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.

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.

The restaurant was empty when we entered so we were seated promptly and the food came out quickly…read more Overall the ramen was just okay. The broth lacked flavour and the chashu was sliced very thick so it was tough to bite. The karaage tasted odd and not very crispy. The oil on the broth dried up very quickly and created a film over the soup which made it look very unappetizing. Pricy for what it is.

*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.

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.

When it was still open, my favourites were Kaizen Warrior, Spicy Negi, and Yuzu Shio Chicken. They…read moreare all super flavourful and soul-fulfilling. All their dishes are unique and creative, which means they are either a hit or a miss for me. For example, I hear reviewers who liked the Meat Lover-- I don't. I have a very low opinion of it but others seem to like that one. On the other hand, some didn't enjoy Kaizen Warrior, which I am not sure why as it is super flavourful. Perhaps, it was just poorly made that day by the cooks or it just didn't fit them. The only valid criticism is that the broth can be too salty for some. I am fine with that as I don't eat there frequently. So, try them out and keep an open mind if you happen to not like your bowl. Such a shame it closed.

I would definitely come back. The ramen place is to die for, the broth is so flavorful and…read moredelicious. The noodles are made on spot, and are perfectly cooked. My husband ordered this cold noodle dish which he liked it a lot. Also, the cheeseburger gyoza were interesting. I wasn't a fan, but my husband enjoyed it. The food arrived very fast after ordering. We ordered and got the food within 10 minutes. They even have frozen version sold in their restaurant and in stores. I also believe they have a warehouse where they make the noodles, I haven't been there.

Soft open alert!…read more Santosei is now in KW, in the Henry's plaza on Fairway across from the TD Canada Trust. With social distancing, they can only seat 3 tables, so hopefully you get there when they're not busy. The current soft opening hours can be found on their website. They open at 3pm and close in the evening. I was super stoked when this place opened up. I love ramen and have been wanting a new place that was near and dear to my heart in TO. My friend and I sat down rather quickly and was handed the short menu. I ordered the black tonkotsu - tonkotsu broth was beautifully smooth on the tongue. The black garlic oil added the needed flavour to kick this bowl up a notch. The thick noodles were bouncy and chewy. The chasu on it was ok - the flavour wasn't amazing, but it did fall apart when you pick it up. The soy egg was very nicely cooked, Perfectly uncooked on the inside and solid on the out. My friend ordered the tan tan noodles. What we were expecting were spicy noodles with a bit of a peanut flavour, as regular tan tan noodles are. This bowl came with small bits of ground pork, bamboo shoots and noodles. The soup was not spicy. It actually lacked a lot of flavour. There was a ton of grease in this one as well. I would say that this was a fail. For me to take someone on their first experience of Santosei, this is a stay away for us. It will not make a non ramen eater a ramen fan. We also ordered the spicy slow cooker chicken wings. This was by far the best thing we had that day. Very nice spice to it (with that said, I eat very spicy. so If you can't take spice, be warned that this might be a little too spicy for you). The mellow flavours of star anise and soy was really really good. Overall, the service was great. There was a ratio of 1.2 servers to every socially distanced table. They were attentive to our looks and needs of attention.

It was good service was above average. Small but cozy. Food was very good hot and fast beer is…read morecold. Will definitely go back.

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!

(Delivery order)…read more Beef Spicy Garlic Ramen: The packaging doesn't keep soup hot. It does say on the side to microwave, but I don't order takeout with the intention of having to reheat things right out of the bag. There's also very little soup, barely enough to cover the noodles. The beef is quite dry.

The ramen and service was exceptional the servers were so nice, one even remember me and the person…read morei was with from last summer not mention the vibe was chill

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!!