Sushi Spot Ryú Has Returned to Mile End With a Sit-Down Resto

Reliable sushi restaurant Ryú has returned to its roots, reopening a location on Laurier Avenue in Mile End that it closed almost two years ago.

The location was the first home for the restaurant, which has since overhauled its operations to become more of a casual sushi counter in many of its iterations. But here, Ryú is swinging back towards being more of a full-service restaurant.

The menu is longer than its other locations, and is the only one to feature hot food — tempura shishito peppers, chicken yakitori, and a miso black cod dish are among the new offerings. As an evenings-only affair, grab ‘n’ go options like poke bowls are off the menu here, replaced with quite the array of maki and nigiri options.

That menu has some touches of fusion with rolls including piquillo peppers and a cajun tuna option: it’s all rather restrained and tasteful, relative to many other sushi places in town that go ham with Philadelphia rolls and deep-fried sushi pizza.

Ryú/Supplied

Ryú reborn Laurier location also has a different vibe — while Ryú 1.0 was known for a slightly clubby atmosphere (noted in a 2016 review from Lesley Chesterman) with techno tunes, it seems like a calmer place now, with a more classic, wood-paneled dining room feel (somewhat different to the rather modern designs of Ryú's downtown and Westmount locations).

STATUS — Ryú is open at 288 Laurier W from 5 to 10 p.m. Wednesday, Thursday, and Sunday, and 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Closed Monday and Tuesday.

• Ryú [Official]
• Ryú Returns to Inner Montreal With A Downtown Sushi Bar [EMTL]
• Ryú Closes on Laurier [EMTL]