Sapporo Sushi & Japanese Steakhouse

CLOSED… passed by the other day and it’s no longer there. Place is completely empty.

Really small portions of mediocre food, terrible drink selection, no ambiance, dated (as in 1980’s) interior that never fails to deliver an expensive dinner bill.

Our first experience with this restaurant when they first opened was good to very good and would have given them 3.5 stars. However, the last two visits were quite disappointing. Principally the service suffers a bit with the last visit being the last week of July 2014. Secondly, for an Asian restaurant to not have tea is beyond belief. Since when did a Japanese restaurant run out of tea? Thirdly, the establishment seemed to have declined in terms of number of customers and the athmosphere since they first opened which would indicate that they are not attracting a lot of customers. Lastly, this may not matter to some folks but the cook, at least one of them, plays dual role — a host and a cook– kid you not the same guy who sat us down cooked for us. Another indicator they’re not doing well. Overall, Sapporo will continue to decline if they don’t get their act together. Hence, 1 star.

Food is meh. Service is okay. Don’t go early evening on a Saturday unless you love loud children.

Do I even have to give a star? I’m surprised this place is still open and in upper Montclair? I expected way more. Me and a friend of mine took our daughters here for their first hibachi experience. This place should be condemned! Only 2 cooks for the night. People were lined up waiting for tables and we had reservations. The garbage can at reception desk was over flowing. The bathrooms weren’t fit for rat. Needless to say my poor 5 year old had to hold it in. Our cook had a cold, he kept wiping his nose on his sleeve (which you could see the dried up snot) ugh. dude! Take a sick day! Still disgusted that we didn’t leave but we didn’t want to make a scene. Should be shut down for sure. Don’t go here!

I came here for a friend’s birthday and having been to only one other hibachi (great) place, had pretty high expectations. Sadly, this is the watered down version of a much better experience I had somewhere else. You get sat pretty quickly and food comes out fast, but the chef was just ok with his tricks and not amazing. He was a bit on the young side for a hibachi chef so maybe he was still training? I don’t know.
Anyways, the portions were decent, not glutneously large like I anticipated. The food’s flavor was decent. I’m glad that it’s a byob and that there was a coupon online for a free hibachi if you bought 3, or else, at $ 30 pp, I would’ve been greatly disappointed.
The bathroom is falling apart, the place has this strange vibe like it’s a rundown restaurant — even though this was their GRAND opening. I think overall I just wanted there to be more ambiance, for it to be warm and welcoming and for a chef to pop a shrimp in my mouth as I was walking in. I don’t hate the place, but I won’t be returning without a coupon.

We decided to give Sapporo a second try after an almost 2 year boycott for bad service and so-​so food… What a surprise!!! We had some of hte best tasting hibachi!1 Now maybe it was becasue we haven’t had it in a while, maybe it was becasue we were both really really fiending for it but the veggies were fresh and flavorful, thesteak cooked to eprfectiona nd the scallops tender and delicious! And the servie has improved ten-​fold! Brian was our chef and put on a great show — he truly played to his audience; the two of us, and another couple we didn’t know– but he wasn’t too show or flashy and asked everyone how they wanted things cooked, if it was good and of course flipped the obligatory pice of shrimp off his spatuala for us to attempt to cathc in our mouths…(the guys were MUCH better at this thant we ladies were). Its was a Friday night, and maybe a second bus-​person could have been used but all in all it wasn’t bad — we will definitely be back– and the best part– we found coupons on
!!