Hibachi 97 Japanese Steak House

We’ve been coming here 10 years. Nearly every birthday or significant family celebration for the past several years has been had at this location.
We stayed through the ownership change. We stayed as the facility continued to deteriorate. The food has always been worth coming for.
Unfortunately tonight might have been our last time however. Two chefs, two new people that we hadn’t seen before, and one person clearing tables. We sat for 30 minutes (exactly) and still had not received anything to drink, let alone had our order taken. The family (of three) next to us got up & walked. We (family of 5) followed. Unfortunate since we were there to celebrate a family birthday.
They won’t last long losing tickets like that. Sad.

DISAPPOINTING. Went for lunch and my husband and I were the only 2 in there for quite a while. So, you think we’d get served quickly. Nope. When we got served, the portions were very small, no «show» like other hibachi places, and the chicken was beyond dry. Prices were too high for the quality and portion size. $ 3 for fried rice for lunch? Uh, no. The cook barely said 2 words to us. The décor was drab. We should have decided to go elsewhere.

I am so glad I didn’t listen to previous reviews on this place. The food was amazing! Second best Hibachi place I’ve ever had. The only reason I didn’t give this location a 5 is because the décor definatley suffers and is in desperate need of an update. The cook we had was very polite but not very interactive. However my wife and I were the only 2 at our table so he didn’t really need to put on a show. I could tell though the other cooks were very energetic and put on a good show. We had the #5 which is teriyaki chicken with fried rice and it was so good. The ginger sauce they put in front of you was also amazing, we weren’t a fan of the mustard sauce but we don’t like it elsewhere either. Please don’t avoid this place because of prior reviews. Yes the décor lacks terribly but the food won’t disappoint.

Honestly, I couldn’t believe the reviews this place has when I first saw them. This is a family favorite and we have been coming here for birthday celebrations and special events since we moved to Arlington, more than 10 years ago. Yes, the restaurant isn’t asthetically pleasing and somewhat outdated but the food, the most important thing at a restaurant, does not disappoint. I have never felt nauseated after eating here, like some of the other reviews mentioned, and I have dined here dozens of times! Also, Hibachi 97 is the best place in Arlington, and maybe even Tarrant County, to get hibachi. I have been invited to dinners at other hibachi places, but no other restaurant has met the service and food quality of Hibachi 97. Overall, Hibachi 97 has always been a go-​to birthday dinner resort for our family, and has never disappointed us. For your first time I would order something simple and I’m sure you will be pleased. If you are considering avoiding this restaurant because of a couple bad reviews, I ask you to look at the profiles of the people who wrote them and you will see that this is not the only restaurant they tore up. I am putting so much effort into writing a good review because Hibachi 97 has a special place in my heart and the heart of many other Arlington citizens. It has been in Lincoln Square for so long it seems it is an essential, and I can’t imagine North Arlington without it.

I give 2 stars only because they were nice. On a friday night they couldnt even fill a whole table. Several signs why I shouldn’t of ate there. Food was nasty. The soup tasted like beef stock. The salad had a ginger sauce with a weird texture and reminded me of bbq sauce. Frozen style bagged vegetables like from a grocery store. the previous comment about the shrimp was correct, sour and tasted like a freezer bag. Nothing was good. Do yourself a favor and go to panda express or something and save the money.

This place is beyond nasty! The shrimp smelled sour! I was nauseous after! They charged way too much! These were almost Benihana prices for dumpster trash food! I will not be returning! You should not waste your money!

This place has been around for a while. Food was ok, but could use some major updates in the restaurant & some more showmanship from the chefs. I mean, you go for a show & there just isn’t one there like other hibachi restaurants.

Our family had a great experience here. The wait staff and cook were very kind and hard working. The food was delicious.

First time here, price is reasonable and friendly place. The environment does need a little upgrade. I order the fried rice and the price is around $ 7 which is great and I was pretty surprise for a Japanese restaurant. Chef gave us a great show would recommend to come visit.

Good food just different cause all the veggies cooked at different stages of the meal .
No showmanship like other Hibachi
The restraunt could use new carpet and paint on the walls …

Under new owners. Went on Valentine’s Day And Place was packed. We had reservations and were seated in a prompt time.
The experience and food was excellent. The filet mignon was mouth watering. The staff was very polite and I will definitely go again! Great prices for the amount of food you receive too!

The best thing I consumed at this restaurant was the small mint on the way out the door. My wife and I decided to give this little place a try after driving by it several times over the last several years. We were looking for a tasty hibachi place near home and unfortunately our quest to find one must continue.
The food is terrible. I know that sounds generic but really it wasn’t really even edible. You start off with a soup which basically tastes like burnt beef stock and rancid mushrooms. The house salad comes with ginger dressing that slightly resembles the texture of children’s toothpaste. I asked for a medium rare steak, which they translated as well done. I knew there was something wrong when it was the first protein on the flat top. The secret ingredient at this establishment is salt which is generously poured upon everything they cook.
If you have ever eaten hibachi anywhere this will be a disappointment. If you haven’t eaten hibachi, this place will turn you away forever.
The only benefit is that it’s very kid friendly and there is practically no wait to be seated.

WEEEE Fire! It was good, nothing outstanding, nothing bad. Parking sucks. that’s my only complaint.

So much food, it’s a great value.
Could the place use upgrades? Yes, however the food was great.
It was also a great way for my 5 year old granddaughter to try new foods. She enjoyed the show and as the chef placed food on her plate, she tried them. It was also her 1^st attempt with chop sticks. And she is a pro!!!

The quality has gone down – way, way down. My soup was bland. My shrimp and chicken were over cooked. When did they start putting corn in the fried rice? Weird.
And, the bill for two people was a whopping $ 43. Not worth it at all. Plus, it wasn’t easy on my stomach ;-/

#15 was great! steak & shrimp
always outstanding!

I have to say I love this place. Its so quiet and cozy inside, hard to find in a restaurant now a days. The people that work there are kind and nice, and to top it off they have GREAT food.

Used to be good but has gone downhill. Food was mediocre and they charge $ 3 for fried rice that is not special. Restrooms were difficult to get into because they use the small hallway to store chairs and highchairs. But worse was the restroom needed a good scrubbing!

My wife and I visited Hibachi 97 on Thursday, July 19^th around 6:30pm. We printed out the Buy One Adult Entry, Get One Adult Entrée of equal or Less FREE Coupon that Hibachi 97 offers on their website. Very, very good deal!
We ordered edamame and an order of sushi tuna roll as appetizers. The edamame was good to mediocre and the sushi was sub par. Besides these 2 food items and the temperature of the restaurant, our visit was excellent!
For dinner we ordered #18 (Filet Mignon & Shrimp) and #17 (Chicken & Filet Mignon). Our meals came with a house soup, which was very flavorful, and a house salad, which was excellent and the dressing very good! A family of 5 sat with us at the hibachi table and this was their first time at a hibachi restaurant, which added to our enjoyment of the meal! The hibachi cook came out and prepared our meal! The fried rice was super excellent and the appetizer shrimp, which came with our meal, were super tasty. Our filets and chicken and shrimp were cooked to order and made to perfection!
Our evening out at Hibachi 97 was EXCELLENT and ENJOYABLE! The Hibachi Chef was personable and entertaining and knew what he was doing! Our meal came up to $ 45.00 with tip! Very reasonable! My only suggestion to the owner would be to invest in a new, more powerful air conditioning system! PLEASE! I highly recommend this restaurant to my fellow foodies!

First the positives. I was there with my lovely niece celebrating, Happy Birthday young lady, you are growing up to be such a fine person. Now on to the food.
I ordered the Steak Terriyaki and a hot sake. The sake was potable and next up was some kind of «soup» which really was a bowl with broth, three thinly sliced mushrooms, and like five thinly sliced chives. The flavor was not great at all, and had a hint of bad tasting water underneath it all.
Next up was a salad, which was actually not horrible. Basically, some fresh iceberg lettuce and a soy/​sesame type dressing. It was edible. The it was on with the show.
The show consisted of a Hispanic gentleman whipping up some fried rice by flinging it all over the place. The nice couple next to us actually referred to it as «flying rice». You get the idea. Then it was the meat etc.
I won’t bore you with the details, but everything was lacking in flavor, the beef was like shoe leather, and the way they distributed the portions was odd at best. Finally, the prices were extremely high for a poor quality meal, hell even for a good quality meal. The ambiance looked as if they hadn’t changed it since 97 either.
I’m so glad I was with family, or I might have thrown myself on the Hibachi grill to end it all right there and then.