My husband and I are big fans of their Bento Boxes...so we returned for more. As always there was a…read moreline, but this is one of very few places in town that's worth the wait. We both had the Chicken Bento Boxes again...and we loved it. I've had Bento Boxes in dozens of Japanese restaurants, but this place offers such a perfect combination of items (everything we love!)...Tempura, Kaarage Chicken, Shumai, Seaweed Salad, Sushi Rolls, etc.etc. Plus, this bento box includes the salad and soup! Frankly, I wanna try other items on the menu, but I'm so addicted to this Bento Box, I just can't seem to tear away from it. My husband feels the same! Also tried their hot Sake...but think I prefer the cold version. BTW, I noticed some renovations. They now have darker Cherry Wood (?) flooring and cabinetry (behind the sushi station, that is). However, they still have some original light wood chairs and tables. Also, they separated some of the tables (Yay!)...so not as many "communal" tables like before. Anyway, think this is a good sign that this place plans to stay awhile longer!

Still the best authentic Japanese restaurant in Charlotte. Great food, service, and price for what…read moreyou get.

Pro-tip if you're going to Mr. Tokyo there's more than likely going to be a wait, so if you have a…read moregroup larger than two, I would suggest sending someone to put your name on the list before the rest of the group. Pick your most on time friend. The staff here is amazing and they keep everything moving. There are many seating options in the music is always popping. You start by ordering a drink and filling out what you want on a printed paper menu with a pencil. After you finish your first round, you're welcome to keep eating and they will bring you another piece of paper. All you can eat hibachi, sushi, and a bunch of other specialties for less than $30 per person? Sign me up. The food is amazing and they have some specialty rolls.

The order process was great and super fast. The staff were very friendly and helpful. The price was…read morereally very reasonable. What's not to love ? This place is great !!! Whether it's fine in AYCE or to go ... Mr Tokyo for the win !!!!

We came for a birthday dinner on the early side on a Sunday night with a reservation. It was busy…read moreand it took a bit for our server and chef to come which was ok since we could all talk and enjoy a drink. The chef was entertaining, a little quiet but we enjoyed the show and atmosphere. I ordered the vegetables and fried tofu. There was a ton of veggies but not too much tofu. The tofu had no flavor and was just ok. The rice was delicious. This is a fun place for a dinner or birthday - easy to find with plenty of parking.

Ordered dinner from the sushi area. The food is cooked in the kitchen and brought to you- not a…read morehibachi show - the shrimp is considerably smaller and sorta tough . The fried rice is NOT the same as the chef show - but the price is also much cheaper. Nakatos on a budget ....

love this place . great food always good service ! we will…read moredefinitely keep coming back .

Grill side experience went well. The food was prepared as ordered and with the flair you expect…read morefrom this type of restaurant. Nice portions. Grill petson was friendly and accomodating. Wait time was poor. Our group had a 12 noon reservation, but did not get our food served until 1:00pm.

Came in on tax day. Good staff with fast service. Hopefully the sushi will be delicious.read more

Sad to do this, but I've tried this place several times by now since I last raved about it (5…read morestars)...and it has definitely gone downhill. I say "downhill" for the following reasons. I usually order the Chicken Katsu Don (Spicy) with the Seaweed Salad...and I've noticed that they've cut back on the portion size for the Seaweed (almost half of what I used to get) at the same price of 5 bucks. Outlandish pricing! Even with the Katsu Don, I noticed that they've increased the amount of rice, but reduced the amount of Chicken (?!?). I must also mention that it irks me that they add 1 buck for "Spicy"...which is basically a drizzle of sauce over the chicken. I mean, really?!? They also upcharge for Chicken over the Pork Katsu. Before, I didn't even bother mentioning some of this because it was SO good...but not so much anymore. For my last 2-3 meals here, I was just not satisfied with the quality of Katsu (barely crispy)...plus, despite the upcharge for "Spicy", there just wasn't that much sauce to it. Overall, I felt ripped over this super-casual meal. With all the upcharges, the Chicken Katsu Don Spicy is $17, and the little bit of Seaweed Salad is $5. I usually pay less for this at fancy Japanese restaurants with higher quality Katsu....all served beautifully on a plate with utensils, not plastic cartons and plastic fork. It depresses me to see that Alley 51 doesn't seem to be as big of a hit as I initially thought it'd be. In fact, half of the food vendors were closed on the weekday I was there. Frankly, I think the downfall has to do with the ridiculous pricing of foods (and drinks). Think the vendors are forgetting that this is a fast-food experience...not fine dining. Why are the diners having to pay restaurant pricing? Sorry, but I just don't feel that I'm getting a fair deal here. With the quality and the quantity of the foods having gone down, while the pricing stayed up, it's no longer a 5-star meal for me.

Good experience. I ordered take out and it was ready when I arrived. I was greeted when I walked…read morein. The inside was clean and easy to access the food order.

Went in at 1:45 pm during lunch hours before close at 3pm. The entire time we felt rushed by wait…read morestaff to order, eat, and leave. Could be normal flow to keep up with lunch crowd but there was only one other customer in the restaurant during our entire visit. We ordered the Crispy Smoked Salmon roll to start. Chose Salmon and Filet Mignon Hibachi from the lunch menu. The sushi roll was decent and thankfully was breaded lightly. Sometimes fried rolls can get a bit heavy on breading. The hibachi was okay. The salmon was over cooked and the filet was tender but mushy which made me think the steak may not have been fresh or a bad quality. The menu does offer plenty of variety.

Sheng Ramen to me is ALWAYS an excellent idea. Even though the restaurant itself is a bit smaller,…read moreyou can still comfortably sit and enjoy a meal! The staff is attentive and so kind! They are also amazing for pick up or delivery and they will put your doodles separate from the broth so nothing gets soggy My husband and I always get the same bowls. I get the spicy miso (spicy chili sauce + egg on side) and he gets the Tonkotsu bowl. We love Sheng so much that we don't even have to ask one another what we want!!

On our latest visit here, I ordered their Spicy Miso Ramen...and it was DEE-Lish! As good as this…read moreis, I usually end up ordering their Katsu Chicken Curry Ramen. My husband can't seem to deviate from this amazing bowl as well. In any case, both are highly recommended! I also shared their Seaweed Salad appetizer with my husband...and we both agreed that it was really fresh. Few things that could have been better? The overhead music wasn't right...genre (whatever that was playing?!?) was way off for the restaurant. Also, I felt that they might have been understaffed. The place was quite busy (Saturday night), and I didn't see too many waiters-waitresses. Despite the service being a bit slow, our waitress was friendly, and remembered everything that was requested...so not a big issue. Still, we really enjoyed this ramen experience. Really can't think of a time I thought their foods were bad.

Going here for my 10th year anniversary. This review could have been a 1 or 2 star but CINDY, the…read moreperson in charge, reverse my review. Whenever I go to eat I don't ask for much, keep my water full. When going here was sat at the booth in the bar section. After I got my first order, I wanted to order more but the bartender never came back so I just went to the bar with my order sheet but the bartender never acknowledge me but lucky CINDY step in and got the order for me and apologize. Later she had to refill our water because the bartender never came back. Later in the end of our meal we asked him can he check the status of my food and he said it's coming. Later he came back and said your food disappeared so whatever, I ask for the check. Our mood is already not the greatest at this moment. When the check came the bartender still had the charges for the food that we never got so I had to bring it up to him to remove it. Cindy came and apologize for everything that happen. Honestly, CINDY made me change my review. I hope CINDY get the recognition she deserves.

Came back here to give it a second try and because my husband just got back in town and wanted to…read moretake me to lunch on my break. This was, without exaggeration, one of the most disturbing dining experiences I've ever had. Partway through my meal, I discovered a bug in my food. Not only is that completely unacceptable, it raises serious concerns about the restaurant's cleanliness and food safety standards. I understand that mistakes can happen, but something like this is beyond a simple oversight--it reflects a major failure in hygiene and quality control. Needless to say, I lost my appetite immediately and will not be returning. I strongly urge others to think twice before dining here.

Good Poke can be hard to come by, but I enjoy this restaurant. The inside is small, so we usually…read moretake ours to go. They have a nice variety of proteins, veggies, and premium add-ons. We typically build bowls. The ingredients are always fresh. The avocado has always been green. You really can't go wrong. I will say, compared to some other Poke places, here you do have to pay for a few add-ons that others include with a bowl purchase, but at least they are offering the options at a pretty reasonable price. The service is always good and pretty fast.

Most flavorful Poke' Bowl you'll have! I overheard someone talking about this place a couple…read moremonths ago. They mentioned sushi burritos and I was thinking...Where!? The restaurant is super clean and has nice spots to sit including at window with bar seating. The owner is friendly and believes in his entrees. So far I've tried from the menu Zen, Sunrise, and Umami in bowls mostly but zen as a pokerito first time. All good just a little pricey but it's a healthy choice. You won't feel stuffed. I tried making my bowl but it tasted more like a salad than sushi. Maybe I can get better at it for the price! :). Earn points per purchase on their loyalty program!