O-Ku — Restaurant in Charleston

A romantic date night fail. My husband was very excited to take me out to O-Ku, as he knew how much I like sushi. After hunting for parking because no one was at the valet parking we finally made it inside. The place looks very hip, it was also really loud and dark. The first thing I saw was a group of people sitting in the waiting area reading their menu with their phone flashlights. It is never a good sign when your patrons can't even read your menu. We were a bit early, but they did seat us right away. Our table was in the back and our waitress came over to serve us right away. We we pleased when she told us that the signature cocktails and rolls where half off. So I ordered a a drink with fig and vanilla. When it arrived it was underwhelming. It was topped with a slice of orange that covered the entire drink. The sad part was that orange was the only thing I could taste. It was so mild that the drink just tasted like orange slice and a tiny bit of alcohol. I took a few sips and set is aside with the intent of letting the waitress know that the drink was really watered down when she asked how it was. She never asked so the drink just sat there. We ordered the pork belly for an appetizer and it was good. However, to be fair, it is pork belly. It is good almost no matter what you do to it. We then waited 30 minutes for the rest of our food to arrive. My husband repeated three times that it hadn't taken this long last time he ate here. My husband is an insanely patient man, for him to be asking about where the food is usually is an indicator that things are moving very slowly. During the time we tried to have a conversation with each other. This however ended is us just talking really loudly to each other. While the open space concept makes it very cool to look at it makes it very loud and impossible to have a private conversation in. I spent the time not shouting at my husband watching the group two tables down from us look at their menu with their phone flashlights. Then....They actually turned the lights down some more. Our rolls and sashimi arrived. I was pleased that the person who delivered the took the time to explain what everything was. The rolls were good, the sashimi was good, but I wouldn't call it amazing. It seemed pretty typical and what I've come to expect from plenty of other sushi places. The worst part of the evening was still to come. When we were in the middle of our dinner they came to rearrange the table next to us. Doubling the 4 person square table to hold 8. The chairs were now uncomfortably close to us. When the group arrived they had THREE babies. The wait staff then set a high chair right at the corner of our table. Our romantic dinner now included a baby being fed loudly right between us. We paid as quickly as possible and left. I'm not impressed. The only thing that made the meal slightly better was that it wasn't near as expensive as it could have been if many of our items hadn't been half off. I wouldn't recommend O-Ku to take your date or your significant other on a date. The place is not conducive to conversation, reading menus, or even eating without hitting elbows with the people next to you. The food is over priced for what it is and the cocktails apparently mostly water and orange slices. Disappointed as we had been looking forward to eating here...

I have been eating out daily for many years in Charleston, so when I say "I've come across the best server in Charleston", I really do mean it. Keep in mind, I've been coming to O-ku for over thirteen years.

From the moment I was seated, my server, Ella, exuded a warm and genuine enthusiasm that set the tone for the entire evening. Her impeccable attention to detail and ability to anticipate my needs was nothing short of impressive. It was evident that she took pride in her role, making me feel like an honored guest from start to finish. You could tell she wanted to be there.

Throughout the meal, Ella struck a perfect balance between being attentive and respectful of my privacy. She gracefully timed her visits to the table, ensuring I had everything I needed without being intrusive. Empty plates vanished discreetly, and fresh utensils appeared effortlessly, all while maintaining a warm smile that made me feel at ease.

Beyond her extraordinary service skills, Ella displayed a rare ability to gauge my preferences and tailor the experience to my liking. After I ordered the Wagyu Tataki she took mental note that I would appreciate something very similar, the Usuzukuri. She surprised me with a menu item I have yet to try between courses, elevating the overall dining adventure to new heights.

As the evening progressed, it became evident that Ella possessed not only exceptional professionalism but also a genuine passion for making guests' dining experiences memorable. Her passion, knowledge, and genuine care for her craft made this dining experience one to cherish forever. Her presence transformed an already excellent meal into an unforgettable culinary adventure.

If you are fortunate enough to dine at O-ku, I wholeheartedly recommend requesting Ella to be your guide. Her remarkable service will elevate your dining experience to a level of excellence rarely found elsewhere. The memory of this extraordinary server will undoubtedly linger with me for many years to come, leaving me eager to return to O-ku to savor both the delightful cuisine and the unmatched...

The rolls were well made and delicious with high quality eel sauce. Dumplings were tasty also. That's about the end of the positive feedback I can provide. In light of further constructive criticism I can say that the reservation system is poor as we saw multiple empty tables upon walking in on Friday night but were asked to wait 30 minutes as all of them were "reserved". We waited 20 minutes while looking over the menu and decided to get some fresh air while being told that we would get a text/call once 2 barseats or a table opens up. No calls or texts were received after 45 minutes; then an hour has passed. After 90 minutes and no notifications we decided to go somewhere else as we were starving by this point. We were visiting Charleston for the weekend and really wanted to eat sushi one of the nights, so I went ahead and placed a reservation via google maps for the next night 5:45pm. Fast forward to our secondary arrival at O-Ku. The male server was friendly and brought us 3 dishes without much delay. Two of the serving dishes were chipped and cracked as we later discovered due to horrible lighting. A different server spilt soysauce all over our table as he took away our finished dishes. He murmured "sorry" as he left to never come back to clean it up. We cleaned it up. Moreover, there is a difference between ambiance and impractical darkness. I felt bad for the elderly couple across from us, one tilting the candle and the other using his iphone light to read the menu. The music selection was not bad but the speaker behind me would cut in and out loudly and was clearly blown. The chairs were somewhat uncomfortable and the wooden artsy branches on the columns throughout the restaurant were just out of place and tasteless. I did like the large wall-mirrors allowing one to see the sushi-chefs work from just about any table. TL;DR just come in on the dot at happyhour instead of dinner and ask for non-cracked plates and you will be...