Nakato Japanese Steakhouse & Sushi Bar

Reviews 3

A

A Private User

Such a disappointment! Since moving to Springfield, last year, I have been hearing how good Nakato is. I am a huge fan of Japanese steak houses and have been to many from across the country. Well, it was probably the biggest disappointment of any restaurant I have been to here. From the minute we walked in, I could tell I was seeing just the shell of a place that was once great. We were greeted by the hostess, who was better dressed as a go-go dancer than an employee of a nice restaurant complete with a mini skirt and furry boots. I totally understand the lack of Japanese people in the area but at least try to pretend that you work in a high end restaurant. We sat down at the table that was dirty, beaten and battered. The laminate top was worn down to the wood from where the chef cooked. I couldn’t help but wonder how much of that made it into the food. When the waitress came around she took our drink order. When she returned she forgot some of the orders. There were already plates in front of us and I had to ask for a new one because there was still old food on it. We had to also ask for a new fork because it was also dirty with a piece of rice stuck in the tongs. We decide to order sushi for an appetizer. The sushi was good. The problem was that it took so long (The place was not busy at all) that it arrived at the same time the chef started serving us. You get a choice of steamed rice or fried. I chose the steamed. When it came, it was hard as a rock and cold. I then opted for the fried rice. The soup was good. So, the chef starts cooking and dumps a pot of spaghetti noodles on the grill top. I thought surely someone had ordered it. Nope, that was the first course…spaghetti noodles??? I will explain why in a bit. While the noodles were cooking the chef did the volcano trick with the onions and that was about it. He stood there like a dud…not a word, nothing. He may as well have cooked our food in the back and had the waitress deliver it. I ordered the steak and lobster. Others also ordered steak because it is a steakhouse. I have never seen such small pieces. It was supposedly a sirloin. For the smaller steaks, they were literally sliced horizontally and about ¼ of an inch. I have seen lunch meat sliced thicker. So, the chef cooks and we all have our food. They put a few dipping sauces in front of us. They were needed! The steak tasted bad. I have had better steak at buffets. My jaws were hurting just trying to chew it. You could have bounced the lobster off the wall and caught it because it was that rubbery. Here is where the spaghetti noodles come in. Without them, you would have starved. They would have been better off serving popcorn and not trying to hide the fact that the noodles were only there to fill you up. These were not your regular Asian noodles that you would expect. These were the same spaghetti noodles next to the meat sauce in the grocery store. Anybody that says the food here is good either works there or has never eaten outside of Springfield. Maybe Nakato is hoping that the people here will not even notice. Like I said, the sushi was good but not good enough for me to ever return. There are a lot better sushi places in Springfield. My hope is that the owners see this and turn things around. It has so much potential and it would be sad to watch it spiral down so bad that it is forced to close. I really wanted to like this place.

HI

hippocampus dueti

I would now give this restaurant zero stars if I could. We used to be regulars but stopped going due to the awful attitude of the manager (overweight guy, dark hair). I am a small female and a diabetic and I must eat a low carb and gluten free meal which means no noodles or rice for me. This is not an option. I asked the waitress if I could please substitute more vegetables and she said "no, Im sorry but everything is cost accounted for before it comes to the table". She seemed embarassed to tell me this so I decided that I would go ask the manager and offer to pay extra for the vegetables. No go. He was so busy chatting up the bartender that when I apparently disturbed him (via an employee) he tried to shut me down immediately regardless of what most would see as an obligation to their customer and happily accommodate special dietary needs. How many people making such simple special requests AND offering to pay for them would a typical restaurant get in a night? It was the kindness of the chef that was the best part of the night. I explained to him to please not serve me any noodles or rice and I could see that he became concerned that I would get enough to eat. He gave my noodles and rice to others then gave me some of the groups veggies. No one at the table minded and it was very kind. If I had had a more widely recognized food allergy such as peanut maybe the manager would have cared more? I dont know. I just got the distinct vibe that he didnt give a @#@! (about me or his job) and I could just blow off despite my very polite tone. I was made to feel like a bother, a pest and he was exceedingly rude. Therefore, we now only patronize Hinode and they have been extremely accommodating with absolutely no problem and very polite about it, too. I have had no issues in other local establishments as Metropolitan Grill, Ocean Zen, Chilis or FD Grillhouse- all without exception are very happy to help me. It seems that ever since Joe Nakato passed away that this place has really gone downhill and I have heard many other long time patrons say the same thing. When my daughter asked for a to-go cup for her glass of iced tea, the waitress explained that they do not provide them. I could tell from her looking over her shoulder that she was actually concerned about getting into trouble! Amazing. This manager was clearly passing time for a paycheck and if the family doesnt replace him then there wont be any paychecks for anyone. We wont be back, ever.

HA

Haley Triggs

hadnt been here in a couple of years because always chose hinode over it, made an order for pick up the other night with a friend, they told us it would be ready in 20 minutes so we arrived in 20 minutes. Food costed more than it does at similar hibachi restaurants. There was a lady who came with a pick up order after us who left at least 20 minutes earlier than we did with her food. We waited an extra 30 minutes on our food and when they brought it out they didnt even bring the extra sauce that we asked for and paid for. They told us that our food had been ready it just hadnt been brought out. The place was empty so there should have been no reason for our food to just be sitting back there waiting. When we got home with our food which is maybe a 15 minute drive it was completely cold, assuming from sitting in the back for so long when it was ready to go. They didnt even give us miso soup. The portion size was just embarrassing. Any other hibachi restaurant in town puts this place to absolute shame. One order was suppose to be no veggie extra noodles and it came with the exact same amount of noodles as the order with the regular amount of noodles. The amount of rice given didnt even cover the bottom of the container that it was placed in. I will never ever go back to this restaurant and I strongly encourage for everyone to give there business to a hibachi restaurant who deserves it and gives you what you are paying for, as this place absolutely does not. If I could give zero stars I would be.