Kokoro

Restaurant Name: Kokoro

Location: 526 Main Street, Lafayette, IN (map it)

Phone: (765) 742-8180

Hours: Tues – Fri: 11:30-1:30; 5:30-9:30; Sat: 5 – 9:30

Cuisine: Japanese/Sushi

Review:

Kokoro, in my experience mostly just referred to as “Tony’s” is a restaurant with outstanding food and sketchy service. That is to say, Tony, expects you are there for the excellent food; you’ll get it when it’s ready. Tony’s wife, a delightful lady, is typically the server (at least during lunch when I normally go). Tony seems to recognize his departure from the “customer is always right” attitude inasmuch as his website is “sushinazi.com.”

The atmosphere is pleasant and the decor is nice. Warning: it’s not cheap. A lunch plate runs $10 on average, and a dinner plate goes for about $20. In addition, Tony has a liquor license in case you want a beer or something.

When I go, it’s primarily for the sushi. I don’t claim to have a discerning palate for such things, but among Lafayette’s surprising number of sushi offerings (for a Midwestern town of its size), I think Tony has the best. I could probably die happy, drowning in his spicy sauce. But, occasionally when I’m in the mood for something else, I have been extremely happy with the pork fried rice.

I wouldn’t recommend taking kids there – in fact, I guess I’m not positive they are allowed since I have never seen any. The wait on the food can be too long for an impatient child. But, if you don’t have to be anywhere, and you want really good Japanese food, Tony’s is definitely a place to check out.