O-Ku

O-Ku is an upscale sushi restaurant at 2000 South Boulevard, Suite 510, in the Atherton Mill development in South End, part of a group founded by Steve Palmer with Kimball Brienza as managing partner, Vonda Freeman running wine and Whitney Hicks on pastry. It sources premium fish from markets in Norway, Scotland, Hawaii and New Zealand, and the raw list shows it — yellowtail carpaccio at $18, otoro tartare at $28, a lobster temaki at $26, and an omakase at $175 a head with an optional wine and sake pairing at $50. Queen City Nerve readers made it runner-up for both Best Sushi and Best Japanese Cuisine in 2024, and the restaurant has collected a Charlotte BOB award and a Top 100 Restaurants listing. Service runs from 5pm nightly, to 11pm on Friday and Saturday, with happy hour on Mondays and Wednesdays from 4pm for dine-in guests.

The zero-proof list is one of the most reasonably priced in the city for a restaurant at this level: a section headed "Zero-Proof" holding five drinks, every one of them $8, against cocktails that run several times that. They are built as sushi accompaniments rather than as cocktail substitutes, which is the right instinct — nothing here fights delicate raw fish. Cherry-Yuzu Soda combines Amarena cherry with yuzu and ginger. Matcha Limeade pairs matcha with a house limeade, bitter and sharp at once. Imagine Dragon works tonic with lychee purée and dragonfruit powder. Des-Tea-Nation is the most aromatic, layering orange blossom tea with honey, ginger and soda, and Daydream is the richest, using coconut cream with pineapple, orange and lime. For anyone who would rather drink beer with sushi, an Asahi Zero at 0.0% and a Best Day non-alcoholic Kölsch are $5 each. The whole zero-proof offering, drinks and beer together, is cheaper than a single cocktail.