Element Orlando Universal Blvd. in Orlando

-----Review of Hanamizuki-----
The food is amazing. The ramen is one of the main attractions, but there are plenty of other options. Sushi, curry, just a couple of the varied 定食 (teishoku) available here.

-----Warning about a lot of the bad reviews-----
Disclaimer: I have no vested interest in this restaurant other than liking the food. No friends or family work here. I'm just not a jerk.

What you need to keep in mind when reading these reviews is that a lot of the 1 star reviews are written by people who clearly don't care or think about other people. I'm not saying this place is perfect. But one of the bad reviews came from someone who admitted they came in at 10pm when the place closes at 10:30. If you can't see why that's a problem then you have no business reviewing a restaurant if you can't review your own actions.

They used to have a waitress who was noticably rude. She doesn't work there anymore and hasn't for a while.

Of course a restaurant isn't going to use all the tables at certain points in the day. The slow times need to be controlled so the servers and wait staff don't get overwhelmed. This is common knowledge, but some reviewers don't have common sense. Another one complained about the food being bad by calling it both "dry" and "soaked" in the same sentence.

Some complaints are valid. But the few of those are not big enough to deter logical, reasonable people from eating here if they can afford it.

Great food and service. Great for the authentic Japanese cuisine.

I returned to Hanamizuki after my initial review (and several more times since) because the food was so good. The rude waitress was gone (as well as that poor hostess). In my experience, the service has improved over the last couple of years, and a couple of the staff are exceptionally friendly. I've started returning more frequently due to the more consistent service. The food is always excellent and leaves me feeling good. As someone with irritable bowls, this quality is particularly rare and appreciated. Ever since The Eye was built in the plaza, it's difficult to find a parking spot wihout parking in the garage. The garage is free, but plan some extra time to park.

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Original Review

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Service was 1 out of 5.
Food was 5 out of 5.

We had a party of 6. Our waitress threatened to get the owner because 1 of the 6 of us did not spend the required $15 per person. Despite repeated explanations of how his check totaled more than $15, the waitress would not listen until he ended up spending $25 plus tax and tip. To add to the ridiculousness I should mention the as a group, our total bill was well over $15 per person, my date and myself spent more than $30 each, so the harassment and threats were quite uncalled for. The waitress also had an attitude with the hostess who was seating guests and got onto her in front of us and other customers a couple of times. We all felt bad for the hostess. The hostess was sweet but looked miserable working there. There were other issues with the service, but I've made my point.

Everyone agreed that the food was outstanding. We had some sushi, but we mostly had entrees. I will return just for the food. Maybe we'll have a better waitress next time.

Always such an authentic dining every time. The owners are such sweet and kind people who take pride in making their food the traditional way. Great job! 10/10

I never would have expected to find serious Japanese food in Orlando growing up, but now... Wow. Friday night, busy, but yet the food and service was great. I wasn't up to much, so I went simple with my order. The food (tempura, salad, sushi) was the clean, simple meal I wanted. And the tempura sauce had a wonderful level of ginger in it. Next time I can make it, though, I'm diving into the pickled foods! And for service, I wonder if people are mistaking not being interrupted every few minutes with "Is everything ok?" as poor service. I *HUGELY* appreciate not being pestered while in conversation. My water always was kept full, and everything was appropriately prompt. They even didn't bother us when we hung out a tad too long and remembered when I was done with my water. The servers pay attention.

What a fun place. Had a few work trips in the area, and wanted to go to a place to socialize with coworkers, have a few beers and shot some pool.
The decorations are fun, along with the music. It's clean and easy to get to. Beer selection was decent. Several pool tables in great condition, and the sticks and balls were straight and true.
Great hideaway to relax, have a drink, and have some fun.

Went here a month ago, and yet the memory of my night out is still fresh in mind. The service was excellent our server was on top of it all. To such an amazing degree, a really cool guy. Our food was also very tasty and we had a great time overall. I am already setting up plans for to go back again soon enough.

They have an amazing food! Last time I tried chicken in a special souse but I didn't remember exact name but it was marvelous! Relaxing atmosphere with good music, prices and nice stuff!

so tonight my company had to hold a team builder for our staff and i called and spoke to Charles who proceeded to roll out the red carpet. He informed me of what my options were very eloquently and guaranteed us VIP service, so i booked it. And just as he promised we were truly treated like KINGS. All my coworkers were really impressed and we really enjoyed ourselves. Food was great, my VP loved the wings. Drinks were tasty and everyone had a few. service was personalized by the server in the kingpin room and manager on shift alike. But if you ever wanna come there with a group you care to impress, call and ask for Charles!

Clean spacious fun place. Food was great. had the Hollywood Burger and crispy Buffalo chicken sandwich. Cool music, friendly staff. Very fair prices for this tourist town. Will go again & bring friends!

MENU: 5 stars. I had the T-bone steak and let me tell you, it was quite possibly the best steak I’ve ever had. It was perfectly cooked; seared brilliantly on one side and moderately tender on the other. The flavor was simply to die for. Charley’s Steakhouse certainly lives up to its name by delivering the best steak in Orlando, hands down.

MOOD: 4 stars. Charley’s Steakhouse is billed as fine dining, and it comes very close. As a Talk of the Town restaurant, Charley’s was probably the nicest and most upscale. Through no fault of their own, the mood when I went lacked class to a degree. I noticed some seedy and suspect people. It sort of brought down the feel of the evening.

STAFF: 5 stars. The staff was phenomenal. Our waiter put us at ease and cut through all the stuffiness and pomposity of the restaurant with some well-times jokes. The other waiters happily assisted him and made the dining experience a pleasant one.

VERDICT: 5 stars for a great restaurant. It’s a little on the pricy side compared to the other Talk of the Town restaurants, but probably offers the best experience. I easily recommend and will be back myself.

The food was fantastic, as we expected from a Talk of the Town restaurant! The service was even BETTER! AND THAT MEANS A LOT! FROM THE Mat're D to the waitress, waiter, and manager on staff... It was a great dinning experience. Highly recommend it and will visit All of the Talk of the Town restaurants within six months! We absolutely love this place. We dined at Vito's Chop house before, along part of the Talk of the Town family owned restaurants, and didn't think they could be topped! We were wrong, but Vito's is still a great. Charlie's just kicks it up a notch and is much bigger, yet still quiet and warm!