Gojo Japanese Steak House

Good times had by all.
Had a group of maybe 30 people and they were very accommodating.
Food was excellent. Thought the place was going to burn down when the show started. Cook prepares meal in front of you and your group. But hood fan over table hadn’t been cleaned since the US went off the gold standard.
Defiantly would go back.

First time going to a Japanese Steak House in KC and have to say, my husband and I are disappointed.
1. Soup was cold. My husband says it tasted like «doodoo butter».
2. Way too much dressing in the salad. There was about half an inch of dressing sitting in the bottom of the bowl.
3. No fried rice. Which is what I really wanted. I have NEVER been to a hibachi grill that didn’t have fried rice.
4. Entrees were cooked meat with sauce on top before serving. Spicy chicken = chicken covered in Siracha.
5. If you don’t like mushrooms, stay clear. Everything was cooked with mushrooms, except the vegetables.
6. Just FYI soda refills are not free.
Overall, we found the food to be pretty bland. My husband did like the carrots and the potatoes in the oriental style veggies.

Way better! Don’t read old reviews. It’s great. Really. Put it back on your favs list. Yes, it slacked for a while but it’s all better.

Since their recent renovation (due to health laws) my experience has been better. I love their yellow sauce.

Gojos is a family tradition in our family we go there once, maybe twice a year, last night was the worst, the lady serving us hardly spoke English and hardly knew what we ordered for drinks, there was a discrepancy in one of the bills we were charged 7.00 for a drink when it was 5 at the bar and we were told it was correct drinks are cheaper when you get them at the bar??? And We were charged 14.00 for a side of scallops. The chef was awesome as usual.

Went there with another couple upon there recommendation. I loved the atmosphere and the food was excellent. The soup, salad, and stir fry meat and vegetables were excellent. I wish I had the recipe to there sauces. The only thing I would suggest is that you are patient, the service is very good, but the restaurant is always busy, so you have to wait for the good service.

It had been a while since I had been to Gojos and it was just as I remembered! Be sure to make reservations as it is always packed here. For starters on the menu you get hot brothy soup that has a beef base with a few noodles and croutons on the top. Then comes a salad with the best dressing! The salad overall is pretty much just lettuce and a few mushrooms but that salad dressing is the bomb! Then the chef will come to the table and start fixing all of the meals. They do lots of tricks and jokes if you’re lucky… Honestly that part is a hit and miss as this time when we went, our chef did nothing. That part is a little disappointing if you go for the showmanship but I was there for the food so I didn’t care. All meals also come with a shrimp appetizer. They will ask you if you want the yellow sauce. Say yes! I don’t know what it is but it makes everything taste delicious. My meal was the shrimp and shrimp and had white rice and the vegetables. Again get the yellow sauce! Way more food than you possibly can imagine which is good because you get to take it home for lunch and enjoy it all over again. Will keep this on my list and won’t forget about it again.

A place where my kids eat everything in front of them and we always take some yellow sauce home with us!

Decided to celebrate the end of the week by balling out at this local Japanese Steak House. Wrong move. So the prices are slightly lower than other area Japanese Steakhouses but remember, you get what you pay for. Our meal was preceded by a chicken broth with mushrooms and croutons. Soggy buttery salad croutons. Odd. Then comes the white rice. Not on the grill or anything, just a bowl of white rice topped with a generous portion of what I would best describe as a salty butter gravy. A thick salty butter gravy on a bed of white rice… and you have the option of topping it off with a dab of spinach paste? Who mixes Hollandaise sauce with their asian cuisine?! Our group bought just about every meat available — chicken, steak, shrimp, imitation crab… all were incredibly bland. So the food all failed but better yet, the customer service was worse. The gentleman taking our orders was angry for some reason unknown to us, they forgot some of the food at our table (the steak, kind of a big deal here folks) and kept bringing refills for my wife (not free) when she specifically mentioned she was okay with 1 glass (yep, we were charged for them, whatever). Even though we were upset we spent our hard earned money on all of this, we couldn’t help but laugh at how incredibly terrible the food was. If you’ve got money to spend and are looking for an adventure you can give this place a shot. If you want to spend your money on decent food and passable customer service then look at other options in the area. We’ve had plenty of good food in KC… just not here.

We visited Gojo for my niece’s birthday (her choice). There were 8 of us. The lady at the front was terse, bordering on rude and unfriendly. The place needs some serious updating. It looks dated and the pond feature in the front was kind of garish and I wondered why it was allowed to clutter up the area. With all of that said, the place was packed and people were enjoying themselves. The prices were very reasonable and the quality of food was good. The woman who seated us and took our orders was friendly and attentive. We enjoyed ourselves and felt like we were allowed to enjoy the experience without being hassled or rushed. Gojo’s isn’t as entertaining as Styx or the old Benihanas but it is an enjoyable experience nonetheless. I would recommend this restaurant and would most likely go again.

Two stars for having a nice ambiance & hot sake. I was unimpressed with the food/​trash on the floor. Service wasn’t as swift as it could of been, but who am I to rush for I did not even eat. The menu was glamorized by one of my friends who dragged me here. I was not amused. Over priced for a meal I could make better in my kitchen. I ordered another round of sake while my friend ate. & it wasn’t even properly served. My waiter was not very friendly either, he could of been tired, it was kinda late. The birthday song was in heavy rotation too. I know I heard it 6 times (including our table) while being there. This is me not recommending you to spend your time or dollars here.

I remember coming here when I was in college and it was fun! After reading some of the recent reviews, I was hesitant but I think it was still very good. It’s an average Japanese steakhouse with good service and cute Japanese décor. Our server was nice and cleared plates, refilled drinks, etc. One thing is they don’t offer fried rice, which I was surprised, but it was clean, friendly, and huge portions. Nothing special, but nothing bad.

Ya… the chef threw hot bean sprouts on my friends arm. 3^rd degree burns and the manager came over laughing like it was no big deal. He said «food still good right? You will still pay». No apologies. No sympathy. We will NEVER go back!

This place is as bad as it gets. I fondly remember coming here on special occasions as a kid and loving it. As an adult? No way. After walking through numerous oddly-​placed doors to get into the place, you’ll be greeted (if you are lucky) by a surly host who makes it clear he doesn’t know or care about customer service. Find a seat in the bar that has the ambiance of a Long John Silver’s and pick from their extensive beer and wine list – that is to say, do you want Bud Light or Miller Light? Red or white wine? Gag.
With some luck and patience, you’ll finally be seated at a hibachi table. In other Japanese hibachi restaurants the chefs are well-​trained, highly skilled with knifes and they entertain while they cook. The only two skills they train these guys in at Gojo’s are the fine art of sharpening a big knife in front of you like they are about to do something really impressive (they aren’t) and basic moving food around on a hot grill — something you can go and see your average grill guy do at Mongolian Grill. They don’t even do the fried rice volcano trick or have fried rice at all. You get the feeling that is too complicated for the «chefs.» Instead they light some oil on the grill (as seen in several photos) and simply keep spraying the oil like it is some kind of trick. It is akin to watching your neighbor at a BBQ just spraying lighter fluid on the charcoal grill while everyone around him cringes.
The food quality is very low. As others have mentioned, the yellow sauce is nothing more than canned hollandaise sauce, which is utterly bizarre for Japanese food. The soup is definitely standard ramen noodle, except with more broth, hardly any noodles and two croutons (also weird addition). In another review, someone called it sodium soup — nailed it. The rest of the food is most often covered in thick sugary sauces to hide the obvious low quality meats and seafoods.
Finally, every single inch of the place seems dirty. Your shoes will stick to every floor, carpet included. I didn’t listen to my inner voice that was telling me every step of the way to walk out and go down the street to eat somewhere else. I wish I had.

I was there last night. Very crowded and noisey. The ‘yellow’ sauce tasted like canned hollandaise sauce. The cooks were competent but the food was very low end. Miso soup had croutons rather than tofu. Drinks were cheap because they were cheap. I give this place one star. Don’t waste your money.

It’s not just a meal, it’s an adventure. For a decent price. If you have never been to a Japanese steak house, welcome to life. if you have been to other places, I’m sorry you will have been cheated your whole life. This place is the best, even from the myriad of the places in Okinawa that have been to. it seriously has more character than an Indiana Jones opening scene. think 500 year old yakuza gambling den level. enough said.

Okay. Everyone knows this place is greasy grimy, has that well cooked in Gojos smell and was closed for a short time last year to manage their roach issue.
That said, it’s part of what makes Gojos, well Gojos. Don’t go there expecting a clean pristine environment, if you do you may as well call yourself out for doing so.
The service and food are very good. Every out of town guests we have wants to go there, eat and enjoy the company of the chefs, a few we have known for years. We always get the onion steak and wind up taking a majority of it home the next day for lunch.
Be prepared to go home and shower right after eating as the smell of the place follows you out the door.
Good food, put on blinders and have some fun. There are more upscale places on Kansas City that have the opportunity to give you food poisoning than Gojos.

The server/​cook you have makes or breaks the experience. I went here on my first date and I was impressed. They cook at a grill located at your table. Our chef communicated with everyone at the table — never left anyone out — and made a lot of asian jokes. It was certainly fun and took away from my anxiety of sharing seating with two other small groyps of strangers. If he hadn’t been fun, this would have been too awkward for me to probably return again.
I must say, though, I did love the food too. The sauce served with their shrimp is addictive. You get a variety of your typical meats to choose from, a salad, rice and ice cream at the end as well. You’re guaranteed to leave full.
They do expect you to dress decent and meet their code, like no tank-​tops.

Been going here for years. This place has a ton of character and most of the staff have been there for years and years. The food is inexpensive, yet really good. The Chefs are entertaining. It’s near Westport /​Downtown area so expect a diverse crowd!
Two words: Yellow sauce.

If you’re into hibachi we set the table on fire then cook your food in front of you and sometimes throw it at you type food then you will enjoy the heck out of this place.
It is community seating, so depending on the size of your group be prepared to be sitting next to others who you might not know. You’re given a short menu with the offerings (steak, chicken, shrimp, veggie, some of this mixed) to order from before the show starts. This would also be a good time to let the chef know if you have any allergies. One of our group was allergic to shrimp, so we set up a small little barrier to cook his food by itself just to make sure none of the cooked juices mixed together.
I recommend the yellow sauce. I don’t know what it is and didn’t have the guts to ask, but I liked it.
Otherwise that’s it. Just sit back, relax and enjoy yourself. The rest is on auto pilot.
If you’re able to catch the piece of shrimp tossed at you, even better.