I think this restaurant needs a new Manager. Review sugested that reservations be made for the hibachi part of the restaurant. In trying to do so, the establishments doors were locked before 2:30 (which the sign said they were opened until), and they did not answer their phones during regular business hours. When I finally got a voice messaging system, I left a message. No one returned my call. Arrived at requested time with a party of 8 and was told the answering system didn’t work. It was a birthday celebration which turned amuk as they could serve us for several hours. When talking with the manager, he didn’t even apologize for the equipment failure. This establishment won’t be around long!

I have been here 4 times and have left very full. The Dragon and Spider Rolls are very tasty. Service is a bit slow, but if you order a few rolls at a time everything works OK. For $25 AYCE, you make some sacrifices.

Waitress was begging for extra tips….manager was speechless…it made a big scene! unprofessional,bad services,& bad waitress!

I was quite surprised to read some of these negative comments because it was very decent sushi. There’s a few things to keep in mind…anytime you go for an all-u-can eat sushi situation, you’re bound to have some sacrifices….such as a fairly limited menu and fish that isn’t of the absolute highest quality.

But with that in mind, you order off the menu (so its all made to order), there is enough on the menu to please everyone (the hibachi selections will please even the non-fish lover) and I have never in my life gotten that much fish in my belly for 30 bucks. Period.

So for all you nay-sayers out there who demand the most premium sushi on the plannet – go elsewhere and spend $100 + downtown. I’ll go here and have some darn good raw fish for a fraction of the cost.

My fiance and I have been dining at Beni Hana’s many times before and knowing that this place was similar and closer to our house we decided to give it a shot.

We were greeted by a white male older in his late 40’s to 50’s and he talked us into the all you can eat and swore it was the same as the al la carte menu.
We sat down and I did not see anything I liked on the all you can eat menu so I asked our server if we could see an al la carte menu. The menu was way different and had so many other options.

The service was horrible. As a server myself I have to work very hard for my tips and always give good customer service, not here at all. The server, which I am not going to disclose any names, had the bad broken English and did not seem to listen to our wants at all.

I ordered steak and shrimp and I ordered my steak medium rare. It came out well done. I worked at a steak house so I know what it is supposed to look like. I got the wrong food she brought out steak and chicken. She was not friendly at all and did not deserve the tip we gave her.

The atmosphere of the place was horrible. It was very umwelcoming and extremely uncomfortable place to be. It felt like they did not even want us there.

I am not a picky or needy customer. As I mentioned earlier I am a server so I don’t act that way. But I do like good service and for people to work for a tip.

The cultural and language barriers are very obvious in this restaraunt.

I have been to Akita Sushi on many occasions and have not been dissappointed as of yet.

The food is always great and the service outstanding! I’m sure at some point I will have a day there that is not so wonderful. But I have found that at any place I have dinned after dinning there enough times. We all have bad days and good days.

You people really should get a life and stop whining!

Oh, the person that began their review with " Not worth the trip " You probally were " not worth the trouble "

The complainers, complain to everyone. The happy people say little it seems…..

I drove past this restaurant several times and wanted to try something new…..big mistake. The dining areas is very loud as there is noise from the hibachi room: drums, yelling, clapping, etc.. The miso soup was very salty – I could not eat it. The sushi was mediocre at best. The spicy tuna roll was not spicy. The rolls has little flavor.

I will stick to Sushi Tango which is a just up the street, always fresh and always delicious.

I know it was the 4th of July, which is why I called to find out if they were open, and for how long. I was told by the hostess that the latest they would seat new customers was 8 pm. We left our home in Eagan and drove immediately over to Woodbury, we arrived shortly after 7:30. Upon arrival, we were greated by the friendly hostess, who told us that they weren’t seating any longer. I explained I had called, and she remembered me.

The manager (I like to call Lurch, as he has as much personality and charisma) with the infamous red rose in his pocket, informed us that they were closing early (the closing time on the door was 11pm). I explained we drove all the way from Eagan to try this resturant. He said that they just made the decision to close down early, but offered us to order al a carte. We said no thanks and left.

I called back after we left, and the hostess was very appoligetic, and explained that the manager had simply made the call to close down early, and didn’t fully expain to the staff what that entailed. I told her that was fine, but I would be adding to the bad reviews. I will not attempt another trip back, as I can see my business is not wanted. Not worth the time..

If your looking for a good Hibachi and sushi at a great price, try Osaka in Apple Valley or Eden Prarie.

Manager (with flower) was brusque. The waitress was good – a little slow. We went around 2:00 p.m. on a Sat. We were the only people eating hibachi food at that time. The chef was very friendly and put on a nice show for us. Although there were people there taking pictures which was annoying but they stopped once we gave them looks of disgust.

This place has potential. Might not run right back but would definitely try in a few months or more.

After reading the reviews i was rather surprised so i decided to go try the food myself.

Right away when walking through the door we were greeted by an adorable hostess with big curls in her hair, she was very friendly and helpful. She was quick to describe the two different menus to us and made us feel right at home. Being seated wasn’t all to difficult, the hostesses all described how it could take some time, we sat at the bar. The food was wonderful, i will have to agree that the waitress we had never knew english all that well which was rather frustrating but it didn’t change that the food was wonderful!! The wait on the drinks also took some time and the people next to us were getting somewhat angry, the bill wasn’t all that bad for the great food! When we left the same hostess asked how our meal was. It was a very nicely decorated place i would tell anyone that its great!

My companions and I marvelled at the quantity and quality of the food we received at lunch for $14.99. The salmon sushi was especially delicious and necessitated seconds. We also tried the edemami, miso soup, cold tofu, white tuna sushi, salmon, avocado and tuna hand rolls, California and Rainbow rolls, shrimp and vegetable tempura, and one of the udon noodle dishes. When done we didn’t have room for the dessert offerings that were included in the all-you-can-eat price.

The waitress checked with us frequently, but forgot elements of our order, and was slow to deliver the last of it. Beverages were refreshed often.

I didn’t quite understand the manager’s greeting (which my companions interpreted as a brief explanation of the all-you-can-eat option — although no alternative was presented). Perhaps it was off-putting that I mentioned having read reviews when asked if we’d dined there before…I was refering to the positive one in the Pioneer Press, but he may have interpreted it to be a reference to this site, which has been less than flattering in its characterizations.

My companions and I will definitely return!

After mixed reviews I decided to try this place. I was not impressed at all. The food was bland and the service was average.
We tried the dumplings to start which were decent.
The spicy tuna roll did not seem fresh. It had very little taste.
The salmon roll was the best. Recommended if you go.
Good color and presentation.
Sake list was OK but our server had no idea about the different descriptions of sake.
Not a good experience overall but I know it’s a new restaurant.

I had read the mixed reviews on this restaurant but my husband and I still wanted to give it a shot as we have yet to find a great Japanese restaurant in our area. We were very pleased when we walked in and saw the nice environment. Our server was friendly and tended to us quickly our entire visit. My husband ordered the all you can eat buffet and enjoyed many items from sushi to beef teriyaki. Everything it ordered he enjoyed. I ordered a beef entree from the menu and was pleased with the quick service, hot food, and delicious flavors. We did not wait for anything on our Satruday afternoon visit. As we left things more and more people were filling the restaurant , we were pleased to see things going well or this establishment as we plan to return many times.

I would agree with some that the service is still getting up to speed. But the food is excellent, and the all you can eat price is very reasonable.

I’ve been there 3 times in the last week (4/25/08) for lunch. I would agree that the kid at the front door (who is not the “manager”, BTW) comes across a little stiff. Give him a break. He is just a kid and means well.

2 of the 3 times, I’ve had great service. Once, I don’t think the waitress could understand english very well. I got the right food eventually, but it was a struggle.

I’ve eaten at dozens and dozens of sushi restaurants all around the country, and the nigiri here is as good as any. The rolls are a bit sloppy, since they are put together a bit hastily, but they are tasty.

There are certainly nicer sushi restaurants in the twin cities, but you’ll pay a lot more and get a lot less. For Woodbury this place is great. The prices are very reasonable. I predict in another month or so you won’t be able to get in the door at lunch time. Word will spread quickly.