Toronto’s newest steakhouse is bringing Japanese barbecue to Bay Street

The Financial District is not exactly hurting for steakhouses. But Shinji, the new Japanese steakhouse from Harlo Entertainment set to open this July, is betting that diners are ready to trade the standard swagger for refined Japanese technique, premium Wagyu and an open robata grill that doubles as the main event.

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Executive chef and partner Jia Zou brings more than a decade of Toronto kitchen experience to the project, with a resumé that lists Auberge du Pommier, Miku Toronto, Grey Gardens, Kiu and, most recently, Kasa Moto. Before opening Shinji, Zou and his team travelled to Japan to get a closer look at traditional yakiniku restaurants, which specialize in grilled meat.

“We were inspired by the aspects that really shone through, like the quality and sourcing of the beef, the ingredients and the accompaniments,” he says.

His goal was not to recreate those restaurants exactly but to bring some of that feeling back to Toronto. “We wanted to take the best parts of it and create something in Toronto that fits the Financial District and fits the space that we’re in but gives our guests some of that experience we had in Japan,” he says.

The menu builds from that starting point, with Japanese tradition informing dishes that still feel at home in a downtown steakhouse designed for quick lunches, happy hours and client dinners. The beef program covers cuts from Ontario and across Canada as well as Japanese Wagyu, with A3 and A5 options sourced from different prefectures. “We’ll always have three to four different kinds of wagyu on the menu,” says Zou.

Zou wants the restaurant to feel refined but still easy to drop into. “We want guests to come in and enjoy a quick and delicious lunch, have some snacks during happy hour, or sit down for a fantastic meal that includes Wagyu steak and that fancy, over-the-top experience you often get at a steakhouse,” he says. At lunch, the main menu remains available alongside quick-format dishes such as katsu curry and tempura don.

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Toronto studio Odami designed the room around a central robata grill. Guests at the long, table-height bar can watch chefs sear Wagyu and other cuts up close. “One of the coolest things we saw at these yakitori and yakiniku restaurants in Japan was that open grill and the way the energy of that translates to the diners,” says Zou. “A lot of work goes into making these dishes, so it really adds a lot to the dining experience for guests to see that.”