Japanese Village Restaurant: Victoria’s Iconic Teppanyaki & Hibachi Dining Experience

It was my birthday dinner and my first time going there (i didn't know they had birthday specials). We called for reservations and came in early, and we waited at the waiting area with other groups that came in around the same time. We were all seated together and were all asked for drinks and food at the same time too. Then we waited for the chef who is funny and nice. The food was incredible and being there was an experience. The shrimp was great and steaks are perfect.

Love this place. It’s not cheap but the service and good is great, it’s a beautiful restaurant and they make it a fun experience for everyone. Our teen kids love it there and we have done a couple of date nights here. It’s not really an intimate setting for a date as it’s slightly interactive but fun all the less if you’re up for that kind of thing. Their “steak sauce” which is some type of sesame is absolutely to die for! I love the hibachi shrimp, the missionaise is also really delicious. Highly recommend.

The service is great. The food is a little expensive and few menu items like the sesame sauce was way too salty. Overall worth trying. Good experience and the service and chefs are very nice.

Disclaimer: I am likely the most critical reviewer of this joint because of my ties to this place. My father was the beloved former floor manager/bartender of this joint for over 4 decades before retiring during the pandemic as well as an employee of its Ottawa location in the mid 70s. Reviewing this place was what I've always wanted to do but unable to do so until after change to current restaurant ownership. In fact, I credit my restaurant reviewing skills to my pops (Love you lots & add throwback pic of you) --- I had the privilege to be treated to this place on Valentine's Day by a +1 but had been eating here since the 80s. This place has history since most previous employees in decades past has moved on to become local owners of other restaurants in town and this place used to be the stomping grounds of the late Tony Eng's shows which used to be every Sunday evenings (you can find out more of this in the exhibit inside the Canadian Chinese museum located in Fan Tan Alley). Normally Shogun Special is the no fail choice I go for but post pandemic they had added the A5 Wagyu into the menu which was what I ordered for this review to test the quality. The salad was standard but their soup was something left to be desired and not how I remember growing up to love (did they changed the recipe?). I was hoping to get the red hat chef but apparently was not given the privilege in this visit which was a bummer but the white hat chef was nice and did the job decently (I'd be the worst critic because my favorite chef aside from Sammy-san was Paul W. from the early 90s who did crazy cooking stunts and New York second slices!). Normally I like my standard meats medium rare but in the case of Wagyu in this review so I could taste the quality and authenticity of how it's done, I asked for rare to blue. This white hat chef seared it beautifully and was extremely attentive throughout the teppanyaki experience. He earned my seal of approval for sure. I did have the oyster ponzu for appetizer and that was good. The chef was doing quality checks, saved up the wagyu oil for my bowls of rice and even catches the server for all other request. After eating at the restaurant, the +1 decided to have me sat down to have the Izakaya bar section of establishment insisting on ordering me a drink. A Chi Chi was the classic choice to end the evening here. One thing I really missed which aside from the soup has cost the star was the music or lack thereof should I say by the reception area. The charm of coming down to the joint in decades past was listening to classic Japanese tunes played like Teresa Teng (yes, she's Taiwanese but she sings fluent Japanese), Miki Matsubatu, Mariya Takeuchi. If retro classics and city pop isn't encouraged, at least throw modern electropop like Perfume. I feel music sets the mood of the restaurant where this place was known for so the lack of it made it felt "sterile". That being said, this place is still the go to for special occasions in the city. Also to my knowledge, I don't know of any other teppanyaki place in this city so enjoy this gem as Victorian landmark restaurants are disappearing over time and this place has been around since I was sporting diapers (yes, my mother does have photos to prove it!) and hoping for many decades to come.

My favourite place in town for years. Best way to get entertainment and a delicious meal for $50/person for 2 hours. Great experience and a fun place to take visitors.