Sushilicious
One of the city’s best sushi restaurants may be closer to home than you think.
by Cassandre Cadieux
Katsu Sushi is one of many Japanese restaurants in East York (found on the north side of Danforth Avenue near Carlaw Avenue). The modern-looking brown and cream colour scheme fools the eye into thinking that this could be one of the upscale trendy restaurants in the area, but as soon as you notice the sushi counter near the back, there is no doubt that Japanese cuisine is this restaurant’s specialty.
The menu is quite extensive with approximately 75 types of sushi à-la-carte and over 150 entrées. The most extravagant choice on the menu is a $90 sushi or sashimi boat for four people. Whether you are looking for noodles, bento boxes, teriyaki, or simply sushi rolls, Katsu has high-quality food at an affordable price. The restaurant also offers all-you-can-eat (AYCE) lunches from Monday through Thursday for $9.99 ($10.99 on weekends), and dinners that range from $14.99 to $18.99, depending on the day.
Although the AYCE menu does not have a lot of choices, it does contain everything a sushi-lover would crave. The Japanese Sweet and Sour Chicken (only available on the AYCE menu) is one of the most delicious things I have ever tasted! Similar to a lot of Japanese restaurants that have AYCE, you must beware that your eyes may be larger than your belly, because they charge for every item you cannot finish as though it were on their full-price menu.
Despite the high praise above, the service does not live up to Katsu’s delicious food. The staff is usually pleasant, but they can be quite slow when it comes to taking your order and giving you your bill at the end of the meal. They are very good at refilling water and tea as well as clearing plates away as you finish with them. I’ve been there half a dozen times now, and I have yet to have a bad experience. The food is always high quality, and I always leave feeling full and content, even though I’m usually there longer than I’d like to be.
For people looking to take home some food after a long day, Katsu offers takeout (at a 10% discount) as well as offers free delivery in the area between 5 pm-10 pm on orders $25 or more every day. Their takeout menu has misprinted their hours though, stating they open at 11am. Instead, they are open from 11:30 am–11 pm Monday to Sunday. Even without this extra half hour, I would recommend Katsu to friends and family visiting the city. Definitely a must!
Katsu Japanese Restaurant
Phone: (416) 466-3388
572 Danforth Avenue, Toronto, ON M4K 1R1
3 Comments
Maples
As someone who works in a sushi restaurant but rarely has the chance to actually eat sushi I’m looking forward to going to this place and seeing if it lives up to it’s review. 🙂
Eva
I’ve eaten here several times and absolutely love it every time!!! I agree with this article 🙂
Chester Pape
Not in East York, from Broadview to Pape the old Toronto/East York border ran to the North of Fulton Ave (behind the backyards, houses on Fulton are in Toronto, houses on Nealon are in East York)
Katsu is OK, in the same class as the AYCE Sushi places in the Annex on Bloor but it’s pretty far from the category of the city’s best sushi. Oh, and they get yellow carded by the health department all the time….