Zen Kyoto — Restaurant in Toronto

I come here often for lunch but my recent visit on Tuesday was not pleasant at all.

1. If you order through QR code, be ready to wait. Reading from other comments, it looks like this is a known system issue. My colleague and I placed our order using QR code for the first time here. After 10 minutes of waiting, I asked where our order was because it usually never takes this long and people were walking in and out like a breeze using the cashier line. We were the only ones waiting for more than few minutes. The lady tells me to go check the pickup shelf. After looking through like 20 bags, our order was not there so I ask again. She looks at my receipt, goes to check and it’s very clear they forgot about it so she tells me “5 more minutes”. After another 10 minutes, we still don’t have our order so I ask again. She goes to check again and for some odd reason, our bag is on the floor. Every other bag is either on the table or the shelf but there was one bag just on the floor and that was ours. Clearly they forgot about it again. I mentioned we waited 20 minutes yet she did not even apologize, let alone acknowledge it. Literally just picked up the bag from the floor, passed it and walked away after making us wait 20 minutes. Absolutely unacceptable.

2. So we come back to our desks and when we open the bag, turns out they forgot one miso soup and gave us only one chopstick.

3. The sushi itself was one of the worst quality ever. I kid you not, the ginger was almost rotten. It was not white, it was literally turning brown and very hard and stiff. I tried one and spit it out immediately because it was so bitter and inedible. It had a very distinct taste and smell. I am 100% certain this is ginger that should have been thrown out, not sold. The rice was also very hard and overall felt like refrigerated sushi that’s been expired...

Zen Kyoto makes a great option when you’re looking for some takeout sushi. Located in the PATH on the concourse level of First Canadian Place (by King and Bay), they are Monday to Friday, from 10:30 am to 5:00 pm.

They have a selection of pre-packaged sushi, salads, and small sides at the counter for quick grab-and-go purchases, or you can opt to order something from their menu. Aside from great sushi combos, and maki rolls, the restaurant also offers a variety of rice bowls, and udon noodles. It’s noted that there’s usually a line of office workers during lunch hours, so it’s recommended to place your order online in advance or pick up, or visit outside of their peak period if you’re short on time.

The sushi here isn’t considered the best in town, but the quality is good enough for the price you pay. On my most recent visit, I ordered the Torch Combo ($18 – 12 pieces), which also comes with a miso soup.  I’ve ordered this a few times before, but unfortunately the fish didn’t taste as fresh as all the other times I’ve ordered the Torch Combo. However, since this was the first time out of a few where I was a little disappointed with the quality, I will not deduct any stars...

Zen Kyoto is located in the path at first Canadian place which makes it a great location for lunch if you work in the area. That being said, there is typically a long line up at lunch time which means i usually avoid it for lunch.

However, I decided to try picking up a couple rolls for dinner last week. I tried the spicy salmon and spicy tuna rolls ($8 are $12 respectively). Both these are my go to rolls when trying a take away sushi spot.

At first glance the quality of the maki is noticeable in a good way. The fish is chunky and plentiful and it was nice to see limited mayo/sauce being used here.

The salmon was sweet and not fishy at all. The taste of the fish comes through well as there was only a little crunch and sauce added. To me this is the way to enjoy good quality fish that is not masked by condiments.

The tuna was fantastic too. This roll has more crunch which went well with the fresh tuna. Enjoyed this one more than the salmon as it's not as sweet in flavour.

Overall, this is a great spot for take out sushi. I'm definitely...