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    Nakato Japanese Restaurant

    3.7 (217 reviews)
    Closed 4:30 pm - 10:00 PM

    Nakato Japanese Restaurant Photos

    NAKATO JAPANESE RESTAURANT ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Moderate noise
    Casual
    Good for groups
    Good for kids

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    Recommended Reviews - Nakato Japanese Restaurant

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    The chef, my family and another group.
    Beth C.

    Our experience there was great! Favorite part was definitely the onion volcano! Service was great, waitress checked in on us often. The restaurant decorations were awesome and I saw a sushi bar that looked fun. I figured out that I actually like sushi rolls. I tried the crunchy rolls, and highly recommend them!

    Miso soup
    Richard S.

    A Japanese steak house...or as (we) like to call it- wok-foo at the table! I'll tell you right now, if you're in Springfield and looking for hibachi style lunch or dinner: Go to Hinode. Hinode will knock Nakato in the proverbial dirt. On this night, our group commanded (2) cooking grills. So at that point, I can eliminate the variable of the chef, and the chance encounter of a bum meal. Then furthermore, my kids were seated at one grill; we the parents were seated at another grill. And FYI...my kids know their food and have experienced rather exceptional quality food around the world. Unanimous consensus: Nakatos is not good at all. This place fails to be half of what Hinode is. Go to Hinode.

    Steam and fried rice

    Our chef and server were incredible. Food was absolutely delicious. We ordered from both the sushi and hibachi menu and were not disappointed. It was relatively quiet even though there was a bit of a wait on a weekday. Looks like there are also options to sit at the bar and the sushi bar. I did ask if I could have seaweed salad instead of my regular salad and he said yes, but still charged me. No big deal, but I probably would have also had my salad if I knew.

    Back again
    Cari A.

    This is our second time at Nakato. We are trying the Nakato tempora roll with Spicy crab #2, the Tuna Carpaccio (a MUST, if your a tuna fan) and the assorted sashimi tray. Sunshine picked out several nigiri and a Spider roll. Everything was spot on. Their fish is limited...standard fair. By far, the Tuna carpaccio was my fav. Nothing extraordinary, but what we had was abundant and tasty! Service was perfect. Our server answered questions and let us have time to take in all the options. To be clear, the sushi menu is limited, but really tasty The restaurant has several (8) hibachi grill tables that seat a dozen people or so. We sat at the sushi bar. If the hibachi grills are on, there is lots of noise and such. If they are eating, the atmosphere is quite subdued. Our bill, with a generous tip was $250.00. To be clear, we had a LOT of sushi, but we only get to have it every three months or so. Sadly, dependent upon doctor appointments. LOL!

    a woman preparing a meal
    Tanya I.

    Nakato never disappoints!! Love the fresh sushi... Huge selection. Such a friendly staff Great portion sizes. All of the chefs are fantastic and put on a great show. My favorite is Brad ! We eat here frequently. Highly recommend

    Mike W.

    We ordered take out for chicken and shrimp, ny strip and scallops and it was nothing like what you receive as if you were dinning in. The size and portions for a full price combination was not congruent at all, there were no scallops accompanying the steak; only a couple of small shrimp. When I attempted to call the restaurant, there was no way to get in contact with the front desk. This experience was egregious, I would have expected an accurate pick-up for food and service from this "reputable" establishment.

    Noodles and veggies
    Tanya W.

    Food and service were great. The prices are surprisingly lower than expected. They include noodles and rice with the Hibachi dinners. You will not leave hungry. I had the combo of chicken, shrimp, and filet. Husband had chicken, shrimp, and scallops. Highly recommend.

    Tsai-Anne J.

    I love the ambiance here. Our waiter was amazing and friendly. He was very knowledgeable about the menu and was able to recommend things that I can eat with my dietary restrictions. I really wanted the crème brûlée but they were all out. Other than the lack of crème brûlée this place was great.

    Nino the chef
    Nora T.

    Our family has been here regularly since moving here one year ago. The food is absolutely delicious and all of the chefs are great, but we have to admit, we have a favorite! This is Nino, and let me tell you.....he makes the BEST steak in Springfield! We will literally WAIT for his work days to go! He may be one of the quiet ones and not very "performance-y" but it doesn't even matter! I totally suggest you ask for him next time so you can taste for yourself what I mean! This place has been great to us and we have never left dissatisfied! Their manager is also a great guy and recognizes us when we go

    Onions like what the crap

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    5 months ago

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    1 year ago

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    2 months ago

    Best Hibachi in town. The fried rice was great and I love the taste of their chicken, it was well made and just right.

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    7 months ago

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    10 months ago

    Clean friendly restaurant. Loved the food the service and the ambiance. Would recommend

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    2 years ago

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    1 year ago

    Always consistently good. Spicy seafood sauce only in my opinion but other sauce is good too.

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    3 years ago

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    1 year ago

    Good food good ambiance have had better but for Springfield pretty decent food .could use better portions

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    2 years ago

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    1 year ago

    Don't go if you have a Gluten allergy. We had to ask him to redo most of the food because he kept forgetting to use the gluten free sauces.

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    2 years ago

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    4 years ago

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    2 years ago

    Food is always fantastic !! We love taking new people to try this place. We have never been disappointed

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    FD's Grillhouse

    FD's Grillhouse

    4.4
    (665 reviews)
    2.8 mi
    $$

    Stayed in Branson, but went to Springfield for a graduation. The graduate recommended FD's. This is…read morethe only restaurant that I would drive from Branson to Springfield to eat. Gracey and Bruce were our servers. Both were great. Gracey immediately removed trash ( which is a rarity now days). The service reminded me of a cruise vacation from several decades ago. My wife and I shared the trio ( salmon, shrimp and chicken tenders) plus baked potato, steamed broccoli and a salad. Our bill was a bit over $20 plus tip. The only thing I wish we would have changed is we would double up the shrimp instead of the chicken. 3 at our table raved at the sirloin. My father in law said his baby back rips were wonderful. Everyone raved at the food and the service. My only warning is get there early--- don't expect to walk to table at noon. We got there when it opened at 11am and they accommodated our group of 8 immediately. My brother in law drove back for a return trip a couple days later ( I had to go home). My opinion is since Covid most places don't do good service anymore. FD's does.

    What a great place to eat! We are new to the area and were looking for a good place for seafood…read more Found FD's Grillhouse and boy, were we in luck! I had the fish & chips and they were amazing! My wife went with grilled shrimp, and she loved them (I also had to steal one). The restaurant was ultra chic, clean lines and lots of glass to bring in light. Very cool. Our waitress was excellent and attentive. And finally, the price was really reasonable. Great dining experience, and if I could rate it higher, I would!

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    FD's Grillhouse
    Cheese burger with an onion ring and fries on the side under $12!
    Cheese burger with an onion ring and fries on the side under $12!
    Sangria

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    Sangria
    Char Steakhouse & Oyster Bar

    Char Steakhouse & Oyster Bar

    4.1
    (116 reviews)
    2.1 mi
    $$$

    Great Friday night dinner. Service was very good. Food was very flavorful…read more Plenty of parking. Service was good. Standout for me was the food was all delicious. Meal starts with popovers which are a unique and they were warm and good. The shrimp cocktail was fresh and the sauce was delish. The crab cake was amazing, so much crab and flavors were great. When they serve the steak, they ask you to cut into it before they leave. Out of five, two were slightly off but we didn't report it. A medium was medium-, almost medium rare. A medium rare was medium+. However, the flavors were great and still enjoyable. The cheddar jalapeño mashed potatoes were noted as a highlight of the sides. The Brussels were good as were the mashed and the baked potatoes also looked good Plenty of desserts and the surprise birthday wishes and brownie lava like cake. The smores brûlée was unique and tasty. The key lime cheesecake was massive and it was noted as good. They also have these cool Italian mints. Great meal, I will be back.

    This place has an upscale / contemporary atmosphere....and one of the nicer places to eat in Spfd…read more Overall, you'll get good service, with many of the items being quite good; but not everything: Tuna Nachos: Excellent. Meatballs: Excellent. Bacon wrapped dates: Always a great appetizer. Watch how many you get, as the very sweet balsamic reduction is a lot of sweet to have. Calamari: Very good option to choose. Wedge Salad: Pretty good, but wish they had chopped up the bacon and onion. Bacon however, was darn good...just not much on it and done as a strip. The misses tonight - I mean major misses: French Onion Soup: I'm a salt person but this was majorly majorly over salted. Tonight, the salt level was ridiculous. T Bone steak: Underwhelming. The steak was hardly seasoned and beef flavor was meh. Lastly, the server tonight was excellent. Her parents obviously taught her how to communicate and excellent eye contact and general personality. The kitchen majorly miss-timed some of the service to our table. For instance, the side potato dishes came out, at least 15 minutes after our entrees. But, this place was running full tilt and it was a full house.

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    Cheers!
    Cheers!
    Strip steak,  and twice baked potato, and a Boulevard wheat!
    Strip steak, and twice baked potato, and a Boulevard wheat!
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    Black Sheep

    Black Sheep

    4.4
    (1.2k reviews)
    3.2 mi
    $$

    Honestly the best gluten free burger I ever had. It was so tasty and yummy. I will be there next…read moreweek I have been looking forward to it. Very nice staff and cute little restaurant. I'd gluten free you can't eat fries. Which is a bummer but I don't need them anyway.

    I cannot stop thinking about Black Sheep's burgers and shakes. I was in town for graduation and a…read morefriend recommended Black Sheep for dinner. I'm so glad I took their advice, the buns were soft and buttery, the meat patties were flavorful and moist. We also ordered you are smokin' fries. Apple and hickory smokes fries, loaded w/ sautéed jalapeños, cheese sauce, and we opted the pulled pork with Chipotle bbq. The fries were a hit at our table! Waygu burgers, sign me up! I end up ordering the foodie - double 4oz patties, Boursin style cheese, caramelized onion, candied bacon, w/ truffle mayo. Best damn burger I had in a long time. They offer varieties of sauces to try with your burger & fries, they bring a small tray with each sauce. Ranch, ketchup, smoky garlic mayo, chipotle BBQ, chipotle ketchup, truffle mayo, and sriracha mayo just to name a few. I'm a sucker for espresso so I ordered an espresso yourself shake. Espresso, salted caramel, funnel cake, coffee liqueur, frozen vanilla custard. The espresso and salted caramel balance each other out nicely. This shake lives rent free in my head. If I am ever in the city again, this would be on my top list to visit. Definitely would recommend you trying Black Sheep.

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    Black Sheep
    The "doggie" with cheese, mustard, and ketchup
    The "doggie" with cheese, mustard, and ketchup
    Foodie Burger

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    Foodie Burger
    Civil Kitchen

    Civil Kitchen

    4.0
    (390 reviews)
    3.3 mi
    $$

    This might be the best thing I've put in my face for a long time m. Lordy, it was so good, it…read moreabout makes me want to cry. First off, Emery our server was spectacular. He was spot on when I couldn't decide what to order and to surprise me. I got a small pecan, apple salad with goat cheese and a balsamic vinaigrette and the Seoul Food Chicken sandwich. I have never had chicken so tender and juicy and the slaw was perfect. The salad was equally amazing. The goat cheese and candied pecans, my mouth is watering just thinking of it. My son ordered the Brussel sprouts and chicken and waffles. Both off the hook. I should have walked through the whole place. It was architecturally interesting. The vibe was good, seating comfortable and you could catch the game, but there were not an overwhelming amount of TVs. If in Springfield, do not miss out on this local gem!

    I'd describe my experience at Civil Kitchen as mediocre. The hostess greeted me but was somewhat…read moreunfriendly, leaving me at my table without a word, where I waited for 5-10 minutes without any service, even though the restaurant was not even close to half full. My server was friendly and professional, however. I ordered the fish tacos. The fish was crunchy and delicious, but there was very little in each taco, with each piece only running about 2/3 the length of the small tortilla. The tacos, despite their many toppings, tasted rather flat, although the slaw was fresh. One more thing: The limes that came with my drink and tacos were drying out and faded. Overall, I was unimpressed and hope others have a better experience!

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    Civil Kitchen
    Truffle Shuffle Straws
    Truffle Shuffle Straws
    Civil Kitchen

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    Nakato Japanese Restaurant - japanese - Updated June 2026

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