Four Stars Overall I normally like to know about a Restaurant before going in (Yelp is an Outstanding resource), but was brought here with about 2 minutes warning...lol Pros - Waiter was Outstanding: Friendly and Fast...our table had several special "requests" that were taken care of without a second thought - Food was very good: Hibachi Chicken was a bit salty Cons - Menu was a bit confusing for a First-Timer...I enjoyed what I had, but after looking at the Menu again, I didn't order what I would've preferred. Mind you, I spent a month in Narita, Japan so I'm familiar with Japanese food - Tip Jar at the Counter...I didn't know we'd have a Sever bring us our food and clear the table when I ordered. It came across as an attempt to double-dip the tip. Yes, I tipped our Outstanding Server well - Sweet Carrots...nasty and sweeter than Chocolate Frosted Sugar Bombs (see Calvin and Hobbes if you don't know the reference) Will I come back? Yes, but with a better understanding of my options read more

Sake Express - Menu - Japanese Near Me - Gastonia, North Carolina

The chicken with the rice is very dry with only salt as a spice.I went there about 4 times and 4 times disappointed with the food.I guess most people don't notice or they never had better. The steak with the rice on the side is equally hard,dry and without flavor. They should make the workers try the food they are selling.And they want a tip before you eat that dry hard garbage. My onion it's not worth the drive read more

My personal favorite at this restaurant is their hibachi chicken with broccoli and white rice. Their sauce is amazing to go with the chicken and rice and I've yet to be let down. I've been going to this restaurant since when it was at the N. New Hope Rd. location and always make sure to visit it when I'm nearby. I have never tried their sushi, but I've heard that it's amazing as well, just one more thing for me to add to my list of things to try. read more

My wife and I got great service and a lot of fresh and tasty food for the money. Compared to other local hibachi options like Yamato, our experience here was better with more menu choices, bigger portions and higher quality meats. The place was super clean and bright too. We'll definitely go back. read more

Sake Express - Hibachi Chicken Plate - Japanese Near Me - Gastonia, North Carolina

The young lady working the drive through is wonderful and makes the experience 10 times better. The food was good. The only negative thing I will say about this establishment is having your employees come to work sick, working with customers and being around food is unacceptable especially being in this industry. I understand staff shortages but having your employees coming to work in the food industry noticeably sick as this employee was, says a lot about the management and the support for your staff. Treat your good staff members well, keep those good staff members. read more

Love the Chicken Teriyaki with Broccoli and carrots. Great combo. Sad to hear the Belmont store might be closing.

Food is always cooked properly and tastes good. Service at the drive through went smoothly and friendly.

I know it's always busy and popular. We have ordered take out many times. The bad thing is I never check my food before I leave the drive. I ordered hibachi shrimp and scallops. When I got home I had chicken. I guess part of it is my fault. I will be eating inside from now on . read more

I have eaten at Sake Express for over 15 years. It's always a go-to when I'm back in town because it tastes good and is so nostalgic. Now I'm not saying it's authentic but it does hit the spot when you're craving some simple hibachi. I usually just order take out nowadays. You can even order ahead of time and pick it up at the drive-thru window. I order the exact same thing about every single time - teriyaki chicken. I love that the chicken is never dry. I actually hate the glazed carrots that it comes with and I've tried asking them to remove the carrots and substitute with more broccoli. And every time, it's the same amount of broccoli that it already comes with instead of double the amount. Sometimes, I find that the rice is a bit clumpy. Their shrimp sauce is definitely my favorite though. I haven't found a restaurant that makes it better than Sake. The parking lot is pretty tiny and is usually packed so you might have to park at a different parking lot close by. read more

Sake Express - Teriyaki chicken without carrots - Japanese Near Me - Gastonia, North Carolina

Quick, convenient, consistent, and always tasty. Online ordering makes it easy. Friendly people even when busy

Came here after trying another sushi/asian fusion place. What a difference! Service was amazing especially for a quick service facility. Food was great too! Very clean inside too! read more

When I'm in the area, Sake express is always my go to place for many years now! Do not get intimidated by the long lines, they move pretty quickly with their fast service. Their hibachi is hands down the best in town. So good!!! read more

THE BESTTT sushi ever!!!! I used to work here over a year ago and ever since I haven't been able to stay away lol I honestly prefer sake over any expensive sushi restaurant read more

This place is pretty cool! It's a drive though hibachi place! When you walk in they have a hand washing station. I thought that was a really cool element I have never seen right when entering a restaurant. They have all the entrees that a fancy sit down hibachi would have for about half the price, and you get the same amount of food! I ordered the chicken and shrimp combo meal, and it came with rice, broccoli, mushrooms, and sweet carrots. Everything was good except the sweet carrots. Those were a little funky. The meal came with the house sauce, but I had to pay for the ginger. It was worth it, and you get a large amount. Overall delicious, quick, and reasonably priced for what you get. read more

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Line is always long, extremely high wait times, drive-thru only available, I asked for extra broccoli and as you can see on the picture I only received 4 pieces of broccoli. Children portion almost the same as adults portion no complains there but the price is about the same a $1 difference. The only reason they are receiving a 2 star is because the rice is good. read more

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Sake Express is a classic, express hibachi restaurant. I've visited this place countless times and I'm just writing a review about it. I visited on Sunday afternoon with my girlfriend. There was a bit of traffic, which is quite normal for the weekend. We dined in on our visit. We waiting approximately ten minutes to order. I ordered hibachi chicken and shrimp with a side of noodles. My girlfriend ordered hibachi shrimp. We both ordered one Japanese spring roll. The Japanese spring roll is a fried spring roll with crab and cream cheese covered with eel sauce. I'd highly recommend trying it. Unfortunately it's not pictured in this review. The food, per usual, was awesome. The hibachi orders come with rice, broccoli (or mushroom) and sweet carrots. My girlfriend and I split a side of noodles. The noodles were fantastic. They were cooked to perfection in soy sauce. Our waitress was fantastic. She brought our food promptly and kept our drinks refilled. Overall, 5 stars. Express hibachi doesn't get any better than Sake. read more

Sake Express - GREAT!!! First time eating here and it was worth it. Service was great too. - Japanese Near Me - Gastonia, North Carolina

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Great place to eat. I just hate when I had too much soy sauce or juice at the bottom of the plate. Americans consume too much sodium. Also, I like the chocolate cake that they have but it's four dollars a slice and I think that's too expensive. But again it's a great place to eat, especially the location in Belmont, North Carolina and the location on Franklin Boulevard in Gastonia, NC. read more

No stars. The order taker and cook working lunch on 2-27-24 should be fired. One order was not fulfilled as taken. The other The shrimp was cooked to death, rice under cooked, broccoli under cooked. Not what Sake food was before the fire. Won't return. read more

Been to this place countless times and I must say from the food to service it's amazing. Clean and friendly environment, parking can be kind of tricky when the drive thru is slammed but other than that this place is a must go to. read more

Sake Express - Hibachi chicken with broccoli, rice and sweet carrots with a side of teriyaki noodles - Japanese Near Me - Gastonia, North Carolina

the restaurant was very clean and staff was super friendly! would definitely come here again

Everyone is friendly, food tasted great and fresh and it was fast! Would recommend eating here

Prices are up 50 percent compared to just 3 years ago. Got hibachi chicken and bit down on something that almost broke or cracked my tooth, it was tiny whatever it was. Food is not as good as used to be and the prices are so much higher. Called about the piece that was hard in the food and they offered replacement or refund if didn't want to order again read more

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very good! delicious, never disappoints, the young teenager workers are a little rude but still yummy. their vegetables are always tasty. they're not slow but not fast, i rec. read more

99% of the time they get my steal the way I like it ... Some of the workers are really nice to You the other one act like they are there Just for the pay check read more

Best food in town! Highly recommend stopping for some Hibachi or Sushi, Great service and affordable

Wow, they put my food in the bag with the boxes open, food fell out. I was really wanting some sake, all I can say is wow. read more

Sake Express - Poor packaging - Japanese Near Me - Gastonia, North Carolina

Came here as an alternative to the usual fast food and was not disappointed! The facility is clean and bright and the staff helped me learn a little more about their sushi options. I ordered a steak teriyaki plate and a spicy kanikama roll, which was their option for a roll with cooked seafood. The food came quickly and was steaming hot. We were also surprised to find that a staff member comes to wait on you. I didn't catch her name, but she anticipated every need, including bringing water and spoons for our children to use rather than forks. I was impressed! read more

The food is pretty good. Besides the chicken being dry kind of often. But the main reason that I give this place five stars it's all because of the young lady Maya the manager. Today my order was totally messed up and I had to come back. She corrected everything with no attitude, completely respectful and apologetic for the mixup. I can definitely appreciate that. Especially with her being such a young black woman, you cut above the rest because that time so we know the picture that society has portrayed for black women that we are loud, ghetto, no class, and so forth, so I appreciate you. Continue what you're doing because a person may not remember what you look like but they would definitely remember how you made them feel. GO MAYA!!!! To the owners... recognize her and appreciate her! read more

The experience was terrible... My Wife ordered a plate with no mushrooms, and when it came out, the plate had tons of mushrooms in it, so I politely told the server that the order was incorrect and she took it to the back... Moments later she brought it back to the table And the plate look like a mess and there were still mushrooms at the bottom which told me all they did was pick it out. When she came back, I told her what the issue was and she admitted to us that all they did was pick out the mushrooms. The steak was super dry and had no flavor until you added the soy sauce at the table. The scallops and shrimp were good. For $50 I expect an incorrect plate to be remade not picked through and sent back to my table. And on top of that, the manager only gazed at us and didn't bother coming out here to attempt to make things, right... I would leave a review with zero stars but the system won't allow it. That's the only reason I'm giving one star. read more

I don't live in the area anymore, but every time I come home eating at Sake is at the top of my list. I went through the drive through last night and the girl taking orders was surprisingly chipper for the amount of heat and humidity outside. I didn't catch her name but I just wanted to leave a review saying that she was great. And as always the food was super yummy. read more

fire seth the manger his believes he is all that he needs to stop VAPING!! all over the food he vaped all over my food and i tasted the own flavor extremly disgusted i seen him behide the counter and his tight hat read more

Tonight this restaurant tried my patience to the point that I don't think I'll eat there again. My spring roll sauce had a HAIR in it. I called the store and spoke to a manager who, after I explained I found a hair in my food and I have a picture of it (I threw the food in the trash), asked me, "what would you like me to do about it" in a dismissive tone. The response was not that of a manager concerned about the quality of food or service of their establishment is serving. So, my response was "I don't even want a refund at this point, y'all just need to do better". I said that because she didn't sound concerned or appalled that someone else's DNA was literally in a paying customer's food. I probably could have asked for a refund but as the customer, I shouldn't be put in a position to make the decision for the establishment. They should have immediately wanted to rectify the issue but instead, I was met with a passive-aggressive, dismissive tone after my meal was ruined. Utterly disgusting. Two stars because of the service and interaction I had with staff was less than exceptional. DO BETTER! read more

Sake Express - Hair in my spring roll sauce. - Japanese Near Me - Gastonia, North Carolina

Gastonia is where I grew up...I've known it as a biscuit and BBQ town. There is nothing wrong with that...just sayin that typically comfort food, traditionally sells better. Me & James stopped in on a Friday evening soon after our flight arrival from DC. By 730p the place is jammed. It get's a bit chaotic trying to get into the parking lot with so many people trying to get into the drive-thru. I had the shrimp & rice...meeh...just OK, not much flavor really. read more

I go here every once in a while but my most recent visit may be my last one , I got hibachi chicken and my chicken was rubbery which made me suspicious... I cut open my chicken after eating some of the smaller ones that weren't rubbery ... And the bigger pieces weren't cooked throughly ... yes half raw chicken ... I'm surprised I didn't get sick, I used to love this place ... now I'm not so sure I want to go back ... read more

The food is good but the service has really gone downhill. I'm currently waiting in the drive through pickup parking spot waiting for the bulk of my order. It has been 50 minutes now. The first time I flagged someone down they said sushi was just taking awhile. The second time I found out they gave my order to someone else. They offered me a gift card or I could wait for the order to be remade. I'm not sure why I would want a gift card for a place that can't get their operations running more smoothly than this. This is the second time in a row that this has happened and the last time I'll be back which is a shame because the food is good. It's not good enough to put up with this hassle though. read more

Sake Express in Gastonia is my FAVORITE restaurant. I can't wait to get there tomorrow at 11am. Shrimp chicken combo with mushrooms broccoli sweet carrots and the best fried rice ever. Spring rolls AWESOME!!!!!!! I LIVE IN SHELBY BUT ENJOY THE 30 MIN. RIDE THERE TO GET MY FAVORITE FOOD!!!!!!!! PENNY MADDOX SMITH, SHELBY NC read more

Sake Express - Japanese Near Me - Gastonia, North Carolina

Good food at a great price. Went to lucky samurai down the street first but after looking at the place I didn't trust the reviews. This place is great for a quick hibachi style lunch/dinner for around $6-8. I walked in during lunch to see the place quite crowded, a good sign. The line at the register went quick. They handed us a reciept and told us to grab a seat. I wasn't quite sure how the drink thing worked at first but, after a few minutes a "waitress" came by and took the reciept and filled our drink orders. The food was fast. My counterparts chicken was really good. Moist, flavorful, and delicious. My steak however, not so much. I should have spent the extra $2 to make it filet. It wasn't bad, it just wasn't good. We also ordered the veggie tempura. The mushroom was barely cooked and should have probably been cut in half. Still a great deal at $3.99 though. I like this spot. If I'm in Gastonia and craving fastfood Japanese, this will be my first choice. read more

My new favorite spot for a quick Japanese fix. Their sushi rolls are spot on and the prices aren't half bad either! Lovely waitresses and fast services. Hibachi meals are wonderful, got the chicken and fried rice this time around. If you're in a hurry and want some sushi: these guys are my go-to. Love it! read more

Sake Express - Japanese Near Me - Gastonia, North Carolina

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Soooooo come here a lot and have slowly seen a decrease in service, portions, and quality. Drive thru: slow, inaccurate, but there is one awesome guy who makes up for it. Dine in: apparently you have to be a young fit male to get attention here. Our waitress hasn't even been to the table. Someone else has been checking on us. This isn't the first time this has happened here either. Had to talk to the manager, he was kinda rude. Was suppose to get a free meal for the last mess up, I got 2.00's off instead b/c he had no clue. Wasn't going to argue, but they need customer service boot camp & to stop being skimpy. The kids meal had more food than the over cooked steak bento box we ordered. My noodles, were over done, and so was my broccoli. All in all I would say not happy, and probably won't be back any time soon. Which is sad, I loved this place. read more

Good, cheap, delicious sushi. Nothing super fancy or inventive going on here. They do have the basics for like $6 so not too shabby!!! Similar to what you'd get at a publix deli. I will say some things are pricey. I got this fruity tuna salad that was a little pricey. The portions are a bit small but it's probably hard to get seafood out here in the middle of nowhere hahaha. So I was like okay I would recommend. I ordered takeout the service was extremely fast. No wait. Perfect for a person who wants to grab something fresh but not spend a bunch of money!!! I will definitely be back here. read more

Sake Express - 1/2 The mango salad. Pretty small portion size for the $15. I would eat it again but not if I'm buying lol if that makes sense. - Japanese Near Me - Gastonia, North Carolina