Lahaina Sushi Ko

Was a great small quiet restaurant. Was tucked away in between some art galleries. Was a perfect romantic setting. Amazing fresh sushi with shrimp to die for. If you want sushi on Maui this is a must stop.

Food is fine, but the price-​to-​quality ratio just isn’t all that good. Granted, it’s in a tourist spot on the island of Maui, but even then, it’s overpriced for what you get.

First restaurant we ate at after arriving to Maui. Craving fresh seafood and gluten and dairy free options. Sushi Ko was tucked in between a couple of galleries and shops along Front street.
We ate there for dinner. Hostess greeted us and seated us. The setting was lovely. Galleries with colorful and beautiful pictures surrounded us. And there was live music playing the greatest 90’s music. Loved it.
The food was delicious. We loved the white truffle edamame. A must try. And all the rolls we ordered were great.
I would return again to hear the live music. They were 2 young gentlemen playing acoustic guitars and singing. very talented.

Great rolls. Smaller than my hometown but taste great. BYOB allowed. Nice art galleries around that you can browse through while your food is being made. Nice quick service. Kampyo rolls are always nice.
Originally we came here when it was closed and had to find it after walking into an opening from the street. When we came back it was nice to see a restaurant checkin desk pulled out to the street with their sign.
Seating is in an open square with nice tarp and lights strung above. Nice place to get away on the busy street and have a casual/​romantic dinner.

Unbelievably poor service, unfortunately, because the 1 sushi roll we did receive was delicious. As was the seaweed salad and truffle edamame. We went with a group of 10 and it took over 2 hours to receive food. (All the while other tables who sat after us were served). They missed some orders, which they stilled charged us for. Not a pleasant experience. Would not recommend, especially with a group.

Fresh fish and great service but they charge premium prices for poor quality sushi. Tuna nigiri was served with chewy connective tissue attached. Maki rolls were extremely sloppy with rice falling out the sides and rolls coming undone. We left hungry and went to a different restaurant.

BYOB! We were looking for a place to eat sushi during our stay in Lahaina (we are locals from Oahu) and came across this little gem. It is a unique open space restaurant next to an art gallery, which may not appeal to some who are looking for a private place to eat away from the public. However, there was little to no foot traffic when we were there (7pm) so I don’t believe it is a well traveled area of Front Street anyways, so the open area wasn’t a big deal to me! They had live music too when we were there, which was nice. My boyfriend and I ordered hamachi sashimi, a poke bowl, and their sweet & spicy roll. The seafood was very fresh and tasty to us and the hamachi was so delicate and melted in my mouth! Delicious! We normally dine at sushi restaurants and can tell when the fish isn’t fresh — this wasn’t the case here, at least for us! Service was pleasant, too. My only reason for knocking off one star is that the place was pretty pricey given the casual venue, and they charged for hot tea and rice, whereas other Japanese restaurants will normally offer that as complimentary.

I’ve never had sushi on the eve of a marathon before, at least not in recent memory. Not sure if this is the first time ever. Crazy man!
On the whim of a friend’s suggestion, I hung out with a marathoner friend who was completing her 50^th state marathon here on Maui, we stopped here at the Lahaina Sushi Ko. At first sight, I thought that we were at an art gallery, but to my surprise that the actual restaurant was in the main hall way of the building with the art galleries with actual entranceways /​doors. It was interesting to say the least, to have an open space restaurant like this, almost like a Starbucks, but a sushi bar. While that’s not bad at all, it was the first time I’ve seen this paradigm before. My group got here around 6:30pm on a Saturday evening, but had to wait 15 – 20 minutes before being seated next to the bar. I thought sushi was basic and you could get it anywhere. While prices were up there, I actually tried to stay on budget and not overkill on sushi — for race day considerations and budget concerns. It was a good time here and my overall experience here was positive and the service was good and friendly.
Lahaina Sushi Ko is a sushi bar located in the heart of Lahaina town at 844 Front Street. The parking situation was kind of crazy, so it was nice to be able to carpool with friends and avoid the hassles of finding parking myself. They accept major credit cards, even the AMEX, so that’s always a great thing. The prices for sushi here are varied, but there always a variety for those who are adventurous to those who just want a basic meal in the heart of Lahaina town. The restaurant itself was not really a restaurant, at least to me, but it was a cute concept to do it all open space and have it like a café style. For me, I ordered the spicy tuna roll and a dessert roll, which came out pink. Thought that was kind of interesting, but whatever works! The freshness of the sushi made the experience good and the café styled restaurant was clean and organized.
The sushi that I had ordered was served with wasabi, which was great. Had to ask for extra wasabi, just for that extra kick for my sushi. It was decidedly just okay for me. Could have been better, but for many people, the freshness of sushi can be such an amazing thing, that it just can’t be beat. I don’t see it that way, especially when prices don’t equal the quality of the product. Spending $ 20+ for sushi isn’t my brand of budget traveling, but a good venue for spending time with out of town friends in town for vacation and a marathon race. Japanese fare is already pricey, in general terms. While my sushi was delicious, I felt that it was just okay, being in Hawaii, that’s already dominated /​saturated by Japanese restaurants and sushi places already. The taste was good, no doubt, but I felt that it could have been a little better. Yet, recommendations the Lahaina Sushi Ko would be already be second nature, best bet would be to get here early and avoid the crowds. I do love sushi as the next person, but my experience here at Lahaina Sushi Ko was a little beyond average, but not by much.
If you’re curious about this place, give it a try if you are in the area.
3.5 stars, rounded up to 4.0.
Support local!
B

The restaurant must have been new, as they weren’t serving alcohol at the time of our visit. They mentioned we could bring a bottle of wine without a bottling service — sweet!
The atmosphere was really fun — looked like the courtyard of an old apartment building turned commercial. There was a young guitar player in the corner that was quite talented and really added to the experience. Certainly not many tables, so as the restaurant becomes more popular, it might be hard to get a reservation.
The Spicy Edamame was addicting, the Truffle Poke Tacos were one of our favorite dishes in Maui. This was the only restaurant we really wanted to revisit during our stay in Kaanapali.

The food’s presentation was gorgeous. The setting was quaint, nestled in a walk away among art galleries. Fresh fish. Very enjoyable evening. Loved the spicy tuna roll and the edamame in truffle oil with sea salt.

The wait staff was REALLY attentive and friendly but I can’t give a higher rating because the sushi was average even though the price was premium. For 20 dollars for 2 nigiri pieces I would expect thicker cuts of fish and less rice. When I saw the small menu options I also expected fresher and higher quality fish, but was disappointed at the end of the meal. My family really enjoys uni also but it was really average here and the sushi rice was just okay. My dad who grew up eating traditional Japanese and Korean sushi/​sashimi left the restaurant grumbling.
Maybe this place is great for people who aren’t used to eating sushi, but for those who are experienced this may not be the place for you. The restaurant is in the middle of an art gallery though if that’s your thing.

Not the best sushi I’ve had. They use too much rice and the rolls did not taste very authentic. I wish they used more fish. The fish also didn’t taste as fresh as I thought. I expected more from a sushi restaurant in the middle of the ocean.
The miso soup was alright but I had to pay for it which was unexpected.
The waitress was really friendly though.

I was pretty impressed by the freshness and the clean flavor of their sashimi and rolls. My husband and I are visiting from SF where we have tasted some of the best sushis from many different restaurants. And, comparably their rolls were as great as some of the best sushis in SF.
If you are craving some great sushi, this is the place to go !!

WARNING!!! This is not 5 star sushi. They use too much rice and their fish slices are puny. PLEASE understand that people leaving reviews here are on their basic honeymoon from Alaska/​Saskatchewan or wherever and have never had sushi before. If you are from a big city SF/​NY/​Seattle be aware this is your run of the mill sushi. I’ve had better Safeway sushi for a third of the price.
On the other hand, they are BYOB without a corkage fee!
If you want fresh fish go to the fish markets, make rice, and add soy sauce. There ya go.

Wow! Super awesome sushi spot in the middle of crazy tourist Lahaina high street! Chef Sarah is very professional and a delight to be around while enjoying delicious sushi! The rest of the staff are also super welcoming and friendly. Great little spot! Our friends who live on Maui took us here after drinks at the Lahaina Yacht Club which is directly across the street. Fun night and good times! I’m glad we got to sit right at the sushi bar! Will definitely come back if we get out here again!
I don’t recall the names of the dishes we had but they were all yummy! My favourite is the uni sashimi. All day everyday!
Thank you for your hospitality and conversations!
Love, S.F. locals!

This place is tucked away amongst art galleries so you actually think it is part of the galleries. I loved the location/​décor. You looked at art from every seating angle while you ate. They said when it rained they pull the tables into the galleries so you actually got to eat IN the art galleries. That would be fun!
All of the fish was so fresh. But my most favorite was being able to get ridiculously fresh hamachi belly which is not easy to find. And way better than toro IMO. The sushi chef (a woman!) was extremely friendly and her sushi presentation was beautiful.
And it is BYOB which is fun if you want to enjoy your own champagne with your sushi (and who would not?!)

Looked on Unilocal to find a sushi spot in Lahaina, and decided to go to Lahaina Sushi Ko. I will let you know that I am not the biggest sushi fan, but since I was in Hawaii I decided to give it another try. I am so happy we ended up here. The service was personable and quick, and the head sushi chef Sarah really helped me pick out some rolls that would be good for me to start with and even gave me some raw fish samples. I can now say that I really enjoy sushi, even the raw kind! I loved the spicy tuna roll and also the shrimp tempura. The dessert roll was a first for me, but it was delicious. I’d highly recommend this place, plus they are a new business and need some customers! You won’t be disappointed.

We didn’t realize before coming here that its byob here, so please note!
Everything we had was delicious. A little bit hard to find off the main road, but worth veering off the main road of restaurants.
The truffle tuna tacos were our favorite, a must try!

Chris was our server and he was more than attentive. The hostess was amazing (even offered to go buy sake for us) and the sushi was top notch. Definitely our favorite sushi place on Maui.

The new executive chef is amazing! One of the best sushi chefs I’ve ever encountered. The menu is classic and understated, but delicious. Absolutely the best edamame I’ve ever had (and I know that’s a simple dish, but simply delicious – she got it right!) I meant to take a picture of the poke tacos, but I ate them too quickly. Sorry.
The ambiance is surprisingly chic for what amounts to a little hole in the wall off Lahaina’s bustling restaurant row. Limited seating. We didn’t have a wait, but if there had been one, I would have waited forever. Very attentive wait staff.
Overall fantastic! If you love sushi, you’ll love Sushi Ko. Major props to Chef Sarah!