Fuego Hibachi — Restaurant in Riverside

My husband and I celebrated our anniversary here back in September and had such a wonderful time; the food was amazing and service was quick and very friendly. Tonight I brought out a few of my girlfriends for a birthday celebration. We did not have the same experience as my husband and I did for our anniversary which was such a bummer because I talked it up so much to my friends. Our server had very little knowledge about the happy hour menu, everything we attempted to order she would tell us was not on the menu for happy hour, but she couldn’t tell us what was on the happy hour menu, which got pretty awkward and confusing. We ordered multiple appetizers, and when we were ordering our dinner, one of my friends asked about her dietary restriction, and the waitress said she would go to find out. Many minutes passed without her coming back and so I got up to go ask for my friend, since it was kind of a big deal and would make her sick. the waitress said to me that she did not know and would have to ask the chefs, but was waiting for someone to ask them for her. We went ahead and canceled what my friend had ordered just out of a precaution, since no one seemed to know the ingredients of the dish. as we waited for our appetizers, our entrées all came out first which made the appetizers pointless… During dinner, I slipped away to let our waitress know that it was my friends birthday, and she let me know that they would do a big fun celebration for her. After we finished our food, boxed up leftovers And waited for about 10 minutes. The waitress came around and in front of my friend said they were out of desserts for her birthday. I asked her if there was anyway they could bring her a special drink or something in celebration and she said she would see what she could do. about 10 more minutes later all of the lights went off and the hibachi grill lit up with a large flame and our waitress came around the corner with a piece of cake, handed it to my friend and said sorry we have no candles. Lastly, we asked for the bill, and when it came, half of our drinks were not discounted for the happy hour, and when we asked to split the bill, she told us it would be too hard. Needless to say I was a bit embarrassed about how much I talked up my past experience and tonight it...

Our family loves Hibachi and don't mind paying for good food. On Sunday June 3rd my husband insisted we try your new restaurant. First impression, it's a nice restaurant. We were excited to try this new place.

We were seated and forgotten. Several guest were seated after us and we were ignored until we flagged Sam down. She mentioned it wasn't her table but she would get us started with drinks and our appetizers and pass us on to the "tall gentleman " because it was his table.

Another gentleman brought my husband's, beer and one of my daughters lemonade. My water and my other daughters water was not brought until we flagged someone down after like 15-20 min.

We were watching everyone getting taken care of and getting their food as we were there before those 4 tables.

We flagged the "tall gentleman" to take our order and said he wasn't our waiter, that Sam was. We told him that Sam said she would get us started and he would take over, and he said, "she didn't tell me, but would take our order". We said it's okay, just send Sam over.

We finally got our water and our California rolls and Sam came over to take our order. She was nice, but felt we needed to flag people down to get service.

We understand when restaurants are understaffed or get busy, but the service was horrible. No acknowledgement and the food was not good.

The noodles have a weird taste(seasonsing) cinnamon taste almost like that store bought Thanksgiving stuffing. The rice was pale, hard and needed seasoning. Meat was ok.

We spend over $230 dollars and it wasn't worth it.

First and last time we will visit and it's too bad because it's downtown Riverside and it should be happening and can have a great vibe as it's a cute...

Upon entering, we were struck by the restaurant's pristine and modern ambiance. We were seated promptly, though we opted for the bar area, which unfortunately led to a significant delay in service. Despite the friendly demeanor of our server, we experienced a prolonged wait without even water to tide us over. When our order finally arrived, the appetizers and entrees were served simultaneously, which was less than ideal given our growing hunger.

The dishes presented a challenge, as they lacked the robust flavor and seasoning we anticipated. The variety of sauces became essential, providing the much-needed taste that the main dishes were missing.

The essence of a Hibachi experience, the interactive cooking display, was notably absent. With only one grill hidden from view, the theatrical aspect that often accompanies Hibachi dining was missing, leaving us questioning the value of the experience.

Additionally, a perplexing 3% surcharge per person (6% total) was applied to our bill, purportedly in support of the cooks and chefs. Our server informed us that this was not a part of her gratuity—a reminder she found herself repeating to customers. We chose to have this charge removed and compensated our server directly with a tip.

In summary, the restaurant seemed to prioritize style over substance, with a lackluster culinary execution and an absent Hibachi performance, all at a premium price. For those seeking the true Hibachi experience, where the joy of watching your meal being crafted before your eyes is part of the allure, it may be wise to consider other venues. We won...