Hibachi Express — Restaurant in Big Spring

Okay, so I'm hanging for the evening in the Walmart parking lot (trucker), and I feel like some food other than my usual store bought cold food. I look up "food near me" on The Google and I see Hibachi Express right across the parking lot... serendipity?

So, I peruse the reviews, which for the most part are encouraging... I decide to take a chance. The ambiance is that of a strip mall restaurant, which it is, so you can't ding them there too much. The service is counter service, not a fan of it, but it has its place (especially when it come to take out). So, I order, and the counter person is not super inviting, but not put-off-ish either. She takes my order, which is all sushi rolls and pieces. I tip a twelve percent, which for counter service (I assume) is sufficient. Then I tip the sushi bar a couple bucks as well. I go outside and wait with the pager (I knew those would make a comeback!).

My order is done reasonably fast, and I pick it up at the counter from another counter staff who is much more friendly and the original person was also nicer as well. I took my order and was off and looking forward to some sushi!

I get back to my truck and unpack my food only to realize that there were no chop-sticks, soy, or napkins... not a huge deal, I am only a football field and a half away from the restaurant, so I stow my food in the truck and head back to obtain the necessary accouterments. They are to the left of the counter, like the creamer and lids in a coffee shop.

Now, I'm no Karen, but had I been going back to a motel room where I had no utensils or sauce, this would have been very unfortunate... a deal breaker, if you will. So, I ate the sushi, a couple Alaska Rolls, a Christmas Roll, and 4 salmon sushi pieces. So, my opinion is, go for the rolls as the salmon sushi pieces had obviously been sliced earlier and NOT wrapped in plastic because they were dry and somewhat flavorless.

Having said this, I have eaten my weight in sushi and, while I'm not a snob, I am kind of particular. So, in summation, the rolls were decent, but the slices of fish were not only NOT freshly sliced, they weren't even wrapped up to keep them fresh-ish... not great.

I didn't eat any of the cooked food, so I can't comment on that part of the menu.

Give them a...

Happily Surprised by the wide selection and quality of food. Very affordable, good sized portions.

I was passing thru Big Spring and happened to see this place on Google Maps. I decided to give it a try since it was right on the way thru town.

When I entered the restaurant, the insides were nice, it looked modern with TV's and digital menu screens. I placed my order at the counter, asking for a Hibachi combo that just had Steak and Shrimp, no chicken, and was rang up promptly. I expected there might be an issue since I didn't see that on the menu, but it wasn't. I added an onion soup to the order which was only $1.50. Many items on the menu, as far as egg rolls and soups were affordably priced at $1 or $1.50.

After just a few minutes the food was brought out to the table. Everything was hot, portions were large, and all the vegetables had good flavor. There was a small utensil area that had several kinds of sauce, including a cayenne sauce, bowls of ginger sauce at the register, and I asked for a container of Teriyaki which they promptly ladled from the kitchen and brought up front to me.

Criticisms, I wont say anything was bad, but a few thing could have been improved on. My Hibachi steak was a bit dry, but probably because it was smaller pieces, thicker chunks would probably cook better. The shrimp were good, although there were only 4 of them. I noticed in the advertised Chicken, Steak, & Shrimp combo photo there appeared to be at least 8 and I had a combo with no chicken, yet only 4 shrimp.The service at the register was good, but one employee didn't really come off as friendly, was quiet and non talkative. Lastly the chopsticks I got were splintering, I opted to use a fork and spoon which I rarely do at an Asian restaurant. I actually got a splinter in my finger.

Overall, the entire experience was a good one. I saw other tables with sushi that looked excellent. My food was fresh, hot and tasted great. Prices were fair, service was good, location was good. I only mention the minor things because it would potentially bring this place up to a 5 star.

I would definitely stop here again when...

I ordered a meal to dine in and the staff was polite and courteous. After about 15 minutes, I witnessed one other customer open a to-go box, hand it back and expressed that it wasn't his. The staff member took it behind the counter and then brought it to me. I asked the cashier if this was the same item that was returned and she told me that it was, but "It's ok. He didn't touch it or anything."

I requested a refund immediately and they voided the sale without complaint. I'm very happy to say that it was very professional, though no one admitted fault.

Out of frustration, I decided to give you a review based not on the food or services rendered, but the lack of respect shown towards the customer when employees thought he wasn't intently watching.

In saying that, I wasn't a frequent customer but I visited once a month or so from the time you folks opened in Big Spring. I have decided not to return, indefinitely, and will disuade friends and family from eating at your establishment in the future. You should better train your employees and instill some sort of positive morality in the decisions they make, if not for the sake of your business, then for the sake of the health of...