Kanki - North Raleigh

Decided to stop for a solo dinner on a Thursday. Restaurant was really busy so decided to sit at the bar. Bar area was covered in dirty cups (20+) and had to ask for waiter to come take my order and clean the bar where I was sitting. I had a glass of wine, sushi, and the emperors delight. Food was really good but I feel that if you're not at the table top to watch them cook, you receive less veggies.

Kanki opened on time at 11:30! The food was okay and the the waiter was very nice but slow to get our refills

Kanki is our favorite Japanese restaurant. No other makes hibachi this flavorful. The sesame dressing for the salad tastes amazing. And the bamboo dragon roll is unbeatable - sometimes I stop by on the way home from work just for that roll! The people are amazing and so kind.

3.5 - This was a good hibachi restaurant with decent prices and menu selections. We went on the night before New Year's Eve and we didn't have to wait long to be seated (less than 20 minutes). The front desk/welcome staff were not very friendly and spent most of the time talking to each other. Someone from our party had come in just before us to check on the wait time and were told it would be 20 minutes. We came in a few minutes later and let them know we had already been helped and that we were with the person who had just come in. One of the servers rolled her eyes and had attitude for whatever reason. We asked to look at a menu but they just pointed to the counter where a stack of menus were. Not friendly or helpful. The overall hibachi experience was fun but the chef was not as interactive as others we've had. Still, it was a fun experience and they did very well with our orders and even made some special requests for other guests at our table. The food was pretty standard hibachi with salad and clear soup to start, then veggies, rice and meat. We also got two shrimps as a starter. All was cooked well but was a little overly salty/too much soy sauce. We've had better at other hibachi restaurants that wasn't as salty. It was even more so the next day when eating our leftovers. Overall, a good hibachi dinner and we'd go back!

The low-down: The food is always good, it's great entertainment, and time passes by quickly because there is always something in front of you while you wait for the main course. Fun fact: hibachi-style" is often used in the US to refer to what is really teppanyaki cooking. Hibachi grills are small, portable barbecue grills that are made from cast iron. These grills have an open-grate and typically use charcoal versus Teppanyakigrilling is done using an iron griddle with a flat, solid surface and used to prepare food in front of guests. Teppanyaki grills usually use propane as a heat source for cooking. For my sons 13th b day he chose Kanki (as he does most years) as his birthday dinner. Since I've been coming to the Raleigh location over the past several years, I really felt like it has lost some of its appeal. I can't quite point my finger in what it is, but the restaurant just seems run-down and desolate. Walking inside it was crowded for 5 pm on a Thursday night, since we did not make a reservation we had to wait a few minutes before we were seated (party of 6). Even though they say no reservations necessary, I recommend them. Once seated we had to wait an additional 15 min to see if they could fill the two empty chairs at our table w patrons before getting started with the cooking. It's always entertaining to see the culinary cooking and cutting skills of the chefs while they grill chicken, pork, beef and seafood, along side rice and veggies while also putting on a little show of fun antics. The amount of food is always more than adequate. service was adequate. Overall it was a nice experience, as usual, and made even nicer by my family paying for my and my son's meal since our birthdays are so close together!

So much fun!!! My family and I went here for my daughter's 16th birthday. The food was great. The portion sizes were really nice - we all had plenty left over. The waitress was good considering how busy they were. The hibachi chef was so entertaining and fun! Great fun and relaxed atmosphere as well.

So...I can't count how many times we've been to this restaurant over the years. It typically serves as our go-to for birthdays and special occasions. Admittedly, we haven't been in a year or so, and I was definitely surprised at how much had changed. The friendly atmosphere at the front, the extra chairs and benches in the lobby area--all gone. Only two benches remain in the front entrance. The bar, not so friendly, missing some seating, and just not an area I'd want to congregate. It took 10 min for the bartender to notice us while we were waiting. When we were seated finally, the server was fine, but as the night progressed, he disappeared. I'm not sure if this was due to short staff or what. It was my daughter's birthday, and though they sang at practically every table and brought out the customary sherbet and candle, she was overlooked (and yes, they were told). As for our chef, he did the normal routine and was nice. However, for some reason he cooked everything completely separate. The chicken was cooked last, which meant my daughter's and my food (the rice and veggies) was cold by the time we got the protein. Everyone else got their shrimp and salmon before the rice was even started. It was very odd and this has never happened in the past.The portions were not as large as in the past. I realize there are shortages all around, but for $21.99 (chicken) and $26.99 (shrimp), I expect to leave with a lot of food. This was the first time we were with a couple who shared a plate, and maybe that had something to do with our portions being smaller, since everyone was given equal amounts of veg/rice? I'm not sure since I've never been in that situation before. The fact that he cooked everything separately might have been due to them as well, but I'm not sure. Either way, it was not a good experience compared to our past. My eldest kept saying, "they are going downhill."As we were leaving, after waiting 30 min for the bill and not receiving any acknowledgement of my daughter's birthday, I stopped by the bathroom. It was completely flooded, to the point where I was walking in water. The caution sign was inside the bathroom, and not outside the door, where water was coming out. Two stalls were marked out of order.I just felt like the whole place is on the verge of coming to an end soon. We probably won't return any time soon or for future birthday celebrations unless something changes.

The food was decent and the chef was excellent at the table. My complaint is they just shoved food at you way too fast in an effort to speed up the turn around. Soup shows up, two sips later salad shows up. Then appetizers. "Are you done with your soup"? Hadn't even gotten a quarter of the way through. Then the chef starts cooking the main meal. Still trying to work on our appetizers! Then they bring the check over while we were still eating. Not very relaxing or enjoyable.

I placed a curbside order and included a tip since I knew I wasn't able to come inside and had a limited amount of time. I followed the instructions via the email and the signage upon arrival that indicate to call 919-876-4157 upon arrival for pickup. I was asked to provide my name, order, vehicle description and to put my hazard lights on as someone would be there. 10 minutes came to pass and I called back since I had allotted additional time from the expected pickup time and was again asked for all my details and the young lady who answered the phone placed me on hold to confirm that my order had indeed been ready and that in her words, "eventually someone will bring it to you" and she proceeded to laugh. In all my experience with food service, I've never had that sort of response and lack of concern especially since at this point it was over 30 minutes combined from the time of pickup. I ended up actually going inside only to find that my food had been ready for a while and had to speak to 2 people since the First Lady walked off. Ridiculous to say the least! I would not recommend at all! Oh the food photo should speak for itself...smh

Awful Experience. Service was atrocious host and waiter were rudely unorganized. Floor, Table, and Seats were sticky. I did not have a chance to try the food due to the disgusting ambiance and customer service.