Been here on numerous occasions and this last time was a failure. We were a large group of 12 and it almost felt like they didnt know how to accommodate us. Since we had reservations we were quickly seated, but the waitress didn't come around for drinks till a good 20 minutes later. However, once she did come around she was clueless on their saki collection. We had to literally go thru the list one-by-one because they didn't have any available. It got to the point where the manager came out to actually go over which ones they do have. My friends kept switching from filtered to unfiltered,hot to cold, back and forth, up and down, side to side...frustrating ;) Just give us a damn drink!!! Sadly enough, the final one we ordered sucked!!! Cant imagine how a popular and busy Japanese restaurant like this one didn't have the extensive sake collection they claim they do. The food was fine. It always is. But this experience was enough to remember...avoid coming here if craving GOOD sake!! read more

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BE WARNED! There's a reason this location has three stars. I've been to many other Tokyo Wako locations and have never experienced what I have here. They're trying to cover the high cost of rent from being in a prime Pasadena location by ripping off their customers. Usually fried rice is included with your tepan meal, but here there's a $3.50 up charge. I got the Tokyo Bay for $33.75 that included shrimp and scallops. To my surprise I was served 3 small scallops. I didn't touch my plate till it was all plated to see exactly what I was paying for and wow how disappointing. Check out the photo. Not what a $34 plate of food should look like. And to top it off our cooked tried arguing with us that the other Tokyo Wako locations also charge. read more

Tokyo Wako Restaurant - Tokyo Bay tepan plate. This location is a joke - Japanese Near Me - Pasadena, California

VEGANS AND VEGETARIANS BEWARE I am vegan and ordered a vegetable roll. Other members of my party ordered non veggie sushi rolls. When the server brought out the rolls he asked who had ordered the vegetable roll, I raised my hand. I ate two of the rolls. Which appeared to be carrot, cucumber, and rice. Upon receiving the check, a member of my party announced that they had not received their golden crab roll. The waitress came back minutes later to tell us that the aforementioned vegetable roll was actually the crab roll! I expressed my shock and told her I was vegan. I haven't had seafood in a long time and was unable to taste the imitation crab. They refused to take the crab roll off the bill which I understand- I had eaten it. My stomach was not so understanding. I worry about people with allergies (and other restrictions) being given the wrong dishes. read more

First time trying this place. When ordering I emphasized my allergy to sesame and shrimp. Got our soup and salad.... asked about sesame again (salad dressing) . Got our entrees.... double checked about sesame again.... reassured that kitchen was told and nothing with sesame. We had dinner around 8:30pm and was seated in the corner with dim lighting. Finished, paid and went home. Had some itching and rashes but didn't pay too much attention to it since it was late and wasn't too bad. Today, heating up my leftovers.... noticed a bunch of sesame seeds in my food. This is so dangerous and careless. We should be able to eat out, inform places of food allergies and have faith they will follow instructions.... very disappointed considering this can greatly affect someone's health. read more

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I remember this place when it first opened. It was such a memorable experience as soon as you walked in it felt like an upscale Japanese restaurant. Fast forward to the present and it looks as if it wasn't updated for more than 10 years! The entire vibe seems tired. The fountain in the front no longer works, it has broken tile with paper signs saying "don't sit" for obvious reasons. The interior looks the same just worn down. This was my wife's 1st time here on her birthday of all days and boy has this place changed! Our server was really sweet hence the extra star, yes I was going to give it a 2 but she earned them an extra star! I couldn't believe this place got 3 stars at first but having revisited it again I must agree. This visit we decided to have a traditional sit down dinner minus the chef which is what o remember the most. The food was ok for a typical Japanese restaurant but this is Tokyo Wako. For the price you expect the best but to be honest it's not impressive at all, they brought both our bento boxes with brown rice for some strange reason which we never asked for and the chicken was tough and dry. Overall our experience was nothing spectacular and a rather lack luster for being in the heart of Pasadena. I hope they make the necessary changes to improve their place back to the glory days of when they were all the hype. I can't say I will be returning here in the near future but I hope things get better. read more

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Just dropped in for a very quick lunch. Japanese mushroom onion soup, Spicy tuna cut roll and hot green tea. The food and the service were ok. The location is great, as are the decor and the layout. I wasn't crazy about spending $12.25 on a Spicy Tuna Cut roll, especially since the hand roll is only $6.50. Why is a cut roll almost twice as much as a hand roll? I know some sushi bars unnecessarily charge more for cut rolls, but almost twice as much? I don't understand it. This is not a practice at my favorite, regular sushi spots, and I did not taste or experience anything at Tokyo Wako that would draw me back for another visit. If you're in the area, give it a shot, but if I'm needing some Sushi, I will stick to one of my regular spots. read more

This is my niece and nephew's favorite restaurant, so I was looking forward to trying it with them after an event in the area. We showed up with a large group of kids (7) and adults (5) so we were seated in the back of the restaurant. The food was ok, and the show prepping the food was standard, but the overall service was very bad. We were ignored the entire time we were there and had to flag someone down for everything. You know what you're getting entering a place like this: the prices are a little higher than they should be for the "show" you get which the kids really like. However, the rest of the service should have been better than we got. Not a place I would visit on a regular basis anyway, but after our experience, not somewhere I'd consider unless my niece and nephew are around. read more

It sucks. My wife and I went here for lunch and were curious as to why there were only 6 people in such a huge restaurant, now we know why. $40 for two "lunch special" bento boxes, edamame, and a Diet Coke. The box contains a salad (iceberg lettuce and shredded carrots is the best you can do?) with no dressing of any kind, brown rice, four tiny pieces of California roll that tasted like it was made the day before, and a serving of chicken teriyaki pieces that were as tough as shoe leather. Pasadena has more restaurants per-capita than any city west of the Mississippi, go somewhere else for lunch. read more

We went to Tokyo Wako for my daughter's birthday. Everything started out fine. It was strange that the waitress was placing the soup and drinks in odd places. The chef spilled the sauces and they were dripping over the sides--not huge issues, but odd. The food was good, but gave us stomach issues after. It came down to the birthday dessert. They had just sang for the table next to us. The waitress cane out and told us that she couldn't get anyone to sing, because they were too tired. I thought she was joking. She was trying to light the candle, and she said, "oh well no candle, that's okay right?" I asked her if there was was another lighter somewhere. She replied, "no, but that's okay, you don't need it." I was so shocked I didn't know what to say. As my son was juggling our three leftover containers to run to the bathroom, a busboy offered us a bag. At least that was nice. read more

Bf took me here for our 2 year anni, and it was a pretty quiet Friday night. (Saving an awesome anniversary celebration in Japan later on this year! :D) Got seated right away. Ordered us some alch dranks, and they were strong as HELL. Nassssty. Lol. I was barely able to finish it for the most part. I ordered the Hibachi chicken with fried rice. Bf ordered the steak with fried rice. We got some appetizers as well. Lobster rolls-decent Shrimp tempura-decent. The cook was a cool guy, and did all his tricks and thangs. What I did like (knowingly knowing how it's pretty much the same as Benihana's), was that they had different tricks. I was finally able to see something different. The food was generally pretty good. I think Beni's has more flavor..BUT, Tokyo Wako's sauces are much tastier. read more

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I never want to visit this Tokyo Wako again. While our teppenyaki chef was very accommodating, straight-to-the-point without being rude, and generally likable (my parents even personally tipped him), the service here is wack. We were celebrating my sister's birthday so after our dinner-show, we attempted to order the Tempura green tea ice cream. However, our server claimed the restaurant didn't have the dessert with green tea ice cream, only vanilla ice cream. I didn't understand... Did that mean it was pre-made? No, she said, just that they don't have it with green tea. So they sold out of green tea ice cream then? No, they just won't make it with green tea. I told her I've had it it before at this location, as well as others, but she continued to say that they don't make it with green tea ice cream. We were going in circles. After frustratingly getting nowhere with our server, who was otherwise friendly (but missing most of the time), I asked for the menu and tried to speak with the manager. The manager was no help 'cause she was a huge b*tch! She told me I was wrong and that only vanilla ice cream was available "as written on the menu"; but I had the menu right in front of me and nowhere did it say that Tempura ice cream was served only with vanilla ice cream. While she explained to my parents why we couldn't order green tea ice cream, I interrupted and told her it didn't say that on the menu. She turned to look at me, ignored my remark, then turned back to my parents and continued with her stupid poor excuse of an explanation. My mom decided to order it anyway (with vanilla ice cream) since the manager spewed some baloney about how they don't serve it with green tea ice cream because it tastes better with vanilla ice cream (it doesn't). When it arrived, it was served with forks. Wut? Who eats ice cream with forks? I may be nitpicking here but the entire situation was just so annoying -- and I think our server and the manager could've handled it a lot better without being so rude. I'm already not a fan of Tokyo Wako, but I refuse to ever step foot into this one again. read more

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Excellent food. Good service. Atmosphere is great. Been eating here for decades and never a bad meal.

-1 star for the ridiculous wait time. Even though there were more than 14 tables open, they still made us wait for over 20 minutes. On top of that another group went ahead of us and they were seated first even though they barely arrived and put their name on the wait list for only two minutes. That's when we asked how long was the wait and voila - they seated us. Food was not good and pricey. Service was still terrible. I wish I could re-roll time. read more

I love this place so coming here with one of my friends who initially wanted Sho Gun was a no brainier to me. So, we get here and we are seated with another couple. Literally not even two minutes after we were seated the waitress came back to take our order. Now my friend had never been here before so she needed to look at the menu for longer than 60 seconds. When we told the waitress we had just sat down the couple across from us proceeds to say "she's asking because we've been sitting here for a long time"... Huh??? I don't give a rats tail how long you've been sitting; take that up with the waitress. So, we continue to look at the menu, taking our time might I add. When we looked up, the other couple had been moved to another table (which should have been done from jump). The waitress never came back to take our food order (she did take our drink order). We flagged down someone to come take our order. The food was good but the service was not all that great. I usually go to the one in Arcadia and that is where I will continue to go. This location was just for convenience. read more

Everything was great. The food came pretty fast with available seating. The food tasted amazing.

It was a hot and crowded weekend in Pasadena and we just wanted to beat the heat. It was the chalk festival so the Paseo was extremely packed. I've never eaten at Tokyo Wako, so I thought, why not?! Well it was a big huge disappointment. I did not eat teppanyaki so this review will be for the dine-in area. We ordered fried rice, seafood udon pasta, and the shrimp tempura roll. When our food arrived, they tried to hand us soup. We explained that we had ordered pasta but they insisted we ordered their seafood udon soup. They tried to convince us to keep the soup even though we didn't order it and we wanted what we had ordered. They seemed upset, but perhaps they should re-title things on their menu so that there aren't communication problems like this. The fried rice was ok, nothing special but it hit the spot. The sushi was also just ok. When we finally got the pasta, it was a let down. The creamy sauce was thin and uninspired. The amount of seafood was small. Overall the food here is not worth your time of money! read more

After a local qualifiers (for regionals) tourney in pool, Kieran and I jammed out of PJ's pub and headed straight for Paseo Pasadena to for the birthday dinner of my dad at Tokyo Wako's. Tokyo Wako's is a sushi/teppan grill restaurant. The venue is really nice and not crowded at all. I find a lot of teppan grill restaurants feel really crowded, seats knocking into each other when you get in and out of your seats, etc. My family is huge and we accommodated two sides of a "grilling station". I ordered the Imperial dinner which was filet mignon and jumbo shrimp...really good! One of the main points that Tokyo Wako's stands apart from all the other teppan grill restaurants... portions and quality of ingredients. Also, their chefs were still...Japanese. I like to try to keep things authentic. Their birthday cake ceremony is out of control (but not loud and tacky), they brought out a kimono robe for my dad along with a samurai wig. Great times for the whole clan. Only drawback, they did not have uni last night...tsk, tsk. FYI: Their lunch menu is about 45% less than their dinner menu. read more

Tokyo Wako Restaurant - my niece enjoying the show - Japanese Near Me - Pasadena, California

just walked out of this restaurant because manager on duty is mean and surly. We had a graduation party of 9 and the manager told us that it was more important that she keeps her servers happy than the customers and that if we didn't like it she wouldn't serve us. So we politely got up and left. We had been patronizing this place since my son was 3 years of age and now he is 16 graduating high school. Three staff members continued to say that there was an 18% mandatory tipping policy for us and kept saying it as if their intent was to rub it in. The manager on this date of June 2, 2024 at 7:15pm needs to be fired immediately. They tried to stuff 9 people in 8 seats but wanted a 18% gratuity. No customers equal no jobs period. Someone should let her know that. Neither her or her servers will have a job with no customers. Bathroom was flooded water and running out the bathroom door. Restaurant was dirty and pretty empty for a graduation season. Now I see why. read more

2 out of 4 meals were edible. Service was meh... The staff was nice enough but when we told or waitress my husband's food was terrible she didn't do anything about it. The manager didn't come to the table and no one cared until they saw us taking a picture of the plate of food. Then they offered free dessert. We declined because although some of our food was really good we didn't want to stay longer and try something else. I would have been happier if they took my husband's meal off the bill. He only had 2 bites. As we were leaving my husband sought out the manager and she apologized and offered a discount next time we come in. We probably won't go back. In my opinion, they missed an opportunity. No one wants to return to a restaurant with bad food and "so-so" service. read more

Tokyo Wako Restaurant - "Filet" served with brown rice in puddle of watery brown sauce. No mushrooms and very little asparagus. Not edible. - Japanese Near Me - Pasadena, California

I came here again for business only and didn't have much choices in Paseo Colorado. The restaurant is well lit unlike the other restaurants and it's easier to talk and go over business items... Figure, I give them a second chance and we were looking for a place to work and have dinner at the same time. The food was just okay and nothing special, however again, definately not worth the price. Seared salmon with a small scope of rice and miso soup was $18. It would of been worth it it was double or 2.5 times the portion. I think I barely had 4 oz. of salmon. Green tea was bagged tea for a couple of bucks. Cheap! At least use some loose tea for better quality. Plus, the plastic pot was leaking. Looks like rent is high at Paseo Colorado. They sure do skip quality on the food but at least the restrooms are clean. Service was decent the second time around. Left this place hungry a second time. Hoping this is the last time I come here. If you're looking for unauthentic Japanese food and spend a fortune, come here. read more

It's a fun place, especially for a big group. Benihana rip off...but all the teppan places are basically the same. We went on Sunday for my nephew's birthday and the kids had a great time. Our chef was fun, the food decent, the prices right. What more can you ask for. They have your basic steak/chicken/shrimp kind of stuff. Rice and veggies. There's a sushi bar up front but I'm not sure I'd get the sushi here...I leave that for the small intimate sushi bars. We enjoyed ourselves all around! read more

I have been going to this place for over 15 years now. We used to go almost every day but it is now pricy so we go once a month. We used to go to their Arcadia location and I'm glad they opened one close to LA. I think they are a lot better than the other Tepan Yaki places like Benihana because they give more food. Most of their cooks are not asian so it does ruin the ambiance. The food now is so and so, because it all depends on which cook u get. But we will most definitely go back. read more

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Sleeping! Zzzzzzzzzz........ Sushi..... ugh. Yes I know it's a teppanyaki house, but then don't advertise your sushi prowess next to "steak house". It was miserably bland and over-tried. Don't even bother to sample it out of morbid curiosity. Teppanyaki flare was good. Entertaining for sure. Took some first-timers here who loved it. But once the show was over, the overall atmosphere of the whole restaurant was drearily depressing. I've been to funerals with more life. The elevator music in the background added to the under-budget 70's porn ambiance. They seriously need to step up and modernize the place. It's so depressing here I want to pull ingrown toenails just to liven up the place. read more

Good steak! This is just like many Japanese teppanyaki restaurants you see nowdays. I had a steak & jumbo shrimp dinner and it was excellent. I think it's a bit pricey but I guess these things are not cheap. I LOVED their lycee martini! It's a little too small because you sip a few and *poof* it's gone...or maybe it was because it was so good I gulped it down...hmmm... It's a fun place to go as a group and/or for a celebration. We watched several people being serenaded by the staff with "happy birthday" song, Wako Wako style and it was hilarious! Definitely recommend it if you haven't done it for a bit. read more

I came with a friend on a Saturday night, and let me tell you - the place was packed. There were 3 groups ahead of us, and we ended up waiting about 20 minutes before we were seated. Because of the gorgeous decor and spacious area, we were determined to stay and give it a try. Our waitress was polite, but she had a soft voice so we had to ask her to repeat herself a few times. We ended up ordering 2 dinner plates, the terriyaki chicken platter ($14) and the terriyaki steak platter ($17). Both came with an ice cream scoop amount of rice and a few vegetables served off to the side. The vegetables tasted like they were just nuked in the microwave after being taken out of a frozen bag, and the meats of both were mediocre. We didn't have the stomach to finish it, but we walked out feeling unsatisfied. Also, the superfly martini was not that super fly. I'm a girl who enjoys her alcohol, but we had to down it holding our noses. For $8, I expected better. As for the selection, they offer jaggerbombs, sake bombs, a variety of martinis, mojitos, etc. At the end of our meal, our waitress couldn't wait for our departure. The second we set down one credit card to pay, she took away the bill before my friend could ask her to split the check. I suppose when we pay $50 for dinner here, we're paying for the atmosphere. read more

Tokyo Wako Restaurant - soup & salad. - Japanese Near Me - Pasadena, California

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Expensive Food was not exceptional but not bad which begs the question - why is it so expensive Server was pleasant, knowledgeable, accommodating towards my vegan preferences Very limited choices for Vegas The host didn't even look up to greet us as we were walking out. I know that may seem so simple and negligible for others but I think with the price of the meal we should see some courteous behaviors read more

Chef was amazing . He even tossed a shrimp into my mouth. The server Tom was twice as good as everyone else wow he was amazing . Every time my glass was empty he filled it instantly. Every time I needed something he was there . Wow he's amazing . read more

Chef was very friendly and accommodating to our likes. We didn't have enough time and going to the sushi bar made it easier. The rolls were good. A little disappointed with the calamari but overall good. Sushi was fresh and drinks read more

Tokyo Wako Restaurant - I forgot to take a pic before digging in - Japanese Near Me - Pasadena, California

Mediocre at best... Sushiya is better than this... Probably not coming back. Be careful with your card they steal! read more

Tokyo Wako Restaurant - Mediocre at best... Sushiya is better than this... Probably not coming back. Be careful with your card they steal! - Japanese Near Me - Pasadena, California

7.10.10: A day with the best friend, we were both hungry so we have decided to go eat near the Paseo Mall. Since the place we originally want to eat at was closed we had no choice but to choose Tokyo Wako. I have never been there and when we walked in I didn't realized that it was Teppan Style. The neat thing about this is that they had two sides to the restaurant, for sushi and for Teppan. I really liked the layout. I didn't feel like eating Teppan so instead I ordered the Sashimi Plate. It was okay. I did try my friend's dish. I really like their scallop and their steak was juicy. Surprisingly. So overall I enjoyed my meal. The restaurant was so huge, this place is really great for big parties! read more

This has to be biggest Tokyo Wako out there....seems like its dining room stretches forever....which when it isn't busy makes if feel kinda deserted.... Its strange how small the sushi bar is compared to the rest of the restaurant. I guess it still makes a good place for a movie date. Service today was okay but not as friendly as the one in Arcadia. Servers didn't even smile. The teppanyaki chef was trying to do their best but lunch is definitely not as entertaining as dinner.. It was really weird to see the busboy vacuuming the teppanyaki floor area right next to the counter that we were sitting at. I understand trying to clean up the floor...but vacuuming next to guests? ...Really? The plus size is because of the size of this restaurant - it is probably great for large groups. read more

Great food and an amazing chef... the way he cooked the meal in front of us was not only captivating but delicious he new exactly what was the best for each meal and made it accordingly with a sampler in between... been here a few times but today was by far the best time and that is not the warm saki talking! read more

Tokyo Wako Restaurant - Japanese Near Me - Pasadena, California

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I am definitely a fan of Tokyo Wako! I came here about a week ago for my mom's birthday and we had great dining experience. Not only was the food amazing, the drinks were yummy, and the staff are very welcoming and friendly. We made reservations for a group of 8 and as soon as we walked in we sat straight by the grill (we didn't have to wait at all). As soon as we got seated, we ordered right away and the chef came to our grill within the next 5-7 minutes which was great. The service was extremely fast and the staff are very attentive. The food was pretty good, with medium-to-large portions, and are pretty shareable. After we were done eating, and we're ready for dessert, I told the waitress it was my mom's birthday, so they brought out a cake and a traditional Japanese costume for my mom to wear and took a photograph of the entire group. Overall, we had a great time!! read more

Tokyo Wako Restaurant - Japanese Near Me - Pasadena, California

Love this location. The food was delicious and the service was amazing! The manager Armando was very welcoming and professional. We will definitely be coming back again soon! The food was all fresh and the chef made the dining experience fun! Would definitely recommend a reservation since they are very busy! Overall the service and food were both amazing! read more

I'm not one for giving low ratings but I have something to compare it to. I came here because the sea bass at Tokoyo Wako in Long Beach was delicious and had a craving for it again but they were booked so I decided to try Tokoyo Wako in Pasadena. First the host who seated us was discouraging me from getting the sea bass & said it would take an hour because they had a huge order before me. When I got sea bass was thin, not juicy and maybe under cooked. Definitely not as tasty as Long Beach plus my veggies weren't cooked. I felt it was thrown in a microwave. My son's sea bass tasted char (burnt). To top it off, afterwards an asian lady came back having another server translating about my bill after I gave my credit card. She sorta scared me. She was claiming something about me trying to pay for a wrong bill?! I explained to her that our party was the one who ordered 2 sea bass & my husband paid for his beer at the bar already. Thank goodness the server who translated said I was paying the right bill. I'm giving a star only because the chef Marco who cooked my husband's food in front of us was good. read more

A great choice for Teppan steak, chicken and seafood. The service was attentive and friendly which I love at any restaurant. The atmosphere was also pleasant, traditional Japanese decor for the interior design, with Huge bay windows overlooking looking the courtyard and shopping centers below. I'd recommend Tokyo Wako for a group night out for sure. The teppan tables easily seat 8 and are arranged so 16 could sit in a double-group and face each other with two chefs between them as someone mention in previous threads. You may also share your dinner for the price/cost of one which usually doesn't happen in establishments like this. Overall experience 3.5 stars and the miso soup broth to die for!! Eric was our waiter and he gets 5 stars for the services. Enjoy!! read more

Not really my choice, but I came here for a convention dinner event. This is my second time ever going to a Japanese hibachi grill restaurant and the experience always seems fancier than it really is. It is quite fun and enjoyable, but getting the food out does seem to take a while since their putting on a show. I had the NY Steak & Shrimp with Fried Rice. And had a bunch of alcohol which was all paid for. The meat was cooked perfectly and the fried rice was delicious. We also had tempura and miso soup for our appetizers. Didn't seem all that special taste-wise. I enjoyed my time there because of the event. But I wouldn't really recommend this place unless you have a fairly good reason to come here, like unlimited alcohol! XD read more

Perfect tempura...melts in your mouth oh so gently like clouds!! Great lunch specials that change daily M-F Got the Thursday Teriyaki Salmon lunch special which came with rice, soup, salad, 4 pieces of California Rolls, and some teriyaki salmon. All delish!! read more

Tokyo Wako Restaurant - Teriyaki Salmon lunch special - Japanese Near Me - Pasadena, California

Honestly I don't know why this restaurant has only three stars the service, the food, the flavors, the ambience they were all great. I would rate it a five star. Everything seemed clean and we got seated right away. Definitely the price is on the more medium to higher end however the amount of food you get is definitely worth what you're paying for. We had enough food and leftovers to eat for lunch for the next day. read more

Tokyo Wako Restaurant - Japanese Near Me - Pasadena, California

I honestly love this place. I usually get a teriyaki chicken or shrimp. I love how we all get a sample of shrimp before our meal mmmm. The fried rice is reaaaaally goood but it's an extra cost. The white rice comes with the meal. The teriyaki chicken is a 7/10 Fried rice 9/10 Shrimp 8/10 Hibachi chicken 8/10 The dinner show with the cook is 9/10. I guess that's the real reason you should come really. They do some fun stuff with fire n some tricks. It's a cool date spot. The food is above average but the show makes it worth it to me. I would come back. read more

Tokyo Wako Restaurant - Fire volcano with onions - Japanese Near Me - Pasadena, California

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