This was your normal hibachi steakhouse. Decent food, nice proportions. The sushi was fresh and was yummy! The Hulk and Mexican rolls were our favorite. It was awkwardly silent in the restaurant though. They needed music playing or something to buffer the awkward conversation of the strangers that you're forced to eat with. read more

This is one of the best Asian restaurants in town! The prices are a little higher than most places in Bloomington but the atmosphere is nicer too. The only negative is that sometimes the veggies are much larger than bite size and they don't provide knives. The overall quality is consistently high. It would be nice if they offered specials... I love trying new things. A discount is a good incentive. read more

This place was pretty good! We had sushi rolls - winter and pink lady. I would eat here more often if it was more affordable :)

I think a lot of people have a misconception of this place. You know you are eating authentically when there is a side menu at the restaurant that is in a language other than English (AND they don't even care to translate it). Yes, I do feel it's more Chinese/ Taiwanese based than Japanese but it's very delicious. They do serve sushi so you can order from the Japanese section of their menu too. But fortunately my family has exposed me to many eateries and I can read pictures pretty well. I always ask for the waiters' favorite dishes because hopefully they know best. I've never been steered wrongly! The Taiwanese Braised Beef noodle soup with ramen noodles are hands down the best. It was recommended every time and each time I try it with a different type of noodles but I found I like the ramen noodles combination the best. The broth is spicy but the flavor makes you come back for more. I can each this soup once a week, it's THAT good! It's comparable to the Vietnamese Bun Bo Hue (Hue Beef noodle soup NOT PHO). The food for that price is such a steal! Although, some employees speak very little English, I love that they are willing to try and have the courage to use it without embarrassment. English is a tough language to master even native speakers are not always grammatically correct with all the exceptions to every rule. But the workers here would work with you to figure out what you want to eat. Give them a try or another try!!! read more

If giving no stars was an option I would choose it. I recently went to this Restaurant on a Saturday after some self care and the entire staff was racist. They are clearly not accustomed to other people of color particularly black people. They all stared at me as if was about to commit a heinous crime. It didn't make sense as I presented myself well dressed in a jumpsuit and denim jacket. Everyone in the place was API and they all just stared and started to speak on their native tongue in a very clearly malicious manner. One man even made his son switch seats with him just so he could have a better view to gawk. I literally did nothing but order a meal. I never tried this place and wanted to give it a chance. It was the absolutely worst experience I've ever had, and I will never ever go back. They truly are awful. read more

Ordered uber eats from this place and the food was decent (I got hibachi chicken). However, I had ordered extra ginger, mustard, and yum yum sauce but they only gave extra yum yum sauce. I went in to ask for more ginger and mustard sauce and the hostess working was incredibly rude. She first didn't believe me and double checked my order (which was fine), but then she proceeded to argue with me and say she did give extra (which she did not). Eventually she gave in and went in to the kitchen to get more but when she came out she placed them on the stand and did not even look at me, and to make things worse, she had only given me one tiny to-go container not even halfway filled for each sauce, ridiculous. How can one be so petty about sauces? Honestly the food wasn't even that great to go back, especially if the hostess will be rude and unwelcoming. read more

Asuka - The two sauces she gave me. - Japanese Near Me - Bloomington, Indiana

Asuka was a "just alright" hibachi grill experience for me. The first warning sign was that there was nobody in the restaurant when my friend and I arrived. We figured this was no big deal since we came at an odd hour between lunch and dinner (~4:00). The actual hibachi experience was.... Weird? The chef dropped his spatulas while performing tricks. Personally I could have entirely done without the "pizazz" but I understand a lot of people enjoy the tricks. However, maybe gauge your audience and end early if you only have two viewers The food was decent, albeit overpriced. I will say I went home with a second meal, a plus! I'm fairly certain the meat wasn't super fresh, but the fried rice was really delicious! Definitely recommend. Overall, I don't know if I'd recommend Asuka, however I wouldn't say no to going back and giving the place another shot during busier hours. read more

The food is good. But they want you to order real fast no time time to look at menu I can see if it was one page but it is not.///)))((((((!!!!!!+--( read more

This was my favorite restaurant since the early 2000's. I've celebrated birthdays and been here since it was in a different location. Literally thousands of visits and dollars spent over the years. However since the owner sold and new owners took over, it's been a different place. One by one the hibachi cooks left, and employees changed. It makes it unrecognizable. Our last trip may be our final. The lobster was so salty we couldn't eat it, the noodles without seasoning and flavor, the meat was prepared in an edible manner but it was such a let down from the years of excellent taste we have enjoyed. I write this incredibly sad for the loss. I would eat here many times a month. I'm so, so sad it's just not good anymore unless you are someone who smothers everything with yummy sauce, and that's the only taste you need, that may be ok still. I'm beyond disappointed. The sushi has remained well, as the sushi chef is quite good, but the hibachi experience has been ruined for me. I gave 3 stars for this reason. 6 or 8 months ago would have been 5 + stars. Bloomington has lost a great resturant. read more

The owner is an asshole, and I distinctly remember him from my college days when he ran the former Noodle Town restaurant next door. The hibachi experience at Asuka leaves much to be desired. The last two times I've eaten at the hibachi tables here the chefs performed ZERO tricks or acts of entertainment of any kind. The chef had the food on the grill before we had received our beer or soup. The alleged "miso" soup (actually it was beef broth) and house salads came out at the same time. The fried rice was dished onto our plates before any of us had finished either our soup or salad. My girlfriend and I each ordered steak, and we each ordered it rare. When the chef put a steak on the grill before we had finished our soup, I told him to slow down and take it off if it was for us. We had just received our soup and salads and we had an appetizer of sushi still on the way. And here was the chef who had already cooked and served us our fried rice and vegetables and was about to cook our steak while we were still working on our soup and salad. What's the rush?! I reminded the chef and the creepy owner who was standing near the table that we just wanted to finish our soup and salad and that we hadn't even gotten our sushi. By this time we had been in the restaurant for about 12 minutes, and the meal was already half-way over. It was like a military exercise. The sushi came out and the chef eventually asked if he could cook our steaks. It had been about 15 minutes since we walked in the door, but how do you ask for more time when the chef is standing there, spatula in hand, waiting for you to give the nod of approval, and the other couple is quietly and timidly accepting their hurried rations? The steaks we ordered rare came medium-well even though I asked him to removed them from the grill more than once, but to no avail. He squirted a teriyaki molasses all over my girlfriend's steak, which I luckily had time to prevent him from doing to mine. Watch out for that. We were in and out of the place in 30 minutes! The same thing happened last time I ate there too. Not a pleasant way to spend $35. Poor service, no hibachi-style cooking tricks, and the feeling that you're not welcome. I'll take my business elsewhere. read more

While Asuka calls itself a Japanese restaurant, it is an Americanized Chinese restaurant which prides itself on quantity over quality. Service was great-responsive and polite, but our maki was mostly rice, all tasted the same, and was more than we could eat (even if it was tasty enough to overindulge in). Miso soup was forgettable (i've made better from a dry mix from the grocery store) and the salad was iceberg lettuce with bland dressing. Despite having more food than we could eat, we didn't request a to-go box, the food wasn't worth taking home. Ambiance was as you would expect from a Chinese take-out place - sticky booths in a strip mall. read more

Asuka - Asuka/Noodle Town- tries too hard to provide all of the cuisine of Asia - Japanese Near Me - Bloomington, Indiana

Owner is creepy and tends to be rude. Sushi is wildly inconsistent, when I was going there for sushi. Teryaki chicken and Hibachi were always great. read more

I can't believe this place hasn't gotten a health code violation. Last two times I've eaten there have been a completely disaster, the first time we ordered delivery. I got two rolls and a salad, when my order came the salad was COMPLETELY rotten! There was tons of mold growing on the inside. Needless to say I didn't eat any of the rest of the meal. After calling them, they explained that they get their salads prepackaged and that sometimes things like that happen... WTF? On top of that the manager/owner didn't even offer to refund my order and just offered me $5 off my next meal. Our next visit was equally as bad, a couple of friends convinced me to go back and try out their sushi again. This time, I noticed when we got our rolls that the avocado inside was almost completely brown. I was really hungry and decided just to take the chance. Aside from being completely flavorless, you can definitely tell that the fish wasn't the least bit fresh. A couple of hours later all of us felt really sick. Definitely never going back. read more

I've never seen the hype around Asuka. The first time I went I left highly unimpressed and dissatisfied. The second time I went was because I lost via majority vote to friends. And guess what? I left unimpressed and dissatisfied. The sashimi isn't all that fresh and the sushi is tasteless. They basically smother all their sushi with sauces to mask the tastelessness of whatever you order. I've been spoiled by sushi from California and Chicago, so this review might seem unfair. But after eating at mikado, sushi bar, and aim I can honestly say those places are way better then asuka and as close to big city sushi as you are going to get in Bloomington. read more

The food has always been good in my experience. The staff is friendly but there are (at times) communication issues since they don't dominate English as well as you would hope. The owner is a little creepy and the atmosphere can be a bit a strange (uncomfortably quiet - like a scene in a movie where something is about to take place). They are very fast. Your order will be brought in probably less than 10 minutes. It's been a very long time since I've sat in Hibachi room so I can't comment on that. In general I would recommend it. The food is good. However, if you're not ready for possible communication gaps I'd skip it. read more

Would love to give this place 0 stars but can't. Ordered delivery last night and there was just a variety of issues. They gave me the wrong roll, no sides of spicy mayo that I requested, and wait for it....A HUGE BONE WAS IN MY SUSHI! Called to complain and all they had was an attitude and hung up on me. Terrible customer service. Would love to see a place like this go out of business with all of the attitude their staff has. Obviously don't know how to run a business. read more

Reviewers of this place are way too critical. Asuka is good and reasonable. We go here for sushi all the time!

Very happy with dinner herein a Wednesday night. We had beef teriyaki, roast duck with udon noodle, roast pork with ramen noodle, General Gao's chicken and fried dumplings.they have an intimidating menu (very long), so the waitress was helpful in pointing to appropriate dishes. A couple of points for improvement- I would ordered more beer if the waitress had stopped in earlier and the dumplings (an appetizer) did not arrive before most of us were served our order. But the food was delicious (I am from San Diego were there is plenty of good Asian food, and this restaurant is just as good.) read more

I'd like to give them two stars because you can get some fairly decent appetizers from Noodle Town (the attached and much better non-hibachi restaurant) before the Main Event. Luckily i can just review them separately. This frees me up to give Asuka the bashing it deserves. Holy crap, this place sucks. Four huge hibachi tables with the approximate atmosphere of an International Market, but without the interesting food options of said markets. So you have to wait for a twelve person table to fill up before you get food. Hibachi is supposed to be fun. This hibachi is more sad. Low quality ingredients soaked in soy sauce and salt and overcooked to the point of rubberiness. It's relatively cheap, and it's not like Bloomington hibachi is chock full of great options. But honestly, save a few bucks, go buy yourself a steak, and grill it yourself. You'll be way happier, even if you've never cooked before. read more

We've been to Asuka before and always had a great time before with sushi and entrees, so we were incredibly disappointed by our experience last Friday. We went for hibachi - our four-year-old's favorite - and there was an issue because the meal came with shrimp, which was not written on the menu at all, and there were shellfish allergies at our table. When we tried to explain this to the hibachi chef, he just moved them over on the grill. As someone in the food industry who is ServSafe certified myself, I know what are and are not appropriate allergy-safe protocols and this chef did not seem to know any of them. When I tried to explain to him what he needed to do, there were some communication issues because of language barriers, which is completely fine. However, to deal with it we were suddenly surrounded by like four or five people - a collection of servers and I think maybe managers or owners based on their clothes - who were half speaking to us in English and half shouting over each other in their native language - which made it both difficult to follow what was going on and also brought a lot of attention to our table, which became embarrassing for us. Eventually, it was determined that my husband - who does not have any allergies - could eat what was prepared on the table, and they would prepare dishes in the back for my son and myself that would be allergy safe. At this point, after everyone left, the hibachi chef threw a little temper tantrum, sliding much of the food off the grill onto a tray and tossing it onto his cart. He finished cooking the food without doing any of the usual hibachi tricks left at that point, scooping the food onto my husband's plate, and then moving onto the next table quickly, where we saw him performing all of the usual tricks. My son, who picked this restaurant specifically because he wanted to go to hibachi for dinner as his special treat, was completely heartbroken watching all the other tables get the full hibachi experience that he was denied simply because a frustrated chef let his personal feelings affect his professional behavior. On the way out one of the hostesses made a point to call out to me in front of the whole front-of-house while my son was admiring the fish tank, telling me that I should make a point to tell them about the shellfish allergy in advance next time. When I told her I couldn't because the menu did not mention the shrimp, she told me I was wrong and grabbed I menu. I read the menu to her, showing everything it listed, which did not include shrimp. She immediately pulled it away from me, said, "Oh, well, this menu is wrong," and then hurried away to tell her manager. Not only did they demonstrate a disregard for food safety through both their improperly trained chef and the inattention paid to their menu, but the way that they handled the situation left us embarrassed and ultimately, denied our family the very specific food experience we came to get. In one bad service, this restaurant went from a place we have enjoyed visiting multiple times with friends and family, to a place we will never go to again. Incredibly disappointing. read more

For the reviews below 3 star, your expectations are wrong. This is a typical American-chinese restaurant, NOT a Japanese Hibachi place. Been there a few times. Nothing went wrong with the usual American-chinese dish, General Tso's chicken, Pepper steak, Beef & Broccoli and etc. The food, price and services are just as I expected from a place like this. Never tried the Hibachi, because I know this is not a Hibachi by just looking at the setup. One more tip: don't order off the menu. They charge ridiculous price if it is not on the menu. read more

The worst steak hibachi I've ever had. Wish I could get a refund. Could barely eat two bites. Threw it out!

This is probably the worst Asian Mix Restaurant in Bloomington. The food is like trash and doesn't like any Asian style. It's just some random guy hired from HK and made those dishes. Totally not Real Asian food, even American-Asian food. read more

Asuka - 卤肉饭....... 猪油肉馅饭吧 - Japanese Near Me - Bloomington, Indiana

Originally went for hibachi, but went with sushi and traditional last minute. I'm a huge fan of Japanese food and have a hard time picking what to order. I asked the waiter (who did a nice job throughout the meal) to pick his favorite sushi roll and whether I should go teriyaki or tempura. He suggested the godzilla roll and tempura-of which I went shrimp. The entrees come with a salad and soup. They come out quickly and both are delicious. Be careful not to burn your mouth, the soup is hot! Which is ok, better than being cold. The sushi and tempura were decent. Not the best I've had, but not bad. The sushi had a nice crunch and good overall flavor. I felt like the tempura could have been crunchier, so I ended up peeling the tempura off. It did come with a nice dipping sauce, however. Overall, the place was a little better than ok, but nothing to get excited about. The service and atmosphere were good enough that I hope to get back and try hibachi. read more

After seeing a lot of negative reviews, I was really surprised by how good the food was. I went for lunch with a large group of friends, so we didn't have to wait at all. The service was good and we ordered quickly and the food started coming quickly. You get a bowl of soup, a salad, vegetables, fried rice, and an entre for about $13 at lunch, which is a lot of food. If you are starving around lunch time and have aargh group of friends, I would give this a try. read more

I always really liked Asuka. I will still go there for the hibachi (only when they cook it in front of you). Two weeks ago my boyfriend and I went and got the hibachi but just ordered it at our private table. It was okay, but it wasn't nearly as good as when they cook it in front of you. The steak had a really weird after taste. We went back today for the lunch box special. We both got the chicken teriyaki. He always claims I'm extremely picky and when I ate the chicken I complained that it was extremely chewy, practically crunchy. I made him try it and he wouldn't finish the bite because it was that bad. He said his was really tender so I don't understand what happened to mine but I was very disappointed. read more

As someone who has lived in China for over 6 years, I must say eating at Asuka reminds me of my time back over there. If you are one of those people eager to taste authentic Chinese cuisine, well then you should definitely try Asuka. I've tried multiple Chinese restaurants in Bloomington during my three years here and I would rank Asuka in my top 3 Chinese restaurants in terms of taste and authenticity. The flavors of the dishes at Asuka are strong and impactful, I doubt any dishes there have a boring and plain taste to them. Asuka's menu is quite large because they offer a variety of dishes, while looking through the menu I saw many different types of noodles, rice, meats and vegetarian options. The way it is cooked it also something that differentiates menu items for each other, there were a number diverse ways the ingredients were cooked. In terms of price, Asuka is very reasonable with many of their dishes. While looking through the menu I noticed that a lot of their dishes don't exceed a double-digit price. This was nice for me because almost all of my money right now is going to tuition, books and rent, so having an authentic meal for a lower price was refreshing. Now you may think that a lower price means you receive less food or that the quality of the food isn't the best, but I assure you that not only do you receive enough food to satisfy your hunger, but the quality is also high. To me, Asuka tries to save their customers time. The waiters and waitresses don't try to make any small talk and they get straight to business. While some people may not like that, I appreciated it because when I go out to eat, I want to get my order in as quick as possible. The food also comes out to you extremely quick, I got the food I ordered in around 8 minutes. The hours are very consistent at Asuka, they go from 11AM to 10PM on weekdays. On weekends, they go to 11PM to give their customers an extra hour which is extremely helpful for college students during the weekends. After the first time, I ate at Asuka, I went to try and see how they were with takeout. I have to say the experience was also pleasant. The process was very simple and again the time it took to have the food ready to pick up was very short. The overall atmosphere of Asuka I would say is a cozy inclusive type. The place is not that big to the point where you feel overwhelmed, yet it is not that small, it's a pretty good size in my opinion. The lighting in Asuka helps it give that inclusive feel, because they dim the lights a bit so it is not that bright. There are two different seating options, you can choose a table or booth, which is something I enjoy. I give Asuka 5 stars because not only is the food good, but the service and atmosphere as well. Word count: 520 read more

Absolutely horrific manager! I placed an order through btownmenus and expected to recieve hibachi chicken, vegetables, steamed rice, and noodles (which I paid an extra $2 for). The delivery was quick (thanks BtownMenus), but the food was wrong. I recieved chicken, vegetables, and double the amount of fried rice. No steamed rice. No noodles. I called the store and let them know I had recieved the wrong order. The girl who answered the phone was delightful. Then, she went to speak to her manager about the situation. I could hear their conversation as she tried to explain to him what happened. All I could hear from him is about how he didnt charge me for the extra fried rice (THAT I DIDN'T ORDER) so he got on the phone with me and began yelling at ME about the charge when I explained multiple times I never ordered ANY fried rice to begin with. When he would not stop yelling at me about the order I hung up. Disgusting service. Won't be giving them any more money. read more

This is our favorite restaurant in town. What an awesome restaurant - great layout - very friendly to the customer. The food is great and affordable. The staff are fantastic. The owner is one of the nicest guys you will meet. This place is a must if you are in Bloomington. read more

When hubby wants a Panera fix, I go next door to Asuka, get take-out sashimi and we eat outside. Sashimi is always good (tuna/salmon), ample serving, and without noticeable striation. Occasionally there is a bit of communication confusion, but it is always worked out, service prompt, seaweed salad very fresh and a generous size. Keep in mind this is Bloomington, has a very large Asian population and there is perhaps not quite the incentive there may be in other areas for staff to spiff up the English...the frontline crew is the real deal. When in doubt, point! Service is prompt and friendly - quality food - not sure about hibachi area - did not notice the "show" one sees at some establishments. read more

Visited this place while on a retailer business trip. Would definetly come here again. Had the beef noodle soup and t was very tasty. The beef was very fresh. Also had the avacado eel sushi avacado was very fresh also. I enjoyed this food. Staff was very quick and friendly. Dont be fooled by the other reviews, try the place out for some very good chinese food and japense food as well! read more

Asuka will provide you with an event at the hibachi grill! What a show! Your reason for visiting their restaurant will be acknowledged by the hibachi master and he will size you up for your reasoning by throwing fake eggs and squirting drinks at you. The final product was a little on the oily side, but absolutely just so exciting to have hot flames of food in front of you. read more

I have to admit we are fans. Do not go there to impress anyone, the decor in the hibachi room is quite lacking, but go there for great hibachi grilled food. We have always had chefs that do tricks and we've been there at least 10 times. Granted, some do more than others. Our food has always been very consistent. LOTS of food for the money. Go hungry. Kids love it. read more

Damn it Asuka, you use to be my favorite. When the old dude was making the sushi it was amazing, even if the wait staff got our order wrong half the time. Over the course of last year everytime we went in it got worse and worse, our server would get our orders completely wrong or they would dissapear and we'd never get refills or sometimes be missing some of our food. Last two times we went ruined it all for me completely. Not only did we have super slow service but the first time I had bug legs, several large ones, in my water. I asked the server to get me a clean glass and new water but there were more bug parts in that one. I gave up but was convinced to try again a few months later, hoping maybe because of my complaint they fixed things. Nope. Found a fried cockroach in my soup. I'm done. I give up. read more

Bad service and staff with negative attitude. The place was not busy at all but still Kept me waited for 40 minutes. I ordered the hibachi and it took like forever for the chief to start making the food. The service is terrible. Don't come to this restaurant!!! read more

Really good hibachi. It's pricey, but so good. I've been here a few times and have never been disappointed. I enjoyed everything I got except the salad they give you, but that's just a personal preference. read more

Went to Asuka today for lunch with friends Our food was great we had the hibachi shrimp & noodles everything was cooked to perfection

To respond to the previous review about this place being "racist"... me and my fiancée (who is a black man), have been frequenting Asuka for 10 years and they treat us wonderfully! Especially him! When they changed their menu and took things off they still make it for him special. They know us when we come in and we have taken other people of color and they have given them nothing but respect and excellent service. Their food is top notch and it's the one place in town that is always consistent...we have never had a bad meal here! read more

The food here was below the average and the price was high above the average among other Chinese restaurants in town. The service here was really bad, never been to this place for more than 1 and a half year. read more

Their food is pretty good- But, do not think about going there if you want half decent service. I have been several times and every single time they mess something up and then pretend that they cannot understand what I'm saying. Take your business to Ami or Japonee. read more