Kinkaku Izakaya — Restaurant in Kitchener

I would like to first start out by saying that typically I don't leave reviews this bad. At first glance, the place is very busy, along with approximately 1 hour waits in order to get a table as they don't take reservations unless greater than 6 parties. My girlfriend and I were very excited to try this place given that it has had very high praise in the waterloo/kitchener region for AYCE sushi. I would also like to point out that I did email my concerns to the restaurant with no response. We visited on March 29, 2025 approximately dinner time (7-8 PM). Although there were some dishes that were done really well (Eel Sushi, Kalbi Beef, some of the sashimi), there were multiple that were done very poorly (Salmon Rose Sashimi, Salmon Sashimi, Tuna Sashimi, every single one of the rolls, fried foods were very oily to the point that there was still oil dripping off of our food). Since I've been to many AYCE sushi spots, I can confidently say that this was not up to the standards that the ratings perceive it as. My girlfriend and I got sick after having some of their raw fish which typically never happens. Things had a very weird taste to it and it wasn't the typical level of fish that we're used to (we do love our sushi). As we ordered many rolls, we had trouble finishing it (not because we couldn't, but because of the taste that was filled with the tempura in the sushi rolls that made it SO grainy, fish tasted disgusting, and overall didn't even have a good smell to it). As we told the server, they stated that unless we finish them all, we would be charged an overage fee. Even through we tried to explain the situation, they didn't really care. There were some times where service and atmosphere were fine, but during the entirety of the meal, alot of people had complaints around us including us. Overall, this was such a disappointing experience and given the price range of this meal, we would have expected better quality and more...

This was our first time visiting this restaurant for an early Saturday dinner at 4 pm. There is a 90 minute eating time limit; we later learned that is plenty of time.

Their online menu is mobile friendly and very easy to navigate and read; same applies to their in house menu. The restaurant is licensed to serve alcohol.

There is 2 hour free parking on the street.

Our server and service was absolutely perfect. Service was fast, they were very attentive and we didn't have to wait long for the food.

The menu is all you can eat. There is a huge assortment of different foods items to choose from. Too many to go through all so we chose the best and the worst...

The Spring rolls were meh...too much wrapper and not much filling and were bland. Definitely do not recommend them. Karaage was a bit bland, the coating was very thick and found it a bit on the oily side. These are the only 2 items we had that we werent impressed with. Calamari was crispy but a few pieces were a bit chewy because it was over cooked but overall tasted good. Highly recommend the miso soup. A nice little bowl of delicously seasoned soup. Salmon, bc tuna and snapper sashimi were perfect; buttery and smooth. The wasabi is nice and strong and the pickled ginger is fabulous. Definitely recommend the bacon wrapped asparagus, beef with enoki mushroom, carpaccio, beef and chicken skewers, deep fried tofu, steak plate, short ribs and spicy beef - although the spicy beef had good flavour we didnt notice any spice at all.

The interior of the restaurant was clean and well maintained.

The chair's seating and bench seating is not padded and not very comfortable. The tables are a nice larger size.

Payment is done at the front counter. We would definitely recommend this restaurant and will definitely...

We were sadly very disappointed tonight with the way that our dining experience was carried out. We had a reservation that we arrived to promptly, the dinner seating time is a strict 90 minutes, which we are well aware of. We used our menu cards and put in a large order for our group of four. The wait time (even though we were there before dinner) was much longer than normal. We received some items, and then had about 15 minutes where we waited for the rest of our order with nothing in front of us. After some time waiting for the rest of our items, we ordered some additional items and inquired if the items from the first order were still coming with no clear response. Other waiters starting bringing the items from the new order and we continued to inquire of the items from the first order were coming, or if we should re order, but still only received the response "ill check". We finally started receiving the missing items from the first order and were told that we had reached our last call time for food including dessert. We had to put in our dessert order on the spot, and they stopped bringing the missing items from the first order. Understandably, things happen, kitchens get busy, but considering the seating time limit, the confusion if items were still coming, and their newly increased prices for dinner, this shouldn't have happened. We have been coming here for a long time, and this was so...