Kotori Authentic Japanese Restaurant – Fresh, Traditional Japanese Dining in Aurora, ON

We have been coming here since October of 2025 (I think they opened in September?). It is an absolute gem up here! In general, it's hard to find a reasonably priced authentic japanese restaurant in the GTA, leave alone up here. So we were pleasantly surprised and very happy to find this restaurant. The food here is very similar to what we've had in japan (including their osechi for new years!). We love sushi and Japanese dishes, so whenever we crave a taste of japan, we come here for their seasonal dishes and sushi. The sushi rice is made just right, with each grain of rice notable and just the right cobsistency, seasoning is on point too. The food here is made fresh and made to order, so do expect a reasonable amount of time for the food to arrive. If the food arrives immediately, the food was likely premade, which is not the case here. Some of their seasonal dishes now are the black tiger shrimp sushi (the shell is fried too, and you can eat it, just like some of the high quality sushi restaurants in Japan). We also had their rispy scale fish (forgot the name), and the fish was cooked perfectly tender, and the scales were deliciously crispy, it was a great dish, and something I would expect to see in traditional Japanese dishes. In general, all the dishes here are very good, depending on your mood, there is a dish for you. They are very serious about quality, so for certain dishes, they do not allow takeout, as it would alter their quality, which shows their commitment to their food quality and craft. If you come at lunch, there are usually seats available, but dinner rush on weekends are generally packed, and reservations aren't available for weekends. Also, there is only one staff on the floor usually, as it is a small restaurant. But they are always very attentive and do their best to tend to everyone quickly, so give them some grace on busy days, they're doing their best. I would highly recommend trying this restaurant.

Opened for less than a year, this restaurant is a great addition to the Japanese dining scene around this area. Their menu is attractive offering unique choices and sets and daily offerings written on a whiteboard. The food was delicious and service was attentive. The chef surprised us with a salmon sashimi “cake”, a small gesture that made our birthday celebration special. The only off putting thing for me was the promotion offering 2-3 pieces of chef choice sushi (can’t recall qty) if each person at the table leaves a 5 star review with photo. This may be their way to promote their new business? While I’m not a fan on these incentive-based reviews, I enjoyed the food and would visit again.

I am happy to have discovered an authentic Japanese restaurant in Aurora. I had the Katsu Don combo with an extra$. - and the single servings without the combo is available. The deep-fried pork chop was tender and juicy, with a flavorful egg and onion sauce. The combo came with variety of sashimi, a tomato salad presented in a creative way like salmon, steamed egg, which was all very satisfying. I will certainly come back and look forward to trying their Tempura Don, Udon, and Wagyu on my next visit.

Everything about this place was amazing! From the food, to the staff. The quality of the fish was fantastic and I’ll definitely be back to try their other items! Their chawanmushi that came with the combo was soooo delicious too. We accidentally overstayed on a Wednesday and forgot they closed at 9pm, but the staff didn’t rush us out at all. They even gave us these fried oysters with egg salad sauce on top on the house!

4/5 ⭐ We recently tried Kotori in Aurora, which I believe has gone through a few changes over the years (I think this might be the third sushi spot in this location?). It’s now an open-kitchen Japanese concept, which is actually really cool—you can watch the chef prepare the sushi right in front of you What we ordered: Salmon special (maki roll, salmon sashimi & salmon nigiri) – Came with soup and salad – Very fresh and tasty, but I was still a bit hungry afterward Shrimp tempura – My friend said it was the best tempura she’s ever had Service & menu notes: One downside was the lack of vegetarian options My friend is vegetarian and the server didn’t offer any menu modifications—just said there were no veggie options. My friend ended up getting creative and ordered the shrimp tempura without shrimp (just the fried egg and veggies), which worked out, but some flexibility or suggestions from staff would’ve been appreciated. The food itself was very good, and the open kitchen adds to the experience. However, the washroom was quite dirty and the restaurant floors were noticeably dirty, which unfortunately took away from an otherwise enjoyable meal. Overall, great food and a cool concept, but cleanliness and vegetarian-friendly options could definitely use improvement.

Kotori is one of the most authentic Japanese restaurants I’ve tried in the area. The food tastes very traditional and you can tell the ingredients are fresh and carefully prepared. Everything we ordered was delicious and beautifully presented. It really reminded me of the kind of simple, high-quality meals you find in Japan. Definitely a hidden gem and I’ll be coming back again.

Kotori is such a great find. The dishes taste very authentic and you can tell a lot of care goes into the cooking. The flavours are clean and delicious, and everything feels very homestyle in a good way. It’s refreshing to find a Japanese restaurant that focuses on quality and authenticity. Highly recommend!

Nice to have a good sushi spot right in Aurora! The quality of food was excellent. We ordered the premium sushi, udon and tendon so that we were able to try a variety of the offering. The chicken karage looked like it was marinated with a darker sauce so not immediately the most appealing, but it tastes good nevertheless. Unfortunately, given the size of the place, we can easily smell the frying of the tempuras, but we are just happy there is a place that offers tendon. We will definitely come back!