Kajimachi Japanese Steakhouse — Restaurant in Swatara Township

BE SURE TO CHECK YOUR BILL AT THE END

While the food here was good, we had an unpleasant experience here due to our bill at the end.

We were here on our way from VA to NY on a work trip, so time was of the essence. it took almost an hour and a half for one of the two main courses to come from the moment we ordered, so we had to have it to go and couldn’t even eat it there. we were not told it would be such a long wait, which would have helped. But that’s beside the point.

Be careful when ordering, as our waiter basically tricked us into ordering something that cost extra and made it seem like it goes with the dish, in addition to misunderstanding my husbands order.

When we ordered our main course (which comes with white rice) he asked if we wanted fried rice instead ,to which we agreed. He never mentioned, like waiters usually do, that it would be an extra $5 to make that change. (the menu lists the fried rice in the appetizer section and does not list it as an upgrade to the course for an additional charge). Certainly misleading, especially considering that in most Asian restaurants white rice and fried rice are equally interchangeable with no extra charge.

The waiter also misunderstood my husband’s order and charged us for one that was $3 more. I ordered a dish with noodles and shrimp. my husband said: “I will have the same, but with steak”. He was charged for a steak Hibachi instead.

as a result we ended up with a $10 higher bill (after tax) than it should have been. It’s definitely not a big sum, but it is unpleasant to get a surprise in the bill, especially considering that we wouldn’t have gotten the fried rice simply because it’s not worth it. After speaking with the manager she did take off $3 for the entrée misunderstanding, but not for the rice, saying how it’s stated in the menu that it’s a side dish. Which is...

The only reason a two star is awarded is that the food tasted great. Hibachi is by no means meant to be a short dining experience, but three hours? Here was the timeline of my experience:

6:13 - Arrive for reservations that were made for 6:30.

6:30 - Still waiting to be seated. No one apologized or said anything.

6:50 - Finally, we are seated. Once again, no comment on how long of a delay there was.

7:05 - Waitress finally shows up to take drink orders with a very unfriendly expression and attitude.

7:15 - Waitress shows up with drinks and takes order

8:00 - Hibachi chef finally shows up to cook food

8:45 - Food is finished and everyone is happy to finally have a full stomach. Server does not offer the complimentary dessert that is part of the meal ordered. Check is requested.

9:00 - Server drops off check and card is provided for payment.

9:15 - We had to walk up to server on our way out to get credit card that was used to pay.

Moral of Story - I will never again return despite the great food. Eating out is as much about the experience as the food. If it was not for the fact my company was paying for the meal, I would have asked to speak to the manager and ask for a refund. This wasn't some 10 course meal at a super fancy restaurant. It was hibachi, and hibachi should never be a 3 hour experience. Terrible experience and I would not recommend going unless you have 3 hours to kill and want...

If you want to enjoy your experience maybe try a week day. I went Friday night, made a reservation early that day. Took about 20 mins to be seated, took almost 30mins after that to get a glass of water. There is one lady (bless her) that is serving ALL the tables. She is practically running from table to table. Unable to keep up and remember what is needed at all tables. When we finally ordered we were extremely rushed through our orders, she made it clear she had no time for even a pause in your order. Due to the stress she was under, she was not pleasant 😕. The cart of food made it to the table before my water did and forget ordering from the bar. Only had 1 drink and that took forever to get. The portions of food has definitely been reduced but not the cost. Was celebrating a birthday and was on edge the entire time. There were many staff members on their phones while the one server was trying to handle an entire restaurants needs. I feel terrible for her but because of this it ruined many people's evening. The amount of money each plate is we should have enjoyed our experience and not been shorted on service and food portions. Don't worry though they add gratuity so their getting their tip regardless of my awful experience. Almost 250.00 for 4 people. ...