So I heard there was a new-ish Japanese BBQ AYCE that rivals Shinto and Gyubee so we decided to come check it out for a birthday celebration on a Friday night. They do offer 10% off on the whole bill as a birthday cash discount if there are 4 or more paying adults. We made a reservation for 7pm and I am so glad we did because when we arrived, it was packed with people lining all the way out to the door. The seating limit is 2 hours which is pretty standard at these establishments. I came with an empty stomach prepared to eat for the full two hours. The environment had a very cool samurai theme and was very atmospheric and lively. The service was extremely attentive and swift. After we ordered our first round, I went to washroom and when I returned, most of the items were already on the table ready to be grilled. They often came to replenish water and replaced our aluminum grill plates without us even having to ask. However, after our first round, service was quite slow. They often forgot our orders and I had to ask them to check up on it. But it was a Friday night and it got more busy as the night went on. Now on to the actual food. Their beef was really good. Especially their prime kalbi, briskets and short rib. It felt like they just melted in your mouth. It was so tender, fatty, and flavorful. The thicker cuts like the marinated steak was just meh. They weren't as tender and took way too long to cook. I also recommend the beef tongue. It adds a little chew and texture and was a good contrast for all the fatty beef. For pork, I really like their pork cheeks, it was very springy and delicious and their seafood was good but nothing too amazing. I did enjoy the Honey Sweet potatoes, Cheese corn, and brown sugar sticky rice rolls between rounds of beef to avoid flavor fatigue. They have plenty of other cooked dishes that you can order which I thought was great because It lets you eat while grilling the raw meats. Those include deep fried shrimp, gyoza, spring rolls, capelin fish, takowasa, takoyaki, tempuras, udons, ramens, bibimbaps, tataki's etc. I was really excited to try some of their sushi and rolls like the Truffle Wagyu beef rolls and their Hokkaido scallop rolls and they were good... but I kept returning to the beef lol. Their desserts were quite disappointing. I tried the matcha soft serve, coffee pudding, matcha red bean pudding, lychee pudding and their creme brulee. The soft serve and matcha red bean pudding wasn't too sweet but also didn't have a strong matcha flavor at all. It was too mild for my liking. The creme brulee was alright but wasn't soft and eggy enough. The lychee pudding was way too tart. The only thing I recommend was their coffee pudding which had a very soft and silky texture with a strong coffee flavor. At the end, they were very thoughtful and sang us happy birthday even though it was so busy. When we left around 9pm, there was still a line out the door. We had an amazing dinner here and were all stuffed. This restaurant is great. If I go eat with a group of beef connoisseurs, I would still pick Shinto or Gyubee because their cuts of beef are better. I mean just look at Gyubee, they are offering ribeye right now. But that is not to say the beef here is bad. It was still exceptionally high in quality for the price and this restaurant has way more variety. So even if someone in your group didn't like beef, they could still have a good time. But the beef is the highlight for me and honestly if you don't like beef, what are you doing at a Yakiniku restaurant ? read more

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Probably my favorite JBBQ spot. The food was honestly phenomenal, and the quality of the meat was top tier. Ive come 3 times within the last year. They also have so many different options, so there's a lot to try, and everything I had was really good. The sushi was amazing too, especially the scallop, I devoured at least 12 pieces Ii a sitting; it was definitely one of the highlights for me. I was also surprised by how many dessert options they had, and they were actually good. Service was fast and friendly, and the food kept coming out pretty quickly. The ambiance is great too, with a nice vibe that's perfect for hanging out with friends or celebrating something. Definitely a spot I'll keep coming back to. read more

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If you're coming here hungry, you're going to have a very good time. Yakiniku Legend was such a fun and satisfying meal from start to finish. The table was packed, the grill stayed busy the whole time, and there was honestly something exciting about every round of meat that came out. What stood out most was the variety. We ordered a mix of different cuts and marinades, and it really felt like one of those meals where you keep saying "okay, this one might be my favorite" until the next plate arrives. A lot of the beef was beautifully marbled, tender, and really flavorful once it hit the grill. I also liked that the meal didn't feel one-dimensional. Between the sauces, pickled sides, mushrooms, pineapple, and other small accompaniments, everything helped balance out the richness of the meat and made the whole experience more enjoyable. This is definitely the kind of place that's best with a group so you can order a little bit of everything and try more cuts. It felt lively, interactive, and honestly just really satisfying in that perfect "we ordered a lot and somehow still finished it" kind of way. Overall, such a great spot for Japanese BBQ in downtown Toronto if you're in the mood for a proper meat-heavy dinner that actually feels worth it. read more

Yakiniku Legend - Japanese Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

We came hungry and left stuffed! I heard great things about this place, but because we were only a party of 2, we joined the wait-list for dinner. The wait was 2 hours long and so worth it. The menu was pretty extensive and we were able to try a variety of meats and vegetables. Don't sleep on their desserts either! read more

Yakiniku Legend - Japanese Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

I like the BBQ when the environment is not smoky or too strong smell where this one certainly does, that is certainly add up the score. The waiter was good going with menu introductions and good recommendations too. read more

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This AYCE Japanese BBQ spot had a great selection of meats, sushi rolls, and sides! My favourite cuts of meat were the sweet soy marinated short ribs (super tender and flavourful), and the pork cheek (fatty and delicious). When I go to BBQ, I try not to fill up too much on the sides/non meat options, but the spicy rock shrimp was so good I had to order it multiple times. As for the sushi rolls, standouts were the Volcano roll (tempura shrimp, mango, cheese, spicey salmon), and the eel pressed sushi. The space was clean and well ventilated. The start came by frequently to change the grill and take our orders. I really appreciate that this spot allows reservations, so we didn't have to wait. I noticed that after 7PM (on a Tuesday) there were groups at the front waiting for a table so I definitely recommend booking ahead! read more

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Good jbbq spot! Yakiniku Legend is AYCE and they have a huge menu for you to choose from. It's fun since there's so many different options you can order, but perhaps because of the variety a lot of dishes like the dessert and sushi were just ok. Bbq is all about meat though and the meat was pretty good! Solid quality, and the prime kalbi and black pepper steak in particular were delicious. To me, those two cuts are comparable if not better than gyubees. The rest of the meat cuts fall short of gyubee though. While good they felt pretty standard - something about my favourite garlic beef didn't hit as hard here. Service is pretty good, with them being attentive although a bit slow to bring out the orders sometimes. The restaurant is also very cool, sporting cool art on the walls and a cozy atmosphere. read more

Yakiniku Legend - Yuzu Salad and Beef - Japanese Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

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10/10 This is probably the best AYCE bbq place I've been to. I recently tried the newly opened Gyuyaki in Mississauga and this place blows them out of the water. Also, yes it's better than Gyubee, Takumi and Taisho. Daldongnae is not AYCE BUT it still holds top spot for BBQ for me. Anyways, back to Yakiniku. We went around 4pm on a Saturday and I would say this is a sweet spot as it was not busy at all. We were seated right away and started ordering right away. It did take more time than we liked for the items to start rolling out but I blame it on us being hangry lol. We had the all day menu ($44.99) and ordered all the beefs except for beef tongue. I like their sides here as we were also able to order bibimbap, sushi, pickled cucumbers, gyoza, pickled radish/carrot and mango salad, kimchi, bean sprouts. I was obsessed with the pickled cucumbers. Not many places offer this. The mango salad had a nice slight spice to it too. Out of all the beef, our favourite was the marinated short rib. The marinated steak was really good too. I appreciated that it was a thicker and bigger cut. The gyoza didn't end up being delivered but that was fine. Since, I quickly realized I was gonna need all the room in my tummy as possible, to eat eight trays of beef between 2 people lol. My friend and I agreed that the quality of meat was so much better than other places we have been to. The place is a fairly good size and has lots of tables. Service was friendly. I'm defs coming back! read more

Yakiniku Legend - Japanese Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

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It's super helpful having a wait list on yelp! Make sure to get on the waitlist at least 1.5 hour before the rush hour. The staff were attentive, quick and friendly. There is lots of seating space but we aware of long wait times. The restaurant is clean and open, the food was top tier. Would recommend! read more

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This restaurant for dinner was all you can eat. We were greeted on arrival pleasantly. As we were earlier than the rest of the rest of our party so we were informed that the 2hour limit starts from when you get the table, so we waited. The service was excellent, very attentive and friendly. They changed the grill grates frequently. The yakiniku meats were all seasoned and at least tasted different from meat to meat. The sushi and rolls options were limited and were just ok. Could be better. If it's your bday, you get a special tray at the end and if you pay cash and you will get 10% off. The dessert options were good enough. The green tea ice cream didn't taste have much green tea flavour. The only thing that would be good with the restaurant is, if they could add a second set of doors at the entrance. When the front door opens the cold air gushes in. Would definitely recommend. read more

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On top customer service! Got situated in less than a minute. The staff and the servers are really nice and attentive. Food is amazing and serving is quick and clean. Will definitely go back again. read more

Yakiniku Legend - Ice cream and crème brûlée - Japanese Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

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Insane value for money for their lunch offering. Of course the variety is more limited and not as upscale as the dinner menu, but you get a great selection for what you pay. Standouts were the fried capelin fish, sweet soy marinated short rib, sweet soy marinated beef brisket, sausage, and fire dragon roll. Place is spacious and has good ventilation. Grill remains hot but not overly fiery. Service is quick and friendly. If you're in the mood for Japanese bbq all you can eat that won't leave your wallet hurting, this is a great spot to visit. read more

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This place was nice !! My son's girlfriend picked here for my boy's birthday dinner. We went to the same kind of place last year, but a different restaurant. I liked this one better because the servers were nicer , more prompt & we're just better at their job. The meats were excellent, the variety was great. I even got to make chicken wings & those were good. I believe it's about $45 per person, but you can keep ordering as much meat, veggies & desserts as you want & not get charged anymore money. Pop is extra. We had a fun time & food was delicious. I was making mini steak tacos on a leaf of lettuce. They were yummy I read more

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I went to Yakiniku Legend on a Saturday afternoon after hearing really good things about this Japanese bbq restaurant! I got a wide variety of food and everything was really good! All raw food looked and tasted really fresh. They also have a fairly large menu that spans food you cook on the grill, appetizers, sushi, and ramen and udon. The sushi in particular was surprisingly good and rivals torched sushi you get any upscale sushi restaurant. The udon had a nice creamy broth but tasted a bit bland for my liking. The service was outstanding! The restaurant was pretty busy for an afternoon but the servers were really attentive. They came to check up on the table on a regular basis, asking if we wanted a new grill, refills on drink, or if we wanted more food. I dropped a chopstick and a server told me they'd get me a new one as I was picking it up! The restaurant itself looks very new and modern. More importantly, it was very clean. Overall, I was really impressed with Yakiniku Legend! It's worth the hype and the huge menu and high quality food were excellent! read more

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My cousin really wanted to try this place, and after a couple of times asking me to come, I caved and went. I wish I came here sooner. The place is nicely decorated and pretty spacious. You can choose from the lunch menu which has a more basic set of options, or the dinner menu which is more extensive. We chose the lunch menu. In addition to your basic cuts of meat, they also have some sushi rolls, noodle soups, and fried snacks to whet your appetite. The food tasted fresh, and was very tasty. Its very easy to reorder items from the menu as the servers come around quite frequently, and will even change the grill before you need to ask. This place is cash or debit only, there is cash discount read more

Yakiniku Legend - Japanese Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

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Tried it for the first time and went just as it opened for Thursday lunch. The decor is modern and clean. It wasn't busy and we got the food pretty quickly. Everything tasted fresh and I especially liked the short ribs. The service was also attentive and we got several grill changes. I tried the coffee pudding and soft serve vanilla ice cream to end the meal. We ordered three rounds and were very full by the last call that we didn't order anything more, so it's definitely enough time with how fast the food came out. It's got a good lunch selection for the price in this area and I'd be down to try the dinner menu next time. read more

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We tried to make a reservation for 2, but they will only take reservations for groups greater than 4. We got there at 530, put our name on the waitlist. I wish the waitlist function had better time estimates because our time kept going up and up. My partner and I ended getting seated at 720pm. We ordered the pressed tuna sushi, black dragon roll, prime kalbi, black pepper kalbi, marinated steak, sweet soy beef brisket, thin pork belly, sake clams, and garlic shrimp. I would say the prime kalbi was the best. One of the beef dishes, I believe it was the steak strips? It was a bit chewy. The other items were good and excellent quality. We also got a bibimbop, kimchi, pickled cucumber, and lettuce. The rice, meat, and lettuce make a delicious wrap! We had an attentive server and we were able to get our appetizers quickly. We got the coffee pudding, mango pudding, and lychee syrup milk pudding for dessert. I would love to try more sushi and the udon next time! We paid in cash and got an 8% discount. They only take cash or debit. read more

Yakiniku Legend - Japanese Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

Came back with a new set of friends! Something to know here is that they're strict with the time limit of 2 hours so it's important to order strategically in order to maximize your time and value while still enjoying your time with your group stress-free. The first round should be essentials - everything you cannot sacrifice - 1 of each. Second round should be ones you wanted but weren't 1000% sure about and refills of the ones you liked. Then keep going for more rounds as you wish. ~15 minutes before your time limit ends, they'll ask you for last call for ordering. If you don't won't to feel rushed, I recommend ordering dessert a bit earlier, ~25 minutes before end time especially if you plan to do multiple rounds of dessert, as last call includes dessert. The dessert itself is served in small portions - the last time I visited before this one, I exceeded the time limit and had to drink all of them like shots. The ice cream is a soft serve served in a cup. It's a larger portion than the other desserts, but still manageable to eat alongside everything! It seems they make their ice cream with condensed milk or evaporated milk or something because it tastes different. Their menu says to ask the server for the flavour selection - the past 2 visits, the selection was vanilla, black sesame, or a twist of both. I've tried all the desserts and my favourite is definitely the creme brûlée, though I do like all the other ones enough to order a minimum of 2 each! The #1 meat item you cannot miss is the marinated steak. I think this is the one that really sets it apart from all the other yakiniku places because it's just marinated so well. They serve it rolled up like a rose and I recommend you pre cut it into strips before putting it on the grill. When I first ordered it, I just dumped the whole giant piece on the grill then cut after. The difference between the 2 methods is significant because one guarantees an even cook, resulting in something tender and juicy! Will definitely be back! read more

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this is actually the first jbbq i've ever had and it was pretty solid! the marinated steak and short rib are definitely the best two cuts, a couple of the other cuts were just ok (like the black pepper marinated kalbi which was frankly pretty bland). they have 5 different desserts and i ate 9 of them haha ordering is done with a server, but it would be much easier if they implemented ipad/QR ordering... i guess the purpose is to deter people from ordering too much. read more

Yakiniku Legend - steak - Japanese Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

The Food The service The atmosphere All Legendary Will definitely go back again and again read more

So we wanted to give this spot a try on a friend's recommendation as she liked this spot over Taisho on Baldwin. We were going with the boys (3&5) and they CRUSHD Taisho last time and wanted to go again. Right off the bat, we were glad we showed up AT opening time (it was Valentine's Day...) because it was a steady flow of people. They filled up really fast and a long line was forming. Sadly, maybe it was so early? Things were slow to come out... namely the cooked foods/sushi. The meat was fast so we weren't complaining (except the kids bc they desperately wanted their ramen and dumplings). The service was fabulous though / very accommodating despite being pretty rammed inside. The washroom was surprisingly clean (and tidy!) and everyone was very friendly. We opted for the lunch menu (what we did at Taisho) and we felt the options there were better and the sushi was definitely better. 8% off for cash (they only accept cash or debit) which was a great surprise. The all day menu looked like the way to go though, so maybe we'll come back without the boys Give it a go if you're considering it! read more

First time coming here, especially on a Friday night and it was suuuper packed! Located near OCAD there was so much uni students! They take reservations so I definitely recommend doing that. Services were a little slow due to the place being so packed so sometimes they did take a long time to take our order. I would say Yakiniku Legend is pretty good as there are so many other bbq places. I don't think their cuts of meats are as nice and premium as most places but they make up with their HUGE menu. They have tons of appetizers, sushi, noodles dishes to pick from aside from your chicken, beef or pork. I recommend the udon, premium kalbi and the steak! And I do not recommend the desserts. read more

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This place is PACKED. Went here for a friends birthday with a reservation at 5pm on a Saturday, and it was already busy. The entire time we were there, the place was filled and people were waiting at the door. Food was decent. I like that they offer some sushi dishes in addition to the meats. I did find the sushi had a lot of rice and the pressed sushi weren't that flavourful and lacked that torched flavour. The cucumber salad was a favourite - we probably ordered 10 of those between two people. The meats were good too, but not as good as Gyubee. The ice cream is made in house and was soooo delicious! Very creamy and milky so def not good for lactose intolerant people unless you have lactaid. For a table of 10, we had 2 grills. There was limited surface area for all the dishes so it felt pretty cramped. They are really good at getting all the empty dishes frequently though to free up some space. Price is pretty average for AYCE. Overall good experience! read more

We visited here on a Thursday night for AYCE BBQ dinner. They have great variety of appetizers, vegetables, sushi and maki rolls, beef, pork, chicken, seafood for bbq at $42 (week nights) and $45 (holidays and weekends) which I believe to be a fair price. They also have 2-hour seating limit. We ordered a great combination of vegetables, appetizers, sushi rolls and meat for the grill. We loved everything we tried. One of my favourite meat was "Marinated Steak" which was perfectly seasoned and beautifully served in a rose-shaped. We made sure to leave some room for dessert as we really wanted to try their delicious black sesame ice cream and crème Brûlée. The staff are very friendly and welcoming. The service is fast and it has amazing atmosphere. read more

Great service and the food is fresh and quite delicious. They have a good selection of sushi and bbq options. The desserts are also really nice. read more

Yakiniku Legend - Japanese Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

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We dined here a bit before 5pm on a Saturday and we got seated right away. However, I saw people start lining up shortly after. I really like how many options of food they have here. The diff meat options, noodles, sushi rolls, vegetables and dessert. The only down side is how busy this restaurant is, so the servers were not attending to our table as much as we would've like. I believe we have asked for lettuce 3 times before they brought it to our table and gave the napkins we asked for to the table besides us. read more

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Amazing food and a great variety of foods to choose from. If you're in the area you should try this food experience.

My friends and I arrived late in Toronto, but we used the Google waitlist feature, which helped tremendously--we only waited about 30 minutes. We dined at Yakiniku Legend, and I was bracing for the usual KBBQ aftermath where everything smells like grilled meat. But the ventilation here is amazing! The restaurant smelled great, but the scent didn't stick to our clothes or hair, which was a pleasant surprise. The menu is accessed via a QR code. We ordered a variety of items--pretty much all the meats and veggies. The vegetables were very fresh, and we loved the three dipping sauces. The meat was high quality and flavorful. We didn't try the sushi, but it was available. There were a couple of dessert options on the menu, but we were too full to order any. The staff were super friendly and attentive, checking in regularly throughout our meal. The all-you-can-eat (AYCE) price was $45 CAD (around $35 USD) per person, which felt very reasonable for the quality. I also used the women's restroom--it had three stalls and was clean. I highly recommend checking this place out! read more

Not sure why people are giving good reviews since the quality of food here is sub-par compared to other AYCE like Taisho and Gyubee. Came for their lunch menu and didn't really enjoy the food, service and ambiance. We ordered the marinated meats like miso pork belly, sweet soy marinated short rib, sweet soy beef brisket and they're not flavourful enough. The quality of the meat is also on the tough side and not fresh both on the lean cut and on the thick cut meats. We also ordered the Black Pepper Kalbi on our initial order and they didn't give it to us. Ordered the next time and we were given 3 pcs even though the menu clearly says 6 pcs per order. Lettuce and veggie sides were not fresh. The fish to rice ratio on their Pressed Salmon Sushi and Fire Dragon Rolls lean on more rice than fish. The seafood udon has maybe 1 shrimp. Small selection of desserts. I could go on and on about how we didn't enjoy our dining experience. But what takes it to the worst level is our server Eric casually telling us "Are you full yet, do you want to order more?". Ah hello of course we want to order more since this is an all you can eat place. After experiencing this abysmal service and mediocre food do you think we will return and recommend this place ... DEFINITELY NOT!!! read more

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Great quality Japanese BBQ with various sushi options If you're in downtown area looking for Japanese BBQ, definitely worth checking out this spot We're really surprised that not only is their BBQ great quality with huge options, their sushi is yummy too just like some regular sushi spots (We usually don't eat much carb in ayce, but couldn't help but get sushi twice lol) Here's some highlights: Torched Salmon Seared Scallop Sushi Flame-Seared Eel Pressed Sushi Prime Kalbi Marinated Steak Pork Cheek Chicken Cartilage Black sesame Ice Cream They provide Scallion Sauce, a rare find elsewhere! Don't miss trying it with Beef Tongue Also, try pairing the beef with pickled radish / pork wrapped in fresh lettuce, garlic and Ssamjang read more

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Pretty good experience here. Came for the first time and left with feeling satisfied. The place itself was quite big. The food comes fairly quickly. The service was pretty good. The only down side is that you always have to order with a staff rather than mobile order. We also really like how they change the grill for us without having to keep asking for it. read more

Yakiniku Legend - Japanese Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

The pros is that it has sushi options. Otherwise, the rest is pretty average, including the sushi options. Service is ok. Food comes pretty quick. Quality is not as good as other places. Wait times can get long +2hrs. Ambiance is loud like every other kbbq. I would come here for acye if the other popular spot is too full. read more

Fantastic food and great value for your money. Went with colleagues from work and we loved it.

best restaurant in toronto high quality meat, great value friendly reminder - join waitlist early, queue fills up fast (understandably) read more

Yakiniku Legend - Japanese Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

A great new japanese bbq AYCE spot in Toronto! Typically I haven't been a fan of these spots but this one was good with a great ventilation system. They had plenty of condiments to make your own lettuce wraps and rice bowls so there are endless ways to eat the bbq meats. We had plenty of the beef, our faves were the miso / soy marinated beef and the kalbi. Meat was pretty decent quality, at least better than I've seen in most other pictures. Dessert was mid. Definitely would come back here. read more

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Honestly, this place is so clean I'm actually impressed--even the bathrooms are a 10/10, which you know is rare. ​The scallop sushi is a total must-order, and the beef is seriously so good. But the real MVPs are the staff. They're super friendly and they basically teleport to your table to change the grill before your food even has a chance to get burnt. My lazy self truly appreciated the hustle lol. ​Super hyped for the new spot to open at Hillcrest Mall... my bank account is already sweating. Definitely check them out! read more

Great value, would definitely come back! Great quality of meat and great drink selections. Would just say service could be improved as we had to ask for things we've ordered a number of times, things were quite slow. Even our bill transaction didn't go through and we had to spend 15 mins to hail down the staff to pay as they weren't aware the transaction failed. read more

Yakiniku Legend - Japanese Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

The first time was great, the food was tasty and the service was good. The second time wasn't the best, the wait time was kinda ridiculous, the food didn't taste as delicious but still good. The service was mediocre! The restaurant is quite popular but they could've done better! read more

so long waiting!!!!!! i dont know why the que on yelp is never accurate. Please give better timing... 2 ppl waited for almost 2hr

I have been an avid fan of Japanese BBQ for years now, trying all the hot spots in Toronto, Chicago, and New York. This is a clear winner for Toronto. The wide variety and clarity in their menu is the best I've seen in this city. The service? Undeniably fast and high quality. It made my night! The interior has an industrial feel with modern accent and mood. I love the lit-up wall of, I believe, Japanese newspapers and art. I will be going here as often as I can! read more

Yakiniku Legend - Garlic Beef Brisket - Japanese Near Me - Toronto, Ontario