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Kinkaku Izakaya

4.0 (362 reviews)
Open • 12:00 pm - 10:30 PM

Kinkaku Izakaya Japanese Restaurant Photos

Business Info

KINKAKU IZAKAYA ATMOSPHERE

What's the vibe?
Loud
Classy
Casual
Good for kids

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a steak on a grill
Nurali T.

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.

Carolyn D.

We were here twice once for the dine in ayce and the second time was for takeout after indoor dining was restricted. For ayce, they had a great selection of sushi on the menu with my favorite being the cappachios and sashimi. Everything we got was fresh and delicious. The drinks menu and desserts were amazing as well (highly recommend the creme brule and mojitos) . Our take-out experience was decent but the sushi was less quality than dining in even though it was pay per piece instead of ayce. The nigiris was a bit thiner with a lot more rice. There was also one roll that smelled a bit fishy as well. It was a good deal though and our family still enjoyed it. But I would go in person if I had the choice.

Big hand roll
Sumita B.

Visiting from another country -- loved the fact it is all you can eat. Assortment of kitchen made items and sushi. Some of my faves were the karage, big hand roll, beef ribs, pan fried udon and creme brulee was delicious!

Minji S.

Honestly, this was my go-to place for sushi during my undergrad days and when my sister asked me where we should have her birthday lunch, I did not hesitate to recommend this restaurant. It's been four years since I've last been to this restaurant and they are still serving up the same delicious sushi that I loved in the past. Unfortunately COVID is still a thing, and they were restricting the amount of people able to dine-in. The wait time without a reservation on a weekend afternoon lunch was around 45 minutes. They called you when they were ready with your table. AYCE lunch does not include sashimi and a couple of other dishes, but it is cheaper. So if you are craving sashimi, definitely go for dinner. Otherwise, lunch is definitely still worth it. My favourite would have to be their sushi. I know some places put way too much rice with their sushi and not enough fish, but not here. I love how the ratio of fish and rice is pretty balanced. Also, they have a variety of rolls to choose from and I recommend you try a couple. Our server was pretty nice and the restaurant gave us creme brulee as cake when we said it was my sister's birthday. I thought it was nice of the server to ask first if we wanted them to sing Happy Birthday to them publicly. Also, the food came out relatively quickly. Overall, their service was pretty good. The only con is that there's one bathroom per gender. And for some reason that day I went, the female bathroom was locked.

Creme Brulet is the best dessert, must try!
Kevin C.

This place is the best All You Can Eat (AYCE) sushi in Kitchener/Waterloo. There are obviously better "à la carte" sushi, but for the an AYCE restaurant, the quality and food is consistently delicious. In fact, many of my friends who live in Toronto would come back to Waterloo just for Kinkaku, and even people in Markham say that Kinkaku is the best AYCE they've tasted. It's one thing that you think about whenever you come to Waterloo - to eat Kinkaku (or KKK). Kinkaku (KKK)'s success lies in both its sushi and dishes. It not only has amazing sushi rolls, sashimi/carpaccio, handrolls, but also delicious dishes such as Takoyaki (must eat), butter corn, beef teriyaki, steamed egg (I recommend), ebimayo (everyone's favourite), and the jumbo Big Handroll that makes everyone conflicted (since it makes you full when you eat it, but it's so good that you keep on ordering it). The Salmon Sashimi is quite fresh and juicy. The specialty of KKK is its "Carpaccio". I highly recommend the beef carpaccio, which might look a bit scary, and salmon carpaccio. Their Black Dragon Roll is the best in my opinion. Finally, you must try their dessert - Crème Brûlée, topped with red bean ice cream, it's a perfect finish. Kinkaku is a satisfying feast that is perfect for any celebratory occasion, I recommend going with a group of friends since the price is actually quite expensive. Remember to pay in cash for 10% off. Also, they charge you tips if you have 6 people or above (so make sure you don't pay extra). Whether you just finished a midterm/final exam, grades came out and you passed, had a hard day at work, celebrating a friend's birthday...etc, Kinkaku is Waterloo/Laurier students' and many KW residents' favourite AYCE to stuff ourselves until we pass out. Now, just like any place, there are some things that can be improved. 1. There are a lot of people. Should make reservations if you have 6 people or above. They should honestly expand given the amount of customers. If you come here without reservations, at peak hours, expect 2-3 hours wait. Once my friend came at 6 and was seated at 830 (for 2 people!), you can see how crazy the line is. 2. They rush you. Remember, there's a time limit and they are really strict about it. Some people even think this is bad service. So don't waste time in ordering (go ham) and feast away. This is why I don't recommend date nights, I'd only come here for group feasts. 3. Decline in food quality over time: I've been to KKK for 5 years now, over the years, due to their dominant position as 1st ayce in KW region, they lowered in quality of food (slightly). For example, skewers meat are just normal quality now (it used to be high class steak meat and they were huge), creme brulet are also way smaller wrapped in aluminum, while it used to come in twice the portion with nice porcelain bowl. Overall, 5/5, not just in KW region, but also GTA.

Takoyaki
Alfred D.

When it comes to AYCE sushi in the KW area, there is not many options. First thing to note is that this place is extremely busy no matter what day. I've came here before on many different occasions and it's just as busy on Wednesday evening and Saturday nights. So if you're going with a group it would be best to make a reservation. It would be cool if they had ipads you can order from like other AYCE places but it's not a deal breaker. The only problem is that sometimes it slows down service. There were periods where we were waiting for our server but if you order a lot of food at once it's okay. Onto the food quality. My friends usually get the cheese wontons to start, along with some tempura, gyoza and takoyaki. I really like the dumplings and wontons but there's nothing too special about them. They're just deep fried so honestly anything deep fried tastes good. The mains are really good. I'm actually not a big sushi fan to start off so I really enjoy the cooked dishes like the beef teriyaki and salmon teriyaki. The sauce is not too sweet and very savoury. Honestly, I could eat at least 10 in one sitting LOL. The beef is usually cooked medium rare and very tender. The salmon is also very good - other places I've been to have salmon that is really chewy which is terrible. The raw foods are my friends favourite. They really enjoyed the salmon/tuna sashimi and carpaccio but make sure to order all the other options as well. The dessert menu is small but there is a lot of variety. The ice cream is delicious and very creamy. The deep fried mars bars are very good and the creme brulee is to die for. So make sure you have a little room. Lastly, we did make the mistake of ordering too much food and only we are to blame. The 1hour and 30 minute wait time honestly makes you feel so rushed because it really isn't that long. We ended up ordering a little too much sushi and took us a bit long to finish it so we didn't get much time for dessert. So don't forget to pace yourself because you'll get full quick! TLDR: Good quality sushi AYCE.

Cynthia W.

I hadn't had sushi in quite a while, so I was excited to try the best sushi in Waterloo. We had a reservation for 13 around 8:30pm. Unfortunately, this meant that we were split between two booths as the restaurant isn't too big. Almost every other AYCE sushi place I've visited has an iPad ordering system in place, so I found it much less efficient telling the waiter every time we wanted to order more. Service was also quite slow, and we often had to remind the waiter to check on our food. A few dishes stood out to me - the carpaccio, pork cheeks, hand rolls, and crème brûlée. The menu is quite unique, and I would recommend trying as many dishes as possible. Service was mediocre. We were informed around 9:45 that the kitchen was closing, and if we wanted to order any more food, we would have to place the orders then and there. I felt quite rushed to make a decision. The waiter also threatened to charge us for two pieces of sushi we had on left on the table. After we finished our dessert, we all sat talking for a while, but were instructed to pay as the restaurant was closing. For $42, I don't think I would return to this restaurant. There are similar-quality joints for much cheaper prices.

shrimp + yam tempura
Catherine C.

I loveeeee the food here, the ratio of salmon (or whatever else you get) to rice on the nigiri is amazing I always come during the lunch time on weekdays since the price is more affordable then so I think it's super worth it. I didn't try any of the "fancier" rolls but if you're looking for the sushi basics for a good price, I think everything here tastes great and there's a good assortment of options too (even if you do choose the more limited lunch option)~ I enjoy the look of the restaurant and it was never super loud when to went so it was still easy to talk with your friends! There is a maximum seating time of 90 minutes and the staff will let you know when they'll take the last order from you.

Katherine A.

According to Google, Kinkaku means "Faithful Service" in the Japanese language. I don't know how accurate that actually is... but it is definitely reflected in the overall experience and service received at this AYCE Sushi restaurant. Originally from Toronto, but I occasionally come up to Waterloo to visit! When I do... kinkaku is always an option. It is by far one of the best sushi places I've ever had. This is why: Service (5/5): Fast and efficient service. Waiters and waitress' are all friendly and always happy to make suggestions. Oh and they always greet you when you come in! Not only that but, they check up on you very frequently even when it's busy. **Have you ever ordered so much at AYCE you don't remember the name of the food item when it's brought to your table? WELL, many AYCE places I go to don't usually state the name of the dish brought to your table... but this place does!!! It fulfills the experience, so you know what you're eating, especially if you're trying new dishes. Food (5/5): Q U A L I T Y. It's important to get your money's worth, yes of course, but you also want to ensure what you eat is the best you can get - given that you're paying almost $30-$40. The sashimi tastes very fresh every time. The red meats are cooked to perfection (if you like medium rare). Flavourful dishes!!! Everyone who lives in Waterloo knows this is the best AYCE sushi place. Everyone leaves with a smile. Everyone always comes back!! Given that this place is constantly busy, reservations are limited. If you plan to come for dinner, 6pm is ideal (right before the rush and wait if almost an 1hr).

Decorations
Alexandra B.

I can see why this place is popular. Came here during the holiday season for a friend's birthday. Ordered a lot of Sashimi and cooked foods. Although I'm not a fan of not being able to select what I ordered and see it (you select but the waiter writes it down for you and goes to get it) almost all the food was delicious! The cooked food had a few things that I didn't particularly enjoy like the cooked Taco with a Sweet Chili heat sauce to it... It was odd. I wasn't a fan of the Yuzu sauce and Garlic Sashimi (it looks like Sashimi drowning in sauce) because it wasn't for my taste pallet. Otherwise, the Sashimi was super fresh, the Cooked beef was amazing and Takoyaki was great too! Try it out and see if you like it for yourself! The waiters are super friendly but there's usually a wait time because of the popularity of the place.

Creme brule
Shajitha R.

Damn, ok, not gunna lie, this place is really good! But a few factors need to be accounted for. The place is pretty small, and gets busy hella fast, so be sure to make a reservation if you have a group of 6 or more. If not, there's usually a wait of at least 30-45 minutes, with a max 90 min seating time. Last I went was on a Saturday night, so we paid the dinner rate of $30/person, plus the 15% tip since we had a large group of 9 people. With tax, the total came to $40! Although, the food was pretty worth it! I'm not a huge seafood fan so the Yam tempura rolls or mango cheese rolls are definitely my fave! All the food comes really fast, so makes it possible to get in and out in 90 mins. Dessert wise, the creme brule is great!! They have them prepared so it comes out in minutes! Overall, great food and great staff, highly recommend! P.S there's underground parking across the street at city hall. It's free for the first two hours on weekends which is great!

Shannon C.

Wow! Ever since I moved to Kitchener, my coworkers have been talking about this place. I didn't believe them when they were talking about how good it was. I finally got to try it in March for a friend's birthday. Their menu is decent (about a page long), but I've been to other sushi restaurants with a lot more choices. Their carpaccio was what took me over... it was soooooo delicious! Words cannot explain, the acidic sauce, thinly sliced sashimi and bits of deep fired garlic on top... it just melts in my mouth. I love it! Nothing to complain about the other items that I also ordered. We also ordered the strawberry cheese cream maki just for fun... it was interesting (but probably won't try it again)! Definitely a place to try if you are ever around the area. I did not get to take many pictures, was too busy eating! Value wise ~ Totally worth!

IG @selenawyc
Selena C.

Never disappointed whenever I visit this place for sushi --- minus the long wait times. That can cause you and your group to get hangry but I promise you it'll be all worth it after!! The best and freshest sushi in the KW area. It's not just the university students that love it, I've seen business people around as well. As mentioned, prepare for long wait times, minimum 30 minutes wouldn't be surprising. The prices are slightly more expensive than the other AYCE places in this area but well worth the quality. It's a small restaurant that gives an intimate vibe. There are group booths in the back but don't count on getting seated there if you're just walking in for food. Service is quick once you actually get seated. Sashimi is thickly cut and melts in your mouth. Would highly recommend the mango salmon rolls, they are rly refreshing and delicious.

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6 months ago

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11 months ago

Service was quite rude and unfriendly. The food was just average but overpriced. Won't come again!

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2 years ago

Really good, fast, efficient service. Food quality (freshness and cooking) would be 4/5. If you are hungry in company, a pretty good stop.

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2 years ago

Food is excellent, price is too high. Depending on the time of, service can be slow. Ambience is nothing special

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Page 1 of 10

Jinzakaya - Edamame and deep fried tofu.

Jinzakaya

3.9(36 reviews)
2.8 km

Jinzakaya and Kinka Izakaya are Waterloo staples - 5 years ago, I savoured every chance I got to…read moreeat at these restaurants! Still amazing AYCE spots, but I'm probably just not built to take full advantage of the massive menu here. We came around lunch time and ordered the dinner menu, since there are a couple cannot-be-missed dishes that aren't on the lunch menu. Their strength compared to other AYCE restaurants is definitely their non-sushi options - the carpaccio, skewers, grilled shrimp, steamed egg, and beef roll with enoki mushroom are some of my favourites. I think the only thing that gives me pause is the price tag - $40.99 is a lot, especially for a student. You would have to really stuff yourself to make that value worth it. I do wish they had a couple of the chef favourites on the lunch menu so that people trying to have a cheaper meal could also try those items. Overall, it's probably still the best AYCE sushi in Waterloo. The quality is great and the dishes are tasty. Service was also pretty good, they have you write your order on a paper. I think one or two items were missed but we had no issue with following up on them.

Jinzakaya has loads of options to choose from on their all you can eat menu. There's a large…read morevariety of sushi and sashimi and their fish tastes fresh. They also provide pretty thick slices of fish. The service was amazing we had a very nice waitress who was nice and really attentive. The interior of the restaurant is decorated very well. Overall this a very good spot for sushi.

Photos
Jinzakaya - Restaurant interior

Restaurant interior

Jinzakaya - KitKat bar.

KitKat bar.

Jinzakaya

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Ken Sushi - california rolls

Ken Sushi

4.2(158 reviews)
4.3 km
•$$

Was in Waterloo to grab lunch and randomly ended up discovering Ken Sushi House…read more The restaurant itself is simple and cozy, making it a comfortable place to sit down and catch up with friends. Service was friendly, and the food came out at a good pace even though it got a bit busy during our visit. We ordered a few items to share. The hwe dup bap (sashimi rice bowl) had fresh sashimi over rice with vegetables, it was light, refreshing, and a good choice if you're not looking for something too heavy. The chirashi bowl came with a nice assortment of sashimi and generous portions. The fish tasted fresh and there was a good variety. We also tried the salmon avocado roll, which was a classic, simple combination done well, and the spicy salmon roll, which had a mild kick and good texture overall. Overall, this was a solid spot for fresh sushi with good portion sizes, especially if you're looking for a casual place to eat in Waterloo.

I visited Ken Sushi House late one night in November 2025 with my partner while we were in the…read moremiddle of a show at the Maxwell. It was already quite late (around 8:30 p.m.), and most nearby sushi spots--like Exclamation Waterloo and Oka Sushi--were closed, so we were grateful that Ken Sushi House was still open and within walking distance. We ordered the small sushi boat ($60 for 40 pieces). Overall, we enjoyed it, but as someone who's had a lot of sushi, I wouldn't say it was particularly impressive or memorable. The quality was decent, though it felt a bit pricey for what was served. That said, the experience was still pleasant thanks to the very friendly staff, which made us feel welcome despite the late hour. The restaurant itself felt a little dated and could benefit from some renovations, but it was a solid, reliable option when choices were limited late at night.

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Ken Sushi
Ken Sushi - Chicken teriyaki bento box

Chicken teriyaki bento box

Ken Sushi

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Gyubee Japanese Grill - Waterloo - Food and table

Gyubee Japanese Grill - Waterloo

2.8(9 reviews)
3.8 km
•$$$

This is of my favorite places to eat at with my son. We love the meats! It's a little bit pricey…read morebut for all you can eat, it's a good value.

We were excited to try the Waterloo location since we love going to Gyubee in Toronto. However, we…read morewere quite disappointed after our experience this past week eating here. It wasn't a full house but there were a decent amount of customers dining in for lunch service. All the other locations I've been to in Toronto, their service is quick and efficient and we would receive everything we ordered in a timely manner. The Waterloo location - the service is slow, we are constantly trying to get servers attention to order, our items would either be missing or delayed for a while before coming, and some of our orders would come out in very small portions. For example, we would order 5 orders of a miso marinated beef plate but only 1 order would come out. Or we would order sushi but it would not come out until after we placed a few more orders ~30-40 minutes. We would ask and follow up about it but our server would say the chef probably forgot and then re-order for us. We would end up getting both the first and second order, so double the sushi when we only wanted 1. This not only happened once, but twice and we had to eat more sushi than we wanted. For the small meat portions, we asked why the portion is so small for 5 orders, the servers would respond that the kitchen only gives out one order at a time and we need to keep flagging our server to enter more later. But this was not how other Gyubee locations do it, we would receive all 5 orders at once. Also, it is a hassle for us customers having to call our servers constantly to order more - one at a time. Very inefficient for the servers. Our other servers didn't even inform us about this when we would say 5 orders of the item. Until we confronted a different server, they told us that's how the system works at their location. Our group was thinking maybe this location does it so that customers would end up eating less because they are waiting around for their order to come out more than cooking their meats. When changing the grills, they looked inexperienced as they were struggling to hold the old dirty one. Oils would drip down into our waters and food during the change. The food was decent but we did notice the quality went down - less sauce on the meats and the thicker cut beef was a bit tough. After our poor experience here, I'm not sure if we would go back to this location. Hoping they can improve on their service to provide customers and servers a better experience.

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Gyubee Japanese Grill - Waterloo - Table for 2

Table for 2

Gyubee Japanese Grill - Waterloo
Gyubee Japanese Grill - Waterloo - Sushi

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Sushi

Sushi Star

Sushi Star

3.9(77 reviews)
8.9 km
•$$

So a friend and I went here for dinner. I say make sure you get here early or you will be waiting…read more One could look at this as a good thing or bad thing but they do have a time limit on how long you can eat. This is an all you can eat sushi place and I was shocked how fresh everything came out. It also came out fast! Overall good for an all you can eat place!

Oh boy, no wonder this place has such a good star rating! Their service is great as they refilled…read moreour waters probably 20 times throughout the meal - yes, I inhale water like crazy haha. Their rolls are packed with flavor, and even though some of their rolls come in 8 pieces, they are not packed with rice. Their lunch menu does leave a lot to be desired but it is lunch after all so I'm hoping to be back sooner than later to give their dinner menu a try! -teriyaki salmon was moist, and filled with flavor -their takoyaki was A+ as well -spicy salmon maki is consistent with other places so I would recommend this too -their fried rolls are amazing and not too stuffed with rice but still also having a decent amount of filling! -there was this one delicious dragon roll that I cannot remember the name of but it had a mayo sauce topping it that gave it a kick - this roll was 10/10 and I would order it again and again 10000% you should make a reservation in advance because there was a wait even at 3PM on a Sunday - as a table of two, we only wait about 20 minutes but for bigger groups, you should definitely reserve ahead to be certain you'll get a table when you want one!

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Sushi Star
Sushi Star
Sushi Star

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Kinkaku Izakaya - japanese - Updated May 2026

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