this resturant is very poorly ran and the staff is very rude and disrescpectful. i dont know how an employee can curse a customer out over the phone and still have a job. and the manager "joy" is very lucky that we were speaking over the phone and not face to face. will definatly be giving horrible reviews all round!!

Comparing Taki to Waterfront and Ohana is pointless. There is no comparison.

On a 1-10

Taki=10
Waterfront=2
Ohana=3

this is my favorite place to eat sushi. I love the spicy tuna rolls and their seaweed salad is yum yum yum!!!

Food is really good, but so is Appare's. And at Appare, you don't have to wait two hours or make reservations a week in advanced to get it.

I recently dined here with a friend of mine and her boyfriend who was visiting from out-of-town. All three of us have had sushi before and enjoyed it, but would not consider ourselves "Sushi Connoisseurs" by any means. We asked our waiter what he might recommend and what he thought their best fish was. He proceeded to give us a VERY SPEEDY overview of what he liked and told us he was just going to put in an order of 3 rolls that he thought we would like. While I appreciate his advice on the menu, he did not even give us a chance to think over the options. He started walking back to the kitchen before we could say a word. Unfortunately, we were not happy with his selections and had to order more rolls. When my friend POLITELY asked if she could get a fork, he told her "NO, we don't have silverware!" (this is not true). Overall, our waiter was pretty rude and snobby, and we felt like we were being rushed out of the restaurant because we weren't trying to order $200 worth of food. This is the second time I've been to Taki and felt like this place is OVERLY PRETENTIOUS and the service has been less than friendly. Please people, remember, you're in Des Moines, IA...most people are not Sushi Experts. This place does not cater to a diverse crowd.

Some friends and I went here late after a football game. We didn't get the show as we sat out in the bar area but the food was great and the price wasn't bad either. Waiter even comped our drinks since they thought food took to lonbg to come out, but we hadn't noticed as we were enjoying the appertizers and laughiung at the halloween costumes folks were wearing. Good time.

Okay So I went to Taki for my first time back in July for a friends birthday. I had no idea about the restaurant before I went. I ABSOLUTELY loved it. The service is great, the hostesses are nice. I love seeing my food cooked right in front of me! The crabbed out appetizer roll is EXCELLENT! I crave it all the time! The food is delicious. I usually have the New York Strip and Chicken, Clear soup (yummy), I get the seafood sauce for my salad dressing because I don't really care for the other two.(No big deal at all) and the rice is Awesome.
If someone gives taki a bad review they're just grumpy and negative. I've had a great experience each time and the food is so delicious. I recommend it to everyone at least once.! I just wish they weren't so busy all the time!! Thanks TaKI I LOVE YOU!Oh yah and the waiters are very handsome!(Andy)

Great restaurant! Tied with the Waterfront as far as sushi goes (awesome). Really busy and you kind of feel out of place if you're waiting to be seated, not much room there...oh, try the tempura shrimp sushi...

I have been to Taki a handful of times.

1) The sushi is pretty good. Not outstanding, but still good.

2) Their service is awful. Not once has the waitstaff been attentive or anything other than clueless. It hasnt mattered if we ate in the sushi area or in the main dining rooms. The host girl has had good and bad nights, with her being somewhat rude when we were there last week.

3) The atmosphere and style of the restaurant is good.

Overall, I would eat at Taki again, but only for sushi and only at off-peak hours. I cant believe they dont take reservations for the sushi bar, and while I like their sushi, its not worth standing around for an hour and a half.

I much prefer Ohana's. Their dinners are higher quality and have better taste. Prices are pretty similar. The decor at Ohanas looks like its from the 1970s and could use some updating, but thats a fairly minor point. The only thing that would make Ohana's better is if they had a sushi bar.

i have had alot of sushi in every large midwest city, and this is as good as you will find. plus the enviornment is very nice. better show up early, its worth it

I'm not ready to accuse anyone writing a negative review of having a financial interst in a competing restaurant, but I have to disagree about the "go to ohana" review. I haven't had the teppanyaki expereince at Taki, so I can't compare anything there, but having visited numerous times for sushi and apps, I can't believe it could be too bad. Have I had better sushi, absolutely, we're eating it in Iowa and there's better to be had. But Taki does it pretty well. I haven't had any fish that seemed "off" or that was unappetizing in any way. And there's something to be said for atmosphere. I think Waterfront has better sushi, but I have a lot more fun at Taki. Taki also has a pretty impressive variety, so that makes things a little more interesting as well. I don't think this was meant to be five star dining, but I think they are good at what they do, and since it's pretty much packed every time I visit, that seems to be a concensus.

"Brandi Larson, Indianola" posted an Ohana review at 3:58 pm and the bottom "Go to Ohana" review was posted at 3:51 pm the same day. Given the amount of reviews on this site, it's a safe guess that Brandi Larson, Indianola wrote both reviews. The question is why! I'm guessing she has an interest in the competition.

As a fair, unbiased individual who has eaten at both restaurants I would give Taki a 3.5 star rating, which is worth a visit. I would give Ohana's a 3.5 star rating as well because although Ohana's is better quality food, it's also more expensive. Both are worth a try.

Taki tastes like McDonalds compared to Ohana Steakhouse. I will not go back. The quality of food is poor. I hate cheap seafood, if I wanted crap I'd go to Hy Vee. You want an excellent Japanese Steakhouse go to Ohana Steakhouse, you want poor quality food go to Taki. One positive though I will say is people have a lot of fun doing Saki bombs.

Take is an interesting venue for "A" and "D." First, we are long-experienced customers at sushi restaurants, both in the U.S. and in Japan. "D" first experienced Japanese sushi restaurants--in Japan--in the 1960s, so there is a history of knowing what is traditonal, expected, what is good, and and what is real.

Taki is a fairly good restaurant. It has good sushi, but not great sushi. The rice is less than perfect; the seafood if less than perfection; the preparation is less than masterful; the service less than perfect; the cleanliness less than pristine.

Sushi is a Zennist art form. It is practiced by masters of the art--actually living treasures of Japan. For every sushi master, there are 100's of imitators. A true sushi master is a rarity, a treasure, and a food artisan.

Here in Des Moines, there are few treasured sushi restaurants. Only one of them lives up to the demands of long-established sushi art: The Watrerfront Restaurant and the separate sushi bar that is part of their operations.

At the waterfront, the sushi purchases are rung into a separate cash register, indicating that the sushi bar is run and operated by a separate owner. It is part of the Waterfornt, but separate. Likely, it is part of the Rev. Sun Yung Moon sushi restaurant dominance.

Regardless, it is excellent. The sushi here is layers above the sushi at Taki. The rice is firmer, more Japanese; the seafood is better; more firm, tastier and fresher. The service is more artistic, more beautifully resented; more tradional and more disciplined. The overall sushi quality and presentation is better, more artistic and of a higher quality.

This is an art form. Sushi is like pottery, or poetry, or calligraphy. Japanese art is different from Western art: It demands qualityand standards. When it comes to sushi, only the Waterfront measures up; the offerings by Taki pale in comparison.

Taki is not bad, but it is is not the best in sushi tradition. The Waterfront beats Taki in every regard. Yet, the reality is that Des Moines does not, yet, have a first-rate sushi restaurant as found on either the west or east coasts; however, for what we do have, Waterfornt cannot be beat.

We just moved to the area and love to eat at the 'cooking table' places, the kids enjoy the show!! Taki did not dissappoint! As a matter of a fact this is the best Japanese steakhouse we've been to ever. The waitstaff was friendly and attentive. The chef was awesome the kids are begging to go back! For a fun wholesome family evening out we highly reccommend Taki Japanese Steakhouse!!

I just went for the sushi and it was wonderful. The specialty rolls were great and I was impressed by the white tuna nigiri. Well done.

We went to Taki's last year for my birthday with 4 other couples (ten of us in total) and had a BLAST! The waitstaff was as fun loving as us and did a great job. I love sushi-it is my favorite food, and was very impressed with the wide variety offered. We also ordered a regular dinner and had it cooked in front of us and had great fun. And as another reviewer said "Saki Bomb"! They even do these with wine for those of us (namely me) who don't like beer. We all had a great time-although I did have to go home and go to bed immediately after too many Saki Bombs! We have been back since for sushi, eaten at the bar, and it is wonderful-it wasn't just the Saki Bombs clouding my food interpretation. Definately a place to go for great sushi and a fun night!

I just went to Taki this weekend with a group of 6. We had a blast. The waitstaff was great, very entertaining. The sushi, soup and the main entree were all excellent. The atmosphere is trendy and fun. A good time was had by all....as well as a few Sake Bombs! Check it out.

I love this place. The sushi is excellent, they have a nice variety of regular and fancy rolls. They have excellent service and a good variety of food for people who don't want sushi. The drinks are a bit pricey, but you occasionally get free Sake Bombs especially sitting at the Sushi Bar.

All I can say is Sake, Sake BOMB!

I have to admit, I was a little weirded out by the concept of sushi in Iowa. But, then I decided that it doesn't really matter where you live- 9 times out of 10 they are flying their fish in anyway.

I'm so glad that I went to Taki. it really is good and the service is excellent. the owners/chefs know their stuff and are always happy to make you stuff that's off the menu (like a special roll that you had elsewhere or whatever).

Drinks are a little pricey, but good and the staff is always super nice. I still haven't made it to the Wed. sushi & martini night, but I've heard it's fun.

5 stars from me for four reasons. 1, it is 2 doors down from the Army Recruiting Station (where friends of mine work) 2, you can choose Habachi or standard menu (so you aren't overcharged for a Habachi show if you don't want one) 3, All of the food is delicious, sushi and habachi style, and 4, Sake Bombs.

So maybe 1 and 4 are reasons just for me, but 2 and 3 are for everyone. This place is beautiful and the staff is overly friendly. The chefs deliver great shows even if they know you and have done it for you 100 times.

My buddy took me here for my first sushi experience. It was great. Very trendy interior, nice bar, and great food.