Tokyo Wako Arcadia — Restaurant in Arcadia

Ah, Tokyo Wako in Arcadia, California—the place where fire, knives, and soy sauce come together in a dramatic performance that somehow results in dinner. It’s not just a meal; it’s a spectacle. A high-stakes culinary magic show where the magician is a guy in a tall hat who can flip a shrimp into his pocket like he’s been training for the Hibachi Olympics.

But let’s get something straight right now: the edamame. The edamame. I did not travel 2,700 miles from New Jersey just to dabble in some average soybean experience. No, I came for these edamame—steamed to perfection, salted just right, and somehow achieving that rare feat of being both simple and transcendent. You can keep your truffle fries and artisanal tapas; I’ll be over here, in a Zen-like trance, demolishing an entire bowl of these little green miracles like a raccoon who just discovered an unlocked dumpster behind a sushi restaurant.

Now, of course, the main event is the hibachi. If you’ve never been to a hibachi grill, here’s the rundown: You sit in a horseshoe-shaped formation around a giant hotplate while a chef with the reflexes of a fighter pilot juggles knives, sets things on fire, and casually roasts a zucchini midair like it owes him money. There’s onion volcanoes, flying shrimp, and at least one moment where you realize that yes, you are a grown adult getting squirted in the mouth with sake from a squeeze bottle shaped like a little boy. And you love it.

The food? Fantastic. Steak, chicken, shrimp—whatever your heart desires, grilled up right in front of you with a flourish. The fried rice alone is worth the price of admission, with just the right amount of crispy bits that make you wonder if you should start cooking all your food on an enormous grill in front of a live audience.

The atmosphere is lively, the staff is friendly, and the experience is a perfect blend of dinner and entertainment—because where else can you get a full meal and a front-row seat to a guy flipping an egg in the air and catching it in his hat like it’s just another Tuesday?

Would I come back? In a heartbeat. Would I fly cross-country again for the edamame? Without hesitation. Tokyo Wako: where the food is great, the show is fun, and the soybeans are worth the price of a...

January 24th, 2025, Friday night Upon entering this restaurant, we were greeted by a young male & female host the restaurant had a 45-minute wait but the bar area which had tables and small booths had a twenty minute wait we decided to go to the bar. As we were heading to the bar the male host told it was only a ten minute wait and that he would come get us when a table was available. We had a couple of beers that were overpriced.

After waiting about twenty minutes we had not heard anything so we walked back to the host station, and was told by the male host we could sit anywhere we liked. I was not happy at this point. The male host working this night seemed to be out of it

Once we were seated the service from the waiter was pretty good. The food was okay but not worth $23 for some lightly fried chicken tempura strips and a small salad. My partner asked for a small salad, and we were charged $5 for a small bowl. We will not be going there again. I hope this review helps the next person that patronizes...

This place has really gone downhill, unfortunately. We used to enjoy eating here. Tonight was our last time. The inside and outside feel very dark, musty and aged. The prices have doubled in the past 5 years with a teppanyaki steak, shrimp and scallop entree costing $57 for one person. Every fried rice upgrade is $5 per person. The sushi rolls are $20 and up. We got stuck with a cook as old as Biden. There was absolutely no entertainment/show. We may as well have sat in the kitchen. We asked, "Will you be juggling the utensils at least?" He thought we asked for him to toss us a shrimp and said, "No, people can choke." We explained again what we meant. My son even rolled a fork on his finger just like they usually do with the spatulas. The cook ignored us and finished up, cleaned the grill and left. Boring! I spoke to the managers and they said, "sorry, he's been cooking a long time". They then offered us free ice cream scoops as compensation. I don't think this restaurant can stay in business much longer...