Sumi Dojo - Montréal

Oystermania - second visit, first one was last year. This year, the owner seems very stressed. Without a reservation, we had to wait 45 minutes even though there were only 7 people in the restaurant. Luckily, I was able to secure a reservation on Opentable for 6:15. Despite it being only 6:00, the owner didn't want us to be seated until the exact time. Eventually, we were seated by a charming and hardworking waitress. The oysters were delicious, as were the gyoza, tofu agedashi, and shrimp tempura. However, the back of the room was cluttered with empty cans and the bathroom was extremely dirty with no soap. Additionally, just like last year, there was only one waitress who was clearly overwhelmed. This is why I am giving Oystermania 3 stars.

I have visited this restaurant multiple times and always had a good experience. However, my most recent visit was disappointing. The waitstaff did their best to handle the situation, and we left a tip specifically for them. My friends were the only ones in the room when they waited 50 minutes for their food, only to receive the wrong orders. They were given some beer as compensation. When I arrived with more friends, my food was served promptly after we complained, but once again, my friends received late and incorrect orders. Other orders were also forgotten. After another complaint, some of my friends were offered free drinks, which was a small gesture of compensation. We were informed that they were short-staffed for a Saturday night, with a large reservation and other smaller ones on top of my 10-person reservation. Despite this, there were only a few servers, no bartender, bussers, the GM, head chef, sous-chef, and dishwasher. This lack of planning was evident. I may give this place another chance in the future based on my previous positive experiences, but I won't get my hopes up.

- Most of the dishes taste good but portion are small.

My favourite isakaya in Montreal for sashimi ! The have a good service and offer a great variety of plates.

Love the low-key off hours atmosphere with good choice of fresh sashimi, grilled fish, noodles, delicacies which go well with either Japaese beers, sakes or mixed drinks. Later the place starts to jump with a younger crowd which cruises lower St- Laurent. Service is friendly and efficient!