Koto Sake Japanese Steak House and Sushi — Restaurant in Columbia

Koto is a NO GO!!

Sooooo disappointed in this place!! Visited this restaurant on a Friday around 6pm.. The decor is unimpressive, the food even less. We were seated for hibachi at a table where the others were ashley being served. I'll just say when the waiter FINALLY got around to the 4 in our party, he took our order, disappeared and returned with drinks only and mine was wrong; how do you bring a plum wine when the customer ordered a Blue Hawaiian (when the correct drink was delivered is was green & thick, due to too much pineapples juice. ) By the time the soup and salad apps came (after I complained to the manager about not having them) the chef had already begun cooking. The ginger salad dressing was watery and ginger-less, but at all worth the wait. And the hibachi?? Tasteless!! From the rice to the proteins - it was bland and burnt. I wasn't sure whether or not they know the correct order in which to prep and serve hibachi because we received plain fried rice with soy sauce, then he cooked my lobster, the steak, followed by the chicken - backwards. The chicken should've been started first as it takes longer than everything else. Next, he cooked lo mein noodles, and only then started the veggies. This is when he did the onion volcano bit, which, unfortunately, he was never quite able ignite - a bummer for the kids. In the end, the veggies were pretty much raw and again tasteless. This guy never used the usual garlic butter, only used cooking oil; and food certainly needed SOMETHING. After all that was prepared, our sushi arrived. My fiance did say that was tasty.

Enough said?? NOPE!!

The chef came back to cook for the other side of our table and though he cooked their food in order, he quickly burned their salmon, chicken and steak!! Everyone's steak was med well!! Lol!! They also had to request their salads, soup and utensils. They complained the soft drinks were also awful, syrupless, mostly carbonation. They were serving soda with only the "pop" in this place! That group was fortunate in that the owners (??) who eventually brought their appetizers did stick around to help with their service. We didn't receive that same attentiveness, even after complaining about the missing food. Still, they didn't receive enough utensils so we kindly passed our unused chopsticks to them so they could start eating. No chopsticks. At a Japanese steakhouse.

Adding insult to all these injuries we had to request the check, having waited over 15min AFTER eating for the missing server to reappear. He did a driveby dropping the $177.00 check. But before it could be signed, he comes back quickly (can you believe it??) to switch the check, explaining he forgot to add gratuity and he will receive half and the chef receives half. They added gratuity to a party of 4??!! Although we've never left less than an 18% gratuity ANYWHERE, this place didn't deserve 10%. So, returning with a different check, tip added, did not sit well with us. At all. I guess he knew they were terrible and deserved almost nothing, so they tacked it on.

I think this is the longest review I've ever written, for what was easily one of the worst dining experiences I've ever had. We actually developed a sad comraderie with the others at our table, all of us incredulous of the shoddy service we were receiving!! Koto Sake should've paid us to eat there!!

I couldn't WAIT to get home to shower and wash that burnt smoke off my body. I had to hang my clothes to air them out before throwing them in the laundry room. They stunk up the car driving home. Why?? Because their ventilation system was only half-way working. That's 100% better than the food and service we received at Koto Sake Japanese...

Edit: This edit is for Bo who responded to this comment. Whose name I did not know until your response because as I stated, you were not friendly and did not bother to introduce yourself to us. I want to be clear when I say this; you not only lack customer service skills but you also are lacking in both honesty and integrity. My account of the events that occurred were not false. Clearly indicated by your very lengthy response in a sad attempt to vindicate yourself. Although I don’t believe you learned anything from this experience since you could not simply accept the fact that you were in the wrong here and apologize for your actions, I do hope that you choose not to harass another customer for a tip in the future. I worked many years as a waitress, and relied heavily on tips. HOWEVER I always understood that it was not my customers obligation to pay me. I was grateful for every tip I received because I knew it was not a guarantee. You are the 3rd server in my lifetime I chose not to tip and this was a direct reflection of your behavior towards me which was inexcusable. Your character is clearly as nasty as the food was.

This location was suggested by a friend in order for us to celebrate a graduation for our children. I decided to give it a chance even after walking in and immediately seeing a broken fountain with a yellow cone sitting inside of it and seeing that the chairs and decor were incredibly aged and worn. Once we were seated the floor beneath us was covered with broccoli and other food particles. Again, since we were dining as a group with children and this location was a suggestion I chose to stay in spite of my better judgment. The waitstaff was incredibly rude and impatient while we were ordering and did not seem too thrilled by our party. The experience did not get any better as the evening progressed. The food was rushed, under seasoned and the vegetables were barely cooked. The seafood was overcooked and inedible. I chose not to complain, again due to the fact that we were dining with children. Once the bill came I simply paid for my food without issue because at this point I just wanted to leave and enjoy a good meal. I initially gave the waiter a visa gift card, he came back immediately after and said the card “declined” I asked how could it decline with a full balance? He then restated his answer and said “we just can’t take them”. At this point I am beyond fed up and ready to go so I just told him don’t worry, I will pay with my credit card. He asked me to follow him to the front and pay. I left cash with my daughter at the table for a tip (which was NOT deserved) and followed him to the front to pay. He then watched me sign the credit card slip and saw that I wrote “cash” on the tip line. He grabs the book and said “Oh, is the cash on the table for the tip?” I have NEVER had a waiter ask me for a tip directly. This felt so rude and beyond disrespectful. I was disgusted by the entire exchange so I told my daughter to keep the cash tip. As we are walking out the door, the waiter FOLLOWS me out the door and asks for the tip!!! The food, service and experience itself wasn’t even worth paying for let alone including a tip after being disrespectful. I believe his aim was to somehow embarrass me in front of the group but all it did was make it clear that we were not wanted there and would not ever be back. Only go here if you want to feel discriminated against while eating hibachi that makes mall hibachi seem like a high class dining experience and get harassed by the waitstaff...

Honestly, this place was a thorough disappointment. I was excited when I saw that there was japanese place that delivered to me that also featured sushi. When I placed my order I thought the tab of 23 dollars for sushi and six buffalo wings was overpriced but I figured the food would be worth it. Upon getting my food, after the tip I'd spent 25 dollars for lunch. When I called I asked for extra soy sauce and wasabi. Instead I got none of either. After I opened my sushi and took a bite, it was overly warm and fell apart as I picked it up. The pieces were small and unlike most sushi places, the rolls came with six instead of eight. The rice was bland and it was honestly the worst sushi I can say I've ever had. Then I moved onto my wings after I gave up on the sushi after two pieces that I only endured because I was ravenously hungry. When I took a bite out of the wing I discovered they were not fully cooked and extremely pink inside. I really don't know how this place manages to stay open with food and deplorable service like this. I wouldn't recommend this place to anyone and if you know what's good for you, you should steer clear. Truly a massive disappointment and they should be ashamed of the service...