Koki’s Teppanyaki Grille

Went here with my hubby and daughter for dinner through a family recommendation. The food was unflavorful. The fried rice needed extra soy sauce. Everything else did too. My scallop was undercooked. The chef rushed through our order which left everything undercooked and tasted blah. Also did one trick with the onions and that’s it. Also the sauces were watered down completely. Maybe if I never ate at Benihana’s then I wouldn’t know what to expect in terms of food expectation but I have so… If it weren’t for the customer service of our server, I’d give it a one star. Very disappointed.

Dinner reservations for a graduation meal. It’s just like what Benihana used to be. Shrimp was well cooked and the steak was fine, but didn’t taste any the teriyaki.
The usual show is fun, flaming onion, the flipping of the utensils and tossing of the small vegetables. I noticed we had our fried rice bowls flipped for us, but the other table didn’t get the same treatment. I guess it depends on who your cook is. So dinner and a little show for roughly $ 30 bucks a person.

We decided to try this place out when Benihana was all booked out. Delicious and extremely friendly servers! I would definitely recommend!

I recommend getting the salmon with rice. They are generous with the food and you can share a dish with one other person and still be full. There is some showmanship, the chef will throw things in the air and make you catch it. Veggies are good. I’m not sure how much oil they use but everything tastes OK.

This place is very homey and has delicious food. They provide so many different combo plates and are willing to accommodate to your needs if you have any allergies. I always get the NY Steak and Lobster combo which comes with fried rice, shrimp, salad, soup, and grilled veggies. You cannot leave this place hungry. They are always packed but always have seating available. We have never had to wait longer than 20 minutes for parties of 4 – 6 people.

My family has been coming to Koki’s for 15 years. Our kids loved it as entertainment when they were very young and we all enjoy it today because the food is consistently great. We recommend this restaurant for good food, cheer, family, and friends.

My best friend took me here for dinner on a random Sunday afternoon. We had no reservations, and we were seated immediately — we arrived right when they opened. Our server was attentive and friendly and made sure that our beverages were always filled to the brim.
I ordered the Vegetable Delight which I found to be quite delicious. The portion was large and filling — noodles, some grilled vegetables, and tofu. I was surprised however that my meal did not include the additional grilled vegetables that all the other meals at my table received. That was slightly disappointing because those grilled vegetables looked awesome!
Other that that, the teppanyaki show was on point, food was delicious and flavored perfectly, and the price was reasonable considering you’re getting a good show too. I’ve been to other teppanyaki restaurants and found this location to be just as enjoyable as the other ones.

Came here a couple weeks ago for the first time for my sister birthday. It was on a Monday, I called the night of to make a reservation not knowing if it was like Benihanas. They took us right away. The service was great. Gabby was our server and she took great care of us! The food was great. The fried rice and noodles were my favorite. We will definitely be back again and I will ask to sit in gabby’s section!

Koki’s is Very hospitable from the host, bartender, server, all the way to the chef.
It is One of the few Teppan places that don’t serve sushi.
Alcoholic mixed drinks are served in small glasses, not a good value for the cost.
Parking can get tight on busy nights.
Had a great time as the staff seemed completely vested in their roles. The food was really tasty. Our table was heavy on the NY steaks and Scallops. The Scallops were large.
Recommended.

My husband and I absolutely love this place. They recognize us every time and treat us like family. They had a second location (in Irvine) that we frequented, then when they consolidated to the one we migrated over to this one. Family run and you can tell. They’re always busy during the weekend, but the wait is never too long as they have tons of tables. The service is always perfect and the food is always amazing. I love their chicken and shrimp combo, my husband loves their steak and one of their seafood choices. Food is always fresh!

Always a good time at Koki’s! I would definitely recommend this place over Benihana. Great fun atmosphere. if you come to celebrate a birthday like I did, you can sign up for the birthday package and you get a ice cream for the birthday person and a $ 20 for certificate for next time! They also take your picture and put it up on the wall in the lobby area right away. Food is prepared perfectly, and I recommend getting the fried rice workout the veggies cooked in and then topping it off with a lot of Teriyaki sauce. Cooke are extremely friendly and funny! All around great food and entertainment.

I can’t believe I’ve never written a review for Koki’s! My family has been coming here since we moved to Tustin in 1998. We’ve seen it go through many changes over the years; the current owners are the original owners from when it first opened. The exterior looks the same but the interior has expanded (more teppanyaki grills) and the restrooms are now located close to the front of the restaurant instead of the back.
The prices have gone up a lot over the years too, but for a weekday lunch, it’s still okay. You get a decent amount of food (including both soup and salad), and it’s a fun atmosphere. Their peak/​busy times are weeknights and especially weekends.
Service is fine, but there is not much interaction with waiters/​waitresses anyway; it’s more important that you get a fun/​skilled chef. It’s not the best teppanyaki I’ve ever had at Koki’s, but it’s definitely tasty and a solid offering.
Come for the experience, or in my family’s case, the nostalgia! It’s impressive for any restaurant to still be around after so long (this year marks the 20^th anniversary).

This place is awesome from the staff to the chef John this experience is amazing. I came here on my 1^st date with my now husband and they still remember us. They are able to make every family event we come here for absolutely amazing. Although we love to food here we continue to come for the amazing and welcoming staff. If u get a chance to come by ask for John he’s awesome !!!

Thanks again for making yet another family birthday memorable. My family loves this place. If u guys get a chance to stop by ask for John

We had the best time ever!!! I laughed so hard I cried!!! and the food was great! I will be going back her for sure!
get a group of 8 so you get your own table :)

We went there Friday night in Family (part of 4) I had reserved before as it was the first time for us there. We didn’t wait and the only challenge was to find a parking stall!
The restaurant was recommended from a friend of my wife’s, and I am grateful she did. The food is good, the show is awesome and the kids were delighted. I sent pictures to my Aikido sensei and she thought I was in Tokyo. It is really exotic.
Tip: put your clothes directly into the washing machine if you don’t want to smell teppanyaki all night long!

It was my boyfriends birthday & i wanted to surprise him with something yummy. My boyfriend just so happens to be a super picky eater. I wanted to get him something different. And I thought to myself… Habachi. I usually always go to Bennihana, but i looked up the reviews and they were shit. So i winded up finding this Habachi joint, and it is AWESOME! Everyone was super friendly and helpful… our chef was super funny and entertaining. I think i gave my boyfriend a perfect first habachi experience. Ohhh… Plus free ice cream and cute samuri hat for my birthday boy :3

I really wish I could give this place 2.5 stars. 2 seems a little harsh and 3 is just a too generous.
A little over a week ago, we visited Koki’s for the 2^nd time. At first, we were having a great time. Jonathan helped us at the bar while we waited to be seated. He made a mean moscow mule! Not to mention was fun to chat with. After about 15ish minutes, we were seated with a party of 3 next to a large group celebrating a birthday. Viktoria took our order. She was very polite.
We sat for roughly 15 more minutes before our drinks, salads/​soups and appetizers were brought out. We started with the calamari and vegetable tempura. The people sitting next to us were served the wrong appetizer & from what I could tell, never received what they actually ordered. The veggies were good. The calamari was a little tough but still edible.
40 minutes later, our Teppan Chef finally arrived. He was very nice & did his best to get the other party involved like we were. They weren’t really having it, so I kind of felt bad for the guy. We enjoyed ourselves though!
We ordered the more expensive of the Combo for 2 selection. Our meal came with lobster tail, chicken, shrimp and steak. Everything was cooked to perfection. We both ordered fried rice, which was delicious.
This is the part I’ve been dreading including in my review. By the time our food was cooked & served, we the last people in the restaurant. Not because we showed up close to closing… but because we had to wait over an hour for service AFTER being seated. I’m really not the type to clock watch, so the reason I’m sure it was an hour (plus) is because of the TV programming. Koki’s has multiple TV’s throughout their restaurant. One conveniently right in front of our table. We watched an hour long show from beginning to end, after we were seated, before our chef arrived.
After we finished & paid, we started talking with one of the servers. She apologized for the delay & explained one of the Teppan chefs had left early, so they were short handed. While we were waiting, the large group next to us were severed several rounds of drinks «on the house». We found out while chatting with a server that they too had waited exceptionally long & were very upset. She then said «management wasn’t going to do anything for them, so I suggested we offer a few rounds of drinks. They weren’t happy about it, but I couldn’t let these people be upset.»
That sits really really uneasy with me. It is not the customers fault when a restaurant is short staffed. This party had to easily have spent over $ 250 on food alone (that would be with ordering the cheapest thing on the menu… which I witnessed they very obviously did not do), not to mention the multiple rounds of drinks they bought themselves. And management wasn’t going to do anything to make up for providing a less than satisfactory dining experience? That’s just unacceptable in my book.
I’d like to say that we’ll be back, but I honestly just don’t know right now. Everyone else was so wonderful & so was the food but I can’t get «management wasn’t going to do anything for them» out my head. I guess if we do return, I’ll just have to have fingers crossed nothing will go wrong…

My family has been to our fair share of hibachi restaurants. Actually, we go to a lot of them, probably more than the average family. I’m a sucker for the fried rice and my kids love the show, therefore… we’ve been many different hibachi restaurants in the Bay Area. We were in Disneyland for my twin’s 12^th birthdays. They wanted to go to a hibachi restaurant for their birthday dinner, so I chose one closest to our hotel, which was in Santa Ana. Of course, I searched out places on Unilocal and this looked like the closest and best choice. I made reservations for 6PM on December 30^th a few days before.
Unfortunately, we were running late to the reservation. We had checked into our hotel late, had to find an ATM, didn’t know where we were going… you know, the usual when you’re in an area you’re unfamiliar with. We arrived to the restaurant around 6:15PM. The host (I’m assuming the owner) was very nice and checked to see where she could seat us. We waited no longer than five minutes before we were seated. We were at a table right next to the waiting area/​bar, but from what I could see, it looked like the restaurant was pretty big.
The waiter came over right away and took our drink orders. We looked over the menu, they have the standard hibachi items on there. They also had sushi, I believe… I didn’t really look at that. I was surprised at how many different combinations they had for the hibachi. Most places have one entrée item dishes, combination entrée dishes and that’s it. They seemed to have even more options. My twins are older now, so no more kid meals. Both of my twins ordered the shrimp and chicken plates, my youngest daughter ordered the kid’s steak and my boyfriend and I did the meal for two. The meal for 2 included chicken, steak, shrimp and lobster tail for $ 60, which I thought was the best deal out of them all. We always all upgrade to the fried rice.
Our chef’s name was John. He was a little quiet at first, but once we started talking to him, he was really talkative about places in SoCal and asked what we were visiting for. The food was cooked really well, he put on a good show and was friendly. Always a nice experience for this type of dining. They really put the heat on with the fire volcano and just across the table in general. A few years ago, my twins would have freaked out. Luckily, they stayed for the show and we still had our eyebrows in tact.
We were all exhausted from the drive from the Bay Area early in the morning and being in the park for half of the day. My twins didn’t want to be sung to, so we didn’t pay for the birthday package that they offer. We all had a nice time though and were happy to have found this place to dine at when visiting SoCal. I’m sure if we’re in the Santa Ana/​Tustin area again, we’ll visit this restaurant!

I attended an office Holiday lunch party at Koki’s in one of their private room. Koki’s has refurbished their restaurant has been modernized… Really nice!
The staff and chef were so friendly and entertaining. The only negative was that we had a private room and there was only one chef cooking at each table at one time… not good! We had anticipated this problem… and had requested that we have at least 2 chefs cooking at the same time and they had confirmed that our request would be accommodated. Umm, did not happen!
However, the food was fresh and delish… I had the shrimp, salmon, veggies, fried rice and miso soup… Scrumptious! Since there was a wait for my staff to be served their main entrée, I ordered an appetizer of Koki’s variety tempura for each table.
It was just disappointing when one of three tables is ready for dessert and our third table hasn’t been served their main entrée. Hopefully, Koki’s will improve on their party planning. Koki’s is A-​OK for a party event.