Osaka | Sushi & Hibachi — Restaurant in Fargo

I learned about Osaka Hibachi Restaurant in Fargo, ND from friends, some had mixed overview on the service and was warned not to patronize the establishment due to discrimination. In spite of the warning, I still considered going with my family, one Sunday evening December of 2012. Our grandson then mentioned that it was one of his favorite restaurants and went on further explaining how the management would come up with birthday fun fares for their customers. My first experience at the restaurant went very well from food to the service and everyone appeared to be as cordial. However, there was one distinct feature among the front liners, that one could not help but notice. No one was smiling. With the exemption of the Chefs!

On my second visit, VERY recent visit, I organized an intimate birthday gathering for a dear friend. As I learned that they do great birthday gimmicks too. Gave carefully detailed instructions to the Matre 'd that this was a BIRTHDAY lunch gathering for a friend therefore letting them know it was SOMEONE's BIRTHDAY!!! I gave specific instructions of where the celebrant was supposed to be seated so every one would be aware and in the hope that the management would work with me in making this a memorable one. (the birthday celebrant happen to spent 8 years living in Japan so therefore she knew every single type of sushi, sashimi etc) Instead, to everyone's dismay, we were assigned to an order taker who barely smiled or pleasant at all! Her body language was enough to conclude that this gathering was not going to go as planned. We were served the wrong type of sushi appetizer, not a single apology from the Matre 'd again, obnoxious in manner. Lastly, I (including the rest on our table) witnessed how the 2 other Hibachi tables were given the 'special' attention including the birthday fun fare. I could not believe how they missed out on our table.

The only consolation that could come out of all this bad experience was how good, pleasant and friendly our Chef was and his name is Josh! As for the rest from the order takers to the Matre 'd, I think they know...

DO NOT GIVE THIS RESTAURANT YOUR BUSINESS, BECAUSE THEY ONLY CARE ABOUT GETTING YOUR MONEY AND ARE WILLING TO CALL THE POLICE WHILE HOLDING YOUR CREDIT CARD WHEN YOU GET UPSET ABOUT THE SERVICE, NOT THAT THEIR CUSTOMERS HAVE ENJOY THEIR RESTAURANT. The past couple of times we've eaten here, the service has been terrible. Between mixed up orders, inattentive staff, hibachi chefs that are completely unenthusiastic, and this final time where they held on to my credit card and called the police saying we refused to pay because of being upset with how they handled a gift card, they showed they're more concerned about getting paid than ensuring customers have a good experience. On the night of 3/4/2019 a friend, her son, and I went to Osaka for hibachi because we had won a $50 gift card. Osaka refused to take all $50 off the gift card and only took $40, refused to take advice to leave the $40 charge on the gift card, charge it the extra $10 and change the charge on my credit card accordingly. The server and manager then voided out both transactions, making the $50 gift card worthless and telling us the gift card didn't work, and when we became upset due to them screwing up the charges they called the police saying we refused to pay without informing us of what was happening. After sitting for an extra 20 minutes without any updates about where my credit card was or what was happening, officers arrived. Talking with Fargo PD officers, there were no charges that could be brought because the server was still holding on to my credit card through all of this and we had not refused to pay for services. The manager refused to apologize for escalating a situation beyond all reason with upset customers while effectively holding us hostage by refusing to give our card back or even asking if the total amount could have been charged to my credit card, and was still accusing us of trying to steal despite continuing to hold onto my credit card when I asked to politely talk with him. We will never be returning, and recommend that nobody else visits to avoid an embarrassing...

How can I begin? Are zero stars an option?

I cannot comment on the food, because I didn't eat here. Upon entering the restaurant, I noted that I was part of a reservation- a celebratory party, and I was early about 5 minutes before the reservation. I was first asked how many were in my party and then told I would not be seated until they arrived. I found this odd, because I saw from where I was standing that two hibachi grills were open. The man, who I can only assume was the manager if not the owner, was extremely curt/short with me from the get go.

As the rest began to arrive, a large group of more than 10, the rudeness continued. The reservation that we had was apparently to difficult for this "manager" to handle. We received extremely rude service. We were asked to order for people who had not arrived, told we would not be seated until our entire party arrived, and told we needed to "decide who was eating hibachi and who was eating sushi." When we questioned this "manager" to explain his requests, he became infuriated. For more than 40 minutes, our large group was stuck in a lobby not much larger than a closet that was stuffy, warm, and uncomfortable. We weren't given the option to order drinks at the bar or even review a menu even when requested to basically order our food before we were seated.

I would not recommend this restaurant to my enemies let alone total strangers. The service here is complete and utter garbage. Do not patronize this establishment. The manager is horrible to customers and his staff. If you are a glutton for punishment, this is the perfect restaurant for you. However, if you are interested in eating hibachi with a pleasurable experience, drive a little further down the road to Kobe's to receive top notch service and phenomenal food leaving Osaka where it should be- in your rear-view mirror. I hope this review helps others from suffering the...