Zoku Contemporary Japanese — Restaurant in Tracy

Wow, I am actually amazed at how subpar this restaurant is. Let’s start off with when we entered the restaurant. The server didn’t make eye contact with us at all, and pointed at a seat. They only gave us 2 glasses of water and 2 menus (mind you there was three of us there) . We had to ask for an additional water and menu ( the menu never came) . We ordered 3 sushi rolls, 1 miso soup, and 1 calamari. The calamari came out - and we were not given any cutlery to eat . The miso soup came out and we asked for cutlery , nothing came out. The miso soup was cold, and the calamari was burnt . Tables around us who came in much later were getting their sushi much faster than us. After 50 minutes (yes 50 minutes) 2 of our 3 sushi rolls came out, with the last one coming out around 10 minutes later. We understand that sometimes you will need to wait for food at a restaurant ( of course right) - but 50 minutes and we waited for the tiniest sushi rolls that weren’t even prepared the way we had asked ( my sister asked for the rainbow roll without spicy condiments and I ask for fresh salmon instead of smoked on my Philadelphia roll - not a lox bagel sushi roll…) when we were given the sushi, the server never brought us cutlery STILL! The way the operation was run was evidently poor. There was about 5 servers who’s eyes were glued to the tv, and one girl making sushi by herself. The staffing is wrong, and the servers looked bored. We had to take our sushi to go because we had other plans for the night after the rainbow roll took those additional 10 min. On top of that - 96$ for the bill ! I am truly not one to write a negative review - because usually it’s understandable if food is late (business is busy - it’s a holiday etc.) . But truly this restaurant has evidently poor management. This is the first time in my life that I didn’t leave a tip because it was genuinely that bad. Especially with the restaurant not being busy . You may need to teach the servers proper communication skills (especially the rather tall one) and have them carry chopsticks or forks and knives with them. They should also let the customer know if food is going to take much longer . We weren’t the only ones disappointed, as the girls next to us complained in person about the poor service and how they did not bring them out their food items they ordered 30...

If you’re looking for a decent and vibey contemporary Japanese restaurant in the Valley, look no further than Zoku’s in Tracy. They’re located quite conveniently in Gateway Plaza off of 11th and Corral Hollow — and I’ve always wanted to try this place, until last night. The vibe in this place is immaculate, and I thought I’d share my experience on this particular restaurant:

The food in this restaurant is not only exquisite, but it was also very rich in flavor and in texture as well. We ordered an udon (mind you, tempura was seven dollars each so I was taken a bit aback by that), but I was thoroughly impressed with the batter and how deep fried they made it. Talk about hot sake in a Japanese restaurant — I think that was a first that I’ve seen (at least in the many years that I was legally able to drink). We also ordered some rolls as well — specifically, the spicy crab roll and the avocado mango roll. Both were absolutely rich in flavor, I just love how many sushi rolls there were named after Tracy, which you have got to give a try — they’re a must at this restaurant!

The service and hospitality started off a little awkward — however, the lead server came up and took care of us and make sure that our needs were met. I absolutely appreciate the patronizing and exquisite service.

The atmosphere was expansive, and it was open seating, although I wish other patents would be more considerate of the people around them because we were a little bit annoyed at them. Not bad saying, but just be on the lookout for obnoxious people at those sushi bar sometimes.

Overall, I would come back again and try more...

Went for the first time with some friends on a Friday night because we love Amakara. We arrived at 6:30 and they put our names on a list. We were told it would be around a 30min wait.

2 HOURS LATER, we are still not seated, and servers are taking shots at the bar with other customers. We had to flag someone down in order to just get a table. A gentleman came out and apologized for the delay and poor service and offered us complimentary drinks for the inconvenience. Nearly 30min later, our drinks hadn't come out yet. Shocker.

Food was good, I will admit. We saw at least two of the servers taking shots (I believe a birthday was being celebrated) and finally someone yelled at the server to immediately get us our drinks. As we neared closing time, an inebriated server (Spencer, I believe) apologized and offered to comp our drinks.... (Which were originally offered to as an apology for the poor service). Slow clap for the staff at Zoku.

Really shocked at the management here and lack of professionalism especially considering that it is a sister restaurant of Amakara, a reputable restaurant. Really disappointed and do not recommend unless they have a serious change...