Vancouver sushi restaurant known for exorbitant prices opening Toronto location
A Richmond, B.C.-based sushi restaurant known for its sky-high prices is opening a location in the heart of Toronto.
Sushi Kiwami has raised eyebrows on the west coast with its omakase-style menu priced at up to $600 per person, and it looks like the much-hyped sushi joint will be opening its second location within the base of a new condo tower on Yonge Street in downtown Toronto.
An application filed with the City of Toronto on July 4 outlining the retail signage plan for the Clover on Yonge condo development at Yonge and Gloucester includes a blink-and-you'll-miss-it detail, confirming the sushi restaurant's future presence.
The application leaves no question that the pricey sushi joint is planning a Toronto opening in the near future, and is the only commercial tenant specified by name in the documents.
Sushi Kiwami has made a name for itself by offering what it markets as an ultra-luxury dining experience employing Michelin-starred chefs, with set menus priced at $299, $399, $499, and $599 per person.
Yes, per person.
While it's priced to cater to big spenders, the original 8411 Bridgeport Road location in north Richmond has been met with mixed reviews.
The Globe and Mail covered the restaurant in great detail in a 2022 review, calling it a "hushed shrine of exclusive luxury that is infinitely more formal than any other Japanese restaurant in the city."
Presentation and quality of ingredients were all given top marks by the outlet, but the review concludes that the experience wasn't quite up to the hype, saying, "From the ostentatious use of luxury ingredients to the lack of personal expression by the chef, Sushi Kiwami feels more like a paint-by-numbers menu than a true omakase experience."
"And that is what makes the $499 price tag – $650 with tip, tax and one small glass of plum wine – hard to swallow."
If the Toronto location is anything like the original out west, walk-ins will not be accepted and reservations must be made well in advance using a credit card. The Richmond location charges no-shows who fail to cancel within 48 hours of their reservation a whopping $299 cancellation fee.
There are also some pretty strict rules for dining at the establishment, with a full page dedicated to etiquette on its website, including a ban on perfumes and colognes as well as talking on phones.
No opening date has been announced for Sushi Kiwami's Toronto location as of writing.
Sushi Kiwami
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