168 Sushi Buffet

I’ve been back here a few times since my last review in 2012. The menu has changed a bit and so has the ordering process — they have iPad ordering now. So I figured it was time to update my review. I’m still giving it 4 stars, as it’s still pretty good for Ottawa.
I’ve only returned for lunch, not dinner. Lunch on a weekday is $ 14.95 a person. Soft drinks are no longer included in the price. They are $ 1 extra.
The thing I love about this place now is that they do not use sesame seeds in any of their dishes. I can’t eat sesame seeds, so this is good news for me.
Their maki and handrolls are good for AYCE standards. They are not made with too much rice. Ingredients tasted fresh. I like the Green Dragon Rolls and the Dynamite Rolls (which was actually pretty similar). Spider rolls are no longer on the lunch menu :(
They now have General Tao chicken at this location! It’s more sweet than tangy and not spicy at all. It’s definitely better than at places like Manchu Wok (i.e. food court), but I’ve had better General Tao chicken at other sit-​down restaurants.
Their Beef Bulgogi is tender, but obviously not as good as at Korean Restaurants.
I still love their Shrimp Dumplings (Har Gow). They are still full of shrimp, without the bamboo filler and the outside is still nice and chewy. The Pork Dumplings (Siu Mai) are also good. These are the only dim sum items they offer, but they are my favourite dim sum items, so I’m a happy camper.
Their udon soups are great. The broth tastes vegetable-​based and it is very flavourful. The seafood one comes with a slice of fishcake (kamaboko), a shrimp and a piece of artificial crab (surimi). It also has broccoli, bean sprouts, napa cabbage and carrots, and of course udon noodles.
Their calamari has much improved. It is actually good now. Crispy on the outside and soft and tender on the inside. The yakatori (chicken skewers) was also good. Unfortunately, they didn’t have popcorn chicken or enoki mushroom beef rolls anymore (or at least not for lunch, maybe they are still on the menu for dinner (?).
Their ice cream was rich and creamy and I’m sure the turnover is high because there was no taste of freezer burn like at some locations.
The service was very competent and polite, but no one seemed to smile. Makes me wonder what the working conditions are like there. Nonetheless, I was happy with the service. I didn’t see any of the staff behave inappropriately like mentioned in previous reviews (perhaps they were reprimanded and that is why they look unhappy (?)) You pay at the cash register at the front and there is a box for tips that all servers share (I always tip them extra because I want them to be happier, lol).
This location is in the strip mall at Merivale and Meadowlands, the same with that has the Winners, Laura/​Melanie Lyne, Dollarama, Factory Direct and The Shoe Company. It’s on the side (facing Meadowlands) next to World Burger. There is a lot of free parking.

So perhaps what I’m going to complain about is circumstantial, but based on reviews below I’m going to say not. So we went as a party of 6, on a busy night, okay, but they decided the best way to seat us would be to take an extra long table and split it into two in order fit our party and another group. What proceeded to happen the entire night was all of our orders went to the other table, so only about half of what we ordered came, plus a few that we didn’t order. when we ordered sashimi, on our second round, he said we already hit out limit (uhhh at an all-​you-​can-​eat?) even though the table next to our’s had gotten at least 4 full platters of sashimi. When we brought it up to the waiter he just shrugged it off and didn’t even apologize. So we kept ordering sashimi anyways but would get half of our order. We had to keep asking for more soy sauce and napkins which kept getting forgotten.
What DID arrive was okay, definitely not the best. Terribly disappointing. Will not return. Save your money and go somewhere else.

Lets get to the point. A very solid jap sushi buffet. The atmoshpere is very inviting with many booths to be seated in. I got a large booth so I was very happy about it. You order from an ipad which makes things easy to order and to track. Just hate how the server needs to approve the order. Slows things down a bit. The one star I am taking off is for some food items not being delivered and having to get the server to track them down. This is annoying for any buffet. Not knowing if you should order it again or wait for it to come.
The food is just like every other jap sushi buffet. But slightly above average in quality and taste. I recommend you try a bit of everything you like. You wont be disappointed except with the price. I just hate how the price of AYCE keeps going up. I would come back again. 4 stars ****

I am giving this restaurant a «middle of the road» review, as I believe it is great in some aspects, yet poor in others.
The good: their food is great, especially for an all-​you-​can-​eat establishment. The iPads you use to place your order is innovative and I believe more sushi AYCE restaurants should consider moving to this style of convenient ordering. I should mention they have a customer loyalty program, but only if you press them for a card and stamps (they do not go out of their way to advertise it).
The bad: the staff tend to miscount the quantity of your order, as well as what you ordered, especially so during peak times. We have also seen staff occasionally eat food from tables; I am not sure if this is food from their break or leftovers from a table, however, the perception this leaves to customers who sees this on more than a few occasions is enough to make you wonder. Lastly, the price of the AYCE is falsely stated on their menus and website: you are in fact charged more at the cash when you go to pay. This increase in price is not stated on any store sign and is misleading to the customer who does not catch it.
Overall, while their food is amazing, staff experiences and logistics drag down what would otherwise be a MUCH higher rating. For purposes of legality, please also charge what you print on menus and your website to match what you actually charge customers.

Decent all-​you-​can-​eat menu selections. Don’t recommended the bulgogi or fried udon noodles, rest was good, really liked the fried bananas and red bean ice cream.

168 is a good quality AYCE. The food is good not great and comes at a decent pace. The cost for lunch is reasonable. When I come during lunch I usually order Salmon Rose and then some rolls. Today the Salmon Rose was good but didn’t get the amount that I had ordered which was also with some of the other items we ordered. All in all I would come back again but my expectations are not high

I guess i would prefer Ten sushi buffet in Bank street…

168 sushi is a good alternative to fast food. Although it is somewhat pricey, I must admit that the quality of food is better than that of 1000 Islands Sushi or Sushi Kan. I have been here a number of times, and the service has been great, minus one experience where literally every dish that was brought to us was dirty. Also, it appears as though the quality and presentation of the shushi changes dramatically the later the night goes. So, if you are looking for the best experience, go earlier in the evening before the crowds pick up.
Enjoy

I’m in two minds writing this review. On the one hand the food I ate here was fantastic but the service was among the worst I’ve ever had in a restaurant.
It’s important I note at the start of this review that the pricing is wrong on both the website and the in store leaflets they hand out to customers. The price shown is $ 25 however we were actually charged $ 27. We pointed this out to the cashier at the end and she gave a really weak excuse that the management is different or something. This is unacceptable and if you show one price you should either honour it or remove anything which shows that price.
We waited about 30 minutes for a table, the restaurant was extremely busy (it was a Saturday night). It would be better if, in times like these, the restaurant implemented some sort of text alert when a table was ready as all the wait listed customers had to stand in the doorway or nearby already seated customers. The staff had to pass through this blockage with food for other guests which wasn’t a great system.
When we were finally seated the host didn’t explain how the restaurant worked at all, merely plonking an iPad in front of us and then walking off without a word or a «enjoy your meal». This was to set the tone for the service going forward. None of the wait staff made any effort to enhance our experience whatsoever. On top of this I also saw one staff member sit at a table opposite slurping spaghetti from a Tupperware (do they not provide a staff room for them to eat in?!) and multiple staff members pick over leftovers at a table! This was extremely unprofessional and off putting. I’ve never seen that happen in a restaurant before!
On a more positive note, the food was amazing. We ordered a variety of items and everything tasted fantastic and came out promptly, it’s just a shame that the efforts of the kitchen are soured by the lack of effort and unprofessional nature of the service staff.
The meal cost all in all around $ 30 per person. Sad to say, but as good as the food is I won’t be in a hurry to give this restaurant another $ 30 bucks.

We went to 168 for dinner. 168 has great décor and would be great place for a birthday or some other event. They place music over the intercom and provide deep fried ice cream.
In terms of the food, the sashimi was very lacklustre. From the time that I went, the sashimi felt quite frozen. You could taste the ice cubes from the sashimi. I noticed that this was the same for each type of sashimi (tuna, salmon, red snapper). Aside from the sashimi, the sushi was relatively mediocre. For the price and the quality, I would not visit again.

Food was pretty decent and relatively quick. The only problem I had was an entire plate of salmon sashimi had bones in it. Not one piece, but all of them…

Great price at $ 25! Only thing i would say (being from westcoast) is… What’s with the white tuna???
Taste of everything was good. Not great but you get such a great selection of food. Even some Korean items too!
I did find it odd that there were limits on the mussels. Someone has to explain it to me one day.
Atmosphere was good. Nice and clean restaurant. Ample parking. Love the online ordering though the iPad. So cool!
My new ayce sushi place when I come to visit!

I’m a big fan of «all you can eat» sushi options and this one has become my new regular spot due to relatively decent quality and proximity to home. I love sushi and I have eaten a lot of it, so I can’t give this restaurant a five star rating as it’s not amazing, but it likely wont be disappointing either. The staff are very busy (or at least they give that impression) but they are still pretty prompt at refilling water and tea, and coming to take your next order. Ordering is done on an iPad which allows you to see photos of what you are getting, however there are no descriptions of what can be found in the rolls — for that you need a menu.
The ambiance is not bad either. With mood lighting and darker walls influencing the noise level, it tends to be a nice outing overall. The restaurant also offers a «stamp card» for regulars, one card per person (so in our case, my husband and I cannot share a card and fill it faster, but in the end it will work out to an entirely free meal for the two of us). If you forget your card, you can ask that they sign your receipt and they will add your stamp next time.
I will go back, probably many times, but my search for fantastic Ottawa «all you can eat» is not over. For now, I’m pleaseed with 168.

I’ve been to this location of 168 Sushi several times since it has opened. At first, I thought it was great and I really liked it. Over the last year or two it the quality of food and service has gone down drastically.
They are very pricey compared to other AYCE sushi places in Ottawa. The iPad is incredibly annoying because when you want to send your order you have to wait for a waitress to come click it, what’s the point of that?
Every time we ordered, there were always items missing when the food was brought to our table. When we asked the waitress, every time she said it was coming, it never came.
The service was horribly slow, we were there for over 2 hours and we were all still hungry!!!
Will not be returning. Horrible horrible service.

Super yummy food, and great staff!

I went to 168 the other night with my boyfriend and could not have been more unimpressed with the service. Upon arriving, we were seated and everything seemed fine. She asked for our drink and we began placing an order. After a few minutes I decided I wanted a glass of water, which you could not order through their iPad ordering system. After a while, the server came to push through the order on the iPad and I asked for a water… no real acknowledgement from her other than a quick glance and a mumble of some sort. After 10 or 15 minutes I still hadn’t received my water so proceeded to ask again, this time explicitly saying: «The one I ordered before… Is it still on its way?» Again no acknowledgment just a glance and a mumble. Finally I received my water but found it to be a disappointment to wait on something so simple.
Once it was clear we had finished ordering, (however still eating) the server asks if we would like our bill. I was in the middle of eating a roll and she reached right in front of me, over top of my plate to clear dishes away. This is absolutely unacceptable to me in a restaurant and really irritated me. Finally, she gives us the bill and though my boyfriend and I had not yet finished our drinks, she takes them away and begins cleaning the table as we are still sitting down.
Needless to say, I will not be going back purely because of the service. The food itself I rather enjoyed but it’s not worth it for me if I were to have that experience again.

Went for lunch buffet during weekends. It was afternoon and was really busy. Besides being busy, the service was pretty fast and really good. I am vegetarian, but I must say they have pretty good options for that too.
It was two of us. Both vegetarian. We ordered many different sushis and tempuras. My favorite is avocado pizza, and vegetable sushi. I love their avocado roll and fried tofu.
And not to forget about the dessert. Their mango ice cream is awesome. I recommend this place to everyone who loves sushi and to those who are interested in trying it…

Sushi 168 is probably the AYCE sushi place I go the most often to. This is due to the fact that I live nearby and it is by far the best AYCE sushi place in Ottawa’s west end (I am not a fan of Sushi Khan, 1000 Island Sushi or Hao Sushi). It’s probably tied right now with Ten Sushi on Bank Street but that place is a bit further away.
FOOD
When I go to AYCE sushi, my focus is pretty much on the sashimi (to say I order a lot would be an understatement), and 168 hasn’t really disappointed me here. Some of their specialty rolls are hit and miss but overall we generally like what we order.
There are some warnings though. Like with all AYCE sushi places, I strongly suggest to stay away from anything deep fried which includes the tempura, pizza sushi, or battered and fried sushi rolls. I don’t know why, but none of these places seem to do them right.
There was also a bit of a drop in quality for some dishes a while back but the last few times we were here it seemed to have corrected itself.
SERVICE
As has been mentioned, you order using iPad’s and, on a positive note, they’ve either upgraded the software or the hardware recently as it is a much less frustrating experience than it used to be (which was often slow and unresponsive).
It is not uncommon for things you order to never arrive though, or maybe worse, arrive when you are finished eating so if something doesn’t show up, you may want to enquire about it.
VALUE
At around $ 25 for the dinner menu, I don’t think you can really go wrong with it. It’s a lot less than going to a full fledged Japanese restaurant (which to me is a real treat as they offer dishes you can’t get anywhere else).
RESERVATIONS
I don’t know if they take reservations but even on a busy night, we haven’t had to wait more than 20 minutes for a table as the place is quite large and turn over happens often.
PARKING
There is lots of parking outside.
WIFI
I often eat at 168 with two people that continually want to use WiFi even if they have data plans on their phone. Anyways, while 168 doesn’t have it, they are successful getting free WiFi from the burger place next door.
— — –
Unless they take a downward turn in quality or a better places opens up nearby, I will definitely be returning to 168.

168 Sushi is a great spot for a modern, all-​you-​can-​eat sushi experience with friends and family!
If you’re looking for a good spot to indulge with your voraciously hungry crew, this is definitely a great choice! The fish is fresh, the menu has a ton of options, the service is crazy fast, and the ambiance is playfully cool. What more could you ask for?
The only caveat: the all-​you-​can eat dinner is a bit on the pricy side, so make sure you come hungry!
MIAM!

This was my first experience with 168 sushi and it was an exceptional one! The area was spacious and well designed.
The food was delicious and service relatively quick. I went for their lunch menu at a cost of $ 14.95 plus tax ALL YOU CAN EAT! The second best part besides the food was that you order your meal through an iPad. No more of those outdated menus. With the iPad ordering system you can have crystal clear pictures of the food you are ordering. Once your are done with your order a server comes by and processes them to the kitchen. This process did not take away from the server experience as they were them available if you have any questions.
From their California roll to their spicy salmon crisp to the vegetarian rolls, they have a variety of selection for the sushi lover. I would highly recommend them. :)