Kibo Sushi on Parliament Street in Toronto: Review

By Lori Bosworth

On a recent Thursday, I had arranged to meet a friend for lunch at Zakkushi on Carlton Street. We were both craving sushi and this restaurant had received great reviews. Alas, it was not to be as we arrived to find that the restaurant doesn’t open until 5:30 p.m. We decided to walk east along Carlton Street towards Parliament Street where there are a cluster of restaurants. There were several good choices, but we decided on Kibo Sushi at 533 Parliament Street.

Kibo Sushi is a casual Japanese restaurant with a minimalist interior and a bright, modern feel. When we arrived at 12:45 p.m., there were a few couples seated at tables, but we had no problem getting a table. Our friendly server quickly greeted us, and provided us with water and menus.

Kibo Sushi’s prices are very reasonable. You can order a la carte or select special combo meals. My dining partner ordered a Bento box, which comes with either Teriyaki chicken, beef, salmon or tofu; or Tempura shrimps and vegetables, and California rolls for $13.95. She opted for the Tempura shrimps and vegetables and upgraded her California rolls to Spicy Salmon Rolls, which were $1 extra. Her Bento box came with soup and salad.

I ordered from the a la carte menu: Avocado and Cucumber Rolls, and Salmon Sushi.

My dining partner’s soup and salad arrived in a few minutes. The salad was fresh with a pleasing, spicy dressing. The Miso soup was a pleasing balance of salty and nutty flavours.

Both of our entrées arrived at the same time.

The Bento box was a huge portion of Tempura shrimps, Spicy Salmon Rolls and rice. The Spicy Salmon Rolls were delicious, with just enough spice. The Tempura shrimps were good, however, they weren’t as crispy as they could have been. My dining partner also would have preferred the Wasabi sauce to be spicier.

My Avocado and Cucumber Rolls and Salmon Sushi were both very fresh. The two pieces of Salmon sushi were fairly big and very fresh and the rice was nicely sticky.

We stayed for several hours and our server let us talk without rushing us, which we really appreciated.

If you’re in Cabbagetown and looking for a casual restaurant that offers fresh sushi at reasonable prices, I recommend dropping by Kibo Sushi.

Kibo Sushi, 533 Parliament Street (just north of Carlton Street), 647-352-3788