Zakkushi is one of my must-visit spots whenever I'm in Toronto. This was my second time here, and I brought friends along this time. They absolutely loved it! The food, service, and ambiance were exceptional! My favorites are chicken gizzard, shishamo, and NANKOTSU (sea salt version)! I always come back to those three! I could probably eat 20+ skewers if my stomach and wallet allowed me to. You can't skip the drinks when you're here! We ordered the highball, apple ginger highball, kyoho grape highball, and kyoho sour. They pair so well with the skewers! I will definitely be back next time, and I'd also like to try New Retro (which is below Zakkushi) next time . If you're ever in the area or don't know where to eat, go to Zakkushi! read more

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Walking in, this place had cozy vibes and the staff greeted us with such high energy. It's my first time going to a Japanese Izakaya restaurant and I was not disappointed with their service and their food. They do charcoal grill skewers and the smell of the food as they're being prepared made us excited. My favourite would be the chicken gizzard and the premium pork. All of the food we ordered were grilled to perfection. None of them were overcooked at all. They also had a variety of drinks to choose from. The server we had was attentive. She came back to our table many times to check in on us. The food also came pretty quickly. This place is a bit expensive when you consider the ratio of the food you get so when you do order many different items, the price adds up fast. They do 29% off every 29th of the month (which we happily took advantage of). Also, make sure to let the server know prior to ordering if you want to split the bill. They get really busy so I suggest going early and/or booking a reservation. Can't wait to go back! read more

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We made a reservation for 4 for dinner on Saturday and were seated promptly with a cute reservation card at the table. The place was full and we could see the kitchen and charcoal grill from our table. We ordered the following along with their own Zakkushi beer and a cocktail: - zuakkashi skewer set ( fav was the P Toro) - garlic beef - beef tongue (5/10) thin cut - mochi machi (8/10) - fried chicken skin (8/10 for crunch) - karage (8/10) crispy and steaming hot - zucchini - beef tataki (9/10) - oden (9/10) - steamed rice in soup with plum (8/10) Overall, the experience was alright but we found the taste and portions to be a bit smaller than before. We had a good time chatting a the food came quickly and also cleared away quickly to remind us for the 2 hour limit. It was about $60 each and I felt we could have easily ordered more food if we weren't sweating at our seats. Tip: avoid the booth at the back as it was really hot and cramped being next to the kitchen. read more

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This is an authentic restaurant that primarily prizes itself on skewers. I went there with my husband and another couple and it was one of the best restaurants I have been to for a while. On the outside, it doesn't look like much, but when you go inside, you realize the true attraction of the restaurant. The service was phenomenal, presented in the typical style of a Japanese restaurant. We ordered so many skewers! In addition, there were many drinks on the menu. It was a great way to share with friends and you can keep adding as the night goes. My only note, is that the skewers were not more flavourful for my taste. However, the food was cooked to perfection and frankly, the restaurant was full on Thursday evening, so you know it's a good spot. Hope to visit again. read more

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My first time at this location but have been to their Queen street one before and was a fan. I tried a few different skewers this time and they were all really good. The service was quick and the server was attentive and friendly. The place felt a bit more cramped compared to the other one but maybe it's just the area we sat at. read more

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Great spot for Japanese bites. The food took a bit of time to come, but it was delicious. They tout using a specialty charcoal to grill the meats, but I didn't taste much smoke and felt like it could have had more flavour from grilling. The meat set was a nice experience to try everything, the karaage was juicy on the inside and the onigiri was delicious read more

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A Japanese izakaya spot known for their charcoal grill skewers. They have over 30 different kinds of variety, including meats, seafood, and vegetables. This was an amazing spot for dinner and I can't rave enough about it - everything from service, to food, to atmosphere! Came here after leaving their downstairs, maybe sister restaurant, (they share the same washroom), we were shocked with how amazing this spot was. We ordered a lot of variety of things and everything tasted amazing! A few highlights: Beef 5/5 Kuro buta 5/5 Nankotsu 5/5 Kawa 5/5 Saba shio Yaki 5/5 Mentai carbonara udon 5/5 Overall, everything was cooked to perfection. Service was even better. We brought in an external cake that got messed up during transportation and the staff here were able to frost the cake for us to make it presentable again. I can't wait to come back as I keep thinking about their skewered meats! read more

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Service was great on a Sunday evening. We went before the dinner rush. We were seated close to the grill so perhaps that's why it was so hot where we were. We tried a variety of yaki skewers. They were all very flavourful and some different from what we can get uptown. We particularly liked the enoki maki, cheese mochi maki, wagyu and the grilled scallop on seaweed. The kids liked the yakisoba since they like noodles. Their tofu and wakame salad was ok. To finish off, we tried the kinako mochi ice cream. It was pretty good, I would've preferred to have a choice of ice cream, but we wanted to try the deep fried sticky rice. read more

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Food is great! Was there for lunch and they had a lunch menu too. The regular zakkushi set is definitely the most value. Would recommend selecting specific premium skewers. Not very busy during lunch and it's relatively quiet too but i recall it can get rather busy during peak hours. read more

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The wife and I love coming here when we visit Toronto! It's nice to find a really great izakaya. We're never disappointed when we come here to eat. The food is amazing and the service is always on point. The staff is friendly and patient with us when we're not ready to order. The ambiance is nice and cozy and feels like you entered another world! It's a must when we visit Toronto! read more

It has been a few years since I last visited. I must say this was a disappointing visit: 1. Their beef related dishes were not done well: beef tongue has a weird taste, beef cheeks were too tough, etc. 2. Their sake collection was limited. 3. Although there is a two hour limit, we were rushed with our last call quite early. But there were some good things: 1. Their chicken related skewers were quite good eggs.g. Wings, knee cartilage, etc. 2. Their sake collection servers were very courteous All in all, it is very difficult to find authentic Japanese Izakaya in Toronto. read more

What a great recommendation by a friend! First step into the restaurant you are greeted with warm welcomes and great service. From a person that watches/reads a lot of anime and manga this place really feels like those places people come after a long day of work to drink and relax. Everyone that worked there was very attentive and nice, plus food and drinks came fast! For 2 people we ended up ordering, 2 pints of beer, their premium set (us wagyu, pork, duck, chicken, lamb), karaage, 6 piece sashimi, scallops, beef tongue, ikura + soy butter onigiri. Everything was so delicious! Our favourite was the wagyu from the premium set! (We thought we wouldn't be full but we were stuffed lol) Will definitely come back again to try other items on the menu. read more

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Definitely more a splurge than a cheap eat, but my experience at Zakkushi was well worth it. I've heard lots of great things about it as being the most authentic spot for yakitori, and I can't disagree. You feel transported to Japan with the cozy wood panel decor and the friendly and boisterous staff. There are a wide variety of skewers, appetizers, dons, and drinks you can order! Each item we had was very well executed and delicious, I especially loved the tenderness and juiciness of the beef skewers; I will definitely be sampling more of those on my next visit. Prices are a bit high but the portions, but you can really taste the quality and freshness of the meat and seafood, would definitely recommend coming here for a "treat yourself" type of night! read more

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Always amazing food and fun service. Staple in my restaurant line up. I always bring guests here.

POSSIBLY THE BEST YAKITORI IZAKAYA IN TOWN? I've been to Zakkushi quite a few times over the years, and it's one of my favorite izakaya in town. Zakkushi has an upbeat vibe as shown by their super energetic staff! Their food quality is excellent and overall I'd say it's a solid 4.5 stars. Below are a few items I particularly like: - Tsukune: they mix the minced meat with bits of soft bones, which enhance the texture of the chicken meatball. - Nankotsu: the chicken knee cartilage is so crunchy and chewy. Must try! - Liver / Gizzard / Heart: just forget about cholesterol level for the night and go all-in. You won't regret it! - Beef tongue: with or without onion on top, both are good. - Yakionigiri: finish the meal with a grilled rice ball is just SO satisfying :) There was a minor issue during my most recent visit, which led me to give them a 4-stars rating (for now). Our first round of skewers aren't hot enough and don't have the hints of charcoal smell. From second round and on, it's back to their usual high quality. We arrived super early that day, so I wonder if the situation was caused by the charcoal grill still "warming up" at the time. I'll definitely go back again, again, and again! read more

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Absolutely one of the best Japanese izakayas in Toronto. Monday through Thursday specials are a bonus and remember it's 29% off skewers every 29th of each month. But that's no reason not to visit an other day read more

Customer service was great. Food was fresh and delicious. Drinks were great love the atmosphere feel like you were tucked away in Japan. Somewhere only downside was the fact that you have to use a credit card they don't take cash. read more

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The food is so-so, and the service is terrible. They treat you like cattle, rushing you in and out of the restaurant as fast as they can, even when the restaurant isn't at capacity. They also didn't give us as much time as they said they would. I would not go back. read more

It's been so long since I've been here. The environment is a little different. Or it can be just me since it has been a while. The service was great, always greeting us with a smile and making sure we were good. They will tell you what food is recommended and what's popular. The food is still delicious, but I wouldn't recommend ordering the sashimi since it is a yakitori place. I still love the quail eggs and the juicy pork belly. Plus, you can't have these yakitori without their hot house sake/beer. read more

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A very high-quality izakaya. Come here to enjoy Japanese-style BBQ skewers for all kinds of ingredients. We even asked the restaurant to warm up the saké we ordered. Drinking warm saké and eating skewers with friends in a Japanese-style decorated izakaya is a lovely experience on a cold winter night. Be aware that izakaya is just like a bar, it will cost you too much if you want to have "dinner" here. It's a good place to hang out with friends and have couple of drink read more

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The food is amazing and the waiters are very attentive to service, and explain each skewer/food item! Great casual place to catch up with friends and have a couple of drinks too. The premium set was really tasty. The chicken skin skewers are always the go-to. There is a 2-hour seating limit. read more

Zakkushi On Carlton - Japanese Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

An amazing place to visit, as always. I've been coming here for 11 years, and the service, food, and atmosphere are consistently excellent. Although I'm moving away from Canada soon, I truly hope to return here whenever I visit in the future. read more

Came here on a weeknight for a quick dinner, and I immediately loved the vibe. It feels like an authentic Japanese izakaya, with a very open dining area great for groups or a night out. We tried several different dishes including the karaage, skewer set, and seaweed salad. I thought most of the food was pretty average, the hits I liked most were the teriyaki chicken thigh and the rice ball, but the chicken skin was a big miss. Overall I might come back for the vibes, but I would only come back for the food if I was specifically craving skewers - they were honestly a bit pricy for the portions. read more

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Friendly service and many options for traditional Japanese ramen! I had the shio pork with all the recommended toppings and was not disappointed read more

BEST JAPANESE CHARCOAL GRILLED SKEWERS IN TORONTO CANADA! To get a seat, pleaseeeeee remember to make a reservation or you will have to wait AGES or even may not be able to get a seat My favourite food is 1. Chicken Cartilage Skewer! 100/100 the best combo of crunchy and meat! Flavour is BEST! 2. Mentai Carbonara Udon 5/5 love the creamyness of the udon. Their set skewer are also a great option to try if you never tried japanese skewers! Overal 100% guaranteeeeee! read more

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Came to one of my favourite place again playing the music I knew. This restaurant was busy all the time and was lucky to get a seat with two hours stay restrictions. Nanban Chicken It had a strong taste of vinegar.it tasted differently from where I used to have this dish. Zushi Set It's good as always! read more

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Amazing Yakitori, always consistent, great selection of skewers to choose from, the mochi and all the pork skewers are the classics

Our local friend took us here and said it's her favorite spot. I can definitely see that the place is pretty authentic in mimicking the izakaya experience in Japan. The place is small and cosy, and noisy as well (services will announce order names loudly) which is all part of the experience. Food wise we had ordered a lot of different dishes but I didn't really have a favorite, perhaps it's just not my favorite type of Japanese food. So while everything was pretty good, nothing particularly stood out to me - besides the raw beef was probably the best. It does have small portion since it's izakaya style. And bonus - their suju mixed drink is really good. read more

Zakkushi On Carlton - Japanese Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

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This is our favourite Zakkushi restaurant in 2022. Staffs were helpful, all food on the menu r all yummy. Recommended. read more

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Really good Japanese skewer restaurant. Very much focused on skewers and small dishes to taste while have a refreshing drink. Very authentic service and atmosphere where servers welcome you and other customers by shouting really loud in Japanese. The menu changes all the time and is a great place to try authentic Japanese cuisine. Their recent special includes the uni udon and the tofu skewers. Highly recommend the uni udon. If you've never had uni it's very creamy and provides a delicious seafood flavour to the udon. Definite must try. Also highly recommend the Zakkushi skewer set and the chicken karaage. The skewers all have a smoky flavour from the wood fire grill they are grilled on. Each skewer is also so different that it provides a refreshing change of pace and interesting insight into Japanese flavours. The chicken karaage is also fried to perfection with a very crispy skin. It is perfectly paired with a creamy mayo sauce that adds another dimension of texture and flavour. Also would recommend trying out the unique Japanese cocktails and beers that go great with the small bites. The okinomiyaki is very nice if you've never had it before but is much smaller than you think. This place is a great place for drinking and having a small meal. If you're trying to get full it might get a bit pricey as you will have to order more plates. Although the portions may be smaller, it's a great place to try a variety of authentic and delicious Japanese food, plus it also feels like you are in Japan. Definitely give this place a try!! read more

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This place is very famous, so we decided to go and check it out. Huge varieties of meat, all of it are decent, no bad choices. A bit too salty. read more

Amazing food and service. I have been go to this place over 10 years. I really recommend this place read more

This restaurant is incredibly loud at times with all the shouting that goes on. No idea what they're shouting, but it's super annoying after the first two or three times. Aside from that, the food is decent. Some portions are bigger than others so it's difficult to know how much to order of each item for a group of six. We asked the server, but sometimes the information we got was a little confusing. We had to order extra items of a couple of dishes because it wasn't enough to share, or the portions were not easily split. Some of the items were quite flavorful, (beef tataki was really good) others not so much. I enjoyed the experience overall but probably would not return. read more

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Zakkushi never disappoints, whether it's Vancouver on Denman, on Main, or Toronto on Queen west or here on Carlton. This location has a more traditional atmosphere, you can smell the charcoal smoke in the air, and it's lovely. You don't get the trademark menu to mark yourself, but that's a minor detail. We went through a lot of options, appetizers, mains (organ meats and muscle) and cocktails. Due to the popularity of the location, the sake list has a few options missing but that happens. The very warm welcome and good bye stands out. The chefs are skilled and everything is served to perfection. I will add this location to my favorites & revisit often. read more

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Pretty good japanese skewer restaurant. The prices are definitely a bit more expensive and portions are pretty small but the skewers tasted good. We really enjoyed the beef tongue the most. The appetizers were just okay. Service was also okay as well. Highly recommended making a reservation as they get busy and they also have a 2 hour seating time limit. read more

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This is a great hangout after dinner spot for a few snacks. Service is good and quality of the food is mostly above average. Highlights are premium beef tongue and kura pork from the premium set. The decorations and vibe is very nice. Although there is a time limit and it is packed on most nights so be aware . This is not a place to eat to be full. It is more like a taster menu type. The one thing I did find disappointed in was the karage which was crispy but no juicy on the Inside. Which is a mark of a great karage. But that is not their speciality and you should be here mostly for their skewers. Worth it to try at least once. Good date spot read more

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I finally made it here today for dinner. I'm slowly making my visits to all the izakaya places in GTA. I still prefer Guu and Kinka. They specialize in yakitori (grilled meats on skewers) and these were really good. Food wise, I found the portions a bit small and the menu selection was not as much as other izakaya places. I liked the zakkushi skewers set for $12.80 and the karaage. Everything else was just okay. I was pretty happy with the overall service. They came by often to clear our plates and food came out quite quickly. It's a bit noisy but not as loud as Kinka where you have to literally scream to carry a conversation. read more

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The best Izakaya that I've ever tried in Toronto so far. Zakkushi has authentic Japanese style, the staffs are welcoming and greeting loudly in a traditional Japanese way. All the skewers and food are amazing! They have Skewer sets combined with port, chichen, and beef. It's easy for new comers to get all the delicious skewers. The quality of meat is fresh and well marinated. The yakionigiri (grilled rice bun) is salty and sweet, full of the fragrance of teriyaki sauce. HIghly recommended! read more

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We were in town visiting family and our cousin brought us here. We loved our experience. Everything we ordered was delicious, and we had several reorders. Our favorites were the yakionigiri and the chicken wing yakitori. Would definitely come back if we were in town again. read more

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Zakkushi is located on Carlton near Parliament. I have heard many things about the yakitori here and was able to finally try it recently. When you step inside of Zakkushi, it is loud and lively. The atmosphere transports you back to Japan. There is a large selection of yakitori to choose from that you may need a few moment to decide what to order! I dropped by Zakkushi on a Sat night, I reserved ahead of time as I knew it would get busy. For the food, my boyfriend and I ordered drinks, some appetizers to share and many many yakitoris to eat. We both tried each of the sets as well as ordered other skewers as well. The wagyu beef yakitori was a highlight for sure. For dessert we ordered the hojicha pudding which was light and was full of hojicha flavour (definitely one of the better ones I've tried). Definitely would return if I am craving yakitori! Service is friendly and attentive and reservations are recommended, especially on the weekends. read more

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