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16 reviews for Sanko Trading
16 reviews in English
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Review from Carla S.
Toronto, ON
2/12/2012
I love this place! Bonito Flakes... Fresh Tofu... Natto... and friendly service :) great prices as well!
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Review from Leslie W.
1/16/2012 2 Check-ins Here
BOTTOM LINE: This is THE place for Japanese groceries on the west side.
(3.5 STARS)
Other Yelpers have written about how Sanko doesn't offer more than J-town or T&T in terms of selection or prices, but the fact remains it's still one of the only places in the downtown core that sell some of the rarer Japanese ingredients. Until there's more competition, Sanko gets 3.5 stars.
I would still recommend going to China Town for the common stuff like the noodles, snacks and bowls - it's WAY cheaper there; however, if you want some high quality miso paste and some coveted yuzu, this is where you want to be! An old Japanese couple own the store and haven't given me bad advice yet! Their recommendations for which miso paste and yuzu to use with my miso black cod and miso soup recipes were spot on, and now it's hard for me to imagine shelling out the big bucks for miso black cod in restaurants when it's so easy to make at home! -
Review from Michael Y.
Toronto, ON
12/12/2011 1 Check-in Here
Need a little Japanese flare in your life? The place is a small cramped store but this is the place. We only found this place because a friend in Edmonton needed some Yuzu which you cannot seem to find in Edmonton. The owners are really nice and friendly. They were making creative suggestions and recommendations to how to use the Yuzu, which were interesting.
Anyways. If I ever need something Japanese, I know where to go now. -
Review from Elvis A.
11/28/2011 1 Check-in Here
I visited this spot after a long long time. Things haven't changed much the place offers a decent range of Japanese goodies.
Prices are OK but not the greatest. Decent selection of snacks and other Japanese groceries and cooking utensils etc. However this place is by no means an alternate to J-Town or even T&T supermarket for that matter. Location is accessible by TTC when comparing the competition in downtown.
They also are a receiving depot for Nippon Express which is one of the cheapest way to mail items to Japan
I wouldn't mind coming here to get my fix of Japanese stuff if I can't make it to the other bigger stores. -
Review from Jen C.
10/29/2011 4 Check-ins Here
Great little spot for Japanese goods downtown. Foodstuffs, magazines, housewares, and other odd knick knacks. Definitely a place to keep on your list if you're on the hunt for some interesting goods.
Love those creative lunches of udon Chewbacca and radish Hello Kitty? Bento boxes and bento kitchen bobs are able to be found here so you can craft your very own.
Want to make your own sushi at home? They've got the goods for that too - rice, rollers, vinegars, burdock - and sometimes - fresh wasabi. The only thing I don't think they carry is the fish itself.
Too lazy to make your own? You can pick up onigiri (several kinds) and sushi for lunch or snack.
Of course, a good selection of Pocky and other sugary delights are available and I've availed myself of them often enough!
Cast-iron teapots and dishware are in abundance here. You can even pick up some masu cups for sake, though they're a pretty penny.
While you could go farther abroad to seek these items, there's no where closer to downtown than Sanko! -
Review from Jennifer K.
Markham, ON
11/13/2010 5 photos
Sanko Trading looks so out of place in this part of Queen Street West! I was so surprise to see a store that devoted to all Japanese culture and items in this area of town!
The high standard and quality of Japanese goods and kitchenwares does reflect in the pricing at Sanko. I kind of used to the idea of Made in Japan VS Made in China, Expensive VS Cheap, Imported VS local...
I would never have guess the cute little teacups I have at Sushi Tei (http://www.yelp.ca/biz...) cost $16 each!! But they sure are cute and good quality!
Love the noodle selections here!! Some of them I cannot get in the usual Chinese grocery stores I been too...
Maybe one day I have to try cooking some real Japanese food with the help of some of the premade ingredients in Sanko Trading!Listed in: Memories of Japan in GTA!
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Review from WaYnE c.
Maple, ON
11/11/2010
Coming from the suburbs, I guess I have been desensitized to the whole Japanese Grocery scene specifically with Heisei(J-Town). Similarities except that Heisei has co-existing shops next to it that can support a wider variety of items(i.e. Bakery, Meats, Fish).
On it's own in this area of town, it is a breath of fresh air especially for me. It stands out from all the Dog Boutiques, Art Gallery, Menswear, Patisserie of western origins and all needing a healthy wallet or at least look proper to go in without being questioned.
I would still go inside and browse/shop however my value-conscious mind wouldn't let me get some items. At the same time, there might be a few items of value to me that caught my eye but the selection is limited.
There's a couple Tomago Pan that I saw one was roughly $30 while the other was upwards of $70 I believe. I noticed a Oshizushi Box as well. Maybe when I go into Yelp retirement, I will slow down and have time to focus on mastering those items. -
Review from Jeremiah L.
Toronto, ON
12/12/2010
Sanko's is a great little shop on Queen St West, and one I frequently visit. They're a bit expensive on some of the more common goods like rice cakes, and frozen goods than PAT in Koreatown (even with the same brands), but they carry a number of elusive Japanese cooking needs, great tea and pottery.
Their staff is very helpful, and you're always greeted with a smile. They're recently renovated and the store is always in great, clean condition. Highly recommended on all fronts. -
Review from Em L.
Toronto, ON
5/1/2009
Being Japanese and with my parents back in Japan, the easiest way for me to get a home cooked Japanese meal (unfortunately) is to make it myself.
For a very long time, Sanko was the only place downtown to get Japanese grocery products (now with T&T on Cherry Street, Korean markets on Bloor W. and many of the other Asian markets carrying products, it has made things easier).
Sanko carries traditional dishes (they are a regular dealer to my bowl-collecting habit), video/dvds of Japanese TV shows and movies, magazines and a nice stock of imported grocery products.
They also carry rice balls with assorted fillings and other ready-to-eat products. They also used to have some baked goods from Nakamura Bakery, but I don't think I've seen any there in a while.
It's certainly not the cheapest around. For example, they carry the instant single-portion rice which they sell for around $3.50. There are grocery stores on Bloor & Christie where the same brand and product are available for $2.
It's convenient for me where we live and Sanko has helped me countless times when I have that craving for a home-made Japanese meal. Wah! I miss you mom and dad!! haha! -
Review from Melissa J.
Toronto, ON
12/23/2008
Although I am not Japanese (or any kind of Asian for that matter), I wish I was because of all the cute things that exist in Japan. Plus they have a really cool language, and it's a good culture to belong to if you're a germaphobe like me.
So when I'm feeling like I REALLY REALLY want to go to Japan, I go to Sanko instead and it's like I'm there. They import all sorts of Japanese grocery products as well as cookies, candies, magazines, kitchen supplies, and everything else.
In the realm of downtown Toronto, this is probably one of your best bets for this kind of stuff, and because they have little competition, their prices aren't the cheapest. But I am from the north, and up in Scarborough we have many other options for these types of products -- usually in the Kennedy & Steeles area. They have all sorts of places with this stuff in Pacific Mall, and especially if you're just looking for trinkets or food basics like Pocky or seaweed, they'll have them for way cheaper. Plus, Japanese magazines are totally cheaper in Chinatown.
But hey, if you're on Queen West, and you're craving some individually packaged seaweed, Sanko's the place to get it. And if you're willing to pay a dollar more for convenience, then you'll be fine with it too.
Note to anyone with strollers/wheelchairs/anything: The place is SO SMALL and really narrow. Don't try bringing even a backpack in here. There is literally no room, just like the subway in Japan. -
Review from Jason S.
Toronto, ON
8/19/2011
I found their grocery items to be a tad expensive but I will most likely come back for their Japanese ceramics and the kitchen utensils that you cannot find anywhere else.
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Review from Anna V.
Toronto, ON
10/23/2008
Just got back from Tokyo? Can't find your favourite noodles anywhere in Toronto? Sanko my friends.
This is where you'll find all the asian food products you can't find anywhere else. It's huge, and they'll order in anything you can't find (as if that's even possible) since they have absolutely everything. -
Review from Jessica W.
Toronto, ON
7/27/2011
Love this place for a hit of Japanese culture and its amazing onigiri, which are made fresh by a private Japanese chef and delivered daily. Konbu, roasted Japanese eggplant and Ume are my favs. Great with an iced green tea as a combo. Staff are friendly, eager to help and offer advice. Tight aisles, but you're ok to browse if you try not to take up too much space!
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Review from Todd V.
Toronto, ON
12/5/2008 1 photo
Many is the day that I've gone to my cupboard, opened it, and uttered the phrase "Dammit! Out of seaweed again!" So, that's when I get to take a trip to Sanko. And then I'm happy.
Sanko is a family-run Japanese food and accessory store that is renowned not only in the Japanese community but across the GTA as the place to go for any and all things Japanese. The shop is small, but carries a large variety of items. Ingredients are the chief items that are sold such as rice, seaweed, ginger and the like, but there is a good variety of already prepared foods for you to take home or on the road for some snacking.
If you speak or read Japanese there is a large variety of books and videos available. I don't speak or read Japanese so I can't vouch for the quality of either. The cookware and dinnerware is also good and varied, providing some very nice sets for rice, sushi rolling, and teas. Enjoy. -
Review from Susan C.
Toronto, ON
2/19/2011
Green tea ice cream and freshly made onigirl gives it five stars!
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Review from Aaron B.
6/10/2010
I didn't spend a lot of time in here and I really just came in here for one item: black sesame spread (among the 10 most delicious food items on the planet). Thankfully they had three little 4oz tubs of my second favorite brand...now they have zero. It is for this one success alone that they get 4 stars. I hope it doesn't take too long to get more because I'll clean them out again in another 4-6 weeks. I did do a walk through the rest of the store and I'll certainly be going back to pick up on some key ingredients of dishes I used to make while living in Tokyo. And the people running the place are actually Japanese so I even got to dust off my Japanese language chops a bit.
What it doesn't have is a Japanese bakery component. So I couldn't get the strawberry daifuku that I was jonesing for (also among the world's 10 most delicious food items). But probably I can get all the necessary ingredients here to make them myself. The worst thing about this place is the part of town it's in - west King West. So filthy and run down with super sketchy people loitering all over the place yelling at passers-by for no reason. Yikes! And if I wanted to do some real shopping here I'd have to make a special bike trip with an empty pack since parking around here while the store is open is near impossible. Oh, that's another complaint: the store closes too early (although that is a general complaint about Toronto). But these two aspects prevent it from achieving five stars...and if they don't have my precious black sesame spread in stock the next time I go they'll be demoted to 3 stars.
