Japanese Kitchen Steakhouse, Teppanyaki & Sushi

I made reservations in advance over 2 weeks ago for February 15th for to schedule conflicts. When I arrived they said we were 8th in line and it would take 2 hours wait. If I would have gotten a text about the wait I would have accepted the wait and got another reservation some place else but nothing. I have been doing this for the past 15 years and with this being my 9th time getting pushed back in won't be back. Please call your reservation people ahead of time so they can make other arrangements will never return

Made a reservation for Valentine’s Day, and I wanted to say that we had a great time. I was told that there was a problem with the online reservation system which resulted in overbooking, crowding, and long waits. Despite the chaos, the staff handled the situation with kindness and were extremely professional. Especially the hostess, Izzy. She had angry customers treating her poorly and still did a great job getting everybody seated in an orderly fashion. She deserves more than just kudos - she deserves a bonus or a raise. Once we were seated, the waitress and chef were also incredible even with a fully booked restaurant. The food tasted great and we had a ton of fun. Our table mates complained that the food wasn’t good, but then they took all their leftovers (and stole the Mai tai cups…). I have to say, I totally disagree. The food was perfectly seasoned, our chef Carlos did a fantastic job. Overall we had a lovely date night and do plan to return. I hope the staff get major props for how they handled the crazy night.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Made a reservation for Valentine's Day for 7:00 PM. We arrived about 15 minutes before our reservation and the lobby was so packed we couldn't even get to the counter to check in without a huge effort. There was barely enough room to comfortably stand without touching shoulders with others. We were told by a couple people standing nearby that they were told by staff that they are 2 hours behind regardless of reservations and that the huge line in front of us has already checked in but still won't be seated soon. Super unprofessional of a restaurant to overbook and not prioritize people who made reservations and to take walk-ins first. It only took a few minutes for us to decide to leave and find somewhere else to eat. Very disappointing.

Atmosphere: 1

Service: 1

if i could give a 0 star i would i was waiting for more than 1hr to be seated had reservations for 8:30pm and i had made the reservation 10 day prior to valentine’s day, both girls in the front were rude and would let people cut the line even if they missed their name being called 0/10 recommend for any special event as they don’t prioritize reservation

Waited over two hours with a reservation. Food was barely edible. Rice was not fully cooked and was crunchy. New York steak too tough to eat at all. Chef at our table was very unenthusiastic. Shouldn't feel like sitting in a freezer when you're at a table that's got fire on it. Used to be such a good place to go. Never returning. The best part of the experience was the hostess.

Atmosphere: 1

Food: 1

Service: 2

Busy for a reason. Great good. Fun service. Perfect for a fun, romantic evening.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

We booked a reservation for Valentine’s Day and we got there and they over booked and we couldn’t get a table. Super disappointed. Will not be going here again.

Atmosphere: 1

Food: 1

Service: 1

We made a reservation for 6:30 and showed up at 6:20. There was a mob of people who were there STILL WAITING for their 5:30 reservation. When we got to the front she said we would be waiting at least an hour. What is the point in taking reservations if you’re not going to RESERVE the table? That’s the entire point. We really enjoy coming here and are highly disappointed and won’t be returning to support them. 0 stars.

Made a reservation for 6pm and we didnt get sat until 7:30pm. The server was great and the chef was good but food was mediocre and we all left hungry.

Atmosphere: 3

Food: 3

Service: 2

Sushi I had:
- Japanese Kitchen roll: It was like a rainbow roll but all the fish were on the inside, in addition to the classic California roll fillings of crab salad, avocado, and cucumber. And then masago on top. It was way too big of a roll; you could *not* pick it up with chopsticks and you could not put one piece into your mouth. You had to cut each sushi piece in half and use a fork. It was very messy the whole thing was falling apart. I would not recommend it.
- Tiger roll: It was a California roll on the inside, (imitation crab mix, avocado, and cucumber), and on top, half had salmon and half had shrimp. it was good I would recommend it.
- I learned that masago has gluten in it. And so does imitation crab mix. And then of course regular soy sauce. But they do have gluten-free soy sauce. And they don't mark gluten containing items (and a couple other top allergens, like soy and raw fish) on their menu.
- I got green tea, it was good, had some floating leaf pieces in it though, comes in a small cup, but you get free refills. But you have to ask for them.
- Edamame was good. Pretty typical. Their menu said the edamame had gluten in it, but I can't see what was gluttonous about it. It only had salt on top, and did not come with any sauces.
- Overall, it was hard to find sushi on their menu that I wanted to order. The vast majority are either spicy or have a deep fried things in them (so, high gluten and high fat). Very limited options otherwise. And the non-spicy, non-gluten sushis are all very mainstream and boring. Not my favorite sushi place. Samurai Sushi is still my favorite.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 2

Service: 4

Worst place to get hibachi in Albuquerque for groups. The owner will tell you multiple times that your large group reservation is confirmed, which was booked more than a week in advance. Once there, however, they have no logical sense or organizational skills on how to actually meet the commitment.

The owner who schedules large party groups will also refuse to speak with you at the time of reservation leaving you to communicate with the hostess who has no idea what she is doing or experience to handle such a situation.

After already waiting over an hour after our reservation time had passed, and with no idea of how much longer it would take to be seated, our party was forced to leave as we had multiple children with us who cannot and should not be required to wait an unknowable amount of time to eat dinner. Indeed, this was the reason we made a reservation in the first place. Would not recommend for any group occasion.

Service: 1

A few times per year, we enjoy the meals prepared at Japanese Kitchen. Be sure to schedule a reservation ahead of time.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Excellent food

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

I love this place. I usually go with a big group of 8 or 10. The only thing I don't like is they won't seat you until your whole group is there, and it can still take 20-30 minutes to seat you even after everyone is there. Otherwise i like it a lot.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 4

I’ve been going to this Japanese Kitchen since I was a small child. I took my wife out for a birthday dinner. Noted it when we made the reservation, even saw it in the notes on the reservation sheet. Even saw it noted in the “chefs” card. Nothing special desert no flaming sing song..nothing. My main beef is that the “chef” was boring as hell! No special tricks no fire balls…no showmanship. I could have got hungover and gathered the family around the black stone and made a better show. The other tables were having a ball and the chefs were throwing down fun times all around us. Our just sucked bad. We still had fun cause we were celebrating. Hope yall can find a replacement for the caveman with no personality