Sushi Rock

We waited what seemed like forever for our food.   It was probably 30 mins. The owner came by, asked us what we wanted to drink, and we put our drink orders in.  Both were cocktails, and both were served semi-chills...not cold!   The owner seemed to ignore us for a good part of the evening..and we were very tempted to leave, but it was already late, and we had a long drive back to Kona.  
When I asked if my drink could be shaken in a cocktail shaker to make it colder, he obliged...but did not shake the drink at all..only swung the cocktail shaker around in slow motion a few times.  Does no one on this island know how to make a proper cocktail that is served ice cold?  
As the evening wore on..our server / owner became more attentive.   My dining partner said " he needs to learn that not everyone is going to kiss his arse and worship him".   lol.   oops.   It was a definite "locals" vibe here, and we felt like we were not priority due to that.  
The sushi was nothing special, in my opinion.   Oahu has better sushi.   But for the Kohala coast...maybe this is the best they got.   I'd suggest learning classic sushi before getting creative...know the rules before you break 'em.

We ate at sushi rock based on two things:  we were staying near Hawi and kept seeing it when we drove by (and we love sushi) and a local dude told us it was his fave restaurant.  

We were greeted warmly, and I really liked the crazy decor.  Very fun and colorful...not 'authentic' to anything but itself.  We quickly chose several rolls and started ordering.  The waiter actually stopped us before we ordered the fifth roll, saying that would be more than enough.  I've never been told to stop ordering food before!  We had:
the sunset roll--yummy, good sauce
the ming dynasty--my favorite--delicious and great texture
the paisano--adventurous, but the onions needed more caramelization and there was too much goat cheese...it overpowered everything
and the special roll (not on the menu)--it had a delicious basil sauce and I think there were mac nuts and apples involved...it was my second favorite

Our waiter was very considerate, but guess what...we're not your average sushi eaters...we needed more...so we ordered the makai roll...it was pretty good too.  

The prices are high here, but the rolls are generous.  We don't care about 'authenticity' so we really appreciated the creativity.  We did have trouble getting much attention once we had ordered...I almost went and got my own water refill...but overall, very pleasant and fun.

Came here last week when I was on vacation with my family in Hawaii. I loved this place!

The restaurant is very small, only 4-5 tables, so it's worthwhile to make a reservation just in case. However we were here on a Sunday night and it was not too crowded.

They have very interesting sushi options!!! Combinations I have never heard of!!! Also many vegetarian options for people who don't eat fish.  The favorite for our entire group was the rock pockets (their version of inari). Among the party we tried the goat cheese/avocado/pesto, ahi poke, and tenderloin teriyaki pockets. They were all delicious! In fact we wish we had just ordered an entire platter of these!  (something that they do offer!)

Other rolls and appetizers were good as well, but don't miss out on these amazing rock pockets!

Parking is easy on the street.  I would say price is more toward $$$ as some of the rolls are quite pricey.  

Also, be sure to check out the art studio a few doors down, has artwork from several local artists, many beautiful pieces!!!