We have become a bit disappointed with our usual AYCE sushi place so we tried out this spot for the first time tonight and we were blown away with how good it was.
The food was amazing and we can't wait to try more of their extensive menu. The flavour of everything was incredible, everything was fresh and the portion sizes are just right.
The service was awesome. Quick and attentive and the server bringing the dishes even took time to identify each item when we orderes multiple roll types at a time.
The atmosphere is perfect. I love the location and the vibe in the restaurant is the right combination of chill and interesting. The drawings at the main counter as a neat touch.
The price was really reasonable for the quality of the food and the service.
Definitely recommend.
Vegetarian options: Loads of veg options
Dietary restrictions: They asked about allergies before we ordered
Parking: Parking on the street is limited but it's right across the street from the main uptown parking lot.
Kid-friendliness: There were kids there
Wheelchair accessibility: Everything is at ground height (no steps) that I could see.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Shrimp Tempura 6, Dragon Rolls, Roll
Joel Crasto
Pricey for takeout but pretty good quality ?
Gayve Kazak
The food was delicious and the service was excellent.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Salmon Sashimi 4 pcs, Black Dragon Roll 8, Dragon Rolls, Roll, Beef Teriyaki, Chicken Teriyaki
Grace Lee
I recently visited Jinzakaya for my boyfriend's birthday, and it was really wonderful! All the workers were so kind, and the food was great. I brought my own mini cake as a surprise, and the workers gladly brought it out, and sang Happy Birthday with me! It was truly a wonderful experience and I would definitely recommend this place:)
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
Yukun Song
This was honestly a terrible Japanese restaurant. The male server with a tattoo had an awful attitude—he even asked us halfway through if we could finish our food, or we’d be fined. On top of that, I suspect they used low-quality, high-oil fish as a substitute for white tuna. I ended up with severe digestive issues—literally leaking oil and running to the bathroom all day. It was unbelievably embarrassing. Avoid this place if you don’t want the same experience.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
Leila Lo Leggio
Amazing and very authentic izakaya. Very fair all you can eat with some wonderful dishes. Some favourites were the grilled squid, the marinated sashimi, but really almost every dish was delicious. Including the deep fried Mars bars. The staff was super helpful. Almost like being at an Izakaya in japan.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Z
I have been here 3 times and the service was very bad. You have very rude staff and racist too. They were extremely unprofessional and they also forced a 15% tip which is not even legal. Be warned that they don’t care about what you feel and their menu is on a paper not electronic like others. It is extremely tedious to order and they made me wait over an hour to seat me and my husband. We are only 2 people. I even witnessed them seat people who came without a reservation before us. I will never come again the sushi was cheap and they barely cover the roll with salmon or avocado.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
Mahde Miqdadi
Calling to make a reservation and they want us to pay 15% tip to make a reservations If we want to give a tip we will give you a tip without making the tip part of the deal to make a reservation it was so rude to ask for the tip before even asking me my name for the reservation. I will never come back to this restaurant ever again.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
Helen Fidler REALTOR
We have been eating at Jinzakya since they opened. We absolutely love love love this restaurant. We wanted to eat there tonight for Thanksgiving and sadly they were closed. We ended up at a different sushi restaurant instead. After eating somewhere else, it made me think to write this review. We love Jinzakya it’s my families absolute favourite!! See you next time :)
Food: 5
Service: 5
Talya Smith
The BEST sushi I've ever had and I'm not even a sushi lover. Omg, everything I ate here was delicious. My absolute favorite is that deep fried shrimp. I almost ate 2 orders of it lol. I went for the all you can eat lunch and was not disappointed. Definitely worth the money. The servers were friendly and the food came fast and all fresh. I will definitely be going back.
We were there tonight, couldn't finish some of the food. Super salty but the service and staff are super friendly.
Dietary restrictions: less salt please
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 3
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Shrimp Tempura, Miso Soup
Simon Willfang
Great food that was delicious and very fresh. Would highly recommend!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Salmon Sashimi 4 pcs, Black Dragon Roll 8, Creme Brulee, Dragon Rolls, Shrimp Tempura, Roll, Miso Soup
Rachel Shen
Jinzakaya and Kinka Izakaya are Waterloo staples - 5 years ago, I savoured every chance I got to eat 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.
Pepega
ESCOLAR Their tuna is actually escolar. What goes in as snow white firm fish comes out looking like Trump run through a blender. The selling of escolar is banned in Japan and Italy.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 1
Service: 5
Lionel Salvignol
Everything is prepared on site with fresh produce. The price is a little high but the quality is good. I recommend without hesitation
We have become a bit disappointed with our usual AYCE sushi place so we tried out this spot for the first time tonight and we were blown away with how good it was.
The food was amazing and we can't wait to try more of their extensive menu. The flavour of everything was incredible, everything was fresh and the portion sizes are just right.
The service was awesome. Quick and attentive and the server bringing the dishes even took time to identify each item when we orderes multiple roll types at a time.
The atmosphere is perfect. I love the location and the vibe in the restaurant is the right combination of chill and interesting. The drawings at the main counter as a neat touch.
The price was really reasonable for the quality of the food and the service.
Definitely recommend.
Vegetarian options: Loads of veg options
Dietary restrictions: They asked about allergies before we ordered
Parking: Parking on the street is limited but it's right across the street from the main uptown parking lot.
Kid-friendliness: There were kids there
Wheelchair accessibility: Everything is at ground height (no steps) that I could see.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Shrimp Tempura 6, Dragon Rolls, Roll
Pricey for takeout but pretty good quality ?
The food was delicious and the service was excellent.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Salmon Sashimi 4 pcs, Black Dragon Roll 8, Dragon Rolls, Roll, Beef Teriyaki, Chicken Teriyaki
I recently visited Jinzakaya for my boyfriend's birthday, and it was really wonderful! All the workers were so kind, and the food was great. I brought my own mini cake as a surprise, and the workers gladly brought it out, and sang Happy Birthday with me! It was truly a wonderful experience and I would definitely recommend this place:)
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
This was honestly a terrible Japanese restaurant. The male server with a tattoo had an awful attitude—he even asked us halfway through if we could finish our food, or we’d be fined. On top of that, I suspect they used low-quality, high-oil fish as a substitute for white tuna. I ended up with severe digestive issues—literally leaking oil and running to the bathroom all day. It was unbelievably embarrassing. Avoid this place if you don’t want the same experience.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
Amazing and very authentic izakaya. Very fair all you can eat with some wonderful dishes. Some favourites were the grilled squid, the marinated sashimi, but really almost every dish was delicious. Including the deep fried Mars bars. The staff was super helpful. Almost like being at an Izakaya in japan.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
I have been here 3 times and the service was very bad. You have very rude staff and racist too. They were extremely unprofessional and they also forced a 15% tip which is not even legal. Be warned that they don’t care about what you feel and their menu is on a paper not electronic like others. It is extremely tedious to order and they made me wait over an hour to seat me and my husband. We are only 2 people. I even witnessed them seat people who came without a reservation before us. I will never come again the sushi was cheap and they barely cover the roll with salmon or avocado.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
Calling to make a reservation and they want us to pay 15% tip to make a reservations
If we want to give a tip we will give you a tip without making the tip part of the deal to make a reservation it was so rude to ask for the tip before even asking me my name for the reservation. I will never come back to this restaurant ever again.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
We have been eating at Jinzakya since they opened. We absolutely love love love this restaurant. We wanted to eat there tonight for Thanksgiving and sadly they were closed. We ended up at a different sushi restaurant instead. After eating somewhere else, it made me think to write this review. We love Jinzakya it’s my families absolute favourite!! See you next time :)
Food: 5
Service: 5
The BEST sushi I've ever had and I'm not even a sushi lover. Omg, everything I ate here was delicious. My absolute favorite is that deep fried shrimp. I almost ate 2 orders of it lol. I went for the all you can eat lunch and was not disappointed. Definitely worth the money. The servers were friendly and the food came fast and all fresh. I will definitely be going back.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Restaurantji Recommends
We were there tonight, couldn't finish some of the food. Super salty but the service and staff are super friendly.
Dietary restrictions: less salt please
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 3
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Shrimp Tempura, Miso Soup
Great food that was delicious and very fresh. Would highly recommend!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Salmon Sashimi 4 pcs, Black Dragon Roll 8, Creme Brulee, Dragon Rolls, Shrimp Tempura, Roll, Miso Soup
Jinzakaya and Kinka Izakaya are Waterloo staples - 5 years ago, I savoured every chance I got to eat 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.
ESCOLAR
Their tuna is actually escolar. What goes in as snow white firm fish comes out looking like Trump run through a blender. The selling of escolar is banned in Japan and Italy.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 1
Service: 5
Everything is prepared on site with fresh produce.
The price is a little high but the quality is good.
I recommend without hesitation
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