Todai Restaurant

THIS PLACE CLOSED DOWN?
Since when?!
I came here once or twice for dinner with the fam.
Typical Japanese fare is available here, as well as dessert.
The fish here is ok, not the greatest. The hot dishes are mediocre, and I ask myself why? How? Is it that hard to cook decent Asian food? The dessert is probably the best bet here.
I think a lot of people liked this place, but not me.
I guess it’s sad for them that it closed, but doesn’t affect me one bit.

This place had closed down a couple of weeks ago. Go figure because they were far from being «The Mother of All Seafood Buffet». Their Seattle location is still open. You can expect to pay $ 26 plus change per person and on the weekends, $ 28+ change per person.
I would seriously not go here for good sushi, but rather go here if you want to be a stuffed up pig, full of stale and bellow average food. Yuck. Go to a real authentic sushi restaurant instead.

I had dined at Todai in Portland and it was a 3 star experience for me there. However, I was feeling particularly piggy and after looking round at their lunch selection, decided that the $ 15.95 for the lunch buffet was too good a price to miss. Another bonus was that they were showing the USA playing Spain in the Confederation Cup semifinal (soccer)
The main draw for me was the sushi. There was a nice range of nigiri sushi, normal maki rolls and a few special rolls. They had the usual Todai funny habit of not having any wasabi in their nigiri sushi, which causes the fish to promptly fall off the rice. However, the cuts of fish are very generous in size and tasted fresh. The special rolls were nice and the turnover meant that the sushi was being continuously replenished and not standing on the counter for awhile.
The hot food was average with some passable agedashi tofu though the tempura was nicer.
I love the mini sized desserts as I was able to sample bite sizes of more dishes.
The weekday lunchtime Todai experience was good, espeically if you’re feeling hungry

Blergh… another lunch outing with the coworkers. Otherwise I wouldn’t have gone here because I’d heard it wasn’t that great. And it isn’t! At least I can accurately review it, anyway :)
So they’ve got like 3 different sections of food — there’s salads and sushi/​rolls, hot deep-​fried stuff, and a dessert section.
I thought this place would be comparable to the Eating Factory in Bellevue (not sure if that’s still open) that I’d gone to a few years ago, but it did not live up to my (admittedly low) expectations. The udon was pretty good, because they make it there in front of you. Same goes for the crepes. But pretty much everything else is very mediocre. I didn’t try any raw sushi (SCARY!) but I did have a couple of different rolls, which were unremarkable. The had lots of different salad including some pretty good kimchi (kimchi is hard to screw up…) and there were some vaguely tasty deep-​fried items that all sort of tasted the same. There was some bbq pork ribs which were mostly bone so I gave up after trying to bite them a couple of times.
Yeah … definitely not going back. There are so many better places in Redmond Town Center. If you want cheap sushi, go over to Bella Botega and eat at SushiLand. At least their food is pretty good for the price! (Not the best, but definitely worth the cost…)
I think I would have been less disappointed if I hadn’t paid so much for lunch here — it was like $ 25 just for me! I guess it’s worth it if you eat a lot, but when the food is that disappointing, I’m not exactly going to see how much I can cram down my gullet.

I wanted to believe in this place, i really did.
Like most things, i gave this place a couple tries before reviewing it. There will be no «OMG I DID NOT GET CHEESE!!» prescription drug induced rant here.
You walk in, pay your fee (what is it like 25 dollars now?), and have a seat. I believe that drinks are free, alcohol is extra.
One thousand screaming kids are the first thing you see and hear all around you. Crotchspawn, er, i mean «precious snowflakes» as far as the eye can see, hopped up on ice cream, the only thing missing was a chuckee cheese animitron and two divorced parents brawling.
The food, well the food is your typical crappy asian buffet, only twice as much.
Yes they have some neat items like crab legs and sushi, but the idea is far better than the execution.
birthdays are free here though, so if you want to see this place for your self, drag the lucky person with you and eat there pretty much half off.
Every time i have eaten here, i have this sinking «i could have gone to thai ginger, eaten less, eaten cheaper, eaten better, and not hated kids that much more» feeling in my stomach
So, i give it a two star because the food is not in the dumps, its just crappy asian buffet. However the pricing kills it.

i love this place! i’ve been going here for years, birthdays and regular days.
The one and only thing that bugs me about this place is they change their birthday policy like every 6months for christ sakes. I’ve been to the one in Seattle i heard all the hype it was terrible, run down, old sticky chairs, old beaten up wood floors and way less selection than this one. This place is consistently good, and they are always switching up the sushi and adding new things to the hot food.
i’ll be honest i’ve been disapointed when i came here before, but it was for lunch and its never too busy at lunch and although i’ve NEVER had old fish there before @ lunch it does end up sitting around a little longer and the variety is weak for the price. So don’t be a cheap ass and if youre gonna go then go to dinner and shuck out the extra 5−10bucks, trust its worth it. great sushi good service and very consistent go here!
P. S. and lets be smart here people. This is a sushi buffet they make it and then it just sits there. What do you think is gonna happen? durr go RIGHT when the restaurant reopens for dinner. i promise you a good experience.

This particular Todai… should be called TO DIE.
I have eaten at about 5 different Todai’s up and down the West Coast, this by far has to be the worst one ever.
When the Redmond place first opened, there was fresh fish and fresh food, now it taste like everything is a week old.
If you want cheap no hassle sushi, this place is the place to go. You get what you pay for though. Don’t expect anything gourmet.
I took my partner a few years ago and he was immediately sick after eating some Tuna.
I wish Corporate would have some quality control to whip this place into shape.
On the bright side, the warm hot food isle is pretty good and so are the crepes.
I’d recommend going to the downtown Todai location, you have to pay for parking, but the food is better.

It’s an Asian all-​you-​can eat buffet. It’s a little pricey but I think one should be weary of a cheap buffet.
I wouldn’t go here for a fine meal. But I would go here for a large family get-​together. It’s loud and open. My family can spread themselves out and get comfortable. We can get seconds like we’re at a family pot luck. It’s a good time.
Their sushi is substandard… so I just lower my standards and stuff my face.

I go there strictly to fill my place with crab legs… and prawns… YUMMY yes spendy but worth it for me.
Last time I went I was concerned that I may get sick because my prawns weren’t cooked all the way. I asked the managers advice wether he thought it was cooked or not then he checked and signaled to me not to eat them… but I never got sick after eating about 2, before he told me to stop… :P
Still will go back for me crab legs!

Todai in Redmond… yeah.
The first few times were with family and I was young, and it seemed good.
As I got a bit older and experienced more good food, this place wasn’t so good. The last time I went was on my boyfriends birthday several years ago because his dinner would be free (not sure if they do the birthday thing anymore).
The food was decent and the sushi tasted like it’s been sitting for quite a while (the place was really slow that night).
When our waitress asked us how the food was, we told her that. After that she was basically very quiet and mostly ignored us. A friend of mine was working there that night and said the waitress almost cried and called us «jerks» for saying the food tasted old when she asked us hot it was. (Awesome…) Someone more like a manager came out later and told us the fish they get is frozen and said he’d make sure they switch out the sushi so it’s fresher.
Main point? We were not impressed and are not going back.

All you can eat Crab legs. Winner.
Imagine:
8 plates, 2 starving girls, 1 table.
Now imagine:
Barbarians.
Yes. This painted picture is about just for the sight seen a few weeks ago at Todais. My roommate and I came here super hungry after working up an appetite from shopping, our form of cardio. The servers were on top of it and never let our glasses go empty. Plates of empty crab legs were collected quite a few times and extra napkins put in place for our busy little hands. Quite the show.
With dinner and beverages tallying up to per person cost of about $ 35 with tip, I would say I was more than satisfied with my experience. Worth the trip to Redmond and quite the event if you’re with good company.
The Sushi was good, tempura was ok and other assorted fried items were tasty. I more or less focused on my crab shell crackin’ skills. Good eats and great times! Especially the observation of the one or two brows raised at how much my petite roomate and I could put away. Take that «all you can eat».

I added one star strictly because it’s a buffet, so you get to try a lot of things without breaking the bank.
The sushi quality here is good, but not great. Sure, you get the variety, but you lose the intimacy of a nice sushi restaurant, not to mention the presentation that you get with sushi chefs. Somehow, picking individual pieces of maki up with giant metal tongs just makes the experience feel too Americanized for my tastes.
Yet, still, this is a favorite place to go with one of my friends, and I rarely turn it down. It’s just not what I think of when I think of great sushi.
Specific recommendations:
* Watch out for the bite size desserts, they’re often still frozen.
* The tempura is OK, but I’m disappointed by the veggie selection. Mostly carrots and potatoes… nothing like fried starch!!!
* The dim sum is a new-​ish addition to the cooked food line-​up, but 80−90% of what they put out are desserty, so I usually skip it (unless they have the shrimp tsu-​mai, mmm!)

I really enjoy the variety here. I’ve only been for dinner twice, but I really liked it. They have a little bit of everything – the dessert bar is fun, too. Lots to choose from.
Really the only con I have encountered is the price – Dinner is too expensive. I realize that at dinner they have expensive things like crab legs and so on, but come on. It shouldn’t cost $ 70 bucks for my husband and me to eat – psh.

This place was the craze when it started, now its all the same. Redmond is definitely better than the one in downtown Seattle. The selection does get kind of boring after you been there a few times, no innovation and the same sushi over and over again get lame. This would be a fun place if you have a group of friends since everyone can pig as they wish. However going here just to for lunch or dinner seem overly priced for the same olé boring buffet.
The service is super, always quick with the plate change. The crêpe and ramen is pretty cool. However nothing really stands out. I’m not sure if there’s much they can do about it either.

As with just about any place, there is good and bad about this place. I for one like this place; prices are a little high, but it’s all you can eat seafood.
Their sushi sucks; if you are a sushi snob, don’t go here for the sushi. It’s better than kiku’s, but if you are paying (what is it like $ 25 for all you can eat?), just for the sushi, you my friend are getting ripped off.
Sometimes they have lobster claws, and all you can eat snow crab legs… bingo. That’s what I go here for. I sit there for hours chomping down on some yummy seafood. Maybe I’ll hit up some of the other hot seafood for clams, mussels, etc. Those are all good too. And if you go there on your birthday, it’s a free meal — even better.
Desserts are really good, and come in little tiny servings so you can try several different ones without filling up too much. And if you like said dessert, you can always go back for more.
Sushi snobs, stay away. But if you like seafood… it’s def good.

Better than the Todai’s in Pacific Place.
Great selection of sushi, fresh fruits and vegetables. Especially appealing if you come right when the restaurant opens!
The just-​a-​little-​bit-​sweet Sukiyuki is delicious. The rest of the hot foods are fair-​to-​middling. Sugar cookies at dessert bar are excellent, almost as good as grandma’s! They are really good about making sure your beverage glass is never empty, be it soda, ice tea or water.
Take note that they close down lunch relatively early (2:00pm) on weekends. I guess that is so they have to get ready for dinner. Can somebody tell me what exactly is the difference is between their lunch and dinner selections?
The only red flag, and maybe it is just a yellow flag, is that the restrooms are… how do I put this politely? How about… well-​used?

I wouldn’t normally just come to Todai and eat lunch but this place is fun for a birthday celebration. Just be aware of the $ 25 per person charge.
I think the sushi is plentiful and pretty good. There is a huge variety and I have never had anything awful there. If anything I think it’s a good place to try new things. I guess you just have to remember it’s a sushi buffet, not a restaurant so it’s not going to be the same. The hot food is give and take, sometimes it looks shady so I skip past it but the little baby short ribs = YUM!
The dessert bar is my favorite, I might go there for that alone sometime. They had a new chocolate fondue fountain with strawberries, marshmallows and bananas. YAY! And of course the crème brûlée and mini bars of any dessert you could possibly think of.
Really the only negative thing I can think of is the wait staff seems to target your plates when you leave the table. I went to get a fork and they cleared my plate. I mean it didn’t help my stupid family didn’t say anything but still, I have heard people say that before. It just seems like a waste of food to me because I just had to go back and get some more.

Only go here for the sushi and when it’s your birthday. The left side of the restaurant is nasty. The sushi and desserts are worth it. No, it’s not the best sushi in the world but hey, it’s not disgusting and its better than the crappy ones you get at Rice n’ Roll. They have a variety of sushi and their sashimi is very fresh. I do admit that this place is too pricey for its food, which is why you should take advantage of their birthday program and bring a few friends. And I have mixed feelings about the service. The waitresses always seem to be friendly; but TWICE, they didn’t bring water when we presented a birthday voucher. When we went there without a voucher the water or tea was always there. But when we appeared WITH a voucher, no water. Straws were there, but no water.
Overall, if you want to pig out on a variety of sushi on your birthday, go

Okay, I know this place is gross… but I was forced to go with a group, and it’s still gross! The only thing that is pretty good is the seaweed salad and the tiny crème brulees. but that is about it. The hot food is horrible: there is more tempura batter than the veggie/​shrimp itself, the kalbi is just chewy piece of lard, the noodles are okay, and the sushi is somewhat edible – most of it is has that nasty tough stringy stuff that is hard to swallow – you know what I’m talking about!
And the ultimate question is: how do you feel when you walk out of Todai? satisfied? Hells no! Sick to my stomach and ripped off.
Todai USED to be pretty good – back in the day when it was the grand opening! Since then, it’s gone downhill… :(

Been here done that, won’t be back. My first 1 star review!
I’ve been here for lunch several times, I guess it was the newest «thang» we just had to do, so I went. Lunch is cheaper than dinner, dinner they serve more seafood and «lobster»?
The last time I went for lunch I got sick and almost lost it in the restroom, I think it was from the «mussels» they were serving. Sushi is not sushi when made with white goo that was suppose to resemble rice, soggy chewy Nori is not the way things are suppose to be! Arrrgh! Selection was nice but when it tastes, yucky, whats the use?
All you can it eat, can be done correctly, here it is not. I wish they’d stop trying to pass this off as Japanese food, it’s insulting.