Saku Sushi

I’m typically not a big sushi enthusiast, but I find myself craving their vegetarian Garden roll all the time! It’s the perfect combination of grilled zucchini, eggplant and tomato with crispy tempura bits, soft yam and avocado. By far the best vegetarian sushi I’ve ever had! The service is always great too; very attentive and polite (and not judgemental when I ask for a fork: s)

There is an abundance of sushi joints in Toronto, but good sushi joints… I can only count with one finger.
I’m glad to be adding Saku to that list. Skeptical at first, but reassured by all the good reviews pointing to a consistent experience, we went for lunch on a Saturday afternoon.
Surprisingly not busy at all around 1pm, the restaurant has a modern and sleek vibe to it.
Our waitress was friendly and gave us some excellent recommendations. Between 3 hungry people we shared:
From the raw sushi menu:
Lion King — prawn tempura, spicy tuna, avocado, green onion
Energy — prawn tempura, avocado, spicy tuna, unagi
BBQ sushi menu:
Island — prawn tempura, yam, avocado, scallop
Tapas:
Breaded osyters with garlic mayo — this is meh. large pieces of oysters, heavily breaded.
Torched salmon pressed sushi
Food arrived quickly and nicely presented. My favourites were Island and Torched salmon pressed sushi. They just melt in your mouth, the combination of ingredients work really well for my taste.
We did note that since it’s fusion there are a lot of sauces used and it got a little empowering in the end. It would’ve been nice to order two fusion rolls and a mix of their regular sashimi cut to find that balanced flavour. Most of their rolls use prawn tempura and avocado as base, reminiscent of green dragon.
Their prices are very reasonable, with most rolls averaging $ 11. They are huge in size too, we were really full at the end of our meal. I would definitely recommend going to Saku if you ever have a craving for sushi. Location is quite convenient and easy to find, I don’t even think there are decent sushi spots around Queen St.

3.5 is my rating.
I think i’ve been spoiled by too many good sushi places so I might be slightly bias.
So, prior to coming I saw on their instagram posts there is a picture of their board stating «$ 3 uni every friday». Well that certainly caught my attention since i did go on a Friday. Turns out on the menu it says $ 4 for 1 piece (sushi or sashimi), and $ 6 for 2. Don’t get me wrong that is still a good deal, but that false advertising definitely did not give me a good first impression. If you changed the price, maybe you should consider deleting that picture off your instagram.
Negitoro ($ 7)
It was shocking to see that the negitoro was bursting out of the handroll. The negitoro itself was really good — minced really well and the portion was there but i would have preferred the negitoro spread through the entire handroll, meaning all the way to the bottom. When I reached halfway of my handroll it was all just rice.
Chef’s Selection A ($ 21)
This came with 12 sushi and 6 pieces of maki. This definitely was a good deal as there is quite a variety for the fish — included salmon, red tuna, unagi (bbq eel), hamachi, and torched sushi. One thing I found slightly odd was, there were 2 pieces of red tuna but one had a lemon on top and the other didn’t??? Same with Hamachi, there were 2 pieces, one had a piece of lime on top and the other didnt???
Saku Roll ($ 13)
Saku roll has tuna, scallop, coriander, cucumber and a piece of jalapeño on top. Considering this roll was named after their restaurant, I would assume this would be the best roll they offer but i personally thought it wasn’t that great. There wasn’t really flavor in this roll. I couldn’t taste the ingredients — it just felt like everything mushed together. I wasn’t sure if the scallop was inside the roll or part of the piece that was on top of the roll.
Red Tuna tartar ($ 13)
this was a disappointment — the tuna sashimi was fresh but the tartar lacked flavor. Essentially it just tasted like chopped sashimi mixed with avocado. The dish was served with 6 pieces of taro chips which was definitely not enough to go with the tartar.
On a side note i didn’t really like the service of our waitress — she was so inexperienced. I wasn’t sure if it was because she couldn’t hear me or she wasn’t sure of what i was asking? She just sounded so unknowledgable when i asked her questions. I asked if they have toro, and she responds «uhhh, i think so, yeah sure» ??? what exactly does that mean? I just find it odd as she looks at me like I’m speaking in a language she doesn’t understand. Anyhow, apparently they do have a separate menu of all their fishes so you are able to order a la carte. This is what she said «We do have an a la carte menu but we don’t give it to everyone because it’s just a sheet of paper that gets wrinkled and dirty.» lol? I asked her «can you guys do negitoro? If so i would like a negitoro handroll». (negitoro was not on the menu) Her response was, «um negitoro? hm yes i think so, i will ask for you». ??? and guess what, she never came back telling me if it was possible. It was only until the handroll actually came, then i realized it was an available item which i did end up ordering not knowing the price.
The ingredients are fresh but for some reason it just felt like they weren’t put together well and lacked expertise. The price is decent considering it is a downtown location, so can’t complain about that. but if i were to think of a go-​to sushi place, this would not be on the list.

had the Lion King special roll, seems to me it is very westernized Japanese food. The roll was flavorful with shrimp tempura, avo and spicy tuna. I personally prefer more traditional Japanese food.

This restaurant is located in the trendy Queen W. area where most things are overpriced. Knowing that, I was pleasantly surprised to see reasonable pricing on their menu.
If you expect top quality sushi or sashimi, you are at the wrong place.
What you should be expecting from this place are dishes made out of fresh ingredients that taste great, nice ambiance you and your date (or friends) can enjoy and pretty good service. On top of that, all the dishes are very well garnished, which makes the dining experience even more exciting.
It looks like Saku understands the target market very well and knows what to offer. You definitely get the excellent value out of what you pay here.

Where to begin with this jewel of a sushi joint?
First of all the atmosphere, and the entire ambience of the shop had this very cool hip vibe the moment me and my friends came here on a Friday night, we immediately got drinks and that’s where the fun began.
After a few drinks and about 15 – 20 or so minutes the food came and my god I don’t know if it was me being tipsy, hungry or both but the food was great!
Great choice for a downtown eat, very clean place. I highly recommend it.

Recently discovered Saku as I work and live nearby and love it! Great quality sushi, and the presentation is amazing for the price. In this past month I’ve been there four times already and as a creature of habit I always get the same thing. Try their lion king roll, Washington roll, aburi sushi, and pressed sushi, it’s a must!

Discovered this gem a month ago and casual sushi night has never been the same! High quality sushi AND great price point is a rare combo and Saku really raised the bar here.
On Queen street just west of Spadina, they opened up a few months ago and already I have lost count how many times I’ve visited. I was beyond excited to recognize the same owners as my previous fav sushi spot Hub Sushi before they changed ownership half a year ago.
Dinner set A is a must try. For $ 21 you get 12 piece sushi and 6 piece maki. The sushi spread is no joke, there is an impressive range of various types of tuna, yellowtail, salmon and even flame torched sushi. Fish is super fresh, at the perfect temperature and the rice is high quality Japanese rice — moist and fluffy. I did not know 20 bucks could go this far with sushi downtown.
For rolls I’m a fan of the Ocean Dream ($ 11) special roll with tuna, salmon, avocado, cucumber, fish eggs. Freshness explosion in your mouth! 10% on a special roll with Unilocal checkin is definitely a bonus.
As expected, they are getting busier and busier so would suggest making a reservation. Lately I’ve been recommending Saku left and right to family and friends and they all come back with the same verdict — love this place!

The restaurant came up as brand new in the area that I usually frequent. I gathered a group of friends together and purchased a coupon deal to help with the meal. Based on the website, the restaurant recently moved from uptown where I use to hangout before I moved downtown.
There were daily specials for food as well as cocktails for $ 8 from 4 to 7 pm. If you see uni (sea urchin) on the menu, make sure you order it as it is only available in limited quantities. Our group ordered the uni ikura don, soft shell crab, crunch beef roll, and the sashimi platter. The best of the meal was the platter with lots of variety of fresh sashimi. The uni ikura don was amazing and we were lucky to order the last one of the day.
Definitely will be back to try other goodies even if the coupon deal has ended. There are many other dishes that I wanted to try including the fried oysters and many rolls that others have raved about. The prices are reasonable without the coupon given the quality of food that you are served. Although I did not drink that night, the restaurant was offering a large hot sake for $ 5 with an order of a specific roll (i.e. Boston special roll).

Thank you so much this was amazing sushi we loved it so much!!!
Black cod miso, Washington roll and the lunch special — what an amazing deal with the sashimi salad. Mmmmmmm.

Perfect place for good value, good quality sushi that will fill you up without putting a hole in your wallet. All of the sushi/​sashimi was fresh and flavourful, especially the scallop sashimi included in the daily sashimi platter which also had Hamachi and ebi that day. The chef’s sushi selection was a great way to have a bit of everything including several torched pieces. As for rolls we ordered a volcano roll and a spider roll. With its crunchy texture, the volcano easily lived up to my expectations based on all the other reviews while the spider fell short, being just standard among many others made around the gta.
Service was great from start to finish, although the drinks did take a while to come considering it was a quiet Sunday night.

I am quite pleased with my experience here tonight. Every piece of sushi was delicious and I particularly enjoyed the torched pieces. The sashimi platter was expensive but understandable because of the nature of the selected variety. My favorite item by far was the scallop sashimi which was fresh, juicy, and tender! The volcano sushi roll was also very tasty — just the perfect amount of crunchiness to complement the rest of the roll. The soft shell crab roll, on the other hand, was only mediocre. perhaps even subpar. The two cocktails that we ordered were decent but the one with sho chiku bai and peach schnapps tasted a little better.
Service was great throughout the night. Surprisingly though, the restaurant was rather empty on a Sunday evening during prime dinner hours.
Also, note: they hold onto their dishes and serve everything at once.

In a sea of below-​average sushi joints on the small stretch of Queen St West, this place is a shining beacon for sushi lovers everywhere!
We ordered a sushi/​sashimi set, Energy and Volcano rolls, grilled octopus, and 5 pieces of uni to share. Rolls were HUGE! Pretty sure there was more than 10 pieces for each roll. Everything was fresh, and I liked that we got cuts of fish outside of the typical options you get.
The only small thing I’d suggest to their drink menu is focus. Quality over quantity. Some drink choices were a tad ambitious. Case in point — my old fashioned did not need to be lit on fire.
Fresh fish, creative rolls, and a good price point, I hope this restaurant is here to stay.

Finally! A go-​to spot for good and affordable sushi in Toronto. It’s so hard to find a solid mid-​tier sushi place downtown as I find the city either has:
1. Unworthy AYCE restaurants compared to the suburbs
2. Upscale, fancy and pricey Japanese establishments
3. Mediocre/​below-​average joints with questionable levels of freshness
But Saku is such a welcome addition! I was initially excited about this place because it’s essentially the rebirth of the original Hub Sushi in Thornhill which I absolutely loved but heard it had fallen apart after new management came in. From what I remember, the menu has largely remained the same although the Special Dinner for 2 (best value) is not offered.
The vibe of Saku is very trendy and hipster. All the elements for a place on Queen Street West. There is seating along the bar and everything else is booths so it’s nice and intimate. Music isn’t too loud which is great to come and unwind, have a date or catch up with friends.
For 2, we ordered the Lion King Roll, Volcano Roll, Spicy Salmon Roll and Red Tuna Tartare w/​Baked Chip. Be warned that their special rolls are not your typical maki rolls. Its definitely fusion and not just purely fresh fish wrapped with seaweed and rice. They play around with the texture and flavor with the help of various toppings and lots of their chef’ special sauce.
Lion King ($ 11) and Volcano ($ 11) — Rice is warm, rolls are soft (albeit slightly smaller than I had expected) and the components just work so perfectly together as it all melts in your mouth. SO good. I liked the Volcano (prawn tempura, avocado, spicy salmon topped with yam chips) a little more since it was easier to eat without the shredded stuff but the Lion King (prawn tempura, spicy tuna, avocado and green onion) was pretty similar in taste.
These rolls have a good and bad to them. On one hand, it’s delicious but on the other, you know deep down you’re not really eating sushi anymore. The salmon or tuna gets lost under all that sauce and really goes unappreciated.
But! The spicy salmon roll ($ 6) was prepared and presented more traditionally and proved that Saku is capable of serving fresh, well-​made sushi. Rice ratio was on point. I look forward to trying their pressed sushi, nigiri and sashimi next time.
My only complaint is the Red Tuna Tartare w/​Baked Chip ($ 13). Avocado was creamy, tuna was fatty but the tartare was just so bland! I wish it had some zest to it to give it a sweet, slightly sour taste or any flavor for that matter. The chips didn’t complement it well either. The dish had so much potential but just didn’t deliver.
Positive experience overall. Without a doubt, I’d come back to Saku (although I think Hub was better).

Good restaurant. Good food, but got too busy during rush hour. There is only one waitress.

Found it guys! I have finally found my favourite Sushi place in town, a place where you can enjoy really good sushi without burning a hole through your pocket!
I was adamant on trying this new place and took Mr. H along, soon we realized it was where the old vegan restaurant used to be. The ambiance was very cozy (not the typical minimalistic look-​of-​a-​sushi-​place), we were told they don’t take reservations past 9 but fortunately the guy made an exception.
We ordered;
Tuna Tataki Shasimi: This comes in a ponzu sauce and was absolutely delicious!
Salmon Tuna Ceviche: There is no lime or guacamole on this one but it was my most favourite dish. It came with a sweet sauce and the fish was so good!
Todays Special Sushi: There were six in total. Tuna, Salmon, Albacore Tuna, Shrimp, Sea Bream and another one I don’t remember. I liked it but it wasn’t my favourite, I thought the rice didn’t have enough vinegar. I personally prefer it when it’s served with some seasoning (it’s not supposed to be, so that’s just me) Mr. H loved it though.
Ocean Dream Roll: This roll was like biting into freshness. It was super delicious, the cucumber shavings on top gave it that freshness and it was served cold which added to the flavour.
Volcano Roll: Mr. H’s least favourite but I really liked it! I was served a little warm and had yam crispy shavings on top. The roll was amazing.
We downed all of this with some really good Hot Sake. The serving size was great! It was a lot of food and unlike some really expensive places where you end up paying through your nose and leaving feeling still… a little hungry. The rolls here are huge so make sure you come with an appetite. We enjoyed the service and ambiance so much that we stayed on longer that we expected. I will definitely be going back!

Very impressive! We came here early on a Saturday evening and it wasn’t too busy. We ordered a beer, soft shell crab (special), spicy tuna roll, salmon roll, and the special roll – lion king. It was all SO AMAZING!
The soft shell crab was flavorful and also came with these delicious chips. All the rolls were so fresh and beautifully prepared. The lion king was huge and tasted great. I also think this place is pretty affordable. I can’t forget the décor as I loved the inside. Very nice! Overall we loved everything we ordered and plan to go back a lot!

Pretty good sushi. It’s not like mind-​blowing or anything, and it’s definitely fusion, not purist sushi. But it’s tasty, it’s fresh, it’s well made, and it’s pretty cheap! We were looking for redirect sushi, as we were still craving it after the bad sushi we returned at Shio
, we needed to eat some better sushi! We ordered the Volcano, Energy, and Island rolls, thinking we were just getting started. Three rolls here is a ton of food — the rolls are huge. We ate all three and the server actually told us it was impressive for us to finish them! At $ 12 per roll, this is a great deal.
Very Important: I advise that you absolutely DO NOT come here for date night — I had food all over my face the whole time I was here. It’s impossible to eat rolls this big and look cute. Lucky for me we had just seen Star Wars and my love was too dreamy and geeked out to even notice the food on my face. ;p
If you are looking for «real» or «authentic» sushi, go to JaBistro or Japango. If you are hangry or drunk or it’s late or you just need a bite — go here. It’s good. And it’s a pile of food for the price.

I’m so glad I found the reincarnation of Hub Sushi. Ever since my last visit to Hub, I’ve been so disappointed in the quality of the food. Saku on the other hand is the same (if not better) than what Hub used to be. Located on Queen, this new restaurant has very modern décor and an overall comfortable setting.
Saku has a number of special rolls which I found were all really good. We tried five different rolls: Lion King, Saku, Volcano, Ocean Dream and Island. All of them were very nicely presented and portions were great for sharing.
Unfortunately, the server forgot one of our rolls which is where this restaurant loses a point. We posted pictures on our Instagram and also got free Mochi for dessert.
If you’re downtown and looking for sushi, give Saku a try! Reasonable prices and excellent quality food!

*GREAT SUSHI ON QUEEN WEST*
This isn’t just another sushi restaurant on Queen W. These guys are opening with a bang! 10% off ALL special rolls, $ 3.50 pints of Sapporo, and if you check-​in you receive a free Tempura Ball.
I loved the décor of the place. It was like a nice night out with prices that you would regularly pay at a hole-​in-​the-​wall sushi place. The servers were wonderful and on top of topping up our tea. We ordered 2 pints of Sapporo, the VOLCANO and SPIDER rolls which tasted fantastic and the presentation was nice, and we also ordered BREADED OYSTERS with Garlic Mayo and it was probably my favourite!
To be picky, the only thing I wish it had was spicier wasabi and a better bottle for the soy sauce. It was difficult to come out of the bottle. Altogether it came out to $ 50 with tax and tip.
We highly recommend this place is you’re looking for a new sushi joint to try out. We will definitely be coming back!