Kabuto Japanese Steakhouse — Restaurant in Goodlettsville

Decided to take my fiancée here for her birthday dinner, and I have to say, I was disappointed.

Now, let me preface my comments by saying that I grew up in Memphis, and, my first experience with this type of restaurant was at Benihana, when my parents took me there for, I believe, my 12th birthday, in 1991. So, that’s my reference point. It was really good back then, and I’m not sure if Benihana is as good today as it was back then.

The experience we had at Kabuto, in no way, compares with the fantastic experience I had almost 30 years ago at Benihana in Memphis. In fact, it doesn’t even compare with the Nagasaki Inn Japanese Restaurant in Memphis, which is a slightly lower-end Hibachi steakhouse.

First, the atmosphere. The outside of the building looks good, which lead me to believe that this was a higher-end establishment. But, once we got in and got seated at the hibachi table, I was disappointed that the chairs were very cheap, small, and hard, with no cushioning, and there was no legroom at all. At other Hibachi places I’ve been to, they had more comfortable chairs, with cushioning, almost like wicker lounge chairs, that you could lean back in. Also, the lighting was fluorescent, too bright and harsh. Restaurant owners should know that reduced, warm lighting makes for a far better atmosphere than bright, harsh, and fluorescent.

As for the food, the miso soup was fine, and was what I was expecting. But the salad consisted of wilted iceberg lettuce and a poor-quality imitation Asian ginger-sesame salad dressing with lots of mayo. The “Bowling Green” sushi roll I ordered was pretty good. The fried rice was good, as was the shrimp, but the steak was just OK (admittedly there is the option for filet instead, which is an upcharge). The vegetables were not cooked long enough - especially the potatoes. I considered mentioning it to the chef, but didn’t want to embarrass him in front of the other two couples at the table. The sauce that was offered for the meat was not good at all - another mayo-mixed concoction (I hate mayo and it doesn’t belong in Oriental cooking at all).

Another small point was that I had to ask for chopsticks for the sushi roll I ordered, and the waitress didn’t check on us much.

One other thing I hated was, after the “chef” was finished cooking, he grabbed a cloth and a bottle of water and poured it on the cloth to clean the grill. He then aggressively wiped down the grill, which sent the foul-smelling steam from cleaning the dirty grill into all our faces. I understand that the grill needs to be cleaned, but there’s a way to do it politely and discreetly that avoids grossing guests out while they’re trying to eat.

I can also do without all the drumming on the grill that they do with the spatulas.

I’ve read some other comments, and while some are complimentary, it seems like this place is very hit-or-miss.

And, as I said, my point of view will forever be influenced by the wonderful experiences I had at the original Hibachi restaurant chain, Benihana.

All in all, if you want some great Hibachi cooking for less money and without all the drumming on the table, I suggest going to Genghis Grill down the road in...

We recently visited Kabuto Japanese Steakhouse to celebrate my son's 8th birthday, drawn by the recent renovations and the promise of a fun, family-friendly hibachi experience. Unfortunately, while there were some highlights, the overall experience left us feeling underwhelmed.

Positives: The birthday celebration for my son was a sweet gesture. He thoroughly enjoyed the attention and the special song, which added a memorable touch to the evening. The food itself was good, with fair portion sizes that left us satisfied.

Negatives: The dining experience fell short in several key areas. One major disappointment was the absence of the brown ginger sauce, which I’ve always loved pairing with my meal. Instead, I was given a double helping of Yum Yum sauce, which I’m not particularly fond of. It felt like an assumption that everyone prefers Yum Yum sauce, which wasn't the case for me.

The chef’s performance, a highlight of any hibachi experience, was notably lacking. Upon realizing two regular patrons were at the table, the chef opted to engage in conversation with them rather than performing for the group. This significantly diminished the entertainment value we were expecting, especially for a special occasion like a birthday.

I was also surprised to find that some traditional features of Japanese steakhouses were missing. There was no shrimp appetizer, which used to be a fun moment where chefs tossed shrimp to diners to catch in their mouths. Similarly, the birthday experience, which I recall including a complimentary ice cream or sherbet, was reduced to just a song.

The pricing also raised concerns. At $25.02 for teriyaki chicken, Kabuto is noticeably more expensive than other Japanese steakhouses in the area, where similar dishes range from $16 to $22. The higher cost would be more justifiable if it came with added value or unique features, but that wasn’t the case. Instead, it felt like we were getting less.

Finally, the website’s lack of clarity about the liquor license was frustrating. I had hoped to enjoy a cocktail with my meal, only to find that the restaurant couldn’t serve liquor yet. They offered beer as an alternative, but even that fell flat when the beer I chose from the menu wasn’t available.

Overall: While Kabuto Japanese Steakhouse has its strengths, such as decent food and thoughtful touches like the birthday song, the overall experience did not meet expectations. With higher-than-average prices, missing traditional features, and missteps in communication and performance, it feels like there’s room for improvement before Kabuto can justify its premium pricing. If they can address these areas, it has the potential to become a go-to spot for special occasions. For now, we left feeling like the celebration didn’t live up to the cost...

This WAS my favorite restaurant & I have spent a ton of money there. I took my son there for his birthday yesterday & have never been so dissapointed. We were taken to a table almost immediately after arriving, but then sat there for about 10 min before being asked to move to another table. The girl said the grill wasn't working on that table. We were moved to a back room that smelled like mildew & then sat there long enough that I started to think that they forgot that they sat us there. A member of our party went to the restroom and noticed on their way that they had sat a party at the table we were originally at. They could have just been honest with us. I'm not sure that our waiter understood english. A girl saw that he was struggling and came over to translate. When our chef finally arrived, he had to keep running to the kitchen because nobody was coming to bring anything he needed, and he also noticed that our drinks were empty by the time he got there and filled them himself. While we were waiting for the chef to arrive, we could see the flashes of fire and hear the fun in the next room. My son was so excited for our turn & was dancing along to the other chef drumming on his grill, even though we could not see it. Our chef did no tricks, no showmanship while he was cooking, no jokes. There was no fried rice bunny, no throwing shrimp, no drumming or onion volcano. We just sat and watched him quickly & silently cook the food & leave. My son was so dissapointed. My mom ordered something off of the menu & did not recieve it until everyone else was done eating. I left feeling both upset that my son's birthday dinner wasn't a normal Kabuto experience, and also upset to my stomach. The food made me sick repeatedly throughout the night & I threw away the leftovers because I was worried about getting sick again. I want to hope it was just an off night, but I'm not sure if I ever want to...