Ichiban Asian All You Can Eat North York — Restaurant in Toronto

had a very bad experience here. We came in 1 hour prior to closing around 9:30 and the place was still 80% full. Waited at the front for about five minutes nobody greeted us...

we we're eventually able to get someone's attention. We asked for a table for 2 and that person left to go get somebody else. A few minutes later, someone else showed up and asked "how can I help you?" we said we wanted to dine...and she kind of hesitated and said we are closing soon you have to order quick last call is at 10 PM.

We said thats fine and that's more than enough time to order. It's Saturday night and we come here all the time around 930 and we never have any issues. it just didn't seem very hospitable and it seemed like they just didn't want to serve us for some reason when the place was still full of guests and 1 Hour before close ON A SATURDAY.

we got seated and we ordered everything right away but figured we can order our dessert around 9:50 or before last call.

at around 9:45-9:50 we had FIVE different girls stop by our table and tell us that we have to hurry up and order. Nobody asked us if we want a drink, nobody brought us water/green tea. One server the indian lady stopped by our table 3 TIMES after this and kept asking if we ordered our dessert yet and rushing us... and it hasn't even been 10 PM yet which was their last call.

in a matter of 10 minutes, we had literally no exaggeration FIVE DIFFERENT SERVERS STOP BY OUR TABLE to tell us to hurry up and order. NOT A single one asked if we wanted water or tea there was 0 hospitality.

at about 10:15 PM 15 mins before they closed while we were still eating our food and the restaurant was more than 50% full our server KIKI insisted that she brings us the bill and that we pay... we had just received our desserts and we're still finishing the last couple bites of our food order.

I explained to her that there are many other tables here and most of them have not paid yet, and I also explained to her about our experience and How for the last 30 minutes no one stopped by to ask if we need green tea or water... 0 hospitality

after I explained to her about our unfortunate experience dining here, I expected that maybe she would apologize or give us time or at least bring this matter to the attention of a manager if they truly care about their hospitality and the way guests feel.

Instead, she came back one minute later with the receipt and a machine to take our payment while they were still tables all around this and we are still trying to finish our food and still have 15 minutes before they close.

We paid and left and never coming back and will not be recommending this place to anyone.

PS -bringing water and green tea IS LITERALLY the only thing you have to do as a server at this restaurant to show some hospitality. we are doing all the ordering ourselves... you don't have to do much else to show any hospitality. if instead of stopping by our table 7 different times to tell us to hurry up and order, you just spent one of those times showing some hospitality and checking on us to fill up water and bring a green tea as usual... It would maybe make your service...

I walked by here a handful of times, and couldn't help but wonder what their offerings were like. Finally, I got some friends to visit with me!

-[AYCE ADULT DINNER] $39.99 Personally, I do think there are better AYCE places for a similar price out there but I wouldn't have known that until this visit 😅 The service was great here though! Our server always kept my water cup full no matter how many glasses I downed so I really appreciated that.

-[HERBAL BEEF TATAKI SASHIMI] 5/10 🍖 I typically love a good beef tataki, but damn, they were not kidding when they said this was herbal - the herb flavor is weirdly medicinal? 🍖 spoiler alert but of all the cuts of beef they offered here, this was the most tender one 🍖 overall though, wouldn't order this again because the herbal flavor really ruined it for me

-[VARIOUS FISH SASHIMI] 10/10 🐟 honestly, I ordered salmon, mackerel, white tuna, snapper, and sweet shrinp 🐟 all of their sashimi was very fresh, and they were kind enough to serve it on a bed of ice

-[WASABI OCTOPUS SUSHI] 5/10 🐙 this one's color really threw me off 🐙 the octopus itself was fine, but the wasabi flavor was lacking for me so I probably don't recommend this if you're looking for that kick like I was

-[SPICY SALMON SUSHI] 5/10 🌶️ wasn't much of a kick to this as expected but the weirdest part about this was that the salmon wasn't fresh like it was when it was ordered as sashimi

-[TORCHED SUSHI] 10/10 🍣 perfect amounts of rice to fish ratio 🍣 my personal favorite of all the ones I ordered (salmon, shrimp, duck) was definitelt the torched salmon

-[SPIDER ROLL] 10/10 🦀 no spiders were harmed for this roll as a spider roll actually just has softshell crab in it 🥬 the added lettuce gave it a refreshing aspect to the roll which helped make it less greasy

-[JAPANESE STYLE GARLIC BEEF CUBES] 6/10 🍖 the beef itself gets a big thumbs down from me because it was cooked almost 100% in terms of doneness 🍄 the mushrooms/sauce were tasty though

-[SALMON BELLY] 10/10 🐟 this was great haha - always tender given the cut of the salmom 🐟 sauce on it was good too that I didn't even need to squeeze lemon on it because it wasn't fishy at all

-[ASPARAGUS BACON ROLL] 6/10 🥓 so this theoretically could have been a 10/10 but the bacon didn't seem to be as cooked as I would have liked 🥓 otherwise, it tasted pretty good though but I do feel like the bacon should have been crispier

-[TAKOYAKI] 10/10 🦑 pretty standard so it was great!

-[BEEF DUMPLINGS] 10/10 🥟 I think these might just be deep fried frozen dumplings but they were delicious regardless of their origin haha

-[GRILLED STEAK] 6/10 🍖 the cut of this was also not very good 🙃 🍖 was also cooked not all the way but the texture still felt like it was cooked well done somehow

-[STEAMED PORK DUMPLINGS] 10/10 🥟 honestly reminded me of my childhood because they tasted like the frozen ones my parents made me as a kid

One super cool thing they have here is the ability to create your own shaved iced! 🍧 You can add your own choice of syrups, and toppings to it too...

recently visited Ichiban Asian All You Can Eat in North York for lunch, but my experience fell short of what I expect from even a basic restaurant. Here’s a detailed account of my visit:

My first disappointment was over the phone when I called to inquire about the parking entrance. The staff struggled with English, making communication frustrating and unhelpful. This initial interaction set the tone for my visit and cost them a star.

The washroom experience was another red flag. An Indian girl server entered the male washroom without any notice, which felt unprofessional and invasive. On my way back, I nearly had a collision with the same server, who was walking while looking backwards and loudly chatting with another staff member. This lack of awareness and professionalism cost them another star.

The service left much to be desired. Food delivery was split between a robot and two servers, including the Indian server mentioned earlier. While the idea of a robot bringing food was unique, the human service was rushed and disrespectful. Plates were practically thrown on the table, lacking the basic courtesy one expects in a dining experience.

The food was the one redeeming factor but still not exceptional. While some dishes were tasty, others fell short. The salmon was overcooked and dry, and the meat was burnt. For a restaurant that boasts an "all-you-can-eat" menu, the food quality should have been consistent across all dishes.

When it came time to pay, I chose not to leave a tip due to the subpar service. The Indian server rudely questioned me about this decision, which I found unprofessional and inappropriate. A tip is not an obligatory fee but a reward for excellent service, which was not provided here. Waiting 15 minutes for napkins and navigating through blocked hallways do not merit a tip.

While the restaurant has potential, my experience was marred by poor service, unprofessional staff behavior, and inconsistent food quality. If they want to earn tips, they need to focus on creating a positive, memorable dining experience. Tipping should reflect the service, not be treated as mandatory.

I hope my experience serves as constructive feedback for the management to improve their service and professionalism. As for my followers—when do you feel a tip is truly deserved? Should it be mandatory, or is it earned through exceptional service? Share...