New Japanese restaurants in Toronto: 22 have been licensed in the past year, tracked daily from the City of Toronto business-licence registry (chains excluded). The most recent is SHINJI, first seen 34 days ago.

Sushi led the wave in the 90s; now ramen, izakaya, and small-counter omakase rooms dominate new openings. Chef-owned single-counter ramen shops are pushing past the chain-ramen model that used to define the city.

How is Japanese food different from Korean or Chinese food?

Japanese cuisine prioritizes restraint and technique: precise knife work on fish, dashi-based broths built from kombu and bonito, and a flavour profile that centres umami without heavy spice or chili heat. Korean cooking leans into fermentation and fire (gochujang, doenjang, kimchi), while Chinese cuisine spans eight distinct regional traditions from Sichuanese ma-la heat to Cantonese steaming. Japanese food has the narrowest heat range of the three — most dishes are mild enough that spice-sensitive diners have nothing to worry about.

What should I order at a Japanese restaurant in Toronto?

If you're at a sushi counter like Sushi Yeon (Merchants' Wharf) or Koi JP Sushi (Augusta Ave, Kensington), start with nigiri over rolls — it's the better test of fish quality and rice seasoning. At Akashiro Japanese Casual Dining in North York, chirashi donburi (a bowl of sushi rice topped with assorted sashimi) is the workhorse order: more variety than a single nigiri platter. Boru on Adelaide St W is the outlier — their entire menu is built around hambagu, the Japanese hamburger steak: dense, hand-formed beef patties finished in a demi-glace that has nothing to do with sushi and everything to do with Tokyo diner culture.

What is hambagu and why does it have its own restaurant?

Hambagu (ハンバーグ) is Japan's adaptation of Hamburg steak — ground beef formed into a thick oval patty, seared hard, then finished in a sauce that's usually a reduction of demi-glace, butter, and wine or Worcestershire. It entered Japan in the postwar era and became a defining Western-style comfort food, eaten with rice and miso soup rather than a bun. Boru on Adelaide St W in Downtown Toronto is built entirely around this format — no sushi, no ramen, just hambagu — which makes it the most specific Japanese opening in the current crop of new licences.

Where are the newest Japanese restaurants in Toronto right now?

The newest licensed spots span several formats and neighbourhoods. Tonton on Bloor (1005 Bloor St W, West Toronto) is a matcha and coffee café first seen 28 days ago. Sushi Yeon is tucked into Merchants' Wharf in the Distillery/East Bayfront area. Akashiro Japanese Casual Dining operates a sushi and chirashi counter on The Pond Rd in North York, and Koi JP Sushi runs a small-counter sushi and small plates operation on Augusta Ave at the edge of Kensington Market. Zen Kyoto and Boru both sit in the Downtown core — Zen Kyoto near the waterfront on Bremner Blvd, Boru on Adelaide St W.

Is Japanese food vegetarian-friendly or gluten-free?

Vegetarians can eat reasonably well — edamame, agedashi tofu, vegetable tempura, miso soup, and cucumber or avocado rolls are standard — but the broth underneath many dishes (ramen, miso soup, dashi) is usually made from fish or chicken stock, so ask before assuming. Gluten is a real barrier: soy sauce contains wheat, and most Japanese sauces (teriyaki, tonkatsu, ponzu) are built on it. Tamari is the wheat-free substitute, but not every kitchen stocks it. Matcha-focused spots like Tonton on Bloor are an easy gluten-free option since the core menu is tea-based.