Affinity Fish

What is Affinity Fish? Set along Dundas Street West at 1581 Dundas St W in Little Portugal, Affinity Fish is a minimalist fishmonger and intimate tasting counter founded by chefs Matt Taylor and Jon Klip. The spare, brightly lit shop ditches wet-market tropes in favor of clean wood accents, aging cabinets, and an open prep counter where up to a dozen diners sit face-to-face with the chefs. Taylor and Klip champion strictly wild-caught Canadian freshwater species harvested from Ontario's Great Lakes, processed using precise Japanese *ikejime* techniques and carefully monitored dry-aging.

Affinity Fish Menu & What to Order The kitchen demonstrates what Ontario lake fish can do when treated with obsessive precision. Daytime diners line up for the fried-to-order Georgian Bay whitefish katsu sando, served on toasted brioche with a punchy shibazuke tartar sauce, or sets featuring cold dip udon and whitefish katsu. The evening multi-course omakase shifts with the seasons, yielding dry-aged lake trout sashimi, pickerel irizake nigiri, whitefish bozushi, and luxurious preparations of burbot liver (freshwater ling kimo). Drink pairings highlight Ontario craft drafts from Godspeed and Burdock alongside focused selections of boutique Japanese sake.

Know Before You Go Daytime lunch and evening à la carte services run on a first-come, first-served walk-in basis, while the 7:00 p.m. dinner tasting menu is strictly ticketed and must be reserved in advance via Tock. The kitchen is active only Thursday through Saturday, leaving Sunday through Wednesday closed. For transit, take the 505 Dundas streetcar directly to Sheridan Avenue or Brock Avenue, as Dundas West street parking is limited during peak evening hours.