Shogun Japanese BBQ

First time dining at Shogun Japanese BBQ. Simply amazing. Great service and awesome food. We will be back.

Best Korean/​Japanese BBQ place in Tallahassee. Very authentic and delicious. Everyone working there was very nice and attentive. The waitress came to our table periodically throughout our dinner and made sure everything was to our liking.
The unlimited BBQ is a fantastic deal. As if unlimited meat wasn’t enough, even the appetizers are unlimited! Definitely worth the visit. You won’t be disappointed!

I looked forward to my first time here because of the great reviews. I stopped in for lunch when it wasn’t too busy and was promptly seated. When my server (I’ll leave his name out of this) brought water I explained this was my first time and looked forward to trying the hibachi another time. I ordered an appetizer (age dashi tofu), miso soup and the spicy pork lunch that came with a choice of Miso soup or a spring mix salad with ginger dressing.
I am glad the waiter brought out a bottle of chilled water so I could refill my glad because from then on, I was ignored. A nice lady brought out my spicy pork lunch plate and I explained that I had ordered an appetizer and that I did not have a napkin or silverware. (I had chop sticks, but I really need a napkin when I eat.) So I waited — while she walked away — maybe to find my waiter who shall not be named. And I waited– with the food in front of me for much longer than necessary. The waiter then appeared with soup, the tofu and a salad — and set it beside my untouched lunch. I request them take something back and bring it out later but I didn’t want my food getting cold. The nice lady took away my plate leaving me with a bowl of dashi tofu, soup and a salad. (But still no silverware or napkin.)
The dashi tofu was very hot (temperature) and I really needed a napkin by that point because it was burning my mouth. I wanted to open my mouth, behind the napkin and suck in cool air! Finally, I got the attention of An employee wrapping silverware in nice black napkins and requested a set up. I got a napkin and finished my tofu while sampling the miso.
The salad dressing was thick and creamy, unlike other lighter ginger dressing I’ve had. It really didn’t have a ginger taste to it. The miso soup was Just OK.
Once I finished my appetizers, I waited some more. Finally my dish arrived. I was afraid it would be soggy or all dried out from sitting under a warmer or salamander.
The plate looked good with a nice serving of sliced pork in a sticky brown sauce sprinkled with sesame seeds served on fried rice noodles. The spicy pork wasn’t spicy and it was a tad too salty. The veggie stir fry was cabbage, carrots and onions. The fried rice was decent.
My waiter offered to pack up my leftovers and removed them from the table — and went around taking care of his one other customer. I was concerned they would be lost but he finally returned with them.
Sorry Unilocalers, but I know that I WILL be coming back here but I was so ready for my meal to be over just because of the service, the bad meal timing and my inattentive server. (I looked at the people around me and they were being properly taken care of.)
I hate, hate, hate not tipping 20% or more for breakfast and lunch but really wanted to show how slighted I felt. But, maybe he can take a hint on 18%.
I’m sure the next review will be more positive and they can get some more stars but today’s performance was two stars at best.

First time there and we’ll be back…
Wonderful dining experience. Service was excellent and the waitress was very friendly and attentive. We tried everything imaginable on the all you could eat menu. Delicious appetizers included: shogun shrimp, spring roll, and chicken dumplings, and cheese wonton with great sauces.
We cooked our main entrees on a charming gas grill top on our table. The all inclusive lunch menu included short ribs, beef briskest, bacon, top sirloin steak, and fresh vegetables, mushrooms and zucchini…
Can’t wait to go back and try the filet minion, chicken and shrimp for dinner!!!

I give one star for the environment and renovation, hardly offer any more credit. I was so delighted to see a new restaurant opened at somewhere near my location. So my friends and I decided to have a try. But I was hit by a big big disappointment. The dishes looks ok from the menu, but when the waitress brought the real thing, I couldn’t believe that’s what we ordered. The brisket fell apart and the tiny dishes looked much smaller than they looked like in the menu. Served with frozen meat in an average level, you could simply buy better meat in any supermarket with much cheaper price. The meat dressing doesn’t have any feature of the Japanese BBQ. And the flavor is plain. The salad is not quit fresh neither, but that’s ok compared to the other thing. Nothing impressed me at all. The last but the most important thing I wanna say is!!! My friends who went to here the day before us had diarrhea yesterday. And the same thing happened to us too today. However, it might be only a coincidence. Won’t go again for sure.

In a new establishment by the owners of Mr. Roboto I expected some things to carry over, but more than I expected did.
I ordered the spicy pork and truth be told it was quite good, the remainder of the food was straight from Mr. Roboto with a more upscale presentation.
Other orders at the table included chicken and steak, which were nearly indistinguishable from the Roboto counterparts, oh and the price bump for the atmosphere.
The all-​you-​can-​eat idea sounds wonderful but the rules are extremely strict, and honestly too restricting. I will be trying it in the future but for a venue that I was very excited for I leave disappointed.

The gist: Korean /​Japanese BBQ fusion that works… with caveats. Now for the rest.
The newest Asian eatery in town is a Japanese style Korean BBQ with somewhat of a split personality. On the one hand, it’s an all you can eat BBQ place with a room filled with tables where you cook your own food (note: the biggest table appeared to seat only 6 people). On the other hand, it’s a Japanese restaurant offering essentially the same fare that you would find on the kitchen menu in almost any Japanese restaurant (albeit with a bit of Korean inspiration). This dichotomy is evident in the menu: one side lists the all you can eat offerings, while the other is the kitchen menu. But here is the first big problem:
Everyone at your table must eat off of the same side of the menu.
In order to have the BBQ, everyone at the table must have the BBQ. And at $ 25 per person for the all you can eat BBQ, that may be too much of either a financial or food commitment for some. And if you want BBQ there are a few other rules: it’ll cost you $ 5 if you take any leftovers with you. And you must eat within 2 hours (full disclosure: we stayed 2.5 hours without a penalty). There are three menu sections and you can eat as much as you want from each.
The appetizers were decent, with the Age Dashi Tofu and the Kimchee with Pork Belly the two standouts. We must have had 4 plates of each. The veggie choices were good, and the items were fresh. Then you have the «meats», all of which were excellent cuts. They ranged from exceptional ribeye (dinner only) and pork belly to OK calamari (technically, not a «meat») and sirloin. Each of the meats can come with a variety of sauces. And this is the second big problem:
The meat is not marinated. The sauces are simply poured on top. To me, the essence of good Korean BBQ is the fact that the meat marinates in the amazingly tasty sauces. Pouring it on top serves little purpose, and indeed it imparted little flavor. This is sad as some of the sauces, such as the spicy sauce and the ginger/​soy were very tasty and would have been a great marinade. So make sure to mix the meat you receive with the sauce to at least try to get the sauce spread over all of the slices. And here is the third problem:
The sauces caramelized on the grill and started to burn on as the meal progressed. They never wiped it down (they said that they ran out of towels to wipe the grill with. Hmmm).
Due to the price and the harsh BBQ rules, I think that the BBQ side will solely be a special occasion destination. And given that the kitchen side is fairly generic Japanese food, I am sure that Shogun will not be high in our rotation.

Shogun offers a unique experience unlike no other in Tallahassee. This is Japanese-​inspired BBQ at its finest, with the option to order appetizers and entrees from the kitchen, or cook directly at your table (i.e. Melting Pot).
Wooden panels line the space, while gorgeous Japanese wall art pops visually. Also, perfectly lit lamp shades hang from the ceiling aptly. For starters, I began with Pork Belly Kimchi, which was out of this world. I’m a kimchi eating machine, adding thin sliced pork belly will only enhance the insane levels of flavor.
Since I was dining alone, I didn’t feel the need to cook in front of me. This is more of a date attraction or rounding up a rowdy bunch thing to do. However, the majority of the tables were cooking table side. Lunch and dinner are different prices, plus you receive an UNLIMITED amount of food. Dine carefully.
I ordered the Yakisoba Chicken entrée. This was exactly what I was craving. Thin noodles tossed with chicken, grilled veggies, and oyster-​ish sauce. Very strong dish. I ordered a cup of Miso Soup to go along with my meal, and it was surprisingly tasty.
For the record, I’m close friends with the owners and some of the staff here. They are passionate about their product and are extremely hard-​working individuals. There’s no doubt that Shogun will take off like wild fire. I can’t wait to update my review once I try out the table side grill experience. Well done, Shogun!