Itachi Teppanyaki & Ramen — Restaurant in Universal City

Excellent food, especially the tonkotsu black ramen. Quiet, little place to stop into. The only issue I had was the service when I first came in. The lady working didn't acknowledge me coming in, and when she finally saw me, her attitude was terrible to me and had said just sit whatever. After finding a spot, I waited between 5-10 minutes for her to come to my table to bring menus or even greet me. After giving her some time, I went up and asked if I'm supposed to grab the menu, and she looked at me and ignored me. At that time, DJ (sorry if I'm wrong!) came out and noticed I needed help. He brought menus back to my table, and at that time, I asked for a manager, and he happened to be the owner. I told him that as a first-time customer, I was highly disappointed in her waitress and told him the issues before I spoke with him. He immediately understood and took over caring for my table the entirety of my stay. His service was quick and friendly, and he genuinely enjoyed talking about his restaurant. I hope that the waitress was just having a bad day because had I not spoken to the manager, I probably would not have returned again. 3 out of 5 people never speak up about issues with a restaurant. They just never return. I'm glad DJ acknowledged my concern, and hopefully, the wait staff will be a bit more welcoming next time. I will be back, I'm looking forward to trying the Hibachi menu. And the rangoons with their red sauce are...

I've been wanting to try this place for awhile. I finally had the opportunity and was thoroughly disappointed. The outside of the building has the look but when walking in, I was surprised. Besides a few anime posters, some paper lanterns and random items, it does not fit the look. It was more reminiscent of a diner that has Madonna and George Michael playing in the background that decided to cos play for the day. The service wasn't horrible but it wasn't good either, it was an awkward interaction each time. Now for the main part, the food. We got the NY strip appetizer, the flavor was good but it came out rare instead of medium rare and it was cold. The miso soup was just broth with a small clump of rice. I got the lunch special which was the Hibachi NY steak and my husband got the Tonkatsu Black Ramen. The NY Steak had a weird after taste that killed my palate. The veggies that came with the plate were good, the rice was okay. The Ramen was not good, the noodles tasted like they hadn't been cooked thoroughly and the pork meat had me gagging as it was mostly fat. The broth flavor left much to be desired and we left this establishment still feeling hungry as this did not hit the spot. We love supporting local but felt this place needs more work in regards to food, service...

I was excited to try this new local place and it was Ok but we won’t be back. To have the Teppanyaki name, you immediately think you will be in an Asian environment with symbolism around with the atmosphere to follow. We did not experience that but the place did just open so maybe there’s more in the works. Again, it’s not bad per se, but it’s not something a table of two will pay $75 for.

The Combo appetizer was simply delicious! The main entree left more to be desired. We asked for raw and medium rare, and we got medium and well done. The rice had too much sticky sauce in it and the noodles were sweeter than the rest of the meal which was salted. The YumYum sauce was unlike any Yum Yum sauce I’ve ever tasted. It’s got this weird sweet taste that surprises you.

Now, maybe this is their “Texas” version of a Teppanyaki or maybe they are still working on their recipes. I hope they are working on their recipe’s.

Be sure to try it at least once for yourself to support our small business owners and see how you feel and make sure to leave a comment.

For what it’s worth, the sodas are canned so expect to pay per drink ($1.50 per can). I’m excited to see...