The only reason I give this restaurant two stars and not one is because the waitress was extremely nice and professional. The mushroom soup tasted like a dissolved dry soup thrown in hot water with mushrooms on top. Pieces of undissolved dry soup on the bottom. The main course dinner entree was something. Wahoo steak (which is beef) looks amazing on the picture with seasoning on the outside and red juicy meat inside, was a microwaved tv dinner. OMG I have never paid $20 for a TV dinner. Sushi were small and tasteless. This was probably the worse place in the fancy location I ever been too. Never coming back here. read more

Came here to dinner with the family for Father's Day... this place is much like Benihana with the Teppanyaki type grill & show.. But nothing special really.. It's in the mall and kinda hard to find.. They really should have better signage.. It's up stairs near the theater FYI Service was slow.. We asked for a regular table but they seated us at the Teppanyaki grill.. Ok I guess.. Show was nothing spectacular.. A lil fire, flip a few shrimps...really needs a lil spicing up if you ask me Overall mine and my parents food was ok.. but My sis's lamb was undercooked.. Probably pass on the next time around.. read more

I know .. this review is long overdue but I feel like writing today! Went here for my post birthday a couple years, the in-laws we're visiting and it's their first time at a teppan yaki [ pls. don't ask why ] They were also staying at a nearby hotel, so we thought we'll just stay in the neighborhood. So here's what we ordered [ and yes I remember ] as Dr. Read from Criminal Minds would say "I have a pictoric memory." Sushi Platter (7 pieces of Sushi with your choice of California Roll or Tuna Roll) & Assorted Sashimi 9pcs **It wasn't the greatest, I've had better. It did hit the spot so I can't complain. I finished my food and was having a good time drowing myself with sake. Beef Yakisoba (Hibachi style noodles with mixed vegetables and beef or shrimp, prepared on the grill **There's something about seeing your food getting cooked in front of you, it's entertaining and it was hot of the grill. My husband remembers enjoying his meal and liking it. Chicken Yakisoba (Hibachi style noodles with mixed vegetables and chicken, prepared on the grill) **My in-laws enjoyed the Chef's tricks on the grill, and how they prepared the meal in front of them. They enjoyed it as well, how can you go wrong with chicken? Would I come back here, eh? read more

I went here with my boyfriend not too long ago to get some sushi and sake before we went to see a movie at the Arclight which is pretty much next door to this place. It was 6 PM and there was NO ONE in the restaurant. After we got seated in the main dining room, we saw a family waiting to be seated for 5 minutes at the front. For an empty restaurant, you'd think they'd do customer service a little better. The service was OK- not very friendly or warm- definitely more of a business transaction fell than a restaurant. Not very attentive either. It seemed like the staff kept disappearing into the void of the place. The sushi was OK. A little expensive for what we got. There are lots of other sushi restaurants in the area that are less expensive and serve higher quality fish. Overall, nothing terrible happened here, but we won't be going back. read more

It's literally just like Benihana! Nothing different. My favorite location is the Pasadena one due to how helpful and friendly their entire staff is. It's located in Old Town Pasadena in the paseo plaza. It has many shops around and an Arclight Theatre to watch a movie after dinner! My go to meal is the Hibachi Shrimp, and it's done to perfection every single time. My only tip is this, if you get lucky enough to get Mr.Wako as your chef, do yourself a favor and just let him cook all your food the way he suggests it. Don't fight him on it, because this man knows exactly what he's doing and it's always so well done. I get so happy when we get him because he makes the experience that much enjoyable! read more

Totally ashamed to say it but I like this place. It's best to go during lunch where teppan-yaki is $10 cheaper and you get to choose your own meats. Protein is always perfectly cooked, fried rice has a nice charred flavor and veggies are cooked last to soak up all the juices that collected on the flat top. They don't use much butter and oil so it's relatively healthy cooking. Add-ons can add up fast so watch out for the extras! read more

All my friends love Benihana but I was never really in to it... then, Tokyo Wako happened... The food tasted better and not to mention I always got seated right away. The mushroom soup and salad was great. The chicken fried rice was delicious. Overall, the food is good and the vibe feels more laid back. Plus, afterward you can walk around and enjoy Paseo Colorado or watch a movie at the ArcLight. read more

I eat the hibachi here regularly because the food is good and my toddlers love the show. The food is better than Benihana and the sushi was good too. The restaurant is huge and they will cook with incomplete tables. They serve quickly. I eat gluten free and they have gluten free soy sauce. The chefs are always accommodating either by cooking my food first or separate and cleaning the grill to avoid cross contamination. One time the chef was nearly done cooking my and accidentally sprayed the regular soy sauce. He and I realized instantly and had them recook my food in the kitchen. I was still able to eat with everyone at the table. Lunchtime is a much better bang for your buck. Parking is either street or garage in paseo. They validate and I think the parking with validation is $2 or $3 read more

This was literally the worst Japanese food I've ever had. We had the Bento box with Teriyaki Chicken. The brown rice we awful. It was dry and flavorless. The teriyaki chicken was dry and also had no flavor. I would avoid this place. read more

Too bad I had to choose 1 star because if not this particular Tokyo Wako would get no stars from me! I made a reservation for 7pm. Arrived on time and 58 mins later still haven't been seated! What is the point of a reservation if it doesn't take effect?! The hostesses have crappy attitudes. Definitely won't be back! If the one in Long Beach were taking reservations I would've went there. DO NOT WASTE YOUR TIME! read more

Honestly I am crazy disappointed in this place. It used to be so good and so much fun, but I guess it has gotten old and they don't seem to care about the customers or the experience anymore. Last time I went, the waiter FORGOT we were there, despite the fact we were the only ones in the dining room. They brought all our food at different times, which means we all ate separately. There were only 3 of us there and each of us had at least a 15 minute wait in between food deliveries. In addition to this, I asked for a specific sauce to be delivered with my fried rice and the waiter didn't bring it. He remembered when I asked him about it and said "oh, you don't want that anymore though, right?" Basically, won't be going back. read more

I placed a to go order at this restaurant a few days ago and I'm writing a review because I think they greatly deserve it! I ordered food from their menu on google. It turns out that, that menu was from years ago. I asked them if they can change my order upon arrival and I was fairly upset for charging me a different price but the server that took care of me gladly changed it! And the manager was very mannerly and polite even if I just wasted her a whole entree order. I've never eaten here before and I'm sure to visit next weekend with my family. My steak and shrimp was so good!!! They handled the situation well and I know how upset I get. Nice people. IThe best online menu to look at is from their main website. Don't be like me wasting their food because of a misunderstanding. Fried rice and seafood sauce is amaaaazing. Thank you! read more

Overall the restaurant is clean the hostess staff is friendly Food was ok. I ordered the following... Firecracker Roll: This roll and the dragon roll, I give points for creativity. I felt like these were the most two creative rolls on the menu. I appreciated the originality. Spider Roll: not the typical spider roll I remember, I usually love the spider roll but this was just weird. There was carrots in it which really threw off your eating experience, with a hard crunch recalling what you saw in the roll that would make such a sound. Rainbow Roll: Looked like any other Rainbow roll, it was fine but nothing special, the taste didn't give your typical wonderful taste of having a great roll of sushi. I liked that you had 3 different options for a dining experience. regular table table with the chef and grill in the middle the the sushi bar. They do validate for parking in the Paseo Colorado parking area which is much appreciated. read more

Very disappointed with this place. Came here to celebrate some of our friends' birthdays. Service: Was okay, nothing special! The waitress always seemed to be a in a rush! The show: Not impressive at all. Food: Was lacking flavor. I ordered the Yakisoba with shrimp, but I had to put a lot of soy sauce to give it some flavor. Also the chef cooked my dinner first and then cooked everyone else's dinner, so my food was cold by the time he finished with everyone's food. I was not happy to eat cold noodles! I would recommend going to Shogun. It's cheaper, the show is a bit more entertaining and the service is better! read more

If I had expected a lot out of tokyo wako's, seeing as how it is in Paseo where there's an equinox and the rent here for a studio upstairs is $1700, i would have been disappointed. But, if you've ever expected Benihana to be more than it actually was, I believe this is the experience that Benihana was supposed to be. Great teppanyaki, great fried rice, great zuchinni, great onions, great beating heart, great shrimp-hat catch. steak is good, shrimp is good sometimes, chicken is predictably good... A good teppanyaki place. But if you're coming here to be wowed, yeah, you're not going to be. Good date place actually. It's always interesting to people watch the other diners at your hot plate. And, I hate to say this, but I feel the experience is more authentic when the guy coming out with the cart is asian. Btw, i rarely judge a restaurant by its service. I just want my stuff quickly, i'm here to eat, not to talk about my life. read more

I have no idea how this place stays in business! Attended the supernatural convention and decided to eat close by Big mistake!!! The service is ok but the food and the quality just terrible. I ordered a roll with spicy tuna on top and right away before I even tasted it. I knew it was poor quality. I was starving and said a quick prayer before I ate it. No flavor I decided to splurge and also try something called King roll or something. It was real crab and asparagus wrapped in soy paper. Besides being almost $20 it was horrible and the dipping sauce was butter and soy sauce with lots of garlic. The worst!!!! The butter had congealed and looked gross. This place was super expensive and of the lowest quality. NEVER going back. read more

Tokyo Wako Restaurant - Red dragon roll - Japanese Near Me - Pasadena, California

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This was an overall mediocre experience, which is unfortunate because the sushi itself was actually pretty good. I had the Four Star Sashimi (from their menu: Thin slices of yellow tail, salmon, tuna, and albacore laid on a plate and topped with chopped tomatoes, avocado, diced onions, cilantro, and served with house special jalapeno sauce) which was an unusual and very California preparation. It was really good. And the uni nigiri was fantastic as well. It was pricey but the food was very good. But it's a weird place. It has an overall feel of a resort restaurant in a strip mall. Tastelessly decorated and no character or personality. It is easily sized for 100+ people, but there were maybe a total of 15 at lunch time on a week day. Only two of us at the sushi bar. There was a family with small kids at the grill counter oohing and ahhing over the flames, and a couple of tables occupied out in the central dining room. And yet, with such a small crowd, there was an oversized team of servers standing around pocket-fisted and chatting rather than paying attention to the fact that my water glass was empty and I was trying to get my check. Not so great for service. I can't really recommend this place. read more

The fried rice is amazing even when you don't have time for the entertaining teppanyaki show and dinner. We've lived this place for years!

Food was good!! Service not too much. If your trying duplicate Beni's how bout you don't rush the customers who spent money at your restaurant rather than Ben's. The chef rushed the cooking, barely a show and every drink refill was met with an eye roll. Just because you couldn't fill our table doesn't mean you treat us less. Full stop. read more

EVERYTHING SUCKS at this place! I gave it a one star cuz that's the least I can give, otherwise this restaurant deserve a minus ten. Expensive, food taste bad and the chef looks like you owe him money. Trust me, you'll get better food and service at McDonalds. read more

They have good sushis! The manager an Asian lady is so rude! She was asking me if I was to buy something and I was like dhu! That's why I'm here! No one introduces to me except the bartender (Luis) he was good very good and explain me the menu and the happy hour but still... THE RUDE ASIAN LADY AKA MANAGER WAS MEAN I almost throw her the coke but anyway they need to change that! The bar was good but I will say it's mostly for the bartender... read more

Tokyo Wako Restaurant - Japanese Near Me - Pasadena, California

Terrible Fathers Day dinner experience ever. Everyone orders appetizers, drinks, and meal and it was eh for the app and no comment for the drinks (they don't brew the beer or have the formula to make Coca Cola)... But the food?!?? It was Father's Day and he wasn't pleased with the food.. Gave it a 4 of 10 and that's just because the cook was trying. I was planning to give my opinion on the food but I NEVER GOT MY FOOD! How can they not make it and the cook clearly told me my order. I was hungry, everyone else ate and nothing on my plate. I had the easiest plate too... Noodles! They gave me an excuse the waitress didn't write it... When I saw her. Then the cook told me the order in the beginning but didn't know anything about it at the end? Hmmmm :/ the manager came and I just didn't want to hear it because I was hungry. Everyone was already finishing up but she told me they can make the noodles really quick in about 30mins. Does this make sense? I didn't want to talk to them.... Someone else did for me and I just walked out and bought something to eat across from them. Worst experience ever. read more

Delicious. I do only the sushi, either the bar or table service by the bar. It's really fresh. I have found it so much more enticing when they have sushi happy hour. Their sashimi salad is divine but all the rolls and hand held pieces can be just as delicious. read more

My friends and I had a bad experience even before getting seated. We went on a Saturday night. Host staff told us they're cleaning up our table and asked us to wait 5 minutes. 30 minutes later, they told us, it'll be 10 more minutes. 20 more minutes and 3 groups cutting ahead of us later, still no table for us. So we walked out. Very inconsiderate for giving us inaccurate wait time. read more

This is my "Special Event" spot. For a birthday or something special I come here. I usually order the ichi ban. Filet mignon and lobster tail. It is to die for. I also order a double serving of fried rice. One to eat while you are waiting and one to eat with the meal. It is awesome, they prepare it right in front of you and everything is just so succulent and tasty. I have not had better tasting meat anywhere. Soo Good! Not to mention a nice bar! Saki Bombs! read more

I want it to impress my wife taken her to this restaurant...very big surprise! the name is just a big good sound name of the place...I think across they have better food and better service and prices...I will take AI in south pas. a million times read more

Food as entertainment is a winner in my book. I'm sure by now, everyone has experienced the Benihana, or similar, show. Tokyo Wako is just like it, and it's still fun. I love their fried rice and the filet mignon teppan steak is always tender along with the fresh shrimp and veggies. Great for a date or a small group, I've always left satisfied. read more

Last time i was at this restaurant 2 years ago and this year on my birthday, i don't know why people go there. The service is not too bad but the problem is th food. Three people including my daughter and myself ended up sick for 2 days. I know for sure i am not going back there read more

Aww, heart shaped fried rice. Beef was decent. I would recommend this place to kids who like fire. People who've had teppan before wouldn't have a new experience. The chicken is good. read more

Don't expect anything healthy or cheap here, but if you're a fan of butter and a more playful dining environment then this place meets your needs. The sushi/sashimi is actually good (though nothing close to mind blowing or revelatory). The fried rice is delicious. I always go with the Wako Wako Special (NY strip and shrimp) which comes with veggies. Don't expect any new tricks if you've ever been to one of these teppenyaki grill houses but it's always still exciting to see everything prepared right in front of you. read more

The service review is a bit of a wash because what I'm about to tell you is actually funny/entertaining/unbelievable, but on the other hand, since it was happening to us, equally annoying. Bonus daughter wanted this now fairly common experience for her bday dinner request. No prob. Reserved our spot and we're ready to be amazed balls by the onion volcano. As soon as we were seated, i noted one couple and one single woman sitting on the other side of our squared off table where they were smiling politely at the gastronomic theatrics already in session. Then in walks our personal chef for the next 20 minutes. He says a curt hello to us before I catch him taking immediate notice of the aforementioned single lady at the other table. What's transpires next is just totally a WTH?! moment...for the phase of time where he is essentially cooking our meals, the chef is blatantly flirting with the older single lady behind him!! I mean, like, only glancing in our general direction to prevent accidentally burning himself. By the time he is finished with our meals, there were digits exchanged. I swear I'm not making this up. Why on earth would I make up something so random?? The only reason why I wasn't complaining to management at that point...well, there are two reasons. One, the early volcano onion theatrics sent my little one into a tailspin of fear that had her clawing at the walls to get as far away as possible. So, my hands were a little full. Secondly, the girls who were serving the other items not being cooked by the chef (drinks, etc) were SO incredibly attentive--truly, just the opposite of Mr. Chef. As far as quality of food, pretty much what everyone else said. This is not an establishment I would ever come to on my own accord unless it were specifically requested by the kiddos and that rule of thumb won't likely ever change. read more

Food wasn't impressive for the price. But the worst was having the credit card I used to pay for my bill be fraudulently charged 3 times for ~90 each a couple days later. Yes I'm sure it was this place because of the credit card I used. Yes I called the bank and reversed the charges, and in the end, I didn't pay the fraudulent charges. Still, coupled with the shit service, never wasting my time coming here ever again. read more

I went here for my gf's birthday with a ton of friends, it was really fun and we all sat in a big table surrounded by the chef and food preparation in the middle. everything was good, food was pretty tasty I got the highest priced meat forgot what it was called but it went for around $37 i think it was some kind of steak, very good, the only thing that i really did not like was the smell which stuck on you, I'm a very sensitive person when it comes to smells so maybe the 3 stars is a bit harsh but so be it, service wasn't great we were about 20 people but its understandable a lot of picky people means a lot of mistakes. I'm sure ill return sometime, definitely not in the near future though...wallet is a bit dented...loll TFR read more

Came here for Sushi and had an okay experience, not the best. The fish didn't seem that fresh though we did send back our tough salmon sashimi for more and it was good. We unfortunately sat at the Sushi bar where you can hear a lot of noise from the grill (teppan tables). There is really no server here and the sushi chef can't put in drink orders. Took 3 times of asking to put in a cocktail order, and water was not refilled promptly. I'd pretty much finished all 3 courses before my cocktail arrived. Do come for the grill though, that was a much better experience. read more

decent Japanese food. good sushi for a mall restaurant. we got a couple sushi rolls to share for lunch, and i got the cold soba. the cold soba had lots of noodles and wasabi and dipping sauce. it wasn't crowded at all, but the service was slow. our waitress came to bring us our water, but never came back. we had to wave down another waitress to take our order 10 minutes later. the food came in a few minutes (with the original waitress). the food was fine and when we were done we waved another waitress down for the check. don't come here if you're in a rush, but it's good for groups, since they have a big seating area and decent food. read more

I had a wonderful experience at Tokyo Wako. It was a Saturday afternoon. We walked in without a reservation and our party got seated immediately. All the servers were attentive and friendly. The food was delicious and and savory! I've been a patron of Tokyo Wako for years and I'm never disappointed. read more

Disappointing. Sunday lunch. They were out of two of the three sushis we ordered, and had to come back and tell us separately for each one. The four star sashimi was swimming in some sort of sauce, and my boyfriend suggested that was to cover up for a lack of quality or freshness, and while most tasted fine, there was one piece that tasted rather fishy. Sad. The servers were nice, but I went into a mall sushi joint with low expectations and I still left feeling disappointed. read more

I came here with my boyfriend before watching a movie. It was empty (2pm). The restaurant is huge and has a cool view of the Paseo Colorado. We ordered a lunch combination plate with two choices. I chose the chicken and NY steak. It was a large amount of food. I took some home. I like how the chefs cook in front of us. Some of their jokes are pretty corny but thats okay. The food was good, I'd give it a 7 out of 10. There are sauces to dip your meat in but its not too tasty. The service was okay. We had about 3 different waitresses. (Maybe because it was empty and they had nothing else to do) It was a good experience but would I come back? Sure I would return for another trip to try another dish. read more

We have been here twice and both times we have not been disappointed with our experience at Tokyo Wako. The service was great, food good, and entertainment wasn't too corny. :-) Sushi Rolls are ok, but I don't come here for the sushi but rather the Teppanyaki which satisfies. Portions are good and wait time is quite short. Took my wife here for her birthday and they dressed her up in Japanese gear, sang to her, snapped a pic, and gave her some ice cream. Yay! My only reason for the 4/5 stars is that in life there is always room for improvement. ;-) read more

Came here for happy hour (5-7pm) with my friends and had so much fun here. The restaurant's atmosphere is amazing and the service is so good! read more