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O-Ku, Charleston, SC
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O-Ku

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Visa Dining Collection

$30 and under
Japanese
463 King St, Charleston, SC 29403

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2 people
7:00 PM
Booked 52 times today

About this restaurant

  • Good for special occasions
  • Lively
  • Great for creative cocktails
O-Ku, a Japanese restaurant in Charleston, South Carolina, is a triumph of execution and concept. The restaurant's menu is a modern take on traditional Japanese cuisine, and it features fresh, seasonal ingredients that are prepared with care. The dishes are beautifully presented, and the flavors are both complex and delicate. Focused on incorporating authentically Japanese flavors into the fare, O-Ku's menu is comprised of signature contemporary Japanese entrées and traditional sushi of the season reflecting the uniquely designed space. Guests can enjoy chef specialties including kurobuta pulled pork don-buri, braised short rib with shiso pesto, coconut curry, and hakozushi a box-style sushi. A wide variety of nigiri, sashimi and crudos are also available. The beverage program at O-Ku is a sophisticated blend of specialty cocktails, premium sake, bubbles, red and white wines and unique beer selections.

Why they're an Icon

From the OpenTable editors: James Beard semifinalists Steve Palmer and Kimball Brienza of the Indigo Road group opened the first O-Ku in Charleston in 2010. The modern Japanese restaurant deals sushi in every form—sashimi, nigiri, rolls, hand rolls, and cones—in a sleek black space filled with twisted tree branches. Esquire called it one of the hottest openings of 2010, Travel + Leisure ranked it one of the best sushi restaurants in the country in 2013, and today it counts eight locations across the South.

Additional information

  • Location
    463 King St, Charleston, SC 29403
  • Neighborhood
    Downtown Charleston
  • Cross street
    King Street & Radcliffe Street
  • Parking details
    O-Ku is located on Upper King Street which offers ample on-street parking.
  • Additional
    Bar/Lounge, Beer, BYO Wine, Cocktails, Corkage Fee, Counter Seating, Delivery, Entertainment, Full Bar, Gluten-free Options, Happy Hour, Non-Smoking, Takeout, Wheelchair Access, Wine

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Menu

O-Ku's menu was last updated on 6/22/2025.

View menu on restaurant's website

What 2,887 people are saying

O-Ku reviews from people who’ve dined at this restaurant. Based on recent rating.

Overall ratings and reviews

Reviews can only be made by diners who have eaten at this restaurant

4.9
4.9 based on recent ratings
  • 4.9Food
  • 4.8Service
  • 4.8Ambience
  • 4.6Value

Noise • Moderate

Loved For

  • South Carolina

    Best Overall

  • South Carolina

    Best Food

  • Charleston

    Best Overall

  • Charleston

    Best Food

  • Charleston

    Best Service

  • Charleston

    Best Ambiance

  • Charleston

    Best Value

  • Charleston

    Innovative

  • Charleston

    Hot spot

  • Charleston

    Lively

  • Charleston

    Most Booked

Review summary

AI-generated from verified diner reviews
O-Ku offers an exceptional dining experience with "the best sushi in town" and a lively, welcoming atmosphere. Guests appreciate the "amazing service" and personalized touches for special occasions. The restaurant is noted for its "fresh, flavorful" dishes and standout menu items like the salmon lemon roll and nigiri flights.
2,887 Reviews

  1. Ashley

    Caribbean3 reviews

    5.0

    Dined 3 days ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Brenna was our server and was absolutely wonderful. It was my birthday and she went above and beyond to make it special. Loved our convo with her too. The food is delicious and the atmosphere was great!

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  2. Jeff

    South Carolina14 reviews

    5.0

    Dined 5 days ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Wonderful service. Our server was fantastic. Sushi was fresh, flavorful and amazing.

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  3. Seth

    Philadelphia County11 reviews

    2.0

    Dined 6 days ago

    1. Overall 2
    2. Food 3
    3. Service 2
    4. Ambience 3
    Family of 4. Ordered some rolls as appetizers.Asked for no crispy onions on the eel roll.It was served with crispy onions.Couldn’t see them because it was so dark in the room and ate them.Didn’t send back because half the roll was gone before we realized.The other 2 rolls were good.One entree was then served.My daughter tried to wait for the others but her chicken (which had good flavor) got cold so we insisted she start eating.Over 5 minutes later the other entrees were served.The cod was unseasoned on a bed of flavorless ube.I did not eat it.The pork belly was very good but the white rice was undercooked and still hard/crunchy.We would not go back.

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  4. Lisa

    Atlantic City / South Jersey Shore1 review

    5.0

    Dined on July 8, 2025

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Excellent food and service. Great Happy Hour prices.

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  5. Avery

    South Carolina1 review

    5.0

    Dined on July 6, 2025

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    The best resturant we’ve ever been to. The salmon lemon roll is the best sushi we’ve ever had.
    O-KuResponded 7 days ago
    Hi Avery! Thank you for dining with us! We are so glad you got to indulge in our Salmon & Lemon roll. This is one of our most popular rolls, super light and refreshing! We look forward to seeing you again soon to try some more of our popular dishes! -Sam Morgan, GM of O-Ku CHS

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  6. Elizabeth

    New York City1 review

    5.0

    Dined on July 4, 2025

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Delicious food, great service , beautiful ambience

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  7. Bob VIP

    Orlando / Central Florida East10 reviews

    5.0

    Dined on July 3, 2025

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Great service! Champagne for our anniversary was very special!

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  8. Steve

    Virginia12 reviews

    4.0

    Dined on July 1, 2025

    1. Overall 4
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 4
    The menu was outstanding....everything our group of four ordered was delicious. The Wild mushroom appetizer....the Wagyu spoons, angry salmon roll....all truly excellent. Service was attentive and friendly and the energy in the restaurant was delightfully lively.
    O-KuResponded on July 4, 2025
    Hi Steve! Thank you so much for dining with us! We are so glad you enjoyed some of our top menu items and we look forward to having you back again soon! -Sam Morgan, GM of O-Ku CHS

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  9. Andrew

    Orlando / Central Florida East16 reviews

    5.0

    Dined on June 29, 2025

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 4
    4. Ambience 4
    Amazing , great food, very nicely presented, would recommend

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  10. Jordan

    Raleigh / Durham / Chapel Hill5 reviews

    5.0

    Dined on June 29, 2025

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Amazing as usual!! Thank you for a great dinner! We loved the matcha mocktail - so good!

    Is this helpful?

FAQs

O-Ku offers takeout which you can order by calling the restaurant at (843) 737-0112.

O-Ku is rated 4.9 stars by 2887 OpenTable diners.

O-Ku does offer gift cards which you can purchase here.

Yes, you can generally book this restaurant by choosing the date, time and party size on OpenTable.

  1. Home
  2. United States
  3. South Carolina
  4. Charleston
  5. Downtown Charleston

Make a reservation

2 people
7:00 PM
Booked 52 times today
Google Map for O-Ku

463 King St, Charleston, SC 29403

Additional information

  • Cross street
    King Street & Radcliffe Street
  • Neighborhood
    Downtown Charleston
  • Hours of operation
    Mon–Thu, Sun 5:00 pm–10:00 pm Fri, Sat 5:00 pm–11:00 pm
  • Price
    $30 and under
  • Cuisines
    Japanese, Sushi, Cocktail Bar
  • Dining style
    Casual Elegant
  • Dress code
    Business Casual
  • Parking details
    O-Ku is located on Upper King Street which offers ample on-street parking.
  • Payment options
    AMEX, Discover, Mastercard, Visa
  • Additional
    Bar/Lounge, Beer, BYO Wine, Cocktails, Corkage Fee, Counter Seating, Delivery, Entertainment, Full Bar, Gluten-free Options, Happy Hour, Non-Smoking, Takeout, Wheelchair Access, Wine
  • Delivery & takeout
    Order direct

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