Aburi Hana is a posh new Japanese restaurant from Aburi Restaurants Canada, the restaurant group behind Miku Toronto and TORA. Tucked in a pedestrian laneway off Yorkville Avenue, Aburi Hana offers an intimate, kyō-kaiseki experience, a lavish style of dining that draws on the traditions of Japanese tea ceremonies. The restaurant’s name comes from a

Toronto's first tempura donburi restaurant, also known as Shitamachi Tendon Akimitsu, sits above the new downtown location of Michelin-starred Konjiki Ramen. The global chain specializes in tempura-battered shrimp and seafood over rice.

This adorable shop, located right in the heart of Markham, is Toronto’s first Japanese bakery. Since 1993, Bakery Nakamura has been committed to providing baked goods that are made with fresh and natural ingredients. The open-concept kitchen inside the bakery means you can watch the chefs make everything from scratch right before your eyes. The

Bloom Cafe is the latest iteration of the Tsujiri matcha cafe. Although this is a separate entity from the Japanese matcha empire, the baked goods here are brought to us by chef Tomoyuki Rikuta, who oversees all the Tsujiri pastries. As chef Tomo’s first step out from the Tsujiri umbrella, Bloom Cafe is serving a

This cheery, Instagram-friendly bakeshop specializes in Japanese-style cheesecakes, cheese tarts and tiramisu. Although Cheese Garden is a local chain rather than a Japanese import, the bakery aims to stay true to the light textures and not-too-sweet flavours that define traditional Japanese desserts. Their signature dish is the ‘double fromage cheesecake,’ which features layers of frozen

New Japanese-Peruvian spot has outposts in St. Tropez, London, and Miami. This is their first Canadian foray.

Irrashaimase! Welcome! Donburi is an inventive Japanese restaurant in Markham that’s serving up a variety of donburi bowls along with other delicious eats inspired by Japanese cuisine. Donburi — the dish, not the place — is a common Japanese food consisting of fish, meat, vegetables or other ingredients simmered together and served over rice in

Duo patisserie is a chic Markham bakery that specializes in viennoiseries, cakes and chocolates. It is a French-inspired cafe with a Japanese flare. The must-try item here is the croissant which comes in the traditional form, as well as pain au chocolat, almond, chocolate almond, roast beef, ham and cheese, salami and cheese, and a

This Japanese café is something out of the ordinary; in fact, there is nothing ordinary about it. Eative mixes the traditional Canadian breakfast with edgy Japanese cuisine and a splice of an espresso bar all in one. On top of the extensive list of ice creams and soft serves, this café dishes out eclectic menu

This is where Forest Hill folks in the know go for sushi, all for good reasons. EDO is to the plethora of bargain sushi joints as a Bymark burger is to a Big Mac. The fish is impeccable, the kitchen both expert and careful. Whether it’s pristine fatty tuna sashimi to be inhaled with joy

Unless you’ve been living under a rock, Fuwa Fuwa soufflé pancakes have definitely been on your radar. Originating in Japan, these light and airy pancakes are traditionally served after weddings to symbolize good fortune. They are bringing these fluffy good luck charms to Toronto seven days a week, to encourage a daily dose of celebration.

Hanmoto is an ultra-cool Japanese snack bar tucked in an unmarked building just north of Dundas West. Leave diets at the door because the food here is indulgent izakaya fare at its best. Case in point are the restaurant’s legendary Dyno Wings: deep-fried chicken wings filled with spicy pork sausage. The shareable dishes are all

Justin and Lea Ault, Toby Tseung and Maaji Isobe and the rest of the team at Hapa Izakaya brought upscale izakaya to Toronto in 2012. Chef Koichi Fujioka is serving up some of the most beautiful and traditionally delicious Japanese fare at this little spot on College Street. The impressive and extensive sake selection is

Hawk & Chick is packing a lot of flavour into a small space. This takeout joint specializes in bento boxes stuffed with home-cooked Korean food, with a few Japanese cuisine options as well. Chef Joe Kim —previously of Momofuku, amongst others — has enlisted the help of none other than his own mother to help

Acclaimed Japanese ramen chain Hokkaido Ramen Santouka has opened up its third Toronto location, in the bustling midtown centre. Diners are encouraged to finish every last drop of their soups as the chain’s original founder, Yuzaka, has created nuances of smell and taste meant to be enjoyed to their finality. Come in for the signature

It’s official: Toronto is experiencing ramen mania. This year alone we’ve seen the opening of New York noodle giant Momofuku, along with ramen-houses such as Kinton and Sansotei. Meanwhile, the team that brought us Yours Truly is set to open a ramen shop come December, and Ramen Raijin, from the owners of Vancouver favorite Kintaro, is opening on Gerrard Street soon. And now we can add Santouka Ramen to the list.

Opened in December on Dundas West, Imanishi is a new Japanese kitchen offering izakaya-style appetizers and teishoku, a traditional style of pre-set meal consisting of meat, rice, salad and soup.

If you’ve ever wondered where to go to get all your Japanese staples, the one-stop-shop is J-Town located at Woodbine & Steeles in Markham. Inside you’ll find everything from onigiri, to sashimi to a Japanese bakery and also Izakaya Ju. The specialties of the house are the chargoal-grilled yakitori (meat on skewers). If you’re lucky

Koji Tashiro, the head chef of JaBistro, the new modern Japanese restaurant at Richmond and Simcoe, does more than make food. Watching him cook is like watching a performance.

Over at Bloor and Clinton in Koreatown, Japas opened in the old Camto corner lot on Wednesday. The concept: a Japanese tapas and oyster bar with plenty of Japanese beer and cocktails flowing. It’s also meant to be distinctly un-izakaya in nature (read: no yelling and no gongs) while offering a fun, casual space for people to meet and share a few bites over drinks.