Restaurant in Toronto, Canada
Serious omakase. Easier to book than rivals.
Yasu is Toronto's most accessible serious omakase counter, ranked #298 in North America by Opinionated About Dining in 2025 and holding a 4.6 Google score across over 1,200 reviews. Chef Yasuhisa Ouchi's Harbord Street counter suits pairs and solo diners who want a focused, quiet sushi experience without the booking difficulty of Sushi Masaki Saito. Dinner only, Monday through Sunday.
If you are serious about omakase sushi in Toronto and want a room that rewards attention rather than spectacle, Yasu at 81 Harbord Street is the right call. This is a counter-format experience designed for diners who want to watch, listen, and eat carefully — not for groups looking for a lively night out. Book it for a date, a low-key celebration, or a solo meal where the food does the work. The atmosphere is quiet and deliberate, the kind of room where conversation happens in measured tones and the focus stays on what is in front of you.
Yasu is the project of chef Yasuhisa Ouchi, and its trajectory on Opinionated About Dining's North America list tells a clear story: Recommended in 2023, ranked #384 in 2024, and climbing to #298 in 2025. That upward movement over three consecutive years is not a fluke , it signals a kitchen that is tightening its work and building a stronger reputation in a competitive field. For context, OAD rankings are driven by chef and industry votes, making them a useful signal of peer respect rather than just popular opinion.
The room on Harbord Street sits in the Annex neighbourhood, one of Toronto's quieter and more residential dining corridors. The energy here is low and intentional. There is no soundtrack designed to fill silence, no crowd noise bouncing off hard surfaces. If you have been to a Tokyo-style sushi counter and appreciated the focus that environment creates, Yasu approximates that register better than most of what Toronto offers at this format. For a comparable atmosphere in a different idiom, Aburi Hana delivers kaiseki precision with a similarly composed room.
The cuisine is Japanese sushi, and the omakase format means the kitchen controls the sequence. Chef Ouchi trained in Japan, and the approach at Yasu reflects that , technique-first, without the fusion embellishments that dilute a lot of Toronto's sushi offer. If you want to compare omakase options in the city directly, Sushi Masaki Saito operates at the leading of the price bracket with a more theatrical presentation, while Sushi Kaji offers a longer-established counter with its own loyal following. Yasu sits between those two in terms of profile , more decorated than a neighbourhood spot, less media-saturated than Masaki Saito.
Dinner service runs from 5 pm Friday through Sunday and from 6 pm Monday through Thursday, closing at 11 pm on weekdays and 11:30 pm on weekends. There is no lunch service, which matters if the editorial angle of a daytime meal is your goal , Yasu is exclusively a dinner destination. For food-focused travellers who want to anchor a Toronto visit around serious dining, pairing Yasu with a morning at a lighter café and an evening counter seat here is a practical itinerary. See our full Toronto restaurants guide for broader context across the city's dining spectrum.
Yasu holds a 4.6 Google rating across 1,296 reviews , a meaningful sample size for a small counter format. High volume with a high score at this type of restaurant suggests consistent execution rather than occasional excellence. The OAD recognition across three consecutive years reinforces that the kitchen is not coasting. For international reference points on what a well-run traditional sushi counter looks like, Harutaka in Tokyo and Sushi Shikon in Hong Kong set the benchmark that serious sushi counters outside Japan are measured against.
Booking difficulty is rated Easy, which is a meaningful advantage over comparable counters in Toronto. Sushi Masaki Saito requires significant advance planning and is considerably harder to secure. Yasu offers a more accessible entry point to serious omakase without the reservation obstacle. Reservations: Book in advance, but availability is generally manageable compared to Toronto's harder-to-get counters. Hours: Mon–Thu 6–11 pm; Fri–Sun 5–11:30 pm. No lunch service. Address: 81 Harbord St, Toronto. Dress: Smart casual is appropriate given the price point and room atmosphere; the counter format does not require formal attire but jeans and a t-shirt will feel underdressed. Budget: Price range is not published, but omakase format at this recognition level in Toronto typically runs in the $150–$250+ per person range before drinks , confirm directly when booking. Group size: Leading suited to parties of two; larger groups should confirm counter configuration in advance.
See the comparison section below for how Yasu stacks up against Toronto's other top-tier restaurants.
For broader Canadian dining context, Tanière³ in Quebec City and Kissa Tanto in Vancouver represent comparable ambition in different cities. In Toronto itself, if you want to round out a trip beyond Japanese cuisine, DaNico and Alo offer strong contemporary alternatives. Our Toronto hotels guide, bars guide, and experiences guide can help you build the rest of your visit around the meal.
Yasu does not offer lunch. The kitchen runs dinner only , from 6 pm on weekdays and 5 pm on Friday through Sunday. If a daytime sushi meal is what you are after, you will need to look elsewhere in Toronto's Japanese dining scene. For an evening booking, the earlier Friday and weekend start time gives you a longer, more relaxed window before the kitchen closes.
Yes, with the right expectations. The focused, quiet counter format makes it well-suited to a meaningful dinner for two , an anniversary, a quiet celebration, or a serious food-first evening. It is not the venue for a raucous group birthday. The OAD ranking and consistent Google rating (4.6 across 1,296 reviews) back up the quality, and the relatively accessible booking situation means you can actually secure a table without months of planning, which gives it a practical edge over harder-to-get Toronto counters.
Yasu runs an omakase format, so the menu is not a list you select from , the chef determines the sequence. This is the right choice if you trust the kitchen to make decisions; it is not the venue if you want to pick and choose. Given Chef Ouchi's Japanese training and the OAD recognition the restaurant has built, the omakase is the entire point. Arrive hungry and without strong aversions, or communicate dietary needs when you book.
Omakase formats require advance communication about restrictions , the kitchen builds a fixed sequence around its ingredients, and adjustments need to be planned ahead. Contact Yasu directly when making your reservation to discuss any dietary requirements. Severe shellfish or fish allergies are structurally incompatible with a sushi counter; everything else is worth discussing in advance.
Smart casual. The counter format and OAD-recognised quality level signal that this is not a casual drop-in , dress as you would for a serious dinner in a grown-up room. A blazer or equivalent is appropriate. The neighbourhood (Harbord Street, the Annex) is residential and unpretentious, but the restaurant itself operates at a different register than its surroundings.
For omakase sushi specifically, Sushi Masaki Saito is the city's most decorated option but significantly harder to book and more expensive. Sushi Kaji is a long-established counter with a loyal following. If you want to move outside Japanese cuisine entirely, Alo is Toronto's reference point for contemporary fine dining. For something outside the city, Restaurant Pearl Morissette in Lincoln and The Pine in Creemore are worth the drive for the right occasion.
| Venue | Awards | Price | Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yasu | Opinionated About Dining Top Restaurants in North America Ranked #298 (2025); Opinionated About Dining Top Restaurants in North America Ranked #384 (2024); Opinionated About Dining Top Restaurants in North America Recommended (2023) | — | |
| Alo | Michelin 1 Star, World's 50 Best | $$$$ | — |
| Sushi Masaki Saito | Michelin 2 Star | $$$$ | — |
| Enigma Yorkville | Michelin 1 Star | $$$$ | — |
| Shoushin | Michelin 1 Star | $$$$ | — |
| Edulis | Michelin 1 Star | $$$$ | — |
How Yasu stacks up against the competition.
Contact Yasu directly before booking to discuss restrictions. Omakase format is by nature chef-driven and sequential, which limits mid-service substitutions at any serious counter. Guests with shellfish allergies or strict dietary requirements should confirm feasibility in advance, as the format at Yasu is structured around a set progression from chef Yasuhisa Ouchi.
Yasu is a focused counter-format sushi restaurant on Harbord Street, not a hotel dining room. Neat, comfortable clothes work fine — think a clean shirt or blouse rather than a suit. Avoid anything overpowering in scent, since close seating at an omakase counter makes fragrance disruptive to the people around you.
Yasu runs an omakase format, so ordering is not part of the equation — chef Yasuhisa Ouchi sets the progression. Show up, communicate any dietary needs ahead of time, and let the counter do its job. That structure is the whole point of coming here.
Sushi Masaki Saito is the higher-ceiling omakase option in Toronto but carries significantly harder booking difficulty. Shoushin offers a comparable counter format and is worth considering if Yasu is unavailable. For a completely different register, Alo is the city's top tasting-menu French option and suits guests who want wine pairing as part of the experience.
Yes — the counter format and chef-driven progression make it a natural fit for a celebration dinner where the meal itself is the event. Yasu's ranking on Opinionated About Dining's Top 300 in North America (2025) gives it the kind of credibility that makes a special occasion feel substantiated. Book a Friday or Saturday slot for the extended 5–11:30 pm service window, which tends to feel less rushed than a weeknight seating.
Yasu does not list lunch hours — the restaurant opens at 6 pm on weekdays and 5 pm on weekends, so dinner is the only option. Friday through Sunday seatings run until 11:30 pm, giving those evenings a slightly more relaxed pace if timing matters to you.
Keep this venue in your Pearl passport, rate it after you visit, and track it alongside every other place you collect.
