BOKU Japanese Eats + Drinks (Distillery District) — Restaurant in Toronto

We had such a disappointing experience here. We moved to the area recently and have been looking forward to trying out this place for months.

After being seated, it took 40 minutes for our order to be taken, only to then be told that there was no rice available, and because the kitchen was closing soon, they would not be making any more. This was at 840 and the restaurant closes at 10. This meant that around half of the main course dishes were not available - we would have appreciated that being communicated when we first arrived. So half of our group had to quickly reorder. We were very surprised that a restaurant that describes itself as "Pan Asian" would refuse to make any more rice.

We had also wanted to order food from the outdoor BBQ, but by the time our order was actually taken, there was nothing left.

It then took another 30-40 minutes for our dishes to come out. We thought we would try and order dessert when the main dishes came out (having quickly realised how slow the service was) only to be told there was only one dessert left. We gave up at that point and just finished our meal - the food that came out was actually very good.

We were then left sitting outside on our own as the patio had cleared. About 15 minutes after we finished, no one came out, and we could see the staff inside chatting around the counter. I eventually had to go inside to remind them we were there and ask for the bill. The whole experience of one drink and one main dish each took 2 hours and 15 minutes.

We finished the evening by apologising to our friends for taking them there. What a...

Def a cute eatery but the food and service are not on par with the decor. They have a 20% service charge for group of 5 or more, which is not reasonable considering it's usually 18% for a group of 6 or more. Our server was no where to be found except for when she handed us the menus, when she took our order and when she handled our payments. My friend's order was missing an item (which was stated in the menu) and since our server, again, was no where to be found, we tried to get another server's attention. She walked by our table COMPLETELY IGNORING US despite us raising our arms trying to get her attention. I personally expected more than that from the 20% service charge we paid. And where do I start with the food...I've been to Boku at Wellesley and had a good experience there. The food we had here, on the other hand, was a big let down. The five of us ordered different things and tried each other's food. My friends curry udons were bland, tasted nothing but salty. The ramen was also bland, luke warm (menu says to eat it hot???) with litterally 2 pieces of paper-thin meat (egg was extra). My poke bowl is comically small and the "special poke sauce" tastes like straight up soy sauce and sugar. I ended up paying $50 for my tiny poke bowl and a glass of sake after tax and mandatory tips, which is pretty criminal. So yeah if you do like the brand, I remember the portions at the Wellesley location were more generous and everything tasted so much better. Don't waste your time...

I've been back 4 times to this place to hang out with family, coworkers, and friends on separate occasions. The broth for their ramen dishes and mussels dish are immensely tasty. Their pork, chicken, and beef barbecue is fantastic - the pork and chicken were flavourful and the beef was super tender. The chicken karaage looked simple but was juicy delicious. My partner is vegetarian and they had plenty of dishes for her. She's also a beer lover and their selection was great. The service was fantastic, attentive, and very accommodating. The servers are not overbearing but ensured our waters and drinks were filled at all times. They also are very knowledgeable in the drink menu and have always recommended a good pairing beverage to our dishes. Although they don't advertise as child friendly, I was pleasantly surprised that they had high chairs for babies and children chopsticks for children. One time we brought our stroller and they even found a place to store it, even though we had no problem leaving outside (but they insisted on keeping it safe while we ate). I overheard the manager teach a new server the correct way to place the utensils on the bowl, which impressed me that they even considered that level of detail.

The food is a fantastic fusion of asian cuisine that I have enjoyed enough to go back four times (especially since I lean more towards authentic food). Definitely a place I would consider for date night or for family when visiting the...