Osaka Asian Bistro — Restaurant in Charleston

I’ve been living in West Ashley for a year now. Before this, I was always exploring food spots around downtown Charleston, especially near King Street. But recently, I discovered that James Island is a hidden gem—not only does it have beautiful ocean views, but it’s also packed with amazing restaurants. Today’s spot was recommended by a coworker who’s lived here for over a decade. And wow, it blew me away.

Most sushi places serve decent rice, but the rice here? Next level. It actually made me nostalgic. I stopped by today just to try a few things since I’d already had dinner earlier. I ordered the Tuna Cracker, Habachi Kama, and an Avocado Eel Roll.

The Tuna Cracker was a total surprise—the rice underneath reminded me of a dish from my childhood back home. Where I grew up, there was this way of cooking rice where it’d be soaked in special oil (vegetable or animal fat, depending on the region), then pan-fried until crispy on both sides. One bite, and you’d get this explosion of fragrant rice, rich oil, and crispy texture. And guess what? The rice on this Tuna Cracker was exactly like that. Honestly, the tuna (which was good, don’t get me wrong) almost took a backseat because I couldn’t stop eating the crispy rice block underneath.

I got the Avocado Eel Roll because it’s such a simple roll, but that’s what really tests a sushi place’s skills. The rice here was perfect—not too thick, not too thin, with a strong nori flavor (most places just wrap the seaweed inside without much taste). The avocado chunks were big, but they didn’t overpower the eel, and the sauce was just right—every element in this roll was perfectly balanced. I’d go as far as saying this roll could beat any sushi I’ve had across a dozen states in the U.S. So yeah, I’ll definitely be back to try their other rolls before making a final judgment.

The Kama was today’s special—lightly grilled and topped with fish roe. What set it apart was that it wasn’t dry like at other places because they added a light sauce. And honestly? It worked. The shredded radish underneath soaked up the tangy, savory sauce and the fish’s juices, making it super tasty.

There’s a sushi spot in West Ashley I used to frequent (if you’ve seen my other reviews, you know which one). But based on the quality and technique of what I ate today? This place just dethroned it. I’ll have to come back a few more times to confirm, but first impressions are strong.

Oh, and after the meal, I made sure to tell the chefs how much I loved their skills—especially how they blended Japanese sushi rice techniques with a touch of Chinese influence. I even complimented the owner. Seriously, this...

My boyfriend took me here tonight for Valentine's day because he knows I like sushi. It was our first time here. We arrived at 6:30 and we're greeted and asked if we had a reservation (which we did not). The woman proceeded to seat us. She sat us in a back corner with menus and left. Never said who would be waiting on us or anything. So we started looking at the menus and deciding what we wanted. 20 minutes went by and no one had even asked us what we wanted to drink or if we had been served. Nothing. Other tables were being waited on and there were actually servers standing near the kitchen looking out into the restaurant. They were steady, not packed. We went at such an early time so we could beat the rush of vday dinner. I would rather not sit there and wait all night for a water and even longer for food and waste my night away. It was like we weren't even there. We left and as we were walking out the hosts at the front desk said "thank you!". We hadn't even been served so no pay so I'm confused as to why they thought we were just heading out after eating. We walked over to Black Wood Smokehouse and got seated, acknowledged, and had great food with excellent service.

Maybe there was miscommunitcation. I'm not sure. But I don't think I'll be back here. It was very...

The quality of the food doesn’t match the price, especially compared to places like Miyabi or Yokoso. They don’t cook in front of you, so they seem to cut corners with cheaper methods. I came here because it’s close to my house, we live out in Folly so it was convenient, but from now on I’d rather drive 30–50 minutes to the better spots.

The vegetables tasted like they had been frozen and then tossed on the grill; my broccoli and carrots were still hard. The hibachi/teriyaki sauce tasted cheap, and the house/mushroom soup was disappointing; very dark broth, harsh flavor, not savory like it should be, and the mushrooms were in large chunks.

I ordered the peanut roll, but it was overloaded with whole peanuts. I was expecting a smoother texture or at least crushed peanuts, but biting into huge whole ones was unpleasant. The side salad was fresh but basic, just lettuce and finely shredded carrots.

Overall, they could really benefit from hiring an experienced chef to revamp some of their dishes and teach the current cooks...