Watami Japanese Dining Junction 8

Standard dropped a lot over the year. I ordered the tempura with soba. The dish looked vastly different from the menu. Everything shrunk drastically in size. Not only that, the food does not taste good at all. I remember the restaurant in its prime time with queue waiting for a table. Now the whole situation reversed. Disappointed with it. Service is still good.

I’ve visited Watami a few times in the past, but it feels like the standards have dipped over the years. This time, we ordered the chawanmushi, mixed tempura, karaage don, chicken yakitori, and a strawberry crepe cake. There was also a member promotion for octopus karaage at just $1.50, which we decided to try. Food was decent overall, though nothing particularly stood out. Service was a bit slow and inattentive — possibly due to the peak dinner crowd.

I would like to share feedback regarding my recent visit to Watami Japanese Dining at Junction 8 on 18 May 2025 at approximately 6:30 PM. Upon arrival, a staff member named May asked if my friend and I were comfortable with counter seats. However, before we could respond, she quickly assigned those seats to the customers behind us. This abrupt interaction set an unfortunate tone for our dining experience. Once we were eventually seated at the counter, we noticed a number of houseflies around the area. Despite this, we proceeded to order our food via the QR code, only to realize that the limited counter space might not accommodate our full order comfortably. We requested to move to a regular table, and while May did provide us with a new QR code, her response was unprofessional—she rolled her eyes, took back the initial QR code from us, and walked away without offering any explanation or clarification. This dismissive behavior was frustrating and disappointing. Additional concerns during our visit include: • A shared bowl provided to us had a chipped corner, which is unacceptable in an F&B setting. • Tables were not promptly cleared. We overheard other customers requesting assistance from staff to clear their messy tables. • There were noticeable houseflies in the dining area, which raises hygiene concerns. • Despite several empty tables, the staff seemed overwhelmed and service was inconsistent. We asked to speak with the branch supervisor, but were informed she was unavailable. Instead, En Qi, who was acting as the deputy on duty, attended to us. We appreciated her willingness to listen. However, we were concerned to learn that this was NOT THR FIRST complaint regarding May’s attitude. If such behavior is known among the team, it suggests a gap in training and supervision for front-line staff. Regrettably, this was our FIRST visit to this outlet, and it will likely be our LAST. We hope this feedback will be taken seriously and lead to meaningful improvements in service standards, staff conduct, and overall dining experience. Thank you for your attention.

Ordered lunch set but found mold with pore on the salad. Staff didn’t think it’s an issue and didn’t do anything about it

Years ago i tried watami at downtown east and i hated it as the food was full of MSG. As i had an appointment here, no choice but to dine with this brand again. Sadly, it is the same here as we were so thirsty after the meal!! I even chose soba on purpose hoping i wont become a thirsty hippo but doesnt seem to do much difference. Service here was messy and slow too, as there were only a few staff in the hall on a weekend lunch hours. Never ever dining here again....

I was there for dinner just myself on April 21, 2025. Ordered a 9-kind Special Assorted Sushi, $18.90. The sashimi slices were too thin. Regret I did not take a photo of it. I could have dined in Genki Sushi which is opposite the Watami instead. Will be my first and last visit to the restaurant.

One of the worst dining experiences I’ve ever had. I visited this place for lunch today, genuinely looking forward to trying their menu — but I left thoroughly disappointed. Let’s start with the service, which was abysmal. The staff were unprofessional and completely indifferent. They barely acknowledged my presence and did the absolute minimum: handed me a QR code and later dropped off the food. That’s it. For a restaurant that charges a service fee, the level of service was no better than a self-service food court. I stood outside for several minutes without being approached, only to later discover I had to scan a QR code for a queue number — something the staff never bothered to inform me about. When the flame went out for my hotpot, I had to wave at them three separate times just to get their attention. To make matters worse, I was seated next to a gap in the railing which the staff used as a shortcut — they passed through it repeatedly while I was eating, completely disrupting the meal. It was careless and inconsiderate. The food itself was equally underwhelming. The Korean army stew arrived with a pitiful cube of instant noodles — barely 3x3 cm — which is honestly laughable. The actual portion was a far cry from what’s shown on their menu photos. The tonpeiyaki was basically 90% egg and flour, lacking any real substance or flavour. Cleanliness was another glaring issue. The tables were sticky and clearly not wiped down properly. I noticed mystery stains and liquid spots left from previous customers. This wasn’t an isolated incident either, as other reviews have mentioned the same. Overall, the entire experience felt like a case of false advertising and complete disregard for the customer. Between the inattentive staff, poor food quality, and lack of cleanliness, I cannot think of a single reason to return — and I strongly suggest others think twice before dining here.

One of the worst dining experiences I've ever had. I visited this place for lunch today, genuinely looking forward to trying their menu, but I left thoroughly disappointed. Let’s start with the service, which was abysmal. The staff were unprofessional and completely indifferent. They barely acknowledged my presence and did the absolute minimum: handed me a QR code and later dropped off the food. That’s it. For a restaurant that charges a service fee, the level of service was no better than a self-service food court. I stood outside for several minutes without being approached, only to later discover I had to scan a QR code for a queue number, something the staff never bothered to inform me about. When the flame went out for my hotpot, I had to wave at them three separate times just to get their attention. To make matters worse, I was seated next to a gap in the railing which the staff used as a shortcut. They passed through it repeatedly while I was eating, completely disrupting the meal. It was careless and inconsiderate. The food itself was equally underwhelming. The Korean army stew arrived with a pitiful cube of instant noodles, barely 3x3 cm, which is honestly laughable. The actual portion was a far cry from what’s shown on their menu photos. The tonpeiyaki was basically 90% egg and flour, lacking any real substance or flavor. Cleanliness was another glaring issue. The tables were sticky and clearly not wiped down properly. I noticed mystery stains and liquid spots left from previous customers. This wasn’t an isolated incident either, as other reviews have mentioned the same. Overall, the entire experience felt like a case of false advertising and complete disregard for the customer. Between the inattentive staff, poor food quality, and lack of cleanliness, I cannot think of a single reason to return, and I strongly suggest others think twice before dining here.

I was there for dinner by myself on April 21, 2025. I ordered a 9-kind Special Assorted Sushi for $18.90. The sashimi slices were too thin. I regret not taking a photo of it. I could have dined at Genki Sushi, which is opposite Watami, instead. This will be my first and last visit to the restaurant.

Years ago, I tried Watami at Downtown East and I hated it because the food was full of MSG. As I had an appointment here, I had no choice but to dine at this restaurant again. Sadly, it is the same here, as we were so thirsty after the meal! I even chose soba on purpose, hoping I wouldn't become a thirsty hippo, but it doesn't seem to make much difference. Service here was messy and slow too, as there were only a few staff in the hall during weekend lunch hours. Never ever dining here again.

Ordered a lunch set but found mold with spores on the salad. Staff didn't think it was an issue and didn't do anything about it.

The standard has dropped a lot over the year. I ordered the tempura with soba. The dish looked vastly different from the menu. Everything shrank drastically in size. Not only that, but the food did not taste good at all. I remember the restaurant in its prime time, with queues of people waiting for a table. Now the whole situation has reversed. I was disappointed with it. Service is still good.

Here's the edited review: I would like to share feedback regarding my recent visit to Watami Japanese Dining at Junction 8 on 18 May 2025 at approximately 6:30 PM. Upon arrival, a staff member named May asked if my friend and I were comfortable with counter seats. However, before we could respond, she quickly assigned those seats to the customers behind us. This abrupt interaction set an unfortunate tone for our dining experience. Once we were eventually seated at the counter, we noticed a number of houseflies around the area. Despite this, we proceeded to order our food via the QR code, only to realize that the limited counter space might not comfortably accommodate our full order. We requested to move to a regular table, and while May did provide us with a new QR code, her response was unprofessional—she rolled her eyes, took back our initial QR code, and walked away without offering any explanation or clarification. This dismissive behavior was frustrating and disappointing. Additional concerns during our visit include: • A shared bowl provided to us had a chipped corner, which is unacceptable in an F&B setting. • Tables were not promptly cleared. We overheard other customers requesting assistance from staff to clear their tables. • There were noticeable houseflies in the dining area, which raises hygiene concerns. • Despite several empty tables, the staff seemed overwhelmed and service was inconsistent. We asked to speak with the branch supervisor, but were informed she was unavailable. Instead, En Qi, who was acting as the deputy on duty, attended to us. We appreciated her willingness to listen. However, we were concerned to learn that this was not the first complaint regarding May’s attitude. If such behavior is known among the team, it suggests a gap in training and supervision for front-line staff. Regrettably, this was our FIRST visit to this outlet, and it will likely be our LAST. We hope this feedback will be taken seriously and lead to meaningful improvements in service standards, staff conduct, and overall dining experience. Thank you for your attention.

I’ve visited Watami a few times in the past, but it feels like the standards have dipped over the years. This time, we ordered the chawanmushi, mixed tempura, karaage don, chicken yakitori, and a strawberry crepe cake. There was also a member promotion for octopus karaage at just $1.50, which we decided to try. Food was decent overall, though nothing particularly stood out. Service was a bit slow and inattentive, possibly due to the peak dinner crowd.