Terrible I think they changed owners anyways went there for late dinner thought it was going to be a healthy choice. All night feeling off the 3 am woke up with i coming out both ends. The worst I've ever experienced. Food poisoning is an experience on its self.both my partner had it and only ate there. A few things that got me thinking never got a refill on ice tea and never asked then they were filling containers but closing in 30 mins odd time to fill.$60 dinner to get food poisoning and not even a refill on drink. We went Jan 29th 2026. I hope no one else got sick.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
Scott Bodnar
Just live how much you get and cooking it right there in front of you
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
nitesh Dive
We have always had a strong connection with Hoja and have visited many times over the past year. We also hold a Hoja membership, and this restaurant has been one of the places we genuinely enjoyed visiting as a family.
Today, we visited with our 2-year-old daughter. The restaurant was very busy, which we completely understood. Unfortunately, due to a misunderstanding during the rush, my wife’s order was given to another customer. At that point, she had not eaten anything.
It was later explained that policy says customers should not leave their bowl once it is placed on the table to be handed to the chef. In our case, my wife had stepped away briefly to attend to our daughter and returned to the counter a few times during the wait. We understand that policies exist, and we also understand that mistakes happen, especially during busy hours. The chef could have reasonably verified the order, and we truly believe this was an honest mistake due to the rush.
Both my wife and I come from hospitality backgrounds, so we are very understanding of how easily such situations can occur. The issue for us was never the mistake itself, but how the situation was handled afterward.
Because we were tired and hungry, and did not want to escalate anything, I calmly requested that my portion be packed to go so the food would not be wasted, and so we could leave peacefully. We remained polite and respectful throughout.
What was emotionally difficult was the repeated statement that “this time we are not charging,” especially in front of other customers, even though my wife had not received or eaten any food. We were not asking for a favor — only a quiet and fair resolution. I even asked if we could simply complete the billing and leave, as the situation was becoming uncomfortable.
At the billing counter, when my wife tried to explain calmly, the responses made us feel misunderstood and embarrassed in front of others. This was particularly hard with our young child present. Being told that we should not return if we were unhappy was deeply hurtful, especially given how often we have chosen this restaurant.
The entire interaction can be verified through camera footage — our body language and tone remained calm and respectful throughout. The only moment where voices were raised was when another customer directed inappropriate comments toward my wife. She responded calmly and briefly, only to address the situation and protect herself, as any parent would for their child. We are sharing this experience not to assign blame, but because it was genuinely upsetting and could have been handled with more understanding and empathy.
We would be open to discussing this further with management or the owner. We did not want to write a review like this, but we could not find any other way to reach out. It is painful to start the year on such a note, especially at a place we once felt comfortable and welcomed.
Service: 1
ginni malhotra
I was here but there was a confusion with the chef my food was given to someone. I waited around 10-15 mins to get food but there was no food i mentioned my sever that I did get any food and I have no patience to wait but husband did so we will only take one meal please charge us accordingly so the manager came to my table implying I am lying to her and still she gonna do me a favour not charge us for me she kept repeating the same without listening to what I had to say provoking us so my husband said we should leave asked for take out box also mentioned he will pay for it. I was so shocked by her behaviour. I have never had this worst customer service. She was loud at the table and I was so humiliated all the people around us started to look and talk about us. At the paying counter I again told her you need keep calm and listen first that's good customer service she again started to act like a victim and do drama. I will never suggest this place to anyone ever again !!! She made a whole scene other people got involved and I was a very humiliating situation
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
zaena
Hoja has received the feedback and now states which food items are vegan! They have 2 vegan noodle options, and most of their sauces are vegan as well. The food is great! Highlh reccomend
Nikki Watson
Same amazing grill guy! Amazing all you can eat, so full, great place to have a birthday dinner
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Bhavraj Serown
First time going there and the hostess showed me how to build my own Hoja and she was very nice and helpful and the food tasted great
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 4
Service: 5
Nicky F
First time coming here and we loved it! We are vegetarian so we were pleasantly surprised with the many veggie options that included tofu and even chickpeas. The food was made fresh and very delicious! Would definitely come again and highly recommend.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Barton Lee
I’ve been coming here for a while, but after today I’m done. This place will never see me again. I was charged $70 for food that wouldn’t even pass at a budget buffet. Nothing on the line was prepared properly. Several items were still cold or partially frozen, while others were so overcooked they were inedible.
The “buffet” looked careless, rushed, and completely unprofessional. The cook clearly lacked experience; it felt like someone learning on the job with no supervision. We only took two plates, and even then we struggled to finish because the quality was that disappointing. There was nothing that made us want to go back for more.
To put it plainly, the food selection was worse than the cheapest local Chinese buffet and I would rather spend $100 there than $50 here, because at least their food is consistent. This place is offering premium prices for substandard food, and the gap between cost and quality is almost insulting.
This was not a meal. It was a waste of money, time, and trust. I won’t be returning, and I wouldn’t recommend this restaurant to anyone who values their money or their appetite.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 1
Service: 3
Mar Brookman
Great food. Our go to whenever we are in Kamloops.
Don’t bother ordering online for this place. They will mess up the order so bad. Leave out half of your veggies and leave no sauces. The protein will be pale and sad looking. I guess you have to go in and stand right in front of them for them to make it better.
Food: 1
Kristine
Food concept is poor. Basically, this restaurant offers all you can eat noodles or rice, they put it on a grill to cook and that's about it. Nothing special and very limited options.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 5
Zoe Capps
Easily some of the best food we’ve ever had. Been coming here for years and always a great experience. I can’t recommend Hoja enough! Wish there was a place like this in Vancouver!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Dalia A
Great food and great service
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Riley Rempel
I just love meat in my mouth and the cook, well he enjoyed giving me all the meat I wanted
Terrible I think they changed owners anyways went there for late dinner thought it was going to be a healthy choice. All night feeling off the 3 am woke up with i coming out both ends. The worst I've ever experienced. Food poisoning is an experience on its self.both my partner had it and only ate there. A few things that got me thinking never got a refill on ice tea and never asked then they were filling containers but closing in 30 mins odd time to fill.$60 dinner to get food poisoning and not even a refill on drink. We went Jan 29th 2026. I hope no one else got sick.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
Just live how much you get and cooking it right there in front of you
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
We have always had a strong connection with Hoja and have visited many times over the past year. We also hold a Hoja membership, and this restaurant has been one of the places we genuinely enjoyed visiting as a family.
Today, we visited with our 2-year-old daughter. The restaurant was very busy, which we completely understood. Unfortunately, due to a misunderstanding during the rush, my wife’s order was given to another customer. At that point, she had not eaten anything.
It was later explained that policy says customers should not leave their bowl once it is placed on the table to be handed to the chef. In our case, my wife had stepped away briefly to attend to our daughter and returned to the counter a few times during the wait. We understand that policies exist, and we also understand that mistakes happen, especially during busy hours. The chef could have reasonably verified the order, and we truly believe this was an honest mistake due to the rush.
Both my wife and I come from hospitality backgrounds, so we are very understanding of how easily such situations can occur. The issue for us was never the mistake itself, but how the situation was handled afterward.
Because we were tired and hungry, and did not want to escalate anything, I calmly requested that my portion be packed to go so the food would not be wasted, and so we could leave peacefully. We remained polite and respectful throughout.
What was emotionally difficult was the repeated statement that “this time we are not charging,” especially in front of other customers, even though my wife had not received or eaten any food. We were not asking for a favor — only a quiet and fair resolution. I even asked if we could simply complete the billing and leave, as the situation was becoming uncomfortable.
At the billing counter, when my wife tried to explain calmly, the responses made us feel misunderstood and embarrassed in front of others. This was particularly hard with our young child present. Being told that we should not return if we were unhappy was deeply hurtful, especially given how often we have chosen this restaurant.
The entire interaction can be verified through camera footage — our body language and tone remained calm and respectful throughout. The only moment where voices were raised was when another customer directed inappropriate comments toward my wife. She responded calmly and briefly, only to address the situation and protect herself, as any parent would for their child. We are sharing this experience not to assign blame, but because it was genuinely upsetting and could have been handled with more understanding and empathy.
We would be open to discussing this further with management or the owner. We did not want to write a review like this, but we could not find any other way to reach out. It is painful to start the year on such a note, especially at a place we once felt comfortable and welcomed.
Service: 1
I was here but there was a confusion with the chef my food was given to someone. I waited around 10-15 mins to get food but there was no food i mentioned my sever that I did get any food and I have no patience to wait but husband did so we will only take one meal please charge us accordingly so the manager came to my table implying I am lying to her and still she gonna do me a favour not charge us for me she kept repeating the same without listening to what I had to say provoking us so my husband said we should leave asked for take out box also mentioned he will pay for it. I was so shocked by her behaviour. I have never had this worst customer service. She was loud at the table and I was so humiliated all the people around us started to look and talk about us. At the paying counter I again told her you need keep calm and listen first that's good customer service she again started to act like a victim and do drama. I will never suggest this place to anyone ever again !!! She made a whole scene other people got involved and I was a very humiliating situation
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
Hoja has received the feedback and now states which food items are vegan! They have 2 vegan noodle options, and most of their sauces are vegan as well. The food is great! Highlh reccomend
Same amazing grill guy! Amazing all you can eat, so full, great place to have a birthday dinner
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
First time going there and the hostess showed me how to build my own Hoja and she was very nice and helpful and the food tasted great
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 4
Service: 5
First time coming here and we loved it!
We are vegetarian so we were pleasantly surprised with the many veggie options that included tofu and even chickpeas.
The food was made fresh and very delicious! Would definitely come again and highly recommend.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
I’ve been coming here for a while, but after today I’m done. This place will never see me again. I was charged $70 for food that wouldn’t even pass at a budget buffet. Nothing on the line was prepared properly. Several items were still cold or partially frozen, while others were so overcooked they were inedible.
The “buffet” looked careless, rushed, and completely unprofessional. The cook clearly lacked experience; it felt like someone learning on the job with no supervision. We only took two plates, and even then we struggled to finish because the quality was that disappointing. There was nothing that made us want to go back for more.
To put it plainly, the food selection was worse than the cheapest local Chinese buffet and I would rather spend $100 there than $50 here, because at least their food is consistent. This place is offering premium prices for substandard food, and the gap between cost and quality is almost insulting.
This was not a meal. It was a waste of money, time, and trust. I won’t be returning, and I wouldn’t recommend this restaurant to anyone who values their money or their appetite.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 1
Service: 3
Great food. Our go to whenever we are in Kamloops.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Restaurantji Recommends
Don’t bother ordering online for this place. They will mess up the order so bad. Leave out half of your veggies and leave no sauces. The protein will be pale and sad looking. I guess you have to go in and stand right in front of them for them to make it better.
Food: 1
Food concept is poor. Basically, this restaurant offers all you can eat noodles or rice, they put it on a grill to cook and that's about it. Nothing special and very limited options.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 5
Easily some of the best food we’ve ever had. Been coming here for years and always a great experience. I can’t recommend Hoja enough! Wish there was a place like this in Vancouver!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Great food and great service
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
I just love meat in my mouth and the cook, well he enjoyed giving me all the meat I wanted
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
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