CLOSURE: One of the oldest Japanese restaurants in Canada is shutting down

A beloved Japanese restaurant that has served a number of Hollywood heavyweights — and is widely credited with inventing sushi pizza — is closing the doors of its Toronto location after more than 40 years.

Today, Nami Restaurant, an upscale hotspot on Adelaide Street East that opened in 1984, shocked diners by announcing that after more than four decades of serving locals, visitors and more than a few celebrities, it intends to close early next month.

“Sayonara, Toronto,” operators wrote on social media.

“It is with great sadness that we announce today that after well over 40 years in business, Nami Restaurant on Adelaide Street East in Toronto is closing.”

 

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The restaurant, located in the city’s Old Toronto neighbourhood, was designed by Raymond Moriyama, the architect behind the now-closed Ontario Science Centre and the long-standing Toronto Reference Library. In the post, operators say the restaurant’s look and feel evoke images of Kyoto, offering diners a spot where servers arrive at their private booths dressed in traditional kimonos.

While the restaurant has earned a reputation as the birthplace of sushi pizza (invented by Kaoru Ohsada while he was head chef at the resto), its menu leans traditional, boasting black cod, wagyu steaks, sushi and sashimi. Nami is also home to the Robata Bar, which operators believe is one of a kind in the city.

The the post, Nami gives a shoutout to some of the biggest stars to walk through the doors over the eatery’s 40-year run, including the Japanese royal family (who ate in the tatami room), Meg Ryan, Russell Crowe, Meryl Street, Carrie Fisher, Billie D. Williams, Pat Morita, Jean Claude Van Damme, Whitney Houston, Hideki Matsui, Endoh Tsubasa and Yusei Kikuchi. The owners also say they served a number of world-famous bands, including U2 and The Rolling Stones.

Beyond celebrities, operators say they’re grateful for all the locals who frequented the restaurant.

“We wanted to thank our many guests and loyal staff over the years – we are honoured to have hosted countless first dates, birthdays, Bay Street power lunches, office parties and every celebration in between,” they wrote.

“Proud Torontonians to visiting tourists have all come to try our now world-famous Sushi Pizza, invented by our chef Kaoru Ohsada in the 1980s and now considered a must-try Toronto, if not Canadian, dish. Thank you, Toronto, for supporting us and loving us over the years. We were proud to have been a downtown Toronto landmark– with our iconic blue wave out front and Samurai greeting you at the door.”

While the restaurant will close, operators say they plan to launch a new product and merchandise line that will include t-shirts, tote bags, postcards and a Nami Sushi Pizza Maker.

The restaurant’s last day will be March 7.