STRATEGY + PR (2019)
Sushi Masaki Saito
Sushi Masaki Saito is a high-end Japanese restaurant in Toronto’s Yorkville neighbourhood, opened in Spring 2019. Chef Masaki Saito is the first and only Michelin star chef in Canada, and only one of twenty 2-star Michelin chefs in North America.
Developed brand strategy and creative direction, and acquired press placement in major media outlets such as Toronto Life, National Post and Coveteur.
“Trust when I say I'm never on the shit they assumin' I'm on / Tales about me are like corridos in Culiacán / Sashimi from Saito, you know that man two Michelin Star”
— Drake, “Gold Roses”
Toronto Life
“Masaki Saito wowed New Yorkers with his old-school approach to sushi, earning two Michelin stars. Now he’s heading up an ultra-luxe, $500-a-head restaurant in Yorkville where food is only part of the show.”
PHOTOGRAPHY BY MICHAEL GRAYDON AND NIKOLE HERRIOTT
National Post
“At the top of the stairs awaits Sushi Masaki Saito, Toronto’s newest sushi temple where everything — from the $100,000 hinoki wood sushi counter to the sleek cedar wall paneling — has been imported from Japan. Walking into the restaurant feels like being transported to Shibamata… but instead of being made to feel like an uncultured outsider, each diner can relax and feel at home thanks to the environment cultivated by Chef Masaki Saito.”
BY CLAUDIA MCNEILLY
Coveteur
“And just when you think things can’t get any better with Chef Saito, you realize he’s fashion-obsessed. For years he dressed in head-to-toe Gucci and only recently turned his loyalty over to Louis Vuitton.”
BY JODI TAYLOR
Foodism
Once you slide into the omakase menu, there's an air of tranquility with no soundtrack and barely a whisper. With only seven seats, it is one of the most intimate dining experiences you can have in Toronto, with all eyes set on chef Saito and his sushi chefs who take you on a journey of coastal Japanese dining.
Toronto Star
Toronto’s most exclusive seats aren’t at the Scotiabank Arena, but at Yorkville’s Sushi Masaki Saito.
Photos by Chuck Ortiz, Back of House.
