This was my go to place for hibachi. I don’t think I’ll be coming back. We asked for extra steak on a meal and it was $18 when I got the bill. The menu is misleading (@$2)I just think $18+ is too much for “extra steak” (like 5 pieces) so heed my WARNING and don’t get extra meat. The cook was nice. I called and made a reservation, but upon arrival I was informed there was no reservation in my name. Luckily they weren’t too busy and were able to seat us promptly. Also they no longer offer fish food to feed the coy fish. This review was meant to help unsuspecting diners avoid unexpected charges.
Max Pergament
We waited 50 minutes before the cook arrived and they automatically added 25% gratuity for a family of 6 without asking. We are big tippers, but they didn’t earn 25%. Added a ton of salt to everything. Then more salt. Then more salt. Probably MSG also. 10-25 minutes waiting is acceptable, not 50. They were not busy. The waitress was pleasant and filled up our drinks 3x while waiting. The food was good as always. Clean facility. After coming here for years, we will no longer come back. I can’t support a restraint that forces gratuity.
Ian Alexander
Don’t get me wrong - I love Kan-Ki, I’ve been coming here for years. I love the birthday special. But I did notice not only are prices higher but they now charge $2.50 if you don’t want the vegetables and get additional rice. Now I know that rice doesn’t cost them that much. Just really wish they would not nickel and dime customers on things like this.
Audrey Owlette
This is somewhere I have been going too for years. They always have good service, serve top of the service food. There prices are a little more costly, but definitely worth it too go and treat yourself every once in a while.One of their favorite things there that they do is hibachi dinner; their fried rice is too die for!!
Randy B.
A little worried about the reviews but dedicated to local business so we gave it a try on a Sunday evening. Food, service, atmosphere definitely did not match negative reviews. Service was great, food was great, atmosphere was great, chef was funny and entertaining, My children loved him. Waitress Eileen was very friendly and made sure we were taken care of. Some people will complain about the pettiest things. Will definitely be back. Nice job!
Christina Orr
Came in for my husband's birthday and had a fabulous experience with Romeo as our chef. He's by far the best chef and so entertaining! Always treated like family when we come in here.
Crystal O.
We were on this side of town and drove passed Kan-Ki & decided to try them for dinner. Sleek building, long stair step fountain beds (not working), a row of narrow windows running down the building, inside there is a glass encased bamboo garden and big artistic panels hanging from the ceiling. Very modern feel. We were seated immediately and our server, Wesley, greeted us and took our drink order. We sat at our empty hibachi table for about 20 minutes before the rest of the table was filled, we had already eaten our soup and were famished. I ordered a spider roll in addition to my hibachi combination & was so happy to stuff my face once it hit the table! After the other family had ordered it was another 20 minutes before the chef rolled his cart out (oh thank goodness). The entire table was ready for food! I ordered shrimp and scallops combination, John got steak and shrimp combination & the show began. We had an older chef, he had a personal (fancy) chef hat compared to the standard ones all the other chefs were wearing. While he was light on the theatrics, he did "play" with everyone at the table- tossing veggies to see who could catch them in their mouth. The egg spinning, tossing in the hat was bypassed, but we still got plenty of fire play on the grill top and plenty of laughs. Rice filled our plates first, the quickly followed by the veggies. The veggies were delicious- I didn't care for the rice, but John loved it. Then the meats were being cooked and I accidentally got steak deposited on my plate!!! Oh no! I didn't order steak. I sat there mortified and waiting for the chef to realize his mistake. He did and ran back to the kitchen to grab another steak to cook. Our steak, shrimp and scallops were cooked perfectly. I had an abnormally big pile of food on my plate and I was the only one at the whole table to get a box and easily took home 3/4 of my food. Wesley was great for service, I had to ask for refills for drinks- but he quickly obliged. Three stars because compared to other Jacksonville Japanese Steakhouses I have gone to- this one wasn't quite as good. I might try them again if I find myself on this side of town.
Tracie Z.
This used to be my favorite Japanese steakhouse, but not anymore! The restaurant had no one at the cooking tables, yet we couldn't be seated until everyone in the party was present. Seventy-five percent of us were there (3 out of 4), but they wouldn't seat us. The food was not that good and the prices are outrageous. They didn't put anything in the rice but egg and the vegetables, my favorite part, were blah and only included zucchini and broccoli. Overall not a very good value. And I wish Japanese restaurants would stop the practice of tossing food into people's mouths. It is a choking hazard, a burn hazard and when it lands on the floor it becomes a slip and fall hazard.
Casey Mrsny
My family and I had an excellent time here! The food was absolutely delicious and the cook on hibatchi grill was excellent. And hilarious!! It was all the small details they did- like recooked me some rice because I couldn’t have the sesame seeds and also, he cut up my daughters food into small pieces ( she’s 2.5).I will absolutely be back. Had a wonderful time. Couldn’t recommend this place enough.
Geri C.
The food was really good, the service, not so much. And then adding a $30.00 tip to our bill for "not so great service". I will pass next invite.
I’m not sure exactly what time my husband and I arrived this evening? However, I know it was before 8:30 pm. We both walked in and one of the hostess put our name down to be seated at the grill area (which we requested). It was going to be a 45 min wait and we both were ok with that. After we both had been waiting to be seated for about 10 to 15 minutes we were told they couldn’t seat us because they didn’t have enough cooks. Very very poor customer service on their part and they’ve lost our business. So guess what, this is what happens when you turn business away after your customers had been waiting to be seated. You go somewhere else and tell that business what happened and then you get first class customer service.
Kristen S.
Service is so terrible. The male "bartender" couldn't be bothered to make a drink for my party. We were the ONLY 3 sitting at the bar. When asked he complained about having to make A drink for the service bar. He told us to F$$$ off and we obviously left. The manager did not care and ran away. DO NOT WASTE YOUR MONEY OR TIME.
Jennifer T.
FIRE THE BARTENDER AND MANAGEMENT!!!!! My friends and I came here to celebrate a birthday on a Friday night. We were told it would be a 25 min wait, so we went to the bar. The bartender was making drinks and for 10 mins did not acknowledge or make eye contact with us. Completely ignored us. We were the only ones at the bar. The bartender left the bar area, another couple came to sit at the bar and at this time my friend went to get the manager. She covered her ears and had a complete meltdown. The bartender saw/overheard my friend talking to the manager, he came back to the bar and asked the couple that just sat down what they wanted to drink!!!!! Are you serious? Needless to say we left and made an epic exit! Your washed up, Backstreet Boy wanna be bartender should have been fired on the spot for the way he cussed and yelled at us. You have now lost 3 different families business because of this.
jenniferwQ
FIRE THE BARTENDER AND MANAGEMENT !!!!! My friends and I came here to celebrate a birthday on a Friday night. We were told it would be a 25 min wait, so we went to the bar. The bartender was making drinks and for 10 mins did not acknowledge or make eye contact with us. Completely ignored us. We were the only ones at the bar. The bartender left the bar area, another couple came to sit at the bar and at this time my friend went to get the manager. The bartender saw/overheard my friend talking to the manager, he came back to the bar and asked the couple that just sat down what they wanted to drink!!!!! Are you serious? Needless to say we left and made an epic exit! Your washed up, Backstreet Boy wanna be bartender should have been fired on the spot for the way he cussed and yelled at us. You have now lost 3 different families business because of this.
kmbr1215
Went last night for a birthday celebration. We were told it would be a 20-minute wait. No problem we can wait at the bar, we were the ONLY people at the bar. The male bartender IGNORED us for a minimum of 5 minutes, no Hi Ladies. No, I will be right with you. Made a drink or two for the servers and then walked away. Asked the hostess to speak to the manager and was told she wasn't available for 5 minutes. The bartender then walked back behind bar and proceeded to serve the 2 people who came in after us. We got up and left when the bartender responded with a F $$$ off to my party. The manager finally appeared and was incompetent. She covered her ears and ran to the back.
This was my go to place for hibachi. I don’t think I’ll be coming back. We asked for extra steak on a meal and it was $18 when I got the bill. The menu is misleading (@$2)I just think $18+ is too much for “extra steak” (like 5 pieces) so heed my WARNING and don’t get extra meat. The cook was nice. I called and made a reservation, but upon arrival I was informed there was no reservation in my name. Luckily they weren’t too busy and were able to seat us promptly. Also they no longer offer fish food to feed the coy fish. This review was meant to help unsuspecting diners avoid unexpected charges.
We waited 50 minutes before the cook arrived and they automatically added 25% gratuity for a family of 6 without asking. We are big tippers, but they didn’t earn 25%. Added a ton of salt to everything. Then more salt. Then more salt. Probably MSG also. 10-25 minutes waiting is acceptable, not 50. They were not busy. The waitress was pleasant and filled up our drinks 3x while waiting. The food was good as always. Clean facility. After coming here for years, we will no longer come back. I can’t support a restraint that forces gratuity.
Don’t get me wrong - I love Kan-Ki, I’ve been coming here for years. I love the birthday special. But I did notice not only are prices higher but they now charge $2.50 if you don’t want the vegetables and get additional rice. Now I know that rice doesn’t cost them that much. Just really wish they would not nickel and dime customers on things like this.
This is somewhere I have been going too for years. They always have good service, serve top of the service food. There prices are a little more costly, but definitely worth it too go and treat yourself every once in a while.One of their favorite things there that they do is hibachi dinner; their fried rice is too die for!!
A little worried about the reviews but dedicated to local business so we gave it a try on a Sunday evening. Food, service, atmosphere definitely did not match negative reviews. Service was great, food was great, atmosphere was great, chef was funny and entertaining, My children loved him. Waitress Eileen was very friendly and made sure we were taken care of. Some people will complain about the pettiest things. Will definitely be back. Nice job!
Came in for my husband's birthday and had a fabulous experience with Romeo as our chef. He's by far the best chef and so entertaining! Always treated like family when we come in here.
We were on this side of town and drove passed Kan-Ki & decided to try them for dinner. Sleek building, long stair step fountain beds (not working), a row of narrow windows running down the building, inside there is a glass encased bamboo garden and big artistic panels hanging from the ceiling. Very modern feel. We were seated immediately and our server, Wesley, greeted us and took our drink order. We sat at our empty hibachi table for about 20 minutes before the rest of the table was filled, we had already eaten our soup and were famished. I ordered a spider roll in addition to my hibachi combination & was so happy to stuff my face once it hit the table! After the other family had ordered it was another 20 minutes before the chef rolled his cart out (oh thank goodness). The entire table was ready for food! I ordered shrimp and scallops combination, John got steak and shrimp combination & the show began. We had an older chef, he had a personal (fancy) chef hat compared to the standard ones all the other chefs were wearing. While he was light on the theatrics, he did "play" with everyone at the table- tossing veggies to see who could catch them in their mouth. The egg spinning, tossing in the hat was bypassed, but we still got plenty of fire play on the grill top and plenty of laughs. Rice filled our plates first, the quickly followed by the veggies. The veggies were delicious- I didn't care for the rice, but John loved it. Then the meats were being cooked and I accidentally got steak deposited on my plate!!! Oh no! I didn't order steak. I sat there mortified and waiting for the chef to realize his mistake. He did and ran back to the kitchen to grab another steak to cook. Our steak, shrimp and scallops were cooked perfectly. I had an abnormally big pile of food on my plate and I was the only one at the whole table to get a box and easily took home 3/4 of my food. Wesley was great for service, I had to ask for refills for drinks- but he quickly obliged. Three stars because compared to other Jacksonville Japanese Steakhouses I have gone to- this one wasn't quite as good. I might try them again if I find myself on this side of town.
This used to be my favorite Japanese steakhouse, but not anymore! The restaurant had no one at the cooking tables, yet we couldn't be seated until everyone in the party was present. Seventy-five percent of us were there (3 out of 4), but they wouldn't seat us. The food was not that good and the prices are outrageous. They didn't put anything in the rice but egg and the vegetables, my favorite part, were blah and only included zucchini and broccoli. Overall not a very good value. And I wish Japanese restaurants would stop the practice of tossing food into people's mouths. It is a choking hazard, a burn hazard and when it lands on the floor it becomes a slip and fall hazard.
My family and I had an excellent time here! The food was absolutely delicious and the cook on hibatchi grill was excellent. And hilarious!! It was all the small details they did- like recooked me some rice because I couldn’t have the sesame seeds and also, he cut up my daughters food into small pieces ( she’s 2.5).I will absolutely be back. Had a wonderful time. Couldn’t recommend this place enough.
The food was really good, the service, not so much. And then adding a $30.00 tip to our bill for "not so great service". I will pass next invite.
Restaurantji Recommends
I’m not sure exactly what time my husband and I arrived this evening? However, I know it was before 8:30 pm. We both walked in and one of the hostess put our name down to be seated at the grill area (which we requested). It was going to be a 45 min wait and we both were ok with that. After we both had been waiting to be seated for about 10 to 15 minutes we were told they couldn’t seat us because they didn’t have enough cooks. Very very poor customer service on their part and they’ve lost our business. So guess what, this is what happens when you turn business away after your customers had been waiting to be seated. You go somewhere else and tell that business what happened and then you get first class customer service.
Service is so terrible. The male "bartender" couldn't be bothered to make a drink for my party. We were the ONLY 3 sitting at the bar. When asked he complained about having to make A drink for the service bar. He told us to F$$$ off and we obviously left. The manager did not care and ran away. DO NOT WASTE YOUR MONEY OR TIME.
FIRE THE BARTENDER AND MANAGEMENT!!!!! My friends and I came here to celebrate a birthday on a Friday night. We were told it would be a 25 min wait, so we went to the bar. The bartender was making drinks and for 10 mins did not acknowledge or make eye contact with us. Completely ignored us. We were the only ones at the bar. The bartender left the bar area, another couple came to sit at the bar and at this time my friend went to get the manager. She covered her ears and had a complete meltdown. The bartender saw/overheard my friend talking to the manager, he came back to the bar and asked the couple that just sat down what they wanted to drink!!!!! Are you serious? Needless to say we left and made an epic exit! Your washed up, Backstreet Boy wanna be bartender should have been fired on the spot for the way he cussed and yelled at us. You have now lost 3 different families business because of this.
FIRE THE BARTENDER AND MANAGEMENT !!!!! My friends and I came here to celebrate a birthday on a Friday night. We were told it would be a 25 min wait, so we went to the bar. The bartender was making drinks and for 10 mins did not acknowledge or make eye contact with us. Completely ignored us. We were the only ones at the bar. The bartender left the bar area, another couple came to sit at the bar and at this time my friend went to get the manager. The bartender saw/overheard my friend talking to the manager, he came back to the bar and asked the couple that just sat down what they wanted to drink!!!!! Are you serious? Needless to say we left and made an epic exit! Your washed up, Backstreet Boy wanna be bartender should have been fired on the spot for the way he cussed and yelled at us. You have now lost 3 different families business because of this.
Went last night for a birthday celebration. We were told it would be a 20-minute wait. No problem we can wait at the bar, we were the ONLY people at the bar. The male bartender IGNORED us for a minimum of 5 minutes, no Hi Ladies. No, I will be right with you. Made a drink or two for the servers and then walked away. Asked the hostess to speak to the manager and was told she wasn't available for 5 minutes. The bartender then walked back behind bar and proceeded to serve the 2 people who came in after us. We got up and left when the bartender responded with a F $$$ off to my party. The manager finally appeared and was incompetent. She covered her ears and ran to the back.