The Best Japanese Restaurants in Toronto

Aji Sai Japanese Restaurant

This all-you-can-eat resto has been around for more than 25 years, serving Torontonians like me (especially in my 20s when I was looking for a deal) salmon, tuna and yellowtail sashimi, shrimp and veggie tempura, chicken and salmon teriyaki, and more for under $35 a person. If you’re craving good-value sushi near you, their specials and combos have many of the same popular dishes you’d load up on in person. This is a Most Loved Restaurant on DoorDash which means it is one of the top-rated and most reliable restaurants on DoorDash.

Ara Japanese Restaurant

At Ara, chef Ace Lee and his nephew Steve Kang are crafting elevated sushi masterpieces right downtown. Picture lobster maki and oshizushi, as well as donburi, udon, and more. However, teishoku, which translates to “set menu,” is their specialty. Order your favourite dish (I’m a fan of unagi), and it comes alongside five ever-changing sides of the chef’s choosing — recent examples include Japanese egg omelettes and Asian-style hash browns — plus miso soup and a salad.

Gushi

Gushi built its reputation at the first shipping container market in Toronto and now has two permanent locations: one in Kensington Market and one in Cabbagetown. They’re known for their chicken karaage in many flavours (hot maple, teriyaki and black pepper, garlic and citrus). Their takoyaki, potato croquettes, rice bowls, and mochi are also divine. This is a Most Loved Restaurant on DoorDash.

GYUGYUYA

This Dundas Street West staple has been around for more than a decade. Their claim to fame (aside from their generous portions)? They’re the first Toronto restaurant to specialize in Kanazawa-style curries. (For the uninitiated, it’s a thicker and more mild sauce than the Japanese curries you might be used to.) The beef and pork katsu are particularly popular. This is a Most Loved Restaurant on DoorDash.

Gyu-Kaku Japanese BBQ

You’ll be the grill master at the Toronto location of this popular U.S. and Canadian Japanese barbecue chain, located on Church Street, where you’ll cook all your favourite proteins — beef, poultry, pork, seafood, et cetera — right at the table. Opting for delivery? Gyu-Kaku’s combos bring the barbecue magic near you with already-grilled meat (plus sides like miso soup and edamame) — all the same flavour, minus the work. 

Hakata Ikkousha Ramen

Another popular Japanese chain that’s made its way to Canada is Hakata Ikkousha Ramen. They specialize in Hakata-style ramen, which has a thinner noodle than most others. They keep the menu simple with seven kinds of ramen; the signature tonkotsu ramen has original noodles, tender pork chashu, black fungus, and spring onions, while Black Tonkotsu includes black fungus, charcoaled garlic, and blended black sesame oil. They also have the ever-popular karaage and one-bite Hakata-style gyoza on the menu.

Hanamaru

Inside Hanamaru, a Korean and Japanese grocery market on Pape Avenue in Toronto’s east end, you can shop for Kewpie mayo, frozen dumplings, instant ramen and other popular Asian snacks, plus pick up fresh maki, donburi, and more. You’ll have to visit the store in person for the groceries, but you can order in the dishes. The bento boxes are the star here — bulgogi, salmon, unagi — served with a unique selection of sides not usually found in other bentos, like honeyed beets, Japanese croquettes, and spicy soybean sprouts. This is a Most Loved Restaurant on DoorDash.

Hapa Toronto

This Vancouver izakaya chain set up shop on College Street over 10 years ago. Their food menu boasts the likes of lobster mac and cheese, beef short ribs, truffled mushroom rice bowls, and more. But it wouldn’t be a Japanese tapas spot without sake and there’s plenty of that, plus beer and wine, too. And if you’re ordering delivery, you won’t miss out — you can order a bottle of sake straight to your front door.

Hattendo

Founded almost 100 years ago, this popular Japanese cream-bun bakery chain opened its first-ever location in North America in Toronto in 2019. They import white flour from Japan's largest flour milling group, Nisshin Seifun, to achieve their signature dough, which is then filled with custard and different flavours of cream like matcha, azuki bean, and chocolate.

Japas

This Koreatown staple run by Kim Chou and Chris Xu has been feeding hungry bellies ramen, donburi, and Japanese snacks like chicken karaage and BBQ pork fried rice for over a decade. The Chasu Don and Curry Ramen are both hits with locals. The don has braised pork belly on rice, served alongside egg and pickled veggies. The ramen has a rich yellow curry broth filled with BBQ pork, spinach, seaweed, and egg.

Kakuya - 5440 Yonge

Perched at the very northern tip of the city at Yonge and Finch, this Japanese restaurant’s menu runs the gamut. You’ll find everything from takoyaki and pressed sushi to their Japanese curry doria, which is steamed rice topped with a curry and protein like chicken katsu, plus two kinds of cheese and then baked into a casserole. They’ve also got an extensive drink menu: bubble tea, fresh juice, and slushies.

Katsuya

It’s all about katsu at this Canadian chain. Not only do they have some incredibly inventive katsu options like cheese and sweet potato alongside your standard protein picks like pork, chicken, and fish, but their sauces are also incredibly creative, too. There’s honeycomb, which is mustard, mayonnaise, and sweet and sour (drizzled in a fun honeycomb shape right atop the katsu!); as well as sweet chilli; garlic chilli; chilli and cheese; carbonara; and more. Plus, their breadcrumbs are made fresh daily. No wonder it’s one of Toronto’s top Japanese restaurants! This is a Most Loved Restaurant on DoorDash.

Kibo Sushi

This Canadian sushi chain opened its first location in Toronto’s Cabbagetown neighbourhood in 2012 and has not looked back since. Now, Kibo has over 35 restaurants across the country, and their menu truly has something for everyone: donburi, udon, tempura, tataki, sushi pizza, sashimi, maki, handrolls, gyoza, edamame, and more. And, if this is any indication of their popularity, my mom always requests takeout from here when she comes to visit.

Kintaro Izakaya

In the heart of Toronto’s Gay Village, Kintaro Izakaya is serving sky-high frozen beers and a variety of Japanese snacks like crispy fried prawn with spicy mayo and tartar sauce, grilled squid with teriyaki or spicy gochujang, and stir-fried udon with roasted kimchi and veggies. If you’re ordering off DoorDash, their “Set A” combo comes with five tasty skewers: beef strip loin, chicken and cheese, scallop, buttered king mushroom, and pork belly.

Kinton Ramen

Kinton was one of Toronto’s first Japanese ramen restaurants; these days, James Kim, the founder and CEO of Kinka Family — which owns Kinton Ramen, Kinka Izakaya, Jabistro, Kintori Yakitori, and Kinka Sushi Bar — runs more than 40 locations across the country. Although the ramen is surely the star here (the spicy garlic pork is a go-to), they have an impressive side-dish menu, too, that includes gingery and salty takoyaki, rich and semi-sweet gyoza, and extra-spicy karaage. This is a Most Loved Restaurant on DoorDash.

Mr. Tonkatsu

This four-location Canadian chain (three in Toronto and one in British Columbia) serves up pork and chicken katsu in their signature sauces — including classic curry, demi-glace, carbonara, and sweet chilli — alongside shredded cabbage, steamed rice, miso, and takuan. Wondering why the breadcrumbs are so delicious? They’re made from house-made fresh bread each day, and they are deep-fried. Other go-to dishes on the menu include spicy and juicy karaage wings, extra-crispy squid, and fresh soba noodles. This is a Most Loved Restaurant on DoorDash.

Megumi Mazesoba

Right where St. Clair Avenue meets Yonge Street, you’ll find the first dedicated brothless ramen eatery in Toronto. No more slurping through the soup to get to the good stuff: ramen or udon noodles; protein like minced pork, chicken karaage, or tofu; green onions, nori, wonton bits, etc. Pair your sweet, savoury, and spicy meal with one of the restaurant’s best desserts: banana spring rolls or matcha cheesecake.

Minami Sushi

When people say a restaurant has “something for everyone,” they might mean Minami on Finch. This north-end eatery has unagi and spicy chicken donburi, vegetable and beef udon, tuna and spicy salmon pressed sushi, and so much more. Their combos are a very good deal: the sushi and sashimi dinner comes with 19 tasty fish morsels for $33 and their Zen meal comes with chicken teriyaki, shrimp and veggie tempura, nigiri, rolls, and rice for $30.

New Generation Sushi

This late-night sushi joint has been a staple at Bathurst and Bloor in the Annex neighbourhood for 25 years. The affordable menu ranges from your classics like spicy tuna maki and butterfish sashimi to super-inventive options like their Canadian Maki, which is lobster claw, smoked salmon, asparagus, mayonnaise, and cucumber.The Cheese Unagi Roll has cheese and unagi of course, plus avocado, cucumber, and tempura strips. This is a Most Loved Restaurant on DoorDash.

Oji Seichi

Located in East Chinatown on Broadview Avenue, this ramen restaurant is a family-run business named after one of the owner’s beloved late uncle Seichi. There’s a former Momofuku chef running the kitchen, and they’re serving picture-perfect bowls of ramen; the classic has a clear chicken, pork, and seafood broth served with noodles, roast pork belly, egg, fish cake, scallions, and nori. Plus, there’s chicken katsu and shrimp sandies, crispy gyoza, and more.

Poke Sushi

This unassuming spot on Queen Street West in Parkdale is serving your standard Japanese classics like maki rolls, gyoza, and sashimi, but their namesake speciality — the poke bowls — are what locals keep coming back for. Piled high on top of white rice, there’s fresh salmon or tuna, plus colourful and textural edamame, crab meat slaw, seaweed salad, fried onions, avocado, cucumber salad, nori, pickled ginger, and sesame seeds.

Sake Sushi

In Toronto’s trendy west end Roncy neighbourhood, Sake Sushi is a local favourite for good Japanese food. Their menu runs the gamut, with menu items like spicy salmon sushi pizza, veggie rolls, poke bowls, and Japanese Ramune soda. Everything is bright and beautiful (seriously, I could spend forever looking at their Instagram!) and their combos in particular are a great deal; miso soup and salad plus more than 20 pieces of sushi will cost you less than $60. This is a Most Loved Restaurant on DoorDash.

Sushi & Bowl

In King West Village, this Japanese eatery has all your standard sushi staples, like maki rolls, tempura, and japchae, but what really stands out are their bento bowls. Think traditional bento box — rice, crab salad, egg, and maki, plus a main protein like katsu, sashimi, or bulgogi — all in one delicious bowl. Their long menu also includes five kinds of udon and Japanese-style pizza — sushi ingredients such as crab, cucumber, and green onion on top of a fried rice patty.

Tenon Vegetarian Cuisine

Vegans and vegetarians don’t have to miss out on full-out sushi feasts at this plant-based Japanese eatery on Bloor West. Although the resto has been around since 1998, it switched to a plant-based menu in 2011 when husband and wife duo Tony Huang and Yan Chen, longtime vegetarians, took over as owners. Their maki rolls include naturally vegan and vegetarian options you’d find on many menus, like sweet yam tempura and avocado cucumber, and they also have inventive ones, like the California roll made with soy crab and shrimp meat. This is a Most Loved Restaurant on DoorDash.

Tokyo Hot Fried Chicken

Tokyo Hot Fried Chicken started slinging their Internet-famous halal chicken sandwiches at Toronto’s annual summertime Canadian National Exhibition; these days you can find them in a vibey space on College Street. Tokyo Hot Fried Chicken bills itself as the world's first restaurant to serve a fusion between Nashville hot and Japanese fried chicken, and their signature sandwich is topped with sesame soy sauce, spicy mayo, wasabi mayo, green onions, ginger slaw, and pickles.

Torch Pressed Sushi

Right in the heart of Toronto’s Gay Village, Torch is dishing up sushi that is a combination of Aburi-style, where the top of the fish is torched to infuse a charred taste, and Oshizushi-style, a.k.a. pressed. Their tasting box is a good intro; it comes with six pieces of their signature torched, pressed sushi — scallop, butterfish, shrimp, unagi, salmon, and spicy salmon — plus two handrolls, seaweed salad, and edamame. This is a Most Loved Restaurant on DoorDash.

Toto Sushi

Toto Sushi, located in Toronto’s east end, has all your classics — tempura, donburi, pressed sushi, teriyaki, udon — but their special rolls are what makes them so, well, special. The Bob Marley roll has jalapeño, spicy tuna, cream cheese, and avocado, while the Tarantula roll comprises soft shell crab, avocado, cucumber, crab meat, and purple rice. Their prices are affordable, too, with combos costing less than $20. This is a Most Loved Restaurant on DoorDash.

Tsujiri

This Japanese dessert shop chain has 10 locations across Canada, including one right downtown at Bay and Dundas that’s been open for close to a decade. They’re known for infusing matcha into a variety of sweet treats, like their famous bright-green cheesecake, but they have other baked goods like black sesame cake and roasted soybean mochi, too. The best pairing for something sweet? Their hot drinks. Try the red bean matcha latte or white chocolate matcha. This is a Most Loved Restaurant on DoorDash.

Uncle Tetsu’s Japanese Cheesecake

Born in Japan in 1990, this beloved bakery chain is now a household name, with more than 70 locations worldwide. The first Uncle Tetsu’s outside of Asia opened up shop in Toronto in 2015, and three more have opened since. They’re known for their signature soft and fluffy cheesecake, but they also have delicious madeleines, cheese tarts, and angel hats, an extra-creamy version of their cheesecake that’s made with custard cream.

Yuugi Izakaya

This trendy spot run by a chef from Nagoya, close to Toronto’s Chinatown, has no fewer than 20 seasonal Japanese small plates on the menu at any given time, plus fragrant sake and craft beers, too (which are available for delivery!). Popular dishes include Wagyu beef pressed sushi, Hayashi poutine, and grilled mackerel fried rice. Their ingredients are all sourced from iconic local Toronto businesses like Blackbird Baking and Sanagans, among others. This is a Most Loved Restaurant on DoorDash.

New customers get $0 delivery fee on their first order. First-time users only, on orders that meet minimum subtotal. Other fees (incl. service & small order fees), taxes & gratuity apply. Terms apply.