Kome

There is a very easy and insightful way to find a city that will have good sushi. Sure, some might judge it by the proximity to the ocean, others will proclaim that only Japan has good sushi, then some folks from Cali might try to claim it. But at the foundation, the method is different and simple: if most of the sushi restaurants in town happen to also be or primarily be a hibachi grill, this is not the town to visit for sushi.

Birmingham is one of those spots. As much as it has changed over the recent decades, in most ways for the better, certain things are very slow to morph. There are relatively few sushi spots that are standalone from steakhouses. Those that do exist are generally specialized in rolls that local clientele will appreciate, calling them Bama roll, Auburn roll, Redneck roll, etc.

So, we deviate from the point a bit. Kome is a beautifully constructed establishment that is a true, stand-alone sushi focused establishment. That alone, is an accomplishment in this town. Slick and modern inside, the interior is quite nice and could trend towards a lunch or a casual dinner establishment. The sushi chef was careful in preparation of the meal and very attentive. The rolls were very nicely made and probably the highlight.

As far as the sashimi deluxe platter, it's probably not the item I'd recommend. While the fish is pretty fresh, it's quality is just not great. Most of the sashimi cuts, even the more flavor rich fish like salmon, were fairly bland. I can't quite point to why that was the case, perhaps the fish was defrosted too fast, perhaps it's the cuts themselves, the time in transportation or something else.

With all that said, for Birmingham's market, Kome is the spot to visit. The service is extremely attentive, the atmosphere is sharp and the rolls are excellent. Most importantly, everything is fresh.

Kome is a great restaurant with unique personality.
I would think it's family owned. Which at times translates into being a bit understaffed for the size of the place, but it feels "warmer" than other restaurants.

I love all their items, from their sushi to their bowls. It's actually quite impressive they are consistently good across such a diverse menu!
I'm particularly obsessed with their calamari and octopus. Many Japanese restaurants have those in their Menu, but not many are good at cooking them as deserved.

Location is quite convenient, and price on spot.

Great deal!

I was looking thru yelp on Saturday and KOME kept popping up I've visited before, but it had been awhile.

After reading some reviews, I decided to give the Tonkotsu Ramen bowl a try. This was my first time trying Ramen at a restaurant. I am a big soup fan so I figured I'd be pleased... and I was! It was very good. It's plenty to share. I even loved the boiled egg in it! I also had the calamari app and Spicy crab roll. The calamari has great flavor but could have been cooked a little crispier for me.

All in all, a good meal. A nice change from my usual food choices.

Great selection, good cuts, perfect temp (sushi, not the inside, that's a little too warm and humid for me) ...proportioned correctly for nigiri. The Akagai was one of the best I have had in the area.

The price is slightly higher than expected for lunch nigiri but dinner would be on par.

So happy we decided to come here to try out the sushi. Came during a very slow time, so seating was not an issue. Lovely spot, beautiful on the outside and inside. Pleasant server. If you love sushi, they definitely have plenty of roll options for you.
Just looking at the menu, I wanted to have sushi, bento boxes, ramen, AND more, but we decided to mainly do sushi and share multiple rolls.

They have a great roll deal for one house roll and one special roll for less than $20. So the three of us ordered 3 house special rolls and 3 basic rolls.

That was plenty of food for the three of us with extra to take home as well. Not to mention, we also had the tuna tartare appetizer.

Beautifully rolled sushi, delicious, and good quality of fish. Great deals.
Will be back soon to chow down on more sushi, some ramen, and some other appetizer


Came back for the ramen at a later date. Had the tonkotsu and seafood options. They were alright. A little more on the light side than we had expected. We would definitely stick to the sushi as it still is our favorite here so far.

There's nothing wrong with this place. It's really good. Prices are fair. Sushi is good. Large menu with something for everyone. Good service. It's clean.

I liked it. However, nothing here was wow or exceptional. I will be back and I recommend it to anyone looking for a decent sushi place in Hoover.

I'd also love to see a spicy crunch salmon roll with avocado, cream cheese, cucumber and tempura, eel sauce and yum yum sauce and some optional jalapeño. Call it the "Birmingham Yelp roll" or "the Hoover roll."

Lots of people do take out here. Saw tons of Waitr orders. It took some time to get our food but service was good and we were a loud table, so our waitress was really sweet and patient. We had some silly questions.

I'd like for them to maybe add a few wow things. Maybe a fish tank, or a fire pit or maybe some where where costumers can take some cute photos. Or a wow must try dessert.

Overall I liked the vibe here. Parking and location were convenient. I saw some good lunch and happy hour specials.

Phenomenal make-your-own poke bowl. This place was a little "cold" as far as aesthetics go, but the bowl was perfect. Lots of topping options at a really good, price, actually! What I had in the picture was $12, which is the best price-to-portion ratio I've seen in a bowl in a while. The pieces of salmon were thick and the sauce was delicious.

They also offer the usual sushi and Asian dish options, and I'm sure they're all good as well. I'm interested in trying the sushi burrito in the future!

3.5 Stars
Got the ramen here and tasted exactly like the kind from a premade packet however fixed up to seem a little fancier. Completely lacked any rich bone broth flavor compared to others. Sushi was pretty good but nothing exciting and mildly overpriced so this review is mostly based on their ramen.

Clean, excellent service. Not too busy at 5:30pm. Sushi rolls were great! Loved the fried rice bowl!! Best I've ever had!

I see I never reviewed my favorite go-to "had a bad day" food.... The mala beef ramen gives me life and I crave it all the time. This is what I am missing most so far with COVID19. As far as I know (please someone correct me if I'm wrong!) they closed pretty quickly after everything started happening. Great for pick up or delivery. Never too crowded (when dining is open) if you want a nice semi private dinner.