KiTARO Bistro of Japan

Fantastic service, food and drinks every time we’re there! The happy hour specials are fantastic, ½ off sushi until 5 and happy hour drinks and apps until 7. Justin is our favorite bartender, always takes great care of guests and makes fantastic martinis !

Been here four times and have never been disappointed. Very interactive hibachi grill and food the never disappoints. Scallops, shrimp, steak, chicken its all tasty. And so is the sushi!

If I could give this place zero stars, I would and it isn’t even about the food. Over the holidays, my family wanted to have a nice night out. We had 8 people which we knew was a large group so we called ahead. The person on the phone took our name and number in our party and said we could arrive at 7 for call ahead. When we arrived, the hostess found our name on the call ahead list and said, yes, you’re on the list, you’ll be the next table to be seated because you called ahead.
We waited about 20 minutes and kept seeing other parties (many larger parties) seated. So, we went back to the counter to ask about what was going on. This time, it was apparently the manager on duty at the host area. When we asked, the manager said that the hostess never said we were the next table and that’s not how they do call aheads. So, the manager basically said we lied, which we didn’t. Then he proceeded to explain why they take call aheads at all which made no sense because you still had your name at the bottom of the list when you arrive at the restaurant. He was rude, not friendly, and had a snobby presence that turned me off immediately.
Then he said it would be 10 more minutes so we decided to wait. 25 minutes later we decided to go somewhere else because we had been there 45 minutes and the kids were getting tired. When we walked out, we tried to again complain to the manager and he was extremely rude. He didn’t offer any apologies for miscommunication or anything to make it right.
We ended up going to a nearby Thai restaurant where we were warmly welcomed and treated as we should have been at KiTARO — paying customers who deserve good customer service.
I’ve worked in customer service before and this restaurant was a prime example of BAD customer service. No thank you.

Horrible customer service. Place was empty and waited forever. They don’t seat based on when you arrive, they seat in what numbers are convenient to them. Manager is not very people friendly or pleasant either.

The food was decent but the service was exceptionally slow and they are extremely picky about «customizations». They wouldn’t even allow me to pay extra to upgrade to a nicer sushi roll on their lunch menu.
And the smallest/​cheapest sashimi entrée was $ 25! Most Sushi places offer something around nine pieces of sashimi for around $ 15.
So you have very limited menu selections, the lunch options left a lot to be desired and then they won’t even let you pay extra to swap stuff out?

My wife’s birthday. Dinner with the whole family. Everything spot on. Kids had fun food was great device 5 star. Live it when a plan comes together

Please see the photos I posted. One of Kitaros yellowtail tuna from sushi and the other of what yellowtail tuna really looks like. Please read my comments in the photos!

Went with another couple and did the Hibachi this time. That is the first time I have ever did that and wow, have I been missing out! The chef was amazing, funny and interactive with everyone at our table. The food was amazing. I had the steak and shrimp. I would definitely go back again.

I got here just right before happy hour and ordered a draft beer at 3:58, the manager behind the bar took my order and charged me full price. I didn’t realize happy hour started at 4, he didn’t even mention it. I went back up to him and asked him about it and he just said you didn’t order it at 4. To me that doesn’t seem like the right thing to do, he could’ve mentioned it to me or said if you wait another 2 minutes you can get the beer cheaper. Talk about rude.

For an O’fallon restaurant this is probably a four star.
I’ve been to some“wow ya” hibachi before and the cooks here tend to lack the wow although they do serve good food.
I’d have no complaints on the food other than portion sizes are way too much.
We always share a volcano drink but they charge to share a meal on the hibachi side.
I can’t comment on the sushi since we didn’t try it tonight.
Our son wanted to celebrate his birthday here and overall we enjoyed it although their hostess is incredibly rude. A smile and less eye rolling would help.
We’ll be back, just not often or soon.

Kitaro no longer has a buffet either lunch or dinner.
I had the hibachi steak and shrimp; the chef put on the show, which is great for kids and even made me laugh. The food was good and certainly freshly prepared. I was prepared to say that there would be too much salt, but that was not the case.
So it was a nice meal, and conveniently located to where I was doing some work.

Had dinner here at the hibachi side with a co-​worker and was pretty underwhelmed. I had the tuna steak which had been previously frozen. I like it seared on both sides and it was like the center wasn’t completely defrosted. The side dishes were all just fair, fried rice so-​so, salad was the same, the chef went thru the usual motions of a chef at a hibachi restaurant but with no energy or enthusiasm at all. Plus it took forever just to get a beer. It’s not horrible but nothing to write home about either.

Very disappointed in this last visit to Kitaro. The sushi, although ½ price, was not the quality I expected. It’s almost as if they use shitty ingredients during their ½ price time and then up the quality when it’s full price. I guess for sushi in O’Fallon, MO what can I really ask for?

I give 3 stars. Been about 10 months since last visit. Service was good and the place was busy. Food is ok. Drinks not cheap. My big complaint: the place was dirty. Sticky tables and chairs. Dried food on salt shakers. Floor looked very dirty. Management needs to concentrate on continuous and thorough cleaning. Not just closings…

I have been here many times with family and friends, and have had a great experience each time. I love food and i always get a ton here for a decent price. The drinks are also reasonable as well.
I generally get the fillet and chicken with extra rice, and almost every time i have food to take home. This place also puts on a great show. Every cook i have had is super friendly and very funny. The enviorment overall is great.
They also have a sauce calles yum yum saice and it is amazing. I put it on everything there. It is sweet and creamy. They also sell it as well if you like the sauce.
Overall, I love this place and the food and drink they have.

Great environment, fresh sushi prepared in a timely manner.
The Geisha roll was by far the highlight of my meal. Aswell as the upside down shrimp.
Service was fair, and the price of the food was definitely reasonable!

My sister and I went for lunch. From 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday through Thursday, half-​price sushi.
Our server was very friendly. The menu is massive.
My sister has been here before, so she offered suggestions, which were very helpful.
She got a crispy calamari roll. I got the Alabama. I cannot tell you what was in it, and I cannot find it on the menu.
We both got a salad: she got the seaweed salad (which is not on the menu, but amazingly available).
I got a house salad minus the garlic croutons with house-​made bleu cheese dressing. It had cucumber, cherry tomatoes, romaine and leaf lettuces, Monterey Jack and Cheddar cheeses.
A great and hefty salad. Very well dressed, and the ingredients were fresh.
The Alabama roll was good. Served with ginger and wasabi, and I used them both, with a little reduced-​sodium soy sauce.
They provide little sectioned bowls to mix your stuff, which I used.
I’m not good with chopsticks, so I forked it and used my hand.
My sister seems to be a master with chopsticks. What great new information.

Try their special sauce. OMG AMAZING

Tasty sushi near where my sweetie works. Tried 5 rolls; white tiger (with seared scallops), golden lobster (tempura lobster), dragon (California roll with eel on top), spicy tuna and aspen (tempura asparagus with salmon). The stand out for me was the white tiger, for my bf it was the aspen. I wouldn’t get the dragon again. The golden lobster was good but not as flavorful as I’d expect. Next time I’ll try the geisha roll with lobster. They do half price specials during the day Monday through Thursday.

I’ve been here twice now and feel a bit conflicted writing this review. The first experience was a solid 4-​star meal. The second experience was less so. I feel a strong urge to go with a 3-​star review as a result.
Tonight’s food was pretty good and the service was attentive even though it was inaccurate. My wife wanted to know what pieces were in the chef’s special and after asking the chef, the waiter replied that «it’s the chef’s choice.» The chef did honor her wish to exclude a couple of pieces that she hates, but we both ordered the same thing and received different pieces!?! The appetizers arrived at different times and the second one had barely hit the table when the entrees arrived. One of the kids ordered two basic rolls and only received one of them… the other showed up as something that she neither ordered nor cared to try. Finally, the two desserts arrived at completely different times.
Overlooking all of that, the food was pretty darn good. Everything was fresh and well prepared. The flavor & texture combinations in the Kentucky roll were spot-​on and the nigiri was perfectly proportioned.