Ookii Restaurant

ugh. I hate to write this review, but here goes.
The last time we visited Ookii was pretty disappointing. I can understand «off» days. I work in the industry. Shit happens. That being said, having a shitty day doesn’t affect the quality of the fish they serve. We got our usual nigiri and rolls. Quality on all of them were lower than we had previously experienced (and we’ve been here probably 2 to 5 times a month for the past 3 years). Also, they changed the negihama roll size to a tuna roll size (small amount of filling) but still charged the same price.
I’m sorry, Ookii. I think we should break up. :(

Thinking Saburo’s was closed, we headed over to Ookii to subside our craving for sushi. During our high school years, my sisters and I used to stop by all the time for dinner on our way back from in the mall. I haven’t been here for years! I forgot how good the rolls are at Ookii. The restaurant is always warm inside (not so great for hot days) and the service a little on the slower side, but decently price for the quality of the sushi.

Great little place. Hole in the wall type.
It’s a small place, can fit about maybe 50 people, they have two big tables and a little bar and a handful of smaller tables that fits 4.
I came into here because I just happen to be passing by while shopping in the little plaza. Glad I did too!
I ordered the Ookii Bento which had 4 pieces of California roll, a miso soup, a salad, rice and a meat of your choice (beef, chicken, pork) I had beef, three pieces of sushi (salmon, roast eel, tuna) and some tempura (broccoli, potato, carrot, and a shrimp). I also ordered one order of toro sake (salmon belly) sashimi.
The service was fast and the waitress was very friendly talking with us and also asking how everything was, and overall it was a great place and will definitely come back once I get the chance to!
I do wish their sashimi was a little bit bigger though!

The only thing I wished this place had was air conditioning.
I went in for sushi, but was swayed when I saw Donburi on the menu. The rice was submerged in an amazing savory broth and the chicken was very tender. I decided to try the sushi as well, I was pleased with the freshness of the fish and the overall presentation of it. The location is a bit dive-​y but usually the places that are less dressed up have more powerful dishes, I should’ve come here sooner!

Ok folks… STRIPMALL SUSHI.
Now, keeping that in mind, this place had really great service and was decently average for sushi quality. It definitely ain’t no authentic 4 – 5 star quality sushi, but you already expected that, right?
Our table was weirdly sticky but the waitress more than made up for it in her service and attitude. The rolls were definitely overfilled with rice, but for the price point, that is to be expected.
I’d come here again if I happened to be in the neighborhood and had an urgent sushi need– but otherwise wouldn’t go out of my way to get here.

Great Place, Good Food, Nice service

One of my favorite neighborhood Japanese restaurants. They have very good rolls and I love the Japanese décor. Very casual and relaxed. The wait staff is very nice and they always offer you hot tea.
Great place to grab lunch or hang out with good company.

Amazing sushi, friendly service. Definitely not fast food so be prepared to wait a little while for the food since they make it fresh after you order it. It is a little expensive, but i would rather pay a little more for fantastic sushi.

Have been going there for years and it is always amazing. Great rolls and great service. I recommend to all my friends.

Unique rolls offer a nice change of pace. great service.

We were very disappointed this time at Ookii on 82^nd. It seems they have a new menu & so much was just not up to par. The waitress was not even familiar enough with the menu to help us order. She did suggest the scallop sushi. Personally I thought it was awful. Even our favorite gyoza’s were just not the same. I was very very sad as I had bragged about how great this little place was in January. Not sure if I will ever go back or not.

I have been going to Ooki Sushi for at least 4 years. I took a mini hiatus and decided to try it out again with my partner. The place is still the same and the food tastes even better then before. The sushi was fresh and tasted amazing! The chicken teriyaki and udon soup were delicious! There was only one waitress, but she was awesome and the service was great!!! Its a hidden gem on 82^nd. Its easy to miss, but when you find it, you will love it and always go back!

For a long time I considered Ookii to be one of the better sushi places in PDX. Founded by one of the original Saburo folks, it’s the conservative yin to Saburo’s yang. If you’re not a fan of the hacked-​up-​fish-​orgy that is Saburo, but you still want a casual, reasonably-​priced sushi option that’s also off the beaten path, Ookii probably will deliver.
I have been to Ookii quite a few times over the past couple of years, and I feel like it’s going downhill a bit. I’ve encountered sushi that’s not as fresh or carefully cut as in past days. The portions are still bigger than what you’ll find at places like Bamboo or Masu (and the price cheaper) but I believe at some level, I’m getting what I pay for here.
While it’s still passable in my book, I am not sure I’ll be sending people all the way out to a strip mall in Crackamas to get this sushi. It’s simply closer to average than tops.

At first we were awed by the glamor of our sashimi boat;
At second we realized the pieces were so small and lacking in variety;
At the end everything was just okay for its price.
(Expectation set too high after reading all these awesome Unilocal reviews haha!)
Still, if you are already here, try their sashimi and tempura.
The fish was served at just the right temperature. I can’t emphasize this enough: the closer raw fish is to freezing, the less flavor it brings out; the farther raw fish is to freezing, the higher chance it has to make you puke. so Ookii did a good job here.
The tempura was very crispy and light – quite hard to accomplish, as the chef really needed to have control over the batter. Bonus points for the warm tempura sauce!
We also had a beef don, tonkatsu (fried pork chop) rice, and calamari. All with too much sauce, too sweet, or too heavily fried to the point where they turned hard and dry.
Hmm, a decent Americanized version of Japanese food. That’s my conclusion.
I think mom really enjoyed her anniversary dinner here with dad and us kids though.

I had purchased a Groupon as I do all the time to experience different places around town. I was craving some good sushi and am always hopeful I will find the next «hot spot» to frequent, but unfortunately I ran into the WORST sushi I have ever had. The location was a strip mall, which is fine with me, but upon entering on a Saturday evening at 8PM, this place was empty, except for a few people sitting at scattered tables. No one was sitting at the sushi bar and I know why, there were two chefs there, and neither of them even engaged us in conversation, ever! The music was muted and way too low and the rolls were horrible. We had a spicy tuna roll, a soft shell crab roll and a scallop roll covered in a white much that looked discusting. There are many better places out there and I would never suggest this place to anyone.

I have patronized Ooki for about 10 years. I eat lunch about 3 – 4 times/​mo there. Always greeted nicely, warm green tea and water as soon as you walk in. I love the albacore tuna, always fresh and delicious. My favs here include the tobiko with quail egg and the uni, which they will only serve if great. My non-​sushi friends enjoy the chicken cutsu and yakisoba. The special rolls are always a treat.
Love this place!

Shhhhh — this is going to be our little secret.
I love this place. The service is outstanding. The sushi is always fresh. The wait is never a problem. The perfect Saburo’s alternative — with sushi that you can eat in 1 bite. You may have to travel a little further, but believe me, it’s worth it!

Very unassuming from the outside and obviously not well known as it was quite empty for lunch. There are not a lot of great sushi spots open for lunch and I tend to crave sushi the moment it is mentioned around 11am which was the case today.
Green tea was brought to the table along with water without even having to ask for it… nice touch. We ordered rolls to share and the rolodex came into play as many of the rolls we had never heard of yet somehow I don’t believe there is a bad choice on the menu. Everything was quite tasty and completely different flavors. I have a friend that cuts her rolls in order to take smaller bites but the art of rolls is that the flavors compliment each other in such a way that makes or breaks it. Every roll’s flavor was quite complimentary with a hard to miss fresh quality. YUM!
Unfortunately because they had names I hadn’t seen before I don’t remember all the rolls we enjoyed. There was one that was so good I wish I could remember the name, it had a nice smokey flavor paired with fresh crisp lettuce & bean sprouts that looked strange for a roll yet the flavor made me think of picnics in the summer. Mmmm… or maybe I am just planning ahead to pick up FOR picnics this summer. The ones I do remember are:
The Golden — light tempura roll in a sweet & sour sauce
Hot Nights — this one can be a little challenging to keep off your clothes but worth the effort
Salmon & Hot Tuna Roll — a good blending of the two flavors
Will I be back? Absolutely!

The best sushi in Portland and there is no argument against that. The prices are more than reasonable and the portions served are amongst the biggest I’ve seen at any sushi restaurant.
The fish is always fresh, their rolls are unique, and the service is top notch. (Garlic albacore roll, Bonita Tuna sashima, and Salmon/​Spicy Tuna roll are amazing.)
I’ve eaten at just about every supposed «good» sushi restaurant in Portland and I always end up back at Ooki. Sinju is decent, but the portions are small and nothing new. Gaya Gaya scares me. And Saburo’s is complete crap. Stop standing in line for that nastiness.
The only thing missing from Ooki is a full bar, but I can live without one as long as the sashimi stays this decadent.

I have returned several times since writing the initial review. I return with only one or two other people and overall have a great experience. It’s probably a 3.5, but that’s what the updated review is all about — the average = 3.5 = success.
All rolls are pictured on a rolodex on each table for easier decision-​making, and the cucumber salad with a little extra seaweed (per my request) is still the bomb. I just love that stuff. The sushi is fresh, and the service has definitely improved.
It’s Clackamas, and it’s sushi, and it’s in a mall. All things that could scare the average person — but be assured that this place is worth going into if you’re in the area. Actually, I’d almost rather go to Ookii than Yoko. Better service, more roll options, and better prices. Nothing wrong with any of that!

For udon, this is the place to go. I had the nabeyaki udon, which was full of komoboko, chicken, seaweed, an egg, other stuff, and delicious noodles and broth. Best udon I’ve had since I moved here (and so much better than Biwa). Husband enjoyed the beef teriyaki, although it really was more bulgogi, and the tempura. We also got the grilled salmon skin roll, very tasty. Ikura (salmon roe, husband calls it fish bait) is my favorite sushi, and it was ok there, not the best I’ve had. He had raw fishy something or other, he seemed to like it.
The service and atmosphere are fine. It fills up quickly on a Friday night. You have to look for it to find it. Turn into the complex that has Pier 1, Michael’s and Ross; Ookii is on the right hand side of the complex, to the right of Pier 1. It’s a little one door storefront.
The lunches look inexpensive, under 10 bucks for what appears to be a decent sized meal. When I get a craving for udon I’ll definitely come back. It isn’t expensive: 1 beef teriyaki with rice (and comes with salad and miso soup), 1 appetizer of tempura, 1 roll and 2 sushi orders, and 1 bowl of udon came to 36 bucks.