Bar Shozan — Restaurant in Toronto

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 I've 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 didn't 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 sister's 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!...

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...

Was here for winter-luscious. First timer. The menu online looked good and the pictures look good. So decided to try it.

The place is quaint. Not too many tables on the first floor, but surprisingly, they have a second floor. The decor is nice, reminiscent of a traditional Japanese restaurant. I hear some Japanese being spoken by the staff (though there are other non Japanese staff aswell). Our waiter was amazing and took attention to detail given that the place was busy. The meal did take a bit longer, but it's worth it.

Foodwise, everything was amazing. Hard to say more. Though certainly there were better plates than others. Had the curry done 3 ways appetizer, scallops uni and the tuna tacos.. all were very good. Though personally I liked the tuna the best.... Next was the curry... For the mains, the hot pot actually was my favorite. The shrimp, oyster, sea bass and mussels along with veggies were amazing on a cold day. The sushi was amazingly fresh. The beef ribs, while also very tender and good couldn't compare to the hot pot. Dessert, the black sesame was the best IMO. Second was the sake ice cream. The paring with the cake was ok. It would be better to have 2 ice cream balls and 1 piece of cake instead since it is one of their signature items. The squash creme brule was ok.. thought it was heavy and could be lighter.

Overall. Definitely...