Cozen

Food was delicious and so elegantly plated. We got a couple of rolls and edamame and loved all of it. The service was great and our server was so friendly and welcoming. Loved it and would come again!

We went specifically to check out their teishoku lunch sets. The menu has expanded since the last time we were there.
I had the Chicken set and my buddy had the Oshi set. Both sets were good & for that price point it was definitely worth it.

The restaurant is small but very cosy. Service was quick and we managed to get the last table before the lineup outside.

Loved trying out this neighborhood gem! Came by on a weekday for lunch and it was relatively quiet and empty. Their lunch specials are amazing! We got the Oshi set and tempura udon set. I'll say the tempura udon set is definitely a great valid compared to the oshi. While there are better aburi out there in the city, I thought the sushi was still so delicious. Server and chef were both friendly. Would come back again!

Finally tried out Cozen Japanese Cuisine. It's sandwiched between Tandoori Palace and The Charlatan.

Service is friendly with water constantly refilled. You have to ask for tea if you want it.

Menu consists of two large sheets. Lunch specials (12:00pm-3:30pm) are teishoku style.

Trip #1
- Negi toro maki ($6.00) - average. The rolls were stiff, didn't break apart.
- Chopped scallop roll ($7.50) - okay but the scallop didn't have much flavour.
- Miso black cod ($19.00) - cod was delicate but on the small side.
- Cozen nigiri combo ($36.00 for 9) - good quality; fresh fish, not too much rice. Favourites were the shima aji, unagi and saba. Surprised we were given a chu toro but it wasn't melt in your mouth.
- Spicy agedashi tofu ($8.50)
- Spicy chopped scallop roll ($8.00)
- Scoville heat roll ($15.00) - deep fried onions were tasty. The sauce (a salsa verde, Japanese style) was delicious with a good kick.

Trip #2
- Salmon sashimi ($15.00 for 6)
- Futomaki ($12.00) - nothing particularly stood out.
- California roll ($5.00)
- Sockeye salmon oshi ($16.00) - nicely seared, miso mayo sauce was enjoyable.
- Beef teriyaki ($17.00) - beef was a touch dry. Rice is not good.
- Chicken yakisoba ($14.00) - bland and boring. Wouldn't order again.
- Grilled mackerel ($15.00) - mackerel was excellent. Simple, but well executed.

Average Japanese fare at CJC. 3.5 stars.

Great food! However if you need to order a few different rolls to make sure you get full. Staff was very quick and friendly.

Good spot for sushi on Commercial but they use too much sauce for their rolls.

It's a small restaurant that can fit maybe 30 people. Parking is mostly metered, though you can find free street parking nearby if you're willing to walk a couple of blocks.

It wasn't busy at all when I came for Tuesday dinner with a friend around 5:30 pm, though gradually most of the tables filled up by the time we left around 7.

They have a huge selection for sushi rolls, but there's also a huge appetizer section on the menu as well as some options for noodles and donburi, for folks who don't want sushi.

I ordered two rolls since I was starving: the White Pearl roll ($16) and the Crispy Oshi roll ($22). I was excited for both, but was disappointed when I saw there was a lot of sauce on both rolls.

It was my bad for the White Pearl, since the menu description does call out that there's chalaca on it, but I wasn't expecting it for the oshi roll. I spent a lot of the meal scraping off most of the sauce off each bite, which got kinda messy...

Both rolls were good and the fish was fresh, but again all the sauce took away from my experience. I also wasn't expecting the Crispy Oshi roll to be so crispy. It made it a little hard to eat, especially with chopsticks, and by the end I was just picking each piece up with my hand.

All in all it's a great sushi spot, but next time I will make sure I ask about any unlisted sauces on the menu.

Their lunch special offers great selections of set meal with sushi, udon, oshi, and tempura at great price. Food has been consistently delicious and fresh. I would definitely recommend.

New to Commercial Drive by a few months, this cute Japanese little resto (operated by Japanese people) offers lunch bento box combos, which my friend & I partook in.

While the price was higher than a lunch time special ($17) the quality of the food completely justifies it.

I didn't realize that the nigiri sushi would be lightly flame top cooked on top (don't know the actual term) as they do in some of the fancier sushi spots.

Great taste & worth a visit on the Drive for a higher quality Japanese meal & a convenient stop

(Find me on Instagram - @aida.loves )

My first review after receiving my 2023 Elite Badge!

After seeing the reviews for Cozen by multiple Elites, I had bookmarked it as a spot I had to try out. I am so happy I did. The food, presentation, and service were all fantastic!

Located on The Drive, Cozen is small Japanese eatery with a big menu packed with all sorts of high quality offerings. While the prices are a bit on the premium side, the portions and selection of fish available does make up for it. Seeing toro, salmon toro, and both blue fin chu toro AND o toro on the menu always excites me. They also happen to serve shima aji (striped jack) and madai (Japanese seabream). These are some serious cuts of fish that you don't get from your typical hole-in-the-wall sushi joint.

We tried several dishes on this visit which included:
Creamy Seafood Udon - This was rich and creamy with shrimps, scallops, and black truffle paste. The flavours were fantastic and something I would order again.
Grilled Mackerel - Grilled nicely and accompanied with rice and miso soup.
Blue Fin O Toro and Uni Temaki - The fattiest cut of Blue Fin tuna belly combined with the custard-like sea urchin. Quite the combo.
Ikura Nigiri - A solid portion of salmon roe bursting with salty, oily goodness.
Negi Toro Maki - Toro and green onions chopped together. What's not to like?
Sashimi for Two - This platter included two of the following: salmon, tuna, hamachi, amaebi, and 2 chef's choice sashimi (which happened to be just the Blue Fin O Toro)


Overall, I was extremely impressed with the quality of fish, the presentation, and the service. Everything was so good that I didn't even notice we were only given one of the two chef's choices with our sashimi for two. I'm not even upset about it, since the slices of sashimi were generous and fresh.

I will be back. Multiple times.

Really good deal for lunch specials. Food was fresh and delicious. My bf got the yaki udon and we can both agree it was one of the best yaki udon we've ever had. One star off cause one of the younger servers seemed in a hurry to take my plate away while I was still eating even though they weren't that busy. The older servers were nice and attentive.