Kiku Restaurant — Restaurant in Paramus

We have been going to this place for sushi for years, because the sushi bar is a hidden gem, Chef Joseph is a treasure, the food he prepares is fresh, beautiful to look at, and delicious. Never fails to satisfy, and the sushi bar is rarely full, so we rarely have to wait to get seated, even without reservations.

But we don’t have to ask ourselves why this is? If Chef Joseph and his creations are so wonderful, why is the sushi bar so empty? The answer is easy. And obvious. It’s because the hibachi part of the restaurant is so obnoxiously loud, and situated so close to the sushi bar, that the noise almost destroys the pleasure of the sushi experience.

It doesn’t have to be this way. At Kiku Alpine, the sushi bar is in an entirely separate room from the hibachi tables. But the sushi - and the chefs at Alpine are far inferior to Chef Joseph at Kiku 17, and have attitude as well.

OK, so the restaurant layout is different at Kiku 17. But they have 2 separate rooms with hibachi tables. One is far from the sushi bar, and separated by a wall. The other one is right on top of the sushi bar. And yet the management, which appears to be clueless, will fill up the hibachi tables closet to the sushi bar first, while leaving the tables in the separated front room entirely empty. Almost as if they deliberately want to assault the sushi bar patrons with noise and drive them away.

When I hear a hibachi chef shout “Lucy, I’m home,” and I hear this repeatedly, I am urged to turn around and shout back: “Ricky, shut the f… up!” And then, there is the incessant clanging of the metal utensils on the metal hibachi cooking table surfaces, the frequent “birthday” rituals of banging the gong and the off-key singing of “Happy Birthday,” and the screaming of the kids as the hibachi chef throws food at them.

OK, standard hibachi restaurant behavior, and that’s what the crowds come for. But right on top of the sushi bar patrons? If you can’t erect a barrier between the sushi bar and the back hibachi room, at least fill up the front hibachi room first, and spare those at the sushi bar from the noise assault as long as possible.

Speaking of noise assault, I can’t imagine working at the sushi bar here is not a “hostile work environment “ under OSHA regulations. If the employees are in fear for their jobs if they file a complaint, perhaps some customers should. Or vote with your feet, and don’t come back.

I will continue to tolerate the obnoxious noise level here, because Chef Joseph and his incredible sushi is worth the torture, but I will have to start shouting my praises over the constant din, and make MY feelings heard! “Shut the f… up and let me enjoy my sushi in peace!”

Review #2: Several months after my first review, I must post a confirmation of my first one. Management still doesn’t get it! We have been back several times since my previous review. And it’s always the same. Sushi bar is empty, we get seated immediately without reservations, and Chef Joseph and his assistant prepare us a wonderful meal, promptly and expertly. The only problem is, as usual, the continuous noise from the hibachi room directly next to the sushi bar, while the front hibachi room is completely empty. We asked one of the hostesses why this is, and she couldn’t give us an explanation. No language barrier, just no intelligent explanation. This being North Jersey, I guess: “It is what it is” is what it is, in any language now. Unless the sushi bar staff are paid extra for combat pay, I’d quit and work where my talents were appreciated by more customers, and I didn’t go home with a migraine every night. Here’s some advice for management: FUFF! Fill Up the Front First! What is...

I've been to literally hundreds of hibachi grill dinners across the tri-state including some of the most expensive spots in NYC and consider myself somewhat of a connoisseur of this type of restaurant. I've been to Kiku well over 20 times alone so I feel I am in a good position to state that this place is simply poorly run and you should avoid it at all costs.

Don't get me wrong, Kiku could be wonderful. The space is beautiful and pleasing on the eye. With the right chef, the food can be delicious (though I'd say it's a complete miss 30% of the time). However, what really takes this place out of the running is the terrible service. I think they simply have too many tables and not enough chefs and wait staff. It's clear to me that they don't seem to care about providing service on any reasonable timescale. And a good portion of the time, the chef will be lacking.

I went there yesterday and although we were seated at a table within minutes of arriving, it took over an hour for our chef to arrive at the table. The "show" he put on was good, but the steak was not really seasoned at all, and he put a ton of teriaki in the noodles (the noodles are supposed to be cooked with a touch of teriaki, but more soy). Someone in another party at my table remarked at how the noodles were too sweet, and they were - we couldn't eat them. And finally, it took over 15 minutes to do the whole check thing. All told, over two hours for a table with two families who weren't really drinking (drinkers might want to sit and take their time but families with kids are a different story). Looking around the place, many people were in the same predicament, looking a bit unhappy, sitting there with no food waiting for their chefs to arrive. I've given Kiku a number of chances to redeem themselves because they are conveniently located, and a few times we had a great experience, but after this last adventure, I'm now completely done with Kiku and will only patronize the other hibachi places in the area.

If you enjoy waiting too long for the chef to show up, food that may or may not be on point, and an overworked and inattentive wait staff, then this is your place. ...

My recent experience at Kiku left me deeply troubled, not just by the lack of transparency, but by what felt like intentional deception. Arriving just before 9 p.m. (well within their stated 10 p.m. closing time), I inquired about takeout options only to be met with baffling resistance. The host insisted the kitchen had closed at 8:59 p.m., yet moments later, offered dine in experience only. When I pressed for clarity—asking why takeout was unavailable if the kitchen was technically still operational—the host doubled down, refusing to provide a takeout menu and instead handing me a business card to “go on their website.”

What’s worse, the refusal to accommodate a simple takeout request reeked of unequal treatment. While dine-in patrons were welcomed warmly, my persistence in seeking answers was met with dismissive evasion. The host’s claim that online ordering was an option felt like a deflection, especially since I intentionally visited in person to minimize confusion—only to be stonewalled. The inconsistency in policies (kitchen closed at 8:59 p.m. but serving dine-in until 9 p.m.?!) strains credulity.

Whether this was a tactic to push higher-margin dine-in sales or something more insidious, the impression of discrimination is hard to shake. The lack of accountability and gaslighting—acting as though I misunderstood their arbitrary rules—left a sour taste far worse than any meal here ever could.

Steer clear if you value transparency or equitable service. This isn’t just poor management; it’s a pattern of questionable practices that make you wonder who they’re truly...