Takara Japanese Restaurant — Restaurant in Canton

My friend and I went to dinner at Takara last night and it was a highly negative experience all around.

For context, I was a server when I was in university so I consider myself a very good patron when it comes to eating out and I try to be polite and nice because I know how hard this job can be. I also did not head into this place expecting Michelin greatness but I was absolutely not expecting this.

Service: The waitstaff were extremely unfriendly sullen and brusque, to the point where it felt like we were being singled out. There were very few tables so it wasn’t because it was busy. I also understand there could have been some language difficulties but language difficulties and providing good service are not mutually exclusive.

Some examples:

when we came in there was no greeting. No welcome. Nothing.

I ordered a beer and the waitress responded with just a “no.” I asked again and got the same response. I finally pointed at the menu and said this was on their menu and only after some back and forth did she finally say “we’re out.”

nobody checked on us once we got our food. Trying to flag down someone was ridiculous, especially given that the servers were standing behind the bar area idling. At first trying to catch eye contact, then waving a hand in the air (which one of them saw and ignored) and finally to calling out “excuse me” multiple times before someone came over with the worst attitude, as if they were annoyed.

little things like water and a request for a bag to hold leftover containers were not acknowledged and we had to remind them to bring it over.

After that, they built an actual TOWER of menus on the bar to block our view so that they didn’t have to see us. We were the only table being blocked this way. Please see photo below. My friend had to get up from the table to walk over to ask them to bring the aforementioned bag to us.

I cannot emphasize enough how rude and sullen the waitstaff were. I was shocked at how openly disdainful they were. I am not exaggerating: it felt like they outright hated us.

when clearing the table, the server took the squeeze bottle which contained the sauce for the bibimbap and shoved it right into the dirty dishes. This was a bottle which should be kept clean for other people to use.

the tables to the right and left of us were left dirty after the customers for those tables left and never cleaned off. Again, the place was not busy and the waitstaff were literally just standing my around behind the bar doing nothing.

Food: I ordered the okdol bibimbap, which was fine. My friend ordered the chicken teriyaki and when it arrived, it was a rubbery mess. Thoroughly overcooked to the point where it was chewy and dry. We ended up sending it back because it was so bad and ordering something else.

I really don’t take any pleasure in writing this review but the service was so unbelievably bad that I felt that people need to be warned of this. I urge the management to take this feedback seriously as service is such a critical part of the overall dining experience and the low quality of it at Takara has squarely placed this restaurant into my...

A classic reborn in Canton! Takara was known for many years in Canton as the go-to Sushi restaurant in the area.

A local gem having moved just down the street from its original location into the famous DD in the center of town. As I dined this evening it felt weird - having seen the view a million times while sipping a Dunkachino. But trust me, it is sufficiently different now.

Dark wood, dark colors, clean lines and many mood lights transform what used to be a local coffee shop into a very sleek, modern Japanese sushi spot. Clean and modern with tasteful decor and a mix of today's hits & Japanese music make for a great dining mood.

Seaweed Salad, Dumpling Soup and a sushi boat (read: board) for 2 was perfect for us. The food was delicious and fish was simply divine.

I went to the old location for years, I'll continue to frequent the new one as well. Just keep in mind, parking can be tight....

I used to get the ramen soup at Takara for take out all the time. It was nice clear chicken broth, big pieces of chicken, actual ramen noodles and beautiful fresh and beautifully cut bright fresh vegetables with a fried egg. This time I got murky miso soup with regular spaghetti pasta noodles in it and a half boiled egg and no vegetables except baby spinach which I think was supposed to be a substitute for seaweed? The person on the phone who took my order was rude and didn’t even listen and kept getting The numbers wrong when I tried to give her my phone number . She would not let me pay on the phone as she literally said she was too busy. I work hard for my money and I know when I am getting ripped off. How do people think they can get away with that? I used to go there all the time, now no more. So disappointed and still can’t believe they let that soup out the...