Osaka sushi &steak house — Local services in Augusta

As an Augusta native that was raised on in the South Augusta/Hephzibah area, I was more than elated to learn that we would be getting a new restaurant that is not the usual fast food fare. I firmly believe that we have to support the vendors in our immediate vicinity. We cannot strive for change if we do not support the restaurants that are different. For that reason I decided to give Osaka a chance.

Upon entering the establishment I was greeted by a nice server/hostess that seated us immediately. I was given a menu and was flabbergasted at the prices. The prices are higher than the hibachis in Evans and National Hills. This stuck out as odd to me because there is no actual hibachi grill for patrons to sit around. It is also odd because of the economic makeup of the clientele in which Osaka aims to serve. In my opinion $24.00 for a bento box is absurd. Especially in a lower income area. I personally would not recommend Osaka to any of my colleagues or peers based on the pricing structure alone. The food just doesn't warrant the prices.

I settled on ordering chicken teriyaki and a vegetable tempura. My husband decided on the Chicken Katsu. Both options only come with rice so I choose to also sample the noodles as well. When the food arrived I was more than disappointed. The portions were "okay". The Chicken Katsu was mediocre at best but it did have a wonderful crust on it. The rice on both plates was shockingly pale and unappetizing to be "egg fried rice" served at a hibachi restaurant. There was little to no seasoning and there was absolutely no "smoke" or "charred" caramelization that you would expect of hibachi style rice. The noodles looked and tasted like spaghetti noodles that were soaked in a mixture of oyster sauce and soy with a sprinkling of black pepper. It too had no flavor of "hibachi".

The "teriyaki" was a soupy disaster. While the chicken was a decent texture, it definitely wasn't grilled or seared at all. It seemed to be steamed and then surprisingly thrown over a huge bed of green onions, white onions and carrots. The natural liquids from the vegetables created a plate of watery soupy unappetizing mess. It seems not to be cooked with teriyaki sauce but just laid on the plate with teriyaki sauce dumped on top.

I did not eat any of the food besides to taste the few items mentioned. The ONLY saving grace was perhaps the tempura. It was fresh and crunchy. It was the usual fare of "seasonal vegetables". The only issue with the tempura was that there was asparagus in the mix and it was hard and unable to be chewed.

During my short dining experience, the nice aforementioned waitress came to check on us once to bring food and white sauce. HOWEVER, the other waitstaff seemed uninterested. A young woman yelled "Are ya'll okay?, What about ya'll ?!" from her perch at the bar. She didn't bother to get up and address the seated patrons individually. The young man that rang us up seemingly didn't care that we hadn't touched much of our food at all. He did not ask if the food was okay or inquire as to why we hadn't eaten. He brought boxes and the check.

All in all, for $60.00 I would expect a better experience for myself and others. The experience was bad enough for me not to want to try it again. The level of hibachi is below par even when compared to "take-out" express hibachi places. Which leads me to my final opinion: Osaka is a "take-out" hibachi restaurant. Do not go here expecting a nice sit down experience that the prices and menu would seemingly suggest. I'm extremely sad to say that I cannot recommend this restaurant at this time. This area desperately needs more dining options but this does not hit the mark. Sadly, I would advise to travel to Martinez or Evans for better...

I'm so excited to have a restaurant like this on this side of town! The prices were very reasonable for the lunch menu as well. We got chicken/shrimp hibachi with veggies, rice and noodles, all excellent. Also got the pork belly katsu which was so tasty! And I got a couple sushi rolls (the only thing I remembered to take pictures of).

I will say, almost everything was pretty bland on its own. However, each dish was paired with a unique sauce that really brought the food to life. I think this is great for people to adjust their levels of salt/flavor for their dietary needs! Once we dipped the food in the paired sauce, it was all delicious. My husband even said it's the best we've had in Augusta! The fried rice and soups were flavorful enough on their own, but the meats and sushi rolls benefitted significantly from the sauces. The rice in the sushi though was perfectly cooked and seasoned.

I might order some extra sauce for my sushi next time but overall it was all very fresh and delicious. My husband also said he would opt for a dinner portion for his hibachi next time because he wished he had more of the chicken and shrimp, but I thought it was a reasonable portion for a lunch serving and the rice, veggies and noodles were all very generous portions.

We got carryout, but when I went in by myself to pick up our large order the staff greeted me very sweetly were so kind to help me carry my order out to my car. From the outside the place looks a bit uninviting because of the window shades, but it's a very clean welcoming atmosphere inside (in no way reminiscent of the huddle house that used to be in the building). We can't wait to...

Wish I had taken a pic I order 2 plates to go for me and my mother 2 hibachi with salad I added chicken and shrimp. I gave my mom hers alone of my girlfriends came over I offered her some of mine, when I opened saw mostly rice only 3 shrimp maybe 8 tiny pieces of chicken y’all im not exaggerating. Small portion of vegetables. Paid $42. For 2. When you go please take a pic. I’m not into social media that’s why I forgot to take the picture. First habachi I ever went to where there was hardly any meat. $20 for some rice. They were extremely nice yet stingy with meat. I hate I shared 😝 didn’t see that one coming I saw her plate. I felt bad. Where the heck was the meat. I’ll pay extra gas and go to another hibachi like Kinky Sushi very good...