Tadashi Japanese Restaurant — Restaurant in State College

I used to go here all the time. The food was fantastic, the service was excellent, it was my number one recommendation of State College for about a year. About two months ago I had gone in with my girlfriend and waited an hour and a half for our food. People that came in after us were leaving before us. We did not get any percentage taken off but we had been here so many times, we thought that a company is bound to have a bad day every once in awhile and forgetting an order is only human. We went back in about a month ago and we waited forty-five minutes before we began asking what happened to our order. Again, people were coming in after us yet leaving before us. We had asked the waitress and she said it would be just a couple more minutes and that the chef had accidentally skipped our order. So like idiots, we waited another fifteen minutes before asking again. This time, the waitress said she would ask the chef what was wrong. She walked straight back into the kitchen (which you could see into) and went on her phone immediately. We left right after that, having waited over an hour and still was not served. So today I went down. I got my food so I guess they decided to step up their game. My sushi however was sub par. The rolls were falling apart and were not put together well. We had already waited about twenty minutes and my friends and I were the only ones in the restaurant!! The waitress handed us our bill when I asked if I could order something else. I had asked for some dessert and went to ask for more before she walked away and did not come back. When she came back with our checks for a second time, I asked if I could put ramen on the bill as well and she got an attitude with me. If there is one thing to take from this all, it is that Tadashi's has really plummeted over the past few months. I will not be coming back, even if someone is paying for me. If you are looking for sushi and hibachi, I would highly recommend Tokyo Sushi and Hibachi because you not only get your food, but the staff there is extremely nice and always greet us...

The only good restaurant in State College since Herwig's closed. I usually get ramen a few times a week. It's more than worth it, especially in the winter. I'll also try to order new things off the menu and the only times I've been disappointed were when the item didn't appeal to me personally but they did a fine job of making what they wanted to (so no points removed). Sometimes you'll get people passive-agressively complaining about people eating stuff like ramen too loud or lifting don/soup bowls off the table (just let people eat it's a pain otherwise), but that's not remotely the restaurant's fault.

The restaurant is more designed for groups of maybe 1-3 people if you want a walk-in, but no more than around 5 or 6 in terms of reservations. Even when they can fit more, you'll run into the issue of food not coming out at the same time, or someone getting cold ramen/sushi because they couldn't coordinate to get everything out in the same time. Don't go in there with your extended midwestern family of 80 people wanting a table and excellent full service like some folks do and you won't have any trouble.

Also not a bearing on the food quality, but it's pretty routine to see the porters/cooks/dishwashers/whichever just throw bags of garbage next to dumpsters instead of inside and have fish carcasses and juice explode out onto the street creating a smelly mess. This is when I worked in the building next to the dumpster but I also noticed it a few weeks ago. As someone who's worked in kitchens all around SC, I'd like to see the town treated with a little more respect.

I was worried that a second location would ruin the quality, but I was dead wrong. It's still the only exemplary restaurant in town in terms of the flavor quality...

Great ramen in a small hole-in-the-wall place in the middle of Penn State University. My son (now, an alum) and I, discovered this place a while back now. We always visit Tadashi if we are passing through the area. And we get the same thing every time. The Spicy Miso Ramen. This dish is rich in flavor, savory, complex, and simply delicious. I'm no ramen expert but that spicy miso ramen is to die for. It's also very reasonably priced. We have occasionally had sushi and other appetizers. The ramen is so good that we pretty much never stray from it. I've had sushi in lots of places and it's above average here. I wouldn't hesitate to order it but I know the ramen will fill me up so it's not often we order much or any of that. I've noticed that the sushi is a popular option with their customers.

Parking is street parking around. It can be busy but there is always a space to be found somewhere. Space inside the restaurant is tight. I recommend a group not larger than four if you can avoid it. Cleanliness is fine. Drink selection is limited...water and some soft drinks (I happen to love the Calico Mango drink sold in the cooler).

The staff are a bit aloof but perhaps they are just busy. The host/hostess is often distracted, it seems, with much to do. Once seated though, you won't have to wait long for your grub - quick service. You will have to wait for that table - and there isn't really a place to stand and wait. It's rare that we walk in and don't have a wait. On a weekend evening during school, expect 30 minutes or more. It's worth it. Fantastic ramen that is great relief on a cold day. I would drive out of my way (and have) to...