Kabuki Japanese Restaurant — Restaurant in Santa Clarita

Not sure what happened but this place used to be a ton better. Service and food.

1st of all. Called ahead since it’s my wife’s birthday. Wanted cake but they only offer ice cream and with Happy Birthday on plate. I said great and told them it was going to be a surprise time . They told me to let them give them my name (like reservation) and they would take care of it.

Well got there a bit earlier then the scheduled time. I was surprised to see that the Host was no where to be found only a maintenance worker fixing something under the desk. Maybe a minute wait and someone shows up. I tell him that I made a reservation for me and my wife (just like they told me over the phone) he angrily remarks that they don’t do reservations. I nicely told him I called earlier. But he wasn’t listening at all.

For our food. My wife wanted to eat so she ordered a dragon roll as soon as we sat down with our drinks. After a my while wife asked for a none spicy soup and waitress said the pumpkin one was not spicy. Wife ordered it. We also ordered our meal then. Well soup comes out. My wife has a spoon of it. Top of soup has Cayenne pepper or it. She was not just surprise but in pain from the burning pepper. We tell our waitress and she gets a new order. Well our main food arrives and we start eating. It’s been a few minutes since our food arrives and I ask waitress what happened to my wife’s dragon roll. She said she will check on it. She promptly brings it over. We had ordered it the roll early so we could get it before the actual food. Not with with. We also had to ask for forks since none were given with the salad or noodles. I know chopsticks are given but they used to ask if you wanted a fork not this time.

Well we finish our food. I’m hoping that bring the ice cream maybe the person who greeted us was just trying to actually make it a surprise. Well this didn’t happen. By then I’m a bit upset service was not the best and my surprise was ruined. thanks guys.

If service and food are great I have no problem leaving tips. But with slow service and no Birthday surprise I decided not to. I pay my bill. The most surprising thing that has ever happened to me at a restaurant happens. The waitress ask why no tip also says I can still leave one. I’m amaze that she even asked. It felt like she was telling me to give her a tip. Not sure what the rules are about asking for tips here but I was taken back with that.

Oh and thanks for the ice cream that never showed up I appreciate...

We had Valentine's dinner at Kabuki in Valencia and the experience was "good" but not great.

I had a Kabuki Old Fashioned which on paper looked delicious, Whisky, Japanese black sugar...but in the glass it was no more special or distinctive than any other Old Fashioned I'd had. It was a blend of Maker's Mark Bourbon with a Japanese Whiskey. I like Maker's Mark but at a "high end" Japanese restaurant that I'm spending a lot of money on a cocktail for, go ahead and please use the nice Japanese Whiskey. Also the "Japanese Black Sugar" I was hoping would be a noticeable special ingredient and it was not.

That having been said we really liked what we ordered to eat. We're vegetarians and there was also a little bit of a disappointment that some vegetarian items on their website menu didn't seem to be present on the in-store menu. Still, we did have choices and our server let us know about one item that wasn't on the menu, a Crispy Tofu roll which was a vegetarian take on a crab-cake roll. It was good.

We also liked the "Green Roll." Nicely presented and tasted good too.

We also shared the Curry Rice Bowl...I was lucky enough to still have a memory of having curry in Japan and the taste of this definitely reminded me of that experience. That's part of what one can hope from food...that it'll transport you to another place in your memory. Eating good food luckily can be like traveling. That just about happened here with this curry dish.

We'll probably try other places before we come back, but...

Restaurant was very nice inside with a pleasant atmosphere. Service was Rude at best. Happy Hour my friend ordered a Saki & supporo. They said happy hour small Saki. Ok. I ordered Ice tea FOR ME. To get a refill practically had to tackle a waiter. We sat at the Sushi bar. Instead of a place to pick up orders. They reached over our heads with everyone elses dishes. ASKED FOR A small SAKI AGAIN. Oh happy hour over a minute ago. Its more now. Mind you we could not get a waiter to come back or check on us. But I said, Ok. Its more couLd we please get what the lady asked for. She ordered udon noodle soup. Got an odon noodle plate. Asked for some broth to go with it and a togo container. Oh broth cost extra. Ok. Quit telling me its extra or more and get what the lady asked for. Didn't say it to them but thought it. Really poor service. Had to ask for a second wasabi dish for the lady. Wasbi dish had enough WASABI I could eat it alone with a tiny tiny tea spoon. Guys confecting the sushi were to busy to ask for anything. Ordered 1 volcano role. Tempura ice cold, not like any volcano roll I had at any other sushi place. Horrible. Un palitable. Recomend Gold Fish Sushi In Palmdale. Worth the 30 mile drive. When I order something do not tell me how much or extra as if I cannot afford it. What rude poor service. Food was a c- at best. Never go...