I gave this place one star because you had to pick something to write a review I used to think this was my favorite place but the more exposure they got with more customer the customer service went to crap. I visited on 5/16 and was seated for over an hour with nothing smh I asked for the manager who was told I needed to speak with her while she was at a table about to sing happy birthday she turned around looked and me and continued to stand there smh when I called her out on it she claimed that's her job and not customer service her name is Amber by the way. She alleges the normal wait time is 1 hour which is a lie I've been here plenty of times with great service and interactions. Kim The actual owner is out of town but I will follow up with her as we weren't offered anything due to our wait. My kids were falling asleep smh this will definitely be the last dime I spend here. read more

Good service and good food. [[HIGHLIGHT]]The atmosphere was nice[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] the chef was very entertaining and a very good chef the food was perfect. read more

My partner has always wanted to try this place so we stopped my while in the area. First impression I was not pleased! I truly judged based on its appearance. It's honestly quite grungy and very dark! I definitely feel they need to invest in a major renovation. Service was a little delayed however when he appeared he was very pleasant and attentive. The chef was absolutely amazing! Even though our table was only about 4 guest he put and an amazing show and was very personable. I most likely will not return due to the conditions. read more

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Love this place normally but last night was horrible. [[HIGHLIGHT]]No air conditioning, ice maker not working.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] If the owner isn't going to do repairs and upgrades as needed, they just need to shut down. read more

Visited the place on a Friday afternoon. Unfortunately did not take any pics (which I regret) but definitely a place worth visiting. The lunch specials were great, it had the perfect trifecta of: value, taste & quantity: Our chef was personable and service in general was great. Plenty of parking available as well as seating inside the restaurant. The seating area was clean. If we are ever back there, will definitely take the pics to update the review. For what it is worth - for a party of 6, we all got hibachi lunches and ordered non-alcoholic drinks and the total was less than $100! read more

They did not have any sodas. After they said "we only have coke, diet Coke and Sprite" he took our order and came back to say, the owner isn't back with sodas yet. So we had water, tea, or lemonade. We were there for my daughters 12th birthday, and again, he took our order, the. Came back and said sorry my kids could not eat off the kids menu. I was like but she is 12, and they apologized, but my 14 year old son had to change his order. Next the sushi was small and not presented well and I have had better from the grocery store for less. Then they had our orders wrong on the cart so by the time he cooked the meat, the rice and veggies were cold. We had no idea there was a birthday charge for the cheap stale cupcake. I was disappointed, because I used to go here years ago to celebrate with family, and it was a pretty disappointing experience. [[HIGHLIGHT]]Overpriced, no show with the hibachi, the place looked dusty, it was dark and loud. Just not fun.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] read more

Jahron and AJ were AMAZING. We went for my nephew's 5th birthday and they went above and beyond to make him feel special.

Great food and staff. Hell of a time. The experience is always awesome. The chef's interaction with the guests was truly comical. 5 of 5 stars for me. read more

Good food for the price and [[HIGHLIGHT]]great atmosphere[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]]. Service has been great every time so far. Very consistent.

I've been going to Sato for 25 year, and it's ALWAYS been amazing. The service is always great. The food is the best of the best, hibachi and sushi. The chefs are always funny. [[HIGHLIGHT]]The inside looks like a dive, but that's what makes it so great.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] I definitely recommend Sato to everyone all the time. read more

[[HIGHLIGHT]]I swear, it ain't the cleanest looking establishment, and the bathroom smells like raw sewage[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]], BUT, it is the best folks cooking and it seems you get more food than other Japanese Steakhouses, and it's always been awesome read more

The last 5 times i've ordered from here i've ordered extra meat/vegetables (and paid extra). 5/5 times I received a small amount of meat and vegetables and so so much rice. 2/5 times the meat was basically fully fat and not eatable. Absolute ridiculous portions for the cost! Just laughable especially for the insane up charge of 15-20 dollars. The owner is insane. read more

We had a reservation and got to the restaurant on time. Could not be seated until whole table arrive. We have been sitting for over an hour waitinf to eat the other half of our party has already eaten. We are just sitting down looking at each other eating soup and salad. read more

Food was delicious service was fast and our cook was very fun . Great food and entertainment read more

What a delightful date-night w/the hubby! [[HIGHLIGHT]]Busier than expected for a Sunday night, but delicious and lovely staff.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] We look forward to returning. read more

Someone recommended this place to me and told me it was a cheaper version of the Miyabi Japanese Steakhouse and I'm so glad I decided to try this place out. The food was tasty, good quality; The crunchy shrimp roll was great. I ordered my usual shrimp and teriyaki chicken and we went during the times of the early bird special so it was $15 bucks for my meal which came with the salad and soup. Our overall experience was great and I wildefinitely be coming back to this place whenever I'm craving some hibachi food and the whole chef grilling experience, especially when I'm trying to save money! Side note: I read other previous reviews about the place and majority of them weren't so great but I'm glad I didn't let that detour me from coming here. read more

Sato Japanese Restaurant - Japanese Near Me - Columbia, South Carolina

Awesome! My husband and I went there for dinner tonight and the Habachi was great. We got the "Early Bird Special " (5pm-6pm), I got the Steak and Shrimp and my husband got Steak and Teriyaki Chicken, and every bite was soooo flavorful and tasty. I would recommend this restaurant to family, friends and strangers. Eat local! read more

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Great food and really enjoy the entertainment of the chef cooking our food. Highly recommend

Upon arriving we saw a sign that said help needed first red flag but we got seated immediately since we went at 5:30pm for the early bird special only to find out they took over 30 mins to provide us our drinks once we got sat and [[HIGHLIGHT]]they turned on the stove a horrible smell of gas and heat came from beneath my seat[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] [[HIGHLIGHT]]table was cracked they have old carpet and did not look clean baby chairs and chairs were beyond filthy and soooo old not to mention they need more ventilation and they had no a/c turned on once we were done eating.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] The cook was nice and kept apologizing and food was good our waiter never checked on us we had to call for refills on drinks needless to say we will NEVER go back again!!! Stay away!! read more

[[HIGHLIGHT]]This place is filthy. I mean what my mama would call absolutely cruddy.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] [[HIGHLIGHT]]The carpet is tattered and dirty.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] [[HIGHLIGHT]]There are ceiling tiles missing with insulation hanging out.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] [[HIGHLIGHT]]Crumbs are thick around the bottom of the cook stations.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] Staff were walking around eating cereal out of the box. The food was just okay and if we had had more time we would have gone somewhere else. I can't believe this place passes the DHEC inspection. read more

Awesome food and service!!!!! The wait time was minimal and the cook was amazing and very entertaining. Absolutely love this place!!!

This place is horrible. The entire restaurant is nasty, floors have not been vacuumed and carpet in need of serous cleaning. Now the beverages, water had a awful taste and coke, sprite and orange were not right either. We had to send drinks back and go to gas station to by beverages. Food was also nasty, no taste at all. And to top it off, the AC was not working. Hot and smoke from the grill everywhere. read more

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Arigatōgozaimashita , now you try.... we'll practice it a few times before you go because you will be saying it a lot. It is Thank you, and Sato Japanese Restaurant, Arigatōgozaimashita for a great group meal. My coworkers and I came in for lunch and the hibachi was second to none. They handled the double digit group of us , we did call in advance but at other places that still doesn't mean a smooth event. I saw the other customers and groups that came in after our group also flash smiles from their experience. If you are passing through town and reading this, that means you are trying to break the monotony, so keep driving past McDonalds and have lunch here. I can't wait to come back because I saw $3 sushi rolls on the menu, I will have to try that out next time. I went with the group experience of Hibachi this visit. Tasty and friendly, Arigatōgozaimashita read more

We went on a Saturday and were seated within five minutes of walking in. Not crowded at all but was a little noisy. Typical lighting for a hibachi place. Lemonade is the best I've had aside from my own- super sweet with just a touch of tartness. Will give you diabetes if you drink enough (I was seriously full after finishing most of it long before he came to prepare the food- sip it slow). The clear soup... hear me when I say, this is the best clear soup I've had and clear soup is one of my absolute favorite things. This one is peppery- just a little bitty kick on the palate. So good. Shrimp that comes with the hibachi meals is so fresh (could do without the lemon though, speaking for myself)! Ordered the teriyaki chicken and WHOA! I've never had teriyaki chicken made with bell peppers. It gave it so much flavor. First bite is sweet then the bell pepper kicks in and adds a totally different dimension. Will make mine at home like this from now on. read more

Sato Japanese Restaurant - Hibachi Teriyaki Chicken - Japanese Near Me - Columbia, South Carolina

Every restaurant in this area is about this same quality. They are all completely hit or miss. Check your order before you leave!

Have come here for years and have watched the steady decline of this restaurant. If my kids didn't love the idea of the traditional hibachi steakhouse, I'd definitely pass for another choice such as Tsunami in the vista. The wait staff is rude, dishes are delivered dirty (this time with actual food left on my plate). The men's room was out of order, so they are "temporarily making the women's room unisex", with no lock on the door to ensure privacy. The bathroom stunk like a backed up sewer and the hand dryer outlet was directly where the hands go with an exposed outlet to catch the water as you dry. Seriously going to put the kids up for adoption if they keep subjecting me to this dive. (Ordering steak and shrimp because the thought of sashimi scares me here. read more

Sato Japanese Restaurant - Possible fire hazard in nasty bathroom. - Japanese Near Me - Columbia, South Carolina

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We haven't been here in awhile, but we've missed the experience.. and plus you end up with a lot of food to take home, for the next day! Our cook was very humorous, while he prepared our food.. enjoyed that! The Sour Apple Sake, was very good.. My Shrimp & Vegetables were firm & crispy, very delicious & well blended. Hubbies Steak & Teriyaki Chicken was very delicious.. the steak melted in your mouth. The chicken was seasoned and very tender... Our service was excellent & quick, we didn't have to wait very long to have our food prepared... Again we enjoyed ourselves, and we will be back! read more

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Great service the chef was funny and kept the family entertained and fed well. Food was good the terriaki chicken was very flavorful

Worst service ever. Was sat 2 times to be told it was a mistake. Salad came as the food was cooking. The other people at our table had empty drinks. I was charged for something I never received. The hallway to the bathroom is covered in water. read more

Really disappointed. I ordered $38 worth of food over three items and none of them are edible. The fish in the sushi is not fresh and the soft shell crab had a very off putting taste on the first bite. Total waste of money. read more

The atmosphere was great!! We loved Martin and his vibe. He was hilarious and the food was GREAT! I will definitely be back!!!! Service was so great, we left a $30 tip. The price for the food is reasonable. My sister and I had steak, chicken, and shrimp plus 2 things of sushi and it was only $65ish! I loved this place. Great customer service. read more

Sato Japanese Restaurant - My group and our chef! He def made OUR night amazing! - Japanese Near Me - Columbia, South Carolina

Do not order online. Horrible customer service. I have ordered take out here 3 times in a row, and each time the order was 30-60minutes longer than their online ordering service states. management does not care, which is reason I am writing this review. Dining in- restaurant is dirty and dated. read more

The first thing you notice about this restaurant is the decor. Others have complained about it, but I actually enjoyed the Dark wood walls and red paint. I have no issues with the interior design of the restaurant. I was quickly seated at a table with a family of 6. Thing started off, fairly well but the chef kept trying to flip a piece of shrimp into the guest's mouth and I think 4 whole shrimp was lost to the floor, which I feel is a waste of food. The sauteed vegetables were onion an zucchini, fairly common for hibachi. The chef did his fire trick with the onion towers, and I was actually impressed with his "Lava" which was boiling soy sauce making the volcano smoke a lot. Then he began to prepare our food. The rice was that. A huge mountain of white rice (about 12 cups worth) cooked with about 2 tablespoons of butter and crap ton of soy sauce. So, basically the rice was brown but flavorless. As he was serving the rice, he made his first mistake. The lady on the end was not supposed to get any rice. Then he forgot that the two teenage girls were supposed to get extra rice, and mom and the to-go box were supposed to get extra rice as well. He actually ran out of rice and had to ask another hibachi chef to make the extra rice he needed to fulfill all the orders at our table. The family was also upset because the he placed the to go box near me (I'm a stranger) and not near the family. He did move it when asked to do so, but the family shouldn't have had to ask. It isn't rocket science to ensure a stranger isn't breathing on your food. Then he began cooking the food, and at Sato they cook their shrimp with broccoli and lemon. He made the mistake of asking if anyone didn't want lemon, AFTER he squeezed the lemon on it. And also, he forgot that 2 of the orders for the family didn't want broccoli. He did pick the broccoli out of one order prior to serving (that was the to go plate) but didn't pick the broccoli out of the mom's order so she ended up having to pick out the broccoli herself. I enjoyed the flavor of the shrimp and broccoli though. I had the steak and the other family had filet mignon. I was very pleased with my steak and it's cooked with mushrooms. The family at the table though noticed that the baby (about 2 or 3 years old) kept rubbing his eye and that it was very puffy. Like, rapid onset of swelling because he was perfectly fine as we began but his sister did give him a piece of shrimp. Mom asked me what she should do and I told her to take the baby to an urgent care or an ER. You just don't want to play around with possible allergy symptoms on the face. They asked for to go boxes but she had to ask several times before someone finally dropped off enough boxes for the family to be able to pack up their meals and go. So this restaurant lost some stars in my review for poor customer service all around, and for their bland tasteless rice. read more

The food was pretty good! Kind of disappointed that our cook didn't do anything like we have seen before basically just cooked our food no show!! Everything was good but the rice was tasteless! I watched him it was rice oil and some sauce! Before they put vegetables and garlic butter seasoning! I don't know if he was new or what! Hopefully it will be better I would definitely go back read more

I've previously had several bad experiences with horrible service while dinning in but the food is enjoyable so I decided to give them one last try and order online for pick up. I placed my order (more than a hour before they closed) even pre adding in a nice tip. 30 min later I check my email just to see what time my order would be ready and I received a cancellation saying my order has been cancelled and I would get a refund 3-7 days. I called to find out if this was an accident and was informed they were too busy to make my order. 8:30 pm on a Sunday afternoon. One entree (extra rice and extra scallops), 2 sushi rolls, and 2 appetizers. Too busy! Don't do it. I live 5 miles away and I will go any where else besides here from now on! read more

Sato Japanese Restaurant - 3-7 business days for refund. - Japanese Near Me - Columbia, South Carolina

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I just got take-out from this restaurant. The hostess was not masked and was clearly having issues with nasal congestion, to put it nicely. I said, "My wife is at risk and I have to be careful." The hostess just chuckled. All the while she was talking to the other hostess about packing lunches for her school-age kids. This sort of thing explains why our COVID-19 numbers are skyrocketing. To be fair, the food was very good. PLEASE DON'T COME TO WORK SICK, especially if you are in the food industry! Especially now. Please don't penalize your workers for staying home if they don't feel good. read more

I walked in the restaurant and was accused of not paying my bill the last time I was there for lunch... the chef that accused me call the manager (that refused to talk to me) and she stated it was the waitress stole the money... The part that upset me the most was that the chef that accused me never spoke to me but one of my coworkers. This was made it even more embarrassing!!! ive had birthday, anniversary, and other family events there but I will never eat here again read more

Service：below the bar, long waiting time for to go order Food：not savory at all !!! You can have better choice with similar price. Don't waste your money! read more

The quality of food has gone down. The manger looked very irritated, wasn't friendly at all and only kept saying that is the business decision not hers when asking about discounts and policy. The soup was salty, they over cooked the steaks and soy sauce was running like water. For the money spent I will not recommend this restaurant, nor will we be returning. I will say that at least the 2 waitresses trying to help were really sweet and nice. read more

ppppooorrrrrrr service , did not cook our food all the way broccoli was still hard, shrimp was not done half cook , the manager was soooooo nasty and disrespectful she is a women with blond head, veryyyyyy rude 1-10 i will give them a 4 maybe 5... they gave us water down alcohol drinks and did not drink it it was nasty, we could not reorder or exchange and still had to pay for the drinks.... they tax you too high and will gratuity you a lot ... i would not recommend anyone to go here only if you want rice... i will not come here anymore and pay for a high bill for something not worth it.. my bill was $49 and end up having to pay $67.89 smmmhhhh read more