Issmi Japanese Restaurant in North York

Food was over rated. Operation was chaotic. Robot to deliver food only to be taken by another table who the robot stopped by ahead of us. Waited too long for orders. This is the most chaotic place we had ever been. Will not come back. Parking: Free public parking

Slow service. Chefs plays with his nuts

Thanks guys, Happy with the service

Food was delicious and service was great until it got busier

The best Japanese in the Toronto area hands down. Every menu item is a delight. Consistent quality and service.

Ordered sashimi boat $59.99 and this is what came with it. The portion looks like $20 worth. I requested no octopus but asked for squid. They removed the octopus but did not add squid. No rice, soup or salad came with the order. Called the store to complain, the person said the manager will call back. Lets see what the manager says, I feel scammed

Fish not fresh. Blarg

We got the spicy lime edamame, veg tempura, veg dragon roll, veg maki roll, and inari. Everything was delicious and the service was great!

Issmi is an absolute grail. Very low-key spot with amazing service and consistently great sushi.

Everything was perfect!

Went for dinner 9:30; by 9:50 once he received the food - the dimmed lights go max and our waitress is sweeping the floors with dust everywhere. Issmi closed at 10:30pm. Messed up the order, and charged for food that was later told ran out. The avocado salad had one sliver of avocado,.. oh and the best at start of our meal took the soy sauce as she trying to end her shift. No passion, food was made with no love. Quick and bland. This place has gone downhill.

One of my absolute favourites in the city! Quality food and fantastic service combined with seasonal specials and an amazing sake list to boot! I ll be going back any chance I get :)

This is my favourite sushi place in town. It has been my go to for over 18 years and is hands the best quality in the city

The food is decent and the service is great, with nothing particularly negative to mention. While it may not have standout features, it is a good place to enjoy a meal.

This place is a scam. Paying 28 dollars and not even a drink was available. The sushi was dry. Not recommending.

WOW! My bf and I went there for Valentines Day and we were NOT dissapointed. It s one of the best sushi we ve had in the city and let me tell you, we have tried a ton of sushi restaurants in Toronto. We are big fans of sushi rolls and got the Volcano roll, Boston Dragon roll and Blazing roll all of which we re fantastic. The gyozas were also delicious. Elevated and fresh food for relatively good prices considering the quality you are getting. Definitely recommend. We will be back!

Not a bad place but overpriced with nothing too special. The fish was cut thin and the chicken breast, although well cooked tasted like something you could easily make at home.

Francis is a delightful host / owner, very friendly, and the food is absolutely top class. This is a really enjoyable light hearted friendly restaurant. Parking: There is GREEN P parking behind the Shell station and the stores that front onto Avenue Road...the Green P parking is location 401, note behind the Shell and stores that run south on Avenue Road.

Great place to have some Sushi. Good variety with decent hot food options. service is outstanding. Must try Mix tempura and Yaki Udon. One of the best Sushi in town. Food : 5/5

Our favourite Sushi restaurant on Avenue

Had done delivery and enjoyed, so motivated to try it fresh. Best sushi in the hood! (Guess shoushin is another level and pricepoint) Really really good, made and presented with care and skill

Have ordered delivery, taste was so terrible, the entire order went into the trash bin! Fish smells like old oil, ginger smells like toilet cleaner

Expensive , food is good. The Charis are not comparable .

I am trying to go to places that have fresh fish and great service. I test the uni. Kinda like portnoy one bite. The uni here was fresh. No fishy smell or taste at all. Melted in my mouth like butter so a 4.1/5

Delicious food and great customer service

Maki was awesome. Thank you chef Troy. You are the best chef.

I first visited Issmi 2 years ago and I eat from here every month. Every single thing here is beyond amazing. The freshness of the ingredients really put them above other restaurants. They have a new menu with updated prices!

This place is a gem, my son loves sushi and worth it! Worth it! The service is amazing and good quality and very clean! Keep up the good work!

Fishes are super fresh! It melts in my mouth. Staffs are so kind and polite. You can have a real japanese taste. Strongly recommend~

Great sashimi! Ordered a platter with a la carte for family gathering. Everyone loved it!

They re always closed mad early, change ur closing time if ur gonna close mad early.

Very good food excellent service and clean

The food is really fresh and tasty

Amazing food!!

Great local spot. Our absolute favourite! Only reason for giving it 4 stars is because it is on the pricier side and I m always bitter I can t order more of their delicious sushi :p The owner is super sweet and friendly Place is always clean Food is prepared on time Food is always top quality and delicious! Love love love and recommend this place above all others. Their diablo rolls and sushi pizza are so tasty as well as practically all the other sushi! Can t go wrong here.

Best, sushi sushi around hands down, well hands up

We went here for dinner. We had a sushi boat and sashimi boat for 2. Food was so good, flavourful and fresh. Service was excellent.

$32 for this meal. Speechless.

Its so bad, the picture isnt the same as what I have.

I dined in 4 times in this restaurant in a month. The food is fresh, tasty and large portion and very reasonable price. You will not be disappointed.

One of my familys best local sushi restaurants. Love the quality of food.

This was my first time going to this sushi restaurant and I won t be going back. First, the girl doing cash when I came for pick up was dry and rude. Not in anyway friendly, at all. The food, also horribly disappointing. The sushi was way overly priced and more than lack luster. The tempura was the worst I ve had. Not only did I get an inch thick soggy onion ring but the batter wasn t cooked throughly. The broccoli was doughy and the shrimp was cold. The vegetables were cooked through and super oily. I wish I could say something better but over all I was super disappointing.

Great selection of sushi and sashimi in addition to appetizers. Service is friendly and fast.

The restaurant is very modern and cozy, one of the best quality sushi places in toronto. I d definitely come here again to try something else!

Best sushi I have had in ages - and really incredible value for the extremely high quality of fish . It s made the way it should be. It s authentic, fresh and made with skill. Really delicious . The sushi top top notch. Even though the yakitori was disappointing and over cooked still 5 stars for the sushi. I m addicted now

Issmi has been our go to sushi restaurant for over 20 years and will remain our favourite sushi place when in the neighbourhood. Food and service consistently good. Keep it up!

We went for sushi lunch, The food is very tasty. The stuff was friendly. We dined on the outside patio which is on Bathurst Street, Toronto. Inside the restaurant it is a little small but still a nice venue

RUDE staff and extremely slow

Great Service

Ordered for take out. Sushi was excellent. Ordered the Aburi app, Angry roll and Legendary roll. Very nicely done, with a fair price point. Will definitely order again. Dietary restrictions: They can be sensitive to GF by removing tempura bits.

Justin was an amazing server. He did such a great job. The food was well was fantastic!! Keep up the good work.

Love this place! Owner is incredibly sweet, the place is clean and food is delicious! I took away one star as it is a bit on the pricier end but we are definitely regulars here!

Another fantastic dinner at Issmi. Frances and her team are welcoming and make dining here a wonderful experience. Sushi and sashimi dinner for 2 fantastic and fresh. Thank you for providing gluten free options. Looking forward to our next visit.

Food was delicious! I got the Veggie lunch combo. I was a little worried at first because the soup and salad were a little lacking, but very tasty. I assumed I would have to order more food, but when I finished the main dish, I was surprisingly full. Service was prompt and welcoming. I would definitely come back again. Although, I would recommend that they move the garbage can in the womens bathroom. Its placed underneath the dryer, and garbage blows out while drying your hands.

We are very impressed. Excellent sushi and the nicest staff. A minor error in the app (skip the dishes) and they bent over backwards to fix it. Super impressed...

Delicious! The food is always lovely and the fish is beyond fresh and well-prepared. The aburi appetizer and hako pressed sushi is always a go-to for me. Consistently delicious!

Poor quality. Low value. Would not recommend.

2 sets of spicy Salmon came to about $15. Price makes sense because the salmon quality was A+. Size was smaller than I expected but I can see why a lot of people recommend Issmi for their spicy Salmon!

Amazing!

Excellent menu, fresh food, fair prices. Comfortable and modern design, great dim lighting. 2021 UPDATE: Ordered from Uber Eats, the food came fast and was just as fresh as in restaurant. Thank you!!

Wow. New fave sushi place. Super delicious. Reminded me of Miku and Vancouver sushi. Yummmy!!

I am not in any way affiliated with Issmi, its ownership, nor am I receiving compensation for providing this review. Issmi is bar none simply the best quality of Japanese/Korean food I have ever had the privilege of enjoying. There is not a dish on the menu that I have not tried that I have not loved. The high quality of the food begins with how fresh the ingredients are. Fish always tells the tail! :) The fish at Issmi always tastes as it should and is served cold. The food is prepared with care and precision and the presentation is not just visually appealing but, rather, is often stunning. My personal favourite is the Issmi Special Sushi - it is always a work of culinary art that delights. To add to the great fare is the incredible selection of cold sake. Frances and her team have taken great care to source some of the highest quality sakes in the world - sakes that you will not find elsewhere in Ontario to be sure. This review would be remiss if I didnt tell you how wonderful, welcoming, and caring Frances and the team at Issmi are. It is always the small personal touches and attention to detail that take a great dining experience and move it to exceptional. The team at Issmi is responsive to all of your dining needs at Issmi in that they are caring and attentive. And to have Frances herself, so often check in with her guests is such a beautiful added bonus. Thank you for all you continue to do at Issmi Frances! I will be back again and again. A true gem in Toronto and beyond.

Great sushi. Always on time. High-quality and taste. Very reasonable pricing. Friendly staff. One of our go-to restaurants for the family.

Best Japanese restaurant, I find myself comparing all other Japanese restaurants to Issmi...they never live up.

Ordered via DoorDash and was charged $2.50 extra for chopsticks, soy sauce and spicy mayo? Good way to loose a customer. Food was edible but will not order again.

The food was amazing and perfect service!! Servers were so nice and kind. I really enjoyed my dinner here and will come back again for sure :) Here is my best sushi restaurant ever!

The food and the portions was perfect ! Excellent quality. We really enjoy our dinner, the service was perfect ! I recommande !!!

During my pregnancy, I craved for sushi a lot and felt very safe to eat Issmi s sushi and rolls. This place never disappoints me.

Always fresh and excellent. So glad to be dining indoors here again! They had blue fin tuna as special today and it was delicious. Would recommend this place to anyone!

Was cruising the area and stumbled this little shop called Issmi and boy did it surpass my expectations. Although theyre well known for their sushi, I was in the mood for the kalbi ribs (marinated korean short ribs) and the meat was cooked to perfection. The sauce was the right amount of sweet and the ribs were tender and juicy. Dont judge a book by its cover as the inside of the restaurant is another thing to speak for as well. It looks like it was recently renovated as the floors and walls look so modern as opposed to the other old worn down sushi places Ive been to. Despite being busy with delivery drivers and other take out orders, my food still came in a timely manner. I chatted with the owner Francis for a little bit while waiting for my food and she was very friendly and welcoming. She has run the place for over 15 years and I can see why, the food is fantastic and the customer service is top notch. Kudos to the hard working staff at Issmi for making everyones experience a pleasant one, we appreciate your hard work. I highly recommend this restaurant to all, especially if youre a sushi fan.

One of the best sushi restaurants in town. It reminds me of my Japanese experience in Osaka

Sushi is decent, fish doesn t taste the freshest.

Love

Alright.

Amazing service. Everything we tried was fresh and delicious.

My group tried a lunch here. It is a good value-proposition, and the sashimi for 2 was ok. I would take my guest to somewhere else, but with friends I would go here to eat and chat without emptying my wallet.

Love this place...tried every appetizer and loved them all...cant wait to go back and try the rest of the menu.

Excellent Japanese restaurant with tasty food and fair prices.

Some of the most bland tasteless Dynamite roll Ive ever had. Sashimi pieces were thinner than an anorexic. 30 pieces of this garbage and 8 small pieces of this sad roll of misery cost over $80 through Uber with $0 delivery fees. Will never ever try this place again and Id advise any sushi lovers ro avoid this place at all coats. Worst waste of money.

Ordered from here using Uber Eats. They changed the delivery time without notifying us. When the food finally arrived it was bland and tasteless. The crab rolls had more mayo than crab. Not a great experience

Excellent food and excellent service. Sushi boat for 2 was very fresh

Great experience, food was super fresh and delicious. Reasonably priced for a la cart sushi for 2. Recommend it to anyone looking for a quiet place with awesome sushi

Issmi used to be good. Actually, better than good. Now its bad. Worse than bad. Really, really bad. Consistently bad. I agree with a previous poster, `jill burkes`, nothing is fresh. Fish, avocado, edamame - all terrible. Now Issmi takes up the mantle of the Steak-Pit-Lobster-Trap-Zombie restaurants continuing to overcharge for terrible food because they wont die. Do not eat here.

My go to sushi place in the neighborhood!! Fresh, good quality fishies and their service is wicked!!

Ive ate here dozens of times and the food has never disappointed. Wide variety of food all for a good price and excellent quality. My go-to Japanese restaurant.

Ordered again a large sushi platter and chicken teriyaki for my son. I am obsessed with their salmon and tuna. And my son loved chickwn. Amazingly fresh. You can definately see me there again.

Good portion and price points. Fish is very good quality

Really enjoyed the Sushi and Miso soup. The decor and ambiance was smart, spotless but not stuffy! Looked like a lot of effort had gone into addressing COVID risks, screens between tables etc.

Ordered via Uber eats tonight, the sashimi was razor thin and not fresh. The dynamite roll was also No where near fresh to other 4*+ places that we have ordered from in the past.

Always a great experience, and food is excellent.

Consistently good quality food, the staff are friendly and kind. Theyre always willing to go the extra mile.

Guys, I waited 2 hours for you on Uber eats when I filtered fastest delivery (originally said 10-30min), absolutely ridiculous. I dont even care what the sushi tastes like, thats the last time I order from you.

The owner and staff are always helpful and they have a great selection of Sake

We just had a great first experience at Issmi Sushi. Small family owned restaurant with muted interior and decent service. What set Issmi apart is definitely what happens in the kitchen. We had two dishes: Chirashi (Sashimi on bed of rice) and Chefs special (assortment of Nigiri Sushi) In both dishes the fish was tasty and perfect temperature. The sushi rice used was cooked perfectly, with good balance of acidity and sweetness to accentuate the fish. The Nigiri in particular was combination of flavors that may very well be the best in Toronto, rivaling sushi weve had on the west coast and NYC. Perfectly cut and trimmed fish, sometimes toasted slightly with a torch with great flavor enhancements such as toasted seaweed, spicy sauces, or chopped onions etc. Must try! All dishes were prepared to impress visually with excellent presentation. Costs were slightly higher than normal strip-mall-sushi but after eating there, well worth the premium!

Brilliant.

Nice food, service and atmosphere

Average spot

Stopped by for dinner with the family. The sushi was okay. Ordered a sushi and sashimi set (chefs choice) and some of the pieces were decent and some didnt seem as fresh. The rolls are creative and well done, and the presentation is a cut above the average Japanese restaurant. It must be a local favourite because there were a ton of delivery bags sitting on the counter, waiting for customers or Uber to pick up. Overall okay but not good enough for us to go out of our way to eat there again.

In an area with lots of good sushi, this is the best place we been to in the area.

One of the best sushi places near Avenue/Lawrence. The hako pressed beef is great!

Amazing food, good prices. Cozy place. Staff is very attentive.

I love this place for sushi, but I m pretty disappointed in the service. I ve been ordering from this place for a very long time, and many months on a weekly basis. I just called in my order and it came to $39.20. They told me they would not deliver my food and less I spent over $40. So for $.80, they turned away a loyal customer. Sad.

Tasty sushi, fast and friendly service, fair prices. I will come back.

The food is great, they pay attention to the little things! Their tempura is best in the city, perfectly fried and sauce is a great match. Sushi cut is perfect, I would say that I d prefer to have a little bit less rice but didn t affect the taste much at all, just a personal preference. The servers are polite and attentive. Definitely coming back!

Nice venue, good preparations, quality seems there. That was a first try, might likely come again.

Incredible sushi and service. Nothing to complain about....

great good with great service

Im not Canadian. Im a New Yorker. But I had the luck of working with them as a delivery man for four days. So from my experience, I know the inner workings of the restaurant. First of all, they are truly clean. Not just the dining hall, but inside the kitchen including all the dishes, silverware, etc. Second, they are good people. Most of them are young and skillful. There is a great spirit of teamwork along with well organized division of labor. To me, their cooked food is amazingly delicious. I would definitely recommend Issmi to my friends.

They have great sushi and sashimi although its quite expensive. I love their sea urchin with tobiko sushi. The only thing I didnt like about this place is the smell of the restaurant itself. Other than that they have great service and food.

Very friendly & attentive service. Food quality & taste is outstanding. Food value was great for sushi & sashimi. Would definitely re-visit again.

Great food , great customer services

Amongst the beat maki rolls and sushi Ive had. Good service with knowledgeable servers. will go again 100%

Very tasty food and fast fresh sashimi

Always busy. The people working here are great. Good for dine in.

1st time ordering they messed up my order by not clearly listening to what I ordered, had to wait an extra 10 minutes to fix this. 2nd time I ordered, I had to call 8 times to get a hold of someone after then being told by HANNAH that she couldn t talk and that she would call me back. After calling me back and placing my order and waiting 55 minutes, my order was not even placed by HANNAH and they did not have anything to offer me, no coupon, no apology, was not understanding whatsoever either. Both BOB and HANNAH were behind the desk and neither spoke English well enough to understand what had happened. Will NEVER be ordering here again as the customer service is the worst I have experienced, no sympathy nor do they care about losing my business.

This restaurant uses fresh ingredients and the soft texture makes my meal time happy.

Really tasty, their miso soup is authentic, overall just a little pricy

Good service. Good food. Reasonably priced. But only street parking.

First time experience was amazing

Good service, friendly staff and delicious food. They are worthy to be granted 5 stars.

Not good sushi...actually, among the worst sushi I ve ever had. The fish did not seem fresh and didnt taste quality at all - the flavor and texture of the sushi was all off. People who work there are nice and that s what I gave it one star. Kibo down the street is 100 times better.

Got the matsu sushi combo with brown rice, it tasted fresh, it was delicious, it kept me comfortably full all night. Thank you Issmi.

Time has passed and this is still my favorite place to get sushi and sashimi in the whole of Toronto <3 The new renovations are fantastic! Congratulations on the re-opening! We love Issmi!!

Nice clean and comfortable atmosphere. Friendly server. The food was amazing! Some of the best sushi I ve ever had. Oh, and mango ice cream was delicious.

Really good sushi. Clean and cute restaurant. Will be returning for sure!

The favorite sushi place in TO but unfortunately it is closed down as on yesterday March 26, 2017. The notice outside reads we are closed until further notice. EDIT: As of Jan18 ISSMI has re-opened and they are back with the same awesomeness in flavour - the consistency is amazing! Highly recommended!

Amazing food! If I cant have Issmi, I wont have Japanese cuisine anywhere else. The food is always fresh and you can tell the ingredients are of high quality.

Awesome little place! Decor is very modern and overall the restaurant feels very inviting and not pretentious in anyway, which greatly reflects their food. One of the better Japanese food I ve had in and around TO and I wish they were closer to home! Can t wait to try the other items on the menu.

The food quality is pretty good. A little bit on the expensive side if you compare with other restaurants that have similar food. Dont think theres parking either. Have to park on the street.

Now open again after a years absence and showing a stylish new space, this restaurant has the same high quality food that made it a local favourite for many years. Especially great sashimi and sushi at reasonable prices.

Well prepared fresh Japanese food along with some Korean specialties.

What a pleasant surprise to find this eatery in the neighbourhood. Id seen it often hadnt ventured in, until now. Although they were overwhelmed with 10 takeout orders, as we were eventually told after we waited and waited, then waited some more ...even just a dragon roll to appease our hunger, please! BUT when our order did come, each dish was more of a presentation, one even set ablaze - and named as such. Each a fresh, delicate work of art. I was looking forward to the soy paper roll, it arrived beautiful (& pink!) but turned out to be the only dish of several we felt we could have done without. Peculiar texture. We were quite pleased with the flavours otherwise, each tasty combinations, and the umami that hit made it easy to forget how long it took to arrive. Well, almost. The sake helped a little A couple that had arrived before us left with happy smiles, but did not fail to mention the looong wait either. So if youre in our turf and possibly not in a hurry, or are ordering takeout ~ this ones a winner in my books!

Fresh fish and delicious service. Will be back to try more fishes.

I was very impressed by the food here. Went in with my family to have some sushi and celebrate and they were really good. Not only was the presentation amazing but their quality and freshness was great too. Just wish they had bigger boats made fire more than 2 when you dine-in.

Great sushi boat option and diablo roll is lovely blend of heat in sushi!

Loved the Beef Teriyaki C5 Lunch special. Not only did it come properly sauced, but also with a variety of vegetables sautéed together. All lunches come with miso and rice and I really enjoyed how fresh and clean it was. Presentation was nice too.

Renovated and renewed. The new Issmi is much better in terms of both quality and presentation of food. The best sushi on Avenue road. A little more expensive than other places but better quality for sure.

Quality of the sushi is definitely a step above other sushi restaurants, but I still found my order to be underwhelming for the amount I paid. All the nigiri, sashimi and even the California roll felt VERY undersized relative to comparable restaurants.

I have been here twice and it was perfection both times. Ill definitely be going back. The one issue that I have is that its pricey. The food quality is great. Their tuna and their salmon is fresh. Their octopus actually tastes good, not like rubber. I havent eaten in yet, but the decor is pretty cool. They have a good beer selection, not just Asahi or Sapporo (although they have those as well).

small family place not a luxury one

Many notches above thoae AYCE places

Best sushi in Toronto.

Good food, fair price, very friendly service from a family favorite neighborhood restaurant. Always a pleasure.

Nice place to try.

Good good, Great staff.

Stay away, unless you enjoy poor service. A good restaurant can make a mistake and learn from it - and then there are restaurants like Issmi. I was seated quickly enough, but then 20 minutes went by without anyone acknowledging me. Nobody took an order. Nobody offered a glass of water. Nobody even said were busy and will be with you shortly. They werent too busy, however, to run to tables with a fresh fork or to re-fill water glasses or to put together take-out orders. After waiting 20 minutes and unable to get any attention or service, I went to the counter and told staff that my table was now freed up since I was leaving, explaining that waiting 20 minutes without being acknowledged was unacceptably poor service. I advised that I would be posting my experience to Google. A restaurant that actually cared about its customers would apologize and learn from the experience and offer to address the problem right away. Their response? Silence. Nothing. Why? Likely because they feel that they can fill my table with other customers, so one unhappy experience doesnt matter. Well, it does matter, and I wont be returning, and I hope my review will convince other people to stay away. Perhaps a few empty tables will help Issmi learn about good customer service. Diners can only vote with their dollars and in my experience, poor service should not be rewarded. My vote? Issmi is not worth the trip or the poor service experience.

Great service, even better food! Delicious

The staff is very friendly and the food is good.

Nice Place, Good Sushi for a quick bite.

Good food and great service Fresh sashimi and sushi Hot saki