Best All You Can Eat Japanese in Toronto GTA
I have read quite a few recommendations on another board, and I would like to hear your opinions here before I go try a few of them in the coming weeks when friend and family will visit us in Toronto.
diehardlasallejai
Jul 24, 2006 02:57PM
My favourite for this is Echo Sushi on Yonge St, two blocks north of Davisville. It is all you can eat, but it is not buffet, everything is made to order.
Permalink | Reply
Second Echo. Very fresh fish, prompt service, and super-clean.
Permalink | Reply
And I third Echo. I'm going again this Friday. Both the Spider Roll and the Dragon Roll are very good. Can't wait!
Permalink | Reply
Didn't have the same experience at EchoSushi I'm afraid...sushi was pretty bland, no real taste outside of the white tuna served. Rolls were all inside out, which just multiplies the rice...Couldn't get a simple tuna maki to save our lives. Won't return, thought it was a 4 out of 10.
Permalink | Reply
I don't mind Sushi Kuni-Ya on Baldwin St. $17.99, I believe.
Permalink | Reply
i second this rec
Permalink | Reply
What do they serve there? How about weekends? I'm planning a thing for friends and would like to know how service, quality of food, and pricing is for Sushi Kuni-Ya on Baldwin for weekends. Oh, and do they limit your sitting time? Thanks!
Permalink | Reply
Haven't tried the above recommendations.
Our current default for AYCE Japanese is:
Maison du Japon, 7500 Woodbine Ave, Woodbine+John
- I'm a sucker for their spicy baby squid (said octopus before)...just cooked little octopuses in korean spicy sauce. We tend to go with sashimi as we are not crazy about their nigiri. Rolls are decent. It's been awhile since we been to Maison but because we haven't felt the AYCE need.
It is pretty good we found.
There have been mixed reviews so I'd do a search on 'maison du japon' and also try 'ayce' too. Lots of choices...might try that Nagoya place.
Permalink | Reply
I'd definitely second this rec, have gone there for lunch, $11.99, and dinner $19.99. Major difference is sashimi and tuna on the dinner menu. Lots of good places up in Markham and they're just off the 404.
A couple others are Yang's Kitchen, on Highway 7 near Main St. in Unionville, they have very good teryaki dishes and sushi and rolls are good. Another is Sushi on 7, on Highway 7 also, close to Kennedy, a smaller place, but you won't leave there hungry, beware if you ask for sashimi, because they will give you a ton to start.
Permalink | Reply
I would not go to Yang's again. A friend brought me there (I'm from Scarborough, and dont have a car) and I thought "oh wow, somewhere north of Steeles, YAY!" Boy was I disappointed. I think their way of doing business is totally unacceptable! Yes, their food is superb (sashimi was very fresh, stuff from the grill was excellent.. ) but on our second round of ordering, they tell us that its last call? And that they're all out on garden salad? At 8:15pm? I dont think so! They were sooooo kicking us out by getting us to order dessert. And so by the time we ate our dessert, paid the bill, we found out that there was a long lineup at the door. But to tell your client that the garden salad has run out at 8pm? I dont buy that at all.
Oh and before that--once we sat down, took our coats off, we were expected to order right away, as 2 staff came by us immediately. Wow. Thats efficient service alright.
Permalink | Reply
I just went to Masion du Japon this weekend and was disappointed with the quality of sushi. There is a lot of selection, but the surf clam on the nigiri we ordered was ridiculously tiny. They have a reputation for being better with the hot dishes, but overall, they were average. The beef ribs were probably the best, but they were way too fatty.
I wouldn't go there again.
Permalink | Reply
Where would you go instead?
At MDJ, it's all about the salmon sashimi and salmon nigiri for me. Other than that, I like the black dragon roll, eel roll, eggplant tempura, grilled eggplant, and black pepper beef.
Permalink | Reply
It was lunch time, so we couldn't have any sashimi but if we return, I'll try it. Some of MDJ's dishes (like the eel and tofu spring roll) were just downright misguided and left--literally and figuratively--a bad taste in my mouth.
If I had to pick an all-you-can-eat sushi place to go to, I'd like to try Wasabi. My parents compared MDJ to it and said Wasabi was much better, although slightly more expensive. That, or Sushi Island. I think SI is overrated and wouldn't wait in line for it, but if I were seated immediately and not pressured to leave before the 1.5 hr time limit expired, I'd return.
Permalink | Reply
The items I like at MDJ I like better than at any other AYCE. I don't go there for variety... I know exactly what I want and I keep re-ordering and enjoying those items. Even for lunch, I could literally sit there and eat only salmon nigiri until I was stuffed.
I've been to Wasabi before. The items I like aren't as good there, but I'm certain there are plenty of items I don't like that are probably better.
Permalink | Reply
We went to Sushi Island for the last time a couple weeks ago. The food was bad, the waitresses were clueless.
Our fave is Aji Sai on Queen West. Next is Sushi Baldwin, not a big selection but has some good fish, esp amazing fresh scallops.
Permalink | Reply
I agree... MDJ was a big let down.. the white tuna was chewy due to the tendons.. i suspect they cut again rather than with the grain.. however the service there was very friendly.
Kaze is pretty good.. with two locations- woodbine and the other in Richmond Hill. They have a pretty nice variety including yellow tail, red tuna, octopus, and grilled calamari sushi on the menu. The specialty rolls were delicious too. Tempura on the other hand was a tad greasy.
For dessert, they had sesame as well as coconut ice cream listed too! Unfortunately they mentioned they were out of the former when we tried to order.
Permalink | Reply
Hey Sugarcube,
I just want to confirm with you that Kaze had tuna and yellowtail on their menu. I have only been able to find tuna at Sushi Fun, but yellowtail can no where to be found on any all you can eat menu out there now after Sushi Time closed. If that is true I will go to Kaze to give it a try, because I have been going to Sushi Fun most of the time now because their foods are quite good and they also offer tuna sushi---last time I went I had about 17 pieces of them. : ) Please advise, thanks! By the way, I am glad to see this thread I started couple years ago is still going strong with information being added regularly by forum members. I am looking forward to hearing more from other members about their new finds and updates pertaining to Japanese all you can eat restaurants.
Permalink | Reply
Thanks much for the info diehardlasallejai.
Overall, I still recommend Yang's Kitchen (despite the horrid service) in the markham/ richmond hill area
I tried maison du japon, syogun, and kaze's richmond hill location. Maison lacked variety and syogun had way too much filler aka rice for their rolls, although service for the latter was quite friendly and efficient on a friday night. kaze was all right, but nothing spectacular.
if in the mississauga area I always love to go to Price Sushi. However service isn't the best there-- it's hit and miss, some staff are friendlier than others.
Permalink | Reply
Hey Sugarcube,
Does Kaze serve both tuna yellowtail???? I think you mentioned that before and I would like to confirm that with you.
Permalink | Reply
Hi Diehardlasallejai,
it's been awhile since I've been there but I believe they do offer tuna and yellowtail as sushi.
http://www.kazesushi.ca/menu.php
Permalink | Reply
Thanks Sugarcube,
I checked their menu before, and if the menu is updated and correct, then they do not offer tuna and yellowtail for sushi. I guess I shall keep frequenting at Sushi Fun for now since they do offer tuna sushi, which I can chow down 20 pieces each time I go there.
Permalink | Reply
Oh, that's odd. Their Richmond Hill location offered it.. I'm pretty certain.. If anything, you can call and ask them.
Permalink | Reply
All you can eat? there is no best.
Permalink | Reply
Second that!
Permalink | Reply
Newsflash: The sky is blue!
Permalink | Reply
Just go to the nearest Mandarin or other open trough Chinese buffet. Nearly all of 'em now offer AYCE "sushi."
Permalink | Reply
This is a joke right? The worst AYCE japanese place is 100x better than Mandarin or any other Chinese buffet. Mandarin in particular is horrible beyond belief. I haven't been to AYCE in a long while now, Sushi on 7 used to be the best (Hwy 7 between Warden and Kennedy) but not sure how it is now. Most recently I've been to Maison du Japan which is pretty good, but not spectacular.
Permalink | Reply
AYCE sushi is actually something that you order and they make when you order, it's not a buffet. NOTHING like mandarin etc.
Permalink | Reply
This must be a joke. Mandarin Sushi!?!??! I'd rather eat shards of broken glass. They even have a sign that says specifically "Our sushi does not contain any raw fish".
That's like eating fried rice without rice.
Permalink | Reply
Yep, my 14-year old daughter freaked out when she saw that. "How can they call it sushi, Dad?!"
Permalink | Reply
If "that" means the "no raw fish" sign, it's actually fine to have sushi without raw fish. Literally, "sushi" means "vinegared rice". The toppings can be anything, although it's usually raw fish.
But if she was referring to the quality and appearance of the stuff at Mandarin, I agree 100%!
Permalink | Reply
Yah dude. Mandarin is nasty. And I lived in London where nothing is that great. And Mandarin was still nasty
Permalink | Reply
I have been to Maison du Japan before and my SO and I used to like it a lot. We haven't been there for quite awhile so I'm not sure if it's changed. I have also tried Sushi 7 before, but found the place small, the tables were too close to each other. The last AYCE I went to was Sake at Pacific Mall. We really liked the price of I think it was $13.99 or $14.99, but I believe it has gone up a couple of dollars. The food at all of the places mentioned above are comparable, they're good, but not excellent.
Permalink | Reply
Thanks guys and gals! I have been to Sushi on 7 many times, and their quality remains good, but then we really hate the size of the place. We sat in the middle of the restauant before and the expereince was just terrible--people's buttocks passing by us while we were eating! I do not know if that place can pass the fire code if some one reports to the fire department.
Nagoya serves pretty good food, but then their service is so slow even my mom at the age of 81 thinks they are too slow for her. When the owner couple was not there the chefs and cooks just talked to each other and some of them even talked on their cell phones when making up the food. We were so turned off by that and have never gone back.
Maison du Japon is a hit and miss really. Their service was excellent, but then the food there is really average.
Permalink | Reply
If you are thinking about the area around Sushi on 7, there's a place a bit west of the that store called (Yang) Yang's Kitchen, at 4261 Hwy 7 in Markham. It is an all you can eat Japanese restaurant and it is not bad. (Although, I would not order the "thousand island" maki again.)
It is just under $20.00 for dinner and $13.00 to 14.00 for lunch (weekdays).
Permalink | Reply
I second Yang's kitchen. They offer over 200 items, including a very good wakame (sp?) salad. Better than most of the middle of the road a la carte sushi restaurants in the downtown area, and much better than Mariko and Katsu. If I remember correctly, they also include pop and dessert(ice cream or fried bananas or I think fried ice cream?) in AYCE.
Their service was not bad either, as I went with my parents and several relatives who ate obscene amounts of food, and continued to order more and more over the course of two hours. Also, I changed my mind between a la carte and AYCE and although they warned me beforehand I would have to pay for what I had ordered before I changed my mind, they ended up taking it off the bill unasked.
Permalink | Reply
they are all going to be garbage bastardized places and none will be good but if you are craving junk food, ((which I do sometimes) Hockey Sushi in Thornhill is good, especially at $11.99 For lunch (17.99 for dinner maybe)
Permalink | Reply
Sushi Island on College street offers AYCE, its pretty reasonable ($12.99 weekdays for AYCE maki rolls, more $ for appz/nigiri/sashimi & more on weekends)
everything is made to order...
they have rolls on brown/black rice too which are yum!
their regular menu is pretty good too...
Permalink | Reply
Where is Sushi Island exactly? $12.99 for weekdays? Is that both lunch and dinner pricings? That is incredibly reasonable... oh but you say its only for maki rolls though? What about cooked foods like noodles, don buri, teppan, teri, tempura snacks...?
Permalink | Reply
Sushi Island is on College at Manning ( 571 College St. W.)
I think if you want AYCE off of the entire menu (sashimi included) it will run you around $21 on a weekday, more on a weekend...i'm not 100% about the price though so you might want to call and find out (416) 535-1515
Permalink | Reply
I second Sushi Island. Although AYCE Sushi is NEVER a good idea, if you absolutely have to kill yourself Sushi Island makes fresh, excellent sushi (as above, set price for rolls only, more if you want a wider menu variety).
As it stands, Sushi Island is a good place for decently priced sushi - period.
Permalink | Reply
I disagree totally that AYCE sushi is never a good idea. Kimono on Eglinton (just west of Avenue Rd.) is terrific, and I've actually stopped going to my regulars (Sasaya and Takesushi) because of the good food and service at Kimono.
Permalink | Reply
i have to second kimono. been a couple of times and it has a really good AYCE list.
i am wondering why people are saying "AYCE Sushi is NEVER a good idea". i thought they were the healthiest of places to eat.
Permalink | Reply
Out of all of the all you can eat sushi I've had sushi island is my fave. Much better than mariko or katsu.
Permalink | Reply
Sushi island AYCE maki rolls pay for themselves if you get the Dragon Roll (soft shell crab) & Rainbow roll together...
very tasty too
Permalink | Reply
I believe the Spider Roll is the soft shell crab roll.
Or you can just order the Soft Shell Crab appetizer.
Permalink | Reply
Went to Yang's Kitchen last night to give it another try after a long elapse. Well, the food was indeed quite good, but the service was just terrible. All the waitresses who worked there acted like some one in their families had just passed away. On the other hand, the waiters were much better. I believe it is the pressure, work load and low pay they get there turning the girls into zombies. Another thing was we were a group of five and they were gutsy enough to put us in a table for four just because they probably expected the place would be packed later on. Nevertheless, around us many parties of two could dine at a table for four with lots of room and table space. You should have seen our table when food came we had to move all our tea cups and menus away in order to accomodate the dishes: very stressful meal indeed. We arrived at 6:07PM and they were bold enough to just put the bill on our table at 7:35PM, even when we were still waiting for about 7 items of food to arrive. They were so rude, because even before all our food arrived they had already asked us what desert we wanted and said it was for last call and if we did not order the ice cream we would not be able to get it later. So we had to have the ice cream before we went back to the food that arrived later on. Well, four of us thought they were very impolite and swore we will not go back any more. We will stick with Tokyo Tappanyaki on Yonge for now, because their seating is much better, and they even have a nursing room for the small children, and they never toss us the bill at the 90th minute. We are always able to sit and eat for more than two hours every single time we dine there, and the quality of food is very good also. So long, farewell, Yang's Kitchen.
Permalink | Reply
We were at Akina Sushi AYCE this weekend, and we thought we had bad service (sully waitress, orders not filled), but your ice cream story tops it! Of course I don't recommend Akina. Some of the food is OK, but their white tuna is the worst I've ever had, it's got chewy sinewy bits! BTW we couldn't *not* leave a tip because they have a 10% service charge, but then they offer a 10% discount.
Permalink | Reply
agreed. missing orders and one waitress in particular who was very unpleasant on both visits. if u MUST visit, visit at lunch when it's not as hectic, and when the price is much lower. avoid at all costs though. their "backdoor" is located inside the mall. when it was open one time, i saw a cook take an old deep fried "scallop" from a just cleared dish (a leftover from a table that had just left)...and use it for a brand new order...
Permalink | Reply
Tokyo Tappanyaki is closed. they did not pay thier rent. and they were good
Permalink | Reply
I would usually avoid any "sushi buffets" but have had consistent food (in the a la carte "all you can eat" style) at Asahi Sushi on Carleton, just west of Parliament. You order from a large menu and it's made to order...I'm not sure of the "authenticity" but it's always fresh and enjoyable. The Sushi chef tends to get a bit excited when things are busy (is he swearing in Japanese? I'm not sure, but it's kind of entertaining)...they charge you for any left-overs to avoid people ordering like little piggies...they seem to have a pretty loyal neighbourhood following, so must be doing something right (19.95 per person I believe)
Permalink | Reply
I don't think there are "Japanese Sushi Buffets" around much more (since Shintori closed its doors). Buffet means everything laid out on a table and everyone serves themselves. The ones under discussion are simply "All you can eat" or AYCE, where you order a la carte. However, Chinese food buffets *with* sushi are all over the place, and they are almost always crap, or at least very limited at what they offer. E.g. Mandarin's are total crap, but Star Walk's is passable.
BTW, there are buffets that are NOT "all you can eat for one price". For example the vegetarin restaurent Le Commensal on Elm - you fill your plate and they charge you by weight.
Permalink | Reply
For myself, the buffet/AYCE experience is not so much as "ALL YOU CAN EAT", than "whatever I'd like to eat in whatever portion size I want". I get bored by having an entire regular entree and prefer to have a bit of this and one or two morsels of that. As for making it at home, I'm afraid I can not buy just 2 pieces of salmon sashimi from the fishmonger.
However, I have not yet ventured into "tasting menus" because the chef dictates what I have to eat. I don't eat red meat so it can be a problem. But I do plan to try omakase as you can tell the chef what you like and don't like.
Permalink | Reply
My wife and I go to a small, family-run sushi house on Mt. Pleasant called Sushi & Tea.
For $17.95, they have an all you can eat menu.
It's not a buffet, rather you order a few things at a time