Watami Japanese Casual Restaurant

Looking for an affordable Japanese restaurant that serves a large variety of food? Watami has all the answers — but perhaps not the very best answers. The quality of food at Watami is average at best, but it does have one of the largest menus I’ve ever seen at a Japanese restaurant.
A meal at Watami is cheap. Expect not to spend more than $ 90 and still be able to have a drink and some snacks to share. This makes Watami a great place to come with friends if you’re craving Japanese — food is inexpensive and there’s lots to try. One thing that’s not bad here is the beef stone pot rice. If you’ve ever had the beef rice at Pepper Lunch, this is kind of what it’s like, except the portion is much bigger. I’ve also ordered some sushi here — just good olé salmon sushi, which is alright.
That being said, I’ve had my fair share of disappointments at Watami. On one occasion, my friend noticed that there were bits of grime on her dish. When she waved the waiter over, he took one look at the dish and just took it away to get a new one, as if dirty dishes here are the norm. Another time, my friend waited over half an hour for her salmon with salmon roe rice. We asked the waiters to check up on it at least three times, each time being told it was on its way. My other friend and I, both slow eaters, were done with our food by the time her rice finally came!
Even though Watami isn’t expensive, I wouldn’t say that you get what you pay for, because I’ve been to places that are just as affordable or cheaper, but serve higher quality food and have better service. I still eat at Watami with friends sometimes, but out of sheer convenience more than anything else.