Kabu Japanese Steakhouse & Sushi

Very spacious place& clean. This place is my 2^nd go to spot for sushi. The laurel sushi roll is super delish, my fav. They also have a separate area for hibachi. I’ll def be back.

I would normally give this place easily 5 stars as I am a once/​week regular, but the new bartender, Lucee, they have is really making me consider looking elsewhere for our weekly happy hour. This was my second time being served by her and both times left me wishing I sat a table instead if the bar or went somewhere else altogether. The service was slow and today, I sat at the bar with 3 other people for a solid 11minutes before she greeted us while we watched her greet other people who sat down after us (and I was only placing a to-​go order). It seems as though she did not want to serve me and kept looking back at me with an attitude – so much so that the stranger next to me commented on why she was looking like that.
Overall, the sushi and happy hour food is solid, but depending on the bar tender, you may opt to go spend your money elsewhere. Thee regular bartender we see — can’t remember her name, but her make up game is nice — is very attentive, even when it’s super busy and her drinks and service is impeccable.
(By the way, I waited for 28 minutes for my three sushi rolls… not even offered so much as a water. Guess she was busy with her friends/​other regulars.)
We’ll be coming back at the end of this week and I will happily adjust my review if the service improves. Otherwise, it’ll remain the same and I’ll find a new sushi spot instead.

Now, don’t get me wrong, the food at Kabu is okay, but the place is managed horribly. The Resturant doesn’t seem to be able to handle their new surge in popularity from their Groupon Deal. I called in for a reservation for three. Upon arrival, my party and I had to wait TWO hours to be seated. I’d understand if the place was seated to capacity, but there were quite a few unoccupied seats.
The host was nice and apologetic, but was obviously overwhelmed by the mismanagement and frustrated customers.
Kabu needs to do better.

Did you know about Kabu? Yeah apparently not many people do because we went for an office luncheon on a Friday at 11:30am and it was practically empty! That was good for us because we could easily get reservations but a larger group. They spent some money on the interior design and have several hibachi grills. Their prices are also competitive. I would try their sushi menu next time.
I love the Japanese Steakhouse simple iceberg salad and dressing along with the delicious clear mushroom broth soup. They do a good job here.
The service is also great and the hibachi meal with scallops, fried rice and vegetables was delicious. I wouldn’t recommend the chicken though — it was tasty but dry.
I hope they advertise more and get more business in here!

What is the point of having business hours if you don’t follow them.
Showed up 10 minutes prior to closing hoping to get some sushi after a long day… was told that the kitchen had already cleaned up.
Too bad as I like sushi and sake and would have happily tipped well… now I will just never go here.

WONDERFUL HAPPY HOUR!!! All of my appetizers were delicious and my «Scorpion Bowl» was to die for! Beautiful restaurant and great service. Definitely laurels hidden secret!!!

Sushi was pretty good even by my standards. I give them a four overall for food, ambiance, décor and just a really chill lounge looking kind of spot. Nice location and great spot for a first date. Very intimate. They also do hibachi where they cook in front of you on a grill and serve.

I came here with a party of 11 and the service was really slow. The customer service I have no complaints just super slooow service.
The food was good and so were the drinks. This place maybe is just starting to become popular because they ran out of scorpion bowl glasses for the drinks so we had to wait (side eye).
Hibachi grill service was awesome too! Perfect place for birthday dinner (if you have patience)
Overall the place was clean and we enjoyed ourselves. We’ll be back.

We went on a Tuesday night, around 8pm (they close at 9:30pm). This review is only for the service, miso soup and sushi/​sashimi, and a dessert (not habachi or other menu items).
Checked this place out last night since I was in the mood for sushi (for the past few years, I don’t really go out for sushi anymore, we use to go regularly. I’m more about the sashimi since then.) Anyway, I was in the mood for sushi yesterday because I was watching a show and they were making sushi and I had a taste for it. My husband decided to take advantage of me wanting sushi — so he took me out to Kabu. Let me just say, I’m about that sushi again because of Kabu.
I still ordered a sashimi dinner which came with like 15 slices of 5 different fish assortment, a miso soup and a salad (with that infamous Japanese dressing we like!). There was a Lovers Boat for two that included sashimi and sushi, but we decided since we couldn’t pick what sushi to get, we’d just order the sushi rolls separately. We also got another miso for my husband since his order doesn’t come with one.
The miso soup was salty. It had flavor, but it was definitely salty.
The salad– just a regular blend of like a house salad (tomatoes, lettuce, onions), but with that awesome Japanese salad dressing!
Sashimi– The fish was fresh. I mean you can tell taste the actual flavor of the fish! My favorite was the mackerel– you can still see the silver on the fish and it’s so tasty. Loved the sashimi!
My husband ordered 3 rolls: Salmon Skin roll (small roll with cooked salmon skin in the center), Tuna Hana, and my favorite of the 3– DYNAMITE ROLL. We enjoyed all three, but that Dynamite Roll (Tempura roll of crab slick, cream cheese and assorted fish). For those of you that don’t like raw– you should get the Dynamite Roll). Tuna Hana was yummy too– it has tuna and I believe avocado inside (I didn’t really analyze what’s inside and it’s not listed online) and it’s also topped with tuna.
For dessert, we shared tempura ice cream (aka fried ice cream). They have vanilla and green tea, we got the green tea. It came in this plate with a crater in the middle perfect for the ice cream ball. They also decorated it with whipped cream and some sprinkles. The tempura batter was okay… was soggy tho but still yum. We finished it, I wouldn’t be eager to order it again.
Overall, the food was delicious, prices were decent (you can find rolls around $ 5), the atmosphere/​ambiance is clean and nice (it’s not a quiet place fyi) and I can actually enjoy sushi again! Definitely coming back. I wonder when their happy hour is! We asked for eel sauce on the side– yum. But we also used the soy sauce and wasabi and they have white ginger (yum!).
Why not a 5 star review? (other than the miso and the dessert…) Well, we walked in and no one was at the front desk. The only person we saw working was the sushi chef! It’s a wide open space so we could see the habachi area, the bar area and the regular seating area. We didn’t wait too long– maybe 3 minutes, but someone should have been there to greet us (even if from far away). We were seated at the bar by the sushi side, usually I don’t like sitting at the bar, but since it wasn’t crowded there I didn’t mind. There was a basketball game playing on tv too. We finally saw two other people who were working when we got seated. The server was fast but seemed like in a rush, but she was still attentive for the most part (we never got irritated). The place wasn’t empty, there were big group of people in the habachi area and a few at the bar and most of the seats in the regular seating were filled. The server did offer rice with my sashimi, but I passed on it – I don’t usually eat rice when I order sashimi (because then I would have just got sushi LOL).
Oh and I give one server credit for hugging these older couple (seemed like they were regulars the way she was talking to them) who did not smell very good. My husband mentioned that they could use a bath to me when they left because the man had to reach by him to give a tip to the sushi chef so he got a good whiff. #justsayin
GO TRY KABU OUT! I’d like to try out their other food menu!
I really am into sushi again because of Kabu!

Both food and service were subpar! Table was empty and in view for 20 minutes. Looked like they only had one bus person. Wonder why she was on the phone??? I guess we didn’t rate real napkins… they forgot to put them on the table and so we coped with the rolled paper ones.
The calamari appetizer had the wrong batter; it just tasted too crispy. The temp/​cook of the fillet was off med-​well versus med-​rare. Scallops were thin slices not whole scallops. Shrimp was overlooked and chewy! Salad was iceberg and just didn’t fit with the menu. Noodles were overcooked and drenched in sauce.
Server took drink order after 5 minutes (BTW she had check to see if they had iced tea… what?!) and then dropped off the bill. Never checked back… I will not return.

Decided to give this place a try as the previous owners/​restaurant had closed. Sad to say this will be the last time we come in here again. From the careless waitress who seemed to not care at all about the customers experience and just seemed to be THERE
When i told her the shrimp she put in my hibachi was a problem because i have allergies, her response was extremely troubling, basically vould care less
Tables that people had finished eating and left, remained uncleaned for the duration of our time.
Basicaly felt like we were in a Club having Japanese food. Music blasting was quite annoying as me and my wife were hoping for a quiet dinner but it wasnt going to happen.
I dont see this place lasting unless management makes drastic changes!

I give the food four star but the one waitress was only two star. I had their pad tai and Tuna Amazing roll, they were good! The pad tai was very soft and thin, not the very dry fried and oily one, it was not very strong flavored but it tasted good. The roll was good too, not very big size though.
However, the waitress served our table had some attitude. First, she wasn’t smiling, no polite words and talked in a very I don’t care voice, like” I’ve been here forever, you order your food and eat and get lost.” She didn’t give us refill water and served the appetizer in front of me and put the main entrée in the middle! Who does that?! And didn’t check on us see if we need anything else. Finally at last she forgot our receipt and we had to ask for it. Her attitude reflects on her tips! The other waitresses were very friendly smile and checked on other people. Just that one waitress had the face like she was serving poopoo not food!

I used to come here a whole heck of a bunch when it was Sake, like I thoroughly enjoyed the sushi hh and what not.
Bring on some fellow Unilocalers and what a time to be had! Pretty easy to spot off the road, large on the interior from bar seating, to tables and hibachi. The interior looks pretty much the same as it was when it was the other sushi location too, from the waterfalls, and what not.
The hh specials are pretty nice, from sashimi, nigiri, and finally rolls. Dranks are included too.
The sushi itself was priced right for hh and you got a nice sized roll. I didn’t have the opportunity to try the hibachi just yet, there is always time to come back though.
Service was good, the servers in my opinion did an awesome job keeping up with such a large party. Nothing went missing from our orders.

Great food horrible service!!!
Our server was rude from the get go! Idk what her attitude was about. It baffled my friends and I because from the moment we set down she seemed to be perturbed by our presence!
She never told us her name so I can’t tell you’ll that but if I ever come back she will NOT be my server! She asked for our I.D.‘s and then instead of handing them back to us in our hands she throws them on the table First strike
Second strike was us asking for water and she never brings them out but the next table after us gets water as soon as they sat down! Mind blowing right?
Hold up not done! We were looking over the menu for maybe 5 minutes before she came asking what did we want to order. We politely asked her to give us a sec and that seemed to frustrate her and from there it was was a down ward spiral!
My girlfriend asks her about the soups that they have… but then the server acted like she was so irritated by her request. I was very Confused because had she been nicer I may have spent some more money! I really wanted to try that Seafood Miso Soup but she was so rude never smiles and rolls her eyes every chance she got! It’s safe to say that maybe her Demeanor made me give my credit card a limit !
The hostess was awesome though she listened to my complaint and let m me know that my concerns would be addressed with management! Thank you… She was brown skin with a short hair cut I didn’t catch her name! But thank you were awesome!
My sushi was really good despite the horrible rude server… I recommend you try the Baltimore Roll and the California roll. They were awesome shout out to the guy we saw rolling it behind the bar Thank you!
The only reason I am NOT giving them 2 stars is because my food was really good!
All in all I’d go back I will just be sitting at the bar!

Since I don’t frequent the area, I would’ve never even known Kabu was open, until a fellow Unilocaler recommended it. Since he and I have different taste in food (mine being better than his… lol)I was hesitant about trying it out. To my surprise, I really enjoyed the food.
Japanese steakhouses never impressed me. The chefs slinging food at the customers, clinging and clanging their utensils on the grill and throwing food into the customers mouths, like sea lions. No bueno. Not to mention, when you leave, you smell like a bag of smoke. With that being said, I didn’t want any parts of that section, so I went for the happy hour and sat at the bar. The bar had ample room to spread out and colorful lighting on the bar complimented the décor. The bartender was very friendly and generous with the alcohol. I ordered the Kabu Peach, which was really good!
The happy hour menu had a nice selection of sushi, calamari, beer and specialty drinks. All, at very reasonable prices. I chose the Baltimore roll and the California roll. I highly recommend both, especially the Baltimore roll. I also ordered a side salad that was accompanied with a ginger salad dressing and it was delicious. The calamari I ordered was too salty for my liking, so I could bypass that next time. The actual menu had plenty of options other than sushi to order as well.
If you’re in to Japanese Steakhouses, they have an area for that and they also have regular dinning room seating, a sushi bar and a regular bar. This is a great place for happy hour and I will definitely be back in the near future. Good job SH, you finally suggested somewhere that I actually like. Lol!

I’ve NEVER heard of Kabu Japanese Steakhouse and I used to live in Laurel, but my buddy has. So when she told me to meet her there, HER TREAT, I grabbed my keys and was out the door! LOL Once I approached the address, I realized this was the old Chili’s. I remember when that Chili’s closed because I was pissed, cuz a brotha likes himself some Chili’s every now and then!
Let me tell you, my mouth dropped when I walked in the door. This has to be one of the most impressive remodel jobs I have ever seen. This couldn’t be further from a Chili’s or any random low end chain restaurant. I hope they get the business to pay for what must have a cost a fortune to put together. This is one sexy Japanese Steakhouse. Nothing cheesy about this place, I’ll vouch for that! Aside from the modern appointments, what stands out is the size. You could hold a very nice size gathering here with room to spare!
We came for Happy Hour so I opted to order off of their very generous Happy Hour menu. All of the sushi was topnotch but I must say, the Dynamite Roll stole the show… damn good! We also ordered seaweed salads along with Calamari and again, execellent. The reason I almost gave them a straight up 5 was all of their happy hour sushi was under $ 5 and it was a regular serving size not some watered down happy hour portion. Now to the drinks, I chose the Scorpion bowl, which is made for two. Because my buddy and I are just buddies, I drank that sucka all by myself. LOL That thing was delicious and I’m still amazed that a drink that big, good, and strong was only $ 8 bucks, even for happy hour.
This was definitely a 4.5 showing but I’ll wait to kick them up to a 5 after I’ve been a couple more times. I can assure you, that will take place in the not so distant future!!!

I bought a Groupon deal to this restaurant a few weeks ago and although I’m not a big fan of Asian cuisine I figured I’d at least give it a try. Midday Saturday afternoon it wasn’t crowded at all. Since I was alone they sat me in the dining room area verses the side where the hibachi was being prepared for show etc. Nice ambiance, very clean & strong drinks!
I had a Japanese Sun pineapple vodka, peach schnapps etc, shrimp tempura for an appetizer and the Hibachi combo of salmon & shrimp. The food was decent, a little salty but I was hungry & it was filling.
The Groupon was for $ 30 not including alcoholic beverages so I paid $ 14 out of pocket to include gratuity. not bad. Will I return? Possibly. If you’re a lover of Asian cuisine, hibachi & sushi you may want to consider checking it out.

Took advantage of a Groupon offer for my first time visit to this new Laurel restaurant. Great overall experience but I have to take one point away for service unfortunately. We were not greeted when we entered so we just kinda stood there until someone from the bar spoke up. Our waitress seemed to understand very little of what was on the menu and every question asked resulted in her going to the bartender for the answer. Finally after a very difficult 10 minutes of back and forth, the bartender came over and we had a conversation and we were good to go from there. We chose to sit at a table, but you do have the option to do the hibachi buffet which I am sure everyone is familiar with that setup.
The décor and ambiance was beautiful… from the foyer into all parts of the restaurant. I can picture all types of events here from girls night out to a team meeting from work. We tried the tempura shrimp, BBQ short ribs, pad thai (chicken and shrimp… separately…this was not offered as a combo but should be), wines, mixed drinks, steamed dumplings and a cooked hand rolled sushi. So a bunch of stuff from the «kitchen part» of the menu and everything from their salad to soup was fresh, tasty, and flavorful. Definitely deserving of a second visit sans Groupon and despite the lackluster wait service. The prices were very reasonable and kudos to the chef!

My Groupon took me to this spot. Very nice hidden gem. This would make a nice date or a girls night out spot. The inside has a new, fresh modern décor.
The service was good. Drinks, appetizers and food came out pretty fast but we were just part of a handful of people there on a Saturday night. I was kind of surprised and expected a crowd because it’s a nice spot, relaxing atmosphere, good food, not loud.
The sushi rolls were fantastic! The teriyaki chicken appetizer was good. The Sangria was good. No complaints. I would definitely return for the sushi. The sushi is reasonably priced and so are the rice/​noodle entrees and drinks.

I knew a new restaurant was re-​opening the site of the Sake sushi/​steakhouse in the same genre, so when I saw the Grand Opening banner the turn signal went on.
Chirashi, of course. No Kirin, the liquor license is still grinding through the bureaucracy.
I was not very impressed. Tea was a bag in a cup of hot water for $ 2, which put meh in play. The rice was not seasoned, tomago and surimai were included but traditional garnishes were not. Mackerel was fresh and not fishy, snapper was OK, salmon was very good, tuna was good.
I see no reason to return when Sakura about a mile south does a great job on both sushi and teppanyaki. Also, divided roads mean you can only enter the shopping center from northbound US 1 or eastbound Cherry Lane and you must exit going the same direction you just came from. Sake was better, so I don’t think Kabu will last either.