Dai Ten

Sigh Daiten is closed. End of an average legend.

I think this place no longer exists. The resturant is closed and their number has been disconnected.
Pity. I liked it.

After looking over the other reviews, I am a bit confused. I have eaten at Dai Ten for about 3 years now and I have never had a bad experience. Every time I eat there, the food is fresh and hot, the service is fast, and the value is great for what you get. At the same time, I have only dined here during lunch time, so maybe that makes a difference. Either way, I love this place and it is definitely worth trying.

The three sushi rolls I had were pretty good. Although I am not sure if I’ll ever eat there again. It just didn’t taste fresh, so I was kind of iffy.

While Dai Ten is admittedly not the best sushi you will eat, it is always reliably good. You cannot beat their dinner special of all sushi and bento boxes buy one, get one 50% off.
I have been going here for the past 3 years since it is very convenient for lunch, but I am always tempted to take them up on their dinner special.
Yes, the customer service’s speed can be hit or miss, but I’ve never been treated poorly by any of the wait staff or the sushi chef at the counter. Overall I really like this little neighborhood sushi restaurant.

To be perfectly honest, I wanted to like this restaurant, but everything was sort of meh.
The teriyaki chicken was dry.
The rolls had a smokey bacon taste (which i liked), but they all tasted pretty much the same.
The scallop roll and lion king was good, even though they tasted very similar.
They could do a much better job.

DISAPPOINTMENT.
The fish in Lake Merritt are probably better. I’d rather bring my fishing pole test my luck there than go back to Dai Ten.
I tried the 2-​item lunch box with chicken teriyaki, which include soup, salad, rice, and a slice (not a wedge) of orange. It was more like a Julienne cut.
–The miso soup was bland. Instant noodle flavor packets with hot water would taste better.
–The salad consisted of the very insides of a head lettuce
–teriyaki chicken tasted like oven baked chicken from subway with teriyaki sauce poured prior to serving.
–the texture of the sashimi was inconsistent. The piece that looked like white tuna was chewy like beef jerky.
They could at least purchase better quality chopsticks.

We used to go here every now and again because it’s close to work and didn’t suck.
It’s still close to work.
The people working there used to be warm and friendly.
Not sure if there’s been a change in ownership or if aliens from outer space turned the people who appear to be working there into zombies (no offense to zombies intended).
Twice now we’ve gone there and been absolutely ignored as we waited for a seat. Twice now it was so bad we simply left.
Today the group in front of us got the stinky fish eye from the lady who momentarily feigned interest in seating them, then they turned around and left.
We waited what seemed like an eternity before and after that and, despite making eye contact with the same female zombie «working» there, she straight up gave us the look away! So we bounced too, rolled down the street to Mama’s and literally were greeted – and warmly– as our feet crossed the restaurant’s threshold.
8 customers serially disregarded and vanished by a restaurant with, understandably, plenty empty seats. This has become a great place – to avoid! (And be avoided.)

Nope! #thatisall

Dai Ten,
Little Japanese restaurant on the corner of 19^th and Webster. It’s actually not so bad. I would recommend getting the salmon teriyaki (the chicken teriyaki is so dry!!, even the teriyaki sauce that they put on it doesn’t work). And the sauce is cloyingly sweet, it was almost hard to enjoy it, especially because did not do a good job of properly rationing the rice to the teriyaki salmon and chicken. The vegetable egg rolls were pretty decent too. I mean I’ve had better, but I don’t mind eating these egg rolls either, they are not oily at all and have a pretty good flavor.
However, my genuine gripe about this establishment is that their customer service is rather unsavory and unpleasant. My friends and I work around here but in different buildings, and we wanted to try this place out. I had done some Unilocal research, or should I say « Unilocalearch» lol! prior to visiting here. According to other reviews, the wait staff here is slow, so we decided to call in our order early on for a pick up. The order was surprisingly ready in 15 minutes. My friends and I met up there, picked up our food and paid, turned around decided to eat at the restaurant instead. Now is when the real trouble comes… We ask the lady who helped us if it’s alright to eat here, and she acts funny, almost as if she’s guilty of something and says «I’ll have to ask my manager» and then the manager comes and we ask her the same question. She frowns and says «no! You guys already said you wanted the food to go, so you can’t eat it here.» Then she frowns and walks away super angrily like we offended her or something. I absolutely have not an idea why they acted like so, but I didn’t like it one bit. It felt really weird and a little uncomfortable. The restaurant was not even half full (we even explained this to them) and they still said no.
Well, all in all, I don’t think I will be returning here. I’m really appreciate good customer service when I receive one, and I was baffled by the service here (and I still am, as I write my review).
Tip: they charge 40 cents to use your credit card.

WARNING: Below review NOT for the Squeamish!
I wish I could give this place a no star.
I used to come to this restaurant all the time. At least once a week so I am in no way a new comer to this place. I battled whether or not I would even post this, cause I felt bad… But I would want to know if I were eating at a place.
I went a couple weeks back with a friend and it was horrid. As soon as we received our food a small mouse crawled by our table. We were sitting right next to the bar. I called over the waitress and showed her the mouse crawling by and she called, non other than, the cook! He came out, pushed the tall bar stools aside and proceeded to squish the mouse WITH HIS FOOT with us sitting there. He picked up the mouse and took it away. I was appalled. My coworker didn’t think it was that bad so we stayed for a few more minutes. I didn’t want to overreact, until I accidentally looked over to my left again… The guts of the mouse had been left on the brick floor of the bar for all to marvel. No one came to clean it. I almost had an anxiety attack. I complained… did not pay for the meal and left. I still get sick every time I pass by the place… which is everyday for work. Never again!

No to service,
No to Quality.
No to being full.
No to prices for what you get.
Just…No.
Okay, the tea is pretty good but I think that it’s free.

Ambience, décor and cleanliness are positives.
Now for the negatives:
I got the 2 item lunch combo ($ 7.99) with beef teriyaki and vegetable tempura and it was pathetic. There were about 7 pieces of meat (skirt steak that was no more than 1″ long, ½″ thick, and about as thin as a two sticks of gum on top of each other), 5 pieces of vegetable tempura (yam, 2 broccoli florets, 2 zucchini), miso soup, salad, an ice-​cream scoop size of white rice, and a slice of orange that was old and dried up with no juice. There was no edamame.
The service was poor and extremely slow. There were a lot of people (at least 4 – 5 groups) waiting to be seated and ~3−4 tables that still had to be bused and cleaned from the previous patrons. There were 3 servers walking around and no one was cleaning tables so the hostess told the people that there would be a 15 minute wait. What should’ve been a lunch lasting around 1hr ended up lasting close to 1hr 45 minutes because we were waiting to get our orders taken, our tea, and our miso soup that came with our combo plates. Other groups that arrived 15 minutes after my group did were served and eating before we were. We also asked for an itemized receipt and after asking twice, we received a ripped up order page about 20 minutes later.
I understand that there aren’t a lot of places to eat around here, but if I’m leaving a restaurant hungry and unsatisfied based on the price that I’m paying for the meal, then that’s not good. If you order the 2-​item combo, expect to leave hungry; order the 3-​item combo in order to feel satisfied.
I won’t be returning.

I got the 2-​item lunch bento box special and it was quite underwhelming. There was nothing that really stood out as something I just had to come back for again. I’m sure they might offer a few items that may make me reconsider, but based off of what I saw it doesn’t look likely.
The service was basically non-​existent. I was seated, my order was taken after about 10 minutes (I was ready after 2 minutes), the food was dropped off, and that was it. They never came by to ask me if I needed anything else or to top off my water. I was in a group of about 15 people, so you would think that they would at least give us SOME attention.
At the end of the meal, I think just about everyone in my group had decided that we would not be coming back again.

Just like everyone has said. This place SUXORZ.
Unilocalers dont lie and they are deadly accurate.
People come here because its close to work and dont want to walk far and doesnt look ghetto, but man. its not worth it.
I had not experienced the ultra molestor boy rude ass service here like everyone has said. but I can see where those comments come from.
The service here sucks pretty bad because they are not friendly and super slow. key word on SLOTH SLUG WORM DEADMAN WHEELCHAIR SLOW.
Food: WTF. That pretty much sums it up. Not worth it for the price.
This applies to all items on their menu. Everything is bland.
I can not believe I have been here more than once due to DESPERATION.
Price? I mean, they are like any other place so its not like super cheap or expensive.
Overall? 3 stars man. maybe even 2. I hope the owners are reading this and step up their game. how are they still in business?
If you want good Japanese rolls. go to ichiro man. its a couple blocks away.

Not too many sushi places around this area for lunch. When I’m in the mood for sushi, I normally come here.
Surprisingly, I like their shrimp tempura roll and their dragon roll is just OK. Their bento boxes are an OK deal considering you can get two items for $ 7.95 or three items for $ 9.95. Their salmon and chicken teriyaki are legit!
Service is pretty slow in this place, if you are in a rush… order your food and get the bill at the same time.

Meh. Chinese-​operated Japanese places are a dime a dozen in the Bay Area and like most of those places, Dai Ten serves uninspired Americanized Japanese food.
Prices — like the food — seem about average for the area, but I think the portions are on the smaller side for the price.
Unless you’re desperate for pseudo-​Japanese food (or with co-​workers who think this place actually is good *face palm*), I’d recommend passing on this place.

This place is just alright. I got the chicken soba. It wasn’t bad but it didn’t stand out either. I also got tako (octopus) nigiri. They only give you 2 pieces but they were pretty substantial… tough too.

This place was all right when it came to food, portion and price.
A couple of my co-​workers and I came here for lunch and take advantage of their lunch specials. Our meal started off with a complimentary pot of tea, which was neither bland nor lacking in flavor so it was a great start. Prior to lunch, Yao Y. had mentioned that this place «was not on the budget side and the portions tend to be small» so I ordered a 2-​item bento box (shrimp tempura and California Roll for $ 7.99) and a Shrimp Tempura Roll ($ 6.99). Mike M. ordered a Shrimp Tempura Roll (since he had a big breakfast) and Yao Y. got the Sashimi Salad. The bento came with the standard miso soup, salad and rice.
I have to say, I love miso soup. If I don’t have a fear of messing up a homemade soup and ruining my experience completely, I would make it myself. There have only been a handful of times where I’ve tasted bad miso but this place wasn’t one of them. It was some good soup — good blend of paste and broth. The salad was fresh and not soaked in dressing (I hate it when it’s swimming in dressing and makes the salad too soggy). The tempura roll was huge but didn’t fall apart. It was drizzled with their house sauce and I thought it tasted pretty good. The shrimp tempura and California roll, however, could have been better. It lacked some flavor in my opinion. It was either I wasn’t a fan of their California roll or I was already full but either way, I didn’t get to finish the California roll and I would usually clean off my plates.
My lasting impression — I should have opted for either the Tempura Roll or Bento Box but not both because it will leave you struggling to stay awake at work from a food coma. I personally thought that the portions were satisfying rather than excessive. I’ll definitely come back but I’ll be more cautious on how much to order next time.
P. S. I think I found my Japanese work spot. It may not be spectacular but at least my experience didn’t leave an appalling after-​taste.

I went in to Dai Ten today, not expecting much, and even my low expectations failed to be filled by the unenthusiastic attempt at «service» offered by this restaurant. I suppose, in all fairness, that an event as momentous as my father’s retirement from his career could have merited a restaurant of higher standards, however this is where my father suggested, and we went.
He ordered a large Sapporo. They came back with two bottles of Sapporo, because they did not have the big ones. (Would it be overly picky of me to think they should have known that, or remarked upon it when the initial order was taken?) Fine, fine, beer is beer. Couldn’t you have kept the second one cold, though, rather than opening it and leaving it to sweat at our table as my dad started on his first one?
His simple order of the Mix-​Tempura lunch came back as the only-​shrimp-​tempura lunch. When he asked that this error be corrected, the server stared at him, then at the bill, then back at him before cruising on his way to fix the mistake.
A chance at redemption, my order came out next (please note it arrived AFTER my father’s order, the «corrected» version) and it too, was incomplete. My 3 item order was missing the ikura nigiri. I figured they’d bring it separately.
We ate the rest of our lunches.
The waitress dropped the bill on the table, at which point I delicately pointed out that I had not yet received my ikura.
The same waitress traipsed by after two laps of the restaurant, and I again reminded her of the ABSENCE of IKURA at my table. Visual response, nodding, no ikura brought.
Ten minutes later, another waitress came by to ask how things were, as we sat staring at each other, all the food gone. My father asked AGAIN if they were planning on bringing the ikura. «You want to order Ikura?» No, we want the one that was ordered originally, 45 minutes ago, actually.
The check was brought again, and I finally said, «You know what? Just put the ikura we’re STILL waiting for in a box, to go.» It arrived after the bill had been paid.
I wish that the food could redeem the service, that my father’s tempura had been cooked the whole way through, that he’d enjoyed it, rather than having to say quietly, «This is their worst attempt at tempura yet,» as he pushed his half-​eaten meal away regretfully.
I wish that my long-​anticipated ikura nigiri had been high quality, with extra eggies for the trouble, but no, it had a THIN THIN layer of eggs barely covering the HUGE pat of rice within the nori, a mere HINT of salmon flavor to go with the abundance of rice.
Oh, that these errors MIGHT have been correctable by an apology, or a bill modification to extend an olive branch, or even an acknowledgement of their TERRIBLE service, but no. Nothing.
Dai Ten, it is a sad day when I leave a sushi restaurant with NOTHING good to say, and I make a pact with myself that I will never again grace your establishment with my income. Shame on you. I won’t be back to see if you remedy your epic failure in the future.