Koto Japanese Steakhouse - VT, South Burlington

Went to Koto tonight for the first time. We were visiting our son in college and he requested Japanese food. We had driven by on past visits to the area and immediately thought of Koto. We were able to make a reservation thru Opentable.com. Our reservation (on a Saturday night) was honored immediately when we entered the door. The restaurant is deceptively large. The service was good, prices reasonable and our chef was experienced and entertaining. The food was outstanding. I had the habachi lobster (incredibly tender), my son and husband the steak and chicken combos. All cooked to perfection. The fried rice was tasty and the vegetables (broccoli, mushrooms and onions) equally yummy. Great place to take friends and family. Not the place to go to for a quiet meal together. Be brave, strike up a conversation with the folks also sitting at your table. I look forward to visiting Koto again and trying their sushi.

Something for everyone.... nice meal for wife and I or entertaining meal for kids and guests at the Grill. Good time, everytime!

The last couple times we've eaten sushi there the fish still had some of the skin on it, and I kept finding fish bones in my sushi, a serious faux pas!

At first I thought that this place was overly ambitious because they offer both the raw traditional food, the habatchi style and cooked dishes. It was like getting three Japanese restaurants in one. However, it really works. It can get a bit noisey because it is like a three ring circus when in full speed. It is great for groups and family and you can even have an intimate meal for two if you get a table in the right place away from the bar and the grills. I have not been to Japan but I have been to many Japanese restaurants and this one is up there in the top 5. I have found that many of the Asian style restaurants in Vermont are overly ambitions offering Thai, Chinese, Japanese, and Viet Namese all under one room. But the Koto has many styles of one type of cusine and so their chefs are each able to concentrate on their best dishes. Sushi and Sashimi are not just flavorful meals but they must be pleasing to the eye and Koto gets points for that as well. Speicals are offerered and I would recommend them because the chef usually will have made the special out of t he days freshest catch. Have fun! If you want to compare, try the small but excellent sushi bar at the Asian Bistro in Williston.

This is the best place for sushi in Vermont, I always get take-outs, but it seems like a fun atmosphere.