Fujiyama Mama — Restaurant in Westfield

I have been coming here for many years. I always Loved the food but I hadn’t been there in about a year. In January an out of town family member wanted to try it out and I gave it rave reviews. It was not a good experience at all and the service was nothing like I had experienced over the years. Then this past Saturday I went to celebrate a friend’s birthday and it was one of the worst restaurant experiences I’ve ever had. There was 9 of us and we had a reservation. We were about 30 minutes early so we ordered drinks but we were seated as soon as everyone arrived. The young lady immediately took our food orders but she never never asked us if we wanted drinks. We received our soup & salads and afterwards we sat for an hour waiting for the cook. No one ever came to see if we wanted drinks or to explain why we were waiting so long. As soon as we were seated we all noticed that table and the area around the flat top was filthy. There was rice and spilled sauce that was dried up and we assumed the cook would wipe it down when they arrived but he just started cooking and never wiped anything down which I found absolutely disgusting. He was rushing and he did everything backwards. He didn’t ask if we wanted garlic or butter or anything he just cooked everything the same and the mustard sauce he gave us was rancid. One of my friends has a shellfish allergy and when the cook was told he took my scallops off of the grill and then put my friend’s duck on top of the area where my scallops were. We told him again and he moved the duck over then put the veggies on the same area and he even put the shrimp in the middle of all of the other food. After everyone started eating I was giving my mushrooms to my friend and discovered a hair under my vegetables. I called over the “manager” and she ignored me and sent over the server. When the server realized what the issue was the “manager” then came over and asked me Sis I want them to make me more food and I declined so said she will take my dinner off of the bill. When we received the bill only the birthday meal was taken off and when I let the server know she goes over to the manager & she comes back again with the bill and the “manager” decided to take off 20% of the cost of my meal aka $4.20 and not the entire meal. So I got up to talk to the “manager” myself. She was behind the bar area but refused to come out and speak to me. So I told the server to tell her I’m not going anywhere and she finally came out and without looking at me or asking me what I needed she took the meal off. She was so nasty & unprofessional. As the server was showing me the corrected bill the “manager” yelled “I took it off okay?” I ignored her and went back to my seat gathered my things and we left. I will NEVER go to there ever again. It’s sad how such a once nice & enjoyable establishment is now being ran into the toilet. If they aren’t cleaning the area where customers are eating properly I can only imagine how nasty the other areas including the kitchen must be. Everyone in our party also agreed they will never come back. They are going to make someone very ill or even worse. Shellfish allergies, cross contamination and Rancid food are nothing to ignore so everyone who is thinking about eating there BE CAREFUL! I took pictures and video and will be forwarding it to the health department. If I could have given it a zero rating...

UPDATE 6-22-24: It is now 1:31 a.m. - I HAD FOOD POISONING from this restaurant. I had to send my husband out to get charcoal tablets for my stomach. Thank goodness there is a Walgreens in Elizabeth that is open at this hour. Otherwise I'd probably go to the hospital. I had stomach pains since early this evening after I dined at your restaurant. The food keeps repeating on me. ALSO, I logged on and saw that Fujiyama Mama responded. NOTE: THEY DID NOT CONTACT ME as they wrote in their response. They are full of it. Not only did I get BAD SERVICE, but also FOOD POISONING.

ORIGINAL REVIEW - 6-22-24 If you're looking to have a romantic evening -- DO NOT go to this restaurant. It's completely classless -- and dirty (which I will get too) and the food is awful. First, my husband and I had the worst waitress. She had zero personality and major attitude problems. If she doesn't like her job, go somewhere else please, and let someone who WANTS to work have her job. We just got there, just got seated and she approached us. I said, "We just got here." She actually MADE A FACE at me!! What is this HIGH SCHOOL? Our food came erratically. We got our salad before the drinks. Then my husband got his food. Then I got mine. I ordered unfiltered sake which came in a bottle. The lousy waitress didn't even offer to pour it for me -- my husband did. She never checked on us to see if everything was okay (it wasn't). And she never brought us water. NO CLASS! And she finally perked up when it was time to pay the bill, as I'm assuming she was expecting a good time. Mind you, my husband is the nicest person in the world. I suggested to give below 20 percent tip. He said, "That's what I was gonna do." In our 19 years together, I never saw him tip less than 25%. Well, this loser waitress lost out big time! She was the pits. When we got up to leave she was finally perky, saying, "Goodnight guys!" It seemed she was happy to get rid of us. We didn't even answer her and we ALWAYS thank every restaurant and shop we attend. It's just our thing to be friendly. Now, on to the food -- The dressing was watered down, and the salad was only the whites of the iceberg lettuce. No shredded carrots, no cucumber, not even green parts of the lettuce. I had three vegan sushi rolls. The rice was overcooked, so I didn't finish and started eating some of my husband's plate. Whatever sauce they used on his vegetables I had an allergic reaction and my skin was tingly afterwards. (I eat very clean and whenever there's a lot of chemicals in my food this happens). Also, my flat stomach felt like there was a rock in it afterwards. Something in the food was probably bad, stale, dated, whatever.. I just feel so yucky after dining there. As we were leaving, a little kid was putting his hands all over the glass. His father said, "Don't touch, it's dirty." EWWW -- SO GROSS!!!! I felt sick to my stomach afterwards. I would not recommend this restaurant to anyone. We used to come here 19 years ago and it was decent back then. It progressively went downhill. It also smelled funky...

I recently visited Fujiyama Mama with my daughter and her classmates (all 16-year-olds) for a fun night out.

My husband and I sat in the dining room so the girls could enjoy their private conversation—lots of giggling and girl talk going on, haha!

While the kids enjoyed their time, my husband and I ordered sushi. We went with the Fast and Furious, Explosive Materials, Golden Dreams, and Kamikaze rolls.

Golden Dreams was my personal favorite. It had shrimp tempura (for those unfamiliar, that’s fried shrimp), avocado (great for your heart), and my favorite fruit, mango, on top. The combination of the mango and shrimp tempura was both unique and delicious! It’s also a bit filling, especially since we ordered quite a bit of food.

Kamikaze was my husband’s favorite. He loves spicy tuna and cooked shrimp, so this roll was perfect for him. He ended up having to finish some of my rolls too because I definitely over-ordered (eyes bigger than my stomach, as usual). By the end, he joked that he couldn’t even tell what the food tasted like because I had ordered so much!

Oops, I realize I introduced the entrees before the appetizers—sorry, not writing an essay here, just sharing what comes to mind! It’s a free country, right? 😂

As for appetizers, I really liked the Baby Clam soup, which comes with udon noodles. It had a slightly sweet but refreshing flavor, and it wasn’t too heavy. My husband had the Pan-Fried Gyoza (pork dumplings), and honestly, why does his food always taste better than mine? Both appetizers were very appetizing and did their job of kick-starting our meal.

For drinks, I enjoyed a few Malibu Mai Tais, which paired perfectly with the sushi. Heads up: this isn’t a BYOB place, so make sure to bring your ID. (Not that it’s an issue for me—people say I look like I just turned 22, and I’m a mom of a 16-year-old! 🤣)

The service was excellent. The servers, hostess, and owner were all friendly and respectful. The owner seems super dedicated—whenever I stop by for a takeout order, she’s always there working hard. I wonder if she lives at the restaurant, haha! God bless her!

My daughter and her friends had a great time too. She loved the hibachi show and the overall vibe of the place. The hibachi chef even gave her a cute birthday headband, which was such a sweet touch. They were all out there, enjoying their girl talk, and I couldn’t help but feel proud. I hope she’s always this happy!

Overall, thank you so much, Fujiyama Mama, and all the staff, for such a wonderful experience! We’ll definitely be back soon. (And fingers crossed my little cutie doesn’t turn into a rebellious...