I went to Kinjo based on all the awesome reviews on Yelp, the added bonus being it's close to home. When we walked in, it took about 2 minutes before we were noticed and given a table. It was an hour before they closed, which i thought was plenty of time to show up and have a decent meal. We had our order taken quickly, and when our food came, the server slid the food to us onto the bar, Our soy sauce was taken before we were done the meal, and the kicker was that we weren't even given the famed Pocky sticks when we were done. The sushi itself was decent, I'll give it that. It would have been nice to finish off our meal without hearing the kitchen staff, gathered in one corner, yelling and eating before all the customers were gone, and having chairs stacked all around us by the remaining servers. read more

I'm from Toronto and I had to give it a try of their sashimi. The salmon was ok, the tuna is cut in a square shape and not fresh, toro were poor. The blue fin toro was a joke. The chicken noodle was so salty. The price and the quality just don't match at all. The only reason for the two star was the service. It was good. read more

Kinjo is my go-to whenever I want good sushi. I am usually always up for trying new restaurants, but for sushi, I find a lot of restaurants underwhelming. Not so with Kinjo. I have never had a bad meal there, or a bad experience there. Although my favourite one is the Kinjo at Dalhousie, the Macleod one will do in a pinch. Same great food, just a bit more packed and a bit more noisy. Great camaraderie, as is to be expected from Kinjo. The other day I took 3 guests there and they were all very full and happy at the end of the meal. We ordered enough for all of us, lots of things to share, including tempura, tataki, edamame, agedashi tofu, and some unique rolls. All were tasty and inspired. When the bill for the entire table came, it made me jump for joy. Very affordable, and I like that because I was footing it this time ;) Review #5 of Yelp's 30 Day Challenge 2012 read more

I have had a tattered history with this sushi bar: as the white husband of an Asian, I am a highly visible target for Peter's gregarious teasing, especially on a slower day. He came to the table with his giant knife and demanded embarrassing things, then told Kat that "maganda, you're too good for this guy!" All in good fun, I am sure, but as a couple who prefer to eat in peace, it was quite offputting, and I hadn't been back there in a few years. Kat, Kyla, my mother-in-law and I came here for dinner on Family Day, and if we were looking for peace, we surely did not get it: there was a 25-minute wait to get in (after we'd phone and they told us it wasn't busy, but its first come first serve), and the place was bustling like gangbusters. We eventually got a place right on the floating sushi bar, a new experience for me. Being the first time with this experience, I was delighted: plates of delicious sushi floating right past me, and I grab whatever I pleased. It took a couple of minutes to get over the uncertainty (maybe they are for someone?), and after that it was all downhill. Orders of gyoza and tempura, smoked salmon and California rolls, unagi and a mango-salmon-tempura roll: by the end of it all, we have 17 plates stacked in front of us, but thankfully the price wasn't as sky-high as I'd feared. More importantly for a lazer-quick sushi bar, the fish was very fresh and incredibly edifying: we were all sated and rubbing our tummies with a big smile. Peter was absent, and in his place was a less irritating guy named Andre: he came around all smiles and shouts, and only asked me to hug Kat. Phew! At one point the staff started singing Happy Birthday to a patron, and during the applause I let out an Erick-style war yelp. It must have cut through because the entire place went silent, and in a moment straight out of Dumb and Dumber, Kat pointed to me like Lloyd pointed to Harry. Bit of a personal embarrassment, but I got a box of Pocky sticks out of it, for being "a crazy guy," because they "love crazy guys"....most likely because Peter would fire them otherwise! All in all, I would recommend this place as a great location to get some great sushi, but be warned of being put on the spot. read more

Waited 10mins for a spot at the sushi bar. Definitely was no worth the wait. No variety or choices on boats. Only saw rolls and one plate of mackerel - which wasn't even tasty. We had to order off of menu which took about 25mins. Quality was mediocre and didn't taste fresh. The best part of the meal was the Pocky! I felt like I was in a combination of karaoke bar and Jack Astors where the servers try and humiliate their guests. It was quite annoying and sadly we won't be back. read more

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My friends and I were on MacLeod a few days ago and there were four other sushi places along the trail. We tried to go to the all-you-can-eat buffet one but we just happened to come during their gap closed hour. So we sat in the parking lot and looked up reviews for The One Sushi across the street (heard repeatedly that it was sticky) and decided to try out Kinjo down the road instead. I'm not a big sushi person though and have had it literally one other time in my life but I was willing to give it a shot because it seemed like a good place. Ohhhh my god. So good. Okay, let me explain all the things that make this place so wonderful and how we're probably gonna come back at least 1000 times before we're seniors. Come in and we were welcomed and seated really quickly in a booth and given a plate of four rolls. Forget the other two, but that california roll and volcano roll were amazing. Totally great. Our waitress and the service were prompt and friendly. I liked the volcano rolls so much that I ordered a plate for myself. We ordered dynamite rolls, spicy tuna rolls, rainbow rolls, california rolls, deep fried shrimp. Oh, and eel. I also got fried rice for myself. The food arrived so quick and it was just delicious, we probably got our food 10-15 minutes after we ordered, it was that fast. The portion of fried rice I got was more than I thought it'd be, but totally worth it. Volcano rolls are a must-get. A really cute touch is that if you sit in a booth beside the center kitchen, there's a conveyor belt with little boats on it that have plates of sushi on it that you can just grab and take as you please if a boat rolls by and you see something you like. We thought it was so cool. Plus you can see the cooks at work. Everyone who works at the restaurant seems really close, and when the staff see someone they know come in (I'm guessing it was either a fellow employee or a regular customer) they shout the person's name in a "Ayyyy my dude is here" kind of way. It's awesome. It makes the whole atmosphere of the restaurant seem really fun. Can't really say anything about the speed of the restaurant during busy hours because the first time we came was a Monday afternoon just as people were getting out of work and we were already at the restaurant. Oh, and you get free Pocky after your visit!!! Who doesn't love that? I think that's something the customers really love - it's a really awesome, thoughtful, unique touch. Anyways, we think this place is basically perfect and we tipped huge afterwards. So summarized, we didn't really see any downsides to this place. + Totally delicious and I'll probably try different kinds of sushi next time now that I know I like it + Short wait time! + Friendly friendly serviceeee! + Fun, tight-knit atmosphere + Cheap/affordable! Our total bill between three people came to $69.00 (haha). When you consider how much food we ordered and how good it was, that was a great deal. + SUSHI. ON BOATS. + FREE POCKY + Not sticky Believe me, this place is a ####ing gem and my crew will be back. 5/5 would empty my wallet again. read more

Pretty good food. Had the salmon sashimi - very sweet and a fair size. Had their Lobster Roll (lobster meat, tail and all!), Hot Unagi Roll (all warm and gushy!), Female Dragon Roll (pretty sight to see!), also had their Special Scallops Sushi (found their nigiri seaweed is crispy and adds a bit of a crunch to the wonderfully-put-together special scallops sushi!) Peter @ Kinjo comes to the table and schmoozes with the party at the table - everyone's rolling in laughter and we get Glico Pocky as gifts. Not only that, we also got a sushi sampler at the start and in the middle, Peter presented us with a tempura sampler consisting of 2 prawns, yam, brocolli and asparagus! I've never been to a restaurant that gives out free food before. Might have to come back again! read more

I hated sushi that I've tried. Then I met a girl. Now, after Kinjo...I like sushi. The service is great. The food...awesome. I don't like all the sushi, but the price vs quality is great. And sake.....YUM. Always friendly, always delicious. Give the men Pocky too. I'm the one picking up the bill, and want nom noms. read more

I always go this place to eat sushi at the bar and their service is very fast volcano rolls are my favorite. Close to chinook mall read more

Great place! Enjoyable friendly atmosphere! Even once you enter the door, you're greeted by the entire staff. Complimentary plate of sushi is brought once you are seated, a 'tester' or sample plate with 3-5 pieces, that I've always found delicious. The sushi bar is great and anyone who has been there before has most likely met Peter the owner, who is always hilarious and sets a great mood for the meal. read more

Kinjo has the best sushi in the city hands down. Generous in proportion and prime in freshness. I have yet to find this quality of fish in a land locked area for the price charged. The staff is AMAZING and who doesn't love free Pocky (for the ladies and little ones). This location has sushi boats which is fun and helps peak your interest making you try new foods. Kids also get a complimentary fruit plate that features an adorably carved orange in the shape of a monkey!! It is always busy so come early! read more

A great balance for lovers of teppan-style food and excellent sushi, Kinjo does both effortlessly without the usual teppan price. You can sit at the sushi bar and pick your treats right off the often-refreshed sushi boat, particularly during peak dining hours. A comprehensive list allows you to choose small portions of cooked fare, (such as steak, chicken or seafood) at a reasonable price, as well as sushi selections. For fans of yakiniku sauce (Japanese-style steak sauce) be sure to ask for a bowl of rice with a side of "Magic" sauce. Fans of the Japanese Village steak sauce will not be disappointed! If you're lucky, Peter, the owner, will stop by your table to crack a joke or offer you one of his Japanese pearls of wisdom. As you prepare to leave, you will surely be offered your choice of either strawberry or chocolate Pocky...that is IF you are female! Overall, I prefer this restaurant over any other of its kind in Calgary. I hope you will too! read more

Kinjo is the leader in both service and quality. I love my sushi and tend to be a bit of a sushi snob! I was very very impressed with the taste and textures of all they had to offer (and I had almost everything). The waitresses were so pleasant and very very thorough. I loved that my water was always topped off and always checked on~! Being my first time, one of the guys who worked there made it very fun! They all sang to welcome me on my first time, which was awesome and hilarious as well as embarrassing! They also sang to a woman who was celebrating her birthday! all very entertaining! I would reccommend anyone to KINJO SUSHI. Being your first time or a veteran you will find all your favorites here! Not to mention at a crazy low price. (we at till we were filled to the brim and were surprised at the inexpensive menu!) read more

Kinjo is fantastic - there are many times I've been to other sushi places and have been disappointed with their salmon and tuna quality. I have been to Kinjo 20+ times and have never once been disappointed in the quality of fish. The rice is always perfect and I really like that they have a sweet and regular soya sauce to choose from. My boyfriend and I go there quite frequently and the bill is always right around $50 every time. We love the giant squid legs - they come with volcano sauce for dipping. The sashimi is delightful as well. Although sometimes when it is busy, it is quite chaotic - once seated the chaos seems to dissipate and it really isn't a big deal. The staff is always friendly even despite this chaos as well. It is sometimes difficult to pay at the end of the dinner because there are so many people in the make shift waiting lounge. Overall Kinjo is the go-to for sushi for me. read more

I tried Kinjo's because of the high rated comments... after checking out there website http://www.kinjosushiandgrill.com I was convinced. First off I admit the food is delicious! I had: - Spicy Salmon Roll 8/10 - Avocado tempura 7.5/10 - Dynamite roll 7/10 - house salad 6/10 - Spicy Chicken 6/10 My experience: I came around 7pm (Friday) during their busy service, I gave the woman my name for 2. Than asked what the waiting time would be... she gave me 'deer in the headlights' look than smiled. I repeated myself and she replied "what waiting time?" After conversing back and forth for 2 minutes I gave up... it was clear she was diverting her answer and wouldn't give me an estimate time. After waiting 20 minutes, sharing my personal bubble space with strangers the crowd soon began to turn over as people were paying for the bill and leaving... they fail to mention the misfortune if you arrive before a large group the management will not give you a table without 3 people or more. Individuals are expected to be seated at the sushi bar. 1 person ahead of me wasn't allowed to be seated until her guest arrived. So needless to say many people got served before her and us. I began to notice a trend of people who came after us that were party of 2 getting seated first... I than got agitated. The incompetent hostess skipped our reservation! grrr... When I reminded her... she than found a place immediately to seat us. With an hungry stomach and a ridiculous waiting time I was less than thrilled to be there. Our waitress was obviously busy and preoccupied struggling to make her way over to us... when she finally was able to take our order, the rolls were floating on plastic motioned boats and were pulled. Half my dinner was ready to eat in no time. However the salad, spicy chicken and tempura toke 20 mins to prepare. All my food was given to me before my guest... who waited 40 minutes for chicken and Brocolli Tempura. The consistency and time was WAY OFF! I also should point out the place was so lively with people and noisy I could barely hear myself. I felt lost and confused in the midst of the chaos. When I went to pick up the bill the ditzy incompetant hostess proved AGAIN her inability to do her job. She messed up my bill, charging me for our dinner and the guy sitting next to me aswell. $80 for two ladies.... I don't think so! After eating I was full but not belly aching stuffed. The only thing that came across my mind was : Can't wait to get the heck outta there, next time doing pick-up instead! read more

Been eating here for years and surprised I haven't posted a review yet, I love this place, my kids love this place, food is always consistent, service is great, and other than sushi, you must try the Black Cod, Avocado tempura, special scallops, and gomaa, everything here is great! I will be their regular for years to come. read more

I think that most Calgarians have heard of Kinjo sushi. I now live in Vancouver, and although its packed with Sushi places, I haven't found one that's as fun as Kinjos! If this is your first time, try to go on a weekend. You might have to wait a while for a table, but the energy of the place is worth it! The sushi is great and there is enough choices to keep it interesting. read more

Great sushi plus sushi boats plus great service and free poky means a GREAT family friendly dinner option. We go to Kinjo often since we all love it. read more

Kinjo Sushi - Love the sushi boats and the open kitchen! #yyc #yyceats - Japanese Near Me - Calgary, Alberta

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I don't know anything about sushi. That's just a fact. So if you're a sushi enthusiast with pictures of spicy tuna rolls adorning the walls of your home or a special pair of "sushi chopsticks" that you polish on the weekends, you might have a bone to pick with me. I was invited out for sushi a few nights ago. My response was a knee jerk, "Ah, I'm not really a sushi guy, but I'm down to try." See, I was basing that statement on one bad experience I had with sushi where avocado goop squirted all over my mouth and made me want to barf. But let's move on, because Kinjo did none of those things. We were seated promptly and soon green tea arrived. In the meantime I enjoyed a chorus of Japanese guys singing happy birthday for what felt like roughly 5 minutes in all sorts of different keys. It wasn't annoying though, it was endearing, like I imagine your kid making you breakfast in bed would be if the breakfast was actually only plastic fruits from a toy set. That sort of feeling. ... I don't have kids. So I can't say that from experience. Anyways.. We ordered what can likely be called the "white man's sushi" mix - Volcano Rolls, Yam rolls, Philedelphia rolls (I think?) and some other incredibly non-threatening sushi types. We also got yam tempura and asparagus. A little while later a nice boy in a red suit came around to ask if we wanted Pocky sticks for dessert. Well, of course we did, except he made the lovely woman I was having sushi with work really hard to get them after she asked if we could have two boxes. See, that's sort of a faux pas, though not totally out of the question. So in response to her boldness, he gave her the bricks and made her -GASP- kiss me on the cheek - before handing over the goods. Well hats off to you, pocky stick boy. Thanks to you I later got compliments on my smooth skin. Back to the food. It was delicious, and I'm "not a sushi guy". It wasn't too fishy. The volcano rolls were a major highlight because I'm a big fan of a little spice. The yam tempura was delicious too, and the yam rolls were great. Service was excellent despite being incredibly busy. It was a fun experience that even someone who "isn't a sushi guy" can really enjoy! We capped off the night by eating our strawberry and chocolate pocky sticks at the SAME TIME to simulate chocolate raspberries. My, aren't we creative? Answer: YES. read more

We found this place very pleasant and a good fun to chat and eat. From the outside or passing by the restaurant, it seems crowded. However, we were seated right away when we walked in. The servers were also very pleasant and quick to serve. We opted to seat by the sushi bar so we can just grab sushi plates. We enjoyed the food very much- sushi is suchi anyways. Aside from the sushi and sashimi saucers, we also ordered edamame, chicken katsu, shrimp tempura, and green tea ice cream for dessert. All of the dishes were good though I prefer the chicken katsu lighter in color or not too fried. For $60 plus tip for 2 people I say is good enough.I was full and the hubby had enough too. We'll definitely come back here. read more

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5 stars....I didn't want to me the kind of person who either gives 1 star or 5 stars. I wanted the first time I gave my 5 stars to someone to be special. Now my dreams have come true. As soon as I walked through the door, I was greater by almost every staff member in the place at the same time. I know this is a gimmick they use here where the person at the door calls out something and everyone within earshot just yells out a generic hello, but it really make me smile. We were sat quickly and brought out a plate with 4 rolls for us to try. I was excited. I walked in starving, and without having to say anything there was a plate of food in front of me. The staff were incredibly friendly, almost tripping over each other trying to make sure we had what we needed. Then it Happened.... It was someones birthday. What an event that was. They must have sang 5 songs to this poor man. What was surprising was that all the staff involved seemed really excited to be celebrating this persons birthday. They even engaged the restaurant to join in. It was really fun to watch. All in all I really enjoyed kinjos. The staff were very friendly, atmosphere was fun, food was fast and not to mention the free box of pocky. I was offered one but the girl I was with was. When I questioned this, the server said its cause "you're sweet enough." Even men like to get compliments :) The only thing I have to advise is make sure when you arrive, you have your entire party. They will not seat you until your party is complete. Kinda strange and not much of a sitting area while you wait. However not a big enough deal for me to take away a star. Stay hungry my friends Justin read more

I like the place, though I do find it a little pricey. The sushi was fresh and the concepts were well thought out. Sashimi is properly cut as opposed to some of the HUGE slices that you would get at a more amateurish place. Rolls were decent, and the floating delivery boats around the ovalish table is quite cute. It reminded me a lot of some of the automated sushi snack bars I would frequent in Tokyo. Rising from the ashes of a closed Tim Horton's (it moved a few blocks over behind an Esso), It looks like Peter Kinjo, formerly of Sakuna Grill, had a definate idea of what he wanted in his place. Communal booths? Yep. Intimate seating for dates. Yep. Japanese decor? Yep. Gregarious larger than life sushi resto owner? Definately that. If you're wondering what I mean about that, Peter Kinjo is definately a tireless self-promoter. Always ready with a joke or two, or a box of Pocky, he lights up a table whenever he's around to tease a diner, charm the girl or bring a laugh to a kid's face. (I wonder if this is from his days at Sakuna since Teppanyaki chefs also tend to be jokers). Sometimes admittedly it can be a bit much, and his pure force of personality can overwhelm a little (I ended up with 3-4 boxes at one dinner even though I HATE Pocky... but just couldn't bring myself to say no... luckily there were some kids in the resto who got extra Pocky from me as a result when his back was turned). So overall, it's popular, and the food is good. Parking is a little tight (not too many spaces, and it's shared with a Wendy's), and when the place is full, it can be downright claustrophobic, but overall a good place for sushi cravings. Just please... PLEASE... no more Pocky for me!!! read more

Everything we ordered was delicious, it's comes to the table in spurts so you have time to finish one kind of sushi before another one arrives. The food was very fresh and the staff were friendly and helpful. It is a little expensive, but it's well worth it for the quality of sushi we got. I would definitely recommend this place to anybody looking for a nice date night, or just going out for a quick dinner! read more

We got takeout from Kinjo and the first thing we noticed was how much of their menu had fried food in it. Now don't get me wrong... fried food is delicious! But does it need to be in half the rolls??? No... but it is. We still decided to order from Kinjo since it had decent reviews. Have some water and tea ready!!! While the seafood is decent, we found most things very salty... would you like some rice and fish with your salt, fried batter, and mayo sauce? If so, order here! Any good quality ingredients that may have been here were overpowered by salt and creamy sauces... even on the seaweed salad. The food lacked the clean and subtle tastes I have come to respect in Japanese sushi. If you like to douse your sushi in soy sauce, you may enjoy the sushi here. That said, I love salt and this was just too much for me.... but to give you some context, I am a Vancouver sushi snob who had the best sushi of her life last year in Hokkaido.... Won't be ordering from here again. read more

Let me start off by saying, I've been to Kaiten Sushi places in Tokyo & Kyoto. Yes, I understand that its really not a fair comparison. Kinjo seems to be a fairly popular place. I've been a few times, mostly for dinner, but once for lunch. The Host(ess) are friendly enough and I've never had to wait in line to get a seat. The best part of Kaiten Sushi is that the minute you sit down, you can be eating as the boats with the plates of sushi just roll on past you. The waiter/waitresses are less than attentive and even though there seems to be a pile of them at the various stations. The time it takes for them to get you what you want is anything but prompt. I usually ask for low sodium shoyu. Typically I'll wait 5+ minutes. I have also asked for Green tea and water, again... it takes much longer than I think it should based on the number of restaurant patrons to wait staff ratio. They are definitely not short staffed here. Especially considering you serve yourself. The food rolls past you on the boats. Great if you don't know what you want, as you can select sushi on the fly. My only complaint with Kinjo is that they will only have about 5-6 varieties out at a time. California roll, spicy tuna roll, salmon sushi, tuna sushi, and maybe a tomago. once one of those selections gets depleted then they put something else out. Yes, you can ask for something special. Again, its the wait time that comes into play. The sushi is good, but I wouldn't call it stellar. The staff are friendly enough and the last time I was there, my friends were offered up a box of Pocky. A nice gesture on Kinjo's part. Considering that Kinjo in in the middle of the prairies, in a land locked province. I give them full credit for making a go at Kaiten Sushi. Cons Offer up more choices on the sushi belt, get the staff to focus on customer service instead of texting their friends, and you'll definitely go up a star. Pros Friendly staff, Solid standard and fresh sushi, reasonable prices. I'll go back, but given the choice, I'd rather go to Tokyo and eat there. read more

This place is really a 4 star place, but I just... don't like being disturbed while I'm eating... I'm sorry, but I would like this place a lot more if it didn't run the risk of Peter Kinjo visiting me everytime with his knife pointed at me. If you go to Kinjo's for your first time it is entertaining at first when he tells you to hold the girls hand (it can be your mom, or your girlfriend) and tell you how much you love them and how beautiful they are... and he also gives you free pocky as a result, but the act got old years ago. He's been using the same lines when this place opened 6-7 years ago? I still return here for the food though. I'm from Vancouver and so it's not really fair to compare sushi from between the two cities because I think Vancouver wins hands down... but for Calgary it's really good and consistent. My favorite things here are the volcano roll, salmon (sake), the salmon with hollandaise sauce on it, the rack of lamb, and the magic steak (although it's not very large in size). read more

Best sushi in Calgary, if not all of Alberta! Service is phenomenal, I always feel welcome and highly accommodated at Kinjo. Food arrives quick and absolutely delicious. It's great for any occasion, for families or a quick solo lunch. I couldn't recommend this restaurant more. read more

Very noisy. Tiny tables. Rice used for roll has no flavor. The wasabi has corn starch or something in it to thin it out. Rolls aren't fresh, are made ahead of time. Sashimi is fresh and fairly good. Everything cooked is extremely salty. read more

Kinjo Sushi - Red tuna sashimi - Japanese Near Me - Calgary, Alberta

Kinjo is always busy! That must mean good things! The parking is okay, but if its really busy, you might have to steal a parking spot next door at Wendy's. When you first arrive in Kinjo, you are immediately greeted by the hosts at the front and if its busy, they'll ask you your name and what you prefer for seating: sushi bar, booth near the sushi bar, or table. I prefer the booth near the sushi bar, so you have a big space to eat as well you can grab whatever you like from the boats and also have some privacy. Spence and I went on a Sunday, around 7:30PM and of course there was a line. We waited about ~20 minutes to get a booth at the sushi bar and when you get seated, you receive a sample of some sushi which is nice. The menu is pretty big and there's a lot to choose from, but don't forget the sushi bar! We ordered tea with some miso soup and salad to start, then some shrimp tempura which has nice, light batter and decided to just pick and choose from the sushi bar. Dont forget that each plate has a different cost! Plates: Red ($3.25), Yellow ($3.75), Green ($4.95) and Blue ($6.25). We found that it can add up pretty darn fast! Our bill was $55! Our waitress was very friendly, always topping up our water and tea as well as checking up on us to see if we've got everything we want or needed anything else. :) Oh, and you always leave with pocky! SIDE NOTE: If you read my review about Sakana, we think that Kinjo and Sakana are very similar. Driving past macleod, we saw that there is going to be a new Sakana location opening right across from Kinjo...talk about competition! read more

I'm not really a Sushi fan; I'll normally only ever go out for Sushi if I am dragged out. Well after a couple of trip to Kinjo that changed! The night started with a quick wait and seating for my wife and a group of friends at the bar - you get to watch food being cooked and plates (along with messages from other customers) pass you buy on the boats. Almost immediately a staff member comes by with free samples and to take your drink order - we got a large sake - it was delicious and a very good value for $9. I explained to the server I didn't like sushi, and was pleasantly surprised by her response. There are tons of non-sushi items on the menu. Everything from ginger beef to chicken stir fries to fried rice to steak bites and more. They also have a number of hot sushi-style stuff - like Alberta Beef Rolls - Alberta beef wrapped in rice with cucumber and sauce to look like sushi. I was really impressed. Well I ordered the Alberta beef rolls, the tempura vegetables, and some dumplings and was quite satisfied. Then I got adventurous! I tried california rolls, some sort of veggie sushi (they have a large vegetarian menu and can make vegan options too. or sub brown rice in for white), the smoked salmon rolls, and the hot california rolls. I was quite amazed. Sushi is awesome! Just as we were preparing to get our bill Andrea came over and made my night. He was super friendly and so enthusiastic about my new sushi experience. He gave us Pocky and welcomed us back anytime. We ended up coming back the following week, and as I write this review I am already planning another trip on Tuesday. read more

Every time someone new walks through the door the whole sushi bar crew yell something in Japanese that sounds like "Lashi". We asked Henri what it meant and he said it was to welcome them and to warn the sushi chef crew to get ready. It certainly helped create a fun atmosphere. When you sit down, they bring you a free sampler and I enjoyed all four pieces. We had about five trays of the Volcano roll which was a little spicy but very good. I tried the Egg roll, which was battered egg on top and tempura yam inside. It was different but a really nice addition to the regular sushi. All in all, the sushi was very good. Unfortunately I must say that the Tempura shrimp was not great but everything else made up for that. read more

This is my go-to place for sushi. The fish is fresh and delicious. The service is very friendly and attentive. I started to go there when Peter Kinjo (later finding out he is the owner) was the pocky man and he is honestly so genuine and charming. He always went around the restaurant and took the time to chat with everyone to make sure everything was okay and that people were enjoying themselves. It never felt intrusive and he always looked like he loved his job. One thing I really like about the sushi is the portion and the sizes. Don't get me wrong, I try not to discriminate against other types of sushi because I know it comes in all beautiful shapes and sizes, but I like the fact that Kinjo rolls are small enough that I can easily eat them without mentally preparing myself to chew for the next 5 minutes (we've all done it with one of those monster rolls before). I'm also a big person when it comes to eating a little bit of everything and sometimes it's tricky with other sushi places as the rolls can be a lot bigger and especially if it's only 2 people, you can only order so many different rolls as you have a crazy bill or a lot of leftovers (which is also not a bad thing). With Kinjo, you can try many different plates as most of them come in 4 pieces. If you sit next to the sushi boat, beware. You will order from the menu and then just fill up like crazy from that damn boat. And then by the time your food actually comes out, you'll probably be full. My only complaint is that the tempura is pretty small and not what you'd expect it to be and same with the teriyaki chicken/beef. They're still good, but I wouldn't say they're my favourite. Definitely give it a try! read more

It doesn't matter what time you go on a weekend, this place is always packed (lunch crowds during the week... forget about it!) ~ BUT for good reason! Peter, the owner, has really created some magic with this little gem that we have been going to for years now. The conveyor boat system floats plates of sushi towards you as you wait with anticipation, lots of menu selections and speciality rolls on the regular menu and efficient staff scurrying around to keep everything moving along. It is also very entertaining to watch the sushi chef's create right in front of you in the center of the conveyor system. We go to the North location as well at times and it has a totally different vibe. This one on Macleod is packed, crazy busy at all times with a sense of community as the one in the North is a sit down restaurant with an upscale decor and a much larger space. My Hubs and I haven't seen Peter for a while at the Macleod location where everytime we were there he made my Hubs show him all his tattoos then Peter would sing "Maria" to him. Miss that! read more

Busy busy busy. Must be good ... good atmosphere, hustle and general vibe. To be fair I went at 9:30 close to last call. The suhi was messi, not well built and lacking in presentation. To make up for it, there was good hosting, a fun vibe (seemed very young folks), and inexpensive sushi which allowed for a very large sampling without breaking the wallet read more

Truly a disappointment compared to the Dalhousie location. The size of the sushi we ordered were not only tiny, but you could tell it wasn't fresh. It looked like it was just slapped on the plate. The service was terrible. We asked for extra Wasabi 3 times before it was brought to us and the girl didn't seem at all interested in apologizing for the delay either. Everytime we come to Kinjo on Macleod, it's been a disappointment. It's time to stop giving them 3rd or 4th chances. DOUBLE THUMBS DOWN!! read more

Very good place. Great price and food. Went to roku the other day and it was not good in-comparison.

I absolutely LOVE Kinjos - both the south and north locations. They have excellent, fresh sushi at great prices. Their service is better than anywhere else I have seen in Calgary. My kids love it as they are always looked after and entertained there. My business associates love it as we get great food fast, and are left with ample time to talk. My favorite place in Calgary - I even wrote a couple articles about Kinjos in Calgary - I love them that much. read more

Totally picked this placed based on the number of reviews! We weren't disappointed! Place was busy, the food was fresh, service was fast and the prices very reasonable! Def will be back again for more. read more

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So good. The ramen is cheap and in smaller portion bowls which helps my small stomach. The fried rice is delicious as well as the sushi. I have so many sushi in mind that I'm just going to say all of them!!! I love this place and I eat in the millrise and westhills location all the time. read more

Kinjo was definitely a fun experience - different than any other I've had at a sushi restaurant in Calgary thus far. We headed out on a Thursday night, yet it was still pretty busy. However, if you don't request to sit at a table, they can usually seat you at the bar pretty quickly - there was no wait for us. There's sushi floating around on boats at the bar, which is supercool. You are welcome to take one straight from the boats if you know what you're doing. We weren't sure you were allowed at first (and it wasn't quite explained) so we opted to order from the menu instead. They bring you a little sampler plate to start, which was great - we got to try a few new things (although I've confirmed that I just don't like salmon *sadface*) and Peter, the owner, came around to give everyone their complimentary box of Pocky. He's quite the character, asking couples to reaffirm their love for each other and having the entire staff break out into song. He was only around for about the first half hour of our meal, though - not sure if he took off for the evening or went to the other (newer) location. The sushi was excellent, as was the chicken teryaki. The two types of soy sauce was also a neat addition. My least favourite roll was the Kinjo Roll (unfortunately) but all in all I very much enjoyed the meal. The sake was nice and strong, although it's odd that 5 oz was $4,50 and 10oz was $9... would expect a small price break for the bigger amount? The one thing that really threw the evening off was that they never removed the plates. It wouldn't ordinarily be a big deal but on a surface as small as the bar was, they got in the way very fast, especially if you have someone sitting on either side of you. I get (now) that it has to do with counting how much sushi you've eaten from the menu and the bar, but I can't help but wonder if there's a better way. Either way, I'd definitely request a table next time since I'm not likely to take right off the boats anyhow. Will definitely be back to Kinjo - a very awesome experience and fun place to go. read more