Review: Wasabi Japanese Steakhouse – Wichita Falls

There are a few restaurants that I frequent in Wichita Falls.  This is because a lot of the restaurants are not good.  Whether it comes down to rude staff or unappetizing food, my options are limited.  One of the restaurants that I frequent is Wasabi Japanese Steakhouse.  I have been visiting it for a few years now, but only decided today to give them a review.

Wasabi is located on Call Field Road, just minutes away from the new Buffalo Wild Wings.  It is the last occupant in a strip of stores.  Wasabi has limited parking in front, with more to the left. The restaurant is open from 1100 – 1430 for lunch and 1630 – 2200 for dinner Monday through Saturday. It is open from noon to 2130 on Sunday. There are no lunch specials on Sunday.

The first thing that you encounter when entering Wasabi is the hostess stand.  There is always one or two really nice people waiting to seat you. The hostess will not seat guests at the hibachi unless the entire party is present.  This is due to the limited number of hibachi chefs available at a given time.

Customers have four seating options:  hibachi, sushi bar, regular bar, or table.  The hibachi area is the left.  There are a total of nine hibachi grills.  Six are combined to make three larger seating areas, while the other three are on the side. I sit at the hibachi on most of my visits.

The bar is located just past the hostess stand, maybe you noticed all of the alcohol bottles in the first picture.  There are eight seats but I rarely see anyone use them to eat.  The seats are mostly used to have a drink while waiting to be seated.

The tables are located after the bar.  There are nine tables with four seats.  I have never sat in this area.  I cannot envision coming to a Japanese restaurant then sitting at a regular table. A picture of this area was not in the cards because it was full of guests.

The sushi bar is located at the back of the restaurant.  The sushi, in my opinion, is the best in Wichita Falls.  The selection ranges from simple nigiri to specialty rolls. There are six seats at the sushi bar. I usually sit here when I am not eating hibachi.

After requesting seating for three guests, she asked if I could wait a few minutes because there were some bigger parties that required seating.  We were provided menus and seated a few minutes later.  Lunch and dinner have two different place settings (meals are cheaper during lunch also). At lunch, the napkin is a thin paper one.  The dinner napkin is what you would expect at a restaurant.  Pro tip:  ask for the dinner napkin if you visit during lunch.

Drink and food orders were taken at the same time (I said that I frequent the restaurant).  I ordered the steak and shrimp hibachi with a water.  The soup, salad, and water arrived only a couple of minutes later.  The soup was called the “clear soup”.  It consisted of mushroom, scallion, and fried onion in a salty, but tasty broth.  The salad was mostly lettuce and Thousand Island, but I enjoyed it.

Within 15 minutes of being seated, the chef arrived at the table with the uncooked food.  He went around the table checking everyone’s order and passing out sauces for the meal.  I asked for double yum yum sauce, while my son asked for double ginger.  The chef made quick work of the food.  As he was finishing, he formed sliced onions into a tower.  He then put sake or some other alcohol into the onion tower and set it on fire.  It was supposed to be a train, but I think he used too much alcohol.  The entire thing turned into a raging, onion fireball.  LOL.

The food was delicious, as always.  The steak was juicy and a perfect medium rare. The shrimp flavored with butter and lemon are consistently amazing.  If there is one thing that I did not like about the meal, too much fried rice.  I am probably in the minority when it comes to having too much fried rice.  Do not get me wrong, the rice is crazy good, there is just too much of it.

Final Word

Wasabi Japanese Steakhouse is one of the best places to eat in Wichita Falls, especially during lunch. I consistently find friendly staff and great service.  My only complaint, if it is one, is the amount of fried rice.  Maybe I should start bringing it home to have later? Either way, I look forward to my next visit to Wasabi.

All photos taken with my iPhone X.