Located minutes away from Casa Loma and George Brown, but still feels like a small neighbourhood…read morerestaurant. Lobster tacos - spicy and a bit hard to eat Assorted tempura - perfect Sunimono - perfect Kiyo roll - this had a weird crunchy topping that I didn't like that much, but the roll itself was good. I'm docking one star because the washroom needs some attention-- a deep clean or a complete reno, perhaps. Tip: if you pay by cash, you get a 10% discount!

All about the food! We went to order takeout on a Friday night. The restaurant was small, packed…read moreand a bit hot but we managed to pull a waiter aside to order some take out. The menu is expansive and food experience is beautiful. Each dish is designed in such a careful and meticulous manner. It really stimulates the appetite. Overall I was excited to try a couple new foods as part of the higher end sushi sampler. For the price, it is definitely worth a try. Hints! Order take out via telephone for speedy service. Certain spends receive selected free items off the menu. Pay in cash = 10% discount.

Beautiful Japanese waitress, good price quality ratio, fresh and delicious sashimi, highly…read morerecommended

Came here for a mid week meal and was pleasantly surprised!…read more Grabbed a deluxe sashimi don and a roll set and the sashimi was incredibly fresh. The service was quick and efficient. Finished the meal with record timing and was left wanting more, though full. It's also got a cute interior with wooden finishing so it felt very cozy. Very close downtown in Yorkville-ish area so convenient to get here. Theres a few street parking close by if needed.

Best sushi mid point. Fresh and well plated. Always beautiful and delicious…read more Quality is very high grade sushi but not the price of expensive restaurants. The rolls are fantastic and the staff is lovely and attentive. Experienced sushi chef couple own and run this hidden gem.

Got the 72 piece platter, miso soup (meh), beef ribs (tasty but tiny and not worth the hefty price)…read moreand tofu (nicely done with a bit a crispiness to the skin while maintaining soft fluffy interior). The platter was the star of the show. Big chunky pieces of sashimi, a variety of rolls including shrimp (cooked) and an interesting creation with yam fries which was tasty. Nigiri sushi with different types of fish, generous cuts. All very fresh and well constructed/presented. Lost one star because they didn't follow my delivery instructions and the cost of the beef ribs. Otherwise very good. I'd order from there again. Maybe soon I will actually sit there and eat a meal. Someday soon.....

Food was 3.5/5 Service was 4/5…read moreAmbiance 5/5 Interior 4/5 These are categories and my subjective review.

Did not expect such great sushi from this place! The outside looked like it needed repairs... Or…read moreneeds sprucing up a bit. But when you walk in its a really nice cozy place. The staff are really friendly. The food is delicious and fish is fresh. BUT the one thing that really stood out to me was the presentation! It was not just food plopped on to a plate. Now other sushi places serve really nice plating as well but Akai just seemed a step above them. I dont think the pictures do the presentation justice. Yes I would come back. When I finally got over how pretty the plating was, I saw how generous they were with the fish servings. Yum! Worth the money for sure!

Tucked along Queen Street West, JaBistro announces itself with quiet confidence -- a sleek,…read morecomposed room where warm lighting plays off clean lines and the hum of conversation suggests a restaurant that has earned its devoted following. The atmosphere strikes a considered balance between intimacy and energy, and one can see at a glance why it has become a favoured destination for the romantically inclined. The kitchen's greatest accomplishments lie at the raw bar. The sashimi is cut with precision and plated with an artisan's eye -- pristine slices of toro, hamachi, and salmon that speak to the quality of the sourcing. Two house soy sauces accompany the fish, including a gentler, house-made variety that allows the natural sweetness of the fish to remain the focus. Equally compelling is the aburi programme: the blow-torched oshizushi, particularly the ebi, offers a clever dialogue between Japanese tradition and modern sensibility. The kiss of flame lends a subtle caramelised depth without compromising the integrity of the fish beneath -- an approach that may read as fusion to the purist, but in JaBistro's hands is executed with enough restraint to feel purposeful rather than gratuitous. Service is attentive and genuinely warm. Staff demonstrate a willingness to guide the uninitiated through the menu, making this an uncommonly welcoming address for those not yet versed in the more nuanced registers of Japanese cuisine -- a rare quality in a restaurant of this ambition. One note of honest counsel: the kitchen is most assured when it stays close to its raw and torched preparations. Those venturing into the cooked plates may find the execution less consistent -- an area with room to match the high bar set by the sushi itself. For those seeking an accessible yet quality-driven introduction to aburi-style sushi in Toronto, JaBistro offers a compelling and satisfying evening.

JaBistro is an upscale restaurant on Richmond just west of University. They have lunch and dinner…read moreomakase and sets and a la carte. Food (4/5) - I had the lunch set which is reasonably priced for $45 for above average restaurants. - Chirashi bowl - all of the sashimi was fresh and plentiful. Bit too much Tamago for my tastes. Sushi rice was not bad. - JaBistroll, Salmon & Shrimp Aburi - they were good but not quite as good as Miku for perspective. - Lobster Miso Soup - enjoyed this one... bit different than the traditional with a nice subtle flavour. - Sashimi - Tuna, Salmon, Scallop, Hamachi - all fresh and pretty decent. - Custard Dessert - can't remember what this is called but it was not bad. Service (3.75/5) - Server was polite but understated and reasonably attentive overall. Atmosphere (4/5) - It has an upscale feel but on the minimalistic side. Tables are bit too closely spaced imo. Overall (4/5) - I can't really say anything bad about JaBistro however it doesn't really stand out in any area for me. The Lunch Set price at $45 is actually pretty good for what you get. Maybe they save some of the better cuts for the a la carte items... might be the case. It's a perfectly good upscale choice for above average sushi. Overall, I just think Miku excels in more ways across the board.

What a gem! We came here after an event and were amazed at…read morethis small sushi place hidden away. We were seated immediately and the waitresses were super humble and nice. Good came out in a timely manner and was extremely delicious. The rice especially here was perfectly seasoned! The decor inside felt cozy and in theme. There was even an accurate sushi clock which made me laugh. Definitely coming back when in the area!

Amazing service and good sushi! The inside of this restaurant is very cozy and a great local spot…read morefor some casual sushi. Their menu has a wide selection of nigiri, sashimi, rolls, and entrees. The service is pretty fast and the owner is the sweetest. I would come back solely for the amazing service. I ordered a selection of their sashimi (uni, tuna, scallop, etc.) as well as two rolls and everything was delicious. The fish was pretty fresh and the rolls were flavorful, and a good portion. Loved the uni here. Would come back for a casual sushi night!

Went here for a low-key birthday dinner with a friend. We arrived around 5:30pm and the restaurant…read morewas empty at first, but it filled up pretty quickly after, which is always a good sign. The service was great and our waitress was super attentive, friendly, and really on top of everything. Even though the space is on the smaller side, it didn't feel cramped at all and had a nice, comfortable flow. We ordered the takoyaki and the sushi and sashimi moriwase. The takoyaki was perfectly done, it was crispy on the outside, soft and creamy inside, and full of flavour. The sashimi was incredibly fresh, clean-tasting, and naturally sweet. You can tell the quality of the fish is there. Would highly recommend and will definitely be coming back!

We stopped by here for dinner a couple of weeks ago and quite enjoyed it but if someone could let…read moreme know where to park, that would be great. The owner let us use one of the spots in the back but it didn't appear to be reserved for the restaurant so I'm not sure where else we would have parked. The restaurant gave me pub vibes and was somewhat dark. The staff were super friendly and helpful. We sat near the window where there was a large tv on the wall that was showing a video of a walk around of what one can only assume, is Japan(?). Wherever it was, it was captivating to watch. After perusing their extensive menu, we opted for the Salmon Combo and the Orangeville roll. Both were excellent and presented beautifully. I would definitely love to come back here but the parking is an issue.

Last night my wife and I arrived for a 6PM reservation on a Friday night. The small but funky…read morerestaurant was full but our table was ready for us. Despite every table being full the two servers in our area made us feel like we were alone in the room. They kept the tea hot and Sake full. We had three Maki rolls, two from the daily specials. The lobster roll was excellent and the others very good. With Misu soup a salad and lots of sake dinner with tax and tip was less than $140 for 2. We left with a smile and a promise to return.

The black cod sushi ($10 for 2 pieces) is an interesting take on the fish, the nigiri torched…read moretableside so the fish's fat begins to melt forming slight layers in the cod. Being a denser fish, it does need a fair amount of flavour and while the sweet soy was a start, it needed something else for interest. After the experience, I'm still on the fence of whether a nigiri is the best use of this prized fish. My preference is still for the baked miso marinated black cod ($15) where the fish is hot and flaky and infused with a slightly sweet umami flavour. The palm-sized portion is just enough for sharing amongst two people. Sushi Bar's other a-la-carte nigiri is just as good with large pieces of barbeque eel on the unagi and a thick slice of ruby red tuna on the maguro (both $7 for 2 pieces). Displaying the lobster on top of the lobster roll ($18) was a great idea as it becomes the first thing you taste, and diners can see the full tail in its glory. However, it was already overcooked and blowtorching it at the table made it even more dry and chewy. Ideally, they should undercook it to begin, and the torching will help heat and finish off the doneness at the table. It's a dish with promise and the thin cucumber lantern a great idea for a beautiful garnish. Starting every meal is a bowl of rice crackers that arrives with drinks, a pre-pandemic tradition that I'm glad has been kept, providing something to snack on as we peruse the menu. A new addition is an amuse bouche of seafood, squid, and seaweed salads, enough for a bite each to enjoy while the rest of the meal arrives. As the temperature drops, the complimentary starter is sometimes a rich hot bowl of miso soup with cubes of tofu and seaweed flakes. A welcomed respite after a cool walk to the restaurant. With a variety of maki available, the black dragon ($17) was an interesting take on the fancier dynamite roll. In this case, sweet-glazed barbeque eel, tempura bits, fish roe, and green onion wrapped around the shrimp tempura. It's a colourful creation offering a variety of textures and flavours and it's ideal that the pieces aren't overly large so that they are enjoyed in one bite. The red dragon ($17) is just as good, substituting the barbeque eel for salmon instead. If you're in the mood for shrimp tempura ($8 for 3 pieces), I'd recommend having it in maki-form as the fried shrimp by itself is underwhelming, the batter too thick and the temperature tepid at best. Upsold to the tuna tartare roll ($10), we should have stuck with the tried-and-true spicy tuna ($8). In the tartare, the tuna too pulverized and the filling including dreaded tempura bits that causes the roll to become gummy. It also needs more heat to be considered spicy tuna. Despite their name, Sushi Bar also makes a variety of non-sushi dishes. You get a hefty portion of hamachi kama ($19) with the full portion, a meaty cut of the fish's jaw. A thicker cut, there were parts of the fish that could have been done a touch less but being a bone-in piece, it can be hard to gauge. Nevertheless, the skin was crispy and the fish hot and delicious. Served with a radish ponzu soy sauce, a bit more salt sprinkled onto the fish would help it pop.