Kanji Sushi and Sake Bar - Toronto, Canada: Located on Queen Street West in the Parkdale neighborhood is the funky and upbeat Kanji Sushi and Sake Bar (not to be confused with Kaji Sushi on Queensway). (Click here to see our review of Sushi Kaji.)

We were here on a Saturday night and the place was packed (reservations are a must!).

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As we entered and made our way to our seats, two things became immediately apparent; the noise level was high and our feet stuck to the floor as we walked. It was as if the floor had not been cleaned in months. I’m sure that isn’t the case, but that is surely what it felt like.

The vibe of the restaurant was funky and cool. It had a definite bar feel to it. Now, that is not really what we were looking for, but hey, it was what it was.

Once seated it seemed like it took forever to get service (that was the trend for the rest of the evening… poor service).

The menu was small, but was still packed with a good array of dishes: soups and salads (miso soup, seaweed salad, sashimi salad, sushi tortilla, to name a few) on one page and a nice selection of sashimi and rolls on the next page.

The last page of the menu has hot dishes like Veg/Beef Maki, Japanese Pancake, Chilli Shrimp and Golden Dragon (shrimp tempura roll, spicy tuna, fresh mango, avocado, black caviar, eel sauce and mango sauce).

We started with the Edamame ($5) which turned to be a big portion for the price.

Next up (after a very long wait) was the Sashimi (three pieces per order) of tuna ($7), yellowtail ($7), and Scottish salon ($6). This is where Kanji really impressed us! Large pieces, super fresh and oh so yummy!

After the sushi came the rolls; Spider Roll ($11), Spicy Tuna ($8) and the Golden Dragon Roll ($13). The presentation was trendy, and the portion sizes were ample. The Spicy Tuna was so-so, but the Spider Roll and the Golden Dragon rocked!

For drinks we ordered sake which was a great way to top off our dinner. If you are considering wine with your dinner, think again as they just have one red and one white… and nowhere does it say what exactly it is! So, Kanji Sushi is not a place to go if wine is a must.

Overall, our visit to Kanji was more positive than negative, but not by a whole lot.

Is it a place I would go back to? Yes, but probably for lunch. The dinner scene was just too loud, and the service was too bad. Our rating for Kanji Sushi is Almost Bombastic.

What I liked: The sushi, and the Spider and Dragon Rolls.

What I didn’t like: The poor service, the loud music, the sticky, sticky floor and extremely limited wine list.

Rating: Almost Bombastic

Address and Telephone Number:
Kanji Sushi and Sake Bar
1346 Queen St. W.
Toronto ON M6K 1L4
Telephone: 416-536-8448
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