Jinzakaya — Restaurant in Waterloo

I am a long time fan of their first location, Kinkaku for many years when I was studying in Waterloo. It was the best AYCE restaurant I have ever eaten in Ontario. When I heard Kinkaku was opening a second location called Jinzakaya, it was exciting and also, closer to campus. Since it is a pandemic right now, I opted to go to Jinzakaya instead since they were offering patio service. Anyways, my experience at Jinzakaya was so different from my experience at Kinkaku.

Pros: Pretty much the same menu as Kinkaku except they have some new items I have never seen before: Melona, Tonkotsu Ramen, Tako Wasabi, Kawahagi More offerings when it comes to alcoholic drinks (i.e. Sake Bombs) Location is way more convenient than Kinkaku A lot of parking in the area Get to order items on a piece of paper instead of reading it to the waiter

Cons: Our patio table was a regular folding table and was clearly too small for everyone to sit comfortably Food was not as fresh (i.e. the tempuras did not taste fresh and it tasted like it was fried with old oil), also some people in my group got extremely sick after eating the tempura dishes The cooking seemed different from what I was used to at Kinkaku (i.e. the rolls were not as good, the steak was not cooked as well and lacked flavour) No more matcha pudding (at least right now) and ice cream Service was worse than Kinkaku No more 10% cash discount

I really wanted to like Jinzakaya but the experience was mediocre and definitely not worth the drive from Toronto. The biggest disappointment was the service. Kinkaku was all about good service but this was definitely not reflected here at this location. The guy who handled the cash at the cash register was really rude and had an attitude problem, which was uncalled for. Also, the price has increased astronomically from when I last went to Kinkaku (at least by $7). With this price increase, I would expect better service and better quality of food. I probably won't return to this location but may return to Kinkaku...

I was here tonight for a friend's birthday, and due to allergies I was unable to eat a lot of the things other people ordered. I ordered plenty of items that I could eat, but majority of them never came or arrived 45~60 minutes into us being there. It took ages for staff to come around to the table to order second rounds, and I kept having to ask repeatedly for the items I ordered, reorder them, and then wait for them to never come. Some of the items that DID come were things I didn't even order, and still couldn't eat due to allergies. (EG I ordered broccoli tempura, and they brought my crab tempura and due to my minor shellfish allergy I just couldn't eat them.) The music was also SO loud we couldn't have a conversation, let alone speak with any of the staff.

I understand it was a busy night so I have some sympathy, but how are you going to not bring me food, tell me it's the last call and that now there's no time to make the food, and then charge me over $70? Even the drink I ordered early into the night didn't arrive until the end after I asked for it a second time.

What little food I DID get was great, and I sure wish I'd actually gotten to eat instead of leaving an all you can eat buffet still hungry. How are you going to enforce a 90 minute time limit when you're just outright not bringing the food, and then saying "well we don't have time to make it now."

I paid over $70 tonight for a $7 drink, some yam fries, a SMALL bowl of udon, and 2 deep fried pieces of broccoli. I regret not speaking out while I was there since I didn't want to delay the group, but I feel absolutely scammed and ripped off. I was really excited to come here, but now I could never in good faith recommend it to anyone. Good food doesn't mean much if they don't actually bring it to you but still charge you as...

Terrible Experience at Jinzakaya – Will Never Return!

I had a truly awful dining experience at Jinzakaya on June 28 during their so-called “Japanese Cuisine Alliance” event.

First, the food quality was extremely poor. As shown in the photo below, the salmon sashimi had a piece of hair or some other unsanitary substance on it. When I reported this to the staff, the waitress casually responded, “This one is free,” without showing the slightest sense of responsibility or offering a single word of apology. Not even a basic “sorry.”

Second, we were served items we never ordered. Two identical plates of agedashi tofu were brought to our table. When we asked if it was a mistake, the staff didn’t bother to verify and just replied, “You ordered two.” No effort was made to check the order or clarify—just a blunt and dismissive response.

Third, since we chose the all-you-can-eat menu, there were some leftovers—mainly due to the poor quality of the food: sour-tasting rice, dry and tough chicken, and duplicated tofu dishes. At checkout, we voluntarily gave around $10 as a tip. However, what happened next was truly disturbing.

We were approached by three different waitstaff, each asking if we had paid the “leftover penalty fee.” This felt extremely suspicious and unprofessional. Eventually, we were charged an additional $12 penalty for the leftovers—again, after already tipping. The whole situation felt like a scheme to profit off of customers under the guise of a penalty. It left a very bad taste, figuratively and literally.

The way they handled everything—from hygiene to service to billing—was appalling. I seriously question the integrity of their operations.

Absolutely will not be returning, and I strongly advise others to...