Have genuinely never encountered a ruder hostess/server than the one here who was openly disrespectful. Awful service, you’ll wait an hour and a half for your food — which will be mediocre at best, and your appetizer won’t come — and nobody will check on you once to refill your drinks. Avoid like the plague and go to one of Manhattan’s million other authentic spots that treat their patrons with respect
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 3
Service: 1
Shae Wu
Service was just absolutely awful. I came in with a party of three and it took us a short amount of time to be seated. We came in around 7, got our orders taken by 7:15 and waited at LEAST 30 mins for the first dish (appetizer) to get to our table. Maybe around 10 minutes one main dish was sent to our table, and as we waiting for the other two main dishes, I was constantly being bumped by the waiters and waitresses. It took almost an hour and a half to receive all meals and by the time the last dish came, the other food was cold and not crispy. We asked our waitress multiple times when our food was coming, and she blamed the kitchen being slow, but there were about 3-4 tables that me and my group noticed, who sat down, ate, and paid before all before we got our food. Never coming back to Kenka, cheap food, but horrible service.
Service: 1
Adam Zdeb
Amazing authentic Japanese eatery, all the food was cheap and tasty, our favorites were the pork belly yakitori and tonkatsu kimchi. We did try some delicious home made Japanese sodas peach was our favorite. Once we got the bill the waiter brought us 2 mini cups with flavored sugar. We did not what it was for so he told us there is a cotton candy machine outside where everyone can make their own desert. That was a cool touch. Best time to come is when they are opening at 5 if you don't want to wait. If you come later be prepared because this place gets packed.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
pork rinds
food is always on point. sure theres a bit of a wait but thats usually because of how busy it is. but thats a small thing compared to the great food and its great on your pockets too. sake menu is bananas. order a shot or a bottle. dry, sweet. theyre all good. just remember, some dishes have a lot of ketchup. ask for it to be on the side.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 5
Nick G
If I could give zero stars, I very much would
Liana Warren
The moment I stepped in to the restaurant today, the RUDEST short female waitress rolled her eyes at me. The restaurant had construction tape blocking 90% of the restaurant just inside the entrance, so I asked if they were open. The waitress said “Obviously 🙄”. She obviously wanted to drive away customers so that she wouldn’t have to serve people.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 3
Service: 1
Brittnie Truong
The worst customer service I have ever experienced. I went to Kenka with my boyfriend with the intention of getting light bites and a few drinks. We got seated almost immediately after we entered. After taking a look at the menu, we began to look for a server. In the next 30-35 minutes, not a single server came over to take our order. They didn’t even offer us water. I tried multiple times to flag down a server and made eye contact with a few but was ignored. All the while, we saw the servers take orders from tables that were seated after us. I noticed that they ignore smaller parties in favor of the larger tables. Most likely because they assume that the tip will not amount to as much. After almost 40 minutes, we got up and left. Luckily, there was a spot down the block called Yakitori Taisho that had extremely fast service and excellent food. Go there instead!!
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
Henry Testado
If I could give 0 stars I would. Walked in here and got seated, just to wait for 40 mins without a single word from the servers. Me and my girlfriend watched them serve people in front of us as time passed. Once it hit 40 minutes of looking and trying to flag down a server, we just got up and left
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
kevin pizha
genuinely i’ve been going here for a good while don’t get me wrong the food is amazing tastes amazing & cheap but the one problem i always get is when the lack of service is bad. like yes it’s always packed like yes we always have to wait i understand that but when it comes to serving food & taking orders that’s a whole different story everytime. this time me & 2 friends of mine order 2 french fries with other dishes of food our other dishes of food came but not our french fries we waited & waited & even ate our other order. after we finished we asked to pay the bill but we told them we didn’t get our french fries so we asked nicely to please remove it from the bill & so we paid & we sat for 5 mins & our waiter who probably came back from taking a 30 minute break literally gave us our fries but we told them we already took it out the bill & they gave us a mean look genuinely they need to fix the service like literally
One of the best spots for a cheap beer and quick eat! Flies under the radar in this area but is well worth stopping in, even if only for the $1.50 Sapporos
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
Wendy Zhou
A classic spot and one of the more unique on St. Marks. Expect a line, but it does move fast - luckily they’ve cleared some space to wait inside due to the cold. The prices are great and so are the vibes, and being cramped and loud and sitting on slightly uncomfortable seats is part of the vibes. The menu (both food and drink) is huge and diverse. Perfect for a pregame before a night out in EV! My parents liked it too lol.
Yana Asaula
We came here with a friend, but she hadn’t a real id, only a New York indication card. She's here on political asylum and can't make another ID. We stood in a huge line and they wouldn't let us in because of her Id. It's very unprofessional. Especially in New York. Where many people treat immigrants well, and no one wanted to call the manager, they said there was no manager. A friend wanted to show her passport from her home country, but we were still refused. The evening was just ruined. The waitress used foul language when explaining the reason. We will never go back and if we were not born in America, you may be denied entry.
Atmosphere: 1
Service: 1
J Segura
Don't charge a dollar for a lemon wedge please. The tako wasabi portion I was served was disrespectful
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
Mary Jane
I don’t ever feel to the need to review businesses, even if the service is average and the food is a bit expensive. I’m a food worker, and I understand perfecting every aspect of an experience is difficult. I have been coming here without an issue for years, but I will never come again. I feel embarrassed to have recommended this place to a dear colleague, only to feel unsafe and targeted. We ordered a beer tower, and we needed a moment for food. The beer tower came very obviously tilted, the long part moving more when put down, the nozzle squirting beer on its own. Also, aiming towards another customer’s head. I very nicely told my server that I don’t feel comfortable using this, because it is evidently broken and could fall and spill and also hurt people. It’s huge. The customers around me were concerned too. Server said they can’t fix it, I explained I don’t need it to be fixed on hand, just a replacement so there’s no hazard at risk. He offered the manager, I should’ve said yes but I did not want to be difficult. We didn’t even get waters or napkins like everyone else did and never got checked up on for food. When I got their attention again - I asked to speak to the manager and that it was just going to be about getting a new tower. Conveniently, the manager wasn’t in today. Even though they were offered moments before. We should’ve just left, but it was a long journey to arrive and I’ve been anticipating coming for a bit. We decided to just finish it, pay, and leave. When we first poured a cup, the lid fell on my head and onto the floor. I picked it up and this was technically when I asked to talk to someone. This was a scary situation for everyone around us. We finished and tried to get the bill paid for an unreasonable amount of time, the server visually would hide behind the kitchen counters (ducking!) and around people to avoid us, more specifically my friend. We couldn’t even leave until my guest had to ask someone to help us and explain why we couldn’t pay the regular way. Meanwhile, when this server was talking to us - he was ignoring my black friend and only addressing me. Avoided my black friend the entire time. Not only this, but the next table sat ordered a beer tower and it was straight and working just fine. It was so easy to take care of, I don’t understand. This was the only time I have never tipped. The server only spoke to us to stop us at the door asking us why there wasn’t a tip, it was explained and the server asked if that’s why we felt the need to not tip. Yes! I come here all the time and it’s great, I come again and every step of my journey was humiliating. My friends and I are never returning nor suggesting this spot going forward.
Great atmosphere, great food, great prices.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Have genuinely never encountered a ruder hostess/server than the one here who was openly disrespectful. Awful service, you’ll wait an hour and a half for your food — which will be mediocre at best, and your appetizer won’t come — and nobody will check on you once to refill your drinks. Avoid like the plague and go to one of Manhattan’s million other authentic spots that treat their patrons with respect
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 3
Service: 1
Service was just absolutely awful. I came in with a party of three and it took us a short amount of time to be seated. We came in around 7, got our orders taken by 7:15 and waited at LEAST 30 mins for the first dish (appetizer) to get to our table. Maybe around 10 minutes one main dish was sent to our table, and as we waiting for the other two main dishes, I was constantly being bumped by the waiters and waitresses. It took almost an hour and a half to receive all meals and by the time the last dish came, the other food was cold and not crispy. We asked our waitress multiple times when our food was coming, and she blamed the kitchen being slow, but there were about 3-4 tables that me and my group noticed, who sat down, ate, and paid before all before we got our food. Never coming back to Kenka, cheap food, but horrible service.
Service: 1
Amazing authentic Japanese eatery, all the food was cheap and tasty, our favorites were the pork belly yakitori and tonkatsu kimchi. We did try some delicious home made Japanese sodas peach was our favorite. Once we got the bill the waiter brought us 2 mini cups with flavored sugar. We did not what it was for so he told us there is a cotton candy machine outside where everyone can make their own desert. That was a cool touch. Best time to come is when they are opening at 5 if you don't want to wait. If you come later be prepared because this place gets packed.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
food is always on point. sure theres a bit of a wait but thats usually because of how busy it is. but thats a small thing compared to the great food and its great on your pockets too. sake menu is bananas. order a shot or a bottle. dry, sweet. theyre all good. just remember, some dishes have a lot of ketchup. ask for it to be on the side.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 5
If I could give zero stars, I very much would
The moment I stepped in to the restaurant today, the RUDEST short female waitress rolled her eyes at me. The restaurant had construction tape blocking 90% of the restaurant just inside the entrance, so I asked if they were open. The waitress said “Obviously 🙄”. She obviously wanted to drive away customers so that she wouldn’t have to serve people.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 3
Service: 1
The worst customer service I have ever experienced. I went to Kenka with my boyfriend with the intention of getting light bites and a few drinks. We got seated almost immediately after we entered. After taking a look at the menu, we began to look for a server. In the next 30-35 minutes, not a single server came over to take our order. They didn’t even offer us water. I tried multiple times to flag down a server and made eye contact with a few but was ignored. All the while, we saw the servers take orders from tables that were seated after us. I noticed that they ignore smaller parties in favor of the larger tables. Most likely because they assume that the tip will not amount to as much. After almost 40 minutes, we got up and left. Luckily, there was a spot down the block called Yakitori Taisho that had extremely fast service and excellent food. Go there instead!!
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
If I could give 0 stars I would. Walked in here and got seated, just to wait for 40 mins without a single word from the servers. Me and my girlfriend watched them serve people in front of us as time passed. Once it hit 40 minutes of looking and trying to flag down a server, we just got up and left
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
genuinely i’ve been going here for a good while don’t get me wrong the food is amazing tastes amazing & cheap but the one problem i always get is when the lack of service is bad. like yes it’s always packed like yes we always have to wait i understand that but when it comes to serving food & taking orders that’s a whole different story everytime. this time me & 2 friends of mine order 2 french fries with other dishes of food our other dishes of food came but not our french fries we waited & waited & even ate our other order. after we finished we asked to pay the bill but we told them we didn’t get our french fries so we asked nicely to please remove it from the bill & so we paid & we sat for 5 mins & our waiter who probably came back from taking a 30 minute break literally gave us our fries but we told them we already took it out the bill & they gave us a mean look genuinely they need to fix the service like literally
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 2
Restaurantji Recommends
One of the best spots for a cheap beer and quick eat! Flies under the radar in this area but is well worth stopping in, even if only for the $1.50 Sapporos
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
A classic spot and one of the more unique on St. Marks. Expect a line, but it does move fast - luckily they’ve cleared some space to wait inside due to the cold. The prices are great and so are the vibes, and being cramped and loud and sitting on slightly uncomfortable seats is part of the vibes. The menu (both food and drink) is huge and diverse. Perfect for a pregame before a night out in EV! My parents liked it too lol.
We came here with a friend, but she hadn’t a real id, only a New York indication card. She's here on political asylum and can't make another ID. We stood in a huge line and they wouldn't let us in because of her Id. It's very unprofessional. Especially in New York. Where many people treat immigrants well, and no one wanted to call the manager, they said there was no manager. A friend wanted to show her passport from her home country, but we were still refused. The evening was just ruined. The waitress used foul language when explaining the reason. We will never go back and if we were not born in America, you may be denied entry.
Atmosphere: 1
Service: 1
Don't charge a dollar for a lemon wedge please. The tako wasabi portion I was served was disrespectful
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
I don’t ever feel to the need to review businesses, even if the service is average and the food is a bit expensive. I’m a food worker, and I understand perfecting every aspect of an experience is difficult. I have been coming here without an issue for years, but I will never come again. I feel embarrassed to have recommended this place to a dear colleague, only to feel unsafe and targeted. We ordered a beer tower, and we needed a moment for food. The beer tower came very obviously tilted, the long part moving more when put down, the nozzle squirting beer on its own. Also, aiming towards another customer’s head. I very nicely told my server that I don’t feel comfortable using this, because it is evidently broken and could fall and spill and also hurt people. It’s huge. The customers around me were concerned too. Server said they can’t fix it, I explained I don’t need it to be fixed on hand, just a replacement so there’s no hazard at risk. He offered the manager, I should’ve said yes but I did not want to be difficult. We didn’t even get waters or napkins like everyone else did and never got checked up on for food. When I got their attention again - I asked to speak to the manager and that it was just going to be about getting a new tower. Conveniently, the manager wasn’t in today. Even though they were offered moments before. We should’ve just left, but it was a long journey to arrive and I’ve been anticipating coming for a bit. We decided to just finish it, pay, and leave. When we first poured a cup, the lid fell on my head and onto the floor. I picked it up and this was technically when I asked to talk to someone. This was a scary situation for everyone around us. We finished and tried to get the bill paid for an unreasonable amount of time, the server visually would hide behind the kitchen counters (ducking!) and around people to avoid us, more specifically my friend. We couldn’t even leave until my guest had to ask someone to help us and explain why we couldn’t pay the regular way. Meanwhile, when this server was talking to us - he was ignoring my black friend and only addressing me. Avoided my black friend the entire time. Not only this, but the next table sat ordered a beer tower and it was straight and working just fine. It was so easy to take care of, I don’t understand. This was the only time I have never tipped. The server only spoke to us to stop us at the door asking us why there wasn’t a tip, it was explained and the server asked if that’s why we felt the need to not tip. Yes! I come here all the time and it’s great, I come again and every step of my journey was humiliating. My friends and I are never returning nor suggesting this spot going forward.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
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