Ambience is perfect, food is very good, only downside is long wait time, overall fantastic restaurant. Certainly if you have the time, try it out.
This is hands down the best sushi restaraunt I have been to, even beats places in Toronto. First, dont let the price scare you. Its about 4 to 5 dollars more per person than other choices in kw but more than worth it. The shashimi was very fresh, rolls well put together with great flavour combos, delicious desert options. The service was excellent, Scott was our waitor and he did an amazing job.
Went there ytd at around 5:45 ?? And we had to wait 20 mins to get a table !! Its crazy !! But the food is actually pretty good ~ i saw that they had a cheese strawberry roll ... At first i just order it for fun ... But its actually pretty good :) i love that they had butter corn and the fried...
Best sushi in KW that I have had, quite expensive (but worth it) compared to other all you can eat and also extremely busy. Carpaccio is excellent, fish quality is consistently better than other places and their sides are delicious (korean squid, mushrooms). Overall very good
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Kinkaku Izakaya was my first ever experience at an all you can eat Sushi place. After a very long time I had an exceptional dining experience where quality of food and service were of great standards.
The wait staff were fun and hard working at the same time. We were a party of 5 and upon arrival we got a table which was a bit tight. So we asked for a booth, to which the server replied that the people already seated there may take another 20 mins. At that time we were so hungry that we decided to stick to our table.
Our server was persistent and wouldn't give up till we were seated comfortably in the booth we'd asked for earlier.
Rightly so after 20 mins we got the booth we wanted and realized it was well worth the wait to be seated comfortably rather than shrugging shoulders with one another.
The service was prompt and efficient from the time we placed the order.
I highly recommend:
1. Salmon carpaccio
2. Ebimayo(tiger shrimp)
3. Short ribs
4. Grilled pork cheek
5. Spicy salmon roll
We were eating like crazy and by the end of it we ended our feast with green tea ice cream, creme brûlée and fried mars bars.
I urge every foodie with a Japanese palate to please try them and you will be amazed on how awesome the food is at Kinkaku Izakaya.
Great job team. I'll be back soon.
The wait for this place on a Friday dinner time is long. Expect to be waiting an hour at least or more, but the wait is worth it. Once you're seared, food comes hastily and is well prepared. He staff are helpful and friendly. Definitely would recommend this place, and its one of the better sushi place in town.
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Service: Kind and Helpful
Atmosphere: Busy and lively
Food: Fresh and delightful
Would return? Yes
Was on the look out for a new sushi place outside of our usual place and was recommended this one by a friend. They said it was the best all you can eat sushi in the Kitchener/Waterloo and they were not wrong.
Now there is a time limit on how long you have to eat; we had an hour and forty five minutes to eat. I have heard and read that this is one of the major issues people have with this place, but honestly who needs more than that to enjoy their dinner? If you are looking for a place to lounge then this isn't going to be your place anyway.
We were greeted by friendly staff and after a short wait were shown to a seat. The establishment was sparsely decorated, with soft lighting, which suited the place well. The tables are close together and you can hear most other tables, but that becomes dull background noise quickly. There is an open kitchen where you can see everything being made and the staff is buzzing from table to table, making sure everyone gets the most out of their time.
If it was your first time at Kinakaku Izakaya or even your first time eating sushi the people there are very helpful. They inquired right away with what we are feeling like and provide some insight into the menu. They were also quick to point out some unique options on their menu. The Karaage (fried chicken thighs) with it's spicy dipping sauce deserves special note, as they were tender and juicy.
I would definitely recommend any of the signature rolls as they are like the standard rolls with just a little something extra. Actually on the note of the rolls and sushi I have to say these were the best tasting I have ever had and while most places pack on the rice Kinkaku uses it just as a serving device. Oh and for dessert deep fried mars bar. They are so good. So good.
Overall the meal was great but was a bit on the pricey side. Best sushi? Yes, but not that much better than most other places in the Ktichener/Waterloo. I would recommend everyone try it and hey if someone is visiting and is big into sushi then bring them here.
Calin.adrian.alexander
+4
Absolutely fantastic sushi restaurant. All the ingredients are fresh and the food tastes fantastic.
However beware the every rising price, it is HIGHLY outrageous and the overwhelmingly rude comments regarding tips are ever present.
Great - no beating around the bush. Nicer, busier, and tastier than most. The servers take your order verbally instead of filling out a notecard. The calamari is top notch. It is also much nicer than most KW AYCE sushi venues. Take a gander. Try the seaweed salad. Enjoy!
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More Expensive, But Better Quality ACYE. I've been to almost every AYCE sushi restaurant in the waterloo-kitchener area, and they each have their different strengths. Kinkaku Izakaya is among my favourites.
The quality of the food is amazing for AYCE. The sushi rolls are delicious and well presented. The beef skewers are practically steak skewers, rather than the cheaper variants you see elsewhere. When we first went there, we were surprised by how good the quality was. The one dip in quality we noticed was that the sashimi were too cold, and sometimes partially frozen.
The diversity of food on the menu was also amazing. They had a number of items you can't get at other sushi restaurants - especially in the appetizers / entrees sections. We found ourselves ordering lots of takuyaki and other japanese dishes I don't remember the names of.
The cost of the quality and diversity of dishes is that the price is a bit more expensive than the average AYCE restaurant. In my opinion, it is worth the few extra dollars.
Highly recommended!
My three favourite things all in one place. Japanese food, all-you-can-eat and tapas. I know it's not a tapas restaurant but the way it's served is Tapas Style. This is absolutely, hands down, one of the best Japanese Restaurants in the area.
A home run guys!!
Far and Away the Best AYCE Sushi in KW. I have eaten at most of the ayce (all you can eat) sushi places in the Kitchener-Waterloo region and Kinkaku is the best around. The atmosphere in the restaurant is pleasant and visually stimulating. The staff are very friendly without being too in-your-face or pushy, they offer suggestions for dishes to suit your tastes and are knowledgeable in the menu. The menu is varied with lots of options for vegetarians. The sushi itself is beautiful and delicious. Since my first visit to Kinkaku in early July, I've been to a couple other sushi places and they can't compare to Kinkaku. Strongly, strongly recommend this to anyone that likes sushi.. Check this place out!!
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Really Impressed. I stumbled upon Kinkaku on Foursquare and went to try it out. It completely surpassed my expectations for an AYCE place and, in my opinion, rivals Watami in presentation, atmosphere and quality.
We got there around 6:30 and were promptly greeted and seated. The interior is not only well decorated, it is also deceptively large compared to what it looks like on the outside. The lighting was bright enough that you could definitely see what you were eating, but not over bright or harsh. They had 3 types of seating : Bar, table and booth.
Music was soft and jazzy.
But the real highlights were the food and service. Our servers were friendly, polite, and conscientious. Our main server would ask us if we needed anything, you know, not constantly, but enough that we didn't ever need to call her over. The other waitstaff would excuse themselves when interrupting our conversation to bring our order, and would come over with a pot of green tea to refill my friend's cup before he even realized he needed a refill. Every one was super nice, and not at all pushy; not once did we feel rushed. I'm still really impressed.
The food was fantastic. The rolls were a good size (not too small, not too big) and had a great ratio of filling to rice (not like other places that try and fill you up with rice and skimp on the filling), Everything tasted fresh and clean. I personally love eel, but I tend to skip it at most AYCE places because it often tastes of chlorine or tinny to me, but at Kinkaku it was well seasoned/sauced, a thick piece, and devoid of any weird chemical taste. It was really great.
Everyone on Foursquare had suggested getting the salmon carpaccio, so we did, and man, it's fantastic. The citrus-y sour ponzu sauce plays off of the salmon perfectly. I'd definitely have it again. The Korean style squid is also something I'd recommend. The sauce was spicy, but not the kind that burns the whole way down. It was a clean burn; it was there, and faded quickly with no ill effects. It also had a hint of sweetness that was nice.
The prices are standard AYCE amounts,
Lunch: 12.99
Dinner: 22.99
(add two bucks for weekends and holidays)
I will definitely come back!
Best sushi ayce in KW. Definitely the best all you can eat sushi place in Kitchener-Waterloo! Salmon was a tad fatty, but wow it was fresh! My favourite before trying Izakaya was Itamae, but Izakaya beat it by a landslide. There were a bunch of things on the menu that aren't accessible in the area. For example the okonomiyaki (which was like an explosion of heavenly goodness in my mouth. Sooooo good!). The interior design is lovely, but wish it wasn't so dark. Service is awesome! Received nothing but smiles and kindess by the waitresses, and the welcoming "irasshaimase"s from the cooks. Overall, I'd rate this place a 10/10!
I’m going to start off this post by saying, this is the best ayce (all you can eat) sushi place I’ve ever been. The quality of the fish is always fresh, and the variety of items on their menu is so vast that it makes my head ache (I’m very, very indecisive.. so picking what I want to eat is always a challenge). To be honest, I haven’t been to many ayce (all you can eat) sushi places, but I do have standards. And this place definitely exceeds my expectations every time. In the last month, I’ve been at Kinkaku Izakaya three times; twice in one week. You could say I’m a regular there now :p. I’ve actually had the same server every time I’ve been there, haha. First thing I should mention about Kinkaku Izakaya is that it’s not cheap. Compared to their near by competitor, Itamae, they are around a dollar to three dollars more expensive. Kinkaku has recently raised their ayce weekday dinner prices from $22.99 to $24.99 which is the same price as their weekend dinner price. I
Waterloo is full of AYCE (all you can eat) Japanese restaurants, the majority of which serve primarily sushi. However, if you’re willing to spend a little more to get better quality food, definitely check out Kinkaku Izakaya, located across Kitchener City Hall. They only allow 1 hour and 45 mins of dining time, and they are very strict on this. We saw them informing tables that their time was up, and telling them to vacate the table and pay at the front. This may come across as off-putting to some, but I think it gives you enough time to eat to your heart’s content.
I went out for lunch here. It was easy to get a table and the staff were quick and helpful (specially Summer).They had solid Sushi and Appetizer options and decent prices. I generally liked the food and would recommend. The atmosphere inside the restaurant is quite nice too.
Was excited to try this sushi place in Waterloo - the sushi is very fresh and delicious. We ordered on a paper that the server brought back to the kitchen, but the service was relatively quick. It is a bit expensive (price includes gratuity and tips) but would come back as the sushi was very fresh and great filling-rice ratios. Also was the first time trying the fried mars bar which was very tasty. There is a time limit so make sure to come on time to make the most of your experience!
Waterloo has some hidden sushi places. I would rate Kinkaku one of the top spots for sushi in Waterloo.
Make sure to get there early cause there is usually a wait time, but I lucked out with no wait time. It’s an AYCE place but kinda expensive. It’s worth it though .
We got a variety like Godzilla Roll, Ebimayo, Cruch Dragon Roll, Iazkaya Roll etc.
Everything was FRESH. I loved the Spanish style pan fried shrimp with the grilled onions. Had a lot of flavour.
Their service was fast and all the tables have a time limit of 90mins. One thing to keep in mind is you cannot waste food here or else they will remind you and charge you wastage fee.
Overall great customer service, ambience and quality.
Would definitely come back.
Typical all you can eat restaurant with more specialty rolls than usual but nothing that will differ them from other all you can eat places. On a week day the price of dinner was $38 plus gratuity and tax that was very expensive for mid week dining! They were also out of Melona Bars which was very disappointing!
Kinkaku Izakaya has been one of my favorite restaurants in Kitchener since it opened. service has always been amazing, along with the fact that the food is just spectacular. All the fish is amazingly fresh and delicious. If you want something other then fish they have plenty of delectable beef dishes too. 9.5 out of 10 easily.
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. :)))
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