Koiso Sushi Bar — Restaurant in Maui

As other reviewers mentioned, their reservation system is frustrating to say the least. If you become a regular, however, reservations are not as big of an issue. Unfortunately, the service remains lackluster at best and ambience feels like you’re sitting in a storage room full of stacked boxes inside of a tiny dining room if you can even call it that. This was our 4th or 5th visit and I will never return for the following reasons. First, we ordered the black cod which was undercooked and reeked of sake. I told the server of the issue which surprisingly but clearly upset the owner chef. He stopped preparing food (he does everything himself from sushi to cooked food at the sushi bar) and defended himself by saying it is marinated in sake but all of it has been evaporated during cooking (on his countertop electric grill). I said it did not and that I’ve ordered the dish multiple times over the years and never tasted alcohol. My kids were the ones to tell me to taste it because they tasted “chemical”. Instead of apologizing and replacing the dish, he started arguing by telling me nobody in the past has ever complained and I was the first and only one. I asked him to taste it himself but by then, he was too offended and decided to ignore me instead. I was very polite about it even when met with the condescending attitude from the owner. He simply said he won’t charge for the dish without even looking at me. In such a small restaurant, all the patrons stopped eating and stared at us to witness the drama - he wasn’t exactly quiet about it either. By this time, we had waited over an hour for our food which leads to my second complaint. The way this restaurant operates is even more annoying than their reservation system. They serve the customers in the order of entry at 6pm when they open. So even if you made reservations well in advance, you’re out of luck if you’re the last one to enter the door at 6pm. I was right on time, but the parking lot is very small with limited space so we happened to be the last party to enter the restaurant. We sat there for an hour watching everyone being served from appetizers, entrees and dessert until it was finally our turn, only to be served undercooked fish soaked in sake. The owner seemed to have no issues with my young teenagers consuming alcohol. I was starting to feel annoyed at this point. The third issue and icing on the cake to our dining experience was a near trip to the emergency room. When we finally started eating our Omakaze sushi after well over an hour of being seated, my wife started choking and turned to look at me with huge eyes. I knew something was very wrong. She told me she swallowed a fish bone and it got stuck in her throat. She rushed out of the restaurant and started coughing violently trying to get the bone out. After multiple attempts, she was able to cough it out somehow. The thick and sharp fish bone was about an inch long which came from a red snapper. I showed the bone to the server who showed it to the owner chef. He looked surprised, apologized and said he won’t charge for one Omakaze. If I was the owner or manager, with all the issues we had that evening, I would have comped the entire meal. Not that that’s what I was looking for, that’s what I would have expected at the least. I will definitely not be returning. Their service is mediocre at best and the sushi isn’t even that fresh in my opinion. My family and I eat sushi 2-3 times a week and have been over many years so I have a pretty good understanding of great, good and bad sushi. Sushi at Koiso is not bad but not that good either. The price definitely does not justify the food, service or the ambience. My new favourite sushi restaurant on Maui is Komo at the Four Seasons. They are more expensive but their authentic Japanese dining experience coupled with fresh sushi, excellent ambience and unbelievable service more than justifies the higher...

Short version: Best sushi I’ve ever had. You need a reservation about a month in advance. They are only open 5-9p. You can call a day in advance for to-go, $100 minimum. Do not expect a seat if you walk in without a rez.

Long version: Since this place doesn’t work like a typical restaurant, I’ll explain. They do 2 seatings per night, 6p and 7:30p. There are only 14 seats, so they require a reservation at least a month in advance. If you’re only on Maui a short time, you can call to see if there are any cancellations, or you can order to-go. For carry out, call a day in advance for pickup between 5-5:30p the next day (or another day).

There are only 2 people working (other than chef), so they may not pick up the phone right away. Try again or call later if they don’t answer during business hours.

If you’re not used to Japanese sushi, take a look at the pictures of the menu (on Google) and translate the menu before you go. Or, just order the Chef’s choice nigiri. The menu does change a bit based on availability, so it may be slightly different when you arrive, but you’ll have a better idea of what they have/what you want.

Small app and small fruit plate included with dinner. They have beer, wine, and sake available.

Service was outstanding, food was amazing. Totally worth the month+ wait. We’re already making our next reservation.

We ordered the sashimi combo, yuzu tai, blue fin oh toro, opakapaka, king salmon, unagi, and unagi roll, with a half bottle of sake. That was plenty of food for two at $175 minus tip. (salmon and unagi...

If you've read ahead of my review, you'll notice many low-starred reviews, all of them having to do with the supposed reservation requirement. And you will have noticed a few reviews where it seems the nasty lady at the entrance is making things up as she goes along. Like a NYC doorman at a club, it's obvious she's playing favorites. If she likes the way you look, you're in, no reservation required. That was my experience. I arrived just as the doors opened for business, no one was inside yet. I was told that I would not be allowed in because I had not made a reservation. At that very moment, along came an Asian couple who approached the door-lady with hugs and kisses... plus apologies for not making a reservation. She let them in immediately. Yeah, sorry lady, I speak Japanese, so I understood every word of your conversation.

When I got back to the hotel, I told our concierge what happened. He made a reservation for us the next day (despite the dragon lady telling me the restaurant was booked for weeks").

Upon arrival the next night, I was seated. However, as I sat at the sushi bar, a cockroach scampered across the wood part of the bar. I immediately got up, left, and went to a cleaner restaurant.

Why bother with this place when there's so many good sushi places on the island... without attitude...