Wasabi | Japanese Steakhouse & Sushi Bar — Restaurant in Kingsport

My husband recently took us along with him for a shutdown. Since our youngest two & I had never dined at a Habachi grill, he wanted to show us a good meal, and a great time so he chose this particular venue. It was all such a culture shock to our now 5 & 7 year old children, & honestly, to myself. I was absolutely amazed! 👏 👏 Embarrassingly enough, I wasn't quite aware of what Sake was so by the end of the dinner we both were a tad intoxicated😜. Especially since we showed our superior skills of catching tossed food & being congratulated each & every catch 😆. I learned that we had a newer chef so he didn't go into quite the show that some other guests were receiving, as far as egg tossing and chopping expertly, etc. However, I was extremely content with the show he put on & found the food to be delicious. Our 7 yr old daughter was scared by the initial fire show explosion, so being dramatic, she sulked the remainder of the visit. But our 5 yr old son was fascinated, especially with the onion volcano, etc. The chef pulled a good one on me bc he had been tossing food to each patron & serenading those of us who actually caught the food, by singing a song while pouring sake in our mouths. Only my husband and I actually succeeded at catching the food, (one too many times I would later realize 😉). However, our son caught a portion w mouth/hand combo. The chef swapped the squirt bottles & began dousing our son w water while singing. Meanwhile, I'm in shock 😲, looking at my husband & back at the chef, trying to rationalize this in my head that this man can't possibly be giving our 5yr old, alcohol. Before I could grasp it, emotions got the best of me & an irate, belligerent momma bear came out. Once they managed to calm me back down & persuade me they hadn't poisoned my child, I found myself able to laugh it off & enjoy the remainder of the evening. Honestly, based on my husband's statements & the other guests they seated with us, I reached the conclusion that this was nowhere near the show it was supposed to be, or capable of being. Which was news to me, because while it might have seemed less than amazing to those seasoned veterans of hibachi, it had surprised me & more than satisfied my expectations. Although my hat is off in awe already, I must admit that hearing the other stories now has me more than excited for the next trip & experiencing the full ninja warrior skills depicted to me. Regardless, the atmosphere was dimly lit & romantic, the food was scrumptious & I was blown away for my first experience so zero complaints on this end. I would strongly recommend to others to take the time to visit this particular establishment if near...

I must express my utmost dissatisfaction with the experience I had at this establishment. It is truly unfortunate to be afflicted with allergies, as it can be an incredibly distressing ordeal. In light of this, it is only reasonable to expect that when one informs the staff of their allergies, the necessary precautions would be taken to ensure the safety of the food. Regrettably, this was not the case during my visit.

To my dismay, the staff failed to handle and package the food in a manner that would prevent cross-contamination with allergens. It is disheartening to think that such a basic principle of food safety was overlooked. Furthermore, when I brought this matter to their attention, their response was rather disconcerting. They suggested that I should have explicitly specified the need for my food to be separated from the rest, as if it were an unreasonable request.

I feel compelled to warn others about the potential dangers of dining at this establishment. It is alarming to think that they would place all types of sushi in the same box, without considering the severe consequences that could arise from the consumption of shellfish by someone with a shellfish allergy. It is a matter of life and death, and such negligence is simply unacceptable.

However, I must acknowledge that amidst this unfortunate incident, there was a glimmer of positivity. The staff did, in fact, replace the contaminated roll upon my request. While this gesture is appreciated, it does not excuse the overall lack of attention to food safety protocols that I encountered during my visit.

In conclusion, I implore the management of this establishment to take immediate action to rectify these issues. It is imperative that they prioritize the safety and well-being of their patrons, particularly those with allergies. It is my hope that my feedback will be taken seriously and that necessary measures will be implemented to prevent such incidents from occurring...

I was hesitant to give this place a bad review the last time I went because we have came here quite a bit, but todays experience makes me feel like I need to.

Today me and my husband each ordered the 3 for $18 sushi special with deep fried spicy tuna rolls (like we have several times before). Instead of our server letting us know they aren’t included in the special, we were charged for extra sushi rolls on top of the $18. Instead of the manager offering to resolve our situation somehow since the server didn’t inform us it wasn’t on the special, she reacts defensively as always and came over to show the menu to us, and we said don’t even worry about it. Charged double for our food for no reason, we only came for the tuna roll that has been given to us on special before. We’re the type who would’ve left if it wasn’t on a special, we were trying to get a deal, not spend $70.

In December, we thought we ordered the deep fried spicy tuna rolls to go, but apparently we said crunchy instead. My husband drove all the way to our house for us to look and see it was the wrong roll. I sent him back just to get me a new roll, and when he went inside the manager was literally yelling to him about how I ordered wrong, which we were well aware of. We just wanted to order a new roll, instead, she takes MY sushi back to the kitchen and says she will only charge us $3. That seemed super nice. Turns out, she took the sushi roll that I TOOK TO MY HOUSE AND OPENED, and put it IN THEIR FRYER. Each individual piece. Gave it back, told my husband to tell me to order it right next time, and he realized she CHARGED US to fry the sushi that was taken out of the restaurant. I’ve worked in food service for years and I know that is against all OSHA laws. Disturbing to think what else they do...