Hanami Izakaya

As a sushi lover, it is worth the drive to Guelph for the salmon sushi. The fish is fresh and the service is great.

Special thanks to Maggie for setting the tone from start to finish. Made sure we had everything we wanted quickly and with high quality.

I'll be back.

We put our name down for a table as the wait was 25 minutes. That’s fine. 40 minutes later we find out that dining in is only for “all you can eat” and not a la cart. Really wished there would of been signage or communication surround this as we now wasted 40 minutes waiting on a table in the parking lot and didn’t even end up getting to eat…

First time ordering here. I don't usually leave bad reviews, but want customers and restaurant to know.

I'll start by saying that I can't speak to many things about this place.

The veggie tempura was decent. The salmon sushi was ok. Kinda small, but everything now is. Also thought it got a bit warm while delivered.

But most disappointing was the garlic beef I'd ordered. I had been craving some tender Asian beef and took ages to pick a place. I will say that it is not a dish I have gotten anywhere before, but I would suspect even if you love / expect an obscene amount of garlic, you couldn't stomach this grossness.

It was like a jar of minced garlic had been dumped in. Maybe it was a new chef, maybe they made a mistake. But it was the only thing you could taste. Even in two bites with garlic scraped off, I couldn't eat it. Didn't have other sauce or veggies. Felt like a waste of money and now I have to throw it out. It's beyond salvaging.

I have trouble believing typical garlic beef would be this inedible, but as I said, I haven't had it before anywhere. Just be forewarned. Esp if you're paying a bunch for delivery app etc.

This was amazing. It's around 37 after tax for the dinner special but if I have friends or family come visit in Guelph this will be my number one suggestion so far. Lowered my rating because we have gone back multiple time and find the wait time of 30 min for our food too much.

I've been a regular customer at this sushi restaurant for takeout orders for a while now, and my recent in-person dining experience left me quite disappointed. Unfortunately, I discovered a worm in my food during this visit. The manager initially offered a 10% discount as compensation which they later changed it to 20%, but I still found unsatisfactory considering the situation.

Beyond this concerning incident, I also noticed that the overall hygiene of the place seems to be subpar. It's disappointing to have such an experience. I hope the restaurant takes steps to address these issues.

Great variety of foods and flavours. Excellent service and efficient food ordering system.

Guelph's best AYCE honestly. And the pricing includes tea or pop! You must try the Beef Teriyaki (comes sizzling!) and their hand rolls (very packed with fish!). They have a great selection, even at lunch. 11/10 would recommend!

This is place is wonderful! We were warmly greeted once we first entered and was always treated wonderfully and kindly.the staff was incredibly helpful and understanding and the food was amazing and 100% worth it.will definitely be coming here again soon!

A fantastic sushi dinner! Even with picky kids, the staff made for a wonderful experience. Food quality and variety was excellant. Will definitely be back!

I brought my girlfriend here to cheer her up, and she LOVED it. I'm not all that into sushi, yet they even had food I loved as well. Very nice, very accommodating, and the all-you-can-eat is 150% worth it (free fountain drinks!) If I had to recommend one thing, it'd be the Karage.

I ordered something via uber. My friend has a condition that made it unsafe for her to consume seaweed, but craving calls.

I ordered something for myself and asked my friend’s order to not contain seaweed. I received a call almost immediately after the order was placed- I liked how immediate the response was. They said it was not exactly possible and asked for ways of accommodating me.

Both the person on the phone (give her a raise! It was around 4: 30-5: 00PM, Saturday Jan08) and the chefs were very helpful, kind, and made me feel like my request was justified when I knew that asked for no seaweed in a sushi place was a bit of an odd and difficult request. They all handled it gracefully and wow. I left a good word at uber but decided that enough.

For a little context, my favourite food is sushi. My grandmother used to have it with me often, and I got the news that she was very ill today. I have a flu and it would be just reckless to visit them. I haven’t slept in 30+ hours and I was really looking forward to just… getting some comfort food. Hanami Izakaya not only delivered on good service, the food was just delightful. Maybe I was starving but it was honestly what I needed. There was a lot of attention to detail in the package and they took a lot of care with helping my friend avoid seaweed. I felt valued as a customer and I felt cared for as a member of Guelph community. Responsible people in the food industry is what holds us together.

Thank you for the banger meal.tl;dr: W sushi W service W chef ️

I never do reviews but this place made me want to do one. Excellent service and really good food, took special care for my kids 1 & 3. Great place highly recommend

Heard good things about this place. And I can say best place to eat in Guelph! As a Torontonian, I was surprised with the variety of food, and how great the quality was. Every sushi roll was the perfect temperature and had something interesting to its pallet. The game changer was those deep fried desserts. Never had but one bite was heaven. Definitely got me as a customer in the future

The food and service was absolutely wonderful, will always keep going back. Highly recommend eating at this restaurant.

Our first time dining here today and it was fantastic! Staff were super nice and the atmosphere was great! Food was delicious and we really filled up on the all you can eat. I think we may have found our new fave sushi spot. We found this by fluke cuz our usual ones were closed Mon & Tues where this place closes just on Mon

Had a lovely dinner here with my family. Food came fast. Servers were funny, yet didn't waste your time. The ordering system was nice, and allowed everyone to get what they wanted. I really enjoyed it, and recommend others visit this place too.

Will definitely be back! Service was far above any sushi resturant I've been to and the food was amazing. Salmon was good quality, there were items on the menu that I'd never seen at ayce sushi before, the teriyaki beef was delicious, great dessert selection, the handrolls were amazing, and we loved the effort toward Halloween decorations.

Price for lunch is now up to $23.99.

We came with a group of 9 and received AMAZING, incredibly attentive service, and excellent food
Our reservation was only an hour before last call and we were still able to try all of the amazing items on the menu
Will definitely be back

Great food, very nice place, parking was fine, location was good.
The food just took too long to come out, way too long. It wasn't enjoyable then because of how long it took different foods to come out.
Also one lady that worked there looked and walked around like she hated her job. She was absolutely miserable and we felt very awkward for her. She needs a break.

Won't be returning but the fee for extra food wasn't too bad at all.
You'd think that they would allow you to take home the extras for how expensive their all you can eat is.

The best sushi in Guelph. They don't put too much rice in the sushi, and fish is good quality. Side dishes are delicious too.

Wow wow wow! This is the best sushi restaurant I’ve been to in some time. The quality and selection of food items are outstanding. I have been for lunch and dinner and have left completely satisfied each and ever time. The customer service is top notch; friendly, efficient, and attentive. Michael’s guest service relations are some of the best I’ve seen! Can’t wait to go back.

Great spot! Enjoyed the seafood soup, grilled skewered vegetables, sizzling beef and of course the sushi rolls!

Michael is an amazing host, if he’s not the owner, then he should beee.

Awesome experience!

Food is really good, no doubt. Service, highly depends on group size. Really not recommended for large groups. Significant delays, orders not coming at all, although they do charge extra 15% for large groups!

Tout était très bon, et j’apprécie la formule à volonté. Le service est compris, même si l’appareil à cartes demandent si l’on veut rajouter un pourboire. Le point négatif est qu’il faisait très froid dans le restaurant.

Service and food quality were excellent. Prices are reasonable. Great place for lunch with friends, will go again.

Great food Great service, a must try for sushi lovers and lots of great choices for non-sushi lovers. I don't really like sushi and the fish on rice wasn't bad, can't wait to go again!

We order here a few times a month and go in for the dinner buffet once and a while. Never had any issues. We keep coming back after trying other sushi restaurants in Guelph LOL! ;p they always try to accommodate my special dietary requests as I’m quite sensitive which I really appreciate. THANK YOU!:)

Easily one of the best services you can receive from an AYCE sushi place in the Guelph/KW area. Super friendly staff. You can really tell they take pride with their food and service.

10/10 would come here again.after I work off this trips sushi.

Folks, if you like Japanese and other Asian food, and all you can eat's, you really have to try this place. I was a little skeptical in the beginning wondering if it would be 'Toronto standard' and wow.their food and servie are soooo good. Let me explain:

Very polite and efficient service from the greeter. The iPad ordering was a breeze. The sushi and rolls are fresh and they are generous with the fish, meat and veggies and did not add to much rice like some other places. Even the Pad Thai was amazingly good.

The orders came quickly and were all nicely laid out on the platters. The servers worked hard and were attentive. It was very easy to get their attention. EVERYTHING we ordered were really, really good and I am comparing with fancy places in Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver.

Their price was a little steep; perhaps it is a pandemic price so I won't be coming here too often. With taxes and tips added, it is quite a significant price for each adult. If prices were in the teens, I would be coming here more often. For now, it'd be a treat once in a while. I wish they had some kind of 'early bird' pricing or mid-week special or something.

So, awesome food, nice service, a little high on the price.and a nice experience.

Best Sushi place so far. I found this place while visiting Guelph. Came back with my 3 sons. They loved it as well. Fresh and very tasty.

I went here for the first time a couple weeks ago and this is by far the best all you can eat sushi I have tried in the Guelph/KW area. The sashimi they offer is fresh, right off the boat, delicious! The staff is very friendly and welcoming, as well as the service is impeccable. Will be back again soon.

Friendly and helpful service, and great quality AYCE food, both from the sushi and the kitchen sides. Sashimi was thick and sushi/fish were generously portioned on top of supplemented rice or in maki/rolls (instead of skimping on fish and loading diners up on rice like some other places). General Tso's chicken was surprisingly crispy and flavourful; one of the diners in our party mentioned it was one of the better versions compared to what they've had elsewhere. Tapa-sized portions and 6-8 piece rolls were great for sharing and to allow you to sample a variety of menu items without overeating. Diners were well spaced apart to respect distancing either by tables or made every other booth unavailable. Worth the drive from KW to Guelph.

This was amazing. It's around 37 after tax for the dinner special but if I have friends or family come visit in Guelph this will be my number one suggestion so far

This is me and my spouse’s favourite place to have sushi in Guelph! The food is always fresh and tasty. Never disappointed! The best thing to do when there is take advantage of the all-you-can-eat option. That’s how I discovered how many things I like. Top items are Green Dragon Rolls, Grilled Salmon or Beef appetizers and the green tea and red bean ice creams. Yum! They also make sure to give you generous portions that don’t leave you feeling ripped off.
The owner Eugene is very friendly and kind and so are all the staff and servers. Mimi, Michael and Karen have 5 star service:) Stay awesome Hanami!

I love Hanami, and my friends and I won’t go anywhere else for all you can eat sushi! The food is always fresh and consistent, and the staff are great. In my experience, it’s not often that you find such friendly and personable staff at all you can eat sushi. They check in regularly during your meal to make sure everything is arriving in a timely manner and that all is well. Their beef teriyaki is to die for too.

This place has fantastic food and service! So friendly and got all our food and drinks came correctly and quickly. Definitely our new favourite sushi place in Guelph

Best sushi in Guelph. The proportion of rice to fish is really "fair" and appropriate. The sashimi is great too. In a non-pandemic world they serve a great frosty Sapporo (or is it Asahi?). So glad this place opened!

I went in to order takeout which I had never done before, I've only ever ordered in the restaurant. They were so helpful because the menu is different.

The customer service is consistently prompt, excellent mood, welcoming employees. Will return here again when I arrive nearby.

Awesome place for sushi! This was by far the best service we’ve had at an all you can eat place (or any place for that matter). The staff were so nice, made excellent recommendations, and the food was fantastic. The menu is quite big and the sushi rolls had a great ratio of rice: filling (unlike others where it’s mostly rice). Would recommend Hanami to anyone!

I went to eat here last week and I was very impressed with the Covid protocol. The waitress Karen is always very kind and helpful every time we come here. I recommend coming earlier in the evening as they get busy quickly and there starts to be a wait around 6.

We called to book a reservation for a booth at 8pm for a birthday dinner. Was told when we arrived 5 minutes to our reservation that they can't determine what time people leave, so we were told we now have to wait 15/20 minutes for our reservation and ended up waiting over 50 minutes for a booth.
Worst management team.

"Definition of reservation
1: an act of reserving something: such as
a (1) : the act or fact of a grantor's reserving some newly created thing out of the thing granted
(2) : the right or interest so reserved
b: the setting of limiting conditions or withholding from complete exposition
answered without reservation
c: an arrangement to have something (such as a hotel room) held for one's use
also: a promise, guarantee, or record of such engagement. "

Good food. Excellent service. The employees were joyful and obviously loved what they were doing. The service is the best we've had from any all you can eat sushi places we've been to.

Fast service I've ever And its Our new Favorite date place to go to And very friendly Food is amazing and I Would recommend it to anyone

We love sushi.
So far this is the best Japanese sushi place in town. Serving fresh dishes.

Far and above other sushi spots in Guelph. Very diverse menu, fair prices, delicious. Yum, yum, yum now I'm drooling. Thank you for being in Guelph Hanami Izakaya; we needed you!

Sushi was amazing! The portions are a good size and we were thrilled with the quality of the rolls. Will definitely go back if we’re in the area again.

The staff were very friendly and super helpful.

Great atmosphere, awesome food and the service was excellent! Will be going back soon for another awesome meal out!

I can’t emphasize enough how amazing this place is. The staff are incredibly welcoming, personable and professional. The service is very quick and the food is delicious. It is very fresh and you can tell that quality ingredients were used in every dish. In addition, they have some very unique dishes on the menu that I’ve never seen elsewhere (ie.hanami roll - definitely worth trying). The restaurant itself is both inviting and intimate. The perfect setting for a date night or meet up. We had a great experience and would recommend to anyone. Thank you Mike! We’ll be back soon.

Wow! Finally good sushi/sashimi in the area! Ordered take out for lunch and it was absolutely delicious. The miso soup was great, and hot. The salad was unfortunately nothing to write home about. I'm used to getting a nice, crisp salad that isn't wilted with a ginger dressing that pops, not the case here. But the rolls, hand rolls, sushi, and the size of the sashimi is amazing. Great value. My only other 'issue' is that three of us ordered the meal, online, via their website, and it was all combined together so we had to decipher what belonged to each of the three people we ordered for. We'll call next time instead of order online to avoid this mishap again. Great place downtown Guelph. I look forward to going there for the AYCE lunch special one day. Great job.

Just called to book a reservation for myself and my girlfriend. Turns out they don’t accept reservations for tables less than 4. Great way of telling us they don’t want our guaranteed business. Not impressed. It’s unfortunate because they serve amazing food.

To the owner after they responded:

Thank you for responding to my review. I understand there are policies in place due to Covid-19 and I respect them. However, the individual who answered the phone did not mention a policy. Also, if it was a lack of space, they could have said so, but they did not. As a matter of fact, they went so far as to take down all of my information, including how many people we were at the beginning of the call, and at the very end is when they said “Sorry we do not take reservations of just 2 people. You will need to walk in”. I was beyond appalled because it felt as though I was discriminated based on the fact that I was bringing in a table of 2 as opposed to 4 or more. This gives me the impression that the establishment will only accept reservations where they will make more money.

Best sushi I've ever had. Every plate is delicious. Super friendly staff, too. Highly recommend!

I have tried all sushi restaurants in Guelph. This is the best sushi I have had in Guelph
and other cities by far. Don't bother going to cherry blossom, it's really not that good. This place exceeded all my expectations and I am extremely picky. It is also better than all sushi places in London Ontario as well. Lol.

Edit: Ryan Bidal's 1 star review is ridiculous. He seems like an entitled pretentious guy who doesn't know the meaning of the word 'discrimination'. Who gives an amazing restaurant one star because they don't take reservations for 3 or less people? It angers me because I love this restaurant and it deserves to be reviewed fairly.

So yummy! Service and staff was exceptional! Everything tasted and looked fresh! Highly recommend!

This is my favourite sushi in Guelph! The all you can eat is always fresh and tasty! This time I ordered 2 salmon lovers platters and edamame for takeout, I was very impressed with the quality and will definitely be ordering this again soon!