What is the proper etiquette at a Japanese hibachi restaurant? Do you wait until all food has been cooked to?

begin eating? The plate is close to the grill, so should you bring it forward after your food is on the plate and push it back when the next item is about to be served or should you just eat from the plate when it is near the grill? Thanks.What is the proper etiquette at a Japanese hibachi restaurant? Do you wait until all food has been cooked to?
Is a chef coming to the table to cook your food or is this a place where you do it yourself?



If the chef cooked an appetizer, you can eat that while the main dish is being prepared.



I assume you are eating with other people with whom you don’t normally dine. As you may already know, it is rude to start eating your food before the others have been served. But the point of eating by a grill is to eat the food while it is piping hot, so your dining companions will say “Go ahead!” In Japanese, they would say, “O saki ni!” or “O saki ni douzo!”



However, after rereading the question, this might be a place where the customers cook it themselves. In that case, you and your dining companions are all grabbing meat and vegetables off of the grill as it gets done. In this case, I would not wait for absolutely everything to get cooked. I would still wait until everyone got a little piece of something before starting to eat unless someone said “Don’t wait for me.”



Regarding the placement of the plate, it is good to move it close to the grill to get the food and then back in front of you to eat it. When you are eating, it should be in front of you. I am sure you are not a messy eater but if something fell between your dish and your mouth, there is less chance of it getting on a more communal area of the table.



Don’t worry so much about proper etiquette. Enjoy the food and your friends and have a good time!



Bon apetit!What is the proper etiquette at a Japanese hibachi restaurant? Do you wait until all food has been cooked to?
Good question. The one time I have been to a hibachi grill, they had an item (such as rice) that was served to all customers - and this was the first item they made, so that everyone at the table had food. Then they continued with the individual orders for others at the table. In this instance, if everyone has been served something, then I think it is appropriate to continue eating.