Toshi Izakaya

New ownership is AWFUL! Such a bad experience! will not go back just because of the customer service which is crucial for a business especially restaurant because there is no shortage of them!

I live in the area and eat at Toshi Izakaya about once every couple of weeks. In my mind they are the best Japanese restaurant in the area. They’re sushi is fresh, which you would expect, but they get the details right.
The sushi rice is well-​seasoned and it’s actually sushi rice, not regular rice seasoned like sushi rice. I ventured out and tried their tonkatsu ramen, and man was it good! Pork belly, fried egg, scallions and a plethora of noodles in a deep, flavorful pork broth.
Their appetizers are not just the run of the mill stuff you find in any Japanese restaurant either. They have these Japanese hash browns, korokke, they’re awesome. Also, spicy eggplant (narumaki) is great too. Stuff that sets this place apart. If you haven’t tried this place before, I highly recommend it for a newer sushi experience!

Stopped here randomly on a drive south from the airport. The service was excellent, the sake sampler was delicious and informative. The sushi and ramen was delicious.

The service was great. Everyone was very polite from I walked in the door and I had a waiter was very attentive, friendly and polite. The sushi was delicious and fresh. I found the soy sauce a little too salty for my tastes but the gyoza sauce was great with the gyoza and sushi! Give it a shot and see how you like it. The tempura ice cream was a perfect way to end the meal. I also enjoyed the décor and found the restaurant to be very comfortable as well. It was a nice experience from beginning to end.

Great spot. Eat sushi all over the world and always find myself coming back to Toshi. Highly recommended

I think the 3.5-star average rating for this place is fair, but my overall experience here was a pleasant one, so I’ll bump it up to 4. I came here with my co-​worker with a Groupon, and we enjoyed an extravagant Japanese lunch. We both ordered the spicy seafood ramen, and we shared a two-​roll sushi lunch special, which means we also ended up with a bowl of miso soup and a house salad for each of us.
I was so excited to try the spicy seafood ramen, but it was the biggest letdown of the day. Both my co-​worker and I noted that the soup was very bland, practically flavorless. There was a good amount of curry powder in it, but it desperately needed some salt. After generously salting it, it tasted alright, but still not as good as the spicy seafood udon I’m used to from my favorite sushi restaurant. The amount of seafood in it was meager. There were about 5 – 6 tiny shrimps, the same amount of bay scallops, and some small strips of squid. In contrast, they gave a huge portion of noodles, which came in a block in my soup that I had to break up a bit before eating. I give them credit for giving a big portion, and I was very full (my co-​worker couldn’t even finish hers), but this was not a bowl of ramen to me. I guess for $ 12, I should have lowered my expectations.
If my meal had ended here, I would not go back. However, I really enjoyed the sushi. For our 2-​roll lunch special, we picked the crunch kani roll and spent an extra $ 1 on the shrimp tempura roll. For such simple rolls, I was surprised by how fresh and tasty they both were. I especially love the crunch kani roll. It’s not the best sushi I’ve ever had, but it’s the best I’ve had in this area of Connecticut. The miso soup and house salads were both surprisingly tasty as well, making this $ 9 lunch combo a really good deal, and one that I would come back for.
The restaurant itself is clean and very charming, and our waiter was great. We had a little trouble using our Groupon, because we ordered two ice creams for dessert, and despite it never saying so on the Groupon, it can’t be used for desserts. Our waiter talked to the manager and they eventually let us use it, but just a word of warning. Judging by my experience and the other Unilocal reviews, the entrees are hit-​or-​miss, but I think I’ll be back again for the sushi.

Came here on a whim! It was awesome. On a trip here from California. This place is charming. Food came out in reasonable time and tasted great! We had edamame (served hot! which was great), the tempura, Toshi roll, and yellowtail cut roll.

Went to Toshi today for takeout for the office. They were terrific! I ordered for about 8 separate people and they packaged each order and labeled with each person’s name. The food was delicious and everyone got what they ordered. We will definitely be back.

We had a very enjoyable dinner last night — a terrific combination of atmosphere, service, value and excellent food.
We hadn’t been here in a a while, so the first thing we noticed was the beautiful remodeling job of the interior –nice beige walls accented with metal artwork and icicle lights. The dining room had a real nice quiet relaxing vibe with low volume jazz — easy for conversation.
Our server, Julian was excellent. He struck the right balance between attentive and intrusive, and between friendly and over bearing. He was top notch.
Our meal ran about $ 30 with left-​overs. We shared an order of spring rolls (Haru Maki) that cost just $ 3. They tasted great and for $ 3 how can you go wrong? The dinner salads were the usual lettuce with the traditional ginger dressing. I have to say it, the salads were great! Cold and fresh lettuce with a terrific tasting dressing.
I had the Spicy Seafood Ramen ($ 12). The broth was very good, just the right level of spicy goodness. It was chocked full of noodles (choice of ramen or udon), some bok choy leaves, shrimp, scallops, and squid.
My wife ordered the Chicken & Vegetable Tempura for $ 14. The presentation was impressive– everything standing on end and tied together with a tempura’d onion ring. A very good portion of chicken, sweet potatoes, broccoli, onion, carrots, and green beans, plus rice, dipping sauce, and miso soup.
So bottom line is this– we were more than happy with every facet of the meal.

I have been there several times now and this place always brings a dining experience full of calmness and tranquility. It’s a lovely restaurant situated on top of mountain and overlooking the mountains. I haven’t found anywhere else like this one around here.
The interior is very contemporary for a sushi shop nevertheless unique and welcoming.
The food is at reasonable price and the food is not outstanding but certainly satisfactory.

Every time I come here there seems to be something that missed the mark. Without fail someone in our party has a hole in their straw. When I ordered three different sushi rolls for lunch they only gave me two. Also, their pork ramen soup is terribly bland. There’s other sushi places in the Area that deserve a shot at my business.

Service was POOR. Food was not good, sushi was just OK. Please go somewhere else. I do not expect this place to be open much longer.

Without a doubt the best Sushi place around, always has been. still is
If you really like sushi, sashimi and some traditional dishes you will not be disapointed.
If you are really going there for sushi you will know within the first bite you are at the right spot. it is best to sit at the sushi bar, as with any place for the most part. This way the chef can get an idea of what you like and make suggestions.
Even the gaijin will love this place as they do the all of the crazy rolls and the toshi sauce (spicy mayo) is out of this world. The the Avacado balls… we like to order them as Avacado Bombs.

The sushi and the atmosphere was good.
If I am in the area I will be back. A little pricy though but that’s what you get when there is no other options around.

Unfortunately my first experience there was horrible.
Went for an evening dinner with a friend, we decided to sit outside since it was pretty nice out. Started off fine enough, we both ordered a dirty titos martini, which took a while and she brought them out one by one. Glass wasn’t filled and the olives were cheap, oh and it was the absolute worst martini we have equally ever had. My friend almost didn’t finish since they tasted of actual dirty water but, since they were $ 10 each what were we going to do. We order a special roll each and sashimi tako (octopus) — When our plate arrived it looked decent and we each had a piece of tako. WORST I have ever had in my life, it was very fishy and I know for a fact that tako is not to have that taste, so that threw me off to start.
The rolls were ok, until my friend pulled out a 3 inch piece of plastic wrap they use to wrap the rolls before they cut and place fish on top. I was very angry and brought the plate inside and she told me it was «Ok «and «not to worry about it» … She could have choked.
I won’t go back. Good luck.

Went here for a solo lunch. They have a bento box special during lunch that was tasty and decently priced. The service was good and the décor was very nice. Haven’t had an opportunity to try their sushi although what I saw looked tasty! Will be back

I’ve been here 2 or 3 times and each time I remember why I don’t go more often… everything here tastes fishy.
Obviously, sushi is supposed to taste like fish, but this sushi tastes especially fishy. I ordered shumai for an appetizer and even that tasted fishy.
Too fishy for me… won’t go back.

This is not the old Toshi. That’s a good thing.
The new owners remodeled and redid the menu. It’s worth revisiting if you haven’t been recently.
The pluses: the sushi is quite good. Tastes and feels fresh. A Titanic roll with spicy tuna, avocado, fish roe, was crafted very well without too much in each bite. The appetizers were also very good. We particularly liked the juicy dumplings. The edamame was good too with just the right amount of salt.
The kids boxes are a great value too with soup, main course (like fried chicken or beef teriyaki), rice, apples, oranges, a few strawberries, fried shrimp, jello, and a lollipop. Whew. All that for $ 8. better than the kids meals at most places.
The minuses? Service was not that good. Water had to be asked to be refilled 3 times. And the food came out in fits and starts. The sea bass was terrific but for $ 28 if should come with something more that a cup of rice and an oyster mushroom. (And the typical miso soup and salad). The ramen was the only miss of a dish, needed more salt and more broth. Loved that it came with a egg over easy on top though. Won’t find that in every local place.
Overall with sushi this good and creative, it’s worth a visit. Next time, it’ll be more sushi. Maybe even the omakase.

I go here almost every Friday night with a friend, I love it that much. We always sit at the sushi bar and watch the masters at work. It’s never really packed, but plenty of people to know that the food is amazing. My friend and I get a variety of hand rolls and appetizers. We always leave feeling full and satisfied.
The only negative is that the service is reaaaaaaaaaaaaaally slow. Not the sushi part, but the ladies who bring out the drinks and appetizers, etc., take their time in getting things rolling.
All in alI, I highly recommend this place!!!

Well, it’s still not the hippest spot in the Hartford Area for sushi, but man, it oughtta be.
Just three weeks ago (per the word of the waiter), Toshi just got a complete décor overhaul. And the result is really nice. New floors, neutral taupe paint, classy wall pieces, dark wood tables, and very comfy brown leatherette padded chairs. Feels like you’re eating in a Rolls Royce.
Again, the food did not disappoint. We enjoyed a variety of sushi and specialty rolls from the a-​la-​carte menu. Furthermore, our
coupon knocked 25 bucks off the bill, making this an exceptional value.
Only drawback to our experience was not Toshi’s fault. A young couple brought their two screaming rugrats with them, presumably finding it socially acceptable to commandeer public space in fine dining establishments because parenting is a difficult job. Thank god they left fifteen minutes after we we sat down.
It’s called Red Robin, heard of it?
Too good for Red Robin? It’s called getting a babysitter, heard of it?