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Rokko Japanese Restaurant - CLOSED
Categories: Restaurants Japanese Restaurants Sushi Bars Japanese, Sushi Bars [Edit]
190 S Frances StSunnyvale, CA 94086
(408) 732-7550
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Attire:
- Casual
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- No
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Wi-Fi:
- No
- Good For:
- Lunch, Dinner
- Alcohol:
- Beer & Wine Only
- Noise Level:
- Average
- Has TV:
- No
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
137 reviews for Rokko Japanese Restaurant
Review Highlights
"Great little izakaya Japanese restaurant in Sunnyvale."
(in 18 reviews)
"The agedashi tofu is really good as well."
(in 6 reviews)
"aS FOR THE ROLLS::: spicy tuna is yum."
(in 12 reviews)
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137 reviews in English
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Review from Jenna L.
Sunnyvale, CA
11/17/2011
I always recommend Rokko if you're looking for pretty authentic Japanese food. The atmosphere is nice, the food is good, and depending on what you get, it's not too badly priced.
Sad to hear that it burned down, but can't wait for it to re-open. -
Review from Anna B.
9/9/2011 13 photos
Rokko serves the most amazing Japanese dishes. With a huge variety to choose from, it's always difficult to pick what to order.
The fish is super fresh and delicious, and the staff is always more than welcoming. The customer service is certainly a plus :]
I grew addicted to the duck oroshi and everything else on the menu. The spicy tuna roll, tekka maki, scallops, etc. There's just too much to mention.
Unfortunately, the restaurant burned down. But no worries! I hear they're going to reopen :D :D :D !!!
For now, go to Dan/Tantou for your Rokko fixes. Much of the staff has relocated there and they're still serving up amazing dishes! -
Review from May B.
Los Altos, CA
2/7/2012
I enjoyed coming here for lunch. They always had a good selection on their menu. Good sushi. Friendly wait staff. It's reasonably price depending on what you order. Looking forward to it opening up again.
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Review from EK B.
San Mateo, CA
Updated - 11/27/2010
Drove all the way down here to find that they are shut down due to a fire they had!
So to save anyone else the hassle, head's up!1 Previous Review: Show all »
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9/3/2009
Great authentic Japanese taste and flavor. Friendly staff and nice decor make this a must try for… Read more »
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Review from Tina S.
10/30/2010
Good Food, Horrible service.
When you walk in, they don't take your name down, you just wait until they ask you how many is in your party.... my party got seated in a booth. First thing you do is take your shoes off and find a mat to sit on. Good luck finding a clean mat to sit on..... we had to flip ours over hoping the other side was better than the first!
We were given all Japanese menus and I cannot, for the life of me, read Japanese. It took a while to flag down a waitress and get English menus. They have an extensive menu-- lots to choose from.It also took forever to flag another waitress to take our order!
They need to have better staffing and more waiters/waitresses.
We had to remind or ask them for everything. Our salads came without dressing, one of the meals came without rice, we had to ask for side plates, and tea refills.
Instead of a little bowl for wasabi and soy sauce, I used a side dish to dip my sashimi.
I tried their agedashi mochi, butter scallops, tempura udon and chirashi rice. Everything was good and the portions were fine, except for the udon/chirashi special combo (which is a lot!).
I was so full and satisfied, but the lack of service and attention to detail leaves me not wanting to go back. -
Review from Rand L.
Mountain View, CA
8/1/2011
Come back, Rokko, come back.
We used to go to Rokko almost every week because the quality-for-price ratio was so high. They had a $5 specials menu that included a salad with tons of both octopus and jellyfish on top. They also had grilled duck breast, and octopus sashimi, for $5. For $6-ish, there was a delicious tempura lotus root that I haven't seen much anywhere else. These were all good sized portions for the price, the salad almost obscenely so.
On the regular menu, the tempura was wildly uneven. It seemed like each time I got it, the coating/batter was different, both in terms of heaviness and color. Sometimes, it would be batter coated, other times, just panko.
Other items on the regular menu were solid, though unspectacular, like really good home cooking. But it was the low prices that really kept drawing us back in. Don't feel like cooking tonight, but don't want to spend a bundle ? Go to Rokko.
Proof of what a great deal they were: every single time we went there, this other couple (both solidly built, him with bald head and glasses) was there. Every single time. It didn't matter what day of the week we dropped in, they were there. I guess they found it easier to let Rokko be their kitchen, and the prices were so reasonable that they could go every day.
It's really too bad about the fire last Thanksgiving. I hope they'll be able to restart the business soon. (I wonder where that couple wound up going to after the fire ?) -
Review from Sharon T.
9/24/2010
Ok, before I get off the wrong foot, let me begin by saying this place has fair prices and exceptionally fresh cuts of fish...
...however, their lunch time menu has no descriptions as to what are in the actual rolls, and it might be somewhat troublesome to have a waitress describe what exactly is in each roll you are trying to order if it is during the lunch-time rush. Not cool... easily remedied by printing out a new menu, but still very uncool.
It seemed as though the only hamachi they had was for their nigiri, but I was craving it in bulk. It seemed they had no rolls with it on the menu, so I ordered the chirashi in hopes I might get a sliver. I asked the waitress if it had any in it, but she replied, "You *MIGHT* get a piece or two in the chirashi..." - really? "MIGHT?" - either I do, or I don't... and I didn't. *sadface*
Between the bf and myself, we had the rainbow roll, shrimp tempura roll, spicy tuna roll and a fish bento. The boyfriends fried fish fillet had a massive amounts of bones in it, and he wondered as to why they didn't de-bone it before serving it to him... it took him 2 hours to dislodge the tiny bone he swallowed later, and he only wished there was at least a warning.
Although the cuts of fish were fresh and decently sized, the rolls were not very imaginative in the flavor department, and the rice left something to be desired... maybe it was undercooked?
If coming here, I would suggest you do sashimi only if you're hankering for fish. They lack many rolls to chose from if going for sushi, and nothing jumped out at me except for the individual quality of the fish.
If I were to come back again, I would definitely try their udon or soup choices... and maybe some of their other more distinct dishes other than sushi or sashimi. Nice decor, but the place smells a little aged. Not bad for a neighborhood joint, but there's another sushi place around the corner I've yet to try.
Rokko: 2.5 - 3 stars. -
Review from Jennifer W.
San Jose, CA
8/17/2010
Dinner in Sunnyvale Town Center? Who would have thought that I will drive there to experience some Japanese dining? As you walk in, it looked like a normal Japanese restaurant: sushi bar, seating area, and large seating area for groups/private parties (where screen door can be closed). On the menu, there were combination dinners, sushi and sashimi rolls, and some izakaya dishes on the menu selection. Looking at the menu, I already knew I didn't want to eat the combination dinners and sushi rolls, but I couldn't say that about my friends. I already knew what they wanted...I just hoped my superpowers will change their mind!
Me: What do you guys feel like eating?
Friend 1 (looking at the menu): Don't know. The combination dinner looks good.
Friend 2 (looking at the menu): Don't know either. Yeah, maybe the combination dinner.
Me (looking at friends): OK!
Friend 1: What are you going to order?
Friend 1 and 2 looks at me.
Me: I think I am going to try some of the izakaya dishes. Like the agedashi mochi, stewed pork, ....
Friend 1 and 2 (looks at each other, then at the menu): Those sound good. Hmmm....Ok?
Me: Or maybe the sake clams, or the aigamo oroshi steak, grilled yellowtail, or maybe the butabara shouga (ginger pork). I don't know yet! I need to decide what I want to try first.
Friend 1 and 2: All those sound good!
Me (looking up from the menu): Huh? Are you guys still getting your combination dinners?
Friend 1 and 2: Let's order all of the ones you suggested.
Me laughing in my head, me using my superpowers, and me getting the food that I want to eat...Priceless!
So, all the izakaya dishes that we had were alright. The sake clams were very light. The stewed pork wasn't stewed long enough, so the meat wasn't as tender as Gochi. The grilled yellowtail and edamame was pretty standard tasting. The agedashi mochi, butabara shouga (ginger pork), aigamo oroshi steak, and stewed beef tongue was pretty tasty. Overall, I thought the izakaya dishes were alright. Maybe, will be back again to try some more...if I feel adventurous enough to drive down to Sunnyvale Town Center, that is! -
Review from Sabrina A.
San Jose, CA
10/5/2010
With the postive reviews and great downtown Sunnyvale location I was expecting more. I came here a few years ago and forgot what it was like, I guess I know why now.
The restaurant is traditional in its decor. Dark woods, standard tables, empty walls, long sushi bar but they do have the private rooms shooting off to one side. While it feels clean, nice and modern, it also isn't exciting or great in its ambiance.
Our waitress was kind of slow and unattentive. She was friendly enough but also didn't great my order quite right. I ordered a side salad w/ miso and I got a HUGE salad w/ miso dressing on the side. Not a big deal but just not quite right either. Eh . . .
We all ordered sushi rolls, some sashimi etc. The fish was fresh but not amazing esp for the price. While good it just wasn't great. The rice didn't seem that fresh either and way too much was in one of the rolls. I had to bite it in half and I hate looking like a dork trying to saw through seaweed to cut a roll in half. I also had the uni which was fair but not great.
Overall my dining experience was just pretty lack luster and I wouldn't find myself coming here again. -
Review from Vijay P.
Morgan Hill, CA
5/12/2010
I visit Rokko's quite frequently for lunch with colleagues. The sushi is above average, and they even have Toro on the menu :) They also have a verity on of specialty rolls including a big mamma jamma called the Rokko's Crunch Roll, which is this deep friend wonder of bliss :)
The Udon fares quite well here as well. -
Review from Tina B.
San Jose, CA
4/22/2010
Please be careful when you get your check, we were OVERCHARGED twice in a row. What are the odds of that happening? It makes you wonder about how many others they rip off. The time before, I thought it was a mistake, so I didn't let it bother me. We went there again today & were overcharged for two out of three items that we ordered. The cashier was not sympathetic with her error & I left very upset.
I was so disappointed since I like this place a lot. The food is good & the prices are reasonable. However, I just need to double check the the bill at the end & hope that everything is ok in the future. -
Review from Jason H.
7/28/2010 1 photo
3.0 Stars
I'm slowing getting to try the different restaurants in downtown Sunnyvale (Town and Country Village Shopping Center) and a friend suggested Rokko for today's lunch.
I noticed how Rokko even had these private rooms where diners take off their shoes and sit on the floors to eat.
Moving onto the food, Rokko offers a pretty wide range of Japanese dishes from bento boxes to donburis to sushi. Most entrees were around the $9 range.
I like how they have a daily special for the moderate price of $7.50. Today's special was a Pork Katsu with a side of White Tuna Sashimi.
I wasn't too much in the mood for something fried so I settled on trying the Oyako Donburi ($7.00) that comes with a house salad and miso soup.
It consisted of chicken, egg, onions, and other ingredients all simmered together in a sauce and then served on top of a large bowl of rice. The bowl of rice was pretty big and I couldn't even finish all the rice. The egg was partly cooked in some areas and more cooked in others so it was a good balance solid and runny. The chicken pieces were pretty tender and I suspected they used dark meat.
The donburi wasn't super amazing, but it still had a lot of flavor. I found that it had a lot of rice and I wished there were more chicken, vegetables, and egg to go with the rest of the rice in my bowl. -
Review from Stephen L.
San Jose, CA
5/11/2010
I want my visiting parents to try something that they don't usually get back home. I picked Rokko because their menu offers a good variety of small dishes and some of them aren't available in other Japanese restaurants.
There are couple dishes that I really like here:
- clam kimchee soup pot: a little bit spicy but not so much that it overwhelmed the taste of the clam;
- hirame (hirame) usuzukuri: thinly cut and very fresh;
- yaki onigiri (baked rice ball): very tasty and was grilled just to the right amount, not too charboiled like some other places.
- mizuna and dry fish salad.
Unfortuntaely, not all the dishes are up to the same standard. Here are two that didn't make the cut for me:
- uni (sea urchin) kobachi: wasted the texture and taste of the sea urchin;
- anago (sea eel) sushi: I had much better anago somewhere else.
I love sea urchin and sea eel, so I could be too picky.
On another note, the service here was very friendly. The waitress who served us always has a good smile and was very responsive to our questions or requests.
A little story that illustrates the point:
The yaki onigiri with cod fish roe was so good that we ordered it twice. However, the chef made the wrong one in our second order and gave us the regular yaki onigiri without the cod fish roe (but with bonito flakes instead). The waitress asked the chef about it but the chef said they were the same, he just made it differently the second time. We were not too satisfied because the tastes were obviously different, but we didn't say anything further.
To our pleasant surprise, the waitress requested the chef to remake our order. And the new rice balls tasted great like our very first order!
A good waitress/server really can make a difference in a customer's experience.
Though overall, I prefer the menu of other Japanese tapa restaurants, I can see myself coming back here every now and then to enjoy those dishes that are solidly done. -
Review from Rich Y.
San Jose, CA
9/19/2010
Great sushi is sought
It can be found at Rokko
Pitchers of Kirin -
Review from Jaye C.
12/30/2008
They did a fantastic job accommodating our party of 14 last weekend, plus they kept our glasses filled!
We had a surprise birthday dinner for our friend here, and we were seated in the private room to the left of the entrance and used the sliding doors to close ourselves from everyone else. The staff were super friendly, and as soon as they saw us finish a dish, they cleaned it off our table right away.
The food however, I thought it was mediocre, a bit too thick on the rice with their rolls. I had to scrape some off so as to not fill myself up too quickly.
Not very mind blowing, more average than spectacular. However it's not a place that I'll ex out, it just won't be my first choice. -
Review from Dan B.
8/18/2009 1 Check-in Here
For me, Rokko's has been a very dependable spot for high-quality Japanese lunchtime fare (I've never tried dinner here). Others have called it an izakaya, but I wouldn't know. But I do know they've got all the basics covered: nigiri sushi, sashimi, teriyaki, udon, donburi, etc. Wackadoodle rolls (a.k.a. Big-ass stupid name rolls) are at a minimum. I'm also always encouraged by the fact that a large percentage of the clientele is Japanese.
Despite the large menu, the best deals by far are on the yellow specials menu, which lists a variety of combinations; The bang for buck here is much better than on the main menu; I usually go for the saba (broiled mackerel) and soba (buckwheat noodle soup) for $8.50. This makes an especially good meal on a cold day.
The sushi here is surprisingly good and typical of bay area prices. Here's what I tried on recent visits:
-- Unagi avocado roll: Huge and quite good, though 75% rice. ($7.50)
-- Hamachi nigiri: very good and high quality. Delicious. ($4)
-- Sake nigiri: good quality but a little low on flavor ($3.75)
-- Seaweed salad: beautiful presentation and delicious, but I would have preferred more seaweed and less lettuce. ($4.50)
-- Oyako donburi: ($9?) Good mix of runny and firm eggs with chicken and sauce over rice; perfect Japanese comfort food; so large I couldn't finish
Service at Rokko has been spotty. On most occasions my seating, ordering and delivery process proceeded smoothly, but after that I was placed on the "ignore until he pays" list. Not once have I ever had my green tea refilled here. Rokko, if you are reading this, that's why I'm keeping an extra star reserved. -
Review from Tetsu N.
Dublin, CA
8/22/2008
Rokko is a mainstay from waaaaaay back.
I love eating here.
It's pretty typical as Izakayas go and though the decor is just fine, they've been around a pretty long time, so the place does have a slightly run down look compared to the newer spots like the re-located Tanto and Hatcho, or the newer Gombei, Saizo, Sumiya, or Sumika. But it's a favorite nevertheless.
While the other Izakaya spots make great "impress the customer" spots, Rokko is the kind of place where "the gang" would go when not trying to impress. Hahaha, I say that, but a lot of visitors to the Bay Area seeking a more local feel would certainly love being taken to a place like this.
This is also one of the most popular spots to take customers from Japan prior taking them to Pebble Roppongi, and is perhaps a little more suited to beer and less expensive Sake than the more high-end loungey feel you get from upscale sake house. But it's a good Izakaya through and through, and every dish here is excellent.
The carb'y food also comes in somewhat larger portions. Which reminds me more of a Paella from a Spanish Tapas place than an Izakaya type of place.
All in all, if you want great Japanese food in downtown sunnyvale, this place is hard to beat.Listed in: Jammin Japanese
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Review from Kaz S.
Cupertino, CA
8/18/2006
Overall rating would be 3.5 almost 4.
Atmosphere: 3.5 stars
Price: 4 stars. Reasonable.
Food quality: 3.5-4 stars.
If this place had a better nicer Japanese atmosphere and served in prettier japanese dishes with "this thing rocks" kind of taste(remember, Japanese food is about food's taste and art) I could give this place 4 stars in all of the categories but compared to Yoshida's or Gochi, the atmosphere is not there.
I've been here a lot and I like the generous portion and the quality of the shrimp tempura lunch. Of course, I never had a real tempura like the real tempura restaurant in Japan here yet but it's pretty good here(for a Japanese restaurant around here...had worse before). I think this Japanese restaurant has one of the best prices around here. Some places charges way too much for the food they get but I think it's reasonable here.
If this place is crowded, there's another Japanese restaurant called Sushimaru in a walking distance and I recommend this sushi place too! (3.5 stars for Sushi-maru.) -
Review from tee w.
San Jose, CA
9/30/2009
I was quite surprised to learn that this place has quite a low rating. Rokko has the homey feeling when it comes to food they serve. This is izakaya restaurant, so their sushi might not be the best choice for dining experience.
They have some daily specials which is always yummy and light on the wallet. They also have great selection of tapas that is perfect companion for drinking and not to mention, great variety of soju and sake.
The food is simple and good. It might not be beautifully presented and have complex outburst of flavor due to variety of spices, but they were nonetheless delicious.
I don't remember the name of the dishes, but here are some of my favorite stuff:
1. fried seafood on a stick platter, comes with deep fried scallops, salmon, and shrimp. Very tasty.
2. whole sama fish. Again, very good
3. beef tounge.
4. karage - always a safe choice, always good
5. seaweed salad
6. duck
7. cold soba to sum up the evening
Thumbs up for Rokko. -
Review from Melanie A.
Santa Clara, CA
10/3/2007
I have to agree that 3.5 stars is probably the most accurate rating for Rokko. It is nothing to go out of your way for, but if you are in the area and craving Japanese food, then go for it.
My b/f and I had dinner there tonight, because we were planning on going to Sushi Mari, but apparently they moved to Milpitas in the middle of the summer!
The food at Rokko is relatively inexpensive and it is pretty good. I had the tempura udon, and the udon was very good, but the tempura batter is a little strange. My b/f had a tonkatsu and tuna sashimi special. The sashimi was a little mushy, but I guess that is what you get when you order the special. The tonkatsu was just ok.
Our server was kind of flaky, but very nice. We didn't get our tea until halfway through dinner, but I couldn't be upset, because she was so cute and sweet.
The restaurant itself is pretty loud, perhaps because of the high ceilings, and the tables are close together.
I might come here again and try the sushi, or to enjoy another warm bowl of udon...if I am in the area. -
Review from Shiho F.
Carmel by the Sea, CA
6/3/2009
We stopped here on the way home from the city and I was actually impressed with not the quality of food but the menu selection and presentation. They used a lot of daikon (radish) and it was beautiful and daikon is good for you. When served fresh it is uber refreshing.
We ordered so much and unfortunatley I wasn't hungry... I was en route to one of my favorite tapas joints in Carmel for some vino but anyways we ordered the follwoing:
Daikon Salad (loved it, however it was strange to find mayo in it although glad it was Kewpie aka Japanese Mayo and I heart mayo), they could have soaked the threadlike daikon in water to make it more crisp though
Spicy Tuna Maki( I don't care for sushi so I didn't try one)
Shiso Maki (no not Shiho, aka ohba aka Perilla) very distinct floral flavor used to pickle Japanese Ume plums (sometimes) and I'm not a fan unless it is tempura battered and fried (taste like a potato chip) commonly found in Ten Zaru or Tempura in Japan
I ordered the Chicken Karage marinated in a Vinegarette
Mentaiko Yakisoba (I'm a huge fan of mentaiko - spicy cod roe and yakisoba, this didn't do it for me but loved all the thinkly sliced veggies in the dish and of course the dab of Kewpie mayo)
Wafu Steak (Japanese style steak covered in fresh grated Daikon) Would have loved it except they added some roasted garlic that was a bit too much and over powered the flavor of the steak and daikon. I would have just served the steak with grated daikon and ponzu! Ughh! Nananana! My favorite!
Loved the Calipico Chu Hai, I pounded the first one as she handed it to me and she thought I was crazy. I am not your typical Japanese girl nor am I your typical drinker. I had another.
Would go back, hopefully when I have an appetite. -
Review from Jessica N.
San Jose, CA
10/15/2006 1 photo
I'm torn between giving this place a 3 or a 4.
The food was good, but it didn't make me go "Dammmmn, this is good!" The fish quality was excellent (very fresh and tasty) but they didn't use sushi rice for their rolls.
The service was a little spotty; they didn't mess up our order, but I spent a good amount of time craning my neck around trying to flag one of the servers running around. Granted, the place was completely full on a Saturday night.
Parking was ok. We just parked across the street in the Macy's parking lot and walked over.
Rokko is a decent place and I may go back again because it's nearby... but Sushi Tomi is also close by and I like them a lot more. They make me happy in the mouth! -
Review from Lloyd C.
San Francisco, CA
11/18/2006
I've gone to Rokko twice for lunch thus far.
Food wise: I order the Tempura Vegetables dish with edamame beans, plsu a salad and soup, for $7. That's a reasonable price.
Atmosphere wise: The last time we went, we were placed in the claustrophobic room. I suppose that's what happens with a party of 6 or 7 without advance reservations. If you want to sit in a room with tatami mats, I suggest making reservations in advance (that's what wer were told). -
Review from Tina N.
6/22/2008
There use to be this sushi place next to it, but I think it closed down because of the nearby construction.
So a friend and I ventured off trying to find the place (thinking it was still open) but ended up here.
It's a pretty small corner restaurant with lots of modern decor. Nothing really sticks out - they had separate dining rooms for larger parties.
We had the kimchee clam soup - it was pretty good and "clammy". We wanted 2 of them but the waitress said it was better if we shared.
There isn't an extensive list of crazy rolls or anything like that, but the place did have some pretty good spicy tuna roll. We also had the rainbow roll as well.
3 stars because a good spicy tuna roll isn't something to rave about or something to come for. Maybe something else on the menu was a stand-out but I have yet to try it :) -
Review from Scott L.
Mountain View, CA
6/1/2008
Dinner:3 stars,
Lunch: 4 stars due to the price
Yelp: Can't we get 1/2 star ratings?!?
I like the atmosphere here, it looks like it plays the part. The food and service are all good without the disasters that I've read about are all good here. For value Hanamaru is probably better. The cooked food isn't as special as Saizo... but that's a different style of Japanese restaurant. So it's not the best analogy.
Also, if you like your restaurants that are quieter, this is good. It's not like the overly loud bistro atmosphere that you get at Tanto on El Camino.
Value: Good
Food: Good
Service: Good
Atmosphere: Very good -
Review from Kym L.
Sunnyvale, CA
2/22/2007
3.5 stars
Nothing spectacular here... However, I liked the portions here compared to the other Japanese restaurants in the area (thatz $$ and gives you super tineey portions!)... I ordered the combination dinner ($13ish..) --- Tempura + Saba Shioyaki (comes with rice/miso/salad)... the Tempura was okay... batter was too thick for my liking but I liked the crispiness. The Saba was the best I'd had so far around the South Bay... very moist and tender..
What attracts me about this place is that unlike the typical combination, where you get a bit of everything in a mid size bento box.. the dishes came out each served on itz own plate and the portions were really generous. The quality was also slightly above average (given that I'd worse combination dinners around the area before)...
Service here is average... we had to track the waitress down to get our tea refilled (she didn't check on us once throughout the whole meal)... However, they do get points for being quick.. our orders arrived in abt 10 mins after we ordered.. not bad..
Definitely would come back here again since it's so close to my apartment.. it's a decent restaurant comparing to the other jap restaurant in the same area. -
Review from Cherryl D.
San Jose, CA
10/15/2008
My Ratings:
Quality of Food - 4 Stars
Quantity of Food - 3 Stars
Price - 4 Stars
Location - 3 Stars
Parking - 3 Stars
Service - 3 Stars
Speed - 3 Stars
My Opinion/Story:
I ate here once and I'm willing to try again. The service was ok, the food is ok. It's not bad but location is a little bad. It was hard to find parking for dinner. The food is good but its your typical mediocre japanese food. But if you happen to be around downtown San Jose and looking for japanese food.. this is one of those places. -
Review from EurJean C.
Santa Clara, CA
7/21/2010
We stumbled upon this restaurant for dinner one day and was really pleasantly surprised to find it serves izakaya food.
These are a few of the dishes we tried:
Shishamo (Smelt) - Grilled, crispy, and fishy, I love that you can eat the fish whole
Torikawa (skewered chicken skin) - Crispy and fried, I could eat 5 orders of this by myself
Grilled peppers - Slightly sweet and roasted (not spicy at all)
Onigiri(Rice ball) w/fish eggs - Just the right amount of rice to go with my meal
The service was friendly and kind. Overall, compared to a few other izakaya restaurants, I found that the prices here were very reasonable and the environment is family friendly. I plan on coming back soon to try the rice and stew dishes too. -
Review from Joel C.
Milpitas, CA
7/3/2008
This place seems to be one of the last restaurants to have survived the massive reconstruction of Downtown Sunnyvale. My friends and I always make fun of this place because right next door is the Tropical Fish store...makes us wonder where the raw fish comes from =)
I went here with 17 coworkers to celebrate a birthday and overall it was pretty good. Nothing really jumped out at me but at the same time nothing was really bad about this place. The food came out really fast, which is already much more than I can say about other places that need to serve 17. I ordered the sashimi lunch and a spicy tuna roll. The spicy tuna roll was good, but some slices of my sashimi were cut incorrectly (you know, the stringy sushi you sometimes get). But i have gotten the chirashi bowl for dinner before and everything was cut correctly.
There are definitely better places to eat Downtown Sunnyvale but there are also worse places to eat. If you feel like sushi for lunch, this place is pretty good but come early since it gets packed around 11:30. If you are looking for a good place for dinner, i would probably suggest going somewhere else as you probably would get better food for less somewhere nearby. -
Review from timothy m.
Sunnyvale, CA
11/16/2010
If sushi ain't your thing this Japanese restaurant is as close as it gets to Japanese food (according to my wife who is Japanese).
Menu is varied with classics like spicy guts soup, wafu-orishi steak ramon noodles etc etc- classic stuff. Authentic.
My favourite Sunnyvale Japanese place - and now its burnt out. Oh crumbs. -
Review from Jane D.
9/11/2006
The service on a Sunday night wasn't so bad here. We were seated almost immediately upon arrival. We ordered our food and it came out fairly quickly. I ordered the seafood tempura plate. I got a bowl of rice, salad and soup. My fiancee ordered chicken teriaki. Overall my food was pretty good. I just have to remind myself that Tempura is all fried food and fried food can be unsettling when eaten on an empty stomach. My friends ordered sushi. They seemed to enjoy their meal. One of my friends is a sushi waitress and she seemed to approve of the food.
I'm no raw fish expert but this place seemed okay. I'd go back. -
Review from Kristen S.
San Jose, CA
9/28/2009
Yay, Rokko! I love this place. It's our "go-to" spot for Japanese food in Sunnyvale, when we don't feel like driving to J-town in San Jose.
Prices are affordable and they give you lots of food. If you're really hungry, get the special $11.75 combo. It comes with a seafood salad (sashimi slices on green salad), tempura udon, and tonkatsu. That's right, I said it, an UDON COMBO! I have been to 2 japanese restaurants that serve udon combos...Rokko and Sushi King in Honolulu. I guess its carb overload with the rice, maybe that's why it's not popular at most restaurants. I say, bring it on!
My boyfriend and I eat here at least once every 2 weeks, usually more often. I'm almost embarrassed when I walk in, because the entire staff knows who we are and probably knows our order by heart.
If you're in the Sunnyvale area, there's no better place for Japanese that I've discovered (well, there's Seto's). Authentic, fresh, and always dependable. -
Review from Catherine L.
Palo Alto, CA
Updated - 5/5/2010 10 photos
Rokko totally redeemed itself on a busy Friday night. There was a wait and the couple who arrived after us was seated before us because the waitress mixed up the order. The brat couple who "cut the line" were all proud looking *cough jerks*. We brought this up to the waitress but they had already been seated since they scurried the waitress to their seats fast. Losers.
Whateverrr we got a prime table in the middle of the restaurant. I mentioned in my last review there wasn't an English version of the $5 menu but this time there was! Ta-daa! Everything we ordered was much fresher and well-plated. One of my favorites was the tuna tartar. I had never eaten lightly seared tuna and enjoyed it so I was pleasantly surprised this time :)!
We were seated at a table for four (just two people dining) and our table was practically filled with delicious eats! YUM :)
I guess it is a hit or miss place... but for a popping Friday night, it was a hit for us :)!1 Previous Review: Show all »
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3/29/2010
I think it's pretty sucky how there is a $5 menu.. ONLY in Japanese. I went with someone who is… Read more »
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Review from ryan p.
Sunnyvale, CA
12/27/2008
Ok-- Now I don't give too many 4 star ratings, and I have not given any 5 star ratings, but I love food and I cook for a living and I am Japanese, so I feel that Rokko has some great points.
Good Japanese food, at a fair price, Quick, clean atmosphere....
Typical Japanese service(not so good)
Now if you can navigate thru the menu you can have a great time for a decent price.
First- make sure you order atleast a few combo dinners if you are with 2 or more people...then graze (13-14 bucks)
The dinner combos come on individual plates so you can share
Soup, Salad, Rice...all on different dishes.
Now the portions of protien are very good as well for the combos.
The Beef Teriyaki is a nice pc of rib eye cooked medium rare....my favorite
The saba is good too, tempura is above average and you get 3 shrimp and veg with the combo dinner .
with the combo you can even get sashimi as a choice, 5-7 nice chef selection pcs.
THE COMBO IS A BETTER VALUE THAN THE A LA CARTE.
We usually order a combo per person and share all the entrees and maybe order a few pcs of sushi or small plates.
at lunch the combos are under 10 bucks but are served in bento boxes and are a little smaller.
The Duck small plates are really good. Duck Ororoshi with a daikon salsa is very nice. Be adventourous, with a group of people this place can be really fun.
They have kirin on tap, so you can order a pitcher(you will likew how they keep the beer cold...those japanese think of everything) and share it in those small beer cups so everyone gets a few refills...very nice.
The sake selection is good too. shoju is nice n warming.
They have private tatami(shoes off) and a small corner room as well.
with reso.
The sushi is ok, nothing stellar, but not bad. I have not had an sushi chefs omakase so I do not want to comment on how good or bad.
You can go just for a combo or for a huge japanese meal, just make sure you have the beef teriyaki and you will be happy.
If you have a comment hit me up. -
Review from Cynthia C.
San Francisco, CA
10/13/2006
This is another yummy izakaya restaurant in Sunnyvale! We came here for my birthday dinner and everything was yummy. We ordered everything! From rolls to tapa style dishes, everything we ordered was finished in less than 3 minutes. We wolfed down everything!
We ordered the yaki onigiri (the best I've had so far! the outside of the rice was crispy but the inside had lots of flavor and soft! yums!), squid salad (forgot the name), clam soup, rokko roll, nabeyaki udon (the noodles were super good and chewy!), seafood agedashi tofu (this was also amazing since it had chucks of seafood tempora with the tofu.. yummmmmms!) and the list goes on... Also to top this off, we had the seseame ice cream for dessert and that was soooooo mouth watering! I wanted seconds of that one! haha! :p
I would definitely come back again! -
Review from Joanna S.
1/23/2009
I was expecting a spectacular meal, because outside their restaurant, they have the "YELP LOVES US" sticker.
Went for lunch..and had a bento box combination-- The chicken teriyaki wasn't that good, and for sashimi, they give you only tuna, and no salmon.
Their seaweed salad wasn't that good either. It was salty and tasted different from the norm. the only GOOD thing i can say, was their rice was yummy.
Yeah, I've had better. -
Review from Jenny R.
Los Altos, CA
6/16/2006
This place was "OK". Not really exciting sushi, or entrees. The tempura was TERRIBLE. It was like street food fried stuffs, thick batter, bleh.
I don't think I will be going back. -
Review from Jalon Z.
Manassas, VA
4/21/2007
Rokko serves average Japanese food with cheap prices, decent service and a nice atmosphere. I tried the Nabeyaki Udon combo with some sushi on the side.
The Udon was good, with plenty of large, chewy noodles but the broth didn't seem to have a distinguishing or deep flavor. The sushi tasted fresh, but was loosely rolled and kept falling apart.
While Rokko isn't bad, its not outstandingly good either. On the West Coast there are better places to spend my money if I want Japanese food. -
Review from Shawn R.
Bellevue, WA
7/4/2010
Great little izakaya Japanese restaurant in Sunnyvale. It has a wide variety of tapas-sized dishes and, of course, many kinds of sushi in both nigiri and maki styles. We focused on the tapas during our visit. The butter scallops, chicken karaage and agedashi tofu were excellent. We also had mentaiko yaki soba and suigyoza. There was also a great dish that I had never seen on a Japanese menu before, agedashi mochi. If you like agedashi tofu and mochi weil, you'll definitely love it. We finished off with a tempura fried banana with black sesame and green tea ice cream. Not mind-blowing, but tasty.
In all it was a delicious meal. The atmosphere was good and the servers were very helpful and attentive. We didn't get to the sushi this time but will next time, I think. There was also an extensive shochu menu too that we definitely have to dive into as well.
If you like the more authentic side of Japanese cuisine or izakaya restaurants you definitely have to check Rokko out! -
Review from A S.
San Jose, CA
11/25/2006
Rokko was a mixed bag of good and not so good food. What ruined our experience was one rude waitress. Here's what we ordered and what we thought:
- Daily special: teriyaki chicken and sashimi. This is the standard dish of U.S. Japanese restaurants. It wasn't bad, but not super good either.
- Saba shiyoyaki: very very good!
- Tempura: poor quality. Other restaurants in the area have much better tempura. The batter was just wrong on the shrimp.
- Croquette: very good, tasted home made!
- Nigiri-tamago: my 3 year old seemed to like it. I didn't get a taste.
So, except for the Tempura, most of the food was good.
Service was the problem. Our tea cups where never refilled. No one even came by to check on how we were doing. The restaurant was not full so the waitresses were not that busy. The nail in the coffin was the rude waitress. Little Miss Unhappiness would make absolutely no acknowledgment when I talked to her (no verbal response, no head nod, nothing) . So, through out the meal I didn't know if she heard me or not.
Not returning until that waitress gets some Zoloft.
