As usual, Zen provided me outstanding quality sushi and impeccable service! I sat at the sushi counter and ordered the omakase sushi dinner, served by the owner, Seiichi san. In the last few years there have been numerous omakase “counter sushi restaurants” opening all over the city. Most of these all serve an approx $100 omakase preset sushi menu. I've tried most of them and I must say there still is a difference between those $100 menus and going to the Toronto's original omakase sushi restaurants like Zen (Seiichi san and Zen have been around since the late 90's doing what now is finally becoming very popular in Toronto!). Like fine wine, the differences between different sushi are subtle but extremely important. From the quality of the rice and the amount of vinegar and rice seasoning, the quality of the fish and the way it is prepared, the combination of fillings and dressings, the ratio of rice to fish and even the temperature of the rice, fish and ingredients when they are served to you, all impact the overall flavour. Now, I'm not a big wine drinker, so I can't tell the difference between a $20 wine and a $100+ wine. But i have been eating high quality sushi for decades and for my palate, Seiichi san delivers that extra something without having to spend an insane amount more than those $100 preset menus. If you're new to sushi, you may not be able to notice the difference. But if you have tried those $100 preset menus, give Zen a try! And if you tried Zen in the past, and it's been a while, go back for another round!
Diana Chu
We celebrated our anniversary at Zen and decided to try the omakase—and it did not disappoint. Each dish was beautifully presented and thoughtfully prepared, with incredible attention to both flavour and detail. It was a real treat for the palate, offering a perfectly balanced and memorable dining experience. The atmosphere was warm and welcoming, with friendly staff who made us feel at home. A truly special evening—we’ll definitely be back.
Colin Jung
Overall Food: 4 Service: 4 Ambiance: 5 Value: 5 Recommend or Repeat: Y
John L
Excellent food and service. We had the dinner special (not the full omakase) and everything was great! Will visit again!
Peter
Fabulous gem that will delight you with its incredible Japanese cuisine. The ambiance is calming and the service is attentive. The servers are very knowledgeable on the menu and even the provenance of much of the ingredients. I enjoyed their sourcing of Canadian seafood as well.
Gary Lo
Always the best place to go for sushi 😋
Andrew Shuen
finally zen has a lunch option! so happy they open at lunch time. amazing appetizers and sashimi. service is great!! loved it all.
Edward
Great food, fresh selection and prepared very well. Can be a bit pricy, but good for special occasions
Charles Yu
An enjoyable Sushi Goyen luncheon featuring a delightful assortment of well executed, small appetiser dishes.
Still reliable and consistently dependable, after decades of providing above average authentic Japanese fare to Torontonians.
Today's luncheon menu offers an acceptable array of Nigiri sushi featuring Aburi Chu-Toro, Uni, Ikura, Kaki, Hata....etc. However, for me, the spotlight went to the delicate and lightly battered Tempura dish. Totally grease-less, super crunchy and pleasurable! Of course, no meal at ZEN can end without a slice of their house-special ' Mandarin Cream Pie '. Cloud-like fluffiness, refreshing, light and gorgeous tasting. Being a regular feature on the menu for 3 plus decades obviously has its special reasons!!
The only downside of today's meal was the below-par, commercial quality soy sauce provided for the sushi. IMHO, a bit out of place.
Service by the brigade of Japanese staff was most communicative, friendly and attentive.
susan gregorio
I would have given it. 5 . The food is delicious and service is excellent. But the serving is so small. We pay top $$$ so I think the portions should be proportional to the price.@@
Zen is our favourite Japanese restaurant and one we take loved ones to. The food is always delicious and beautifully presented. They are always incredibly warm and welcoming. On our most recent visit, they went above and beyond helping make sure our loved ones had a lovely time. Thank you, Zen staff!
Candice
One of the best sushi meals we have ever had. We ordered Omakase lunch menu and the fish was super fresh and perfectly served. They made room for us at the counter and my husband and I had the best lunch date! Fish served was unique and not the typical options we've seen at other restaurants. Only con was lack of parking in the lot - it was filled with cars going to the repair shops. Will be back next time we are in town :)
Adriano Mazzorato
Amazing food and service, would highly recommend.
Ivan Shao
Definitely pricey but ingredient quality is very good, but to be honest the taste didn't match up with the quality.
As usual, Zen provided me outstanding quality sushi and impeccable service! I sat at the sushi counter and ordered the omakase sushi dinner, served by the owner, Seiichi san. In the last few years there have been numerous omakase “counter sushi restaurants” opening all over the city. Most of these all serve an approx $100 omakase preset sushi menu. I've tried most of them and I must say there still is a difference between those $100 menus and going to the Toronto's original omakase sushi restaurants like Zen (Seiichi san and Zen have been around since the late 90's doing what now is finally becoming very popular in Toronto!). Like fine wine, the differences between different sushi are subtle but extremely important. From the quality of the rice and the amount of vinegar and rice seasoning, the quality of the fish and the way it is prepared, the combination of fillings and dressings, the ratio of rice to fish and even the temperature of the rice, fish and ingredients when they are served to you, all impact the overall flavour. Now, I'm not a big wine drinker, so I can't tell the difference between a $20 wine and a $100+ wine. But i have been eating high quality sushi for decades and for my palate, Seiichi san delivers that extra something without having to spend an insane amount more than those $100 preset menus. If you're new to sushi, you may not be able to notice the difference. But if you have tried those $100 preset menus, give Zen a try! And if you tried Zen in the past, and it's been a while, go back for another round!
We celebrated our anniversary at Zen and decided to try the omakase—and it did not disappoint. Each dish was beautifully presented and thoughtfully prepared, with incredible attention to both flavour and detail. It was a real treat for the palate, offering a perfectly balanced and memorable dining experience. The atmosphere was warm and welcoming, with friendly staff who made us feel at home. A truly special evening—we’ll definitely be back.
Overall
Food: 4
Service: 4
Ambiance: 5
Value: 5
Recommend or Repeat: Y
Excellent food and service. We had the dinner special (not the full omakase) and everything was great! Will visit again!
Fabulous gem that will delight you with its incredible Japanese cuisine. The ambiance is calming and the service is attentive. The servers are very knowledgeable on the menu and even the provenance of much of the ingredients. I enjoyed their sourcing of Canadian seafood as well.
Always the best place to go for sushi 😋
finally zen has a lunch option! so happy they open at lunch time.
amazing appetizers and sashimi. service is great!! loved it all.
Great food, fresh selection and prepared very well. Can be a bit pricy, but good for special occasions
An enjoyable Sushi Goyen luncheon featuring a delightful assortment of well executed, small appetiser dishes.
Still reliable and consistently dependable, after decades of providing above average authentic Japanese fare to Torontonians.
Today's luncheon menu offers an acceptable array of Nigiri sushi featuring Aburi Chu-Toro, Uni, Ikura, Kaki, Hata....etc. However, for me, the spotlight went to the delicate and lightly battered Tempura dish. Totally grease-less, super crunchy and pleasurable!
Of course, no meal at ZEN can end without a slice of their house-special ' Mandarin Cream Pie '. Cloud-like fluffiness, refreshing, light and gorgeous tasting. Being a regular feature on the menu for 3 plus decades obviously has its special reasons!!
The only downside of today's meal was the below-par, commercial quality soy sauce provided for the sushi. IMHO, a bit out of place.
Service by the brigade of Japanese staff was most communicative, friendly and attentive.
I would have given it. 5 . The food is delicious and service is excellent. But the serving is so small. We pay top $$$ so I think the portions should be proportional to the price.@@
Restaurantji Recommends
Excellent
Zen is our favourite Japanese restaurant and one we take loved ones to. The food is always delicious and beautifully presented. They are always incredibly warm and welcoming. On our most recent visit, they went above and beyond helping make sure our loved ones had a lovely time. Thank you, Zen staff!
One of the best sushi meals we have ever had. We ordered Omakase lunch menu and the fish was super fresh and perfectly served. They made room for us at the counter and my husband and I had the best lunch date! Fish served was unique and not the typical options we've seen at other restaurants. Only con was lack of parking in the lot - it was filled with cars going to the repair shops. Will be back next time we are in town :)
Amazing food and service, would highly recommend.
Definitely pricey but ingredient quality is very good, but to be honest the taste didn't match up with the quality.
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