Hibachi97 Japanese Restaurant & Sushi Bar
Lincoln Square Shopping Center
770 Road to Six Flags
Lunch: Mon thru Fri, 11:30am-2pm
Dinner: Sun thru Thurs, 5pm-10pm (last season 9:30pm)
Fri & Sat, 5pm-10:30pm (last seating 9:45pm)
(817) 459-1070
http://www.hibachi97arlington.com
For over 10 years, Hibachi97 in Lincoln Square Shopping Center has been hibachi cooking authentic Japanese food and serving sushi to loyal customers in Arlington. Hibachi cooking makes for a fun night out with family & friends as the cooking is actually a “show” and your food is cut/cooked/served by the chef at your table (yes, just like Benihana’s, the famous national chain of Japanese hibachi restaurants).
If you are going for dinner with your family or group of friends, you don’t have to make a reservation, but it’s a good idea if you have a little bit larger group. Each of the Hibachi tables seats about 10 people, so there’s a chance that smaller groups (and certainly individual diners) will be joined at the hibachi by other patrons. But that’s fun because hibachi isn’t just about the food, it’s the presentation as the chef cuts the meat/seafood/veggies right in front of you and add the butter/seasonings.
Sesame chicken, teriyaki (or filet mignon) steak, shrimp and salmon are popular choices…and, of course, fried rice (click here for menu items, then use tabs to select from hibachi or sushi or drinks & desserts: http://www.hibachi97arlington.com/entree.html).
Obviously you don’t have to eat Hibachi; you can go with the sushi. And if you enjoy ice cream, you can be adventurous and try these Japanese flavors for dessert ($2.75 each): green tea ice cream, plum wine ice cream, or ogura (red bean) ice cream.
Japanese beer (Sapporo, Kirin Ichiban, Kirin Light) are obviously on the bar menu ($5.75 each) along with domestic brands (Bud, Miller, Coors; $3.75) and, of course, there’s sake ($5.25 small, $9.75 large) and plum wine ($5).
Lunch is served on weekdays (Mon thru Fri) from 11:30am to 2pm and I was surprised by the number of people who were holding business lunches on my most recent visit. Previously, I had only dined at Hibachi97 in the evening. But the lunch prices are very reasonable, and you still get the same “show” at the hibachi grill.
I would definitely recommend this place for a light, healthier lunch alternative. The prices are the same as what you would pay (maybe a buck or two more) at nearby overcrowded restaurants that feel like they are rushing you during the lunch hour.
Prices for the Hibachi lunch menu are as low as $5.95 for Fried Rice or $6.50 for the Sesame Chicken and go up to $10.25 for the Filet Mignon Steak & Calamari. All Hibachi lunches include a small salad, steamed rice, and veggies. I had the lunch Hibachi Shrimp & Calamari ($8.95) and my lunch companion had the Teriyaki steak ($7.95).
You can also do side orders of soup ($1.75) or fried rice ($3.95), or add items like: hibachi shrimp (7 pieces, $6.25), salmon steak ($6.25), hibachi scallop ($6.50) or lobster tail ($17.95).
If you are going for dinner, be sure to go to the restaurant’s Web site and click on “specials” for printable versions of discount coupons. For example, a recent coupon was two-for-one dinners on Sundays thru Thursdays on specific dinner items. Click here to link to the “specials” page: http://www.hibachi97arlington.com/specials.html
The restaurant’s Web site also has info on specific sushi rolls (including photos) which are helpful to customers still familiarizing themselves with sushi (e.g., what’s a “warship roll”?, what’s “nigiri”?, what’s a “rolled sushi/cut roll”?)
Hibachi97 is located in Lincoln Square at 770 Road to Six Flags. The restaurant is tucked into the corner on the south side of Road to Six Flags (half block west of Collins, one block south of I-30) nearest to Half Price Books. Click here for map/directions: http://www.hibachi97arlington.com/location.html
Arlington Insider 