There is plenty of all-you-can-eat (AYCE) sushi in Toronto, but which ones are actually worth your money? Narcity’s Brooke Houghton asked locals for the best AYCE sushi spots and narrowed it down to three restaurants with the highest ratings and most local reviews. Brooke visited KAKA, August 8, and Echo Sushi and put each one to the test by ranking them on a score out of 15 based on taste, price and ambiance. Which one will reign supreme?
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00:00 I'm on the hunt for the best all-you-can-eat sushi spot in Toronto.
00:03 The fish was so great, the avocado was perfectly ripe, and it was just mm-mm-mm, perfect bite.
00:09 What's up, Nori City? I'm Brooke Oden, and I'm on the hunt for the best all-you-can-eat sushi spot in Toronto.
00:14 I grew up in Vancouver, so I was definitely a little bit spoiled growing up
00:17 because I had access to some of the freshest and most delicious sushi, in my opinion.
00:21 But since living in Toronto for over five years, I found some great spots that I wanted to hear from you guys.
00:27 So I put an Instagram call out on our account and asked you guys what your favorite spots were downtown.
00:31 From the choices that you guys gave me, I took a look at the reviews and the number of reviews,
00:35 and narrowed it down to three spots.
00:37 So this week, we're going to be heading to August 8th, Kaka, and Echo Sushi.
00:41 And we're going to be ranking these spots out of 15.
00:43 So out of five, it will be for taste, quality of the ingredients, you know, what are the flavor palettes like.
00:49 The next five will be on price. Is it worth the money you're actually spending?
00:52 All you can eat can be a little bit pricey, so we're going to be looking at the actual value of what you're getting.
00:57 And for the last five, that's going to be ambiance.
00:59 We'll take into consideration the decor of the restaurant, the general vibe, and the quality of service.
01:05 Our first spot will be Kaka in the heart of downtown, and they are well known for their dessert menu.
01:10 I used to come here when I was a student at TMU, but it's been a couple years, so I'm excited to go back and check it out.
01:15 Next up, we'll be headed over to August 8th, which has a couple of locations,
01:18 but we're going to be headed to the one in Chinatown.
01:21 This is actually one of my go-to spots, and I come here quite often,
01:24 so I was so happy that you guys suggested it, because I already know it's a pretty great spot.
01:29 One of the things that's really special about them is that along with Japanese-style sushi,
01:32 they also carry Cantonese-style dim sum on their all-you-can-eat menu.
01:36 Last, we'll be ending the tour at Echo Sushi in Midtown Toronto,
01:40 and I've actually never been here before, but it has some great reviews, so I'm super excited to check it on out.
01:45 So without further ado, let's get eating.
01:49 Kaka only has one all-you-can-eat menu, and for an adult, Monday through Thursday,
01:52 it'll run you $41.99 with a two-hour seating window inside the restaurant.
01:57 Inside the restaurant, it is spacious and tastefully decorated with plenty of seating
02:01 and an open sushi bar so you can watch the chefs from your table.
02:04 I sat down and scared the QR code to check out the menu, and I filled out my order sheet on my table
02:09 with the numbers from the menu and the number of pieces I wanted of each item.
02:14 I got salmon nigiri, salmon sashimi, a spicy tuna roll, torch flame sushi, beef tataki, and lots of desserts.
02:21 The spicy tuna roll was tasty and pretty standard.
02:24 The salmon sashimi was fresh and thinly sliced.
02:27 My server recommended the beef tataki, and it was super refreshing with a sweet maple soy dressing.
02:32 The desserts definitely stole the show, though. I love the green tea creme brulee and the earl grey creme brulee.
02:37 They both just offered something a little bit unique and different.
02:40 After about an hour and a half of eating, I was stuffed to the brim and grabbed the bill for a total of $47.45 after tax.
02:48 I am home and I am full, so let's get down to it.
02:52 Starting off with taste, I'm giving Kaka a 4.5 out of 5.
02:56 The food was really delicious here.
02:58 Starting off with the sashimi, it was a little bit thinly sliced, but it tasted super fresh, which definitely made up for that.
03:04 And I absolutely loved the desserts. They did not miss.
03:07 The green tea creme brulee was so refreshing and something that I had never had before and just so tasty.
03:12 I also really loved their blowtorch sushi. I think it was super fun.
03:15 And getting to witness how they did it, too, was just really special and kind of added to the experience.
03:20 Moving on to price, for $41.99, they just have an all-day menu.
03:25 It's the same for lunch and dinner, and it's all-you-can-eat.
03:28 I do think that anything under $50 for all-you-can-sushi is a reasonable price, so I'd give that a 4 out of 5.
03:33 The menu has a great variety. There's so many options to choose from.
03:36 Moving on to ambiance, I'm giving them a 4 out of 5.
03:39 This place is super sleekly designed. It's gorgeous.
03:42 You have this open sushi bar where you can watch the chefs at work.
03:45 There's a nice patio that you can hang out in the summer and enjoy the sun.
03:48 And they also have a great playlist. I was bopping and grooving the entire time I was digging into my food.
03:53 We are at our second all-you-can-eat sushi location, August 8th.
03:56 August 8th is actually one of my favorite locations downtown Toronto when I'm looking to grab a quick bite of sushi or get some really fresh sashimi.
04:03 So I'm excited to head on in and grab their dinner menu.
04:06 August 8th has a dinner and lunch menu.
04:09 I went Monday through Thursday, where an adult dinner will cost you $38.99 per person with an hour and a half window of seating.
04:16 The restaurant is stylish and calming with dark blue walls, gorgeous murals, and plenty of seating.
04:22 Each table has its own iPad where you can browse the menu and place your orders.
04:26 I ordered the salmon sashimi, shrimp dumplings, seaweed salad, miso soup, and sponge cake for dessert.
04:31 The shrimp dumplings were juicy and chewy and the salmon sashimi was thick and massively cut, which pretty much filled me up immediately.
04:40 The sponge cake was sugary sweet and the perfect bite to end my meal.
04:44 After about an hour, I grabbed the bill and the total came to $47.44 after tax.
04:49 We're back from August 8th and I am uncomfortably full.
04:53 Starting off with taste, I'm going to give them a 4.5 out of 5.
04:56 I honestly didn't eat a lot here because I got full so fast from the salmon sashimi.
05:01 It is so thickly cut and the sizes of those strips are so long that halfway through my 10 pieces, I could already feel the button of my pants like threatening to burst.
05:10 That being said, the dim sum was delicious as always.
05:13 It was the perfect temperature, not too hot, not too cold, and that flavor was just right.
05:17 The sponge cake was nice. It was fluffy. It was sweet.
05:20 But I just wish I could see a little bit more variety on their desserts menu, similarly to what Kaka had.
05:25 Moving on to price, I'm going to give them a 4 out of 5 for $38.99 for one person with an hour and a half window of eating.
05:32 I do think this is very reasonable and you can get your money's worth.
05:35 Just maybe don't fill up as much salmon sashimi as I did.
05:38 Moving on to ambiance, I'm giving them a 5 out of 5.
05:41 I don't think I've ever been in an all-you-can-eat restaurant that's more beautiful than this one.
05:45 They have these gorgeous midnight blue walls, paintings throughout.
05:48 It's just really well kept and the vibe is great.
05:51 Not to mention that you have an iPad tablet at your table so you can order as you go, which I think is a really handy feature,
05:57 especially when you're on a timed clock and trying to eat as much as you can.
06:01 Echo Sushi has no time limit on its seating and for an adult, all-you-can-eat dinner Tuesday through Thursday.
06:08 It's $37.99 per person.
06:10 I went in and was met with a comfortable and homey vibe.
06:13 The restaurant has an open sushi bar where you can watch the chefs at work and plenty of tables and booths.
06:18 I sat down in the booth in the back and began filling out my order sheet.
06:21 I got a salmon avocado roll, salmon sashimi, a hand roll, beef teriyaki ribs, salmon flame torch sushi,
06:28 and finished my meal off with a scoop of green tea ice cream.
06:31 The sashimi was thickly cut and tasted supple and fresh.
06:34 The salmon avocado roll was stunning.
06:36 The fish was so great.
06:38 The avocado was perfectly ripe and it was just, mm-mm-mm, perfect bite.
06:42 The ribs literally peeled off the bone and they were so tender and tasty.
06:46 But I didn't love the flame torch sushi.
06:48 It just tasted a little bit too much like cooked salmon and rice for me.
06:52 After about an hour, I was uncomfortably full, so I grabbed the bill and my total came out to $42.95 after tax.
06:59 We're back from Echo, so let's get into the ratings.
07:01 For taste, starting off with a 4.5 out of 5.
07:05 Everything here was absolutely delicious.
07:07 I honestly think it was one of the best sushi rolls I've had in a really long time.
07:11 The salmon avocado was exactly made to my taste.
07:14 I loved it. The rice was fluffy and sticky.
07:16 The salmon was perfect.
07:18 And the avocado was just amazingly ripe.
07:21 It all came together for an incredible bite.
07:23 The hand roll was a really great touch.
07:25 The only thing that I didn't love was the flame torch sushi,
07:28 but I think that's more of a matter of personal taste versus any fault on them.
07:32 I just prefer the taste of raw fish to cooked fish, so really, I just shouldn't have ordered it.
07:36 Moving on to price, I'm going to give them a 5 out of 5 for $37.99 for an unlimited seating time.
07:42 Absolutely bonkers. That is so affordable, and the menu has such a great variety.
07:46 You really have something for everybody there, so I don't think it gets more affordable than that.
07:50 Moving on to ambiance, I would give them a 3.5 out of 5.
07:53 I think this spot is a lot more homey, kind of a hole-in-the-wall, hidden gem type feel
07:57 versus the trendiness that we saw at August 8th or Kaka.
08:00 I think this place is just a little bit less updated, but the service is impeccable.
08:04 The food is great quality, so I really just don't think it matters.
08:07 It's just not a spot that you're necessarily going to be going for an Instagram photo,
08:10 but you're definitely going to want to go for the food.
08:12 I've eaten so much sushi this week, but we finally have a clear winner.
08:16 Coming in first is August 8th with a total score of 13.5 out of 15.
08:21 Now, there's a reason this is one of my favorite restaurants.
08:24 The experience was just seamless from top to finish.
08:26 Inside, the restaurant is gorgeous. The service was quick and impeccable, and the food was just quality.
08:32 Each dish was delicious and immediately filled me up with those massive chunks of sashimi.
08:37 Coming in second is Echo Sushi. Now, this was a hidden gem.
08:41 It was the most affordable option, and I wasn't even quoted with a seating time.
08:46 And despite this affordability, it had one of the best salmon avocado rolls I've had in a hot minute.
08:51 Now, coming in last is Kaka Sushi with an overall score of 12.5 out of 15.
08:56 But that being said, I do think this is a great establishment.
08:59 It just fell a little bit short in comparison with our other contenders.
09:02 It was the most expensive option on the menu, which I do think contributed.
09:06 But all that being said, it still did have the best desserts.
09:09 Let me know in the comments where you guys think we should check out next.
09:12 And thank you so much for tuning on in.
09:13 For Narsity, I'm Brooke O.
09:15 If you enjoyed this video, please like and subscribe to our Narsity channel to see more content just like this.