Todai Restaurant

I went to Todai last Saturday night for the first time and I have to say it's the best Japanese buffet I've ever been to. I don't eat sushi personally but they had more than enough appetizing entrees to satisfy a non-sushi eater. Including delicious prime rib, fresh king crab legs, teriyaki chicken, oysters, fresh and sweet, and more desserts than I could dream of. And the cheesecakes they serve are hands down the best in Portland. Todai has such a fun and inviting environment too so it's great for families, with fun characters decorating the walls and ceiling for kids to enjoy and a flat screen TV for the dads. And the prices are very reasonable for the quality of the food. All in all I was very pleased with the whole experience. I am definately going to go back again! more

This place is disgusting. I went there for the first time today and was totally unimpressed by the food, service, and atmosphere. In fact, the food was so bad that my boyfriend ate six bites and gave up. I kept eating just to make it worth spending so much freaking money, and then paid for it on the ride home, when I spent the whole time thinking I was going to be sick. \r \r The only reason I went was because of the positive ratings it got on here. I just re-read the reviews and can't believe that ANYONE would give this place such high ratings. Either these people have no tastebuds or someone is paying them good money to write glowing reviews. I used to live near Reno and went to all-you-can-eat sushi there many times; it was nothing like this. The fish at this place is not fresh, the rolls taste weird, and some of the plates at the buffet still had food stuck to them from the previous diners. The only thing worthwhile in the whole joint is the soft-serve ice cream machine. \r \r If you want good sushi, STAY AWAY from here! What a total waste of time and money. (P.S. I wouldn't even go back for the free birthday meal. You couldn't pay me to eat here again.) Cons: Food, Ambiance, Service more

We went in search of all-you-can-eat sushi, and ended up at Todai because it appears to be the only place in Portland to find it. In retrospect, we would have been better off eating a plastic box of sushi from the Safeway deli. If you're looking for quantity rather than quality, this is the place for you. Served buffet-style and located in a mall, Todai offers an array of sushi rolls and assorted other Asian foods (egg rolls, tempura, yakisoba noodles), all of which are mediocre and seem to have been sitting around for hours. Lunch costs about $17 per person. It does not seem physically possible to eat enough of this food to justify paying that much for lunch. (Unless you're really hungry for warm sashimi and rolls that are made with lots of fillers like fake crab and mayonaise.) The service was also lacking--though we were seating promptly, we had to wait ten minutes after we started eating to get a drink, by which point our eyes were watering and our mouths burning from the wasabi. The sushi was tasteless, the egg rolls and tempura mushy, and the only redeeming part of the meal was the ice cream machine and the fact that they validated our parking. Anyone who has ever eaten good (or even decent) sushi will be thoroughly disappointed by this dining experience. Pros: Validated parking Cons: Everything else more

I'm a big fan of heavy servings and lots of decsisions. Todai offers you both with a wide variety of sushi dishes, hot main entrees, and even snow crab legs during dinner hours. The atmosphere is very family friendly, it's located at the top floor of the Pioneer Square Mall. Pros: All you can eat of everything, the Snow crab, the sushi. Cons: All in all pretty good value but with a dinner for two it can be pricey for a buffet. more

If you like all you can eat buffets, then you'd like this place. But there's a reason it's priced as low as it is, and that's because the food is just average at best. Some of the fish tasted funny, and I asked a busperson about it: his response was, just eat something else, there's plenty to choose from. For the same amount of money you can have a really good meal somewhere else, you just can't have twenty courses. Pros: Variety Cons: Food is below average quality more

If you want Japanese sushi, crablegs, oysters in a buffet style, then Todai is for you. All the convenience of self serve but with a good sushi, and other Japanese specialties. The Sashimi was very fresh. At the end ofyour meal they have creme puffs, creme Boulee', key lime pie.... Dinner may run $25 per person but if you eat the right stuff... it is a bargain. Pros: Lots of good seafood, variety Cons: Cafeteria like atomosphere in a shopping mall more

This is the best place to go on your actual birthday. You eat for free on your birthday and it is all you can eat so fill up. This place features great sushi, seafood and more. Pros: Sushi Cons: Location more

My fiance and I went to Todai on Thursday night and it was not crowded! It was perfect casual place to eat after shopping. Many food items to choose from. I am a seafood lover so I enjoyed those piles of shrimp, crab legs, oysters and calamari. \r As for sushi, it was not the best. If you want good sushi for good price, come to Sushi Land in Vancouver, WA.\r Desserts were okay, they are cut into tiny pieces, which I found very cute. Pros: seafood, many choises, nice place for a buffet Cons: sushi, price, service more

Todai charges outrageously for the quality of the food. I mean, all you can eat is fine for some, but I didn't want to eat a whole lot of what was offered. The sushi was warm and the salads and hot dishes were mostly boring and bland. The crepes were a very strange addition, but tasted okay. Each person's meal costs $25.95, and for that you could take yourself out to a real sushi or seafood restaurant and eat like a king. The dining area is loud and boisterous, so don't go if you're looking for a quiet dinner. You can do better than this place, take your money elsewhere. Pros: Location Cons: Cost, Food Quality, Ambience more

Todai is an excellant place to eat! Professional handling of sushi and the cooked food remarkably well done. The only thing I caught wrong is that if you drink your drink too fast, servers will show up slightly late for your refill, so its best to have 2 drinks so you won't have to wait and suffer of thirst when finished drinking your drink (pepsi, water, alcohol, etc) although what do you expect when everytime Ive been here it was busy. A good type of busy that is. Overall, for $15 its worth it! Eat all you can Pros: sushi, food, buffet Cons: waiting to be, seated more

The dinner runs 25-30 dollars, but bring a friend on your birthday and you both eat for the price of 1 person. A great value as compared to a fairly good value otherwise. The custom crepes on the far right are a great unexpected addition, as well as custom sushi and more exotic items if you request them. Also the desert bar has 10+ items everytime and they are small portions so you could actually try them all, and they are all delicious. PS. bring your own seasoned rice vinegar for the sushi as they don't have any available. Also ask for extra napkins up front as it is hard to find your waittress after you get your drinks. Pros: Great Selection, All You Can Eat, Birthday Special Cons: Service is spotty, ambiance - no booths, can get loud inside more

The service was good, but not much explaining of where the buffet started, or that it was separated by hot and cold foods. Luckily, some of the members of our 10 person group had been there before and summed it up for us before we got up there. The food was excellent, however. There is so much to choose from and we had the chance to try almost everything. At first we did falter at the $23.95 per person price, but think about it: On a date, you probably spend around $20-$25 per person with dinner, desert and drinks. So, the price isn't all that bad, and you can choose your drink, all the seafood you can imagine and a variety of dessert dishes. Pros: Great Food, Nice Staff, Good for Large Groups Cons: Timid waitstaff more

I admit - I am not a big fan of the buffet. I think it is a way of offering a lot of mediocre food for more money than you want to spend. I would rather have one great dessert than bites of 40 mediocre ones. This is exactly what we got. We arrived right when they opened. There were literally 75 people waiting to go inside. We thought it must be good. Alas, no. Sushi was only fair. Salads were okay. Teppenaki - selection of vegetables was pathetic. The lobster was mythical. Oh, there was lots of crab legs, which takes more calories to open than it gives. Desserts were less then okay. It reminds me of an old saying if you can't dazzle them with brilliance than baffle them with . . . too many options. Never again. Pros: lots of variety Cons: mediocre, too expensive more

First of all this is a BUFFET, not a sushi bar. Once you get that straight you can enjoy yourself. The sushi is good though I have had better. The food is excellent, choices are great. The only thing so-so is the staff, service is lacking. The deserts are outstanding, don't forget to try a desert creip(sp). The birthday meal is great, I'm glad they have it back. When you compare what you would pay at any other seafood place for ""all you can eat....."", this place is one great value!!! They validate parking too! Pros: Food, Value, Parking Validated Cons: Location, Service, $$$$ more

I've always been a sucker for the free birthday meal (which requires another ""paying"" person to accompany the birthday person), but this year marks the 3rd and final time I'll be forcing my wife (and punishing myself) to endure this ""tradition"". The sushi has never been impressive, but this time we had especially bad fish, ""hot"" dishes that were warm at best, and desserts (usually a high point) that were mediocre. Yet it's packed with lines out the door! Why so many people love this place beats me...for as much as they charge for ""all you can eat"" you can get fantastic sushi elsewhere. Can't wait til next May when I can start a new birthday tradition...eating someplace else. Pros: variety, free birthday meal Cons: , crowds, ambiance more

This is possibly some of the worst sushi I've ever had. I felt robbed when I left, having spent so much money and not enjoying a single item. Considering all the wonderful sushi resturants in Portland, I am truly surprised that Todai has even lasted as long as it has. It's a waste or real estate if you ask me. Cons: poor food, poor atmosphere more

This place is waaay to overrated. The sushi is horrible, the buffet food tastes like a cheap chinese buffet with extra ""special"" sauce. This is the top ten sushi place in Portland, ITS A BUFFET for gods sake... Pros: Variety of foods, Fast, no waits Cons: Too expensive, Food is horrible, is it disneyland? more

We go to Todai AT LEAST 2 times a month. We love it. The food is very good, the waitresses & waiters are all very friendly and know us as regulars, so it's nice to go in and be called by our first names. Wednesday is my birthday(again!) and we'll be at Todai again! I can't wait! Pros: great food, great people, validate parking more

Unless you want to get your money's worth by consuming a humongous amount of food, the price they charge and the quality of the food they serve simply doesn't add up. Pros: buffet Cons: so so food, poor value more

Not that Todai is bad, but it is definitely quantity over quality. I have had a better gourmet selection and tastier sushi at the sushi-go-round joints. Pros: quantity Cons: better taste, better selection, lower price more