Ooka Sushi & hibachi steak House — Restaurant in Riverside

You know how you have that GREAT FEELING and all is right in your world and you are so happy you could do anything. Well that is how I felt when I walked into.................

Ooka Japanese Restaurant I felt READY TO TRY SOMETHING NEW! I had never eaten raw fish but I have heard about it in a lot of movies like The Breakfast Club, You've Got Mail or Notting Hill even TV shows talk about Sushi like the Sopranos, Saturday Night Live, Sex in the City, Friends and Will and Grace just to name a few so I felt pumped to try it.

I felt it was the PERFECT day to try this sushi I been hearing about for years and I am no spring chicken so TODAY WAS THE DAY!!!!!

I had NEVER been in a Japanese Restaurant I before so I was all EXCITED and PROUD of myself when I walked in the place was SUPER CLEAN AND FRESH ALMOST CRISPY.

EVERYTHING FELT AND LOOKED NEW and I know I should have been happy or more excited than I WAS it just didn't and I was slightly disappointed. I FELT no history of any kind or if anyone being there before me.

You know how when you go into a Restautant you can feel the HISTORY and the LIFE that had gone on before you came in you can ALMOST PICTURE the EVENTS and the excitement that took place and you instantly feel welcome and happy to be there it felt void of all that feelings.

So STILL FEELING EXCITED ABOUT TRY SUSHI I DECIDED TO TAKE A DIFFERENT APPROACH and make my own history and leave it behind for the next person who comes in can feel my presences and history.

So I sat down and took in the atmosphere and ambiance which was cool in temperature which I THOUGHT WAS BECAUSE OF THE RAW FISH so I was glad I had my jacket to slip on to keep me warm.

Next what I noticed was "THERE WAS NO TANTALIZING AROMA OF SOMETHING WONDERFUL BEING PREPARED IN THE KITCHEN."

You know how when you walk into a Restaurant and the instant you walk through the doors you are immeadiatly struck by the rich mouthwatering AROMA that your tummy starts to gumbing in anticipation of the wonderful meal you are about to enjoy even before you see a menue.

Well that feeling of anticipating something wonderful was VOID here which had a great impact and disappointment to my prior decision of looking forward to the pleasures of trying sushi for the first time A PLEASURE I WAS ESPECIALLY LOOKING FORWARD TOO

AS I sat there almost confused I DECIDED today was not the day to try SUSHI.

I slowly got up and took one last look around and walked out.

And as I left my tummy did not GRUMBLE or make a SOUND as I walked out.

I believe we were both disappointed because as I WALKED PAST all the Restaurants and could smell all the WONDERFUL AROMAS COMING FROM WITHIN my tummy made no sound to go in.

I understood the disappointment and simply walked to my car and sadly drove home.

I WONDER IF I WILL EVER FEEL LIKE TRYING SUSHI AGAIN or how I will feel when I hear it mentioned in a movie or TV show will I feel sad as I do at this moment.

Well what I can say is maybe I expected too much AFTER ALL I DID FEEL I WAS ON TOP OF THE WORLD THAT DAY.

As for Ooka maybe it was not my kind of Restaurant but give it a try you may really like it ESPECIALLY IF YOU ALREADY LIKE...

Based on a referral we chose this place to celebrate my daughter's 37th Birthday all 12 of us! Upon arrival the atmosphere seemed very nice and accommodating. Our wait to be seated wasn't long at all. We did have to wait a little while before our Hibachi Chef came to our table ( no big deal) However, when he first arrived he hit the grill so LOUD it scared us, we laughed it off and he began to cook. A little trick here a little trick there everything was off to a great evening until he started to complain about how he has worked for 7 days straight .... ummm ok. Then he would do his little tricks, we would chuckle a little but then he would say that he worked all 7 days straight with no break AGAIN... We all tried to keep a happy face for my daughter and we just wanted to just enjoy ourselves. I began to notice that even though his hands were moving fast, the seafood seemed to be on the griddle way too long I thought to myself "all that seafood is going to be tough and over cooked" and I was right! Being caught up in the moment and not wanting to spoil the vibe I ate some of it anyway and just let the Chef make his rounds and add more to my plate. Then everything took a nose dive when the Chef asked my 21 year old special needs son "do you have a girlfriend?" my son "Yes" ...Chef "How many?" My son "One" ....Chef "Is she Asian girl?" (side note I need to mention that we ALL 12 are African American. 5 women, 1 fifteen year old girl, 4 Men and 2 young boys ages 9 and 5).....My son "No" .......Chef "You need Asian girl she will cook for you BLACK WOMEN ARE LAZY, THEY DON"T COOK EVERYDAY!!!!......WHAT THE????? Feeling offended We start telling him that we do cook, even my grandson tells his mom the Birthday girl "Mommy you do cook". He then (Chef) mumbles that he is joking.(very passive aggressive) ...but at this point it's too late the mood has changed and the good vibe is dying. At the end of the dinner in a last attempt to keep spirits up for my daughter we sing "Happy birthday", the waiter brings her a little ice cream in a bowl with sprinkles and a candle. The Chef awkwardly lingers in front of us at the grill. A few people offer a $5 tip (which he did not deserve). We get up from the table and notice that we are the last customers in the entire restaurant and the workers have mopped the floors and left them WET right up to where we were seated by the back door, so as we were leaving we had to watch our step not to slip and fall (that was ridiculous) we had 2 disabled people in our party one using a walker. On our careful way out my grandson slips on the wet floor and one of the waitresses catches him. It's not until the next day that every one that was there begins to speak about our collective experience and we realize that we are ALL disappointed, dissatisfied and feel angry and offended. I will be contacting management about...

Review for Ooka Sushi & Hibachi Steak House (Visit on Monday, April 21st 6p-8p)

We came to Ooka for what was meant to be a special evening—a birthday celebration for two family members. We were a party of 21 with a reservation for the teppan grill. While we’ve been loyal customers for years and typically enjoy our experience, this visit was unfortunately marred by exceptionally poor service from our waitress.

From the beginning, the waitress seemed disinterested in serving us. While taking drink orders, I asked if they had strawberry lemonade for me and my niece. She replied that they did, but it was not refillable. I told her that was fine, but throughout the evening, she refilled everyone else’s drinks except mine.

My little sister ordered a specific sushi roll she has consistently ordered for years, but something completely different than sushi was brought to the table. When she tried to let the waitress know, the waitress insisted she had ordered it—refusing to listen or correct the issue. My sister ended up just saying never mind and agreed to pay for something she didn’t eat. Most restaurants would apologize and bring the correct item. After witnessing how my sister was treated, I didn’t even bother mentioning that my lobster roll wasn’t the one I’ve always ordered. I specially said I wanted the lobster roll that was cooked and she brought me a lobster roll with uncooked salmon on top. I didn’t feel like going back and forth with her.

Before we ordered our entrees, the waitress told us the bill could only be split into four checks. I gave her clear instructions on how my portion should be divided, but those instructions were ignored. In the end, my sister-in-law received one large bill and paid for the entire party.

Once I notice this, I asked my son to get a copy of the receipt so we could split the cost fairly. The waitress was still at the register but told him no. I then went myself and asked politely if I could get a copy. She said she would need to speak to her manager first. I told her that was fine and asked her to go ahead—but she never came back. Instead, I watched her continue serving other tables without any follow-up. After about 10 minutes, I eventually just left out with my entire family.

To be fair, the teppan chefs were good, and we appreciated that the restaurant held the cakes for us and brought them out at the perfect time. But service is a huge part of the dining experience, especially for a large reservation, and the service we received that night fell far below expectations.

We’ve celebrated birthdays and hosted work events here for years. After this experience, I’m reconsidering whether I’ll return or recommend this location. I hope this feedback helps improve service...