The parade of home-style Japanese plates at this relaxed Dundas West spot is designed to be washed down with your favourite beer, wine or sake. Dishes may look simple, but the team's roster is filled with umami-bombs, from saba miso-ni and Nagoya ramen to the compulsory Tokyo toast.

A cheeky approach to food permeates the menu at this cultish Dundas West bar. Dyno wings and karaage get all the attention, but the moto bun, filled with Japanese curry, devilled eggs and other stellar two-bite snacks deserve just as much praise.

There's a dizzying array of yakitori varieties available at this Cabbagetown hotspot. Whether you crave grilled nankotsu, cheese tsukune, kuro bata or soy-sauce slicked tofu, you'll find it here. Also on offer? Enough hot and cold dishes to ensure nobody leaves hungry.

There's no shortage of tasty distractions at this Japanese tapas bar, with locations at Don Mills and in North York. The Polar Ice (a Sapporo with a frothy cap of frozen foam) is a cooling companion to dishes like ebi katsu sliders, crisp pork belly, galbi, fresh seafood, and more.

At this Church Wellesley Village sake house, diners shrug off the day's stress with towering frozen beers and plates brimming with saucy, savoury, inviting bites. There's nothing quite like making a meal of small plates — from korokke and tataki to tempura, yakitori, and more.

A Vancouver import, this popular Parkdale spot serves a slew of fried, grilled and steamed dishes to hungry diners squeezed together at communal tables. Whether your focus will be on the fried gyoza and aigamo tataki, the cocktails and sake, or your tablemates, is hard to say.

Four locations of this burgeoning chain (in South Core, Annex, and more) cater to diners hungry for sushi, sashimi, Japanese small plates and more. Bright and modern, each one is a cozy spot to decompress over cocktails and a selection of fresh offerings.

Creative dishes and an intriguing sake selection draw diners to this North York restaurant. Find fresh seafood and fried starters, along with hearty mains, like spicy creamy seafood udon and warming nabe bowls.

At this tight Little Italy spot, diners pack in for a taste of the kitchen's spicy, saucy, savoury joys. Dishes range from fresh salads and sashimi, to crisp korokke and yakitori skewers, with plenty to sate both the peckish, and the starving.