I've been here probably 5 or 6 times in the past 10 years. Tonight will be the last. I took my family of 5 and while no all the food was horrible, it was just ok. We'll never be back though, here's why... The "PRIME" "boneless" ribeye. I thought I would splurge on the "prime" ribeye. My wife and kids got the Emperor Steak which is a NY Strip. When there's went on the grill I was impressed with the marbling. Then they put my "PRIME" Ribeye on the grill and it was solid red. It didn't even appear to have a marbled cap. There was ZERO marbling in this steak. Then I went to eat it and it was very chewy, it had silver skin throughout; AND THEN... I just about broke my teeth on the shards of tiny bone fragments. Apparently they don't know how to trim a steak either. It really was awful. The Service They were very busy and I thought they actually did an ok job of moving the crowd through. When our server Bobby got to the grill, he greeted us and the. Began to talk crap about his previous table's guests. Then at the end of the night I asked to see the manager and asked about the steak being PRIME and he assured me that it was USDA Prime, not Choice, not Select but PRIME! The Best! I can assure you 100% that was absolutely not true. I explained how it was very poor quality and that I had to spit out several pieces because I almost broke my teeth on the bone fragments. He didn't even apologize or offer any resolutions. THEN the bill comes and everything was 100% full-price. I was actually surprised. They should have at least given a discount for the inedible steak with bone fragments even if they refuse to tell the truth about the cuts of meat their purchasing. The Facility Honestly, I should have know better. As you look around this place you can quickly tell that they do not take care of it. The parts of the kitchen that you can see are very tattered, the rice bowls were cracked and melted at places, the floors were sticky and the bathrooms were disgusting. I'm surprised the health dept. hasn't shut this place down. If you have a craving, plan ahead, make a reservation at Benihana at the Santa Anita Mall and don't ever go to Tokyo Wako in Arcadia. read more

Went Wednesday night at 8pm. Made reservations, no wait. Ordered Emperor Steak (New York Steak) medium rare and Dynamite. It took a good 30-40 minutes before our server/chef arrived. In Order of Service: Soup http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/D9pnrLMdvB08jTcz9SbODQ?select=v95j5Hl-Kv6BY91yw3qO5w Tasted exactly like the soup in Instant Noodles. MSG. If you like ramen instant noodle soup you will like this. Salad http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/D9pnrLMdvB08jTcz9SbODQ?select=-PoTMijN2-JxZ4Yyx4cMXw If they don't drown the salad with dressing, it cleanses the palette nicely after the over salted soup. The lone cherry tomato is funny. Dynamite Appetizer http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/D9pnrLMdvB08jTcz9SbODQ?select=E6MNyzgf_d5z1Gbp9QG-Gw Similar to Kuma Sushi's baked scallops. Great sauce with fresh mushrooms. I really enjoyed this appetizer. Fried Rice http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/D9pnrLMdvB08jTcz9SbODQ?select=7eVtmhA9teL7U0N_NlA-Uw Did not need the generous helpings of butter. Felt butter unnecessary distraction. Fried rice had high heat wok flavor but the butter made is unnecessarily wet. Without butter could have had greater heat and would be drier. Sesame mixed in created great texture, the eggs enhanced the aroma, and the pepper added a tiny bit of kick. Solid dish. Steak http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/D9pnrLMdvB08jTcz9SbODQ?select=kwCzbztwUpTNmPoxhjfi0Q Asked for medium rare. Was cooked unevenly. Had some medium rare, medium, medium well. I would have preferred an entire cut. By chopping the steak into so many pieces and continually pressed down...a lot of the natural flavor and juice is lost. Also...this high heat quick method of cooking is not the best way to cook meat. This is further exacerbated by the thick pieces of meat. If you are going to stir fry steak in this manner, at least cut the meat thinly. All in all I was very disappointed. The steak had little flavor. There was no seasoning at all. Vegetables The stir fry vegetables were very good. Zucchini was the star. Mushrooms were a bit too oily. Green Tea Ice Cream http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/D9pnrLMdvB08jTcz9SbODQ?select=QanJ-l2wsjQDcXScBoewqg Very delicious. Enjoyed it tremendously. Almost made me wonder if it were made from scratch. en total, I guess you are paying for the show more than the food. But it's a show you've seen many times before. read more

See all

This has been one of my favorite restaurants for many many many years even during Covid and I joined their rice club where you get rewards so far I haven't been able to get to use anything and I usually spend $300 I know it's not good on liquor but on food and if the cards not linked to it you can't use it I had my account close so I couldn't use the card no more and they would not let me use my rewards what a shame not sure if I'll be returning their $50 is $50 to me read more

I called for a reservation for tonight 12-17-21 for 5:30 pm. The person who answered the phone and took the information was nice and I was asked if there was a special occasion which I said yes. My daughter in law graduated from nursing school and passed the NCLEX exam this week. I was very disappointed with two things 1. They never even mentioned this exciting news whatsoever. 2. Food was not good either. The chicken was so over cooked and dry I couldn't even finish it. I have been to this location many times over the years for many special occasions and I'm not planning on going back again. Nor will I recommend this place to anyone whatsoever. read more

Fun in Arcadia. Good show Steak w shrimp comes w zucchini, mushrooms and Japanese noodles (bean sprouts). You also get soup and a salad. Theres two choices when you walk in, either regular lunch or lunch w fire show and some comedy. Prices are reasonable. read more

See all

This is our favorite AYCE sushi restaurant. The best value is lunch. My favorite is the salmon and yellow tail collarbone. What is disappointing is they are out of the collarbones more time than they have it available read more

Super yummy place looooove their food and the sushi sooooo good. Love how they cook in front of you also you become a Japanese girl on your bday so fun read more

This restaurant has been updated, which was desperately needed. Cleaning needs much work. We did enjoy our food as always. And the staff was pleasant. read more

Tokyo Wako - Grill - Sushi Bars Near Me - Arcadia, California

Amazing service. Chef Chandler and server Emma were friendly and nice. The food was good and generously portioned.

If you are looking for a decent wait time, good prices and trustworthy staff then this NOT the place. We had reservations at 7:30 pm and didn't not seat until 8:40 pm. Side note: They do not seat unless your WHOLE party is present. Which ours was. We had to ask multiple about an update with our table and received the same excuse "We are just cleaning the table". The food the was good, don't get me wrong but the service and the way they treat their customers is not ok. We felt discarded and disrespected by the way they treated us. read more

Typical Japanese steakhouse teppanyaki sushi house. Nothing special to note. The tuna steak had more gristle than I ever thought possible, about 1/3 of my steak was inedible. Might as well have served me the fin. The truffle edamame had NO flavor but the oil it was fried in- it's supposed to be steamed and I should've known better. Had an off tasting scallop. At least the sushi chef was nice, but not very knowledgeable (rainbow roll was his favorite?!) Word of advise, go across the street to Sushi Maki and get the Chirashi bowl- it's legit! read more

Tokyo Wako - Chewy low quality ahi - Sushi Bars Near Me - Arcadia, California

The WORST customer service ever. The manager had me wait 30 minutes for a cook I requested which I was fine with. But once those 30 minutes passed by I went back to ask him the wait time, he told me to wait another 30 minutes on top. I was on the brink of leaving but waited. He had the nerve to tell me to wait another 20 minutes when my party was NEXT!! P.S. We all left with an empty stomach which isn't very healthy at all. read more

We normally go to the Tokyo Wako in Pasadena but due to COVID it isn't open. We made reservations for tonight for a party of 6 and got a text confirmation. We drove 20 miles to Arcadia to find out they were closed for filming and they apologized for the inconvenience- this was a piece of paper typed out on the door. I honestly don't understand why they didn't call their reservations for the evening as a courtesy. Will never return and honestly can't believe that a restaurant would have such terrible customer service. read more

Made a reservation for Sept 17 (Friday) for a party of 11. I called Sept 15 (Wednesday) to make a reservation and everything was confirmed. We all showed up Sept 17 (Friday) for our reservation and they were closed. There was a sign on the door that stated they are close starting Sept 16 (Thursday) for filming and will reopen Sept 20 (Monday). I was never notified of this closing. I was never notified our reservation will be cancelled. We were not told of anything until we all showed up that day and have to figure out last minute plans on a Friday night dinner time for our party. Very rude and unacceptable. It would have been okay if I at least got a call to let me know it will be close so we can make different arrangements. Very inconsiderate. Please don't bother to waste your time and money here supporting this bussiness. read more

I really don't like leaving negative reviews but after sitting at our hibachi grill for over 15 minutes we decided that we would post a review. We had reservations and arrived a bit early and we had to wait because it was a busy night. That was ok. But once we were seated we had to wait over 15 minutes for our order to be taken. Also, the table behind us got seated after us but ordered before and received their drinks and salads prior to us. I asked foe no rice and extra veggies. They gave me rice and the least veggies. Really disappointed in the service. I understand it's busy but why take our order if you end up doing what you want ? read more

Worst service ever, the customer service here was bad and the manger not sure of his name (Asian Ethnicity) even worst, he doesn't knew the value of costumer service. We waited for our food so long and then when we would request things it took even longer. Also, manager was beyond rude!!!! Whoever gave him the manager position should think of who they put in position. It got even worse but won't go more into details but don't recommend you all coming here. read more

All I can say is... I got food poisoning 10 minutes after leaving this restaurant. I got the Hibachi chicken and I'm pretty sure it wasn't cooked through because it wasn't attended as frequently. That was actually the thought process while trying to stay focused on the presentation. The two stars are for our chef. He is SO GOOD. I wish I had gotten his name. He was the only one putting a show in the restaurant. The other chefs were just cooking. I felt the restaurant was dirty in every angle. I don't think I will go back to this location. Maybe the other location, because I have to say, that butter fried rice is life! read more

See all

Soo before yesterday's visit I would have given this spot a solid 5 stars hands down. But yesterday well I must start by saying the service really was great from the hostess to our server and the rest of the help. The happy hour is really a great happy hour $2.50 beers $4 saki and lots of apps to choose from. NOW our Chef had a great smile but that was it! Literally he spun his tools once and did the weakest volcano ever and that's it!!!! That was the whole show he cooked as fast as he could and the whole table was done eating there food before the vegetables even came out lol that's the only thing he took his time on. He was nice and smiling but come on he didn't even make the "butter-fly or an egg-roll" the fried rice is my favorite thing and it wasn't up to par, scallops were a lil Chewy and the shashito peppers need to definitely have a different sauce on them they were soso. We had a nice time together as we almost always do anywhere we go "make the best of it" I have been here over 20 times, unless things are made right I will not go back. It's sad what one bad experience will do. But hey, happy hour and the sushi was great soo read more

See all

What a joke! The most disorganized and condescending employees I have ever seen. Call at 1:00 to make an reservation at 7:30. All goes well. Show up and meet the rudest host ever. Looks at me and says "You're not on the list. Goodbye". Apparently the owner/manager took my reservations and doesn't know how to enter the reservations in the system correctly. He was hiding in the back because there were numerous other guest that were angry while we were there as well. We will never go back....not because of the mistake they made with the reservations, but because of the rudeness of the manager/owner and host. "You see, you know how to TAKE the reservation, you just don't know how to HOLD the reservation. And that's really the most important part of the reservation: the holding. Anybody can just take them." read more

All About service,quality of food,and reasonable prices. This place hit all 3 marks. I can't say enough about or chef Julio,simply a delightful,very engaging person,and was passionate about his skills. He showed us his funny tricks,1 including an egg. Want to see how I make an Egg Roll? Of course table got excited,and said YES! He rolls it across the HOT table and said Boom! Ha ha,silly guy. Again,food was deliciose, Toyko Imperial,Wako Wako,and Ni Ban. All 3 big portion dinners,drinks and generouse gratuity for under $160. I definitely recommend eating here. All I can say is I'm coming back when in the area. read more

Tokyo Wako - Chef JULIO,making everything about cooking FUN! - Sushi Bars Near Me - Arcadia, California

Came in to celebrate Mother's day with my mom. We ordered a Hibachi Scallop and Jumbo Shrimp. BE AWARE EVERYONE, YOU ARE PAYING MORE THAN $30 for around 8 pieces of scallops / 4-5 pieces of shrimp and NOT EVEN A BOWL's WORTH OF VEGETABLES... THATS IT!!! If you are some sort of rich, lavish customer who can burn that kind of money, by all means, continue eating, otherwise I WILL NOT BE COMING BACK. The most PATHETIC portions for the most EXPENSIVE prices.... what a joke. Its a shame cuz I used to love eating here! What. A. Joke. read more

Great food, fun experience and the dude in the bar was awesome! He helped us figure out our drinks and our chef was very entertaining and the angus steaks were perfect!! read more

My coworker and I came here because Soup Plantation was full. We already used up 15 minutes of our lunch break driving and finding parking so we were in a time crunch. We saw this place and saw the $10.95 lunch special in the window so we went in. The service was really sub-par. We were seated immediately at the hibachi tables and we waited for a server or someone to address us. No one came to us for a few minutes so I went to the bar and asked the closest server "How does this work?" and she brushed me off saying "Your server will explain everything" and continued speaking with customers at the bar. I asked another server who brought us water how long did she think this would take since we were on lunch break. She said she didn't know because she was new, but she brought the restaurant supervisor over. We were told that the tables are kept open for 7 minutes to see if anyone else is coming, then our orders are taken. Then the chef can take anywhere from 30-45 minutes to finish. FINALLY my coworker and I order the lunch special and they said that special for the OTHER side of the restaurant. We were never offered the opportunity to sit anywhere else. I asked, is that side of the restaurant open? And she said yes and just stared at me. So I just sat there because we'd already come this far. I just felt like no one cared at all that we were confused, had a time limit, and wanted the lunch special. We ended up ordering something completely different, spending $18/each instead of the intended $10.95. The food was okay, nothing to day dream about but really the service and lack of explanation was a problem. Won't be back. read more

Happy Hour is fantastic!! We come here every time we visit Arcadia. It never disappoints. The crunchy roll is amazing and so is the tempura shrimp/veggie's. Stop here if you can. It's worth it! read more

Did the teppanyaki Thursday night and it was amazing. The fried rice is so so so amazing and the steak and lobster "the ichiban" is just perfection. The chef was funny and very friendly. All around a awesome experience! read more

Hello, watch your bill when u pay w your card. Waitress apparently did not like the tip she got in cash that she had to help herself w an extra 40 on the tip line. Bill was for 80 and she charged 140. For those that don't know what tips stand for: T=to I=insure P=prompt S=service Save your time and money and go elsewhere. Food was so so not worth the time on the phone w bank n restaurant. read more

My son went for his first time and he was getting impatient but honestly the chef cooking for us was great and he entertained my son and gave him so much attention. I will be back for sure. He loved the show and the fried rice! read more

Hired a dumb hose that don't even know her Job. She didn't even ask if we are here for Teppanyaki and she make us waited for 30 and seat us at the Teppanyaki table. The waitress told us we are not supposed to seat there if we are not ordering Teppanyaki. We just there for sushi. read more

Called to make reservations nine of us 2 days before. The lady who answered said they were not making reservations on Labor Day Monday and to just walk in. She specifically said no reservations being taken on a holiday day. We showed up at 5 pm and they told us they could not see us till 8pm. The manager was very rude and inconsiderate as well when I told him that why did this lady told me that two days ago. Also, there was no one waiting to be seated. Don't go to this awful place that lies to you and tells you to just walk in only to find out you do need a reservation on Labor Day. Never will eat here again! read more

I brought my parents here for lunch on a weekday during COVID and noticed how pricey everything was. Hoping that the portions would be generous at least, we ordered a 3 item combo, yellowtail Carpaccio, a salmon roll and we were still hungry in the end. I wouldn't complain if the food was above average but it wasn't. It was subpar like their service. The bill came out to be $58 without tip. That's a whole lotta money for not very much. Sooo disappointing. Will never be back again. Can't imagine how much dinner would be... Had to order fried noodles at Arcadia mall to subside all our hunger. UGH! read more

No idea why this place only has 3 stars! Food and service here has always been top notch. Everyone that works here is super helpful and they have no problem accommodating special requests. My wife and I got the emperor steak and jumbo shrimp. The portions were super generous and even though we were the only two at the table Jose put on a hell of a show for us! read more

Tokyo Wako - Jumbo shrimp with emperor steak, yum! - Sushi Bars Near Me - Arcadia, California

This was my first time going to this establishment for a friend's birthday. We had a reservation for 7:30pm. This place doesn't seat you until your whole party arrives. Fast forward to 8pm, the whole party had been there and we still had to until about 9pm to be seated. The food was okay but the service and servers were not attentive. I would not go back. read more

White washed Japanese food. No flavor even when you drown your food in their horrible sauces. Just go across the street to Maki and Sushi for a better price and way better food! read more

Went for lunch to celebrate Easter Sunday. The food is always delicious. Service is outstanding. Sat in the dinning room for the privacy instead of sharing a cooking table. Quality and quantity were the same as eating at the cooking table. It's a nice option. This pic is shrimp and hibachi chicken. Yummy read more

Tokyo Wako - This pic is shrimp and hibachi chicken. Yummy - Sushi Bars Near Me - Arcadia, California

I loved the lobster tails!!! Can't wait to come back! My son enjoyed the entertainment while preparing the food! His first time there. read more

There's actually not a lot to say here. Tokyo Wako is a budget Benihana. Same type of food, same dinner-and-a-show schtick, same look and feel. But it's a little more affordable, a a little less nice, etc. It's not bad. But you can't fairly compare it side by side with Benihana. read more

We ordered food tonite because we love this place.. Tonite we had food delivered it was horrible all cold. If you spend 147 dollars the soup should be at least warm.. Called and spoke to the manager and he was a straight jerk told me nothing he could do about the quality of the food when it it being delivered. We are in a hotel leas than 500 yards from the resturant i asked him if i could bring it back to exchange it for hot foot he told me no and hung up on me.. You can bet your ass we wont ever spend money here again..the jerks name was shugo. He should have his feet held to the grill.. read more

I've been to several teppanyaki style restaurants and tokyo wako is defintely not my #1 choice. The food was eh. nothing special everything is very bland. The steak and filet mignon wasnt that great. The teriyaki chicken was just okay. THe shrimps were probably teh best dish. The scallops were okay too. The miso soup was too salty. The salad was pretty good. the fried rice was really bland. The chef wasnt very fun. Yes he did cool tricks, but he wasn't very talkative. He was not asian, he was hispanic.. TOTALLY reminded me of the one epidsode from My Wife & Kids. Where all table got an asian chef except for his family. LOL that was like my family too. the people who sat w/ us ordered lobster tail. Just by the look of the lobster tail when the chef was cooking, i can tell it was mushy..didnt look fresh at all. Good thing we didnt order lobster - wouldhave been a waste of money. The service here was slow. My uncle asked for a cup of green tea and it never came - not attentive. i dont think i would come back here again. read more

I dunno, but I have always liked these "Benihana" type places. I have to these types of places for birthdays several times and really had fun. The last time I frequented Tokyo Wako was for a birthday and we came with several friends. The folks we didn't know at the table were soon our friends since once you add alcohol to us, festivity ensues, and people join in. I got the vegetarian option which I was very happy with. Soup, salad, tofu, vegetables. And since it was a birthday, they made the birthday boy put on some sort of cap that made him look like he had that shaved head adn ponytail of a sumo wrestler, and they took our picture and put it in a little cardboard holder and some free icecream. And I think they sang. Hard to recall after all the saki, beer, vodka, and tequila that was absorbed. read more

Came here on a Tuesday during happy hour 5-7pm and it was quite empty, able to sit wherever we'd like. The onion type soup and salad was pretty good, both those are normal staples though. We ordered the calamari off the happy hour menu for a good price and it came out hot, but sadly wasn't so good. I think it came with tempura sauce which I didn't think went well with it so I asked for spicy mayo.. But their spicy mayo was different and I wasn't a fan. For my entree I had the Tokyo wako roll.. Couldn't say no to steak on sushi! The sauce that came with it was amazing. Unfortunately the steak was cold which I wasn't expecting.. And rarer than I prefer (yes, I'm one of those horrible people who like well done steaks). Otherwise still delicious. I was thinking about ordering the lobster roll bc that sounded good but glad I didn't since it has spicy mayo on it. My boyfriend had the sea bass which was sweet and delicious! Just a small portion to his disappointment. We also shared the tempura green tea ice cream which he loved! It was too much cake stuff and not enough fried batter for me though. Guess I'm just used to Vietnamese style fried ice cream.. I still ate all the ice cream & whipped cream though. The service was a bit on the slower side, so not good nor bad. Overall an alright experience. I wouldn't mind coming back to try other things on what looks like a variety of delicious entrees on their menu. I do love their koi pond! And I believe there's one carp in there! read more

See all