Minami Toronto — Restaurant in Toronto

solid 4 in all categories.

food - overall lots of good times; boujee so the portions are small, but not as overpriced as i thought it would be. wagyu on the japanese and us side is decent, fried chicken was yummy, and superb carrot cake. the rest was kind of forgettable. was excited for salmon crisp but quality of fish was mid, thought tastefully presented and nice garnish.

service - bleach blonde host was reluctant so sit us on an unreserved corner 4 seater on the couches and was pushing the 4 seater tables. said it’s cause of the patio party but that’s what we came for lol. made no sense tbh. no one really came throughout our entire visit that justified that. i will give her credit for seating us there anyway but it was super awkward. as someone who was a host before somewhere boujee, weird on her part but not important. -1 star on service altogether cause while our server nicole was awesome and fast i felt like the food arrived at awkward times and then the bill was wrong at first. they also got our bills wrong and added random items which we flagged and they removed.

atmosphere - 5 stars for the inside cause its a work of art. patio however was more forgettable than i expected. mid tables and seating, cute plants hanging but no real other decor, costco lights, just not matching the aesthetic of the inside at all.

overall nice to visit and try indoors for a date night, like id get a tasting menu, but not particularly more than that.

updated response now that the owner replied: not sitting me and my friends on the couches of the patio without argument makes no sense even with your cancellations. they’re 4 seater tables just like the ones in the middle. there were 2 other groups of 3 sitting on the others and the rest were empty. hosts excuse was that they were reserved for the patio and that’s exactly what we did - reserve for the party. she didn’t say a word when she was walking us so i wasn’t sure she’d actually seat us there until she did so kuddos to her. re: food arriving at awkward times. my friend ordered wagyu bites, i ordered a few mins after her, she got her food, my other friend came 10 mins later and then ordered her wagyu bites, and by the time they arrived the girls were done and i was still waiting for mine lol

and i forgot to say the manager came around at some point so i thought that was good...

From the classy interior to the vibrant outdoors of the restaurant, this whole dining experience was a beautiful and carefully crafted dinner story.

As we sat outside with the vineyard terrace above us, we felt as if we were in our own special dining area yet we were right next to the busy street life in the heart of Toronto. As we dined with the beautiful table lamp, we had an amazing view of the CN Tower straight ahead from us.

This view was just as memorable as the food that was served to us. On top of that, our waiter never missed a beat, walked us through the courses of the menu, educating us on the history of the food and how it was traditionally made.

As we ordered a lot of food, we slowly took the menu in time and had sushi first. We were completely blown away by the Salmon Oshi which had a nice soft bite to it, followed by a creamy top and ending it with a mix of a pop of jalapeño that gave the best of both worlds of soft and spicy. Never having anything like this in the world of sushi, I had high hopes with this level of creativity.

We followed this by something lighter with the garlic asparagus which was a nice break until we were ready to enjoy the sushi again. The confit tuna when brought out to us, had us pause in awe in the charcuterie style platter it was presented to us; the amount of flavors, textures and combinations were endless here. Then came the 9 Pc. Sashimi which was cut so well and so thinly that you could not only taste the flavors but also you could imagine the chef carefully cutting these with such precision.

Naturally the Salmon Oshi was still in our head so we ordered another Ebi Oshi and we were not disappointed. To wrap up the dinner portion of the meal, our Pan-Roasted Beef Tenderloin had such a rich flavor of the potatoes, mushrooms, beef and eggs. You could literally taste the nutrients in your mouth which was how deep the flavor was cooked and carefully thought through in this dish.

With it being a 2 minute walk from the Ritz, I know this is a spot that is well deserved to be here and for a long time. If you’re an avid sushi lover or of Japanese cuisine, this is a place that you really do not want...

Came here with my wife on our anniversary.

Must say the service was stellar from the moment we were greeted and seated. The owner even gave us a handwritten letter saying congratulations! Very heartfelt and unique.

The food and drinks were enjoyable. We ordered about 4 drinks, 3 appetizers, and 4 rolls - 2 traditional 2 signature and spent about $300 including tip. A bit pricey but I think they market themselves as an upper scale restaurant - to which most of their menu items and prices can attest.

The espresso Martini was probably the best I ever had. I think it's better without the Miso. And the appetizers - soft shell crab and caviar were great as well. Very artfully crafted.

The only problem I had with the food was the noticeably large disparity between a signature roll and a traditional roll. For an upper scale joint serving things like A5 wagyu, caviar and carpaccio, the traditional rolls were probably worse than bento box sushi, and would not recommend. Dry, and quickly put together, your money is better spent on the signature rolls, who in contrast, were stellar and left us wanting more. But having eaten at tons of fine dining restaurants, some items off the menu did, in all honesty, seem a little gimmicky.

But overall, i think the experience was good. The atmosphere was very hip and service was incredibly attentive. You can tell they genuinely care about their customers at Minami.

However, I wouldn't recommend coming here if you're looking to stuff yourself and leave with a full belly. Quite frankly , my wife and I spent almost $300 and were still hungry at the end of the night. Maybe because it was our first time here, we didn't know what exactly to order on the menu. Perhaps we will give this place another chance in the future.

Regardless, it is a good spot for a date, or mingling with friends while getting a few drinks and a quick...