Takara Japanese Steak House

I came in tonight for hibachi cooking table for two. Our hibachi cook was excellent he had good conversation funny jokes great skills and I tipped him $ 10. Our waitress was only partially engaged in the table and when I presented a
certificate she automatically added a gratuity. I am sure if I was paying cash or credit card she would have not added the gratuity. When questioned she said Oh I can take it off. I told her that I would have tipped her more and no where on the menu does it say you add gratuity. I think it is a poor policy to add gratuity to a table for two in the fear that you might not make a tip. Maybe if she provided better service people would tip better. The food is good the table cooks are good but I will have to tell my friends that the waitresses deserve minimal tips if they do not engage the customers.

The food was very good and so was the service. They have a liquor license but you can bring your own wine for a bottle open fee of $ 5. We used our coupon today from
$ 25 go $ 10. the sushi is very fresh and the rolls are large. They even made me a special gluten free soup. They have a bar area and a separate hibachi area from the main dinning room. We saw people eating hibachi and they it was very good.

We’ve been here on 3different occasions. First time the food was good and we ordered soda with our meal had a couple of refills and got the bill. 7 sodas charged @ $ 1.95. I could of had a drink for that price! But it was a date night… no big deal.
2^nd visit. Good. They did not charge us for refills. Food again it’s what my spouse like Spicy Tuna Roll and etc.
This last visit last night. JUST HORRIBLE!
1^st and 3^rd visit, same waitress.
We had a Groupon (don’t even bother getting a Groupon for this place… they’ll find SOME way to get their $$$$ out of you!)
We order. Everything good. Ordered soda. Food comes out, I had something nasty would never order it again (I’ll tell you more below!) Oh shoot I forgot the name of it. Breaded chicken not tempura. Anyway… Spouse had Spicy Tuna Roll and some Hot Bomb er other.
Get our bill. Put the Groupon and $ 20 inside to cover it as bill was 48. She comes back and says. Oh so sorry I forgot to charge you for the refills on soda and crumples up my receipt. Says I need more money. I proceed to say… No where on the menu or from your lips did you tell me that refills on soda would cost!!! She said that’s how we always do it. I said. My first visit over a year ago you did. My last visit you didn’t. You come to my table and say…“WOULD YOU LIKE A REFILL! Is it MY RESPONSIBILITY to ask you IF YOU CHARGE???” NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO. It should state so on you menu.
This isn’t even bad compared to when I left we had to go grocery shopping and my stomach did one of those ut oh’s I don’t need to explain what happened next. All night I had sweats and Montezumas Revenge. Woke up this morning… stomach still not good.
AVOID THIS PLACE AT ALL COSTS!!! I think the waitress is a good con artist and she tries to get away with it…
There are way better sushi places around that don’t charge you for a refill and especially if they don’t tell you. GROUPON is WORTHLESS here and I’m going to seriously complain to them about their practices.
AVOIDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD­DDDD

I ate here with 3 other dining companions on a Saturday night. The restaurant was not that busy. We were seated and a server took our order right away. We ordered sushi rolls and two people in our party ordered dishes from the kitchen. About 15 minutes later, sushi plates were brought out to us, but they were not our order, but were for another table. We waited another 15 minutes (half hour total) when the server came over and told us that the kitchen food was ready but the sushi was not yet done (!). They brought out the kitchen food and it was not hot at all. The sushi did not arrive until we were done eating the main courses, which was about 45 MINUTES after it was ordered. We complained, thinking they’d take the sushi off the check, or at least one of them off the check, but no offer was made. So the sushi that we wanted as an appetizer was consumed for dessert. Unacceptable. We will not be gong back.

Food was great. Service not so good. They added a 18% gratuity because we used a groupon. The groupon mentioned NOTHING about this gratuity. When we mentioned this, they showed us a shady groupon coupon with the 18% gratuity saying that this was a «new» coupon and we had purchased the older version of the groupon. Also the waitress suggested that 18% gratuity was actually pretty decent (for two people). We ended up tipping very little and did not return. Such a shame that the service is so bad while the food is great.

I had been here a couple times and had mediocre service, but the food and prices aren’t bad, so I came back to try it again. I was with friends and 2 of us had a Groupon or LivingSocial (can’t remember which one it was). We asked our waitress if it were okay that we both use ours because neither of us realized the other had one. She was very nice and told us it was fine because we needed separate checks anyway and we were the only people there.
We ate, hung out, ordered drinks, and then went to pay… she took my friend’s coupon and then when she went to take mine, she freaked out and said I couldn’t use it. She brought the manager out and he told me that his waitresses would never say that they would accept two coupons from the same table. I probably misunderstood her because she doesn’t speak English well. Of course, I was upset. I had planned my money around this coupon and wouldn’t have ordered drinks, if I knew… Well, instead of being nice or having anything decent to say, he got mad at me and told me he would call the police.
With the amount of Japanese restaurants popping up, just go to one of them. The food here isn’t phenomenal by any means. Ichiban, which is further north on 35 South is great and they actually have great customer service.

The first time I tried to come it was before dinner service so my friend and I ran errands and returned at 4:15pm, the doors were still locked but signage was light. It said dinner service started at 4pm so we waited a few more minutes and even knocked. Disappointed we left
Second time I went with a different friend for her birthday. We were the only people there. Always makes you wonder… But the sushi was delicious and they have some interesting rolls.
Third and last time. I ventured out to eat dinner solo on Friday night. Now, that is uncomfortable to begin with — they literally wanted to seat me at the edge of the dining room where everyone had to walk by, I requested a corner table away from the door. From my table I couldn’t read the specials. I asked my waitress If she could read them to me. Instead she decided to write them down. I told her no worries I would get up, she insisted on writing them since «I need to know them anyways». Having been a server for many years, I knew she was right. She came over, we are chatting. Telling me about specials when this aggressive woman (the manager/​owner) approaches «you have a problem!?!» To me. I look at her, no she is reading me the specials. She says «they on the board!!» I am taken aback, the server says I wrote them down. She can’t see them from this angle. The angry woman says «bring the board then» hastily to the waitress. I said that isn’t necessary. We are fine. She says «no you are not. I know everything. She knows nothing. She is new. She is training. What you need, you ask me.» The waitress meekly cowars away from my table. I said to the woman why are you so nasty?! She said she new– I know everything. You have a question u can ask me. She know nothing. I looked at her dead in her eyes. I said I want to ask her — not you. Please go away. I called the server over. I opened my menu to cover my face and smiled. I said once upon a time I was a server too. You are doing fine. Ignore her. Her response, She said she is having a bad day.
Bad day or not WTH?!?
No offense. Her bad day shouldn’t be taken out on me, a customer, and her NEW staff. Or she won’t have customers or any staff. I’ll never go back. Thankfully again the place was dismal in terms of customers so it wasn’t too embarrassing. Had I not already ordered a salad and not felt bad for my waitress I woulda got up and left during this
Learn some manners and hospitality you cranky witch.

Ordering pick up. Salmon avocado, eel avocado, rainbow roll, Hawaiian roll, mango something, Edamame, beef nanjamari. Will enjoy poolside in the hot sun… yay!

Sushi special roll (route 35) tasted stale, the rice was mushy and was just plain bad.
The chicken hibachi was bland and they didn’t provide any side sauces so we had to ask for some. The shrimp in our hibachi tasted like it was bad.
I thought I would be sick from the meal but everything stayed down much to my surprise.
Probably the worst hibachi restaurant I have ever eaten at, the décor was dated and the place just looked dirty.
Won’t be returning.

I crave sushi often and have been to numerous places for them, so this place is okay, nothing too special. Ambience/​décor is nice and food is good. However, I’m a little put off by the staff at this place. I’ve been here about four times and each time we have the strangest feeling, with maybe once being the most normal. We get treated like we’re teenagers with no money, but we’re in our twenties and have jobs. It’s confusing bc the staff makes us feel like we won’t leave a good enough tip, but we want to, but if we leave a good enough tip to show them off, their service was still iffy, and if we leave a bad one, they’ll be right. Of course we’ve only been here a handful of times, so they don’t know who we are, but each time, it’s the same experience. Once we walked in and this big guy comes up and asks, «how can I help you?» Like we didn’t know we were at a restaurant so we respond with, «yes, table for 2» and he goes «ohh, follow me!» We looked at each other like what just happened? Overall service is slow, and they definitely cater to the «white crowd» at a happier and faster pace. Just my experience. Each time we leave saying we won’t be back, but it’s one of those places that’s there, and Ichiban is always packed so we have no choice.

We went because we had a Groupon and had never been there before, Because we used the Groupon, they automatically added 18% gratuity to the bill. That negated any savings on our $ 180 bill because we didn’t notice it until the next day. The restaurant was not crowded and it still took over ½ an hour to get seated. The service was horrible. The show was OK at best. Our chef didn’t do most of the tricks that the other chefs did. Our order got screwed up. If this review was on food alone, I would have given 3 stars. Some of the food was delicious and some was not so so good. The service was so bad that I wish I could give it 0 stars.

As we sat down the server commented that «they are the best Sushi place in Monmouth county».I believe he may be right.
We went with the special sashimi dinner for 2 which changes periodically based on the chef’s selction. A shared (weird, I don’t like sharing soup, yuk) clear broth seafood soup with 2 scallions 3 semi shredded shrimp and cabbage and carrots and snow peas. It’s kinda bland, but filled with plenty of goodies (I’d advise a pass on this boring concoction). A sea bass app in a vinegar sauce with one salom row egg and jalapeño a top, simple clean and yummy. Then the live scallop & scallop tartare. Amazing live fresh cut super thin scalloop upon lemon slices was a home run. The scallop tartare was interestingly crunchy, I appreciated the originality.
The main course included an amazing selection of perfectly cut raw fish with an unusual roll which I understand is the chefs specialty tonight (which changes weekly) it was real crab and spicy tuna. The presentations were impeccable and the fresh flavor sublimely married to perfection. At $ 50 plus it better be stellar, pssss it was. (We bought a groupon $ 15 for $ 30 while dining).
The service was was just above ok, strangely we had to ask for Wasabi/​soy mixers. They’re clearly under staffed in all aspects. Don’t expect a quickie.
There’s a small bar with $ 8 per house sake pitchers. We pounded down trey quite niccely for the two of us.
Old Japan reeks with wooden accents dividing the serving area from bar to multiple dining and hibachi areas. A very relaxing and fairly elaborate waterfall structure smack dab in the middle of the room clearly taking up dining space, but wonderfully captivating and very zen, baby. Pleasant ambiance. A nice date venue, they even have those private rooms with the cool sliding paper doors for privacy.
The menu is priced about right for the high quality. The only downers were the seafood soup and lack of service attention, which was acceptable. Still I likey a loty.
If you dig a unique well thought out floor plan coupled with impeccably displayed plates under amazingly fresh and creative raw fish, then come and get your ai (that’s «love» in Japanese). Tanoshimo!

There hibachi is my favorite! I love the chefs they are cool, down to earth and talented! The 2 for is a great deal. You get steak chicken shrimp and scallops. Their moscato is always refreshing and compliments the hibachi meal. I have to make reservations for their private room. Overall this is one of my favorite places to dine.

Went here with
certafter reading the good reviews. Every thing we ordered was delicious. Very good service and the servers were very nice.

Food is great, the hibachi was extremely entertaining. And the portions were worth the money

I bought a groupon last month figuring let’s try Takara. I ordered the hibachi chicken and my husband had the hibachi filet mignon and chicken. It came with rice, soup, salad (great dressing), noodles and meat. To end we had a scoop of ice cream. This was great and I will definitely go back without a groupon!

Thank You for wonderful evening out with my girlfriend. We were greeted very quickly & ample space was available. When asked for a private seating area, we were promptly shown a clean space. The food turned out very fresh & the hot sake really ttopped everything off. Really great atmosphere for parties & low key tone for dates. Thanks again!

Probably the best Japanese & sushi you will find in the area. Every time I have gotten food from there (whether in the restaurant or take away), it has always been fresh, hot and quick. The staff is also very nice, the inside is clean and a great atmosphere, and they have a nice sized menu.

Takara is a strong Japanese restaurant. We tried the hibachi and it was pretty good! The wait staff and chef were exceptional service people. Great décor and atmosphere! It’s your basic hibachi routine, minus the tossing food into mouths and squirts of sake. They do the onion volcano and have the peeing boy squirt toy thing.
We came here because of a
gift card we received and we are pleased. I can see us definitely eating here again when in the area. Ikko in Brick is a little better in my opinion and much closer to us, but if we do venture out this way with empty bellies, we will come back! I’d really like to try the sushi.
UPDATE: best. pistachio. ice cream. ever.

1. Order you food on the website
2. Wait an hour expecting the food to come
3. Call and check on order to find out their website is broken and they refuse to let people know that before hand.
4. Cancel order