Hibachi Steak House: Best Teppan In Boston?
Written: Mar 29 '03
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Pros: inexpensive, delightful presentation, delicious dinner
Cons: No waiting area, no noodles
The Bottom Line: I only know of 3 Boston area hibachi restaurants, but HSH gets my vote for Best in Boston.
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| GravityGirl's Full Review: Hibachi Steak House |
As I mentioned in my review of the Cambridge restaurant Bisuteki, I am a big fan of "hibachi" dining. For those of you unfamiliar with this culinary experience, hibachi dining is best described as an Americanized form of Japanese cuisine in which uniformed chefs prepare your meal right in front of you. The large table at which you sit includes a large grill and vegetables, meat, shrimp and all sorts of delightful things are cooked before your very eyes. I love the food and I love the whole experience of hibachi dining, but unfortunately, I have not been able to find very many hibachi restaurants in the Boston area.
Recently, I discovered Hibachi Steak House (HSH) in Norwood, MA. The restaurant is located off of Route 1, which is accessible from exit 15b on 95/128. Although this small restaurant is located across the street from an Outback Steakhouse, I would gladly visit good ol' HSH over Outback any day. The parking lot is rather small and we have had to park on the street. This is not a problem, just an FYI. .
HSH is a rather small restaurant and there is no waiting area. This means that if you have to wait for a table, your only options are to stand around and watch the patrons who have tables enjoying their meals or to go to the bar which can also get very crowded. Thankfully, we have never had to wait, but that is only because the two times we went for dinner, our party was just the right number for completing a table. I have only had dinner on Friday nights, so I don't know how crowded it gets during the week, but on Fridays (and probably the rest of the weekend), you should plan to get there early or be prepared to wait for a long time. Again, keep in mind that there isn't really a place to sit down while you are waiting. The first time we went, my husband and I were told our wait would be at least 35 minutes-and we had arrived there at around 6 or 6:30. As I mentioned before, they just happened to need a party of 2, so we were whisked to a table after only 5 minutes of waiting. Since a hibachi dinner involves filling a table before the meal starts, call-ahead seating is not an option. Also, they do not take reservations for parties with fewer than 5 people so either find yourself a lot of friends to take or arrive early. Keep in mind that a table seats 8 people so unless you are taking 7 friends, you will be sitting with strangers. This is not bad at all and I don't find the close quarters or family style atmosphere to be very intrusive at all.
The thing that I like best about HSH is the price of a meal. On average, the same meal at HSH is $3 less than it would be at Bisuteki. Your meal includes: a shrimp appetizer, onion soup, salad with ginger dressing, hibachi vegetables, your choice of meat (chicken, steak, scallops, shrimp, fish and various combinations) and white rice. If you so desire, you can upgrade your white rice to fried rice for a $1.50 charge. I get the chicken teriyaki dinner which costs $12.95- this is much less than one would spend at a chain sit- down restaurant. My one complaint about the food is that they do not offer fried noodles which is one of my favorite things to get at a hibachi restaurant.
While your meal is being prepared at HSH, your chef will perform all sorts of tricks. For example, when he is preparing the fried rice, he will spin the egg on the griddle, and then toss it into the air with his spatula. He will then proceed to bounce the egg off of his spatula like a tennis ball off of a tennis racket. After bouncing the egg four or five times without breaking it, the chef will turn the spatula sideways while the egg is in midair so that it will almost break in two when it hits the spatula. The presentation is great and a lot of fun. You and your family will certainly be impressed.
If you really enjoy saving your money but still enjoying good food, you will be glad to know that HSH offers a great lunch deal. Unlike dinner, there is no shrimp or salad, but you still get soup, hibachi vegetables, white rice with the upgrade option to fried rice and your choice of meat. All this can be yours for the low price of $6.95 for chicken and $8.95 for steak. Since I don't eat shrimp and I tend to pick at my salad, the lack of these items doesn't bother me. If you are interested in lunch, it is offered from 12-3 every day.
HSH offers a wide variety of beer, mixed drinks, juice and soda. They charge for soda/juice refills, and the glasses are fairly small (probably around 8 oz.), so keep this in mind when ordering. Also, there are not very many waiters/waitresses, so if you think you might need something, ask when you have the chance. I'm horrible with chopsticks and I had a difficult but entertaining time attempting to eat my fried rice with chopsticks.
Although I wrote a positive review of Bisuteki and there is nothing wrong with that restaurant, I can honestly say that I would prefer HSH to Bisuteki. The food is just as good, but less expensive and easier for me to get to. The only thing that Bisuteki has that HSH doesn't is noodles and slightly better ambience (waitresses wear kimonos at Bisuteki). Of course, as an aficionado of hibachi style dinners, I highly recommend both places, but the honor of best hibachi in the Boston area goes to HSH.
Recommended:
Yes
Kid Friendliness: Yes
Vegetarian Friendly: Yes
Notes, Tips or Menu Recommendations Although HSH offers a vegetable dinner, vegetarians should keep in mind that their dinner will be prepared on the same grill as the meat. There is also an option for children's dinners with smaller portions. Portions are very generous- you will need a take home box.
Best Suited For: Friends
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