Yasu Toronto

Review summary

1. J

   James

   Toronto

   5 reviews

   5.0

   5 reviews

   Dined 4 days ago

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 4
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 5

   Loved the food and the education. Learned about how they differentiate yellow tail based on size and maturity. Hamachi vs Buri. Favorite nigiri was the Spanish mackerel smoked over hay. Rich and smokey. Highly recommend this spot.
   

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2. A

   Aparna

   Washington DC

   2 reviews

   5.0

   2 reviews

   Dined on November 21, 2024

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 4

   Yasu has become our annual tradition - every bite is delightful every time. Love the simplicity and the warmth with which you receive a complex meal. Definitely do the sake pairing - the choices are delicious!
   

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3. J

   Jesse

   San Francisco

   1 review

   5.0

   1 review

   Dined on November 20, 2024

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 5

   Amazing dinner. Sushi chef was super observant and stuff was attentive to our needs. Food was on par with omakase and kaiseki meals I have had in Tokyo and Osaka.
   

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4. T

   Tamara

   San Francisco

   4 reviews

   vip
   5.0

   4 reviews

   Dined on November 19, 2024

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 5

   The most incredible food I’ve ever eaten. I’m going to dream with every single thing I ordered. Thank you for everything. You the true best in town
   

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5. S

   Steve

   Toronto

   1 review

   2.0

   1 review

   Dined on November 16, 2024

   1. Overall 2
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 2
   4. Ambience 5

   There was a hair found in one of the dishes, this should not happen given this is an over 200 dollar meal
   

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6. A

   Allan

   Calgary

   1 review

   5.0

   1 review

   Dined on November 11, 2024

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 5

   Absolutely perfect dining experience. Definitely recommend.
   

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7. A

   Adil

   Toronto

   1 review

   1.0

   1 review

   Dined on November 10, 2024

   1. Overall 1
   2. Food 1
   3. Service 1
   4. Ambience 1

   Absolutely horrible menu. Good doesn’t taste good. This is a complete scam @ $185 and 0 value taken.
   

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8. B

   Brian

   Toronto

   7 reviews

   2.0

   7 reviews

   Dined on November 10, 2024

   1. Overall 2
   2. Food 2
   3. Service 1
   4. Ambience 2

   They preserved the tradition in izakaya (not fine dining) of serving sake by the glass inside a Masu (pine wooden box). That is fine and dandy. HOWEVER, it is also customary that they should OVERFILL the sake to indicate that they are happy to have you there, too happy that they forgot to stop pouring. Yasu did NONE OF THAT. The waitress made sure every pouring was to the rim of the sake cup and nothing more, on every pouring. This kind of service is so halfway that it's trying to impress by following a tradition to a certain degree and then drop the ball because they went cheap. Why serve it in a Masu then?!?! It was insulting. In this day and age, just simply being courteous does not win you any stars! And as for $80 pairing, it is definitely NOT worth the money. Sake they serve can be easily purchased from LCBO. For instance, they served Dassai 45. This is the CHEAPEST Dassai you can get from LCBO, $33.65/bottle. I expect more exquisite sake choices, if not 23, at least 39. The pairing quantity is also sorrowfully limited and has nothing to do with the fish that's being served. As for the food, only fools would try to distinguish freshness and taste of fish between Japanese restaurants in Toronto. All fishes come from the same limited number of suppliers in Toronto. There is no difference in fish quality between a $50 Omakase and a $600 Omakase. The chef serving us had bluntly admitted that over 50% of their fish do not come from Japan but Spain and Portugal rather. That included the Akami, Chu Toro and OToro that were served. I still gave them 2 stars on food because they served their sushi in WARM sushi rice which is uncommon amongst Toronto sushi restaurants. Check out the remaining of my review on Google because open table is limiting my characters.
   

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9. P

   Paul

   Toronto

   2 reviews

   3.0

   2 reviews

   Dined on October 31, 2024

   1. Overall 3
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 3

   My partner and I have been regular guests of Yasu (every six months, or so) for the last six or seven years. Apart from recent decor changes, Yasu has remained assuredly consistent in the serving of a premium omakase menu. But recently, the restaurant added an obligatory service charge of 18%. Though we customarily tip 15-18% no matter where we eat, we're not a fan of service charges and having no authority in the gratuity decision. Worse yet, Yasu is not adding 18% to the subtotal, but to the subtotal *plus* the HST (tax). In effect, Yasu is adding a 20.4% tip. Whether you like it or not. We really adore Chef Ken, but unless Yasu’s service charge practise changes I don’t think we’ll ever be returning.
   

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10. J

    Joelle

    Toronto

    21 reviews

    3.0

    21 reviews

    Dined on October 25, 2024

    1. Overall 3
    2. Food 3
    3. Service 3
    4. Ambience 2

    The food was enjoyable, with the fish looking fresh and flavorful, and the portions satisfying. The pacing of each dish felt thoughtfully timed. However, as a Michelin-starred establishment, I found the service somewhat lacking in consistency and polish, particularly with the appearance of the service staff and how they presented themselves and the informationabout each dish. For the price, I expected a higher level of refinement. I also had some concerns regarding cleanliness. I noticed a damp, used rag being utilized by the chefs to wipe both the sushi serving plates and their workstation, which raised questions about hygiene standards.
    

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