Asuka Japanese Steakhouse

had a dinner with about 16 others… the food was good, the place had been closed for 2 weeks for vacation and apparently had not been cleaned since they closed. The floor was slippery from grease, the a/​c was barely working and the temperature was extremely hot and uncomfortable. In addition, the bathrooms were dirty. We all sat around a hibachi table and the cook performed a good show. Some folks complained that the portions were to small (4 shrimp and 1 sea scallops) — however with the grilled veggies and rice, we had plenty. Overall cost was high I thought, $ 60 for two with 1 beer and 1 glass of wine.

Food is great but it took forever to get appetizers out. *Make a reservation if you want to sit at a hibachi table on a Friday/​Saturday night.

I was so nervous to try this place with the lack or reviews/​bad reviews… but my boyfriend insisted. We walked in and the place was jumping on a Saturday night, so I felt much better.
The waitress was so nice! She made sure to confirm my food allergies and checked back a few times to make sure our food was good.
Amazing! The Sesame chicken was delicious. We also had 2 sushi rolls that were great. I was so pleasantly surprised. I’m assuming Port Charlotte isn’t on the Unilocal band wagon yet since this place is clearly above its rating.

Best Sunomono salad in state in our opinion. Go a least twice a month and have never been disappointed. Great selection of rolls. Just wish they had Uni more often. Always clean and staff always smiling. Not a fan of the cooking tables so I stick to the sushi area.

Good fresh food and quiet atmosphere. Great for a casual night out with the family…. Food is great, the aesthetics are lacking. Would be good for a large party due to all the open space.

I would not recommend this restaurant for a special occasion. It would probably be OK for a casual meal, as long as you don’t mind spending $ 18-​$ 25 per entrée. It might have been better visit with a more experienced chef and one who is adept at reading his/​her table.
We visited Asuka to celebrate Mother’s Day. Despite having made an advance reservation, we were sat and then told we would have to wait 45 – 60 minutes for table service from the chef. No apology; it actually felt a bit like we were being encouraged to leave. (Maybe the restaurant was really under-​staffed? Then again, there were only three medium-​sized groups in the whole establishment.) Since the occasion was more about spending quality time together than food, we said that was fine and ordered drinks and some appetizers. The edamame was unseasoned and bland, though the california roll was fine. Of the two servers who came to our table, both were generally inattentive, despite the lack of customers. Our chef came after about an hour. Part of the experience, of course, is interacting with your chef. Unfortunately, our chef usurped our entire conversation, even after he finished cooking. He seemed inexperienced as a chef and a bit immature as a person and he only did one minor trick (bummer). He interrupted us frequently when we tried to talk to each other and he swore a lot. He also just kept talking on and one about himself — how much he liked his music equipment and BMWs and how he forgot it was Mothers Day and how he had a another job that required a lot of travel. At one point he asked us whether it was worse «to give birth or to be kicked in the gnads.» It ‘s not like we couldn’t handle that, but my husband and I had traveled from DC to FLA to spend Mothers Day in Port Charlotte and we had hoped for a nice time with family and a fun «show» with the cooking. Instead, his behavior was really inappropriate from a professional and service standpoint. Towards the end I just started reading the news on my phone because he wouldn’t go away or stop talking, even as we finished our food. Worse still, the food was very over-​cooked. I ordered the scallops and our chef virtually destroyed them by leaving them on the grill for way too long; it wasn’t worth making a scene, but they were very rubbery. Scallops are not intended to be cooked for 15 minutes. In fact, our chef left the scallops on a lot longer than the chicken, which needs to be cooked to a much higher internal temperature than scallops. The chicken as a protein was the best and the only item cooked correctly in terms of temperature. The steak, which was supposed to be mid-​rare, came out between medium and mid-​well. (He didn’t anticipate carry-​over heat well.)
The bathrooms were generally clean, so that was good, soup and salad they bring out in advance of the meal were nice as well. Those were the bright spots of the experience.

We ate here during a visit to Port Charlotte. Our server was friendly and attentive at first. They offered a food selection of different fish. They also have habachi style grilled meals. There were two people eating at the tepan tables. The chef wasn’t as entertaining as I’ve seen at other restaurants. We just ordered a few rolls, seaweed salad, shrimp tempura, and a teriyaki chicken bento box. All the food arrived very quickly. Everything was very mediocre as far as sushi houses go. Not bad, but not impressive. The prices were moderate. We had to wait a while to get our check at the end of our meal. When we went to check out our server who was also manned the register was not very quick. I would come here again for an easy dinner, but I wouldn’t bring anyone I was trying to impress.

Service was good and all the sushi was fresh and delicious, my new favorite sushi place in port Charlotte

Tried this place three times, and it’s always mediocre. Prices are reasonable, but the sushi doesn’t pop at your like at other places I’ve been to. It’s not terrible sushi by any means, but not that great either. That being said, the chicken fried rice was tasty. The people at the hibachi tables always seem to be enjoying themselves, but I haven’t done it yet at this establishment.
I would continue visiting this place from time to time if I was in the immediate area but no special trips here.

Holy great sushi in Port Charlotte Batman! Stopped in here tonight after a recommendation from a bartender at another establishment and after a disheartening sushi experience the other night, Asuka has redeemed sushi for me!
We sat at the sushi bar and when we came in there were two people making sushi then it dropped down to one right as the dinner crowd was coming in. Sushi chef was helpful but seemed a bit in the weeds cranking out the sushi. No worries there because once I had mine, I was in seventh heaven. They have your traditional rolls along with special rolls for the evening. Alot of their specialty rolls feature avocado which makes me shimmy since I heart omega three’s! I got the Port Charlotte Roll and Chili Roll — I love seeing both made right in front of me and both were on point with freshness and spiciness! They are friends of the Sriracha here so if you like the spice, go to Asuka :)
By the time we left, it was pretty dead for a Wednesday night and there were more people at the sushi bar than at the hibachi tables. Now that I think about it, the hibachi tables were absolutely dead but filled before. If you’re looking for fresh, flavorful sushi made to order-​this is the place for you!

This place is great for a big group and is a the only local option for table cooking. You could have to wait at times, but the food is pretty consistent. Quality is good and you will find good value for what you get. One of our family favorites.