OKA Tapasu in Carlisle

Great food. Amazing service. The atmosphere is chilled, not too loud but not too quiet either. I can't recommend this place enough if you like this kind of food.

Food was better than I was expecting. Full of flavour and cooked perfect. Service was spot on and the atmosphere was good. Would recommend to anyone looking for something different from the usual places.

We had a lovely dinner. In Carlisle overnight and liked the look of this place when googling. It didn't disappoint. Food was amazing, very tasty. We had the meat sharer and it was plenty for two. Staff very attentive.

Quality food, friendly service, and a welcoming atmosphere. Located in a central spot, this restaurant offers a fantastic dining experience. While I can’t speak to how authentic the food is to its country of origin, I can say—it’s bloody lovely. The service is great: quick enough that you’re not left waiting, but never rushed. Staff are always friendly and polite. It’s also a very clean place—cutlery and everything else is spotless, and the dining area is tidy and always well-prepared on arrival. There’s a wide variety of dishes, and having visited twice now, the food and drinks have consistently been well-presented and served exactly as you’d expect from a top-quality restaurant. I’ve had the Wagyu burger, which was packed with flavour and clearly made with quality ingredients—the combination of sauces and toppings felt perfectly fitting and really brought it together. The Duck Donburi bowl was also excellent: generous, filling in a good way, with tender duck and vibrant, well-balanced flavours. The sushi rolls are fresh, well-made, and absolutely delicious. Everything I’ve tasted has been fresh, balanced, and enjoyable. The Biscoff cheesecake is absolutely gorgeous—not too rich or sickly, just really well balanced and moreish. Portion sizes are good —filling for your average person without being over the top. Nothing has been overly spicy, salty, or heavy with sauce; it all feels well thought out and easy to enjoy. The atmosphere fits the theme of an Asian-style restaurant—calm, relaxed, and nicely straddling the line between casual and posh. The tables are laid out well for a smaller space; you don’t feel crammed in. My only small gripe is that the speakers are blown out. So it’s kind of like Now That’s What I Call 2010s playing through a water-damaged Bluetooth speaker. The volume’s fine—it just made me laugh. The pricing feels very reasonable. Both times, I expected the bill to be higher and was pleasantly surprised. A pint is priced as you’d expect in a restaurant, though I can’t speak for cocktails, wine, spirits etc. That said, the overall experience and quality make it well worth the price. All in all, a fantastic spot—I’ll definitely be back.

Lovely food and lovely staff i recommend eating here!

Hands down the best Sushi we've ever had... delicious all the way through.. would highly recommend this hidden gem in Carlisle

We are returning customers, we love this place ! Gorgeous food and very attentive service. Highly recommended. edited to add the music was good too.

Well prepared, tasty and well presented food. Would definitely go again

What a great spot on Carlisle map, food there is incredible! Fresh and tasty. Very friendly team who is there to meet any of your expectations. Will definitely be back soon

Staffs were not attentive. Food was burn. Mentioned this with staff she didn't bother to say anything.

Wonderful, very comfortable plase. I recommend staying here for a rest during a tiring but pleasant trip.

Wonderful experience had by myself and my attending party. They catered for the specific diet needs of the baby with us and we're very attentive to our experience whilst we were there. They even noticed when we forgot something and made sure we had it back. Lovely food. Lovely time. Highly recommend.

Loved this place with its oriental theme and delicious Japanese and Korean food. The service was friendly and efficient. I would've liked to see a better wine selection but other than that, Carlisle is a lucky city to have OKA Tapasu in it!

Amazing food, lovely helpful staff/waitress, will definitely go back!

Delicious! The small plates were all to die for, especially the spicy tuna balls. The sashimi was so good and fresh. Can’t wait to come back!

"Oka Tapasu wa oishii desu!!" Came for a meal with my partner, food was well prepared and well presented (I ordered the Korean pigs in blankets, and Katsu Chicken sushi) staff were attentive and polite and asked if we required knives and forks instead of the provided chop sticks after taking our food orders. The cocktails are fantastic and not overpowering (Tokyo Pornstar, & Sugar Cookie). Small choice of deserts (I ordered the Blueberry cheesecake pictured) it tasted amazing! Would happily come again for a meal to try different dishes. (The title means "Oka Tapasu, it's delicious" in Japanese.... pretentious of me I know but what's the point of learning a language if you can't use it 😉)

Easily the best place to eat in Carlisle - simple but tasty menu

Easily the best food I've had in a long time in Carlisle. Bento box is a fine example of great sashimi, beautifully sourced fish! Yakitori is very generous and the service was epic and well organises.

The food was fantastic, the waitress was really nice to me and my friend.

Where to even start? An absolute gem in the town centre, and I’m disappointed in myself for not giving this place a chance earlier. The prices might be just enough to put some people off, but the portions sizes are beyond filling for the price you pay. I ordered a salmon pokebowl (following the server’s recommendation) and a bottle of cider- £17.25 total, with a refreshing bowl of fresh veggies, fish and rice served in less than 15 minutes. The server herself was amazing, I didn’t get her name but I hope she sees this and knows she’s doing amazing. The atmosphere was amazing and there is the option for cutlery if you don’t feel confident enough with chopsticks!! You also get a little teapot and clay dish upon ordering- an adorable jug of soy sauce. Absolutely will be returning again to try more of the menu, this places deserves every bit of hype it gets and so much more!! (I’m not sure how edible the flowers are but I ate them anyway)

First time here and won't be the last. Absolutely delicious food. Good friendly service. Busy at 6.30pm on a Saturday evening. Yes it's quite pricey but it's so worth it.

This is our first time in this restaurant. The food is beautifully presented, good portions and delicious. It a gem in Carlisle.

Delicious food. Beautifully presented. Decent choice for a non meat eater too.

Really gorgeous food!!! Stunning presentation and also the vibe was nice and chilled in there. Food was some of the best I’ve had in ages. We even opted for dessert which was apple gyoza, White choc ice cream and miso sauce…… wow!!!!!!! If you’re debating going here, don’t, just go!!!!

I come here often and it is an amazing place! Food is fantastic and the service is impeccable! Sushi is lovely and there is something for everyone, even if you don't like sushi. Atmosphere is great, well decorated and clean.

Amazing food! Try the spicy tuna rice puffs for an euphoric experience

A must visit when in Carlisle. Beautiful presentation & excellent quality food! I already want to visit again! Great menu with lots of choice

We had a great time here. The poke bowls were delicious, staff were friendly, and the decor classy. Highly recommended.

I’ve eaten here a number of times and always had great experiences. The most recent visit was no exception. The food here is incredible. Flavours are fantastic and is all high quality and brilliantly presented. The staff were great too, all highly attentive and very friendly / welcoming. I highly recommend this place if you want Japanese / Korean style food and will most certainly be coming back again.

Fantastic pan Asian food, we tried as many dishes as we could fit into our bodies. Blown away by the food. Outstanding. Great service and love the new location. Will be coming back! 🍣🍛

I've never been here before, but I heard good reports so decided to go.....I was not disappointed. The serving staff were polite, friendly and helpful and the food.....what can I say about that..... Delicious,.....I mean they've even changed my partner to a man who now likes belly pork ........ The photos aren't great because the food looked and tasted so amazing we kept eating it and forgetting to get pictures.....in summary...... just go.....I'm definitely going back ❤️❤️❤️ I went back (lunch this time) and remembered to take photos BEFORE eating...... just as delicious as the first time ❤️❤️❤️❤️

Food was delicious and staff were friendly, food took about 20 minutes to prepare, but was told before so that was ok. Soft drinks were a little expensive for what you get. Overall would recommend.

Amazing food kind welcoming staff

The closest I have found to authentic east asian dishes in Carlisle so far. OKA Tapasu is a lovely little Asian themed restaurant with great tasing, authentic style food and a cosy atmosphere. Our waitress was very knowledgeable, to be honest I think whatever we would have chosen would have been great! The price is a little expensive but the portions are good and intended for sharing. Popular dishes sell out so perhaps book ahead. I hope to be back to try more of the menu.

Really liked it. Very cozy, tasty. Friendly staff.

Had some of the best food we have ever eaten here! All so good quality and staff were amazing!

Excellent food, service and atmosphere. Will definitely be returning for the Bibimbap!

Salmon sushi rolls was excellent, I definitely recommend. Thank you! <3

Best pastry in the town. Thumbs up from my side.

Best service well done to the staff and the food was excellent

Went today for the first time, beautiful food and the staff were lovely. Food cooked to order, a limited but fabulous menu, we will be back.

Was supposed to be a quick lunch, but the food, service and atmosphere were so good we ordered extra dishes and then stayed for dessert. Fabulous little restaurant. We'll be back soon.

Absolutely superb, the food was amazing for a date night with the wife. Pints of Ashi were spot on and the food I will be back for the chicken shredded ‘Bibimbap’ which was one of the best things I have ever eaten. Sushi was also spot on and desert was again, amazing.

First class Asian food in a relaxed and smart restaurant in the centre of town. Everything we ate was superb and the service from Cierra and her team was top notch.

Excellent with a full explanation of the food etc

Just felt like we were rushed out, our table was only booked for 7 and staff started taking our plates away whilst some of us were still eating and then later whilst finishing our drinks, wanted to clear everything else away, we got the hint and left swiflty around 8.30. The waiter also wasn't sure on what food he was bringing out which usually would be fine but as two of us were pescatarians, we were initially given beef sushi. Food was ok but if the staff didn't feel the need to hurry us out the experience would've been a lot better.

Last time we tried to eat at Oka on a Saturday evening about 7pm outside seats were available but the staff didn’t seem interested in accommodating. Turned us away after finding out we had no reservation saying that kitchen could only cope with existing reservations. It felt odd especially in comparison to service in say NYC restaurants where’d they’d say that the kitchen is busy so there may be a longer than usual wait. Dunno just felt odd at a time when hospitality sector is struggling. Ended up spending over £100 at Turkish opposite chivers. Unsure if that is how owners want restaurant run in which case fair enough. Time eating here prior to that in Nov during Covid was much better although staff seemed to want to rush us out (another reservation had our table half an hour later) as never offered us a dessert menu that was as a group of four so again a lost earning opportunity.

Brilliant restaurant experience. Best pork belly I've ever had! Lovely staff. I'll be going back soon.

First time here and the food was lovely the staff are very welcoming we will definitely be back

I have broad experience of Japanese, Korean and Chinese food having travelled in the East and lived in cities with “Chinese” quarters etc. I can confirm the food on offer here is REALLY excellent. The menu is a slightly odd mix of Japanese/Vietnamese/Korean and the drinks menu could definitely do with improvement (adding some healthy or culturally appropriate options such as pots of eastern teas and healthy smoothies rather than sugary fizzy drinks). The tableware is for the most part beautiful. The decor is quirky and nice. It is fairly small, the kitchen is very much in the dining space. The music tends to be fairly rubbish and intrusive, some traditional Japanese music, folky music, chilled electronica or quiet downbeat J or K-pop or something would be an improvement on the upbeat cheesy singalong pop and terrible high tempo electronic dance. With loud/high bpm music, loud staff, loud customers and kitchen clanging it can get very noisy, this can really intrude on the dining experience and ability to focus mindfully on the excellent flavours and textures. It is a shame tbh. The staff are informal, mostly attentive, not intrusive with mixed levels of professionalism - loud singing to a loud radio being an example of a lack thereof. I’m all for enjoying your work but when the kitchen is open I think many Chefs forget how intrusive it is to have someone in work mode while you’re trying to relax and eat. I’m not a fan of the open kitchen fad. Separate work and play. The toilets weren’t that clean as a staff member had peed and not even flushed. Hopefully hygiene is otherwise good! You generally have to book in advance because it’s busy. It’s definitely more of a café than a “serious” restaurant. If it was a bit quieter, had a bit more elbow/back room and a slightly refined menu it would be an easy 5 stars because the food (from both main chefs I’ve seen) is consistently exceptional.

So so good! Sushi was very fresh and enjoyable, honestly some of the best I have had in the UK. I got the sushi bento box and it was very much worth it.

Absolutely loved it!!!Fantastic food,very nice service.We will be back.

If you are looking for an authentic Japanese food restaurant then this is not your place. They are trying to make something similar but the taste of the food is not what you would expect. The sushi rice was way too vinegary sashimi wasn't really nice too, hoisin sauce had a strange seasoning. Unfortunately the whole experience was very disappointing. This is definitely not the best Japanese restaurant. Also, staff members need proper training, the supervisor was shockingly unprofessional and urgently needs some food safety training if they don't want to cause someone a serious allergic reaction. They can do a proper deep cleaning in the toilet too.

Birthday meal, couldn't fault the service or food! We had nigiri starters (just get 2, they are quite filling!). Hubby had a beef donburi and I had beef kare. Service was great, as was the food.

Absolutely beautiful food! 100% will be recommending. Staff are great, all the food is lovely and fresh, something for everyone!

Tucked away in Carlyle's Court is one of the nicest restaurants we've been to in years! Honestly can't recommend this place enough, we felt welcomed from the moment we walked in and the food was immaculate. Can't wait to come back and try something else!

Absolutely love this place, been a few times now, exceptional every time. Definitely advise booking in advance.

I love this restaurent - the food is fantastic and a healthy option for eating out. Love the poke bowls and sushi starters, and the miso crème brûlée was fabulous !

The food is always lovely but they are now making people pay £20 just to book a table which I think is ridiculous fair enough £5 but £20 is just a joke in my eyes. Such a shame

Great place with good portions. The sushi was particularly good!!

Came for a friend’s birthday meal and the food was delicious. There aren’t many places to eat sushi around here, and this is one of the better ones! :D

Really excellent food and great service. We thoroughly enjoyed eating here.

Genuinely awesome. Eaten here twice. I had to come back a second time to double check it’s as good as I thought it was. Staff super lovely as well. Favourite place in Carlisle

The ultimate delight. Every course of food was excellent, serviced fresh and when it's ready and was absolutely flawless. Great portion sizes allow for a wide choice of things from the menu to try. The staff are friendly and very helpful. Happy to take the time to explain anything you might not be sure of and make recommendations even during a busy Saturday night service. Excellent addition to Carlisle's restaurant line-up and we'll be back soon without a doubt.

The food was too salty The service is ok The presentation is good The dessert was good The placement of the tables could be better Telling one couple that the restaurant is out of stock then letting another one enter 10min later made me very uncomfortable I wouldn't come back

Had the beef teriyaki and it was the best I’ve ever had and I usually don’t care for beef. My friend had the spiced duck ramen and thought it was amazing as well.

I have visited here on a LOT of occasions, normally solo trips and I keep going back, not just for the food but the amazing, friendly service. I definitely recommend booking, because this small place gets so busy very quickly! Food is gorgeous and the cocktails are tasty. Bowl of ramen and sushi is around £20 ish which I think is quite reasonable.

Food is absolutely delicious, fresh food just great atmosphere :)

All their food is absolutely brilliant it tastes wonderful can’t explain what dish you like or dislike me like them all I have no photoIf your tastebuds are working I recommend it

Lovely little restaurant hidden away in Carlyle Court. Booking is recommended as it is very popular. Inimite dining with plenty of charm. The food is fabulous and was good portions. The sushi was very tasty and I personally enjoyed the gyoza the most. Will definitely be making a return visit

Nice food and staff, a little over priced, unfortunately you leave with the aroma of the open kitchen clinging to your clothes and hair.

Some of the best food I've ever eaten. A hidden gem!

Food quality is great, service & presentation are great. I’m not an expert on Japanese food but the experience as a whole was very nice. Worth a visit if you’re in town.

First visit, helpful staff, excellent food. Will be going again

An excellent evenings dining. The food was brilliant and the service couldn't be bettered. Will definitely be going back.

A questionable meal at a higher than expected price point. First time trying this place, and having ate at a variety of Asian-inspired restaurants, I would say this place isn’t as comparable. Ordered the Spicy pork donburi, and 1. It wasn’t remotely spicy & 2 the vegetables were quite dry. Perhaps this was their spin on the dish, so if you’re after something generic then you could give this place a try, but I wouldn’t recommend it as authentic unfortunately. Based on 2 dishes. This is a non-influenced review.

Fantastic food and service. Really looking forward to coming back again.

Had a amazing meal with my daughter, absolutely cracking food and very friendly service.

Glass of fizz on arrival as stated was birthday celebrations. Nice touch Very good quality food. Well presented. Nice to see chef at work. Will definitely revisit.

Food and service was excellent!

The food was okay but with it being an open kitchen I really don't think the chef should be eating or on his phone when in full view of all the guests also the food came out very randomly some of our party were eating while others waited for food.

Extremely good food, though a tad expensive for what you do get. Would recommend.

I usually never do this but I had to. I am a big fan of sushi, I've dined in some of the best japanese restaurants and this is not it. This was a poor representation of the cuisine and incredibly overpriced for what it was. The dumplings were okay but for the price, I expect them to be excellent. Good dumplings are supposed to be plump, perfectly elastic dough to wrap the juicy, well seasoned, generous portion of meat inside. These were thin and anemic, cooked poorly as the dough cracked when it wanted to crisp. Meat inside was dry and underseasoned. Sauce outside was good. I can make better dumplings myself from scratch so therefore unacceptable at this price point. The sushi rice was overcooked and underseasoned. We had one with the pate and it just does not work at all in a roll, it completely overpowers everything else in the bite and after two bites, we had enough. The nigiri we got was also not great for the aforementioned reasons. Fish was fresh, I'll give it that. This was the only redeeming part of this meal. I just had sushi from a mall in Edinburgh and it was more enjoyable than this was. Im all for fusión but not when it destroys the integrity of the cuisine and has the audacity to overcharge you for the desecration. I do not recommend this for anyone who is passionate about food or Japanese cuisine, it will break your heart at best and enrage you and worst.

Lunch here for the first time today. Our waitress (Nadia?) took time to talk us through the menu and was friendly and helpful. Good was delicious, freshly prepared and nicely presented. Nice to have somewhere like this in Carlisle and happy to recommend it.

Honestly the best meal I have ever had in a restaurant. I have already booked another table. Food is excellent, the staff are fantastic. Would highly recommend.

Really modern and relaxing atmosphere, crisp decor and lovely vibe. Food was really nice and the lady that served us was really helpful in helping us understand what we were ordering. It's tapas style so lots of plates and sharing which is nice when you want to try lots of different flavours. Seems steep in price for someone who likes keeping a budget but to be fair I was stuffed and happy so worth it. When you weigh up the quality and amount of food it's fair enough. We'll defo be back, especially if the wife has anything to say about it.

A great sushi fusion restaurant with excellent customer service. Check out the photos and then imagine the flavour..!

Enjoyed everything too much to get pictures. My absolute new favourite place to eat. The fish was so fresh and everything flavoured perfectly. The jalapeño and ginger cocktail is amazing

I find it really embarrassing that some people have rated the restaurant poor due to not receiving "starters and mains". It is very clear when arriving that the restaurant is tapas style and the food arrives as share platters when ready. It's also embarrassing that people have giving a low rating based on the restaurant being "cold". It is a quaint little restaurant with a few tables, the food is excellent and exceptionally well presented. It's very popular and fully booked at most times and every establishment requires an ENTRANCE so if you're close to the door, wear a coat. It's not difficult. The food quality is perfect, if you're looking for starters and mains, get yourself to a Toby's carvery. This is Japanese fusion food, it's cultured, it is special and full of flavour. If you're an impatient fish and chips kind of person, head over to a local pub. If you're looking for something special, some healthy flavoursome food and for a good experience, this is your place. We had a poke bowl, some sushi, the most incredible little creme brulé and some Japanese whiskey and were completely wowed. Thank you for brining good food close to home, we will be back again soon. Excellent service and food!!!

Great food and friendly staff, drinks slightly pricey.

2 time visit here is lovely taste so delicious💋👍 (Varaporn)

Excellent service and food and cocktails. Had such a great night with my sister . Would recommend.

An excellent meal full of varied and interesting courses..try it... it's excellent 👌.....visited again today..... absolutely fantastic.....please try it....visited 11 February.........visited again today...24/3/22...this eatery just gets better.. wonderful meal...my friends from Tbilisi were amazed at the quality of food and service...top marks......

Nothing like this in carlisle, the best sushi I’ve ever had!

One of the best restaurants in Carlisle, brilliant food and atmosphere. Staff very friendly and food reasonably priced for the quality.

Excellent food, lovely friendly service, the waitress really helped us out with our choices. Lovely atmosphere we will definitely be back.

Delicious Asian food, the terryaki beef is a personal fav but the bento boxes are sooo good to try a mix. Waitress is always the loveliest

This is the best thing in Carlisle. Lovely atmosphere, staff very helpful.But, the food must be the star of the show, and it was. I've enjoyed every mouthful, it was just amazing. Definitely going back, and I'll recommend Oka to everyone I know. Just beautiful xxx

Food was excellent and service was superb. Would definitely eat here again.

Another brilliant experience at Oka even brought my 7 week old baby to share the experience with. They we're so very attentative, highly recommend!