After 30 minutes of ordering our food, I asked about the appetizer. The waitress said they're working on my appetizer. I said it's been 30 minutes. With an unpleasant attitude she said they're short staffed and doing what they can and left. After 35 minutes we get the appetizer which is basically a handful of calamari. I understand things can happen while working. But this behavior is not acceptable. I'd say I have a valid reason to complain for waiting that long while starving. Then our food came. It took one bite from the noodle and omg! ?
Jamie Hallengren
Went last night for my husband's birthday. My grandson was excited for the hibachi experience, which is why most of us go for a hibachi dinner! It's supposed to be the whole package. It wasn't. While the food was good, the entertainment was lacking. The server was doing double duty as server and bartender, didn't catch that another party at the table had a seafood allergy, which could have been disastrous for him, and was slow and as unenthusiastic as our chef.
Lilly D.
I'm currently sitting at the table. I have been here for about and hour and a half with no food only drinks. Took the drinks around an hour to come out. Very slow service so not recommend
Brady White
The older gentlemen that cooks is not personable at all! The point of hibachi is it is supposed to be entertaining. Then he slaps steak on our plates after NOT asking how we like it. THE STEAK WAS PURE RAW AND THEY QUESTIONED IT! They then wanted to reheat it! I took a pic of the meat and I can't post pictures on here. If you go here, please make sure it's not the older gentlemen. I can't believe I am leaving a hibachi steakhouse hungry! Guess we won't be back here. Like there's many places in keene to eat!
Andrew Larvia
We have visited Koto multiple times and honestly each time has been drastically different. When everything seems to be clicking I would rate Koto 6 stars however, our last visit would be worthy of just one. The food and drinks have been the only consistency throughout our visits here. Thankfully they have been great every time! Food is cooked to your liking each and every time. There seems to be some reviews on here knocking the sushi. We have not had that experience luckily and always start with fresh well rolled sushi that looks and tastes great! Our issues are mostly with staff and service. There are times where your chef is animated and seems to love their work. But the majority of the time they seem bothered and over it. On our last visit the chef said no flaming onion volcano right off the bat which was okay. Then he promised us saki and flying veggies (hibachi staples) that never happened. Even after a couple people reminded him he dismissed them quickly. Depending on where you sit you may be cold the entire night due to them leaving double doors open in the middle of winter. If you are looking for good food and drink and don't want the hibachi experience then this would be a great choice. If you want a true hibachi experience I suggest seeking elsewhere even if it is way out of the way.
Mandy Buzby
The food is delicious. Sometimes, when they are busy, it's a little slow but I love going here.
Sarah Sanctuary
My husband and I ordered $80 of takeout. For an entrée I ordered the sushi and sashimi combo. The fish is sliced super thin, definitely not worth the money. All other sushi places I have ordered from in the past give much thicker cuts. I also specified that I wanted a seaweed salad and I was given an iceberg lettuce salad. My husband ordered the filet mignon which was over cooked and he said his mashed potatoes seemed like they were old and then reheated. He did have some veggie and shrimp spring rolls with a mango sauce that he enjoyed. We also ordered the peanut pie which we haven’t tried yet, but it looks like they received it pre-made, so I have high hopes for that.
Kelsey Spindler
Great food, although I wish they did the whole show when they were cooking. ?
Tiana T.
Id just like to share my friends and I's experiences from last night to hopefully prevent others from wasting their time. We currently live in a pandemic, meaning restaurants and businesses are bound to have low staff as we all know; but this does not excuse poor restaurant service. My party of 4 had made a reservation at 6pm for our friends birthday and to our surprise, the best part of the night was being seated at our correct time. After being seated with no tableware and waiting on someone to check in or even take a drink order for 45-50 minutes, we were finally able to get our orders in. Not to mention that during our entire time at the restaurant, an older gentlemans party across from us had the birthday man himself who was so piss drunk that it was unsettling to witness and often made my friends and I uncomfortable to see him grabbing his own drinks for the bar. After waiting about an hour and a half with still no soup,salad or any appetizers, two of our starters came out and ended up being cold from sitting in the kitchen waiting to be served for so long. Not once did our server apologize for the wait or inconveniences. At this point my party was furious as we had already spent almost two hours in this restaurant with nothing but a single drink and cold appetizers that should have come out hot, so one of us proceeded to explain to staff what was going on. On top of this monstrosity, a table of hibachi that was just seated maybe 10 mins prior to us leaving was served their hibachi instantly as my table was left waiting. After around 2 hours of waiting and still no meals in sight, we again spoke to someone and were given attitude as if it was expected of customers to put up with this especially with a reservation! The night ended with us just walking out of the restaurant mid service and again no apology from anyone except for the table across from us having to offer us food while we waited. This is by far the worst restaurant experience i have ever had and although I understand low staffing and busy nights, every restaurant has the ability to stop seating tables that they cannot provide service to in a timely manner and it was not our problem the restaurant was busy as we had reserved our time. What is the point of a reservation if all i get at that time is a place to sit, with no drink for an hour? Tried calling this morning to speak to someone about this experience and of course the voicemail is full, so this is the next best option. Do not come here unless you intend to wait 2+ hours on food while watching tables who were just seated, get their things before you:)
Jenna S.
Waited 2.5 hours with a reservation for our food, 40 mins for the kids to get their drinks; terrible waiter with a TUDE. Really really really really really BAD!
Our chef set off the fire alarm and everyone had to evacuate. When we came back in. He ended up cooking on a table next to ours and not asking how everyone wanted their food cooked. Steak was not rare but quite raw. No show and horrible food. Not impressed and won't be returning!
Richie M.
If you care about sushi done properly don't go here! Ordered the dragon rolls to go which is a roll that contains eel, and found multiple rolls with the eel bones still there, now I wouldn't care about 1 or 2 bones here and there, but it's almost like they didn't even care to de-bone the eel in the first place. Couldn't find one roll without the bones. Besides eel can be extremely toxic if not cooked properly. Definitely NOT dining back in this establishment, I can only imagine their attention to detail and sanitation by this experience.
Dylan C.
I went to Koto for hibachi with a friend, and we asked to be seated alone (because of covid), and the show was mediocre. The chef was very unenthusiastic, and seemed almost to be annoyed (maybe for asking for separate seating from others or because we didn't talk much because we were a little uncomfortable). In the fried rice, there were a LOT of eggshells, and we were also overcharged by $5 from what our check receipt said we would be charged, (tip+tax included). When I called with my concerns, they offered a 20% discount. But I'm not bringing my business there again, so the discount is useless to me. I give two stars instead of 1, because even though we were overcharged by five dollars, and had eggshells In our food, our waiter was very polite and quick getting our drinks.
Rick Sanders
Waited 45 minutes before anyone would take our order so they could try to fill the hibachi table I'm guessing. Waiter didn't know how big the large sake was. He was also super unattentive, and had to be told to get our check because he seemed to really love sweeping. The cook was was less then average, never asked anyone how they wanted their steak cooked except the filet mignon order. Quality and quantity has evaporated and yet the prices went up. I'm done with this hibachi.
Michael McCosker
Koto Steakhouse in Keene has definitely improved its quality. Food quality on the traditional hibachi Steakhouse is standard, the Hibachi show is alright, not over the top, but the drinks and environment are great.
After 30 minutes of ordering our food, I asked about the appetizer. The waitress said they're working on my appetizer. I said it's been 30 minutes. With an unpleasant attitude she said they're short staffed and doing what they can and left. After 35 minutes we get the appetizer which is basically a handful of calamari. I understand things can happen while working. But this behavior is not acceptable. I'd say I have a valid reason to complain for waiting that long while starving. Then our food came. It took one bite from the noodle and omg! ?
Went last night for my husband's birthday. My grandson was excited for the hibachi experience, which is why most of us go for a hibachi dinner! It's supposed to be the whole package. It wasn't. While the food was good, the entertainment was lacking. The server was doing double duty as server and bartender, didn't catch that another party at the table had a seafood allergy, which could have been disastrous for him, and was slow and as unenthusiastic as our chef.
I'm currently sitting at the table. I have been here for about and hour and a half with no food only drinks. Took the drinks around an hour to come out. Very slow service so not recommend
The older gentlemen that cooks is not personable at all! The point of hibachi is it is supposed to be entertaining. Then he slaps steak on our plates after NOT asking how we like it. THE STEAK WAS PURE RAW AND THEY QUESTIONED IT! They then wanted to reheat it! I took a pic of the meat and I can't post pictures on here. If you go here, please make sure it's not the older gentlemen. I can't believe I am leaving a hibachi steakhouse hungry! Guess we won't be back here. Like there's many places in keene to eat!
We have visited Koto multiple times and honestly each time has been drastically different. When everything seems to be clicking I would rate Koto 6 stars however, our last visit would be worthy of just one. The food and drinks have been the only consistency throughout our visits here. Thankfully they have been great every time! Food is cooked to your liking each and every time. There seems to be some reviews on here knocking the sushi. We have not had that experience luckily and always start with fresh well rolled sushi that looks and tastes great! Our issues are mostly with staff and service. There are times where your chef is animated and seems to love their work. But the majority of the time they seem bothered and over it. On our last visit the chef said no flaming onion volcano right off the bat which was okay. Then he promised us saki and flying veggies (hibachi staples) that never happened. Even after a couple people reminded him he dismissed them quickly. Depending on where you sit you may be cold the entire night due to them leaving double doors open in the middle of winter. If you are looking for good food and drink and don't want the hibachi experience then this would be a great choice. If you want a true hibachi experience I suggest seeking elsewhere even if it is way out of the way.
The food is delicious. Sometimes, when they are busy, it's a little slow but I love going here.
My husband and I ordered $80 of takeout. For an entrée I ordered the sushi and sashimi combo. The fish is sliced super thin, definitely not worth the money. All other sushi places I have ordered from in the past give much thicker cuts. I also specified that I wanted a seaweed salad and I was given an iceberg lettuce salad. My husband ordered the filet mignon which was over cooked and he said his mashed potatoes seemed like they were old and then reheated. He did have some veggie and shrimp spring rolls with a mango sauce that he enjoyed. We also ordered the peanut pie which we haven’t tried yet, but it looks like they received it pre-made, so I have high hopes for that.
Great food, although I wish they did the whole show when they were cooking. ?
Id just like to share my friends and I's experiences from last night to hopefully prevent others from wasting their time. We currently live in a pandemic, meaning restaurants and businesses are bound to have low staff as we all know; but this does not excuse poor restaurant service. My party of 4 had made a reservation at 6pm for our friends birthday and to our surprise, the best part of the night was being seated at our correct time. After being seated with no tableware and waiting on someone to check in or even take a drink order for 45-50 minutes, we were finally able to get our orders in. Not to mention that during our entire time at the restaurant, an older gentlemans party across from us had the birthday man himself who was so piss drunk that it was unsettling to witness and often made my friends and I uncomfortable to see him grabbing his own drinks for the bar. After waiting about an hour and a half with still no soup,salad or any appetizers, two of our starters came out and ended up being cold from sitting in the kitchen waiting to be served for so long. Not once did our server apologize for the wait or inconveniences. At this point my party was furious as we had already spent almost two hours in this restaurant with nothing but a single drink and cold appetizers that should have come out hot, so one of us proceeded to explain to staff what was going on. On top of this monstrosity, a table of hibachi that was just seated maybe 10 mins prior to us leaving was served their hibachi instantly as my table was left waiting. After around 2 hours of waiting and still no meals in sight, we again spoke to someone and were given attitude as if it was expected of customers to put up with this especially with a reservation! The night ended with us just walking out of the restaurant mid service and again no apology from anyone except for the table across from us having to offer us food while we waited. This is by far the worst restaurant experience i have ever had and although I understand low staffing and busy nights, every restaurant has the ability to stop seating tables that they cannot provide service to in a timely manner and it was not our problem the restaurant was busy as we had reserved our time. What is the point of a reservation if all i get at that time is a place to sit, with no drink for an hour? Tried calling this morning to speak to someone about this experience and of course the voicemail is full, so this is the next best option. Do not come here unless you intend to wait 2+ hours on food while watching tables who were just seated, get their things before you:)
Waited 2.5 hours with a reservation for our food, 40 mins for the kids to get their drinks; terrible waiter with a TUDE. Really really really really really BAD!
Restaurantji Recommends
Our chef set off the fire alarm and everyone had to evacuate. When we came back in. He ended up cooking on a table next to ours and not asking how everyone wanted their food cooked. Steak was not rare but quite raw. No show and horrible food. Not impressed and won't be returning!
If you care about sushi done properly don't go here! Ordered the dragon rolls to go which is a roll that contains eel, and found multiple rolls with the eel bones still there, now I wouldn't care about 1 or 2 bones here and there, but it's almost like they didn't even care to de-bone the eel in the first place. Couldn't find one roll without the bones. Besides eel can be extremely toxic if not cooked properly. Definitely NOT dining back in this establishment, I can only imagine their attention to detail and sanitation by this experience.
I went to Koto for hibachi with a friend, and we asked to be seated alone (because of covid), and the show was mediocre. The chef was very unenthusiastic, and seemed almost to be annoyed (maybe for asking for separate seating from others or because we didn't talk much because we were a little uncomfortable). In the fried rice, there were a LOT of eggshells, and we were also overcharged by $5 from what our check receipt said we would be charged, (tip+tax included). When I called with my concerns, they offered a 20% discount. But I'm not bringing my business there again, so the discount is useless to me. I give two stars instead of 1, because even though we were overcharged by five dollars, and had eggshells In our food, our waiter was very polite and quick getting our drinks.
Waited 45 minutes before anyone would take our order so they could try to fill the hibachi table I'm guessing. Waiter didn't know how big the large sake was. He was also super unattentive, and had to be told to get our check because he seemed to really love sweeping. The cook was was less then average, never asked anyone how they wanted their steak cooked except the filet mignon order. Quality and quantity has evaporated and yet the prices went up. I'm done with this hibachi.
Koto Steakhouse in Keene has definitely improved its quality. Food quality on the traditional hibachi Steakhouse is standard, the Hibachi show is alright, not over the top, but the drinks and environment are great.