Tengu Japanese Steakhouse Southport, North Carolina - Restaurant Review
Southport, NC 28461
United States of America
First Impressions
On first glance of Tengu Japanese Steakhouse Southport, NC, you think this restaurant is upper class, but the location tells otherwise. Tengu Japanese Steakhouse Southport, NC is located at the end of a dated strip mall. Not the most appealing location for someone seeking a higher end customer or a tourist who generally spends money freely.
The inside looks similar to a small warehouse, but the décor is good. I expected Tengu Japanese Steakhouse Southport, NC to have the hibachis at every table. I was wrong. It wasn't until another group entered the restaurant did I notice they were seated at a table with a hibachi. We were never offered a table with a hibachi.
The music playing throughout Tengu Japanese Steakhouse Southport, NC was a mix of current and traditional oriental music. This choice added to the atmosphere of the restaurant.
Wait Staff and Menu
Our waitress was kind and pleasant, but not attentive to our needs as guests. Once other customers entered the establishment, she gave them more attention. The other guests were in parties less than four. Our party was six. She appeared to be overwhelmed with the business on this particular day. Unfortunately, we received poor service.
The menu had combination of specialty sushi as well as tradition meals prepared in the form of combo plates. If we had not eaten sushi prior to our visit, we would have been confused. The waitress failed to explain the proper procedure in ordering sushi.
A positive note was the inclusion of a children's menu to include an array of fried foods. The choices were not aligned with a Japanese steakhouse. The only item offered similar to the food the adults were eating was teriyaki chicken.
Lunch
We decided to order two rolls of sushi, two kids plates, coconut shrimp, and grilled chicken teriyaki. All of the dishes were served with a salad and soup.
When the salad arrived at the table, it consisted of a handful of lettuce strewn in a bowl with an over abundant amount of ginger salad dressing. The lettuce was wilted and not crisp. The miso soup was extremely salty as if salt was added to the broth. This began the revelation of small portions.
The sushi was excellent. We watched the chef prepare the rolls and could taste the dedication to his craft. The coconut shrimp consisted of three jumbo shrimp which was overcooked and an ice cream scoop of rice. The chicken teriyaki was similar, one piece of chicken, maybe 2-3ozs and a scoop of rice. The portions were so small; we had to give the majority of the adult's food to our children.
Check Please
If you are going to expect an inexpensive meal, Tengu Japanese Steakhouse Southport, NC is not the place to go. We spent of $60 on our meal. Based upon portions alone, the meal had a value of maybe $30-$40.
Pros
Good sushi
Good atmosphere
Cons
Small portions
Poor service
Not appropriate for larger parties
Expensive considering the portion size
Location
My Take
Aside for the atmosphere and the sushi, dining at Tengu Japanese Steakhouse Southport, NC was a truly bad experience. The service was mediocre and the food was even worse. I would not recommend dining at Tengu Japanese Steakhouse Southport, NC to anyone, unless they were looking for a good sushi restaurant.
The Contributor has no connection to nor was paid by the brand or product described in this content.
Published by Richard Banks
Retail business manager turned professional writer. More than 15 years in the retail business management field. Four years of music and business college education with a concentration of management and leade... View profile
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3 Comments
Post a Commentgot there before others. The meals that were served to us were cold, presentation was not at all expected from a japanese restaurant. Two of the bento boxes that were served had salads removed from it because they mistakenly served the salad before bringing the bento - the box looked as if someone has eaten off the plate and it was just disgusting because the chicken, pork, beef, and scallops were all just cold. At the end of our meal, I spoke to the manager who didn't seem to care with what I was about to say. He did not at all entertain us and just plainly rude and unhelpful. I understand that it was very busy times for them, but they took our orders and they didnt serve all of them. The manager was just uncooperative. My family and friends will never go back to that place ever again! It was horrific! If I can leave zero star, I would.
All this happened in 2.5 hours! Where have you ever been to a restaurant that served a 2.5hour lunch and not all of what you ordered came!!????
Absolutely ridiculous! A group of 8 and two kids, we asked to be seated not on the hibachi area of the restaurant but in the sushi room. The waitress took us to the hibachi place when we clearly asked to be seated somewhere else. As she was laying our menus down, we asked politely to be seated at the sushi. She brought us there. 10-20 minutes later, she came back to ask for our drinks. 30 minutes later, our soup and salads came out. 20-30 minutes later, one lunch was served. We ordered two appertizers, none of them came out. Our lunches were served staggered and seperately so we didnt enjoy our meals as a group. It was horrific, their customer service! No one came to refill our drinks. No one came to ask if we're doing okay. The entire time we were there, there were 4-5 tables, each with at least two customers were served before us and they got there after us. The restaurant was not busy at all when we got there so I dont understand the logic behind simply serving our food, us who