Koto Steakhouse & Sushi Bar
533 S Howard Ave, Tampa, FL, 33606
Koto Steakhouse & Sushi Bar Menu
Sorry, We are updating this restaurant menu details.
Visit below restaurant in Tampa for healthy meals suggestion.
Visit below restaurant in Tampa for healthy meals suggestion.
Visit below restaurant in Tampa for healthy meals suggestion.
Sorry, we don't have Q&A for this restaurant.
Sorry, No Coupons available for this restaurant.
-
Address :
533 S Howard Ave
Tampa, FL, 33606 - Phone (813) 964-6808
- Website https://www.kotosteakhouse.com
- Click To Get Directions
Opening Hours
- Mon :11:30 am - 3:00pm
Specialities
- Takes Reservations : Yes
Delivery : No
Take-out : Yes
Accepts Credit Cards : Yes
Good For : Dinner
Parking : Private Lot
Bike Parking : Yes
Good for Kids : Yes
Good for Groups : Yes
Attire : Casual
Ambience : Casual
Noise Level : Average
Alcohol : Full Bar
Outdoor Seating : No
Wi-Fi : No
Has TV : Yes
Waiter Service : Yes
Caters : No
WE SERVE THE FOLLOWING STATES
Looky Weed - Buy Marijuana Online
Looky Weed is here to help you navigate the maze of legalized marijuana. We provide you with a complete dispensary directory.
James G.
We came on a Wednesday night and there was no wait, we were seated immediately. Our server was very attentive and the food was delicious. We will definitely come back here.
(5)Esau R.
This place has reasonable Hibachi prices. It is comparable to Kobe Japanese Steakhouse, my current standard in terms of Hibachi but is subpar when it comes to chefs and taste. You can try this place out, but you will be disappointed if you have tried any good Hibachi places. The staff is super discourteous. I went here about 30 minutes before closing and they were "kind" enough to accommodate us. Not informing us that all the Hibachi chefs were gone and the only chef left was a chef from the kitchen. He was super lack luster as a Hibachi chef and he was also a terrible chef. EVERYTHING he made was salty. When we complained to the manager after our meal, he gave us 5 dollars for our next visit, basically told us to shut up and leave, told us to tell the chef while he's cooking our food, and to top it all off we overheard our chef talking bad about us in the back. Moral of the story is prices are alright for the genre, food is mediocre at best, and the staff is just the worst.
(2)Chris D.
NEVER GO HERE. Looking for Sushi places on a Monday night that are open past 11. Found this and called them at 11:05 on a Monday night. Their answering service said they were open, and serving food, until midnight. We drove here and walked in the door at 11:30 p.m. The waitress gave us a slightly irritated look and spoke with, who appeared to be, one of the sushi chefs in Japanese. After a brief exchange and looking at us a few times, the waitress said "we closed." Extremely poor business practice. I can only imagine how unclean or bad the food must be with employees that act so crass. Now we shall have sushi at the Hyde Out in Hyde Park.
(1)Bruce B.
The place sucks due to management. If you send the food back because of quality. ( i.e. an appetizer ) they will still make you pay for it and let you know at the table that they will call the cops if you disagree. This actually happened. The cops sided with me and the appetizer was taken off my bill. Crazy to think they get the cops involved and lose patrons because they don't want to take an item that was clearly not good off a check. Haha Don't Go Here!! Ever!!!
(1)Jane P.
So for everyone that doesn't like the service there highly recommend mobile meals for delivery. I personally be never eaten at kotos but love their sushi. As you can imagine getting fresh sushi delivered is awesome! Not sure on the habachi side as usually all habachi is super salty, so if you reviewed it as such well it's normal.
(5)Dnyce C.
Seriously everyone has their own experience mine in this case and in every case that I have been to this place their service is amazing and the food is beyond amazing and the prices are reasonable I will recommend this place to everyone I always tell my friends about it word of mouth is the best marketing you guys should try it sometime don't go by the negative reviews you see because again everyone has their own experience #enjoy -Dnyce#
(5)Ryan S.
1) ask for manny the server. 2) Go there for late night happy hour. 3) repeat steps 1 and 2.
(4)Cecilia C.
Haven't even been to the restaurant yet and it is probably the worst customer service phone conversation I've ever had. We are celebrating three birthdays tomorrow and called to make a reservation. The young lady (Emily) who answered the phone without us even asking about discounts proceeds to inform us that they can't honor birthday discounts unless it's there actual birthday. Did we ask for the discount? No. But thanks for letting me know rather rudely that we won't be getting a discount on any of the girls who's birthdays were this week. We had to call back just to get a name because she assumed the conversation was over. Thanks for being so warm and friendly!!!!
(1)Tina K.
Great local independently owned sushi/hibachi restaurant in the heart of Soho Tampa. They are located in a strip mall with other food places and stores so there is plenty of parking adjacent. There are great specials for lunch including hibachi meals and sushi and other entrees for $8-12. In addition, there is a late night happy hour Sunday-Thursday 9pm-12am and Friday and Saturday 10-12am. That is rare for the South Tampa area which offers $4 sushi rolls, gyoza and other appetizers as long as you purchase a drink. Some favorite selections of mine is the spicy tuna sushi roll as well as the kamikaze roll and the gyoza. The drinks are delicious and Anthony is an awesome bartender AND server. On one visit I tried the lychee martini and I was pleasantly surprised. I also enjoy splitting the scorpion bowl (for three people) with friends when we are there. That tends to get the party kicked up a bit. The sushi bar has seating and there are a few booths in the front of the restaurant where you can order sushi or hibachi. In the back of the restaurant there are large tables which seat several parties and hibachi chefs which put on shows while they chef up your food. Usually the hibachi chefs will ask you if you want some sake and will subsequently squirt sake into your mouth if you are of age. You can order The soup that comes with the hibachi entrees is nice and light and the salad is consistently fresh and has a nice tasting ginger dressing. The entrees come with two sauces that accompany the meal and you are able to select from meat and seafood, all which is cooked in front of you. The food comes with vegetable fried rice and lo mein as well as two shrimp as well as vegetables. I've tried both steak, chicken, and the sea bass, all of which were delicious. There is ample food given so if you brought your appetite or need a bite after a long day of reverie this is the place to go to. I usually end up taking some of not half home. You can also order off the regular and sushi menu in the hibachi dining room. I've heard that you get a free birthday hibachi entree so that might be worth taking advantage of. I enjoy eating at Koto and think it provides you a great value for your money. Food is consistently delicious and I feel like it is of quality which is important.
(4)Kal M.
This place would have gotten more stars if it wasn't for the total lack of service. The hostess seemed dazed and confused when we asked about specials and she just walked away mid-sentence without actually telling us anything (?)- pretty strange. I found the late night specials menu and answered my own question. The special menu is available Sunday-Thursday 9pm-12am and Friday-Saturday 10pm-12am. You must order a drink to get the specials so I'm not sure how the monetary savings really works out... Our order was taken after a few minutes and drinks arrived several minutes after that. I never received my bar drink so I walked up and ordered from the bartender- Anthony- and got my drink. Anthony was great- he was the only bartender and had several tables and he was obviously busy but very accommodating and friendly. Our waiter came back over and re-took our order as he never put it in. The sushi chefs overheard and gave us a free crab ball, avocado appetizer- so yummy! Again, these two guys made up for the whole night. They made sure we were well-taken care of. Although tasty, the tuna roll I got seemed small. The kamikaze roll was delicious! We waited a long time for the check, finally the manager got it for us and ran the check. The check that was presented was different than the check that they ran. All around, sort of a frustrating experience!
(2)Darlene W.
My 12 yo sons favorite place. Truthfully, it is very convenient and never have a long wait, but it all depends on the chef. We've had a couple of Horrible experiences and excellent ones as well. Tonight we had "Junior" who was stuck cooking for just the two of us but it didn't bother him. He totally enthralled and engaged my son, even speaking about school. Very personable and excellent cook. Ask for him, he's great. Our server whose name I missed, was also excellent...Very attentive and pleasant.
(5)Jennifer C.
A bunch of us went here after work and most had the Hibachi. I ordered the Tampa roll, which was different than most places that serve it. It was fresh tuna with mango crunch and mango sauce, it was pretty good and tasted pretty fresh. The only thing I tried from the hibachi was the fried rice which, for being such a waste/plain item, it was pretty damn good.
(4)David S.
Came in for a late evening dinner and we're very pleasantly surprised. Great quality sushi and service!
(5)Ekta N.
My team at work went for lunch to celebrate a coworker's birthday. It's a great place for a group and they have some good lunch specials. I ordered the Chicken Hibachi lunch special which came with bowl of Miso soup and a salad, a good amount of fried rice, Hibachi Chicken, and stir fried vegetables all for $10. The fried rice was decent but the chicken was a little sweet for my liking. Several of my coworker's ordered sushi and it was mixed reviews.
(2)Meghan D.
Great food, terrible service, particularly the host and hostesses. I would highly suggest going for lunch, as their chicken teriyaki hibachi is $8.95. No noodles though. The host never wants to acknowledge that you ARE ALLOWED to eat at the hibachi tables for lunch, but if you ask, they can't deny you as it's part of their service. Don't let rude people sway you from eating some delicious food! The chicken tastes funny, the steak is amazing.
(3)Matt F.
Great lunch special. My friends and I went around 1:30pm and ordered off the lunch menu. It was a ton of good quality food for around 10 bucks. Service was good, and everyone spoke English well. Alcohol was pricey but not unreasonable.
(5)Josiah G.
I am not a sushi fan and I don't usually care for hibachi, but the menu here looked great, so my girlfriend and I gave it a try, mostly because she loves sushi. We sat a booth in the front, near the bar area. I thought there were only hibachi tables, but I was pleasantly surprised to see they had regular tables. We shared Gyoza (dumplings) and they were crispy and juicy. I ordered the udon chicken dish and it was awesome. Finally some good udon in Tampa! My girlfriend said her sushi was extremely good, and she's a picky sushi eater. The service was also just a good. Our waiter Junta (sp?) was on top of everything. We are both looking forward to coming back soon. Solid place!
(4)Joel H.
I have heard for years how awesome Japanese steakhouses are. They cook your food right in front of you, do cool tricks, and so on and so forth. But I've never tried one out. Along comes Koto Steakhouse & Sushi Bar to pop my proverbial...uh, egg. Our party, eleven strong, was seated around a hibachi grill in the dimly lit back room of the steakhouse. The room was full of people from all walks of life. There was the frat boy party at the far end, the girl's night out to our left, a family of four eating Friday night dinner to our right and a number of couples out for a romantic evening. Koto Steakhouse truly caters to everyone. When our waitress arrived to take our order she was a bit shocked to find we avoided the hibachi all together and ordered from the sushi menu. The main reason for doing this was I figured all the food would be cooked on the same grill using the same utensils. I'm not sure how it works for people with strict dietary needs but knowing the rest of the party was a bunch of meat and egg eaters, I decided to just skip that at all costs. Not that I felt the sushi was lesser or anything. I mean they had my favorite (tempura sweet potato) and they had a roll we've been searching for ever since experiencing it in PA (avocado and peanut). While waiting for our sushi, the hibachi cook came out. He prepped his grill and then began his show. This included bouncing eggs up and down on a spoon, flinging veggies to our mouths (I was the only one to miss mine) and shooting sake. He cooked and chopped and prepared with such rapid speed that it was impressive. Ours must've been a bit newer as I looked around and saw some of the other guys attempting even crazier feats. Oh well, gotta start somewhere. Our sushi arrived and we took to attending to that. The sweet potato chunks were huge, some of the biggest in Tampa, and that caused you to really taste them. They melted in your mouth. I liked it that way. J-Fur wasn't quite as fond saying that she preferred some of the other places we've eaten it. The avocado and peanut wasn't as perfect as the one we ate in PA. The ratio of avocado to peanut was slightly off making it way more peanutty than it should've been. Overall our experience was quite pleasant. Next time we are in the area we may go back and try out one of their vegetarian/vegan hibachi offerings. I'll make sure to include a sweet potato roll as well.
(3)Felicity R.
I don't know why this place is always so quiet but It works for me, no waiting ! All their sushi is fresh and reasonably priced. They have a lot of rolls to choose from and even can do a sushi boat, Their hibachi is also good and there is a surprising amount of space in back habachi area which is great for a big group. I have always had a good meal there. Their bento lunch boxes are also tasty and are big portions.
(4)Rhonda K.
No, just NO. Awful service-my boyfriend & I went here,only to sit with no service,not even water,for 30 minutes. When we decided to order from the sushi bar,we were then told that the sushi bar was closed. If we got proper service there in the first place,that wouldn't have happened. We didn't get even an acknowledgement from the owner. Never visiting there again!
(1)Miranda A.
Worst service. We had a birthday party planned, reservation made, and entire party present, and we were told "10 more minutes" 4 different times. Finally, one hour after our reservation time, they told us they were sorry but that it would now be another 40 minutes. We had all purchased drinks at the bar, and they didn't refund anything for us. We never got to experience the hibachi or any of the food. No apologies were offered and I will never come back. The birthday girl and entire party left totally unhappy and incredibly hungry. Disappointed.
(1)Anousha H.
I have tried this place three times now for sushi & hibachi. I am disappointed. There are many other hibachi & sushi places in Tampa that do a much better job. The salmon & tuna used in the sushi is not high quality & not cut professionally. The rice falls apart before you can pick it up & the ingredients inside the rolls themselves are not balanced properly. Hibachi chicken, shrimp & steak has always just been ok & nothing to rave about or any sense of looking forward to coming back what so ever. I would rather spend my money on a meal that is satisfying.
(2)Giga S.
Susan may be friendly in the Japanese culture, but not here. She has gotten better..... The hibachi is so oily that I pass every time. There is one HUGE CLAIM TO FAME...the maki combo B comes with soup and salad and I know great sushi! Wonderful!-this dish floats out of the kitchen by winged Angels. I am a SOHO snob and can't get enough of this amazing maki combo B! Get the lunch special for great pricing....beware- Susan may not take your groupons and coupons, hey she really is tough. The sushi chefs and bartenders rock this house- JuneTa is great!
(3)Enie W.
I should have taken the first sign that this was going to be a bad experience. The lady that answered the phone to take my reservation was very short and seemed bothered by my call. We arrived and the hostess which we later found out was the manager looked at us when we entered from about twenty feet away. Without acknowledging our presence she slowly finished her casual conversation with the sushi bar. Finally at a snails pace walked in our direction and looked in the reservations book and my name was nowhere to be found. We were told we can eat now in the cafeteria seating area, (this is a Japanese hibachi steak house) or wait at the bar for 20-30 minutes. We elected to wait at the bar which was not staffed and after about a 10-15 minute wait a very friendly server that seemed to be very stressed greeted us while making drinks for the people in the rest of the place and got us set up with drinks. While watching the manager do absolutely nothing for over 45 minutes we asked the server that was frantically trying to make everyone's drinks when we were going to be seated. He checked with the manager and after seeing the discontent on her face we elected to tab out and go elsewhere. We overheard a staff member mention that the manager decided that they didn't want to help with anything. We had a great meal at another spot and enjoyed spending my money elsewhere.
(1)Mark H.
Wanting to grab a small bite to eat last Friday, we ventured in Koto, despite the 2.5 star overall rating. We immediately greeted by the hostess and took up residency at the sushi bar. Within minutes, the waitress came over and took our food and drink orders. Shortly after that, the sushi chef gave us a complimentary "spicy crab meat salad," which was in-freaking-credible. So A+ for the service here. We ordered a SASHIMI appetizer and some GYOZA, both of which were great! I wish we were hungrier so we could have tried more from the menu, but we were full after the apps. If you're in SoHo and craving Japanese food, I'd definitely recommend this place.
(3)D'Lana C.
Koto is one of my favorite sushi places in the area. I usually get the green salad and the shrimp tempura (both of which are amazing), but today I got the Out of Control roll and the Six Flags roll and they're even better. The service isn't spectacular, but they're not horrible either. There's always enough seating (though depending on how late you come, the parking might be a little difficult), and the seating area is always cool and they always have decent music playing on the radio. I love coming here with family and friends, and I'd definitely recommend it to others.
(4)Elizabeth W.
My fiancé and I went with a girlfriend from work and her husband. They serve hibachi as well as other food. We wanted to sit at at a regular table and they sat us at a booth off the side off of the bar. It was quaint. I ordered a Lychee Martini and my fiancé got sprite since he was on call. The drink was pretty good. We got the beef gyza for an appetizer which was very good and the portions were sufficient. It came with 5 pieces and some dipping sauce. He got the heavenly chicken and liked his meal ok. I got the Angry roll sushi which was pretty good, nothing to write home about but it wasn't terrible. It came with 8-10 pieces of sushi (I can't remember exactly). The service was pretty good. Our sever was not only taking tables but the only bartender as well so taking that into consideration he did a pretty good job being stretched that thin and kept a good attitude.
(3)Alex A.
Great bang for your buck! The sushi combo section on the menu was great. It had a selection of different 3 roll combos from 13$+. I got three rolls: spicy crunchy tuna, spicy crunchy salmon and spicy crunch yellowtail for 15 dollars. This also included soup and salad. Great deal! Also has the seaweed salad which was good. Would 100 percent go back next time I'm in Tampa!
(4)Bridget M.
I love the food here for the most part. The service could use some work but overall it's a good place for a japanese steak house experience.
(4)Pilar P.
Meh. The sushi is so-so. I've gotten numerous combinations of their sushi. It's not cheap - average price, but not that great. Today I got just some plain salmon sushi. It was soggy, and they put so much lemon juice on it (without me asking) that it didn't even really taste like plain salmon. It was an odd taste. Plus it didn't seem super fresh. If you're going to serve below-average sushi, charge below-average prices.
(2)Kristina D.
The location is great for a fun night out, and the food is fresh and tasty (even if it's not any better than other sushi joints around the area) however the general manager, Anna, is ridiculous to work with. I made a simple request of changing a Maki dinner from spicy rolls to their non-spicy counterparts - and she refused to do it, but did offer to let me buy them a la cart - which would made it much more expensive. Service as a whole lacks here, but I'm am contemplating whether to go back purely on the general manager. I can deal with slow service - but a rude manager I draw the line. I would love to find the owner/proprietor of the location and let him know about his management staff. With any luck he will read this review.
(2)Yitzi B.
You normal Japanese restaurant, good atmosphere and entertainment. I have to say the portions for the food was amazing. Your typical hibachi meal will consist of rice or lomain, veggies, and chicken or what you orders ext. but this place they give you both lomain and rice. It wasn't just a small piece of steak but two nice portion ones. Every one at the table seemed satisfied with there meal. Also they squirt saki into your mouth if your over 21 so that was a cool feature at the end.
(4)Maura L.
Koto is a great restaurant but they take forever and there is no customer service while you wait. The wait for the hibachi takes forever long and there is only one sushi chef so it takes 30 minutes to get one roll.
(2)Matt B.
Worst dinner experience of my life. Went there with a group of 12 people for a birthday and reserved a table. Waited an hour just to be seated. After we sat down we asked to get saki but they said they ran out of glasses. Not too sure how a restaurant runs out of cups? Granted it was a busy weekend from gasparilla but still is not an excuse. Then we waited another hour for our chef to walk over. He didn't talk to us or at all and was not engaging at all. One of the main reasons you pay the steep price for the food is the entertainment that comes with the food. We finally said something to the manager and she said she would comp our drinks but when the bills they were still on it. At that point everyone wanted to leave so bad that we just paid our bills and left. Overall terrible experience and will not be back anytime soon.
(1)Sally R.
Visiting Tampa and my friends suggested Koto for sushi. I started with a green salad with delicious ginger dressing. Then got my avocado and eel roll (drizzled with yummy eel sauce) and salmon nigiri pieces. The roll was petite but warm and satisfying. The staff were nice and everything was perfect. My friends go to this place all the time to see their favorite server Cynthia. Overall, 4-stars for quality and 5-stars for value and ambiance! Would definitely go back!
(5)Faith M.
Went to this restaurant with two friends and sat at the sushi bar. We were sitting there for at least five minutes when I had to ask the hostess if we had a server or if we ordered from the men making the sushi. Lo and behold, our server shows up, upbeat and without apology for taking so long to get to us. I ordered a peanut and avocado roll and my friends ordered their food. My friend's Coke was flat and she didn't drink any of it. When she told the server, he took the full glass without a word, and did not offer anything else to drink. When the food came out, the server placed a plate with tuna and avocado roll in front of me. I said I ordered peanut and avocado. He said, "I thought you ordered tuna and avocado." I said I had not. He said, "Well taste the tuna, it's good." "You're not even acknowledging that you got my order wrong, " I said. "Well the kitchen is done," he lied. We were sitting there at the sushi bar watching the men make sushi for at least another 20 minutes until we left. He finally took the plate away, said it was his fault. Even still, there was more back and forth about what I ordered and what he thought I ordered. The roll came, we finished our food, and our checks came. .. with gratuity added. On a party of three. If we weren't already tired and frustrated, I would've asked for an explanation. And though I pride myself on being a great tipper, I would've also asked for it to be removed.
(1)Chachi B.
Spur of the moment. A visit to Chipotles, just a few doors from this Japanese Restaurant. Turned out to be an EXCELLENT RE-ROUTING. Warm and very friendly greeting by Cynthia at the door. Our server was excellent. I had that famous (at least for me).Volcano, and also ordered the Shrimp Tempura Roll.The shrimp are huge. Food was served at a perfect temperature. The hot tea was also served in a traditional manner in a Cast Iron Teapot. They are heavy :-) of course. But, they do keep the tea hot! Just like it's supposed to stay in the pot. No cozy needed.(A cozy is a cover made out of quilted material, some very quaint and do a good job at keeping tea,at a very good temperature. I learned this by going to the UK. That is where they use them, consistently. Like they say,"Brilliant ").The whole day no experience was A+,HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS PLACE!! Will be Back For Sure. By the way, I always try to drink Jasmine Tea. The aroma makes me feel incredible. However, they for the most part only had black Japanese tea. And, I am really good when it comes to dark coffees and espressos... I even drink him at night. European, and Cuban blood. But, tell you what?This baby packs a punch! Really wired me out big time :-) X 3 Good thing it was TGIF. Because, it was 9 PM and not really late. But, I felt like I could run a marathon. I was up past 1 AM. Had coffee and amaretto later LOL, finally I could go to bed and sleep. (Still LOL, while reviewing this).Forget the Redbull, have some of this. Almost the whole pot I have to admit :-)okkk it was over kill. Next time I'll keep in mind this is a good thing. If I need to be up all night long. May come in handy, I will be back and have a really good time there.thanks yelpers :-) THAT WAS A GREAT MUST TRY. KEEP on YELPING!
(5)Marty M.
I usually place to go orders to be picked up after night classes. The hostess who takes my orders is so unpleasant both on the phone and when I pick up my orders that it is uncomfortable. One night when picking up an order I asked the hostess for an extra soy sauce which seemed to annoy her. When I got home and unpacked the bag I realized that the hostess only pretended to put the soy sauce in the bag. I have continued to visit the restaurant because the sushi is pretty good. However, the other night was the biggest disappointment. I placed an order for a side green salad for $3.50. Not only did I have to again deal with the hostess but the salad had about 7 pieces of lettuce. I can't believe that I was charged $3.50 for 7 pieces of lettuce. Unacceptable.
(2)Lisa N.
With limited options nearby for hibachi, this one is pretty good. I've heard good things about Koto's sushi and the menu looked great but we were there for hibachi. My friends and I met here for dinner on a week night. I started with a red sangria which was very tasty but HUGE. Served in a big goblet; it was a little embarrassing to drink. Koto has a standard hibachi menu where you choose your protein (chicken, steak, shrimp, filet mignon, a combo, etc) and every meal comes with the same things. Those are: standard salad and soup, veggies, and rice. Koto also gives everyone a shrimp appetizer. The wait staff was very attentive and the chef obliged our request for extra vegetables with our dinners (a $5 up charge although it was never mentioned). The food was cooked well and the chef put on a nice show. We had a great time. One note: Creative Loafing offers half price gift certificates for this place and they are serious about one per party. My girlfriends and I were paying separately but they would only take 1 certificate for our group. Totally their choice but just be aware.
(3)ming w.
I have read so many bad reviews about this place,but still give a shot,end it up with big regret,something wrong with management,wating too long for the food,server was rude,have seen them argue with customers twice when we were there,hibachi chef don't do the show when its busy,never come back again
(1)JaxMan T.
This place is okay. I've eaten here twice. Not the best sushi in town, but adequate for a quick fix in the local neighborhood. I wish it were more visionary, inventive and high quality, but I would rather keep them open and in business than see them fail. The place always seems empty to me, and that scares me for a sushi bar. I stick to the traditional stuff that I hope turns over quickly. Food and service are adequate. Nice decor and a big investment for the Chinese owners, who are clearly trying hard, if occasionally falling short on execution. I would encourage people to go here, but in all honesty, it's not that great. it's adequate.
(2)Robert R.
Chicken teriyaki was raw we ordered two. Manager came out and was rude and made us pay for one. My son had spit the food out in his napkin. Nasty!!
(2)Brian M.
Hit or miss traditional authentic sushi with Japanese steak house / hibachi areas! I Highly recommend the Green Dragon, Boston, Mexican, Alaska, Pearl, Kamikaze, and Rainbow rolls! Get $4 sushi rolls 9-12 Mon-thurs or 10-12 Fri Sat if you buy a drink. However, with the $4 special rolls, they only give you 6 rolls instead of the typical 8 rolls. This wouldn't have upset me if they would've been upfront about this discrepency with a written note on the menu. It was a bit disappointing to all of a sudden have less sushi than you initially expected. Suddenly the deal, is less of a deal and I have to order another sushi roll that I otherwise wouldn't have to because I'm still hungry. Ambiance is authentic Japanese with all the detailed traditional decorations and very chic. Unlike other hipster restaurants that serve 1 or 2 rolls of sushi, this place is the real deal! Parking is free and convenient even though this restaurant is located on Howard ave. Service can be a hit or miss. We were starving and our waiter came back 10min after we put in our order, asking us what our order was again once. He didn't even put the order in and were sitting across from the sushi bar guys and they're not even doing anything because it's slow and this guy didn't give them our order. They even asked us, did someone take your order? It would have been funny if I wasn't starving. If you sit by the sushi bar, they usually hook you up with a free appetizer. Location is walking distance to other bars so a great place to start the evening!
(3)Mylez E.
Great Japanese food. Great service, maybe a little tight for space, but survivable!
(4)Adrian P.
Awesome place if you like to be herded around like sheep... While I have relatively low standards for any restaurant on this stretch of Howard in SoHo, the food was average at best, especially for what they charge, but the service was truly abysmal. Went here for a friend's birthday party and when we arrived, they refused to seat us until all of our group of 10 were present. While I would understand this policy on a busy night, this was 5pm on a Sunday and the place was empty, so we all had to loiter in the lobby while we could have been sitting at a table ordering drinks and spending more money. After we were seated our sever gave my girlfriend and me a hard time for ordering sushi instead of hibachi, but finally conceded to placing an order for the food we wanted to eat. The only bright side of the service was our hibachi cook, while not particularly talkative, his food acrobatics were at least somewhat entertaining. After our food arrive, our server disappeared, she never came back for us to order more drinks (more loss of revenue for them). About half way through our meal, we ordered another sushi roll, which we never received, but were still charge for later when we received the bill. My favorite awful part of the service was about 5 minutes after the hibachi cook finished, the staff came in with the birthday ice cream and took the birthday girl's food she just started eating to replace with the ice cream, not that anyone asked for this. 2 minutes after this, our server arrived with to-go boxes for everyone and checks, even though none of our party had even come close to finishing our meal, but the restaurant felt it was time for us to make our exit so they can free up the table for some other unsuspecting customers. On the bill was the suish roll we ordered, but did not receive. I asked the server to take it off and she offered to bring it out now even though we were all ready to leave, I declined. She brought back the revised bill, but somewhere in the process lost the credit card I gave her for the bill. At first our server insisted I give her another card to charge, without regard the missing the original card I gave them. After insisting that I would not give them another card and that they find my card, it was magically found somewhere a few minutes later. For fairness sake, most of the rest of our party appeared to have had a somewhat better experience than my GF and I had here. Ultimately though, we left hungry and irritated, something I'm sure every restaurant strives for...
(1)Gigi S.
I get a sporadic hankerin for sushi, and this place always satisfies. Great service, great sushi chefs. Unsure why folks insist on ruining seafood and meat by having it overcooked on a hibachi grill, but since I've never gone that route here, looks like I'm always satisfied with my meals! I've never heard of "Japanese Steakhouses" being a big thing on the island of Japan, so I don't want fusion food, or Americanized ideas of what Japanese fishermen do with steaks and hibachi grills. I want chefs who keep it simple, serve me something I'd probably actually have in Japan, and speak Japanese. Underrated because American taste is overrated.
(4)Brenda V.
Not impressed at all. So many other hibachi places that taste better and have a better experience. The food trays were stacked on top of each other so trays were touching food. The guy did a trick with a fake egg and it landed in a customer's sauce and he never replaced it. He was flinging chunks of rice into everyone's mouth. The cook kept squirting a little kid with water. Just rude!! This child will never want to come back. Just sloppy and the food wasn't even that good.
(1)Gloria F.
This was the worst experience...the management was rude. It took 1:45 minutes to get our food. We found a hair in our sushi and the manager yelled at us telling us we were liars!!!! Will never return to this dump of a sushi place!!
(1)Noelle L.
Koto was a sold 3 stars for Japanese hibachi bar food. Was it outstanding? No, but it was decent and we bought a deal from cldeals.com and the price was right. Will we be back? Yes. The chef was friendly and the service was great. The portions were good as well. I'm Japanese so I can be a bit of a snob when it comes to Japanese food. It was Americanized and I was not a fan of the fried noodles. Decent enough and we'll be back to dine again.
(3)Stacy J.
Went here for NYE and it was ok. Our chef was pretty funny. Food was good I've definitely had better, unfortunately nothing was standout. I had filet and shrimp, filet was chewy and shrimp was over cooked.
(3)Julia D.
Despite the other reviews on here, I've never had a bad experience at Koto. The service is always friendly and helpful -- even willing to countdown sake bombs for the table occasionally. I've never sat at the hibachi tables, but have never had to wait for one of the tables at the front. The food is good and the ginger salad dressing is the best I've ever had. It's a great place to have dinner, especially if you're headed out on SoHo later in the night. I'd recommend it to anyone.
(5)Katie H.
Fun experience, but entirely lackluster food. Reminiscent of the typical hibachi scene, only the quality of the provisions is a step down. AKA a full plate of rice and rubber chicken. We had an enjoyable evening, however, because our chef/performer was lively and great at his job. Sake shots and sake bombs were the highlight of the night.
(2)Atom W.
I use to live in Japan and I know a good Hibachi when I see one and even though the cook at Koto who did the Hibachi made an A+ effort he over used excessive butter and excessive oils that did not agree with my stomach. In addition the steaks they use are low grade meats. We had 2 steak hibachi's and 2 soda's for 50.00 seems as an excessive price for a low grade meal. but on the positive note the waiter was very friendly and they cleaned the place from top to bottom. However the 4 drunk girls who were very loud and annoying did not help. I guess if you want a good Hibachi then I have go on vacation to tokyo Japan
(3)Karen L.
My husband and I sat at the bar here. The sushi was unique and delicious, and the chefs were really nice. But, the service was soooo slow; it took a while for anyone to come over to even take drink order, then forever to bring them, and then forever to take our order. We ordered edamame as an appetizer and it came after our sushi came. We were right next to where the sushi chefs place their finished plates, and there were several plates that sat there for way too long before they were picked upend taken to the tables. Not surprisingly, the check took awhile, and the waiter gave us a MAC eyeliner instead of pen. I would be willing to give this place another chance.
(3)Robin T.
One of my favorite places to come in Tampa for sushi and hibachi. The hibachi tables are really fun for large groups of people and/or birthday parties (order some sake bombs!), plus if you show them your ID on your birthday, you can get $15 off your meal. The hibachi chefs are very fun and very generous with free sake. It can get pretty crowded and the wait for a hibachi table can be annoying, since you have to wait for an entire table to fill up. Their hibachi is excellent -- I love their yum yum sauce (white sauce), and it comes with very generous portions of noodles, rice, veggies, and meat, on top also getting soup and salad. I can eat a ton and I almost always end up with a nice, delicious leftover lunch for the next day. If you want to just eat the hibachi and not wait at the table, you can always just sit in their front area and order a hibachi meal. They have a really nice early bird special on some days where if you come in early for dinner, you can get a steak or chicken hibachi meal for only $15! Sushi is very good here, as well. Still haven't found amazing, knock-your-socks-off sushi in Tampa yet, but this is one of the better sushi places, in my opinion. They also have a GREAT late night special deal where certain rolls are only $4 after 9pm! The location makes it even better if you like going out because if you hit up this place for the late night special or a big group dinner, then you're already in the middle of all the bars of South Howard.
(4)Sharon L.
The first time I went to Koto it was rather dissapointing, I had made a reservation and had to wait regardless, for a $300 tab for 4 people, I would have hoped my reservation would have been adhered to, but we did enjoy the food and really ordered the most expensive things on the menu. Because it was so busy, and because we don't like large crowds in Soho (have a kid) we didn't got back for at least a year, which was on Mothers day, no reservation. Wow, what a difference, the food was great, the early bird prices were awesome, I even got a $15 gift certificate as a mothers day present. Since then, this is our go to spot, we go about once a month. For Hibachi, it's incredibly affordable, the sushi is good, there's something everyone in my family likes. The servers COULD check on you a little more, like getting more beers, but that's small compared to what we get in return. I do think their reservation system could be better, especially with the boom in technology, but they are a mom and pop shop, as well, so they may not know about Open Table. Be warned that if you order an Early Bird entree, you cannot use any deals or coupons with it, but as long as you keep that in mind, you'll be fine. Also, if you go on your birthday, and show your ID, you get a free meal. I mean, I ordered the $50 plate, and they were happy to bring it :)
(4)Jaima S.
I've eaten here about 5 times, both for lunch and dinner in the sushi bar side and the hibachi side. I'm ranking this 2 stars because I have definitely had better food elsewhere and my last two experiences there were not good at all. I've had the mango girl which is described as spicy lobster with asparagus wrapped in mango with a sweet chili sauce. What they don't tell you (even when you ask the waitress) is that it is also drowned in some sort of mayonnaise sauce, which negates the fresh flavors that might have been found otherwise. Other times we've dined here the food has been overly salted, cold, very fishy smelling, and pricey. The service is also just average. I've been known to go the bar for a refill of my water. The last time I ate here I got carryout. I ordered the salmon teriyaki with miso soup and white rice. When I got home I took one bite of the miso and couldn't go any further. It was so salty that it was inedible. The salmon was completely overcooked and salty as well, they gave me fried rice instead of the white rice I asked for and the veggies that came with the salmon were comprised of onions....maybe a carrot thrown in for good measure. I called the restaurant and the manager said that the next time we came in that dinner would on them. Good customer service, but I've had enough bad experiences here that it's not even worth it to me. Hibachi can be a fun experience, but the food is a let down.
(2)Jason K.
Koto is located in the youthful SOHO district. Parking is usually limited in the strip mall, but I have always been able to nab a spot. As for the food, I would say it is average to below average for Japanese. The chicken was rubbery and without significant flavor. The fried rice is on par with what one would expect. The vegetables are very good. The steak was bland and didnt taste like a particularly good cut of meat. The real selling point of Kotos is the show of the chef cooking in front of you. The chef did all of the old teppanyaki tricks and even a few new ones that i hadnt seen before. Very cool and especially fun if you go with children who look at the experience with amazement. The prices are always high. I think the average meal runs for approximately $20-25 per person. Tips: I always arrive after happy hour, but there are some drink specials if you are an "early bird." Additionally, there are some birthday and other coupons that you can print off of the website (i would estimate that one third of all patrons were there for a birthday).
(3)Taylor J.
We were very excited for our first experience at a Hibachi. We were VERY disappointed. Our chef did NO tricks at all, there was no point in even watching them make the food. And it tasted horrible, the flavor was bland (we each got the chicken meal). We won't be going back.
(1)Lance C.
Wanted it to be better than it was, having a sushi bar that I could walk to would be amazing. Okay, correction, having a great sushi bar that I could walk to would be amazing. Koto is not great. Fish did not seem to be very fresh based on aroma and texture. Also, based on the server's suggestion, we ordered a Paradise Roll (my fault for not looking it up) a $15 roll that was horrible - banana tempura and citrus mango sauce?? Couldn't eat it. Otherwise, prices are in line. Overall, disappointing...
(2)Zachary M.
If I could give this negative stars, I would. Hold on folks, and strap in, I'm about to rant. I apologize in advance. This place is a joke. Received the worst service I have ever had in a restaurant. Literally. Our server didnt bring us drinks, (the hostess actually got our waters and one person in our party gave up and just went to the bar to get a drink. And to the hostess, if you read this, the one from Hawaii, you are awesome. Keep up the great work. You were the only good part about our meal) or utensils, got our food orders wrong, gave us the wrong menu , didnt know the menu because she "normally doesnt work the night shift", and did ALL of her side work instead of taking care of us. She even refilled the soy sauce at our table as part of her side work and before we could be like "umm hey can we order food?" she walked away and kept refilling the soy sauces at the other tables. At this point I was basically laughing because it was so bad. I thought maybe we were being Punk'd. There were stretches of 20-30 mins where we were not helped at all.... And when we asked to speak to the manager, calmly...I might add. We were basically laughed at... by the MANAGER, and there was literally no attempt made to reconcile the situation. It blew my mind that they seem to not care that they were the cause of a really crappy experience and not only did you not care, it almost seemed to be of no concern to you what so ever that we never came back when you are the ones that did everything wrong. While in the middle of talking to the manager she literally cut us off mid sentence, and walked away. And my friend had to pay for the food..that KOTO GOT WRONG. Yea, that happened. This is the first time in my life I have had such a bad dining experience that I felt compelled to complain...just awful.And on a side not, this place trys to come off as a higher end Japanese restaurant. A lot of people have tattoos these days, including me. But in a professional environment, and pretty much universally in nice restaurants, visible tattoos are usually frowned upon.Our server had visible tattoos covering her neck, one of which said "baby girl"....keep it classy Koto. On a food note : The black jack roll I had was awesome. But the rest of the rolls were just average sushi. And overpriced. But even if it was the best sushi I had ever had, I woud not subject myself to service like that ever again.
(1)Yelp C.
Worst service and management. My husband I tried the sushi here once and it was ok. But the big disappointment came when we came with friends in a group of 6. It was a saturday night and we made a reservation for 7:30. Upon our arrival we were told to wait for 5-10 min, which sounded totally ok. They offered a waiting table in the corner so we wouldn't have to stay standing at the doorway. 45 minutes later, no one even came to check on us or offer us even a glass of water. When we tried to ask about our table the hostess kept telling us to wait more. We asked to speak to the manager, who was even more rude and didn't even provide any explanation for the way we were treated. She just said "I am sorry, please wait a little bit to be seated." We had to walk out of this restaurant right away, and will never be back. I have never experienced anything like this. Restaurant fail.
(1)M. F.
We had a group of 6 people that came on a very busy Saturday night during Gasparilla. We all anticipated the restaurant to be busy, but we didn't expect to wait an hour because the hostess completely forgot about us (there were no other people waiting around us). We then got sat at a dirty table in the corner of the sushi bar. We ordered waters (after 30 more minutes waiting for a server) in Styrofoam cups. We had drank down all of our water before the server came back to take our orders (and didn't refill our waters...after being at the parade all day we were thirsty/dehydrated!). We ordered some sushi and some tempura, and various other items. We waited another hour, and watched the table behind us (who sat down after we did) get their food quickly. Normally I understand that when you go out with a group, the restaurants bring all the food together so it comes later...but when they finally started bringing out the sushi (water, please??), we had to wait another 30 minutes for all the rest of the food to follow. We had to find our own silverware, and had to talk to three other servers in order to get a manager to find out why everything was so horrible. Her only reason was that it was so busy (which was an excuse by that point, the restaurant had already begun to die down before we got our food). We asked why the table behind us got served first, and her reason was that they got sushi....which made no sense because so did we (it would have made more sense if all the food came out together). Overall, we spent almost 3 hours at this restaurant and it ruined our evening. I have been in the restaurant business for 4 years... I know what busy is like and this restaurant was not only unprepared for the rush, they also didn't know how to treat unhappy customers.
(1)Luisa M.
poor service, not really friendly. Food too salty and grease. I dont think we are going back :/
(2)Grace C.
I've been here twice and both times it has been for the sushi side of the restaurant. I have noticed that the hibachi side is always full of people looking like they are enjoying themselves. It's located conveniently within walking distance to all the popular bars in Soho which makes it packed during the weekends at night. I always find myself here on packed nights so I always see the wait staff scrambling to keep up with all the orders. They do try their best though. I just think staffing could be better at peak hours. I sat at the sushi bar the last time I ventured here and the sushi chefs were very friendly. When they were making their rolls, they had no problems chatting with us and telling us what was in it. The menu is pretty diverse and filled with both classic rolls and creative concoctions! I always order their Age Dashi Tofu (fried tofu with bonito flakes and tempura sauce). I love the light breading surrounding the soft tofu. It's a great appetizer. I stole bites of other people's sushi rolls and everything tasted great. I particularly enjoyed Angry Dragon Roll.
(3)Michi S.
Not good at all. Ordered Sashimi Appetizer, Vegetable Tempura and Chicken Teriyaki. Sashimi - 7 types of different fish but they all had bad fishy smell and I could easily identify they were not fresh just by looking at them. The color of Tuna looked artificial and you could tell it was thawed and frozen more than once or they could have simply served a piece that was kept in the freezer for more than 6 months... It was so awful that I could not bring myself to eat it for my own health concern. Chicken - Very dry and Teriyaki Sauce was awful! Anyone can mix a cup of soy sauce + 3 cups of sugar and call it teriyaki-sauce. Vegetable Tempura - How hard is it to screw up Tempura? You can certainly start by serving "rotten asparagus" to your customer. There were several other things I noticed about their meal but my biggest pet-peeve is "Freshness" of each ingredients served and Koto certainly did not live up to my standard.
(1)Lauren G.
No mention that you need kid's birth certificate to get the free birthday dinner until you get the check! They changed this policy from a year ago but there isn't a mention of it even on their website .Poor service & we weren't the only ones complaining about our bill that night. Two other tables were asking to speak to the manager. The food is only mediocre and our chef looked bored. Really pathetic.
(2)Jenn B.
Hibachi is just awesome... not much to elaborate on here. Nothing truly unique about this place compared to other hibachi restaurants I've been to but it's still a great choice! Guaranteed good time. Open wide... it's Sake shot time!
(5)Collin S.
It was perfectly... average. The four of us get there, and we sit at the bar sipping on some perfectly average and overpriced drinks. Then once we are seated, we wait for refills far too long. The service was pretty poor, and that was a problem during the entire meal. On the upside is our chef was quite skilled and fun. I didn't catch his name, but not only was he a talented cook, but he was fun and engaging with our party. It's a shame they have the chefs and wait staff split their tips, because one certainly deserved a much bigger gratuity than the other. All the food we had was prepared as tastily as possible. There's only so much you can do to differentiate one hibachi place from another, but he certainly did the best he could with the rather bland food he has was given to work with. Also, it's the birthday of someone else at another table, and they throw some goofy lights on and have a horrible song play over the sound system. It totally made no sense with the theme, and was completely inappropriate. I'd give two stars if not for the talent of our chef, but there are certainly better hibachi experiences available.
(3)Acelyn B.
Friends and I stumbled (not literally, it wasn't that late of a night) across this place when our originally planned restaurant was closed. Everything about this place just seemed average to me. The sushi selection is pretty much the same as anywhere else with no restaurant specials. The sushi itself didn't have much of a wow-factor either. I'm pretty sure there are other sushi places to get better food for the same price. Only come here if everything else is closed.
(3)Misty B.
I think I secretly like this place. I keep going back. There are some things I don't love, but on the occasions when I'm OK blowing $$ on an experience that's more for the entertainment than the food, Koto works. WHAT'S GREAT - Awesome spot for interactive dining. Go if you want something a little bit different, want to do more than just stare at your date all night, or if you need to entertain your kids or your parents. - The chefs are great, and no matter how many times you watch the "cooking show," it's always a fun spectacle. I still flinch at the fire surprises. :) - Portions are large, and you'll leave full (and maybe with a doggy bag). All diners get soup and salad to start, and rice and noodles with your meat choice. Note that you're likely "full" from all the accompaniments versus the meat selection. - Local and intimate. The hibachi dining area is like a mini version of the giant chains you'll find in North Dale Mabry, yet it's usually bustling. Good vibe overall. - If with kids, order the "Japanese soda." It comes in a unique bottle with a blown-in marble that moves. Built-in entertainment on top of the entertainment. WHAT'S NOT AS GREAT - Actual food is just OK. The flavors don't pop, I'm not craving it the next week, and I've never bragged about my experience here. Probably the best single thing is the salad dressing. - Prices are typical for a Japanese steakhouse ... a little spendy for what you actually get. Prepare for $20-30 per diner. Kids run around $11-16. - The noise levels can get pretty high on busy nights (usually Friday and Saturday). If you're unlucky enough to hit this spot the same night as a birthday party or a rowdy group, you'll be annoyed -- particularly if you're seated at a different section and can't interact with them at all. - Service is a little lethargic. Diners' service needs are simple here -- drinks, soup, salad, clean-up and check. Yet, somehow this place is still a bit lacking ... they can be a bit slow to react and move things along. - The wine selection is dull, and most of the wines taste like they've been open for a while. Plan on sake.
(3)Michele R.
keep going back. first thing you have to understand is that is is a Japanese Steakhouse run by very nice and humble Chinese folks... Next, take a look at the menu and take a look at your watch. After 9 pm on some days, you have access to special side menu. Appetizers et al for 4 dollars and rolls for 7. NOT all are on the menu, but it works. We order off the regular menu where there is a bountiful selection. then at 10 complete the show! Being more of a natural girl i by pass the most creative combos but have sampled most unusual creations. Definitely not by the book. Friends seem to really like them. I steer to the usual rolls -- yellowtail et al. Do try the pearl roll... the carpaccio,, the tuna and the unagi. The roe.. Be aware that the waitresses while most pleasant are not as fluent as you think. Owner/chef works hard for a living. Ana Wu runs the logistics. She tries really hard and has succeeded with our gang! They will bend over backward to please you if you tell them what you need. If you are a prima dona... please steer clear. I like them. Backroom is full on weekends. Personally, i prefer my sushi on the quiet side! ;) Lots of TVs... Your guy will be happy!
(4)Eric L.
Pretty good hibachi located in the heart of Hyde Park, Koto serves up hearty portions of chicken, shrimp, scallops, fried rice, and even Filet Mignon, all cooked on a action grill right in front of you by a (very humorous chef). I came with a big party of 9 for a 21st birthday (they provide free hibachi and extremely dry sake squirts in the mouth on your birthday, not too bad!), and ordered the chicken hibachi meal, with fried rice, shrimp, and veggies all included for about $20 bucks. The good-the presentation and cooking process were very entertaining, complete with egg acrobatics, knife throwing and sake squirts for all. The food itself was cooked well, and the shrimp and my friends scallops stood out as flavorful, tender, delicious, all cooked in an Asian soy-based light sauce on the grill. Despite this, the fried rice and chicken were unfortunately overtaken with oil and soy sauce, arriving on my plate too greasy and salty for my taste. For drinks, try the giant volcano bowl, complete with flaming Bacardi 151 shot in the middle and something like 17 types of liquor (okay only 5, but will still make your night a little crazy!!). Overall, a solid, good overall hibachi restaurant that serves large portions, at middle range prices, in an area that excellent hibachi is rare.
(4)S H.
I got lunch time takeout here the other day, and it was good but nothing particularly special. The sushi rolls were big, fresh and tasty. The service was fast, the woman working up front was very nice and accommodating. No complaints.
(4)Andrew A.
arrived at 7.30pm for 7-9pm unlimited sushi. ordered pad thai, 5 friends got unlimited sushi at 7.40pm. my food came 8.30pm, sushi came at 8.20pm. pad thai was soup and noodles weren't cooked whatsoever, they took it in the back, drained the pad thai and gave it back. told them it wasn't cooked still. didn't get my new pad thai until 9pm and asked for a fork. manager never came back with fork, couldn't eat the food without the fork..then she insisted I pay for the pad thai that I never ate. friends asked manager to order more sushi at 8.45pm since server was serving 2 other tables with 8ppl each (which should have been ok since it was till 9pm) she never came back until 9.05pm and forgot to take our order and refused to take an order for us. horrible horrible service. will never come back here ever again.
(1)Paula C.
They don't even deserve 1 star!!!! The manager is nasty and dishonest. The food was terrible. Deliberately to overcharge their customers! Never going back!
(1)Deke K.
Sometimes you have to dis a restaurant without eating there. Neon light in window says "open". Door unlocked suggests open. Walk inside, famished, clerk says, "Sorry, not opened 40 more minutes." This Japanese restauranat is in the SoHo district of Tampa in a strip mall between Jimmy John's (subs) and a hoppin' Irish Bar. The "mixed message" cost them a customer today. :(
(1)Lisa P.
I have been here many times and normally very happy with the service and the food. My server Anthony was awesome and was very helpful. It was a slow night and the only people at my table was me and my 2 young kids. When the hibachi chef came out he was a little rude and did not do a show like normal, he only did the volcano. He quickly cooked the food but the food was not good. My filet mignon had fat and was bland. The shrimp was rubbery and had no flavor. When Anthony asked how everything was I told him the problems with the food. He sent over the manager who was also rude. She kept questioning me and said that the food was fresh from today and did not know what could be wrong. The food made me feel nauseous so when she asked if she could have them cook me new food I said no. She said all she could do was take 50% off my meal. Totally unacceptable in my opinion, will never go there again.
(1)Edina W.
We were told seating would take about 15 minutes --turned out to be an hour to be seated; an additional half hour before the chef started preparing our dinner. We ordered the Lover's dinner--very cool idea and enough food to make you full but absolutely tasteless! The dining/food prep area holds A LOT of people which makes the noise level unacceptable in a Japanese food type environment; additionally, a table, adjacent to ours, created the kind of loud you expect at a bar --and the restaurant mgt did not appear to do anything about it. I got it--fun is good, happy is good, but consideration for others sharing your space is also good. Won't go back -- and if you have to try it find a coupon (I found one for $10 just Google).
(2)Thomas B.
Hmmm where to begin. There are very few good places to eat in Tampa after 9pm so the fact that Koto was open to midnight was very attractive. Hoping for some very good Japanese after a long weekend, we had a glimmer of hope. We should have known it was going to ve mediocre. The menu was full if fried thongs being passed off as sushi. Southerners love their fried foods but there must be a haven somewhere for good authentic food. It was not to be had. Asked for the shamai, it was not hot, and lacked flavor. Ordered the eel roll, California roll and tried the Amazing Tuna Roll. All lacked freshness and flavor and the Amazing roll was icky sweet. Also the dishes came with almost no Ginger so we asked for some when the food was delivered and the waitress started arguing and never brought any. And to really make u lose your appetite, there was Michael Jackson Muzak playing throughout. Thoroughly unpleasant.
(1)J K.
TERRIBLE SERVICE/MANAGEMENT ON NYE... Due to the convenient location of this restaurant and a past decent sushi experience there, I thought I'd make dinner reservations for New Years Eve. The hibachi reservation was for 8:15 but the hostess on the phone encouraged me to come early because they would "try to get us in at 8." Little did I know at the time what a joke that comment was. My party of five showed up around 8 and the table was excusably not ready yet. However, we were unexcusably not seated until well after 9 pm (with no apology) in the back corner of the hibachi room in a spot crammed with 4 chairs (reservation for 5...). The woman who sat us corrected this by jamming another chair into the back corner. The joy I felt after finally being seated was short lived as the waitress didn't bring our drinks for another 20 minutes. Drinks which were not on the house to make up for any of the inconvenience up until this point. The 20 minute wait provided me plenty of time to scan the dining room and see several of parties that came in AFTER mine in the waiting room finishing their meals before we were even served drinks. The hibachi setup at Koto involves a large table wrapped around two hibachi grills where a chef presumably cooks your meal in front of you and performs fun tricks. Not the case for us on New Years-we were jammed onto the end of the table where a group of cranky women slowly finished their meals while the hibachi chef started the fun on the grill opposite from our pathetic seats. The view of the back of the chef's head gave me none of the thrill that the diners facing him seemed to be experiencing, judging from the smiles on their faces as they participated in the interactive hibachi cooking. Even more frustrating was the portion size of our meals we finally received (sometime around 2.5 hrs after our reservation time). I think the chef portioned out a meal for the usual crowd of one hibachi grill, rather than that crowd + the 5 of us trying to eat something on the lonely other side of the table, as I barely got any food. The chef also totally forgot to give one of my friends the scallops he ordered (this was corrected by the chef chopping up another really small portion of scallops and finally giving it to this friend who wondered why his scallops were mysteriously minced while no one else's were). In the only attempt to give us a taste of the festive hibachi atmosphere we signed up for, the chef who finally came to cook on our end of the table (immediately after another party was sat there...) squirted some sake all over my friend's face. While my friend Aaron G enjoyed this very much, it didn't make up for the hours we spent waiting, our still hungry stomachs, the dismissive attitude of the hostess upon my pointing out all of these problems, and the total lack of any attempt by management to salvage this failed dining experience. Thanks for nothing, Koto.
(1)Jason R.
Do the hibachi dinner. I was entertained and the food was good.
(3)Pete D.
One of my favorite neighborhood spots to frequent. Always a pleasant and fun experience in the Habachi room. Sushi is pretty good. Excellent late night menu with specials on beer, wine, mixed drinks, and sushi amongst other choices. Tony the GM and Dave the bartender are great. Ask for them!
(5)Justine B.
Usually go to Koto for the hibachi meals, which are always a fun experience. Their chefs do a fine job and I feel like we've never had to wait too long. The meals are served with both rice and noodles, which is nice, since some hibachi places only serve one. Their ginger salad dressing is very tasty! However, I will admit, the rest of the meal - protein, veggies - can be a bit bland. Nothing the sauces can't fix, though, and they are generous with refills. Last time we went, my party ordered sushi and sat in the front dining area instead. I got a dragon roll, and something with crab and eel sauce, sorry I can't be more specific. But it doesn't matter, because every roll everyone got looked and tasted great. My recommendation is to go just go straight for the sushi! As far as prices, hibachi meals are about standard.. and sushi may be a bit overpriced, but that's all sushi in Hyde Park. One final perk - they are open pretty late. Also, we get coupons for $5 from time to time in the mail, so if you plan to go, be on the lookout!
(4)Jacob K.
This place has all the tools to be a big hit. Great location, good food, and who doesn't like a Japanese steakhouse? The problem is their service... The service is the worst that I have had in the Tampa Bay area to date. I waited 15 minutes to get my drink order, and around an hour for my food (Not one refill or checkup from the waitress). It is a shame because the food has been excellent each time, but the time required to be invested in such an experience has in my mind damaged the overall quality of this restaurant as a whole. If they were to possibly hire more servers, or just take better care of their customers, I could see this place becoming a hit.
(2)Shai J.
I can't complain about Koto. We were greeted right away, brought to our table and had our soup and salad within minutes of sitting down. I liked our chef the best, he was a hibachi pro and made our meal very much enjoyable- I think his name is Roy. Our portions size was very generous, and as other reviews mentioned, the noodles, rice and shrimp appetizer are a bonus. Finally a place where my husband can leave satisfied.
(4)Angela S.
Went here recently for a family birthday. I can't really blame Koto fr the fact that I am not a fan of this concept. If you have been to one Japanese Steakhouse you have been to them all. Same tricks by the chef, same overly salted food. This kind of place is really geared towards kids, in my opinion. On the positive side, the staff here is very friendly. We were sat quickly and the service was good. If you are into the hibachi concept you are unlikely to be disappointed.
(3)