It pains me to have to write this review. We had tried Kyoto several years ago and left extraordinairily disappointed. Yet, our group of friends insisted that we give it another try, as it is one of their most favorite restaurants. So we finally relented last night and, unfortunately, left with the exact same opinion that we went going in with... Our friends really like the chef named Sky and specifically requested him and another Chef when making the reservation. However, when it was our turn to be seated, they weren't successful in getting both of their requested chefs. Our large group took up most of the area around the two Hibachi grills, and unfortunately, our half of the table did not get Sky. Both chefs started their shows at the exact same point, yet, gave completely different shows for their customers. Our Chef basically just cooked in front of us. There was little to no "performance" whatsoever. It was extraordinarily apparent because he was done, cleaned up, and gone while Sky continue to perform for at least another 10 or 15 minutes longer !!!! As one of our friends commented, they have seen fast food take longer to cook than our "show" did. Other than making a couple flashes of fire on the cooktop, and throwing broccoli at us one time, that was about it in terms of any performance. We had two young children with us who were sooooo excited to take part in the catching food in you mouth portion, and yet the chef skipped right over them!!! Their little faces dropped with disappointment and we had to basically beg the chef to throw a couple pieces of broccoli at our children. Yes, obviously they aren't going to catch it, but neither do 50% of the adults that partake either!!!! Come on now Our Chef only offered saki to our group one time while we watched other chefs around us squirt that stuff into their mouths over and over and over again. Our Chef barely interacted us or made conversation, while other chefs are shouting and yelling and getting their groups to laugh and clap. It was a 100% disappointment. So, at least the food made up for it? No, not at all. First of all, they don't allow you to share food with each other and when I told the waitress that I would just share with my husband, she said they would charge us $5 to do that. Keep in mind, however, this is not mentioned ANYWHERE on the menu. She also would not allow me to order a kids menu meal for myself. Ridiculous. So I ended up ordering a $3 side of noodles. Thank goodness, because that's basically all my husband would eat. We spent $23 on the chicken and shrimp combo dinner, and the shrimp came out overcooked and the chicken was so incredibly rubbery that it tasted like chewing on rubber bands. And I'm not exaggerating in the very least. My husband left the majority of chicken on his plate. I should state that my husband loves his food over cooked, so that's typically never an issue for him, but the texture of this chicken was revolting. Not to mention that everything comes out tasting the same. The chicken tasted like the shrimp which tasted like the rice which tasted like the noodles. It's all covered in the same type of cooking sauce and your plate is just covered in this mish-mosh slop of randomly tossed ingredients. The vegetables were way undercooked, maybe because our Chef rushed out of there, I don't know. It was pretty awkward to be sitting there with a group of people and have your Chef rush through it and leave while you're sitting there watching the backside of another chef, trying to get some view of the show that your friends are experiencing. We tried giving another shot. They failed miserably. With tax and tip, we paid over $60 for basically one adult meal, one kids meal, a side order of noodles and a couple of non-alcoholic drinks. This is appalling and absolutely ridiculous. All their chefs should be trained and expected to put on the same type of show. One customer shouldn't be leaving with a completely different experience than another customer who happened to be lucky enough to get a better-performing chef. We will never be returning. read more

I've been here a few times and now I think it's time to write a review. So the sushi here is slightly above average. Nothing spectacular but not bad either. I've definitely had better in the WNY area but it's conveniently located for me. I haven't yet tried the teppan yaki but I figure it's the same as anywhere else... fried rice heart, onion volcano, onion train, flying shrimp and chorus of bad jokes. When it comes to these sort of places I really think the owners should think about the dining experience... does it really make sense that a non-Japanese dude is cooking my food pretending to have a Japanese accent and making bad jokes? Maybe that's what WNY likes but I'd prefer something... a... little different I guess. Anyway, back to the food.. the udon here is pretty bad and very expensive. My wife makes awesome udon this place should book a lesson or something because I even wonder if they know what real udon is supposed to taste like. Look.. if you have a fairly large group and want to spend a lot of money on some "decent" level food... this is the place for you. Otherwise, cross the border and get some better Japanese food. read more

Very disappointed with Kyoto tonight. We went there to celebrate my son's 18th birthday with a group of 13. Four members of our group ended up with a different server then the rest of us which was fine, except we were still charged the 18% gratuity that they charge larger parties. Our server brought our drinks and then our soup and then the chef came over to start our meal. Our server comes back to refill drinks and realizes she never brought our salad. She asks if we still want it?! We do. The chef continues the show, nothing spectacular, seems we saw better while we were waiting for our table to be available. Here's the part that really got me... after "the show", I ate my meal and while others were finishing my younger son and I went to use the bathroom. While we were gone, they brought my son's birthday ice cream and did the "happy birthday" bit! Are you serious? I missed it! Mind you, the server never even asked anyone in our party if we wanted dessert! She just brought out the birthday treat at a random time. I'm not even sure if my son was done eating! When I brought all of this to her attention, she never apologized or even acknowledged her error, she just asked if I wanted them to do it again! I told another girl who came over what happened and she just said "different servers do things differently". So disappointed with Kyoto. read more

I am a super duper fan! Mostly because they have happy hour from 3-6 from Monday to Fridays; There are $3 drink specials and $2 california rolls and I think $3.50 shrimp tempura or spicy tuna rolls when you sit at the bar. I love their shrimp tempura and spicy tuna rolls - there's the perfect ratio of ingrdients to rice and it's super delicious! I go here at least once a month. I don't order drinks/can't drink (I'm asian!) so I feel kinda bad since the bartender is serving us so I just tip extra. read more

Worst experience I've ever had there . We had reservations for 630 didn't get seated until 730 . The hibachi chef did not make the experience fun he was very quite like he just came to cook and leave he got food all over the table while cooking . And squirted saki in one of our noises . we would ask for things and not get them or they would take forever . a few of us have food poison and iwe where there to celebrate 3 birthdays and it wasn't enjoyable for them at all read more

Just when I thought I liked this place, they go ahead and screw the whole relationship up. I returned for lunch, as usual, and order the usual special of assorted nigiri. After my previous experience here I was anticipating a good mid afternoon meal. Unfortunately what I got was a long black hair on a piece of sushi. Ugh!!! One of the worst things you can let slip out of your kitchen. Now this is a terrible infraction in and of itself but, after I showed the waitress and requested the meal be replaced it looked like they just removed the hair and gave me back the same food. Gross. I left and will not be back. read more

I went in with a group of 5 on Saturday evening. Our hibachi chef was terrible. Our food was under seasoned, steak over cooked, veggies still raw. The show was kept to a spinning egg and volcano onion stack. Mind you the table next to us was yelling "More Saki, More Sexy" and having one hell of a time. I told the manager and he gave us 10% off. I didn't have time to tell him what an insult that was at the time. Fast forward to today I called in and asked to speak to the General Manager. Instead a gentlemen told me he could take care of my concerns. I told him what occurred and he started blaming me that I called 3 days later and that no one else has called to complain. I explained my reasons for not calling sooner, which were truly none of his business anyway. I then went on to advise that I was calling on behalf of everyone in my party. He told me that if he was there he would have done more, but that I need to get over it. He then went on to say that Babe Ruth didn't always hit home runs. He told me that he would see if the owner wants to talk to me. I will be following up again if I don't hear back. read more

We went to Kyoto tonight to celebrate my birthday and I was VERY disappointed with their customer service. We had a 5pm reservation and were not seated until 5:45pm. The hibachi show and food were delicious, but I only got to take 3 bites before to-go boxes were being shoved into my face. I tried to continue enjoying the meal but now 3 staff members were at our table clearing plates and setting up for the next group. We ended up taking our meals to a friends house to finish eating. When we called to talk to a manager, they said no one was available, but we could leave a phone number so they could call us back later. As we were giving them our number, they hung up on us! We did not feel comfortable or welcomed at all in this establishment. read more

Too expensive for the portion sizes. It seems that for the cost you don't get enough food. Our chef wasn't very engaging as the other chef was and the guests at the other tables seemed more excited than we were. Why so stingy with the rice? I've been here a few times and each time I come, my experience diminishes. Won't be back. read more

I would give it 3.5 stars, so I'm giving an extra star for Be, the bartender on Friday nights. He hooked my boys up with some shots, so they were happy. I had a Mango Martini which was decent. So we were seated in the Chuck E. Cheese room, in the sweltering back, not in the front open hibachi room. They put us 4 adults at a hibachi table with 18 children and 2 other adults. Not the most brilliant move on thier part, especially since we were inclined to wait longer for a table, since we like Bartender Be. We made the boys sit next to the kids, heh heh. Our "sexy" hibachi man lacked skills in the hibachi department, although he was a real prize with the descriptive terms. His specialty is "sexy egg", "sexy sauce", "sexy noodles". I think "sexy" is the only English adjective with which he was familiar. The date left with a shirt drenched in "sexy sauce" aka sake. I ate a "sexy steak". The food itself was good and fresh, though salty. With the saltiness of the food and being seated in the sweat/children's room in the back, my ankles started to swell during the meal. Next time I'll sit in front or at the sushi bar. read more

To those who are seeking sushi & sashimi experience, skip Kyoto, and try Taisho Bistro. Why, if you wish to get treated "like a dog" just like the other guy had mentioned (If you're not white), you can go here. So me and my girlfriend visited the place cuz we had a sporadic idea of having sashimi. Shortly after we were seated, I went to the bathroom. I would go in and give detailed story of what had happened in the bathroom, but to keep it polite ill skip it. Anywho, I returned to the table about 15min after, to find that my gf was still sitting at the table with nothing. Like, NOT even a cup water!! After that, I had to complain before we were attended to. Absolute garbage service. I'll have to admit, Kyoto does service good food, nonetheless, Taisho Bistro can provide the same, if not, better food for a more affordable price. To top it off, Taisho doesn't serve food that taste like assholeness. Period. read more

Went here for my wife's 50th Birthday. It was around 5:00. It was only us and 2 other couples in the whole restaurant at the time. The waitress was ehhh and not to helpful. My wife can't stand shrimp and ask what else she could get for the appetizer. The waitress replied then you get nothing!! I then asked, what do you give to people who are allergic to shell fish? She again responded. They get nothing. Wow, can't believe they don't have a substitute for those with this allergy! So the chef came put and put on a wonderful show!! Hence the 3 stars. It would be less because of the wait staff. Also midway through our meal as my wife has a mouth full of food they come out and did a super fast Happy Birthday song and they basically tossed the fried ice cream in front of her as she still had half a plate full. Just a VERY blah Birthday celebration put on by the staff. 2 minutes later and still plenty on out plates they had out Styrofoam containers!!! WTF?? It's not like they had a line of people wait. At that time they had 6 other open hibachi. Other then feeling totally rushed to get out. The food was delicious and reheated quite nicely the day after being hurried out of there. To end it, should we decide to do hibachi again, it won't be at Kyoto. read more

Good sushi, terrible service. We sat in a booth tucked away in the back corner surrounded by diners with their kids screaming and rolling around (literally) on the floor, "sword fighting" with chopsticks. The table was dirty. Our waitress sucked, plain and simple. No refills, and my glass was chipped and cracking down the side. There were floaters in the water. I had the avocado roll and the tempura sweet potato roll. Both were tasty but the portion and presentation were lacking. All in all, an alright place to eat but I will not be back due to inadequate service and questionable cleanliness. read more

After reading the reviews I was a bit hesitant on going here for dinner and now I wish I had gone with my initial feeling. We decided to go here because of the cooking "show entertainment". If this is what you are looking for then look elsewhere. The cooking part was barely entertaining. I'm not sure what happened but that is the main reason to eat at a Hibatchi style restaurant. The chef threw some cooking utensils around, spun & cracked 3 eggs and did a lame onion volcano. The food itself was loaded with soy sauce, butter and salt. The fried rice which is usually my favorite part was lacking in good flavor. It just tasted like soy sauce. The filet my husband ordered was ok and my chicken was ok. The server is the reason for the 2 stars, if not for her I would give 1. For the cost of eating at the Hibatchi table it is not worth it. We paid $75 for 2 adults and 1 child. Highly recommend going elsewhere. read more

Kyoto - dinner with this princess! - Japanese Near Me - Amherst, New York

This is probably by far the WORST hibatchi resturant i have ever been to. The cook was hardly interactive and did not put on a good show. The food was ok. read more

I just had dinner there this evening with a large party of eleven people. The service was mediocre at best and the food was ok. It's all over priced and you're obviously paying for the show. This was my first time at this particular restaurant but I've had far better experiences at similar restaurants. When my group and I left, in haste I left my take out container and when I returned for it 5 minutes later it had been thrown away. The manager offered me a $5 gift card. Really??? I just paid $77.95 and you can't hold on to my carton of food for 5 minutes when I waited 30 minutes for a drink? Unreal! I do not recommend this restaurant at all. read more

Really good environment and hibachi show! We had generous portions of food and sat with a nice family. The food was fresh and juicy. I had chicken hibachi. read more

I enjoy hibachi every once and a while but not for the obvious quality; rather the experience. I love being entertained by the chefs as they typically put on a show. Unfortunately, we did not get the the entertainment. The chef was pretty blah but at least the food was good. We went to Fuji Grill last year at the 7 corners and had a ball at our table. The chef was amazing there. read more

Kyoto is a solid option in an area of Amherst where it's mostly middle of the road chain restaurants. We end up eating dinner here a lot when we have something going on at UB's North Campus because the food never disappoints and the service is efficient. There are 3 seating options, hibachi, sushi bar, and the dining room. I've eaten at the hibachi grill twice for special occasions, and while there's nothing to distinguish the theatrics from other hibachi places (onion volcano, Japanese coca cola, etc) the food is good and there is an option for fried noodles instead of fried rice which I've never seen anywhere else. Generally I usually sit in the dining room or the sushi bar and order sushi, with gyoza as an appetizer. The best bang for your buck is the Sea Scallop Surprise roll... spicy yet not obnoxiously priced like a lot of the specialty rolls. However, if you're willing to spend a bit more, the Rock n Roll (Shrimp tempura & spicy tuna inside topped with kani salad & tobiko) is delicious as well as the Christmas Tree roll (Tuna, salmon & yellowtail combined with avocado, tobiko & crunch wrapped in green soy paper & topped with spicy mayo & eel sauce). The service is always pretty attentive. Is it the best sushi/hibachi in the world? No, but its great for the area and I always find myself coming back for repeat visits. It's also worth noting that they have some really good-priced lunch specials. read more

Kyoto is a great place for groups for dinner, but if you go on a weekend, expect to wait. The food was great, the service was exceptional. All around a perfectly wonderful way to spend dinner! We had both Sushi and Hibachi, yes both and yes, WAY too much food. The sushi was the best I have had since I have been in Buffalo. And the quality of sushi I have had previously is either a reflection of Buffalo or a reflection of the places I have been (or both), but it has been nothing to rave about. Kyoto definitely changed my mind about the ability to get fresh sushi here. The Hibachi was fun, really good, a lot of food, and a lot of show. I didn't have anything from the bar, but it was packed so I am assuming that if I ever go sans children, it would be a good place to start! read more

The food was average and the portions were smaller than most hibachi restaurants. Also the food was a little bland and the rice wa a but sticky. However the show while making the food was fun and interactive. I am not sure if I will be heading back anytime soon. I've definitely had better. read more

My friend and I visited Kyoto today. We decided on a regular table, unfortunately we had to deal with rude waitress. I felt like a dog... She threw our food down. tried to take my soup while I was eating.. never said sorry No pen, with the bills... asked for "soup" without even please etc... just said "soup" and literally took it out of my hand. really, Kyoto Please train your waitress some etiquette... I felt like i was treated wrong. I hope Kyoto don't treat other customers like they treated me today. I would never go again. Even if the food was free. 4/30/13 6:30 PM read more

Hubby had the Hibachi and I had the Lobster roll . Food was delicious and waitress was attentive. All in all a great experience, would definitely come back !! read more

Kyoto - Lobster roll - Japanese Near Me - Amherst, New York

Such a fun time. I really enjoy a show with my meal and these people know how to put one on. Just beware, if you don't like group dining, then you might get screwed. We sat with some of the most obnoxious people ever in life and their devil spawn. read more

Nothing's bad but nothing's wow either. Interior design is quite nice though. Bathrooms are extremely clean. Sushi is okay. Menu is basically anywhere you can find. But it definitely doesn't taste bad. read more

We called 30 minutes before closing and told them we would be there in 20 minutes. They were kind to accommodate us. The food was great and minus the first few looks of annoyance (which we totally understood since it was the end of their shift) the dinner went well. The drinks were strong and mixed well. read more

Kyoto - Chicken and shrimp with fried rice. Bahama mama in the back. - Japanese Near Me - Amherst, New York

While we have had previous good experiences at Kyoto in the past we learned tonight how a lackadaisical, detached hibachi chef can truly kill an dinner out. The reason one goes to Kyoto is 50% food and 50% entertainment. While our chefs food was adequate, his ability as a hibachi chef were sub par at best. When the highlight of the evening was his making a poor "smile face" out of oil and lightning it up you know you're in trouble. We were in trouble. It was clear by his performance and interaction with his customers that he couldn't have cared less and just wanted to leave our table. We were finding ourselves envious of other tables hibachi- chef performers who we began watching rather then our chef. We marveled at how much fun other tables had while we felt cheated. Where was the saki shot for our table? Where was "Pee-Pee Boy"? Where was the fun? I detest leaving a dinner trying in vain for a positive thing to say. Next time my family wants to spend $250 on a dinner out, I can assure you it will not be at Kyoto. Italian anyone? read more

This seems to be the go-to place for birthdays. I've been here multiple times, for many different birthdays, and each time I'm there it seems there are at least two or three other birthdays going on. I know this because of the gong. I've heard they have a fabulous happy hour, although I always forget to hit it up. About four visits ago I decided never to get the chicken or steak again....only filet mignon and shrimp. And this most recent visit we were with a different group of friends who taught the hubs and i to order "double rice" and "double noodles" and have the chef split it up so you get both! genius. (plus i had a huge portion to bring home with me to revisit the next morning!) i love the soup. so simple. and the ginger dressing's so good it makes you wanna inject it directly into your blood stream...so yumm. (actually, in terms of quality i have no idea how kyoto's compares to other's...im just all about this tangy dressing in any form) I also love the pineapple martinis--although not as strong as I'd prefer. This time we ordered a flaming "Scorpion" (i think that was the name??) in a gigantic glass. 5 shots and some tropical juice combo...kinda tasted like freshman year in college (sex on the beach'ish?) and definitely got me and my friend a lil buzzed. 20 bucks....but worth it, i thought, because you just need one. ive heard there are better (and cheaper) hibachi's in blo and its surrounding areas...but cannot attest to this because my only other experience was once at shogun about a bajillion years ago. read more

Went for restaurant week!!! The service is great! Server was friendly and very attentive! We did hibachi and went with only two of us. Which I would recommend going with a group so you have a better experience then us. There was another couple and 4 teenagers at the grill with us. It is set up to be interactive with the chef and the rest of the table. The four teenagers all sat there playing on their lhones interacting with noone and the other couple was quiet. We were exvited when we saw the chef next to us squirting saki in peoples mouths and putting on a show with the food. Our chef came out really energetic but got very little energy from our table with half the people on their phones. He still put on a good show but it was shorter and less energetic then we saw the other tables. We dont blame him they obviously feed off of the table. Moral of the story go with a group of people and stay off your phone when out to dinner!!!!! Food was amazing we did steak hibachi with fried rice and two sushi rolls. The food was beautifully presented! Amazingly fresh and tasted great! Cant wait to return read more

Kyoto - Japanese Near Me - Amherst, New York

I absolutely LOVE this place! I would live here if I could. The sushi always tastes so fresh and amazing! its literally an orgasm moment every time i eat there. My favorites are crunchy spicy tuna, sweet potato tempura, sea scallop surprise, twister, and their miso soup. every time i go there is try to sample something different, but its hard to shy away from my usual. their non sushi platters are very good as well. the scallops are always cooked to perfection, and their steak is soooo tender! I dream of this place... its that good! read more

Went there recently for a special night, brought my love who never has been to a place like this. Horrible! The food was tasteless, there was no "show." The portions were small which is odd for a place like this. The employees made it known they did not want to be there. All I wanted was a fun night, nope..... Very disappointed read more

Kyoto is a great place to get take out if your under the weather. I had the hibachi shrimp lunch meal and it defiantly brightened my day! It came with shrimp, a generous portion of rice and vegetables, soup, salad and of course the delicious white sauce. I highly recommend Kyoto for dine in or take out! read more

Kyoto - Japanese Near Me - Amherst, New York

Let me just say that being a vegetarian (and speaking for fellow ones out there) we don't get a lot of options when it comes to sushi and hence there are no "stars" that fairly rate any good Japanese joint. Because every roll is the same regardless of where you eat. That being said, I liked Kyoto. It's a massive place, very unlikely of a Japanese/Hibachi place. I'm talking 20 seater Hibachi stations. We walked in there for sushi and sake and sat at the bar. I'm an avid sushi eater and usually like sitting there because I like conversing with the sushi chef and expanding my knowledge on this ancient "art" of sushi. The chef was really nice and lively. Very positive vibes. He made us the special and a little extra. The rolls were well balanced on the palate, rice was perfectly cooked but not too hard. The seaweed wrap was not chewy but very fresh. Overall a really good experience. read more

This is your typical hubachi grill. The food is good and so are the drinks...try the scorpion, you're welcome. The people at the bar are great but the wait staff is always either completely unpleasant and hate the they're there or just meh. The last time we went about a month ago, our chef was FANTASTIC! The food could have been just OK and his entertainment would have made it all worth it. HE was engaging and funny and we left very very happy. We went back again last night. bar, food, severs were all the same. This time our chef has zero personality. He was just going through the motions wasn't engaging at all. It's a great place to go but entertainment wise it's really 50/50. We are going to start trying the other places in the area. read more

Oh my!!! Soooo good. I would have never gone there because the outside doesn't look like much, but The Hubs & I doubled for date night with some excellent friends who wanted to eat here. we did the hibachi thing & loved it. It was deliCious. We had chicken, shrimp, noodles, rice & the filet mignon. Ooooooh the BEST filet ever. Ever, I tell you. (medium rare of course). The service was great & grill guys are very entertaining. It is pretty busy, so I recommend making reservations. They also have sushi that we heard was also mighty tasty. read more

This place is overall good. I recommend coming during the lunch special time that is where it is most worth it! I usually get the 3 roll special or a the salmon teriyaki box. A few of my friends came here for the hibachi show, the show was amazing and we had a blast! I like how cozy and private the booths are and the atmosphere is pretty relaxing! read more

It was my first time here and will be my last. I stepped in to talk to the guy greeting us. Asked about a lunch special (it was on a Sunday) and checked the menu. The lunch special was pricey but we decided to give this place a try. He then asked us if we wanted to sit at the habachi table and we said yes. It wasn't until after we sat at the table that we knew that apparently, only those who will order habachi can sit there. We also found out that there is no lunch special on Sunday's... I guess we were lucky to not have sat there because another group came in and ordered the habachi. The chef was not careful enough, I guess, and flung some food into one of the girls eye... Overall, the food here is good but overpriced in our opinion. The greeter need to be better at informing his customers. read more

This was my first experience to Kyoto and will probably be my last. We had a group of 9 and made a reservation for 6pm. Everyone in our party was present by 6:05 and we were still not seated until 630 (30 minutes after our reservation time). Once we were seated our waitress rushed us through our order and was not very pleasant. During the "show" the chef played the game where they will squirt sake or water in your mouth. He purposely squirted two of the guests all over the face. This may be funny to some people but no grown adult enjoys eating their dinner with a wet face and shirt. The meal itself left a lot to be desired . The yum yum sauce was practically water. The rice was under cooked (crunchy!) and the chicken and veggies were flavorless and bland. We had two members of our party that ordered alcoholic beverages (simple ones.. wine) at the beginning of the meal that did not arrive until we were almost done eating. To cap off the meal, we had the hostess come over as we were signing the check to tell us we had to go finish our drinks at the bar because other people wanted the table. Keep in mind these are the drinks we waited 20 minutes for! I thought hibachi was pretty standard, but this was the worst I've ever had by far, both in service and taste. read more

Love this place first off. The hibachi was so good, it was my first time at one and the experience was great. The service was great and the food was fresh, and the bathroom was very very clean. I got the lobster and steak.......... so happy I did. Everything was made exactly like I wanted it and the cooks at the grill have a sense of humor and very polite. I totally recommend this place and can't wait to go back read more

Kyoto - Japanese Near Me - Amherst, New York

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One of the best Japanese food locations in buffalo! Friendly staff. Prices are a bit high but the food is worth it. I love their fried rice and scorpion bowls! read more