Koganei Japanese Seafood — Restaurant in Vaughan

Two week short of three years, my family and I decided to try Koganei again.

I didn’t set my expectations too high based on my last experience.

We had a pleasant evening with the same staff members as 3 years ago and I’m glad to say in restaurant dining received the proper attention it deserved.

Food was excellent and wait staff was very attentive.

Thanks, I’m back as a customer.

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This poor experience happened on June 12th 2022: Owners, please talk to your staff.

I used to love Koganei. Been to this restaurant roughly 4-6 times a year and for my birthday more than once. This was a 5 star restaurant to me, then why the one star now?

Remember how upset you were when everyone's mains came at some restaurant and you had to wait for yours? Well this time we waited 20 minutes for the mains to be fully delivered.

What's up you ask?

Well we refused the late mains, sent them back and asked to square up the bill as the service was just too slow.

The waiter tried to justify the late mains because of online orders! What? The in dining experience is now playing second fiddle to online orders? He actually believed it was OK to serve our meal partially, put it on hold to compete online orders that came in around the same time.

Let's remember this is a $150 dollar restaurant for 2 adults + child. And we got in our car, drove to the restaurant for a nice experience.

We also noticed that a table that came in 10 minutes after us received their mains before us. When I asked the waiter what was up with that he responded they ordered before coming in....

1. Really?, is the in dining experience that bad that you have to order before showing up?
2. Or was it because he knew the party by name? Hmm...

The food is good and I have no grips there but beware the in dining experience. It has gone down hill big time. They have lost me as a customer and that's a shame really.

Beware...

I’ve been on a mission to find the perfect Japanese restaurant since my return from Japan, and guess what? I think I’ve found it right near my place! The atmosphere is just so relaxing, and I felt like I was transported back to Japan. It’s super clean, the seats are comfy, and the air conditioning is amazing after a hot day outside. The decor is just stunning.

I ordered the Nude roll, and it’s become my new favourite! It’s just so good, and it’s loaded with ingredients without any rice, which is really nice. For my main, I got the Pork Tonkatsu bento box, which was prepared and fried perfectly; it was crunchy and tender. It was just that good! I asked for spicy mayo to dip it in since there wasn’t any tonkatsu sauce. The bento box also came with miso soup, cabbage salad, fruit, and of course, shrimp and veggie tempura. The bento box is an amazing deal and super tasty. I also ordered a large warm/hot sake, which was so good, I was sweating after! For dessert, I got a green tea pastry, which was good, but I really enjoyed the green tea ice cream itself.

It was an amazing experience, and I’ll definitely be back. Thanks to the owner, Sara....

The worst dining experience I've ever had. The fish was far from fresh — I tried several sushi sets, including some of the more expensive options, and each one was a major disappointment. One set, priced at around $80, included random ingredients like questionable cheese and cheap imitation crab sticks, leaving me wondering if it was even safe to eat. Another set was drowned in sauce, likely to mask the unpleasant taste. Shockingly, these were recommended by the staff, who proudly claimed they "know what they’re doing" after 25 years in the business. The service was equally terrible was starred by the staff whole time: the waiters were rude after I refused to give a tip. The atmosphere was non-existent. The tables, seats, and plates were dirty, and the patio — which opens directly onto Highway 7 — felt like it was designed so you could enjoy dust and exhaust fumes with your meal. Spending $140 for two people this place is overpriced and unpleasant. I truly regret going there. In over 10 years of exploring Japanese cuisine, this is by far the worst sushi restaurant I have...