Sapporo Sushi — Restaurant in Richmond Hill

MochiPopcorn Rating Chart Averaged 5 Star Rating rounded down.

Overall Rating - 3.5

Time: 7pm Date: Sunday Party: 2 Time to Seat : immediate Crowd Level : low

Food / Quality Rating - 3.5 / 5 Salmon Festival Combo

Meal set made for 2 or more hungry individuals. However, soup and salad will be served for assumed 2 individuals.

Combo includes: 14 Salmon Sashimi - Freshly Cut, buttery salmon which tastes amazing with or without soy sauce / Wasabi.

12 sushi pieces - ymmv. We received 4 torched salmon, 4 char roe, and 4 salmon sushi. The torched salmon was a nice touch, but the char roe sushi takes the cake with the flavor overwhelming your taste buds if not taken in small bites. Recommend combining with other things on the platter.

Salmon Festival Roll - deep fried shrimp tempura, cucumber, avacado, and imitation crab meat topped with torched salmon and char roe. Lightly sauced. Combination of these items tasted well and the char roe added that extra flavor when they pop. Tempura could have been more crispy which would have added to the overall bite of the roll.

Salmon and Salmon skin tempura with homemade spicy sauce. The homemade spicy sauce was not too strong but that was perfect for matching the salmon sashimi bits. The salmon skin tempura could have been more crispy but over time the sauce will soak into the skin bits. However the overall taste was well received.

6 piece spicy salmon roll - they did not serve this item today but rather substituted their roll with an assortment of other rolls including standard spicy tuna, cucumber and california roll. We didn't catch this until after we looked back at the menu again. But regardless the rolls still tasted good. Point loss for not sticking to the menu.

Comes with choice of spicy salmon or crunchy salmon roll. Total of 2. As well as choice of seaweed or green salad. Total of 2. And 2 ice creams. If ice cream is out, they will substitute will yogurt drink.

The seaweed salad was quite refreshing while the green salad was fairly standard. The spicy salmon roll was filled all the way throughout the roll and so you can finish the roll without running out of salmon.

Portion size was very large and more than enough food for 2 people.

Staff/Service Rating - 4 / 5 Staff was very friendly and answered questions happily, but with only 1 staff member serving customers. The store itself only seats about 30 at most and is maintained well. Staff will go around and pour tea for you and refill it as needed. They can be found fairly easily but may get overwhelmed if busy.

Environment Rating - 3 / 5 The store itself faces the street versus the parking lot so it's easy to miss. They do their best to maintain the cleanliness and extra attention is paid to their washroom facilities to keep it as clean as possible. Nice touch on using a screen to hide cleaning supplies. However given the age of the store, the facilities are not as up to date or as clean as it could be.

Price Rating - 3 / 5 Price after tax - $75.00 for the combo which could have fed 3 people. If you compare it to an all you can eat restaurant, it is expensive, however for fresh and authentic experience this is a standard...

Not great. Having coming here for 25+ years the latest experience has been disappointing. Traditional Chirashi don, a revered dish consisting of sashimi arranged beautifully over a bed of seasoned sushi rice, should maintain its authenticity by avoiding Korean embellishments, torched, or pickled sashimi. Chirashi, in its traditional form, is celebrated for its simplicity and the unadulterated flavors of fresh, raw fish. Introducing elements like torched or pickled sashimi or Korean ingredients disrupts the delicate balance and purity that defines this dish.

Adding Korean embellishments to Chirashi undermines the cultural integrity of the dish. Chirashi is deeply rooted in Japanese culinary tradition, which emphasizes harmony, balance, and the natural flavours of high-quality ingredients. Korean ingredients, while delicious in their own right, bring a distinct and bold flavor profile that can overshadow the subtlety of traditional Chirashi. Preserving the dish’s cultural authenticity is essential to honouring its origins and providing an experience that reflects its true essence.

The inclusion of torched or pickled sashimi further detracts from the traditional Chirashi experience. The raw, fresh quality of the sashimi is paramount, offering a pure and clean taste that pairs perfectly with the seasoned rice. Torching introduces a smoky flavour and alters the texture, while pickling adds a tangy, sometimes overpowering note. These modifications can overwhelm the delicate flavors of the fish and rice, transforming the dish into something entirely different from what was intended. To maintain the integrity and authenticity of Chirashi, it is crucial to serve it with the pristine, unaltered sashimi that showcases the elegance of Japanese cuisine. Folks, if you like the food here, stick with the lunch specials or the basic Chirashi Don, which is a good value. The premium Chirashi Don was absolutely horrible. I tried to explain this to the owners, but they were not on the same page. I will likely avoid this place, which is sad because it was a great restaurant once. When you order sashimi which is raw fish. You do not expect pickled or torched fish. What a...

Since the provincial shutdowns, I haven't dined in at their restaurant since as our schedules have been changing personally. We used to go there every month to eat the great sushi and pay the lovely owners a visit. Recently, we ordered takeout from them: we ordered the large premium sushi tray with a small sashimi tray. I'm happy to say that they have maintained their standards!

The quality of the fish, rice, and the garnishes are beyond excellent. They do an excellent job in mixing the flavours and designing new and inventive rolls. They haven't had sea urchin (uni) in a while, however, their substitutions for it in the premium tray are usually scallops or ikura (salmon roe). For the past 5 years, their ikura has been amazing: sweet, smooth, and just what you want. I've had ikura at many places but they usually taste a little off (for me at least!).

If you are going there for lunch, or just want something for yourself, get the salmon magic roll. Its a salmon roll, topped with more salmon, salmon roll, sauce (I think it's spicy mayo) and crispy tempura shavings. You won't be disappointed!

Their prices are a little high, but you are paying for the quality. If you take out, I believe they are still doing a 5% discount if you pay in cash. They opened dine-in, and they have plastic shields around the tables. Very limited seating, however, it may fluctuate depending on the time so I suggest giving...