Aoyama Sushi Restaurant

Went in Jan 2022, post lockdown and everything is still fresh. Unfortunately I found the soup and the tempura sauce to be rather bland. The lobster and sushi was still tasty

Great authentic Japanese restaurant. High quality fish used in their specials. Delicious! My third time here now!!

The restaurant and the neighborhood does not look attractive at all, but their food is simply awesome.

Fresh ingredients and a variety of fish you could choose from.

During the weekend, Aoyama offers a "sushi set upgraded weekend special" ($125) that comes with a more sushi and luxurious appetizers, compared to their regular option. To begin, there's a sharing platter of small eats containing chawanmushi (a savoury egg custard), lobster tempura, yakitori skewers, other small nibbles, and a pot of seafood consommé.
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Normally, chawanmushi is served hot. At Aoyama, it's cold so ends up being denser and almost the consistency of a savoury flan. The temperature and jellied soup takes some getting used to, but it tasted good, the dashi (?) flavours seeping through. Finishing it with a teacup of the umami-filled seafood consommé is a nice combination.

Plump pieces of lobster tempura is dressed with the all-colour-no-heat spicy mayo. Nonetheless, the lobster was cooked nicely, it just needed a bit of salt or something else to dip it into. Surrounding the dish were pods of dry edamame and tempura burdock root that was cold but tasty to nibble on.

What makes yakitori skewers delicious is when they're hot off the grill and you can smell and taste the smoky caramelized glaze. In the platter, the chicken and scallion yakitori were cold (having been brought over from the other store) so the chicken became hard and the sauce congealed and lumpy. Really, Aoyama should consider replacing these with a starter that doesn't need to be hot.

Something to consider when you make a reservation: what is important about the meal for you? Is it hot food or a comfortable sitting environment? While the VIP room is spacious and has an ambiance of a brightly lit piano lounge, there isn't a kitchen so food is transported over in a non-insulated metal container arriving lukewarm to cold. To get the best of both worlds, you'll want to order cold items when sitting in the VIP area.

Luckily, the huge plate of sushi that's part of the set menu can withstand the frigid journey. That evening, it contained two types of tuna, the fattier toro and the regular blue fin variety; sweet soft pieces of unagi (barbequed eel); surprisingly clean pieces of aji (horse mackerel) that's further topped with tons of ginger and green onions; tried and true kampachi, salmon, and salmon maki; a decent take on tamago (egg) that had the flavours but not the lovely layers; as well as generous portions of hotate (Hokkaido scallop), ebi (raw shrimp), and uni (sea urchin).

This restaurant is very tiny. We made reservations and was seated in the VIP area which had lovely decor.


We ordered the omakase which is $89 for 2 people. Note: the omakase has limited quantity each day. It's a good price for the quality you receive.

We also ordered a fluke sashimi which we thought was very fresh and yummy.

The omakase comes with appetizers and soup. It was good but I was not blown away. However, the sushi was great quality. I would say this is one of the better quality restaurant that not located downtown.

Service was OK.

Overall, the experience was great but it didn't 'wow' me compared to other omakase that I tried. Great sushi restaurant.

Took my mother to Aoyama Sushi for her birthday last year, and we had a great time. As a japanese person, she was so happy to see that their sushi and sashimi were japanese-authentic, and that they have japanese-branded beer and sake! At the end of the night, the workers came up to our table and sang happy birthday to her, as well as gifting her a discount and a free slice of cake :) Safe to say that we had an amazing night there, and we'll definitely be coming back again!

This is my 3rd time coming to Aoyoma and like the past 2 times their food was super fresh. So far I have tried their omakase set for 2, sashimi set for 2, soba noodles and Wagyu beef on the grill. This time I also got to try their matcha cheesecake. The matcha flavour was subtle, but the cake was extremely smooth.

The service was excellent. They explained to us what the sushi were and gave us a short informative session regarding the Wagyu beef. We went as a party of 5, and the food came at a timely fashion, allowing us time to enjoy the food and chat.

The most memorable food was the shrimp sashimi . It had the moist, "chewy" texture which instantly reminded me of the ones I had in Japan. Another shout out was that they serve perilla leaves with the sashimi set. You rarely see that at Japanese restaurants in Toronto. The leaves go really well with the salmon sashimi, bringing out the flavour of the fish.

Will I come again? Without hesitation!

Tip: Remember to book a reservation if you come on a weekend.

Great place. I love going here all the time, and I find that it is one of the only few other actually authentic Japanese places that exist in Scarborough. Their washroom is insanely pink and hello kitty'd themed. It's so out of place it's hilarious.

Set dinners:
Typically, I get the two set dinners (akasaka and aoyama course). The place is very expensive so be prepared to use a bit of money. But the quality of the food is very consistent and is very fresh. The salmon sashimi melts in your mouth, the uni makes the rice extremely creamy without any stinkyness, the soup that is served with the dinner is very purifying.

Conclusion:
My experience here has been the same all the time, and although it is very expensive, it is very consistently good. They are able to always keep up with their quality, and that's what keeps me coming time and time again. They also have great service and they are all very kind people.

Make reservations:
If you do plan on eating here, I would highly recommend you to make reservations as it can get very busy and you may not be able to get seats unless you make a reservation.

Ps. Try out their Dobin Mushi if you aren't going to get the set dinner that comes with it (it's so addictive and purifying tasting).

It's my annual Birthday Dinner and they have yet to disappoint.
I can't emphasize enough, if you are coming for dinner during the weekend, call ahead to make reservation or be prepared to be disappointed.
They are still unique in Toronto because it is good at grill, tempura, sushi, sashimi, AND desert.
This is a MUST TRY place.
Oh, if sweet shrimp is in your order, make sure you ask them to deep fry the head. Just saying.

Food was mediocre here. With the same quality of food, many restaurants charge only half of the price. This is a restaurant renovated with fine-dining like price but does not have the solid fundamentals.

After the first visit, we gave it another chance to try but it still didn't work out.