Tokyo Wako has been the go-to place for my family for birthdays. We have been coming here for years. Tokyo Wako, which also has a location in Pasadena, is a Japanese Teppanyaki(鉄板焼き) restaurant.
I wouldn’t criticize this place that much, since my family and I have a special connection. The staff is friendly, its a fun environment, and we generally have a good time. The show and experience is marveled with the fire and the quick knife work.
Unfortunately, this is not the place I would choose to go with my friends. The hand rolls are the popular trendy rolls that like the spider roll with soft shell crab, the dragon roll with tempura shrimp, and other fad rolls. I do admit, some of these combination’s taste good. But I think my palate is past that.
Like those rolls, I don’t find the teppanyaki shows all that interesting anymore. Yet, when you are there, your eyes are drawn to it. Also, there’s so much fun that you can finish everything in one sitting. With my mixed feelings, I do like the dipping sauces for the meats. Anytime you can dip your food into something, I think it is pretty fun.
What to Order: Steak and Shrimp is good.
What not to Order: Chicken – I think chicken is overcooked and too tough in teppanyaki
Rating
1 pigs, $$
Tokyo Wako
401 E Huntington Dr
Arcadia, CA 91006
(626) 447-8761
Popularity: 2% [?]
Two years in a row my family made a reservation here for a private room for my brother's birthday, and both years they claimed there was no reservation. They are either incompetent or liars. Even though that was more than a decade ago, I've never gone back. I have been to the one in Pasadena many, many times since then, though, and it has always been good, if not exactly mind-blowing.
Yeah, I'm not a big fan of the place either.