Watari

I will b very honest here. I have been to watari 3 times, 2 times during weekday and once on saturday. Everytime i went during weekday it suxed ass caz it was just kids making sushi, rolls and whatever else u ordered. But on saturday when the main chefs were working it was better but still not that great. Well i guess its still better than zen. So my recommendation is if u wanna go to sushi buffet and try watari try going on weekends.

I went on a weekday and it was surprisingly busy. The menu had a lot of sushi, hot food, appetizers and maki to choose from. However, the sashimi selection was lacking compared to other AYCE. We got mainly salmon, tuna and ebi sashimi, but we were disappointed by the cut of the sashimi and the inconsistent color and taste of the tuna.
Some highlights were that the food came out quick. We enjoyed the beef sashimi, which not many other AYCE have on their menu. The temperas were fresh and hot. We tried some innovative dishes such as tuna tacos, butter chicken sushi, calamari pokey, which were okay.
Overall, Watari wasn’t bad, but if you are looking for quality, I would go to Kobe or Japanese Bistro or any other Japanese restaurant rather than an AYCE. But you are looking for variety over quality, then this is a good place for that.

This place is under-​appreciated. I have been to other all-​you-​can-​eat Japanese buffets in the city and Watari is definitely AT LEAST a 4 star.
I went here on a Sunday evening. thankfully it was not busy and parking was free. The setup of tables are unique, and although the place doesn’t appear to be new, it was decently kept. The ladies attended to us right away and brought our drinks promptly. As soon as we ordered, the food came right away and all the portion sizes were perfect.
A few items in particular that deserve an honorable mention are:
— Spicy Salmon Taco… hands down my absolute favorite item on the menu! The taco was crispy and fresh and the topping was flavourful!
— Teriyaki Chicken… moist, good portion, lots of flavour
— Cream Chese Wonton… we tried this out of curiousity as we’ve never seen this before. It was really good! Made fresh and highly recommended!
— Bean Sprout Salad & Mushrooms… I know, such simple items on the menu. You would not think this deserves a rating, but the bean sprout was well seasoned and their mushrooms were plump, fresh and juicy. These were nice little wins for Watari!
— Beef Short Rib… though I did not eat this personally, it received some intense compliments from my table about its juicyness and flavour.
The reason for the missing star would only be that the sashimi could’ve been a little more fresh. It was still really good, but you can tell the age of the fish (or at least how long its been out) based on its consistency when you pick it up with the chopstick. I am such a big fan of sashimi and I always get salmon and tuna everywhere I go.
Other than that, I was more than satisfied with my meal and would definitely come back (and maybe much more often if it were closer to where I lived or worked!). I also won’t complain if others refuse to come back to Watari… that just means there will be more available tables for us appreciative-​folks to enjoy.

As has been written by a few others, this «all you can eat, buffet» of sushi is not what you may think :-) I would like to give it a 3.5, but alas…
We went on April 1^st (of all days ;-)). Not knowing what to expect, we did assume there would be the traditional «area» of buffet style sushi with perhaps someone making them as they were consumed, however, not so. Instead, the very attentive staff, brought over the menus and also a form where you fill it out for each time you want another helping. In many respects it resembles «La Pampa» except that those folks go around with the food in hand ready to give it to you if you flip your little dial, whereas here, you fill out the form, they take it and bring your order for each time they see «empty» plates at your table :-)
As well, they have drink specials so we enjoyed a nice hot sake and a 16oz Sapporo, each one at 5 $. The desserts where quite good and also unexpected… We ordered the Watari Mud Jar and the Chocolate Volcano, both quite good for the price point (5 $ each). The buffet is 33 $ per person which is reasonable I feel for the quality (all very fresh and again, the Staff was always looking to SEE if we were ready to order again :-)).
I am not sure how it would be for a group since at that point it could get pricey since everyone would be eating foods together… However, for a nice and easy night out, this place is good. It has a casual atmosphere and it was nice to notice people who knew each other as they entered for their separate dinner reservations, so from this, it is «neighbourhood gem» I would say :-)

Food is decent but I got food poisoning the next day. I have a fever and everything I eat upsets my stomach. 5 out of 9 people in my group got sick the next day. My daughter and mother-​in-​law got sick. My brother-​in-​law and his daughter are vomiting. Probably not a coincidence.

I go back because I love sashimi other than that everything else is just okay I wish they had great rolls in that case I’d come back more regularly

Probably the worst eat-​all-​you-​can Japanese in Edmonton. Yes, I’ve been at Zen a few times, and I thought it could not get any worse, but I Watari just proved me wrong, and even at the expense of $ 75 (3 x $ 25). I must say the salmon sashimi was not really bad, but it went a steep downhill from there! tempura were soggy and oily and almost inedible! spicy tuna roll was so fishy I almost puke it. Add to that terrible to terrible service, specially by the lone caucasian lady, and we just decided to abandon the place early — even my son who would normally order more just recommended that we just go home! Again, avoid like a plague!

Ok. Ive eaten with friends at most all u can eat sushi joints in Edmonton calgary Lethbridge and Vancouver… This place, based on all my experience thus far would be almost rated last place.
Heres why :
They add gratuity automatically if u have 6 or more at a table. We had 5 and they still added. Doesnt matter if there service is awful, they still add. So they know they dont have to work for it.
It gets 2 stars simply for the décor and that its decent inside.
All downhill from there.
They always miss items when u order or simply lose your order making you re order (they do this when its busy as an excuse. Its happened to us a few times)
The food comes out very very slow and ultra small portions at a time. So good luck when u r with 3 or more.
Rolls are very very small.
Taste is sub par. Nothing out of the ordinary thats for sure.
The selection is average minus the very lil selection of kitchen items
No desert on the menu. Not even a scoop of icecream
For the service and below average standard the price is waaayyyy to high. We paid over 30 $ and dont forget the FORCED 17% tip!!! each on a friday and received hardly anything. And when we knew they were not bringing items out, we left. Also to note, during our dinning experience we observed 2 other tables leave before us and complain to the lady taking the payment.

There Feb 15^th for their Valentine special dinner. Just great as usual. Extras were tasty and unique, so very well received. Owner, David, was his usual gracious host but was kept busy making sure all his guests were treated well.
Every visit to the restaurant has always met or exceeded our expectations and Sunday was no exception.
Highly recommend

Great food. All u can eat. Wonderful busy atmosphere.
Reserve cause it’s busy and great.

I was here for all you can eat with some friends. I ended up getting food poisoning symptoms the next day so I am not impressed. I had the salmon and tuna sashimi, volcano rolls, beef tataki, shrimp and vegetable tempura, and miso soup. The freshness and quality of the food was questionable.
We were also in a bind as we came on boxing day and not many places were open that evening. It did seem quite popular though as when we walked in, it was jammed packed and we lucked out getting a table right away. Parking was not abundant but there were some in the back.

Not bad for AYCE. I guess $ 32 is the going price for dinner that includes sashimi. I do find their choices a bit limited compared to other places but the quality actually isn’t bad. However, like most other AYCE places, we never got our full order on some items. For example, on the short ribs, we would order like 30 pieces and they would bring us one plate of 10 pieces. I actually asked if there was a limit to which they said no, but we never got the amount we ordered, strangely. And that was only for the short ribs! I can’t comment on the service b/​c my cousin knew one of the servers, so naturally it was great.

Unfortunately, this is just another okay sushi place in edmonton. If I could have given 2.5 stars, I would have…
The good thing is that they have parking around back for customers, their prices are fair, and they have cute table set ups
The bad thing is their sushi doesn’t quite taste fresh. It’s never a sure thing in edmonton but some of the sushi was definitely questionable.
They have great items on the menu and their non raw selection was delicious, I just had a bit of a struggle trusting their raw selection after the first few bites. It tastes less fresh than I would have liked but it wasn’t bad.
Overall, it’s not bad but it’s not amazing either. I’m definitely going to be trying out other sushi joints around the city before coming back here…

Came here we a group of friends, wait was 45 minutes to get a table and another 20 minutes for drinks and the first couple of items to appear. Being a group of 8, we expected food to arrive quickly in the correct quantity we ordered however we found that the more expensive items eg) red snapper, halibut, salmon and eel never showed up during our stay. Dishes such as teriyaki chicken, beef only arrived in a single 3oz serving despite ordering 5 of them each.
***3 oz serving for table of 8 adults = tiny morsel per person!!!***
Additionally, cooked items and more expensive items were really slow to come out in the beginning… or never at all. It took 30 minutes for 2 appetizer sized plates of 3 oz teriyaki beef and chicken to arrive for a table of 8… dishes such as eel maki did not come out at all despite being initially ordered and reordered!
The food was standard ayce fair, nothing outstanding but passable. The sushi rice was a bit on the dry side (hard and dense) and could’ve used more vinegar for flavouring.
Sashimi was ok for the tuna and salmon, our orders of red snapper, crab, tomago and ect never showed up during our entire visit despite being reordered in the second order sheet we submitted.
Sushi orders (regardless of type) also never showed up but we did get the much cheaper cones and maki rolls that were heavy on rice. (sushi is fish served on a piece of rice while maki is the rolls with seaweed)
Tge mandatory 16% gratuity gives them major indifference to the experience you receive as they automatically make over $ 5 per person from you despite over HALF of the items you order NEVER arriving.
When inquiring about the rest of the order waitresses just get you re order them rather than check on the status of them with kitchen staff.

This place is awesome! The food comes out really fast and the waitresses are very attentive. You must try to prosciutto rolls! It’s a little pricier than other sushi ayce restaurants but absolutely worth it.

THE BAD: Service for our table of 8 was very poor. It seems that the mandatory 15% tip took away any motivation to provide service. To begin, our waitress forgot to bring menus. Once she brought drinks, she forgot to take our orders (after 45 minutes of hungry waiting, we had to flag her down), and once the food came out, it was scattered over 30 – 40 minutes rather than all at once and some of what we ordered was forgotten. There were also errors with the bill that took time to correct.
THE GOOD: The non-​AYCE menu (which you have to ask for) is quite cheap (e, g, $ 2.95 for green onion cake, $ 3.95 for spring rolls) and tasty.
THE VERDICT: I’ll be back again for the food, hoping that the poor service was an anomaly.

Came from GTA (great Toronto area) packed with so many all-​you-​can-​eat sushi places, I was truly disappointed. Walking into any ACYE sushi place in GTA, you would have seem a menu with 5x the selections and no one would set a limit on sushimi orders.
However, it is really not fair to give low rating to this place, as it seems that other sushi places in this town are not any better anyway. Maybe this is just Edmonton…
At least this place offers good environment, really great service and most importantly, the fish is fresh.
If anyone ask me to recommend a sushi buffet, this place would be the one. But at the same time, I would tell him/​her to avoid sushi buffet in general in Edmonton… really not worth your money.
It is like trying to find a good pizza place in Singapore. I spent a year and finally gave up.

First of all, let me preface this post by saying that an All-​You-​Can-​Eat restaurant is completely different from a regular restaurant. There’s a huge difference in quality and there is a balance with quantity and variety. I’ve eaten at a fair amount of Japanese restaurants in the city (Japonais Bistro, Sushi Wasabi, Yokozuna, Ichiban, etc. I don’t even know if I could name them all!). If you want quality over quantity, then I recommend you stick with one of the aforementioned places.
I think the beef tataki is one of my favourite things to order. Definitely a must-​order, and definitely a bonus that it’s unlimited. Everything kind of balances together. The sauce might be a little bit too strong, and could overpower the rest of the dish, but overall it’s pretty good. The garnish is just seaweed and onions and it complements the meat very nicely. It’s relatively fresh and good, and consistent throughout my various visits.
This is their seaweed salad. Nothing too amazing, we just wanted to have a small appetizer. We also tried their bean sprout salad as well. Good flavours, nothing too bold. It’s exactly what you expect from a seaweed salad.
The sashimi here is relatively fresh. I find that depending on when you come, it can play a factor on how good the sashimi is. Out of the times I’ve been here, it’s been pretty good. I can’t really complain about it. Maybe it was a bit closer on the warm side than cool. I’ve been once where it was served on ice, and I think that was a really nice touch, but if it’s busy in here, than it can come out a little bit later than you would hope.
Hawaii Pokey salad. Just some cut up pieces of raw salmon with onions served with a nice sauce. The onions were a bit strong and maybe could have been lightly sautéed first and chilled before mixing. I think it would have given it a bit of sweetness and reduced the strong flavours a bit.
beef short rib. It comes out relatively hot. One of their better kitchen items, in my opinion. It has good flavours. I generally like this cut of beef. I find it to be relatively moist and tender. Some people don’t like it because the bone makes it a little bit harder to eat but overall I think it’s worth it.
There aren’t very many items on the menu that has unagi, but they do have an unagi roll so that’s one of the ones I generally get. My first two visits, the rolls were kind of typical, nothing amazing, but nothing too bad. However, on my third visit, the rice used in the rolls was terrible. It was definitely way over done. Not to mention the rolls were completely filled with rice and barely had any fish or filling in it. It was really mushy, and not very well done. I hope that they were just having an off night, and not just trying to skimp out on their rolls because it definitely made a poor impression on me.
chicken karage. Out of all of their kitchen items, this is also one of their better options. The chicken itself was not too dry and the sauce was not too overpowering. It’s worth it to just get one to try or share with your friends…

I think that this is my favourite Edmonton AYCE sushi place now. Like all All You Can Eat Sushi places it has a limited menu selection but I like the decisions that this new-​ish place has made with regards to what to include on the menu. The limitation of 30 pieces of sashimi per person is ample — and I adored their tuna sashimi! It reminded me of the tuna sashimi I remember eating as a child.
Perhaps my favourite item on the menu that I tried was the fruity salad rolls. These reminded me of the salad rolls that the Matahari restaurant used to have in this exact location… but were so much more flavourful as they include a good variety of fruit/​veggies.
Our service was prompt and incredibly fast considering that this is an All You Can Eat location. Our servers were great at responding to our concerns (especially as I spilled stuff all over the table). Like most all you can eat locations some items did not arrive but that’s unsurprising.
While I didn’t eat dessert, the dessert menu looked pretty appetizing — many of us did at our table.
Groups of 6 or more have a 15% gratuity added to their bills automatically.

AYCE (all you can eat) sushi. Frequently visit this place especially if I just went to West Edmonton Mall. Food presentation is good. Ambience is a typical sushi place with Japanese elevator music. Place is kept clean and nice. They have lunch specials for their buffets. Fairly packed on weekends especially weekends so it is advisable to call them up and reserve a spot ahead of time. Their menu is fairly good combination of fried items, sushi, sashimi, cones and all those in between. Washrooms are clean and kept as such. 2 hour limit for AYCE sushi.
I love sashimi especially the salmon variety and this place doesn’t skimp on them like some other AYCE sushi bars. Each person on the table gets 30 maximum. Their salad rolls are heavenly!
I went here on a Saturday, 3^rd of January 2015 and it was fairly packed. The older waitress that was assigned to our table was kinda pushy. I genuinely felt she was rushing us. I think it is a general rule among AYCE sushi establishments to give you an ordering sheet as soon as you are nearly finished (about a plate of items) so that the food they will prepare doesn’t stay in room temperature too long without being eaten. Some kind of food safety thing. BUT we only got to order 2 times before our menu and pen were taken. No ordering sheet in sight. We basically had to ask her to give us an ordering sheet.
The score I posted for this establishment doesn’t include staff interaction/​and or service as I think those can still be improved if they are working for this business.