This small Japanese restaurant offered friendly service, a cozy atmosphere and tasty rolls served on a sushi boat! The rolls were fresh and there is a variety to choose from. The server came to refill our tea from time to time and to remind us when the last call for the kitchen was. I liked that it was a small restaurant, which felt intimate and not too loud so you can have great conversations with your dining partner. I intend to come back again when I'm looking for sushi in the area. read more

Sushi Ichiban Ellesmere - Salmon cheese roll, mango roll (avocado, cucumber, imitation crab, shrimp tempura topped with mango & garlic mayo sauce) - Japanese Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

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It's an okay sushi place. Good sashimi freshness and nicely presented. Problem is that all the fish pieces were cut very thin. I would expect more, especially when ordering a sashimi boat! We were the only ones dining in. Mostly takeout orders. Nice servers with good politeness. read more

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Love the beautiful platter they offer! Called in to order a take out and the staff told me that it will be ready in 20 minutes. The staff were so friendly and nice. This is a hidden gem in Scarborough. The outside doesn't look appealing but the inside is super warm and cozy. read more

Sushi Ichiban Ellesmere - Sushi Platter A - Japanese Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

We ordered the Sushi, Sashimi, Roll Boat A for takeout, so we didn't dine in - but staff were prompt in arranging my order, and welcoming when I entered the store. It's a very cozy and bright space inside, and I would love to dine in next time! The boat was great for 3 people, and the fish was fresh! read more

Sushi Ichiban Ellesmere - Sushi, Sashimi, Roll Boat A - Japanese Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

It is my first time visiting here, and I must say that it is smaller than I had anticipated (referring to the restaurant). In addition, finding parking was quite challenging due to its location within a compact plaza. We placed an order for a substantial 70-piece sushi and sashimi boat, which proved to be more than ample for two people. To complement our meal, we opted for sake. In terms of pricing, I would estimate that, depending on the items selected, one can expect to spend approximately $20 to $40 per person. The service is good; they are very attentive. The restaurant wasn't too loud, and the noise level was moderate. Overall, I found it to be a satisfactory establishment with commendable cuisine. If I find myself in the vicinity again, I would gladly return. read more

Sushi Ichiban Ellesmere - Sushi & Sashimi Boat (70 pieces) - Japanese Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

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Haven't been here in years but happy we made the choice to visit again for dinner. After all, sushi on a hot summer night is great for cooling down. The restaurant wasn't busy on a weekend night. We were served tea right away as we took a look through the menu. We ordered tempura for appetizer and Roll Boat A which came with 41 pieces (California, avocado, spicy salmon, dynamite, and crab rolls). These were all delicious and tasted fresh. We ended up taking some home to share as we overestimated our appetite. Overall, reasonable priced and tasty sushi - would come back for more! read more

Sushi Ichiban Ellesmere - Tempura - Japanese Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

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We got a sushi platter for a small gathering for thanksgiving. Located at the corner of pharmacy and Ellesmere, there are a few other takeout spots here. Parking - there's a decent number of spots and space but I could see this place getting crazy during dinner hour. Service: Food was ready as stated, rice seemed warm which is a good sign that they have decent turnover. Food: We got a medium platter of rolls and sushi (no sashimi). Fish was all fresh and tasted great. The rice as I mentioned was fresh and warm so that was nice. Only minor complaint is I felt there was a bit too much rice for the rolls, the proportion felt a bit off this time. Price: The price is pretty good. Tax free if you pay by cash so that definitely saves some money. read more

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Used to be great when it was one chef, an older gentlemen. That was like 10 years ago. Decided to get a platter, for $90...it wasn't worth it for me. Pretty basic. Changing from Great to Good. read more

Disappointing. Price doesn't justify quality or quantity. Each Sushi piece is the size of my little finger. Amateur California rolls (also tiny). Taste is bland and meh. Too bad for this local plac read more

Sushi Ichiban Ellesmere - Sushi platter C - Japanese Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

We went there for a quick dinner on Saturday. There is a huge difference here, compared to these other "all-you-can-eat" sushi places. First and foremost, not only is the fish, top shelf, but the rice too! Rice is a funny thing. It can taste like cardboard if too dry, or like congee if too wet. Their rice was prefect! Just the right way to crumble in your mouth. terrific creations. Fair and generous portions. A friendly staff and super clean restaurant. What more could you ask for. I'm on a sushi kick presently and I just know that this is our new goto spot. read more

The sashimi here is incredibly fresh and top quality. The rice is well made, each grain of rice has its own spot, amazing. read more

Sushi Ichiban Ellesmere - a wooden boat with sushi on it - Japanese Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

Pleasant service at a no frills sushi restaurant. The spider roll was particularly good with crisp, meaty soft shell crab. There was a wide variety of tempura in the Sushi & Tempura lunch set and was very good value for $16. There are many similar sushi places along Ellesmere but at this price point they are likely the best on the street. Definitely get the spider roll! read more

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my experience at the restaurant was amazing. All the workers there were friendly, welcoming and very helpful when ordering. The food came out only a few minutes after we ordered and it was delicious. The portions are amazing for their prices and I am definitely going to dine their again. read more

First time dining in at Sushi Ichiban. (We normally get take out sushi platters from here.) It's a very welcoming atmosphere as soon as you walk in, with the sushi chefs and wait staff warmly greeting you. The interior is small, clean and cozy. It's seating capacity is good for couples or small groups. If you have a large group, I definitely recommend calling beforehand to see if they can accommodate you. The waitress was very efficient and polite. She ensured that we had hot tea at all times and was quick to get us anything we needed/clear the table for our next dish. Almost all the food came quickly to the table. Minus the sashimi hotategai (raw giant scallops). I was hoping to have some toro (fatty tuna) but they didn't have any in. The salmon sashimi was nice and fresh but I wish I could say the same for their hotategai. Their hotategai was neither giant nor fresh. In an order, it's supposed to be 3 pieces of sashimi hotategai. We received 6 pieces of sashimi, probably in compensation that they were not giant. Which was nice of them; however, it did not make up for the lack of freshness. Everything else we ordered was very good though! Also, since it's a Korean run sushi place, I automatically assumed that if we dined in there would be complimentary side dishes. This was not the case. I shouldn't have assumed though @_@ and it didn't take away from the overall experience. They also have well priced platter options for take out, which is great! If you drive, you may be waiting awhile for parking on the weekends. They're located in a small plaza and parking can be in high demand. All in all, I will continue to order take out from here. I would try dining in again and might give the hotategai a second chance. read more

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The best sushi spot for pickup in the area! The website that's listed on their Yelp is apparently a temporary website and the menu was stated to be subject to change, but it was still accurate on the date of my order. I called ahead to place a pickup order. The first time I called, no one picked up so it went through to a strange voicemail and the number said it was somewhere in North York, which is not their current location which is in Wexford. A little confusing but the number that's listed on Yelp is the right one! They called me back immediately though so I was able to place an order. For an order of 4 rolls, they quoted me a time of 20-25 minutes and it turned out to be pretty accurate. We paid cash since it offered a no tax discount. The inside of the restaurant is quite nice. It's clean, bright, but has all the warm wood accents of a lot of Japanese sushi bars. I had the Valentine Roll which is one of their specialty rolls. It's a grand roll that's sliced thinly so you're able to manage each piece. The inside of the roll had a chunk of avocado, thinly sliced cucumber, tempura sweet potato, and crab meat. The top of it is really what makes it exciting - it's a mountain of deep fried sweet potato over spicy salmon, topped with a sauce and some tobiko. You can totally fit the whole thing in your mouth but eating it in two bites was still tasty! Would like to come back to try the different chef's specialties. read more

If you pay cash, no tax. Not a bad place to try for a sushi fix. The people are nice and service is quick. The rolls are pretty thick and contain more rice than sashimi. The edamame was about $6 and it was not alot compared to other places. They don't include miso soup or salad like other places just fyi. read more

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Dropped in this place this week over lunch. Great Sashimi and sushi. It is so popular now and the staff is very prompt. I would go there again as I have for several years read more

Great little sushi place with friendly service and fresh menu. Prices are reasonable and they offer a variety of party trays.

First, my mistake for not checking but Id suggest to download the menu price as to see the most update list. The rolls were all around 2 more than the old photos, and my order total for pick up was $63. This probably won't be my go to place for rolls, my rating is strictly based on that since I didn't order any sushi. If you enjoy lots of rice, this is the spot for you. I'd say the rice itself seems a bit more on the sticky/mushy side. Its hard to tell if its more rice or less of the filling? Tastes the same however appearance wise it doesn't compete with some others imo or even some grocery stores. The dynamite roll I got didnt seem to have much Masago (fish eggs). I didn't see as many options to incorporate the rolls as combos except for spicy rolls. I think that would maybe be a great option however that is only my opinion. read more

Sushi Ichiban Ellesmere - Dragon and green dragon roll. - Japanese Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

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This restaurant was buzzing. There was a constant stream of people going in and out. The food was really good and the service was quick. Although we had a reservation, we still had to wait 30 minutes for our table which is why I didn't give it 5 stars. read more

One day last week while sitting on the couch the craving for sushi hit real hard. Thankfully Yelp led me to the direction of this great find. Now funny enough I have passed by this place a multitude of times. It's in the plaza of my local Hakka place that I go to. I've always said I would try it but I'm so mad that I never did because it's good! And close by! It's a small place - probably about 15-20 people can dine in, but that's ok b/c they do take out. I ordered the crunchy spicy salmon and crunchy spicy tuna roll along with the butterfish sashimi and the tuna sashimi. They were quick to prepare everything and it was fresh tasting. The rolls had a lovely deep flavour (since they are deep fried!) and a lovely crunch to them. They were about $6 each for the roll. The sashimi pieces were light and fresh - I wish they were a little bit colder but then again since I took it as takeout maybe this caused it to warm up a bit on the way back. The service is nice - all the staff were really polite and never made me feel rushed as I took my time trying to decide. The ambiance of the place is nice but small. Locate across from Parkway Mall you will probably have better luck if you either park at the mall or the plaza next to the sushi place and walk over. The parking lot here is JAMMED always and narrow so just save yourself the aggravation and walk over from another lot. I'm looking forward to going back and trying some of their other items and their lunch specials. Too bad they are closed today (Good Friday) b/c I'm getting sushi regrets for not picking up some last night :( read more

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I'm normally an AYCE sushi restaurant goer since I can get a lot more variety of food, but I've decided to give this a la cart restaurant a try to see if the quality of the fish would be better. Environment: This is a small restaurant located at a small plaza near Ellesmere/Pharmacy. It's really easy to drive past the plaza and not notice anything if you're not specifically looking for this restaurant. Also, parking is very limited at this plaza. The restaurant itself is pretty small, which kinda reminds me of restaurants located downtown. I think the maximum they can seat is 6 people together, though coming in even smaller groups would be better, since the place is super small and you can basically hear the conversation of the table next to you. Food: I agree with the some of the reviews here, the dishes are kinda pricey and you would need to order a bunch of stuff to get full. I went with my boyfriend and we each ordered a dish, they both came with miso soup. I was full from my 8 piece sushi roll, but I could tell he was still hungry after his meal. The dishes were delicious though and the fish was fresh and not soggy like some other AYCE sushi restaurants, but it just wasn't enough for one person. Service: It's refreshing to go to a restaurant run by actual Japanese people. The sushi chefs and the servers are all Japanese. The service was good and the server came over multiple times to ask us how we're doing and how was the food. Even though her English wasn't so good she was really nice and welcoming. After giving this place a try I feel AYCE is still more worth it in the end, not that this place is bad (the food is quite delicious actually), but I just prefer the variety of AYCE and the unlimited sashimi. read more

Sushi Ichiban Ellesmere - 31. Special Dragon Roll (8 pieces) - Japanese Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

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WORST SUSHI in GTA. Downtown prices; worse than Sobeys sushi quality. I dont usually leave bad reviews. If they just messed up the order or were just rude (the chef swears at you in korean thinking you dont understand), I wouldnt bother leaving a review. BUT it is because of the horrible sushi quality that Im leaving them this review. The sushi was hardly any fish or filling. 90% was rice. And they charge full downtown sushi bar prices. This place is "stealing" from people. Dont go. Just buy your sushi at a Loblaws or Sobeys, that cold, stale sushi is leagues better than this place. read more

Sushi Ichiban is a solid neighbourhood Sushi Restaurant. The interior has been newly renovated and the menu is all the traditional items plus a good selection of rolls. Lunch Special on weekday till 3 pm has various bento box if not there is some all day special at a reasonable price. Sushi and Tempura Lunch Bento Box ($11.95) was A-OK. Great if you are in the area and want to have some sushi. Maybe dinner is much better? That will be another separate review. read more

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I liked this place - the hussle of a business owner that cares what customers think and feel is important to me. Stopped by this place for a quick lunch bite and although service was a little slow, the quality of the sushi made up for it. we were served by the owner/chef and he answered all the questions we had and made two delicious recommendations. the fish was very fresh and the sushi was very flavourful. it was decently priced and very nice and clean from the inside - which surprised me because of the location. definitely would come by again, if in the area. read more

Sushi Ichiban Ellesmere - the crispy crunch (top) & tuna T.. - Japanese Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

I came here about a year and a half ago and what I remembered was that the food was exceptional for a little shop tucked away in a plaza. We came back and usually come back to this location by default because the service here is generally pretty good and the staff are very friendly. The head chef and owner worked in top restaurants and guarantees top quality fish. Unfortunately, the food from what I remembered a year ago tastes different. The quality I feel has gone down a bit which knocks down a star from me. I generally get the sashimi and a couple of the basic rolls (salmon & avocado). I am generally not a fan of the 'Special Rolls' in general at any sushi restaurant so I don't have too much of an opinion on them. read more

Finally had a chance to come to this little gem in the neighbourhood to try some good quality sushi! When i say gem, this is truly a hidden one. The restaurant was located in a small strip plaza across from Parkway Mall. To be frank, there really isn't much there, except for this place of course! The restaurant is quite small, can only fit about 20 people or so, but ambience is nice, bright lights, very clean. Our party of 3 decided to order a medium platter of sushi, sashimi and rolls, and also ordered a hurricane roll on the side. I must admit, i really loved the hurricane roll! To the point where I almost wished I ordered more than one to try. the Hurricane roll is delicious! This roll contains avocado, crabmeat, shrimp tempura, cream cheese that is topped with 2 pc of fresh tuna, 2 pcs of white tuna, tobico and dressed with Louisiana hot sauce and mayo... this combo is exquisite! Never thought of using this type of hot sauce on sushi, but the flavour was amazing! Their menu has some other 'chef favourites' marked with a heart; i really want to try some other rolls next time. next came the medium boat with sashimi, sushi and rolls. There was california rolls and also spicy salmon rolls with a dollop of hot sauce and mayo on it. for sushi there was a wide selection of salmon, tuna, white tuna, octopus, eel, shrimp, snapper. For sashimi there was tuna, snapper, white tuna, salmon, octopus and surf clam. The fish is definitely very fresh. My only comment would be that some of the sashimi i wished was cut a bit smaller, because when you eat giant pieces of sashimi you feel full super fast. otherwise eveyrthing was very fresh, and also presented beautifully. I would definitely say that this is now going to become a new favourite esp because the prices are more reasonable and I don't have to go all the way downtown to miku to get good quality sushi :) All this food filled the 3 of us comfortably full :) I definitely would like to go back and have some of their dinner or lunch boxes, as well as some more of the specialty rolls. The chef/owner worked at one of the Toronto hotels many years previously. I also really like that they can tell you where their fish comes from. I would say the quality is definitely quite up there, and they don't use any of the Japan fish, which is good because we all know that the radiation effects unfortunately are still there. Anyway beauitful place for some good quality sushi. Will definitely be going back, and may even order some party trays in the future! read more

Sushi Ichiban Ellesmere - medium platter sashimi, sushi and maki - Japanese Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

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Not sure why the reviews are so high on yelp. The quality of the sushi were very ordinary and reminded me a lot to AYCE, except it's a lot cheaper for the latter. I was here for a business lunch meeting with a client, who flew in from Alberta. The restaurant is definitely nice and clean, with a lot of natural lighting. Perfect place for a meeting (or a date) ! Sushi chef and hostess were very pleasant and welcoming. Our tea cups were always filled with green tea & we had abundant pickled ginger to clean our palate. I would probably come back again to try out their bento boxes, just not the sushi. Prices seem reasonable. TIP: Skip the eel!! I ended up having an unusual stomachache! :O Not good for first impression!! read more

Sushi Ichiban Ellesmere - Japanese Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

Great quality fresh sushi. Delicious rolls. Nice friendly owner. Clean and tidy restaurant. Before COVID, I've had the pleasure of dining here at the restaurant and it was a very good experience. During COVID the consistency of service remains the same. Very good service and it feels very safe to order takeout from here. The owner-staff are conscientious and wear masks. Excellent place to order sushi for takeaway! read more

Fantastic little neighbourhood restaurant. Food quality and presentation is amazing! The best tempura I've ever had... very light and crispy. Great place for lunch. Friendly greetings when you enter and leave. Service is excellent! read more

I found this place on Yelp and was surprised by its high rating that I had to come here for lunch to see for myself! Finding the restaurant was a bit difficult as it is located in the corner of a strip with Indian, Filipino, and Chinese food. The menu prices have gone up a bit from the prices that I saw on the Yelp photos but regardless, it was still reasonable. We ordered the roll combo $9.95 and sushi and tempura combo $13.95. The rolls were decent but I wished the rice had a stronger rice vinegar flavour. The service was impeccable as the waitress made sure our cups of tea were always full and came multiple times to refill for us. Also, the waitress was very polite in her greeting when we came as well as when we left. Miscellaneous comment that I want to add is that the washroom is very clean; in fact, it is probably the best washroom I've been to at a sushi restaurant. read more

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A reliable little local gem. Friendly staff, extensive menu and yummy sushi, sashimi, rolls and tempura. I am a long time customer and the restaurant is not too far from my Don Mills neighbourhood. I enjoy eating in the small, tidy and casual dining room. The music is soft and the service is efficient. Great lunch specials on offer including on the weekends. The sashimi and tempura bento and sushi roll and tempura bento are our favourites. The tempura is light and crispy with 2 shrimps and a great assortment of veggies. The fish is fresh. We have often ordered the sushi party trays for special occasions and like the "pick 10 rolls special" option as well. This place is great just the way it is. Not fancy, not trendy but good food any day of the week. Be warned that the small strip plaza where the restaurant is located in is full of other restaurants. The parking lot is notoriously chaotic at peak times. read more

My family visited this restaurant twice in 2 days. Sushi are tasty and fresh. Tempura has very light batter and super crisp. Last but not least, this is a beautiful store fulfilled with friendly people. read more

Sushi Ichiban Ellesmere - Sushi Boat - Japanese Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

I haven't ordered from here for a long time. Ordered some sushi rolls and lunch specials for take out. The rolls had too much rice, it didn't feel fresh and it wasn't seasoned properly either. Very disappointed with their quality. The bulgogi was a little dry and a little over cooked. The tempura were okay except the sauce on the side spilled making the bottom layer soggy. When I called to order the first lady was very friendly. She told me if I pay by cash it would be $47 instead of $53 something. I called back to add another lunch special combo however this time another lady picked up. The total came up to $67 and I asked how much is it if I pay by cash. The second lady in the phone said sorry we don't have that. But I told her that the First Lady clearly said if I pay by cash there's no tax. She paused for a bit and than said oh well it's $60. It should have been $58 something but I didn't want to argue. They shouldn't charge more than they're supposed to. For those who order take out, make sure to double check the bill before paying. Clearly they think people can't do math or something. read more

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Was on the hunt for a good spider roll place. Decided to give this spot a try given the raving reviews I saw. I ordered the spider roll and the sake (salmon) don. This was the most expensive spider roll I have ever purchased at 15$ a roll, I was expecting a lot but was quite disappointed. There was no flavour and the fried batter was too thick. The sake don was alright, nothing to rave about either. Given the price I'm definitely not impressed and most likely won't be returning read more

Sushi Ichiban Ellesmere - Sake (salmon) don - Japanese Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

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I didn't expect to find such a good Sushi place in an unassuming strip mall in scarborough. However, we went in here and found quite a good Sushi place! As we entered we were greeted with the traditional (Irasshaimase). We had three rolls and found them to be very good. We found the service to be very good. This is definitely a hidden gem in scarborough I would highly reccomend. read more

First off, Big turn off was the lack of AC on a hot summer day. If you're not going to turn up the AC when it's hotter than 30 degrees, there's probably a reason it was empty! Plz crank up the AC if it's over 30 degrees outside!! We were literally on our seats about to leave. Came here as a group of 6, and felt the easiest way to order was by ordering 2 sushi boats and a cooked dish (one person wasn't big on sushi). Thankfully the fish was fresh and well made. Aside from the issues with the AC, overall food was pretty good and quite high quality and fresh. There's a huge variety of sushi boats you can order, although, I wish you could order the special 10 roll set for dine in (it's only available for takeout). Prices are ok. Sushi boats were pretty awesome. Would I come back? Hard to say... Maybe for takeout. Probably not for dine-in. read more

Sushi Ichiban Ellesmere - Medium sashimi boat - Japanese Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

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Amazing sushi and sashimi, cozy atmosphere and friendly courteous staff. The food is extremely fresh and expertly prepared. read more

As another reviewer said, not sure why the reviews are so high. But I must say that the staff is very friendly. The food on the other hand is alright and in my opinion many other sushi places I would have preferred to go to. I got the sushi bento which was $10.95 which isn't bad for 10 pieces + salad and miso soup but the fish all tasted the same to me and it didn't have that good fresh fishy taste for the different fish. Also got the crispy crunch roll which is essentially a California roll with the tempura bits and the smallest bit of spicy salmon which I to be honest couldn't even taste. The biggest thing that bothered me was the rice. It didn't have enough water while cooking so it was slightly not as soft as I would have liked it and also didn't have enough rice vinegar. read more

Sushi Ichiban Ellesmere - Japanese Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

I just had dinner here with my parents, for the first time. All of us thoroughly enjoyed the food, which was excellent and very flavorful. The highlight was the teriyaki chicken dish that we shared, which came with fried vegetables and onions, underneath; that was absolutely phenomenal. Additionally, all of the staff was very attentive and friendly. We'll definitely be back. read more