This is one of my favorite places in Toronto. Wonderful Japanese food that goes well with Sake/beer, great music (Japanese songs from the 90's, such as theme songs from Slam Dunk and Eva). The atmosphere is also relaxing. I would recommend Beef Tataki, Grilled Beef...Tongue, Radish, and Matcha Cheesecake.More

There is some authentic shiz going on here! I've walked by many times, and even tried walk-in - learned my lesson and made reservations instead. The staff is friendly, but their English is not the best. No problem, just point to the items in the...menu! I came here with my bf, and two friends. Here's what we got: Sapporo pitcher - only $15, and filled 4 tall glasses. Definitely a steal. Hhotpot - 2 orders for $30. This came in big bowl bubbling over with broth, veggies, intestines (nom) and we added udon too. Beef tataki - beautifully presented, and perfectly fine. Served with ponzu sauce Scallop carpaccio - was delicately sweet, very good! Beef tongue...it was just ok. Kinda rough. Raw octopus in wasabi sauce - per bf's request - this was AMAZING! Perfect texture, not chewy but had a bounce to the bite! We ordered nori (seaweed) to go with it too. Deep fried chicken - very crispy, very tender inside. Fried chicken is fried chicken, but this was GOOD fried chicken. Grilled black cod - so so so delicious! I recommend. The fish is firm and sweet. Green tea cheesecake - heavy on the matcha flavour, nice treat for the end. They charged us for the ice cream, though Apple and custard tortilla - 10 minute wait for this, plus they burned the first one they made. It was....ok. Just ok. It's literally apple slices baked on top of a tortilla with sweet custard. The flavours don't meld together. Overall, great experience. I think I prefer this over Guu - the food is similar, but ambience is great and sitting is more comfortable. Will be back for more Sapporo pitchers in the summer, when their patio opens up!More

In this unassuming Japanese restaurant near the UToronto I think I was the only non-Japanese. I have the distinct feeling that my relatively lower rating may have been that I failed to connect with something culturally significant. The staff was kind and helpful. My plate...was colorful and satisfying, albeit more cloyingly salty than I have had in Japanese cusine in North America or in Japan. The plum wine was crisper than I would have predicted. The several "buts" are headlined by the condition if the furniture -- tables were deeply chipped and the chairs grotesquely torn to the point that there was as much stuffing as upholstery on the seat. The menus were definitly sticky and appeared unwiped. I was bemused by the Daily Special board that announced "Deep Fly Oyster" .. . Shocked that there was no sake selection smaller than a full bottle. And the music was just too American pop. Had I been amongst Japanese friends, I might have felt differently.More

Went here by a quick check on google for Japanese restaurants with not hearing anything of this place. We were a group of five and ordered various dishes like, Scallops Ceviche, Fries with Curry and cheese, Beef tongue, Beef Curry and Rice, and the Pork...Pancake. Some dishes were ok and some were quite delicious especially the the Scallop ceviche. The Beef tonge had a wonderful taste as well. The Curry beed along with the curry fries were not what I wuld expect in a Japanese restaurant but were very good.More

Enjoyed a very relaxed, casual but tasty dinner here tonight, Izakaya style. Comparing with those regular Izakaya places, this one was more laid back, quieter, and music was not that noisy.. Modern interior decor, cozy, with a small patio connected for options of seating in...the summer. Koyoi was located at the corner of Yonge and Irwin, just a few blocks from the Wellesley subway station. You can always find a crowd of young people here and you can tell that they were regular customers. No surprise at all as this location attract UT and Ryerson students/staff and it was one of the better place in town that offered authentic Izakaya food. The menu was simple but very neat with wine list attached. The food was a bit pricey and you might want to take advantage of the happy hour and enjoyed the flat-rated dishes ($5. each)... Among my favorite included the scallop with tasty salad dressing, very well match with the mini tomato and herbs., the just made slices of grilled ox tongue and the oden. I loved the tofu (冷奴) too, yet over-priced. I couldn’t comment on the wine list as I only had plum wine with ice when I had meals in Izakaya. Here only two kinds of plum wine to choose from yet better than to have none.. Staff were Japanese young ladies; polite, soft spoken, friendly and helpful. As an Izakaya food lover, I do have my little wish list.. It would be great to see some enrichment on the menu, or consider new items as daily special. How about adding some oyster ( at least deep fried..), grilled squid and some kind of small fish? It would also be nice to have grilled chicken wing skewer, grill shiitake mushroom and tofu with pork soup... By the time I left I took a business card and learned that another Koyoi Bar was opened at North York. New news! Would love to explore more in near future.More

The food was soooo good here, especially the salad! It's so refreshing and the flavours just explode in your mouth. We were here for the happy hours from 5-6pm, where you order a drink and their top recommended dishes are 5 dollars each (regular price...6.99-8.99). The waitresses were professional and polite. Would definitely try it again!More

Good food, nice people!Comfort atmosphere. There were also parking places just in front of the restaurant. The food tasted like Japan! Also sake were good. This is absolutely one of good Japanese restaurant or Izakaya.

Great! Real izakaya style food at reasonable prices. Wednesdays they make tonkotsu ramen, the best I've had outside Japan so far.

As you head up Yonge Street away from Downtown Toronto one begins to believe that within the rash of ethnic eating places, some of these may be very good. Staring at the menus, and looking inside more negative emotions take hold; they may be good,...but equally they may be a wasted evening. Just off the main strip lies Koyoi. Outside there are listed the specials for the day and they sound promising. Inside it looks a pleasant and nicely lit room with a nice bar. Outside there is a small terrace however it does overlook the local corner Western Union. Inside the staff are wonderful. Young, perhaps in a couple of cases rather inexperienced but more likely trying to juggle the cultural differences and needs of their Japanese and local customers. They are friendly, hard working and willing to chat. The food here isn't always easy, but it is Japanese and to me seemed well prepared, interesting and tasty. There did seem to be a lack of non-Japanese clients. Part of this may be the lack of sushi, that no doubt many strolling would be diners are expecting. There's enough low grade sushi in the area to fill a proverbial container ship 'Love Boat' assortment so that's no big loss. This is however an Izakaya which seems to translate as a drinking establishment with (small) dishes of food. The food is very good, and if the braised pork is on the menu order it, if portions still remains (on one evening several of the specials were already gone). There's also an excellent sake and shochu list that's worth exploring. How much the evening costs you will to some extent depend on how much exploring you make of the sake and shochu lists. This is a really good place. However it's fairly new and one does worry about whether it will survive. The location probably isn't perfect and it doesn't easily fit into what people are probably expecting when they look for Japanese food. This is not Benihana but everyone who was there seemed happy and you won't find a friendlier group of staff, or a more comfortable place to eat. I don't live in Toronto, but I really want this place to make it. I want it to be there the next time I return, and it has my complete recommendation.More