Mizunara is a sexy Japanese whisky bar in Toronto that's easy to miss but impossible to forget.

Partners in life and, now, in business, Michael Liu and Jessica Huang are self-professed admirers of Japanese whisky and, in particular, Shinjiro Torii and Masataka Taketsuru, considered the founding fathers of Japanese whisky.

"I've always admired that they were dreamers who built something of their own. The story of two dreamers always resonated with us because we feel we are all dreamers in some way," Liu tells blogTO.

"We wanted to tell the story of time through art, whether through our food, beverage or design."

His dream, shared with Huang, has long been to spotlight the craftsmanship of Japanese whisky in Toronto. Mizunara, which opened in late August 2026, is the manifestation of that dream.

Named for the native Japanese oak in which whiskies are aged for 15 years, it's easy to feel like you've been transported inside a mizunara barrel yourself upon entering the space.

Rich wood accents tie three distinct dining spaces together, while different seating, lighting and decor choices set them apart.

The Social Lounge is Huang's personal favourite. With low, cushy seating, it's specifically built for meandering conversations over an Old Fashioned, and is adorned with rotating works by local artists and tchotchkes from Huang's own home.

A more formal seated dining area runs the length of the space, capped off at the other end by two-seat high-tops, perfect for clandestine date nights.

"We wanted to play on the materiality of time using leather that ages with character, oak displayed all throughout the space, and design elements from different eras, all sprinkled throughout while still feeling cohesive, like walking into a collector's living room," Liu explains.

It's not all serious and sultry, though. There's plenty of playfulness embedded in Mizunara's ambiance, too. The bar's three bathrooms each pay homage to different eras and aspects of Japanese culture, like this one, specially designed to embody a Tokyo convenience store — complete with the doorbell that plays a jingle when you enter.

A wall that separates the dining room from the washrooms is packed with assorted Japanese whisky bottles that cast a golden glow over diners and remind you what you're really here for: the drinks.

With seasonality at its core, both the drink and food menus at Mizunara rotate regularly, designed to highlight up-to-date ingredients.

Upon our visit, with the air cooling off just so but the days still long, something decadent yet refreshing was in order. The Tetsu Highball ($21), a collaboration with Uncle Tetsu Cheesecake, hit the mark.

A brown butter Japanese cheesecake toki and Tetsu distillate do the legwork in creating a chest-warming base, while fino sherry gives it a lively, fruity swing. The topper of brulee'd cheesecake foam is cracked, creme brulee style, before you plunge your straw in.

The Grenzoni is a perfect example of just how far the bar is willing to extend the bounds of what you thought you knew about whisky. Here, Nikka From The Barrel meets Amaro, punchy grape juice and rich elderberry lemon syrup for a sip that's at once fresh, tart and decadent.

Great drinks beget great bites, though, and Mizunara's food menu is nothing to sniff at, even if we're meant to be focussing on the whisky here.

For the food offerings, Liu and Huang tapped chef Alyssa Figueira to create a complementary seasonal menu of light bites that play with elements from a collage of international cuisines: not just Japanese.

Case in point: the Moules Frites ($38), which, with their French foundation, are awakened in a bath of French-Indian Vadouvan Verjus sauce and minted with a golden crown of curly fries.

Another standout, both visually and in terms of taste, is the Charred Scallop ($28). Swimming in smoked buttermilk, dashi cream Rorscach of a sauce, the tender scallops, though bearing a mouthwatering char, are every bit as supple and sweet as if you'd plucked them straight from the sea.

It seems like you can't go anywhere these days without being met with a tuna tartare of some sort, but this one ($26) is not to be overlooked. With apple skin miso and pickled apple, you're encouraged to scoop it up with substantial nori chips, the oily umami of the vehicle mingling with the briny, acidic apple.

Dessert is always a welcome addition — particularly paired with whisky — and the team at Mizunara seems to have figured that out, too.

Refreshing and juicy, the Watermelon Hibiscus Kakigori ($16) is a taste of summertime even when the dog days of summer are growing increasingly distant. And, in true summertime fashion, you'll want to attack this fast, because the featherlight flakes of ice are wont to melt with a staggering conviction.

Mizunara is located at 235 Adelaide St. W.