Made a reservation for one location and upon arrival was told we needed to go to another location and still had to wait. The food and chef were good but after they finish it's hard to get someone for sauce or drink refills
Scott King
Average at best. The waiter was in a rush to take drink and food orders. Ordered the sea urchin and salmon sushi as an appetizer, and there was nothing to complain about with those. Hibachi, on the other hand, needs some work. The shrimp was not fresh they definitely did not know how to make fried rice as it was only rice and scrambled egg. Somebody should inform them that fried rice usually has vegetables in it as well. They automatically added an 18% tip to the check, which I am not in favor of.
Brittany Winbush
If I can give it no stars I would. I always go to the Duke Street location. The service was terrible from the start. We were seated in the dining area due to there being a wait at the hibachi tables. We were seated for almost 15 minutes before even receiving water. Waitress never gave her name. Due to the long wait of just getting water we decided to place our entire order at one time. The shots they give are basically half a shot(I know because I can't ever take a full shot). We had to go ask for the soup and salad that comes with the meal. Our food came out separately. Mind you we ordered the same exact thing except I added noodles. My food was cold, did not come with the fried rice and had mushrooms in it when we both asked for no mushrooms. When I received my rice that was supposed to have extra egg it had no egg at all. When I sent my food back all they did was put it in the microwave. My shrimp was over cooked. My boyfriends food came out about 10 minutes after mine and his order also had mushrooms and he's allergic. His rice had no egg instead of the extra egg which appeared to look like powdered eggs were used and chopped into tiny pieces to be funny in my opinion. When we asked to speak to the manager she was not much help when she finally arrive from the bathroom(per our waitress). She was not presented professionally, dressed in sweats and not very interested in resolving our issue. Initially she offered to take 20% of the bill and my boyfriend did not like the offer so she then said she would take 50% off. When the check arrived she had taken 50% off his meal and 20% off my meal(mind you mine had more issues). She refused to make further accommodations after stating she was taking 50% off the BILL! Neither of us are super picky or complain much but this was by far the worst experience I've ever had with service and the food.
Our food was not very good. The guy that cooked for us couldn't cook or do any of the tricks. After failing the tricks he said he was just going to cook the food. It was good, heavily salted and it was my daughter's birthday. I wouldn't go back
Randon Ryland
I called and told the manager about what happened and she had me come back, so we could try again. The manager’s name is María and she’s a total gem. She totally felt where I was coming from and said it’s just wrong to question anyone about their time in the restroom. Even though I felt bad for the rude dude who questioned me in the bathroom I learned the restaurant is Black-owned and the restaurant is very dedicated to inclusion; they’re international, colorful, lgbtqia and, most importantly, friendly. María gave me their best server, Nikki (?) who was very attentive and she just had this overall swag about her that makes her such a pleasure.I was able to take in the snazzy, swanky ambience of the bartender slightly swinging her braids under Mary J Blige on the tv hanging about her head juxtaposed to the traditional Japanese lights and wallpaper. The wallpaper gives the same feeling as the restaurant, people from all walks of life just chillen, praying, playing and eating together.Last but MOST important, León, the server who “checked” on me in the bathroom; came back to me with such a heartfelt apology it damn near brought me to tears. I’m so glad I was wrong about him and he understood how my pride was hurt about my bathroom use. What he shared about himself and his perseverance was incredible, I got him to give me a hug and a firm handshake.Good food, good staff, and, overall, good spirit! I will be coming back, this is such a good relationship to have!*********************Please read above the asterisks, below I was in error.I know this is just my particular experience upon entering this establishment, but I encountered harsh discrimination when I asked if I could use the men’s bathroom. An employee kept interrupting me facetiously asking, “are you okay?”. I wasn’t in the bathroom more than 3 minutes (yes, I counted, just out of anxiety).I was actually considering eating there, just had to go to the bathroom first. But covert racism just has it way of ruining your appetite.Anyway, while I’m in the loo I emphasize that though I’m a Black male, that I posed no threat nor meant any harm and for the alerted worker to let me finish my business so I could quickly leave the business with the remaining dignity I could have for myself.I dunno if not to eat here or not, but there is micro-aggressions to be weary of…
Absolutely worst experience I've had at a hibachi restaurant and we visit them as a family quite often. We had a 7:30 reservation was not seated until 8:20. After being seated we waited 15 minutes for a server to come over and that was after I asked where is our server. The chef made it to our table before our drinks, soup and salad. One of the guest in our party ordered from the kitchen, she didn't get her food until everyone else was done eating their hibachi and ended up just boxing it up to go. The 2 chefs that were back to back were talking to either the whole time they cooked for their tables. It was so terrible I couldn't believe my eyes. I think the automatic 18% gratuity despite your party size just makes this staff too comfortable because they know their getting a tip regardless. Do yourself a favor skip this location, go to Duke St.
Ms D.
Only giving 2 stars because the waitress was nice & the sushi was good. Other than that this place deserves 1 star because the hibachi was terrible. It was extremely bland, no seasonings were used at all. Not even salt & pepper. The fried rice tasted like it was straight from the frozen food section in the grocery store. And the automatic 18% service charge just added insult to injury...mind you it was only 2 of us. Definitely WOULD NOT recommend nor will I be coming back.
Morgan Braswell
So we ordered tofu teriyaki, they proceeded to give us two packages of just tofu. No sauce. Their menu clearly states tofu teriyaki comes with rice, soup, and salad. As well as teriyaki sauce. We literally just got hunks of dry tofu. No seasoning. Nothing else. When we brought this up they were initially incredibly rude. They had to check their own menu to understand what was missing. Never in my entire life have I had something so wild happen. Save your money, go elsewhere. It’s Alexandria you’ve got options!!
erthak2023
Don't ever give restaurant gift certificates as presents. Sucks that the new owners did not even seem sympathetic.
D R.
Parvana is sooooo rude omg. She's a manager? Mind blown, I came here to check it out and she was the host and didn't even stop texting whoever was in the phone. I decided not to eat there and left. As if one star based on the service. I'm sure the food is great but I will never know. The vibe is off in there. They don't believe in god in there. The blood of Jesus. The blood Jesus. The blood of Jesus. I rebuke this place in the name of jesus. Amen.
I love this place! Great food and drinks. The bartender Amanda is impeccable. This is a great place to go to for lunch, dinner, and happy hour. The ambiance has a great vibe as well. Hibachi Dinners
I went for hibachi dinner. I have been craving hibachi for a while and it did NOT scratch my itch. The food was not good, the fried rice was bland. If it wasn't for the yum yum and ginger sauce to give it flavor I would have gave it back. The server didn't take orders correctly so when the chef came out to cook he was missing a lot of food. Also, BEWARE, the place is not sanitary. A worker from the back decided not to wash her hands after using the bathroom. If she was bold enough to not wash her hands while I'm in the bathroom I can only image what they doing in the back ???♀️
Candice H.
First, my meal was absolutely delicious. My steak was cooked to perfection and the peanut dressing was amazing. This review is mainly to share my experience with one chef and the staff. Due to it not being super busy in the restaurant my group waited about 15-20 minutes until our orders were taken. I believe that to be due to wanting to get a full table before starting (understandable). Our first chef was incredibly rude. A young lady asked him to clean up the sauces he overfilled in the container and he got an attitude and just put a napkin under the spillage. She then went to get a waiter to let them know. After that we were given a new chef who was AMAZING! He was entertaining, cheerful and mainly courteous to another couple who sat with us. One person in the couple had a gluten allergy and he ensured she had the right ingredients in her meal. It was so sweet. The restaurant overall was nice and I'd return if I were in the Alexandria area. The other staff members were on it with attentiveness to our needs for the rest of the night.
Sarah M.
Atrocious customer service. We waited for over an hour for our food and it turns out the waitress never put the order in. She never came back to check on us the entire time we were there. Only reason I am giving two stars is because the hibachi chef was great - very fun and attentive. We would have been waiting longer if he didn't check on our food for us. We ended up leaving without our food. We had to demand a discount for the inconvenience. Neither the wait staff nor the manager ever apologized.
Jessica C.
I should have read these reviews before going here. We were happy Sumo customers, but this new management ruined this restaurant. The prices are high for even Old Town; service is slow, it took 40 minutes to get an incorrect drink order and an hour for one sushi roll; food was cold; hibachi chef was disinterested and unenthusiastic; took 20 minutes after handing them our credit card for them to return the bill - with an automatic 18% gratuity. Don't waste your time or money here.
Made a reservation for one location and upon arrival was told we needed to go to another location and still had to wait. The food and chef were good but after they finish it's hard to get someone for sauce or drink refills
Average at best. The waiter was in a rush to take drink and food orders. Ordered the sea urchin and salmon sushi as an appetizer, and there was nothing to complain about with those. Hibachi, on the other hand, needs some work. The shrimp was not fresh they definitely did not know how to make fried rice as it was only rice and scrambled egg. Somebody should inform them that fried rice usually has vegetables in it as well. They automatically added an 18% tip to the check, which I am not in favor of.
If I can give it no stars I would. I always go to the Duke Street location. The service was terrible from the start. We were seated in the dining area due to there being a wait at the hibachi tables. We were seated for almost 15 minutes before even receiving water. Waitress never gave her name. Due to the long wait of just getting water we decided to place our entire order at one time. The shots they give are basically half a shot(I know because I can't ever take a full shot). We had to go ask for the soup and salad that comes with the meal. Our food came out separately. Mind you we ordered the same exact thing except I added noodles. My food was cold, did not come with the fried rice and had mushrooms in it when we both asked for no mushrooms. When I received my rice that was supposed to have extra egg it had no egg at all. When I sent my food back all they did was put it in the microwave. My shrimp was over cooked. My boyfriends food came out about 10 minutes after mine and his order also had mushrooms and he's allergic. His rice had no egg instead of the extra egg which appeared to look like powdered eggs were used and chopped into tiny pieces to be funny in my opinion. When we asked to speak to the manager she was not much help when she finally arrive from the bathroom(per our waitress). She was not presented professionally, dressed in sweats and not very interested in resolving our issue. Initially she offered to take 20% of the bill and my boyfriend did not like the offer so she then said she would take 50% off. When the check arrived she had taken 50% off his meal and 20% off my meal(mind you mine had more issues). She refused to make further accommodations after stating she was taking 50% off the BILL! Neither of us are super picky or complain much but this was by far the worst experience I've ever had with service and the food.
Our food was not very good. The guy that cooked for us couldn't cook or do any of the tricks. After failing the tricks he said he was just going to cook the food. It was good, heavily salted and it was my daughter's birthday. I wouldn't go back
I called and told the manager about what happened and she had me come back, so we could try again. The manager’s name is María and she’s a total gem. She totally felt where I was coming from and said it’s just wrong to question anyone about their time in the restroom. Even though I felt bad for the rude dude who questioned me in the bathroom I learned the restaurant is Black-owned and the restaurant is very dedicated to inclusion; they’re international, colorful, lgbtqia and, most importantly, friendly. María gave me their best server, Nikki (?) who was very attentive and she just had this overall swag about her that makes her such a pleasure.I was able to take in the snazzy, swanky ambience of the bartender slightly swinging her braids under Mary J Blige on the tv hanging about her head juxtaposed to the traditional Japanese lights and wallpaper. The wallpaper gives the same feeling as the restaurant, people from all walks of life just chillen, praying, playing and eating together.Last but MOST important, León, the server who “checked” on me in the bathroom; came back to me with such a heartfelt apology it damn near brought me to tears. I’m so glad I was wrong about him and he understood how my pride was hurt about my bathroom use. What he shared about himself and his perseverance was incredible, I got him to give me a hug and a firm handshake.Good food, good staff, and, overall, good spirit! I will be coming back, this is such a good relationship to have!*********************Please read above the asterisks, below I was in error.I know this is just my particular experience upon entering this establishment, but I encountered harsh discrimination when I asked if I could use the men’s bathroom. An employee kept interrupting me facetiously asking, “are you okay?”. I wasn’t in the bathroom more than 3 minutes (yes, I counted, just out of anxiety).I was actually considering eating there, just had to go to the bathroom first. But covert racism just has it way of ruining your appetite.Anyway, while I’m in the loo I emphasize that though I’m a Black male, that I posed no threat nor meant any harm and for the alerted worker to let me finish my business so I could quickly leave the business with the remaining dignity I could have for myself.I dunno if not to eat here or not, but there is micro-aggressions to be weary of…
Absolutely worst experience I've had at a hibachi restaurant and we visit them as a family quite often. We had a 7:30 reservation was not seated until 8:20. After being seated we waited 15 minutes for a server to come over and that was after I asked where is our server. The chef made it to our table before our drinks, soup and salad. One of the guest in our party ordered from the kitchen, she didn't get her food until everyone else was done eating their hibachi and ended up just boxing it up to go. The 2 chefs that were back to back were talking to either the whole time they cooked for their tables. It was so terrible I couldn't believe my eyes. I think the automatic 18% gratuity despite your party size just makes this staff too comfortable because they know their getting a tip regardless. Do yourself a favor skip this location, go to Duke St.
Only giving 2 stars because the waitress was nice & the sushi was good. Other than that this place deserves 1 star because the hibachi was terrible. It was extremely bland, no seasonings were used at all. Not even salt & pepper. The fried rice tasted like it was straight from the frozen food section in the grocery store. And the automatic 18% service charge just added insult to injury...mind you it was only 2 of us. Definitely WOULD NOT recommend nor will I be coming back.
So we ordered tofu teriyaki, they proceeded to give us two packages of just tofu. No sauce. Their menu clearly states tofu teriyaki comes with rice, soup, and salad. As well as teriyaki sauce. We literally just got hunks of dry tofu. No seasoning. Nothing else. When we brought this up they were initially incredibly rude. They had to check their own menu to understand what was missing. Never in my entire life have I had something so wild happen. Save your money, go elsewhere. It’s Alexandria you’ve got options!!
Don't ever give restaurant gift certificates as presents. Sucks that the new owners did not even seem sympathetic.
Parvana is sooooo rude omg. She's a manager? Mind blown, I came here to check it out and she was the host and didn't even stop texting whoever was in the phone. I decided not to eat there and left. As if one star based on the service. I'm sure the food is great but I will never know. The vibe is off in there. They don't believe in god in there. The blood of Jesus. The blood Jesus. The blood of Jesus. I rebuke this place in the name of jesus. Amen.
Restaurantji Recommends
I love this place! Great food and drinks. The bartender Amanda is impeccable. This is a great place to go to for lunch, dinner, and happy hour. The ambiance has a great vibe as well. Hibachi Dinners
I went for hibachi dinner. I have been craving hibachi for a while and it did NOT scratch my itch. The food was not good, the fried rice was bland. If it wasn't for the yum yum and ginger sauce to give it flavor I would have gave it back. The server didn't take orders correctly so when the chef came out to cook he was missing a lot of food. Also, BEWARE, the place is not sanitary. A worker from the back decided not to wash her hands after using the bathroom. If she was bold enough to not wash her hands while I'm in the bathroom I can only image what they doing in the back ???♀️
First, my meal was absolutely delicious. My steak was cooked to perfection and the peanut dressing was amazing. This review is mainly to share my experience with one chef and the staff. Due to it not being super busy in the restaurant my group waited about 15-20 minutes until our orders were taken. I believe that to be due to wanting to get a full table before starting (understandable). Our first chef was incredibly rude. A young lady asked him to clean up the sauces he overfilled in the container and he got an attitude and just put a napkin under the spillage. She then went to get a waiter to let them know. After that we were given a new chef who was AMAZING! He was entertaining, cheerful and mainly courteous to another couple who sat with us. One person in the couple had a gluten allergy and he ensured she had the right ingredients in her meal. It was so sweet. The restaurant overall was nice and I'd return if I were in the Alexandria area. The other staff members were on it with attentiveness to our needs for the rest of the night.
Atrocious customer service. We waited for over an hour for our food and it turns out the waitress never put the order in. She never came back to check on us the entire time we were there. Only reason I am giving two stars is because the hibachi chef was great - very fun and attentive. We would have been waiting longer if he didn't check on our food for us. We ended up leaving without our food. We had to demand a discount for the inconvenience. Neither the wait staff nor the manager ever apologized.
I should have read these reviews before going here. We were happy Sumo customers, but this new management ruined this restaurant. The prices are high for even Old Town; service is slow, it took 40 minutes to get an incorrect drink order and an hour for one sushi roll; food was cold; hibachi chef was disinterested and unenthusiastic; took 20 minutes after handing them our credit card for them to return the bill - with an automatic 18% gratuity. Don't waste your time or money here.