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Japango Sushi & Noodle Restaurants
Category: Restaurants Sushi Bars Sushi Bars [Edit]
122 Elizabeth StToronto, ON M5G 1P5
Neighbourhood: Downtown Core
(416) 599-5557
- Hours:
Mon-Sat 11 am - 10:30 pm
- Good for Kids:
- No
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- No
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- No
- Take Away:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Wi-Fi:
- No
- Good For:
- Lunch, Dinner
- Alcohol:
- Beer & Wine Only
- Noise Level:
- Average
- Ambience:
- Casual
- Has TV:
- No
- Caters:
- Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- No
104 reviews for Japango Sushi & Noodle Restaurants
Review Highlights
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"Probably the best sashimi I've had in Canada." In 29 reviews -
"...and for dessert the Black Sesame Ice Cream was delicious." In 4 reviews -
"...finally found an authentic Japanese sushi restaurant in..." In 8 reviews
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104 reviews in English
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Review from Mary C.
Richmond Hill, ON
2/10/2012 2 photos
Coming in here, I was really shocked at how small this place is. I've been to some super tiny Japanese restaurants but this by far is the smallest. I'd say at any one point there can be 15-20 diners, but it would be really squishy. Unfortunately, this night when I came here with Rob, that was exactly how it was. The seating wasn't very comfortable as the tables were really up close against your legs. In addition to that, you are really close to the people sitting in the next tables. It only takes one loud person beside you to ruin your experience. Luckily, there were no such people tonight.
"Japango Roll" ($12):
This is probably the most famous item on the menu. Almost every review will recommend this roll, so I figured I had to try it. It definitely did not disappoint. In essence it was a california roll with roe, seared salmon, and seared scallop on top. The sauce had a bit of a subtle spicy kick to it, and it was rolled nice and tight. I found this roll to be extremely delicate. It is so light and fluffy and it just disappears in your mouth. the seared scallops were warm and cooked on the outside, but still quite raw and cool on the inside. An interesting sensation.
"Sashimi Dinner Deluxe" ($32.00):
We opted to order the Deluxe instead of the regular sashimi dinner because the waitress said the Deluxe comes with a more expensive caliber of fish. Not only did it come with the regular salmon and tuna, it had hamachi, seabream, and other less common fishes. I was really impressed by the presentation, variety, and quality of the fish. Some of the peices were actually seared on the outside and it tasted like it was done in seasoned oil. It added a really nice flavour to it. The fish were really fresh, but definitely not as fresh as Inakaya.
"Ten Jaru" ($14.00) -Soba noodles with Tempura :
By the time this dish came me and rob were already quite full. We definitely did not expect this dish to be so massive! It cames with a huge pile of piping hot tempura, and a generous serving of soba noodles placed on a bamboo roll out mat. At first I thought that fin-looking piece of tempura out was a fish tail of some sort. Turns out it was an eggplant cut to resemble it! Kudos to the details. The most interesting part of this, was the sauce. They give you a quail egg, scallions, and wasabi to mix into your soba noodle sauce. I've never had it this way, but it tasted really good!
By the end of this, I was stuffed. I really enjoyed this meal and there isn't much to complain about in terms of food. The staff here have a little bit of a japanese accent, but their service was amazing despite the numerous take out orders they had to manage on top of serving the restaurant. They really go the distance here with food presentation, and it's something I find adds to the great dining experience. -
Review from Mark S.
Toronto, ON
5/15/2012
Sorry fellow yelpers, not a huge fan of this place.
After reading so many above average reviews and also having a close friend suggesting this place to me, I decided to try it for myself.
Its a given this place is pretty small and makes waiting for a table that much more ridiculous. It gets pretty intimate whenever someone enters or tries to leave the restaurant. (a little annoying too)
When I finally did get a seat (outside aisle seat) after 5 mins I got elbowed in the head by this dude sitting beside me leaving and putting on his jacket. (maybe this contributed to my bad experience) Buddy didnt even apologize but being the gentleman I am I just let it pass. (that mofo!)
While we were deciding on what to order I tend to always order the same thing If im trying a Japanese place for the first time. I ordered the sashimi deluxe dinner and an Oyako-don. It is pretty hard to screw up an Oyako don, its like screwing up a pizza) but this place somehow managed to do it. The people beside me looked at what I was eating (They looked like first timers too) and I gave my honest opinion. (Rated 18+) PG version = "Dont order this!"
The Sashimi Deluxe dinner was more like a sashimi appetizer.. it was definately not worth the price. (Mind you Im not cheap, I pay the same price for a normal sashimi dinner at Fune and wont complain about it.) So I wasnt too impressed about this dish.
Dont really comment on the washroom but I feel I should for this place. Its small as heck! Its like being in jail or something. Not a great experience.
And whats with this eclectic taste for interior decor. Japanese Geisha dolls with pictures of Lord of the Rings characters scattered everywhere. C'mon now!
This place will get 0.9 stars from me but they do not have a decimal place on the rating system.
My advance apologies to the owners and people that like this place. -
Review from En L.
5/2/2012 1 Check-in Here
This place is tiny! If you want a romantic dinner, this is not the place for it. But I like this place. It's quaint.
I wasn't too crazy about the oyster special. It's a bit too alcohol-y for me. Tuna belly sashimi special is weak too. The rest of the meal (yakitori, seaweed salad, seared scallop, salmon sashimi) was pretty good. Japango roll is very yummy.
Great Service.Very friendly staffs. -
Review from Zachary G.
Toronto, ON
2/12/2012
This was my second time coming to Japango and for the most part, I was once again pleased with the meal. While the food is certainly more impressive than the layout and atmosphere of the restaurant, it was overall a good dinner experience.
Food (4.5/5)
My girlfriend and I went big and started the meal with the $20 tuna belly sashimi as we had been thinking about it since the last time we came. Unfortunately, we made the right the decision the first time when we passed on it as this was the weakest part of the meal. The sashimi was fatty (a plus) and not overly flavorful (a big disappointment) and was certainly not worth the $20 price tag.
Up next, we had miso soup, green salad, gyoza and edamame for our appetizers. Of the bunch, the green salad was the only one that missed the mark. It wasn't bad but it was nothing beyond what you typically receive in a sushi place on Bloor. The miso soup was well above average, with well-proportioned pieces of tofu in a clean broth. The gyoza was a nice contrast to the fish-heavy meal we were about to eat. The individual dumplings had a crispy exterior with good flavour. Finally, the edamame were cooked well and served hot (which is not always the case in Toronto).
For the main course, we each ordered the $40 sashimi and nigiri platters and were very pleased overall. While it is hard to remember all of the different types of fish and other seafood that came with the platter (there were tweleve overall), the highlights were definitely the white tuna (far superior to the tuna belly mentioned above) and three of the four types of sashimi on that platter (unfortunately, I can't recall their names).
Layout/Atmosphere (2.5/5)
The layout is clearly a serious weak point for Japango. There are about tables crammed into a space that should contain six and as a result, you end up sitting a bit too close to your neighbours. There is not even space to put your coat and bag next to you on the bench without touching the person sitting nearby. Also, tall people beware. My girlfriend and I are both around 6 feet and because of how the table and chairs are constructed, you can barely put your feet under the table and must contort your body to fit into the space. Finally, every time the front door is opened during the winter, a cold breeze rushes through the tiny restaurant and it is not pleasant if this happens ten times during your meal.
As the food is great, I would obviously recommend trying this restaurant. However, because of the space constraints, you may want to consider takeout and/or dining in the summer. -
Review from s t.
Toronto, ON
5/5/2012
Food gets a solid 4/5.
Atmosphere is tight. I was so close to the person on my left that they knocked my chopsticks off my table! I don't know if it is possible to arrive as a group. I think it is only for couples.
Service and food was so good that I would go back. -
Review from Jeff D.
5/13/2012
Excellent quality in a nice intimate space that may make you feel that you have been transported into a mid sized city in Japan. Be warned, seating is very close to the kitchen and your clothes may end up scented with seafood.
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Review from Craig R.
St John's, NL
4/11/2012 1 Check-in Here
Some of the best sushi in Toronto! Small, intimate and delicious! The service is fast even though it's all made to order and extremely fresh.
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Review from Antonia W.
Toronto, ON
1/21/2012
Yes, FINALLY made it to Japango after reading about it for years. I met up with a friend for lunch today. She suggested to meet at 11:45 to beat the lunch crowd. I got there at 11:45 and there were two tables taken. By the time 12 rolled around, almost all tables were taken. It doesn't take much seeing as they have so little space! You have just enough space to fit your bag in between yourself and the person at the next table and for us people sitting on the bench, it was like those sliding puzzle games where you move the blocks to get a piece out. Didn't mind it, but found it amusing :D
On to the food... I ordered chirashi because I figured it would give me a good assortment of fish and so I could gauge the quality. It came beautifully adorned with some greens, a dandelion flower (which I ate... bitter!), blob of wasabi and generous serving of pickled ginger. The rice on the bottom was served with bits of seaweed sprinkled over it. The fish looked really good and I liked how instead of just being plain raw fish served on plain rice as some other places do, they were more creative! They lightly pan-seared the tuna, they blowtorched a few items which brought out a great flavour, and they added small bits of deep-fried garlic (it may be shallots) The whole dish tasted amazing. No complaints about any of the raw fish.. the one comment I'll make is that the cold cooked shrimp was the low point of the meal.
Service was great ~
5 min walk from work = i will definitely come back here! -
Review from Loren P.
1/24/2012 1 Check-in Here
Fan-freakin-tasty!
The wait may be long. Place maybe small. Really small...but, totally worth it! Service & food great! -
Review from Yibing Q.
12/31/2011
This is a really small sushi bar. I would not recommend parties of more than 4 to visit this place ... as the wait during dinner hours would be painful! But the staff was quite efficient at 'prompting' diners who have finished their meals to pay and leave. I was there with a friend at around 7 pm on a weekday - managed to get a table after a 15-minute wait!
I ordered its Sushi Dinner Platter which came with a miso soup and salad. The salad was very fresh and the dressing was refreshing and yet savoury! Miso soup tasted great, and not out of a packet!
The sushi platter came with 8 Nigirizushi of different sashimis and 6 Uramaki (avocado and crabmeat sticks). The sashimis were incredibly fresh! The wasabe and ginger slices provided were godsend!
Each sushi on the platter had successfully teleported me to Japan.
Sadly, this place does not serve desserts, besides ice-cream. -
Review from Sarah S.
Toronto, ON
3/25/2012
Didn't have a reservation when we came in, but they were able to seat us. I can see how you'd need one though, the place is pretty packed and tiny.
My sister and I ordered the japango roll, spicy salmon, tempura, miso soup among other things. I wish we'd been as smart as the people sitting next to us and ordered a japango roll each for ourselves...it was heavenly. We each saved our last piece for the very end. The other items were delicious as well.
I'm very used to AYCE sushi, so that might make me a tad unobjective, but I really don't think you can beat the quality here, especially for their namesake roll. Considering all we got (which was enough to make us pleasantly full), it still only came to about 20$ per person after taxes. -
Review from Emily H.
11/3/2011
I actually took the time to read what others have said about Japango before writing this review because I feel this strange guilt about not liking this restaurant.
I must admit before we go any further that I may be a bit of a sushi-snob having grown up in Japan and Vancouver... it's common knowledge that both places are spoiled with good sushi. It is always really important to me to find out the authenticity of the sushi restaurants before I go and since Japango was recommended to me as authentic and good, I had relatively high expectations. BOO fricking URNS.
The layout is absolutely horrendous. I showed up mid-afternoon (thereby missing the decent lunch prices - another boo urns) so there was only one other party of 2 in the restaurant. Thus, my question: WHY were we still shoved to the tiny table by the window, which, in the process of squeezing in, gave me several bruises and cramps in my back and legs? Unhappy camper already. To make the sitch worse, there was a really annoying fly that wouldn't go away.
As I mentioned, we missed the lunch prices which really sucked because dinner prices were kind of ridiculous. Since we were there on a whim and did not intend on a fancy meal, we just ordered four different rolls. They were OKAY at best. The spice that they used for the spicy rolls were pretty spicy - I like spice so I wasn't bothered, but those spice babies might want to watch out. I don't think that the spice complemented the rolls though, which is really unfortunate because by this point the restaurant has already lost enough points with me. The rolls were cut into 8 per, which is a decent portion size I guess... but considering this was our "simple lunch in a pinch" it really should not have cost us over $30 for such an unmemorable meal.
And final comment on the authenticity - perhaps other Yelpers can help me clarify: is it really authentic? Because I tried speaking Japanese to the waitress and I don't think she was. The chefs were definitely NOT Japanese. So, HUGE BOO URNS for failing on the main reason I was lured there. I probably wouldn't go back... I'll just fly to Japan the next time I crave "authentic" sushi, no big.
atmosphere - 1/5
service - 3/5
food - 2/5
price - 2/5Listed in: 30 Day November Challenge!
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Review from Jennifer I.
Downtown Core, Toronto, ON
10/18/2011
Tiny little restaurant hidden at 122 Elizabeth St. Make a reservation to guarantee a table - they only have approx. 10, but don't be late or they'll give your table away due to the limited amount of seating.
The rolls are good and the fish is very fresh, but the tuna tartar was disappointing, lacking in flavor. The spicy salmon and spider rolls were amazing, but stick to the rolls and sashimi because the dinners are not good.
For apps, Asian Pear Salad is sublime, and for dessert the Black Sesame Ice Cream was delicious. -
Review from Mike U.
12/8/2011 1 Check-in Here
Cool little small Japanese restaurant in the downtown area.
Tried some udon and it was pretty good made with fresh veggies and some chicken and it was very tasty. Funny thing is as we were finishing up, the chef comes out with a massive dish of udon, and it looked much better than ours...LOL It was actually lunch for the staff...I told them, next time I want that!!
Sushi is excellent but rolls and pieces are small. But overall very good.
Very small restaurant with limited seating, but worth a try. -
Review from Maddy K.
Toronto, ON
9/29/2011
Five-stars based on food ONLY but because the food is as great as it is I can overlook the small limited seating elbowing my neighbour and smelling their food atmosphere.
A friend recommended this place as a must try sushi in TO and I am so glad he did!
So if you haven't guessed yet it's not fancy by any means which means they have to work really hard and compensate with the food and that they do. We didn't make reservations - big NO NO but were lucky enough to find a table for two stuck to the window and the poor husband could only fit half of himself on the small seat that was stuck against the window - he was quite unimpressed. Our neighbours who were a finger length away from us were regulars there and assured us the painful seating arrangement is well worth it - "trust me" they said, very convincingly.
And here's where the blind faith comes in to play...
As per their recommendations we ordered"
1. BC Tuna - the best piece of fish I have ever had in my life. It was slightly pricey but OMG why have I never had this before?
2. Chicken udon noodles - delic! I usually don't order hot meals at sushi places - doesn't quite make sense to me to do so but les neighbours here were so terribly insistent that I felt very awkward not ordering so even though I kept thinking I'm paying for this meal not them and really you're not the boss of me - and despite the closeness and smell of your over powering deodorant - we've only just met.
I haven't been back again only because I'm a little hesitant to make my way there and not find a place to sit but I know, I really MUST. SOON. -
Review from Joe C.
1/19/2012 2 Check-ins Here
even after reading some previous reviews i still ended up tripping at the front door! old age bad memory i guess. this place is super small like half a shoe box small. rubbing elbows while eating raw fish, guy sitting next to you getting up rubbing a$$ on your sapparo beer (not cool). it's all good though still a cozy little restaurant. be prepared to wait outside in the winter time so find a good parking spot on the street. the creativity in the dishes are very much similar to the Yuzu sister restaurant. man i really love that smoke sashimi. wait service was ok not overly slow but cause of the limited space it's hard for the waiter to maneuver. some may find it irritating but what can you do
dishes i really enjoyed
-Japango roll - signature roll covered in smoke sashimi and eel (cant remember what was on the inside)
- Softshell crab roll - came out nice and crisp i hate it when it's soggy which is often the case at other places
-Seasame ice cream tasted like umm seasame! go figure (looks like playdoh)
- pretty much all their sashimi (it really does taste better then most places)
- when buying japanese beer opt for the large bottle and not standard because the price difference is very marginal -
Review from Sandra T.
Toronto, ON
Updated - 7/6/2011
My husband decided he wanted to try the special chef's menu at Japango so we went.
Personally, I don't feel comfortable spending too much money on food but for my husband, food is his life and he is willing to splurge. I opted for the vegetable udon instead and it was delicious!!! Albeit a little on the small side, the noodles were the perfect texture and chewiness - and tasted very fresh! The broth was light and flavourful too. Very good :)
As for the chef's menu ... it was definitely over priced (in my husband's opinion) and definitely left him hungrier than when we arrived. I think the cost is $70ish dollars and you get 7 or 8 dishes. The portions are TEENY ... and he shared with me and our little guy - whereas I didn't really share my noodles with him. And the only reason I didn't really share my meal with him was because he wanted to save himself for all the dishes from the chef's menu. And unfortunately these dishes came out SLOW ... I think it took like 1.5 hours for all the dishes to come out. So by that time, I was already finished my noodles and both the little guy and I were sampling his ... so, poor guy left feeling hungry and disappointed.
Basically, the Chef's Menu is quite nice for dainty eaters but is not quite a good fit for buffet lovers.2 Previous Reviews: Show all »
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4/11/2011
Finally made it to Japango! My husband had some free time and was available to meet me and our… Read more »
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Review from Justine H.
Toronto, ON
9/26/2011 1 Check-in Here
Restaurant: Japango
Cuisine: Japanese
Location: Dundas Square
Address: 122 Elizabeth St
Price Range: $15~25
1: Poor 2: OK 3: Good 4: Very Good 5: Excellent
Food: 3
Service: 4
Ambiance: 2
Overall: 3
Extra information:
*Open for Lunch
*Small seating area
*Lunch specials
*Known for fresh sashimi
*Korean owned
Ok, so I know I am a little too harsh when it comes to Japanese food. But I can't just ignore the fact that I am originally from the westcoast and have been SPOILED with fresh, cheap, good quality sushi all my life. At least now I know for a fact that I shouldn't expect good cheap sushi in Toronto, my standards for Japanese sushi joints have been reset, Toronto style.
Japango is a Korean run sushi restaurant hidden away in a quiet corner of Elizabeth Street. I read up couple reviews and everyone was raving about their fresh sashimi and sushi, so why not give it a try? Restaurant is pretty small with seating for 15 people MAX. Other than the fact that the chairs were uncomfortables, I found it be quite cozy seated in the corner. Japango received many 'awards' and 'compliments' from various magazines/websites/papers such as Toronto Star, Zagat and Now Magazine.
Ordered: SASHIMI BENTO - 2/5
*4 types of sashimi, rice, salad and a sidedish for $13.00
*4 sections to bento box consisting of sashimi, veggies, rice and sald
*There are 4 types of basic sashimi (typical salmon and tuna), they are fresh very tiny in terms of size
*I found the Cooked Zucchini(4 pieces) to be really out of place in this box, I felt like it was just a way for them to fill up one of the sections
*They give you lots and lots of plain rice.WHY? I have no idea! It wasn't even sushi rice (vinegar, salt and sugar) and I had nothing to eat it with. I felt like they were trying to fill me up with rice
*Again, lots of boring salad with typical japanese salad dressing
*Yes, sashimi was fresh but they are just so tiny there is nothing to chew.
*There is not much to eat and this is not worth $13, I rather just get sashimi separately
Ordered: SUSHI #2 COMBO - 3/5
*8 pieces of nigiri sushi and a California roll for $14.00
*4 different types of fish, 2 pieces each
*Nigiri was all decent, fresh but nothing special
*California roll was super dry (Y U NO MAKE YUMMY ROLLS IN TO!?)
*I wasn't full or satisfied after this combo, but if I was craving decent quality nigiri, I would get this again
Throughout the meal, I asked for more ginger and they got a small side of it for me. But when it arrived, I saw there were bits of wasabi on their ginger. This could mean they re-use their ginger after serving it (ew)? I am not saying they do but when you see wasabi on ginger...it makes you wonder. Also, they put lemon in their ice water which is kind of nice. But when I first got it, there were no lemon slices in the cup and only the lemon pulps were visible and for a second I thought the water was dirty. So just keep that in mind when you ask for ice water. I was there when they just opened so there weren't that many people at the restaurant but overall they had good service. The waitresses were super attentive, friendly and helpful.
The bill came to $30.51 after tax before tip. Kind of expensive for lunch maybe?
Summary: Unless you are a tiny little asian girl, this place won't fill you up until you burn a hole in your wallet. It's not my favorite spot yet but I am willing to give it another try if I am craving nigiri sushi. Just make sure to stay away from sashimi bento box!! -
Review from Olya S.
Toronto, ON
8/20/2011
If you like sushi, and you come to Toronto, you must try Japango.
If you try any rolls, ask for the Green River roll.
However, the chef's selection meal (needs to be ordered in advance), and the specials are terrific. The real gold here is the fish, just the fish. This is a terrific place to expand your palate and try something OTHER than salmon and tuna (though those are great as well).
You must try the seabream (both of them), tuna belly if its available, and trust your server to recommend a good suggestion of any other fish available.
A terrific and guaranteed to please place. -
Review from Michael B.
Toronto, ON
2/15/2012
This is my #1 spot for sushi in Toronto. Toronto has some excellent mid-range sushi restaurants (better than any I've found in NYC) but Japango is the closest I've come to the true sushi shops in Japan. A tiny space that can seat maybe 20 people, they do incredible sushi but I like to go for the chirashi. The fish is very fresh, the presentation is perfect. If your lucky and a regular you can even get your own special set of chopsticks hung behind the sushi bar
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Review from Blair M.
9/24/2011
This place has got to be the best sushi restaurant in the city. I have spend many hours and many dollars trying sushi restos all around the city and Japango I can now say is above & beyond all others (which I hate admitting on here because its so small and packed as is) The service the presentation and the quality are unmatched at any other place that I have tried so far.
As mentioned before, the only draw back is that it is a very small place and really not meant for large groups, even 4 can be a push on certain nights. -
Review from Haohan X.
Hamilton, ON
2/7/2012
The restaurant is small and crowd sometimes, but the food is great. Sashimi is refreshing, heard that all food ingredients aired straight from tokyo, and it offers THE best toro I ever had. The grilled eel took long time to be served but it was incredible tender, worth the wait!!!
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Review from Mochi M.
Updated - 9/25/2011
THIS IS FOR OMAKASE ONLY
I am still a big fan of this place, but the omakase was disappointing. I will only go back here for standard sushi fare
The first appetizer was a great sea urchin shooter, but then it was downhill from there. Next was a trio of appetizers that were kind of disgusting -- fried eggplant, and some sweet root thing, but the third one which was tuna and avocado was delicious.
Then came the sashimi, which is still amazing but I was looking for something more special, not ordinary. The black cod came next on top of deep fried noodles which were crunchy and greasy (ick). The cod was nice however, but it was so sweet and flavourful that I needed a bowl of rice with it.
After the cod came a totally deep fried saba fish which is actually one of my favourites to eat, but not something for an omakase, seeing as I can go to Japantown at Steeles and buy it for $7 to eat it grilled. :\
Last was quite a special dish, a seafood soup with mushrooms and shrimp with fish inside. It was really delicious and flavourful, and what I expected in an omakase.
They finished with huge servings of black sesame ice cream which I enjoyed very much.
Overall, the omakase was okay, and I paid $70 before tax and tip. I wasn't blown away, and if you want to go for omakase, I suggest you try ND Sushi and Grill (I reviewed it). They had a TON of little dishes to try and it was really quite spectacular, especially when the desserts were outstanding as well.
It's also more expensive at ND sushi and grill, but worth it -- you can see the time and love they put into each of the 10 courses.1 Previous Review: Show all »
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3/15/2011
This place is small for sure, but one of the best sushi restaurants in Toronto.
It has fresh,… Read more »
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Review from Dave A.
7/18/2011
Maybe it was the fact that I ate the bento lunch special (which was a salmon steak instead of a filet), but I was not impressed. I admit that the ambience is superb with the long bench along one wall and spices kept in bamboo boxes suspended behind the chefs, but the service was awful.
First, after tipping over the tea because of the unstable table, the waitress didn't bring new napkins until asked. Then, they never cleared our miso bowls and instead kept piling food on the table until there was no more room...Mind you the table was less than 2 feet wide. What really turned me off is that we needed to ask for water. Maybe they were having an off day. -
Review from Jess W.
Toronto, ON
8/11/2011 5 photos
My co-worker has been raving about this place for the longest time, so I finally made my way over to Japango the other night. She told me it was small... but I didn't expect it to be that tiny! There isn't any sushi bar seating, the tables are only a few inches apart and the restaurant fits maybe 20 people MAX. But given how amazing the food was, I could've cared less.
I came with one other person, and since we had arrived shortly after 5:30, we were able to grab a table right away. We decided to share a few things including one order of the Sushi Sashimi Moriawase - Chef's choice of sushi and sashimi ($40). First came the sashimi platter which consisted of the following:
- salmon belly
- sea bream from Japan (seared on top)
- fluke
- bigeye tuna
- butterfish (in a garlic sauce)
The sashimi was ridiculously good. Everything just tasted so fresh! The little things that they do - searing some of the fish, putting it in garlic sauce, etc, really brings out the flavour in the fish too.
Next came the sushi platter, which consisted of 2 pieces of each of the following:
- sea bream from Greece (seared on top)
- mackeral
- uni
- salmon
- bigeye tuna
Similar to the sashimi, the fish was so fresh and delicious! No complaints whatsoever. The Moriawase also came with a green salad, miso soup and a sunomono.
We also ordered a seaweed salad ($5), which was tasty (I've rarely had it done poor though), but at $5 for a teeny tiny bowl, I thought this was overpriced. We weren't sure if we'd have enough food, so we also ordered an order of hamachi sashimi (one of the specials of the day) and a spicy scallop roll ($8). Both were delicious!
I didn't really try any of the hot food, but the sashimi and sushi certainly get 5 stars from me! -
Review from Jason K.
1/10/2012
- call me a pseudo-purist, but the fact that the waitstaff and chefs being korean turned me a little off. mind you, they could've been koreans who lived in japan...
- had the moriawase (chef's choice) sushi and sashimi and it was very well done. didn't think i'd be full afterwards. but... i was! very fresh and very tasty.
- no joke. it's small like everyone calls out. make a reservation. even on monday nights.
- being a bit of sushi snob having lived in japan. this place is pretty decent, by toronto standards :)
- fyi - they do take-out. -
Review from Anabel L.
Toronto, ON
8/31/2011
:Bay + Dundas:
It's not impossible to find good sushi in Toronto. You just have to know where to look. Sure, all signs point to Guu...for now...but I hope you like waiting...an hour. Or, you can make a reservation and head down to Japango. Be seated, and eat.
It's tiny. It's hidden. It's yummy.
The narrow space only holds about 20 or so people, and it's almost always filled to capacity. Last night was my third trip to Japango and it was special. The presentation was beautiful and the food was delicious. The sushi is always fresh and clean, and prices are reasonable - it's no New Gen or Sushi Inn (thank goodness), and the few extra dollars is a small price to pay for some of the best sushi in downtown Toronto.
My favourite is their Japango roll. It's s-e-r-i-o-u-s.
The Japango Roll. Heavenly bites.
Japangofans everywhere come often and eat happy. -
Review from Tony T.
Toronto, ON
12/14/2011
I'm sorry, I do not agree with the reviews of other yelpers!! There is no way this place is authentic! We got the deluxe sushi dinner and tonkatsu dinner. The sushi were all soft as if it was heavily marinated in some kind of meat softener. They also put fried garlic in the sushi which prevented me from tasting the fish! (maybe that was their plan all along?) finally, they made those fake flamed sushi where they lightly Burned the fish! As far as I know, sushi is meant to be eatten raw! The only time you find these burnt sushi is at non-authentic places!!!!!
As for the tonkatsu, the meat was dry and tasteless, and most importantly, they used some sort of rice that had too much water, and it wasn't Japanese rice!!! I am chinese, and the rice should be more suited for Chinese food, but definitely not suitable for japanese food!!! -
Review from Yi Hung C.
Toronto, ON
1/23/2012
A small, cozy neighborhood gem a midst the pandemonium of all you can eat sushi and Chinese restaurants.
The Chirashi here is simply amazing. I especially enjoy how the tuna sashimi pieces are lightly seared to bring out extra flavor.
Sometimes the chefs would throw in free hand rolls on the house, which always brighten up a long work day.
I would prefer the place to be a bit bigger as seating is very limited, but perhaps that would take away Japango's distinguish vibe and atmosphere. -
Review from Kiwi M.
Toronto, ON
9/8/2011
Japango is a jem. Unfortunately a couple of things make this place just okay.
Food: They probably have one of the freshest fish in Toronto, Sashimi is good quality and their garlic oil sauce they put on top of tuna sashimi is delicious. Chirashi don, sushi lunch is among my favourites here.
Service: Service is okay. The waitresses are kind and responsive. However the place is really small and they have the smallest and tiniest tables and chair which makes most people uncomfortable. Do make reservation as they will not take any walk-in's for dinner.
I really don't like the chef & the owner's here. One time I took a girl on a date to this place, did not make a reservation and walked in. They asked me if I make reservation and I said no, the waitress asks the chef if there's any tables available and the chef turns to me, looks at me up & down and says rudely 'NO, WE ONLY TAKE RESERVATION'.
Total turn off, their food is good, but their attitude towards their customers really displeases me.
The chef at Sushi Couture learned from the same chef as the ones at Japango, I go their instead. -
Review from Jennifer K.
Markham, ON
2/26/2011 6 photos
When all previous yelp reviewers comment how Japango small is.. I cannot comprehend until I drop by for their lunch specials.
Maybe I have been eating and yelping too much, I can barely fit through to sit down at the table... 6 inches gap between tables...that is really tight!!
And I am not used to staffs staring at me when I eat... 2 sushi chefs at the sushi counter, 3 waits staffs... I know they are NOT staring at me when I taking photos of my sushi or how I cross examine my food before I put it in my mouth but just too tight a space for a relaxing lunch.
Sushi Bento Box ($13)
- A good mixture of nigiri sushi: 2 each of salmon, tuna, surf clam, snapper and the best of all Aburi butterfish (half cooked, half raw but full in flavour!)
- fish are fresh and shari rice are perfect balance in proportion to the fish...
The lunch sushi set though is really good.. but did not Wow me..! Maybe I came here with too much of an expectations? or because it was just lunch and dinner can be better since it is a lot more pricier?!!
I will definitely going to give Japango another chance... but I think I will stick with their lunch offerings? Maybe some Udon?
They accepts all credit cards! -
Review from Laura C.
Toronto, ON
1/19/2011 3 photos
It's a bit pricey, but it's totally worth it. Portions are small, but if you're looking for fresh fish, this is the place. I did not regret spending $40 for my 15 piece sashimi and half a hotate butter, however, I think on my next visit I'll probably stick with just the rolls (Japango roll, yum)
The place is small. Make sure you have a reservation. The place only has about 6 tables and can fit at most 15 people in the room. It was full at 6pm on a Wednesday night.
I wish I savoured my fish a little more, I was too entranced in conversation. Maybe not the best for $1.60 a piece. The salmon was juicy. The white fish was slightly seared. It was best sashimi in a while.
But this has to be one of the freshest places. Better than Sushi Couture.
The Scallop in Butter and Ponzu was good, but for $6 EACH Piece, that was way too pricey.
They have an Omakase, and I would love to come back and try it on a special occasion.
The server (the only) was really friendly, and help my raw fish allergic friend to well done cook the rolls. Thank you! It was yummy.
Please do not bring a giant knapsack bag in here. It just won't fit. I also want to bring my dad here too, but same problem :p
I would also plan for dessert afterwards, they have only ice cream. -
Review from Lauren M.
1/4/2011 1 Check-in Here
I must be the only one who didn't absolutely love Japango!
Still a solid 3 star for me. The service was good, the food was very good. (I had a sunumono salad ($5), california roll ($6) and a spicy tuna roll ($7), but there was no WOW factor for me.
The place is tiny. Decor-wise it had a very tradtional Japanese feel. I didn't like that the tables were all rammed so close together. I wanted to properly catch up with one of my besties but it was a bit hard to chat given close proximity to other guests. Table was tiny and I had to consciously keep my elbows in check.
I would like it better if it was cheap. Just saying. -
Review from Roma M.
2/18/2011
Came here the other day for dinner with a friend and completely understood why you need reservations for dinner. The restaurant could support about maybe 15 diners at a time. It's that tiny.
That said, I will definitely return here should the occasion arise. The sushi chefs do a bang-up job with attention to detail and presentation, and the ambiance is just right for a relaxing, intimate dinner conversation.
I ordered the Spicy Tuna roll, Caterpillar roll and tried the avocado and salmon seaweed salad. Everything was delicious, and felt very authentic.
Even if you do have reservations, don't expect to be completely comfortable. Tables were moved around, dishes were rearranged on the table to make more space, and service seemed a little disconnected.
I will definitely put Japango in my top ten for sushi, but I will be more likely to return for lunch.
3.5 Stars.Listed in: Japanese Food
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Review from Vivian W.
1/26/2011
I absolutely love this place! I started going to this restaurant dated back in 2003! I used to always miss the lunch and dinners at the residents cafeteria and i'll come here for an even better meal!! My favourites are Japango Roll, their seafood udon in the hot stone pot and of course many many of their fresh sashimi!
But because I don't live around the corner anymore and the store is too small, it's really difficult to get a seat, so I usually just get take out these days.
Must try: Japango Roll -
Review from Janna S.
1/5/2011
Went here for dinner with Lauren and her review tells it like it is. The food here is good but not great; it's hard to relax and enjoy a meal when I can't warm up since the place is so tiny and the door is kept open by the people waiting to sit down.
The service here was good but food was brought to us in a haphazard fashion, so don't expect to eat your meal in any particular order. I might come back here to try the sashimi but I would not wait in line. -
Review from Nishant F.
Toronto, ON
4/20/2011
I had heard a lot of buzz about this place - from people; from Yelp. I have to say, in the famous words of Jim Carey in Liar Liar - "I've had better" == read my review about Aji Sai @ Spadina / Queen.
FOOD:
- Good quality - sushi was fresh
- Quantity sucked given the price. I mean, it's standard for a sushi order, but other things, like steamed beans or tempura = poor quantity.
- Tempura was oily like the face of a pubertal 14-year old with a bad diet. I mean, I understand tempura's fried. But at least soak it on paper before serving it
Food rating: 3/5 (sushi = good; other stuff = meh...)
PRICE:
- =O !!!
- We had 3 orders of sushi, 1 tempura and 1 order of steamed beans. Paid 55 bucks + tax + gratuities.
- Given the quality of food, and the experience (read decor below), I wanted my money back. However, sadly, my appetite for the evening was "non-refundable".
Price rating: 3/5 (I am not pissed about the $65 bill (inclusive), but it didn't match up for the experience + food.
DECOR:
- The interior design is nice = gives you the feeling of being in a quaint tiny Japanese eatery (I will admit: I have never been to Japan. I say by comparing it to movies)
- But THAT was the problem = they took tiny to a whole new level of tiny. As a 6'2" male, I could reach out for the food on 2 tables on either side. Seriously. It was worse than eating in economy class on air plane.
- For the money that they charge, they should either take out a few tables, or get some more space.
Decor rating: 1/5
SERVICE:
- They take reservations. But they don't. Because I made a reservation. Upon asking, they graciously agreed to give me a seat near the window. 20 minutes later, when I arrived with my date, they tell me "we did not get any phone call.. are you sure you had the right number?". Yes. I did. Because when they answered the phone, they said, "JapanGo?". -_-. Not cool.
- It was at half-capacity when we were there (which, again, is like 4/8 tables, seating 2 people each). They must have flown in the fish fresh, because it does not take THAT long to make sushi.
- There were 2 servers waiting upon 8 tables. 2 more making sushi at the bar. I still could not find anyone to take another order for about 5-10 minutes. Or to tell them to get me the bill (the sushi-makers just told me to wait for the servers).
Service rating: 1/5.
All in all, there is no reason I would go there again. None. Absolutely none. Not even if it was free (because if someone was offering me a free sushi meal, I would convince them to treat me somewhere else). The food was okay, the experience was crap. Not paying 50+ bucks for that. No sir. -
Review from Bijan V.
I think I've finally found an authentic Japanese sushi restaurant in Toronto! I never thought it would happen after the increasingly many korean and chinese run sushi joints I've been to. It makes me happy for many reasons:
#1: Run by friendly Japanese staff with amazing Japanese sushi chefs
#2: The sushi is actually fresh, I'd lost hope of ever finding decent sushi in Toronto but Japango rekindled my hopes
#3: Although a little pricy for dinner, their lunch menu is amazingly reasonable for the quality you're getting
Went there for dinner for the second time (the first time they didn't have any seating and the wait was around 10-20 minutes which didn't sit well with our hungry stomachs) and I was absolutely satisfied with everything we got. I've gotten so used to getting all these fancy rolls with complicated sauces and ingredients to hide the unfresh taste of the fish that I'm really glad I decided to go for the a la carte sushi and sashimi at Japango. We had the B.C. Tuna, Scallops, Clams, Seared Tuna, Salmon and a few others and they were all incredibly fresh and amazingly well prepared and served.
They're not on the cheap side with 2 pieces of sushi or 3 pieces of sashimi costing ~$6 but I can guarantee you won't regret it. Most other rolls (from Dynamite to Rainbow to spicy tuna) cost ~$8-10 which is pretty standard (except that at Japango they taste 10x better! No saracha sauce for the spicy sauce woohooo!) and they have great appetizers like Soft shell crab with ponzu sauce.
The place is extremely small and intimate however so make sure you're comfortable sitting shoulder to shoulder. I honestly can't say enough about this place, I almost feel like I was in a sushi place back in San Francisco! -
Review from Frankie K.
Toronto, ON
3/31/2011
Japango is a great place if I want to get decent sushi in the downtown core. There are very few selections in terms of sushi restaurants when you're looking for quality sushi that won't give you food poisoning (yes, this sadly happened to me :(
its not my #1 place for sushi, but its high enough up there.
RESERVATIONS is a must here! Aaannnd I'm pretty sure me and my friend just joined in on someones first date. The tables are literally like 1 inch apart from each other, you can't help it! I think they enjoyed our company :P
it was better than the couple to our right who were yelling at each other from the top of their lungs! -_- -
Review from Frances T.
5/26/2011 1 Check-in Here
OMG, I feel terrible for giving this joint a 2-star rating! =*( Since I was on vacation in Toronto, you know I was on the hunt for the best sushi nearby my hotel. After much Yelp research, I finally settled for this one and took a taxi to get to it.
This place is SOOOO small!!! I think my hotel room was bigger (no joke because I did get a 1br suite). Anyway, so I'm thinking, maybe the food will make up for it's size.. Cause... you know... size doesn't always matter *wink, wink, nudge, nudge*
Our food comes out -- Various rolls and shashimi -- and it was just MEDIOCRE. What a bummer!! I mean, yes, the shashimi was fresh, but the slices were so thin. Maybe we are spoiled in Cali with our thick slices of fresh shashimi, but I wanted to cry.
I'm so thankful to be back in Cali where everyone is fat because we're getting served large portions.
