Reviews Zen Japanese Restaurant

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!

Zen Restaurant never disappoints every single time. I would recommend sitting at the sushi bar and receiving whatever the chef recommends. Love it!

Part performance art and part wonderful food. Zen Sushi restaurant takes a night out and makes it a memorable experience. The atmosphere including the chefs is wonderful (sit at the sushi bar itself and you may get the chance to strike up a conversation with your chef while they prepare your meal. And what a meal, while pricey, the quality and freshness of the food makes the cost worthwhile, including octopus that literally melts in your mouth, its that good. Definitely a restaurant to consider when you want a nice meal that is memorable.

素晴らしいお寿司で、オーナー大将の人柄も最高です。日本から旅行者、出張にもお薦めです。This place is my keeper. I cannot wait to visit here, because its very tasty and amazing sushi!

One of the best in town ! It is worth for every penny !

Best Sushi in town! Extraordinary service! ❤️️❤️️❤️️

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

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! ☺️

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.

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!

Probably the best sushi in Canada and certainly in Toronto. I have been to Tojo and to Sushi Kaji and this is better, though Tojo has better decor. The sushi at Zen melts in your mouth and the staff are extremely friendly. Sit at the sushi bar for an experience you won't forget!!

Lunch chirashi. Best value vs quality.

Proper Japanese style food.. It's not cheap, but all things consider, proper Japanese food is never cheap, this is not meant to be like Kaji, but think of it as a proper Japanese food you could get in Japan, while most folks go there for the sushi or sashimi, they also have other terrific cooked foods, the mandarin pie is also to die for.

Zen is my favorite place for quality sushi!! Truly a hidden gem in Scarborough. Their sushi is absolutely delicious and fish is always fresh. Whole restaurant is run by Japanese and all very friendly. Tempura is also delish. Fresh and crunchy. A little pricy but its worth it given the quality. Highly recommended. It's a small place so reservation is important ;)

The Best Sushi Anywhere. E: "Best Sushi Anywhere" Hyperbole? No, actually not. Zen is the best restaurant anywhere.
Zen Japanese is, in my opinion, not only the best sushi restaurant in Toronto, but also the best sushi anywhere. Yes, and to emphasize the point through some tackiness, I have eaten sushi in Japan.
The fish is both superb quality and correctly cut and prepared. The staples (Tai, Hirame, Suzuki and Maguro) are well represented, while fancier sea fare (Uni, Otoro, spring's herring-like Kohada, the full bodied winter fish Tachiuo or the light summer Isaki. etc.) could be found in an omakase order and off the menu. Omakase at Zen is always a treat. As many know, omakase is where one leaves the items served in the hands of the chef allowing him to serve what is available, seasonal and tasty. Here the chefs (owner Seiichi Kashiwabara, Jackie Lin and Arai Fumiko, as well as kitchen cook Sawabe Masaya) are adventurous and take full advantage of seasonality and the correct order in which fish and other dishes need to be served. Not all sushi restaurants, authentic or not, take advantage of the array of seasonal fish - Aoyama for instance, is conservative in this respect - but Zen is a mecca to fish of all types.
If maki (rolls) is your thing Zen's Negihama (yellow tail with green onions) is unparalleled. At the end of the course, Zen offers superb Unagi or Anago coloured just right with sauce that is a perfect mixture between rich and delicate. However, if you have affection for things like 'orangeville roll' or 'bazooka roll' or 'the fish was sooo fresh' or 'the California rolls are a must-try' or 'all-you-can-eat' then Zen and you are like Britney Spears and intelligence. I have seen whole fish arrive at Zen from Japan with the restaurant's name written on it. There are plenty of 'cushi' (Chinese sushi) and 'kushi' (Korean sushi) restaurants at attractive prices one can 'to die for.'
As good as the fish is the rice at Zen is superlative. Its density is consistently just right. Never the wrong volume or packed wrong it is cooked, customized and packed for the specific type of order customer places. Their menu states that they use Nozomi rice. I assume, from the end-result, it is indeed premium.
The nori (seaweed) too is imported from Japan. If you believe the owner, he has a friend order these domestically in Japan on his behalf.
Wasabi is also something with which Zen stands out. Many - I would say the vast majority - restaurants use wasabi substitutes either out of a tube or mix down their wasabi. At the bar at Zen one receives real freshly grated wasabi, a rare commodity in these parts. Wasabi is best consumed no more than 15 minutes after it is grated and such is the case at Zen. It reminds me of a conversation I overheard two years ago at Los Angeles' Hide Sushi. A couple were sitting two tables away from us with the woman being the sushi 'expert' and the man being the virgin. She was, among other things, relating to her friend what 'wasabi' was and how it is used and eaten. She informed her friend that "wasabi is horseradish." Back then I thought her ignorant and misleading and felt sorry for the guy whose mentor is misinforming her. I have since reconsidered because, it so happens that, she was correct. In most sushi restaurants wasabi is indeed horseradish mixed with mustard, vinegar, dye and so forth! On occasion, some have attempted to cultivate wasabi outside Japan but none have succeeded. The best wasabi comes from the far north of Japan and the Amagi Mountain outside Tokyo. Anything else is called 'bachi' ('from elsewhere') and seen as inferior. Suffice to say, that is not the case at Zen.
Zen's cooked main meals are not quite such gastrostars. While no slouch, the sukiyaki is pre-prepared, as opposed to done the traditional way at the table. Miyabi, Sagano or Niagara Falls' Sukiguni offer the do-it-yourself Sukiyaki.
The chirashi/udon combo is a special value.
For appetizers try the Horenso Goma-ae (spinach with sesame) or Gyutan (ox tongue).
For cooked fish the menu offers a cooked saba meal. On occasion they also have Kamasu ('barracuda') from Japan as a meal with sunomono, et cetra.
I am not a dessert connoisseur, but the black sesame ice cream is rich and, at least, good for teeth blackening, while the Mandarin pie and cream caramel, in-house rumour has it, are home-made by Mrs. Kazuko Kashiwabara. Incidentally, compare the owner/chef's correct surname with the spelling on his certificate behind the bar. Spring 2012 update: the new City Of Toronto certificate spells the chef's name correctly, although he wryly noted that the new one again mispelt his name, but this time he sent it back not wanting a second wrong one!
The prices are above average for sushi. One can have an omakase meal of $100 per person as well at Zen. The prices are below average for the quality.
-
A: The restaurant is small with perhaps five tables and two booths, but the sushi bar is active and a good option. This is often not the case elsewhere if the bar is too narrow or awkward.
The facility is clean and sparsely designed with the traditional Japanese knick knacks and statuettes. Otherwise, there is little fancy about the restaurant.
More (less!) could be said about the restaurant's location. The strip plaza is located in a downtrodden neighbourhood. The plaza itself suffers from dearth of parking, suspect neighbouring businesses and miscellaneous riffraff likely as puzzled with the Zen clientele as the diners are with the maladjusted locals' wanderings up and down. Incidentally, if worse comes to worst customers are known to have parked either next door or behind the restaurant. Having said that, make waltzing through the back door and kitchen a last option. On the bright side, if Zen's sushi does not fill one enough one can presumably always fill up three doors down with whatever it is they conjure in the Caribbean. Speaking of which, on one occasion I was about to kill the human trash that appears in this plaza. I have regretted not going ahead since.
The restaurant's management is considering moving at some point, which sounds like a good idea; however, as long as it does not come at the expense of the restaurant's longevity or characteristic quality. Unlike many other restaurants Zen's quality has not been compromised at the hands of time.
-
T: Service is usually timely and kind. The servers can get busy and, as such, occasionally fall behind especially in the evenings. The food arrives quickly lunch or dinner with the third sushi chef appearing behind the counters depending on the number of clients at the restaurant.
-
S: The servers (Keiko, Mimi or Emi) can converse with you in Japanese or recommend specials in English. Incidentally, specials are an important part of the fare at Zen (see above 'adventurous'). The chefs work hard to keep regulars and sushi bar customers delighted and interested. Feel free to enquire from the waitresses whether there are any specials.
Itamae Seiichi Kashiwabara is not only Japanese, but also trained in the art of sushi in Japan. As a child, he had seen photos his businessman father had taken of Chicago and yearned to leave Japan and travel. Soon after becoming a sushi chef in Japan his teacher relocated to Hawaii to start a restaurant. This reinforced Seiichi's dream to move abroad. The opportunity came when a friend of his father opened a restaurant in Ottawa and needed a sushi chef. Kashiwabara moved to Canada, more precisely to Ottawa, and obtained a job making sushi at Suisha Gardens ('water wheel gardens'). This restaurant still exists in Ottawa. Although, the original owner who was a friend of Kashiwabara's father, has since sold the business, relocated to Niagara Falls and opened a namesake Japanese Restaurant. Incidentally, at Suisha Gardens Kashiwabara instructed a young upstart chef who, in turn, would end up in Richmond, BC and open a highly regarded sushi-ya called Village Sushi Bar.
Kashiwabara's competent colleagues at restaurants like Miyabi and Mikado are actually trained in Canada by none other than Sushi Kaji's eponymous chef and owner.

If not for the location ..... If not for the location, I would definitely come more often. It's a bit far (and the area is a bit "questionable") for me. I have been here 2 or 3 times and there's no doubt in my mind this is one of the better Japanese restaurants in Toronto. It's been a while since I went but from what I recall everything was good from the sushi/sashimi to the cooked dishes which were extremely authentic. When I do get another chance to go again, I'll write another review to talk about specific dishes. In the meantime, please read my other Japanese reviews.

Best sushi I've found in Toronto. I moved to Toronto from Los Angeles where I have had the best sushi ever. While there are places in TO that have fine sushi I haven't found a place that I've been itching to get back to, Zen Japanese is it. While it isn't cheap the omakase was perfect, tons of delicious and fresh fish. I happily ate many things I tend to stay away from like scallop and clam, but it was all wonderful. My fiance isn't a fan of Japanese food in general, but he even enjoy is gyoza and chicken katsu and would happily return to Zen. While the neighborhood is less than desirable it's easily overlooked once you get inside to the gracious service and delicious food.

Quality food, great service. Authentic, great japanese food, no doubt. i didn't find the ambiance lacking; they do have proper lighting and some type of decor, it's not like it's a hole-in-the-wall place like Tomoe in NYC. waitresses are super polite, as japanese people are.

listened to my friend's advice and made a reservation for 2 at 1pm on a weekday; turned out the reservation wasn't necessary (maybe it's much needed for dinner time). was deciding amongst a few things, when waitress came and made some recommendations. ordered a chirashi and a sushi special (9 pcs) as she suggested, and made two a la carte sushi orders on top: uni (sea urchin) and anago (sea eel).

my bf's chirashi set came with a udon noodle in soup. the clear broth was sooooo good (close to the sukiyaki taste), we drank it all. my set came with a miso soup and house salad, both of which were on par. it seems that the chirashi (at least on that day) had a better variety of fish than my sushi; i liked his pieces slightly better than mine.

slightly disappointed by the a la carte orders. the uni was on par but not spectacular (trust me, i've had ones that made me go oooh and ahhh). the anago i've had usually lie fragilely on the rice, trailing on both ends. these two pieces i got here were truncated to match the length of the sushi rice, and i'm not too happy about that.

for dessert, we ordered one order (one scoop) each of green tea and black sesame ice-cream. the green tea is milky and tasted ok, but i personally prefer the darker ones that have a stronger, slightly bitterish green tea taste. the black sesame, on the other hand, was out of this world. it was dark like squid ink, and every bite was exploding with the aroma of sesame seeds. there were some grind sesame sprinkled on top too, which definitely improved both the flavor and the texture.

total bill came to about $65 for two; not bad for quality sushi at lunch time. however, truth be told, i have had even more superior sushi outside of toronto, and this place is kind of "in the middle of nowhere", so it may be a stretch to make this a regular dinner choice ("regular" as a visitor). but i AM tempted by their $50/pax omakase menu, so there actually may be a second time the next time i'm in town!

The fish and omakase experience  was so spectacular, it did not matter that the restaurant was in a strip mall in a sketchy looking part of Scarborough , or that it was beside a vacant store, a “spa” AND a strip club.

When you pull into the plaza where Zen is located, you may be doubtful that a successful 29-year old restaurant exists. But, the filled restaurant will likely change your mind. Seating only about seven tables and a sushi bar area, you have to make reservations on the weekends or prepare to be disappointed.

This tiny restaurant in a tiny plaza that would probably be overlooked by many has one of Toronto's most authentic sushi bars. We got a table at the bar which is where the major happens. Overall I Thought Zen was really good, I loved how they informed you on where each fish came from and they offer fish that you don't normally see

I have been to Zen numerous time for lunch and every time was an excellent experience.

Since I always come here alone, I definitely suggest to just sit right at the sushi bar. It is so much fun to interact with the chef and watch them prepare sushi like a work of art.

Lunch menu is still great value with the quality and quantity of the food. During lunch, you can also order from the full dinner menu or even their omakase sushi.

I will be coming here for my Japanese food fix whenever I can to tie me over till my next trip to Japan!

Owner/Chef Seiichi Kashiwabara took over the restaurant in the year 2000 and has had a local following of customers since. Thank you to my sister who was a returning customer for recommending this restaurant as it was the most memorable experience I had at a sushi restaurant in Toronto so far. We were here for a special occasion as we had a friend visiting from Australia.

The fish and omakase experience was so spectacular, it did not matter that the restaurant was in a strip mall in a sketchy looking part of Scarborough, or that it was beside a vacant store, a “spa” AND a strip club. Each bite of the fish served made me feel like I was in an intimate restaurant in Japan. This was the closest experience to what I imagine it would be like eating at Chef Jiro Ono restaurant in Japan (“Jiro Dreams of Sushi”), where the passionate chef chooses what fish to serve. For the sushi omakase, the fish was served in a successive order, one-at-a time. As I sat at the sushi bar, there was uncontrollable drool as I watched the chef prepare each masterpiece. Following the chefs recommendation, soy sauce was brushed on each sushi prior to serving with wasabi placed in between each sushi piece.

My husband and I also ordered the sashimi omakase to understand the difference between the two tastings. The fish is similar in both, however, the sashimi is presented on a platter and served all at once. In both, the chef names each fish on the plate.

The sashimi omakase order included but not limited to toro (tuna), regular tuna belly, medium tuna belly, sea bream with yuzu, shrimp, uni (sea urchin), octopus, skipjack, hamachi, mackerel, fluke and king fish.

The fish selection and quality was outstanding! Each bite was divine, mouth-watering and heavenly.

As a consensus, our party favourite was the toro and uni sushi, so we had to order additional pieces to satisfy our sushi needs.

Omakase at Zen’s was amazing, but why else do I LOVE Zen Sushi so much?

The owner’s pride and joy is to provide the best quality ingredients to it’s customers, even the nori is imported from Japan. Real wasabi (which is very expensive) was available for an additional charge. Talk about getting the real Japanese experience!

The chefs including Chef Cho, Owner/Chef Kashiwabara, and Chef Jackie were perfectionists, masters and artists. My momma brain forgot for a second that the sushi was already brushed with soy sauce, so I dipped my sushi into my soy sauce plate, and Chef Jackie immediately told me that it was not necessary. That was my “NO sushi for you” moment! The chefs were serious about their food!

And the last reason why I love Zen…compared to other tasting menus, Zen Sushi was the best bang for buck at $52.50! Amazing!

As it was my first time there so I had to order from the regular menu and plus, our party had an appetite for more food.

I would recommend the following:

Broiled beef tongue-It was well seasoned and tender.

Broiled squid-There was a good bounce to the squid meat.

Salmon neck- It was full of flavour!

Home-made mandarin pie- It was light and fluffy

There were a few dishes that I would not re-order mainly due to textural reasons, rather than taste.

Raw mountain potato with raw egg-It was tasty but I could not get over the super slimy texture.

Seafood with enoki mushrooms with soy sauce. The flavours were delicious but the fish was slightly overcooked.

Spicy tuna roll-The presentation was not as tidy as their sushi work. The cut up tuna texture mixed in with sauce was a bit soft for my liking.

Overall:

I have a lot of love for this little restaurant. There is so much pride and love from the owners/chefs at the restaurant and you can taste it with every bite.

* Remember to make reservations as there are only limited spots at the bar.