Koji

Koji is an izakaya-style restaurant at 8718 Pacific Street in Countryside Village, in the building's own words an intimate spot for sushi, yakitori and Japanese-inspired small plates. Grow Omaha reported that it opened in May 2022 under chef David Utterback, who also runs the sushi restaurant Yoshitomo in Benson, with a separate cook running the charcoal yakitori grill. The restaurant is listed as a partner of Yoshitomo Omaha on its reservation page.

The room is on the darker, moodier side, with warm wood, a long sushi bar and an open kitchen, according to the 2022 review. Seating is split into a dining room and a sushi bar, and the bar is the quieter, more hands-on option because guests sit across from the sushi chefs. Both can be booked through Tock, with the dining room taking parties of one to eight and the sushi bar parties of one to four.

Food is built for sharing. Yakitori skewers are grilled over charcoal and sold individually, so a table can mix chicken cuts and other skewers. The kitchen also sends out maki rolls and nigiri, plus small plates such as edamame, shishito peppers and fried wings. A sake list is available for pairing, and the current kitchen menu is posted on the restaurant's website as a PDF.

It works well for a few friends who want to order several things and pass them around, for a date at the sushi bar, or for a lighter dinner before an evening out. The restaurant is open for lunch and dinner daily except Monday, and it has on-site parking, which is useful in a shopping-center location.

What to order

• Yakitori skewers – grilled over charcoal, ordered by the skewer
• Maki rolls
• Nigiri
• KFC Wings
• Shishito peppers
• Edamame
• Sake list

View the full menu Opens Koji’s official menu

Good to know

• Reservations through Tock: dining room for parties of 1–8, sushi bar for parties of 1–4.
• On-site parking is listed on the Tock page.
• Online ordering for pickup runs through Toast; the Toast page notes a 3% surcharge on credit card payments.
• Closed Mondays.