CO
Garlic Sesame Tuna Tacos
Whenever multiple people RAVE about restaurants to me, I simply can’t stop thinking about trying them out until I get in the door. Call me crazy, call me a foodie — I’m obsessed. So, when I kept hearing about this Southeast Asian and Sushi restaurant called CO, located in the Waverly area of Charlotte, I knew it had to try it.
Like always, when I try a new restaurant, I have to order a massive amount of food. Like… an unacceptable quantity for one person. I need to try a wide array of dishes to ensure I’m giving the restaurant a fair chance. Don’t judge.
Primetime = happy hour
Lucky for me, it was happy hour when I walked into CO, so the menu was highly discounted.
Pro Tip: Go on Tuesdays or Thursdays between 4 pm — 7 pm. Makimono rolls are 50% off, Sake Infusions are 50% off, and then there is special pricing for their “bites.” Essentially, the bites are smaller portions of their small dishes – for example, you can get one tuna taco for $3 instead of two for $8.
For $3, you can get steamed edamame, a single pork belly bun, a single pork and crab spring roll, a single mango summer roll, or a single tuna taco.
For $4, you can get edamame gyoza, beef and kimchi dumplings, or a California roll.
For $5, you can get their Malaysian chili wings, chicken katsu Bahn mi slider, salmon carpaccio, or tuna tataki.
So, what did I feast on?
Libations
To start, I had two carafes of the blackberry sake infusion. I’ve heard it’s the best on the menu, and quite frankly, it was delicious. I downed the first one because I was sitting outside, and it was 92 degrees out; however, I sipped the second, as one should.
Tacos and buns
I ordered two garlic sesame tuna tacos. For some reason, I pictured them coming on a crispy wonton as a “shell,” instead, they came on a flour tortilla. Huh, interesting. Regardless of how I imagined them, they were quite tasty. After the tacos, I went for two pork belly buns. They weren’t the best I’ve ever had — the pork could have been a little more tender — but they were very flavorful and would definitely order them again.
Wing time
After the buns, it was wing time. This was my favorite dish of the night. I added them on at the last minute, and I’m so happy I did. They were perfectly crispy with a nice level of heat…not enough to burn your mouth, but enough to make you want a sip of water after eating a couple. The meat was very tender once you broke through the crispiness, too.
The main event
The sushi was just okay. It was a bit of a let-down after all of the other delicious food I ordered because I’d get everything else again without question. I’m glad the makimono rolls were half price — I would have been upset otherwise. At half price, they are a good value for the quality. At full price – I either would have sent it back or not returned to this restaurant.
The salmon was very fresh, and I’m thankful for that — zero issues.
The tuna, on the other hand, was clearly frozen — not fresh. Yellowtail gets an unmistakable texture after it’s been frozen, and while it wasn’t bad, you could also tell the fish wasn’t broken down there. It was the quality you would expect to get at a decent, all-you-can-eat sushi restaurant – not a higher-end sushi restaurant.
The spicy tuna was nothing special.
I also ordered a pressed sushi — it was salmon and definitely the best sushi I had at CO.
All in, I would go back for happy hour; it’s a pretty good value. At full price, I find Co overpriced. The non-sushi dishes are pretty darn good, and while not the best sushi I’ve had, it certainly satisfies your craving.
