10 under the radar AYCE sushi restaurants in Toronto
AYCE sushi restaurants abound in Toronto but in a city brimming with options for raw fish lovers, it shouldn't be unexpected that a handful of places fail to get noticed as much as the most popular spots. For those looking to get their sushi fix without breaking the bank, any of these spots should do the trick.
Here are 10 AYCE sushi restaurants in Toronto you may not have heard of.
See also: The best AYCE sushi in Toronto
Noka Sushi
This Annex spot gets overshadowed by neighbourhood stalwarts New Generation and Sushi on Bloor but with prices starting at $12.99 for lunch and $20.99 for dinner, it shouldn't be a sleeper AYCE spot for much longer. Go for the fresh maki, many with interesting names like Crazy Spicy Salmon, Ex-Boyfriend, and Ex-Girlfriend (all of which are worth a try).
Kenkou Sushi Bar
Nicely appointed and serving up huge portions, Kenkou is the place to go should you be looking for AYCE near Steeles and Leslie. The Osaka golden shrimp and the salmon rose are good choices here. Prices start at a very reasonable $12.99 for lunch and $18.99 for dinner, with a 10% discount should you pay for your meal in cash.
Sushi One
Sushi One is an interesting enigma. The restaurant is almost always full, located on Yonge Street in a busy part of Koreatown North, yet still rarely gets a mention when the discussion of good AYCE places comes up. My favourite: Sweet Shrimp Passion Roll, which tastes as good as it sounds. Prices start at $17.99 for lunch and $24.99 for dinner.
168 Sushi Asian Buffet
Hands down the worst-named restaurant on this list, it's hard to believe that 168 has multiple locations spread across cities in Ontario, the closest one to Toronto being at Steeles and Dufferin. You get a LOT of variety on the AYCE menu here, so you'll also find delicious kalbi ribs to go along your tofu pocket cucumber rolls. Lunches start at $15.95 and dinners start at $25.95.
Yamamoto Japanese Cuisine
It's not hard to see why this relatively new sushi spot gets overlooked by everyone: it's located inside Scarborough's Bridlewood Mall and it doesn't have any prominent signage announcing its presence. Regardless, make sure you stop by for their array of sushi along with the Creamy Philadelphia Maki. Lunch prices start at $13.99 and dinners at $23.99.
Sushi Kiku
This two-location sushi spot serves up fresh fish with friendly service in a modern upscale environment (and also iPads for ordering!). The original one at York Mills Rd. is spacious, and is still one of the best examples of AYCE done right. Try the Snow Corn Roll, made with a garlic cream sauce. Lunches start at $15 and dinners start at $23.
Maison du Japon
Known to rather few people outside of Markham (where the restaurant is an absolute hit), this northern sushi outpost provides good and cheap AYCE dining, with prices starting at $13.99 for lunch and $22.99 for dinner. The salmon wasabi cake is an interesting and fiery take on sushi, while you can't go wrong with their hand roll selections.
Yellowtail
Quite possibly the least known of the bunch, Yellowtail actually provides some of the freshest and best quality fish I've ever had in an AYCE establishment. Prices start at $14.99 for lunch and $22.99 for dinner. The spicy salmon sushi pizza here is lovely, and the salmon sashimi is generally to die for. Bonus: there's plenty of parking space!
Heart Sushi
Featuring a cute, modern, and lovable (pun intended) decor, Heart Sushi serves up AYCE lunches starting at $14.99 and dinners starting at $24.99. Their sashimi selection is one of the freshest around, and their tempura uses actual tempura batter (and not just regular batter as found in many lesser quality AYCE places.)
Sushi Gen
The restaurant's name always makes me think that there's a Street Fighter character back there furiously slicing up my fish. Their sashimi can be a bit hit-or-miss, but their maki are generally excellent...just be warned that their excellent price of $12.99 is for weekends only. For weekdays, AYCE is priced at $21.99 anytime of the day.
What did I miss? Let us know in the comments.
Posted by Darren "DKLo" Susilo. He hangs out on the twitter and his own mansion. Photo via Noka on Facebook.
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