Billing – At the end of dinner, the waitress handed us another table’s bill—significantly higher than ours. If we hadn’t checked, we’d have overpaid.

Would I return? No. An “experience” that banks on stereotypes, mishandles drinks, and can’t even print the right bill is not worth my time—or yours.

Note: If at the end of the dinner you don’t do the upgrade of €25 per person, you will find yourself waiting for the other couples to finish their upgrade before you will get your...