We have been to Tsubaki probably 5 times and we have loved it each time. The food has always been great on the dine in side we haven't tried the hibachi side yet but we will. The sushi is always fresh and not fishy, soft shell crab is never pungent and always fresh tasting! Bento boxes are a great deal, the noodles are really good from the side dish noodles to the udon! The drinks have always been cold and tasty especially the last one I got which was the Scorpion Bolw! It was huge and very tasty, even comes out on fire! The service is usually pretty good but sometimes the waitresses disappear for a while but everyone there is always willing to help. The building is definitely a bit older and we'll kept inside, tables are clean and covered with fresh paper between guests, the sushi bar is nice with no weird bar smells and the bathrooms have been decent. We will continue to go to Tsubaki as it has become one of our favs here in Lufkin. read more

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I decided to give this place a try while I was at an all time high with one of my sushi craving fits! I was in Lufkin and said why not give this place a try. It's Friday , I'm off, and I was feeling adventurous!! Well, I popped in at 2:30 in the afternoon, and it was pretty quiet, with only myself and two others there, which would have given me cause to pause had this been a Houston Japanese bar, but this IS Lufkin yall, so I wasn't gonna jump to conclusions regarding the sparseness of patrons. I went straight to the bar and started trying to place my order. Unfortunate for me it was a very young, and brand new waitress helping me who had ZERO familiarity with anything on the nigiri menu , which is what I wanted, nor did she even know what nigiri meant as opposed to sashimi or maki rolls and I had to explain to her what a hot saki was when trying to order my drink.. ( bummer) But I was patient with her and she was trying , and was overall a sweet girl, so I just pushed through.. At any rate, the food finally was prepared by the sushi chef who was there behind the bar, who was not very friendly considering he was not busy at all and I was the only person sitting at the bar, but to his credit he wasn't rude either, and he did manage a smile my way. The sushi was very average , but it was edible and overall fresh, not fishy or blah, which I was happy at least for that , however there were no premium selections of fish available, ie; blue fin tuna, fatty tuna, king salmon, or uni options.. But I won't be too hard on them because I'm pretty sure they get more requests for there cooked options from the kitchen , which were endless by the way, and their selection of maki rolls, more than anything else, making there nigiri options an outlier. So I gave 3 out of five stars.. read more

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Never been in and I didn't know what I was missing! Food is amazing and the service was exceptional! I liked how the inside was set up too. Will definitely return. read more

What a gem in Lufkins ! Went to grab a quick bite for lunch and was little worried to see not too crowded parking lot but all the doubts were gone after simply entering. Very nice and welcoming restaurant, can accommodate large and big crowds and very tastefully decorated. Ordered Lunch special menu - We tried Veggie Bento box with soup and Salmon bento box with salad. Requested the server to get this fast as we were short of time. The food came quickly and hot & delectable bites were simply amazing ! Chef came out to check on the meals and server was really gracious. Big portion of the food and could not even finish. Great quality.. made fresh and really awesome ! Had a great experience for a 5-star rating !!!! I was in a rush but it's one of the places that I would like to sit and enjoy the ambience and eat and relax ! read more

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Went here with a friend and had the hibachi steak and shrimp it was delicious, the waitress was kind, and the restaurant appeared to be clean and well maintained. Though if I was gonna come here again, I would probably replace the noodles that come with the hibachi shrimp and steak with the fried rice instead because the fried rice that comes with it is delicious. My friend got the hibachi salmon and really enjoyed it along with two other things that I forgot what they were called. I think they were nigiri, but I can't be sure. I know one of them is octopus based. I will say it is a little bit expensive but considering it's hibachi that's to be expected. If you don't want to pay that much for hibachi there is another section that is non-hibachi and is cheaper. read more

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The absolute RUDEST service that I have ever received. The food was excellent, but the service was absolutely horrid. The older man with the ponytail was apparently unhappy from the moment we arrived. He then proceeded to throw chairs around and start cleaning up while we were still standing by the table. I was standing there literally holding my BABY when he was doing that. It was definitely uncalled for. Mind you, they still had a bit before closing time, and the place was not busy. Our waitress was obviously overwhelmed with our table of 15, but wasn't hiding it well. When you are paying $24 for a plate, the wait staff should be top tier. I honestly do not know how they're still in business. read more

Had dinner with Dad here on Saturday. The food was fresh and fantastic. The service was slow but acceptable since we were not on a time crunch. We will definitely be back. read more

We decided to eat at Tsubaki because they were open all day on Christmas. We ate in the room where they cook the food in front of you on the Hibachi grills. It's always a great show and lots of fun. My husband and I had the combo Filet Mignon, Shrimp and Scallops. They served a small salad and soup with the dinner prior to our meal which was fresh and delicious. The service was great. The only thing I would say is they should cook the scallops a little longer on the grill on each side to make the outside crispy. Would definitely go back. read more

Tsubaki - Cooking our food on the grill - Japanese Near Me - Lufkin, Texas

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Wonderful service. Wonderful food. My steak teriyaki was perfectly cooked to a medium rare. My husband had the steak udon and it was incredible. Beautiful presentation of the food and everything was delicious. They have a fantastic lychee saki that I 100% recommend. The calamari was a great appetizer. The restaurant is so calm and romantic. It is perfect for a date night. read more

Had the scallops hibachi and was very happy with them . Didn't want the rice so I got double vegetables. The sushi was good too . Will definitely be back read more

The sushi was fresh and delicious. The waitress was very attentive and pleasant. It was quiet and decorated for Valentine's Day. Very nice experience. read more

I was a little nervous because the parking lot and restaurant were pretty empty for a Saturday night, but it worked in our favor because we were sat super quickly and our server was so friendly and pretty funny too! Very nice and clean interior, would be great for a date night. I ordered the Jolly Rancher cocktail, which did in fact taste like a watermelon Jolly rancher. I'd give it a 3.5/5 only because I'm not the biggest fan of watermelon. The spicy gyoza seemed like the wonton wrapper wasn't as crispy as it should've been almost as if it could've been sitting around, but the flavor was alright 3/5. For the sushi rolls, the AM roll didn't taste super fresh, and I wasn't the biggest fan of the crab mix used 2.5/5. The Spicy Girl roll was better. I'm still not a fan of the crab mix, but the tuna helped, and the size of the rolls were pretty big which was a plus 3/5. The hibachi meal was probably the best, but it also seemed like maybe it wasn't freshly cooked like it was room temp 3.7/5. I'd go back for the service and would try other rolls, maybe I just got a bad one! read more

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Sat down ordered hot sake and a water. Waited 10 minutes and the waitress came back and said she forgot her notepad and went and answered the phone. Waited another 10 minutes and walked out. read more

Excellent sushi and the large 3 combo portion size, according to the person who ordered it. Chicken and vegetables tempura had no flavor but nice light crust. Chicken and vegetable udon noodles were OK. Service was great, but the kitchen had an accident, and the other dishes came out well after the person who had sushi. Wasn't impressed with the fried rice. Nice classic dining room. read more

We like this place and eat here whenever we come into Lufkin from Crockett. It's hard to come by vegan options in this part of Texas (ok, many parts of Texas!), but we're able to make it work here. We usually have the edamame for an appetizer. For our meal: Some of the rolls are vegan (we order the sweet potato roll without the eel sauce - it has a nice crunch - and the veggie roll), one of the poke bowls can be, and they will fry up tofu to add to the vegetable fried rice. No dessert for us (they only have fried ice cream), but that's a good thing. We have been known, however, to stop at the local DQ for the non-dairy Dilly Bar to solve that problem. (Don't tell anyone.) Service is friendly and helpful. We'll be back! read more

Stay away, food is not good! Bad service. Slow bad service. Food is low quality and bland read more

You know you are in a special place when you enter Tsubaki; the warm welcoming staff and a special greeting from Eggy (Owner/manager). The ambiance feels like a west-coast metropolis (like LA or Seattle). We are always promptly seated and attended. The customer may choose sushi or Tappan (fire grill) dining, with surprising delicacies and flavors either way. I enjoy miso soup and gyoza with seaweed salad appetizer. The sushi selections are always fresh and delectable, and the choices cover several menu pages. We are always pleased with Tsubaki food quality and service. read more

I'm not from the Lufkin area but met a few friends up in this area. I was very impressed with the quality of the food. Service was excellent! Next time I'm in this area I'll definitely be back at Tsubaki read more

Stopped here on way home to Houston from Shreveport and was majorly disappointed. It was 37deg outside and no heater inside. Was freezing! The food was subpar, the service was subpar but the bathrooms and restaurant was clean. I'm sure this was a one time bad experience so I don't want to go off this one but it wasn't good overall. Maybe we'll try it again next time we drive through. read more

This place has really good sushi. Their prices are reasonable for sushi. They have excellent service as well.

Such a fan of this restaurant and we have been eating here since it opened. The staff is wonderful. We always sit at the bar and have cocktails and appetizers followed by hibachi. It never disappoints. We feel like family when we dine here. The sushi is always fresh and has a beautiful presentation! Ask the sushi chef to create something special for you and he will do so. There are new wines in the selection that are awesome! The vibe is friendly and fun! We love it. read more

This is our go to for sushi when we door dash. Always fresh and tasty! The last time I was inside the restaurant it was clean; a little crowded with furniture. The walking path to get to tables seemed cluttered by too many chair etc. read more

This is by far my favorite sushi place in town! Have tried Tokyo and Sake and both were just okay to me. Tsubaki takes the cake, great service too, timely and friendly staff, im so happy to have finally found a good sushi place because it's one of my favourite foods! I still need to try the hibachi, I do like Tokyo's hibachi grill its fun and delicious, i will see if Tsubaki is better another day. But for sushi i choose Tsubaki above all others!!! read more

Tsubaki - Japanese Near Me - Lufkin, Texas

Moving from California it's pretty hard to find a comparable sushi place that serves up fresh sashimi & creative sushi rolls that aren't all fried or cooked. My boyfriend & I LOVE sushi & have eaten at many fine sushi restaurants so comparing it to some California, Vegas, & Oregon sushi places a 4/5 rating is pretty darn good! If you're not a sushi lover & really KNOW your sushi you'd say 5 stars. The service here was EXCELLENT. Very friendly. We were greeted right away, they sat us down within minutes, took our drink order right away & our dinner order shortly after that. Our sushi came out quickly & the server even had some pretty good suggestions for us to try. Their Crawfish roll (baked) was very tasty. Their salmon sashimi pieces were a nice cut & not flimsy like other places. We enjoyed the Rainbow roll & substituted the fish variety topping with all salmon which we loved. We also had the Hawaiian roll, a couple Salmon rolls, the steamed Gyoza (pork dumplings), miso soup, & green tea mochi ice cream for dessert. We liked all our selections. They have a Hibachi grill also where the Chef cooks in front of you. The establishment inside is pretty nice with tables & booths for intimate or big groups. We ate at the sushi bar & they had the Dallas Cowboys football game on which my boyfriend appreciated lol We will definitely be coming back here for our sushi cravings! read more

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Sit at Sushi bar and speak to preparers. They will create with their Indonesian experience and special Sashimi or Sushi delight.

We were sat down pretty quickly considering how short staffed they are. Immediately noticed the sagging bloated ceiling tiles with what I hope isn't mold growing on it above our table. Ordered our meal and received our gyoza and no utensils. Didn't have any means to eat until 20 minutes later when the rest of our meal arrived. Even then we had to stop the waiter to get chopsticks. Guess we were supposed to eat everything with our bare hands. Gyoza was now cold, our crunchy rolls were so soggy it was like biting into a wet diaper. The shrimp was akin to boot leather and clearly made with old/dirty oil based on the coloring of the breading. At least the chicken was good. But that's it. My wife has had better sushi out of a gas station. Sushi in the grocery store is 5 star in comparison. We wondered why golden corral was packed on mothers day next to a sushi restaurant on mother's day but I guess the secrets out. Happy mothers day my a$$. I consider myself a very generous tipper. Usually 50% and if it's really good maybe when 100%. Not today, you're lucky I didn't walk out but unlike your establishment, I have class. We gave you a chance the first time around but twice us more then enough in a lifetime for me. read more

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Always good food and great service. They offer an excellent cocktail selection & the sushi is amazing. The only down fall is the poor A/C. The environment is cozy, inviting and very nicely designed. read more

Updated post.... trying this place once again to give it another shot and I was even more disappointed than before. Service was terrible and restaurant overall seemed understaffed and overwhelmed. Sushi was subpar, had to send my hibachi chicken plate back because all it tasted like was pepper. The second plate was much better and even tasted fresher than the first plate. I'm only giving two stars because this place has so much potential. I only wish they cared more for their beautiful restaurant. read more

Tsubaki - Japanese Near Me - Lufkin, Texas

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The hibachi is not near as good as the other place in town, but there shrimp tempura is good. My kids like the sushi here better than anywhere else in town. So if I'm forced to go here I eat the shrimp. read more

I would say poor customer service... if there even was any. I had just came in to try their happy hour margaritas. Was told to seat myself, no prob. But after plenty of time had flown by I just had to leave. I was really excited to try them out because of the high reviews but I was extremely underwhelmed and unimpressed. Especially because it wasn't busy at all. I even told them I was there just for the happy hour yet still went unserved and really ignored but whatever I guess. read more

Best sushi in lufkin!!! Priced little high but portions are good, service is good, and food it's great!

I am giving this place 2 stars because the place was clean, we got our food fast and there was more than just Japanese beer to be had. It goes down hill from there. Have you ever been car shopping from dealership to dealership? After a while you start to notice that the salesmen are like those seagulls on Finding Nemo, "Mine! Mine!"... That's how this place was. There were four waiters leaning on the bar watching a Marvel movie when we walked in, and they all perked up to see which table my wife and I were going to be at. Three exhales and one "Mine!" And we were seated. We always pick a booth, and this one was more worn out than my dad jokes. And I have a lot of dad jokes. The seats were hard and it wasn't until we sat down that we could tell that the table cloths were replaceable butcher paper like you might find at a crab joint. The selection is what you might expect from a place with a sushi bar... Rolls and sashimi, nagiri. We ordered our standby, spicy tuna roll and spicy salmon roll, with a yellowtail and jalapeno appetizer. The yellowtail was edible, with most of the flavor coming from the jalapeno. I have no idea what sauce was under the fish because it tasted like distilled water with a pinch of salt. The spicy tuna roll, or was it the spicy salmon roll?... Tasted the same. The fish was blended in a food processor until it had the consistency of baby food, and they tried to make up for that by putting Penko bread crumbs in the rolls. It might have worked if the nori (seaweed layer) wasn't as limp as a boiled piece of spinach, and just as chewy. It wasn't until after we we're halfway through with our meals that we looked over at the sushi bar and saw they kept their fish and other ingredients in Tupperware containers, inside the glass display cases that usually have them laying out for all to see. Which is probably why the food was room temperature after just a few minutes on our warm plates. Good sushi places will chill the plates to keep the fish cold to the last bite. I would've been happier with a bowl of rice and a beer. Never again will I go to, what was this place called again? Exactly. We had to flag our waiter down to pay the check, so a dollar was subtracted from his otherwise generous tip. read more

Went here for a date night and it was awful. The server only mumbled to us and had to wait so long for everything. The only good thing we got was the pot stickers. The soda was flat, the chicken teriyaki was in a skillet and it tasted dirty and nasty. When wanting to get our check we had to wait 15 minutes for the server to even notice us, and they were not busy. I recommend not going here. Save your money, I'm very disappointed read more

Ambiance was amazing service was great and the food was delicious I think you should consider going

Awesome service host made suggestions before we even got seated. Absolutely good food! We loved it can't wait to go back again.

Came here to try the new Japanese place in town, and it turns out I liked it. This restaurant doesn't have their liquor license yet, but they have applied. The space is divided into two sides: hibachi grills in one area and a more standard sushi/sushi bar setup on the other. We sat in the sushi side, but from our booth we could see the chefs putting on their show. I would like to come back and experience that part, too. Anyway, the menu was extensive, we tried the hot and sour soup (very good) as well as the pink panther roll (again, very good). My chicken teriyaki dinner had ample portions, and for the price was a very good value. Service was a bit wonky, but I think that they're still working out a few kinks. Overall, a very positive experience and I will be coming back. read more

Tsubaki - Sushi bar - Japanese Near Me - Lufkin, Texas

This is an update on my previous review. Tsubaki has quickly become one of my absolute favorite restaurants in Lufkin, TX. I have now been here multiple times. I always sit at the sushi bar. Since my last review, I can clearly taste a difference in the quality of ingredients in their sushi. It tastes like they are using fresher ingredients. Wilson is a very good sushi chef. Sometimes he will give you a small sample of something on the house. He gave me a sample of the seaweed salad on my 2nd trip. It worked. I've now ordered it my subsequent two times here. It is delicious. Tonight, I ordered the Hawaiian roll. I ordered it w/soy paper instead of seaweed. Wilson asked if I have ever had fresh wasabi. He explained that the normal little dab of wasabi that comes on sushi platters is a powdered wasabi. He gave me a small sample of fresh wasabi to eat with my roll. Uh-oh. He did it again. I'm ruined. I'll never be able to eat the "old" wasabi again. It was delicious. From the first bite, by taste buds began doing the Texas Two-Step. The Hawaiian roll along with the fresh wasabi has officially become one of my favorite rolls. Not just here. I mean anywhere. If you're eating at Tsubaki, you need to try these three items: seaweed salad, Hawaiian roll and fresh wasabi. If you found this review useful, funny, or cool, please let me know below. Thanks for reading. read more

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This is the best food I have had!! Excellent presentation and full of flavor, tender and simply awesome!! The staff was friendly and helpful! A place that is definitely worth a visit and a place I will return to!! read more

Tsubaki - Japanese Near Me - Lufkin, Texas

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My wife and I went here on Tuesday night because we've been wanting to try it for a while. We'd been told by several people that it's really good but expensive. She ordered hibachi chicken, and I ordered Hibachi chicken and steak. We also ordered a Mexican roll and a crown roll. The hibachi grill is NOT worth it. I'd give it a 1 or 2 out of 5. It is not even remotely close to Tokyo's food. The fried rice and chicken are very bland. The vegetables were not quite as flavorful either. They did add noodles to the mix, and while I liked them, my wife did not. The sushi however IS good! It's just as good as Saki cafe in Lufkin. That's saying something... I'd give the sushi a 4 or 5. I'm just not a huge sushi fan. I was mostly craving the hibachi grill. Disappointing... read more

Tsubaki - Japanese Near Me - Lufkin, Texas

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Seats quickly, order taken quickly. Ordered Teriyaki Steak and a grilled tuna appetizer. Soup and salad came out almost instantly. Soup tastes very good and salad was fresh and crunchy with a good flavored dressing. Kind of like a Thousand Island with some Asian spiciness. Both soup and salad were in China bowels. Tuna app. came out right after they picked up my empty soup and salad bowels, no waiting- good service. Tuna was slightly seared, with some good spices on top on a bed of crunchy greens. Dinner was huge! Surprised by the amount of meat that came out as my Teriyaki Steak! Had a good flavor and meat was tender. However the teriyaki sauce was thinner than I have had before. The thick stuff seems to have more concentrated flavor. Overall my entree failed to get to 5 stars. I liked my appetizer , soup, and salad better than my entrée. Don't think I would recommend it. Not bad mind you, just not if the same caliber of the rest of the meal. Back for lunch, paper napkins unlike dinner set up Ordered a Sashi bento box. Salad was again very good. Bento box was a good lunch. Enjoyed and will be back! read more

Tsubaki - Love their salad - Japanese Near Me - Lufkin, Texas