osaka sushi hibachi steakhouse

open late!. a friend and i ran in late one evening looking for some warm sake andgreatsushi. the sushi side was almost empty so we had no wait in getting down to our food choices. the service was a little off putting at first. most places to eat around town have a warm greeter and friendly waiter that will do their best to chat things up with you. not here. they were very to the point and rushing from one side of the place to the other.
however, we where also rushing to get food with an hour left till closing. the sushi was simple (not slathered in sauces) and refreshing. my doubts about their service turned when our food was done and it was closing time.
we wanted to finish off with a little warm sake before going out into the cold and the server behind the bar had no worries in staying a little late to let us relax a little. everyone was very kind and quietly cleaned up around us as we drank and joked around a little. everyone was smiling and did not rush us at all.
overall, i would definitely go again. the food wasgreatand the space is comfortable. :)

i love the sleek decor of osaka! been here a ton of times for sushi and hibachi! their lunch menu is inexpensive and i love ordering 3 rolls for $11 deal! their sushi options are fabulous and taste fresh and delicious! their teriyaki and tempura are also wonderful! i really enjoy their hibachi and i think the prices are extremely good for the different options available! i have been to a lot of high end hibachi restaurants, and i do tend to think their hibachi chefs lack some entertainment value! i do enjoy their sake shots tho! overall, it's agreatplace to go for a funky night out!

duluth's idea of japanese fine dining?. dinner at osaka last night was ok. i was the only one in our group of 4 that had ever had japanese of any kind. i was entertaining guests from out of town. friend of mine and her hubby and my hubby. we did the hibachi. they also have a sushi bar and just general dining and you can order anything there, including hibachi or sushi. at the sushi bar you order sushi, hibachi table you order that, etc. that's all pretty normal from my past experiences which have been in minneapolis. fuji ya, ichiban and a couple others but they have been quite a while ago.

the menu was odd to me for what is supposed to be a pretty upscale place. nasty, plastic, multi-page thing like a greasy spoon diner menu, and we were expected to order immediately after being seated. when i am at a fine dining place and dropping a lot of money i do not want to be rushed. i understand about the grill but still.... it's supposed to be an experience.

first the chef lit the oil on the grill on fire and took us all by surprise. it was hot! i swear my eyelashes got singed. i think that is their big flourish or wow factor and what they call entertainment.

the chef didn't use any knives, just big spatulas and threw food around on the flat top grill and got a fair share off the grill and unservable (i think a flat top is tepanyaki) not hibachi, lol. correct me if i am wrong on that.

so nogreatentertainment with that. i personally thought he was a clown and found him more annoying than anything. he continuously flipped food to people trying to get them to catch it in their mouth and most hit the floor and they also squirt sake into your mouth with a plastic squirt bottle and countdown until you can't take anymore, kind of like a beer bong thing. that did not impress me. a sake glass would be a lot better.

was the sake good? i have no idea. it's been so very long since i have had sake. it tasted to me like a very light white wine with apple cider vinegar.

the other places i have been to, the meal came in courses. small iceberg salad, which i liked because of the dressing. soup came at the same time so it got cold, and it was a clear broth with a mushroom slice or two in it. absolutely flavorless. warm water. then fried rice, noodles, 2 sm/med. shrimp, vegetables and a long time between each of them. they were all tasty. notgreatbut good i guess. i ate because i didn't want them to get cold but i noticed everyone else waited for their main... steak or whatever. by that time everything else was cold.

we each had two dipping sauces. they were both quite thick like salad dressing. one tasted like ranch to both me and my friend and i think it was. the other was the same dressing that was on the salad. orange ginger puree of some kind which i happen to like a lot. i really like fresh ginger. she did not. normally my hubby does not like fresh ginger either, but he liked the salad. go figure! i didn't really know what to dip in them. i suppose the shrimp. they were good to me as they were and were cooked well. not overdone at all.

i think we each got maybe 5 total tiny (julienned) pieces of broccoli and zucchini, neither of which i normally like so i dipped them in the ginger dressing and they were good. just not enough of them.

i ordered steak and lobster. med rare. my friend ordered steak well done, my hubby ordered swordfish and i do not know what my friend's hubby ordered. the guy next to me ordered steak and lobster, also, rare. nice, friendly guy! we had some good laughs! so that was a bright spot.

when the chef placed the meat on the grill i noticed that the steaks were very thin (i like and 1 - 1 1/2" at least) and the swordfish was very pale and gray. maybe that is how it is supposed to look?? i am not an expert on swordfish and my hubby had never had it before. very small lobster tails. 3-4 oz?

so then our steaks and everything came up and he threw that on our plates and again some people missed some food. as normal it's all cut up. in this cased diced. i got 3 or 4 small pieces of lobster. my steak and the guy next to me who ordered rare, we both got mid well+. it tasted very good but was way overdone. hubby said his swordfish was very, very fishy. he loves fish of all kinds. is swordfish supposed to be that strong?

not sure what my friend and her hubby thought of it all. it was new to them and my hubby. it certainly wasn't like other japanese restaurants i have been to, but then this is duluth, lol! actually there is some really good food to be had here. but it was new experience so... even if it wasn't great, it was something new and a new memory we can maybe look back on a laugh about some day.


would i recommend osaka in duluth? i don't know. not to anyone that has been to some really good japanese teppanyaki or hibachis. the food was neither bad nor great. just not worth the price of the "show ticket". there really is no show. maybe if you go and just eat in the regular dining room. there is also 2 other japanese places in duluth. one is pretty good but it's not fine dining and the other i have not tried and to my knowledge they don't do the grilling show. it's more a sushi bar i think and noodles and other dishes.

i can get the same amount of food or even quite a bit more at outback for $12.99 or $15.99. and they know how to cook agreatsteak there. we should have gone to outback!

entertaining!. went there for my 21st b-day and had a blast! we sat at the hibachi grill and our chef wasgreatand was very funny. he actually seemed like he was enjoying himself. now it comes to the food... the food was great, a little expensive but worth every penny due to the entertainment. i will be going back whenever the opportunity arises. give it a go and see what you think.

rude manager, entertaining chefs. i went to osaka with several friends for a 21st birthday party. several of my friends were not completely hungry and asked for a few sides instead of a huge meal. the server took our order and a minute later, the manager returned and demanded that at least 7 of us order large, expensive meals or the chefs would not come over. now it was a sunday night and not a crowded night, so if the chefs were not coming over, i'm not sure where else they were going...some of my friends finally agreed to spend more money so the damn manager would leave. i had actually ordered something from the kitchen, that was supposed to have crab meat on it and when it arrived the crab more resembled the imitation crab that you would purchase for $3 at a grocery store, so i have a hard time believing that it was real crab. i don't appreciate the restaurant taking advantage of myself and my friends because we're young. just because we're young doesn't mean we're idiots. the thing that saved me from going insane was howgreatand entertaining the chefs at the grill actually were. awesome entertainment! i would just recommend not ordering anything from the kitchen at all because you can't see how it's made or what they're using (or not using) in your food...

when you want exotic when in duluth. i've been eating at osaka, monthly, since they've opened. i really enjoy their sushi, and i have eaten sushi in somegreatrestaurants acorss the country. i prefer sitting at the sushi bar for fast service and to chat with the chef and see what fun things he recommends. i've always hadgreatquality here.

when we go to the hibachi side (usually with friends/family for a special event), we always have fun and get good food. we only get the filet mignon or shrimp, because it's not much more expensive and is guaranteed a delicious and tender cut of steak. i love how they squirt saki into your mouth across the grill -- i especially love it when you get uptight looking women and grandpa's to loosen up and play along. they come in with a frown and leave laughing and smiling.

i prefer the ambience of osaka over the other sushi places. it's more intimate and less noisey. also like that it is more convenient to get to and park.

we've always hadgreatservice here. i must follow up and say that we usually only go on sunday or weekday nights. we just know we will get better tables & service at any restaurant.

10-28-2011. we had a wonderful server who helped me understand how "this all worked" at the hibachi grill. the food wasgreatand presented well by our hibachi chef. our group had an entertaining fun friday night.

great atmosphere!greatgreat staff, and awesome food! me, my husband and friends had an amazing time and so much fun. after our experience i will try to find any excuse to go up there and have a ball! if it's your birthday they turn on disco lights,sing and give you dessert! can't wait for our next visit. i'm bringing way more people next trip!

this resturant is a must see it was just a blast. would be agreatdate/b-day or anaversary dinner make sure to make reservations for the habatchi its a must. i dont like shrimpmbut now im a baliver in it all how you cook it and that wasnt all i had its by far the best japanise food i have had :)

depends on the day. i have been to osaka 3 times. the first withmy husband-greatfood,greatexperience. second time was just me and my 4 year old. it was awesome for him. we were theonly ones at the table and got a personal chef for dinner :)
*third time was a different story. a group from work went and had a reservation well in advance. they made 2 people from our group sit alone at another table because they would not pull up more chairs. in addition, the other two were made to wait for their table to fill before their order was take... they left.
what was the point of them taking a reservation for our group if they could and would not accommodate us?
i recommend this to a couple or small group. not for a party or larger group.
overall poor customer service.

finally!. we have been frequent visitors to osaka steakhouses in the twin cities and are thrilled that they have actually made it to duluth. love the food and, even more, thegreatfun we always have at the hibachi grill with family and friends. very filling meal, very entertaining, both at a reasonable price.

great for duluth!. our family had agreattime at osaka! a christmas gift to our kids was a trip to the hibachi grill (6 kids). they had agreattime. we all tried different sushi and menu items. it was fun had by all. the staff worked hard and we will be back! thank you!