Kinkaku Izakaya in Kitchener

217 King St W, Kitchener, ON N2G 1B1, Canada

★★★★★
(4221 reviews)
Categories: Japanese restaurant Sushi restaurant

About

Busy, urban locale with an all-you-can-eat sushi menu, Japanese mains & an extensive sake selection.

Website
kinkakuizakaya.ca
Address
217 King St W, Kitchener, ON N2G 1B1, Canada
Plus Code
FG24+CP Kitchener, Ontario, Canada
Time Zone
America/Toronto

Business Hours

Monday
Closed
Tuesday
11:30 AM–2:50 PM – 4–9:20 PM
Wednesday
11:30 AM–2:50 PM – 4–9:20 PM
Thursday
11:30 AM–2:50 PM – 4–9:20 PM
Friday
11:30 AM–2:50 PM – 4–9:20 PM
Saturday
12–9:50 PM
Sunday
12–9:50 PM

Services

Service options
Delivery Takeaway Dine-in
Highlights
Great tea selection
Accessibility
Wheelchair-accessible entrance Wheelchair-accessible seating Wheelchair-accessible toilet Wheelchair-accessible car park
Offerings
Alcohol All you can eat Beer Cocktails Coffee Healthy options Small plates Spirits Vegetarian options Wine
Dining options
Lunch Dinner Dessert
Amenities
Toilets
Atmosphere
Casual Cosy Upmarket
Crowd
Groups
Planning
Accepts reservations
Payments
Credit cards Debit cards NFC mobile payments Credit cards
Parking
Free of charge street parking Free parking lot Paid parking lot Parking

Photos

Reviews

4.5
★★★★★
4221 reviews

Most Mentioned

AYCE (400) tip (66) rolls (40) takoyaki (30) creme brulee (25) food quality (24) deep fried mars bar (24) squid (19) mango (16) white tuna (8)
5 stars
3126
4 stars
674
3 stars
179
2 stars
78
1 stars
164
★★★★★
December 1, 2024

I've been going to Kinkaku Izakaya for a couple of years now, mostly for their all-you-can-eat sushi lunches, and they’ve never disappointed. The sushi always tastes fresh, and the other dishes are fantastic as well. My only minor complaint is that the smaller tables for two along the back wall feel a bit cramped, especially when you're enjoying an all-you-can-eat meal. Other than that, this place is amazing and absolutely worth a visit!

★★★
November 30, 2024

Good that they had a lot of protein options with good portions. However their rolls were not the best (rice was too mushy), beef was not tender and their sashimi options limited 🥲. But service was super prompt and even with the shortcomings I listed, every dish was tasty just that the flavours were too heavy. Weekends a bit expensive,

★★★★
November 19, 2024

I really liked the quality of the rolls. The avocado was fresh and the filling to rice ratio is on par with non AYCE sushi restaurants. Definitely recommend the big hand roll too! Parking can be hard to find in the area, but there is a large garage attached to THE MUSEUM which has pretty affordable parking. Lunch AYCE has a good selection of rolls, though I would’ve liked if their nigiri and hand roll selection was a bit better. Would’ve liked to see eel and tamago nigiri on the lunch menu instead of the dinner menu only, especially since they seem to already serve eel during lunch. I do think it’s a bit overpriced for what it is, I would’ve liked to just order a la carte instead of AYCE but they only allow that for takeout. As an American I found the price to be okay, but I don’t think I would be happy to pay the price as a Canadian.

★★★
November 4, 2024

I recently visited Kinkaku Izakaya and had a mixed experience. The food is super delicious, but some dishes are quite small, including the skewers. Since it’s an all you can eat restaurant and it was my first time there, they recommended starting with one or two plates and a small number of items to try. Drinks aren’t included in the offer, so you have to pay extra for those. Also, you can’t stay longer than two hours, as they’ll ask you to leave. Be aware that you have to finish all the food you order, or you’ll be charged extra for any leftovers. There are two dining periods, with dinner hours being more expensive than lunch hours. While the idea of all you can eat is appealing, I didn’t feel like I saved money. They also put a lot of sugar in the food, which isn’t typical for some dishes I usually enjoy without sweet sauce. The pineapple juice I ordered was way too sweet to finish. Despite these issues, the ambiance is nice and clean, the service is fast, and the sushi is delicious. If you’re coming for the food, you’ll enjoy it, but be aware of the small portions, extra costs, and the need to finish everything you order.

★★★★★
August 26, 2024

The service was excellent. The servers were very attentive. Sushi rolls were fresh and delicious 🤤. Big hand roll is a must! The takoyaki were perfectly made. I will definitely come back again.

★★★★★
August 18, 2024

Food came fast and service was spot on! It was a date day for me and my wife away from the kids for a lunch date. Food was hot and tasty, the dessert.... Mouth watering.

★★★★★
July 30, 2024

I heard about this place. Everybody says it’s delicious., this has to be one of the best sushi places I have ever been if you like sushi this place is a must, service was great price was reasonable and will definitely be coming back

★★★★
July 26, 2024

Came for weekday dinner, was okay priced for ayce, but the salmon sashimi was quite good for an ayce. Short ribs were tasty and not too oily. Wasn't a fan of their desserts overall. Felt quite strict on the seating limits. Allowed us to split bills.

December 21, 2024

Have a baby tried to ask to put our name down as waiting 30 min outside is not possible. Would recommend they take accommodations for familys. Used to be regulars when we didnt have the kids. Now we will never return. Poor management and customer service.

December 21, 2024

Service sucks, figure out your wait times. Never will go back. Food is good if you re willing to stand in a line for sushi. Loads of other places you can book ahead.

December 17, 2024

The food is very low quality and not a lot of variations. the servers were disrespectful, never going back again

★★★★★
Local Guide
December 16, 2024

Best sushi of life !

★★★★★
December 15, 2024

Amazing experience and food!

★★★★★
December 15, 2024

Best sushi in town .

★★★★★
December 8, 2024

loved abigail!! great service and yummy food :)

December 1, 2024

Totally trash experience. They bring your dish extremely slowly, like 25-30 minutes, keep you waiting. I was told the last call but I havent had enough food yet, they said they cant do anything and already tried their best to bring food as soon as possible. Their service voice is very loud, always look like you have some mistake. The food quality is fine, but fewer than Jinzakaya, which is their headquarter. I have a really bad experience, if you want have some enjoyable dinner party then go somewhere else, I dont recommand.

December 1, 2024

Why are your drunk customers standing outside each day screaming at people by city Hall?

★★★★★
Local Guide
December 1, 2024

Best all you can eat place. Love Spanish shrimp and crispy mango sushi

★★★★★
Local Guide
November 24, 2024

The food here was fresh and delicious and the servers were amazing! Top tier sushi combos and decent cocktails. Atmosphere is pretty great too!

★★★★
November 22, 2024

Food was pretty good. Similar to other all you can eat sushi restaurants. Only thing I would recommend is asking to be seated far from the door cause being cold and eating is not ideal lol.

★★★★★
Local Guide
November 22, 2024

Great food & service! Always busy, could use more seating

Local Guide
November 22, 2024

Bad service. Bad food. Lots of restrictions and limitation despite having a very small menu to begin with. They charge for all you can eat but don t operate like it at all. Would not recommend. Not worth trying to find parking in downtown Kitchener.

★★★★★
November 22, 2024

The staff here is great! They are very friendly and polite. They treat everyone with great respect. The food is amazing. Theirs sushis, desserts, and takoyakis particularly are top notch. Would definitely recommend it to try out and will definitely visit again. :)

★★★
November 22, 2024

I love dinning in but when ordering one of my favourite ayce items the pan fried korean squid, it came super small for a high price and smelled so bad my whole house was fishy as soon as i brought it in. Not sure if it was bad. Wouldn t recommend this item. the actual sushi and sashimi was good every time.

★★★★★
Local Guide
November 22, 2024

Best sushi in KW area hands down. Fresh to order and soo tasty

★★★★
Local Guide
November 22, 2024

I enjoyed the meal. Atmosphere can be waaay too loud though for anyone with sensory issues or who just wants to be able to talk and listen to their date.

November 22, 2024

Too pricey for the food they are serving

Local Guide
November 22, 2024

Overpriced food, not a great place to work, sketchy buisness practices, some people are nice but the management is laughably bad. They also gave my information to a data broker without my knowlege or consent.

★★
November 22, 2024

I went to the restaurant today for dinner 6:30 PM reservation. Waiters were slow to come and take out orders. When they did arrive, they quickly reminded us of the 90 minute limit. With the slow service we essentially received 60 minutes. 75 minutes in waiter came to the table and advised we had 10 minutes left. We had purchased a bottle of wine which was half empty. 5 minutes later another waiter came to inform months that our time was up and we needed to vacate Our table. The food was OK Service was lacking. I will not be going back.

★★★★
Local Guide
November 22, 2024

Good value all you can eat sushi for dinner. The mixed drinks are too sweet for my liking. Food

★★★
Local Guide
November 22, 2024

Food and service was good, same as the sushi restaurant uptown.

★★★★★
November 22, 2024

We had heard good things about this place and decided to try it out. So glad we did. Food was really delicious, high quality. Our server was fantastic. We will be back! Kid-friendliness: I was nervous about bringing kids to a nice sushi place, but they treated them so well! Special kid chopsticks (the good homemade version) and our server made us comfortable in a booth perfect for squirmy kids. Kids felt fancy dining with us.

★★★★
October 22, 2024

Overall a good experience, moderately affordable. There is a 1hr 30 minute time limit or so. Keep that in mind.

★★★★★
Local Guide
October 22, 2024

The place is comfortable and clean. Staff are quite friendly and professional. Food are tasty and delicious. I highly recommend this place.

★★★★
October 22, 2024

Great food, very high quality. Service a bit slow and forgetful.

★★★
October 22, 2024

Definitely wayyyyyyy over priced. Food was delicious and good quality but Im shocked at the lack of variety compared to other places like Nara Sushi. I like how quickly everything arrived and was hot and fresh, sushi good quality but mackeral is my fav fish and that automatically brought the review down a star as they do not serve it!!! Even the inferior sushi places serve it. The waiter was also pretty inattentive. Probably wont be back but at least the food was delicious.

★★★★★
Local Guide
September 22, 2024

Delicious and huge variety!

★★★★★
Local Guide
September 22, 2024

One of the better ayce Sushi places Ive been to. Food was fast and fresh. Food

★★
Local Guide
September 22, 2024

We get take out from here sometimes. Its probably pretty decent as far as AYCE places go. But the amount of rice they put in their sushi is absurd. They want the AYCE customers to fill up fast and save money on the fish. But if Im paying a la carte for take out I dont know why they need to put so much rice... Borderline inedible.

★★★★★
Local Guide
September 22, 2024

Best sushi in town, love the dessert!

★★★★
Local Guide
September 22, 2024

Not a cheap meal but very good. Service was excellent: cheerful and quick. Nice variety of sushi/sashimi and non-fish dishes. Sampled much of the menu and recommend the Spanish shrimp, grilled squid, and salmon sashimi. Tried to go for dinner last night on a weekend around 7. My wife had been looking forward to her birthday dinner all week. We tried to make reservations but were told walk-ins only. When we arrived we were told that there would be at least an hour wait here and at their sister venue in uptown Waterloo. We ended up having a mediocre meal elsewhere. Very disappointed. I guess this is really a viable choice for couples only on weekdays.

★★★★
Local Guide
September 22, 2024

Excellent food but menu is a bit limited and pricy compared to other all you can eat Sushi Friendly fast service and good presentation Can work on the lighting and ipads menu instead of paper Washroom hot water not working, it was freezing for kids

★★★★★
August 22, 2024

Always order way too much food, recommend 100%. Service is always perfect

★★★★★
August 22, 2024

Many choices in the menu. Great service, good suggestion. Kids love all kinds of Sushi. Mysterious pudding is fantastic.

Local Guide
August 22, 2024

We had an emergency with my 7-year-old during dinner and the staff was not helpful or accommodating. Kid-friendliness: Not for kids. This is obvious for an Izakaya but our experience left a bad taste in my mouth.

★★★★★
Local Guide
August 22, 2024

Favourite sushi spot!

★★★★★
August 22, 2024

They have gluten-free options and will adjust an order to suit. Friendly and happy to fix any issues that arise. Food is fantastic. 100% would recommend. Dietary restrictions: They are great for Gluten-free. Celiac patron had had ZERO issues, just make sure they know and they accommodate.

★★★★
Local Guide
August 22, 2024

Not the greatest sushi, but descent

★★★★★
Local Guide
August 22, 2024

Best ayce place. So many options, food is fresh and the quality is incredible. Highly recommend!

★★★★★
August 22, 2024

Good music , fast . Food mostly on point depending which chef is cooking , every person is different. I always have a good time here always try to bring my family and friends here. I am a Fan of the Capacio

★★★★★
Local Guide
August 22, 2024

First the bad: Too loud muzak, server hard to comprehend, passive agressive attitude especially regarding tips. Overall a tad too expensive. The good: food tastes ok, arrives quick, there s plenty to choose from. But don t expect culinary miracles and experiences. Expect to eat well. Food : 5/5

★★★★★
Local Guide
August 22, 2024

Delicious food and drink with a cool vibe.

★★★★★
August 22, 2024

Best sushi I have ever eaten

★★★★★
Local Guide
August 22, 2024

I like salmon sushi and mushroom beef roll

★★
July 22, 2024

I am a customer of kinkaku for about two years. They used to offer super fresh sashimi and a large variety of food with spectacular taste. I went today cuz last time was a few months ago and I missed the taste. Food are not fresh and the recipe of things definitely changed. All dishes are either too salty or too sweet. Service are good as before. Unfortunately, I am not coming again in the future. Suahi star are wayyyyyyyy better.

★★★★
July 22, 2024

Excellent

★★★★
July 22, 2024

The food wasnt bad and the atmosphere was average? Other than that, the servers were friendly and nice!

★★★★★
Local Guide
July 22, 2024

It doesnt look impressive from the front but the food was incredible! We would drive quite a distance to go to this place again!!

★★★
Local Guide
July 22, 2024

The food was good but I was disappointed the last 2 times Ive been in. The first time I went in they didnt tell us we had to pay the dinner prices and we only ordered lunch items and were charged dinner prices and the time after that they charged 3.30$ for a baby glass of orange juice for a one year old. I went with 2 other adults and there was an automatic gratituity of 15% I was not expecting to pay almost 50$ for lunch. There also isnt a good place to chnage a baby here.

★★★★★
July 22, 2024

Absolutely worth the drive from Guelph. Sushi is very fresh and service is good. Probably the best AYCE I ve ever been to. Food

July 22, 2024

Every time when u order a dish u should be careful, cuz either they give you extra piece or a BIG amount which you will be surprised by eat too much food you don t like for AYCE. Like we ordered a sushi roll which be marked as 4 pieces on the menu but they brought us 5 pieces! Not mention other cheap cost dishes, they will give you a full plate which food packed like a little mountain to filled up ur stomach or empty ur wallet! Which I never experienced in another ayce restaurant. Never come back again! If you do go, avoid all the hot dishes, especially the salmon tariyaki, there is a 5 piece limit, but you are fool just get even 1.

★★★★★
Local Guide
July 22, 2024

Nice sushi!

★★
Local Guide
July 22, 2024

Last two times Ive been here I was disappointed will be going to different sushi places in the future. Servers were nice though.

★★★★★
June 22, 2024

It was very busy, so go early or call ahead! Definitely worth the wait though!

★★★★★
Local Guide
June 22, 2024

Definitely enjoyed our meal! We were celebrating a birthday, and comfortably sat in a booth, with no wait on a Thursday night. AYCE with a 90 minute limit, but we were all stuffed after an hour! Service was prompt, our food came out quickly and as soon as it was ready. We will be back!

★★★★★
June 22, 2024

I ate sushi for the time at this place and this restaurant delivered. Buffet has multiple options and all of them taste fantastic.

★★★
Local Guide
June 22, 2024

So finally decided to go here after reading repeatedly how good it was. My usual place was closed on a Tuesday, yet I had a craving for sushi. The lunch was missing the regular rolls, which I found disappointing. Only dinner had them on the menu. So, I decided to go for dinner. Long story short, the service was amazing but the food was not worth the $41 per person plus tip, etc. I did like the fish to rice ratio for sushi, and the sushi was super fresh. But the flavor was missing in almost every dish. As much as I wanted to love this place, I will not be coming back. Sorry, but it is not worth my money. Not to mention, parking is a pain.

★★★★
Local Guide
June 22, 2024

I love the shrimp, mango and cream cheese and eel and cream cheese

★★
Local Guide
June 22, 2024

I visited here 4 years ago and it was way better than the recent time. The food is not that good, not a lot of options for lunch. There rolls are dry and boring, full of rice and not a lot of toppings inside (which make you full easier). The staff will warn you for extra charge if you leave any food or rice. The good stuff is their appetizer. Otherwise, not worth the money for lunch.

★★★★★
Local Guide
June 22, 2024

Delicious food, very friendly servers, great music! Definitely look forward to visiting again.

★★★★★
Local Guide
June 22, 2024

Delicious, creative, and fresh. So many flavours.

★★★★★
Local Guide
May 22, 2024

This is one of those hidden gems that you talk about the next day at work and recommend to everyone you know. Its moderately priced all you can eat authentic Japanese cuisine.

★★★★★
May 22, 2024

Highly recommend this place. My husband and I wanted to try something different so we read the reviews and came out. We were not disappointed. The service was excellent and the food came quick and was very tasty. We already came back and told others about this spot.

★★★★★
Local Guide
May 22, 2024

I absolutely loved my experience here. The fish quality is amazing, and the food is so consistent. My partner loves the karaage. Definitely one of the better AYCE sushi places Ive been to

★★★★★
Local Guide
May 22, 2024

I almost dont want to write this so it does not get any more popular.. but wow! Finally made the venture to Kinkaku and it was the best Sushi I have ever had. Not only that, the staff was so friendly and amazing. They are a bit on the higher priced side, but you really get what you pay for here and it is completely worth it!

★★★★★
Local Guide
May 22, 2024

Great food, very quick service. The fried mars bars are great.

★★★★★
Local Guide
May 22, 2024

Went here for a birthday dinner with a bunch of friends. The kitchen did an amazing job getting food to the table quickly and the quality was amazing! The service was awesome. Definitely one of the best all you can eat sushi restaurants in the kw region.

May 22, 2024

The service was excellent. The atmosphere is great. The taste needs to be improved.

★★
Local Guide
May 22, 2024

The lady on the phone is so mean for no reason? Asked if we have to come in person to reserve / be in line and she s like yeAh? That s how a line works. ??? Later I asked her can you give me a second she s like okays? And I told her we want to cancel the reservation she hung up on me

★★★★★
May 22, 2024

Best sushi place in town!

★★★★
Local Guide
May 22, 2024

I was expecting above average but it was just good I think.....maybe it was hyped up from all the amazing reviews and people telling me how awesome it was here....Im not saying it was bad .....I was expecting more thats all

★★★★★
Local Guide
May 22, 2024

Best sushi around

★★★★★
May 22, 2024

Best sushi in the area!

★★★★★
Local Guide
May 22, 2024

Everything was wonderful! We love sushis and other foods which they recommended to try! Also the waiters was very helpful during whole time! There is just a con-the place was very loudy. We couldnt hear each other when we were talking..

★★★★★
Local Guide
April 22, 2024

Food was great. Staff was very helpful, kind and patient.

★★★★★
Local Guide
April 22, 2024

One of the best sushi places in KWC!

★★★★★
Local Guide
April 22, 2024

Experienced the all you can eat lunch with a friend. I cant decide which is better: the exceptional staff, anticipating every need OR the food, which is definitely the best sushi in Waterloo Region. Slightly larger dinner menu but the lunch menu is extensive. Soup, salads, rolls, bbq skewers, tempura, dumplings - everything is perfectly presented, fresh, & delicious. Kinkaku Izakaya gets ALL the stars

★★★★★
Local Guide
April 22, 2024

been my favourite restaurant for years now. glad its open again post mandates!! food is great, fish and meat is always fresh and perfectly done. went to AYCE and all of our dishes were brought within 5 minutes of ordering!! one thing im upset about though is that prices went up a lot and theres an automatic 15% tip.. could use a bit of fixing on the inside of the restaurant, maybe putting some kind of curtain or coverage around kitchen because you could always see dishes and boxes and some garbage if you sit in the booths; as well as fixing the walls between booths instead of just having them covered with a big plastic sheet but i understand that can be tough after being closed for a little while. still a great experience and worth the prices, especially AYCE. :)))

★★
April 22, 2024

Very disappointed with the new menu. As soon as I got there with my family I was informed that I we had to pay 15% tip no matter what happened. The quality of food went down as well. Not going there anymore. Food

★★★★★
Local Guide
April 22, 2024

Great sushi, some of the best around. Theyre very generous with their fish:rice ratio and dont try to fill you up on rice like a lot of the cheaper options. Service is also super quick and staff will be constantly clearing plates and dropping off new dishes for you. Its a bit pricier than some other options, but oh so worth the extra for the quality.

★★★★★
April 22, 2024

Loveee this place! Whenever we are in the mood for sushi this is honestly the only place to go for all you can eat!! Dinner is much better than lunch in my opinion. Their fried mars bars are to die for

April 22, 2024

If you order delivery I would suggest ordering from their Waterloo location.

★★★★★
Local Guide
April 22, 2024

I ve been here 3x for the AYCE lunch and am only just now writing my review. The sushi has been amazing and servers are attentive. They were very accommodating to us with our baby. We will be back for sure!

★★★★★
Local Guide
March 22, 2024

Nice food and great service

★★★★★
March 22, 2024

first time and definitely will not be my last Kid-friendliness: It s a food and culture atmosphere experience. Not a play land Wheelchair accessibility: Front entrance hall way is a little tight due to the REMOVABLE stools that are a courteous items for patrons waiting to be seated.

★★★★
Local Guide
March 22, 2024

Lunch is all you can eat, only. Ordering is done by checking off items on forms, although you can also write in numbers (if not indicated on the form you ll only be getting one). Noon on a Tuesday service was brisk but all my special orders that I asked for verbally were accurate.

★★★★★
Local Guide
March 22, 2024

The place is amazing, and the serving is like the daily grill

★★★★★
Local Guide
March 22, 2024

Did an order in from Kinkaku this past weekend for our family and friends. Everything was really fresh, I had a variety of options. We even tested out the tempura, and it traveled well. Would recommend the spicy tuna roll, salmon, avocado roll, mango salmon roll, tofu, and salmon sushi.

March 22, 2024

After arriving at five oclock, the five of us had to wait for 15 minutes even though there was an empty setup table outside. When we entered, we found that there was only one extra stool because it was very crowded. We asked to add a table, but the server said that they did not allow it in the store. I don t know if it is a mandatory requirement in the store to add a table. Although the big table inside is for two people, five people squeezed into the small table. Before entering, the server mentioned whether there is a 12% or 15% service fee, but because I need to pay this Will there be no service if the money is gone? Less than an hour after eating, the staff told us that we were going to last call. Everyone was confused. The time was up before we even started? After they checked again and again, they told us that they had misjudged the table and the time. Don t you feel it? Isn t it outrageous that the last call was made just 40 minutes after the game started? In the end, even if the time has not yet arrived, they repeatedly told us that we would be charged extra... Did we reach the time? I really don t understand. There was a little girl at the front desk. I really felt that her attitude was very good when I walked in. I felt like I was really targeted by them... completely different from Jinzakaya service.

★★★★
Local Guide
March 22, 2024

Top

★★★★★
Local Guide
March 22, 2024

As always, absolutely stellar food, service, and ambiance. Great service (never had to wait to reorder another round) and the food is just SO good. For an all-you-can-eat place, the food has no business being this amazingly good. The beef teriyaki is actually a decent cut of steak, for cryin out loud! Thats the best way I can describe it: its all you can eat but the quality of an actually quite decent Japanese Izakaya. Ebimayo and Korean squid squad in the house

★★★★
Local Guide
March 22, 2024

The food is great. The service is fast and friendly. The only thing I would say we did not like is the time restriction, you feel rushed to order and eat. I understand its a smaller place and they want to keep the people moving but 90 minutes went by fast.

★★★★
Local Guide
March 22, 2024

Food was okay. The only thing is it is a mandatory gratuity fee that is placed on your bill.

★★★★★
March 22, 2024

Delicious! Would definitely recommend it!

★★★★★
Local Guide
February 22, 2024

If you love fresh, delicious Sushi...this is the place to go!

★★★★★
Local Guide
February 22, 2024

Great selection, taste, and super friendly staff!!!

★★★★
Local Guide
February 22, 2024

Food was delicious! With a great atmosphere. A little pricey compared to other sushi places I have been too. Parking: Parking can be hard to find, especially if you have anything larger than a small vehicle.

★★★★★
Local Guide
February 22, 2024

Favourite sushi spot! It s usually busy but worth the wait! I wanted to edit my original review since it was initially 5 years ago! I am happy to say it is still 5 stars! Our fav spot! The beef enoki rolls are amazing Food : 5/5

★★★★
Local Guide
February 22, 2024

There are no sea urchins, shrimps, or scallops. The beef is a bit hard. The shrimp dishes and eel sushi are delicious. The portions are very small. You can eat more of what you like~

★★
Local Guide
February 22, 2024

Food is good but the service is terrible. Servers were constantly saying THERE IS RICE ON YOUR PLATE when taking away the plates. Finish your food or we will charge you. Atmosphere is unpleasant, space is cramped and loud, plus loud music, tables are too small for the amount of food. Difficult to enjoy lunch when you feel you are being constantly supervised. Lunch to dinner menu upcharge is $14. Would not return.

February 22, 2024

shrimps were not fresh, a bit stinky, we had diarrhea after eating. It s very bad experience.

★★★★★
Local Guide
February 22, 2024

Kid-friendliness: Kid prices and choices Food

★★★★★
Local Guide
February 22, 2024

Everything was so delicious, I was left full and satisfied. This place has fresh fresh on all their sushi and service was extremely friendly

★★★★
Local Guide
February 22, 2024

The food is ALWAYS amazing, and customer service is ALWAYS great! This was our first time bringing our daughter to eat in at this location. My daughter was freezing the whole time because of the large cold drafts coming from the front door. Upon arrival, we found out that she needs to meet a requirement of age and height. If she meets the height of 38 inches or less, which is on the lower end of average height for a girl (boys are taller), we only pay $5. If theyre taller, give or take a couple inches, wed pay $20. Why not just make it a height requirement? For my daughters situation, she is 4 (not even 4.5) tall, skinny, and doesnt eat much (6 pieces of salmon sushi is the norm). They let us through at $5 but couldnt guarantee for next time. I could give many alternative options to this. I dont see us dining in here and will continue at our regular dine in spot. If we pay $20 for my daughter, plus the cost for 2 adults, we feel the cost is no longer competitive to our other sushi place where these matters are not a concern. The cost for my daughter would be more than double and about an extra $15 for 2 adults combined.

★★★★★
Local Guide
February 22, 2024

I tried their sushi for the first time via take out. The family was very pleased with the portions, quality and price. I will definitely return and hopefully be able to try their all you can eat options.

★★★★★
February 22, 2024

Where do I begin. Outstanding AYCE sushi place with quality, fresh options that wont disappoint. Everything we tried was delicious. Some of my favorites were the white fish and eel sushi, takoyaki, karaage, kimchi udon, izakaya and spicy crab roll. Hard to even pick a favorite. Cute little atmosphere as well. Service was also great, they said it would be a 30 min wait but we didnt wait any longer than 10 mins!

★★★★★
January 22, 2024

My favourite sushi spot! Would recommend to anyone.

★★★★
Local Guide
January 22, 2024

excellent service, above average food

★★★★★
January 22, 2024

The customer service was great, with the server coming to our table at regular intervals. The food was great and somewhat different in a good way from what my family usually gets from other restaurants.

★★★★★
Local Guide
January 22, 2024

Attending as a Birthday dinner for my daughter, we enjoyed a wonderful selection of foods, safely and with excellent service. We went back for a very good Christmas Eve dinner. I sincerely wish the ordering process could be updated and simplified, so much excellent food though. Parking: At Kitchener City Hall theres good, secure parking. Free on Sundays.

★★★★★
January 22, 2024

Always great food and service!

★★★
Local Guide
January 22, 2024

Good food but an unfortunately mediocre experience for the price $40 a person before drinks, tax, and tips. Once the restaurant got full, our order got a little chaotic. We received a few things we didn t order and didn t receive some things at all. We mentioned it as people dropped off wrong orders but it was mostly ignored. They sometimes would take the plate away and other times just left it anyways.(We took a photo of our first order so we were able to check back a little.) 30 minutes before our 90 minutes was up, our main server said it was last call for our order. We asked if we had anything else coming (because multiple things hadn t come yet and we didn t want to over order). She said we had to tell her what was missing and they d send them. She wouldn t check if we had anything left. But 1 hour later and after being served multiple things we didn t order, we didn t want those original items anymore. It was all just a little disorganized for the price. Since some things took 2 mins to arrive and others took 30 minutes to arrive, it was difficult to know when to reorder things that didn t arrive. Our server said we needed to say something sooner next time. But we had mentioned it every time something wrong arrived. It s really good food. But the ordering experience was more of what we re used to from much cheaper all you can eat sushi places.

★★★★★
Local Guide
January 22, 2024

First time experience and it was great!

★★★★★
January 22, 2024

Very nice time. Dietary restrictions: Was very helpful on telling us Gluten Free options. Food : 5/5 |

★★★★★
Local Guide
January 22, 2024

First time getting take out here and it was all great. Food was fresh, ready on time and more than enough wasabi and soy sauce. Will definitely be back.

★★★★★
Local Guide
January 22, 2024

Insanely good

★★★★★
January 22, 2024

I didnt know quite what to expect and was surprised by the small interior but the food was amazing. Some of the best sushi Ive ever had and the beef skewers were really good too. Its also the most expensive place Ive been for sushi but thats not a bad thing by any means.

★★★★★
Local Guide
January 22, 2024

Amazing little izakaya in the heart of DTK. My favorite dishes were the tuna and salmon carpaccio, takoyaki, any tempura, the rolls were good but not outstt. Excellent staff and amazing atmosphere

★★★★★
Local Guide
January 22, 2024

I wanted to be sure to leave a review for this lovely restaurant. Long story short, we ordered over $100 of food through skip the dishes, and waited 3 hours for it to be assigned and delivered. Kinkaku however, noticed how long the order had been waiting and made the driver wait for fresh food for us. This was SO appreciated, and not the restaurants responsibility to rectify. They went above and beyond. The food was delicious and saved us from having our evening ruined. Thank you!

★★★★
Local Guide
January 22, 2024

Lunch menu was good but still all-you-can-eat quality, a couple items were missed in our initial order. The soju options were great!

★★★
January 22, 2024

I went there for dinner with my daughter. We arrived around 5:15 pm on a Friday, and waited 45 minutes for a table. Service was ok. The food we ordered arrived fast, and it wasn t hard to get someone when I need something. Taste was mediocre. Just average Japanese restaurant level. Nothing tasted bad, nor does anything taste exceptionally good. Price was fair.

★★★★★
Local Guide
January 22, 2024

This place is noisey and cramped but has pretty much the best Japanese AYCE food in the city. This place is not cheap but it is worth every penny. The best dishes are the beef ones, but you really cant go wrong with anything. Vegetarian options: There were plenty of vegetarian options on the menu. Parking: Downtown kitchener has plenty of parking options but there none directly tied to the restaurant. Kid-friendliness: Plenty of kids were there and there is plenty of food they would eat. Wheelchair accessibility: Yes... but multiple people in wheelchairs would pose a problem if it were busy. For the record a gentleman in a wheelchair was just finishing his meal and he seemed to have no troubles.

January 22, 2024

I give this restaurant a 1 star not because there food is bad, but because it doesn t matter what time of the day you go, what time of the week you go, they re always too busy to get you in, that s a good thing for a restaurant, but even when booking reservations there s not chance it s first come first serve. I ve recently started going a block away for sushi and honestly the atmosphere and owners are so welcoming and lovely. Such a better experience. And quite honestly, the food is the same if not better, I d rather love and care then a busy place that will never get you in. Just to let everyone reading this know. I ve tried to get into this restaurant for the last 2 months and they re always too busy. I do love this place and I will continue trying to get in. But honestly I d much rather at this point walk 500 down the street and know that the food is very fresh and made with love then wait 90 mins for a table.

★★
Local Guide
January 22, 2024

I used to love this place however their white tuna is actually Escolar. Turns out many sushi places do this, but I expected higher quality from here. Everything else is great l, but Id skip the white tuna. I dont know if they have always done this or its a recent cost cutting measure.

★★★★★
January 22, 2024

The best and only place for high quality all you can eat sushi. Friendly service, fresh ingredients, and a cozy feel. We were pleasantly surprised by this restaurant and we will be back

★★★★★
January 22, 2024

Far and above my favourite sushi place

★★★★★
January 22, 2024

My go to sushi place hands down. Always amazing food and the service is fantastic!! Food always tastes very fresh

January 22, 2024

Food is so mediocre and you get rushed to leave. To me it feels like the owners strive for profitability rather than good customer experience. Not worth the money at all, for a party of 4, tip is included already??? Idk what customer service Im getting there..

★★★★★
December 22, 2023

Daruma doll galore Decor phenomenal Food

★★★★★
December 22, 2023

Delicious

★★★★
Local Guide
December 22, 2023

Good food. Quick service. But pricey and cramped in

★★
December 22, 2023

My boyfriend and I tried to make a reservation for a special occasion but was informed they only did reservations for parties of 4 or more that s fine. We showed up at 8:15 (they close at 9:50) and were informed it was a 45 minute wait. This meant by the time we got in and got our first order in, we wouldn t be eating until roughly 9:15 and any additional dishes usually take 5-10 minutes to come out, meaning a rushed dining experience. When we expressed our concerns to the hostess she just shrugged. If you know you re a busy restaurant, you should offer proper reservations, especially for the roughly $45 a person price point plus whatever drinks cost. We ended up going to a different sushi spot which was cheaper and better staff experience. If you want to have great service check out hi! Sushi in cambridge! (And you don t have to struggle to find parking at hi! Sushi)

★★★★
Local Guide
December 22, 2023

It is an excellent place for sushi lovers. Food was good and service was fast.

★★★★★
Local Guide
December 22, 2023

Kinda pricey but worth it! Amazing menu and dishes were good quality and nicely plated. Had like 5 creme brulees. Crazy.

December 22, 2023

Horrible place and will never go back again. All they care about money and not your experience. I am a sushi lover, and I have dined in many different places in southern Ontario, I have also dined at the same place back in 2007 multiple times. Today is very said that the quality of food is incredibly low in standards. You can easily tell the the quality by ordering their shahimi.

★★★★★
Local Guide
December 22, 2023

We had the all you can eat lunch. It was phenomenal! So many choices and the service was spot on. Not rushed but not waiting over long for your food to arrive. I would definitely go back.

December 22, 2023

Personally dont wish to rank any restaurant this low, but this one - The quality of the food went so south - Japanese will never revisit this place, so do I.

★★★★★
Local Guide
December 22, 2023

My wife has been raving for years, AMD I finally got the opportunity to experience the amazing food, service and atmosphere! Truly delicious, top notch service, and lovely ambience. I cant wait to return! Kid-friendliness: Very accommodating and friendly to our 3 year old! He loved the experience.

★★★★
Local Guide
December 22, 2023

Yummers

★★★★
Local Guide
December 22, 2023

Cool place with very quick service. Sushi is good.. not amazing.. They do have a few really great drinks.. alcoholic and none.. The drinks are worth going back.. sushi maybe

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