Sakai Bar

Great experience with both food and service! Props to the chef and kitchen staff for making unique, tasty dishes. The food is on a saltier side, which made sense to me, since they are meant to go with drinks. The highlight of every dish was the sauce used. Very unique combinations and addicting flavors made me want to literally lick the plate I did not, but it was hard to resist. Highly recommend giving Sakai Bar a try, if you are in the area!

Where do I start! Japanese inspired gem at its finest. Get the squash and the dessert: don’t even think about it, just order it. Unbelievable experience. Amazing service — Stu the owner and Eric the chef really put their hearts out. Don’t know why it took me so long to finally go there. Ended up eating and drinking there twice within the same weekend if it’s any indication. The sake selection is so rare to find in this city. No reservations though so might be tricky to get a spot.

I will never get over the flavours served in every dish at Sakai Bar. Everything tasted fresh and amazing. From the apps, mains to the desserts, kudos to the kitchen on an exceptional range of flavours. Customer service and ambiance are fantastic. Can't wait to visit again.

Everything was tasty, though very small portions, so don't come too hungry. The sake selection was great if that's your thing. My group enjoyed our time at Sakai!

Sakai Bar was just shy of 5 stars for me. Small but intimate spot with a unique variety of Japanese sake. Great service, very attentive. FYI: debit card and cash preferred, 2% fee for credit card payments. The top dishes of the night were: the tonkatsu order the side curry, beef tartare combined with the pea shoots and mussels, every bite was heavenly, cabbage salad I want to sip the last bit of the dressing and the buckwheat cake for dessert amazing. The miso soup was on the saltier side. I ordered our dishes shortly after being seated and I regret not asking about the specials I over heard there’s a pork belly dish that wasn’t on the menu. Will return to Sakai Bar!

Quite, unassuming and unpretentious. These are things that are rarely said about a restaurant nowadays. Sakai bar offers a nice setting where you can relax and unwind with some sake or cocktails. Had the whole menu and if I'm really being critical, there was only 1 dish that was just alright. Everything was unreal, the Hamburg steak, shime Saba, beef tataki. The real star of the show was the rice. You need to get it fully loaded with the bonito, furikake and marinated egg yolk. Thank you Sakai bar team

Hands down one of the best dining experiences I’ve had in the city! My friend and I were having a drink at the bar next door and smelled something delicious so we walked over and grabbed a table. I’d never heard of the place so I had no expectations whatsoever. We ordered 3-4 plates to share along with some sake cocktails and everything was delicious and well crafted. The tonkatsu sando and miso squash were standouts! The portions were standard and although a little high in price, it’s justified because the quality was definitely there. The interior is intimate and cozy. We sat at the bar and enjoyed watching the food being prepared and explained to us! Only reason I haven’t been back is that there are a small number of tables and no resos available so it’s a gamble whether you’ll experience a long wait or not. Would recommend it to anyone who wants a unique, Japanese dining experience in Toronto! A true hidden gem. 5/5

I love the food at Sakai bar. Everything is always so good. They have such a fun and delicious version of beef tartare and the Ling cod liver kimo really is the foie gras of the sea. The cured yolk on rice is also one of the best yet simple bites I’ve ever had. The only thing I didn’t like was the agedashi tofu. I know it is house made tofu, but I prefer a silkier tofu. Also, I recommend ordering sake. The cocktails might be fun, but this is one of the few establishments in the city that has such a varied selection of sake. Plus they really know their stuff, so it becomes a bit of a learning exercise as well.

Been coming here since their first time opening. Service and food is always exceptional. Tasty bites that pack a lot of flavor. Ordering almost the entire menu is doable for a table of two. Each item is just a rollercoaster of deliciousness. Highly recommend this special spot.

One of our favourite place in the city. Went twice and can’t wait to go back. The place is low key but has so much to offer! Each plate is a bomb of flavours and quite unique. We enjoyed every little plate we shared but our favourites were tartare, tonkatsu and I can’t say enough of the yakiudon. What a surprise, the texture and taste blew our mind! Desert is exactly like I like: sweet and salty. Great service. Fabulous sake. A must!