Did you know Kushi now has some karaoke rooms in the back? When we arrived, we were seated immediately, and the person working gave us a thorough explanation of how to use the karaoke machine. It's nice that they have the Taejin Korean karaoke machine (Korean, English, Japanese, Chinese, etc. songs) and also a youtube setup so you can search for songs not already on the machine. I came with a friend and tried out some appetizers and drinks. The sake flight provided a perfect warm-up to our singing session. The fried green beans were perfect -- nicely crispy, piping hot! The edamame provided a salty kick and served as great drinking food. I found the fries to be a tad bit too sweet, but maybe some people like it. The washrooms are located downstairs, and the stairs down are quite steep. Watch your step, especially if you are tipsy. read more

Sake Bar Kushi - Japanese Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

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Although they called themselves as sake bar, only limited selection of sake. Most of them $8 for 2oz, and some are $16 for 2oz. I ordered skewers and they are ok. Disappointed on sake selections as I came here especially for sake. read more

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ONE OF MY FAVORITE IZAKAYA IN TOWN!!! We had a thoroughly wonderful experience at Sake Bar Kushi - warm atmosphere, relaxed and casual vibe, super friendly and attentive servers, and excellent food!!! We started with tuna takaki - tuna was fresh, yuzu sauce was well-balanced with hints of sourness, and the generous amount of chopped green onion on top spiced it up a bit! This certainly has helped increasing our appetite!!! We then ordered a few hot items. The skewers were freshly grilled, nicely charcoaled, and lightly seasoned with salt. And the deep fried asparagus was very crisp and with a slightly savory flavor. Now it's time for dessert! We had a piece of cheesecake - super tasty and rich texture (considering Japanese cheesecakes are usually on the lighter side). What a great way to wrap up our night! We would definitely come back in other occasions - probably gathering with a few friends so that we can try more food items next time :) read more

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A high 3.5 stars! I've been here a few times, but what made this occassion special was my friend's birthday. We had a room at the back for our large party, and we had a giant platter of sashimi. Not pictured were the many many side dishes we had (eventually the table was overridden with food and drink). Food was consistently good, I enjoy my time here, and my friend is a regular. We also had fun karaoke-ing and it was just a fun time. I highly recommend! See for yourself, look at my photos! read more

Sake Bar Kushi - Japanese Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

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Came here with 5 friends in Feb! We ordered: Uni Shooters Scallop Skewer Sausage Skewer Cucumber Salad Clam Chowder Croquette Okonomiyaki Salmon Tataki Tuna Tataki Maguro Yakke Sake Bar Kushi Roll Mentai Yaki Udon Calamari Pork Belly Skewers with special salt Garlic Butter Edamame Great izakaya with a wide variety of menu options and the food comes out suuuper fast as soon as you order off your phone! Favs with the s above and then the Also they have $3 pints of Sapporo after 9pm even on weekends!! read more

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Lots of great food, great service, and great deals here! Be prepared to be greeted with a warm welcome! The space is pretty tight and if you sit in the middle area, they'll usually offer to take your jacket as they seat you and will bring your jacket to you when you get the bill. She actually tried to put it on for me too! (But me being me, it turned into an awkward little thing.. :$) Anyways, I think it's little touches like this that make the service excellent. They always bring over items that are on the house. On separate occasions, I've had the sweet potato fries (LOVE this), a cold cucumber dish, deep fried string beans and edamame on the house. It's great because the dishes are small and inexpensive so you can try a variety of items. Our average cost each visit for two people was always somewhere between $50-60. I would recommend ordering a ramen or a rice dish if you're looking to fill your stomach. I really liked the Tako Wasabi (a spicy wasabi octopus served with seaweed), the Takoyaki, and the grilled squid. The best was the mochi! I don't remember how much the mochi is, but I remember thinking that it was pretty pricey as they serve it by the piece. HOWEVER, it was the best mochi I've ever had and I'd say it's a must try! I don't know if the flavours change daily but I had the green tea one. The only downside is that there is no parking lot and only metered street parking here. The Green P is free after 9 I believe, which is also when their $2.95 beers begin! (2019/2) read more

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I ordered takeout from this place the other day as I had a strong craving for sushi. As always, I couldn't decide what to get, so I chose a variety of items. Some items were a bit disappointing, like the edamame and the Geso Karaage, (deep fried squid legs). Both of these dishes were extremely small portions and arrived cold. Since I ordered from Uber Eats, I can't fault them for the delivery time, but the food could've been packed better. I really liked the Chicken Karaage and the Volcano Roll. I would absolutely order these again. The Tuna Tataki was also quite good, although it could've had more flavour. The menu is huge, and I think some items would probably not be great for takeout, but I will definitely try a lot more of the menu next time. read more

Just for the 2.95 Sapporo pints (daily after 9pm), i will give it four stars. The food doesnt make a difference. Although if you stay long enough, they will start giving freebie tapas like garlic butter edamame. The sell: literalllly THREE DOLLAR Sapporo PINTS. The catch?: No bill-splitting once you order the pint special. I had my eye on the uni shooter for a while. Sea urchin, quail egg, and other ingredients in a shooter glass for you to down. I guess i downed too fast and forgot to chew because i couldnt taste the uni . 7$ Gold Sashimi: Fresh chefs selection sashimi which is fresh indeed. There was a cut of fish that was grainy and very salty, kind of like a gone bad version of mackerel. Beware of that one . 29$ Takoyaki: Just like other ones from other places, not too special. 5.95$ Chicken Karaage: Soft on the inside but a bit too crunch on the exterior. 3.95$ Corn Cheese Croquette: I guess i was imagining the cheesy corn given at korean bars as the filling but i was wrong. 3.95$ Skewers: Pork belly : 2.6$ Chicken and asparagus: 2.9$ Not worth the price, do not get. A good late night bar with a busy crowd. Make your reservations! All guests must be present before you are seated. read more

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$3 Sapporo Pints - after 9 pm, every day!! My friends and I have been coming to Kushi for years - we subway all the way from downtown! It's worth it - the service is impeccable and the ambiance is just right. I believe because of COVID they had to scale down their menu. Before their menu had a wider selection of tapas and included more grilled skewer items. They have more seating in the back for larger groups, you have to take your shoes off for these ones but they give communal slippers to use for when you have to go to the washroom. We always order the chicken karaage, takoyaki, daily sashimi and the unagi don. The only catch with Kushi is that once you participate in the $3 pints, the bill can't be split for the party. read more

What will you do after work? In Japan, people like having a small drink in #izakaya before home. It is a casual place for after-work drinking, similar to Irish Pubs, Spanish tapas bars and American saloons and taverns. The history of izakaya is back to Edo Period and grew in 18th century. Now izakaya is popular all around the world. I am so surprise to find Sake Bar Kushi in the midtown of Toronto. Let's have home hot sake in cool autumn night and it will keep you warm. The cuisine there is excellent as well. I highly recommend you to try the uni shooter (sea urchin with grinded pear, quail egg, ponzu sauce and real gold frakes on top) and Tuna Tataki (lightly seared tuna sashimi with green onion, garlic chip and ponzu sauce). By the way, don't forget to 'visit' their washrooms and you will find more surprises from the upstairs where lead you back to Meiji Period. Enjoy your drinking! Just warm reminder, do not drive after drink. read more

Sake Bar Kushi - Japanese Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

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Service, food, atmosphere...all amazing. This place was great. The service was incredible. Staff was very nice and attentive. All the food was delicious too. We ordered a lot and everything was great. Also, we received food on the House atleast 4 times. Things we didn't order would be brought to our table and the server would tell us it's on the house to thank us for visiting. How nice! I'll definitely be coming back. read more

Sake Bar Kushi - Sashimi Salad - Japanese Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

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I have mixed feelings about this place. The atmosphere in here is nice and cozy (except if you're sitting right at the door). There's a few booths around the place that can fit 4 and they feel pretty secluded sitting inside. The chef's special for the night were Salmon, Tuna and uni. We ordered the Gold Sashimi which came with the salmon, tuna, surf clam, hamachi, butterfish, sweet shrimp, herring and another fish that I don't know. We also order the spicy tuna roll, the dragon roll and the uni sashimi from the sushi menu. We ordered the pork belly and the chicken heart from the skewer menu. The server came with edamame and fried salmon on the house which was really nice. It definitely added to our spread and helped fill us up. The edamame is cooked with garlic oil, so if you're not a garlic fan, stay away! The garlic taste is really strong! All the fish that were chef recommended were definitely fresh. They were so soft and buttery. The uni, tasted like the ocean. It wasn't too creamy but I still enjoyed it. The other fishes were extremely fishy. The butterfish tasted like a wet squishy sponge. It was defrosted but it seemed like the moisture was all trapped in the fish. The shrimp was even worse. It smelt so awful I couldn't even put it in my mouth. I gagged just at the smell of it. The spicy tuna had a nice kick to it but the tuna was a different cut from the sashimi, it was chewy and a bit stringy. I think it was the left over cut. The dragon roll was a California roll with eel and avacado on top. Usually it's a dynamite roll with whatever colour dragon you ordered. I did like the roll because I love California roll and you can't really screw that up. Bonus: the eel was nicely torched on top. As for the skewers, we ordered sea salt for both but it lacked flavour. It actually had no taste. Good thing there was salt on the table! The pork belly was crunchy on the outside but not over cooked cause it was still nice and juicy. I'm drooling just thinking about it. The chicken heart was however overcooked and dry. I think by now you can understand why I have mixed feelings. I think you probably feel the same way, deciding if you should try it if you do, go with the chef special and nothing more! I think what determines if I place is good, is if you'll return again. Sadly, I don't think I would be returning to this place. read more

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Used to be my favourite bar to hit up and after two consecutive bad experiences (with management not the service) I doubt I'll be back. Kushi doesn't seat your party unless they have ALL arrived - which is annoying because if one person out of a large party isn't here they cannot seat you. I was with four people waiting for one friend, and we waited 30 mins before complaining multiple times and PLEADING with them that our friend could just fit on the end of the table. The management asked us when our friend would arrive, because they were going to give up the table for another reservation if they did not arrive. They finally gave in, which was nice because our buddy came an hour late - and the ENTIRE BACK IF THE RESTAURANT WAS EMPTY 20+ CAPACITY. This might not seem like a big problem (just be punctual) but it is when your restaurant is acting up like it's an LA joint and have plenty of space. Don't lie to our faces about not having enough space. The fried dishes: ebi mayo, calamari, karaage was significantly declined in quality since coming here three years ago. The batter and portions are very poor. And the $3 Sapporo special? 100% has to be watered down - With club soda it seems. Other than that service is amazing and they provide a great experience. Management needs to resolve and sit guests when they have empty tables in the back. I would skip out on kushi and spend an extra buck at Kinka. It pains me to write that. read more

Sake Bar Kushi - Salmon - Japanese Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

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Good food, great service, and great variety! Decided to come here on a snowy day, and was not disappointed. It was pretty quiet around 7:30, but became quite busy at around 9pm on a Wednesday night. It's about a 10 minute walk west from Eglinton station, away from the bustling Yonge/Eglinton. Between the 2 of us we ordered: 10 skewers, 15 piece sashimi, 220ml hot sake, bean tempura, edamame, and fried squid tentacles - the amount was just right. Would definitely return one day on another special occasion. read more

Finally had the chance to try this Japanese izakaya place. Passed by many times and didn't give it the attention it deserved. Came by late on Friday for a quick bite and drink since they were open late. The dark interior reminds me of other Japanese skewer bbq houses. Several communal tables and booths. Menu is extensive lots of options from the signature kushi to sashimi, nigiri and rolls. Also had lots of options for izakaya and ramen. Didn't get to try the dessert menu. Server recommended sashimi selections for the day so I tried them, salmon, tuna and Uni. Sashimi was really fresh and thickly cut. Uni was the star of the show and so buttery. Unagi roll had a little too much rice but good sear for the unagi on top. Chicken Karaage was nicely doFriend had the tonkatsu ramen and it was satisfying. Lots of drink selections including Japanese cocktails and beer. At 11 pm there are still people waiting and coming into the restaurant. This is a Japanese run restaurant and servers all Japanese speaking. Clientele is mostly Japanese as well. Really liked the ambience and food. It's an authentic Japanese izakaya and kushi restaurant with the added bonus of great sushi. It's refreshing to find one place that can do it all. Rare find in Toronto. Back for another dinner the following week and tried different things , gold sashimi, ebi mayo, gindara, volcano roll, couldn't resist again tonkatsu ramen, Uni sashimi. it was quiet on a Saturday night didn't really need reservations. Maybe people frequent this place more for drinks late night. Had the matcha cheese which comes with green tea ice cream. The dessert was more westernized than I expected. Enjoyed my dinner but the atmosphere is different than late night. Still solid Japanese restaurant in this area. read more

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We were so glad to have wandered west of Eglinton today. This izakaya is solid. Great service and great food. We ordered an edemame appetizer, a 15 pc sashimi- we were so surprised at their thickness! Grilled mackerel was also huge at only $7.95. Also ordered a rib dinner which was very tasty. We were even offered bean tempura and sweet potato fries on the house. Also ordered 2 chu Hai...very refreshing drinks but too bad I barely tasted any alcohol. Will definitely Italy come back again! read more

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Good place to hit up! There were so many food options including ramen, udon, rice bowls, sushi, sashimi, skewers, other tapas dishes, appetizers etc! And the prices are definitely not bad either. We each ordered a ramen as our own main dish plus 3 pork belly skewers, 3 tapas dishes (okonomiyaki, cheese croquette and fried oysters), and a banana tempura with matcha ice cream to split amongst 3 ppl. My total was around $28 after tax before tip, which is not bad at all. I don't recommend the ramen as a main dish.. the shoyu and the tonkotsu were bland and nowhere near as good as actual ramen places. However, their tapas dishes, skewers and dessert are pretty good! The banana tempura matcha dessert was also pretty big with 2 scoops of ice cream and two bananas with whipped cream, chocolate drizzle and cherries. The menu said it was good for 2 ppl but it can definitely be shared amongst 3 girls. The service was great too and there was no miscommunication at all. They checked on us several times to fill up on water and we didn't have to run anyone down to check on our order as the food came pretty fast. The restaurant does start to get busier at around 7:30PM so there may be a wait then. Overall, it was a good experience. read more

The quality of food here is amazing and they have a great drink deals. Although it can get a bit pricey, I'm glad a restaurant like this exists in the yonge and eglinton area. read more

$2.99 mugs of Sapporo after 9pm, 7 days a week??!! It doesn't get better than this! I am so glad that a place like this exists in the Yonge & Eg area. I love Japanese food and the quality here is great. The skewers were delicious, the sashimi is fresh, and the prices are fair. We enjoyed every part of our meal, and they were even nice enough to give us a complimentary green bean tempura. Will definitely be returning!! read more

Wanted to try a new Japanese restaurant and didn't know where to go. so decided to try this place. We were a little bit excided as the reviews here were quite good, but I think we put our expectations a little bit too high. Looking at the atmosphere, it was a quaint little restaurant that didn't have that many seating. It was very small, and there was a bar type seating in the middle. It wasn't too busy when we went, but then again, it was raining the night we went. It wasn't loud so people can hold a conversation without any problems. I guess they were a little bit understaffed. Service wasn't anything to write home about, but it was slow at times as there were only two waitresses working and they were running all over the place. Had to ask about our orders a couple of times before it arrived. The food wasn't good, but wasn't bad either. The selection was limited, so it was a little bit easier to make your decision. Portions weren't that large so we could order a little bit more. The price was not that expensive when you compared to other izakayas in the area. it was just a Meh experience and as out expectation was a little high, we left a little bit disappointed. Overall, wouldn't take another trip down that way again. read more

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Sake Bar Kushi has this most amazing and friendly staff. 5 Star for service. I love the cozy and dark interior. I really want to give it a higher rating than 3 star but the food was just a little disappointing. We shared: Sashimi Moriawase 55 pcs ($55) 50% off Wednesday - The fish selection though interesting but a lot of the pieces did not taste fresh. - some of the sashimi was a little dry and some a little warm - I won't be happy if I have to pay $55 for that but it is 50% off on Wednesday but still I expect good quality fish! Kushi Moriawase 10 pcs ($17) - If you do not like pork belly, don't order this! Even though the menu states that it is a combination of Chicken, Fish, Heart and Pork Belly but out of the 10 skewer at last 4 of them were pork belly... - It was served almost the same time as our Sashimi Platter and of course the food got a little cold while we were eating our sashimi... and cold pork belly did not taste good.. - Better off just order a la carte off the menu and enjoy my food slowly! Sapporo for $5.50 a pint and other drinks though are quite reasonably priced! And of course great selection of sake! I probably would come back and give Sake Bar Kushi another try. Maybe Tuesday for their Kushi special. But definitely won't be ordering sashimi or the kushi platter though. read more

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Really enjoyed everything we ordered and we ordered a lot of stuff between the 5 of us. We had - 40 pc sashimi platter - Extra uni sashimi and sushi - Grilled Octopus - Pork and kimchi bimbimbap - Chirashi don - Eel don - Pork belly skewer - Sausage skewer - Uni shooter and some other skewers that I forgot. Everything was really tasty. The bimbimbap was one of my highlights as I've had a bunch of bimbimbap before but this one was so tasty and delicious and just enough crunch of rice on the stone pot bowls. The fish and seafood was fresh and tasty as well. I didn't have any beverages this time but they have a great selection of sakes and beers and my friends said they were pretty good. Overall we had a fun time and our bellies were really happy. I'm keeping this restaurant bookmarked :) read more

I love the variety of foods available here! If you're trying to get the most bang for your buck come after 9pm. Green P parking is free and there is a special for 2.95 Sapporo beer in a mug! I would also recommend making a reservation as it packs up very quickly. We ordered two Sapporos, 2 chicken leg (momo) skewers, 2 pork belly skewers, takoyaki, black cod, and a mentai vegetable udon to share between 2 people. And the manager gave us a tempura edamame on the house. It was more than enough for the two of us and the food was delicious.Service was also great! The servers were very attentive and loudly greets and says goodbye in Japanese to each customer entering and leaving. There's a very authentic feel to this bar and I highly recommend coming here after 9pm for a late night dinner and snack! read more

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This was probably our fourth time coming and we love our experience every time. The first few times we sat in the front in the booths but with a larger group last night, they sent us to the back. We weren't sure what to expect but we were pleasantly surprised to learn that the traditional tables were at the back...floor seating with large pillows and the flooring was recessed for leg room!! Super cool! Our main focus was the $2.95 Sapporo pints. We brought our beer guzzling friends and they had an awesome time. The food is always impressive and the service is spot on. Our waitress was constantly checking in on us and they even walked us out the door....the best part, they "thanked us for the memories!" Highly recommend! read more

This is a really great place to go for casual snacks and drinks! Sake Bar Kushi has an intriguing tapas menu with quite the variety. I had a good time here trying out different Japanese dishes for decent prices. The service was excellent as well - very attentive and quick. You are even given a clean moist hand cloth upon being seated to wash your hands without having to get up to go to the washroom... I've never had that before! Tako Wasabi (5/5) - delicious and affordable snack with lots of flavour. Sashimi Salad (4/5) - sashimi was tasty and fresh / good mix of fish and vegetables / salad was pretty standard. Udon (3/5) - noodles were soft and cooked pretty well / broth was also good. Volcano Roll (2/5) - rolls were small, expensive, and overall not that great / would recommend getting something else for the price you're paying. This restaurant would work well for small groups or dates - it's a hip and relaxed spot to catch up and have conversations. Would come again! read more

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Came here to celebrate friends' birthday. Food Ordered - uni shoot - Uni sushi - Skewers of scallops, chicken meatball, and pork belly - Grilled Black cod - Hamachi Kama - Chicken Nambam Uni Shoot - (score 3.5/5) There were a piece of uni, a quail egg, and yuzu in the shot (those were the ingredients I could see in the shot). Mixed all the ingredients in the shot and took it. My impression was there were too much yuzu comparatively to other ingredients in the shot. Uni Sushi (score: 4/5) The sushi plate was nicely decorated with gold foil sprinkled on top of the uni sushi. The uni was creamy but not strong enough to my taste. The texture of the rice is chewy and delicious. Skewers of scallops, chicken meatballs & pork belly(score 5/5) The skewers come with three choices of sauce, sweet and sour (red), salty barbecue(brown) and green tea salt. The skewers themselves were cooked perfectly. Not too dry and yet the meat were properly cooked. Each of these three kinds has its own unique taste when dipping or not dipping in the sauces provided. Grilled Black Cod (score: 3.5/5) It's slightly burned and the portion was small. Hamachi Kama (score: 4.5/5) This one tastes really good. Seems like they used black bean paste to marinate the fish and then grill it. It tasted awesome, especially having a glass of beer. They blended really well together. Chicken Nambam (score: 4/5) Freshly greens came with the chicken nambam. I loved the salad on the side, they were so fresh. The chicken tastes good too though it's slightly dry. Again, it's good to eat with a drink, beer. In general, the service was great! I had three dishes on the house for expressing the gratitude of my visit. The waitresses were friendly as well. After all, with all the food With beer and sake I ordered, it's less than $100 (tax and tips included). I would love to come back again. read more

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I went for a nice dinner with some friends and I saw multiple cockroaches running around on the floor. When I told them what I had seen they refused to refund my meal that I couldn't eat due to the poor hygiene and threatened to call the police when I said I wouldn't pay, denying there were any bugs. Customer service was horrible, they were rude. And the place was very unhygienic. read more

I just came back from dinner here and it's a four star in my books! Parking - There is no parking lot, but there's street parking and Green P spots along Eglinton. Decor - This place looks like an izakaya in Japan (maybe even a cleaner one). All the memorabilia is a great touch as well. Washrooms here are super clean. Food - The most important part to my dining experiences! I really enjoyed the food here. The menu has a lot of choices, including some unique dishes. The saikoro steak was delicious. Skewers were a hit as well, including the Negima and Hotate. Pricing - Quite reasonable for what you get. Good for: drinks, groups, dinner, Japanese tapas read more

Sake Bar Kushi - Kushi - Negima and Hotate (scallop) - Japanese Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

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I have been meaning to check this place out for a while as we live near by and pass it every week. This is a nice drinking place especially if you come after 9pm for their Sapporo special ($3 for a Pint). It's an Izakaya which the servers greets the customers in Japanese when entering or leaving the place. The place is dimly lit and music is played at a level in which you can still carry a conversation with people without screaming at them. There are Bar rows or booths where you can sit. Along with our beverages, we ordered their Tuna Plate, 12 pcs. Salmon Sashimi and the fried calamari. I think their food is above average as there's nothing extraordinary about it but is not the worst you ever had neither. However, even with their specials, prices are a bit high with the amount of food that you get. However, you do get a complimentary dish and yesterday we got a Green Bean Tempura. The service was very good. Attentive and quick even though the place was packed. Also, the servers did well in explaining the dishes to us. Overall, it was a good experience and will be back for their drinks specials. Recommended. read more

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Wide variety of tapas; a bit expensive but good for sharing w another person. Don't recall tasting anything less than great. Only complaint other than pricing is that the atmosphere is really dark. Would return for more~ read more

This place is a cozy Izakaya with beautifully presented and tasty tapas (portions are little and definitely more appetizer than meal). The 1,3,5,7 special menu is where we ordered everything from, and it was all AMAZING! The presentation of the dishes was beautiful and their personal touches to classic japanese dishes tasted great! The place has a sultry feel with the dimmed lights and dark setting. The staff are all super friendly and the restaurant has an authentic feel when they all yell welcome as you enter. The price tag is what is expected in Toronto, but still a little steep! I will definitely be back for more! PRO TIP: Beer gets cheaper when you go late! read more

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Reasons to love this place: $2.95 pint of Sapporo after 9pm. Great ambient. Great food. Cheap menu. Super tasty ramen. Fast service. Need I say more? ^&^ you gonna love it here. read more

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I was craving for some Japanese food and Sake Bar popped up on Yelp! After reading reviews I booked my table the night before and came here with a friend the next night. We got a booth which was spacious and private. They have a great menu that are below $10 on one side! The menu is extensive so obviously me and my friend tried a little of everything! 1. Cheese croquette: This wasn't the crunchy ball with cheese and corn in the middle that I was expecting. This croquette was more like a soft hashbrown. My friend said this was the best thing she ate here but I thought it was average. 2. Dragon Roll: The dragon roll had great presentation but wasn't spectacular. Very decent roll but not amazing, especially for the price 3. The Mentaki Udon: was okay. I liked how novel it is and the udon was al-dente. I thoroughly enjoyed it but I don't crave it enough to come back again. 4. Squid skewer: This was okay. It was a grilled squid skewer but there wasn't any other defining taste besides the fact it was grilled. 5. Grilled Cod: I was so excited to try this as it's rare and definitely hard to cook well. This was disappointing as well as there wasn't any outstanding features to the dish. The fish wasn't "fishy" tasting but it would've been the same if I cooked a salmon at home. The service here is EXCELLENT. The servers greet you before entering the booth every time. They come by often to check water and how you're enjoying your food. At the end of the meal they also walk you out! [Bonus]: They gave us a complimentary dish of tempura (chicken?) and it was okay. Overall, the food was average so it didn't live up to the hype of the past reviews. I wouldn't go back as there's nothing I crave there but there's nothing I would complain about either. read more

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Came for the $2.50 beers. Stayed for the tapas. Limited booths but cute and intimate for date nights. Opened till 1am on a Sunday. Servers attitudes are hit or miss but definitely attentive. They'll never leave you with an empty glass for more than two minutes. Consistently checks up on you. Advises of last call, 30 minutes before closing. The random on-the-house tapas were an unexpected but amazing gesture!! Would recommend/return. Thanks for a great experience. read more

If you can get seated, it's very nice. BIG IF. If you make reservations, don't bother calling, they'll send you to the website. Also, you better make sure the whole party is there within 20 minutes or they'll give your reservation away. Made a reservation a week in advance for a party of 11. Thought we were good because it's a fucking reservation, made far in advance, and confirmed the day before by me. Nope. Not good enough. Got there at 9, our reservation time. People on the party were running late because it's Toronto and you have to depend on the TTC. We had 6 of the 10 people there, and they still wouldn't seat us. At 9:20 we were still waiting for a seat, and someone came over to tell us they only hold your reservation for 20 minutes and if the whole party wasn't there, they give your reservation away. We just went to the Queen's Legs across the street for drinks instead. I don't know if we'll be back. I was looking forward to showing my friends this place because I enjoyed it the first time, but after we were treated like *we* were an inconvenience because we made a fucking reservation, I'm reticent to give them my business again. read more

Great place for an authentic Japanese Izakaya atmosphere - the waitstaff shout out Japanese greeting and thank you phrases, and the dim restaurant is buzzing with music and chatter. Food was a bit on the pricey side for the small portions, but taste and presentation were good (though not at Guu level). They often give a dish or two on the house - we got bean tempura. The service is excellent, they take your jackets for you and come by to check up regularly. A satisfying dinner for two came out to just under $50. read more

Sake Bar Kushi - Spicy Salmon Don - Japanese Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

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Great food, service, and atmosphere for a night out with friends or a date. Good variety of dishes, reasonable prices, food comes out quickly, and everything we had was very fresh and tasty. They have some great specials as well like $2.95 pint of Sapporo after 9pm everyday. read more

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Amazing food and excellent service! Came here on a Friday evening in a group of 8 without a reservation and they managed to seat us. It was quite busy though, so I'd recommend making a reservation! There are cozy bar-type seats in the centre of the restaurant and booths along the edges. They have a variety of food options: tapas (takoyaki, gyoza, etc.), sushi (maki, nigiri, sashimi), ramen, skewers (eel, chicken, beef, etc.) and donburi. We had some skewers, nigiri, sashimi, and ramen. The sushi was delicious! It was presented beautifully and tasted very fresh. Very big pieces of sashimi. The nigiri had the perfect fish:rice ratio. Service is very prompt and friendly -- they will check up on you frequently but don't hover. We had a few tapas on the house: string bean tempura, edamame, cucumber salad, and a salmon dish. Prices are a little on the high end but they do 2.95 Sapporo after 9pm. Great place for a date night or a group outing as it has the atmosphere of an izakaya (with better food) but is still quiet enough that you can hear your dinner partners -- parking might be tricky though. read more

Going into Kushi, I had relatively high expectations. I've been to several izakayas in Toronto over a number of years so the bar keeps getting higher and higher in terms of food quality and experience. The ambience was good, similar to other izakayas like kinka, nome, etc. The servers were hospitable and friendly. I liked the idea of their $1, $3, $5, $9 menu..it made it really appealing for me to want to visit seeing that they had very reasonable price points. We ordered the edamame, agedashi tofu, takoyaki, the dragon roll, and the uni shooter. Nothing turned out to be spectacular compared to other izakayas we had been to. So I was disappointed by the overall experience. read more

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1: Poor 2: OK 3: Good 4: Very Good 5: Excellent Food: 4 Service: 4 Ambiance: 5 Overall: 4.5 Extra information: * Open for dinner and late night * Closed for lunch * Takes reservation * Happy hour * Good for large parties I first found out about Sake Bar Kushi on facebook when my friend 'liked' their page and it showed up on my feed. It was when they just opened and were offering really good deals which I can't remember now cause it's been awhile. I've been meaning to check it out but since it was a trip for me to take the subway up to Eglington, it just kind of lingered on my 'go to' list for awhile. When I first walked into Sake Bar Kushi, I was surprised by how spacious the restaurant was. They had communal bar table in the middle of restaurant, individual blocked off tables to both sides and a huge party room at the back! I was impressed.. and then I realized this is Eglington, not downtown. Ok, then that makes a little more sense. Anyways, it is hard to find a izakaya so spacious that can cater to a large group, so I was pleasantly surprised to see their party room at the back that can hold up to 50 people. Baby shower? Bridal shower? Birthday dinners? good thing to know they don't have a minimum charge for the awesome party room they have. Throughout the week Sake Bar Kushi always has specials so that is also something to look out for. Ordered: Spinach Gomaee 4/5 Blanched spinach with sesame sauce for $4, this seems like it is such a simple salad but so easy to mess up. This was a nice way to start my dinner, the spinach was blanched just right (not too soggy) covered in yummy peanut sauce Ordered: Avocado Salad 5/5 Fresh sliced avocado with mixed vegetables for $5. Avocado with sriracha is one of my favorite things to eat right now- no wonder I loved this salad. It is just simple and I really liked the light tangy dressing. Ordered: Ebi Mayo 3/5 Deep fried prawn served with mustard mayo sauce for $7. This was def different compared to other ebi mayo, the batter was almost like mochi texture (very sticky) and not crispy at all. I thought it was a little weird but my friend liked it nontheless. Ordered: Cheese Okonomiyaki 4/5 Japanese pancake with cheese for $7, your ordinary Okonomiyaki but covered in cheese! It was a lot of cheesy goodness and for some reason it didn't even feel too heavy at all. Perfect dish to pair with ice cold beer for sure! Ordered: Tuna Tataki 5/5 Lightly seared tuna sashimi and green onion, garlic chip with ponzu sauce for $12. This was my favorite dish out of everything I've tried that night- Tuna was covered in tangy ponzu sauce and that deep fried garlic on top really added flavor to this simple dish, I loved it so much I probably finished most of it. Ordered: Kimchi Pork Ishiyaki BiBimBab 5/5 Steamed rice with pan fried kimchi and pork on sizzling stone bowl for $9. I know all of you out there loooooove BiBimBab, but not me! You will never ever find me ordering that at Korean restaurants, but this Japanese-Korean fusion BiBimBab really blew my mind. It has pork belly.. how can it go wrong? It's a nice dish to share and make sure to get some of those crispy bits on the bottom of stone bowl. Ordered: Kushi Moriawase 4/5 Skewers with chicken heart, shishamo, pork belly and chicken leg with teriyaki/spicy/seasalt sauce for $14. They offer 3 different types of sauce for their kushi (skewers) and spicy was my absolute favorite. Spicy porkbelly and spicy chicken leg would go perfect with beer. Be adventurous when ordering skewers, they offer so many different kinds. Ordered: Mocha Ice Cake 3/5 Green tea cake with icecream, January special for $8. This is only offered in January so it's not something you can find on their regular menu. It was a nice way to end a meal. Summary: I am so glad I made the trip to check out Sake Bar Kushi cause I absolutely love them. They offer good, quality food and did I mention the service was exceptional? All of the servers were super friendly and even though our table was hidden away in a corner, they were always around when I needed something. It is a little bit of a walk from Eglington Subway station, but I would def be visiting Sake Bar Kushi again. I can't wait to go back and sit down for a nice dinner with some sake! Thanks for an awesome meal :) read more

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