Came across Iron Chef while in Wallingford and stopped in for lunch. Stepping inside I was pleasantly surprised by the clean, up to date interior with a nice decor and friendly attentive staff. I got a seat at the sushi bar and ordered the Sashimi dinner, Sushi lunch with an upgrade to Tuna scallion roll and a hot tea. A well portioned house salad and Miso soup accompanied the meals. The presentation of the Sushi & Sashimi was minimal but the portion size was quite adequate and the Sashimi sliced proper. The Sashimi, Nigiri and Maki were all quite fresh and of good texture with the exception of some yellowtail but quite exceptional for a Monday afternoon. (IYKYK) Overall a very pleasant dining experience with a phenomenal cost to meal ratio that adequately reflects the low thrills presentation. 6.8/10 read more

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Delicious and fresh and of course, entertaining. we had the hibachi shrimp, steak, scallop, and they were all wonderful.

Service was pleasant. I got a spicy sushi plate for a quick dinner. It came with Miso soup or salad. I opted for the soup. Ingredients were fresh and the meal was satisfying read more

Iron Chef - Japanese Near Me - Wallingford, Connecticut

We tried take out this time and were delighted! The apps were fresh and delicious, all the usual sides came, including that fantastic ginger sauce salad, and we had so much leftover food for the next day. read more

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My favorite place to get sushi and fried rice!! Whether it be take out or dine in, the food is always super yummy and hits the spot. I often see the same couple waiters and they always smile at me and take my order with such care. Plus, because I have a lot of allergies, they make sure to write everything down and communicate it properly with the chef..and they have never gotten an order wrong! I like the seats too! Comfy cozy! I love this place. read more

One thing I really like about trying different sushi restaurants is their ability to be creative especially in the use of ingredients. Last night we had one roll that featured kiwi fruit and another that featured strawberry. The fish was very fresh in all the rolls we ordered and all the rolls tasted great. The staff was quick and friendly and the place was fresh and clean. Can't wait to go back again for more sushi and to try their hibachi. Half the restaurant has Teppanyaki grills and a full hibachi menu. read more

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Iron Chef is on Colony Road in Wallingford not to be mistaken with the Madison location. It is a good spot for lunch. The restaurant was clean, the menu has a nice assortment of both hibachi and sushi. There are lunch specials on Saturdays and the food was fresh, but due to lunch size, the portions are small. We had a seaweed salad, edamame, salmon and avocado roll, eel, and avocado roll, and a California roll. Lunch included soup and a salad. One of the waitresses had a bad attitude but the others were very pleasant. It is conveniently located and plenty of parking is available. read more

First time at Iron Chef and first time in a long time having hibachi. The restaurant is located within a strip mall with clear signage making it easy to find and ample parking. The restaurant has a separate room/space for diners choosing hibachi. The set up around the hibachi station did not feel crowded, and each seat allowed for a great view of the "show". The service was quick and the chef created a fun atmosphere for us diners. My friends and I chose hibachi dinners, each getting some combination of meat and fish. The portions were large with each dinner coming with rice, noodles, vegetables, 2 shrimp, and your choice of protein(s). The meal was delicious, seasoned nicely, and served with two types of dipping sauces (ginger sauce and yum yum sauce). I had forgotten how much I enjoyed hibachi, both the food and experience, and will definitely be returning to Iron Chef! read more

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Really good sushi and hibachi! The portions are filling and I enjoyed eating here. My only issue with this location is the service is a little messy. 2 different servers not understanding that one already took our order and came over to ask if we were ready to order, then I had to ask several servers to refill the water. The food takes a long time to come out as well. However, I highly recommend the rolls they're so good!! read more

Iron Chef - Japanese Near Me - Wallingford, Connecticut

I love Iron Chef for anytime i'm craving sushi near home. It is a cute little restaurant not too far off route 5 in Wallingford and very easy to get to. The servers are always very polite and attentive to your needs. To start I had the peeper tuna which was super fresh and always delicious. For dinner I had the filet mignon and scallop hibachi combo. So May restaurants have stopped serving the hibachi sauces since Covid so it was a nice relief to see that this restaurant still did. My filet was cooked to the perfect temperature and it was juicy. The scallops were seared very well and were also amazing. Iron Chef also has wonderful martinis I had a French martini to die for. I highly recommend this restaurant if you're in the Wallingford area. read more

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Solid lunch choice with Japanese and Chinese cuisine. We had some lunch specials that were small portions, but big enough to have a little leftover. I liked that the general's chicken was clearly made w all white meat. This would have been a 4 star if our dessert order was correct. Waitress said what we got was Tempura banana with honey, but it was listed as vanilla tempura ice cream on bill (which was also what we thought it was when she put it on the table). We asked if it was the banana and she assured us it was. As someone who can't eat the amount of dairy in a scoop of ice cream, I'm relying on the waitstaff to know what dishes are which. A different response from this server might have gotten a different review. We'll still try the hibachi another time. read more

Was in this area for a concert and came across this place. The restaurant was nice inside and very clean. We ordered basil fried rice. Also I always have to get my seaweed salad lol I orded a basic tuna roll and a specialty roll called super volcano. This so far, is the BEST roll I've ever eaten. It's shrimp tempura , avocado, asparagus, spicy crab meat..topped with filet mignon and teriyaki Sauce. It was so delicious. Everything we had was great. Had a nice glass of white wine, it was awesome. Definitely a must try. read more

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Went here for a last minute dinner and the food was exactly what I expected based on similar places that I have been to. Everything that I ate was delicious, however nothing stood out as being above and beyond from any other hibachi type restaurant I've been to. The servers were attentive and kind. My friend's plate seemed to have some residue type substance on it, which was a bit of a turn off, but nonetheless I would go back to this restaurant if in the area. read more

Place has gone downhill and I don't know why. Set a reservation for 6pm 2 days in advance. Usually they are good but today they couldn't find my reservation. Despite no one being in line, they had the four of us wait 20 minutes to get seated since they said we didn't have a reservation. I had to show my phone to prove we did. Ordered the hibachi. One steak, one steak and chicken, two steak and scallops. After we ordered they came out and said they won't be giving us noodles tonight because of a problem with the supplier - didn't change the bill. Fine, whatever. Dinner comes out and we asked where the salads were. Said they forgot them. Person in my party who ordered chicken never got the chicken. When we got the bill, the chicken was on there so we asked where it was. Came over with chicken in a to go container. I've gone here at least 10x. The food is decent, but the service has gone from average to abysmal in that time. As a party, we were sitting there talking for about 10 minutes after the chef left the area. They had brought us the bill 3 minutes earlier. They told us to move over to the bar as other people needed to be seated. There were 4 people waiting and 3 hibachi rooms open with no one seated. At that point, it was par for the night, and we left. Will not go back. read more

Enjoyable dinner in the dining room always. Delicious yummy cuisine. Never a bad meal read more

Always amazing service and elevated atmosphere. We go here for special occasions and that's how you feel when you are there, special. The food could not be better. The price of the meal is worth every penny. You know when you come here you're getting fresh, unbelievable food. read more

Iron Chef - Ribeye - Japanese Near Me - Wallingford, Connecticut

I got a "custom" order the salmon with the general saos sauce it was the best sauce I've ever tasted, salmon cooked perfectly. Enough food for 2 meals Togo dude was patient and cool l, I was just passing through but I'd go weekly if I lived there read more

Food is always good, but when you advertise your closing hours as 10PM and at 9:15 telling me the sushi bar is closed is total bs! Been coming here since 2005! Know the owners! Employees are going to ruin business! read more

This used to be the go to sushi spot for me. Ever since covid hit they have been terrible. Ordered food that was said to be ready in 30 mins but it took an hour and was wrong. The seating and pick up are crammed into one small area in the front. The workers have no idea who's coming to dine in and who's taking out. I will not go here anymore. read more

Ughhhhh ok. Here we go. I met a friend for dinner and didn't have to wait to be seated. Ok that's good.. (compared to other reviews). Our waitress showed up, dropped off menus and immediately asked for a drink order but we weren't ready we barely settled in. She asked us if we were ready to order 3 times and I started to feel rushed. The menu is HUGE so it took some time to sort through probably 40 choices of sushi rolls. I was looking for a non-alcoholic mock-tail if you will and it seemed like impossible. I asked for pineapple juice and cranberry and it was gross, like muddy, out if a gun tasting like mold gross so I sent it back. Had to ask for dishes and soy sauce cups. We ordered 2 soups (standard miso - hard to screw up) and 3 rolls to start. They staggered out. They were edible but kind of chewy but it wasn't the fish it was like the shit ton of stuff they fill the roll with. Edible and we ate it. They couldn't clear our tables fast enough. I actually had picked up my last piece of sushi and as I was bringing it to my mouth- the waitress cleared the plate right from under me. That actually pissed me off. We were still hungry so we ordered a few apps. 3 our of 4 of our apps were just gross. The crab Rangoon tasted like it was fried twice, fried oysters would've def made us sick and the chicken satay looked like white meat but had the texture of dark. It was seasoned in something yellow and just tasted like those frozen chic tenders that you get in bulk from Walmart. We reluctantly sent them back. It was embarrassing but 3 out of 4 dishes were really bad. The waitress just looked at us, turned to another woman and said something in their native language, then glared at us and both walked away. No apology and it was awkward. The reason I gave this place 2 stars instead of 1 was the very nice manager. He came over, apologized and took them off the bill without question. We felt really bad but just don't understand why so much went wrong. Def won't be returning but I do wish them luck. read more

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I had the Phoenix roll..bad choice on my behalf. Didn't care for the taste. I will try again. I heard the iron chef rolls are the go to.

HORRIBLE, HORRIBLE, HORRIBLE!!! I am a nurse and after my 16 hour shift the first thing I wanted was to grab some sushi on the way home and the order was ENTIRELY incorrect. They need to find some employees with better listening skills. I ordered 2 Mona Lisa rolls with no rice and soybean paper and 2 spicy tuna rolls with no rice and soybean paper. Well a simple order like that they messed up, even though I reiterated to the employee THREE TIMES that I wanted no rice and soybean paper, he still didn't listen and did what he wanted instead. I will never return to this place of business again. They didn't even offer to bring me a new roll, they just said that it was my mistake because they messed up. DO NOT GO HERE read more

The food was awful, and as we were leaving the waitress came up to us and told us our 20% tip was not enough and she needed more for her and the chef. Not only will I never come here again, I will tell everyone I know to never come here again. read more

Only ever order takeout so can't speak on staff/ambiance/etc, but this is THE BEST chirashi order in the area. Chirashi is my go-order at any place that serves Japanese food. Most places around this part of CT will charge you almost $30 and then add just salmon, tuna, egg, imitation crab, and one shrimp. This place actually gives you TONS of fish of different varieties and NO EGG! Love it. read more

Here's the good / bad and ugly. The food was great, w/ the Oysters Rockefeller being the best I've ever had , in a long life. However, the drink prices were astronomical! I was charged $18 for a Rusty Nail, made w/ Glenlivet scotch and dramboie, ( don't know how to spell it). I have never been charged more than $13 , which is more than enough, for this drink. I'll go back there for the food , but will drink only water , unless the price goes down. If enough others do the same, maybe management will get the message. read more

Love coming here! It is our go to for apps and sushi! Quick and friendly service. Must have!

The Iron Chef in Wallingford has been around for quite some time. It used to be the premier place to go for fresh sushi. Their sushi now still comes quickly with a reasonably good presentation. The quality and level of freshness however is just not in the same league as other newer places. As for the decor and maintenance of the restaurant itself, unfortunately it's taken a huge nosedive. The ceiling looks filthy, the bathroom looks as if it has not been cleaned in sometime.. there is also graffiti that has not been removed from the dividers in the bathroom. The booths are quite uncomfortable because they are solid wood and instead of upgrading, management decided to put some of the most useless and unattractive cushions I've ever seen in a booth. I'm always concerned that if a business you allow to store and prepare your food has poor cleanliness standards.. what are you not seeing done with your food? In a restaurant that specializes in "raw" fish, this environment is not acceptable. I will not be returning. read more

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Yuk! The blandest spicy tuna I have ever had! I ordered a roll called Spicy girl which was supposed to be an extra spicy version of a spicy tuna, and it was the blandest roll I have ever had. I also ordered a California roll and a miso soup and that was not any better. The food was very bland and he did not have much flavor to it at all. I placed the order for pick up, so did not dine in the restaurant but the Place has an old smell to it when I came in, and Decor was dark and depressing. Not the kind of place I'd like to sit to have my dinner. Also when I place the order over the phone the waitress was not very friendly. Definitely not a place I'll be returning to. Do not recommend at all. read more

I have probably been here about 10-15 times and the food has consistently been great- that goes for hibachi, sushi, take out, and dine in. The service is also consistently OK-ish. More than once have the server struggled with questions about the menu items- basic questions, like "Are there peppers in that?". And another time we went there on a Thursday night for my stepsons birthday (he wanted hibachi) and they told us it would be an hour and a half because they didn't have enough chefs on staff that night. They ended up squeezing us in for a somewhat bland hibachi experience- they were clearly rushing it so they could get to the next group. But of course the food was still good so at least there was that! Despite that isolated experience and the servers somewhat limited knowledge of the menu I will definitely keep coming back. The lunch specials are great and inexpensive for what you're getting. My daughters favorite is the hibachi chicken fried rice- it is by far one of the best I've had too. read more

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Nearly 2 hours wait for food for dine-in. You can see multiple tables refusing food or returning it to the kitchen. I've never seen anything like it. The table behind us found hair in their hibachi last night and we heard the staff arguing etc. With them. If multiple tables had issues with the food, it is 100% on the restaurant not the customer! Having to ask the waitress and remind her multiple times for drink orders was just the cherry on top for our table. Our food was cold and meat rubbery. This was my first time and my last at Iron Chef, I would tell my friends and family and even strangers on Yelp: save yourself the headache and go anywhere else! read more

Iron Chef is one of the better hibachi places I've been to in CT. It's in an unassuming location in the Stop&Shop plaza with ample parking and easily accessible from 91 or 15. Great meeting place after work or pre-movie! The hibachi experience is always fun and the food is always cooked perfectly, but I usually stop here for the sushi to go. You can place your order ahead of time or in person and sit at the bar for a few minutes, catching up on daytime TV or entertainment shows, until your sushi is ready. The portions are good sized although I've found the menu is completely different the last 2 or 3 times I was here. This most recent visit I got an asparagus roll, tuna roll, and the "dreamer" fusion roll which was VERY good but not very filling. My date got some sort of roll (can't remember) and a chicken teriyaki dish that he was very happy with. Prices are good although I wish the rolls were a little bigger. read more

The food here is excellent. Great lunch specials and the music is fun. Would come back. read more

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This was my go-to Sushi place for two years. I came here for lunch at least twice a week. Six months ago, the service became subpar. On one visit they took my app order and never came back to take the lunch order. When I hunted them down in the alcove near the kitchen, I was told I was too late they were closing for their lunch! A similar experience happened a few weeks later. I put in an app order first and when that came, I ordered lunch . My order never came, I was not even if I wanted a beverage. The server never returned. When two other people arrived and sat next to me they waited on them and still ignored me. I asked about my lunch order and she forgot to put it in. The service was ultimately so poor I stopped coming. I was told they were having issues with help by one of their vendors. He assured me the problems were fixed and that the manager is on top of it now. I have been back four times. The first three were good. Today I arrived with a friend, We sat in the dining room and told the server we were in a rush and ordered two apps. A different server took our sushi order. The apps came out quickly, within 5 minutes, and were delish as always. We arrived at noon and at 12:40 pm I noticed that four sushi chefs were looking as if they were doing prep work. Back the kitchen alcove I go. Both servers were on their phones texting. I asked If they placed order. They said yes which was a lie. After five more minutes I went back up to the Sushi bar and was told they were being made "NOW" . The manager came out with a ridiculous look on her face and offered no solution. My friend and I both stated that they have lost our business again. The food here is good, too. What a shame the owner can't get better help! FOOD 4 stars SERVICE 0 stars. Sakimuru is close by. The service is phenomenal. The food is outstanding. The vibe is super cool. Thankfully they will be open 7 days beginning in March. read more

My food literally smelled like bleach! Nothing looked or tasted good. Servers are rude. Would not recommend at all read more

This place was great! Just moved to the area so testing everyone out! The food was fairly simple but tasty and fresh. The dumplings were light and flavorful! Spring rolls perfect. Fried rice delish and teriyaki chicken just right. We did not get any sushi... will report back after next visit! read more

I am not a fan of Iron Chef at all. The first time my husband and I ate here we ordered the sushi boat for two. The fish was not fresh at all. There also was a giant fish head in the boat! There was definitely something off putting about a severed fish head in a sushi boat. (I have a photo and will post it soon!) This was quite some time ago. My husband and I swore we would never eat at Iron Chef again. However a good friend of ours kept raving on and on about their lunches and what a good deal they were. I constantly made fun of her until one day she had me give it another try. So we gave Iron Chef another shot and yet again we were disappointed. The bento lunch has many different things you can pick and choose from. I tried some sushi rols and dumplings. Again I found the fish to not be fresh and the rolls were falling apart. I did find one roll which I did like, the shitaki mushroom roll. I doubt I'll ever give Iron Chef another shot. There are much better options for fresh fish in the area so why waste money here. Unfortunately I do realize that there are no good options for Sushi in Wallingford. I am guessing that is why Iron Chef always seems so crowded. read more

Iron Chef - Fish Head! - Japanese Near Me - Wallingford, Connecticut

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I'm a regular customer at Iron Chef. I'm addicted to sashimi, so having absolutely fresh fish is really important to me. The prices for the sushi and sashimi are in line with the quality which is top-notch. The presentations are always creative and the staff is friendly and attentive - the only exception to this being when they are crazy busy which is understandable. Perhaps I'm old fashioned, but if they would get rid of the TV over the sushi bar it would improve the atmosphere . . . other than that this a place to get some of the best sushi and sashimi in Connecticut. Oh, and I'm not a big hibachi fan, so I really can't comment on that side of the restaurant other than to say that everybody over there seems to be having a good time. read more

Iron Chef - Sashimi Dinner @ Iron Chef - really fresh fish, and creative presentation! - Japanese Near Me - Wallingford, Connecticut

I ordered takeout, the pick up time was 40 minutes. I called after 40 minutes and they said they needed another 20 minutes. I went to stop and shop for 20 minutes then went in to get my order. The restaurant was PACKED, so many people dining in, 4 other pickup orders, the hostess was nowhere to be found. I've frequented iron chef for pick ups and dine ins prior to covid and the quality has significantly decrease since covid. They are capitalizing and exploiting. This place is the reason restaurants should be closed for the pandemic. read more

o.k. - I went alone...it was late, I was hungry and wasn't going to be home for another 3-4 hours....So, maybe this isn't the best frame of mind to write a review in...? However, I feel the need to share.... I ordered the Sushi dinner - it comes with soup or salad and sushi. I chose miso soup (it was very cold that night), which, unfortunately, set a negative tone for the meal. DON'T order it - EVER - it's just plain BAD. Anyway, the sushi and sashimi were fresh - no complaints, but no rave reviews either. Also, I think I had 5 different waitresses - each one kept coming over and asking me if I wanted something to drink, how everything was...if I wanted more tea....(you get the idea). It got real old real fast....service isn't the best - it's way toooooo intrusive. read more

The one star is mainly for the service as food had potential but I'll never know. Myself and 4 others came around 7-7:30 and the dinner rush was still in full swing. We were sat down fairly quickly in the dining area because the hibachi area was a 45+ minute wait. Our drink order was taken shortly after that. We put in our apps and entrees and the waiter disappeared for about 45 mins to bring us our edamame and hibachi salads/soups. My soup was cold along with everyone else. Another 30-45 mins goes by and our food (1 person got sushi and everyone else got hibachi) finally comes out...cold. Everyone who got hibachi requests the food to be warmed up as the chicken was freezing. The waiters come back, apologize and brings each dish back out one by one. I didn't eat my meal even after being "heated up" since my chicken came back lukewarm and more dry which indicates they popped it in the microwave. I told the waitress that the chicken wasn't good and the food was still cold and that I wasn't going to eat it. She looked very confused and I again stated what the issue was. She then got 2 additional workers and one of them being the manager. The manager states if I wanted hot hibachi I should've sat in the hibachi area. I had no words as I have never been told that from a manager so I shook my head and said thank you for the suggestion but I'm still not eating that meal. She then offers 20% off our total bill as my friends all weren't happy with their food either. Management, I'd suggest you go to other hibachi locations as this was the worst experience I've ever had. It's unfortunate since the food absolutely has potential to taste good. But after being told that if I expect hot food I need to be "in the proper seating" I will not be returning. I understand it was busy but serving cold, dry, lukewarm chicken isn't acceptable. I've never eaten hibachi that was so cold and the excuse being that I didn't sit at the table. Terrible service, don't go! read more