Ginza Japanese Steak & Sushi Bar

I really don’t know how to rate this. Note there has not been a rating in 3 months.
I’m not a big teppan yaki fan. Yet I was sitting in this restaurant on 11÷15÷15.
And it was NOT Ginza. It was «Chuan Lu Yuan» (Chuan Lu Garden) — a Szechuan Chinese restaurant that I’ve been frequenting for a few years whenever I visit Orlando (I live in Kansas City).
When I arrived, I was shocked — the doors to Chuan Lu Yuan were locked! Omg, had they closed? The sign said — check out Ginza doors.
So, I do, and walk into a teppan yaki place, but the «cook shrimp and throw it into a woman’s blouse and everyone laugh… no not so much» tables were silent — and indeed the fiery Szechuan cuisine I love so much was available.
This was Sunday lunch. Is Ginza still alive in the evenings? I do not know.

After reading all the reviews… I decided to take the family and give it a try. After all, the reviews posted previously are a mix of the worst and best experiences. I told my wife to go in with an open mind. Some of the reviews stated that service was horrible. Many commented on how they sat at the bar and/​or waited a while to be greeted by the hostess. I was craving a Japanese dinner and I did not want to drive all the way to Kobe. We arrived on a Saturday night at 615pm. The famous smell that others have commented on in previous post greeted me at the front door! We waited for 15 mins for some one to greet us. We then sat at the bar hoping to get a drink while we waited for a table. At 645 I lost my mind and walked over to what appeared to be a manager and asked if he had a bar tender. He said yes and pointed to a man serving a table. 10 additional minutes past and I asked politely but firm if I needed to pour my own drink at the bar or should I just leave. 10 mins later another random person that was busting a table previously walked over and ask if he could pour us a drink. Finally we are getting some where… Well… After 3 mins of translating the English language to request a Vodka and Sprit to the nice gentleman and translating the words Red Wine! He poured us two Martinis. To add more insult he added a splash of coke to our drinks… I’m a relatively calm guy. I general do not show myself in public. But tonight I think I could have been arrested and or on America funniest home videos.
… when he kindly smiled and slid my drinks over to me I thought for sure someone was going to tell me I was on candid camera reality show.
Nope!!! This guy was 100% proud of his service and I lost it.
I love Unilocal… And I am believer of free speech. But whomever commented that this was the best place for sushi or Japanese steakhouse must of had visited A different place than I just did.
I’m baffled that they are still open… dumb founded that they can even pay their bills and just completely at odds with the breakdown of «Red Wine» and a splash of coke.
I left and drove to Nola Sushi… where I should have gone in the first place!!!

Went during the lunch special. Ordered Kung Pao chicken that came with an egg roll and a choice of soup. The wonton soup was flavorless and fell apart on my spoon and my main meal barely had meat. It was almost all fried batter (?). The sauce tasted otherworldly and indescribable.

Worst service I have ever encountered in Orlando. My group sat at the bar for a couple of drinks and what ensued was most deplorable and apathetic service I have ever encountered. The guy behind the bar must be a relative of the owner because he simply doesn’t care about his patrons or his job. Everyone ordered in sequence, however after everyone was served I was left staring down at an empty cocktail napkin. I politely asked for my drink once again, but the bar tender was too bothered or inconvenienced to serve me. He simply acknowledged with an «ok» and walked off to attend to other matters. We decided to leave after this and were force to wait an additional 30 minutes for the bartender to come out of the back. With mop and bucket in hand we flagged the bartender down and told him we had to leave quickly to catch a gallery event next door. He simply said «ok» and proceeded to mop the area behind the bar. So disgusted with the service we approximated what our bill was and simply left cash on the bar and left. If I could rate a zero star that would be fitting of this establishments rather offensive customer service– not to mention the value of what our bill should have been.

I tried getting a seat at one of the hibachi tables and the manager refused. None of the tables that were just seated were full. I guess he doesn’t want my money.

Horrible service. If you are not Asian they will not serve you for hours. They do not listen to you, and you must repeat yourself multiple times. I would even recommend this place to any American that I despise.

I went to Ginza a few months ago for the hibachi, and I thought the food (chicken and rice) was great and reasonably priced. However, since then I’ve been to Ginza twice and never even gotten a seat. Both times I’ve walked out with my small group after waiting at the hostess stand for five to ten minutes to get a hibachi seat.
Just tonight we waited for five minutes and when the host finally came, he told us that we would be seated with a larger group. That’s cool, no problem we thought. But, instead of collecting us when the larger group was led to their table, the staff left us sitting at the bar. We really didn’t want to then go sit ourselves awkwardly at this other group’s table.
So we left and went to Hawkers, where we received excellent food and service. Take away: just go to Hawkers.

Sushi Lacked something. Friend got the teriyaki box and that was pretty good. $ 7.50 for lunch. 3 stars for cleanliness and a good location/​parking.

Nothing about it stands out from other hibachi restaurants. Service was ²⁄₅. The server was rude and would just look at us when we ordered drinks and food. The cook was ³⁄₅. He kept getting food on people which is kind if embarrassing. And when he was cleaning the teppen, it was so disrespectful to the customers eating when he lifted up the sides. Overall, the drinks were delicious and there is a big portion of food.

I would not recommend Gina if you are near 50/​Colonial. We ordered warm sake, it came cold. We ordered shrimp tempura and there was only two pieces of shrimp. The sushi ordered wasn’t that bad with the exception of the squid, which was extremely chewy. There’s many more restaurant

Ginza is a hibachi grill and sushi bar located at the corner of 17 – 92 and 50 in the little Asian district part of Orlando. Much like its competitor, Kobe, Ginza is primarily hibachi tables, with a small area for regular dining. I’ve been several times now, mainly at the suggestion of others, and it is just never quite perfect.
First off, there are two entrances, and if you go in through the back, you’re immediately in the dining area and have to find your way to the front. If you go in the entrance directly located on 50, you’re at the right spot.
Each time I’ve been, we’ve been seated immediately, and usually the only ones at the hibachi table where we’re seated. Only two or three times have I been seated with people outside of our group.
The cooks prepare the food right in front of you on the table. The portions are huge, and usually I don’t make it through even half of my food there at the restaurant. If you go in during their «Early Bird» specials time, you can get chicken, steak and shrimp for around $ 15. If you order sushi, that’s made separately and brought over usually between salad & soup and your main course. The salad is good, but the dressing isn’t as good as Kobe’s, and the ingredients never taste quite as fresh. I think the dressing makes them a bit soggy looking and tasting. The miso soup is very good, though! For dinner, you get rice, noodles, and veggies with your meat. It does cost extra if you wish to substitute extra veggies in place of rice or noodles, or if you want to get just one type of veggie. I’ve never ordered dessert here; by the time dessert is a thing, I’m so full off carbs that I can’t stomach the idea of eating another bite.
Their drinks are pretty averagely priced, but nothing particularly special about them. They do offer a full bar, which is pretty nice.
So, why the 3 star rating? Well. If you don’t mind dining in a place that smells pretty yuck (moldy mop meets Asian cuisine), and you’re ok with your food being so salty that you have to drown yourself in water, then by all means, go forth and enjoy! But, there is a reason this place is typically empty; the food isn’t as high quality as Kobe, nor is it as fresh tasting, the smell is pretty off-​putting, and if you’re hoping for the same type of dinner show as Kobe, prepared to be let down.

Looks like an awesome place from the outside, but when you walk in, the place smells kinda weird. You know when you clean the floor with a moldy mop? Something like that so it smelled like moldy soy sauce; it was kind of a put off, even more so when we walked into the restroom; it was disgusting. One of the toilets had overflowed, and the other was just; I don’t even want to go into detail, there was only one decent stall and we had to wait just to use a reasonably acceptable toilet.
They were not busy on this particular night and we had to wait well over an hour before we were finally fed; granted, we were a rather large party but people who had arrived after us were already finishing up by the time our cook arrived at the grill.
I ordered the calamari and chicken habachi combo and the cook had forgotten my calamari and it was the last thing to be cooked so by the time I got the calamari, the rice and noodles were already cold. Our waiter was great though, he really was the only reason why I’m giving the place 2 stars.
There are better places on mills to eat that are cheaper and wont have you waiting an eternity for food.

At lunch time, this is a nice compromise spot for friends with varying food preferences. The restaurant schizophrenically combines the themes of authentic Szechuan, Americanized Chinese Food (aka strip mall Chinese), Japanese Teppanyaki, sushi, and bento style cuisine. If you have a friend that hates all that, then your friend is a dick.

At dinner time, Ginza is a font for hilarious hunger adventures, average fare, constant confusion and mix ups, served with warm cups of don’t give a fuck. They have a full liquor bar but can’t quite make it go. The Teppanyaki* is a travesty. I have tried to order from the Szechuan menu a time or two, but they always tell me I wouldn’t like that. If I want shitty Moo Goo Gai Pan, I’ll go to Panda Express; give me those goat lips; I want to try it!
I once ordered a cocktail as follows, «I would like a vodka soda please. Do you have Tito’s?» The young server from the Far East, looked confused, so I immediately changed the order to Stoli vodka. She left and later wandered back from the bar asking if I wanted the red or the black. I’m thinking, well, Stoli comes in a bottle with a red label, so «umm, the red?»
Only after she left again, did I realize me saying Vodka and her saying Walker (as in Johnny Walker) sounded the same to each of us. I ran to the bar and stopped the waitress (no bartender) from pouring a big glass of Scotch. She then poured a nice stiff Stoli soda, and I was satisfied.
This is my review.
*Lots of people call this style of cooking hibachi. I always think of a hibachi as a Bar-​B-​Que grill, and this leads to many heated debates. Imma Google this one day.

Went here on a weekend with a group. If it wasn’t for the group, I would not have stayed. As soon as you walk in, the place smells. And not like food smell, but something like dirty sewer water. Maybe it was the makeshift fish pond they had that hadn’t been cleaned in awhile. The host took forever just to come up, and it wasn’t just us. There was a line of people behind us waiting too.
Anyway, when we finally get seated, we are near the hibachi. At least at this time, the place didn’t smell like an old sewer considering we were seated next to where they actually cooked. The server took out orders, and then went about her way.
I didn’t get my water refilled, my girlfriend’a order came out and it was wrong. And… My order never even came out! After I complained, all of a sudden my food was ready. I did not take it since everyone at the table was already done eating. Needless to say, I went home hungry!
Heard some good things about this place, but I will never go back. The smell, the service. Just horrible. Good luck of you decide to go.

Since there isn’t a Kobe downtown, Ginza has become an acceptable substitute for hibachi when I don’t feel like straying too far from home.
The food is pretty good. I usually get filet and scallops and my steak has always been cooked to a perfect medium rare. The other components of the meal aren’t as good but hey, it’s cheaper and it’s close.
Here’s my main problem though…
I have a severe shrimp allergy. Food allergies are a BIG deal for those of us who suffer from them. It’s not one of those «gluten allergies» that 75% of people all of the sudden suffer from because it makes them feel important. No. Shrimp for me equals instant throat swelling to the point of closure. When dining at places where there’s a chance of cross contamination I make this VERY known to the hostess, server, food runner, chef… Etc. After informing 3 employees during the last trip I took to Ginza, the chef started preparing shrimp on the grill before any of my meal had been prepared. My boyfriend immediately informed him (again) that since he didn’t follow orders correctly, he was going to need to clean the entire grill thoroughly before preparing my food. Now sure, maybe there’s a small language barrier, but the chef acted like we were annoying him, grabbed a wet rag and barely wiped only a PORTION of the grill. Seriously dude? Needless to say, I went home hungry.
I hate being an issue. I won’t even send food back if it sucks. But they need to learn to take food allergies more seriously before something unfortunate happens.

It seems this app doesn’t allow half stars!
The place smells and the food tastes like shit.
I will never come back’
It’s true what they say! If you want the real thing go to the place that invented it
I miss you Kobe!!!

Is there such a thing as an authentic Japanese Hibachi Grill? I don’t know, but I ask because I only see Americans venturing out to places like this or its rival Kobe steakhouse.
To compare with Kobe, I’d say they are pretty similar. Mostly the same items on the menu. They have a full liquor bar. They have sushi too. And if it’s your birthday, you get a discount.
The cook goes through the same entertaining act, while cooking your food, that Kobe does. If I didn’t know better, I’d think this place was owned by Kobe.
I can’t complain about any of their food. The ginger salad is tasty and the miso soup. They have my favorite Nigori saki. I always try to get the filet, and it comes out very tender and tasty. We always have leftovers for a couple more meals too, and the filet is still tender after heating it up a couple times at home! If you think the meals cost too much, the 2 – 3 meals I could turn it into makes it cheaper.
Something I like, is even if you are a couple there alone, they’ll still fire up the grill for you and go through the whole act. When it’s more crowded, you could end up sitting with people you don’t know, which I think I do enjoy better.
I am sometimes worried they aren’t getting enough business when I come. I can’t remember the last time I saw the place remotely even half full. Hopefully they are making enough money from their adjoining 2 restaurants to keep things going.

Bottom line: If I didn’t come here with my entire office for lunch, I would have turned and ran out the door within the first five minutes.
Located off of Colonial, you can’t miss this building. They advertise huge pictures of their steak, sushi and cocktails. I dined in with 12 co-​workers and we sat around two adjoining hibachi tables. Entering the restaurant in the middle of the day, it was dark, empty and had an old food smell. Like a grill that had not been cleaned or an exhaust fan that went out. There is ample seating, a bar area and a water feature that had what looked like leftover Christmas garland. I was surprised that a restaurant of that size was so empty at noon on a Friday.
I briefly considered the sushi special but after reading other Unilocal reviews and my Ops Manager urging us to «stick with the hibachi». I went with the hibachi lunch special with chicken and shrimp. The menu stated it comes with a house salad and house soup for $ 8.95, which seems to be a bangin deal so I had reasonable hopes.
Our server, a middle aged asian woman with a thick accent moved to each seat very quickly and I had just enough time to order my food before she slid to the remaining seats and off to the back. She was very agitated that some of the guests were getting up from the table to take business calls after ordering and exclaimed to our side that «he needs to sit in the same seat» when he comes back for his order. She also barked at me when I inquired what kind of soup she was presenting to me and I informed her I had an onion allergy and could not eat the soup.
She didn’t offer me anything different. She just looked at me sternly and scolded me for not telling her earlier because the chef «puts onions in the shrimp.» Umm… sorry for having a severe enough allergy that needs warning?
Our chefs came to the tables and had personality. It was a pretty standard hibachi show with cliché catchphrases. Their personality was probably the only redeeming feature of this review. The chef did exclude the onions from my food, but unfortunately excluded it from the entire table’s food as well, which disappointed me as I made that request to her personally to keep from alerting my entire office that I had «special needs».
The food itself was good. Average I guess. Nothing to write home about. I had a headache less than 45 minutes of leaving, meaning there was a substantial amount of MSG in there somewhere. I won’t be back and I recommend you don’t go unless you like being barked at by your servant and feeling sick less than an hour later.

Update. All four of us had the Hibachi special for 13.95. Chicken, Shrimp, AND Beef (not one– all three!!!) (This special was still available recently.) Portions are HUGE– especially of the noodles (I think Udon noodles or slightly smaller…), and the fried rice. I’ve posted some pics of the chef making it right at your table. That’s always fun. And, my gosh, SO much cheaper than the chain that made it famous. Say you don’t want the grill at your table? Half the restaurant is dedicated to that too.
Suprises here? Very accomodating when we wanted a slight modification to the order. Spectacular waiter. Big portions. No wait. Newly opened (they have some pictures outiside the building that make it look 30 years old– they’re all faded. In fact, the restaurant only opened in December 2009.
I’d certainly recommend. And, I’d recommend the special

I plan on coming back for the hibachi, but this review only involves the sushi bar.
I like the interior of this place. At lunch it feels a little sparse, but overall it’s nicely decorated and feels pretty big. Our waitress was very nice, and quick with drink refills and whatever we needed.
We ordered the tuna kobachi to start, and then three rolls: Orlando, Hawaiian, and Valentine. The kobachi was a little odd, as the tuna had a stiffer than expected texture, almost as if it was half frozen. It wasn’t though, it was barely lower than room temperature. So I don’t know what to think about that.
The rolls were all a good size, especially the Orlando Roll. They tasted pretty good, but I really wasn’t «wowed» by any of them. It felt like something was missing, but my lack of food critic vocabulary and tasting ability makes it impossible for me to vocalize what it was.
The price was right though — the tuna kobachi, two bowls of miso soup, three specialty rolls, and a drink came out to less than $ 40 after tax. For sushi, that’s a pretty good deal!
I’ll be coming back here, but I honestly don’t know if it will involve sushi next time. Overall, a good experience although maybe not a memorable one.