Koto Japanese Restaurant
| Address: | 792 Shelburne Rd, South Burlington, VT 05403, USA |
| Phone: | +1 802-660-8976 |
| Site: | kotojapanesevt.com |
| Rating: | 4.1 |
| Working: | 11:30AM–2:30PM 11:30AM–2:30PM 11:30AM–2:30PM 11:30AM–2:30PM 11:30AM–2:30PM 11:30AM–10:30PM 12–9:30PM |
Location
Photos 100
Reviews 12
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A Private User
All I could say is that most of these positive reviews must come from people associated with the restaurant. I came to Vermont from Montreal to go Skiing for the last few days and had the opportunity to dine at Koto on december 25th. The total of my bill was $44 and I paid by cash, leaving no tip as a result of the rude server. Firstly, my brother ordered a beverage and it was never brought. I also made it clear that i dont eat shrimp and to serve it to my brother, yet shrimp came on my plate. The waiters reply, was simply take the shrimp off my plate and give them to my brother. When you dislike a food, it shouldnt make contact with your food to begin with. Finally, everything that was served came cold and bland, as there was obviously a significant delay from the time the meal was prepared to the time the server brought the food. When I told the waiter that everything was cold and our plates were 80% full, he simply replied that "cannot be" instead of apologizing and offering to bring a fresh meal. Our plates, basically uneaten, were removed from the table and still no apology from the waiter. Given the long day of skiing, we paid the bill and left immediately with no energy to complain to a manager. I trust that this will be treated accordingly, as this was a terrible experience. Remember this review the next time you choose this restaurant.
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A Private User
Just returned from this restaurant. I am from the west coast, northern California to be exact, am in my 60s and have traveled extensively throughout the world, eaten extensively and enjoy food on a professional level from a professional background. Koto was a disappointment. The Tempura appetizer, was soggy and included only one soggy green vegetable, one small broccoli head. The Deluxe Sashimi plate while attractive had Daikon (white radish) that must have been shredded the previous week as it was tasteless, and to serve imitation crab (surimi, “formed fish”) on a “Deluxe” plate is to me totally inappropriate. The fish was fresh although a bit flat. Service was poor at best, waiter was or must have been overworked. I prefer the light soy sauce which wasnt available on the table but after 5 minutes decided not to wait for his return and just added water. In all what I had looked forward to as a good experience was, to put the best face on it, disappointing. BTW a friendly good night from the manager at the front desk might have been nice. Perhaps a steak would have been better.
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Walter Salamon
I found the restaurant portion a bit bleak, as it had no atmosphere of other similar Restaurant I have been in. Tables were cramped in aND uncomfortable. There were 4 of us and 2 ordered the chicken hibachi, it was plentiful but the chicken was overdone and tasteless as if was reheated a number of times. 1 ordered 3 different kind of roles to make her meal and they were good. I ordered the regular sashimi as it came with steamed rice, all other sashimi had to be purchased in 2 piece orders. It would have been nice if they offered a sashimi/sushi Bento box which would include steamed rice, a sushi roll, 9-12 sashimi pieces, soup and a salad. We all found the salad and dressing ok but just a bit to much dressing. Overall it was ok but pretty pricey for the quality and atmosphere, but again we are in Vermont .
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A Private User
We had an enjoyable time here. I cannot vouch for the sushi - we got reservations at the hibachi station. But my daughter and I had a great time. Our food (sirloin steak - medium rare) was well prepared, delicious, and the chef was highly entertaining. The service was great and spot-on. I thought that the price ($25.00 for each of us - with tip I paid $60) wasnt unreasonable at all, given the quality of the meat that we were served and the entertaining show that came with it. Interesting that those who are complaining about the place seem to be ordering the sushi, and those who enjoy it are sitting at the hibachi. Stick with a sure thing and get a reservation at the hibachi and youll have a great time with good food and excellent service.
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A Private User
Eh, this place is for those who do not know real sushi or real Japanese food, plain and simple. So if you are a soccer mom and dont know the difference, then this is your place. There is not a single Japanese person working in Koto, nor do I think any of the chefs have ever had a real Japanese meal. Their "shrimp tempura" would be laughed out of any real Japanese restaurant, and I would not bother with any of the nigiri; the fish just isnt very good. Any place that calls Teppanyaki, "Hibachi", really has no business being in the business and is the first red flag.
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Samantha Smith
Server was inattentive, gave neighboring table my food and then after five minutes realized the mistake and switched the plates after food had been eaten off of it. Did not say sorry simply switched the plates and left. When we said I was uncomfortable eating food that had been given to someone else she insisted it had not been touched. Insisted on getting a new meal to go and left with my boyfriend. Was made incredibly uncomfortable that they would even take the risk of giving me food that someone else had while they were away from the table.
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Adam Harvey
First time experiencing a Japanese Steak House. And definitely was a absolutely great experience. My waitress Agata was super friendly and cared for my seafood allergy. She went out of her way to make sure my food was cooked aside from the seafood and fish. She lead me in the right direction of what plates to order and everything was as good or even better then she had described. To say the least Koto will definitely be my go to "special occasion" restaurant and i will be recommending it to all my friends. Great Job!
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Kyle Strickland
My wife and I had reservations for our anniversary here. We had finished shopping about 45 minutes early and decided to see if we could be seated early. When we asked they had no problems getting us seated. To our enjoyment we received an entire hibachi table to ourselves. Dinner was amazing and we really appreciate how polite and nice the staff was.
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Margaret Gebhard
Our son is a student at Champlain and weve been to Koto two or three times a year in the past four years. Were planning to be there for his graduation celebration next week. Its lots of fun, theres lots of food, and the cooks are very entertaining. Recommend it very highly.
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Heather Tackett
We have always gone and sat at a table in the restaurant portion and never at the grill. The wait staff has always been attentive to us. The sushi is good they have some interesting specialty rolls as well. We have enjoyed our experiences with them and will be back again.
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Cordell J
Very nice. The wait was a little lengthy although we had reservations but once we were seated it was a great experience. The food was cooked right in front of us, the staff was friendly and the chef made it engaging for the entire party. Id recommend
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A Private User
Over priced super salted Hibachi. Sushi quality gets 3.5 stars Hibachi one star. $3.25 for one piece of sub par sushi. No thanks. Squirts in the mouth of free Sake get this rating an extra star. Did not try mixed drinks for fear of cost.
