I've been going to Zen since their Scarborough days and even though I've been coming to this restaurant for many years, I'm always pleasantly surprised that they somehow manage to make what's an already perfect meal even more so.
I had a very enjoyable dinner at Zen last night for Sake Night with a flight from Koshi No Kanbai. Their sake is made in the Niigata prefecture which is known for its fresh water and pristine snow. This contributes to great conditions for growing rice and fermenting sake.
My favourite sake from Koshi No Kanbai was their Ginjo Bessen followed very closely by Junmai Daiginjo Kinmuku.
This sake flight along with Zen's beautiful and flavorful Sushi Kaiseki made for an excellent pairing.
And as so many others have mentioned, sitting at Zen's sushi bar is a must especially if you're having the Omakase. The chefs are engaging and fun to watch and they always try to answer a patron's questions
Hopefully I won't take so long for a return visit to Zen!
Came here once with a friend, it was an awesome dining experience. Even though Zen-san himself wasn't in, the food was still really good. Freshest fish I've had. Real Japanese cuisine compared to Kiu and Cafe Michi, although those are good too. High price point, but worth it for special occasions!
We’ve been going to this restaurant for 4 months now and it never disappointed. The sushi is amazing - one of the best I’ve had in Toronto so far. The tempura is very good too- not too oily like in other places... very enjoyable actually...
The staff is just great... always careful to the customers needs and with a smile on their face...
It is more expensive than other japanese restaurants but well worth it.
Zen Japanese Restaurant has always been my favourite restaurant for sushi in Toronto! This is the Japanese restaurant I’ve come to the most, and one that I don’t regret spending
This is my favourite Japanese restaurant in Markham. Although it is quite pricey (slightly overpriced in my opinion), I do find that the quality of the fish and service is much much better than most. I really enjoy their omakase menus and found their cooked foods to be quite delicate in flavours and well balanced. Also, they make the best hand rolls I've ever had. I also love their ice cream. But you have to pay $16 per hand roll and $8 per scoop of ice cream. Their soft shell crab had the softest shell I've ever had! It as ever so lightly battered. The only cooked dish that I haven't liked was the sea bream head boiled slowly.
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We came here for their omakase kaiseki menu since it appeared to be highly recommended. I've been wanting to try this place since they opened this new location. To be honest I tried their old location in scarborough and wasn't impressed. But this new place was amazing! I've been to Kaji as well and wanted to compare the two because they are similar in price. Here are my thoughts:
- sushi and sashimi were comparable between the two, although I think there may have been a few more pieces at Kaji? Don't quote me on this...
- appetizers were also pretty comparable but I think Kaji had more unique flavors and variety. I appreciated the fine details in the tiny appetizers at both places that I know must have taken some time to produce.
- one thing that stood out to me here at Zen was the wagyu beef hot pot. It was a nice touch among the fish and appys and something to warm the stomach since everything else was cold. It was a good balance.
Overall I thoroughly enjoyed both restaurants. However if I had to choose one, I think Zen has a slight edge over Kaji in my opinion. But keep in mind that I've also gone to Zen more recently than Kaji so it's more fresh in my mind, if there was a bias to my opinion.
Happy eating everyone! ☺️
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My omakase experience at Zen was out of this world!! Omakase is a meal where you leave the selection of what you eat to the chef. You don't necessarily get to choose what fish you get or how it is prepared. Specifically for omakase at sushi spots, you are given pieces of fish with specially selected toppings or garnishes in whatever order the chef wants.
If you are sitting at a table, and not at the sushi bar, the sushi chef prepares every piece and puts it on a big platter for you to enjoy. Although you get the same pieces of fish, it is not the same experience if you are not sitting at the sushi bar!
I highly recommend coming to Zen for their omakase, but only by the sushi bar (for the reasons I said above). The fish was fresh and everything was delicious. As for the price point, I've been doing research and I think that this is quite fairly priced for what you get. It seems quite expensive but you really are paying for the experience and the freshness of the fish you eat. I won't be back for regular dinners but for special occasions, for sure!
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My husband and I visited Zen's new Markham location for the very first time - it was better than we remembered from our visits to the Scarborough location! We both had omakase sushi at the sushi bar - sushi was placed on our plate as they were made by the chef. My husband and I love Japanese food, many of the fish served were not foreign to us: sea bream, salmon, fluke, etc. We were impressed by how the same fish can taste so refreshingly different at Zen. The omakase started with lighter tasting variety of white fish - sweet and a touch of citrus. We then moved on to the shell fish - snow crab, sea urchin, sweet shrimp, and scallop. My husband does not enjoy shell fish, I usually have mine and finish his - not at Zen! He turned to me after trying the sea urchin sushi and said it was the BEST tasting sea urchin he has tried outside of Japan. To finish the omakase, we had toro hand rolls. I thought it was going to be messy and difficult to eat - seaweed could be too soft to chew through, rice and other ingredients could fall from the other end of the roll... Instead, I found the seaweed wrap extra crispy but not flaky, I was able to take a bite and taste all the unique flavours from each ingredient, without leaving bits of seaweed on my lip or between my teeth!
After a satisfying meal, we shared a desert from the menu - soy milk ice cream. For those whom have tried and loved the Chinese tofu desert, this is the frozen version of it and ten times better on a hot summer day. The texture mimics Taiwanese shaved ice, extremely fine and delicate. It is placed in a small bowl topped with perfectly cooked red bean, mochi, and most amazingly, black sugar syrup! I would return and JUST have this desert.
Like many other reviews here, I agree it was an expensive meal. It is not a place I would visit every week but it is definitely a place my husband and I find very special and want to reserve it for special occasions - as I suggested to my husband, our anniversary every month should be celebrated here at Zen.
A nice little Japanese restaurant hidden away in Markham. I've never been to their old location before but we visited a while after they moved to Markham. It was a bit hard to find since the signage wasn't that visible or bold. Inside, the atmosphere is quite nice and not rowdy. We chose to sit at the bar and we ordered the Omakase set. Their chawanmushi (steamed egg) is hands down the BEST I've ever had. It is SO good, made with a really good soup base/stock. Sushi wise, their fish is very fresh and very good quality, definitely worth the price. One thing I gotta mention is that they seem to put quite a bit of wasabi inside each piece of sushi before they give it to you. Although I do like wasabi with my sushi normally, but I actually don't really prefer having it with higher grade sushi because the taste of wasabi does cover the actual/natural taste of the fish a bit and kinda "ruins" the taste experience a bit. It still tasted really good nonetheless. Dessert was pretty good.
Zen finally moved to Markham. It's more convenient for York region residents.
The new place with new decor, new furniture, new utensils and new menu. They provide omakase now with limited a la carte menu now. The sushi bar has increased to 11 seats. Unfortunately, I could not book the sushi bar.
I ordered sushi omakase. Not sure if it's the reason that I did not sit at the bar and have the sushi one by one, I found the sushi was not that fresh, more wasabi used (to cover the unfreshness?) when compared with the old location. To confirm if I'm wrong, I plan to go again and make sure I have the seats at sushi bar.
Nevertheless, the dessert is the highlight. Shiso sobert is the special dessert. It's fresh and yummy. I like it very much. Their signature, tofu ice cream with sweet red bean and mochi is wonderful. The dessert has covered the weakness of sushi.
Their fish definitely tastes better than aoyama, cafe michi, and taros fish. Price is decent, and so far everything raw had been great. Hopefully to try their teriyakis later. Best sushi in town is not an understatment!
Chirashi is the best!. Have to try their Chirashi lunch, which is come with salad and udon! Price is just $14
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