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So much for us being the only people who were not Japanese in the restaurant at the time being a sign that the restaurant was good quality and authentic! Like most restaurants at Eastridge, this one is pretty mediocre. It's basically an all-you-can-eat sushi and generic Asian food store that's a step above most of the greasy Chinese buffets. I say this because the food doesn't appear to have the potential to make you sick. It is mostly, however, pretty mediocre. The sushi is about the quality you'd get at a grocery store like a Safeway, and most of the generic Asian food is ok at best. The only part of the food I actively liked was the soup. The interior was very generic looking, and the service was only ok.
If you want to stuff yourself on sushi and don't care that the quality isn't great, this restaurant may be a good deal for you. Otherwise I would skip it and go elsewhere.
I'm writing this while a lot of my friends are in Las Vegas, because I hope they won't see it.
Todai is not the type of place I would go to, however I was invited as part of a party so I had no say...and it was free. I wasn't expecting much, but I got more than expected.
Service...yes, service was pretty good. Drinks were refilled quick, empty plates were bussed timely, and we were well taken care of by the management. If you go, try the soup station. Get the udon, which is served up fresh for you, then go to the tempura station and drop a few pieces of shrimp. Tempura udon tasted quite good.
Can't say I'll come back on my own, but it did exceed my expectations...but they weren't high to begin with.
I came here awhile back for my little brother's birthday but didn't remember much. I returned a year later with my mom, little brother and two nephews. We were priced at 3 Adults and 2 Kids. My nephews are aged 7 and 11 years old.
This place definitely has a more seafood selection than anything else. Don't expect any of it to be fresh, however. My mom loves salads and she liked the different varieties they had here. I stuck with the seaweed salad as everything else was not appealing to me. (Yes, I'm a picky eater). I had myself four plates and nothing stood out. The lobster-halves was too cheesy and the flavor (if you would call it that) was too overwhelming. The thing that I did like was the chocolate fondue fountain and crepes! If only they did ice cream and nutella with their crepes, that would be awesome haha.
My little 7 year old nephew complained that he couldn't find anything to eat. Strange, we're in a buffet kiddo! He loaded on the clams, potato wedges, korean bbq ribs and what seem like the never ending plates of chocolate covered bananas. Service was good. The waitresses walked around and made sure to fill our drinks without asking. Overall, it was a bit pricey. Our bill came out to be $121. This wouldn't be the place to bring kids IMO although it seems like they cater to them with their huge, yellow mascot. This place does look a lot nicer than the other buffet places in the area. I think money would be better spent sitting in an actual seafood restaurant where we would actually like what we eat rather than this all-you-can-eat joint that was more 'blehh' than 'yum'.
OK well I haven't been here since the lobster was all-you-can-eat. I came here for dinner for my friend's birthday. Now they limit it to one per person, and actually will bring it out to your table. I'm not sure if it was actually lobster, since it was sliced in half and looked more like a large shrimp. The mayo topping was a bit salty and heavy so I was fine with just one serving, anyway.
I tried to sample a bit of everything that looked appealing.
Fried Tempura Shrimp- good
Fried Calamari- tough and overcooked
Kalbi- salty
Teriyaki Chicken- good
Steamed Crab Legs- salty
Fried Rice- a little oily but I liked it
Beef BBQ rib- salty
Philly Roll- surprisingly, good (for a buffet)
For Dessert- mini Tiramisu, sugar cookies, Strawberry Delight, fresh fruit.. all good. Loved the mini sizes so I could gorge on each one. They had a crepe station and a chocolate fondue fountain. I didn't get a crepe (no nutella topping?!) but dipped a marshmallow in the chocolate fountain.
In hindsight, I should've tried the udon or the ramen since a few from our table kept going back for seconds, but I didn't want any "fillers"... haha. Oh well.
Here's an oxymoron for you: good sushi buffet
I once had a bone in my yellowtail sashimi. Scales and skin on belly cuts. Nast. Never going back.
There is always a surprise if you go to Todai. Usually BAD.
1. We had gone to Todai many times, and earned 'points' every time we ate. After a lot of lunches including taking business partners out, we came in to enjoy our free lunch on our points. We were told thay had canceled the program last month, and even refused to give the point card back to us.
2. They advertised free dinner for the birthday person. We had parents visiting for his birthday, and we invited the whole party out to Todai. When we arrived they told us they had canceled the free dinner on your birthday, and now you would have to pay, and get a coupon for a free dinner on a day that was *not* your birthday.
3. We had not gone to Todai because of this for a while, and received a 10% off coupon. My wife talked me into going and when paying the bill we presented the coupon. We were told it could not be used with no reason. We asked why, as it appeared valid, but they could give no reason.
4. I called Todai to complain, and was told they would get back to us. They did not.
5. The kids pay by height, and I know how high my kids are. They come with for dinner, and I tell them they are less then 3', 4' and 5' respectively. The staff insists we all get up from our tables, and go over to service area to be measured. The measurements confirmed what I said.
Despite all this, (I guess it is just managements way of trying to get rid of all their regular customers), some of the food is quite tasty. A basic selection of sushi that is well made if you come in when they open. Later it is not. They will also make special sushi for you, like rice and cucumber for kids. Kids love to go there with the awesome freedom to pick any food you want. They have a good selection of fruit, so it is not only cake and icecream the eat. The hot dishes are also good, and the cooks are quick to fill up with fresh food.
Todai could have gotten 4 stars for food and service, but if you go there to eat, and get a random slap in the face by management in the process, it is still one star.
I've been coming here for years - I love sushi, but I can't afford to eat at, say, Barracuda. At least not eat there, and also get full. What can I say, I'm demanding - I like my boyfriends to be warm and breathing, too. SO PICKY!
This particular location is not as good as it used to be (and certainly not as good as the Westminster, former-Daly-City, and Waikiki locations), but it's still a pretty decent deal (weekdays have $14 all-you-can-eat sushi lunch). The sushi and sashimi are good; the hot food is just barely okay. The desserts aren't worth bothering with anymore. Still, you could pay $14 for just one roll at a "better" restaurant, so I feel like the sushi is worth the money any day.
The service is pretty good, considering that it's a buffet.
When I'm in San Jose on an all-day shopping expedition, this is hands-down where I'd choose to go for lunch. The sushi and sashimi are tasty and plentiful, if not the best I've ever had. But I wouldn't go here on a first date, and I wouldn't take a foodie here. I also wouldn't go here for the dinner (which is something like $25).
Yeah, 1 star is pretty much as high as I can go with this place. And that's under the best of all conditions. Food is pretty substandard and it ain't cheap by any means. Even though you get a lot of food, tt was really difficult trying to finish some of the sushi. The mackerel had a funky smell that you could tell was unnatural and the yellowtail was pretty slippery and rubbery. Just not very good news at all. This is really strange since I remember the other Todai locations (outside of Northern California) to be pretty good. What happened?
You're much better off to going to Safeway and spending $20 on sushi there.
....God Awful.
-SN
Via BB:
So we couldn't figure out where to go for the bf's bday cuz everyone was broke and/or busy for a last minute dinner. So we figured since todai was close and they offered free bday meal with 2 paying adults we decided to drag one of our friends along to at least go eat.
I remember back when my parents took us here and they would serve all u can eat split baked lobster. Now the price is higher and they only give u one per person. The food... Is alright I guess. Typical of a.buffet. Over done. Over salted. And covered in sauce. *shrugs* meh. The only real redeeming thing here was the chilled snow crab legs which we dipped in butter that we had asked a waitress for. It was most good but the last batch we got had no flavor.
Also, I'd like to mention that I got a plate full of crawdads and when I pulled them open the innards we're BLACK. All of them. Was sad I couldn't even salvage one. So I just settled on the crab legs. The sushi were poor quality and I think the only fresh(er) fish was the salmon nigiri prolly cuz its more popular. There is a neat little chocolate fountain though. That was fun and the crepes were ok. Though the whip... Did not taste like good whipped cream.
The service was nice enough and kept our drinks filled but then it wasn't too busy. And at the end no dessert for the bday boy. But they did give us this mysterious little envelope/coupon for our next visit but told us NOT to open it otherwise it was void. WTH? Pandora's box much? Surree...
Eh what did I expect right?
The crawfish was black inside. The sushi all had cucumeber as supplementary. Service was eh, ok but food there wasn't that decent. Inside one of my bf's sushi was a piece of a hard plastic.
good for the price. too bad the Cupertino one closed but now we sometimes drive all the way across town to come here. The kids have cravings for it. They love the all you can eat sushi, the udon soup, the beet salad, calamari rings, and the dessert!
Of all the Todai's in the Bay Area, this one is the nicest one. I've been going to Todai for my birthday for the last 3 years. And every year it goes a little bit more downhill. They use to serve really good food for dinner, lobsters, crab legs, the works but it seems that they stopped doing that. Also on my last birthday they didn't honor the usual "free meal on your birthday" with just one person, you now have to have two people which is a drag since I have no one other than my boyfriend to take with me. But they gave me a rain check to come back another day and they'll let me have the one person and a free meal.... uhh?!??! Why not just give it to me then? That made no sense. Also I didn't get a birthday cake like they usually give out.
The food seems to change every so often. The hot foods are okay, there's a lot of sushi's to choose from but they all taste "okay" nothing amazing. Pretty much the only upside to going to Todai is all you can eat Dim Sum and Udon.
If you're looking for a free meal on your birthday, this is definitely the place to go to. I mostly enjoy the dessert station, way better than other all-you-can-eat buffets that I have been to. Wouldn't hurt to give it a try.
I'll make this short:
One of the Top 5 WORST restaurants I've ever been to. It's a wonder why this place is still around.
I took my father-in-law here for his birthday last year. Big mistake!!
I think we had 7 people. The bill was over $200. $200(+) for a buffet that would be better placed at some cheap resort in Tiajuana!!??!!
I was meeting some friends here for a party; even though a few of my friends frequent this place, this was my first time! Since I would never expect an Asian buffet to have great food, my expectations weren't that high to begin with.
Esp with Japanese food, I wasn't expecting the seafood to be the freshest, so I stayed conservative, and stuck with a couple of different salads: the Asian chicken salad, and some variation of a caesar (forgot what it was called) that had seaweed in it. They were great and tasted fresh, and I had topped 'em off with bean sprouts, which were also good.
The kim-chi tasted like it came from a jar (no suprise here)...
I tried only a couple of the sushi's: the tempura and the inari, which is a dollop of rice wrapped in a tofu shell. The tempura sushi tasted fishy, and so did the inari (go figure because the only thing inside of it was rice!).
The best thing about the meal (aside from the veggies) was dessert. At the dessert station, crepes can be made-to-order on the spot, and I had a couple of those slammed down my throat with whipped cream - they were awesome!
The wait person served us drinks, and considering the busy time, she managed to come by a few other times to clean, fill up the drinks, and tp ensure that there was nothing else that we needed.
I sat with friends for about three hours. I imagine that the best thing about this place is that it's conducive to socializing - grab grub, sit and chat, graze, and repeat!! Since I had a great time with friends, expected nothing, and stayed conservative with my food choices - I wasn't disappointed, and got what I expected.
This place has gone downhill, especially the service. The food is decent, but not amazing. It's a good deal if your super hungry for japanese food. There weren't that many people here went we went here for lunch.
It's pretty expensive, but you do get to eat at a buffet though. They have a mediocre hot food,… Read more »
I remember loving this place so much when it first opened and I was here a couple weeks ago and was like "what happened?"
The miso soup tastes like water. Seriously. The best thing is probably the udon and it's not even that great. The raw fish, I didn't even dare to touch cause I don't want to get sick. Only the sushi rolls were okay. The crepe is so gross. Overall, the quality was just BAD.
I'd give it Zero stars if it was possible.
I'm not someone who expects to eat gourmet chef meals at buffets, but (see review of Japanese buffet in Miami) I do know it is possible to get excellent or very good sushi for reasonable prices and decent ambiance.
However, despite my misgivings, I ended up dropping nearly $70 for sushi buffet dinner for two at this place. It was not just the worst sushi buffet ever, it was the worst sushi ever and a horrible buffet.
To pay $27 per person for sushi that was so poorly prepared I had to spit out some pieces I tried. Chewy and leathery are NOT sushi traits but at this place that is what you can be assured. The staff was cutting open sealed packages of fish and you could see him have to press hard to get the knife to cut slices for putting on the tray.
It is the only sushi place I have gone that has an actual "old fish" smell. The rolls were sub-par, and even the hot food section was barely swallow-able. The Pepsi was flatter than the front of Kate Moss lying on her stomach on a concrete floor.
I love shrimp, and in this place I had my first tasting of shrimp that is indistinguishable from soap. The desserts were barely average and C- overall. But, in general, if you have never had sushi or a good buffet, (or the only thing you're looking for is a free meal if one of four guests has a birthday) you may go in and survive the experience.
This was, easily, the worst meals and worst values for money anywhere I have eaten on the planet.
My first time going to Todai and the experience was not bad.
Our waitress was very nice and attentive. Like many buffets there was a selection of seafood, sushi rolls, American and Chinese. The food was alright - not good, not bad.
The kids got to run around because it wasn't packed but for the money spent I would've gone somewhere else. I would only go back if my husband dragged me. I definitely would not be the one asking to go.
Bleh. The seafood was mushy, not fresh, and not a wide variety to chose from (considering that I paid 23.95 plus tax on a weekday). The sushi and sashimi was weak, the soup was luke warm and the guy who made my crepe coughed on it and still gave it to me! EWWW.
I would not come back here, even if it was my birthday and even if someone gave me free alcohol.
This place is an amazing value. I have no idea what the critics mean about the food not being fresh. It is fresh. We go with our college age kids and between what we all eat it would 3X the price at regular sushi restaurant. Yes, they have sashimi, sushi, salads and cooked offerings for people who want hot food. The wait people are friendly and attentive. The udon noodle bowls are made right in front of you. The chefs make the sushi right where you can see them working. This location at Eastridge is the best in the South Bay. Try it. You will like it.
All I have to say is... waaay overpriced.
I guess that you would expect that if you're going to pay that much for a buffet, you would be getting a really great food experience, but here, ehh not so much.
There is a very large sushi selection. And unfortunately, for all the times that I have been to Todai, I wasn't really into sushi, so I can't really say anything about their sushi selection, except that I know that the area in which the sushi is placed is pretty big. So the selection should be decent?
The regular dishes are ookay too. Nothing that really wows you.
The only things that I love here at Todai are Ramen and Udon soups and the fruit crepes. MmmmMmMM. These are the only reasons why I would want to go to Todai.
I also heard that you can ask for lobster. We did once, but the meal only includes one half lobster per person, which kinda defeats the whole purpose of "buffet" but whatever. I don't know if they still do that at this Todai, But hey, never hurts to ask for lobster. I guess that lobster was included in the buffet before, but not anymore.
All in all, I would suggest going to a different buffet.
But if you do want to try this place, I highly suggest going on a weekday for lunch, because the price is cheaper.
This place is definitely over priced. The sushi is not the best, you can tell it's been sitting out for a while, the food does not taste fresh, and the crepes taste too cheap for a price paid.
I remember spitting out food 3 times into my napkins. Definitely not a place to go.
O-V-E-R-Priced
at least for a buffet.
The Food isn't all that bad, its a good place to stuff your face with mediocre japanese food
but who doesn't want to pay up for mediocre japanese food ;]
there are worst places out there...
believe me
This place use to be a lot better when there was all you can eat lobster. It seems now you only get half of a large shrimp? I feel like the rest of the sushi might have gone down hill, some of the pieces doesn't look any better than what I can make at home... So sad, cuse I used to love this place so much more.
Not overly impressive, but if you go during dinner they have sashimi. Then it is worth the price. When I go I only eat the sashimi and edamame. This way I can easily justify the outlandish cost buy eating two entire plates of the most expensive sushi. I figure a full plate of sashimi any place else would easily be $50 or more. So two full plates and the dinner for two was well spent. Besides that I really do not eat anything else there so who knows how their hot menu is.
All in all I say go at dinner, eat a plate of tuna sashimi and one plate salmon sashimi and then it is worth what ever else you may not like there.
The reason for the 1 star is not so much that food, but the people that work there.
The servers and management are rude and disconnected to their surroundings.
Again, some of the food is decent, but I can't eat in peace with the negativity here. ( I was forced to eat here by my god son.)
Just not worth the money.
The food is okay and the variety is excellent. The atmosphere is noisy. If the food were somewhat better, it might be worth the cost; but overall it is too normal, too loud, and too pricey.
DCS
My Ratings:
Quality of Food - 1 Star
Quantity of Food - 3 Stars
Price - 1 Star
Location - 2 Stars
Parking - 2 Stars
Service - 2 Stars
Speed - 3 Stars
My Opinion/Story:
Over priced for a low quality food. I used to like Todai especially when they first opened up but over the years they have gotten too expensive for their selection. Their dishes are always over cooked and sushi is really bad. The only thing that I can really eat there is their crepe and even that was so small that it makes you feel like you're eating air. Anyway, spend your money someplace else. Their free birthday requires you to come back some other day with an additional person so you don't really feel like you got a great deal. Todai has gone down in their taste and selection.
Way overpriced for a place on that side of town. The food has no flavor, meat was dry, oysters and clams tasted old, and they had no lemons. I went there for my sister's bday bill came out to be 86 for 3 people and 1 free for the bday girl.
They pretend that they have some Sushi, however those are Sushi-looking something else. Not Sushi.
Once the be all, end all for seafood buffets in the Silicon Valley, housed in the east side of San Jose. The east side isn't what it used to be - it has a krispy kreme on one side and a mercedes benz dealership down the street from Raging Waters.
Two stars for the memories, but the food would get 0 from me. I won't even go there for birthdays -- talk about ripping you off.
The quality of the food has gone down hill from what it once was. Pity. I find I'd rather go across the way and eat at Red Robin.
Todai or not Todai?
That is the question.
I thought this place was okay. A variety of food. Not a super great selection but a fair amount. I go mainly for the sushi and if i have a big appetite.
There were cute girls working at the counter so a plus =). They were really nice as well.
However, the prices are expensive but what do you expect from a seafood buffet.
Haha I must be the only person that rated this place 4 stars. I dont know why but I just looove Todai. Granted the one in Waikiki is alot better with more options I still like the Todai in Eastridge. It's a reasonable price for an all you can eat buffet and they have some good little desserts. My favorite is the chicken and bbq beef they have there but since i recently decided to not eat beef anymore I guess the chicken and sushi's all I have to look forward to.
What can I say? Todai...it is what it is, right? Well, we went here last night for Valentine's Day dinner since I was too lazy to cook anything and I can say that I had a decent meal.
Out of all the Todai's that I have been too, I still think that this location is by far the best in selection and quality. I brought the fiance here, because:
1) He wanted clam soup and they have it, along with crab legs, crawfish and oysters, which he had requested for Valentines day.
2) I was craving some kind of asian food.
So, whatever, it is overpriced and last night they had stuffed crab heads, which I got all excited about, because I love all that gooey mess that people find disgusting inside of a crab head, but to my dismay, it was stuffed with FAKE CRAB! And let me tell you.... I HATE IMITATION CRAB! Ugh. What a disappointment.
But like I said, it is what it is...I mean where else can you get a plethora of choices like this? And BTW, they made a killing last night, because that line was out the door and people were waiting to eat there.
So, it can't be as bad as people make it out to be right?
I don't understand why people keep coming back to that place. I tried it to see what the fuss was all about. Not impressed. It's for "certain" people who think it's good food when it's just...not.
If you are lonely on your birthday and want to invite me over for the 2 for one.. i am game.. And I will pay my share too plus the drinks..I do sushi anytime..
Not my favorite but its alright for one big happy meal with lots or refills..
sashimi is my thing so I am glad to have one place where you could just fill up on those raw salmon till I hate you..
This is the furthest thing from good sushi I've had. The concept of all you can eat sushi is intriguing, but once you get into this place it becomes obvious that you won't want to eat much of this anyway. The place is quite expensive for what you get, and the seafood is of poor quality. Lots of other folks seem to have figured this out already and they're right on.
This is what I get for not yelping places before I eat at them. Shame on me.... shame on me...
San Jose, CA
Category: Korean
San Jose, CA
Category: Sushi Bars
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