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KOKO! Share Bar

3.7 (76 reviews)
PriceyKorean, Japanese
Open • 11:30 am - 11:00 pm

KOKO! Share Bar Photos

Business Info

KOKO! SHARE BAR ATMOSPHERE

What's the vibe?
Moderate noise
Classy
Good for kids

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Jahleel C.

This place is located in the basement. Entrance has steps to go downstairs. Small place with some seats available, all booths. Need to call in advance if you have a big table. Service was prompt, you can sit yourself pretty much anywhere so long as you make eye contact with the server. This place is a mix of Japanese and Korean food. They have a nice selection, decent pricing for Yorkville. The seared salmon tasted a bit too fishy for me and the dynamite roll, not your usual fish tasted but not as fresh as I was expecting. I feel like Yorkville is a "fancy" place and food should be fresh. Japchae was good but the noodles weren't. Was too sticky together. The beef though was amazing, best one I've tasted. Cod miso was okay, mediocre, not the best. Overall I would give it 3.5/5 but will round up for that amazing bulgogi beef and the espresso martini with tequila, I thought that was a perfect cocktail.

Hot sake
John J.

So yummy! Went there last night and had the lobster roll, salmon roll, tamago sushi and salmon roe sushi. I also had their house hot same which was very good. I have been coming here for years and I will continue coming back.

Green tea cheesecake
Jonah N.

I have tried to go here for the longest time, as I am a fan of Korean food, and I got my fill of both here. Jumping on the Summerlicious prix fixe menu, I went with a couple of friends for dinner on a sunny July evening. The weather outside matched my mood as we got into the restaurant. The table was cozily set but spacious enough that myself and my dining companions weren't on top of each others meals. I started with the seared tuna salad, which was many kinds of delicious and an excellent appetizer. Next were the Galbi beef short ribs, L.A. cut. The marinade for the ribs was exceptional, as I savoured the flavour with every bite of beef. To finish the meal, a nice slice of Japanese green tea cheesecake. All in all, a great meal to be had on an equally pleasant summer night.

Tofu bibimbap
Simon L.

Tofu bibimbap is good. Love the rice. Hot sauce on the side added more flavour. Wish there were more veggies though.

a plate of sushi rolls
Jenn W.

And in a very unlike me manner, we also didn't share at the Share Bar. It didn't stop me from ordering the salmon aburi sushi ($20) to start, the rice adorned with thick cuts of salmon topped with lime aioli. At KOKO, there was just enough of the mayo to take on a hint of smokiness and to add a splash of creaminess without making the sushi greasy. I would have liked some stronger finishing ingredients to create more interest - like the customary jalapeno slice, a dab of chopped olives, or even a sprinkling of green onions. The aburi was good but lacked pizazz. Based on my friend's recommendation (and plenty of other reviewers), I had to try KOKO's roasted miso black cod ($36). It's a solid dish but with a few changes could be even better: including some of the miso sauce on the side for those who want a more flavourful fish or to pour over the steamed rice, removing some of the cod's bones to make it easier to cut into (even the large shards were left behind), and roasting the skin longer so that it becomes crispier. Still, I appreciated the decent sized piece of black cod, which was fresh and flaky and there was a nice variety of vegetables included to create a balanced and healthy meal. If only there was more seasoning on the vegetables that seemed to be merely steamed.

Miso Soup!
Sabrina P.

Food was authentic, fresh, & delicious! Service was quick & friendly. Definitely a hidden gem in the city- can't wait to return :)

Galbi
Chris C.

A friend of mine suggested we meet for dinner after work at KOKO! Share Bar, a modern Korean Japanese restaurant in Yorkville, halfway between our offices. I wasn't familiar with Koko so I looked up their web site. The menu had a lot of choices but I was more interested in their Korean offerings. Prices were a little high but on par for Yorkville. We made reservations online. It's a very small and cozy space below street level. Our table was at the back of the restaurant, right in front of the bar. Coat hangers were on the wall next to the bar. The table settings were simple and elegant, with the chopsticks in bamboo pencil-case type of box. Nice touch. After looking over the menu, we started with Edamame (steamed soy beans - $6), Galbi Grilled Beef Short Ribs (marinated in garlic, soy, ginger, red wine, with steamed rice - $25), and Bulgogi (thinly sliced strips of marinated ribeye steak, assorted vegetables - $21). My companion had mentioned to our server that she doesn't care for peppers and I don't care for zucchini and our server acknowledged that. The edamame arrived shortly after ordering. It could have used a few more grains of salt but it was okay. The galbi was served on a bed of onions on a sizzling platter. The ribs had grill marks on them also. Looks good. The bulgogi was served in a bowl and, although we mentioned our preference to not have peppers or zucchini, the only vegetable in there was carrots (and a ton of onions). Hmmm, surely they must have had some other kind of vegetables in the pantry, if not just for colour and presentation. Other dishes on their menu include mushrooms, okra, and leeks. It was a little disappointing but not a major issue. We didn't order this dish for the veggies. So, how did everything taste? Good, but neither authentic Korean nor Japanese. I like onions (and we ate most of them) but I've never seen onions used so much in Korean or Japanese cuisine, especially in these dishes. Neither dish had the flavour profile that we expected. Maybe a sprinkle of sesame seeds or a few drops of sesame seed oil might have changed that. This is also the first Korean restaurant I've been to that didn't include any side dishes (kimchi, pickled radishes, bean sprouts, etc.). I missed that. There is, however, an item on the menu called Kimchi Trio (assorted Korean sides - $8). Overall, the food tasted good, just not authentic. The service was good but it seems like everybody finished at the same time and it took a while to get our bill. For the value, I'd probably go somewhere else.

Roasted Miso Black Cod

Their Roasted Miso Black Cod was great, maybe the best fish I've ever had. Their house rolls were great too, highly recommend.

KOKO! Grand Opening Valentines Day 2010
Lindsay D.

KOKO! Share Bar is the newest effort by restaurateur and hospitality consultant Sang Kim (Blowfish, etc), and master chef, Shin Aoyama. The two worked together on Ki Modern Japanese, where Shin was the executive chef. I was lucky enough to be invited to the grand-opening where I could sample several of the dishes. I cannot explain how lucky we are as Torontonians to have access to a talent like Aoyama. And even though the space is small, it's designed beautifully to be warm, inviting, and intimate, which is the key to making the "Share Bar" concept work. Apparently, sharing food is a major part of Korean cuisine culture, and at KOKO! you're encouraged to dip right into the plates of your dinner companions. Being able to share the experience of every single morsel that arrives at your table is one of the most extraordinary things I have had the chance to be a part of. The bar could perhaps use a bit more variety, even keeping within the theme, but as it's only the first week, I'm sure this will come with time. The service is really what makes this place special. In a city where so many of us have had some of the worst service imaginable, Sang Kim has spent an immense amount of time hand-picking only those individuals who are the most committed to GREAT service. In an article by Daniel Alexandre Portoraro, of martiniboys.com, he explains "Kim put out an open call to applicants; 192 answered, and each were sent the question of 'how to make the world a better place'. 57 answered, and each of them went on a 15-minute walking interview with Kim, talking about similar questions." This will no doubt be one of Toronto's top restaurants in a very short time. I highly recommend the tuna and the butterfish. I also highly recommend making a reservation before there's a waiting list. ;)

Lobster bibimbap
Dan T.

Went for lunch with my cousin today and I ordered the lobster bibimbap and she had the beef bulgogi. The food was very bland and incredibly over priced. Atmosphere was good and service good. Food sucked. Definitely not like a traditional Korean restaurant, where the food is much better and tastier and the prices are way less expensive. My cousin's order wasn't so great either. "This doesn't taste so great, but at least I'm eating healthy" was her comment to the very low low sodium levels in both our dishes. Overall, my experience was ok. I wouldn't go back. Cheers.

Calamari, lobster tempura roll & torched salmon roll

My husband picked this place for my birthday dinner and our experience was amazing. The restaurant was super accommodating by letting us dine in a bit earlier than our 8pm reservation time. The servers were amazing and always ensuring our water were filled and checking in to see how our food was. They didn't make us feel rushed and we were able to enjoy our meal, the torched salmon was amazing and my husband loved the calamari so much that he wouldn't share them with me! We also ordered the lobster bibimbap and beef bibimbap, which we both enjoyed and you can add as much or as little of the gochujang (which we added a lot!) thank you for making my birthday such a great experience and ending our night with such good food!

Bulgogi bibimbap

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KOKO! Share Bar - korean - Updated October 2026

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