I went 2 months ago and the Food and services was the best I've had in a long time. My son told me after the fact about the cold noold slid I wish I would have made there. I will be back for my Birthday.
Jenny Mae Samson
A totally refreshing style of restaurant you would be hard pressed to find in the Midwest. The food was delicious and made to order, the atmosphere was relaxing, and the service was attentive. I wish I could go back but it sounds like they've closed on June 30. I hope they find another spot to make an Izakaya work!
ME B
Not authentic Japanese! Just warning ya! I guess if you're ok with that, then it's your call! But I'm very certain this is a gimmick and the food is marginal at best. Novice service as well:/
Jesterka O.
The food was excellent and very reasonably priced. There was a long wait to be seated and they appeared to be shorthanded resulting in a slow service but the servers were super nice and the environment was very pleasant so overall very enjoyable experience.
Yang Yin
Will try again in a few months if it's still open. Needs better management. Carry out. I would have waited for another one, and probably should have checked my order before I left. But I trusted them and look where that got me.
Irene C.
The location and decor is definitely amazing, but I think that is about it. We went with a table of 6 and ordered a wide variety of dishes. The menu is huge so there is a lot to choose from. Yakitori assortment was decent but steep in price for what you get. However, many of the dishes were not very tasty or sizable portions. I would stick with the tonkatsu and curry dish, but if you venture further you may be disappointed. Gyudon was really sweet but sizes again were so small. I would definitely stay away from the onigiri as it just tasted like a ball of rice with little to no fish. Service may also need some improvement as dishes took a long time to come out and we would often get another table's dish. I think overall it could be a cool experience for you to try but you will most likely be left hungry or be upset that you spent a big chunk of change for a mediocre meal. On a positive note, they have a nice variety of alcohol choices...but only if they are in stock.
Marie T.
I had a big expectations for the opening of this place since I am a fan of Izakaya. Finally I got to come here. I arrived here around 6pm on a Friday evening and this place was empty. Izakaya typically gets crowded later in the evening but i still felt it was odd -being on Friday. It stayed empty even when we left around 7pm. Wasn't sure if it gets more crowded during schoolyear when nearby Wayne State University is in session. Many of the foods that i saw on the menu are either pre-made or heat & serve. I asked server each dish whether they cook from scratch before ordering. We ordered chicken yakitori, skewed chicken cooked on grill, and was told they were not doing 'grills' that day. Ordered Nagasaki Chanpon, noodles with vegetables. It was ok but not impressive for someone who loves Japanese ramens and noodles. It was very expensive for a bowl of noodles at a Izakaya. I had an impression that each dish was relatively expensive for the quality and portion. Overall, I would have given a 2-star to 2.5-star. The server was nice and the décor was good so I moved it up to 3-star with the expectation they would improve.
McKTenor13 .
Use the bathroom. You won't regret it. Food was great and the atmosphere is top notch. Highly recommend.
Shiva Shahmir
This rating comes from the fact that I have been here now two times with different servers I've had entirely forgetting me. Seating me down and not even receiving a menu the last time. I left after 20 minutes of waiting and ended up going to Wasabi. I thought it was great at the soft opening and was really looking to frequent this spot but haven't been able to get anything there ever since even though I have tried. Hopefully service or organization picks up because it would be great if so.
Skip Barnes
Um, no. I had high hopes, believe me, I love Japanese fare, but this was not a good experience. Brisket was tasty but mostly fat, Chef's Choice 5 piece Yakatori consisted of chicken livers, hard boiled quail eggs, chicken thighs, chicken thighs, and 3 cherry tomatoes. Yes, chicken thighs is on there twice. I'm guessing that chicken livers probably cost them 11 cents each, about a dollar's worth of chicken thighs, 75 cents worth of quail eggs and cherry tomatoes thrown on a grill? For $18?
Hey guys, it's Becky here with the freshly cut asymmetrical bob ready to speak with your manager! Seriously, I really want to write an email to someone about this because it was astonishingly unpleasant as far as experiences of any kind go. If you want the less entertaining Cliff's note version, here it is: My one meal at Katsu was the worst dining experience I have ever had. That any of my dining party have ever had. Which is saying a lot, because we're collectively extremely old. I genuinely don't know what happened on this night, but it seems like everyone working there had eaten the brown acid. We were there for a friend's birthday gathering on a Sunday evening - with reservations. There was one other large party and maybe 3 two-tops. Average age at the table: 40 years old (so, not a bunch of dicks, at least as it pertains to the service industry). It was not a busy or full restaurant by any stretch of the imagination. They told us food would be a little on the slow side because they only had a grill big enough to cook for 1-2 people. Wait, what? Umm.... Well, we were locked in at this point so hoped they had worked a system out so we'd get fed or something. Hopefully. Everything that could go wrong went wrong. They were out of a lot of stuff. The courses came out extremely slowly. So slowly, in fact, that we canceled a BUNCH of our food. Like at the 2-hour mark, we were just trying to get out of there. Some of my food came still somewhat frozen in the middle. We asked to cancel a whole bunch of sushi that never arrived, and then the server started to bring it to our table anyway. I believe she offered to give it to us for half price. We canceled our food order and now you're trying to negotiate with us on it? That's a move. Mostly, I was just super hungry when I left. And bewildered. Like, "That was our dinner?" The bill came out to $43 per person at our table, which was basically $30 for beer per person and I'm not really sure what they felt they had the right to charge us for. Our friends were at another table and they said the service was miserable. Also, one of our credit cards disappeared. We searched everywhere for it. While I thought the servers seemed nice, despite their incompetence, I'm pretty sure what happened was we got hustled. Fortunately, later that evening one of our friends showed up with a 50-box of coneys, so we lived on that and the birthday cake that we asked the servers not to serve at the restaurant, just so that we could just gtf out of there and do the birthday song anywhere else but that hell hole. There - I said it. What have you guys been doing at Katsu? I heard it's been good before. You deserve this dressing down, supremely. I want my time and my money back. *finger wag* The end.
Vicki S.
I go out of my way to write positive reviews on Yelp because it's littered with negative experiences, but it would be a disservice not to point out how bad this place is. The service is insanely slow, and the food is NOT good. I ordered the rice and fish bowl (which would be called a chirashi bowl at any other Japanese restaurant)--the rice was mushy and the fish tasted awful. Flavorless and pungent. It took over two hours to get it, and I gave it away to whomever else wanted it at the table. I got my food, but the six other people at my table did not. The worst part about the service taking so insanely long is that the restaurant was almost entirely empty during our time there. No one bothered to come collect any empty plates from the small share plates that came out over two hours. The servers did not even seem to notice or care, and ignored us most of the time. We eventually made the decision that it was worth it to just leave without being fed despite how hungry we were. When we tried to cancel our order and get out of there, they started bringing a portion of the sashimi platter the rest of the table had ordered. They offered us a 50% discount on the food, which was a far more offensive move than simply keeping it on the bill. When we refused it, the server just dumped it off at another table. You couldn't pay me to go back here. Whoever opened this restaurant needs to send in mystery diners--this place is somewhere between a nightmare and a joke.
Luca C.
Literally the worst restaurant ive been to in the city (food wise). Almost everything was overcooked and under seasoned. If we had the option to send everything back we would have. Service was friendly, decor and ambiance decent, parking easy.
Amanda S.
After reading plenty of 4- to 5-star reviews and perusing mouthwatering pictures, I was so excited to try Katsu. Much to my dismay, I was KATFISHED. My boyfriend and I ordered a bunch of stuff and the night started with the agedashi tofu, which should be lightly crispy on the outside but had a thick, bland casing around it. Then the croquettes came out with some nice crunch but no flavor (the salad garnish tasted great though). Then we waited for 45 minutes and were told by the waiter who gave us recommendations and took our order that we didn't have anything else coming out but we were only on dish 2 of 5 (THE BETRAYAL), only to inform us that there was a glitch in the system and our orders disappeared. Fast forward 30 minutes later, we get the fried cheese (alright), chicken Katsu (could use some salt, salad garnish the sequel was great), and chef choice yakitori. Ok this chef choice yakitori came out with 4 skewers of raw tomatoes and mushrooms along with some overcooked chicken ($28!!). I was taken aback at how many hot n spicys I could've had instead of this yakitori. TL;DR- the side salad garnish was the star of the night; the whereabouts of our original orders will be investigated on the next season of Up and Vanished
P D.
Food was sub par. The atmosphere was super cool though. The food sounded innovative but missed the mark somehow.
I went 2 months ago and the Food and services was the best I've had in a long time. My son told me after the fact about the cold noold slid I wish I would have made there. I will be back for my Birthday.
A totally refreshing style of restaurant you would be hard pressed to find in the Midwest. The food was delicious and made to order, the atmosphere was relaxing, and the service was attentive. I wish I could go back but it sounds like they've closed on June 30. I hope they find another spot to make an Izakaya work!
Not authentic Japanese! Just warning ya! I guess if you're ok with that, then it's your call! But I'm very certain this is a gimmick and the food is marginal at best. Novice service as well:/
The food was excellent and very reasonably priced. There was a long wait to be seated and they appeared to be shorthanded resulting in a slow service but the servers were super nice and the environment was very pleasant so overall very enjoyable experience.
Will try again in a few months if it's still open. Needs better management. Carry out. I would have waited for another one, and probably should have checked my order before I left. But I trusted them and look where that got me.
The location and decor is definitely amazing, but I think that is about it. We went with a table of 6 and ordered a wide variety of dishes. The menu is huge so there is a lot to choose from. Yakitori assortment was decent but steep in price for what you get. However, many of the dishes were not very tasty or sizable portions. I would stick with the tonkatsu and curry dish, but if you venture further you may be disappointed. Gyudon was really sweet but sizes again were so small. I would definitely stay away from the onigiri as it just tasted like a ball of rice with little to no fish. Service may also need some improvement as dishes took a long time to come out and we would often get another table's dish. I think overall it could be a cool experience for you to try but you will most likely be left hungry or be upset that you spent a big chunk of change for a mediocre meal. On a positive note, they have a nice variety of alcohol choices...but only if they are in stock.
I had a big expectations for the opening of this place since I am a fan of Izakaya. Finally I got to come here. I arrived here around 6pm on a Friday evening and this place was empty. Izakaya typically gets crowded later in the evening but i still felt it was odd -being on Friday. It stayed empty even when we left around 7pm. Wasn't sure if it gets more crowded during schoolyear when nearby Wayne State University is in session. Many of the foods that i saw on the menu are either pre-made or heat & serve. I asked server each dish whether they cook from scratch before ordering. We ordered chicken yakitori, skewed chicken cooked on grill, and was told they were not doing 'grills' that day. Ordered Nagasaki Chanpon, noodles with vegetables. It was ok but not impressive for someone who loves Japanese ramens and noodles. It was very expensive for a bowl of noodles at a Izakaya. I had an impression that each dish was relatively expensive for the quality and portion. Overall, I would have given a 2-star to 2.5-star. The server was nice and the décor was good so I moved it up to 3-star with the expectation they would improve.
Use the bathroom. You won't regret it. Food was great and the atmosphere is top notch. Highly recommend.
This rating comes from the fact that I have been here now two times with different servers I've had entirely forgetting me. Seating me down and not even receiving a menu the last time. I left after 20 minutes of waiting and ended up going to Wasabi. I thought it was great at the soft opening and was really looking to frequent this spot but haven't been able to get anything there ever since even though I have tried. Hopefully service or organization picks up because it would be great if so.
Um, no. I had high hopes, believe me, I love Japanese fare, but this was not a good experience. Brisket was tasty but mostly fat, Chef's Choice 5 piece Yakatori consisted of chicken livers, hard boiled quail eggs, chicken thighs, chicken thighs, and 3 cherry tomatoes. Yes, chicken thighs is on there twice. I'm guessing that chicken livers probably cost them 11 cents each, about a dollar's worth of chicken thighs, 75 cents worth of quail eggs and cherry tomatoes thrown on a grill? For $18?
Restaurantji Recommends
Hey guys, it's Becky here with the freshly cut asymmetrical bob ready to speak with your manager! Seriously, I really want to write an email to someone about this because it was astonishingly unpleasant as far as experiences of any kind go. If you want the less entertaining Cliff's note version, here it is: My one meal at Katsu was the worst dining experience I have ever had. That any of my dining party have ever had. Which is saying a lot, because we're collectively extremely old. I genuinely don't know what happened on this night, but it seems like everyone working there had eaten the brown acid. We were there for a friend's birthday gathering on a Sunday evening - with reservations. There was one other large party and maybe 3 two-tops. Average age at the table: 40 years old (so, not a bunch of dicks, at least as it pertains to the service industry). It was not a busy or full restaurant by any stretch of the imagination. They told us food would be a little on the slow side because they only had a grill big enough to cook for 1-2 people. Wait, what? Umm.... Well, we were locked in at this point so hoped they had worked a system out so we'd get fed or something. Hopefully. Everything that could go wrong went wrong. They were out of a lot of stuff. The courses came out extremely slowly. So slowly, in fact, that we canceled a BUNCH of our food. Like at the 2-hour mark, we were just trying to get out of there. Some of my food came still somewhat frozen in the middle. We asked to cancel a whole bunch of sushi that never arrived, and then the server started to bring it to our table anyway. I believe she offered to give it to us for half price. We canceled our food order and now you're trying to negotiate with us on it? That's a move. Mostly, I was just super hungry when I left. And bewildered. Like, "That was our dinner?" The bill came out to $43 per person at our table, which was basically $30 for beer per person and I'm not really sure what they felt they had the right to charge us for. Our friends were at another table and they said the service was miserable. Also, one of our credit cards disappeared. We searched everywhere for it. While I thought the servers seemed nice, despite their incompetence, I'm pretty sure what happened was we got hustled. Fortunately, later that evening one of our friends showed up with a 50-box of coneys, so we lived on that and the birthday cake that we asked the servers not to serve at the restaurant, just so that we could just gtf out of there and do the birthday song anywhere else but that hell hole. There - I said it. What have you guys been doing at Katsu? I heard it's been good before. You deserve this dressing down, supremely. I want my time and my money back. *finger wag* The end.
I go out of my way to write positive reviews on Yelp because it's littered with negative experiences, but it would be a disservice not to point out how bad this place is. The service is insanely slow, and the food is NOT good. I ordered the rice and fish bowl (which would be called a chirashi bowl at any other Japanese restaurant)--the rice was mushy and the fish tasted awful. Flavorless and pungent. It took over two hours to get it, and I gave it away to whomever else wanted it at the table. I got my food, but the six other people at my table did not. The worst part about the service taking so insanely long is that the restaurant was almost entirely empty during our time there. No one bothered to come collect any empty plates from the small share plates that came out over two hours. The servers did not even seem to notice or care, and ignored us most of the time. We eventually made the decision that it was worth it to just leave without being fed despite how hungry we were. When we tried to cancel our order and get out of there, they started bringing a portion of the sashimi platter the rest of the table had ordered. They offered us a 50% discount on the food, which was a far more offensive move than simply keeping it on the bill. When we refused it, the server just dumped it off at another table. You couldn't pay me to go back here. Whoever opened this restaurant needs to send in mystery diners--this place is somewhere between a nightmare and a joke.
Literally the worst restaurant ive been to in the city (food wise). Almost everything was overcooked and under seasoned. If we had the option to send everything back we would have. Service was friendly, decor and ambiance decent, parking easy.
After reading plenty of 4- to 5-star reviews and perusing mouthwatering pictures, I was so excited to try Katsu. Much to my dismay, I was KATFISHED. My boyfriend and I ordered a bunch of stuff and the night started with the agedashi tofu, which should be lightly crispy on the outside but had a thick, bland casing around it. Then the croquettes came out with some nice crunch but no flavor (the salad garnish tasted great though). Then we waited for 45 minutes and were told by the waiter who gave us recommendations and took our order that we didn't have anything else coming out but we were only on dish 2 of 5 (THE BETRAYAL), only to inform us that there was a glitch in the system and our orders disappeared. Fast forward 30 minutes later, we get the fried cheese (alright), chicken Katsu (could use some salt, salad garnish the sequel was great), and chef choice yakitori. Ok this chef choice yakitori came out with 4 skewers of raw tomatoes and mushrooms along with some overcooked chicken ($28!!). I was taken aback at how many hot n spicys I could've had instead of this yakitori. TL;DR- the side salad garnish was the star of the night; the whereabouts of our original orders will be investigated on the next season of Up and Vanished
Food was sub par. The atmosphere was super cool though. The food sounded innovative but missed the mark somehow.