Kooma Sushi

Good sushi. Service was so incredibly slow that we did not get food until 20mins before close. We arrived at 8pm. They closed at 10. Appetizers came at 930. Food came 945. They also did not inform us of last call. Good but not our first choice. Felt rushed the entire time. Ridiculous considering we arrived plenty of time ahead to enjoy our meal

I always come here for the Bruno roll! I’ve been here multiple times, dine-​in and take-​out, and all the rolls I’ve tried so far have been delicious! The quality of the fish is good too. The Sunday morning 2 roll is great as well!

Had it not been for the great reviews on Unilocal I probably wouldn’t have gone to this restaurant, and I would have missed out on some really great sushi. Perfect and fresh with some original rolls I’d never had. If you’re looking for good sushi this is the place to go.

Ate here this past week. Had the volcano roll. Very tasty. I’d eat here again. Worth a try.

This has been the worst service and experience I have had eating anywhere in Columbus… or anywhere else, for that matter.
We arrived at the restaurant at 7:10 pm and did not have an order taken until well after 8. We finally received our food at 9:10pm. During this time I received 1 water refill and that was after asking 4 times. The waitress, who shall remain nameless, was unable to deliver more than one thing at a time (apparently the concept of a tray was foreign?) and wouldn’t stay at the table long enough for us to ask for anything.
One of the members of my party approached the owner about the quality of service. He blamed his waitress, and told us we could accept 30% off or we could leave, without eating the sushi that was prepared and had been sitting for almost 20 minutes.
The sushi may have been okay, but when it sits out for 20 minutes, and is delivered at near room temperature, it’s really not edible.
The service and quality of food combined were beyond unacceptable. The bathroom was disgusting and filthy. The owner was rude. If I could give this place negative stars, I would. I’ve eaten grocery store sushi that was better presented and better tasting than this.

Without a question the worst service I have ever received in a dining experience! Almost three hour wait for sub par food! Only to be told they could either give us a 30% discount or we could leave! SMH avoid this crappie establishment!

Sushi redemption for the city of Columbus, OH, came last night in the form of Kooma Sushi. Having been totally disappointed with an awful sushi meal at Rishi the night prior, I was so delighted to find that there is good, fresh sushi in this city after all.
First order (~$ 23.00):
— 1 tai (red snapper) nigiri
— 1 hamachi (yellowtail) sashimi
— 1 sake (salmon) nigiri
— 1 hotategai (scallop) sashimi
— 1 miso soup
— 1 large hot sake
I first ordered hamachi and scallop sashimi with tai and sake nigiri, to get a feel for the quality of fish before truly committing to a filling meal. Fortunately, my wish was granted – all four pieces were very fresh and the hamachi and scallop especially tasted amazing as sashimi. The miso soup had very little character but it did the job and came out piping hot, and similarly I did not very much enjoy the standard hot sake but at least it warmed me up.
Second order (~$ 35.00):
— 1 amaebi (sweet shrimp) nigiri
— 1 striped bass nigiri
— 1 shiro maguro (white tuna) nigiri
— 1 smoked salmon nigiri
— 2 sake (salmon) nigiri
— 1 teriyaki salmon roll
— 1 spicy scallop roll
— 1 small Sapporo
In making my second order, I tried to get some uni (sea urchin) but was informed by my waitress that the chef had rejected the most recent batch. I see this as a huge positive, because it demonstrates an integrity toward quality of ingredients that is so important in managing a sushi restaurant.
The rest of my order continued the pattern of fresh & delicious, and I LOVED that they chose to use dill as a garnish. In my opinion, dill tastes great with certain cuts of fish and I would love to see them integrate this herb into one of their special rolls.
Ambience was relaxed and nondescript, and the service was great. The only reason I did not assign 5 stars is that the miso soup and sake left me wondering if the non-​sushi menu items were up to the same caliber as the fish. I will definitely be eating here frequently for as long as I’m doing business in Columbus.

Sushi is pretty good and is ⁴⁄₅. Their regular menu items were underwhelming ³⁄₅.
Miso soup: 2 (kinda sad since this is so easy)
Seared scallops on mango salad: 3 (under seasoned)
Gyoza: 3 (pretty tiny)
Yaki Udon: 3
I would go back for just the rolls as they have a pretty good selection

This is my first time inside of Kooma. I noticed it when coming into and out of the North Market. Upon entrance I liked the edgy but laid back intimate feel of the space. We had a reservation and although it wasn’t super busy the staff did seen a little frazzled. We were seated in a little corner area and were waited on, again a little slowly and our waitress seemed. Like maybe she may be a little new? She wasn’t as informative about the sushi as I would’ve liked (I’m trying really hard to not compare this service to the amazing experience I had on Valentines day at Lemongrass)
Once the food came I felt like it was sort of overly salty and almost like the fish wasn’t quite fresh. I tried Carries sushi and hers wasn’t even as good as mine.
All in all I would say… Meh. For my time and money I would much rather go down the street to Sushi Ting.

Great sushi. Friendly service. Worth the wait.
The sushi menu is almost overwhelming! Great chefs. Great presentation. We prefer this place over haiku. Definitely try the desert roll as a finishing dish.

I couldn’t decide if I wanted to eat here or bring take-​out up to my hotel. But the combination of the relative smallness of the interior plus the booming loud voice of a bar patron bragging about his football knowledge made my mind up for me.
Kooma is not a gigantic place. When you walk in there is an L-​shaped bar with about ten stools. There are maybe twelve tables, and 8 spots at the sushi bar. I only saw two servers, but they had their hands full tonight –bringing bar drinks and food to the diners, clearing and cleaning tables, and dealing with the take-​out crowd. Honestly, they could have used a third helper tonight because it was pretty crowded.
I ordered a spicy coconut tuna roll ($ 8) from the special board. It was terrific! Topped with crunchy cocounut threads on the outside and filled with silky and spicy tuna goodness on the inside.
My entrée was Shrimp Yakisoba ($ 13). It was a nice bowl of soba noodles with shredded carrots, onions, and peppers in a tasty sauce with six shrimp. Very basic, but very delicious. The noodles were freaking perfect and the sauce was delicious.
My very nice server, Cecilia, offered me a drink while I was waiting; and that was a nice touch. I sat at the sushi bar, sipped a club soda, and watched how this little place filled up with people rather quickly.
Twenty-​one and a half bucks before tip was a good value for the excellent dinner I had tonight.
Nice job Kooma !

Great options and unusual rolls. Highly recommend this place. Small location and not over the top on décor. Great service.

Great place for lunch in the Arena District, and totally underrated. Don’t worry about parking, they will validate your pass for free if you use the Vine St. garage next door. The sushi menu is inventive, and we loved everything we tried. Trust the chef, he won’t steer you wrong, so if you’re indecisive, pick the Chef’s Choice. The spicy crab salad was especially delicious, and it’s HUGE. Big enough for a few people to share. I still need to come back for dinner, but this is definitely one of my favorite spots for sushi.

This is one of the last sushi places around the Short North/​Arena District area that I haven’t been to, so I was glad to finally knock it off my list. I didn’t realize how small the place was, and I couldn’t imagine coming here on a busy weekend night and being able to get a table. Luckily, on a Monday, we were one of two tables in the restaurant.
My girlfriend and I started out with the gyoza and house salads. While the gyoza was pretty tasty, and the sauce that came with it was different (but great), the house salad was kind of gross. It’s served with a house/​fruit dressing that ended up being pure liquid water by the end. After I had finished the actual lettuce, over half the bowl had the orange-​y liquid dressing in it still. No thanks.
As for the sushi, I went with the one of the fried specialty rolls. Had I known they don’t list the rolls on the website, I would have remembered the name. It looked a little unappetizing when it came out, stacked like a Volcano roll, but it was actually really flavorful. It had tobiko and jalapenos on it and had a great tasting sauce pooled at the bottom. My girlfriend was not a huge fan of her spicy tuna, since the inside was a little too mushy.
The pricing here was a bit high, so I’m not sure when the next time I’ll try this place again will be, but if friends are going out for sushi in the area, I’d be okay with trying it again. I can’t say that it will ever be my first choice for sushi in Columbus.

One of the best sushi places in town. It’s hidden right in between the parking garage and Martinis and is small and quaint. Came here on a Friday night and didn’t have to wait to get seated.
They serve both sushi and Korean but we only came for sushi. We got about 10 rolls and honestly each one was good and they’re very accommodating if you want yo swap our salmon for tuna or if you want to change something around. The house salad is also good.
We got some drinks as well and the lychee martini was a bit strong but good.

Very nice sushi place. I was in town for business and stumbled upon this place ! I have to say the sushi was sooo good ! I had the miso soup, Boston roll and the a bibimbap to go oh and the dinner box! (I didn’t have lunch this day explains the big meal:) My whole meal was just $ 38
One negative — they are a bit slow hey seem under staffed.

Delicious sushi rolls, very fresh and came out with a lovely presentation on the plate! We really enjoyed the Kooma roll (tempura was very crisp), Hawaiian roll, and Mulan roll. Spicy tuna and yellowtail with scallions were also yummy. So glad to know I can find good quality sushi in Columbus!

Excellent sushi right near the Greater Columbus Convention Center. The place is small and was busy the whole weekend I was in town, but for good reason. A colleague and I stopped in on two occasions and got to try a number of different rolls/​nigiri. All were well done and fresh. The smoked salmon was some of the best I have ever had at a sushi restaurant. They have a good mixed drinks list and a respectable sake list.
Waitstaff was incredible. Very attentive, all the way from greeting to good bye.

Food is foreplay for your mouth. Glassware is sketchy but the food is so good id eat it off the floor! Alcohol selection is weak and the place is divey but I loved it

Kooma’s sushi is a small sushi spot offering sushi and other Japanese options including udon and traditional rice dishes. The location is fantastic just steps from high street and north market.
Service was a bit rushed, but effective considering how busy the restaurant was. I was surprised how quickly our food and drinks arrived in light of the number of other very large parties in the small space and few servers available.
The ambiance is comfortable with hanging ikea lamps, but not quite as trendy as some of the other short north offerings for a similar price point. However, you likely won’t face the same wait times here as you would with some of the other restaurants.
The food was good and delivered quickly. We had a sushi specialty roll and a dinner box shared between two of us as we just wanted a light meal.
Bottom line, Kooma’s is a solid option if you want a good and reasonable meal without all of the frills in a trendy area. They’re seemingly good with groups too.

Awesome sushi and service. Small quant place with character.
No better place around.

«Four stars means I liked it and I’d go back. It was way better than Haiku. The only thing I didn’t like was that your fish didn’t come with rice,» quoth my boyfriend. He was only wrong about disliking my sushi because it didn’t have rice – I ordered sashimi.
Kooma is small and unassuming inside. There is a small bar in the front, and the rest of the room consists of tables. I was really surprised that we were sat immediately on a Saturday at 7:30 without a reservation.
We had hot saki, and it tasted like hot saki from anywhere. That’s not to say it was great or terrible; it was good, but unremarkable. The sashimi and sushi were good, though, and so was beef teriyaki that my boyfriend ordered. The service was pleasant, and the location is convenient if you’re downtown or in the Short North.
I miss Tyfoon, but that restaurant has been gone for years, and Kooma is a decent replacement in the Arena District. As long as you don’t want to sit on the patio at Haiku and be ignored, this is the best place to get sushi in the Short North area.

Sushi: Good. Ambiance: Good. Price: Good. Bibibop: out-​freaking-​standing. I’ve been here for lunch a few times and while the lunch specials are not special in any way shape or form, the food certainly is.
The place isn’t overly large but I’ve never had a problem getting a seat at the bar during lunch and early evening. It’s hard to find good stone bowl bibibop, and Kooma offers options both with and without meat to satisfy everyone’s dietary restrictions.
They also validate parking for a discount on the neighboring garage if you park there!