Since the completion of the Lofts at Mercer Landing, new restaurants have been seizing the opportunity to open in a location convenient to both students living in the lofts and those who do not mind the short walk from the Mercer football stadium. One of the newest additions is Osaka Hibachi and Sushi.
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Osaka offers a range of Japanese and Asian-American foods in a casual environment. Whether one chooses to sit down and eat inside the small seating area or take out to eat back home, Osaka is a convenient place for Mercerians to fill their Asian cravings.
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The Good
The Variety
Although, as the name suggests, the main food items at Osaka are Hibachi and Sushi, there are also plenty of other options, such as soup, noodles and strangely enough, chicken nuggets.
The Location
Between Jittery Joe’s, Margaritas and Sauced, Mercer Village is the place to eat for Mercer students. That said, Mercer Landing is beginning to become competitive with all the new restaurants opening up.
Osaka is certainly within walking distance of anywhere on Mercer’s campus, and it is right across the street from Five Star Stadium. The location is as convenient as it gets. The address for Osaka is 1530 Mercer University Drive.
The Questionable
The Service
Do not go into Osaka expecting a full-service dining experience. You have to order what you want at the counter, and you must bus your own table.
“I was a bit confused when I first walked in. I did not know where to go, and I did not know we had to bus our own dishes because they brought out plates,” said photographer Peter Garcia.
There is nothing necessarily wrong with this system, especially considering that they will bring the food to wherever you are sitting, and the food came out extremely fast.
“I feel like it worked. Because of its small size, bussing my own dishes was easy, and I like that you can leave on your own terms,” said sophomore Ethan Thompson.
The Food
I ordered a specialty sushi roll, that was not entirely deep fried but instead topped with fried salmon, so overall it had a mixed flavor of fresh and cooked fish. I thought the quality of the fish was average.
My roommate Mathew Boldan tried the Hibachi, and he thought it was average, although fairly pricey.
The Bad
Nothing Memorable
Although there was nothing that I thought was completely bad about Osaka, there was nothing memorable about the experience.
For me, the greatest thing about Osaka is the convenience. The ability to get decent sushi without needing to drive is great, and I am sure other Mercer students feel the same way.
Convenience notwithstanding, Osaka is overall an average Asian restaurant with a large menu of good food items. This restaurant may become the hibachi and sushi place for Mercer students, and to that extent, it has found a great niche.
