Hanabi Japanese Grill & Bar

Service sucks. Been sitting here from 10 minutes. Bartender told us someone should be with us shortly…10 minutes later we’re still sitting here with nothing. I had to reach over the bar to get my own menu.
Couple next to us said they were only gonna tip 3 slays because «the service sucked»
Good, strong drink. RG3. Very whack shrimp tempura. Go to Sakura in Waldorf instead

The two girls in here are doing too much personal gossip where I can hear them. I should have went to Chipotle next door.

I came to Hanabi for my Grandma’s birthday dinner. The staff was friendly but a tad slow in service.
The food was pretty good and the prices weren’t half bad either.
I would recommend this place to any one looking for a hibachi fix in Waldorf.

Sat in the bar last night night for over 10 minutes without being acknowledged. I can’t speak for the food as we walked out but the service was lacking.

I was excited to come here for our Christmas party since the hibachi experience for groups is always fun. Some of the group had never been and unfortunately may not return because of the dry, boring, and bland food we received from our cook (Roy). The food had little to no seasoning, the scallops were undercooked, the medium requested filet was cooked well done, and he cooked most of the food on a burnt spot on the grill. He put the raw chicken on the burnt crumbs from other food. There was white smoke everywhere. We asked him to clean off the grill and he did but he assured us that it was supposed to be that way because it was the «hot spot». I agreed when he put a burnt piece of broccoli on my plate. The best part of the hibachi experience is the show — the interaction between chef and customer. This was the first time we had someone who was absolutely boring. He was much like the food he served — dry and tasteless. We have definitely had much better here.

This one one of the best sushi/​hibachi places in the SOMD area. Having experienced many of the local ‘joints’ I can say that this particular restaurant has my number for a few very specific reasons:
1. They serve AMAZING drinks, strong, and well made.
2. The food is made fresh and not from a can or bag as others have insinuated. (We once ordered a special Japanese omelet that they currently had out of stock, the chef made it specifically for us, it was delicious, very traditional Japanese, and they didn’t even charge us for the extra effort)
3. The staff; bartenders, owner (who I have seen/​spoken to on numerous occasions), servers are all VERY attentive and will provide more than just the surly service I have come to expect in this area.
4. They DO NOT include gratuity in their bill, I cannot stand when restaurants do this. I know some people are terrible tippers because they just weren’t raised right/​are trying to save their money for dro, but I usually tip 20%, 15% for BAD service.
5. Its close to my house…

Once upon a time I really liked this place, that was back when it first opened. I used to go there a lot too, that was my spot. It’s been months since I/​we have been there. Yesterday we decided to go back after months have passed. Let me just say that we were so disappointed! I/​we had high hopes going into that place. For starters, our waitress was nice, but she could’ve been more attentive. She was on her phone majority of the while «trying» to serve us. And then she had her phone hocked up to the speaker system in the restaurant, so every time she got a text message or a phone call, the music would stop and play her ringtone. It was such a bummer/​buz kill. We were so ready to leave. And then the food, the food wasn’t that good. For one the potion size was small and then the noodles looked like spaghetti, which was very disappointing. The place went down hill, a lot! I’m not going back there again unless someone wants to go there. I got my hopes up and was let down. Oh well, on to the next one.

Something has changed at Hanabi … & me no likey!
I came here last night with my boyfriend for a quick hibachi fix after shopping & we were both extremely disappointed. Hanabi was one of my favorite hibachi spots in the area but now, my mind has changed. I tried the hibachi shrimp & was served «spaghetti pasta» instead of udon/​lo mein noodles and the fried rice was a bit off (not as flavorful). Then, the bartender was on her phone most of the time when I wanted a second drink and the check! She was really nice but I think there needs to be a bit more professionalism. I mean she was walking around with her stomach hanging out in a TOO tight skirt, not caring about anything but what was on her phone screen. Ugh, smh! I remember when I first tried Hanabi when they initially opened; they were amazing!!! Things are going down hill for this place. It sucks, but I guess it was inevitable! Oh well: shrugs: I’ll just make the drive to Kobe’s in Largo instead!

First time checking them out… I thought the food and service was really good. I also thought the portions were larger than other Hibachi style grill restaurants Ive tried. Overall satisfied, I’ll return if in the area.

My family and I went for the first time this past weekend. Surprisingly the place wasn’t very busy. The food was amazing and our waitress was so so kind to my 4 yr old daughter. The chef even adjusted his cooking «act» because my daughter does not really like the fire part. We all had a wonderful meal and great service. We will be back again.

Second time here and I really like it. Four stars for a nice restaurant located right in gorgeous Prince George’s. Wonderful service! On both occasions we sat at the bar and received attentive and friendly service from Aisha and Brandon. Only tried the drinks and sushi — both are fantastic and fresh and if you like fruity drinks ask Brandon for the «Brandon».

I’m not a fan of Hibachi. It usually means overcooked food with a simple flavor profile that consists of 1 thing: salt. But, when a 7 year old says she wants to celebrate her birthday here you go.
The food is not mind blowing — you’re here for the entertainment factor, however scallops and steak were cooked perfectly.
The staff and ownership were very friendly and attentive! They even brought by a little birthday cake and gave gifts to the kids.
Now, I probably won’t eat here again… unless it’s an 8 year olds birthday party. It was a pleasant experience overall.

My previous review garnered one of my most popular responses from my Unilocal family, most finding it extremely funny. Haha. Well the joke was on me during my first visit to Hanabi! My negative FUNNY review also caught the eye of the owner who in turn contacted me to address my many issues with her establishment. She humbly apologized for my less than favorable experience and asked me to please come back to see the many changes that she had implemented. To seduce me even more, she sent out a very generous gift card which more than covered my meal.
Well I have been back three more times since she’s contacted me to make sure my first visit back was not an anomaly. The owner has KICKED BUTT and took no prisoners. Everything that I said bad about this place, scratch it. She has done a miraculous turn around. NO MORE LOUD GANGTER RAP, NO MORE INATTENTIVE WAITERS, NO MORE DIRTY Tables and yes, I’ve seen Asian employees where I did not my first visit to Hanabi. Lolol! The food, which was never an issue has remained consistently great but now the whole dining experience is a complete joy. You know what, I started my review giving Hanabi a 4 star because of the complete disaster of my first visit but I’m pushing it up to a 5 because you have to love and respect an owner who listens to their patrons!
Awsome job and as long as you keep up the good work you’ll have a customer for life!!!

Oh my goodness, so much food!
I was excited to come here because I haven’t had hibachi since I was in middle school (talk about throwback!). The recently-​opened establishment was quiet and empty for a late Saturday lunch (~2pm), but we were told the place gets very crowded for dinner — it is conveniently located in a big strip mall with Marshall’s and Target, with McD’s/Fuddrucker’s/Eisntein Bagel right next door. The restaurant is extremely spacious, with each table able to sit at least 6 people, and there seem to be separate rooms and bar area as well. The menu was quite extensive, with appetizers like tempura, shumai and gyoza, selections of sushi and california rolls, and most importantly, hibachi entrees.
We had a chance to sample a variety of items. We started off with a crunch roll and a salmon avocado roll — the california rolls were pretty standard, however made with very fresh ingredients. The crunch roll in particular was not soggy (happens when you leave it out for too long), maintaining the perfect crunch of its tempura. While we were savoring our rolls, the servers brought out our soup and salad and the chef began cooking hibachi for us.
Japanese hibachi grill, I think, too often translates to mediocre food with overdramatic performance, but this restaurant is different. The food was extremely flavorful and you could actually taste the freshness of each entrée — we are not talking about your average hibachi food here, where everything is drenched in soy sauce and they all kind of taste the same! Our chef, Ben, first cracked open a few eggs and started scrambling them in preparation for fried rice and noodles. The moment you are served a mini mount everest size of carbohydrates, you realize you’re in for a loooong dinner with tons of leftovers to take home! Then came the medley of freshly sautéed vegetables, including red and green bell peppers, yellow zucchinis and broccolis. We had bits of everything they offered — including steak, filet mignon, shrimp, scallops and salmon — and my personal favorites were filet mignon, shrimp and salmon. The perfectly seasoned shrimp had strong hints of lemon and garlic, and I was surprised by the high quality of filet mignon served at a hibachi place. We were so full by the end of the meal that we could hardly move.
Overall, had a very pleasant experience here and am excited to come back. If you want to enjoy some high quality hibachi and have leftovers enough to feed your boyfriend/​uncle/​parents/​grandchildren, make sure to visit this place!

Absolute Garbage! Overpriced Everything!
Food tastes like crap. No flavor… everything’s deep fried or covered in sauce. Drinks are watered down. Save some money and go to Panda Express instead.

Food was very tasty. Unfortunately we didn’t have time to go into the hibachi area before a movie, so they suggested we go to bar for faster service, same food. Bar staff was very friendly. Look forward to returning for the cooking show.

I went here after watching a movie across the street for drinks.
The bar-​scene was well decorated, and the drinks were tasty! After working up an appetite chatting with the staff, I went over to the hibachi side for dinner.
AMAZING!!!
I got the Filet Shrimp, cooked to medium rare. Was perfect, and had plenty for leftovers the next day. (I generally go to hibachi places, but this was a whole class above Benihana in quality of food/​the other hibachi places with super long lines in Waldorf.
I’ll be coming back here soon!
TLDR: ASIAN FOOD (without the communication difficulty) + GOOD DRINKS + NO WAIT = ME HAPPY.

We sat at the bar. I forget his name but he was African American and was an AMAZING bartender talked to us gave us suggestions and never did we feel rushed or un welcomed. Deff coming back!

This place had its Grand Opening earlier this year, but it needs to have it’s Grand Closing! The only reason I am giving it even one star is because of Kae, the bartender, she makes great drinks. Other than that, that place is an insult to Asian cuisine. If you’ve ever been to Benihana or at least Szechuan Garden down the street (go there instead), you will be HIGHLY disappointed if you ate here.
My girls and I sat in the bar area because we really didn’t feel like doing the whole hibachi experience. We were told that the same food was prepared for both sides. The only difference is ours would be prepared in the kitchen. The sushi wasn’t that bad (I was a little nervous of how my stomach would feel in the morning), but I had mixed emotions about enjoying it with blaring rap music (not the radio versions) in the background and in the ambiance of a sports bar. This place needs to decide does it want to be a sushi bar or a sports bar because the décor mixed with the food is confusing to my spirit. It made me crave a plate of buffalo wings, not sushi. I mean, who eats sushi while enjoying a beer and watching the game anyway?!
When my overpriced food arrived, it didn’t make my mouth water on first sight. It looked as bland and dry as it tasted. Wait! It wasn’t dry because it was sitting in a pool of what I assumed to be soy sauce (or the like). The soup, which most Japanese places serve Miso, was the chicken broth from the old school Campbell’s chicken noodle (not the seasoned chunky Campbell’s either). The veggies were reminiscent of frozen Green Giant vegetables; lo mein noodles were Muellers spaghetti; and the chicken was cut up grilled Tyson’s that was overcooked hard and dry. The only inkling of saving grace was the rice, which was probably Uncle Ben’s colored with soy sauce. I contemplated leaving my nearly full plate food on the table instead of carrying it out, but after spending over $ 50, I refused to run the risk of them scrapping the food off the plate and reserving it to some other poor soul.
If you are a regular at this place, please… please…PLEASE do not think you are getting an authentic Japanese experience or even Japanese food for that matter. I would like to think that the hibachi side is better, but I would not chance it… EVER!

OMGGGGGG, YAAAAASSSSS. lol, so I like this venue alot. This is my new go-​to spot… Uhmmmm mmmmm. The lay-​out is so nice; I love the multiple televisions and the stylish, yet comfortable décor.
This place is nearby my home, almost that I can practically walk. The sushi was to die for and the drinks… wow. Try their Peach Blast… delicious!
Ashley & Brian were our bartender/​server and hon-​t they know their stuff! They were both soooo friendly! Lol. Oh, and the restroom and bar area were very clean. That deserves a star by itself.
I will definitely be back! I absolutely love that the Brandywine area is expanding with some of my favorite spots!