As demand for international cuisine grows, Toronto answers the call with a vast array of Japanese dining options and inventive creations. With a vibrant and diverse East Asian community, the best Japanese restaurants in Toronto can accommodate seafood and barbecue lovers along with vegans and vegetarians looking for stellar cuisine.
Dine high up in the sky as you bite into your chicken robata with black pepper soy glaze. Enjoy duck breast and a slice of yuzu cheesecake at one of the best new restaurants of 2023. Gather family and friends and cook your meat in the middle of the table at a smokeless grill. Try a lobster miso soup for an elevated take on the famous Japanese side.
Whether you’re looking for fine dining, or if you’re after pub-style food and drinks with an Asian inspiration, the best Japanese restaurants in Toronto will satisfy your craving and keep you coming back for more. Save a spot and skip the wait when you book with OpenTable.
Read on to explore the 10 best Japanese restaurants in Toronto
For one of the best sushi restaurants in Toronto – don’t miss Miku Restaurant in the Financial District
With flame-torched pressed sushi and in-house original sauces, Miku Restaurant has earned a spot as one of the best Japanese restaurants in Toronto. Featuring fresh local ingredients, an oak-charcoal flame sear locks in the smoky, umami flavor of Miku’s specialty – torched aburi sushi. For a starter, try the ebi fritters. White tiger prawns rest in a soy-balsamic reduction with sweet chili aioli for a salty taste of the ocean. Order the red wave roll with avocado and spicy prawns in red tuna, featuring the house-designed masatake sauce with notes of soy, onion, and garlic. A selection of creative desserts is available. The Ichigo mochi dome puts mashed strawberries and walnut toffee on top of a brown sugar cookie with strawberry cream and sorbet for an epic end to a magical meal. For a non-alcoholic drink, order the Okinawa punch, where iced jasmine tea meets pineapple and watermelon juices for a kick of refreshment. An extensive list of alcoholic drinks is also offered, including sake and wine. Miku stretches over 7000 square feet and includes a sushi bar, a raw bar, and a generous patio. Soaring floor-to-ceiling windows let light flood into a spacious dining room with a lively ambiance.
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For one of the best sushi restaurants in downtown Toronto – visit Ki Modern Japanese + Bar in Financial District
For shareable plates and fresh sushi, don’t miss Ki Modern Japanese + Bar in downtown Toronto. With a dining room that exudes elegance, and an outdoor patio for warmer days, modern Japanese design sensibilities meet Canadian wood finishings to create an inviting atmosphere. Sprawl out across a lounge area, a bar, and two raised dining rooms. Servers can provide helpful suggestions. Start your meal off with tenderness and order the Ki beef maki for teriyaki-glazed striploin with sweet potato tempura. Don’t miss the seared Hokkaido scallops with shishito tomato ratatouille, seared eggplant, and squash puree. Try the Wagyu and Angus beef burger, with crispy shallots and onion jam on a brioche bun, for a journey through taste and tenderness. Grab a side of fried eggplant with dried chili and kale miso for an original take on a favorite vegetable. Enjoy your meal with a floral jasmine tea. Fragrant and made from blossoms picked at midnight, this refreshing tea is one to remember. Finish with the hojicha and hazelnut crumble cake with house-made hojicha syrup and toasted chantilly cream.
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For flame-seared contemporary Japanese fare – go to Minami Restaurant – Toronto on King West
With contemporary Japanese cuisine featuring aburi torched sushi, one of the best sushi restaurants in Toronto is Minami Restaurant – Toronto. As the winner of the Americas’ Best Designed Restaurant award in 2021, the dining room at Minami is vibrant and alive. Pops of blue, orange, and yellow generate positive vibes in a warm ambiance. Minami won the 2023 Diners’ Choice award for attention to detail and a quality Japanese dining experience. Lounge into soft seating as you sip a miso caramel espresso martini with white miso and salted caramel liqueur. Relax knowing that a team of highly trained chefs is preparing your food with a commitment to quality. Start with the miso furikake tofu, where mushroom puree and nori glaze rest on top of soy-marinated tofu. Order the truffle dashi pork gyoza for pan-seared dumplings with truffle soy. Experience the house Minami roll with Japanese wagyu, negitoro maki, and truffle powder. Never skip dessert when you’re at Minami. Order the Japanese cheese tart with brown sugar mascarpone cream and fresh grapes for a nut-free treat.
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For Japanese cuisine and live music over the city’s skyline – visit Valerie in Liberty Village
If you’re on the hunt for exciting Japanese cuisine served high up in the Toronto’s skyline, make sure to visit one of the best Japanese restaurants in downtown Toronto – Valerie. At the top of Hotel X and taking up three floors, Valerie provides expansive panoramic views of the city. Try the togarashi fries with garlic chive aioli for comfort food with an enticing umami flavor. Poultry lovers might order the chicken robata, coated in black pepper soy glaze and served with a lemon wedge. Don’t miss the kimchi chicken dumplings with jalapeno ponzu, scallions, and the famous Korean fermented kimchi. Original signature roll The Valerie comes with avocado and shrimp tempura and is something you won’t want to miss. Vegetarians might get the imo roll with sweet potato, pickled daikon, and avocado for a creamy and nourishing bite. With a vast dining room and tall windows, bathe in light as you feast on an inventive and appetizing menu. At times offering live jazz music, magic shows, or theatrical performances, Valerie in Liberty Village could be the perfect spot for your next gathering or celebration.
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For one of the best Japanese restaurants north of Toronto – Visit Yokai Izakaya in Vaughan
Fill yourself up with goodness at one of the best Japanese restaurants around Toronto, Yokai Izakaya. Winner of both Toronto Life’s Best New Restaurants 2023 award, and OpenTable’s Diners Choice award 2022, flavorful food and fast service combine at Yokai for an unbeatable result. Start with a Seven Samurai cocktail with honey, gin, egg white, and lime for a powerful punch to delight your senses. Enjoy the salmon tartare avocado with red onion, scallions, and shallots in a spicy soy vinaigrette. Indulge in the lobster tacos with lumpfish caviar, aioli, and coriander in a taco shell. Have the assari ponzu duck breast in white ponzu sauce with scorched garlic chives. The Angus short ribs are melt-in-your-mouth tender and prepared sous-vide style with red miso and nori radish. Complete the experience with a yuzu cheesecake to satisfy your sweet tooth.
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For an omakase-style chef-selected menu of the freshest seafood in Toronto – dine at Yasu Toronto in Harbord Village
Yasu Toronto restaurant in Toronto doesn’t have a menu in the conventional sense. Instead, Yasu offers an omakase-style experience, where one elaborate meal is chosen by the chef. Ozaka-born executive chef and owner Yasu Ouchi employs the Japanese respect for quality in all his dishes. The sushi is glazed with a nikiri soy sauce and set gracefully on top of warm rice, bringing out the natural umami of the food. Expect to try around 20 separate courses prepared by the chef in the intimate dining room, right before your eyes. Textures and flavors change throughout the evening. Food is artistically plated, highlighting the uniqueness of the cuisine. Make sure you head over to Yasu in Toronto’s Harbord area for an unforgettable dining experience.
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For a smokeless in-table grill the whole family will love – try Gyu-Kaku in Financial District, Mississauga, Richmond Hill, and North York
For a group Japanese dining experience that will appeal to the meat lovers in your life, Gyu-Kaku is one of the best Japanese restaurants in Toronto with locations in Financial District, Mississauga, Richmond Hill, and North York. With a grill in the middle of each table, diners enjoy a yakiniku – shared barbeque – authentic dining experience. Gyu-Kaku offers smokeless roaster-style grills making for a more enjoyable meal. Sip on sake or cold beer as you choose from a wide variety of meats and sides. The harami skirt steak is marinated in miso or shio and is a bestseller. Another option is the juicy and tender prime kalbi short ribs, marinated in a tare sweet soy sauce for aromatic umami goodness. With over 800 restaurants worldwide, Gyu-Kaku has finely tuned their table barbeque meat game with massive flavor and attention to detail. Side options include spicy cold tofu, napa kimchi, or fried pork gyoza with citrus ponzu. For dessert, order s’mores and melt the Canadian campfire classic right on your own table with graham crackers, chocolate, and marshmallows for the best type of Canadian-Japanese fusion.
📍 Financial District — Check availability
📍 Mississauga — Check availability
📍 Richmond Hill — Check availability
📍 North York — Check availability
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For one of the best sushi restaurants in downtown Toronto with flame-seared pressed sushi – book JaBistro in Toronto’s Entertainment District
With delicacies like lobster miso soup and flame-seared sushi, JaBistro might be one of the best Japanese restaurants in downtown Toronto. Relax in a chic dining area with table and row seating options and observe as your chef prepares your food with care and attention to detail. Start with the lobster miso soup with bonito broth for a stellar appetizer. Continue with the in-house created Jabistroll sushi roll with cucumber, tobiko, salmon, scallops, and snow crab. Order the wagyu oshizushi for pressed and torched wagyu beef sushi. Try the pressed tiger shrimp sushi ebi oshizushi or the salmon oshizushi as well. Complete the dining experience with a chocolate matcha lava cake that holds a white chocolate filling. Outdoor seating is available when the weather permits.
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For fish flown in fresh from Japan at one of the best Japanese restaurants near Toronto – try Masaki in Niagara-on-the-Lake
With Japanese cuisine made from fish flown in directly from Japan, Masaki in Niagara-on-the-Lake is one of the best Japanese restaurants in the Toronto area. Original sauces, including house-made soy sauce, are created to bring out the umami flavors of the food and provide a one-of-a-kind Japanese dining experience. One menu item not to be missed is the blushing salmon roll – house raspberry sauce and sweet soy sauce brighten smoked salmon around a shrimp tempura roll. A great choice when you’re craving something different that you can’t find anywhere else. Try the flame-seared pork belly – the aburi cha-shu – enhanced with a specially created in-house sauce and served with rice and miso soup. Share a plate of the chef’s special gyoza and enjoy a mixed pork and beef house recipe dumpling. The dining room is muted and tasteful, with leisurely soft seating to encourage longer visits. Sip from an expansive menu of sake for an authentic Asian experience.
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For a fusion of Japanese cuisine and French cooking techniques – go to Maru Japanese Bistro in Leslieville
Innovative presentation enhances your dining experience at Maru Japanese Bistro in Leslieville, one of the best Japanese restaurants in Toronto combining French cooking styles with Japanese cuisine. Start with a sunomono salad with shrimp, lime, and glass noodles. Share a salmon tartare of parmesan cheese and shallots with spicy salmon on a crispy potato. Bite into a delicacy with the nori canape – resting on seaweed – pressed scallops with cucumbers and truffle aioli. Try the bluefin tuna nori canape with hints of ginger and green onion for a seafood delight. Vegetarians will enjoy the miso eggplant with chives and pine nuts. Inviting tables lie on soft mauve tiles under walls decorated with pops of greenery. Diners will feel an inviting sense of natural goodness as they are helped by friendly servers.
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Fans of Japanese cuisine will never run out of innovative new dining options to try in the best restaurants in Toronto. Benefit from the city’s growing international community and experience a creation you haven’t tried before. Bite into fresh fish flown in directly from Japan for ultimate freshness and authenticity. Try flame-seared pressed sushi for a delicate specialty that locks in Japanese flavors. From omakase chef-chosen experiences to flame-seared award-winning pressed sushi, Toronto has the right Japanese restaurant for your culinary craving. Consider a Japanese restaurant in Toronto for your next group outing or date, and embrace the sultry umami flavors of the East and a respect for quality and freshness.
