Nozomi (North York) — Restaurant in Toronto

I absolutely love this place! I’ve tried a few items from their menu now and everything has been great for the most part.

Their beef bulgogi poke bowl is by far my favourite meal from Nozomi - one of my go to meals of all places actually. It’s perfect in almost every way (I don’t care for edamame, so I leave that stuff out). The portion size is generous, the beef bulgogi is delicious with a lot of flavour in that marinade. The entire poke bowl put together is incredible. The beef bulgogi bowl is a meal I enjoy quite often and will always come back to. I’ve also tried their chicken poke bowl and it’s also very good with them using fried chicken.

Recently I’ve tried their Hot Honey Inferno chicken sandwich to kind of mixed feelings. While the sandwich is very good overall, chicken is golden fried deliciousness and the hot honey sauce is the perfect blend of sweet and spicy, unfortunately the bun does not hold up well. The sandwich as a whole tends to fall apart quite easily, mainly because the bun gets soggy very quick. I understand there are sauces in this sandwich which could contribute to this but I’ve had many burgers and chicken sandwiches delivered where it doesn’t fall apart and the bun is perfect. I absolutely recommend this sandwich, just be wary that mine has fallen apart easily.

One big knock I do have with Nozomi is the price of the certain items. I feel their poke bowls are priced very fair but their burger and sandwich combos are not - especially the fries. First off, their fries look nothing like what is shown in their photos on the website and delivery apps - a bit misleading in my opinion. Secondly (and most important) these are the exact same fries that are sold at the Costco hot food bar. Don’t get me wrong, these fries are incredible. Even with delivery, they are still crisp. But $6 for the fries is highway robbery. What makes this worse is that Nozomi advertises meal combos on delivery apps like door dash but you’re not getting any discount. Not even 50 cents, as you’re still paying the same price for the burger or sandwich, the same $6 for the fries. The combos are also advertised as including a drink but only bottled water is included in the combo price. It’s an extra $1.50 min for any other drink. So really, there is no discount with any combo meal that they advertise. At least with a McDonalds meal, you’ll getting a few cents discount (I’m fully aware there is a big difference in food quality between Nozomi and McDonalds, I’m simply talking about price).

Overall, I do find some of their menu unfairly priced but I would recommend Nozomi. If you’re money conscious, just be wary. If you’re one that doesn’t care about the frills and just wants a sandwich or burger with no sides, then for sure I’d recommend the food from here because it’s delicious. I would absolutely recommend the poke bowls from Nozomi as they are truly one of my favourite delivery/take out meals - this is what will keep me going...

Stumbled upon this hidden gem after picking up my goodies from the dope dispensary across the street, let’s just say I was hungry… I am extremely happy to discover another fast premium food joint , especially one that satisfies the craving for carbs.

They’ve got a variety of different items to satisfies different cravings, going from savoury to even sweet treats, unfortunately…I have attempted several times to take a photo of their cookies, but dang that snickerdoodle and red velvet disappears before the camera even comes out.

The Chicken Tenders has a nice spice seasoning and a PROPER CRUNCH CRUNCH to that batter, hence why I have gotten it twice already, and definitely give their home-made ranch or Korean glaze dipping sauce a shot.

The Chicken Sandwich was proper as well, follows that same amazing crunch as the tender and also nice and juicy as well. They’ve got a nice hot n honey sauce that compliments the sandwich pretty well.

OG Burger is a nice clean take on the classic smash, I do appreciate that they use a different roll instead of the Martin Roll every “premium” burger joint uses. Burger isn’t dry, decently seasoned and definitely hits the spot if you are craving a fast burger.

Fries are pretty standard, tasty when hot, so so when warm-ish, the tater tots they use are quite nice, they don’t taste stale like a few other establishments and I quite enjoy that their food taste like it’s been fried in pretty clean oil.

Overall I highly recommend to check this place out, they have a pretty solid menu across the board, and the owner is extremely friendly to boot. This is the go to spot if you are having munchies in the area of Bathurst. Consistency is key, and they definitely deliver. Good Job, keep making delicious...

Takeout

3.7/5

Spicy chicken burger was great! Juicy chicken, still retaining some crunch on the outside, light slightly sour mayo-based sauce. 5/5.

Tokyo teriyaki burger had too much sauce. It also needed something sour or fresh to cut through that fattiness - pickled vegetables or more fresh vegetables, etc. Like the spicy chicken had the pickles to cut through it. 3.5/5.

Pocos - seaweed salad was a flavorful, refreshing addition, that, along with the raw salmon, balanced out the fried taco shell. Nice. 5/5.

Round 2: Tater tots by themselves - crispy outsides, pillowy soft insides. Addicting. 4/5. Bulgolgi tater tots - nice smoky subtle aftertaste to the bulgolgi beef - though there wasn't a lot of the beef. A tad too much of the cheese/mayo sauce - a bit too salty. 3/5.

Kalbi burger - similar to the Tokyo burger, it needed some more acidity i.e. tomatoes, more pickles, and/or more fresh vegetables. Uses the same cheese/mayo sauce in the Bulgolgi tater tots, so a bit salty. Tasty overall. 3.7/5.

Chicken tenders - crispy outsides, not dry insides. Spicy habanero sauce was a pretty good accompaniment. Try mixing ketchup with that sauce for the best flavour. The honey garlic sauce was unfortunately just honey with some garlic diced in. Not well integrated. Don't get that sauce. 3/5.

Salmon Poke bowl 1/2 rice 1/2 salad - crispy taro, seaweed salad, crunchy edamame provided nice textural contrast. Fresh salmon. Had to add some soy sauce for more depth of flavour. The house sauce is lacking something? Goes well with sesame-toasted seaweed if you have that around. 3.5/5.

Chocolate chip cookie - pockets of saltiness, overly sweet. An average cookie. 2.5/5.

Good overall....