I would give 2 1/2 stars since the sushi is very fresh. However, the rolls are small and the sushi rice has no flavor. Actually much of what I ate had little flavor. This was the first time in a while eating in. Took out last week. Same result. We had seaweed salad to start and it's the same one you get everywhere but his was about 2 degrees away from being frozen. Many other choices in the area. read more

Iron Chef - Shrimp tempura roll, spicy scallop roll, salmon sushi, tamago sushi, (?) white roll, uni sushi, spicy salmon hand roll - Japanese Near Me - Wallingford, Connecticut

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

I am updating my previous review-- The first time we went...not so great. Tonight- wonderful! We went for dinner and our waitress was attentive, friendly and very polite. She made sure to refill our drinks multiple times, stopped by to see if we were doing well, and it looks like the owner really went out of their way to better train their servers. The owner /manager sent me a message due to my last review and I was happy to see that he/she reads Yelp and is concerned about their business. Everything we ordered (including the AMAZING chicken lettuce wraps) was so delicious. I would definitely go back...it looks like the first time was just a bad day. read more

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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

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

DELICIOUS We live closer to Middletown however our favorite sushi restaurant closer to us went way downhill recently. We are so hoping that this does not happen here. We had a few sushi rolls that we requested with rice paper sheet instead of rice.....AMAZING. We had Thai Hoti Basil Fried Rice. AMAZING. Spring rolls.....AMAZING. Everything was AWESOME. We definitely appreciate quality and delicious food and this was it. We hope it keeps consistent! read more

Rented a house close by in Middlefield as was looking for a hibachi place that had a dine-in option. Like most places, masks were mandatory from entry until seated at your table. I was surprised that there were no hand sanitizers or wipes given to patrons, but I always bring some along, so it wasn't a real issue. The food was tasty, and service was reliable. I was the only person who ordered off the regular menu and had fried fish with chili Thai sauce. The rest ordered Hibachi steak, shrimp and chicken. My family really enjoyed the show put on by the chef. Would return if in the area. read more

Had a 7:30 reservation for hibachi and were the only ones at the table. We did not have our drink orders taken for 30 minutes and then food order 45 minutes after. At 8:36 2 more guests not from our group were seated and had their drink and food orders taken immediately. I totally understand they want a full table at hibachi but to be on time, and made to wait over an hour and still no chef is unreasonable and unprofessional, will not be back and will take business to the numerous hibachi restaurants in the area. It will be a 2 hour + dinner at this rate and food is average at best here. read more

I met my friend at Iron Chef for Hibachi dinner on Saturday evening. The bill came, we paid cash. We left over 20% tip. My friend used the restroom after dinner while I waited, and when she got back our server came and threw the check book back at me with $3.00 in it. She told me that was all we left for a tip. I knew how much cash we put in the book, she told me that the person in the back counted it and we underpaid. this happened in front of the whole restaurant. I worked in the food industry for years, I know how to count cash,and my friend and I both doubled checked to make sure we paid correctly. I would strongly suggest you pay with a credit card at this restaurant so they can't rip you off. I was appalled and embarrassed and will never go back. read more

Their serve is awful. They don't have enough staff. They actually run through the restaurant. Tonight they were really busy and asked us to wait 15-20 minutes in our. No problem. When they called, we went in, and they told us they gave away our table and it would be another 10 minutes. Not worth the bad customer service. read more

Great Hibachi! Was nervous at first since not many guests were there, but was able to have a quiet dinner with friends which was nice!

We had a reservation for 7:30pm. It was a large party - 17 people, which is only 1 short of their big hibachi rooms. I repeat - we had a reservation for that many people for 7:30pm. We were not sit down until 8:30pm...and we sat ourselves. They finally came and took drink orders. My wife and the girl next to her ordered "vodka & Red Bull's". Normal drink. Something they had actually ordered from the bar as we waited an hour for our (past our reservation time). The waitress had no idea what they were asking for - and after 5-6 times of explaining the drink, she said ok. She came back (10 minutes later) saying they were out of Red Bull. My wife got up and said "I'm just going to take care of this myself" and went to the bar and ordered the drinks - they weren't out of Red Bull (shocker). The waitress just had no clue what my wife ordered and just pretended they were out. We also ordered waters for everyone (all 17 of us) - she comes back with 3 waters and randomly gives them to people...and never comes back. When the OTHER waitress came to take our orders, we asked for the waters again - and she obliged this time. However, when we asked for chop sticks, she reached below the hibachi grill and grabbed one and gave it some random person. We actually went behind the grill and handed them out to everyone. The chefs finally came, everything went well with them, and the food was great (which is the reason for the high review - the option for 0 stars was unavailable). They brought the appetizers out before we got the meals - great. Except for one couple...which they brought AFTER the chefs had actually cleaned everything up and everyone was done with their meals. They asked for the appetizer to be taken off the menu and the waitress literally goes "you want to take home?" We also had to get our own boxes for food leftovers. By the way - there was absolutely NO ONE left in the restaurant - just us - and still absolutely NO SERVICE AT ALL. I usually don't post reviews, but this place was so abysmal with their service I felt unneeded to inform the general public as to how astoundingly bad it really was. There were plenty of service people - I understand the thinking that it's a large party...but this was just putridly bad. They need to fix something. I'll never come back. read more

This is the first time coming to the restaurant - my family made a reservation for hibachi for my birthday. Things started off pretty well, we ordered some drinks and some rolls to try before getting into the actual hibachi dinner. The scorpion bowls were tasty and the rolls we ordered were pretty awesome. The 6 of us ordered our hibachi meals and I also ordered some sashimi. Some time later the hibachi chef appears and I remind our waiter of the sashimi order. It seemed like he had forgotten but that he was going to put that in. So now it's time for the show... which was mediocre compared to other hibachi places I've been. The chef was pretty liberal with the sake so I will give him points for that, and the balloon hat was cute and different from other places I'd been. Near the end of his cooking I mentioned I could use some more water, which he called out to the other servers. About 20 min later he's cleaning up and I still have no water or sashimi. I ask for water again and finally someone comes by with it. At this point I figure they forgot about the sashimi, we had all eaten our fill, so I simply say to one of my party members that they forgot so just make sure they don't add it to the bill, not really a big deal. Now we are waiting for them to come back to do the free birthday dessert. It seemed like they must have heard my comment because all of a sudden the sashimi appears. This leads me to become kind of annoyed at the service... and then this happens which really made me drop the stars: The woman server let's me know I get a free tempura ice cream for my birthday . I say, "with banana right? " "No only ice cream" "But your website says tempura banana with fried ice cream on your birthday " "I will have to check with the manager". I of course know I'm right (and will include a screen shot with this review) so order a tempura ice cream and banana, regular ice cream, and the lava cake for everyone to share. They come out with 2 fried ice creams instead of one tempura one regular, and the piece of lava cake is miniscule. These were really more annoyances, nothing actually angering. I didn't even say anything to them about the incorrect order because at this point everyone just wants to get home. We get the bill, a few hundred dollars spent between the 6 of us, and... you guessed it.... they charged us for the tempura banana with tempura ice cream even tho it clearly says that this is free if you celebrate your birthday there. Apparently even if you're a good customer, they still can't honor their commitments. All in all I don't think I will go back even for the sushi. There are definitely better options in the area where you will get better service with high quality food. read more

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I'm a little divided on how to rate this place. Here's the deal: deliciously FRESH and TASTY fish; OUTRAGEOUS prices (example, $2.75 for ONE piece, not order, of yellowtail nigiri). The sushi prices are so high, that they are OFFENSIVE. I mean, the going rate in NYC is $2.50, and yoo hoo, Iron Chef, in case no one told you, you are NOT in NY!! Nice atmosphere, but not nice enough to warrant the price gouging. So, do what you will, just go armed with knowledge. read more

Yay for good sushi in Wallingford! My family never considered going here because of the stupid name, but it turns out you really shouldn't judge a book by it's cover. I can only speak to the sushi, never having done the hibachi here, but everything I had was uber yummy. The spicy mango salad with jicama had just the right amount of heat and texture. But the real stand out of the meal was the crunchy tuna and spicy tuna roll! Super Super Yummy-ness. The rolls are small, as some people have mentioned, but they deliver on taste. The only roll I would say was a real miss was the "Tuna Awesome" with three different types of tuna including a seared pepper tuna on top. The pepper flavor overwhelmed any other flavor and gave it a weird pastrami-taste. Not something I would try again. We also got the live scallop appetizer which was very fresh and light in flavor, I would def. try again. To kick it off I ordered one of those obnoxious blue drinks with an umbrella. I was expecting some syrup-y sweet concoction when I saw it delivered but I was pleasantly surprised how strong they were. One drink was def. enough to get me through the meal. Will be back. read more

Fresh fish, beautiful pieces of yellowtail. If you like raw sushi this place is legit in comparison to similarly priced restaurants. read more

Iron Chef - Japanese Near Me - Wallingford, Connecticut

I would give this place zero starts if possible. I have NEVER had the level of "service" in an establishment as I did here. I work right up the street. Was in the mood for sushi so figured I'd drop in at lunch. I pull in... Open sign is on and blinking. I walk in... Get ready for it...  A girl is SLEEPING ON THE BAR!! not near the bar... Not close to the bar.. ON the bar. RIGHT when you walk in. All of the lights inside were turned off.. You can't tell from the outside the way the place is set up. The girl "woke up" and turned her head to me. Didn't get up.. Just tilted her head and stated "were closed til 430"... I kindly asked.. "Oh well the door was open and I've heard great things... I'd love to place an order and grab some lunch".. "Are you sure you wouldn't like to take my money". She replied "no we closed til 430 come back later", and she continued to put her head back down to go back to sleep.  As I walked out I told her to enjoy her nap and let the owner know he lost a customer in me. And I'm sure customers from my place of employment.  She didn't seem phased at all This place will forever be on my "no go" list. read more

Chuck up the deuces to this place and if you're in this god forsaken suburbanite area of CT and must have sushi and/or hibachi, just drive the extra 5 minutes to Sakimura up the road in Meriden if New Haven or Hartford is too much of a drive. It's overpriced. I think this has been mentioned in every single review. It's definitely not fresh. I've eaten here five times in the past year and have gotten ill each time. The hibachi is salty but I guess that's why they keep the drinks coming. The service is interesting and by that I mean annoying. I think the waitstaff doesn't have assigned sections but just rotates throughout the dining area and goes from table to table. If one person just refreshed our drinks, why does another one come three seconds later? I know I like to drink but damn, I was feeling like a legit alcoholic with the amount of times I was asked if my drink needed a refill. This is also one of those annoying Choate-Rosemary Hall hot spots so the clientele's shrieky voices that carry throughout the entire restaurant can pierce ear drums. read more

Iron chef was our go to sushi spot but after today's visit this will no longer be the case. First, let me start with some of the good aspects of iron chef. The atmosphere is great. The decor and ambiance are very pleasing and give it a high end vibe. The drunken noodle my wife ordered was very good. It was comparable to what you would get at an authentic Thai restaurant. The other people in my party also they enjoyed their Thai basil with chicken. Unfortunately, there was more bad than good. I'll get right to the worst part, the service. The waitress consistently reached over the table including our food to get a plate. There was no "excuse me" or "pardon my reach", just an arm reaching over your plate of food. Furthermore, the food all came at different times. First the hibachi came out, 10 minutes later the other hot plates came out and then the sushi came out. By the time we got our sushi, the hibachi was lukewarm at best. The staff needs to all take hospitality classes! Because of the service we will no longer be coming here! read more

Nice quiet Monday. Waiter dropped Saki cap on floor a put back on bottle. Must be a clean floor. ;-/ Training. Training. Training. Best around - but not New York City. read more

I got take-out here once and the sushi, even in a lunch special, was overpriced for what I got. The quality was ok at best, and the portion was very small, even though it was a lunch special, and the lunch special price was more than other places in the area. It wasn't the worst sushi I've had, and it beats getting sushi from the grocery store when I'm craving it in the area, but it wasn't that great either. After my take-out experience, I decided I wouldn't get sushi here again because of the high prices and ok quality, but I did end up back for hibachi with some friends not too long ago. The hibachi chef was entertaining, and we got a good amount of food, but, again, it wasn't as much food or as good as other hibachi places, and it was priced a little higher. It was a good time, but I have to give it two stars because it really fits the description - "Meh. I've experienced better." read more

SUSHI was very fresh and tasty. Loved the variety of rolls. Had a tuna martini appetizer that was delicious and artfully presented in a martini glass. Cold sake was good too, as were the mai tais! Service was ok, a little slow at times even though it wasn't crowded and our waiter didn't come by much or offer us more drinks, however the food was so good that I was able to get past that! Dessert was wonderful! I had a piece of cheesecake that was very creamy and not too sweet, just delicious! read more

Iron Chef - Tuna Martini - Japanese Near Me - Wallingford, Connecticut

Good choice for special rolls, and not terribly expensive. I was there at off peak hours, but the service was efficient and friendly, and the sushi was fresh. Worth going again! read more

"Who takes it? Whose cuisine reigns supreme?" I went to Iron Chef this evening on a date. It was actually this gentleman I dated about two years ago, and we just ran into eachother again recently (Date #1, Round 2). Anyway, we got "Seafood Soup for Two" as an appetizer, and it was quite good. A good mix of seafood and vegetables in a clear broth. For the meal, I had Spicy Tuna Roll and Manhattan Roll, and my date had the Sashimi and Sushi Combo plate. Both meals were good. I've had better Spicy Tuna before, but it was still tasty. The presentation was excellent (especially on that combination plate -- they made a swan from a lemon wedge, and made a tree and grass out of vegetable pieces). It was a pretty average Sushi restaurant overall. Decent prices, good selection. The service was good too. Our waitress was pleasant and attentive. Overall, a good experience. Not my favourite sushi restaurant ever, but I'd certainly go back, as it's the closest sushi restaurant I've tried in my area. read more

They must be under new ownership as the menu has changed and the quality of the food and service is just not there. Our server was rude, and she was irritated when we informed her that she brought us the wrong meals and omitted our appetizer. I don't think we will ever go back, the food sucked and so did the drinks (and the plates were DIRTY). read more

I went to Iron Chef twice. I had Lobster delight, Sakura Roll, Spicy tuna Roll, etc. The sushi is tasty. I also had seaweed salad that was Awesome. I also had green tea for drink. It was good. The service is good. I love Japanese food. I will come back again :-) read more

This stupid place sucks. The food is so salty. I even told the chef and the workers that their food is too salty and instead of thanking me they think that I was just prejudice but I say what I feel and taste. It is much better in Wichita, KS Before you make plans for a night-out at this place I advise you to pour salt in your mouth instead and stay home. read more

Iron Chef has really great sushi! A lot of different options but their hibachi is mediocre. Their service is really really slow. It doesn't matter what day of the week or how busy, they are slow. They aren't very customer-service orientated either. I would say Iron Chef is a good option for sushi and sakimura for hibachi! read more

I made my order through GrubHub, the order was Crab Ragoons and Pineapple Fried Rice. Both were absolutely awful. The ragoons were basically ravioli with cream cheese inside fried. The fried rice was white sticky rice they sprinkled the seasoning Tumeric into and the pineapple was big chunks from a can that had heavy syrup and the pieces of chicken were pulled off a chicken and the size of my finger. I spent $36 to have the meal and get it delivered- I understand the Iron Chef doesn't have anything to do with delivery, but I was suppose to receive my order at 1:10pm and did not receive until 2:40. As you can assume, I was starving and had a bad headache needing to eat and was incredibly upset and disappointed. I threw the Rangoons away, the sticky rice I am planning on taking the pineapple and chicken out, frying the rice itself, adding in tiny chopped chicken, warm cashews and 1/4 the size pineapple that is not in heavy syrup. I don't have $36 to waste so I have to make use and try to salvage this meal. read more

It was okay. I enjoyed the lunch prices, they were very fair. Unfortunately, I asked for a drink that never came and ordered a dessert that looked nothing like the picture. It was funny though. I included a picture! read more

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

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good food, good service and very affordable. my friend and i got 3 rolls to split and it was the perfect amount of food for us.

It did in a pinch. Unfamiliar with the area and having a craving for sushi, I pulled into one of the first places I saw. Décor was decent. Staff was friendly. Sushi was OK. I got the Iron Chef special and felt it was good enough. I also got a side of miso soup and 2 eel sushi on the side. The eel was very good and the miso was good. I'd go again unless someone in the area pointed me otherwise. read more

Iron Chef - Quiet and dark Wednesday night. Hoping for the best. - Japanese Near Me - Wallingford, Connecticut

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Consistently excellent for hibachi lunches. It's the go-to place for me and my elderly relatives in Wallingford. Great tasty and plenty of vegetables, meat, shrimp, scallops. Best value in town. read more

This is one of our favorite places to eat in Wallingford. Great service. We love the Tom Young soup and my very favorite is the seasonal salad. The food is always great. It is a very calming atmosphere. The rolls are great too and the prices are very reasonable read more

Very surprised to see only 3 stars for Iron Chef. Been here a bunch (for sushi; no hibachi) over the years and I feel like each time has been better than the previous. Their rolls are innovative and delicious, and the fish is always fresh. It's located in a plaza, but the decor inside is really nice. Service is quite good as well, and their prices are very reasonable. Definitely recommend! read more

Iron Chef - Crispy Tuna roll - simple and delicious! - Japanese Near Me - Wallingford, Connecticut

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My husband and I frequent sushi establishments often in the area. We ordered online. Quoted 35 min. Showed up at scheduled pick up time. Ended up waiting an hour for food from the time we ordered. Got scallion pancakes - they were barely fried and tasted like soggy uncooked dough. The two salads were "ok" but the dressing tasted bad. Shrimp tempura only came with one shrimp and was the smallest sized roll I have ever received. Husband ordered Alaskan roll and spicy tuna roll. Quality was below average compared to other places. Spicy tuna roll - asked for sliced tuna instead of chopped. Ended up getting basic tuna roll that looked like mush. Overall one step up from a buffet. Will not be goi read more

The sushi is good but the service is terrible. Last 3 times I've gone, the waitresses were just not friendly at all.

Went there on a Saturday night and it wasn't that busy. Was sat within 5 minutes. Waitress has little to no social skills. Only brought one glass of water to the table (was with my gf). She forgot to bring my mixed drink and had to be reminded. Sushi was good. Miso soup was okay. Problem starts with my gf's entree. They gave her chicken even though she ordered salmon. We also had to remind the waitress that we had entrees coming as she tried to hand us the bill after finishing up the sushi. There was no attempt to accommodate the lengthy wait or the mishap with the entree. 2/5 stars simply because the sushi was actually good. Would recommend ordering for pickup. Go somewhere else for a better dine-in experience. read more

We waited for over 20 min to get seated even though we had reservations. Then another 15 for our drink order another 30 min to get our food ordered waited an hour before the chef came out to cook. Been here at least 5 times this by far was the worst service and the hibachi show stunk. read more

Way overpriced for below average food. Sushi was mushy. They didn't bring my son's meal out until after the whole table has finished and didn't offer to to comp anything. His meal was fried fish appetizer, which should have only taken a couple minutes, not 35, and it was completely unseasoned. Soda is charged per glass without refills. The waitress was nice, but I have nothing positive to say. I paid nearly double the going rate for lower quality food and a bad experience. read more