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Sushi Garden is a popular Japanese restaurant on Kingsway.
I've been here quite a few times. The food has always hit the mark at being decent, obviously not as good as authentic sushi places which I love, but it's still good. My personal favorite is the Alaska roll (complemented with nice cuts of sashimi). However, I've some some horrific experiences at this place as well.
First of all, it's always packed like mad during the dinner hours. Expect to wait 20~ minutes if you arrive there after 7pm. There's not a lot of seating area either so privacy is nonexistant. The staff are nice however, and I've never had a huge problem with flagging servers down and they are very helpful as long as you understand that they have like 50000, exaggeration of course, other customers to tend to at the same time (take-out, phone, cashier, packed dining room).
The worst experience at Sushi garden was one night when I decided I wanted to just order two Alaska rolls to go. Our number was given, 085 or something along those lines. After 20-30 minutes and seeing some tables come and go, it was getting extremely aggravating to still be standing in the middle of the restaurant. A few minutes later, I heard 086 getting called out and 092 getting put onto the counter. Honestly, I just wanted my Alaska rolls. After talking to the waitress, she apologized and told me she would check what was going on. It was apparent from the look of dismay and frustration on her face, as well as from my glances at the sushi bar, that the kitchen staff were really just screwing around and working to their own turtlish pace. I guess to them, a packed restaurant means you need to slow your pace down? Whatever.
I left 5 minutes later after finally getting my order a long with a random complementary salad for the wait. The only reason I am coming back to this place is because I believe this was an isolated incident and it's treated us well every other time.
I hear they have a special "Korean style Spicy Chirashi Don" that comes in an enormous bowl that is not on the menu. I'll probably try it next time I go.
Alright, so this place has been one of my favourites for a really long time. I know, from reviews I've seen, the service is straight crap but I try to look past it most of the times. I used to come here 2-3 times a week just because of sushi cravings and the large portions to satisfy my tummy. The big difference is the staff and the time, which before, I used to go during odd hours like 3-5pm.
I'm practically a regular there, and they started getting new servers. Okay, not a big deal right? Well, boy was I wrong. I know two servers who recognize me by name and face and they're the best. Quick, polite, and efficient at what they do. But this time, it was during their busy dinner service and it was packed. I noticed most the servers were not the usual ones, so I casually walked up to put my name in and sat down. I've had past experiences where if you stand outside, they don't even bother calling your name outside and just skip right past you.
So, while I was there with my boyfriend and we waited and waited and waited... The short Asian male server said it would take about 25-30 minutes, so eh, we waited. We heard many names being called out, but not once my name. I didn't want to be one of those overly impatient customers who starts lashing out so I just waited for a few more seats. I mean, there were a few people ahead of us so what's the worry?
My god, then I see the old couple that came in just 10 minutes ago get a seat before us and now I started getting irritated. We've been waiting for nearly an hour...(I kept count, not joking in the slightest.) I went up and asked what happened to our spot and the other waiters and waitresses were trying to figure out what happened. Then the one who took my name came out and "angrily" yelled at me saying he called MY name 20 minutes ago! 20 minutes!!! Are you kidding me? I'm not deaf, nor was I listening to any music. I was sitting right there, watching them clean tables and everything! I did not hear anyone call my name. Everything was all korean or names that weren't even remotely close to mine. Furious, I tried to tell him I didn't hear my name being called at all. He gave me attitude and was all pissed at me like I was the one who was trying to give him a hard time.
Honestly, I would advise anyone to go when it's not insanely busy. These guys can't handle it on their own, and often screw up orders or forget to call someone's name. Of course, once in a while, that one waiter would be working and service would be a bit better, but I wouldn't take the risk. Too many times have I tried going for dinner and getting my night ruined because of one of their bad attitudes. The food is usually quite good, nothing crazy but great portions. Last night's tuna... Well... More than gooey. It was kinda gross but my boyfriend choked it down with his coke.
There's nothing wrong with coming back to this place, as it still is one of my favourites. Just don't bother going past 7pm. It's not worth the hour long wait. Nor is it worth getting a faceload of bad attitude. Seriously.
Heard a lot of good things about this place, so we tried it on a busy Saturday night. At first impressions, the ambiance is so-so, much like a cafeteria-style Japanese place.
We ordered the three person sushi combo as well as assorted deluxe sashimi and miso soup. The miso soup was a bit too salty for my taste, but apparently that's the way they serve it in Japan (says my Japanese friend). Sashimi was good - definitely very fresh. The sushi rolls were tasty, particularly the scallop rolls, but the chef must not have been very experienced as many of the rolls fell apart very easily.
Service was ok... no frills here, but they did refill the tea and bring the food promptly.
Might come back if we're in the area.
I was just finishing work and had a massive craving for some Takoyaki. Thinking about sushi places aroung my area Sushi Garden came to mind... what a bad descision.
I had called them around 8pm and placed my order of 2 Takoyaki appetizers (I was really craving) the girl on the other end told me it should be ready in around 30mins I take a pretty leisurely drive there but still arrive 8 mins early went in and let them know about my order/paid and was told it should be ready in about 10 mins. Cool! In ten mins time I can enjoy some tasty Takoyaki! 10 mins go by and nothing. 20 mins go and I think yeah they are busy thats cool I'll give them another 10. Half hour I politely let the girl know that I'm still waiting for my Takoyaki. She tells me she'll find out whats going on for me... apparently orders got mixed up and my Takyoyaki will be ready in 10 mins and that she will come find me when they are done.
ANOTHER HALF HOUR GOES BY!!!!!! I've already witness a couple of walk ins get tables as well as placing tako out and getting order before mine. I go up and once again politely ask her whats going on with my order? She goes in to "check" again and comes back with they "burnt" them new batch coming up right now. 5 mins wait. I stand right by the cash register area and what do you know 5 mins the food comes out hahah NOT A CHANCE!!! but hey I think I'll give them another 5mins since the girl that was helping me clearly was now avoiding me by going around pouring water at every table slowly anyways.
I finally get her attention and before I can try to start a refund so I can get the hell out of there and finally it arrives. Angry and hungry is something I don't enjoy being so I take it along with their no expression sorry and leave. Total time spent: 1hr 20mins for 2 (pre)orders of Takoyaki
Worst part was when I got back to my back I wanted to calm down my craving a bit only to find that they were cold. I know they are known for bad service but I really thought a small order that was placed in advance couldn't possibly go this terrible. Never will I spend my money there again. I rather pay people to watch me jump face first into a brick wall repeatedly then give my money to this place.
For the table we had a couple of orders of the Sushi Deluxe ($24) & an order of Sashimi ($29). What a disappointment! Do not order sashimi if you are coming to this restaurant, with these prices you are expecting fresh soft sashimi. Instead I felt like I was raw fish from a dollar sushi spot when they are having an "off" day. Even the sushi pieces were a bit of a gamble so I would recommend playing it safe & order rolls.
The staff are not into service and look past you.
We were all so put off by the disappointing entrees that we opted to go elsewhere for dessert. Not that it's a terrible sushi spot, but how do charge these prices & not have the sashimi to back it up?
This place is famous, but I usually go to the Sushi House further on Kingsway for cheap sushi.
I decided to try it based on previous reviews.
The Alaska roll was okay, it's basically an avocado roll with a thin slice of raw salmon on top of the roll, covered in a greasy creamy miso based sauce. The spicy tuna roll was okay, not spicy enough but the rolls have less rice and more filling which is always nice. The salmon nigiri pieces look large but they aren't, they are just sliced long and not very thick.
I found the food wasn't particularly tasty but it was edible, and I'm not sure exactly why but the wasabi didn't seem spicy at all.
Yes they have some different rolls at the $4 price range but they all seem to be made of deep fried ingredients which isn't my cup of tea.
Unlike others I found the service to be good, but then I tend to ask for what I want directly. The really good part about this place is that the items in the combo meals can be changed to something else if it's the same price.
Their sushi isn't oversized (the rolls are normal sized, the nigiri is a bit larger) and the prices aren't that low apart from the combo's, for these prices I'd rather go to a better quality place like Isami Sushi which is a few doors away and which serves much better sushi and food. Isami has lunch bento's that change daily.
Overall it's not horrible, but it's just not tasty either. Life is too short for mediocre sushi.
Mrs. C and I were craving sushi after a movie, and we saw SG. It looked inviting from the outside. We wandered in and got a table. The menus were in tatters and the restaurant was not very clean, but hunger won out over discretion.
We ordered a few types of sushi and sashimi. One noteworthy item was the Hawaiian roll, which was a beef teriyaki roll with pineapple. It was very tasty, but disintegrated as soon as I picked up a piece. We also had the gigantic sashimi pieces, some decent nigiri sushi as well as some other rolls.
The ambience left a lot to be desired, and the service was terrible, but the sushi wasn't too bad. I am not sure if the food alone would bring me back, but I might return.
Try it if you like.
As other reviewers have mentioned, the service here is pretty poor. The problem isn't the servers, as they work pretty hard to get your order and bring the food to you, its the lack of servers.
Had to wait 20 minutes for me to wave them down to take my order, then another good wave and lookout for a server to get a refill once during my meal. Then when I wanted the bill, they asked me to come up to the front to pay when clearly other people were receiving their bill at their table.
Poor service, I only go during off peak hours to receive decent service, and even then its sketchy.
Food is good for your money I think, I find their alaska rolls pretty tastey.
This afternoon was my second visit to Sushi Garden. The first time was way before the renos and I remembered the service to be much better then. Luckily, today wasn't packed and there was no wait for a table. Today I ordered the spicy tuna don since I haven't had one in a long time. I couldn't believe how spicy it was and thought maybe it was just me since I've stopped eating spicy foods a year ago. All I could taste was hot sauce - not much flavor. Girlfriend A tried it too and said it was spicy.
I couldn't eat any more of it since the hot tea didn't do any help calming my on-fire taste buds. I basically had to pack more than 4/5 of it to go. I still gave it a 3-rating because it's not fair to base it on one menu item. I've had pretty good food here last time.
There was little service and we had to ask for more tea. She would come around and just refill cups on one side of the table making others having to ask for their refills another time. Even after we got the bill, my doggie-bag didn't make it back to me until I asked for it. (what if I didn't?)
Sure the space is bigger and more roomy, but it makes me believe that it's causing a bigger problem with service now, since there was only 2 servers (including the cashier) for the entire restaurant.
After multiple failed attempts @ arriving here for b4 the line stretches out the door, I've finally succeeded ~6:30pm. The wait thereafter was only ~5-10 min. The first round of evening diners are just clearing out. By 7pm, the wait becomes longer.
W/such glowing reviews, I really was looking forward to tasting all they had to offer & was making plans on the next meal even b4 getting seated. W/such a crowd daily, it must be exceptional! Or so I thought.
Fish is fresh. Cuts are generous. However, the current special white tuna's the only highlight. More fatty & creamy than the regular stuff. It did look like it's from a part of the belly, but the toro's extremely lacking in flavour & texture. The saba's bland but ikura's good.
Rolls are huge. It tasted like I had nothing but rice though evidently, there were plenty of content. The papaya crab roll had bare visible traces of papaya, while the lightly battered stick of artificial crabmeat's very visible & plentiful. At least the tempura batter made this tolerable. The spicy tuna tempura roll is a definite avoid. The tuna tempura's too dry. The nice spicy sweet sauce topping the roll couldn't even help to make it less so.
The tempura batter is light & crispy. The dry & seemingly recooked/overcooked shrimp tempura tasted of Chinese deep fried shrimp. The other tempura items were great.
Udon is perfect in taste & texture. Gyoza, however, can afford to be pan fried a little longer. Skin's nice & thin, but one side was nearly undercooked, while the flat side was only lightly browned but still too soft.
You can be filled for relatively little $ spent. The highest marked nigiri is @$1.80 though uni is "current priced" if avail.
Service is fine & relatively speedy. Small, so recommended in parties of 1-4 at most. Parking@back, while it's metres in front.
Overall, not worth a revisit on my part for the rush & then the possible wait time--though fish is fresh, it still left me dissatisfied.
I've heard a lot about this place over the last few years, tried it for the first time at lunch today.
Indeed the menus were gross. Only got one between the four us, then 10 minutes later came the rest. First thing I didn't like is I didn't see any lunch box style combos. They have sushi combos that are just - sushi. Not much in the way of non-sushi food, so if you like to mix things up like I do this isn't the best place for you most likely. It's also a pain trying to figure out what to order.
So I got the roll combo, miso soup, and tuna sashimi. The roll combo and miso soup were fine, 3 star rating for them. The $8 order of sashimi was just ridiculously large. I really don't like large pieces of fish as sashimi. It's just wrong. Each piece needs to be cut in 3, so it's like a 27 piece order! Now I might not mind too much, but it was still a bit frozen, and quite frankly tasted gross. It came last and I'm just sitting there trying to choke down 27 pieces of half frozen disgusting sashimi. I mean I could have just went to the fish market and bought a half frozen tuna steak and it whole there, it was the same experience. The presentation is simply awful. So the order or sashimi brought my opinion of the food down greatly. I've eaten a lot of japanese and I don't think I've ever been that disgusted.
Service was sparse but not completely terrible.
Only good thing I can say is there is some value for the dollar as long as the food you get for it isn't gross.
Anyway there is no way I'd go back. I really think the metrotown area is hurting for good japanese places, they're all just cheap low class places, or just not well run. You need to look to another area to get decent japanese.
Food: had the Californnia and BC Roll Combo, edamame, and gyoza. everything tasted great. the sushi pieces were larger than average places and very fresh and tasty. edamame was not over salted as some places are.
Service: horrible...but that was to be expected after reading many of the reviews. as soon as we got in we went straight to the cashier to put our names down...i got that tip fr one of the reviewers! Thanks! b/c if we didnt do that, for sure none of the servers wouldve paid any attention to us or cared! our server forgot our miso soup...that stuff is premade! u just have to pour it into a bowl and bring it out! the servers are just very "blah". the dont look or act like they want to be there at all.
Ambiance: busy busy busy. small and cramped.
Overall: if it werent for the food, we wouldnt go back...and even when we do, i think we'd avoid the peak hours...the lack of service during the entire experience may stress me out too much to enjoy the food.
This restaurant is FAR too busy for the small space they have. The boyfriend & I decided to try this place with the recommendation from our mutual friends and the lack of decent food at Metrotown, and he left happy, but I wasn't.
The food is delicious- the sashimi is fresh, rolls are large and flavorful, pricing isn't all too bad, but what really irked me was the service. We were seated and a server didn't come back to our table for 10 minutes. We kept getting the "I'll be right there!" with a fantastic smile but it took a lot longer than "right" there. The food came out pretty fast, and eventually we needed water refills. Yep. More "Just a minute!"s which lasted a lot longer than a minute.
Although the food itself was great, the crowdedness, lack of privacy, lack of comfort and lack of service stopped me from coming back.
what mediocre service! i used to eat here despite the poor service because of cheap sushi. however, i left the restaurant today and promised myself i would never return! last time i was here was about a year ago and they refused to give me my take out after i paid for it because i lost my receipt outside in the parking lot. i paid 10 minutes prior. the same waitress told me to go find the receipt.
i returned today with an optimistic attitude. i was severely wrong! waitresses were still rude, impatient and made my blood boil.
This place is usually pretty packed, but the few times I went when it wasn't so busy, the servers would seat everyone close to each other, leaving half of the restaurant empty, half packed. Kind of irritating really. Other than that, service is decent, nothing to write home about. Really goes downhill when the place is packed... typical, but they could improve on that. On to the food; rolls are comparable in size to most other sushi spots, and are pretty good. They to tend to fall apart rather easily though, as others have said. Could be cheaper though (like everything else I guess)
Been to Sushi Garden many times, always busy during dinner hours so try to go a little bit earlier to avoid the lineups.
Having read the reviews, didn't have great expectations on the service and ambiance, which turned out to be exactly what most people said. The female servers weren't rude, but there's no smiles on their faces either. The food always comes fast, but sometimes the rolls have the tendency to fall apart. Otherwise, the quality is not too bad.
All in all, will go back just for the food and reasonable price for a quick meal.
My first visit to Sushi Garden was accompanied with two of my friends who have had experienced the restaurant before and recommended. We entered through the back door from the parking lot, the space was tight and cleanliness was not apparent. As we waited to be seated, two waitresses tried to seat us at different tables (without so much of a greeting), lacking total communication. The chefs behind the bar did not greet us either and only stared as we made our entrance.
The restaurant is small, and the owner decided it would be a great idea to pack in as many tables as possible without any slight consideration for guests. Definitely not recommended for anyone that seeks an intimate experience. The only favorable point to note was the beautiful painted walls.
Once settled, tea was served and menus were presented. One waitress came to our table within a minute expecting us to order already. When we told her that we needed a few more minutes, she never came back afterwards. A male waiter came by instead, and he was the most friendliest person in the entire place, always seen smiling. Props to him.
The rolls ARE delicious and fresh. We ordered the Chicken Teriyaki Roll, the Island Roll, the Hawaiian Beef Roll, the Negitoro Roll, and a serving of Toro Sashimi -- all of which I would recommend. The portions were generous and everything appeared and tasted great. Delish!
As we paid for our bill at the cashier, not even a word of gratitude was uttered. I tried to generate some sort of response from the earlier two waitresses by saying thank you and bidding them goodbye. They did not even pay the slightest attention to me.
As a hospitality management student and someone who works in the industry, this was an absolute disappointment. The next time I'm heading back to Sushi Garden, it's for take-out only.
They have expanded to accomodate more people. There were lineups with people waiting outside before the renovation. After the renovation they have people sitting on the bench beside the window.
Dining in can be a problem, so we go there during non-peak hours. Service was good. Atmosphere was decent and place was clean.
Food was good. Prices were cheap. Would suggest going there.
Sushi at this restaurant has been good for me. However, the service has always been lacking and with the extension/renovation of this location last year it has become worse.
Have been to this location on numerous occasions and agree with previous posts regarding service. For example, I was there for lunch by myself and sat down waiting to be seated and was seen by the waitresses working. However, a couple of other ladies came in five-ten minutes later and were served before me because they spoke to the waitresses! These two ladies sat down and I got up and spoke to the waitress to inquire why I didn't get seated. The two ladies were aware I was waiting but proceeded to there table. The waitress said I should have spoken with her first!!!
I eventually got a seat and the other two ladies were moved to another table.
I've been back since and it appears service is lacking more now. However I find the sushi has always been pretty good and haven't had any real frozen encounters to date.
There is no denying that this place has great food. Their sushi is very, very fresh and their unagi don is delicious. They also have great yaki-udon! That said, their food isn't good enough to negate the horrible service I receive every visit to this restaurant.
These people are really ill-mannered, and it's not as though I am expect an English tea ceremony-calibre service. Just a smile or a "thank you" would be greatly appreciated. Of course, they can afford to be grumpy and altogether very conceited given the amount of customers they get. Still, that's no excuse.
| 1. | 4269 Lougheed Hwy (4.2 km) |  |
| 2. | West Eglinton (3344.4 km) | |
| 3. | Yonge (3345.5 km) | |
| 4. | Wellesley (3347.5 km) |
| 1. | Red Robin (21 m) | |
| 2. | Green Basil (32 m) |  |
| 3. | Accord Food House (63 m) | |
| 4. | Boston Pizza (63 m) | |
| 5. | Isami Sushi (65 m) |  |
| 6. | Cactus Club Cafe (70 m) | |
| 7. | Nando's Chicken (88 m) | |
| 8. | Thai House Royale Restaurant (91 m) | |
| 9. | Canadian 2 for 1 Pizza (117 m) | |
| 10. | Starbucks (123 m) |
