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KOKO! Share Bar
Categories: Restaurants Korean Restaurants Asian Fusion Korean, Asian Fusion [Edit]
81 Yorkville AveToronto, ON M5R 1C1
Neighbourhood: Yorkville
(416) 850-6135
- Hours:
Tue-Sun 11:30 am - 12 am
- Good for Kids:
- No
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Garage, Street
- Attire:
- Dressy
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Price Range:
-
$$$
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- No
- Take Away:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Good For:
- Dinner
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
- Noise Level:
- Average
- Has TV:
- No
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- No
13 reviews for KOKO! Share Bar
13 reviews in English
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Review from Christian P.
Toronto, ON
1/22/2012
Small but nice setting, and some original, tasty and well presented meals. Nice staff and service in addition. You may still be hungry at the end of your dinner, for sure, but it may worth it to try and go there once in a while and to change from the regular sushi's places. I agree it is a little over priced however.
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Review from Alessandro S.
2/17/2012
We were huge fans of the Japanese restaurant that was formerly in this location, so decided to continue the tradition of stopping midday for an asian lunch between boutique hopping (Sprezzy is a dedicated Holt's shopper, after all) and try KOKO .We love sushi and I have a fondness for Korean, so we had hope that this might become a favorite.
Our last lunch left us most unimpressed. We ordered a roll with tuna in it and had to send it back because the tuna was -- ewww -- brown. After said roll was returned to be remade we were informed that the chef sears the tuna first always. Heh? Who the hell makes a tuna roll with cooked fish?! Also, the boyf hated an orange colored sauce (mayo? french dressing?) they liberally applied. By that time my mediocre beef bulgogi had been sitting out to cool, and had become cold, tough bulgogi. Not good.
It's a shame because the interior is quite nice -- I love the gorgeous varnished wood tables, the authentic chopsticks in wooden boxes and the small, Tokyo-like interior.
Who knows, maybe one day it'll revert back to a cute, little Japanese mom & pop place that makes their own soy sauce like the former residents. -
Review from jocelyn l.
10/2/2011
Very expensive for the type and quality of food served here. Our group of 3 had drinks and apps before dinner and it came up to $60++ (we each had 1 drink and only had a couple of appetizers to share between us).
I love tapas and i love korean food...you're better off in Koreatown or a real tapas bar. I can't justify paying entree prices and getting tapa sizes -
Review from Jackie P.
Toronto, ON
12/23/2010
I was scared to ask for more rice.
I'm surprised by how positive the reviews are for KOKO! Share Bar. I wasn't overwhelmed by either the service or food. What I did enjoy was the live band, which happens every Wednesday night.
Food:
At first glance, you think, wow what a great price for such innovative, delicious sounding dishes. Then you order a bunch of dishes off the menu expecting it to be plenty for your group. The food arrives, much smaller than anticipated and you're thinking, oh shit, how do I ration this amongst my group of hungry friends.
I get the whole share bar/tapas restaurant. It's not best with big groups, or if you're incredibly hungry. We knew this, but didn't expect such little portions. We were a group of six and we ordered about 8 dishes between all of us including the Bossam: A Platter of Spicy Chicken (or pork) with a side of rice (and I mean 'side' in its most literal term), a few shreds of lettuce leaves (and by few I mean 2.5) and some sauces (enough for one dip) $50
I know it serves only two but for $50 I'd expect enough rice and lettuce to actually experience the dish as it's supposed to be eaten. We asked for some more lettuce and rice a couple times and the waitress had to check with the manager who scowled at us. Why are they stinging on their cheapest ingredients. (Oh and they charged us for the extra lettuce and rice)
However, I was impressed by the Roasted Miso Black Cod $22. Again this was a bit smaller than a normal entree size, but enough for everyone to have a small bite. Also, I love the design of the place, great space for hanging out with friends for a drink and a few bites.
Overall, I don't think the Asian tapas menu is for me. I rather enjoy being satisfied by my meal and not worrying if I'll have enough to eat for the night.
KOKO, is for someone who likes to eat in Yorkville and is looking for some interesting small tapas eats.
I apologize for sounding harsh. At least my group of friends and I have a great story out of our night there. -
Review from Ayelet B.
4/16/2011 1 Check-in Here
This was a nice find down the street from my hotel. It is very casual and was pretty empty when we got there. I thought it was Korean but it was also fairly Japanese. I had a great glass of unfiltered saki so all was good.
The sushi was fresh and good but I've had much better. Some of the sauces on the sashimi were way too heavy. I guess they can learn from Sugarfish in LA, which is my favorite! The kimchi was good and the service was attentive.
I will come back to try the Korean BBQ menu. -
Review from Bill T.
12/12/2010
This restaurant is really quite a gem hidden in the Yorkville area.
Things I liked:
a) Service. I think this has been mentioned numerous times already, but the service was truly exceptional, especially for Canada, which I found to be lacking in most restaurants. Our waitress was attentive and helpful throughout our meal.
b) Seafood Hot Pot. The soup was very rich and packed with signature Korean flavours. There were plenty of seafood and the scallops were cooked perfectly... shrimps were definitely overcooked, but we can overlook that ;)
c) Decor. The restaurant is small and cozy, combined with the decor, it created a very welcoming atmosphere; not too dark, not too bright.
Things I did not like:
a) Appetizers. The appetizers were somewhat lacking in my opinion, and we ended up not ordering anything from it.
b) Coffee. The coffee was disappointingly bland. I would not order this again.
Overall, a very pleasant experience, and I would definitely go back! -
Review from Gloria F.
York, ON
10/31/2011
The better half and I tried out KOKO for dinner on Friday night, and unfortunately I can only give the experience 3 stars. I have to admit, this was a one time experience, so perhaps they were simply having a bad night, but to echo a previous yelp-er, it was overall pretty underwhelming.
Maybe because it was Friday of the Hallowe'en weekend, and they couldn't find enough people to staff the restaurant? Maybe it was just our bad luck? But at 7:30 or so with only two other tables, we waited 45+ for our appy. And we were pretty disappointed when it arrived - the soft shelled crab was rather overly breaded/crusted before deep-frying, and it was barely warm. Not sure if it sat out for a long time, but the waitresses (yes, two of them, for one table of two eating, one table of two waiting (us!), and one table of two just arrived), were not swamped! Waitresses were friendly and eager, so not sure where the ball dropped....
Main dishes were better, hot and tasty. We had the black cod and short ribs. Flavours and textures were wonderful, the restaurant's saving grace! Small point: I was a little irked by the asparagus that came with the cod: 4 stringy, ice-cold pieces. Not sure it was a garnish (but they looked very sad: limp, charred, soggy)... but it was my first time leaving asparagus behind!
The menu appeared to consist of pretty run of the mill Japanese OR Korean foods, not a modern fusion twist which I had expected. Drinks list showed inventive cocktails and martinis... Oh, and share bar, means family style, sharing the plates. Sizes are significantly bigger than tapas! Decor and ambiance were lovely, hip, modern, cool.
The meal came to $70 for quickie dinner of one appy, one beer, two mains, taxes. Keep in mind we brought small appetites to the restuarant (one of us came from happy hour). I know it's Yorkville location adds a premium, but given our experience, not sure if we will be returning. Might come back to try cocktails.... might be a fun place for someone to bring a date.... -
Review from Colleen M.
Toronto, ON
8/22/2010 1 Check-in Here
We had a great dinner with friends. The service was top notch, very attentive. Food was excellent, the cod was my favourite but the short ribs vanished pretty quickly too! Sometimes with sharing style restaurants I am left feeling like I have to fight for my share but the portions were generous and more importantly easy to share. No awkward chopstick disections or boorish stabbings to divy the food up. On a recommendation we tried a reisling which I quite liked but our friend did not. The wine was happily taken back and something different was brought out. It did seem as if they were running low on things, dessert was unavailable and they were out of a few of the white wines on the menu.
We got there for 8:00 and the place was half full. By the time we were making our way out into the torrential rain the place was getting packed. -
Review from Lindsay D.
Toronto, ON
KOKO! Share Bar is the newest effort by restaurateur and hospitality consultant Sang Kim (Blowfish, etc), and master chef, Shin Aoyama. The two worked together on Ki Modern Japanese, where Shin was the executive chef.
I was lucky enough to be invited to the grand-opening where I could sample several of the dishes. I cannot explain how lucky we are as Torontonians to have access to a talent like Aoyama. And even though the space is small, it's designed beautifully to be warm, inviting, and intimate, which is the key to making the "Share Bar" concept work. Apparently, sharing food is a major part of Korean cuisine culture, and at KOKO! you're encouraged to dip right into the plates of your dinner companions. Being able to share the experience of every single morsel that arrives at your table is one of the most extraordinary things I have had the chance to be a part of. The bar could perhaps use a bit more variety, even keeping within the theme, but as it's only the first week, I'm sure this will come with time.
The service is really what makes this place special. In a city where so many of us have had some of the worst service imaginable, Sang Kim has spent an immense amount of time hand-picking only those individuals who are the most committed to GREAT service. In an article by Daniel Alexandre Portoraro, of http://martiniboys.com, he explains "Kim put out an open call to applicants; 192 answered, and each were sent the question of 'how to make the world a better place'. 57 answered, and each of them went on a 15-minute walking interview with Kim, talking about similar questions."
This will no doubt be one of Toronto's top restaurants in a very short time. I highly recommend the tuna and the butterfish. I also highly recommend making a reservation before there's a waiting list. ;) -
Review from Karen S.
3/7/2010
This is a 3.5 star review.
The 2 standouts for KOKO! Share Bar - the amazingly friendly and engaging service, and the warm, cozy decor (the wood on the ceiling and some of the walls is refurbished from a barn in Peterborough, so I hear...). We were pretty much the first people at the restaurant that evening, and we were given the same spiel that all diners were when they entered about this being a share bar, so sit anywhere and share! By the time we left, the restaurant wasn't yet full and of all the groups we saw, no one group had chosen to sit with another. I would say that while the idea of a share bar experience is an interesting one, it's probably still going to take some time to get use to in this area of town.
Besides drinks, on our menu were the L.A. style ribs, Beef Tenderloin 'Tosa-Style' signature modern rolls with seaweed and rice on the side. I have a bias for kalbi as I simply love them, and more often then not, I have intense cravings for them especially at bbqs in the summer. As such, while the L.A, style ribs were delicious, I felt that that it was over priced for what it was and nothing really special that I couldn't get at any other Korean bbq place. The rolls were pretty and innovative. The seaweed was a disappointment - too sweet, too warm, not crunchy enough. I've had better at sushi buffets.
In sum with a miscellaneous thought:
I've got to say it again, the service is very good at this restaurant. I think there's room for improvement for the menu quality. The washrooms seem like they were leftover from whichever establishment occupied the space before and doesn't match the rest of the place, which is trendy, modern, and hopefully, not over-hyped. -
Review from Matt M.
Toronto, ON
7/19/2011
Not sure why some people are giving a review of a tapas place for
serving tapas style (come on, it's called "share" bar).
If you go to a tapas place and expect you can order one dish and serve 4 people with it then you can't fault the restaurant. They didn't make you stupid. You walked in that way. Why don't you just ask your server what they recommend portion wise instead of just ordering like an idiot and then faulting the restaurant?
I thought the portions would be smaller but each main was ample. Had the black cod and the short ribs (split between the two of us after apps, we were stuffed). Both were amazing from the
presentation to the last bite. Didn't try their maki, sashimi, but would love to next time - the sushi pizza was great. I'd love to see more inventive appetizers round out their menu.
Server was polite, very knowledgeable and took cues to know when to interrupt the table and when not to.
Liked the decor but it's a little spartan and, while they make great use of their space, it's still unfortunate that the resto is below street level. Would love to see Koko grow into a bigger location.
Left my first visit here very happy and knowing that I will be back again and again. -
Review from T Y.
North York, ON
11/4/2011 1 Check-in Here
Nothing special, despite the fact this restaurant is nestled in the heart of yorkville, the menu choice is not exciting and expensive compare to other Korean/Japanese style restaurant. I ordered the spicy seafood hot pot for $22, all the seafood in the broth (shrimp, scallop, mussel) are over-cooked and tastes like rubber. The service was good, but that was the only good thing they got going for them. I got a coupon on livingsocial, but I don't think I will revisit with or without a coupon.
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Review from Ari g.
Toronto, ON
11/5/2010
I have eaten at many of the finest Japanese restaurants in North America and Europe and would like to say that KOKO ranks among the best. It is great to have such a different menu as most of the Japanese/Sushi establishments are identical. This has become my family's number 1 choice and we visit at least once a week. Hats off to the management for for providing great service and food
