KOTO in Oxford

Koto hosted a Work christmas lunch for around 20 of us and the food was superb! We had the place to ourselves, excellent value for money and a great range of dishes on offer. Service was a little slow but that's to be expected with a large party at a small restaurant. The team were welcoming and we had a great time!

Enjoyed my dinner here! The katsus were really nice and since my friend and I don’t consume mirin, the restaurant kindly replaced the sushi rice with normal rice. The hojicha tea is great and the black sesame mochi too! Will come back to try the donburis. Service was super quick and warm, all the staffs were helpful and attentive.

The cold dishes - sushi, sashimi - are very good. Hot dishes a bit less so but not bad for Oxford

Service was incredibly slow, people that were seated 15-20 mins after us were served a lot earlier than we were, waited 45 mins for all our food to come. The staff were nice, food slightly overpriced, will not come back.

It took 40 minutes for a ribeye steak to be prepared, and our sides were served well after other tables that arrived later had been. The food is decent but price is high for the portion size.

We came here for dinner and the service was initially good. Our food arrived and there was egg shells on my dish, the egg was raw and the sauce was burned to the chicken which made this really bitter. I send the food back and they said that the egg was supposed to be raw, I accepted but said I was not comfortable with it. They then brought me the exact same plate of food back from the kitchen 10 min later, still with the egg shells on it and the raw egg and the burnt sauce. When paying the bill the waiter was really rude and said that I needed to prove to him and that they would not discount anything from it and that he would watch the cctv. I said that he made myself and my partner feel uncomfortable, and that we had not enjoyed our food. My partners food was also badly cooked. We paid the bill and left and he made sure the slam the door behind me. He was extremely rude and uncourteous and said that we were lying, despite the food had been sent back and me showing him the egg shells still on the dish. I would not recommend and will certainly not be coming back.

We come here often when in a mood for a quick meal. We like the food and the staff are always friendly and attentive. It's a fair price-quality ratio. We usually eat sushi and teriyaki bowls. Rice could be done in a more traditional way however, everything we tried was slways tasty. Atmosphere and interior need work - the lighting is all wrong, makes the place look like a pharmacy. A little investment in the decore would really help. Better lighting would be a good start. For example, some candle lights in strategic places, lights with warmer colours and some plants too. Japan is famous for it's aesthetics this restourant could do a LOT better on this front.

Delicious with friendly staff couldnt recommend more

Would not recommend. No sauce added on our sushi while the table next to us did have it. When we told the staff they couldn’t care less. Will not be going back. One day they will read their reviews and improve :) but probably not because the owners must be incompetent.

Awful place. Terrible. Cant say anything more than this. Yesterday, there was a sharp piece of plastic bottle (larger than 5cm) found from onion curry! I could have got hurted really bad, and only thing they offered me for compensation was 10% discount. The other day we found hair from the curry and they did nothing for this. I am sure their curry is not fresh at all, and it sometimes does not get even fully heated up (probably just took it out from fridge) I have come here occasionally (or rarely) since the first day it was open. But I have never satisfied with food quality, price or service, and also they are so slow! Dont want to blame their waiters but their service is also not professional. But its more about the owner, I have directly witnessed many times that customers were not happy with their service. I am sure there are a bunch of other better Japanese places in Oxford.

Lovely place, the food was delicious and the staff was so kind! Most affordable restaurant in the area too. My partner and I were very happy with our experience there.

INCREDIBLY slow at lunchtime! Just waited nearly an hour for the set menu and had to get it to take away in the end. Everyone else in the place also had to wait nearly as long as well. Really bad for a lunchtime when people have places to be. (Gave the food a decent rating as it looks alright, although haven't had time to try it as had to rush off due to SLOWNESS of service).

Just discovered this lovely Japanese restaurant. Food was tasty. We ordered a lunch meal and assorted sashimi to share, the chicken was tender and flavourful and the seafood very fresh. Great service, the food arrived quickly and it was not pricey.

Top quality fish and food. The best in Oxford and beyond

The lady in the front desk is friendly. Shoyu ramen tastes yum, but the chicken teriyaki rice is jsut okay (the rice is a little bit sticky). Will definitely come once a week if I live nearby.

paitan ramen was ok, but it’s not like tonkatsu; shoryu was pretty bad, feels like instant noodles

Decent food though felt the portion was a little small. Staff were friendly and service was very fast (much appreciated as I had a film to get to!)

Not sure why some of the reviews were on the lower end. Not particularly expensive and some really standout dishes. The chicken wings and octopus balls in particular were delicious. Service was good too and the food arrived very quickly. Highly recommend.

Average at best, unfortunately. The ramen had little flavour. It’s pricey for what it is. I’m happy to pay for good food but I don’t feel this was worth it. Although the staff were doing their best to keep up with how busy it was in a small space. I doubt I’ll return.

It's not Japanese food at all. It's basically the same as Chinese food in Chinatown. The sweetness and sourness overwhelm everything. The ingredients are very insincere. The basic fried chicken is handled very poorly. Chai. There’s a lot of delicious Japanese ramen across the street. Finished

lovely place with lovely food and great prices

The service was fine but food was terrible! Bland and overpriced. A pot noodle would have been tastier than the ramen I ordered. When we asked for some soy sauce (to liven up the noodles) we were told that would be £1 extra! I will never go back.

Never thought that sushi can be made in such a bad way.

Lovely restaurant, the food is delicious and the staff and really kind and friendly!

Unfortunately, the Takoyaki and Yakitori both arrived luke warm. I could heat the Yakitori in the microwave a bit, but not the Takoyaki. Apart from this, the meal was pretty good!!!!

They have lunch menu - teriyakidon + gyoza + Soda which is quite a good deal. My fav is chicken chanchan yaki with rice+miso+salad. Highly recommended!

Small but beautifully formed Japanese restaurant with a friendly air and a nice selection of sake. Cheerful service with all the usual favourites and a few fun twists. Ice cream mochi available if you want something sweet to finish off on. Tables fill and empty quickly, so it can help to be flexible about times. Take out available, and you can pre-order. Be sure to sample the delicious popcorn tea.

Food was acceptable, staff however surly and rather offhand. The male server never once said thank you or acknowledged my responses. Clearly not suited to the role. Both soy and Katsu dip were only just adequate.

Only average sushi. Tempura was doughy and soft not crisp. Delivery delayed and no updates received.

Your delivery app gets a very perfectly reasonable address wrong every time. So having to get our on the street in your pyjamas to reach out to the driver to the other end of the road is not having home delivery, because is not home delivered. To top it up, instead of the driver apologising, they argue with your, which is the correct address!!!! I'm sorry, you are correct, you actually know better than I where I live!!! Incredible!

A very nice and friendly driver

Great value for money! I recommend the tofu teriyaki bowl.

So happy to have found this place by accident. Excellent value for money & staff. Fresh & delicious food - will come back again in a heartbeat

We stumbled upon KOTO while visiting from Australia, and the food did not disappoint! We had the teriyaki tofu bowl, teriyaki salmon bowl and plum wine – so delicious and perfect after a balmy summer day walking through Oxford. The wait staff were friendly and the venue minimalist but lovely.

The edamame were so incredibly fresh and crunchy. They came with salt and a wedge of lemon. I'd not had edamame with lemon juice before, and it was a revelation. Easily the tastiest edamame I've eaten. The aged doufu was lovely -- the broth was so bright and savory, and the tofu was so soft with a perfect thin crispy coating. The eel tamki and the crispy salmon roll were also delicious. It was very delicious. Thank you very much for the meal. I'm looking forward to going again.

Poor katsu. Lukewarm and the sauce had no flavour. Luckily was with good company. Do better. BB

Sushi is slightly better than average. Crisp tempura on soft shell and prawns. Scallop nigiri top notch. Wait staff are terrible. Not an ounce of professionalism (grunt and taken to table, no drinks menu, not the vaguest interest in engaging, didn’t clear table or ask how food is). Atmosphere and decor are what ruin the place. It feels like someone’s just put tables in a retail space. But not in a minimalist considered way.

My go to place for casual Japanese food in Oxford. Like the fact it’s not as crowded as some of the other places in town. Hidden gem as it is - particularly after the move from North Parade.

Chicken Katsu arrived with no rice? For £7.70 I had assumed it came with rice!

Stumbled upon this GEM on the way to another place... the crunchy salmon rolls, takoyaki, and the pork in ginger were the best I have had west of South East Asia. Excellent menu, generous portions, and good value. I will be back.

The ramen was amazing! My favorite in Oxford so far.

We love Koto very much. They do the BEST Chicken Karaage I've ever tasted, so light and crispy. Great size portion too. The tofu teriyaki, Agadashi Tofu and Vegetable Kakiage Don are awesome too. The teriyaki sauce is amazing. Thank you!

The only thing Californian about their California hand roll was the price.

Love it here. Very friendly, great bibimbap.

Really great food! Honestly don't see how people could think this is expensive. Dinner for 2 inc beers, 2 starters, seaweed salad and two ramen served by friendly attentive staff in v relaxed paired back setting for £25 a head. This is a restaurant, not yo sushi....any cheaper and they wouldn't cover their costs. A gem on Walton st.

Very poor service and just sloppy sushi. The Sashimi was poorly prepared and just unmanageable with thickness of the slices and full of sinuet. A very unrefined experienced.

What an earth has happened to this restaurant? Since it has moved to a new location, it resembles nothing of what it used to be. Has it changed owners? We laughed at ourselves because went to the effort of booking a table for 2, as at the original Koto - it was nearly always fully booked at all times of the day. We walked into the new premises to blaring chart music, completely empty with the interior aesthetic resembling a generic and cheap feeling restaurant. All the charm was gone….and it was completely empty so no need to book. We used to travel an hour to visit Koto, the food was 10/10 and it was a really authentic and brilliant Japanese restaurant. Today I left feeling like I had eaten sad, generic food with little flavour in a place that had less charm than Costa coffee. Very disappointing - please confirm this has changed hands?

We were looking forward to our takeaway meal as we previously had a great experience eating in when Koto was based on North Parade Ave. Unfortunately the food we received was extremely small for the price. The salmon teriyaki main dish (£7.70) consisted of 6 thin pieces of salmon, while the king prawn katsu (also £7.70) came with around a tablespoon of katsu sauce. We ordered full meals (with rice, soup, and salad for an additional £5 each) and to receive such meagre portions was disappointing.

A disaster! I went round there at 1855, ordered 2 ramens and was asked to wait until 1930, when they would phone me. I waited until 1945 and decided to go round to see what was going on. Still not ready, so I went for a walk for 5 minutes. When I returned, the ramens were ready, but when we opened them at home, they were stone cold. The noodles were an evil smelling sludge so we dumped the lot rather than risk food poisoning. £20 down the drain!

Great food and friendly staff! Highly recommend

Great place, delicious authentic food. Will definitely be coming back, lovey staff all round but especially Shoh who made my friends and my visit so enjoyable!

Delicious food, arrived a little later than promised, but not a problem!

Great food with nice staff. The collection time was a little late but the food was delicious! Will go again

I love this place. The flavours are excellent, the restaurant is immaculate, and it's authentically Japanese. It's the perfect lockdown takeaway meal. I really enjoyed the salmon teriyaki meal with warm miso soup & salad. Delicious! Go try it!

Delicious Chan chan Yaki, thank you!

Portion sizes were tiny, 'katsu' sauce tasted like Heinz BBQ. Chicken teriyaki 'main' was about two tablespoons in the corner of the box. For £28 I'm not impressed.

Portion sizes were tiny, 'katsu' sauce tasted like Heinz BBQ. Chicken teriyaki 'main' was about two tablespoons in the corner of the box. For £28 I'm not impressed.