Horrible Service. Save your money. This place is not worth the hassle. You will be disappointed you came here and actually spent money. Hosts are elementary and acting goofy. Not worth your time or money read more

Manny the chef & Elvis the sever are both 5 star amazing , our plates were dirty (entire table, 4 separate parties ) ran out of forks , gave us plastic. They had last call & never notified us so that was very annoying . Christine the manager was apologetic, but that was about all . I've came here several times & I can honestly say this was pretty disappointing and I'm not sure I'm going to return . There were first time guest and a horrible first impression . Our food was delicious and so was our service with MANNY & ELVIS !!!! read more

Ooka Japanese Restaurant - My fork - Japanese Near Me - Riverside, California

Dinner with my family on May 11, 2023 and we wanted to enjoy a night out. We love this place and before having a family, my wife and I come here all the time. We enjoy the ambiance, service, and best of all the food! We love seafood and sushi! There service is great and very attentive. I do wonder why they charge gratuity included already with the bill. For this night we tried there hibachi service and went well. Our son enjoyed the entertainment and will definitely come back. read more

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Go else where!! BE AWARE THAT THIS RESTAURANT ADDS 18% GRATIUITY TO EVERY CHECK AUTOMATICALLY!!!! They claim it's to provide compensation to their staff..So why doesn't the restaurant just provides that compensation to their employees by giving them a raise.?? The food was Salty and very poor in quality. A waiter took our drink order then a waitress took our drink order and we still ended up missing drinks (party of 3 adults) If I could give this place Zero Stars I would. Not cool how they impose that percentage of mandatory gratuity. The quality of food was very mediocre. I think the reason why this place is busy is because there's no other Hibachi near by. read more

The Sushi didn't taste right, hella over priced. The ramen was terrible and salty, plus 18% tip included in all bills is outrageous considering the food is way over priced. The service was weird, we arrived at 3 with a party of 4 and was told to wait 15 min even though it was empty in there. The ambiance, the light fixtures above the tables are dusty and made feel gross if dust got on my food. read more

Super terrible experience this afternoon. I treated my mom for an early Mother's Day lunch. We ate and enjoyed our time. However, afterwards we had the worst case of Diarrhea that I can't even begin to tell you. We hadn't eaten anywhere else today and I just couldn't believe how bad this was. I called the restaurant after we had time to recoup and let the manager Linda know what had happened. She told me that as long as I had the receipt it would be taken care of by their insurance. Seemed reasonable. I sent my brother in with my mom and they were told something different. Now we need a Dr note. I called back and spoke to Linda again who told me the revised story about getting my bill refunded. In which I told her that she didn't tell me that the first time and there was some back and forth and I told her she was lying to me. Then she said "Why are you saying that I'm F---ing lying to you!! Then hung up. I tried calling back and no answer. Nice move. read more

Had lunch their yesterday. Small salad was drenched in dressing. Hot green tea was just warm. But the real bother was the soy sauce trays. They have these really fancy flat trays that just make a huge mess. The minute you dab the sushi in it, they spill because they are so flat. Visually nice but very impractical. Had to have tons of napkins. Service was prompt and waiter was cool. Also, bill was only $100 and they automatically include their tip? 2 people and you auto tip? Probably won't go again. read more

Ooka Japanese Restaurant - Japanese Near Me - Riverside, California

The bento box was really good. It comes with a lot of little things like candied yams, shumai, a mixed salad, rice, half a cali roll and miso soup was pipping hot. The salmon bento was good and the Angus steak bento was ok. The spicy salmon hand roll was yummy The eel hand roll was also delicious too. Will be back! read more

I am a local to Riverside. Been here a gazillion times. The food is so good here that I just had to leave a review. Not sure if I have already left one. BUT the Volcano roll is so darn delicious. Party in your mouth. If you like cooked rolls, this is the one. The Chilean sea Bass is also superb.....buen provecho!!!! read more

Having warned them of my shellfish allergy, I had hoped for a riskless meal out. Although outdoor dining is publicized, they don't have it, so we sat inside. My Yaki soba was not as fresh as I thought it would have been. It looked extremely UNappetizing, which should have been a big red flag for me. But their Teppan wasn't available and that's... somewhat why I went. Lesson learned. My friend who had the teriyaki lunch special that had SO MUCH on there but he felt the sushi wasn't very fresh and after a bite, I had to agree. The vegetarian friends had a sweet potato tempura, cucumber, and pumpkin tempura cut rolls. I was surprised that they were tempura veggies which ups the oily factor but they were pretty delicious. I don't think they needed that oily stuff. Not to mention, I wonder if they put all fried foods in the same oil... Lastly, I had an allergic reaction. I don't even know where it was from. I had thought they would have been more careful especially since they were aware that we had vegetarians and allergies at our table. Full disclosure, I did have some of the fried potato cubes from the bento box and one of the sweet potato cut rolls. If I had to guess, I'd say it was from the cut roll especially if they used the same oil to fry all their stuff. Anyways, two stars off because the food I went there TO eat and the location I hoped to sit weren't available. Another star off because I had an allergic reaction when I ordered and ate stuff that was supposed to be safe for me and my friends. I mean, using different oil is a given since vegetarians don't eat any meat including seafood and I had reminded them of my seafood allergy. If you don't have allergies and you can eat whatever and can sit wherever, then you'll enjoy it plenty. I just... left the guy a good tip and had an allergic reaction after. (ToT) It really could have been better. read more

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We went on a Sunday afternoon/evening with a party of 6. We made reservations for the Benihana/hibachi style dinner for a bachelorette party. They have QR code menu. I ordered the shrimp and calamari and my party ordered steaks, salmon, and chicken. They also have appetizers, sushi rolls, and more. Our dinner also came with soup and salad. The waitress was super nice and helpful. She was really quick and on top of refilling our drinks. Our chef Manny was super funny and entertaining. He was very accommodating to my friend who had food allergies and preferences. The food was really good and it was an amazing first time experience. I highly recommend coming here for events. read more

I came for dinner today and everything was delicious from start to finish! The Miso soup was perfect since it is cold and it was nice and hot. The Hibachi noodles and fried rice were so delicious with lots of flavor! Veggies and chicken and shrimp were also very good and full of flavor. The chef was interacting with everyone at the table and responded with you're welcome to every thank you! He slung baby corn to 4 of 6 people at the table, I skipped. Haha. It got busier towards 5:00 pm but everyone was polite with a smile to greet you. I didn't have sushi but I recommend the Teppanyaki/Hibachi style dinner. read more

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Great food and a fun place for all ages. Service is great as well. You won't be disappointed.

Food was mediocre and service was disappointing When the front desk called our name, the person leading us to our table immediately walked away and disappeared before we could even get up from the bench, leaving us clueless at the door. The chef who cooked for us looked like he was really in a hurry to finish. They started cleaning the table before we could even finish packing our food (basically right after we paid our bills). Our waiter is nice, but still makes me feel hurried. Food wise: Scallops overcooked. Steak and salmon were at par with other places I have tried but nothing memorable. Here you basically cannot substitute anything or make any modifications--for example, brown rice fried rice is not an option even though they do offer plain brown rice (makes me really puzzled ‍) Had high expectations but leaving with disappointment. Will not return. read more

The food was good, but the host was great! The experience: I think you mostly came to a place like this for the show the cook puts on because while the food is good, it's not the best but The host was great, made it an enjoyable experience. The food: The Japanese sweet potato fries were very thick and it tasted good to me but I see how it can be a bit blend to some. I also got the scallop and steak meal. I enjoyed the meal but I did hear others saying it needed to be seasoned better, which I can understand. read more

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The food was exceptional. The service was spot on I highly recommend this restaurant. The sushi crunchy rolls are fabulous. read more

This place has really good food. I enjoy places like this. Dinner and a show. I went with a family of 7 and was sat quickly. They have a good deal for the combo for 2 people. It's a ton of food so it's basically $26 for dinner and it's 2 portions with the rice, noodles, chicken, shrimp, and steak. The drinks came out quick and were good. Our cook was fun to watch and did all the standard fun activities. Not sure why this place has low reviews. Did the job with a reasonable price. I would gladly go back. read more

Ooka Japanese Restaurant - Noodles - Japanese Near Me - Riverside, California

We had a reservation at 530 and were seated and ordering by 540. Our waiter Brian was the absolute best! He kept the drinks and sushi rolls flowing. The restaurant has a multitude of different rolls (all zesty and tasty). Sake was great. There was plenty of space at the table/grill for our party of 5 and a baby plus another couple. I would highly recommend this restaurant read more

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I have been to this restaurant on multiple occasions but never have I experienced the decline in the quality of food and service. A bartender who had his ear buds on and couldn't hear anything as a customer I was ordering I had to repeat everything 3x over and yet he got it wrong The oysters I order was the size of a 6 oz steak and smelled and tasted like bad " Bushy CAT." And to make things worse we were doubled billed. Except for Elivis everything was a nightmare experience. What happened to this landmark sushi restaurant. It's an embarrassment read more

Very unprofessional management team! I reserved a table for my wife's birthday part a month in advance with Linda, one of the managers. When we arrived, we were told there was no reservation, and we would have to wait for the next available table. I confirmed my reservation earlier that morning via email with Linda. The manager working when we arrived insisted that I never made a reservation until I showed her the emails. She was very unprofessional, and Linda never did her job. We will not be returning to any of the Ooka locations after this experience. read more

Came here with my in-laws for a birthday luncheon with about 11-12 people. There wasn't any problem with the accommodation. However they do require that the whole party be present even if there is a reservation time. I thought that was a bit peculiar. Anyhow, we sat at the hibachi grill. The grill master came out did a couple of tricks, said a couple of jokes, cooked the food then was out. He was decent. My wife and I ended up sharing a shrimp, steak and chicken combo with fried rice (extra $3) for about $55 I think is the best deal with plenty of food for leftovers. Especially because my wife doesn't eat much. Shrimp was a bit overcooked and rubbery, steak was slightly tender, chicken season was fair as well. Service was not bad either, but not as snappy as some other hibachi places I've been. Parking is horrendous because it's in a marketplace and plaza. Parking is always busy during the weekend! Overall a fair experience. read more

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Definitely not going here anymore, the service sucked and the food is overpriced for something you can get at your local Chinese fast food. The service and food is way better at Panda Express. read more

We came into Ooka which looked like an upscale dining experience. So, I had a higher expectation. a bit of darkness for a romance ambiance? lol We started with salmon, and some bake green muscles. The muscles had a bacon flavor which i actually enjoyed. I got a philadelphia handroll. The salmon tasted like smoked salmon, that you can get from costco. I was so put off by it. Then we shared a nabe- yaki udon. Let's say, there was nothing really tasting like japanese influenced. It was chicken noodle soup with salmon and chicken pieces, plus veggies and udon noodles. A little disappointed how americanized this "japanese" establishment is.. read more

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So disappointed leaving here. We usually leave riverside for birthday/anniversary occasions but decided to keep it local. We ordered lamb chops with mushroom risotto, risotto was extremely salty and lamb chops were drenched in a sauce that was not what was on the menu... when asked to have it remade with no sauce (husband hand one bite of one lamb chop fyi) they said we would pay for both plates. My son and I had soup and salad spilled all over us as well (which is okay people make mistakes but it was a lot of things gone wrong). Sushi was chefs choice and they brought us the most inexpensive type rolls they had even though what we chose was the 'deluxe'. Just all in all we were expecting a lot better. read more

this has become our favorite celebration spot, the food is always a 10/10 and there's always enough leftover for the next day! most of our servers have been good, one time when we came for lunch we felt extremely rushed to leave (in and out in less than 45minutes) but other than that i love it here read more

Ooka Japanese Restaurant - Filet Mignon with Fried Rice - Japanese Near Me - Riverside, California

Great Food, wonderful service!!! We had reservations and they sat us down right away. The wait staff was attentive and the chef put on an entertaining show. Food was delicious. Worth every penny. read more

Food is good but the server we had was not pleasant at all. She had no patience and it was not even busy when we were there for lunch.

The fakes that she the manger and her husband just yells at everyone and kids come I'm back not in regular shoes and they don't wear gloves in back to cook Ur food read more

Sushi portions are too small in size for the price . Come on Ooka! Used to be on my weekly visit. Overall pretty good food though.. read more

We usually go to our same spot out of town but it was packed and decided to try this place. Glad qe ended up here. The wait was typical for a sit down dinning but we were able to get drinks and sit on the outside patio. The good was delicious. The garlic noodles set it off. I asked for medium rare steak and he nailed it. Peach sake is absolutely delicious. Be careful. Goes down to easy. read more

Ooka Japanese Restaurant - Peach sake and Sapporo along with a fantastic chef - Japanese Near Me - Riverside, California

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Here's my honest review of this place. And unfortunately a lot of my review comes just down to personal preference, nothing really against Ooka, it just wasn't my cup of tea all the way. Also a lot of it is in comparison to Shogun Hibachi in Corona, CA Let's start with the pros +1 for Ooka for their vegetable selection +1 for Ooka for the inclusiveness of their lunch meal, salad, soup, and noodles all included +1 for Ooka for cleanliness and decor Now the cons, -1 for Ooka's fried rice, for Shogun's Fried Rice, it's wayyy better -1 from Ooka for not having a traditional yum yum sauce, their mustard sauce is just a little too bitter for me and my wife +1 for Shogun for the super duper friendliness, Ooka just had more of a hoity toity vibe. -1 from Ooka for their mandatory service fee, they automatically charge 18% gratuity, calculated AFTER taxes for parties of 4 or more and on ALL parties regardless of size during the dinner hours Firstly gratuity should NEVER be calculated on the total WITH tax. I'm not going to tip on the tax amount ever. If taxes go to 25% tomorrow in Commiefornia, do you expect me to tip on that? No thank you. Secondly, and this is a personal preference. California is a state that requires all servers to receive state hourly minimum wage. Not all states do this, many states still pay their servers like $3.00 an hour and it's up to the server to make the rest on tips, but not in California. So I personally choose to tip 15% of the bill before taxes as my baseline unless service is way above and beyond. I have no problem tipping more, I LOVE nothing more then to leave a $100 bill tip when the service is phenomenal but don't force such petty gratuity requirements on your customers. I ultimately give Ooka a 6.4 out of 10 on the Chandler Scale I'll personally be sticking to Shogun read more

Very nice sushi restaurant with hibachi. I had some delicious sushi here. Full bar, great mocktail.

I have visited the establishment a few times and initially enjoyed the experience. However, it seems that the quality has declined since my last visit, especially during my most recent visit today. While the service from the cook was great, our waiter Michael was friendly but could have been more attentive with refills and clearing the dishes. We ordered sushi, which tasted stale, dry, and flavorless, as if it had been sitting out. Although they initially hesitated, they eventually removed it from our bill, but by that time we had already eaten half of it - my partner had two pieces and I had two as well, as the first one we tasted and the second one was based on the waiter's recommendation to try it with the special dressing on the sushi. The salads were also disappointing as the lettuce was brown and unappealing, although the miso soup was good. Additionally, the cleanliness of the grill area was needing a deep clean. Overall, I believe it's time for my family and me to find another hibachi place. read more

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Cocktails are amazing!! I was in the mood for ginger, I ordered the orchard and the ginger drop...both super yummy perfect for those ginger cravings! Cucumber crush was also a great option, very fresh flavors! Ordered the hibachi meal deal for 2. This came with the classic rice(upgraded to fried rice), miso soup, salad. You do have options for the meal deals, we went with the chicken, shrimp, and NY strip. The meal also included veggies, and noddles! We also ordered the garlic tuna sashimi. I would definitely pass on that appetizer..super small especially for the price. I can't wait to come back and try the sushi rolls and other amazing looking cocktails they have! read more

Celebrated our anniversary here the other night. Food was okay considering that I'm not a sushi person (non raw for me) but my wife enjoyed herself and liked the sushi she ordered. The service was good but expected at 4:30ish in the afternoon as it wasn't busy yet. I guess the only real issue was the mandatory gratuity of 18%. It just doesn't sit well with me. Probably won't go again as the over all atmosphere wasn't that great for the price. But if you like something different and a forced tip then this is a place for you. ‍ read more

Adding gratuity to large parties is understandable for groups of say, 8 or more. Adding gratuity to all parties regardless of size is not a good idea. You have effectively taken away any incentive to provide good service. Tips are supposed to be an option for appreciation of service be it fair, good, excellent. If taking that option from the customer is so necessary, perhaps your notice should explain why you have chosen to do this. Since Ooka is already pricy, you have now added 18% regardless of experience, in an inflationary period that has many consumers reeling. I have always enjoyed my experiences at Ooka, but I know many who opt for lesser quality sushi restaurants simply because of price. Automatic 18% gratuities do nothing to change their minds or help your bottom line and at the same time remove what I believe to be an important component in any restaurant experience: the customer's right to decide when and how much to tip based on the level of service. read more

Ookas is definitely my go to sushi place in Riverside. Absolutely delicious. Their service is always top notch. I've been a frequent visitor of Ookas have had Thanh as a server multiple times and he's wonderful! His service is amazing. I love that the shushi is ALWAYS fresh and very thinly sliced unlike other places where you may get a thicker cut and feel like you have a real fishy feel in your mouth. They bring you the right amount of sushi with the right amount of sauce and it is just amazing. Some of my favorites are the morning after roll and mai tai special. Before Covid they had a section for hibachi which was also nice. The environment is always nice and calm, I love going before and during Covid. They have been able to maintain top professionalism with their outdoor seating as well. I will be a lifelong customer. read more

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We have never experienced this before. So I took my wife for Valentine's day. We had a blast. We tried a little bit of everything. We had NY steak, chicken, shrimp, scallops and of course we had to try the lobster. It was an experience we'll never forget. Service was good. We had reservations and were seated immediately at our reservations time. We will definitely be back. read more

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Extremely expensive for overly salty basic food. We made reservations for a party of five and were seated right away. Total price $171.63. That was for two children who ordered chicken, two orders of shrimp and one order of scallops. read more

This has been a usual go to for dinner. However, not anymore. I ordered the Bento Box with chicken. The chicken tasted like rubber!! I'm sure how it was cooked, but it was terrible. This restaurant isn't cheap either, so it was very disappointing. Definitely not a go to anymore. read more