Sawa Steak House

very poor experience. Half of our table was complaining the food was burnt. The manager came over and pretty much scolded me for making the «burnt» comment. I used to like this place but won’t be back. They were very rude to us because we complained. I can’t see paying 75.00 for two meals when you can’t eat it

You really can’t go wrong… my favorite is the Volcano Roll, and my husband loves the rainbow roll-​both are amazing! I love everything about this place-​the hibachi is so yum with the fried rice! They give you a ton of food, so you will probably be taking some home!

First of all, I’m a big fan of Tokyo House down the road but have been to many hibachi restaurants and give them all credit where credit is due. With Tokyo House being closed at the time, I decided to try Sawa out.
There was a little wait but I sat at the bar and had a drink along with a spicy roll while we waited. The sushi was just so-​so in my opinion. I wouldn’t turn it away but probably would go elsewhere if I wanted sushi.
Once we were finally seated I was shocked by all the lights and noise. I swear it looked like a roller rink in the 70’s and I’m pretty sure there was a disco ball! What kind of atmosphere is this? It looked like a circus! I prefer a traditional Japanese décor and setting. Something calming and relaxing. This is not that.
I ordered the Swordfish and because they have a combo for everything else but the swordfish, I had to add Shrimp and Scallops for $ 7.95 if I wanted them. The dinner included two pieces of small shrimp, soup and salad. Soup was basic broth and salad had a less than stellar ginger dressing. I love ginger dressing but had a hard time eating this.
When the food started to get made our cook started into his routine. Flipping knives around, making a heart out of rice and an onion volcano. This is all good and well but he looked like he hated his job. No enthusiasm at all. The only thing he seemed to care about was squirting sake into our mouths. I’ll admit, that was a fun moment to watch. He also flipped your shrimp at you and if you caught it in your mouth, great! If not, too bad. I caught mine so go me. Honestly, I don’t need all the show. I don’t get that at Tokyo House but I do get good friendly conversation and a cook who genuinely cares about and remembers his patrons. The show is fine too but if you are going to be miserable doing it then why bother?
Long story short, my swordfish was over cooked as was the shrimp and scallops. Speaking of, remember that $ 7.95? It got me 3 shrimp and 3 scallops. Pathetic portions. Maybe a cup and a half of rice and vegetables and that was all. Don’t even get me started on the yum-​yum sauce, pink sauce, shrimp sauce or whatever you choose to call it. It was awful!!! Simply awful!!! And without any type of sauce the food was all bland.
I paid $ 17.95 for my meal plus the $ 7.95 to add the little amount of shrimp and scallops so about $ 26 bought me a a plate of small portioned over cooked food and a beached from all the lights and noise. In comparison at Tokyo House I can get a chicken and shrimp combo plus a shrimp appetizer for $ 13.25!!! And I get at least a dozen shrimp and an entire plate of rice and vegetables. Not to mention a cook who looks like he enjoys what he is doing. And I don’t leave feeling like I’m about to have a seizure. Oh and the food tastes good! You don’t even need the yum-​yum sauce but you’ll use it anyway because it’s amazing unlike at Sawa.
Just look at the picture I uploaded and tell me what you see is worth that price. Then look up Tokyo House and look at those portions and prices. At least I can say I tried it but I won’t be making a return visit if this is what I can expect.

Nope. If you’re in the area and want sushi go to Mizu. I guess Sawa has hibachi, but even that is mediocre at best. Our waiter kept coming up behind me and reaching over my shoulder to scoop up my drink for a refill and didn’t return it until I asked for it again. He maybe said 5 words to us the entire time. I got the sawa roll which was generally pretty tasteless. It was cut in a way that made it impossible to pick up with chopsticks. Also, the décor there is confusing. Glittery snakeskin booths with rhinestone buttons? Ok. The smell adds an additional layer to the disjunct atmosphere. Sort of a mix of bar bathroom and burnt food. Speaking of bathrooms– if you have to go, just go squat outside. Much more sanitary. If I can even work up an appetite to eat ever again I certainly won’t be going back there.

I’ve been here dozens of times. I go to Mizu for sushi, and Sawa for hibachi — not to sit at the hibachi table, but for the quality of the hibachi food. You gotta ask for the pink sauce. It’s killer.

I have to say, I’ve never had hibachi before. But this was a great experience. I got the filet mignon. The chef was awesome and entertaining, the service was friendly. The salad was good with their dressing. The Tokyo margarita was delicious. I had 2 lol. And my food was even better. The filet was cooked perfectly and seasoned great. And oh my the yum yum sauce was yum yum lol. I also loved that they subbed out their veggies for just broccoli for me since I don’t like the other veggies. So they Were accomodating With No problem. I will defiantly be back!!! Defiantly exceeded my expectations, I left a happy, full and somewhat tipsy woman

I have been coming to sawa for years now. My kids love the place but I think I will take them somewhere else now. I was in the there other night with my 2 daughters who love the hibachi. Upon entering we were greeted by an old man whose English we could barely understand. When we finally got seated our service was prompt. The chef came out in fairly reasonable time and our food was decent. My only problem was the old man who seated us kept staring at my daughters. I’ve caught him multiple times doing it and it’s absurd. My daughters are 11 and 9. I would never take my daughters there again but they love the food there. If I am forced to go back there and that creepy old man stares at my children again I’m going to check if he’s a registered sex offender.

My wife and I have been to Sawa several times through the years. We have always been satisfied with the food, but the service seems to be on an uncontrollable decline. Our last visit was the worst. Upon entering, the hostess made us feel as if we were bothering her. After being seated, we sat there for what seems like forever, never to even be approached by any servers. Needless to say, we left, and went to Hanami Express on Raccoon Rd in Austintown. I can honestly say that the food was very good. AND they treated my wife and I as if we were life long friends (it was our 1^st time there). SORRY SAWA… NEVER AGAIN!!!

So we called and they said they could seat is immediately. When we arrived they said 45 minutes. I mentioned it to the hostess. She said people are told that a lot. Stop the lies Sawa! I’ve been here before, and I’ve had long waits. Really, it isn’t a big deal. Honesty is important in any dining relationship. I’m afraid this changes everything. The hibachi bond is not be honored here.

Sushi was good. Chicken dinner was so so. Where my issue come is the service. I came in by myself and wanted to sit at the grill. I was guided to a booth. I asked to be seated at the grill but was told I could sit here… Should have left

The food is amazing
The service is nice and the atmosphere is just amazing
Just every time I go the hibachi chefs look like they just want to get this over with and ruins the experience a bit

It was our first time eating hibachi. The meat and veggies were good. The rice was blah. Not much flavor. The sushi was good. The spider roll was very good. Good atmosphere. Bathroom was clean.

Good food, except the lunch pricing is presented alongside dinner pricing. This wouldn’t normally be a glaring mistake if there wasn’t a markup of almost double the lunch price. Service is alright at best, with chefs being friendly and most management being downright rude.
It’s one thing to have good food and poor service, but service that is offensive like this venue’s is unforgivable.

Mediocre sushi, not the freshest though had really good service with a nice waitress that was fun. Disappointed in the «green tea» ice cream which I’m pretty sure was vanilla ice cream that was dyed green. Also didn’t like that they put whipped cream on supposed green tea ice cream as this is an American tradition not a Japanese one. This did not cover the fact that it was still dyed vanilla ice cream.

Very disappointed.
I’ve been to Japanese Hibachis in different parts of the country and it’s always a dining «experience» and while you pay more than you would for the average dinner out, you usually leave stuffed (and I usually have leftovers). And you definitely leave entertained.
Not the case here.
We went as a group for my birthday and the food tasted at best– ok, but the cooking part of the experience was BORING! There was no showmanship, no interaction, nothing. It was like: here’s the raw food, here’s the raw food on the grill, let the grill cook it, plop it on your plate and there ya go.
Some family said they had previously gone there and the experience was awesome. But after our night, I’d never choose to go back.
Portions were a lot smaller than I expected, too.
However, the reason it gets a 2-​star from me instead of 1: they do have a fun little birthday candle flower that is lit on some fried ice cream. Pleasing to the eye for sure, but the taste of the dessert is not that great. The fried dough is too doughy to even cut through. But it looks pretty.

My boyfriend and I ate here for our anniversary yesterday. We had to sit with 4 strangers which was odd; especially because we wanted a nice romantic meal together. The hibachi chefs do they best they can to entertain you as you wait for the food to cook. My boyfriend ordered the Dragon roll and he loved it. Well worth the money for a nice night out.

Horrendous service. Food is super bland. Way overpriced. Never, ever coming here again.

My boyfriend and I love this place! We eat here every week. All the servers know us and our order now. Sometimes with new servers, they get our order wrong (we split a hibachi meal for an additional charge and sometimes they only bring us one plate instead of two). The portions are kinda big, but if you share a meal, its just the right amount of food. The hibachi is great and so is the soup and salad (amazing dressing) that comes with it. The fried ice cream is also delicious. Our bill is $ 29.68 for a split meal and dessert and we drink water so we don’t have to buy a beverage.

Walked in and waited to even be noticed. Not busy so why isn’t there a hostess to greet people? Finally someone came over and sat us at a booth in the bar area. Never saw a waiter/​waitress again. Got up and walked out. Will never go back. Too many establishments offering good service to waste your time on this place.

My wife and I went here last night; We were craving some good sushi. So this review is for the sushi only, we did not have the hibachi.
We had the clear soup, a side of hibachi noodles, vegetable tempura, the SAWA Roll, the sweetheart roll, and the lobster roll. I have to say that the sushi was OK at best. The Sawa and lobster rolls tasted a bit fishy. The sweetheart roll, which had tuna in it, was… I don’t know the word… gooey, maybe. The tuna didn’t have a good consistency, it was very, very soft.
Just like there is no good pizza in southern California… there is no good sushi in NE Ohio. I may have to try Cleveland or Pittsburgh, but those are a long way to go for sushi.
On the good side, our waiter was really nice.
And even though we didn’t have the hibachi, we were right next to the hibachi tables, and I need to know… are the chefs-tossing-shrimp-into-guests’-mouths and the onion– volcano still necessary? It’s 2011 man. Come on.
Letter grade: C–