Kiku Japanese Restaurant

I heard this place had the best sushi in Pitt. Personally, I thought the food was ok — not bad but also not worth the money, either. The desserts, on the other hand, were pretty tasty — had tempura ice cream and chocolate cake with ice cream, both were decent.

Different people have different tastes. I’m positive that this is at least a 3 star establishment in general, and that for what it is, it very well may deserve 4 stars. If you really like sushi, you probably should go here. If you do not specifically enjoy sushi, this is not for you. My personal level of satisfaction with our visit weighed in at about 2 stars. My friends gave it a 3, but I’m not sure they were thinking clearly. To preface, I despise sushi. Going there was not my idea. I’d have rather eaten a balogna sandwich. I hate balogna. The other two people with me are sushi fans. Obviously, I did not order sushi. I was confident there would be some non-​sushi dish on the menu that I would be more than glad to try. Wrong. I ordered Kaarage, which I was assured was fried chicken. It was made from that extra low quality ridiculously cheap chicken you can find in stores that’s been compressed into the shape of a chicken breast then soaked forever in broth. The end result was very fatty deep fried chicken that tasted to me like barbecued salt. My friends, a pair of unabashed barbecued salt lovers, enjoyed the chicken. I couldn’t finish it once realizing what low quality product it was made from. Please, people of Kiku, read this and stop using that chicken. One of my friends ordered the teriyaki steak and said it was alright, but nothing special. That sounded like it described what I saw. He also ordered some form of sushi, which he found to be competent. The other fellow ordered raw scallop sushi and did not enjoy it, but I don’t fault the restaurant for that one bit. If you don’t know for a fact that you enjoy raw scallops, you have no business ordering it and then complaining about it. For all I know, this place has the best raw scallop sushi on Earth. The sushi did look great. I have no problems believing that it is expertly prepared. Dessert looked interesting, but we skipped it on account of the presence of ice cream in everything given the fact that most of us are lactose intolerant and we were all sharing one hotel room. Moving on, the service was good — but at some point our water was refilled and acquired a bizarre seltzer-​like flavor that we could not identify the source of. It wasn’t enjoyable. I’d love to know how that happened. Life is so full of mystery, and Kiku is no exception.

There were no customers eating in on this quiet Saturday afternoon, but the restaurant staff received us readily all the same. It made for a nice environment, what with the inside being somewhat dark but spacious and traditional Japanese music playing in the background. We ordered a couple donburis from the lunch menu. While the pretty lunch boxes that they came in seemed small at the onset, they turned out to be pretty filling. The tempura one came with three shrimp pieces plus a few vegetable pieces, all of which were fluffy and slightly crispy on the outside and flavorful inside. The katsu was better – just as tasty with the breading on the outside of the meat, and accompanied by sliced onions and carrots. The side miso soup and pickled vegetables were super authentic as well.

Best sushi I’ve had in while! Ordered the toro tuna which was super fresh. Also loved the shumai and «family recipe» pudding. Service was great too. So glad I didn’t order room service after a long day of work.

Even though this place is located in a very unassuming place inside a small mall, this place delivers on awesome food. This authentically run Japanese restaurant produces some of the most amazing, quality foods. I’ve been to some of the best Japanese restaurants in places like NYC and California. Even though you can argue there’s some artistic element that’s unique to these higher echelon restaurants, I can still safely say this place had the best Toro Tuna I’ve had in a very long time. Although each fish may differ by the season, my experience at this restaurants tells me that this restaurants cares about the quality of their product, and does their best to deliver delicious food.

Legit Japanese restaurant. Probably the only one in Pittsburgh. Of course, high quality food comes with a higher price. However, if you want a real Japanese experience, come here. We wanted to try their sukiyaki or shabu shabu, but it’s a minimum order for two, so we tried other things. The rolls we had were really good. I just wish they had a few pieces more per serving. However, we’ll definitely be back. Service was excellent from start to finish! Give it a try for a real Japanese experience in the burgh, but be prepared for a more expensive night out.

Nice decoration, they have the real bonsai. But the Udon surprises me a lot. The noodle is not udon, more like Chinese noodle, and soup is very salty. I have to say its far away from authentic Japanese food.

Just so so. Left hungry. sushi was small portions at large prices. They must have worked hard to slice the sushi so thin. Spent too much for too little. The quality wasn’t anything to write about so I won’t.

Best authentic Japanese restaurant for miles. I’ve been coming here with my family since I was little. Sushi is always fresh (with excellent sushi rice) and entrees are super delicious. They upgraded on their house salad with ginger dressing which is my favorite Japanese house salad ever. They make their own soy sauce in house. They added to their dessert menu but I rarely get that far since I usually get stuffed on their amazing food. Their sushi is just as good as sushi at Japanese restaurants in coast cities. They aren’t fancy with their rolls with over 10 ingredients, like other places. They’re pretty simple, but that’s what makes their sushi so good. You can taste the freshness of the fish. Highly recommend!

Loved the food! Ordered the miso soup followed by the Sushi & Sashimi — both absolutely delicious. Hands down the best miso soup I’ve had. I’m not usually a fan of raw fish, but I don’t regret my decision. The sushi & sashimi was amazing. The service was also phenomenal. Everyone was super attentive and the food came out very quickly. Overall, an amazing experience. Thank you!

Excellent sushi but also full menu of other wonderful items. Loved the curry squid and the fried chicken. Will be back!

I ordered the allegheny roll and the crab miso soup. So good! Especially for sushi not in California. I hadn’t ever had crab miso soup, but it was definitely worth a try!

Decent sushi joint for Pittsburgh and reasonably priced. Would come back to get my sushi fix.

i enjoyed the freshness of the fish but I did notice a lack of specialty rolls there. The fried chicken appetizer was pretty amazing, much better than chaya’s imo.

I’ve been trying to find the best sushi here in Pittsburgh and have been underwhelmed with what I’ve found so far until now.
When it comes to seafood, I am quite picky of the geographical location of where the consumption of seafood takes place. Especially, if I am not surrounded by some sort of body of water. I grew up by the beach. So naturally my mentality is, if it ain’t fresh, I ain’t eatin’ it!
Pittsburgh is not near an ocean but it does have rivers (lots of them!). Anyhow, I didn’t ask them where they got their fish from. However, by the look, smell, and taste of the sushi, I cant tell it is fresh. The quality of fish is SUPERB!
Also I overheard the sushi chef tell the story of his life. He’s from Japan, lived in New York and had a sushi restaurant, moved to Pittsburgh, owned a Japanese grocery store in Shadyside, then opened up Kiku. While watching him make sushi, I noticed him using gloves AND washing his hands!!! I mean I’ve never seen that before but my inner-​nurse was jumping for joy!
I love that this place is authentic and quaint! There’s none of that «goop» slathered on rolls, there’s nothing wrong with that. But if you are looking for something more traditional. Kiku is definitely a hidden treasure.
What I loved:
1. Miso soup — one word can describe it. UMAMI!
2. Kagoshima — because I love yellowtail
3. Temaki Spicy tuna
4. Nigiri Toro
5. TOMAGO!!! — slightly sweet and well made. One of the Best!
Arigato gozaimasu!

Turning fairly available material into a great dish, «immortalizing the ingredients», that’s what they do here at Kiku. If only comparing the dish names on menu to other Japanese places in town, not a big difference can be seen. But the freshness they keep in their food is just amazing. From sushi, sashimi to the fried tempura and the grilled shioyaki, they are all so fresh! That I believe, is the soul of Japanese food.
Went with friends for the first time tonight. We had mixed tempura, shioyaki, chirashi sushi and the sushi lover for two. Everything was absolutely great except for the cucumber-​tuna rolls, which mainly served as refreshment between great flavors (I used them the way as Japanese people use ginger). Entrees came with miso soup, which also tasted good.
Price is okay regarding the type and quality of food, ~35 per person for us to get pretty full. Taken the fact its a Japanese restaurant, and such a good one, I really can’t complain about anything.

If you like Japanese food, go to Kiku.
If you are thinking about the possibility of putting raw fish in your face for the first time, for the love of god, go some place where you’ll have a good experience, which in Pittsburgh means Kiku.
Some might claim it’s too expensive. NOT SO. The prices are low considering the exquisite quality and portion size of the food, the meal add-​ons (everyone gets their miso soup!) and the fantastic ambiance.
This is the one place I’ve been repeatedly (probably upwards of 20 times, no joke) that has never ONCE disappointed in any way.
What Kiku says on its website:
«KIKU emerged from Sushi Gen, a popular Tokyo sushi bar. KIKU’s owners migrated to Pittsburgh in 1983, and were one of the first restaurants to serve sushi in Pittsburgh. KIKU, which was designed to resemble a tea house, has been serving authentic, top quality Japanese cuisine since.»
is TOTALLY TRUE. Having been to Japan several times, and being therefore something of a Japanese food snob, (why can NO ONE IN AMERICA GET THE RICE RIGHT!??) I found a bastion of authentic, amazing Japanese food right in my own back yard!
Does Kiku’s menu feature some of the American «sushi staples?» Of course it does. They have to make money in the Pittsburgh market, after all.
Does the fact that they have a Philadelphia Roll make the delicate, savory tempura any less appealing? Does that make the fresh perfection of the fish any less tantalizing? Does that make their frankly intoxicatingly amazing udon any less… intoxicatingly amazing? Not. One. Bit.
Venture off the beaten path here and I swear, you will be one happy fish-​stuffed camper.
All this, and THEN they go and create a little bit of Tokyo in Pittsburgh (actually a lot of Tokyo. The place is HUGE compared to it’s Tokyo counterparts.) But they really did accomplish capturing the soothing, serene ambiance of a genuine Japanese tea house, especially at lunch or slightly off-​hours when fewer patrons stuff their maws with amazing Nigiri Sushi, Temaki, Tonkatsu and more. The service is excellent, with warm scented towels presented pre-​meal with which you wipe your hands, to ever-​present but not obtrusive waiters who will cater to your every need, sometimes even before that need is voiced.
Did I mention they make their own soy sauce? I’d bathe in that stuff. It tastes good enough that I’m sure it’s good for the skin. Amazing. Go to Kiku. And then message me and thank me for sending you there. After you wake up from your food coma of course.

Food and service were great! We came here for dinner for the first time a few weeks ago. It’s inside the station square building, across from Buckheads. We loved all of the food we ordered and wished we can make them at home.
We tried the kushi katsu, dynamite roll (spicy scallops) definitely spicy but love it, sashimi platter seems like a small portion for two but still worth it if you like sashimi bc of variety and taste. The sashimi is fresh and definitely the best I’ve tasted in awhile.
My hubby was still hungry after these, so we ordered the beef maki and curry calamari. The calamari was huge and we liked that the breading was soft but not soggy. It’s hard to explain the texture. All sauces were on point as well. My mouth is watering just thinking about the food.
I also tried the fujiyama cocktail which is vodka, piña colada and banana. The glass was small, so I probably could’ve had 2 or 3 since it tasted good. Haha. The price wasn’t as bad as other sushi/​japanese places.
Server was friendly, prompt and attentive. She even offered to validate our parking, which took $ 2 off. We didn’t know they validated. I liked the ambience/​décor. I think they’re going for an old school authentic japanese look. My hubby said it was plain for his taste. Overall, I recommend this place!

An update from 1 year ago. The 5 stars is for the sushi. I have not had anything cooked so I can’t review that. Yes the atmosphere is lacking but the sushi is the bomb. If you are looking for crazy rolls and sushi mixed with this and that go somewhere else. If you are looking for authentic top quality sashimi or sushi go here. I had bonito, king mackerel, toro, red snapper… All were served with just the slightest embellishment, the fish speaks for itself. Even the soy sauce is homemade!
Some of the best sushi I have ever had at very reasonable prices.

Kiku was so effing good I took one bite and then accidentally punched my friend in the shoulder w my excitement while saying, «This is so effing good!»
Why do I ALWAYS forget about Kiku?
You must understand, I love sushi and it’s not because I love drinking a whole bunch of sake before I eat the sushi, during, and after. I go for the sashimi bc I’m not effing around w the rice. If I’m dining w friends who say they like sushi but won’t stray beyond a tuna roll, then I’ll just eat regular nigiri w the rice but… bring me raw fish, on a wooden boat, and I’m a happy girl brandishing chopsticks.
I am SO very tired of people talking about Umi. Umi is spectacular and I love it, but there is other sushi to be had. I’ve DONE Chaya and Sushi Too and Sushi Kim and Ginza (RIP) and Kotobuki and Ooshi Bento… But I always forget about Kiku, and I think it’s because its tucked away in station square.
Newly rediscovered, I recommend you dine here. Its beautiful inside. They have one of the most sushi restaurant expansive menus in Pittsburgh. Will sushi make your friend gag? Bring them here anyway, there is so much to choose from, sushi or otherwise.
The pricing is reasonable. The place does not smell like fish. You’ll leave full, and happy, and you wont feel like your wallet has just been raped.
There is a reason that Kiku has been around for so long, and that it has been nothing but consistent. Good service, great food, & good atmosphere. If you haven’t been to Kiku in awhile, pay them a visit.
Now I’m craving sushi and I just had some…