the tonkatsu is top notch. portions are generous. friendly staff. not too busy either…read more you get options for noodles and the menu is straightforward

Came to Waterloo for the first time to visit family. They reccomended this spot, and I wish they…read morehadn't. The restaurant was empty and dingy. The server had a lot of trouble taking our order, and mispronounced the names of the menu items. Also, they were out of some of the items we ordered. Chicken Karage: Surprised by how juicy the meat was. The coating was just alright, but the chicken was good. Sukiyaki Beef Don: Bad. The egg was stringy and somehow dry. The miso soup was bland. Worst of all, the sukiyaki was doused in sauce and was too salty.

I believe Izna replaced Kenzo Ramen (there's also an Izna Donburi in town.)…read more The Tonkotsu ramen is $13.95 and...it's not the greatest. The noodles are super skinny, but chewy. Broth is creamy--not bad, but not great. Both the egg and the meat were pretty cold when the bowl arrived at my table. Thankfully, I dipped both in the broth to warm it up. Staff are friendly, but I'd rather try the newly-opened Asakusa in the same plaza next time...

I remember going to this place when it was still called Izna. The menu looked the same so I decided…read moreto get my go to order. It tasted a bit different this time around but still pretty good. Unfortunately, they didn't give as much pork in the Tonkotsu Ramen as I liked for $14.95. The wait was also pretty long when I went around 6:30pm (had to wait around 30-40mins) so definitely recommend calling them ahead of time to order. The staff were nice though so definitely will come back and try some of their other stuff!

鸡肉炒面…read more 火候控制出色，不管是菜还是肉都是糊与不糊之间，慢一点就糊锅了。 鸡肉顺丝切片，处理时使用了蛋清，生粉水，油，非常标准。 用于改善口感的配菜有：卷心菜，洋葱，西蓝花，芽菜，菜椒。 下午3点到5点的炒面师傅，做的棒。建议其他的师傅不要省略SOP哦。 唯一的缺点是油太多了，不知道是不是追求成品率的代价呢？

Came on a Tuesday night and it was pretty busy. We were told to sit at a table in the back by one…read morehost and then another host made us get up and move to another table because she thought we sat ourselves. They dropped off water and didn't come back for about 15mins. After taking our order the server comes back and tells us the grill is closed and couldn't serve us any of the BBQ items. This wouldn't have been an issue but the fact that she took 15mins to even come check on us is what made it a horrible experience. If she checked in on us sooner, we might have been able to order BBQ. Overall the spicy beef noodle soup was amazing, food is very good but the service was not. I'll definitely come back but just not going to expect the greatest service.

Ordered the suicide ramen expecting a nice slice. Although the noodles were flavorful, they were…read morenot at all spicy and I wished they were. The restaurant was a cozy, clean space with a friendly owner. Would come back to try something else.

Amazing place, delicious food too! You must try their ramens, the broth is extreamly rich and…read moreflavourful, sweet and salty, magnifique!!! Service is wonderful, even if you are coming for the first time you feel as all the staff knows you. They treat you with care and friendliness, it makes you feel welcomed. The restaurant has a charming small family owned business, that to me makes it even more valuable. Big hearts and big plates!!

My BF is an alum of UWaterloo and said this was his favorite spot while he was there, so it was a…read moremust-stop on our trip. And I can see why it was his favorite. Love the vibes, very casual, and the server was really friendly too. She was super enthusiastic when our group requested sake bombs. This was my first time going to an AYCE izakaya, and it made me wish there was one where I live. The highlight was definitely the beef teriyaki - comes out sizzling hot. The chicken teriyaki felt sad in comparison lol. Sushi was pretty good quality as well. Melona bars to top off the night! Would come back here always if I was in the area.

Let me state up front that the food is great. It's fresh and there's a good selection…read more My reason for giving 3 stars is the choice of seating and the service. We went as a group of 7 with a reservation. For some reason, instead of seating a larger group at the stand alone (but combinable tables) at the front of the restaurant, they decided to sit us at a booth that holds six with the +1 in a chair in the pathway to the bathroom. Ordering food is done on 2 pieces of paper - one for sushi and one for all the other food. Unlike many other AYCE restaurants, there is no description of the food and there's no iPad to see a photo of what you might be ordering. It makes it very difficult to select, and the waiters are really not around to ask questions. They wanted all 7 of us to use the single paper. I explained to the waiter that I wasn't at a restaurant to do math and add up all the pieces and orders and go person by person. Could we possibly get a second set of papers so we could split the table into 2 groups? Yes, but with great difficulty. The food started to come. Overall, very fast from paper to food. So, where did they put the food? Right in front of me as one if the people sitting at the end. They would place plate after plate in front of me. Often with no explanation of what food it was. Apparently, it is the person at the end of the table's job to announce the food and identify the person(s) who it belongs to. So, with the number of dishes ordered, there was little opportunity for me to eat. There was also no place for me to place my food on the table in front of me. It was beyond frustrating. Along the way, they began forgetting to deliver food that was ordered and they began delivering food we did not order. I believe the restaurant should have placed us at the tables at the front of the restaurant. All large groups would benefit front this and all would be able to enjoy the food.

*4.5* stars This…read morerestaurant has a very unique taste and dishes that aren't really seen anywhere else in the KW region (not that I'm aware of at least!) I saw it on Ubereats and saw there was a BOGO going on so I ordered it. I was pleasantly surprised at the complexity and variety of dishes they had! If you crave Asian food, I definitely recommend this place. This place seems to primarily be for hotpot, but I can understand with covid it's harder to see that side right now. Nonetheless, they have many options outside their hotpot as well. I got the seafood with vermecilli noodles for my partner and a Mala spice with fish noodles for myself. The beef pho was a BOGO option so I got them for tomorrow's meal. (the BOGO list was quite limited). They were delicious and I found the portion sizing to be quite nice! The soup was very very flavorful and hits the spot. Again something that I haven't found in the KW area at all until now and would crave (since it can be found commonly back home in Toronto) Packaging, wait time and everything was fine. Why it's not a perfect score is because of its price point. It's a lot pricier than some other places. Their primary feature is hotpot and noodles. The hotpot options seemed fairly nice but there's also a few other hotpot places just around the corner too. With the noodles, you can get the same large portion (but different noodle type, same richness in broth though) for half the price that they set it at here. I personally see this place as somewhere I'd get ever so often, or special occasions only. For student prices, I'd probably look to go elsewhere. However, you can't deny how good their broth is, so it's not a big enough deal to knock off a star completely.

I was excited to try this place as I've been looking for a good ramen restaurant in the KW area. On…read moretheir opening day I immediately made plans to check it out. We ordered the tonkotsu ramen and the shio both with an egg, but the order came out with both tonkotsu. We weren't sure if both orders were wrong, as the "chashu pork" seemed to be more like a ground/minced pork - similar to the "tantan". Upon confirming with the waiter if this was the correct order, she said yes that is what the chashu is supposed to look like. (see photo for reference) The ramen I would give a 5/10. - The noodles were good, they were chewy and not too soft. I only wish there were options for thin/thick noodles. 7/10 - The broth was very thick and heavy, and also salty. 5/10 - The ramen egg (additional $2) was very good, however at other ramen places, an additional egg would only be ~50¢-$1. 8/10 - There were no vegetables in the ramen dish. Although it was clear that there weren't any from the menu, I wish there was corn or bean sprouts to balance the heavy flavour of the broth. (bean sprouts would've been another $2, corn $1) - The ground pork was ok. I was expecting slices of chashu (as it does mean japanese braised pork belly). 1/10 The dumplings were a 1/10. - They came out very soft and wet. We could barely pick it up with our chopsticks. The dough was very thin and the dumplings were not filled properly. - They resembled more as a wonton or soup dumpling as you'd have to slurp it up. Not fried like actual "gyoza" The service was an 7/10. - The server was very friendly and checked up on us frequently. - As it was their opening the server (she) did a good job. - Our only complaint is the wrong order - though we should've double checked after. Overall i'm giving ramen rebels a 2 stars out of 5. The ramen was ok but quite pricey (especially for students), the chashu pork was not what I expected, the dumplings were not good but the service was decent.

I haven't had a whole lot of ramen in my life but this was definitely the best I've had so far! I…read morewas very happy with the meal we recieved for the price. I ordered the pork bone broth bowl (I can't remember the actual name right now) and it was very good. It was delicious to begin with, but the sesame sauce made it fantastic. The cut of pork that was in the ramen was okay, just a little "marrow-y" in some places. The best flavor of the meal came from the sesame sauce in my opinion. The service was also very friendly and helpful with the menu. I would absolutely visit again next time we're in Canada.

We came here for lunch on a Tuesday and ordered the salmon lover bento ($22) which also came with…read moremiso soup, the watami on king roll ($18) and the rice paper roll ($12). The salmon was fresh and we loved the uniqueness of the rice paper rolls, however I was a bit disappointed at it only coming with 4 pieces. The service was quick and friendly and we loved the atmosphere and ambiance of the restaurant. Definitely a great spot to check out in Uptown, though a bit more pricey than some other sushi spots.

Went with a Japanese co-worker to try this place. I felt like I was stepping into a restaurant in…read moreNagoya or Tokyo. Very authentic experience. They even greeted my co-worker in Japanese. But fear not, their English is perfect as well! The menu itself is very straight-forward. Appetizers and sushi rolls, some nigiri, and a modest selection of entrees. We started with appetizers - chicken karaage and gindara (grilled miso black cod). Both were delicious! First time I had tried gindara - would absolutely get that again. For my entree, I ordered their katsu don, which is a deep fried pork cutlet served over mixed rice with veggies and fried egg with a dashi sauce. Very good! We split a couple of pots of green tea for drinks. The tea had a wonderful subtle flavor. For dessert, we tried red bean pancakes with vanilla ice cream. So good! The service was very good, and I found the price very reasonable. Would absolutely try this one again!

I have been stopping in since the location opened in Guelph. I think the only thing I noticed is…read moresome of the hot dishes- they have had a reduction of protein and more onions I guess to adjust to food pricing? The location has been consistent with the complimentary three apps- not as many as some location in Toronto- but consistent in quality and taste. The location has fast service- except when staff are having lunch mid-afternoon. The barley tea is complimentary. Fried chicken is okay-occasionally a bit soggy but it's doused in a sauce- so don't be so surprised. Definitely worth stopping it. It is quite consistent with their other locations. 10% off with cash payment.

In my search for a really good spot for Pork Bone Soup in Waterloo Area, I've come across The…read morefamous Owl Minerva In three separate occasions now. Each time I just happen to always finish my bowl of Pork Bone soup to the very bottom!!! Phenomenal consistency in making it! Cheers!! Service was very attentive and not too overbearing! I got to enjoy my time with my soup! 10/10 recommend! looking forward to my next visit!