Hono deserves all the accolades it's gotten. Beautiful warm space filled with tables for 2, big groups and counter seating in the back to watch all the action. Plates are meant to be shared and to continuously order so that you're not left waiting too long for another amazing bite. We tried mixing up yakitori with bowls so that we could get a variety. In order of what we enjoyed were the Butabara pork belly skewers (decadent and melt in your mouth) we ordered it twice , Pickled veggies (radish and cucumber) to cut through the fatty bits, Chicken skin skewer (I don't know how it's not slippery oily and how they made it into squares, witchcraft, I swear) Sashimi (yellow tail, butterfish, salmon) the seasonings they paired with each individual piece was so thoughtful. That Butterfish was buttering, yum! Pork dumpling with chili sauce (perfect acidity and spice) I drank it up! Miso and maple creme brulee (love the thick sugar crackling on top) Pork rice bowl with miso soup (reminiscent of Japan's beef bowl with pickled ginger) Quail eggs in dashi sauce (it was good, but there's no seasoning in the eggs) Salmon shrimp croquette (good fried bite) Chicken thigh skewer (moist, but it didn't have a much flavor as the other bites) We thoroughly loved our food from beginning to end. Service was exceptional and kind. We even loved the yuzu lemonade! You can tell the chef thought very carefully about which pairing would be perfect and then elevated it even further. It's like a love letter to Japan. So happy to have ended our Quebec stay at Hono. read more

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I was very excited to try Honō Izakaya because of all the hype and it's on the Michelin guide but I'm heavily disappointed. The service was not great, took forever to get water and our drinks when they eventually came back to get our order. They forgot to put in one of our orders so we had to wait even longer at the end. I would say two dishes we got were great, the rest was so forgettable. Don't know how they're on the Michelin guide *sashimi : good, but nothing compared to what we've had at other places * mushroom skewers: surprisingly one of the favorites. Super meaty and flavorful. Great with the lime * marinated miso salmon: best thing here, this alone is why I didn't give it less stars. It was slightly cooked so the texture was melt in the mouth * duck hearts : they were fine, nothing to rave about. * okonomiyaki with pork belly: super disappointed in the pork belly. It reminded me of canned tuna in taste and texture. I don't know if they were trying to do a pork floss or something but it didn't work. The pancake itself was fine, have had way better. * pork dumplings: most disappointed and overhyped item. Lacked flavor and seasoning. It was like they used the leanest ground pork. It needed more * creme brûlée: it was fine, nothing spectacular about. read more

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Cute place server was a bit strange. Stood behind us and seemed extremely rushed. Food was good the sashimi and cocktails were excellent and miso soup were excellent. read more

Honō Izakaya - Japanese Near Me - Quebec City, Quebec

Four adults and 2 kids under 10 - We arrived without reservations and were nervous.... Luckily we were there in the afternoon ahead of the dinner rush. They looked at the list and shared that as long as we were no longer than 2 hours, they could fit us in!! AMAZING!!! No problem at all for us, as the kids couldn't sit for that long anyway. LOL The place is cozy - meaning they squeeze a lot of people into a fairly small space. While the seating option wasn't ideal for our mix of ages, it was perfect - because we were able to be seated. As the saying goes, "Beggers can't be choosers" Our table was next to the bar and was a combination of low stools and high stools. Next to the high stools were tables and chairs - literally right behind you, which can be uncomfortable for those on the stools and those on the chairs behind you. We tried not to think about it too much. It definitely made it a challenge for all when we were leaving. We couldn't leave without brushing up against people. Not my favorite. The food and service makes this experience all worth it! We loved every single dish we got. The flavors were amazing! So fresh and perfectly seasoned. The portions aren't "Huge" but are perfect for this cuisine. You order as you go and they bring food as it's ready. So it's a constant flow. Meaning the servers are working very hard - tip them appropriately! Things we had and loved: Edamame - with the furkake - YUMM!, Dumplings, Salmon Belly, Pork belly, Pork and Rice, Fried chicken and the creme brulee. We loved it and this will be one of the reasons why we return to Quebec! read more

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I came here in a party of 1 on a Monday night and was absolutely blown away (in a good way) Atmosphere: no air conditioning inside - or at least I couldn't feel any myself hah! Loud, busy, crowded. Izakaya vibes? I sat at the bar because it was the only open seating. Service: very kind and nice to an obvious visitor/tourist. well-done. Food: marvelous and makes up for the horrible temperature inside lol see below. quail eggs for a solid start, 2 skewers were flavorful not big, but the karaage curry was plenty and paired perfectly with a nice beer. 1000% would recommend this place to anyone visiting or local. I will be back. Very decent prices as well for the quality of food! read more

Honō Izakaya - Japanese Near Me - Quebec City, Quebec

The dishes and vibes were so good that one would have assumed the chef to either be Japanese or trained in Japan. We love the izakaya style as you can order multiple dishes and share them. We enjoyed the grilled mushrooms, the salmon belly, and assorted sashimi. The prices were very attractive for the quality and freshness of the dishes. The only dish I didn't enjoy was the asparagus as the miso sauce overpowered the vegetables. Friendly service overall. Reservation is a must as the restaurant filled up very quickly within 15 mins of opening on a Sunday night. read more

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Hono Izakaya was a restaurant that we were very excited for! Izakaya Japanese style dining is one of our favorites and we were excited to try this restaurant's highly touted reputation... I do have to say that some parts of the dinner were underwhelming (mostly had an issue with the gravvy that was served with the karaage chicken). read more

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Visiting Quebec City and was looking for something that wasn't the classic Quebecois cuisine and found Honō Izakaya. I have to say, 100% the best meal I ate my whole trip. The dishes were so flavorful and delicious. Each dish with a unique twist that was intriguing and really made me savor each bite. Our waitress was great too recommending the tuque orange and it was delicious considering I don't even drink! My top dish was the miso salmon. I was blown away with the sweet miso taste and the texture of the salmon and I must mention that I don't typically EVER eat fish. Other outstanding dishes include the mushrooms and wagyu. The homemade yuzu lemonade was super tasty too with a nice refreshing twist. I highly recommend this restaurant and if you can get a reservation here, you should definitely make it!! read more

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Eclectic food choice. You either like it or you don't. They take great pride in their work tho.

This was our 2nd stop on our progressive dinner night while in QC. First stop was jjacques which in hindsight we may have wanted to remain there. Not that Hono was not good, it was just so packed, very loud and service was a bit stretched. The kaarage (aka chicken nuggets) seemed to be the most popular dish coming out of the kitchen. 5 stars for the shumai though. We tried both the veggie and seafood. Hubby enjoyed his Kawa- crispy chicken skin. I venutured out of my box and ordered the Okonomiyaki which was inedible for me. I informed the server and after a bit of a hassle, he took it back and off our check. The way it had been described by him was more of a pancake with veggies but it did not taste good to me or my hubby. I wanted to order the miso sake yakitori but by then the server was uninterested in helping us so that was that. Caught an uber back to Hotel 71 in Lower Town. ( fabulous hotel btw) read more

Honō Izakaya - Lively dining room - Japanese Near Me - Quebec City, Quebec

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Wife and I had a great time there. We tried a lot of different small plates and it was all really good as well as the drinks. The server made good recommendations for us. It's hard to get in, you just have to plan to make a reservation early. We'll definitely be back when we're back in Quebec City. read more

Absolutely unreal. Sublime. You simply must eat here. Anything and everything off the menu. My tastebuds shall remain unequivocally blessed by this establishment. read more

Cute intimate Japanese restaurant in Quebec City! Food was delicious, especially the wagyu beef and the pork shumai (tasted like pulled pork...unique and different). The portions were small and meant to be shared. So just expect to pay a higher price for the quality of the food and also the amount of plates you'd have to order to get full. Our server was amazing and really attentive. He made us feel welcome. Overall, one of my favorite meals in Quebec! read more

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the neighbourhood is rough and the environment is loud, but the food is no-joke amazing. i get the hype--you should go. read more

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My friends and I were pretty confused why this place was rated so highly. The food was mediocre (We're all Asian, and we take our Asian food seriously) . There was no flavor in any of the food and the fried chicken we ordered was too heavy on the salt. I'm not normally picky with food, but the food was just not it. One of the staff members were also pretty rude and short with us. We had a reservation around 7pm, but were in the area at 5:30, so just checked in to see if they have space. It wouldn't have been a big deal if they didn't, and we would have just returned at 7pm. But the guy at the front made some unnecessary snarky remark at us. So all in all, the terrible service and the mediocre food at this "Izakaya" is just not worth your time. read more

Honō Izakaya - Japanese Near Me - Quebec City, Quebec

Great small place. A bit loud which is fine with me and gets busy so you may have a wait. Sat at the bar and the bar tender was amazing in explaining the menu and making great drinks. Had an opportunity to share a shot with the staff. Food is small plates with a great variety. I just let the bar tender order for me and he did not disappoint. Sadly I only have one night here or I would be back. This is a must try place if you are in town. read more

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Give it a Michelin star! Our favorite meal of 6 nights in Quebec City. Located in the area of Saint Roch, make this stop for some Japanese tapas. Our favorite dishes were the dumplings and the tempura mushrooms, but every dish was outstanding. An extensive wine and Japanese whiskey list. Several interesting specials in addition to the menu! Our server was helpful and accommodating to us being english-speakers. The design is minimalist, modern, and tasteful. read more

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Food was excellent. They have all sorts of mixology drinks. We sat in front of the kitchen and it was super cool to see them hustle. And they did hustle! The lobster ramen was creamy and the miso was light and just right. read more

The pork shumai and the chicken karaage were breathtakingly delicious! The service was great too, they were very understanding that we spoke minimal French. The place is super cute, we sat at this tiny table because we didn't have reservations but it added to the experience for me!! read more

Fabulous service, cozy atmosphere, and amazing dishes. We had seared marinated steak, karaage, okonomiyaki, and miso soup. The miso soup was quite special with extra flavor of lemon zest. It was a delightful late night meal. read more

Came with friends. The food looks and smells great, and according to them it tastes great. Unfortunately for me, they do not have any gluten free options in the menu. None was offer either, they did not seem to care. I will respect their menu but they have lost from selling me a meal. I won't be coming back. read more

The place was busy even for a Wednesday night! They are closed on Tuesdays, so I guess that's why. I should have realized just how loud this place would be since it's an Izakaya or tavern, but I ended up having a headache because of all the constant loudness and how I was seated right by a column... there should not have been a seat where I sat, much less be actually used. I am a pretty tiny person for a guy and even I had to squeeze on in and have my right arm in front of the column the entire time. Still, the seat was very tight and uncomfortable. The ceiling is way too low and the space is small, so it only added to the feeling of being trapped... The food itself was alright. Everything ranged from $5 snacks to $14 for the curry dishes, which was a decent size. I liked that I had 8 pieces of tofu and a third of the plate full of soft cubes of potatoes and carrots. The nori/seaweed was a nice added touch for the rice. 15 pieces of sashimi for $12 is alright, small, but flavourful. I liked their BBQ avocado with soya sauce. Miso soup was not too salty, either The karaage dish, fried chicken bites, was adequate and sizeable but my beau thinks it was quite bland. Service was adequate, too. I asked for water with lemon and instead I got a bottle of Eska sparkling water and lime, so I kindly returned the bottle of water, and just added the lime in my regular cup of water. We later asked for separate bills, but instead it came as an evenly split bill.... he tried Oh well, I only came here, because my beau insisted on ending our trip with a Japanese dinner... or else I would just have chosen to eat at another French/Québécois restaurant, because they are so many Japanese Izakayas or restaurants already back home in Toronto... Can't win them all I guess. At least, I am full. read more

Honō Izakaya - Japanese Near Me - Quebec City, Quebec

Nice little spot in St. Roch neighbourhood. Food is fresh and well made. Yakitori was good and offered authentic selection like chicken hearts, gizzard, etc., but also offered items for the less adventurous or carnivorous. Portions were perfect for sharing. They don't take reservations and it does fill up even on a weekday. Would recommend going early if you have a large party. read more

Honō Izakaya - Yakitori, tsukemono, miso soup. - Japanese Near Me - Quebec City, Quebec

Reviews on this place were mostly great! We knew we would have to arrive at open or arrive close to closing to secure a seat. We did not have reservations, but had no difficulty securing seats at 5:45. We had delicious bites that were timely perfectly apart. Highly recommend the wagyu, salmon yakitori and chicken thigh yakitori. Even though we are only in QC for three nights, we are definitely returning. Service was excellent and friendly in both English and French. This is a fusion of Japanese food, so manage expectations. read more

This was the best meal we had in Quebec City. Definitely go here; fabulous all around experience that would easily cost $200+ in New York but came in at ~$90 with cocktails, tons of food, dessert, tax and tip for two. Nice modern, minimalist atmosphere with a cool crowd. Extremely professional and friendly service. Solid, inexpensive cocktails. The food consists of interesting and unique Japanese flavors (but not sushi). Everything was very good but the two lowlights were the vegetable curry (blah presentation and more of a stew, not flavorful) and the small version of the sentcha crème brûlée (so small that the torch heated the whole thing through instead of crisping the top). Highly recommend this great place. read more

I mean...I'm Asian and I hail from the land(s) of great food so I might have a bit of a picky palate here but the food is NOT GOOD here. It's edible, sure. But here are my honest opinions of their food: calamari salad - very salty and way too gingery Yakitori - it's a stretch to call this Yakitori. It's Asian inspired marinade on something more like a shish kabob. It tastes fine but let's not insult Yakitori and call this what it is. Giant chunks of meat on a stick. Udon - NO FLAVOR whatsoever. The broth was like straight up water. Okonomiyaki - this was ok but the cabbage needs to be shredded before tossing into this instead of a rough chop Curry - it's hard to botch instant curry from a box so it was fine. Tempura - this was actually the best food item in terms of execution. Light, flakey and fresh. I just wish these were seasoned a bit or actually came with a flavorful dashi sauce for dipping. I give this place stars only because the ambience, decor and service was good. read more

Really good food with great tastes. We had the quail eggs, the mushroom yakitori, the miso salmon yakitori, and the karaage chicken curry. All were fantastic. I've been to izakayas in Tokyo and this felt legitimate with a uniquely Quebec twist. The cocktails were also really good. read more

Overall a decent place to eat but nothing extraordinary. The staff was I really great, attentive and super nice. The ambience is clean and simple. However, the food was just ok. The yakitoris were singular flavor notes, often overpowered by the Shichimi togarashi, the japanese spice, or teriyaki sauce. Could hardly tell they were cooked over charcoal. The mushroom yakitoris were the best ones on the menu. Sashimi prob had the most interesting flavor profile, which to me means it's over fussy for sashimi. The okonomiyaki was decent but felt more like an egg frittata than a traditional Japanese pancake. Overall, an ok place but not worth an excursion unless you're in the area or you have nowhere else to try. read more

Bartender charged us over 90$ for 2 small 200ml bottles of Sake without informing us about price in advance. After pointing out we only had 2 bottles he finally took one out of our bill . AND I did not ask for second one, bartender just brought it and opened and pour it . I decided to take it but it's not professional. But still if your overage price line for cocktails is 11$ you should have inform guest in advance if suggesting on 30$ 200ml sake. I had this sake in other places at max 15$. read more

Honō Izakaya is great!! The food was delicious, and although it took a while to get a table, the service was good! The cocktails were great, as was everything else--especially the deserts! read more

Wow! Just try it is you are a real foodie who enjoys good vibes and good drinks... Others who complained are simply boring... read more

Hard to rate this place. The room is a very nice design, staff is attentive and helpful, and the food was high quality and much of it tasted good. But it was far from real Japanese. It was more of a hipster stylized version. Didn't see any Japanese in the kitchen. But I think it will get great reviews from those who are more interested in a nicely curated experience than authentic Japanese dining. read more

This place has a great atmosphere however the menu seems very limited. We had about 5 dishes from the menus and only 1 was amazing. So if you're looking for a place to fulfill your appetite this place isn't it. We left hungry and ended up at another place. read more

Already disappointed. Can't sit at a table that's not big enough for 1 person. Service is very slow. I wanted to explain to the waiter that I needed to separate checks. His response was to walk away and you can ask later. WTF???? read more

We loved this place. Great atmosphere, good music, and wonderful food. The yakatori combo is notable, and one of their specialties. It includes a rice bowl wit three skewers-- seared salmon, pork belly and mushrooms were all delectable. Included edamame and yummy rice plus pickled veggies. A light but filling lunch including a special chocolate dessert. The service was terrific and personal. We live in San Francisco and eat a good amount of Japanese food. This place was right on par with the best ever! read more