Teppan Edo + Little Kids

[Abharmagic]

We just ate there 3 weeks ago and my kids LOVED it. They are 2.5 and 5 and they loved the cooking "show", the chopsticks made so they can use them, the umbrellas in their drinks, the food, everything! It was one of the better meals on our trip. My kids were execllently behaved the whole time too- made this mama proud.

I say do it!!!

 

[skiloff]

We visit local hibachi restaurants pretty regularly, and my noise-sensitive 2.5 yo dd loves the show! What is hard for us is the wait time before the actual cooking begins, so I bring a little ziplock filled with stickers, crayons, small notepad, gluestick and foam shapes, to keep her busy while we enjoy sushi and some peace.

And usually, she is restless before the end of any adult meal, so dh (or me, whoever finishes first) will usually take her for a little walk to explore the restaurant and exterior area while the everyone else finishes. We did the same with our ds who is now almost nine yo. They both have always loved Japanese food (fried rice, potstickers, grilled shrimp/chicken, miso soup...)

We've never been to a hibachi table where the cooking table was dangerously close, and the chefs usually make it pretty clear right away how hot it is. As far as the noisy/fiery stuff, when we see that coming, whoever is sitting next to dd will usually cuddle with arms "protectively" around her and make a snuggly exciting moment of it, "wheeeee, look at THAT!" in a cheerful voice to help set the tone and reassure her that she is safe. And because I'm neurotic like that, after dinner I like to include a statement along the lines of, "We know better than to play with fire, don't we!"

Btw, we have ressies for Teppan Edo next week - doing lunch then the 5 PM Candlelight Processional. I got a reservation for 8 of us even though I just called tonight! I'll be back with a review in a few weeks!

Excellent advice - provide a little entertainment for them to keep them from getting bored, the chefs will entertain them for a while (they really play to the kids) and the snuggly "wheeee, look at THAT!" goes a long way. Our kids loved it, but they are older (8 and 10 at the time). I wouldn't be concerned about the hot surface. You really have to be paying zero attention to your kids to come close to risking a burn.