Toriciya

7.5 Recommended

Food  8      Ambience  7      Service  8      Value  7     

This place is unpretentious and serves fresh and good quality food with great flavours in a traditional Japanese style. Service was excellent and the chef/owner took time to go through the menu with us. Must order dish: miso black cod. Will go back again.

Apr 20, 2012 

9.5 Highly Recommended

Food  9      Ambience  10      Service  10      Value  9     

Wow, it's like being in Japan. From the 'samurai' looking guitarist (on saturday night) singing japanese songs to the brilliant real japanese menu. We were one of the few non japanese people in this place. It's been around for a long time and it shows they know what they are doing. It's a great restaurant and we will go back. We opened the place at 6pm with our infant daughter worried about annoying other diners, but the staff were amazing and super helpful.

Nov 28, 2011 

9.3 Highly Recommended

Food  10      Ambience  9      Service  9      Value  9     

Very traditional style Japanese cooking. Excellent quality, Very fresh ingredients. Service very commendable. The wagyu is recommended and Sake choice excellent.

Nov 01, 2011 

8 Recommended

Food  9      Ambience  8      Service  8      Value  7     

Found Toriciya via google as wanted a more traditional Japanese restaurant than you normally get in suburbia for my birthday. Reviews were good and didn't disappoint. Japanese izakaya (Pub)style (bigger than a tappas sizes). The Cod was the most beautiful I have ever eaten and sushi plate to start was magnificent (so fresh). We had several other dishes equally beautifully prepared and tasting. The sake that was recommended was cold pressed that day and although I always drink warm sake this was a delight... almost sake champagne on the palate. They specialise in premium sake. The staff were really helpful and always there when you needed help with interpretation. Very comfortable enviroment... almost japanses equivilent of the the london corner pub. Warm and cosy. The night we went was full (mostly Japanese) and was a little slow service wise but the wait was worth it. Price was expensive but value for the quality. Averaged $50 head with Sake. My wife was impressed enough to want to have her birthday there so have booked again... Arigatō.

Sep 30, 2011 

7.5 Recommended

Food  8      Ambience  7      Service  8      Value  7     

The most delicious wagyu yakitori skewers I have ever had! Including ones I had in Japan! Gorgeous little waitress who was extremely polite and helpful. Go with whatever she recommends as we did and were not disappointed with anything she suggested! Secret little wine list were great too. Very small so best to book.

Sep 09, 2011 

8.8 Highly Recommended

Food  9      Ambience  9      Service  9      Value  8     

We had a dinner for two and chose to sit at the bar overlooking the kitchen. The new owner (of 3 months) and his staff were attentive, provided great recommendations and were happy to chat, but also left us to our own accord. The wine choice was good and the food was tasty. The green tea cheesecake was a great way to finish the meal. The daily specials board was great and English menus are also available. Although it was a Friday evening, the restaurant was not overcrowded. This is definitely recommended for intimate meals or a group occasion!

Sep 01, 2011 

1 Not Recommended

Service  1     

I was a regular customer of Toriciya when I used to reside in Sydney. I returned to this lovely city 2 weeks ago for my graduation ceremony which was held this morning. Because I had always appreciate the ambience and the food at Toriciya I decided to host my graduation dinner here. I know very well that this shop only has limited tables and to ensure that I get that only one large table in the shop, which is located outside, I called week and a half in advance to make a reservation. The reservation was confirmed.

Turned out the reservation was never made. I called the restaurant to confirm the time for tonight and was told by the senior staff that I did not make a reservation. He said I must have mistaken another shop. I went back to check my phone history and it was showing the precise date and time I called Toriciya and the duration of the call so there was no way I was mistaken!

Anyway, the senior staff was totally unhelpful and all he was capable of was saying that it was not their fault (because I couldn't remember the name of the guy who took the reservation and the main reason that I did not remember is because it was Japanese) and 'come another day'. Seriously whats wrong with these people? This is Not a normal dinner occasion, this is a graduation dinner.! The internal administrative system of this place obviously failed and is highly problematic.

The service was totally unhelpful either. I ended up having to ring up restaurants around the city to find a place which can accommodate my group, on a Friday night, and Two hours before dinner. Imagine the stress. And the unhelpful attitude of the senior staff definitely did not help.

And this is not the first time this happened. The same thing happened two years ago except last time it was just a social dinner. I thought it was a one-off accident, obviously not.

May 27, 2011 

8.5 Highly Recommended

Food  8      Ambience  10      Service  8      Value  8     

Love the old school, traditional decor. I felt like I was in some samll izakaya in Tokyo. Yakitori's were fabulous, try the nankotsu (deepfried chicken cartilage), kanimiso, sashimi squid special. 7 of us, ordered 1.9L sake, as well as 720 ml sake. Sakes were beautiful. All up we spent $70/pp. Will be back for sure.

Mar 14, 2011 

7.8 Recommended

Food  7      Ambience  9      Service  9      Value  6     

Five of us went there for dinner on a Monday night, the place was empty so we had no problem getting a table. But booking is recommended as there are only 4-5 tables plus a private room that would accommodate around 10 people. It is more a sake bar with food rather than a restaurant – it is an izakaya afterall.

Food: quite a small menu with an additional 6-8 daily specials; it is not your suburban teriyaki chicken or tempura but real Japanese izakaya food designed to go with drinks; so it is not to everyone’s liking and I loved it!

Drink: fantastic sake list that is very reasonably priced.

Service: very friendly and helpful.

Ambience: wonderful. The place was full when we left – not bad for a Monday night. Our bill came to $380 – a bit expensive for what we ate. Will I go back? Yes, I will go back for sake and yakitori food but not for a full meal.

Sep 27, 2010 

6.3 Average

Food  3      Ambience  10      Service  9      Value  3     

As soon as I walked in I thought "we're on here!", fantastic ambience and decor, fantastic sake list, fantastic service but so, so sadly, the food is just not good.
This was magnified ten-fold when set against all the aforementined plusses. I just couldn't believe a yakitoriya having such poor quality yakiori and bland food. Such a shame and waste of a potential-loaded restaurant.

Jul 08, 2010