Shiki Hibachi Sushi — Restaurant in Mason City

⭐☆☆☆☆ Definitely Needs Some Work

Visited on November 1st, and unfortunately, I’ll continue making the hour-and-a-half drive to Sakura’s in Waterloo instead.

Timeline: Arrived at 12:10 PM, seated at 12:27, received soup and salad at 1:00 PM (only after asking), and entrées arrived at 1:04 PM. We requested the bill and left at 1:24 PM, spending a total of 1 hour and 13 minutes for a lunch that should have been much quicker.

Atmosphere: Not your typical hibachi setup no shared grill tables or live cooking experience. Seating was very limited, and the check-in process felt disorganized. You sign your name on a sheet of paper and a pen and they call you when they’re ready.

Food: My wife and I both ordered the Lunch Steak and Shrimp Hibachi meal. It took about 30 minutes just to get our soup and salad, and only after we asked about it.

The rice was overcooked and crunchy.

The noodles had an odd, perfume flavor.

The steak, ordered medium, came out very well done.

The shrimp was the only thing halfway decent. I also ordered sushi, which never arrived had to ask to have it removed from the bill. No Yum Yum sauce or any similar sauce was offered. Even the water had a bad pool water flavor and I had to order a soda which I never drink soda.

Service: ⭐ 1/10. We only got attention when we flagged someone down ourselves.

Pricing: Prices are lower than other hibachi places, but that’s about the only positive. When you take away the hibachi experience, quality food, and decent service, even the cheaper prices don’t...

I will give some grace because they just opened BUT much improvement is needed. Staci and I ordered Harumaki (sping rolls), Mizu Roll and Pad Thai with Miso soup for lunch. Edamame (soybeans) was provided for free which wasn't bad. The Miso soup arrived and it didn't have a lot of flavor depth but was ok. Staci's Mizu Roll showed up and she said it was good. I tried one of the shrimp tails and agreed that was good. My Pad Thai showed up after Staci was all done eating and I've had Pad Thai from various restaurants and never as bad as the Pad Thai here. The Pad Thai tasted like it had ketchup mixed into it. I rejected it which I never do but it was that bad. I never received the Harumaki (sping rolls), so I can't even tell you about them. The customer service was great by not charging me for the Pad Thai or the Harumaki (sping rolls) without any issues. As I said they are just getting started, so I'll give them some grace with the hopes it will get better. The prices were reasonable so...

I have been excitedly awaiting their opening ever since I first saw their "OPENING SOON" banner, and I am happy to say that the wait was well worth it!

We got there right when they opened for lunch, so while we didn't have to wait your own experience may differ on that aspect.

That said, the food and service were both fantastic! For an appetizer, we ordered the beef negimaki, and for our entrees I ordered the chicken hibachi lunch and my companion ordered the chicken katsu. Of course, we each had to sample the other's dish and both dishes were delicious. I've already recommended them to one good friend of mine and I intend to tell as many people as I can. I'm already looking forward to our next visit, which I hope will be sooner...