It's not often my family find a restaurant near our neighbourhood that we'd go back over and over again. We got wind of Aotoya from a Japanese friend who goes there often. She said that if you want authentic Japanese food on Victoria Drive, that's the place to go.


It's a family run restaurant, the chef is kindly old man. They aren't known for their sushi but their special teishoku combo, which includes  a main dish you choose, miso soup, rice, and two daily side dishes and pickled radishes.


Simmered Mackerel Teishoku
Grilled Mackerel Teishoku




We went there relatively late so we were the last ones in the restaurant when it was closing. The chef told us not to rush and was very friendly and told us about the history of his restaurant. He asked if we tried the Uni. He says sources them fresh and cracks them open at the restaurant and likes to use the best ingredients. He told us that his restaurant used to be in the West side but rent increased and because he refused to compromise the quality of the ingredients, he was forced to move to the East side. It was pretty interesting to hear his story.

For dessert we had black sesame mochi with red bean inside,



and green tea pudding. They both tasted so yummy!

They have special deals like 20% off or free dessert with $20 order. The price is decent and the food was very good. Looking forward to visiting again.