Sushi Shop

Sushi Shop’s amazing website intrigued me and I decided to try them out. The product shots make their sushi look like art and I’ve never seen sushi quite as nice as they portray on the website. Prices seemed reasonable and I was really excited to dine there.
As I got there, it became quickly evident that this is actually just a fast food sushi place. There’s some seating but I wouldn’t stay and eat there as the place gets super busy and loud and people bump into each other constantly — a very chaotic experience. Because the place was so busy the sushi chefs rushed the orders very quickly and obviously the end result looked nothing like on the website and the rolls were quite ugly.
I took the sushi home hoping that it’d be at least delicious and it was alright but nothing special. I would give the sushi three stars taste wise but overall rating is 2 stars as I feel I was lured in with false advertising and should’ve walked out.

I used to go to Sushi Shop a lot in Montréal as it was a quick way to get sushi without waiting too long or having a full sit down meal. For a person on the go, it’s a nice substitute for your typical fast food such as burgers, pitas or generally anything around the bloor/​church area. This location is a good spot as there isn’t too much around that is priced this well.
The staff are friendly and the service is quick. I haven’t really waited too long to cash out, even during peak hours such as lunch. There are sometimes spots to sit down, but it’s really much easier to get your food to go here and be on your way.
I would compare the sushi to that of Loblaws around the old Maple Leaf Gardens. It’s relatively fresh and not as bad as the stuff from No Frils or T&T. I keep coming back if I’m in a rush or craving some sushi.

I’m quite surprised by all the negative reviews here. This is a fast food chain for sushi and maybe because I’m always in a hurry, I lower my expectations.
However, there’s a diablo roll which I find absolutely delish. It has some spicy salmon on top and is well made. They usually have a express combo and I get that. I do admit at over $ 10, it is expensive, but fast food is always expensive (i.e. McDonalds combo even cost around $ 8, so I don’t expect sushi to be cheaper).
I also remember having the cherry blossom roll and it is also very good. However, the other basic rolls like California and avocado are very basic, but it’s not bad.
The miso soup is too salty though and it is from a package (I think).
Overall, it’s a great place if you have a sushi craving, work in the area and need a quick lunch. Not worth making a special trip, but worth it if you are close by.

I’ve been going to Sushi Shop since they opened. I was so glad they came to the neighbourhood! The staff is super friendly. They even know me now when I call in my order.
The sushi is fresh, and they have a ton of neat kinds. I also love the brown rice option, which is surprisingly not mushy and very tasty. The seaweed salad is really good too.
For a quick sushi option in the neighbourhood, this is the place!

I’ve been a fan of Sushi Shop for about 6 years now, ever since I found it in Quebec.
This is probably as close as you’ll ever come to a ‘fast food’ version of sushi. This isn’t really the sit down, relaxing, and romantic atmosphere that you get with most sushi places. You go in, grab a combo (or place an order), wait a couple of minutes and go. Many have asked if there’s a need for such a thing, but with fast paced business men and women who are trying to keep healthy, I’m confident there’s at least large market.
In this review, I’m comparing this place to other Sushi Shops I’ve been to. Sushi Shop’s defining qualities include innovative and tasty combinations of rolls (cream cheese + sun dried tomatoes was one flavor they used to do) and deliciously flavored rice. I didn’t taste any of that here.
This sushi shop in particular is merely ok. It’s a little smaller than most and while the workers were nice and the food fresh, the taste fell a little flat.
Lately they’ve introduced brown rice into a lot of their rolls, which is usually optional. I personally hate brown rice, because has a slightly sweeter taste and a grainier consistency. This adds up to something that tastes similar to my mom’s morning porridge. And Sushi Shop doesn’t seem to be always separating the two types of rice. I’ll have one roll that tastes fine, and yet the next piece I’ll be bombarded with porridge flavor in my seemingly perfect white rice roll!
Perhaps it’s all my imagination, but either way at this particular location the flavor isn’t as popping as the others.

While the little fish symbol for Sushi Shop can be a welcoming sign for quick, fresh, and healthy lunch fare in a sushi-​barren city like Ottawa (where I first came across this chain), the same feelings are no where near evoked in the sushi-​metropolis of Toronto. In this city where cheap (although rarely quick) sushi is so easily accessible, Sushi Shop’s «environmentally friendly» mandate would make a great differentiator if they could only follow through completely.
The decent effort that the chain makes includes using only yellowfin (vs the endangered bluefin) tuna, napkins that are made from 100% recycled fibres (of which 60% are from post consumer materials), and reusable laminated menus paired with markers for dine-​in orders. However, anyone remotely environmentally minded will quickly note that the large number of plastic boxes, prepackaged soy sauce and dips, and disposable chopsticks and cutlery cannot be ignored. I didn’t notice that any of these were biodegradable — correct me if I’m mistaken.
For the love of sushi and the environment, these comparatively high prices could be justified if only their vision to be environmentally friendly was better rounded. How about providing separate garbage bins for recyclables, biodegradable materials, and waste? Eliminating packaging whenever possible? Once, even my ‘for here’ tartare maki was wastefully individually wrapped before plated. What about pioneering the reusable travel chopsticks trend in Toronto by selling them in-​store?
I like this location of Sushi Shop better than the one at Carlton and Yonge since it’s a little bit hidden and has large windows perfect for people watching. The menu is a little different (in a less traditional, but still palatable and flavourful way) and the fact that the food is both available immediately and not prepared the night before (as the grocery stores do) is both satisfying and convenient.

Trotting around my work-​hood, looking for a new place for lunch. I had seen Sushi Shop during their construction, but promptly forgot them as there are oodles of sushi shops in the Bloor/​Yonge area. But I was right there so in I went…
While I liked the miso soup (with tofu and greens) it was pricey at $ 2.50 a cup. I was disappointed by my express box of spicy tuna, Cali roll and salmon/​cream cheese. Maybe I should have done a custom order at the lunch bar, but I was in a hurry, and it was the most appealing of the boxes on offer.
Their house soy sauce comes in a nifty container but it tasted really sweet to me. Kind of like terriyaki sauce and not pure soy. It was too sweet for me to dip my sushi in.
I really wanted to like this place (hooray for female sushi chefs!), but when I can get better at Longo’s for less, or fresher and tastier at Asahi, why would I go back?

Why oh why does Sushi Shop have weak wasabi? I know its really just glorified horseradish with some food colouring tossed in, but really. Come on. We want the heat! Why give us something that more closely resembles play dough :(
Maybe I should start bringing my own tube of wasabi to leave in the fridge at work for when I order sushi. Its tasty and always fresh, but Im always disappointed with their wasabi.

Sushi-​on-​the-​go!
This is a great spot for people who want a quick sushi fix on their lunch break.
It’s a sushi fast food joint, so it’s basic and not very fancy.
It takes less than 5 minutes to grab some pre-​made sushi and run.
They have a fair selection of rolls including ones made with brown rice.
The service is quick and the staff is friendly.
A few days ago, they revised their menu and it looks great!
I tried their new item Hako, which is pretty fun!
$ 6.25 — $ 7.55 for 6 rolls that look like… little party sandwiches.
Flat sushi in layers, salmon, shrimp, mango, avocado, spicy light mayo, tempura. I’m a fan!
The sushi here may not be mind-​blowing, but it’s fresh and decent for the price.

While this is a nice fresh location with friendly staff, it suffers from the same problems as almost any other quick (pre-​made) sushi place I’ve been to: watery miso soup, tasteless fish, and pretty high prices. I spent about $ 14.50 for a small combo (2 sushi, 10 pieces of maki), green tea, miso soup, and Pocky.
The one piece of salmon was fresh enough and of a decent size but really had little flavour. The hamachi was a little better, but was strangely firm without the usual buttery-​ness I expect.
To be fair, the soup did have some nice seaweed and green onions in it, but without a broth with flavour, it fell flat.
Maybe I went overboard on the Pocky.