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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00:00I'm on the hunt for the best all-you-can-eat sushi spot in Toronto.
00:03The fish was so great, the avocado was perfectly ripe, and it was just mm-mm-mm, perfect bite.
00:09What's up, Norris City? I'm Brooke Oden, and I'm on the hunt for the best all-you-can-eat sushi spot in Toronto.
00:14I grew up in Vancouver, so I was definitely a little bit spoiled growing up
00:17because I had access to some of the freshest and most delicious sushi, in my opinion.
00:22But since living in Toronto for over five years, I found some great spots that I wanted to hear from you guys.
00:27So I put an Instagram call out on our account and asked you guys what your favorite spots were downtown.
00:31From the choices that you guys gave me, I took a look at the reviews, and the number of reviews,
00:35and narrowed it down to three spots.
00:37So this week, we're going to be heading to August 8th, Kaka, and Echo Sushi.
00:41And we're going to be ranking these spots out of 15.
00:43So out of five will be for taste, quality of ingredients, you know, what are the flavor palettes like.
00:49The next five will be on price.
00:50Is it worth the money you're actually spending?
00:52All-you-can-eat can be a little bit pricey.
00:54So we're going to be looking at the actual value of what you're getting.
00:57And for the last five, that's going to be ambiance.
00:59We'll take into consideration the decor of the restaurant, the general vibe, and this quality of service.
01:05Our first spot will be Kaka in the heart of downtown, and they are well known for their dessert menu.
01:10I used to come here when I was a student at TMU, but it's been a couple years,
01:13so I'm excited to go back and check it out.
01:15Next up, we'll be headed over to August 8th, which has a couple of locations,
01:18but we're going to be headed to the one in Chinatown.
01:21This is actually one of my go-to spots, and I come here quite often,
01:24so I was so happy that you guys suggested it, because I already know it's a pretty great spot.
01:29One of the things that's really special about them is that along with Japanese-style sushi,
01:32they also carry Cantonese-style dim sum on their all-you-can-eat menu.
01:36Last, we'll be ending the tour at Echo Sushi in Midtown Toronto,
01:40and I've actually never been here before, but it has some great reviews,
01:43so I'm super excited to check it on out.
01:45So without further ado, let's get eating.
01:48Kaka only has one all-you-can-eat menu, and for an adult, Monday through Thursday,
01:52it'll run you $41.99 with a two-hour seating window inside the restaurant.
01:57Inside the restaurant, it is spacious and tastefully decorated with plenty of seating
02:01and an open sushi bar, so you can watch the chefs from your table.
02:04I sat down and scared the QR code to check out the menu,
02:07and I filled out my order sheet on my table
02:09with the numbers from the menu and the number of pieces I wanted of each item.
02:14I got salmon nigiri, salmon sashimi, a spicy tuna roll, torch flame sushi,
02:19beef tataki, and lots of desserts.
02:21The spicy tuna roll was tasty and pretty standard.
02:24The salmon sashimi was fresh and thinly sliced.
02:27My server recommended the beef tataki,
02:29and it was super refreshing with a sweet maple soy dressing.
02:32The desserts definitely stole the show, though.
02:34I love the green tea creme brulee and the earl grey creme brulee.
02:37They both just offered something a little bit unique and different.
02:40After about an hour and a half of eating,
02:42I was stuffed to the brim and grabbed the bill for a total of $47.45 after tax.
02:48I am home and I am full, so let's get down to it.
02:52Starting off with taste, I'm giving Kaka a 4.5 out of 5.
02:56The food was really delicious here.
02:58Starting off with the sashimi, it was a little bit thinly sliced,
03:00but it tasted super fresh, which definitely made up for that.
03:04And I absolutely loved the desserts.
03:06They did not miss the green tea creme brulee.
03:08It was so refreshing and something that I'd never had before and just so tasty.
03:12I also really loved their blowtorch sushi.
03:14I think it was super fun.
03:15And getting to witness how they did it, too,
03:17was just really special and kind of added to the experience.
03:20Moving on to price.
03:22For $41.99, they just have an all-day menu.
03:24It's the same for lunch and dinner, and it's all-you-can-eat.
03:27I do think that anything under $50 for all-you-can-sushi is a reasonable price,
03:31so I'd give that a 4 out of 5.
03:33The menu has great variety.
03:34There's so many options to choose from.
03:36Moving on to ambiance, I'm giving them a 4 out of 5.
03:39This place is super sleekly designed.
03:41It's gorgeous.
03:42You have this open sushi bar where you can watch the chefs at work.
03:45There's a nice patio that you can hang out in the summer and enjoy the sun.
03:48And they also have a great playlist.
03:49I was bopping and grooving the entire time I was digging into my food.
03:53We are at our second all-you-can-eat sushi location, August 8th.
03:56August 8th is actually one of my favorite locations downtown Toronto
04:00when I'm looking to grab a quick bite of sushi or get some really fresh sashimi,
04:03so I'm excited to head on in and grab their dinner menu.
04:06August 8th has a dinner and lunch menu.
04:11I went Monday through Thursday where an adult dinner will cost you $38.99 per person
04:15with an hour and a half window of seating.
04:18The restaurant is stylish and calming with dark blue walls,
04:21gorgeous murals, and plenty of seating.
04:23Each table has its own iPad where you can browse the menu and place your orders.
04:27I ordered the salmon sashimi, shrimp dumplings,
04:29seaweed salad, miso soup, and sponge cake for dessert.
04:32The shrimp dumplings were juicy and chewy
04:35and the salmon sashimi was thick and massively cut,
04:38which pretty much filled me up immediately.
04:41The sponge cake was sugary sweet and the perfect bite to end my meal.
04:44After about an hour, I grabbed the bill and the total came to $47.44 after tax.
04:49We're back from August 8th and I am uncomfortably full.
04:53Starting off a taste, I'm gonna give them a 4.5 out of 5.
04:56I honestly didn't eat a lot here because I got full so fast from the salmon sashimi.
05:01It is so thickly cut and the sizes of those strips are so long
05:05that halfway through my 10 pieces,
05:07I could already feel the button of my pants like threatening to burst.
05:11That being said, the dim sum was delicious as always.
05:13It was the perfect temperature.
05:15Not too hot, not too cold, and that flavor was just right.
05:18The sponge cake was nice.
05:19It was fluffy.
05:20It was sweet.
05:21But I just wish I could see a little bit more variety on their desserts menu,
05:24similarly to what Kaka had.
05:26Moving on to price, I'm gonna give them a 4 out of 5 for $38.99
05:30for one person with an hour and a half window of eating.
05:32I do think this is very reasonable and you can get your money's worth.
05:35Just maybe don't fill up as much salmon sashimi as I did.
05:39Moving on to ambiance, I'm giving them a 5 out of 5.
05:41I don't think I've ever been in an all-you-can-eat restaurant
05:43that's more beautiful than this one.
05:45You have these gorgeous midnight blue walls, paintings throughout.
05:48It's just really well kept and the vibe is great.
05:51Not to mention that you have an iPad tablet at your table
05:54so you can order as you go, which I think is a really handy feature,
05:57especially when you're on a timed clock and trying to eat as much as you can.
06:03Echo Sushi has no time limit on its seating and for an adult,
06:06all-you-can-eat dinner Tuesday through Thursday.
06:08It's $37.99 per person.
06:11I went in and was met with a comfortable and homey vibe.
06:13The restaurant has an open sushi bar where you can watch the chefs at work
06:16and plenty of tables and booths.
06:18I sat down in the booth in the back and began filling out my order sheet.
06:22I got a salmon avocado roll, salmon sashimi, a hand roll, beef teriyaki ribs,
06:26salmon flame torch sushi, and finished my meal off with a scoop of green tea ice cream.
06:31The sashimi was thickly cut and tasted supple and fresh.
06:35The salmon avocado roll was stunning.
06:37The fish was so great.
06:38The avocado was perfectly ripe and it was just perfect bite.
06:42The ribs literally peeled off the bone and they were so tender and tasty,
06:46but I didn't love the flame torch sushi.
06:48It just tasted a little bit too much like cooked salmon and rice for me.
06:52After about an hour, I was uncomfortably full,
06:54so I grabbed the bill and my total came out to $42.95 after tax.
06:59We're back from Echo, so let's get into the ratings for taste.
07:03Starting off with a 4.5 out of 5.
07:05Everything here was absolutely delicious.
07:07I honestly think it was one of the best sushi rolls I've had in a really long time.
07:11The salmon avocado was exactly made to my taste.
07:13I loved it.
07:14The rice was fluffy and sticky.
07:16The salmon was perfect and the avocado was just amazingly ripe.
07:20It all came together for an incredible bite.
07:23The hand roll was a really great touch.
07:25The only thing that I didn't love was the flame torch sushi,
07:28but I think that's more of a matter of personal taste versus any fault on them.
07:31I just prefer the taste of raw fish to cooked fish,
07:33so really, I just shouldn't have ordered it.
07:35Moving on to price, I'm going to give them a 5 out of 5 for $37.99
07:39for an unlimited seating time.
07:41That is absolutely bonkers.
07:43That is so affordable and the menu has such a great variety.
07:46You really have something for everybody there,
07:48so I don't think it gets more affordable than that.
07:50Moving on to ambiance, I would give them a 3.5 out of 5.
07:53I think this spot is a lot more homey,
07:55kind of a hole-in-the-wall, hidden gem type feel
07:57versus the trendiness that we saw at August 8th or Kaka.
08:00I think this place is just a little bit less updated,
08:02but the service is impeccable.
08:04The food is great quality, so I really just don't think it matters.
08:07It's just not a spot that you're necessarily going to be going for an Instagram photo,
08:10but you're definitely going to want to go for the food.
08:13I've eaten so much sushi this week, but we finally have a clear winner.
08:16Coming in first is August 8th with a total score of 13.5 out of 15.
08:21Now, there's a reason this is one of my favorite restaurants.
08:24The experience was just seamless from top to finish.
08:26Inside, the restaurant is gorgeous.
08:28The service was quick and impeccable, and the food was just quality.
08:32Each dish was delicious and immediately filled me up
08:35with those massive chunks of sashimi.
08:37Coming in second is Echo Sushi.
08:39Now, this was a hidden gem.
08:41It was the most affordable option, and I wasn't even quoted with a seating time.
08:46And despite this affordability,
08:47it had one of the best salmon avocado rolls I've had in a hot minute.
08:51Now, coming in last is Kaka Sushi with an overall score of 12.5 out of 15.
08:56But that being said, I do think this is a great establishment.
08:59It just fell a little bit short in comparison with our other contenders.
09:02It was the most expensive option on the menu, which I do think contributed.
09:06But all that being said, it still did have the best desserts.
09:09Let me know in the comments where you guys think you should check out next,
09:12and thank you so much for tuning on in.
09:13For Narsity, I'm Brookette.
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