MexiHibachi — Restaurant in Pinole

This review is for the owner and manager. I encourage you to read it.

I feel really bad leaving a bad review, especially for a restaurant that’s trying to make it as we embark into a recession and higher inflation. Let this be a learning lesson. You got this. Si se puede! Now to the review…

The wife and I learned about this place as we parked to buy some cheap stuff at the dollar tree. It was a family outing with our two toddlers. I was very intrigued, and it seemed busy. Always a good sign.

Prices were VERY high, that alone almost made me leave but I figured the food must be worth it. My wife ordered chicken and shrimp with udon noodles and I did the same with fried rice. Also ordered edamame and some chicken pot stickers. All this to go. I paid $90. The girl who checked us out (brunette with the eyelashes) told us it would be 20-30 minutes. I thought that was long, but oh well.

We sit down and wait. People show up after us and get their food in a relatively short period of time. We’re maybe 20 minutes in at this point…ok I’ll save you the story…

The food took exactly 56 minutes. I asked when it was at 45 minutes and they said it’s about to come out and we were next. Two other people got their orders from a phone order I guess. At 50 minutes I asked to have a refund if the food wasn’t ready now. They said it was just coming out. Took 6 minutes later. So yeah…the food wait is long and apparently it wasn’t just us. One lady said she called it in and had been waiting for 45 minutes. Another girl and her daughter had been waiting for 30 minutes and they suggested I call like 45 min in advance.

One of the girls was very polite and apologized sincerely, the other one (eye lashes) was a little snarky and seemed to have an issue with me being upset.

Ok whatever, the wait was long the service was meh. The atmosphere was ok, good music but just not where I’d want to spend that much time.

Now the food.

Pot stickers were ok, some better than others. You can tell in one of the photos how the dough was overcooked on one. It gets white and very hard, like calcified.

Edamame was ok, but prepping needs work. Still had stems and they were dirty. You know, honestly it doesn’t really bother me but for over $15 I would expect higher quality.

Now the main course. I’ll start with mine.

The chicken on mine was good. Shrimp was good. I had 6 pieces of shrimp and about 4oz of chicken, maybe less. Price/quantity I’d say I got way more rice than anything else. Everything tasted good actually, but a few notes to the kitchen: WAY too much salt. I drink about 1,000 mg of sodium water in the morning to retain more water and that’s pretty salty. It’s been 20 minutes since I finished my food and I’m still feeling the salt in my mouth and throat. That had to be over 2,000 mg of sodium. Here’s my guess at the problem…they cook things separately and add salt to everything. They’re also using some kind of cheap oil, maybe canola oil or vegetable oil, and it makes that salt really pop. Use less salt, might save yourself some money there. Customers can always add salt if needed, you can’t take salt off. Another detail…you can tell they’re in a mad rush because the veggies are so uneven and you can also see burnt pieces on everything. Little black specs, it’s not the pepper, that’s using the same pots over and over. I have an unusually high pallet so I can taste a lot of stuff going on.

My wife had two shrimp, and maybe 3 oz of chicken. Mostly udon noodles and veggies. She was not happy.

So look, to the average person, the food is good.

But guys…you HAVE to get the kitchen organized. If you don’t fix this, I’m afraid you WILL go out of business. You’re about to experience a very challenging market and you can’t afford to have people wait. You need to train your staff, get systems in place, and find ways to remain competitive.

Oh and if you’re thinking this is the price to pay for fresh food, you’re wrong. I’ve seen plenty of restaurants, Mexican and Asian, whip out high quality food in less than 20...

We had an amazing dinner. The food was delicious, the staff (including the owners) made absolutely sure that we were enjoying ourselves, and the space was comfortable and cozy. Plus, the unique concept of fusing traditional Japanese hibachi with Mexican flavors is an over-the-top success!

I've read some of the "less-than-favorable" reviews, and I would suggest those ridiculous, self-important folks taking a running leap off the nearest overpass. This family-oriented small business gave us a memorable evening, the service was quick, and the price tag was reasonable, especially given the quality of the food.

For three of us, including the tip, our tab was under $150--and well worth it! The food is made fresh, with righteous ingredients and sincere smiles.

We were intending to drive all the way to Concord to hit up Benihana's, but I'm so glad we decided to stay closer to home. Many thanks to the owners, Francisco Arce and Silvia Cortes, and huge high-fives to our server, Anna, who is on her way to UC Davis in a few more weeks. Congratulations all the way around! We will definitely...

This is my new FAVORITE!! First, it must be noted that I have a health condition that forces me to be extremely careful and protective of what I consume. That said, my sister explained to the co-owner, Sylvia, what i could and couldn't eat. Without hesitation, she went on to suggest an absolutely amazing feast of a meal, shown in one of the photos. Missing the ingredients that I couldn't have didn't matter in the least. The prepared meal pushed every button imaginable!! One could describe it as finger lickin' good!! Then, to top it all off, we sat and chatted with the husband-and-wife owners of the establishment. They were absolutely salt-of-the-earth people, MY kind of people. The story behind the growth of this establishment is what life in America is supposed to be about. Long story short: this place is DA BOMB, and everybody needs to try it out first...