AiSushi Markham — Restaurant in Markham

We used to be regular patrons of this sushi restaurant, but after our most recent experience, we are sure to never return. We visited as a party of three adults and one 6-year-old child who, like many children his age, does not eat sushi. We brought a small meal from another restaurant for him so he wouldn’t be left hungry while the rest of us dined. The restaurant was completely empty when we arrived as it was close to closing time, yet the (only) woman working there refused without an ounce of empathy, to allow our son to quietly eat his food with us.

We understand that outside food policies exist, but there is a difference between enforcing a rule and demonstrating basic human decency. This was a clear opportunity for understanding and kindness, especially considering we were paying customers and the restaurant had no other guests. Instead, we were met with coldness and inflexibility.

To avoid making my son feel left out, I took him to the car and we ate our meals there, the two remaining adults were rushed through their dining experience. With 15 minutes left until closing, the same woman began sweeping aggressively under their table; clearly trying to usher them out before they were even finished.

This experience was not only disappointing but downright disrespectful. We left feeling unwelcome, frustrated, and saddened by the lack of compassion shown to a hungry child and a family that had previously supported this business.

We won’t be back, and we’ll be sure to take our money elsewhere where customers are respected and treated...

I have been coming to the Markham spot since DAY ONE. IMHO, it's the best value for sushi to be found in the area. Freshness and value are never in question.

During the pandemic, it was evident this business had some struggles with consistency, and some other issues, that others have noted.

More recently, I have noticed that quality and consistency are stabilizing. This type of business is only as good as its staff, along with cleanliness and following of food safety protocol.

If the owner reads this review, he will be wise to continuously remind food handlers about service and food safety, especially given sushi. I know that the owner of Ai Sushi cares about customers and listens. I am also empathetic to the fact that it's difficult to run a restaurant in the best of times. There's lots of competition, margins are thin, and it's hard to find good, honest and reliable employees who will provide top performance and service when the boss isn't looking.

I really care about this business because I've been coming here since the beginning. I enjoy the food. Value is solid. Service is inconsistent. Food is getting more consistent (again). Re: food safety, I've caught staff taking shortcuts that the owner can DM me on.

Ai sushi does a LOT of things right. If the staff can hone in on the details, this place can be a homerun. If they do nothing, then "close enough is...

We have been ordering these Western style sushi from this store at least once a month for about 5 years. We have always enjoyed it. It's not bad for the price range. Don't expect it to be "authentic," it is delicious for what it is. We placed an order on Saturday at 6:30 to be picked up at 7:30, but it wasn't ready until 20 minutes later. They are usually very busy on weekends. So keep in mind that it can take longer than promised on busy time. My reason for the 3-star rating is that the maki we had on Saturday has a taste of potting mix to it. No problems with the sashimi or nigiri. There was just a soil taste to all the maki rolls with with shredded cucumbers. Maybe the cucumbers were not washed thoroughly. Or the person rolling them had just worked in the garden with soil in their fingernails. Or the supplier of precut cucumbers. Of course, it could be the rice... I don't know. It was especially bad with the Crab Salad Roll in the platter. It was very unpleasant. My late grandma sometimes forgot to wash vegetables before cooking and the soil would be in the food, and that's the taste. It's soil taste. My family didn't really notice it until I pointed it out because they drown the sushi in the abomination of soy sauce-wasabi mixture. Hope you could identify the issue. I will still order here, but probably not order maki in the...