Koko Sushi Bar and Lounge -Lombardi

Koko Sushi Bar moved to their new location over the summer of 2021, and I have taken my time getting out there. We are big sushi lovers. Umi Sushi, however, is a block away. Our experience at Koko Sushi Bar in their downtown location in 2020 remains the best in town even with Umi Sushi so close to where we live. Our decision to visit Koko’s new location came in a Friday evening while we were out on the west side trying to decide on dinner. We had originally went out to visit Badger State Brewing and the Bay Burger Food truck. The truck was delayed, and we were hungry.

So we went farther down Lombardi to visit an old friend of a restaurant that we had neglected over time. Stepping into the restaurant and seeing the tree that was a famous fixture of the old location reminded me that I had done them a disservice by not coming to visit them again. We were seated quickly despite the Friday night crowd, and we ordered our small meal for the night.​

Despite the full location, service was prompt. We received our two Sapporo beers while I was up in the rest room, and my husband put in our order for fried shrimp, miso soup, and a few smaller sushi rolls to wet the appetite for the evening after our brief wander around the stadium district. Our traditional beer order at any sushi restaurant keep our slight buzz going after two beers at Badger State during our wait for our food.

Which, speaking of, was not a terribly long wait. The miso soup I ordered for myself arrived with our appetizer of fried shrimp after a short wait where we enjoyed the ongoing basketball game of the evening at a far distance. The Televisions in the restaurant are only at the bar, and we were seated on the opposite end of the restaurant.

The miso is as I remember it, a smooth and comforting bowl with small pieces of tofu and seaweed floating throughout. The fried shrimp were a new piece to the appetizer menu that I hadn’t tried before that visit. I often find that fried shrimp are overcooked depending on the oil temperature in the kitchen, but these were not. They retained their bounce without becoming rubbery in the cooking process with a crunchy panko coating that gained a nice color in the oil. It paired perfectly with the aioli presented on the plate. My husband and I got through most of them before our two sushi rolls arrived.

I am the simplest of sushi eaters most days. A good California roll speaks to me on many levels, and I feel like I can learn a lot about the sushi bar from it. The California roll at Koko differs from many that I’ve had over the years with the addition of tobiko sprinkled on the top– which are those little red eggs you see on one of the rolls in the picture here. The fillings are universal across all California rolls: imitation crab meat, avocado, and cucumber which all provide a nice cooling effect.

Our previous visits to Koko have always lead us to their Godzilla roll, one of their specialty tempura fried rolls stuffed with white fish, topped with crab, and coated in eel sauce. It’s a characteristic of a good tempura for it to hold its crunch over time. This roll managed that with ease no matter how long our leisurely dinner took us to finish the entirety of the roll. There’s few things better than a crunchy fried maki roll.

The new location is gorgeous, and the food remains much the same. Quality concerns sometimes come with relocation of restaurants, but Koko has managed to retain what made it special in the first place. We hope that their location on Lombardi provides them with greater changes to grow the business and become a permanent fixture of the region. Thank you as always for a delicious meal. We’ll return soon!