Has anyone been to the restaurant KOI in LA? Someone recommended this restaurant to us but I have heard mixed reviews. If anyone has been here, Please let me know your opinion.

I have been to Koi a few times and generally enjoyed the dining experience.

Aside from completely chaotic valet parking and a bit of attitude at the hostess stand (which is not unique to Koi in LA), we enjoyed the atmosphere, which is a mix of the young, the self-important and a few of the really important (at least according to some of those tabloids you see at the supermarket check-out stand).

I am not an expert on sushi or other Japanese gastronomy, but I thought the food at Koi was very good. The menu has standard sushi items but also has quite a few different dishes that incorporate a bit of fusion. I wouldn't recommend Koi as a replacement for Nobu or Matsuhisa, but we did really enjoy the dishes that the waitress recommended.

I also found prices to be quite reasonable. We ate a lot and pretty much drank like fish, but I thought we got off very lightly. My view could be skewed, however, by spending too much time in the restaurants of New York and London.

You go to koi when you want to see some B-list celebrities and botox woman in a "scene" of a restaurant. Dont expect great service and the food is not that good. However, they do have dishes that are usually only seen on the westcoast so it might be new to you and therefore still interesting. If you want a better scene and better food, spend $15 more per person and go to matsuhisa

It's definitely more about the scene than the sushi, which is acceptable not exemplary -

I think Koi is pretty good and have enjoyed going there. Unlike some of the others, I've found the service to be good for both large and small parties. The whole "dishes don't come out at the same time" bit is annoying, but seems to be typical (eg. Megu in NYC says the same).

As for the valet parking/scene - it's La Cienega, what do you expect? Try driving south on La Cienega past Santa Monica Blvd. and not seeing more of the same.

Worth a visit, IMO.

The sushi was excellent and we had a nice waiter. He was not uppity (as other people have said the wait staff is) and he also made some good sushi recommendations. It is filled with Celebrities. The night we were there we saw Carol King, The Wayans brothers, Babyface and Omar Epps.
We sat on the Patio which is nicely decorated and is a good vantage point for celebrity sighting. There is always paparazzi at the front of the restaurant and they will gladly tell you which celebrities are in the restaurant.