Sushi Kuu — Restaurant in Visalia

I typically set my expectations low for sushi restaurants out in the middle of nowhere and not really fancy dining. I'm kicking myself now, though for not having ordered much more. The fish was incredibly fresh (Saturday evening), delicious, and seasoned just right. I ordered the Harley and Butterfish rolls along with the uni nigiri, I highly suggest both rolls. But my favorite part was the uni, make sure to order extra to share because this is something you deserve for yourself (if you like uni)!

I was extremely surprised when I tasted the uni nigiri. I was expecting a normal run-of-the-mill uni, but no, the uni tasted like that you would get at a five star restaurant. It was just the right soft and melting consistency, nodes of buttery flavor, with a little sweetness. I had to share my uni before I even tasted it. Had I known then what I know now, I would've growled like a cat at anyone trying to take my uni.

That aside, the Butterfish was my favorite of the two rolls I ordered (but I still loved the Harley). The butterfish was seared to perfection just the right mix of tenderness and chewiness. Sitting on top of a delectable tempura shrimp and crab roll, which they remove part of the tail so you can eat all the way to the fins with no shell. They have a delicious and tangy sauce that I drizzled (take-out due to COVID) on top which added a gentle smoky and citrus, peppery, and slight sting of spice to the roll. Please get this roll for yourself too.

The Harley roll had a perfect crunch with the lemon on top with buttery salmon (a favorite mixture of two flavors) on top of the tempura sushi and crab roll. This roll also had a special sauce that tasted like a mix of sesame and mustard. This roll, too, was delicious and I highly suggest it but the Butterfish roll was the winning contender if you have to choose between the two.

Lastly, the staff and chefs are very friendly and you can still see them smile under their masks. I was an a**hole who arrived 20 mins before closing but they still took me in, greeted me, and made me a delicious and savory meal. The order took about 10-15 minutes in total (as it seemed a couple of guests placed orders ahead and several to-go orders already placed over the phone or online), not a long wait for a great sushi meal.

Pricing is on point for the area and quality, they could probably get away with charging a little more but might be out of the price point for the area.

If you're driving by, please give this place a chance! You...

We love the food here! (my hubby is a sushi addict!!) I, however, am not. I do not eat anything raw.. period. Thankfully, Sushi Kuu has a nice selection of other entrees on the munu, as well as many sides + add-ons in the way of salads, soup, apps, etc. As far as atmosphere? I gave the two star only because of the extremely high noise level. I also must mention that they do not take reservations : ( Since this was my husband's b day dinner, the loooong wait was as bad or worse than the noise level. We were a party of four. My next complaint was they were out of salad. It wouldn't be a huge deal except for the fact they were also out of salad the week prior? Also, it was not late..but 7:30 pm when we arrived, and aporox 8:10 when we were finally seated. I asked for our salads ASAP; my husband's seaweed salad and the two green salads for us gals. The server said.."sorry..we are out of the green salad." I said "Again?" She just made a sad face. I also ordered a rather pricey Japan ale, and had already saw it opened and poured before noticing it was the not what I had ordered : ( I also had asked for 'light sauce' on the salmons, with extra on the side for dipping. We did not get the extra side : ( Everything else was fine; the miso soups, the rest of the two Salmon Bento Box sides, etc. My husband's a la carte' Sushi meal was fine. Our other friend's Tempura Shrimp meal was fine as well. Even though I made the front desk aware that it was my hubby's birthday, not one employee acknowledged it. Since my husband has gotten take-out from this place every single Friday at lunch time for the last 8 or 9 years?? I thought it was sad : ( Also, he was not offered a complementary dessert..nothing at all? When we at the table sang 'Happy Birthday' no employee came to join in. When we paid the check the server did say 'Happy Birthday' but that was the extent. We will NOT be celebrating any more special occasions at 'Sushi Koo' in the future. IN CLOSING: The food is great, the sit down food service good, but too much noise, and no 'making it special' which is sad..I think. Also, the no reservations is a big thumbs down when it comes to a special occasion; and the loooong wait to get a table and no one noticing older persons with a cane needing a seat? There were 3 obvious over 65ers with canes. No one even blinked or offered to grab an extra chair...

They had a sign that said, "understaffed, please be patient". As a small business owner myself, I completely understand the situation. Being understaffed is terrible, and not being able to meet a decent time quota is just as bad. Visiting from Stockton, I was excited to try the Number 1 spot for Sushi in Visalia. Definitely willing to wait for good food.

The thing is, it seems that Management is the problem, not the lack of staff.

We were sat within 15 minutes of arriving, fantastic. They were busy.

Minutes after sitting down, we ordered water and appetizers.

Less than 10 minutes later, we got our water and appetizers. Awesome, better than we expected.

We finished our water and appetizers.

The table next to us, who had been set prior to us, finished their food, paid, and left.

A new table was sat.

We waited. We tried waving down staff, no one paid attention.

About 30 minutes after receiving appetizers, the hostess asked us if anyone took our order. We said no. She apologized and placed our order, then went back to placing people at tables.

Again, we waited. No water. A bus boy did take our appetizer plates, but that was it.

Maybe 15 minutes later, a waitress we haven't seen yet asks if anyone took our order yet. We said yes, although it's taking some time.

She decided to grab 3 separate waitresses to address our issue, I guess. we had to tell her that none of the peoples ever helped us at our table, just the hostess. She seemed very confused.

After about another 20 minutes, finally, our sushi rolls arrived. The waitress, another different person, said, "I'm sorry it took so long, but YOU have an avocado allergy so we had to clean everything before we made your food."

.... Excuse me? I can't control my food allergy, but you can definitely control your service. How rude.

Food was subpar. No flavor. To sit in this restaurant for an hour and a half to get edamame, potatoes, and 2 sushi rolls was ridiculous.

I have no problem waiting for food to be cooked. But to be completely ignored while every other person in the place was helped? Not okay.

I will never, ever come back here.

The staff, save the hostess, is not worth the wait. The food is not worth the wait.

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