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I'm fundamentally opposed to yuppie sushi bars but this place was actually pretty good.
The good: I think it won me over with the Sakura roll. Salmon with salmon on top!? Sold. Plus they have Sapporo on tap which my husband loves. The service was fast and friendly, and my rolls were very tasty.
The bad: The seating felt a little crammed, as did the table space. The teriyaki scallop appetizer was just OK, as was the hot green tea (it bothered me that it was brought out and left to steep at the table instead of steeping prior). It's also a little pricey.
I don't think I'd go out of my way to go here often, but I definitely enjoyed myself when I was there.
Growing up in the West Chester area, there weren't many in any Japanese/Korean places to eat. So Kooma being placed right on West Chester's main street, is a nice treat.
They have some creative sushi rolls that are reasonably priced and pretty good. I've gotten their Korean bibimbop dish and for West Chester it's not bad. Obviously I can eat that at home via Mama T., but eating out is nicer! Their cooked Japanese food is good too, have gotten the chicken teriyaki and tempura.
Their drink menu is pretty good and drinks are made well, never too strong or weak.
The atmosphere is nice, decent size with a few tables out front. But watch out on the weekends. If you go around dinner time and leisurely eat, the tables around you will clear out and the nightlife crowd will surround you. Never stayed for the nightlife scene, but my friend said that she went on a Whitney Huston throwback night. And IIIIIIIIII-eyah~~~ will come back to Kooma.
Great restaurant. Loved going there when i lived in town. A little pricey but worth it. The Sushi is awesome. Try the fire dragon roll.
Get there before the crowd and it's a great experience. If it's after the rush starts i usually won't go it's too loud and takes forever.
I thought the sushi here was pretty good, but like other sushi places I have tried in and around Philly, the amount of food you get doesn't correspond to the price. I really wish you just got even 2 more pieces! And I didn't even try their special rolls- the prices seemed totally out of control. Maybe they were just life changing and awe inspiring and worth every penny... but something tells me they probably weren't. Service was friendly but slowwww.... I was a little buzzed and distracted from pre- dinner drinks and I was still wondering where the food was. The place was packed and really busy, but apparently that is normal for them. This makes me think they ought to just hire another sushi chef for busy nights.
Kooma's fantastic. hands down best sushi in the area. Aioki is pretty damn good too. but Kooma takes it. Rocky Roll, and Kooma Special roll are my personal favs. if you like eel you'll love either of those 2. spicy scallop roll is fantastic. for the faint of heart there's some good "introductory sushi" items. sunday morning roll, slightly cooked, not too fishy. i really love kooma, i can't say it enough. great ambiance, and great staff. a little on the pricey side, but you get what you pay for. saki!!!
Really liked them at full price, kinda love them at 50% - once again, I hope I'm allowed to link to coupon-y things, but um, if not, sorry. http://www.phillyhalfo...
Friday night in West Chester and this place was packed!
The sashimi was delicious, the rolls were…
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Growing up in downtown West Chester, I have always been partial to their restaurants - but hey, that's just me. :)
Kooma is one reason to venture outside of the city (yes, I do sometimes leave the motherland!). I have tried a variety of meals, from their sushi (their spider rolls are the best ones I have ever had as it is just the crab and nothing else) to their chicken teriyaki, and I have never left disappointed.
It is a bit on the pricer side, but worth it for the ambiance that you receive. I was just there Saturday, and our server was awesome, the music was great, and as previously stated, the food was amazing.
Also, GREAT cocktails. If you go on Saturday, ask for Ben. He makes a mean sakitini. :)
My boyfriend and I are regulars at Kooma. Well, as regular as our budget will let us be. The prices are definitely on the high side.
We have eaten sushi at many different places- different states, different countries, and we always leave the other restaurants saying, "Well, it was good, but it was no Kooma."
Our experiences here are usually outstanding- but it depends on who you get behind the sushi bar. One or two times we visited, the sushi was sadly sub par. However, every other time has been outstanding! Our favorite sushi chef is Hung. He makes a killer sashimi seaweed salad for us when we sit at the sushi bar.
I would agree with some of the others that the decor is borderline cheesy. It somehow works for Kooma, though. Or maybe I've just gotten used to it. Another thing my boyfriend and I tend to chuckle about is the cheesy 90s music they usually have playing.
All in all, Kooma is one of our all-time favorites, and to date- the best sushi we've had.
It's ok... if you are downtown west chester, and you NEED sushi.. it's ok.. there are a TON better places 10-20 min away by car.
Service is horrible at best, if you can get a seat
sushi is acceptable, but NOT fresh. when you open the door, it smells like fish.
NOT kid friendly.
Honestly, my favorite part of this place is the fact that they play 90s music. A lot of other cool random things...it has the decor of a trendy lounge, but also have a couple TVs, from which I was able to catch Alfonso Soriano start the Cubs' season with a homer. Nice!
The sushi's good, but a bit pricey to get full (even for a sushi place). Try the West Chester roll, Ali roll, and Fantasy Tuna roll, but avoid the Rocky roll (tempura shouldn't be soggy). Service is pretty good, as they check on you often. Also, one time our waitress looked like Jessica Simpson, but was more trim. Awesome.
I've been meaning to review this place for a while now and finally decided to get down to it.
When I first started traveling to West Chester, the last thing I expected to find was one of my favorite sushi restaurants. Kooma is an awesome little fusion Asian lounge right in the heart of downtown West Chester. They serve excellent sushi and also feature a complete menu.
I am addicted to the hung roll, the west Chester roll, the Ali roll and the fantasy roll (this one is surprising with a thinly sliced lime piece)
I used to go here at least twice a week and it became my comfort food zone. After I stopped traveling as much and recovered from my Kooma withdrawal symptoms, I must say only one or two places in Atlanta (where i live) are as good as Kooma. And Atlanta has some good Sushi!
There is really only one negative that I have to add, and that's the speed at which the sushi gets to your table. On crowded nights I can understand a slightly slower service, but having to wait nearly 20 to 25, minutes after placing my order, on more than on occasion is a little frustrating to say the least.
Overall a good place, I'd recommend it to anyone, and for you sake lovers, they have a pretty good selection of sake too.
I've hit 50/50 with Kooma. The first time I went, my waiter was an ass and accused me of having a fake ID (I'm 25), which kinda pissed me off and I barely tipped him because he had an attitude the whole time.
The second time I went was great, but so expensive. I really like sushi, but I think that they price themselves in reference to the fact that they are the only sit-down sushi place in West Chester (I think there's one other sushi place down Paoli pike).
Overall the atmosphere is really hip and the sushi is really good as long as you are willing to spend the money.
Dear Kooma,
I'm sorry that I left West Chester without even saying good bye. What a thing to do. We had such a long love affair going on- you were my go to place when my best friend and I couldn't decide on if we wanted to try a new place or just visit you-you always won. Now I'm 3,000 miles away in the great city of Portland and I miss you. I've tried to find other places that compare, and they all just fall short. There's some spark that is always missing with these new places that was always there with you. Maybe it's how when we'd always sit at the sushi bar, you'd create something special for me to show me that you really cared.
I hope your help has cheered up, though, b/c man are they a downer. But even if wet rags were your servers, I'd still be here missing you.
I'll be back again-I promise, when the time is right for both of us.
xoxo always.
I've been here maybe ten times, both before and during my vegetarianism, and each time I have a similar experience. I end up here simply because of the perfect location and family-pleasing nature of the place.
Food: Consistently terrible - often inedible - except the seaweed salad.
Atmosphere: Hip, in a good way.
Drinks: Expensive, but strong and tasty.
Service: Fine. Not sure about the other reviews...
Non-smoking, which earns the place my third star.
It can be crowded, which is a testament to how generally awful sushi is in Philadelphia, and non-existent in West Chester. Really, compared to D.C., and even the cheaper places in NYC, Philadelphia is terrible. (If you know a good place, I take suggestions.)
The after-dinner bar scene here looks happening for the young professional crowd, I could see having a good time here with the right friends. Much classier than Landmark across the street. The bar gets jammed around ten, I'd like to see a review of that aspect of the restaurant.
sushi - outstanding
pad thai - pretty good
bibimbop - pretty good
food in general - pretty good, and this is coming from an asian guy
bartenders/waiters - surprisingly knowledgeable. tip them out, and they return the favor.
drinks - mixed drinks are never weak, and prices are small town.
nightlife - good DJ's, never too cramped so it's never hot and stuffy, and music isn't loud to the point where you have to yell all night.
oh, and free listerine in the bathroom. hahaha...
Love this place! Great Asian fusion food. You have to try the stone pot bimbibob. The crispy, chewy rice on the bottom really adds to the dish. Kind of crowded and noisy but the food is great.
Great fresh sushi in West Chester, 4 Stars based on price. Only Wish they had fresh grated wasabi and prices were a bit lower.
First, if the place leaves a bad taste in your mouth, they have mouthwash in the bathrooms. Generally the sushi seemed fresh. I'd recommend sticking to all-seafood rolls as the other options are cut-down a lot by filler. We were promptly seated. Service wasn't great, but we got what we ordered. I think they card everyone except for the regulars at the bar (West Chester after all is a college town). Overall this place was just o.k. especially for the price range. I'm sure we could have found better if it weren't for the fact that it was 3pm on a Saturday. West Chester closes down in the afternoon, so finding a good place is tough, stick to eating at [11:30am-2:00pm] & [5:30pm-10:00pm] to dine at the finer establishments.
I've been to Kooma a couple of times recently - for sushi in the area, I like it probably the best. The sushi is good quality, and their specialty rolls are good. (The scallop roll is GREAT.) The first time I went I skipped the sushi and had the hot pot bibimbab, which was very good. I only wish they offered a brown rice option.
The ambiance is hip and trendy - and the crowd, like Lee said, is trendy. Which to me means, that it's a younger West Chester crowd then other places. I'll definitely go back again. FYI, they don't take reservations.
Best sushi in Chester County hands down! One of the only places to get Anago and Oh-Toro on a regular basis outside of Center City, which at times, even in the city is hard to find.
Korean-fare is on the menu but I would suggest sticking with the sushi when dining here.
Towards the end of the evening the crowd gets younger and younger, as West Chester U kids who have a bit of money come out to have a drink. DJ's spin Friday and Saturday night at 10PM.
The restaurant is somewhat trendy as far as West Chester standards are concerned, but nothing mind blowing. The quality and selection of fish is what makes this small restaurant stick out.
Being only a follower, not aficianado, of sushi, I have to take my friends' word for it when they say Kooma has the best in Chester County. For my part, I love the hip mod atmosphere, the Maki rolls are excellent, as are the standard entrees. I preferred Kooma before they got their liquor license - it was less crowded and it kept the price reasonable - their drink prices are on the high side. But, if you stay late the place can party and people will dance and get down! They have a large specialty martini menu in the $8-9 range. Great outdoor seating on one of the main West Chester thoroughfares but call ahead as it's desirable.
Best sushi I've had in the area to-date. For me, it's better than Margeret Kuo (Malvern), Sushiland (Bryn Mawr) or Osaka (Wayne). Fun, festive atmosphere (although I can see how the reviews are split between cheesey and trendy... it does toe the line) and lots of fun interesting creative rolls. Very expensive for what you get ($15-$20 for their specialty rolls) - so, it's definitely more of a special occasion sushi spot. But, the sushi chefs were great and the presntation was awesome - I saw a couple hundred dollars worth of sushi heading out to a table on one of the largest plates I've ever seen!
Kooma is okay. It's always PACKED at dinner. To me it's packed in a "ugh, the wait is going to be an hour" way, not a "oooh, this place is happening tonight" way. My family loves it here, but I don't see the big deal. I think the decor is cheesey. When I've tried anything but the sushi it's been so-so. The staff there are really nice and accommodating though.
Kooma is a nice treat- big city vibes and hipness in a small town spot that is easily accessible. Lounge music plays to remind you how cool the place is as you eat your artistic-looking meal. The sushi and cooked dishes at Kooma were all amazing when I came here with some doubters. Even the finicky eaters were satisfied, because Kooma offers a selection of more traditional noodle dishes as well as their successful fusion creations. It's a bit pricey, expect to spend about $20 or more a head.
This review is for the new Kooma at the Wilmington (DE) riverfront. I was very happy to hear that I had a new choice for sushi in the Wilmington area. You see, I'm sushi addicted. I've eaten enough mercury to take my temperature by looking in the mirror.
I am extremely disappointed with this place. I've never eaten at Kooma in West Chester, so I can't compare the two. The service was lousy. Our waiter rarely checked in and I certainly didn't see him jockeying our order through to the Sushimen at the bar. We waited an hour for our lunches which by the way were the simplest rolls on the menu. There were five of us who ordered on average 2 rolls each along with nigiri. An experienced Sushiman should have cranked them out in minutes. The restaurant was not even close to crowded. I gave them the benefit of the doubt since they only opened this week. I can [sort of] live with slow service if the food is amazing. That was not the case.
The rolls were undersized and the fish appeared to be less than fresh. I know the difference between natural fresh tuna and the dyed tuna we see in the market. The maguro used in the nigiri and maki was nearly grey. It wasn't fishy but it had no flavor instead of a healthy hint of the ocean. The nice dark pink hue was absent. The fish contained far more sinew than you would expect from someone who knows how to buy fish. Even if the fish were cut well, there was no attempt to trim the sinew and make it more appealing. I noticed a piece of tuna on one friend's plate that still had some scale on the edge. On mackerel, that's expected, but not on tuna. Back to cutting. This fish wasn't sliced, it was butchered. The pieces of fish on the nigiri were thin and so long, they covered the rice an inch beyond each end. Very odd. Many pieces looked jagged and even torn. I noticed a few slices that appeared to be WITH THE GRAIN! A mess.
Our maki had wasabi in them. Isn't that my choice? This is customary with nigiri, but not with maki. It is easy to hide lousy tuna in spicy tuna because chopping and mixing with mayonnaise and sriracha mask a multitude of problems. This tuna was merely a vehicle for the mayo. A shame. I was looking forward to my spicy scallop hand roll. I had hoped it would be raw hotate, but I knew it wouldn't be. It too was a huge disappointment. The tiny $6 roll was sloppy and barely stuffed with rubbery, roughly chopped, overcooked scallops. Clearly the work of someone who lacked the experience to shape proper temaki. Probably the same someone who sliced the nigiri with the grain.
Overall, a bust. I won't be back. I told the Manager so on my way out. He was apologetic, but absent...like a deer in the headlights. It was nice to have an alternative to Tokyo at the Riverfront and Mikimotos. There is no alternative. Tokyo still has the best sushi around Wilmington. Mr. YC Park's art and skill are evident even with his very simple rolls and basic menu. His temaki are overflowing and are a meal in themselves. His fish, while frozen sashimi grade is always perfectly sliced and tastes like it was just plucked out of the ocean. By the way, his maki is $9.50 because you can barely finish it. It takes him hours to make spicy tuna because he drains the fish over and over and strips out every ounce of sinew in the grain. Kooma could learn a thing or two. $17 a head at Kooma for a two roll combo and one hand-roll is larceny. If you want to explain bad service to me because your help is new and you just opened, that's fine but don't dare stick a rookie behind your sushi bar. Not during your first week, not ever. In Japan, a Sushiman has to apprentice for10 years before he gets to serve a customer. This may not be cost effective in America, but for the prices on this menu, the Sushiman better be experienced enough to purchase and handle fish properly. For these prices, I expect art on a plate that tastes like it came out of the ocean that morning. For these prices, I better not walk out hungry and for these prices, someone owes me lunch!
i was here on a friday night to celebrate a new job. i'm a big japanese culture junky, and since this place has opened within the last year, it's been on my must-see hit list.
at night, from the outside looking in this place looks like a trendy asian-fusion bar/sushi bar. and it is. i don't typically do trendy japanese/fusion, but i have to say i was pleasantly surprised. the sushi was good quality, the sake was strong and hot, and the crowd... well, the crowd was trendy. the music before the dj setup was great low-key ambient electronica that went really well with the atmosphere. the music the dj was spinning was raunchy rap and hip-hop. but the dancing crowd was pretty laid back and fun.
anectode of the evening: a guy almost beat me up because i was wearing a blazer that looked like his and when asked, i told him i got it for 5 bucks at a thrift store. he sent his friend to the restroom after me to threaten me and tell me that his blazer cost him 500 bucks. i laughed and told he was an idiot. moral of the story - that's why i call it a trendy crowd.
West Chester, PA
Category: Restaurants
West Chester, PA
Category: Caterers
West Chester, PA
Category: Chocolatiers and Shops
West Chester, PA
Category: Pubs
West Chester, PA
Category: Restaurants
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