Tokyo Japanese Steak House and Sushi Bar

As soon as we walked in (a Saturday afternoon), we were not greeted by a host/​hostess, but rather assaulted by a myriad of SIGNS (Groupon/​Living social rules & Automatic 18% tip for anyone Groupon/​Living Social… blah blah blah)
Strictly speaking about the HIBACHI, because that’s what my group had… two words come to mind: TERRIBLY GREASY! We both had chicken and it was over cooked and tough. EVERYTHING was so GREASY that we could SEE THE GREASE coating our plates, left with the taste of grease in our mouths, and it actually felt like grease was coating the inside of our mouths & lips. I can’t speak of the other food, but this is, by far, the worst hibachi we’ve had.
I also have to 2^nd the comment about a foul odor emanating from the bathroom… the Hibachi grills are on the side where the bathrooms are located and we were at the grill nearest the bathroom, I thought it smelled like sewer.
The Hibachi was over-​priced, mainly because the cuisine is disappointing, the ambiance of the restaurant is not that of a fine dining establishment… heck, there are chain Hibachi places that are MUCH better. I’m guessing the higher prices are to compensate for the Groupon/​Living Social vouchers.
We both agreed that Tokyo Japanese Steak House and Sushi Bar would not get another visit from us. Life is too short to eat terrible Hibachi!

This place is horrible. .The service is lousy. The place is not clean by any means and surprised that the health department had not closed them down.. yes the groupon, does not explain that the hibachi grill is not included and you have to sit at a table. But that was not a issue at all.. .it was horrible
groupon gave me my money back

I agree with just about everyone… in some ways this place is great. In other ways, it’s not.
The food is great and there is plenty of it. I enjoyed the show, the socialization, etc. The service was decent as well. Not great, not horrible, but decent. I certainly know my kids loved it all.
However, there is certainly confusion regarding how the Groupon is to be used (so read the fine print). There was also a bit of a odor from the bathrooms that was far from pleasant. But my biggest complain — being that I had a pair of 4-​yr old twins — was the wait. Even though we had 4 adults and 2 kids with a reservation, they chose to wait for additional customers before taking our order and bringing out the chef.
Oh. And it was pretty cold inside.
Still, the food and the experience win out. I will go back again. The price is right, the food is good, and the experience was great. (They really just need to fix the crapper and turn up the heat…)

I read a lot of reviews and was incredibly shocked. I head to this place for the lunch specials often enough and have found it nice enough to bring family in and give them the great food there. I saw them on Groupon and noticed the low review and do remember a little about seeing a sign up about Groupon. I’ve not had the Hibachi there but I liked the sushi and noodles. The Asian Harbor down the street has unbelievable sushi and the décor is amazing but you pay for it. I’ve found this place comfortable and friendly each of the 5 times I’ve visited thus far.
I can understand how people would be mad at the tip thing from Groupon though.

Eating here reminded me of an episode of the show «Hotel Impossible» on the Travel Channel in which the host was angry at the management of one motel he visited because they posted signs everywhere that he thought were «screaming at the customers.» I wouldn’t go that far here because everything was at least politely asking me not do certain actions by saying please and thank you…
Exhibit #1–
As soon as my husband and I walk into the restaurant, we see signs that list restrictions on the Groupon he just bought for the place. We couldn’t use it on the Lunch Specials or Sushi. We couldn’t use more than one on one bill.
Exhibit #2–
I was admiring the indoor «koi» (AKA goldfish) pond near the hostess stand when I noticed another sign warning me not to drop coins because the rust will hurt the fish.
Exhibit #3–
Before sitting down to our meal, I made a bee-​line to the bathroom. And I am greeted with yet another sign telling me not to flush paper down the toilet because the plumbing is sensitive.
Exhibit #4–
As my husband and I began ordering our Seafood Special hibachi combo to share, our server/​host said that we also couldn’t share entrees on the Groupon. OK… we were hungry and we already committed ourselves to getting rid of this Groupon, so we bit our tongues and ordered another smaller calamari entrée in addition to the special.
As for the food quality, it was decently fresh and of a large portion size but lacked a bit of finesse. The hibachi entrees included mushroom soup (not miso!) in what tasted like a beef broth; house salad (which had wet lettuce from being just washed) in a ginger dressing; stir-​fried veggies (my fav out of everything because of the bean sprouts); your choice of noodles (went with this but was sorely disappointed to get chow mein instead of wide udon), fried rice or steamed rice; and your choice of generic American ice cream (strawberry or chocolate) or sherbet (ie. Rainbow). The seafood included shrimp, lobster, scallops and calamari that all looked fresh but were a tad tough/​rubbery after cooking.
What made the meal most enjoyable was, of course, the bit of entertainment that comes with hibachi cooking (ie. fiery onion volcano!) and meeting new people at the communal tables (ie. a pair of mothers playing hooky for the day).
Final verdict–
Hubby bought the Groupon because it was conveniently close to his office but he didn’t look at the Unilocal reviews beforehand. Lesson learned: Check the reviews before buying.

The food was just o.k.. Went on a Friday nite the place was just about empty. So why did it take so long to be seated. We had a groupon and they didn’t seem know the protocall. At times our server was a bit rude. My husband ordered an appitizer and after quite some time inqured about it. The server replied «I didn’t put it in because you seem a little confused» Will not be returning.

The food was excellent! Our group had every single hibachi item: steak, chicken, shrimp, scallops, calamari and lobster. All were fresh and tasty. The steak was super tender! Granted there was a bit of a wait for our chef to make it around to our table, but with soup, salad, and conversation it was ok. We had a birthday boy who received a free fried banana with a birthday candle. It was a very nice evening for the family!

I am a Hibachi Addict. I regularly go to Benihana, Hamada, & Fuji Japanese Steakhouse. I live in Chicago and prefer to go out in the suburbs because I think the service is usually better. When I saw a Groupon for Hibachi food, at Tokyo Japanses Steakhouse in Homewood I was ecstatic. And they did not disappoint! The place was honestly the BEST experience I have ever had at a Hibachi restaurant. My boyfriend agrees.
Once you enter, you are greeted with smiling faces, and people who care about the work they do. The energy reminds me of the service at that one nurturing family members home, where they make you feel welcome and comfortable enough to stuff yourself. The people who took care of us were amazing. Alex (our server), Chris (the busboy) and our Cook Raul. Alex was super accomodating and kind to us. He was quick and efficient. His personality was refreshing. Chris was great at checking on us and clearing dishes, getting water. He was also very polite and cheerful. Our cook was so talented at what he did. He also was hilarious and kept us highly entertained.
Not to mention, the food was seriously THE BEST Hibachi I have EVER tasted. The way he seasoned and cooked it, I swear it melted in my mouth. I am still thinking about it this morning, and wish I had saved leftovers so I can eat it for breakfast too. I ate it ALL last night because it was sooo good, I couldn’t believe I had finished it all. I am going back every weekend.

Came here for hibachi. The worse ever!!! No seasoning, and everything was drinched in butter. A waste of money. The only high point was the ice cream.

I purchased a Groupon for 4 adults and upon arrival there were postings stating Groupon users have given them problems tipping so you will be charged 18% gratuity automatically! The standard going rate is 15% and more if you so choose! Safe to say the Chef was great but the soda was flat. Food was good but the prices were clearly overpriced for the small portions served! We WILL NOT PATRONIZE THIS ESTABLISHMENT AGAIN!

Bought a Groupon a while back, and since it’s about to expire, I decided to finally venture over and try it out.
I went on Friday, at around 8. The place wasn’t crowded, and because it was such a hot day we decided against the hibachi side of the place.
The other half of has a bar and a few tables, but they could have easily fit more tables (I never thought I would say that about anywhere).
So my main dislike about the place was that every item on the menu was clearly more expensive than it should have been (probably because of the groupon?)
Everything was good though! Loved the spicy salmon sushi!
Our server was friendly and attentive.
I’ll be back.

Don’t buy a groupon from this restaurant. I received one as a gift and it was for 4 people. I made reservations as the groupon stated for 3 adults and one child. When you arrive at the restaurant there are so many signs about using a groupon. None of these things are stated in the fine print of the groupon. A child must order an adult entrée. There is also an 18% gratuity for using a groupon. When you ask to talk to a manager she says oh I just work here. Yeah I get that. My problem in a nut shell is maybe if you added all this to the fine print before someone bought it people won’t buy them. I will not be going back and due to the lack of customers I’m thinking no one else is either.

I’ve experienced Tokyo twice. The first time was in February for the Hibachi. That would have warranted two-​stars. The restaurant was cold. We had an 8:00 reservation and were seated and the chef did not come until about 8:45. I was given soup without asking my preference and it was gross (miso is better, according to my friend who had it on the second visit). The chef cooked my scallops and gave it to someone else who happily ate them, although she had not ordered them. My scallops had to be recooked. Oh and it was very cold inside, we put our coats on. I had a groupon, which they had collected when I entered, then all of sudden didn’t remember if they had it or not. I had to literally go to my car in February, because my wifi didn’t work in the restaurant, download a groupon app and show them my groupon and he had my paper groupon the whole time stating he needed to verify that I was the person they had taken it from! So if I didn’t have my smart phone they just would have kept my groupon, and not let me use it? And it was not as if they were so busy that they would have forgotten who gave it to them.
The second time we went to the restaurant side… there were no groupon issues, however the staff is unaware of what is in the food. I had shumai, which tasted as if tuna were in it and noone could tell me what was in it beside the shrimp. The food was good, the service is lacking and the staff should be more professional.

Just got back from Japan and the food here was very tasty and the chef was more entertaining then most teppanyaki chefs. Way too much food! I know that should be a good thing (doggy bag) but the temptation was to overeat on the salad and fried rice before the main courses came out. Only other comment… you can do wonderful things on that griddle, like okonomiyaki, buta-​kimchi, conyaku, yakisoba. Man, if Homewood had okonomiyaki, that would be out of this world. I’d go back to this place anyway though, my wife totally ate the heck out of the tuna roll, and everyone from my children to their grandparents was happy.

Visited last night with my sister for her birthday. We opted for the Habachi meal and were happy with the outcome. Food was plentiful and very good. Also, the service was very good. I would visit again.

Were do I even start? Everything and I mean EVERYTHING is wrong with that place.
We bought a voucher on Livingsocial and we were super excited to try this restaurant. Location is great, food sounds great. Sign us up.
First of all, as you walk in, they have a sign stating that they will be charging 18% gratuity on any vouchers purchased through Groupon. Nothing was mentioned about Livingsocial. When we asked, yeap, we’ll be charging 18%. We have no problem overtipping, but when we receive inadequate service, we won’t tip as much.
Service was ridiculous. Before we even completed ordering, waitress walks off without saying anything. We had to call her back, so we can complete out order.
Plates are plastic. Enough said.
We ordered 2 rolls which were served on the same plate. Enough said.
Rolls sucked.
Service sucked.
Place smelled really bad.
Place was VERY COLD. We had to eat with our coats on.
Owner was borderline rude.
Will be come back? Nope, no way. Will we tell everyone we know how much it sucked? You betcha!
Can I give it zero stars? I wish I could.

I visited this place with my girlfriend after I bought a Groupon. We tried the Hibachi dinner and were both very satisfied with our meals. The food was tasty, the chef was entertaining (I just can’t get enough of that onion ring volcano), and the staff was extraordinarily attentive and accommodating. I haven’t tried their sushi yet but I can certainly vouch for the hibachi dinner.

TokyO No You Didn’t! TokyOMG! TokyNo Thanks! TokyNoNo
We went here with a Groupon for lunch and were disappointed with the sushi, sashimi, friend calamari (which resembled onion rings) and watery salad dressing. They imposed an automatic 18% gratuity for Groupon use. I understand why tips weren’t being left.

I sure hope this place succeeds because they put a ton of money into making this a hibachi restaurant. The décor is really well done.
My goddaughter and I came here and enjoyed hibachi steak dinners. Our chef covered all the standard Beni Hana-​y jokes (Japanese egg roll, volcano, etc) and the food was pretty good.
All of the service people were smiley and attentive. I can’t wait to go back and try the sushi next time.

It will get better