My family has been going to Saito since they opened over twenty years ago; when they were the only sushi restaurant close to Bartlett. The quality of food and the quality of the service have sadly taken a steep dive over the past five years or so (which may correlate directly with a change in ownership.) The sushi rolls now are sloppily prepared, the ingredients don't have the same (honestly great) flavors they once did, and anything taken to go is dry and a mess. We have frequently been given our orders missing items, and tonight, our salad was missing. It's $3.75 for a very small container of iceberg lettuce and some shredded carrots, so it takes a special level of consideration just to order it. It comes with a ginger dressing that is honestly one of the only consistent and good things over the years. Well, we called, and were given a light apology. I drove back to the restaurant. The cashier went to retrieve the salad, and when I asked for the accompanying dressing, she said that she already put it in the bag earlier. Full disclosure, they had given us a dressing. A very small cup that was half-full. When I asked for another, she said that it would be a dollar. Genuinely shocked, I asked if she was serious, and she rudely said yes and then muttered something about 72 cents. This is not a salad that comes with dressing on it; the dressing is the one and only reason to order it, and we were given very little to begin with. This treatment of a customer who had to drive back to your restaurant to retrieve their four dollar salad, insisting that they could not get a free dressing, as you had *certainly* not forgotten to give them that (despite completely forgetting the whole salad,) then making them pay if they want a little more dressing is unbelievable. Memphis customer service is worse every year, and Saito has sadly cut enough corners to be in this position as well. To the employee if you read this: Swallow your pride when you make a mistake, and think of yourself as an employee who represents your place of business. To management: train your employees to handle customers respectfully and to take a miniscule loss without putting up a fight that's going to put a customer off forever. Also, consider revisiting your ingredients and food prep methods (especially with your sushi.) Sad to say, but I don't think I'm going back to Saito. read more

Update: My parents wanted Saito's and I wasn't happy but gave another shot. I've been coming here with them for a quite while, and I have to say I'm impressed that they improved much! I definitely recommend eating hibachi by the grill, it's always fresh and hot, ready to serve up front! They are adding in new rolls, haven't tried them out but I'd stick with the traditional rolls. The manager made sure our service is great and checked up on us, and they are always on the floor. Aside from the food, they are keeping the place clean. Especially since it's a nice atmosphere, I guess they got rid of the smell of cigarettes. Keep it up! read more

The best sushi in the city every time. I mean the best in all of Memphis. This is where I go to treat myself. Saito, how I adore thee! Saito is an asteroid, a garden, a city, and a sushi restaurant across from the US embassy in Tokyo. Saito is also a popular last name that many families share. To me, the name Saito means I can get the best sushi in town and they will always be here when I need them. I would never have had the guts to eat fresh fish until I'd been to Japan. I will eat anything if I eat it where they know how to prepare it properly. I instantly became an addict. Now, I've never robbed or stolen to support my habit, but I hide no shame admitting that my children have been neglected in order to satisfy my hunger. As long as I get my sushi, the children can beg on the streets! Actually, my therapy is going quite well and premium sushi is a rare treat for me. I avoid sushi from the store. I frequently eat buffet sushi which I call cheap sushi. We don't live near an ocean, so premium sushi costs money. I usually wind up paying about $40 for myself here at Saito, but the quality definitely increases the value. Now if you play your cards right, you can eat here for $10-15, but I always find myself wanting the good stuff. Not complaining about price here, mind you, but I can't do $40 often. I eat like an emperor here. Except if the food is bad, I just write bad reviews. I don't execute the slaves who prepared my meal. One such emperor (during my lifetime) was responsible for tens of millions of executions. His name meant abundant benevolence. Maybe I don't want to eat like an emperor after all, but my meal was fit for a king. A good king, not an evil one. Ok, back to the story, I've eaten at two Mexican restaurants here. The last of which I believe was El Mez Cal. Can't remember the name of the one before that. I've been eating here about 25 years. I'm thinking Saito moved in 15 or so years ago. I've eaten here 30 times at least. When I eat sushi anywhere, I compare it to Saito. None comes close, but most is tolerable. The fish doesn't have much taste or odor. It is never too cold to your teeth. It is never room temperature. The texture requires biting it apart, but not excessive chewing. It is never mushy. It is always clean and brilliant with color. The only thing better would be to eat it before it ever approached land. However fresh the fish appears, it isn't. The government requires all fish to be frozen prior to serving raw. This is to kill potential parasites. Also, that really isn't wasabi you're eating. In most cases, It's a cheaper imitation made from horseradish roots. The Norwegians only recently introduced salmon into sushi rolls. Contemporary western sushi resembles nothing like the real deal. They used to use the rice only to ferment the fish. Oh, and by the way, that's not really Japanese beer you're drinking either. Look at the label. Go ahead and get a Budweiser instead. I wish there was a sushi train in town. Japan has those all over! Saito, you guys are wonderful. And your fish is wonderful! read more

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I use to love their shrimp fried rice. Went there with a friend last Friday. It was awful. So disappointed. That was not shrimp in the rice. It tasted very fishy and looked like cut up crawfish. read more

I like that they are open all day. The staff is very friendly. David, Miming and the sweet sushi chef (blue cap) are so welcoming. The lunch special is what sold me on this place but the staff keeps me coming back. read more

Saito Restaurant - Japanese Near Me - Memphis, Tennessee

It's OK. It's really a 2 or 2.5 star review. The extra star is for the young guy that waited on our table. Super friendly, nice kid that wanted to make sure everything was OK. The only issue with him was that I had to hunt him down to pay the check. We went there for the sushi - just wanted some simple, clean rice/fish dishes. The nigiri pieces were huge and the fish was fresh enough (tuna, yellowtail, salmon). Tried the scallop and it was cooked with a little bit of spicy mayo on top. Eel was so-so and they didn't have any ikura. (Ikura and uni are 2 pieces that I order to gage just how good a sushi place is...didn't even see uni on the menu). I ordered (using the little paper menu with the table-provided pencil) 2 salmon-avocado rolls....yet we received tuna/avocado rolls. They offered to switch it out but we opted to save the hassle. There was a big group at one of the hibachi tables getting a meal, so the smoke and smell of that wafted over quite a bit - the ventilation situation leaves something to be desired. The tables and booths were semi-clean; the place could use an overhaul and interior update. read more

Really good lunch just enough to full you up . I do not like the 18% added tho should be up to you to decide that

This is a fancy steakhouse that serves the usual selection of chicken, shrimp, and steak -- hibachi-style. Meals come with salad, rice, and grilled veggies. Expect to pay around $20 for an entree -- but you'll get what you pay for. The sushi is above-average and fresh. I recommend this place for a date or special occasion. Yum. read more

Saito Restaurant - Japanese Near Me - Memphis, Tennessee

Food is very delicious and reliable. Great service. They were so nice. They are taking many precautions for COVID safety measures. read more

Saito Restaurant - Front plate: Spicy Crawfish Roll Back plate: Crazy Roll ( Fried ) - Japanese Near Me - Memphis, Tennessee

Terrible service. Very well staffed, but SO slow. Multiple employees sitting behind the counter on their phones. Currently waiting 30 mins past when I was told food would be ready. Will not be back. Take your business elsewhere....... Just got my food. Terrible quality. Somehow the sushi I waited ages for tastes like it's been sitting out for hours. read more

The hibachi is great, soup is great, sushi is alright, the chef was very friendly as well as the rest of the staff. And it's nice and cozy in there. The only thing is that it was hilariously awkward because there was no music, and a couple of the plates had residue on them. But yeah, great place, great food, I recommend. read more

My Husband and I went here at around 5 PM on a Saturday. There were not many people there, and we were seated shortly after arriving. We sat in our booth for at least 15 minutes without anyone even coming by the table. When I attempted to let an employee know of the situation, the employee's only response was to say "bye." We then left. I can't speak for the food, but the customer service was terrible. read more

This is a great hibachi!!! Great service and good food . Flavored Sake was excellent. My kids love the hibachi chicken. I had the surf and turf it was larger portions then behinana and shoguns .. We will definitely visit again read more

If I could give them zero stars I would. Have been before and it was lovely. Not sure if there is new management but I came for my nephews birthday and sat at a hibachi table. We were seated and left seated for a hour before asking if we could a waitress for our drinks at least or just who our waitress was. We were then told that they didn't know who our waitress was then later told that there was only one waitress working hibachi and she didn't want anymore tables. When asked to speak to the manager we were approached with "we are understaffed" that was all. Not sure if it's because the staff was mostly young teens maybe 20-21 that all stood behind the bar confused. read more

I used to really love this place (specificially this location)...I've been going there for over 8 years. The food was plentiful, fresh, and great quality for the price. However, over the last year or so, the quality has really gone down. My order tonight was the straw that broke the camel's back...to the point that I will NEVER eat at this location again. I ordered the chicken yakisoba (my usual). Everything was so burnt and charred! The chicken was so tough that it could be used as a door stopper. There were large black chunks of matter (I say matter because I have no idea what these charred chunks were. Yes, they were so burnt that they were unrecognizable). The dish was inedible because it had a disgusting, acrid taste due to the burned bits of food. Whoever prepared this order and thought it was suitable for a human to eat needs to be ashamed! Saito, yall need to get it together! read more

Upon walking it, I tripped 3 times because of the floor being leveled so uneven. I sat down and looked at our plates it looked really greasy, not clean looking at all. Although food was really good. The place just looked very insanitary. read more

Their Hibachi is horrible no season what so ever. I ordered the shrimp and scallop one. Once I told staff that it was very bland no one can over to ask about it or was given any compensation for the trash food. Will not be returning read more

I love Saito. The food is excellent and the customer service is amazing. Excellent sushi.

I wish Yelp had a .5 system. This is a 2.5 place. The interior is a snozefest. I was told this place as the best fried rice...no they don't. It wasn't bad but wasn't good. Mediocre is the word. The early bird special was good but they charged me 50 cent for eel sauce and extra garlic butter. SMFH. I've never been charged in other restaurants. Last but not least, my drinking glass was dirty. Never. Again. read more

When I lived in Bartlett, this was my favorite little neighborhood sushi bar, and my daughter and I would pop in at least a couple times a month. It's almost never crowded, so you don't have to worry about a wait. This is a nice bonus on a weekend night when you don't have reservations somewhere and don't feel like waiting for an hour to get a table. The servers are great - always smiling and happy to you see you, and the sushi is very good -the quality and grade of the fish above par. Another nice feature? The prices. They are a little less than some of the bigger name places in town. read more

Do yourself A favor and go to shogun or any other restaurant for that matter, and shogun doesn't even have a working bathroom!! Worst service ever! Zero stars! If this place reads their reviews , you need new management! read more

Stopped in for a quick snack after being in the area Friday night. Granted, I got there early, 5:15, there was only 1 other customer/group there. Went to the sushi bar.... had to ask for: 1. A sushi menu, 2. A regular menu, 3. A fork (eating the salad sometimes is easier with a fork vs. chopsticks), 4. A beer - had to say Kirin 3 times to the sushi chef, he said it twice to the waitress, finally, somebody helped here understand what it meant! What a challenge just to get started. Crunchy shrimp roll was good, but not like it was when "Tan" used to roll them here. Too bad the salad came out 1 minute before the fried rice which came out 1 minute before the sushi. Perhaps I should have delayed the ordering sequence? Finally, got the bill, "Oh miss, I only had 1 order of fried rice, not 2". Chaos run amuck. And, there were probably 4-5 servers there with only a few customers by the time I left. Too bad. read more

Saito Restaurant - Japanese Near Me - Memphis, Tennessee

My wife and I go here fairly often, because we NEVER have to wait for a table, and the food is good. We typically sit in a booth on the side instead of doing the hibachi table, so I'll leave others to comment on that experience. I always order several sushi rolls and some sort of hibachi-style entree, and we share it all. The sushi is above-average, and the hibachi is very good. We always have enough for tasty hibachi leftovers. read more

First time trying this place and its pretty good! The early bird special that they have is awesome ! lots of food! read more

Saito Restaurant - Early bird - Japanese Near Me - Memphis, Tennessee

My daughter and I had the chicken fried rice and spicy crawfish roll. A few hours later and we're sick to our stomachs. Appears we we have food poisoning. read more

This place is nasty, I mean nasty. I had to change tables twice to get one that didn't have grease and food on it. The server was incredibly rude and did not want to be there. My glass of water had something floating in it and when I asked for another glass the server accused me of adding something to it. The service was slow, and the chef put all the food on the table at once and some of the food did not get cooked all the way. The manager was yelling at one of the servers and made her cry and then sent her home. They had the audacity to add a 20% gratuity to my check after all of this. I will never give them another penny of my money. I hope the health department will give them a visit. Before I left 2 ladies came in and they sat them at the first table that had grease dripping from the grease trap. I told them about me having to move and they did the same thing. That proves this NASTY place doesn't give a rats ass about customers or food safety. STAY AWAY PEOPLE!!!!!!! read more

We are so glad we tried this hibachi. The service was on top of it and very friendly. I never had to ask for a refill. We all got the Early Bird Special and it was more than worth it. The shrimp, steak, and chicken were high quality and fresh. You get more than enough food for the money. read more

I usually order from here twice a week and for sure every week. On today i placed my order like I always do for shrimp and chicken fried rice and said i wanted it for lunch special not the large that i normally order. I picked my food up today and I was very disappointed. Not only did they get the order incorrect but when i got back to work to eat it there was a strand of hair in my food. I tried on several occasions calling them and I kept getting the same voicemail that mailbox is full and please hang up. Not only do I order but at least 3-4 of my co-workers do also. I do not plan to order anything else from them and when i attempted to tell them my order was incorrect there was a rude young lady at the counter who didn't care whether my order was correct or not and she walked away while another young man helped me. They have lost about 6 customers from my work place due to this lack of neglience. read more

Outstanding place in Bartlett. Came in this evening for their early bird special of steak and chicken! It was a TON of food! Subbed the chicken fried rice for the white rice for $2.50 more. Everything was outstanding! First time here and I will most definitely be back!! Call ahead for eating in and it's ready within 10 minutes!! read more

Not too bad. Pretty standard hibachi dinner. Staff was nice if not entirely professional. $21 for the chicken hibachi with soup, salad, hibachi rice, vegetables and drink. Atmosphere is a little wanting and the place was generally a little dirty. The menu was covered in dried food and the bathroom needed help. Wouldn't make a trip here on its own merit but it was ok for lunch. If you want a budget hibachi dinner, get the famous BOGO coupon and go to Nagasaki. Harold is still the man for dive Japanese food and bad Lorena Bobbitt jokes! read more

This is my favorite sushi place in Memphis so far. I love the fountain right when you walk in the door. The staff is lovely. There is a sweet, older asian man that makes the sushi and I love to sit at the bar and talk to him. I tend to go around 1 when the usual lunch crowd has left, but even when I go early the service is excellent. I haven't been back for dinner yet, but the next time I have a special occasion I plan on stopping in for the hibachi. So much fun! read more

Best Japanese food in Memphis, hands down. The owners are super nice people. Adrian, the manager is very cool and will make sure you have a great experience. read more

The best Japanese food around. Don't bother with the hibachi tables; just get a booth. You'll get the same food and a lot faster. The food is crazy good and you get huge portions. The early bird special (5-8PM) is a great deal: chicken and steak hibachi plate with soup, salad, and veggies for $15.50. Their sushi is wonderful, too! And to top it off, the staff are very friendly and remember you after only a couple visits. read more

I have been going there for years and it was my favorite. But something changed. The last two times I went it was not good. The shrimp fried rice was hunks of white rice , no flavor at all. I called and told them. Then because I loved it so much I went back one more time. Same thing happened. The shrimp fried rice and veggies were different. I do not know if they changed the cook or did something different since they fixed up the place. But I am so sad because I miss it so much and haven't been there in months. Please bring back to old recipes. And the older man that cooked. read more

Every time I order, they answer the phone quickly, they are very polite and my order is always correct. My food is always ready when promised. Love this place for a quick work lunch. read more

Best food in Memphis! I'm about to call shortly and order for my family, they have great customer service and are always in a great mood. It's always wonderful to stop by once a week and pick up some of the best early bird specials they have! read more

This is our new favorite! We went Mother's Day, also my birthday. They have renovated and it looks amazing. New bar, hibachi grills and expanded the restaurant to have a separate area for those who don't want hibachi. I can't remember ever having better service, anywhere. The managers cleared dishes, filled our drinks and checked on us. But we didn't get that smothering feeling. It was my birthday and I brought a cake. When we first came in, they found a place for my present and took my cake to the back. When we were finished, they sang happy birthday while bringing my cake out, candles already lit. But before this they had brought out a special dessert that was awesome; it was cheesecake fried in tempura batter and served with ice cream. They sang happy birthday in Japanese. Y'all.... do something special for your family and take them to this incredible place! We felt at home there! read more

I dined at Saito every Sunday for a year. Unfortunately I do not frequent the area anymore and I've heard they are now closed on Sunday's. The food is great and the sushi is always so fresh and delicious! I do not understand why Saito isn't more well known and talked about with a lot of hype. The sushi, fried rice, the tempura sweet potatoes and other tempura vegetables are really delicious! I usually ordered the lunch box which came with fried rice, a six piece California roll, three fantastic tempura veggies with once being a onion ring and a sweet potato, and then your choice of grilled teriyaki chicken or grilled steak. My friend and I always sat at a table and never did the hibachi grill. The hibachi grill always smelled great and the chef seemed to put on a fun show! The staff at Saito, are kind and super friendly and would sometimes remember you by your first name. Usually the staff would remember our soda drink orders and what we wanted for lunch! If I am in the area again I will definitely stop by and have the lunchbox at Saito!! read more

I came here for Sushi off the good reviews. maybe it was good years go. it was dated, small, and very "run of the mill". I ate for a decent price, didn't get sick. read more

Wonderful service and delicious food. It was our first time here and will not be out last. Our new favorite Hibachi restaurant!