Todai Restaurant

Am I a horrible person when I just want all Todai’s of the world to close?
yeah, i’m a horrible person. TAKE THAT TODAI.

Some of the most recent reviewers might be pleased to know that this location is closed as of 1÷3÷2010. Probably the last reviewer got stuck with the last of the seafood they had plus an apathetic staff.
I had gone to this location once before and it was adequate at the time. Nothing compared to my first encounter with Todai some years back in Houston. They do seem to vary a lot depending on location. Now the closest location to Seattle is in Portland and who knows if the quality of that particular establishment as they seem to be dropping like flies up here in the northwest.

Horrible food, practically nothing is fresh or delicious. They are barely edible, cold, and tastes like they’ve been cooked ages ago. The crabs are not fresh, the edamames are hard, the meat stale, the veggies soggy, the ramen tastes like instant ramens, only without meat.
For the price of $ 31.50 incl tax, this restaurant is horribly overpriced for serving crap. Will never EVER visit again.

It wasn’t too bad. All in, after a $ 50 gift certificate that we used, we spent a total of $ 20 for two adults. so for what we got considering the out of pocket $ 20, it was pretty darn good. I did notice that they said at the end of the night that they were going to close early due to the slowness of business. It was a Sunday night. Not sure if it’s seasonal cuz it’s really cold lately, or if it’s the recession. maybe both. but they were really nice about making sure to remind us to get more food — as much as we wanted before they shut it all down.

I used to love the Redmond location. It was huge, it was festive, it was of relatively good quality. I was extremely surprised that the Downtown location stayed open considering how awful it is.
The atmosphere is much more dreary, like a Walmart and it feels very shoddy. The sushi was of a pretty dismal quality, unlike what I experienced at several visits to the Redmond location. The hot food selection was much more limited and not executed quite so well.
Even the lovely dessert selections (which probably come frozen and standardized) lacked the delicious impact I had come to expect.
What I still love is their green tea and udon broth.

Todai is right across the street from my office, and the offer of all you can eat sushi has been tempting me for a long time. I’ve heard stories, so I went for the lunch buffet fully not expecting much, but even then I was disappointed. The hot foods were not really recognizable and I’ve had better sushi at Fred Meyer. I don’t know what else there is to say, other than the entire meal was a big disappointment, even the desserts, some of which were inedible.
The surprising thing was that there were crowds of people enthusiastically going back for seconds and thirds. My heart goes out to you second helping people, for you know not good sushi.
Don’t waste your time.

I’m not that big of a sushi eater, but the sushi here didn’t seem all that spectacular for the $ 15.95 lunch buffet price. While there’s a wide variety of sushi to try, there wasn’t anything that stood out. The seafood was decent but not worth the cost of the buffet alone. Service was good, but that might have to do with the place being almost completely empty. The birthday special (free buffet with three other paying adults) isn’t that bad of a deal though.

Like a moth to a flame I am drawn to them… buffets. I can’t help it! Perhaps its a genetic flaw but I always seem to find myself parked at one of these places turning a meal into an eating sporting event of epic proportions. And heck, all you can eat sushi, even if its so-​so sushi, makes it even more attractive. I tend to stick to the seafood/​sushi options as I figure that is where most of my somewhat pricey bill is paying for. Typically I shamelessly load my plate with as much tuna poke as I can. The hot food line usually featuring dried out tempura and somewhat comical cuts of various meats. Spending too much time in the the hot line in my opinion is a tactical error. For food quality probably 2.5 stars but since they allow me to really pack it in, they get the extr 0.5 stars.

$ 26.
$ 26 is the price of a single buffet on a weeknight. I believe the price was ~$ 28 for weekend dinners.
The food was not bad for a buffet. The sushi was alright, and the desserts were pretty good.
If the price per buffet were $ 18, I’d give Todai around a 3.5. I’d actually be enticed to go every once in awhile. At $ 20, I’d say it was an OK deal. I would not seek out this establishment, but wouldn’t mind going if someone else suggested it. At $ 26 – 28 (pre– tax and tip), it’s just absolutely ridiculous.

Todai is a decent, albeit pricey buffet to stop by if you are not exactly sure what you are in the mood for. Conveniently located at Pacific Place in downtown, it offers a wide selection of asian foods that are bound to meet the needs of a good sized group.
The sushi is mediocre and mass-​made. That being said, it is a buffet for crying out loud… you aren’t exactly going to be finding a ton of specialty options or things that will take awhile or cost a lot to make. If you are really craving sushi, are really hungry, and don’t want to spend much: this is a safe bet.
The hot food items are ok and mass-​produced (like everything else here) and are decent. You won’t be thrilled by the food, but at the same time you won’t be incredibly disappointed (I lied, you might be just a little).
Service is good and the wait staff are very attentive. It’s one saving grace in my book.
Good for groups, but not necessarily for a quick date or anything like that.

If you’ve eaten at one Todai, you’ve eaten at them all. I’ll admit I’ve been to no fewer than 5 Todais, all in different cities. It’s not the greatest, but it’s reliable and palatable. There’s nothing special about this one in Pacific Place except you get to pay for parking if you’re driving there. Yay!
Avoid dinner. Not worth the price. Lunch is a much better deal (even though there is more seafood served at dinner). The strategy to eating at any Todai (yes, «strategy») is to maximize your consumption of big ticket items. If you’re not going to eat any raw fish, don’t even bother coming. But hey, if you want to pay $ 20 to fill up on California rolls, potstickers, and fried rice, who am I to judge?
They don’t want you throwing away rice (i.e., eating only the fish from nigiri sushi sashimi-​style) and signs threaten they will charge you for it. I’ve never seen them enforce this. Maybe the signs aren’t even there at this one. There are ways to «hide» extra rice if you are that concerned…
Do I love Todai? No, not really, but sometimes you have to make sacrifices to get your sushi fix without breaking the bank.

Although I don’t frequent Todai because they are a little expensive for a buffet. it’s still a pretty great place.
I’ve never actually been during dinner hours because the price spikes (and I imagine the food is the same.) but if you’re starving and you have some time to kill in Pacific Place — I think this is the best restaurant in that mall.
I know a lot of people are afraid of seafood and sushi but this place is great for all eaters, even kids! The buffet is massive and you can pick from fresh fruit, yogurt, jell-​o, to fresh sushi, crab legs, terikayki dishes, potstickers, made-​to-​order crepes, mini desserts, and more! It’s really a great spot for anyone that’s hungry enough to eat $ 15 worth of food.
In fact — if you go on your birthday it’s FREE! So it’s the best time to go with a friend. You split the bill and it’s finally a lot more affordable. Better yet — if your friend is nice, they pay for their meal and you get a free meal!

With all of the quality fish in Seattle, why would anyone want to eat here at Todai? Sushi on its own can get pricey but with additional components of Japanese food, pricey can become flat out expensive. A fixed price can be had here at Todai in buffet fashion nonetheless, but the experience is no different from any of the seafood specialty buffets in Las Vegas or on seafood night at Hometown Buffet.
The food is not quality but rather in quantity. Sashimi fish cuts go quick and typical nigiri pieces dominate the platters across the cafeteria like line. The sushi chefs behind the counter do honor special rolls, but they won’t do anything fancier than a handroll or even a spider roll. Speaking Spanish over Japanese may be an advantage here, as none of the staff was able to understand the Japanese spoken from one of my out of town guests from Japan. And no, it was not my idea to bring him to Todai. It was all his doing (and his credit card).
Speaking of prices, the per person head cost is creeping closer to $ 30 by the day. The nice thing is they won’t charge for unfinished portions to patrons and are willing to provide actual wait staff service despite it being a buffet. AYCE sushi is novel idea, but it’s simply not well executed in this Seattle version of Todai.

I used to really love Todai, but now that my stomach doesn’t quite pack in the food as well as it used to (but I’d still put you all to shame), and the fact that the free birthday dinner requires 3+ paying guests. I just don’t frequent Todai too often anymore, other than… someones birthday.
Service at Todai can be really hit or miss, it really depends when you show up. But I will say do not show up shortly before closing, because you will get evil looks from the people in the back anytime you take something good from the buffet. Why? because that’s going to be their lunch/​dinner in about 10 – 15 minutes. I can hear their thoughts now «that &$(*#(fat Chinese guy took all the tempura shrimp!!!».
Pricing at Todai is a bit unreasonable IMO. It’s around $ 25 for lunch, and close to $ 30 for dinner. And although you have plenty of options at slightly above mediocre quality. It’s just hard to justify paying that much for what you get unless you’re in slob mode. You’re almost better off taking your group to a legit Japanese restaurant, and spending $ 25 – 30 each ordering a family-​style dinner. You still get all the variety, and much better quality.
Last and definitely not least, the food. Buffets in general tend to lack quality for variety. Todai gladly is slightly a bit better, but not by much. I’ve never eaten the sushi, udon, tempura, desserts and have said «oh God Damn this is delicious!!!», but I’ve never really said «THIS IS TERRIBLE!!!» either… and well, they definitely do have variety: Teppan, Sushi, Sashimi (just toss all the rice off your sushi), Tempura, Teriyaki, Udon, Ramen, Yakisoba, Crepes, and tons of dessert.
I’m not craving Todai anytime soon, but if someone’s going for their birthday… I won’t say no.
~G

For 20 bucks, all you can eat sushi?! HELL YEAH! The Idea behind Todai? GENIUS. The execution? Not so much.
I don’t mean to be a whiny son of a bitch right now, but their Sushi is just not that great. Its not even the type of sushi you can just gorge on either until you can’t eat any more. Its too gross.
SO being who I am, I ended up visiting the desert and fruit side of the buffet more than the actually Sushi Side. They have cake bites, cream puffs, cookies, fruit cocktail, jell-​o, and that is what I am talking about. Just when I tell myself to hate Buffets, I can’t because I am always reminded when I eat the Dessert part of the buffet. Damn you cookies and treats!
Anyways, I do give them props for having Crepes. You can choose flavors like Banana, blueberry, peach, pineapple, etc. and they have chocolate choices too.
The only time I am coming back is if one of my friends demand to eat here for free on their birthday.

Ew.
Sushi’s meh.
Everything else is ew.
And seriously, paying $ 20 for ew food, well…
Granted, I was expecting this from a buffet food. Damn my husband and his love of buffets. BUT YAY for him on saying «Ok, I think I’ll never come back again».
The silver lining on my clouds…
There are FAR better sushi/​asian restaurants in the Seattle area to get stuck with this expensive one step above mall food place.

This is my *favorite* Todai!
First, it’s on the top floor of Pacific Place, so you can immediately work off all that fish shopping for outdoor gear, or home décor, or sexy aprons and French maid outfits. The restaurant itself reminds me of a ski chalet, with the wooden rafters and huge windows. The view of the Old Navy next door is beautiful, especially when it’s snowing outside.
And as for the food, I can always find something I like. It’s especially good during weekend dinners, when they have seaweed salad, Korean stuff, fresh spring rolls, and prime rib. Finally, they have plates of sashimi — no more looking cheap by getting nigiri and leaving little mounds of rice on your plate!
Which is not to say lunch is bad… first the action: the chopsticks were perfectly aged so that when I tried to cut my sushi, they both snapped, spectacularly, simultaneously, perfectly in half, flipping through the air and almost poking out the eyes of multiple people around us.
And despite lacking all the aforementioned food items during lunch, they still satisfied with the BEST tater tots I’ve ever had. I mean they were PERFECTLY crispy!
Call me optimistic, but I’m definitely going back.

Whoa… it’s taken this long for me to come here? Crazy, and yet not.
Definitely you get the most bang for your buck if you go the sushi and and crab legs route. When I was walking around, contemplating where to go first to load up my Plate #1, I had Grace Adler from Will & Grace stuck in my head reciting her views on Buffet Etiquette.
«Always go to the back of the line first! They always put the cheap stuff that fills you up in the front — fruit, rolls, salads — idiots! Wait for the crab legs and the prime rib!»
I think that some of the hot dishes would have been more appetizing had we not shown up towards closing time. Oh, and what’s up with undercooking edamame? Let alone that there wasn’t any salt on it. :o (
In the end, I felt like I was busting out of my pants after going through 2 plates and half of my desert load. Can’t complain about that!

My neighbor who was born in Ukraine and have lived in Seattle for 40 something years love to go Todai.(Downtown Seattle) He loves Sushi. He was the one who took me there for lunch. Although it is more fusion than Japanese, I enjoyed the food and environment. Our waitress was very nice. My neighbor told me he skips his breakfast and dinner to eat lunch at Todai. Other review may not mention about other food which Todai offer. You can have Japanese noodles (warm noodle will be served at the counter), Vegetable tempura, Chinese style cooked vegetables, salad, and desert. Especially I love petite deserts. I can have many kinds includes cream puffs.

I’m from Nevada, so you better believe I know my buffets. We train hard in order to cram the greatest amount of food down our gullets, and not only do we all have our favorite buffets, we develop individual buffet strategies to maximize value for money. So when my friend Ray announced that he wanted to celebrate his birthday at Todai, I was happy to have a chance to flex my buffet muscles (which have grown atrophied here in portion-​controlled Seattle).
Ray’s main reason for wanting to go, other than unlimited quantities of sushi, was that you get a free meal on your birthday, as long as there’s at least one paying guest accompanying you. Normally, dinner is $ 26.95, which is pretty steep by Nevada standards, so I was curious to see what Todai would offer to justify the price of admission.
There are several stations in the restaurant. The sushi bar proper has a decent variety of both nigiri and rolls, plus a small selection of sashimi. I saw all the usual suspects — salmon, shrimp, unagi, tuna — plus California rolls and some other standard stuff. I’d say there were about 12 – 14 kinds of sushi available at any given time, and it seemed like they rotated the trays fairly often, so you were reasonably sure of getting fresh pieces.
Nearby, a salad bar offered cucumber and seaweed salad, edamame, kim chi, and other cold salads. Another station had crab legs (I didn’t try these, though others did and they looked meaty and delicious), peel-​and-​eat shrimp with faces, and fruit. The hot-​food bar had things like chow mein and orange chicken, but I didn’t bother with these, considering them a waste of valuable stomach capacity. The miso soup was good, though.
A dessert bar is located at the front of the sushi line, which is a little confusing, but save it for later. They offer a couple of kinds of cookies, cream puffs, a variety of cheesecakes (including mocha, blueberry, and green tea), and something called «Strawberry Delight,» which sounded sinister but which, I’m told, was good. There was also a crêpe station that did made-​to-​order crepes, and a chocolate fountain where you can unhygienically impale marshmallows and fruit on a skewer before submerging them in rich, communal liquid chocolate.
If this sounds like more food than you can possibly eat in one sitting, there’s a good reason for that. Even a trained buffet expert will be stymied by the many dishes on offer here, so it’s essential to take a walking tour first and carefully plan your selections. You probably won’t be able to get to everything you want to try, but you will leave feeling completely stuffed, and you definitely get $ 26.95 worth of choices. Save a few bucks and go at lunchtime, because you won’t want to eat again for the rest of the day anyway — then head home, lie down for a post-​buffet nap, and admire the giant lump of sushi distending your belly like a cartoon snake.