Joso’s

Verdict

Joso's is one of Toronto's most reliable seafood destinations and earns its Opinionated About Dining recognition with a focused, room-forward dining experience that rewards guests who book for the occasion rather than the convenience. At 202 Davenport Road in Yorkville, this is the right call for a serious dinner where the setting does as much work as the kitchen. If your priority is pure value-per-dollar, there are cheaper seafood options in the city. If your priority is a dining room that feels like it has earned its reputation over decades, Joso's delivers.

The Room and What It Means for Your Evening

The spatial experience at Joso's is central to why you'd choose it over a newer competitor. The dining room carries the kind of physical weight that comes from a long-running independent: art on the walls, a layout that feels considered rather than optimised for covers, and seating arrangements that allow a table of two to feel properly set apart from the room. For a date or a business dinner where atmosphere does real work, this matters. The room is not loud, not trendy in the self-conscious sense, and not designed around a bar program — which makes it a deliberate choice for guests who want the meal itself to be the focus.

Chef Leo Spralja leads the kitchen at a venue that has earned OAD recognition in both 2023 (Recommended) and 2024 (Ranked #485 in Casual North America) — signals that the kitchen is consistent enough to satisfy a demanding peer review audience. A 4.7 rating across 764 Google reviews reinforces that this isn't a restaurant coasting on reputation alone.

Counter and Bar Seating

For solo diners or pairs who want a front-row view of the kitchen's rhythm, counter or bar seating at Joso's changes the dynamic of the meal considerably. Seafood cookery rewards proximity , watching how fish is handled, how timing is managed, how the kitchen communicates , and if Joso's offers counter positions, they represent the better booking for anyone dining alone or with a single guest who wants engagement rather than privacy. Solo diners who would feel exposed at a full table will find counter seating a practical and more involving choice. For groups of three or more arriving for a celebration, a full table remains the natural format.

Timing and Booking

Joso's is closed Monday and Sunday, and runs a consistent 5–10:30 pm window Tuesday through Saturday. That Tuesday-to-Saturday dinner-only format means weekend bookings, particularly Friday and Saturday, will fill earlier in the week. Booking difficulty is rated Easy, which gives you flexibility, but for a Saturday celebration dinner you should still reserve several days in advance rather than leaving it to the day. There is no lunch service, so this is purely an evening destination.

How It Compares

Alternatives Worth Knowing

If you are building a Toronto dining itinerary beyond Joso's, the city's seafood and fine dining options spread across a wide range of formats. For a broader view of what Toronto's leading tables offer, see our full Toronto restaurants guide. For Italian-focused cooking in the city, DaNico and Don Alfonso 1890 are the two strongest references. For Japanese precision at the high end, Sushi Masaki Saito and Aburi Hana are the names to know. If you are travelling more widely in Canada, Kissa Tanto in Vancouver and Tanière³ in Quebec City represent the strongest regional comparators for an occasion-driven dinner. For seafood specifically in a different register, Narval in Rimouski is a notable reference. Outside Canada, Alici on the Amalfi Coast and Gambero Rosso in Marina di Gioiosa Ionica are the benchmarks for coastal seafood dining in Europe.

For everything else in Toronto, Pearl covers hotels, bars, wineries, and experiences in full.

FAQ

• Does Joso's handle dietary restrictions? The venue's OAD recognition and seafood focus suggest the kitchen has experience fielding requests, but specific dietary accommodation details are not publicly confirmed. Contact the restaurant directly before booking if restrictions are central to your meal.
• What should I order at Joso's? With OAD recognition and a seafood-focused menu under Chef Leo Spralja, the kitchen's strengths lie in fish and shellfish cookery. Specific dish recommendations are leading sourced from the restaurant directly or from recent diner reviews, as menus evolve seasonally and Pearl does not fabricate dish descriptions.
• What are alternatives to Joso's in Toronto? For the full fine-dining experience at a higher price point, Alo is the city's reference contemporary tasting menu. For Japanese precision, Sushi Masaki Saito is the strongest comparison. For a similar occasion-dinner register with a different cuisine focus, DaNico is worth considering.
• Is Joso's good for a special occasion? Yes. The room, the reputation, and the OAD recognition make this a natural fit for a birthday dinner, anniversary, or a significant business meal. The dinner-only format (Tuesday through Saturday, from 5 pm) reinforces that this is an evening-out destination rather than a casual drop-in.
• Is lunch or dinner better at Joso's? Dinner is your only option , Joso's does not serve lunch. Service runs Tuesday through Saturday from 5 pm, so plan accordingly. If you want a daytime seafood meal in Toronto, you will need to look elsewhere.
• Is Joso's good for solo dining? Yes, particularly if counter or bar seating is available. Solo dining at a seafood-focused restaurant with an engaged kitchen works well when you can position yourself close to the action. The Easy booking rating means you are unlikely to struggle securing a seat as a single diner.
• What should a first-timer know about Joso's? Joso's is a long-established Yorkville institution with OAD recognition in 2023 and 2024 and a 4.7 Google rating across 764 reviews , which means the kitchen is consistent, not merely well-reviewed once. It's dinner-only, closed Sunday and Monday, and sits in one of Toronto's higher-end neighbourhoods. Dress smart casual at minimum. Book in advance for Friday or Saturday, even though overall booking difficulty is rated Easy. And go with the expectation that this is a room built for occasion dining, not a quick meal.