Nijo Castle Japanese - Newark

Unbelievable experience with the teppanyaki chef tonight! I forgot his name but he's been working at the place for a really long time! (37+ years) Everything about this place from its decor and theming to it food and especially its chefs is just top notch! Some of the plates and interior decorations and even furniture may be a little bit older and have wear and some may even call it dated, but there is just some experience and theme with everything fitting so well into the Japanese Castle theme! They also have their own sushi restaurant area. I ordered the filet mignon and shrimp with fried rice. The salad to start was actually pretty good, It came with thousand Island dressing. It was just a standard Japanese restaurant salad. The fried rice was also really good but even if you ordered just the steamed rice you still get a little bit of sample of the fried rice. The fried rice was just absolutely amazing with butter as well as egg and its tricks beforehand. The filet mignon was very tender as well as the shrimp being cut into a very specific shape that made it very easy to cook it and also very easy to eat! There were also two different sauces depending on if it's for seafood and one for meat. Both of which were really amazing in their own right. The chef also cooked some bean sprouts too which was a nice touch. I really love the chef's own tricks such as the volcano as he moved it around like a little train as well as the straight fire that ignited the oil with such classic teppanyaki fashion! That's not to say too, that he passed down his own skills to other chefs that came after him as well! I came here for my birthday so not only was there a $30 off coupon but also free ice cream with matcha and vanilla flavor. Which was very nice for that purpose! That's not to say that this place has any flaws, the wait took nearly an hour after we placed our order, mainly due to the chefs going around serving and cooking at multiple tables. Some of the reviews also complain about billing issues as well as a mandatory tip of 18% whether that's already justified or already planning to tip that much, just be aware. Overall, this is just an amazing experience that certainly justifies its price. It's just so unbelievable that a classic place like this can be razed for a hotel (i think it might be a Marriott but I'm not sure)... Many of the employees are very sad as well as the local community, but they say they'll do their very best until the very end next Wednesday when they close! As for the chef that served us tonight, he'll be retiring with full benefits! Everything to the theming, decorations, people, and the food! I'm glad I could try this place that I drove past a lot when I was smaller and wondered why it was so popular. Parking: During busy nights it can be difficult to find spots

Bland food. Zero effort Tepanyaki show. Overpriced menu. Everything you order is charged extra without informing you and they make you pay a mandatory 18% gratuity for a Tepanyaki that barely had any taste. I would never go back!

The last time we've went to this place was December 26, 2023 for my parents wedding anniversary. So sad that we didn't get to come to this place one last time before closing down. Just wanted to say thank you for the service and how good the food was. Goodbye Nijo Castle, we will miss you being here in Newark!

Nijo Castle has been our birthday go-to place. My son just turned 21 and chose Nijo Castle for his birthday dinner. We waited over 1/2 hour to place our order. We were seated first. Second group was seated with us. They were served appetizers before we could even order. The server rushed us through the whole order process. She blew us off when we said we were there for a birthday. She never applied a birthday discount. 18% gratuity was applied to our tab, for the worst service! For a dinner that cost over $200 I expected decent service. If this had been our first visit, we never would have returned. As we were leaving, I saw a sign that they are closing. I'm not surprised.

Good food and great staff! Too bad they are closing foe good..