DIY tableside yakiniku. Great for groups, and the quality of meat is top-tier.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Carlos Salinas
Whoa when and why did this close? It was a good date spot.
X 2c
Good riddance
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
Salman Zindani
If you’re used to AYCE KBBQ, this is slightly different. This isn’t Korean and isn’t all you can eat. Still worth a visit!
Here’s what we got: - Chicken Karage not very crispy. The cooled peppers with it were very good though.
- Potatoes were hearty
- Beef belly: flavorful. Appreciated timing Recs attached to the meats
- Miso skirt with ponzu sauce, amazing! By far the best *
- Filet was just as good as the skirt. Maybe better. Absolutely melted in your mouth. We cooked it 1.5mim on each side. Maybe even 1.25 min. Also had this with ponzu sauce, which made this superior. *
- coffee jelly dessert. Coffee was definitely overpowering near the end. Would recommend if you’re a coffee lover.
Service was slow, but server was great.
* = highly reccomend.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 3
Service: 3
Recommended dishes: Japanese BBQ
Christina Madsen
It was an experience. You cook the food @ the table yourself. It was too hot in the restaurant for me.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Cindy Ernst
We had a group of 8, so immediately service was getting a 20% tip, so the expectation is lowered. With that said we did have to ask for a few things multiple times to the same server. The restaurant was quite warm inside, so we were sweating by the end of the meal. The food was delicious. Recommend the Deviled Eggs, Beef Belly, and Flatiron steak. The birthday girl was happy so not a bad experience, just lacking in service details.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 5
Service: 2
Francesca Hemmerde
The food was great. The service was friendly and simple. What you would expect of a restaurant like this. A bit hot inside. The sides/veggies could be more authentic (like in Korea or Japan) so that they’re easier to grill. I would have preferred received a bottle of water instead of having it refilled, but that’s because I like to see that it’s bottle water and not filtered. The meat was awesome! Specially the wagyu.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Japanese BBQ
Rachel Mcardle
I'm truly saddened to share that this was once my favorite restaurant, but recent changes have kept me from returning. They've replaced the beloved Tuesday happy hour with $10 plates, removed their delicious homemade pork gyoza, and overall, the quality of service has declined. I'm not sure if there's new management, but I genuinely miss the charm and experience of the old Niwa.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 3
Service: 3
Laura “Mod L Photography” Levitan
Very good quality meat. Pretty atmosphere. Was a nice experience to try something different. We had a bit of a hiccup with a couple of things on our order coming late. They have a robot server that’s pretty cool. I’d recommend the place. Good food and experience for a family. But it didn’t quite knock it out of the park.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 4
Annabella Rose
Had so much fun eating here and the food was amazing!! Already can’t wait to go back!
Nice, quaint and comfortable. The food is fresh. The portions are small but depending on what you order it is just right. The portions help in preventing overeating and slows down how fast you eat, creating a mindful eating practice.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 4
David Crews
The place has a nice vibe to it, the staff is friendly. The concept is great for ice breaking and kids. There is something about cooking your own meat and having everyone engaged during dinner that adds a bit of energy. My kids loved the concept, the food was great.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Japanese BBQ
Ozzy Avila
Really delicious food & friendly staff. All recommendations were excellent and every cut of beef they served was tender & flavorful.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Japanese BBQ, Beef Belly, Panna Cotta, Buta Kakuni, Hanger Steak
Joshua Taylor
Let me start by saying this: when it comes to food quality, Niwa is easily one of my favorite restaurants in Dallas. I’ve had incredible meals here before — which makes this experience all the more disappointing.
We had an 8:45 PM reservation and were told there would be a short wait. That “short wait” turned into 30 minutes standing around, while we watched multiple parties — including one with a 9:00 PM reservation — get seated before us.
Once finally seated at 9:15 PM, we sat at our table for another 15 minutes without anyone stopping by. No water, no greeting, no drink order — nothing. To make matters worse, a group that was seated at the same time as us received immediate service while we were ignored.
We eventually flagged someone down (nearly an hour after our reservation) and asked to speak to a manager. The server said, “I’ll see what I can do,” and then… nothing. No manager ever came. No one ever acknowledged the delay. No apology, no gesture, no ownership.
That same server took our order and left. After a few minutes, they sent the server robot over with the food (including something we did not order). Following this, our waiter did not check on us a single time. I’m serious when I say not one single time. We legitimately had to go to the hostess to ask for water.
After 2 hours of non-existent service, our original waiter came back. He stated, “I’m sorry if you had a bad experience tonight. We have a special on Monday night which makes us very busy. If you want to have a good experience at Niwa I would recommend coming another night.” He took no accountability for the service. While of course some nights are more busy than others, an establishment is expected to perform a minimum baseline of services for their customers. We were not provided that.
He brought us our check which included an item we did not receive. I requested that he remove the item (which he did after another 10 minutes).
After all of this, I shit you not, they shorted me on the change.
For a restaurant of this caliber — one that charges premium prices and promotes itself as an elevated dining experience — the lack of basic hospitality was shocking.
Niwa has the kitchen of a five-star restaurant, but on this night, it had the front-of-house service of a one-star dive bar. I truly hope this was a one-off, but when guests are treated like an afterthought, it leaves a lasting impression — no matter how good the food is.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 1
MANUEL NINO
Great service by Oscar! Amazing food too! Will be back again
DIY tableside yakiniku. Great for groups, and the quality of meat is top-tier.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Whoa when and why did this close? It was a good date spot.
Good riddance
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
If you’re used to AYCE KBBQ, this is slightly different. This isn’t Korean and isn’t all you can eat. Still worth a visit!
Here’s what we got:
- Chicken Karage not very crispy. The cooled peppers with it were very good though.
- Potatoes were hearty
- Beef belly: flavorful. Appreciated timing Recs attached to the meats
- Miso skirt with ponzu sauce, amazing! By far the best *
- Filet was just as good as the skirt. Maybe better. Absolutely melted in your mouth. We cooked it 1.5mim on each side. Maybe even 1.25 min. Also had this with ponzu sauce, which made this superior. *
- coffee jelly dessert. Coffee was definitely overpowering near the end. Would recommend if you’re a coffee lover.
Service was slow, but server was great.
* = highly reccomend.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 3
Service: 3
Recommended dishes: Japanese BBQ
It was an experience. You cook the food @ the table yourself. It was too hot in the restaurant for me.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
We had a group of 8, so immediately service was getting a 20% tip, so the expectation is lowered. With that said we did have to ask for a few things multiple times to the same server. The restaurant was quite warm inside, so we were sweating by the end of the meal. The food was delicious. Recommend the Deviled Eggs, Beef Belly, and Flatiron steak. The birthday girl was happy so not a bad experience, just lacking in service details.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 5
Service: 2
The food was great. The service was friendly and simple. What you would expect of a restaurant like this. A bit hot inside. The sides/veggies could be more authentic (like in Korea or Japan) so that they’re easier to grill. I would have preferred received a bottle of water instead of having it refilled, but that’s because I like to see that it’s bottle water and not filtered. The meat was awesome! Specially the wagyu.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Japanese BBQ
I'm truly saddened to share that this was once my favorite restaurant, but recent changes have kept me from returning. They've replaced the beloved Tuesday happy hour with $10 plates, removed their delicious homemade pork gyoza, and overall, the quality of service has declined. I'm not sure if there's new management, but I genuinely miss the charm and experience of the old Niwa.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 3
Service: 3
Very good quality meat. Pretty atmosphere. Was a nice experience to try something different. We had a bit of a hiccup with a couple of things on our order coming late. They have a robot server that’s pretty cool. I’d recommend the place. Good food and experience for a family. But it didn’t quite knock it out of the park.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 4
Had so much fun eating here and the food was amazing!! Already can’t wait to go back!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Restaurantji Recommends
Nice, quaint and comfortable. The food is fresh. The portions are small but depending on what you order it is just right. The portions help in preventing overeating and slows down how fast you eat, creating a mindful eating practice.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 4
The place has a nice vibe to it, the staff is friendly. The concept is great for ice breaking and kids. There is something about cooking your own meat and having everyone engaged during dinner that adds a bit of energy. My kids loved the concept, the food was great.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Japanese BBQ
Really delicious food & friendly staff. All recommendations were excellent and every cut of beef they served was tender & flavorful.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Japanese BBQ, Beef Belly, Panna Cotta, Buta Kakuni, Hanger Steak
Let me start by saying this: when it comes to food quality, Niwa is easily one of my favorite restaurants in Dallas. I’ve had incredible meals here before — which makes this experience all the more disappointing.
We had an 8:45 PM reservation and were told there would be a short wait. That “short wait” turned into 30 minutes standing around, while we watched multiple parties — including one with a 9:00 PM reservation — get seated before us.
Once finally seated at 9:15 PM, we sat at our table for another 15 minutes without anyone stopping by. No water, no greeting, no drink order — nothing. To make matters worse, a group that was seated at the same time as us received immediate service while we were ignored.
We eventually flagged someone down (nearly an hour after our reservation) and asked to speak to a manager. The server said, “I’ll see what I can do,” and then… nothing. No manager ever came. No one ever acknowledged the delay. No apology, no gesture, no ownership.
That same server took our order and left. After a few minutes, they sent the server robot over with the food (including something we did not order). Following this, our waiter did not check on us a single time. I’m serious when I say not one single time. We legitimately had to go to the hostess to ask for water.
After 2 hours of non-existent service, our original waiter came back. He stated, “I’m sorry if you had a bad experience tonight. We have a special on Monday night which makes us very busy. If you want to have a good experience at Niwa I would recommend coming another night.” He took no accountability for the service. While of course some nights are more busy than others, an establishment is expected to perform a minimum baseline of services for their customers. We were not provided that.
He brought us our check which included an item we did not receive. I requested that he remove the item (which he did after another 10 minutes).
After all of this, I shit you not, they shorted me on the change.
For a restaurant of this caliber — one that charges premium prices and promotes itself as an elevated dining experience — the lack of basic hospitality was shocking.
Niwa has the kitchen of a five-star restaurant, but on this night, it had the front-of-house service of a one-star dive bar. I truly hope this was a one-off, but when guests are treated like an afterthought, it leaves a lasting impression — no matter how good the food is.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 1
Great service by Oscar! Amazing food too! Will be back again
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