Zakkushi

The food was ok, the service was below average compared to most Japanese restaurants I’ve been. But the cherry on top was at the end after we paid the bill. We split the check and we were on our way out when a member of the staff chased us down because he didn’t think our tip as good enough, and demanded more. According to the waiter, one of us did not tip. When my friend, who was sure he tipped, ask to see the receipt the waiter said «Oh, no, is not a problem», after 5 minutes. Making the evening unpleasant to everyone. Won’t be going back.

Most food here are yakitoria food instead of normal izakaya type
the portion of the skewer is pretty small so the bill might come out a bit expensive
but it’s definitely worth it!!!
service, food, ambience ⁵⁄₅
price ³⁄₅

Zakkushi is the japanese yakitoria (skewer pub) above the fantastic sushiya.
Everyone likes to compare Japanese yakitoria and izakaya to Guu so here goes. Food is better and more consistent than Guu. The noise level of course is not as high as Guu, but it s loud of course. Usually the establishments are packed by Chinese customers licking up a taste of Japan but on our last visit most customers were Japanese themselves which is a good sign for authenticity and authentic it is.
Yakitori on charcoal, sake, meat salads, fried meat and a very limited dessert menu you can ignore without worrying. It is winter and they have an oden (mixed vegetables and fish in Japanese sake and mirin broth) menu.
Very good: oden, beef tongue and hatsu heart.
Good: atmosphere which is fun but not too loud you cannot hear your friends and the authentic wood decoration.
Bad: chicken karaage was not crispy (it is average style and they do not offer tatsutaage) and mushy unagi. Izakaya portions: small everything means you have to order again and again. This is the way it is at izakaya.
if you drink it will be $ 60/​person
If you do not drink it will be $ 35 per person.
They do not have green tea on the menu. They have removed shiokara from the menu.
Finally, to the 145 cm Napoleon complex girl who was pushing everyone in line to get herself ahead saying «we have reservation»: it was fun seeing you sit last and get a lesson in humility. Everyone else had reservations too. Too late for milk.

Tip: Make a reservation. It can be busy and they have a time limit on how long you can sit at the table, this is in order to accommodate everyone. (Time limits are common practice in Japan to maintain steady turnover during busy periods and ensure everyone eventually sits down, it’s usually a 2-​hour all-​you-​can-​drink in Japan unfortunately they don’t do that here!)
All the dishes are authentic, they have real charcoal grills at the back (sumi yaki) so all the chicken, squid, meats and fish are grilled authentic Japanese style. Drinks are very Japanese, lots of ‘sours’ and they even have Okinawan liquor (awamori) which is something some Izakaya in Japan don’t even carry (I suspect someone on the staff is from Okinawa!)
Price point is not low and the portions are not huge, some hearty eaters and bargain hunters may find themselves still a little peckish after all is said and done, but given the product authenticity and number of staff to keep things moving and cooking, I feel it is reasonable and that they’re doing their absolute best on the price point, I didn’t feel over-​charged for what I got. Authentic Japanese always tends to be a higher price point and this is par for the course.
For 4 of us to drink and eat continuously for 2 hours it ended up being just under $ 300 all-​in. Mind you, that bill contained some sake and the slightly expensive awamori. I think most foursomes can expect to pay closer to the low/​mid 200’s if you get drunk on standard liquors.
I would definitely go back again.
Recalling the interior layout and space. probably not a good place for sudden huge groups — couples or groups up to 6 may be best.

Each time I have a Zakkushi reservation coming up, I think of nothing else for the rest of the week.
The yakitori is delicious. The yelling is fun. The Sapporo Beer Blasts are great. The black sesame ice cream is truly amazeballs.
The only time there was ever any confusion (i.e. an order that didn’t arrive) involved a confused-​looking waitress, but she seemed to be a trainee. Best to clarify if your order goes rogue for an extended period of time.
But everyone there (including the dreaded Clipboard Time Management Guy, who oversees the 2-​hour time limit) is really friendly and accomodating.
Zukkushi is the bomb.

Great food here! The food came out piping hot just like how yakitori should be and the waiters are always friendly and mindful. When our beer/​soda was finished they came by and asked if we wanted refills, when we said no, they came back with water. How considerate is that for a busy restaurant!
Their Annin tofu was just what i need to finish off my meal… it was not too sweet, full of almond flavor and very silky smooth!
Would definitely come back here for more!
I did find their «salt» flavor to be a tad too salty, I will try their teriyaki flavor next time.

Let me begin by saying that I am not a yakitori kind of person. And i am not much of an izakaya person either because of the know long wait times. However, i was willing to give Zakkushi a try since the reviews have been pretty good — under one condition. I was not willing to line up… so reservations were a must.
We made reservations for 5:30pm. We arrived around 5:15…do we had to wait around outside until they opened their doors. Do not bother arriving early because they will not let you inside the waiting area. So if it is a cold day… waiting outside might not be the greateat idea.
We ordered about 11 dishes — the premium set which included wagyu beef and bef tongue, sweet shrimp sashimi, the nwgi p-​toro don, and scallops to name a few. Our food came pretty quickly and consistently one dish after another. Everything seemed to have been prefectly timed. The shrimp sashimi however did not seem fresh as the meat was a little mushy but the flavour was fine. The rice was a bit heavy and filling but the pork pieces were absolutely delicious!
To finish off our meal, we ordered two desserts — kinako mochi ice cream and the dorayaki matcha ice cream. I didnt really like the pancakes part if the dorayaki as they were a bit crumbly. It wasnt the texture i was expecting. But the mochi ice cream was interesting as the mochis seemed to have a fried texture to them.
Overall, the service was great and the food was delicious! …aside from the pancakes.
When it came to paying… we did our usual precentage for gratuities… however, when the transaction went thru, it seemed like the tip amount was not included. Our server was ballsy enough to tell us the amount on the bill did not include «service fee». We were quite comfused as we did include a tip amount but was not picked up by the machine. Good thing our server brought it to our attention! Ballsy but necessary! Gratuity was well deserved for such wonderful service and tastey foods! So we tipped in cash.

I had never give a 5-​stars, but this place, yes! excellent service, excellent food!
things must try:(forgot names but u will know)
wagyu
unagi
cucumber (YES CUCUMBER!)
umeshu cocktail
ice cream bun
ice cream mochi

People — if you come to Toronto, do your mouth a favor and come here.
Seriously one of the best meals I have had in a good long while. This was our last dinner in Toronto before heading back to the states the next day and it was WELL worth this hike from the distillery district.
Food: I couldn’t even recommend anything in particular, EVERYTHING was DELICIOUS. I think all in all I ordered 12 skewers? Maybe more, I don’t know — I was in a blissful haze. Order a pitcher of Sapporo and kick back with good friends and enjoy the atmosphere. We waited 30−40min for a seat and it was definitely worth it.
Ambiance: part of the charm of this place — you definitely get the feeling of being in an izakaya here. The vibe is just… rambunctious for lack of better word. Wait staff are friendly.
Do it. Seriously.

Another small Japanese BBQ place that’s hidden away on the East end of Toronto. If you’re looking for a place to hang out with friends with some small appetizers and some beer this is the place to be. The food was fantastic, with the food being grilled on an open flamed charcoal grill you get some authentic flavors. Personal favorites for the night were the chicken thigh skewers and the chicken hearts, if you’re looking for some more substantial the calamari, yaki soba and fried chicken were a delicious and a must try.
The only problem you’ll run into is that since the portion sizes are small (Prices are listed as per skewer) its easy to get carried away and rack up a high bill if you’re not careful. If you’re looking for a place to eat a full dinner, I’d recommending going somewhere else. This place is great but isn’t really meant for a full meal in my opinion.
It should be noted that most of the staff members don’t speak english very well, so you’ll need to be patient with them as they take your order.

I was overwhelmed with the menu when I first visited. There are many items that you can’t easily figure out how they taste, and not a lot of them sound very filling. It’s probably one of the most expensive restaurants I could go to because most items on the menu are ordered PER skewer. Each skewer is a little bigger than the size of your index finger and cost $ 2~8.
They serve really really great food, no question about that. However I just can’t get over how expensive the bill can get. As some have suggested, pre-​eat before you come here.
The atmosphere is very authentic and the servers were nice and responsive. I would come back (with a full stomach) for hanging out with friends for a beer and a set of 5 skewers that they have on the menu.

Omomom best and fair price. I will definitely come back.
Sit in the bar and been serve by the chef.
They all japanese with a so so english. The food and service was very good. The have a good sake list. Sell in bottle or 300ml or 120ml.
Fish are fresh and buttery. The rice was perfectly cook and not much on the nigiris. You can feel each piece of rice rolling in your mouth in each bites.
I think for what a had is a great value.

LOVE LOVE LOVE this place. A good friend of mine took me here and after waiting 30 – 40 minutes for a table I have to say the expectations were high. I was not disappointed. The wait is long if you haven’t made a reservation, so learn from our mistakes and make that reservation!
The place was packed to the brim on a Friday night but service did not slow down. I tried a lot of items so here’s a short list of must try’s that stood out for me:
Gyu (beef) tongue — $ 2
Uzura Maki (Bacon wrapped quail eggs) — $ 2.1
Yakioni with butter — so delicious! $ 2
Me Maki — $ 1.9
Bacon asparagus — $ 2.4
The only thing about this place is that the bill does tend to add up because price is per skewer instead of per two which is common at other izakaya restaurants. Still, the quality and preparation of the food is totally worth it.

I would give this place 5 stars if it didn’t make my wallet bleed and me weeping in tears every time I get the bill. To say that this place is expensive is an understatement. It’s so pricey it makes caviar on a bed of truffles seem like a steal! Ok. that’s a bit of a stretch but it’s pricey nonetheless.
I love their food. Just about everything tastes amazingly good and it almost makes you forget that every bite you take is costing $ 5. So go ahead and order anything on the menu knowing confidently that it will probably taste great. Just be frugal though if you want to leave this place without having to re-​mortgage your house.
I think the best tip I can offer would be to pre-​eat (LOL) before your visit but it’s definitely a place worth revisiting.

We came here at 1:30 AM on a late night whim.
The first thing I thought when I stepped into the restaurant was «thank the lord for not screaming my ears off».
Like all the izakaya restaurants in Toronto, I left this restaurant a bit confused. I would give it 3.5 stars.
What I liked– The food was very fresh, authentic, well-​seasoned, refined and palatable. I must say the Wagyu beef skewer with oropon sauce was probably the best I have ever eaten in Toronto. Huge thumbs up to the sashimi plate as well.
What I was «meh» about– The service. Despite coming late at night with probably the minimal number of customers, service was slow. This was also the FIRST Japanese restaurant I went to where green tea was not complimentary. C’mon, green tea is basically equivalent to hot water in Japanese cuisine.
What I didn’t like– The BILL. Even though I barely ate anything and did not drink, the bill amounted to almost $ 30. This is really steep, regardless of how «oishii» the food was.
Great food, but a wallet burner if you want to be full.

Well all i have to say is that during our vacation here in Toronto, we were definitely on a mission looking for the best of the best in Japanese cuisine and with all the great Izakaya’s we have in Hawaii, it’s really hard to compare the Japanese food in Hawaii as opposed to the Japanese food they offer here in Toronto. But at Zakkushi on Carlton, we were pleasantly surprised and satisified with our dining experience here.
I truly love a place that is hopping and busy and at Zakkushi, we went on a Sunday night and this place was packed to the gills and were greeted with the «IRASSHAIMASE «welcome that everyone seems to get whenever there is a customer being seated. The restaurant looks very tight upon walking in, but as you walk through the restaurant, it is actually pretty spacious being that i’m a pretty big guy and i like sitting pretty comfortably.
As for the menu, it has a nice balance of Yakitori items to Appetizers and Salad’s and Seafood as well which is good for me because i love trying a whole bunch of things on the menu. As for the price point here, i wouldn’t call this place very expensive, but your bill can add up quite a bit if you are not careful. As for me. i could care less because when you are on vacation, i want to eat everything and anything i can get my hands on. As for the Yakitori, i thought almost everything we ate were quite outstanding and flavorful, and i also like the fact that everything you order is priced per skewer and not in two’s like most places i go to. The only thing i didn’t like about some items on Zakkushi’s Yakitori selection was that the cuts on some items were almost too small and not as generous as you would like it to be, but all in all i wasn’t that bad. I just think other people might think otherwise because some people just can’t see themselves paying that much per piece. As for the Yakitori items we had, here was a snippet of what we did try…
Wagyu Beef w/​Oropon Sauce ($ 6.80 per piece)
Lamb Chop: ($ 6.80 per piece)
Cheese Tsukune: ($ 2.00 per piece)
Tebasaki or Chicken Wing: ($ 2.00 per piece)
Negi Yaki: ($ 2.00 per piece)
Oropon Beef: ($ 2.50 per piece)
Gyu Tongue: ($ 2.00 per piece)
Garlic Prawn: ($ 2.80 per piece)
Scallop: ($ 2.80 per piece)
Eryngi Mushroom ($ 2.00)
Of all of the pieces of Yakitori we indulged on, the Wagyu Beef, Cheese Tsukune, and Tebasaki were well prepared and seasoned to perfection. All the other’s were good but nothing to leave a ;lasting impression on me. They weren’t terrible but nor was it worth remembering as well.
As for the Seafood, we were pleasantly surprised how delicious it was, especially being a Yakitori place and not being known for their seafood, but i thought the items we ordered were a perfect compliment with the Yakitori items we ordered because i like switching gears in between bites and we were very satisfied with what we ate. Here were some of the things we tried.
Salmon and Avocado Carpaccio ($ 7.80)
Seafood Salad ($ 8.50)
Assorted Sashimi Platter ($ 13.50)
Ankimo or Monkfish Liver ($ 5.20)
Katsuo Tataki (???)
Ebi Mayo ($ 7.50)
Beef Tataki ($ 8.60)
Oden (Five items for $ 6.80)
Annin Tofu ($ 3.80)
Black Sesame Ice Cream ($ 3.80)
All i can say about the food here at Zakkushi is that almost everything we have tried was truly amazing for the price you pay and the presentation is typical Japanese presentation where everything is placed beautifully on the plate and consistent in terms of taste and flavor. What i really liked about the vibe here at Zakkushi was that although very loud and noisy, i love the way the server’s all work well together. I loved how different server’s came to our table’s without no one screwing up on our orders and not once were we ever rushed unlike our dining experience at Guu Izakaya where we were sat like sardines and were trying to rush us out which is one thing i can’t stand. Unlike our dining experience at Zakkushi, we felt welcomed and unrushed and the server’s were very upbeat and even had time to chat with us. Those are the qualities that made my dining experience here at Zakkushi an evening to remember unlike our dining experience at Guu where you are treated like a herd of cattle.
Let’s just say that Zakkushi left such a wonderful impression on us, guess where we ate the next evening? At their Sushi Restaurant below Zakkushi called Sushiya which i will review later. Of all the Japanese places we ate at here in Toronto, i would have to put Zakkushi on the top of our list. Great service and excellent food is the perfect combination for a person like me and if i’m ever in Toronto again, this will definitely be a place i will frequent once again.
Arigato Zakkushi Staff from a Happy Hawaiian Foodie =)

Was craving asian food so I ended up here and all the expensive meat we ordered were over cooked and I had to send back my intestines to be re-​cooked to well done. On the other hand, their sashimi salad was the best item… at a yakitori house.
Similar pricing to guu sakabar and that place was ten folds better than here!

This place can get real busy real fast. I had tried to do a walk in but the last two attempts had been futile. Not wanting to take a chance I called well in advance and was told that there is a two hour seating limit on the weekend. Ah well.
First off the place is loud so unless you are willing to whatsapp forget about chatting with someone who are not seated next to you.
We ordered a whole bunch of grilled items (somehow forgot to order the eel) we are talking beef tongue, chicken liver, heart, thigh, meat ball etc. In addition we ordered some no yakitori items as well. This included takoyaki, ebimayo, mushrooms etc.
For drinks we stuck to sapparo and and cocktail.
Now for surprise the Yakitori was decent not great and the cooked items were quite good.
Service was decent. I would say 3 stars.

3.5÷5, +.5 for service
It was gonna be Zakkushi or Kingyo for my izakaya dinner stop during Good Friday, and I chose Zakkushi as I managed to find parking closer to that restaurant. Not just that, but there were actually seats available inside, so we didn’t have to wait.
We were greeted… well, as we expected, by loud, jubilant waitresses who shout phrases in unison. This place is also authentic Japanese (unlike Guu, which is Korean), as the table beside me actually conversed with all the employees in Japanese, and everyone spoke with a common language throughout the restaurant and the kitchen.
The menus were already provided in each of the tables, and are quite extensive. They particularly have a large yakitori menu, but a respectable amount of sushi, sashimi, and appetizers as well. If you order 3 of the appetizers, you get a nice overall discount by paying only $ 5.80 in total!
I ordered the takowasabi, shiokara, and hotaruika to start. Both the shiokara and hotaruika tasted very good with different kinds of sauce used (the shiokara sauce is particularly thick). The takowasabi is decent, but it is not for the person who isn’t wasabi tolerant (such as myself); your eyes will burn and you will feel the aftereffects for a while.
In the yakitori, we ordered the wagyu beef (x3), wagyu beef tsukune (x2), duck breast, cheese tsukune, umeshiso yaki (x3), and carbonara udon. All of them were excellent except for the wagyu beef, which was unfortunately quite tough. Too bad, cause personally I don’t think wagyu beef is a good candidate for yakitori style, but grilled or marinated other ways it’s such an awesome type of beef.
Again, service was simply excellent, and the place is loud but not to the unbearable level where you can’t have an actual conversation with your friends without breaking your vocal cords. They keep track of your orders, so if you have something missing, they will know; no need to remind them.
I would like to try Kingyo next time before making a firm decision on whether to return here, but I was definitely impressed.

Toronto is going through an izakaya craze right now; who knew that Japanese tapas would be so popular. Anyway, I had dinner here on Saturday night with my mother. Reservations can be made; however, you have to call as online reservation making is not an option. We arrived at 5:30 (opening) and it was quite empty, but within 20 minutes, the place was packed. Unlike another izakaya in the city, we were able to carry a conversation without screaming. I like the décor and feel of this place; it looks like an izakaya you’d find in Japan. The menu is extensive and includes oden along with a number of unique yakitori. We ordered a number of items, including wagyu yakitori, sweet potato fries, spinach/​mushroom/​garlic, BBQ donburi, and mochi/​kinako ice cream. The food was okay, nothing to write home about. Overall, my experience (including the food) was a-​ok.
Good for: Japanese, tapas