Katsura Japanese Restaurant

Katsura used to be amazing 20 years ago when it was owned and operated by a Japanese company. Unfortunately, it was sold to chinese management 10 years ago. Some chefs remain same from the old era, but food quality has dropped very much while prices got higher! It is also poorly maintained, it smells like mold in the tatami rooms. The one star is for our waitress who was so kind.
Sad to see another traditional place falling into less then ideal ownership.

So much emphasis was placed on this wagyu beef:
Wagyu Premium 超特選和牛ステーキ 64
grilled selected AAAA,
Marble Level 9,
super premium Wagyu (5 oz.)
I couldn't help but be excited over this 3 course summerlicious meal ($48 + tax).
I went on Saturday night at 7pm and was surprised by a near empty restaurant. After settling down, a lady in kimono came to take my order.
Appertizer - Kakitama Chicken Broth
Similar to Egg drop soup. Pleasantly light and flavourful.
Main - Premium Wagyu Striploin 5 oz.
Teppanyaki style cooking. The beef shrank even smaller lol. It came with mixed vegetables, bean sprouts and a bowl of rice. There was a special soy sauce and a special kind of mustard for dipping. The beef was juicy at medium heat, and it was tender, but not melting in your mouth kind of tender like the way people describe wagyu beef.
Dessert - Traditional Anmitsu
Essentially clear jelly with 2 pieces of fruits and a table spoon of red bean paste. The presentation was disappointing as it could have been more creatively put together.
Although the meal tasted good, i left wishing there were more food.... at least complementary tea as an appreciative gesture.

Probably one of the worst Teppanyaki restaurant that I've ever visited. While the service staff were friendly and the teppanyaki chef cordial, the quality of the meal was just not up to the standard. Price is not the issue - quality of the food is.

My friends and I went to Katsura as part of Toronto's Summerlicious Food event. Usually restaurants use Summerlicious as a way to encourage trial and attract new customers. However, I must say that after this visit, Katsura not only lost 6 potential repeat customers but we will likely recommend friends not to go as well.

Each of the person in our dinner party ordered off the $60+ price fixe Summerlicious menu, and we added a Lobster roll, a Spicy Spider Roll, a Spicy Tuna Roll, and a Tempura Shrimp Roll for appetizer.

My prix fixe dinner included a salad, salmon with lobster, mixed vegetables, a bowl of white rice, and a Japanese dessert, while others had sirloin with lobster or tenderloin skewer with lobster for their main course.

The appetizer sushi rolls arrived and they were ok. The Spicy Tuna Roll was neither spicy nor flavorful - I tasted very little other than mayo...I couldn't taste the tuna. The Spicy Spider Roll was not spicy and I could barely tasted the soft shell crab aside from the crunchy tempura batter. The Tempura Shrimp Roll was fine, and I didn't have the lobster roll as I didn't want to spoil my appetite for my main course.

The salad arrived and it was a bowl of iceberg lettuce with a few strands a of beets and radicchio - it looked like it can strait from a mixed salad mix that one buys from the local grocery store. The teppanyaki chef comes buy and starts cooking. The mixed vegetables consisted of zucchini, onions, bean sprouts, and button/shiitake mushroom mix. My salmon main course was a 1.5"X4" filet and nicely cooked with crispy skin (probably the best part of the entire dinner). There were a total of four pieces of lobster, each about 1/2 inch cubes - it was a bit over cooked and flavorless.

The dinner came out to be $90/person with tips. We were also charged $2/person for very flavorless Japanese tea (I've had better tea at conveyer belt sushi restaurants).

For $90/person I would've expected a little more flavor, and probably not a huge plate of zucchini and bean sprouts. At Katsura one neither gets value for money nor taste for the money. I would definitely not recommend this place to anyone looking for a teppanyaki experience.

I have been going to Katsura for over 25+ years now! It is Japanese dining at it's finest located inside/adjacent to the Westin Prince Hotel. I have ordered almost everything on their menu since I've first started going there. I have never made a complaint about the food, nor ever had one. Service tends to not be the greatest when it's busy, but it's a fantastic restaurant. A little pricey....yes, but the quality is top notch for sushi & steak terriyaki (filet mignon). Most Japanese & AYCE restaurants make terriyaki using very poor quality steak that has leather like consistency. Katsura's meat just melts in your mouth!

Some of my fav's that i've ordered:

Chicken terriyaki - moist, delicious terriyaki glaze that is not overly sweet.
Lunch specials - they have a couple of different combo plates with tempura & terriyaki or terriyaki & sushi. One of my fav items to order because you get a taste of more than 1 menu item. (try the mixed plate
Sushi - probably some of the best quality sushi i have ever tried! The quality & taste is something i've never experienced at any other Japanese restaurant in Toronto yet.
Teppanyaki table - what's not to love! Generous portions of meat & vegetables cooked at your table with a little bit of entertainment.
Tatami rooms - we did a set course meal and had the unforgettable experience of the Tatami room!

Is it expensive - YES, is it worth it HELL YEAH! Splurge & enjoy. We go back for birthday's, anniversaries, special occasions etc. a couple of times a year. It's not a place i will go every month, but it is great for a special night out because I know the food & quality is consistently great!

Katsura is an authentic Japanese restaurant with very classy decor, situated by the Westin Prince hotel which is a nice property.

Unfortunately, they are a little pricey, the service is good but not outstanding and the food is ok compared to other Japanese fjne dining.

The teppanyaki cook was competent. There are no really tricks or entertainment so don't go expecting that. Meal portion were sufficient. I really liked the atmosphere and Asian theme of the furnishings. This restaurant was not very busy for a Friday night dinner, I suspect it is because of the many other food options close by at lower prices.

An authentic Japanese restaurant. Very rare in the GTA. It is staffed by Japanese. A large variety of dishes can be had at the Teppanyaki grill. Three types of beef. Sushi grade fish. Lobster, crab and shrimp. I personally favour the scallops. Which are delicious.
There is the Teppanyaki menu (cooking table) and a sit down table menu.

Katsura delivers solid food, however some slight drawbacks holds the restaurant from being great.

The service is very slow. I have visited the restaurant on both quiet weekdays and busy weekends and I still find this to be the case. This restaurant is also quite pricey in terms of what you can get elsewhere for similar cost. The biggest problem for me is that the tea and water to taste like soap - either the teapot or the cups are not rinsed thoroughly... this is extremely off putting and hard to ignore when evaluating any restaurant.

Despite the aforementioned issues, I like the food that the kitchen puts out. It may not be the absolute best in Toronto, but it definitely sits high above average. The grilled eel rice stands out for me for being a little bit different with the hit of wasabi and scallions, and it is definitely one of my favourites at this restaurant. Sashimi and sushi are hit and miss, but when they get it right it is delicious.

Hopefully they can address the slow service and soap-tasting water and tea. These are easily fixable and can make the overall dining experience much better.

Food - 8/10
Service - 5/10
Atmosphere - 8.5/10
Value - 6/10
Overall - 7/10

Best unagi I've we've had! Big portions here. The eel was blow torched and mixed together at the table, and came in a huuuuuge bowl that instantly made me second guess the portion sizes. Luckily the bowl wasn't filled up to the very top.

This place is definitely one of the priciest Japanese restaurants I've ever been to, perhaps it's because its in a hotel? The unagi dish was $38, and though it was absolutely delicious, the price is a tad expensive.

My partner ordered the nigiri and sashimi plate which was also $38. I wouldn't splurge on sushi here, as the same amount of nigiri/sashimi elsewhere would be less than half the price. The dish was okay, but the only memorable aspect was the price.

Came here with my designated sushi friend. He ordered the summerlicious menu while I ordered the Omakase sushi, and we shared a spicy spider roll.

Omakase sushi included 10 pieces of sushi for 43 dollars. Spider roll was 15 dollars. Here's a summary of my impressions.
- Omakase sushi was decently priced. Included Toro, Uni, Real Crab sushi (my friend and I were wondering whether it was snow crab or king crab. Regardless, it wasn't the imitation crab meat), giant clam, scallop, and yellow tail. I liked the fact that it included many ones that I like.
- On the downside, Omakase sushi did not come with soup or dessert, but I knew that.
- Spider roll, while nice and crunchy, was overpriced.
- At the teppanyaki table, I think the chef didn't really put on as big of a show as I thought. Last time I was at Akasaka up at richmond hill, the chef was putting on a big show with every patron at the table.
- Green tea is $2. :/

Overall: Great sushi, but a bit overpriced.

Quality: 8.5/10. Service: 8.5/10. Value: 7/10. Overall 8/10

It's a great place with tasty fried pork.
Lots of nice flavours and smells delicious, nice service and great atmosphere