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Kinki
Categories: Restaurants Japanese Nightlife Bars Lounges Restaurants Asian Fusion Japanese, Lounges, Asian Fusion [Edit]
41 York StOttawa, ON K1N 5S7
(613) 789-7559
- Price Range:
-
$$$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Good for Kids:
- No
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- Yes
- Take Away:
- No
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- Yes
- Good For:
- Lunch, Dinner
- Music:
- DJ
- Happy Hour:
- Yes
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
- Smoking:
- Outdoor Area/ Patio Only
- Coat Check:
- No
- Noise Level:
- Quiet
- Good For Dancing:
- No
- Has TV:
- No
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- No
18 reviews for Kinki
18 reviews in English
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Review from Steph K.
Ottawa, ON
4/24/2012
I don't really think of Kinki as a Japanese or Sushi restaurant. It definitely falls into the '"Asian fusion" category. Kinki offers the standard fare of sushi, nigiri and sashimi.
However, the real focus of it's menu are the hosomakis with exotic ingredients and fancy presentation. The hosomakis are certainly interesting and worth trying but definitely not what I'm looking for when I am craving sushi.
Kinki offers "Asian inspired" dishes such as green tea crusted rack of lamb, Thai me up soup, and Ume shrimp salad.
If you're vegetarian, then Kinki may be a perfect fit. They offer a huge variety of vegetarian and vegan makis and hosomakis. They also have weekly Vegetarian Wednesdays where you pick 4 side dishes for 20$. It's a great way to try a variety of dishes in 1 meal. The last time I went on a Wednesday, I wasn't able to eat more than 2 of my 4 dishes.
I have mixed feelings about Kinki. I enjoy the fact that they are vegetarian friendly. I also enjoy their Happy Hour menu, which is available Monday to Friday from 3-5pm, Sunday to Wednesday from 9pm-close and Thursday to Saturday from 10pm to close. Orders placed during happy hour entitles you to double portions of sushi, sashimi, maki,and hosomakis from the Happy Hour menu. There are also reduced price hot dishes and drink specials. I really enjoy Happy Hour with a group of friends. Everyone gets drinks and orders sushi tapas style.
I don't enjoy the high prices of dishes on the regular menu. I feel 15$ is too much for a hosomaki roll. I also dislike the fact that sometimes Happy Hour features a terrible DJ playing loud music.
Overall, if you're expecting a tradition sushi experience, this is not the place to go. If you're looking for unique hosomakis, want vegetarian sushi or are looking for izakaya in Ottawa but are willing to settle with sushi tapas, then Kinki just may be for you. -
Review from Mark G.
5/22/2012
This is a review from a past visit to Kinki, posted on another ratings site. (I'm copying my reviews from there as I am now loyal only to Yelp!)
I was in Ottawa on business and met a friend on Oct. 25 just before 6pm with a friend. He warned me that "Kinki USED TO be his favourite restaurant, but the service has slipped - badly." He even boycotted the restaurant for a year and a half. As it was my first time in the restaurant, I asked the young female server to explain something on the menu. I asked "what are these?" (pointing to a section of the happy hour menu). She answered "those are trios" and paused long enough for me to ask "trios of what?". She snapped at me with "if you'd let me finish I was going to explain it to you!".
Are you kidding me?
I got up, shocked, and said "I can't eat here now" and my friend and I walked toward the door. Once outside, the server CAME AFTER US, calling out "I'm a server, not a servant!"
(Kinki ownership has accused reviewers on this other site of being "mentally unstable" if you post reviews critical of their restaurant.) If anyone is mentally unstable, it's this female server.
I can't even comment on the food, I didn't stay long enough to try it. But as far as service goes, you can believe ownership who have an interest in your money or you can believe public posters.
I'm happy I didn't bother asking for a manager to complain on the spot. It's obvious they don't care anyway. We ended up at Blue Cactus down the street and enjoyed a lovely (albeit slow) meal.
If you go to Kinki, stay away from the female servers. Sorry I can't be more specific. -
Review from Lynn C.
2/4/2012
The sushi verdict is good. The soup, not so much.
Average of $15/roll...a bit on the expensive side.
We got the tempura shrimp roll, soft shell crab roll, and eel roll.
The tempura roll was the best. The rest was okay.
The Thai Me Up soup was like water, for $9, for one serving. Definitely not a soup that's been cooked overtime to get the flavours in. More like coconut milk with some salt and thai curry. Not good at all.
Service was good.
I heard this place used to be really good until it changed owners.
It is huge and well decorated, bathroom smells great. -
Review from So H.
Orléans, ON
11/17/2011
I have definitely had better sushi in Ottawa and paid less!!
We went as a group from work for lunch, they sat us at the round table at the back (NO AC!!! We were dying it was so warm). Either the server or the very old man making the sushi forgot 1 of our orders(there was only 6 of us), the sushi was plain and expensive and the servers were not the best.
1 of our members didnt even get sushi, he got ribs....they were the best thing at the table. -
Review from Spike D.
3/15/2011
I go to either Wasabi or Kinki for lunch every couple of months. Both have pretty good Japanese food -- a couple of blocks from each other.
Kinki:
Upside -- really attractive presentation, pretty food;
Downside -- small portions, not a lot of sides; slices of sashimi on carved cucumber with carrot curls are creative but don''t really constitute a full lunch for me.
Upside - has a lot of 2/1 coupons in the Entertainment 2011 coupon book
Service is friendly but always seem a bit surprised that you bothered to turn up. (i.e. it's pretty easy to get a table at lunch)
If pretty food and discounts aren't top priorities, go to Wasabi. (Ranks one more star by my estimation). -
Review from Amanda B.
Ottawa, ON
11/20/2010 2 photos
Kinki is not your regular sushi place - it is more Asian fusion restaurant. A few friends and I went to Kinki for a small bite to eat before heading to a charity event. We were very formally dressed but didn't feel out of place, as Kinki is also a lounge with a DJ and cocktail menu. The restaurant's lighting was very dim and they sat us in a booth closer to the door.
We ordered vegetable tempura and their Kinki maki rolls. There was plenty of tempura and it came in a large bowl with dipping sauce. There were a mix of vegetables, including the standard zucchini and sweet potato. There was quite a bit of dough on each piece, so the batter was extremely crispy on the outside but slightly dough-y underneath. The Kinki maki rolls were gigantic! There were only 6 pieces but they were so huge that it's probably best (less messy) to eat it in a couple bites instead of one, but as you sushi lovers know, the roll just falls apart if you try to bite it. The flavour of the rolls were good, but not at all worth the price - about $15. We found it to be pretty expensive, so I suggest eating there if you're in the mood for a fancier-than-your-average sushi joint.Listed in: Glutton, International Flavour
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Review from Minh D.
Gatineau, QC
10/9/2010 5 Check-ins Here
When it first opened (and was featured on Opening Soon), this was "the" place in Ottawa for sushi - very hip and cool take on the sushi restaurant. The past few years however, perhaps with the change in ownership, it really isn't the same place - the prices are still too high and if you're really a sushi fan (as in a nice variety of raw fish nigiri or sashimi style), this isn't the place for you. Kinki - like most Ottawa sushi restaurants unfortunately - focus more on sushi rolls with semi clever names.
Walk one street over (Clarence) and go to Wasabi instead or head downtown and go to Genji. -
Review from Brian H.
Ancaster, ON
2/14/2011
I don't know how anybody can say this is a good place to eat sushi. They can't even get the easiest thing to get right with making sushi. The seaweed is soft. no snap.
$60 for 1 person.
Sooooo BAD -
Review from Jonathan W.
Calgary, AB
6/12/2010
So you don't have many options to fix that sushi craving in Ottawa if you're downtown. Really, in the market, you're flipping between the old-school Wasabi and the hip new fusion of Kinki.
Kinki seems to win out because of the patio and the more "kinky" looking waitstaff. Overall, however, it's average fare at best.
I love great sushi, it needs to be fresh, cut well and presented well. Plus, it takes a bit of "experience" to judge quality which perhaps is difficult to garner in Ottawa.
They have, as any "modern" fusion sushi place would, an interesting lineup of specialty rolls. The black pearl was tasty, the naughty tiger, not so much.
For starters, the agedashi tofu was the right texture, wrong flavour and the kara age - a complete miss. A fried meat lump of a mess and I love fried meats.
We order the chef's moriwase to sample the fish, and here, they made up ground. Most of the selection was high quality and the presentation above average. So they must have a pretty decent chef in the sushi bar.
To summarize, kinki is not great but perhaps your best option for Japanese in a bind. Stick with the fish and avoid the other flotsam on the menu. -
Review from cheryl m.
Parksville, BC
Very good food. Yummy Thai me up soup. Clean establishment. My only reason for taking off a star was the dishes are a tad in need of a better dishwasher.
The food is so good you must stop here if you love sushi -
Review from Lindsey S.
Toronto, ON
11/25/2009
I haven't been here in 5 years, but I can't stop thinking about it!
Kinki was my first real taste of real sushi at a real sushi restaurant! I think this place started my sushi obsession. All other are compared to this place in my mind.
The location is right in the market, so you are close to everything that Ottawa has to offer, the night life is great in the area, so Kinki make a great start for an evening out with friends and is a superb place for large groups (there is a downstairs level that is amazing - you feel like it's your own private hide away and your own restaurant), Kinki also makes a great date location.
If you're in Ottawa check it out - the food is great and the decor is amazing! -
Review from Azim A.
Ottawa, ON
11/6/2008 1 photo
Not being a huge fan of sushi, this is a place that I can still appreciate. They have exceptional service, a flair and ambience that makes you feel like you're in an upscale establishment in Europe or Japan, not Canada. The sushi is quite good as well, and for non-seafood fans, the beef and chicken skewer is subtly good.
The prices are high, but if you want to go for a premium service and like sushi, this place is worth checking out -
Review from April F.
Ottawa, ON
10/8/2008
I generally balk at paying a lot for sushi. As a transplanted West Coaster, I'm used to good and quality pieces at a small price.
I've found the food at Kinki to be good, but not so exceptional that I could overlook the final tab. On a positive note, there is a lot of variety on the menu. My husband, who is not a fan of seafood, usually opts for the combination plate piled high with skewered beef, or the chicken kiragi (breaded strips of chicken). I've found that the latter is usually a hit with my two-years-old child as well.
The staff is very friendly and helpful, while remaining efficient.
All in all, decent eats with a hefty price tag. -
Review from Jim P.
9/8/2010
It's fine. The edamame with chili oil and white/black sesame seeds with lime/salt is amazing. The maki rolls (hidden shrimp) were fine but not outstanding.
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Review from Erik G.
3/24/2009
Good food even if one doesn't like sushi. I love it, but I know a lot of people that don't. I ordered the El Diablo and Sandra's Naughty Tiger maki. These were very well prepared and presented. They tasted very good. I'm not usually a fan of fusion restaurants, but this one is great.
The service is good. We were disappointed to find none of the women featured on the website, but we took it in stride. -
Review from Dan W.
Toronto, ON
6/17/2010
Kinki's is a serious disappointment. It used to be my favorite restaurant in Ottawa - it had a great, creative and unique menu, lots of veggie options, and a fantastic atmosphere. The one downside was service. Frankly, it was a problem. Long delays and all around inattention were common, and expected. Nonetheless, I often felt it worth the trouble and went anyways. Last summer, new owners took over, and things started changing. At first, it was better. The menu stayed the same, but the rampant service problems disappeared, along with many associated servers. Then, the menu and cooks changed. Some of my favorites were dropped, and others simply were no longer as good. Not sure why or what, but the food quality moved sharply down to "Meh, it's ok". Mediocrity is commonplace, but the prices can no longer be justified. Perhaps they will revise their food once again and restore Kinki to it's past glory, but until then, I lament that it has lost it's lustre, and is now an overpriced venue for decent but not excellent food.
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Review from Ariela S.
Ottawa, ON
12/28/2010
We went to this restaurant last night with 4 friends from out of town, and ended up waiting for an hour and twenty minutes before our main dishes finally came. We're a pretty relaxed crew, and since it was between Christmas and New Years we wanted to cut them some slack - but once the food did come, 3 of the 6 (hot) dishes were cold. Our waiter was unapologetic, the food was so/so, and in the end we were left hungry with a hefty tab. With so many great restaurants in Ottawa, I would NOT recommend this one - It seems they value appearance over the quality of the food and service.
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Review from Tyler S.
Ottawa, ON
6/14/2009
Good Asian fusion and everything comes very well presented but you are certainly paying for it. The restaurant sometimes also has a live DJ which also accounts for the high price. All in all if you are looking for good Asian fusion with a great presentation and fancy surroundings this is pretty much the only choice in Ottawa.
