Las Vegas Strip · Sushi · Family Dinner · Around $240 Before Tip
We were in Vegas for a few days with the kids, and on our first night we needed an early dinner before a Cirque du Soleil show at Treasure Island. We picked Sushi Roku in the Forum Shops at Caesars Palace off Google Maps reviews, and I have to say, this is one of the better sushi meals we’ve had as a family. The room is beautiful, the food was great, the kitchen made hand rolls for the kids that aren’t even on the menu, and we walked out already saying we’d come back the next time we’re on the strip.
This article is not sponsored. We paid for everything ourselves, and no one at Sushi Roku knew we were coming.
Sushi Roku sits on the upper level of the Forum Shops, right inside Caesars Palace. You walk past statues and columns and that whole faux Roman streetscape, then turn into a curved glass entrance with a glowing blue Sushi Roku sign over the door. Inside the room is tall, with hanging stone and wood pendants over the dining area and big windows that look out over the strip. We got a window table. The kids could see Vegas while they ate, which was honestly worth a lot. Service was relaxed and friendly without being over the top, and the pacing was easy. We had a show to make, and they read that quickly without rushing us.
The Cocktails: Empress’ Kiss and St. Cucumber
Vika and I both ordered cocktails. Mine was the Empress’ Kiss, which the menu lists as Grey goose vodka, sake, lavender, yuzu, and prosecco. It comes up in a coupe with a lemon twist and a pretty yellow flower on top. It looks like it should taste sweet and it really doesn’t. The lavender is there but it’s quiet, the yuzu does most of the work, and the prosecco keeps it light. I liked it. Vika had the St. Cucumber, which is Aspen vodka, St-Germain, ginger syrup, lime juice, muddled cucumber and basil, with a prosecco float. Her drink was very nice. The flavors were good, but looking at it, it leaned more interesting than amazing. I’d put it in the mid category, not the great one.
Emily wanted in on the cocktail moment too, so she got a mocktail. Sushi Roku has a Zero Proof section on the menu, and she ordered the Zen Garden, which is cucumber, mint, pineapple, and Fever Tree Sparkling Cucumber. Tall green glass, pink flower floating on top. She held that thing like it was the main event of the meal. If you’re bringing kids, that detail matters. Sushi Roku doesn’t treat the kids’ drinks like an afterthought, and Emily noticed.
The Food
The first round covered a lot of ground. We ordered the Salmon Truffle Carpaccio, the Katana signature roll, the Sushi Plate, and a couple of hand rolls the kitchen put together for the kids.
The Salmon Truffle Carpaccio was probably my favorite thing on the table. Thin slices of salmon, a tuft of frisée per piece, big rounds of black truffle on top, and a citrus oil that pulls the whole thing together. It is very, very truffle forward, which is the point. Vika wasn’t sure about it at first. She took one bite, made a face, and then on the second bite she came around. By the third bite she was telling me it was nice. That’s how that dish works. It earns you.
The Sushi Plate is the one I’d send anyone who wants a snapshot of the kitchen. The menu lists it as yellowtail, tuna, salmon, shrimp, and albacore nigiri with your choice of a baked crab or spicy tuna cut roll. We took the spicy tuna. Fish was clean, rice was at the right temperature, and the rice to fish ratio was honest, meaning you taste the fish and not a giant pillow of rice. The albacore is the one to pay attention to. Sushi Roku dresses it with garlic aioli, arare, and wasabi soy truffle, and that one piece eats like it’s from a different menu.
The Katana was the showpiece. Spicy tuna and shrimp tempura on the inside, alternating slices of tuna and yellowtail draped over the top, and a small dot of spicy mayo on each piece. It looks beautiful and it eats even better. The tempura inside gives you crunch, the fish on top keeps it from feeling heavy, and the spicy mayo is a small enough touch that it adds without taking over. This is the one Vika and I both reached for twice.
Now here is the part that won me over on this place. The kids wanted hand rolls, and Sushi Roku doesn’t actually have a hand roll section on the dinner menu. Our server didn’t blink. The kitchen made the kids one California hand roll and one cucumber hand roll off menu, simple and clean, no upcharge drama, no act about it. Crisp nori, warm rice, no sauce overload. Both kids ate the whole thing without asking for ketchup or a backup plan, which at our house counts as a five star review. That kind of small accommodation is the difference between a place that tolerates your kids and a place that wants you back.
The first round was good enough that we ordered another roll on top of everything. That doesn’t usually happen with us. Usually one round is enough and we move on. At Sushi Roku we did the math and decided we’d rather have ten more minutes of this than save room for dessert later.
The Price
I’m going to start including this in every food article I write, because I think it matters and most places don’t tell you. For four of us, with two cocktails, a kids’ Zen Garden mocktail, the Salmon Truffle Carpaccio, the Sushi Plate, the Katana, two hand rolls for the kids, and the extra roll we ordered when we couldn’t help ourselves, the bill came out to $240 before tip.
For sushi of this quality, in the Forum Shops at Caesars, with a strip view and the kids included, I think that’s a really fair number. Sushi on the strip is never cheap. I’ve seen people drop more than that on dinner per person at places that weren’t half this good. This felt like value.
What we paid: Our total before tip, with tax, was around $240. That covered four of us, two cocktails, a Zen Garden mocktail, the Salmon Truffle Carpaccio, the Sushi Plate, the Katana, two off-menu kids’ hand rolls, and one extra roll we ordered after the first wave.
Would It Work for the Family?
Yes, with a couple of caveats. Vegas restaurants on the strip are not all kid friendly, and a lot of the nicer ones lean heavily into late night, loud, and adult only. Sushi Roku at the Forum Shops is the opposite. Early dinner, big windows, plenty of light, no bar scene crowding your table. Both Josh and Emily ate well and were comfortable the whole time. If you’ve got picky eaters, ask about hand rolls or lean on the simple nigiri (salmon, shrimp). If they’re more adventurous, the Sushi Plate is a great way to let them try a few things at once. Easy yes from us.
The Verdict
Fresh fish, rice and fish in honest proportion, a carpaccio that earns you, two cocktails worth ordering on their own, a kitchen that made off menu hand rolls for the kids without making it a thing, a strip view from the table, and a fair price at the end of the night (around $240 before tip for four). I can’t really say anything negative about this experience. If we’re back in Vegas with the kids, Sushi Roku at the Forum Shops is going on the list before we even book the hotel.
Want to see the carpaccio, the Katana, and the cocktails in motion? We posted a few short videos from this dinner on Instagram. Head over to @travelandfoodguy and check them out.
Have you eaten at Sushi Roku in Las Vegas, or do you have a sushi spot on the strip we should try with the kids next time? Drop it in the comments. We’re already planning our next Vegas trip and the kids will not stop asking about going back.
