Bar Shozan in Toronto

Brunch 10/10

There are innovations based on traditional dishes, the bluefin tuna sashimi tastes top-notch, and the proprietress and her son are kind and polite. Will visit again.

Amazing tapas, service was excellent, and the cocktails were ~ chefs kiss ~ . Couldn t recommend this place enough! Great for date nights or a night out. Great atmosphere, I will definitely be coming again 10/10.

Incredible food and cocktails! Highly recommend to anyone! Great atmosphere - can t wait to come back.

Amazing place with great food and ambience! Tried their chicken wings and miso eggplant and both tasted awesome

Very cozy Japanese Bar, with small plate food! Would recommend the tebasaki wings and eggplant dish. We also had the sparkling sake which was delicious

Food was really good, atmosphere was cool too! Definitely would recommend

Cute place, food was delish especially the wings and the vibes were great.

Vibez.

The small place specializes in small plates and in a totally Japanese vibe. They were playing 80s city pop and I am here for it. Food was delish, staff were friendly and I would attend again. Lovely local joint.

Tastes so gooooood!!! The service is also warming. I had a enjoyable night with those delicious foods

Good place for drink, and all food good

Everyone was so nice and the food was incredible. Will be back soon :)

Amazing brunch. The ramen was one of the best I ve had and for a very reasonable price!

Great spot, fish was the freshest I ve had in Toronto

Excellent food, excellent service. Highly recommend.

10/10 shout out to Kanata for the excellent service

The food was amazing, we had the squid tempura, tuna sashimi, beef tataki, and spicy salmon rolls, not one disappointing bite. The restaurant is very nice and cozy, and excellent service.

So good

Adore this restaurant, what a hidden gem on Ossington!

Amazing spot!! We had a lovely dinner here- the food is incredible! The housemade pickles are delicious. Great service! Highly recommend!

First time coming to Shazam and it was a great experience. Food was delicious, drinks were great and the atmosphere was relaxing. I everything was a must try but for me the bluefin, the pork belly and the fries were the star.

Came here for my birthday...The service was good too and the food was great!! Try the fries and the pork belly. The blue fin tuna melts in your mouth!

very nice

Bar Shozan in Toronto is a true gem for authentic Japanese cuisine. Every dish is a work of art, bursting with fresh and vibrant ingredients. Decor is on point too!

Delicious sando and great service

Phenomenal find. Expertly grafted food. Pork bowl was the best i have had outside of Japan. Must visit and appreciative of you as a customer

Ordered the beef bowl and tuna bowl, very filling and would order again!

The food was delicious, very friendly staff, and comfortable environment.

Great brunch

I have brunch with friends, pretty good

Nice and cozy Japanese restaurant!

Everything was very fresh and well prepared. The service is also very attentive. Recommend!

The place has a cute and comfortable space with good food if you re searching for something simple and filling. Parking: Super close!

Amazing food! Sweet and caring servers <3

Place was very pleasant the food was amazing you must try the squid tempura !

The vibes were great! A cozy little Japanese restaurant with a good selection of Japanese drinks. Food was yummy.

Vegetarian options: Friend got a ramen opted for extra egg minus pork, yes broth does contain meat. I had the tuna bowl, fatty tuna is always good. Server attentive and helpful. Food

We ve been here twice now and both times had a great experience. The sashimi zensai is delicious, all the fish is so buttery. We also really enjoyed the crispy shrimp & corn skewers, pork belly and the agedashi tofu! This place has become a go to for great Japanese food.

Delicious! Vegetarian options: Edamame Food : 5/5 |

Kanata was really courteous. Good food and coffee

Great value! Food was amazing and the vibes were amazing

I can t believe how amazing this place is The food blew my mind (shared Japanese breakfast and katsu Sando) The service was awesome Food : 5/5

Delicious

Rolls taste fine but expensive and tiny. Havent seen a 4-piece roll before

Great food! Really enjoyed it!

Amazing food and great vibes. Really good music too!

Recommend 10/10!

Good food, great ambience! A cozy and lovely place :)

Great place to come with a small group to share food! Vegetarian options: Great vegetarian options Food : 5/5 |

Went here with my friend a few days ago before a concert as a last ditch effort to get some good food before the show. Best choice we ever made! At first, we sat on the patio because it was pretty busy (peak dinner time). Our server was super kind and sweet and took our orders at a reasonable time. Unfortunately, it started to rain very hard. But our server was able to move us into the place really quickly and got us a nice seat inside. Indoor atmosphere was very unique, pretty, and cozy. We opted to get food that wasn t the sushi or sashimi only because we personally wanted to save time, so the other food we got came in a reasonable time. Everything tasted amazing, but the highlight for me and my friend would definitely be the pork belly and squid tempura. The pork belly was probably the best pork belly I ever had. Perfect texture, taste, etc. I think it also had some sort of bacon jam on top which was such a nice touch. We also had another kind lady come to us to get us another serving of the pork belly because we loved it so much haha. We got a small handful of other delicious food and altogether it came to a surprisingly low price. We ll definitely be coming back soon to try out the sushi and sashimi! Vegetarian options: A list of veggie options were provided on the menu

Great food and sake!

Amazing food, great service and also the music / volume level were not too loud which was amazing

Highly recommend the salmon and ribeye tataki. The cocktails weren t that good nor special. You are better off ordering a beer. Service was ok.

Cute little place. Great food. You won t go wrong with anything on the menu. The pork Katsu Sando is amazing!

Simply, my best ramen ever!

Would be 5 stars if they have natto for traditional Japanese set!

This was the worst Japanese restaurant I ve ever been to in Toronto. I was really looking forward to trying Bar Shozan, but I was extremely disappointed with both the food and the service. The dishes were far from authentic Japanese cuisine. The sushi rice was overly soft, and the fish didn t taste fresh at all. I also ordered a beef bowl, and it was awful huge chunks of low-quality beef that were tough and nearly impossible to eat. When I asked for a knife or scissors to cut the pieces, an older Japanese woman working there made an inappropriate comment, saying that the beef bowl is not Korean style, which felt rude and discriminatory. The entire experience was unpleasant, from the poorly prepared food to the offensive attitude of the staff. I won t be returning and cannot recommend this place to anyone.

Customer service is non existent at this establishment.

I went in today to try this restaurant with my partner and ordered some sushi. The raw salmon smelled like wet cloth. Didn t even bother complaining about the food, because it ruined my appetite. Never coming back here again.

Excellent Japanese food. This place should be packed every evening: highly underrated. The beef tataki was the best I ve ever had and the chicken wings have such tasty seasoning. You could eat a lot or a little, all at a reasonable price. Lovely, cozy atmosphere and nice service. I ll be back again and again.

We came here on a date night. This is a small Japanese tapas (izakaya) restaurant located in ossington. The servers here are friendly and attentive. The menu is not too large, so if youre with the group you can probably try every item. They also have a good variety of beer and other drinks available. We got the pork belly yakiton skewer, Chicken karage, sashimi in the 6ix, and more. My favourite was the pork belly.

Amazing! Stumbled across this place on a recent stay in Toronto. We love Japanese food and were not disappointed. Great natural wine & sake selection. Bring your appetite. Ps. Get the wings ;)

Very authentic and great lunch menu

Guys, this place is a gem! I love everything about it and never get disappointed with anything we ordered. We have been coming for years now and finally made it for lunch today. I had ramen and my friend got their luch set with pork belly. It was the best lunch I ever had in my life! We travel for food and I have to say this is still one of my favorite restaurants in Toronto. Highly recommended!!!

Hamachi Crudo, Eggplant Miso Dengaku, Pork Belly Yakiton, Dynamite Roll, Chicken Karaage

Been here more than dozen times, it s been a fairly regular spot for us for nights out. Tonight will be our last. Food and drink were solid as usual, my former review here was 5 stars. Server brought us a wrong drink and didn t seem too bothered by it, we had to get another server to rectify, but no big deal However our evening ended quite rudely. The bill came and I used the tip calculator on the PoS terminal. The young man saw the final amount, took it from my hands quite abruptly as I was about to put my card in, cancelled the transaction and manually entered in a tip himself and handed it back. The amount he handed back was literally 5 dollars more than the previous total, on a 550 dollar night out. My tip worked out to 21% of the total price (balance due plus deposit sans tax). His manually entered tip worked out to 22% This interaction was beyond rude, and for me as someone who previously lived in Japan, this kind of inappropriate customer interaction seems unimaginable. Hope the five extra dollars was worth us not returning I guess. 21% is not under tipping in any universe.

The portions of the food are really small. I d rather go somewhere else with the same budget, and I ve been to many Japanese restaurants or other restaurants in Ossington. Still, the food was okay and it was the last day of my friend s visit in Toronto so we just enjoyed the vibe. However, the old lady s behavior last night was difficult to understand. One of the menus we ordered was tofu and crab meat and we were given one big spoon to share them. Considering the soup-like texture, we asked for individual spoons but the lady kept repeating that we already had the big spoon to share. We said we just wanted to eat it with a spoon (as an asian myself, I am very comfortable with chopsticks, and still could not fully enjoy the food. I cannot imagine how other customers who are not comfortable with chopsticks ate the food), and I don t think we asked for such a difficult request as the crab meat was a soup-like menu. But she kept sighing and insisting that we already had a big spoon to share without listening to us. In the end she left without giving us spoons and we had to try to eat them with our chopsticks. The overall vibe is fine, but I wouldn t recommend this place to my friends anymore.

Kara-age and Salmon rolls were great quality.

Literally everything we had was great. Dont think you can go wrong ordering here. Definitely give the Tofu and Shrimp a go.

Intimate Japanese food in small space. Drank Sapporo draft.

It s a Japanese tapas (Otsumami) cozy place with a decent sake menu. We tried Pork belly yakiton, beef tataki, dynamite, and tuna sushi rolls. Alongside Dewazakura Yukimegami 48 Junmai Daiginojo sake. Sake was delightful with a bit of melony taste. I should say not the wow sushi, but the rest was delicious.

Incredible food, the crudo and sushi are a must try, and the My own private Tokyo cocktail was absolutely delicious. The service was incredible and the experience was overall fantastic. Highly recommend!

Great cozy spot for some small eats. The service was good, and the food was not bad. The pork belly was the favourite among the group. Drinks are very reasonably priced.

Decent Japanese izakaya fare. Good classic Japanese movies that play in the background

Cute Japanese tapas spot on Ossington! The food was tasty. We got the pork belly, chicken karaage, spicy salmon roll and dynamite roll. Also got a bottle of hot sake - it made our experience very authentic. We ended our meal with the matcha tiramisu, which was SO good.

Great tasting sushis, and gyoza!:) We loved their friendly customer service too. We were the last to leave, it was a fun night with friends!

Absolutely delicious food, try the wings! Everything is fantastic lyrics fresh and has a very unique and detailed flavor.

Very very very cute and unique place! This bar is becoming my favourite sake place in Toronto, even Ontario! They carried a wide variety of sake which originated from Japan! Highly 5 star Food

Hamachi crudo Flavourful with a light touch of yuzu. Addition of cucumbers and veggies lighten up dish. Chili oil added heat to the dish as well. Great dish. Salmon tataki Out of all yhe dishes, this was the only damper on the set. Salmon came out cold and dry. Would have liked to see this seared fresh. Tasted like cooked salmon with an uncooked centre. Flavours and textures conflicted a little. The pieces of salmon were a little too big for me to eat. Deep fried squid tempura legs. Served piping hot and fresh. A tad overcooked but a great way to start a meal. A little on the salty side. Wings Perhaps the most interesting In a good way combination of flavours. Sweet salty and spicy teriyaki. Wings still crispy despite the sauce over it. These would be phenomenal with a battered tempura fry to them. Sushi 5 The fish is fresh and cut amazingly well. Definitely a highlight. Was a little put off by the rice which was a little overcooked. Took away from the amazing fish. Decor and ambiance. Was a little confusing. Old 60s b&w film mixed with modern fashion decore. Service was slow but once it got going dishes came out at a smooth pace at easy intervals to eat. Table was never overwhelmed with food. Any additions after the initial order you have to wait for...

Was tasty sushi,chicken and tiramisu, basically a mistake happened but the manager was really nice and careful about customers, he made it up for us nicely

Recommended. Delicious small plates and various selections on drink menu. Not many tables though better reserve before visiting.

Fresh???

Like 4/9 dishes we got were mind blowingly good, get the fish salad, get the beef tataki 110%. Other 5 dishes like the squid or shrimp were very good but not as impressive. Many delicious dishes other 3-4 per person so if sharing, 6-8 and you will be good. Staff is very friendly, atmosphere is perfectly dark and comfortable. Highly recommend for a casual time.

I m not sure of the old lady that was working there is the owner but she is rude AF. One of the things I ordered was a just simple pint of beer and she brought me a pitcher of beer instead. When I told her that I only ordered a pint she started giving me looks, started mumbling, and made it look like we were at wrong. Vibe was ruined so I didn t get to enjoy the food. Not sure why this place has a high rating when hospitality is not even there.

Popped in for a quick dinner and had a great time :) the food was fresh and yummy

So delicious. Loved the chicken and the pork belly. Both were very juicy and tender. Definitely recommend this place :)

Just walked-in on a whim to get some food/drinks on a friday night. Food was really tasty, simple menu but done with great quality.

There is so much to like about this intimate bar, the ambiance, food, and sake were all top notch. A sake drinker, I wont often order the sweet sake but my guest did and wish I did too as it had bursts of fruits and length. The pork belly was our standout dish, fatty, smokey, crispy, and falling apart goodness. This place is a must. (Side note: We had a birthday next to us and all the staff came out to wish the guest a warm, generous and lighthearted birthday. A very wholesome experience)

amazing place! delicious food and staff was super friendly and let us stay after close to finish up.

What an upsetting experience. I ordered hamachi crudo, hamachi roll, and a spicy tuna roll. I waited over an hour for all of these to come out and waiting 20 minutes for someone to even come over to me. I am extremely disappointed by this experience.

Amazing Japanese food! Flavours was amazing and the service was very good. Friendly staff and the place is very cute and cozy.

Pork belly was one of the best bites of food I had

A good Spicy tuna and spicy salmon roll lunch that came with edamame, miso soup and a salad with sesame dressing. A relief to see actual fish pieces in the rolls, and not an indiscernible mixture like many other sushi places.

Everything about this place reminds me of eating in Japan. It s compact, it s casual, the food is good and down to earth. The sake menu is daunting. Plus treat yourself. The miso aubergine is delicious.

Delicious foods and elegant cocktails!

One of our favourite places on Ossington! Love the cozy atmosphere. Food and drinks were amazing! Service was great as well.

A small quiet place for good Japanese tapas food. I would recommend getting a reservation as there arent too many tables. I would recommend both the beef tataki and the hamachi crudo. They were both really good! The staff are also really friendly

Enjoyed our dinner here. Their kitchen was open later then most of the other places in the area. Closed around 11:30. Ordered two orders of the Karrage. They were out of at least one menu item for food and for Sake. The same selection was far more extensive then most places I ve been. Does come with a steeper price tag then I m used to as well, but I don t have a reference point. The two ladies that served us were very friendly and helpfully in guiding our dining experience.

Chicken wings are great

Small menu, but delicious dishes at a price that matches the quality. Service and intimate and pleasant atmosphere. It is certainly the best Japanese I have tried in Toronto.

Authentic Japanese food with their own little twist. I came here for my birthday and was surprised that this restaurant was so small and intimate. The restaurant can probably only seat about 25-30 people. The decor is a mixture of Japanese decors and modern furniture, the space is well used as there are high-tops against the walls to make space for a few more tables. My overall experience here was positive. Food was SO delicious and there are some dishes I ve tried that I ve never tasted anywhere else. I was slightly disappointed that they do not pass out the samurai hats for people with birthdays anymore (check out their IG). To be honest, I came here just for that but at least they gave me a candle for my tiramisu haha Food recommendations: -Scallop, shrimp and corn cake (looks like a crab cake but it s all these ingredients mashed and fried up together!) Never had anything like this before, definitely a unique dish. It a mix of savoury from the seafood and sweetness from the corn -The $45 sashimi plate was fresh, nothing special though, it s the usual snapper, salmon, tuna selection -Chicken wings were bombtastic -Matcha Tiramisu, the BEST tiramisu I ve ever had What I do not recommend: -cocktails here did not impress me, not a lot of creativity was placed in their drinks. It seems to be a common thing for them to throw in pieces of fruits with their cocktails. They taste alright but not the best cocktails I ve ever had. If you want to pay a visit on a Friday or the weekends, I highly recommend you make a reservation in advance. Otherwise, good luck getting a table.

Rude and didn t give change back at first bc they assumed it was all theirs. I was going to tip but that left a distaste in my mouth and i didnt want to tip anymore. I got up and left and the old lady rushed to me and said you forgot to tip! No i didnt forget. Even more upset i left them a bit and left. When service isnt great ppl can choose not to tip its so rude to just assume

Food was good. Customer service wasn t that goods. It takes for ever to get water. The owner or the waitress looked a a bit a angry/indifferent/cold to us. No greeting no smiling. But food is good.

Small izakaya on Ossington that serves good tapas. Ordered Hamachi Crudo, Beef Tataki, Spider Roll, Seafood Salad, Corn and Seafood Skewers, Chicken Karaage, Pork Belly Yakitori. Food took a while to arrive I think there s only 1 chef in the kitchen. The younger lady server was very pleasant. The older woman was unfortunately a bit rude. People with that kind of personality shouldn t be working as front of the house IMO especially when the establishment has a policy of minimum 18% tip.

Cute little Japanese Izakaya in Ossington. They have outdoor dining along the room and a few tables inside. Very cute decor and some interesting statues inside that catch your attention. Didnt do a full meal but just mainly went to grab drinks and an order for the Tebasaki wings. The cocktails were well made with unique combinations (My Own Private Tokyo had a strong matcha flavour which was really good). The service overall was great. We got seated promptly and the waitresses were very attentive and would refill water constantly. Will come back to try the rest of the menu and try more of their cocktails.

Its said minimum tip is 18%, and 20% for more than group of four. The food wasnt coming for 30minutes so we asked how long it would take and the japanese owner said it is coming. After 10 mins the food was still not coming so my friend asked again, and the owner said it is coming and she was upset about we asked two times for the food. We could understand that she was swearing in Japanese because we also speak Japanese. Watch your words. Me and my friend was so unhappy about this experience and the price overall is expensive compared to the portion and taste. Do not expect the customers to pay minimum tips if you are disrespectful af. ?

Found this place by accident and it was such a good evening. We shared 7 plates between 2, the eggplant was phenomenal and the rest of the food was really good too. Will be back, it was a really good evening, service was great and thematcja tiramisu was a really good dessert too.

Remarkable food and atmosphere. Timely serving of dishes, overall very professional.

some of the best cocktails I ve had at any restaurant in Toronto, unique and highly curated to their space. So refreshing too in the hot summer heat. Their food was great too, I particularly liked the tofu dish!

Small and cozy bar with great food choices. Pork belly skewers and eggplant were both delicious! Cocktails were well done too.

Excellent example of modern Japanese Tapas. The tokyo cocktail with rum, tea, and lychee was amazing and the Namino Oto Sake was light and refreshing. The eggplant was the top highlight with the Crudo came in a close second among our 8 dishes.

Almost great food. Service could be much better. Overall enjoyable, not the best and maybe I caught them on an off night as it was highly recommended. Pork belly was the highlight. It s reasonably priced. Had reservations but it didn t seem to matter, there was a line at the door that was taken regardless of reservations. Once seated the ambiance is fun, but was quickly over shadowed when it took 35 mins to even order a drink or get water. It s not heavily staffed but this seemed like an extremely long time. Then another 25 mins to get the first item we ordered and then another 20 mins till the next item. The chicken Karaage is good, the pork belly was great. The maki rolls were really good, but heavy on the mayo, fish was very fresh but again too much mayo. Odd because the other dishes had not enough spicy mayo or soy sauce for the plates. My review might seem negative however it was still a good time and the price was more reasonable than I was expecting. The slow service unfortunately impacted the experience.

Very compact little bar with delicious dishes, my friends and I ordered one of each of the meat options, the chicken wings and tataki were especially good. They have a 90min seating limit and 20% gratuity on parties of 5+. Food

The pork belly, eggplant, seafood salad were super good, I would want to come back just for those. The hamachi, salmon and beef tataki were good but all 3 seemed too similar sauce wise and just did not stand out to me. With that being said, for an izakaya/tapas place the food took pretty long to come out (longest was like 20mins between dishes and it was surprisingly the tataki because those typically come first). At one point the server even asked if one of our dishes already came and everyone just seemed a little all over the place so it feels like they have some issues with organization. Honestly the service was pretty disappointing...the bartender that took our order was nice but (as other reviews have stated) the other 2 staffs seemed very unwelcoming and borderline rude. No acknowledgment when we came in. We stood at the entrace waiting and waiting and finally we were just hit with a you have no reservation?. Not even a thank you for waiting The drinks were ok. A little uninspired perhaps but still delicious. Atmosphere was cute. 18% minimum gratuity which felt a little gross to be honest for the poor service provided. This is the first time Ive experienced such bad customer service at a bar in Toronto. Im not saying that customers should be treated like gods, but I think there is a minimum level of customer service. I wish I could at least say Welcome... Why is there a compulsory tip when they dont even say hello? ? It was delicious but I wont be returning.

Authentic Japanese Numerous Japanese beers, wines, and spirits including Choya Umeshu Karaage is the best I ve had in the city so similar to the taste and texture you would get in Japan We also had the tofu/crab soup - so delicious + would recommend Would 100% come back It was also comforting seeing kimono and haori as decorations. Really was authentically Japanese in taste and decor.

Absolutely incredible! A colleague and myself walked into bar shozan Saturday night, they where completely full but allowed us to come in for a quick drink regardless, amazing atmosphere, the drinks where phenomenal and the service was top notch, friendly and knowledgeable. We will definitely be returning (with reservations) for food soon.

Delicious drinks, nice food, and top notch service!

Lovely spot with a small but fantastic menu spanning set meals up to small plate voyages. Cozy ambiance, great sake selection, but my favourite is a teishoku set and tea, comfort food. Highly recommended.

Vegetarian options: Burdock salad, eggplant , and other vegetarian option Food

Quaint Japanese izakaya on Ossington, w friendly, professional service. Highlights hamachi crudo, seaweed salad, burdock salad, and the tebasaki. Will be back, for sure!

Very good

Great sake selection. One of the best in Toronto

Delicious food and cocktails! In love with Pork Yakiton and the life changing Eggplant dish. Best fries Ive had in a long time. Nice boozy cocktails and nice sake list. Had a wonderful time, service was lovely.

Excellent food beautifully presented. And attentive, polite service.

The food is mid, between me and my friend we shared 6 dishes so tasted a wide range. The eggplant was good and everything else was just eh. Can t speak to drinks.

Small cozy space. The service was prompt and the food was excellent. We ordered 4 dishes and throughly enjoyed everything.

Delicious sushi in a nice, low light, small space. Perfect for dates :)

Each of the 6 plates + dessert we ordered were inventive, beautifully plated and absolutely delicious. They highlight unique and high quality ingredients. Service was quick and our server was super friendly. Very cozy vibe. Best meal weve had in recent memory, couldnt recommend more!

One of those spots were the dishes come out and they look so appetizing you start munching before you get a chance to shoot a pic. Had lots of items outside what s pictured here but everything was mmm mmm good. Sashimi bowl was fresh, the ramen was savoury and the rolls were tight. Great intimate spot for delicious eats.

This is a cute little spot located at Lower Ossington and specializes in Japanese tapas (Otsumami). I decided to drop by for lunch as I was in the area, and was probably their first customer from opening. The atmosphere feels authentic, with some quirky décor like mannequins in kimonos, and is quiet at this time. The two individuals working, whom I assume were the owners of the restaurant, were very polite, and provided good service. Their lunch menu is a lot smaller than their dinner menu though, and because a lot of the tapas available at lunch time didn t appeal to my friend, we both just ended up ordering one of their Lunch Sets. The salad was fresh, and the chicken skewers and tempura were good. The nigiri sushi wasn t bad, but not great. I do note that my opinions may be biased from a recent trip to Japan where I had really fresh sushi.

This place is a total gem. Fun, small, quirky interior. The food was fantastic, lots of interesting and super tasty dishes. The eggplant was my personal fav but there were no mediocre dishes of the many we ordered. Can t wait to go back.

I really liked visiting this Japanese restaurant. The decor, music and vibe are very cool. I had squid tempura, miso sauce pork belly, spicy tuna roll, yellowtail w green onions roll and wings. I loved all the food, my favourite was the spicy tuna and the wings. I also had one 3oz of a fruity sake, which was good but kinda expensive $16. I left feeling satisfied, Id come back!

Small place with a great vibe and fantastic food, awesome for sharing. Pretty impressive sake menu, and a super cool guide that you can use with your phone to help you choose a sake by answering a few questions on the type of flavours you want to experience. Super nice touch that really makes me want to come back to try some more different types of sake from all over Japan.

Great atmosphere, attentive and welcoming staff and OMG the food!! Do yourself a favour and order the pork belly and beef tataki - you wont regret it.

Incredible food and friendly staff! Pork belly is a must but everything on the menu is a winner

Had a great meal - fish was super fresh, all the small plates were delicious. Unbelievable fries that you wouldn t expect. Good cocktails and sake list. It was our first dinner out in months and the Shozan crew was awesome!

Bar Shozan is such an incredible hidden gem on Ossington. The first time I went to Bar Shozan was purely by chance my sister and I were strolling around trying to find a spot to eat and drink. That first visit was so great, we had to come back to celebrate her birthday there. Despite the limited seating, we were able to score a table with no wait for both visits on a Saturday night! Bar Shozan is so cozy and intimate - perfect for a date night, solo dinner, or a small gathering with friends. As mentioned, there is limited seating but it seems like they can accommodate walk-ins when they can. Depending on the day and time, certain food items are not available to order ie. on Saturday, past 6pm, their ramen is not available. However everything Ive had on their menu has been SO good so far: The agedashi tofu + crab was a delightful surprise - the tofu was delicious, sitting in some bonito broth with real crab meat. You will want to eat up every last drop of that broth! The corn and shrimp skewers were pricy given the size but SO delicious and comes out piping hot. The Tebasaki chicken wings are glazed in a sweet and savoury sauce and sooo juicy. The pork belly yakiton was really good - I didnt know what to expect but the pork belly was made perfectly. However, the green pepper miso paste made it a little salty for me (it might be ok for you though!). The matcha tiramisu was made perfectly. Neither too sweet or strong in their flavours. Our cocktails: Shinjuku Red and Sake Sangria. Highly recommend both! I liked how the Sake Sangria tasted with the ginger beer and fruits. I secretly mentioned to our lovely server that it was my sisters birthday, so they put a candle in her dessert and came out singing to her. They also included a cardboard kabuto (helmet) for her to wear. It was just SO awesome! I love Bar Shozan and will definitely return to try their lunch menu and ramen. Their staff are all really nice, courteous and very attentive. 100% recommend! Thank youuuu!

unbelievable quality of food and very lovely owners . Top stuff really. this takes you back to a izakaya +sushi place in Tokyo

They have the BEST soft shell crab here. I ve looking for a restaurant with good soft shell crab for too long, until now. All servers are super friendly and helpful. All dishes that we tried were so good. Definitely will go back and highly recommend !!!!!!

Highly reco. Cannot go wrong.

First time here, vibe and atmosphere off the roof! Music low enough to your comfort level that you can enjoy your conversation, enjoy your food and enjoy the music!! Amazing amazing amazing!

Hidden gem on ossington. The food was delicious and the service was great. Would recommend to anyone who is chill, cool or a homie.

We ordered hamachi crudo, beef tataki, spider roll and eggplants. They were all really good (though only my cousin who dined with me tried the beef); the eggplants dish was excellent we ended up ordering a second plate. The dessert was tasty too! I appreciate that there is marsala in their matcha tiramisu, a nice touch that is rare to find. The ambience is also nice and cozy, the pictures of the upstair area (which was closed on the day we visited) look fun too.

Every dish we had was fresh, delicious and perfectly cooked. Great selection of natural wines, modern cocktails and sake. Absolutely loved our experience here!

Great food! Their Japanese tapas is superb. The eggplant with miso is very unique and flavourful. Fried tofu is paired up with actual fresh crab meat. They put many thoughts into their dishes and you can feel it. Very authentic place, they even have ume shiso rolls. Wow!

Best Japanese restaurant I ve been too. The environment is intimate and artistic. The staff and kind, courteous, knowledgeable, and swift at service. The food is high quality and punching with flavour. The sake curation was vast and diverse. Couldn t be happier with my experience.

Love this place! Small, quiet and cozy atmosphere. Delicious food. Perfect for sharing. Very nice and friendly service too. I got the seafood salad, pork gyoza and spicy salmon sushi roll. My favourite was the plum wine. Perfect way to end a Friday evening. Cheers!

A delicious restaurant. We had lunch there and it was really very good. The spicy rolls are fantastic, the Ramen delicious, the tempura perfect. Extremely fresh products cooked to order. A delight!

Toki Highballs please and thank you

Yummy! Been here twice and both times the sashimi in the 6ix was fresh and tasty! The chicken wings were crispy and that flavour was on point. Got the pork belly yakitoni and saba (mackerel) nigiri too! Love love it all :) Citrus kabosu and sake sangria were delicious cocktails too!

One of the best chirashis Ive had, very delicious and fresh!

Really flavorful food and aesthetic presentation! I recommend the pork belly, wings, and eggplant dishes. Great for sharing.

Thanks for sharing the love for food - every dish made us smile.

Everything was cooked so fresh and had great flavours. There wasnt a miss, everything from the karage, with the spiced mayo dip to the adegashi tofu with soft shell crab and pork belly. Thoroughly enjoyed the food. The restaurant feels authentic to Japan.

Simple but delicious Japanese dishes

Food was good, but not as spectacular as I d expect for the rating.

This place has the atmosphere of a small Izikaya from Tokyo. I had some sushi and sake and it was really tasty. The price is on the expensive side but I think it s worth it, I ll come back

Absolutely phenomenal service, food, and drinks. The staff are above and beyond. Highly recommend.

best pork belly i ever had. great sushi too

Amongst the most original places in all of Toronto. The Sake collection is crazy, and the food is just so brilliant (especially eggplant miso). And the music and the films that keep playing. No place like this one!

Amazing drinks and savory foods.

Everything is good but not enough for the price I feel. Not sure how it gets 4.6/5 but try maybe I am wrong. Ordered a sake but was taken away when I wasn t finished. :( he could have asked. But I guess the drink was very little to begin with idk.

Food was delicious, I especially recommend the miso aubergine. Sake flight slapped hard. It was really well explained and the little labels for each sake are cute af. Capitalism really popped off today.

This is cute low-key Japanese restaurant with a comfortable vibe and staff. The fish is very fresh and their dish and rolls are well prepared. Ive been here twice and enjoyed the food each time, the best part is that they have a nice sake selection and flights to try them out as well. Its the closest Ive had to an authentic feeling of Japan in a while, really reminds me of smaller Izakaya and bars when I was visiting.

Everything was DELICIOUS. good service, organic wines, the eggplant was amazing, calamari and sushi were good as well. would return

Yay, a reasonably priced restaurant on ossington! Seems like a mom and pop shop. Really great food; perfect well rounded lunch! Loved the pork belly rice bowl, super fresh and delicious

Amazing vibe. All the food was wonderful. Incredibly cozy inside and the server was very nice and helpful.

The place is ok, a little bit overrated. I took one star off coz the lady there was little bit rude.

I ve been here twice, both for my birthday celebrations the last two years. The first time (2021) we stumbled into this place and loved the cozy atmosphere. There was only 5 of us, but we already filled up which felt like a quarter of the restaurant space! Food was awesome, we love their wings, pork belly skewers, and their sangria was amazing. We had a great time and loved the service as well! So friendly and down to earth. After our great experience, I had been raving about it for the next year and hoping to go back (although we hadn t been able to make the time). Luckily I had a surprise birthday celebration booked here this November! Food was still great, but unfortunately since they were short staffed, they didn t allow us to order any cocktails which was a huge let down for all of us. We definitely would have ordered rounds of drinks. We also noticed that some tables next to us had cocktails so their message wasn t consistent to what they had told us earlier. Service was still good (friendly, helpful) but we did notice that our party size affected overall service and what they would accommodate. If our last experience was a bit better I would have given it a 5 star. Regardless I would go back but in a much smaller group.

Went here with some friends for lunch recently. Its a small and cozy bar that has a nice Japanese atmosphere to it. The menu is small and a bit more to the expensive side but the food was amazing. We ordered the sashimi, Cha Su bowl, and spicy Salmon and despite the portions appearing small, it was extremely filling. Our meals included a salad and miso soup that were brought in earlier than our meal so we had something to eat in the meantime. Unfortunately they didnt have the bento box option available at the time we went but I would definitely go again to try that, and to see what its like during dinner time.

Love coming here, great food.

Going out of my way to post this review because Shozan is an absolutely incredible restaurant that deserves much more attention. Food is INCREDIBLE. I can t emphasize how impressed I am. Having chatted with the owner, I found out that the chef is an experienced veteran with over 35yrs experience. Service is impeccable, very cultured waiters who are all to happy to serve you better. And lastly the vibes are fun enjoyable and sociable. I m having such a good time I kept ordering more and paid a handsome tip. Strong recommend, spread the word!

Food was delicious and the service was amazing too!! A cozy and nicely decorated family restaurant! I read some review saying the lady there was rude, I DISAGREE! the lady s English is not fluent so you might had this impression simply because she couldn t fully express herself with the right words. When we were there, the lady stood at the entrance waited for almost 20-30 mins so that she could welcome two customers who reserved a table. I doubt a rude person would do such thing.

Good vibe with limited food selection. Portion is also disappointing. Drinks are ok but still cannot make up for the down side. Worst of all, food took forever to be served. Basically the first dish comes 1 hour after we get our drinks. The rest came half an hour later all together.