Nagoya Japanese Steakhouse & Sushi

Came twice during our 3 day stay to cedar point. Brought 5 kids with us… they did a FANTASTIC job making it fun for the adults and the kids. The service was incredible as was the food. The only downside was the manager who was running around looking very frazzled. I’ve managed front of house at a restaurant before. I know it’s stressful… but you gotta keep it together. But everything was fantastic and we will return anytime we are in the area.

Ten of us ended up here at Nagoya for dinner around the hibachi with Eddie preparing our meal. It appears all were very satisfied, and most ended up taking food home due to large portions. The service was very attentive and provided with a smile. We will return when back in the Port Clinton area.

This is probably the worst hibachi I’ve had in my life. The steak, fried rice, veggies were over cooked and turned into black. And their surf clam sashimi were sticky and stinky. Had bad stomach ache.

The sushi rolls are ok. They taste good, but could be presented a little better. Where they really fell short was the salmon teriyaki. It was so overcooked and dry, it was insulting. There was not much teriyaki sauce covering the fish, either. I paid $ 2 extra for fried rice, and it was just rice with egg and soy sauce. No vegetables of any kind. I was really disappointed to pay $ 20 for a meal that I couldn’t eat (we got carry out and were only 5 minutes away).

About 13 of us went to Nagoya’s based on recommendation from a where we were staying. They were very accommodating and friendly! They allowed us all to sit at the same table even though we were a large party. They probably let us be as boisterous as we were due to the fact it was a Monday and not many patrons were there. My only negative comment is there was a centipede on the hibachi grill. We got rid of it and they disinfected it with the cleaner prior to cooking. The food was PHENOMENAL! Normally hibachi food is very salty but it was a good mix. Also the sake and the shrimp into the mouth games were fun and they kept letting us play! Overall it was a great time and I’d definitely go there again.

We are not from the area and our hotel suggested we try this restaurant. I want to say it was a fabulous family experience. Truly the chef made the experience! And the good thing is we watched multiple good chefs. They entertained our children very well. It seems that at many Japanese habachi that the chefs can be inconsistent and sometimes boring. I can say ALL the chefs present tonight were excellent.
As for the food, it was good but not great. One can’t expect any habachi to be great. But this was better than average. We had the sushi as well and I will say the speed of preparation and the quality of fish is great.
I would make a reservation if possible. It was a Monday night and I was surprised it was crowded and we had to wait 15 minutes.

Excellent place for family and friends. It’s tough to find great atmospheres for the family in Ohio but this sure brings everyone together. If you love hibachi and sushi. This is a place for you

I have been to Nagoya at least once a year for about 7 – 8 years. Our family always brings people out for a big group sushi meal. Every year we order special rolls, sashimi, some appetizers, and a Chef’s choice Sushi Boat! This time we went as our tradition goes and brought 9 people, we were seated outside as we requested and our server was good.
We ordered Two $ 150 sushi boats. This along with two orders of seaweed salad, calamari, white rice, and 5 other special rolls: including a famous creation we made, the Volcano Roll with spicy Conch on top. The sushi boats are about 60% rolls and the rest is high-​quality sashimi. The seaweed salad was delicious and all of the rolls were extremely delicious. A good variety of sashimi and rolls as usual. we couldn’t finish all of the sushi and ended up using 3 boxes to store it for later.
Our server was a young guy with blonde hair and a big smile, he forgot a few things but our service at Nagoya over the past 8 years has been great overall. We always tip the sushi chef $ 20 and they seem to put special care into the order. We will continue to return here for years to come. The reason to come back is for the amazing quality and variety of sushi.

We sat at the sushi bar and it was AMAZING. I had the Kelly’s Island Suchi and it was delicious. Definitely will be back to visit. Can’t comment on the regular dining room, but it was busy. We will return!

All the goodness of hibachi without the person cooking in front of you. I got the steak and chicken combo, the steak was the only thing that was average. Rest was very good. I did try a unique iced tea they have there, it is a mix between a creamsicle and tea. It tasted good but not something I could drink a lot of.

We were in from out of town and I took my girlfriend here for her birthday. The food was excellent! With started with the shrimp tempura roll and it was amazing! Then we both got the chicken and filet hibachi dinner. It was only $ 30 for each. Really not expensive for everything you get, soup, salad, massive amount of delicious fried rice, a few shrimp, vegetables and the main corse. 5oz filet and a good size chicken breast. Flavor was amazing and services was great!

Have found the owners pay attention to reviews. Gave them another shot and the service was wonderful. Love the sushi room but wish it had more table seating.
Thanks for listening and continuing to address issues as much as possible.

The Carlos roll was amazing! Super friendly service. Nice to see a restaurant of this caliber in the Sandusky area.

The hibachi here is like hibachi restaurants all over… This one is cleaner, nicer, but still the same concept. What makes Nagoya outstanding is the Sushi. I live in this community and people come from 20, 40, 60 miles away for the sushi. I knew I loved it, but I really didn’t realize how much better it was than others.
I also have to say they have outdoor seating in the summer and sometimes acoustic local bands as well. Try the SoHo Lychee martini., yum!

Very good. There is nothing out of the ordinary here as far as hibachi steakhouse menus go but all of the food is fresh and very well prepared. Service was fast and friendly and portions were downright enormous. Consider splitting a dinner entrée. Was on vacation with my dad who is suspicious of «different» things and Nagoya was a huge hit. We had a great experience.

I guess I don’t really see what some people dislike about Nagoya… I like it, I think it’s fun!
And did I mention super tasty?
I personally don’t think the prices are that steep. For $ 25, I got a steak, a chicken breast, 3 or 4 shrimp, mounds of grilled vegetables, tons of steamed rice and some fried rice, a salad, and a really yummy bowl of soup. If everything was a la carte it would be expensive, but for all this PLUS culinary entertainment, it totally seems worth it to me for a few visits a year.
It’s a very lively atmosphere, some chefs are more theatrical than others, but I really enjoy the food. I’m not one for sushi, so I can’t comment on that, but what I got was great and incredibly filling. The waitress was lovely and the place was clean and packed out with filled hibachi tables.
I’ve been here many times in the last several years and as long as I’m in Northeast Ohio, I’ll most likely return.

My partner and I were in town on a weekend getaway. Since we both love sushi and wanted something a little more upscale than the casual restaurants mostly offered in the area, we opted for Nagoya. It was a Fri night, just about 7 p.m. when we entered the place. We did not have reservations, so waiting for a table was something we had counted on having to do, especially since we specifically wanted the sushi bar area, which has very limited seating: the typical stools around the bar and 4 booths. However, the hostess was less than friendly. She did not welcome us to the restaurant, she did not smile, and she acted irritated when we told her we did not have a reservation. Not a great start. We waited about 20 minutes before we got a seat at the sushi bar.
This is where things really went downhill. I believe our server’s name was Brian, and he was awful. We waited for at least 10 minutes as he walked past us without so much as a «Hello» or «I’ll be right with you» before he came and got our drink order: a water and a coffee. Not complicated. Then we waited another 10 minutes for that to come. The coffee was barely warm, and when we complained, he simply said, «Well, we don’t serve it very often,» as if that was reason enough. My partner ordered a hot tea instead; we waited for it, too, and it, too, was barely warm. But since we had now been in the place nearly an hour and still had not ordered food, we decided to forego asking for the tea to be heated or replaced. We waited another 15 minutes before Brian took our orders.
An hour later, I flagged him down and asked him when our food would be ready. I told him we had been there nearly 2 hours and still had no food. He asked, «You’ve been here 2 hours?» I said yes, and he replied, incredulously, «In HERE?» I said yes again, and then he disappeared. About 10 minutes later, one of the sushi chefs began handing our order over the glass to us. I asked him if he could tell me what time the ticket had been rung in, and he obliged me by checking. The answer? 8:58 p.m. Nearly an hour after Brian had taken the order. So he either held our order for some reason or forgot to put it in. Whatever the reason, it was unacceptable.
That being said, the sushi itself was quite good. Fresh, plentiful, and worth the price, at least as it is here in the Midwest!
We ate without the benefit of Brian checking on us or refilling our drinks, although he wasted no time delivering and taking our check! As we were leaving, I intended to speak to the manager, but there was NO one at the front desk, and despite the fact that we waited a few more minutes, and that my partner went back in to get the server’s name, that didn’t change. Deciding that we had waited quite long enough throughout the evening, we left.
Now. Having read a number of the other unfavorable reviews here on Unilocal,I am getting a picture of a restaurant where rude, slow service is the norm, hostesses are permitted to be snippy with their guests, and managers are lounging somewhere safely out of sight. I can’t imagine that this place will remain in business much longer, and I don’t know that I would return if I am in town again. I only offer the 2 stars b/​c the sushi was good. The experience? Not.

Came here for sushi so no comment on the habachi portion of the restaurant.
Ambiance: The sushi portion of this place is admittedly small, being only 4 large booths and a huge sushi bar (¼th of the whole restaurant). You can order habachi in the sushi area but it’s obviously minus the show. The place is decorated modernly with pastel green and red walls accenting black/​brown painted walls and asian screen doors leading to the kitchens. The theme was a little thrown off by the Coldplay/​Beatles/​Norah Jones playing in the background but it wasn’t unpleasant. Service was pretty slow, took us 45 – 50 mins to get our sushi boat, there were two sushi chefs when we arrived but one left as we were getting situated so the single chef for overwhelmed. Our waitress was nice but again, overwhelmed.
Food: We got the sushi boat which the waitress told us serves 4 (pic below). I gotta say I was really impressed with the quality of the fish. The salmon and red snapper were my favorites by far although the tuna, white tuna, and yellowtail were good as well. The fishes were well-​cut, succulent, and melted appropriately in your mouth (firm initially, not too eager to dissolve, slimy, or grainy). There was a thinly sliced seared beef in on the boat which was excessively dry but it was covered in a super delicious sweet and spicy sauce. There was also a fried roll which was pretty good although the richness overshadowed the taste of the fish. There was also some vegetarian rolls made specifically for one person in our party.
Overall I was a huge fan of the sashimi and nigiri on our boat, the fish was fresh and well-​prepared. I’d be interested in trying some of the specialty rolls next time to see how well-​balanced the flavors are. The prices were pretty steep if you order individually (~5 for basic rolls, ~11−14 for most specialty rolls, up to 17 for the fanciest ones). The boat was actually a great deal considering all the expensive sashimi they gave us, i’d recommend it for larger parties. Given the prices, our dry beef, and slow service, i’m docking them a star but i’d gladly come here again for sushi or to try the habachi.

I’ve been here a couple times now and I really can’t say anything bad about it.
Our most recent trip started off a little shaky, though. We called around 4:30 to get a reservation. They only had 8:30 available so we took that. When we got to the restaurant around 8:10 to check in they didn’t have our reservation in the book. Someone dropped the ball somewhere but it ended up not being a problem because we were promptly sat.
It’s exactly what you’d expect a hibachi place to be. My husband and I are vegan so we had our food cooked in the back to make sure that there wasn’t any cross contamination. And aside from not being able to eat the soup or the dipping sauces because they had either mayo or meat stock in them, our dinners were really good.
My in-​laws got the shrimp and scallops and they were all really impressed with the size of the scallops.
Our hibachi chef was really entertaining and funny, as he should be since this is usually about 50% of the reason people go to places like this.
I had the blueberry martini which was awesome and full of fresh blueberries.
Service was really good, too.
Overall we enjoyed our time here and I’m sure we will be back.

Nagoya is a fun place to go maybe once a year, but its prices and complex theatrics put on by the chef are a little much to endure more than once, for me. I’ve only been here once, and it was also my first visit to a hibachi-​style meal. The cuisine should be changed from «Japanese» to more broadly «Asian» to reflect the food they serve, though.
First off, for the price you pay, a good night out talking amongst friends is spent better NOT at a hibachi-​style table where a party is spread out around a grill.
The chefs are fun to watch as they twirl utensils and prepare your food right in front of you. I didn’t care for the «catch the food in your mouth» game. Seemed very passé and interrupted me eating my meal like a human being. Although, it was very cool to watch how they make MOUNDS of fried rice in just a matter of minutes. In fact, of the plates they bring out, notice the size of the rice plate compared to actual protein that is brought out. Makes you look at those prices on the menu differently.
Speaking of those, the price is high. And they get away with it because… what other Asian hibachi grill are you considering this weekend? Sushi always seems high to me, no matter where you go. My bill for a spicy tuna roll and steak/​chicken hibachi dinner came to $ 45 after my soft drink. That’s an insurance payment.
Food quality was never a concern, though. They have huge portions for you to finish after you watch it being prepared. The chef we had needs to be careful though. He threw a shrimp on my plate, and you never know if that patron has allergies or what, so be careful, dude.
My sister got some kind of drink in a Buddha glass, which she got to keep, so that was pretty neat. Overall, a filling experience, but like I said, I don’t know how many times I’ll go again.