The service is incredible here, and the vibe is cool-chic. Just loving the atmosphere here…read more As for the food, don't expect it to be a "traditional Izakaya" here, but that's not a bad thing. They do the "traditional" dishes with a twist / fusion. For example, the black cod is usually feel heavy with the miso based sauce, but they added some acidity to the sauce and they made the black cod taste rich and light (not to mention the black cod was perfectly cooked); traditionally the Brussels Sprouts would be finished by tossing balsamic vinegar over it. Sometimes that would still feel heavy. Instead, they tossed it with strawberry vinaigrette. So the acidity is very light and not too sweet. We finished our meal with the Yokai Signature Maki. Yes, they SHOULD be proud of this Maki enough to put their name on it. They hit it on the nail with the taste profile. I have a zero tolerance with spiciness, so they put the spicy mayo on the side, and I encouraged my wife to dip the Maki with it. She confirmed my suspicion that the spicy mayo took the maki to another level. We definitely will come to try other dishes. Edit: they comped us a slice of Matcha Cheesecake. While it is still not my cup of tea, but I was very impressed with how good it taste. My "dislike" is with cheesecakes because they feel heavy. Though it is still on the heavy side for me, but as soon as I spoon in a bit of the strawberry sauce, it just lightened up the whole thing. They have successfully amazed me with how well they play with taste.

I had high hopes of this izakaya but unfortunately the expectations fell short…read more The vibes were fun, but the restaurant is quite cramped and a bit too loud. I felt I had to shout in order for my friend to hear me who was sitting right across from me. I ordered: - brussel sprouts ($12) - tasty but salty - shrimp risotto ($22) - rice uncooked & salty - corn croquette ($10) - this was good - skewers sampler ($34) - quite overpriced for 6 skewers - forgot what drink was call but it was $8-$10 and was also very bland Everything was just overly salty. The only items I would order again is the brussel sprouts and corn croquette. However, portion size was quite small and not worth it overall.

I came here for lunch with my coworkers and we shared a tasting box plus a few rolls on the side…read more I don't eat cucumber, so I specifically asked for no cucumber in our order and was told it could be swapped with avocado, which I really appreciated. We were also informed it would take about 20 minutes, but it ended up being closer to 40-45 minutes due to the lunchtime rush. Totally understandable though, and the manager was very apologetic and even gave us a $5 coupon for our next visit along with our box. When the food arrived, the presentation of the tasting box was absolutely WOW.. it was so beautifully done. We were honestly just too hungry at that point to admire it for long. Unfortunately, I noticed the first roll I picked still had cucumber in it, and when we flagged it, the staff immediately looked into it. It turned out there was a miscommunication about the substitution, and most of the rolls in the box had cucumber. The manager personally came over, apologized, explained everything, and immediately took care of it by offering to remake the box without cucumber and providing a full refund, which really went above and beyond. Despite the hiccup, the service and care from the team really stood out. Mistakes happen, especially during busy lunch hours, but the way the team responded made a big difference. I'd definitely come back again.

They were super busy so they took a bit long with our order. It usually means that they're popular…read morethough... which then also means we know the food is gonna be good. I ordered the dream platter and aburi Syaki oshi. I wasn't expecting it to be nicely packaged and it was a damn shame we threw them out but I almost felt like I paid for the extra nice packaging only to have it be tossed... but it does make an excellent gift for someone who really loves sushi! I wasn't expecting the gold leaf OR edible flower garnish at all. It was a very cute touch on this very snowy day. The oshi sort of fell apart everytime I picked it up which was a shame because it was nicely charred and sweet from the mango. Bit of a personal peeve but I don't think sushi should fall apart when you pick it up with a chopstick. I think it should stay in tact. Next time I'm gonna order takeout and have it delivered so I can feel like I had a nice package of sushi delivered

It's a small place but properly set up - has a full kitchen with a bar table, and the dining area…read morehas a few tables plus some booths. They have quite a few special roll options, though most were derivatives of California and Dynamic rolls. Tried the Lion King and Tataki Attack. Both were good with thin rice layers and relatively fresh seaweed wraps. I liked the Lion King better since it had more fillings. Chicken Karaage was so-so, more like pre-made chicken popcorn than authentic karaage. Shrimp Tempura was good - big shrimps wrapped in the thin, light and crispy batter. Service was great, the staff was very considerate - created a bigger space for us and added tea and napkins timely. Overall, a decent spot for sushi if you're in the area, but nothing that would make me drive across town. Food (quality, creativity, consistency) - 3.5/5 Drinks (quality, variety) - NA/5 Ambience (interior design, cleanliness) - 3.7/5 Service (courtesy, knowledge, timeliness) - 4/5 Value (quality vs. price) - 3.5/5 OVERALL - 3.7

This is a small family owned restaurant in Vaughan that has about half dozen small tables and a…read moresmall sushi bar that seats about 3 people. We showed up around 5:30 pm for an early dinner on Good Friday and still had to wait about half hour. What was ordered: Chicken karaage rice bowl Sushi and sashimi combo Sushi roll combo The verdict? The sashimi was good. Thick fresh slices. The roll (a version of California roll) was really disappointing. Way too much crab salad filler. The chicken karaage rice bowl was incredibly plain. Pieces of karaage on top of rice drizzled with mayo. The service was good but there wasn't enough to set them apart.

Really enjoyed my recent experience at KYUSHU. Shared a whole bunch of appetizers and snacks, and…read morewent all out for a yakitori (grilled skewers) omakase lol... didn't know what we were getting but I enjoyed it, especially the grilled abalone! Some must-try items: - Kawahagi (fish jerky) - Uzurazuke (quail eggs) - Tsubu Kimchi (whelk) - Aburi Mentaiko (seared spicy cod roe), must pair with sake! - Nankotsu Karaage (fried chicken knee cartilage) - Honey Ginger Soda (with or without vodka) The whole place is lit up with lights from the "trees", very spacious, and decorated with childhood manga/anime posters and action figures all over ^^ The restaurant also has daily promotions on food and drinks, and lunch specials everyday.

Delicious skewers and discounts on alcohol on Saturday…read more Not so busy tonight , very friendly service and lovely interior design and even the washroom have sailor moon stickers

Nice place near Vaughan Mills - small with limited seating, however lucked out in the afternoon…read morewhere there wasn't much people , so managed to get a table. Service was quick, guy was friendly and to the point. There is some lunch/daily specials - so keep an eye on signage - Had the salmon lunch combo - was pretty good - fish was relatively fresh - rice had bits of hardness - Overall - pretty good, would visit again to explore the menu -

We tried Ikon First Markham location last week and it was really good, but that location closes at…read more8:00pm too early, so we decided to try this Vaughan location which closes at 9:00pm and everything is perfect The store is small, but beautifully decorated. We ordered take out S5 supreme sashimi, sushi and roll combo at $60 and D3 Chirashi don $21.50. Wow, the Chirashi don has so many different kinds of fish and so fresh, huge volume. S5 is also as good as the other location, maybe even better. The rice is even seasoned, the quality is like omakase, the take out box is wrapped with Japanese style cloth wrap, very elegant, although a kind of waste (I asked not to wrap in cloth to be more environmentally friendly). Paid in cash, got 10% discount, What a big bang for the buck as well. One third of the cost as other sushi place with better quality. It is now our go to place for sushi take out. The service is nice and efficient too. Highly recommended.

Service was good, and the place had plenty of seating space which was nice…read more The ramen was just so-so. The pork char siu slices were very thin, and for the price, it didn't really feel worth it. Flavor-wise it was okay, but nothing beyond expectations. The chicken karaage was even more overpriced. $9.2 for just 4 small pieces - so basically ~$2.5 a bite, not worth it. Overall, it didn't really aligned with our expectations. We thought it was in a corner of the plaza so the price would have been reasonable, turned out that it wasn't really. Probably wouldn't revisit. Food (quality, creativity, consistency) - 3/5 Drinks (quality, variety) - NA/5 Ambience (interior design, cleanliness) - 3.5/5 Service (courtesy, knowledge, timeliness) - 3.5/5 Value (quality vs. price) - 2/5 OVERALL - 3

Very surprised with how good the broth tasted, it wasn't too salty and had a good flavour. The…read moreportion size was not bad for the price although it is a bit pricey. Spicy white sesame shio (4/5) - I thought the flavour was good except the meat was a little lacking. Black sesame tantan (3/5) - This was probably the weakest out of all the ramen we got, not bad but also not too good. Stone bowl shoyu (4/5) - This one had the best flavour and there were lots of toppings. There's less broth compared to noodles though so if prefer more soup, then this might not be for you. Service was quick and food came out fairly quickly after placing the order. Not a big space but there's enough tables. We went during lunch and it was empty.

I've been going here for a few years now, and I absolutely love the food here…read more My usual order: * sweet potato roll * dumplings * veggie spring rolls * spicy salmon roll * fusion roll. The rolls taste very fresh and are bursting with flavour. They provide a hefty amount of wasabi and ginger which enhances the flavour! Our food is always brought out to us super quickly, which is perfect especially when you're very hungry and eager to eat. The inside is small, but quaint, cozy and comfortable. It can be a bit difficult to find proper seating when it's packed, so it's definitely good to give them a call before heading in. This is my go-to sushi spot, which is perfect for people who are just starting to try sushi, are looking for budget-friendly options, and need a casual bite!

After a day at Wonderland we decided to visit this spot as we were looking to eat a meal with…read moresubstance. The interior isn't huge but they were able to accommodate our group of 7. This spot does both AYCE and a la carte as dining options. We opted for A la carte. I ordered the Shrimp & Vegetable Tempura Bento Box (along with the rice and pieces of shrimp and vegetable tempura it also comes with salad, miso soup, spring rolls and a dragon roll) It tasted good and the portion size was very reasonable for the price!

Hot take out from here over the phone. No issues with order,…read moreeverything was there. The miso and tempura were still hot. Sushi was delicious and everything we wanted, and it was packed really nicely. Definitely would come back here

Ikigai Sushi is a small, cozy eatery that quietly delivers some seriously high-quality Japanese…read morefood. The moment you walk in, one detail that stood out to me was the Mahayana Buddhist altar blessing the owner and visitors with health and prosperity. As a Taiwanese person, that instantly felt relatable and oddly comforting--like being welcomed into someone's home. Although the restaurant is Vietnamese-owned, the Japanese food here is absolutely top-notch. I've visited three times so far, and the quality of their bento boxes has been impressively consistent every single time. My personal favorite is the chicken katsu bento. The chicken is incredibly fresh and flavorful. Unlike many places where chicken katsu can end up greasy or heavy, Ikigai's version is perfectly crispy and airy on the outside while staying juicy and tender inside. Paired with their tangy, addictive katsu sauce, every bite just makes you want the next one immediately. I'm also a big fan of their maki rolls and tempura. You can genuinely taste the care and quality in the food--even the side salad and miso soup feel thoughtfully prepared. Considering the quality, the prices are very reasonable, and the portions are generous. The bento box is around $20 if you pay cash, which feels like a great deal. The space itself is cozy, spotless, and welcoming, and the service has always been excellent. I genuinely love this place and will definitely keep coming back.

Maple Sushi is a solid AYCE spot with an impressively comprehensive menu--even during lunch. We…read morecame in right after a Tabata workout, and it absolutely hit the spot. One highlight was the variety of torched oshizushi options, which added a nice premium touch to the usual AYCE lineup. We also really enjoyed the grilled/teppanyaki items, along with the salads (avocado, imitation crab, and seaweed all delivered). But the real standout? The desserts. The mango sago pomelo and soft serve ice cream were easily the stars of the meal--definitely LEAVE SOME ROOM for them!! The only minor downside is that the space could use a bit of a refresh, as it's starting to show its age. That said, everything was overall clean, and the service was friendly.

Dropped by during my recent Toronto trip with some family members - and had some All you can eat in…read morethe late afternoon - so that worked out to be there dinner menu - Space is quite large but tables are spread out nicely - so no issues with noise. Space looked clean for the most part. Service was quick - however with most all you can eat places, the amount you order , almost never arrives correctly - some things we had to re-order as they never showed up the first time. Fish was pretty fresh - but not on par with Vancouver's level - but price here seems very reasonable. The wasabi here was somehow underwhelming , i kept mixing and mixing and somehow didn't get a spice kick out of it. Maybe it's a skill issue, don't even know. I will probably find a chance to explore this place again in the future.

I've been to Yorokobi a couple times before, it's always been great! Just as good as quality sushi…read moreyou may find Downtown or in Asian neighbourhoods in the GTA. We ordered this time the Yorokobi set for 2 and upgraded the sushi to brown rice for $5 extra and upgraded the green dragon roll that came with the meal to volcano salmon roll (which is one of their popular special rolls) and paid the difference. We also added a hamachi carpaccio just for more more protein for my SO because he thinks it might not be enough, but we were left super full. I love that the sushi wasn't loaded with rice and it was thinly included, we did mention that we usually don't like that much and the server said they can even adjust the rice content in the sushi.... We didn't confirm to adjust it but perhaps they went with it because rice is perfectly thin in the maki and less than usual for a nigiri, which is great because otherwise I don't know if we would have finished the meal. $5 to upgrade to brown rice for the sushi set that didn't have that much rice is still IMO a bit steep. Other that, the sushi is fresh, the special rolls are eye catching and tasty and the hamachi carpaccio was good too, LOVE the presentation. I think the best thing here is still their special rolls though! Server is so personable and made sure we were well taken care of. Only feedback I have here is the miso soup that with the Yorokobi set is way too salty I couldn't finish mine after a sip. Ambiance was clean with little Japanese decor throughout. They have a huge parking lot at the back and you can enter and exit from the back instead of trying the front as there is very little parking in the front lot.

Came here as a party of two and it was pretty easy to get seated. We ordered the sashimi and sushi…read morecombo, along with the bulgogi udon. The food was okay, but nothing really stood out. The waitresses were friendly. Overall, it's a convenient spot for a quick and casual meal.