Tei Tei Robata
- Price Range: $$$
- Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
- Parking: Valet
- Attire: Dressy
- Good for Groups: Yes
- Good for Kids: No
- Takes Reservations: Yes
- Delivers: No
- Take-out: No
- Waiter Service: Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
- Outdoor Seating: No
- Good for: Dinner
- Alcohol: Full Bar
30 Reviews for Tei Tei Robata
I break "Tei Tei" into two parts, the bar and the restaurant. The bar seemed to be the hip cool place to be seen while the restaurant area was more settled and quite. Service at the bar was more energetic and the table was more cold and nervous yet attentive. Maybe that's just the Asian way. Anyway, I also break sushi up in two categories, good and bad. It has been my experience sushi is never okay. This sushi is good. Reservations can be made for four or more, but not three or two.
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They have food here? Haha...apparently so. And if I ate sushi, I'm sure it'd be more than just a place to take my LA friends off the beaten Greenville Ave path when they fly in. They like sushi. I like drinks. Tei Tei has both. What a deal.
While I've only sat in the restaurant area once on my many visits, it seems as nice as any other upscale, Knox/Henderson eatery. We usually reserve the big table with two couches in the bar - it's seems a bit more coolio in there. It does get packed, but hey, we got seats! Haha. I kid. I kid.
If I do throw down on some grub while my friends demolish rainbow rolls after rainbow rolls - AND some kind of fish that is actually rolled in corn flakes (Tony the Tiger's?) - I munch on the "Steak on a Rock." Not sure if that's the name, but it's raw steak I throw on a heated rock - yep - and it cooks all nice and juicy. It's pretty fantastic.
This is an ideal springboard to start your night, and with it's central locale, you can hit up Greenville or McKinney Ave in no time. Or just stay on Henderson. Your call. I'm not your dad.
See ya inside!
~ B
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Much like Teppo, their sushi is good but the cooked items are the reason to come here. The miso marinated seabass is my favorite, but everything else I've had has been great. Everything is fresh and tasty. Like Amanda said, I much prefer to order several different items for the table to share than one entree per person - there are just too many good things worth trying on the menu.
Tei Tei is not huge, so it's not the best choice for a big group.
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We came from Tyler to eat sushi and found Tei Tei. The atmosphere is cozy but there was a wait so I highly suggest you make reservations! We are more raw sushi and they do have some but not a big variety. What they did have was good and we would certainly go back!
The first time I came here, I don't think I ordered the right foods to truly enjoy my experience here. I came back a second time with friends and they ordered for me. I'm a true fan now! The cornflake shrimp was soooo good! Who would of thought cereal and shrimp make a good pair? I know everyone likes the lobster. I think the lobster was good, but I'm just not a huge lobster fan. The sushi is amazingly fresh here. Love their salmon and yellowtail! Don't forget about their desserts- we ordered a couple ourselves. The one with strawberries on top was the best I thought. Be prepared to spend a lot here though.
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Well pretty much everyone has already said it and I agree completely, Tei Tei is the best of its kind in Dallas. All of the food is top notch, from the marinated sea bass to the washu beef and the bluefin toro it is all delicious. Check out the specials when you go, sometimes you can find a real treat on a random night. They also have a great sake menu if you like sake. After dinner you can hang out in the bar area where they have a DJ spinning on some nights. Highly recommended.
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I had high hopes for Tei Tei. The location is great, the atmosphere is hip and the crowd was young but not too young. There was a good mix. I have a feeling that Tei Tei does a better job at Japanese entrees (cooked food) and the sushi is an afterthought. The sushi I had there was disgusting to put it mildly. I have had better sushi that ended up making me sick. I didn't give Tei Tei's sushi a chance to make me sick. We didn't eat it past the first bite of each roll. I have never seen such a lacking offering of sushi in my life. There was pretty much nothing to the sushi menu so we ordered a California roll (which I never do) and a Caterpillar roll. How can you mess those up? They made their own renditions of each of these classics and the result was an inedible mess. We tried the "Feed Me Roll", which is up to the chef to create. We told him we didn't want anything cooked and no mayonnaise type sauce. They served us a roll with mushroom and fried egg. It was SO gross!!! I am an adventurous eater but come on. Give me something that tastes good.
We ended up ordering fried crabs because we were starving and they were dry and salty. The entree items looked good but I didn't try them. I had completely lost my appetite after biting into so much bad sushi. They were also out of every kind of alcohol I requested, including sake and wine. Maybe I would try the entree dishes but I when I want sushi, I want sushi! I would NOT go here if you're in the mood for sushi. I also think it's God awful that they keep a live lobster in a basket at the sushi bar. I can see why people come here for drinks. If you're okay with basic drinks, beer and sake, it could be enjoyable ... although it is VERY small inside.
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If your looking for a place to look cool, show off how much money you have (or are in debt) and have a sports car..... come here!\
If you want to show off your new $200 jeans and brand new LV.... thats right... come here!
Honestly, this place is WONDERFUL. As soon as you walk in, your going to forget your in Dallas (don't take it the wrong way). Hanging out here, reminded me of...... Tokyo... even though I've never been..
Anyways.. the food is 5/5 and the drink menu is also 5/5..... the sake selection could be a bit better... however I'm sure after they read my review.. they will listen!
This is a great place to hang out, have a few drinks and catch up with some friends. Dress to impress.... and don't wear sandles in here... I don't care how hot it is outside......
11/04/2006:
Very nice decor, ambient. The presentation of the dishes, mainly the pottery, are "super". Unfortunately, the food had lots of "up and downs": great grilled Branzini, but fishy Octopus (Nuta); great quail with scallion, but insipid and "watery" Soboro Daikon; a perfectly cooked wings, but "what happed with the chef?" tasting Kinki and Asari Sakamushi. The young lady that was our waitress was unbearably "dark"...no smile, no reaction,no...everything... A Japanese restaurant, but most definitely, not a place for the native Japanese. (And there was not a single Japanese the night I was there).
this is my favorite japanese restaurant in dallas. i'm gonna chime in like everybody else and say that they do serve fresh and consistently good food. i usually like to order sushi and a bunch of small plates instead of ordering just an entree. definitely check out the washu beef on a rock. they bring a few pieces thinly sliced raw beef with some extremely hot rocks and you sear the beef on the rock at your table...love the sound of the sizzle =)
other items i usually order: grilled kobacha (simply prepared with a bit of butter and salt), edamame, big eye tuna, fatty tuna (when available), yellow tail, salmon, japanese snapper, sea urchin, eel, and always something from the specials menu.
if you get a chance, the whole grilled fish is worth checking out...a lot of times they have japanese fishes that i've never heard...you're waiter /waitress can help you decide what's the freshest
there's not much i can complain about, except for maybe:
-the somewhat anemic dessert section
-the wait can be kinda long (but there is a bar section)
-can get crowded due to the small size
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This place is small, cramped, crowded, there is always a wait and the atmosphere is not romantic in the least; but, I still recommend this place for a date if you have a foodie friend you want to empress. This is not the place to take a fussy woman with low blood sugar as you will no doubt not get a second date. The service is polite yet aloof. And the food is super fresh and different from the usual Japanese in Texas. Which all comes across as authentic Japanese..
That said this is my favorite place for Japanese food in Texas. I do not go here specifically for Sushi but what I have had was very fresh. What I do go for is the Hot Rock - I love to watch the thin slices of Kobe Beef cook on the rock just moments before it melts like butter on my tongue. And the Miso Sea Bass is perfect in every way. But, my #1 favorite item here that I often find myself craving is the large skewered and grilled oysters (the outside skin is tight but the inside is raw and when you bite in it bursts in your mouth)..
If there is a long wait they have a nice bar at the opposite end of the main entrance with it's own entrance. Be polite and walk down the sidewalk instead of through the cramped dining area until your name is called.
Enjoy..
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This place has a great energy to it. The sushi is not the best in town but I'd go here just for the ambiance.
Pros:
- Great vibe
- Good sushi and other main courses. Try the beef over the hot rock.
- Location (in the ever growing Knox Henderson)
- One thing I like about this place is the fact that since you almost always have to wait for a table, their bar has drinks that are very moderately priced. Therefore you haven't chalked up a hefty bar bill before your meal which is always nice.
Cons:
- A bit small so there is almost always a wait to get a table
Bottom line: Great place to go with a couple of friends, a first date (not very intimate so good place for a fun first date -- there'll be plenty of time to do intimate restaurants :-)
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One of our favorite restaurants!! The sushi at tei tei was delicious!! The chefs, like any other sushi restaurant, prep the food right in front o of you, you dont have to wait long for it either. Have a bar and table seating as well. the restaurant itself was clean, the lighting was perfect, and the service was wonderful.
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While the seating in the dining room is (extreeeemely) limited and the bar area is even less spacious, the food and the drinks make up for most of the uncomfortability. You'll wait a while on your table, but you won't have to wait more than a minute to get your drink order in by one of the bartenders or wait staff. The DJ "spins" some okay music, though if you're waiting in the bar for over an hour and a half, you may begin to wonder if you're hearing the same tunes over again. The main bartender, a fella with long hair, will AMAZE you with his own creations, but make sure you have him make your cocktail--nobody else does near as well as he does. The food is great. Slow to arrive, perhaps, but it's delicious. If you're claustrophobic or agoraphobic, I'd recommend you stay away from Tei Tei...but if you're a fan of Japanese food, grin and bear it--you won't be disappointed.
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I almost hate to give this place a 5 star since it represents the flashy, trendy, my-daddy-pays-for my-porsche-and-my-louis-v type of place that I find tremendously annoying in Dallas, but the robata is just amazing. It is really really excellent. If you can, I would recommend sitting in the seats where you can see the sushi chef - mostly because the guy running the robata grill is so fun to watch. Both times I have gone, we got a whole fish grilled. The fish is super fresh. The first time there I got the grilled "black snapper". Where I come from, black snapper is known as "porgie". I guess "porgie" isn't a trendy enough name for a place like Tei Tei. You can usually buy a whole "porgie" for about $5-7 in a normal fishmarket. It goes for about $30 grilled at Tei Tei. Talk about mark up! The sushi here is also very good, probably the best I've had in Dallas. This place is super expensive for those of you who actually pay your own bills, but this place is a must if you are a true seafood fan.
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Hands down this the best japanese restaurant in Dallas. The food is quality, service is always great, and the restaurant experience is always exceptional. I've become a regular here and will continue to be. A true Japanese meal for me is not only sushi but also some of the more traditional/authentic dishes. My experience would not be complete unless I leave the restaurant eating all of the following: Agedashi Tofu, Chicken Roll, Miso Seabass, Salmon Sushi, Spicy tuna roll, WASHU BEEF ON THE ROCK, Steamed Whole Lobster, and the Panna Cotta.
May I emphasize that the washu beef on the rock is a hot rock that you use to sizzle the washu beef on. This is an awesome hands-on experience!
The restaurant itself is hard to locate--it is well hidden, which provides for a nice quaint and unique experience. The outside is misleading because once inside, it is a lively and intimate Japanese Restaurant. It only makes sense that this restaurant is so popular as the wait time is known to be lengthy. Expect 45 minutes.
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Oh Tei Tei.....as many have commented, definitely the best Japanese restaurant in Dallas. The seafood is super fresh and its often taken up live right in front of the sushi bar before its cooked. They have new specials regularly but I tend to order my favorites. One of the best dishes there is the Cornflake Shrimp...its not on the normal menu but on their special menu and if its not...request it. It's taking the shrimp tempura we all know and love and instead breading it with cornflakes. I know it may sound a bit weird but its so delicious.
I also love the marinated filet of sea bass and order the sashimi sampler here since the fish is absolutely fresh and flown in daily. Another odd dish that I love is the grilled rice ball. It's exactly what it sounds like but the rice is flavored and grilling the rice brings about a nice earthy flavor.
While the wait can be bad........very bad. It's definitely worth the wait. Hands down, Tei tei is one of the best restaurants in Dallas.
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pros: consistently amazing food, friendly service staff, nice bar in the back
cons: bit pricey, somewhat of a wait for drop-ins
dishes worth checking out:
-foil wrapped sea bass with enoki
-tempura soft shell crab
-quail with yuzu pepper
-couple of specialties: lobster and grilled branzini
*entry edited to remove the word "crap" with the correct word for the food: crab
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Tei Tei is why I love sushi!! This place is so good on so many levels..The seating capacity is only 48 and they only take reservations for parties of 4--but its so worth it!! Aside from the extensive selection of rolls and shashimi-- be sure to order the grilled sea bass and washu beef on rock..YUMMY!!!! This place is definitely worth the splurge :)
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We'd been searching for outstanding Japanese food in Dallas. Tei Tei fits the bill. The place is small, but cozy. We got there early, but it was already filling up quickly at 7 on a Tuesday night.
I tend to stay away from places that look too trendy, and Tei Tei does have that vibe going on, but that's not the focus here. Service was way above average. The staff was attentive without being obtrusive.
Sushi and grill staff spoke Japanese to each other, lending authenticity and pleasing traditionalists and sushi snobs alike. The sushi we had was amazing. The fish was very fresh and cut with care. But here's what sets a place apart: the sushi rice was perfect, and the nori was clearly fresh and high quality. Just when you start thinking tuna is tuna, you get a silky piece of heaven like we were served that night. Other sushi highlights: jumbo clam and baby yellowtail.
From the grill we had baby tako. The waitress made sure we knew what to expect when we ordered (we did), and I thought that made sense. It was just the consistency it should be, and seasoned to perfection. The "robata" part of the menu was rather limited, but I liked their focus on organics, local, and seasonal items.
Trying Asahi black (beer), which I hadn't seen before, was a special treat as well. The only drawback was a lack of parking in this busy area. Using valet was really the only option.
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Holy crap, why had I not been here before?! This is going to be a difficult review to write because I feel like I won't be reviewing, just listing what we had. I think my "Oh my god, this was so good" ' s would grow old.
Anyway, a sampling of what my date and I had: kobe beef on a rock, sea eel, yellowtail, sea bass, fried spicy squid legs, Japanese snapper, spicy tuna tartare, Spanish mackerel, Kobu-cured flounder (FANTASTIC!), salmon, grilled fish cake, seaweed salad and more that I can't even remember.
Oh, we also had the "Feed Me Roll," which appears to be a chef's creation, using inspiration from other things you've ordered. Our Feed Me roll was a spicy tuna roll, topped with yellowtail, salmon, snapper, smelt eggs and salmon roe. It was really delicious.
All in all, it was a really delightful experience. We elected to sit at the bar, seeing as the wait for a table was pushing an hour. Sadly, Tei Tei doesn't take reservations unless your party is four+. Prices are reasonable, but if you order in excess as we did, don't be surprised to see a 3-figure tab.
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This is the best Japanese restaurant in Dallas. The decor, the ambiance, the music, the sushi, the cooked dishes, the staff, everything is fantastic. I've only been here maybe 5 times in the past 3 years, but the waitresses always seem to recognize me. The sushi here is really the best in Dallas, always fresh and hardly ever out of anything (sometimes it's a pain to get really good uni). If there's ever a wait, there's a great little bar and lounge area in the back, so generally I don't mind waiting like 30-40 minutes. Normally, I expect the wait, so it really doesn't bother me.
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Very fresh, very good. One of the best sushi places I've had. It can get pricey if you're not careful, otherwise I recommend it to my friends.
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An excellent spot for Japanese food --
Standouts include "kobe" beef sizzled on a hot rock, miso-marinated sea bass (excellent, immaculate fish), baby crabs, and various crudo.
The sashimi-averse diners at our table ordered bland california rolls, but the yakitori and edamame hit the spot for these timid souls.
The floor tables are an excellent place to gather a group of friends and hide away, drinking from the fairly nice wine list and enjoying the ebb and flow of service on a busy busy night.
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This is hands down our favorite restaurant in Dallas. It is an especially great place to take someone who is finally ready to get over the notion that Japanese food consists primarily of "sushi rolls" and "sushi". The sushi is fantastic but more importantly I think TTR has the most diverse Japanese menu in town. In addition to the sushi and Sashimi we are absolutely in love with what we call the "hot rock" - raw and thinly sliced Kobe/Washu beef is brought to your table along with a smooth very hot rock and a light sauce on the side. Place the meat briefly on the hot rock to sear it and then enjoy it as it melts in your mouth! All of the grilled fish is very sensitively prepared - you won't find the fish's taste buried under heavy or overly strong sauces. Wait staff is great and the bar is a true happening place. OK. I'll stop writing now before I bore you. If you're in Dallas and you love Japanese food you MUST try this place. Be warned it is quite small and very popular. Go early or late or be prepared to chill in the bar.
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Hands down my favorite restaurant in the entire city. You don't normally equate North Texas to Japanese food, but this place is really something special. I've eaten at Nobu and Megu in NYC, Morimoto in Philly, Ozumo in San Fran, and eaten fresh tuna hours off the boat in Tokyo and I can say that Tei Tei is as good if not better.
I started going to Tei Tei simply for the food and long before it became a mecca of the beautiful and over stylized people of Dallas and those who come to watch them. Besides the uber trendy scene, Tei Tei's food quality has remained impeccable, succulent and the gastronomic equivalent of hot but slow sex. All sashimi is fresh and chilled to the perfect temp (toro sashimi is the best thing on the menu). Ordering hot and cold foods off the menu is a culinary adventure. Everything I have tried has been good and some wonderful. Some of my past favorites include: broiled sea bass cheek, agadashi tofu, yuzu pepper cured duck breast, and ox tail stew.
Service is solid, not overly friendly, but knowledgeable about the menu and food preparation. The worst thing about Tei Tei is that they normally don't take reservations which means you have to camp out at the bar for hours if you want to eat during prime dining hours. This isn't necessarily a bad thing as the bar is quite a scene although undersized. They have a full compliment of Asian beers and a relatively decent selection of Sake to be enjoyed in bamboo boxes or hollowed bamboo trunks.
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A very small restaurant, it serves some of the best Japanese seafood in town. In addition to Sushi, they have a large variety of grilled fish, crabs, lobster, etc. The quality of the seafood is excellent, I would say best in Dallas, along with Teppo, the sister operation down and around the corner.
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Tei Tei's small space is one its charms but it can be a drag waiting an hour for a table. A nice consolation to the typically long wait is the cool saki bar/lounge area in the next room. You can order a nice drink while munching on some edamame.
The sushi is done very well. The typical stuff you find elsewhere is very good here: tuna, salmon, eel and so on. The sea bass is very popular (almost as good as the one I make at home). Another popular dish is the "beef on the rocks," a 6-slice order of high-grade washu beef, served raw with an extremely hot rock and a soy based dipping sauce. You can do your own grilling at the table. What's not fun about that?
And it feels like a cozy little San Francisco joint which is nice.
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I have been eating sushi for 40 years, never have I had sushi of this caliber in the USA. The fish is better than you can get at Nobu in Soho, NYC and much cheaper, still bring plenty of cash because a good sushi dinner is still expensive. Tei, the owner is behind the bar and he prepares dishes better than I have had in Tokyo!! Don't miss this place.
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We had such a fun experience at Tei Tei. While quarters are a little cramped, the atmosphere is festive and fun. The sushi is good, the kobe beef on a rock is entertaining and tasty, but the true gem is the sea bass. It was mouth-watering, to die for delicious.
Go early or get reservations...we even had to wait on a Sunday night at 6:30. It is a tiny restaurant. The hostess was a little bit in our personal space but it was almost unavoidable due to where we were seated by the door. I won't hold that against Tei Tei. I highly recommend for a small gathering of friends or a romantic evening out. You are sure to have fun and enjoy a great dinner looking over at the open kitchen.
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