Otaki Japanese Steakhouse Jacksonville — Restaurant in Jacksonville

I don't like to post bad reviews but this restaurant deserves it. I had the worst service ever and the manager was rude. My daughter was invited to a sweet 16 birthday party so she sat at a hibachi table and a couple of the mom's decided to have dinner separately at a regular table clearly across the restaurant. Since my daughter had left her card at home I requested if she could be added to my ticket. I ordered my food. Never received the soup and salad. The ticket came. I asked if they were taking this off or packing this for me to take home. She said no they were doing neither while smiling. I asked if she was joking because she was smiling. She told me I can't take the soup and salad to go. We said what do you do for to go orders? She said let me go ask the manager. Then she bagged it to go but said I can't take outside. Whatever lady? I am not sure if she inderstood english. Because Tiffany our waitress was so unattentive but she proceeded to walk around and chat with every other table in the restaurant and she never asked how our food was or even asked if we wanted a refill for our empty glasses. I had to ask her for water when she finally came to the table to ask if we wanted to go boxes. Me and the other two ladies at my table wondered why they charged us 20% gratuity $7 for them and $14 for me because the service was so bad they didn't want to tip the waitress which I agreed. Tiffany took our cards and just dropped them off at the end of the table and didn't try to hand them to us. The manager(lady)was called over..same rudeness. She told us that the 20% gratuity added to our meals was because we were part of a party. Mind you we sat a regular table and our daughters sat at the birthday party table for hibachi girll and we had a different waitress and their daughters all had their own money paid for their meals besides my daughter. The manager took their tip off mumbling that that's their policy and the ladies should tell them upfront. This is the most ridiculous thing I have heard. I can't take the soup and salad outside of the restaurant that was never delivered during the dinner service. You charged me $14 in tips for service that was the worst service I have ever received in my life for an $86 dollar meal for 2 people because she was part of a party and i was not. I will never come back here or would suggest anyone. The food was good but not worth the headache and being overcharged for service that was non existent. The waitress was horrible and the manager was rude. Go here if you enjoy being overcharged and treated badly. Service I gave no stars which was earned. This would have been the first time I would have never given a tip. I tip if the service is good and normally 20%. If I was part of a group where was my dinner show. All I got was a plate bought to the table without the soup and salad or silverware and water that i asked for. Definitely deserved absolutely no tip. Go to the St Johns TownCenter Japanese Steakhouse instead. I am sure you will get better service, comparable food, and no rude manager needing to be called to the table. My first and last time visiting this...

The manager was super rude, the prices on Google are not correct even when you type in Otaki restaurant and it brings up all of their information, the location times and menu. My friend and I tried to order out our total should’ve been $37, the cashier said it would be $67 when I got to the takeout area I looked at the prices on my receipt, They were not what the website says, she asked if I wanted a manager I said yes. The manager came over and she said that the Google prices are different than their menu prices and it wasn’t her fault and she wouldn’t fix it, I told her that she should honor the price. How can you pull up a restaurant online the phone number the website the address and everything is correct but the price is different in store? She told me next time I order with them it is my job as a customer to check my prices over the phone. She says this is a common issue and she wouldn’t do anything about it. I told her she should honor the prices because as a customer, it is not my job to fix their website I’m not the one that made the website with the incorrect prices. She yelled at me and told me to get out and I can leave. I told her I didn’t want the food they can keep the $67 sushi that they miss priced and miss lead their customers to buy. Horrible experience that woman is a terrible manager and honestly very angry. I kept a very monotone. As a matter fact, I had my two month old son in my arms while she threw her hands in the air and told me to get out of the establishment. I wasn’t causing a scene. She had no right to treat me like that. Get your website fix lady get correct information online. It is not the customers responsibility to fix...

I recently visited Otaki for dinner with my child, and honestly, the experience was mixed. I ordered the teriyaki chicken hibachi and a California roll. The sushi was actually pretty good—I’d rate it a 9/10. Fresh, flavorful, and definitely enjoyable.

The hibachi, though, was disappointing. The chicken tasted off—it was chewy, had a strange texture, and even looked questionable when the chef put it on the grill. It didn’t taste fresh at all, and that really took away from the meal. I’d give the hibachi about a 7/10 at best, mainly because of the veggies and fried rice, but the meat itself wasn’t good.

As for cleanliness, I’d give it about a 7/10. The floors were sticky, and we were seated at a hibachi table way in the back corner with a floor fan blowing right next to us—not the most comfortable setup. The table also felt sticky, which wasn’t great.

The service was another issue. Our server asked me twice to move seats with my child because more guests were joining the table. The first time was fine, and we moved to make room. But the space was tight, and during dinner I accidentally knocked over a bowl of miso soup on my daughter (thankfully it was cold, so no burns). We switched seats again after that.

Shortly after the hibachi chef finished cooking, the server came back around with to-go boxes while we were still eating, which made me feel rushed. Then she returned again and asked us to move seats yet again. At that point, I politely said no—it was just too much.

Overall, the sushi was the highlight, but between the odd-tasting chicken, uncomfortable seating, and the rushed, pushy service, I left feeling pretty disappointed. Not sure if I’d return...