Ju's Bento box and karaage are both really tasty, even during takeout. It's good to know that you can get delicious Japanese food for good prices. The Bento box had over ten different ingredients prepared in several different styles from pan-fried simmered, marinated, etc and was beautiful as well as tasty. The karaage was out of this world with the perfect amount of crispiness and super super juicy. Was quick to make too! read more

Izakaya Ju - Take out karaage... So juicy and crisp! - Japanese Near Me - Markham, Ontario

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This is probably my last time here... I think the quality has been worse and worse throughout the years. We ordered the charshu udon and grilled salmon set. The size of salmon is quite big actually so the value is not so bad.. but udon with chashu.. I have never seen this combo in japan!! I have only seen chashu with ramen. With udon it's always tempura or curry!! Anyway despite of the creativity, the taste just doesn't match. Also ordered teba gyoza. It was quite salty. And dessert was matcha creme brûlée and it was ok. Expensive for the quality. read more

Izakaya Ju - Japanese Near Me - Markham, Ontario

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My first visit there during lunch. Very warm and cozy little restaurant within Jtown. Ordered the Yakitori Don meal set which was very flavorful and reasonably priced. Meal set came with miso soup and salad. Will definitely return in the future to try other menu items. read more

Izakaya Ju - Lunch - Japanese Near Me - Markham, Ontario

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I was in the area and decided on trying this place for lunch. Upon entry, the interior looked really nice, clean, and slick. I got the sashimi lunch for $22. It took a while for the food to get to our table. When the food did arrive, I found it quite small for the asking price. I'm not sure the huge ass bowl was really appropriate for the amount served. The sashimi was fresh tasting. The yakitori don was another one of our orders. The bowl was very small! Not the size I would think to be served at this price. I tried the yakitori and found that it was also quite tasty. There was not enough meat with the bed of rice. ***BEWARE: when paying on their card moneypad. The automatic/prelisted options to tip on their moneypad is the % tip on the whole bill after tax, which is very wrong!!! Tip should be on the bill before tax! BE AWARE. Our meal came to 33+tax=$37.29. I selected the 13% tip option on the moneypad, and I paid: $42.14. I didn't realize the final amount was so off until I came home and calculated it. read more

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This place is superb. It's tucked in the middle of an office complex (or what used to be an office complex and is now apparently J-Town). A back alley entrance gives it a speakeasy feel as if you are about to enter an undiscovered wonderful space, which you are. Wooden panels, walls adorned with Japanalia, and 8.5" sheets of paper hawking seasonal specials. The dishes are all small and tasty, perfect in flavour and texture each one of them, from the deep fried karaage to the braised ox tongue and everything in between. The staff is attentive, enthusiastic, albeit limited in their English. Get whatever your wallet will stomach and convince it to stretch on subsequent visits. I'm marking this down as a Markham gem. read more

I love Izakaya Ju for what it is, an authentic Izakaya before Izakaya became a thing. When we started frequenting IJ many moons ago, it used to be a dark crammed space. On our recent visit, we were shocked to see how brightly lit the space was. The dining room went from being too dark to too bright. Why not find a middle ground where you can still see you food but don't feel like you're sitting in a TV studio? The skewer combo is a good deal and comes with 5 assorted skewers char-grilled to yummy goodness but if you're not a fan of "different" types of meat, I'd opt for a la carte for the skewers. In our combo, there were chicken yakitori (the most standard skewer with teriyaki glaze...did not rock my boat), gizzard (still too chewy...I prefer the way Koreans stir-fry their gizzards better), chicken wing (salt only seasoning is a ok!), chicken breast bone (salt only and my favorite) and one other skewer I can't recall. We ordered the tongue skewer which came out too chewy for my liking again. We had an a la sashimi combo (good selection and excellent quality, better than Taro's fish in my opinion) and manila clam ramen (the scene stealer! was light and sooooooooo good. Super umami!) We also had the spinach appetizer and takowasa to start our meal. We had a chance to sample some beers from Japan (I forget the brand but it came in a little rotund bottle) which were also great. I liked the fact that the staff paced our meal perfectly, only bringing out enough food at a time not to crowd our table or rush our dinner. The bill came to $150ish tax and tip included which is about fare for the food and service you get here. :) Will be back. read more

The menu was very small and therefore didn't contain much variety. However, some of their dishes are interesting in that they aren't standard for every sushi restaurant out there in Toronto. Overall the experience was okay. The food was decent, but nothing spoke highly to me. Wouldn't really come here or recommend. read more

Izakaya Ju - Japanese Near Me - Markham, Ontario

Overall 4.5 stars. Round up to 5 stars due to services. I don't usually like tapas because I think it only works when there is big group to share food. In addition, the portion is too small for the price. Izakaya Ju survives my 2 biggest criticisms of tapas well. My family came to celebrate Chinese New Year. We ordered so many dishes that I could not remember the names. I did recall that the rice entrees (we ordered 2 to share) were excellent. They were fresh, tasty, soft yet with texture, uniquely flavoured. They were well portioned for 1 person as a meal, so I thought "oh, even a lone diner can order a meal easily here". Just like that, Izakaya passed my first criticism. I also really liked the stuffed chicken wings. The wings were well fried and well seasoned. I recommend them even they were one of the more expensive items on menu. I was not impressed with the yakitori combo. It sounded like a good platter on paper, except one of the items in the combo was just tasty soft bones. For vegetarians, please note that Izakaya Ju had one vegetarian noodle entree on menu. As for my second criticism of tapas, the rice and noodle entrees, the stuffed chicken wings, the salmon in broth and the yakitoris were reasonably priced for the portion and representative of the skills and work it took to make them. The mixed mushroom was over priced in my opinion. The grilled eggplant was not memorable because the flavour was non-descriptive, as in not spicy, not salty, not sweet. Just eggplant with a hint of soy sauce. Services were excellent. The various servers were helpful, polite and fairly efficient given how busy the restaurant was. We had a party of 5 adults, 2 seniors and 2 children. The restaurant was totally accommodating and gave us a long table, so we could sit together. The restaurant was family friendly, and the waitresses were gentle with the children. We made reservation, so we didn't have to line up at the door in cold weather. Reservation strongly recommend for large party. read more

It's been awhile since we were there but I remembered that the food was pretty good. When we went today, the waitress brought our food and we helped her by redirecting the plates to the appropriate people. Unfortunately, a bowl slipped our hands and fell onto the table. We cleaned it up and gave it back to the server. She surprised me by saying that you can still eat it because if you want another, they will charge us for an additional plate! I was shocked at her response! I mean what kind of restaurant would do that?! Anyway, food is good, but I definitely won't go back because of the bad service!! read more

Izakaya Ju is an enjoyable and cozy place offering their own special variety of dishes, great service, and reasonable prices. Among the regular dishes, I liked their takoyaki and karaage. But I found the yakitori chef special to be average. Although the special dishes that impressed me were the teba gyoza and Osaka cha han. A must try! You can easily order and share with friends in order to have a taste of everything. As for service, it was friendly and professional. However, be advised that if you have a group of 3 or more, it might take a while before you get seated. So best make a reservation if you have a large group. Overall, I'd give Izakaya Ju a 4/5 and would be happy to eat there again if I'm around Jtown. read more

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The yakitori skewers here are great. That is what they are known for, you will not be disappointed if you "stick" to it. The grilled items are usually a hit or miss, depending on what you order. For example, the hamachi/yellowtail I ordered was not that great. The sushi rolls are also very medicore. I'd recommend just getting the yakitoris and you will walk out a happier person! read more

Izakaya Ju - Yakitori set (5 skewers picked by the chef) - Japanese Near Me - Markham, Ontario

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I visited the restaurant around 21h on Saturday. We were seated immediately. I ordered the avo-cuke sushi. It was pretty good. My friend ordered the octopus fried rice. He said it was alright but not good enough to order again. Other people ordered the spicy dynamite roll and salmon roll. They both were satisfied with the order. The staff were very attentive and the service was quick. read more

Izakaya Ju - Avo cuke sushi, salmon roll, spicy dynamite roll; octopus fried rice in background - Japanese Near Me - Markham, Ontario

Average at best. Wasn't too fond with Izakaya Ju at all. Pretty pricey for what you are getting. Not sure if I will be back in the future. Only thing I really liked was the Osaka fried rice but that was a best 3.5 stars. Yakitori was pretty blend and some of them pretty dry. Staff was friendly but some didn't really understand English too well so some miscommunication but that is fine. read more

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Tasty food, but a bit on the pricey side. My cousin and I came here for a thankfully small dinner. We had the black cod, the BC uni, okra, sweet potatoes and squid in wasabi appetizer. I know we had other stuff but I don't really remember it. It was pretty good, but not mind blowing. I might try it again when I'm in the mood to do some spending. My enjoyment of the meal may have been lessened by the price tag. read more

Izakaya Ju - Monkfish liver - Japanese Near Me - Markham, Ontario

Located on the very outskirts of Toronto and in Scarborough, decent Japanese food can actually be found. It was a few blocks from the hotel I stayed at when I was in Canada for the night. - It was quite depressing when this was the last night being in Canada and I was not able to enjoy some delicious Toronto food, however, it all worked out in the end. If you are a big takoyaki lover like me, you must try the Osaka Fried Rice. Every bite you take will taste like heaven on takoyaki land. $9 CAD for this is the best buck of your money and you will definitely not be missing out on anything. Another great deal was the Salmon & Ikura Gohan ($17 CAD). If you are a salmon and roe lover, this is a must have. The roe was not salty whatsoever. The perfect amount of pop when you burst the teeny roe. If you love baked oyster, definitely get the oyster mayo with cheese. Quite pricey for an oyster for $8 CAD, but it is hard to find places that bake its oyster with cheese. read more

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For a quick lunch, I thought this place off the courtyard of J-Town was ok. Oops, read the reviews as to what to order after-the-fact, re: yakitori... Ordered: Chicken Teriyaki Salad, Tokyo Ramen ($10), & Curry Rice ($10). Portions were good for price, but I couldn't help but think, "I could've had this stuff at J-Town By The Sea" or one of those other places at the food court. Truth be told was that I really needed to go to the washroom, couldn't find one, and eating here seemed to make sense since it was a restaurant. We also ordered a Spicy Tuna Roll ($7) and a Salmon Roll. I only tasted the Spicy Tuna and it was just alright. Service was friendly/smiley, but on the slow side. Not a very memorable place imho. read more

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Ordered yakitori don, since they specialize in yakitori. dont know if it was just today, but it was terrible. Smelled good, but chicken was too tough to chew. Normally i would give this a second try before reviewing, but their prices here are so out of whack. Very expensive for what you get in quality and size. This is food court quality at snooty restaurant prices. 2 stars out of 5. Jimmy's Yelp Ratings Scale for Food: [*] Disappointing. Just...no. [**] Not very good. Will not return. [***] It is what it is. Go enough times and you'll break even on quality. [****] My go-to place. Rarely disappoints. [*****] Everything on menu is good. Every time. read more

This was the first time I've been to Izakaya Ju after it expanded and took over the ramen place next door (which was a good idea because they seem to be busy all the time!). The bigger space definitely makes the eating experience much more comfortable. Everything we ordered were delicious: deep fried chicken soft bones, Osaka fried rice with octopus, chicken burger, gyoza stuffed chicken wings and vinegar grilled mackerel. Although all these dishes were great, our favourite ended up being the dessert - roasted green tea pudding. So smooth and creamy! read more

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Came here with my boyfriend for dinner and had a good time. The staff was so incredibly kind and helpful, they're 50% of why I would come back to Ju to eat again. I'm as indecisive as they come so I couldn't settle on what to order. We asked our waiter for suggestions and we were really satisfied with what he advised us to order. Plus, they were always refilling our tea (roasted rice tea, one of my favourites!) which I really appreciated 'cause I tend to guzzle my water at meals awfully fast. A+++ for service! Takoyaki ($5): This was nice to start off our meal with, there were two skewers with three takoyaki balls each. It was nice and gooey in the centre, and both my boyfriend and I enjoyed it a lot. Teba Gyoza ($8.50): Our waiter recommended this as his personal favourite dish. It's basically chicken wings stuffed with a meat filling you would find in dumplings. So essentially it's like a chicken wing dumpling! The chicken was SO juicy and tender while the skin was perfectly crispy, and the meat filling was really flavourful. One order has three wings, my boyfriend wasn't a huge fan but I'm glad 'cause I got two wings for myself. Osaka Cha Han ($9): The waiter also suggested this dish, saying it was popular among customers. It's like fried rice with little octopus bits throughout. My boyfriend didn't taste/notice any octopus bits at all but they were there, just quite sparse. I didn't think it was all that special but my boyfriend absolutely loved it. He's already planning on going back just to eat this again. It's really filling as well, it doesn't look that big but it stuffed both of us. Overall, I would dine at Ju again! It wasn't phenomenal (only because I'm one of those AYCE sushi fanatics and less of a small Japanese dish dining fan) but it was still a really enjoyable experience. read more

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Order Chirashi ... the rice very raw and hard .. seems wasn't cooked completely .. very disappointed

Went to this place because the restaurant we were at had a 2 hr wait line. After a long search for another restaurant we ended up coming here because the ratings were decent. We ordered a bunch of dishes including a couple sushi rolls. We were pretty excited when they brought out the food because everything looked appetizing. Every dish was so consistent, CONSISTENTLY BAD. We went from hungry to having no appetite. We ordered a couple bbq items and everything tasted extremely bland. It felt like they were trying to cover up the lack of flavour by providing a wedge of lemon with every dish. The black cod was burnt and the chicken karaage wasn't even seasoned. Everything was also extremely pricey. Giving this place two stars because 1. the sushi was decent and 2. our bbq skewers arrived cooked. read more

Last minute birthday party run in the dead of the coldest winter I remember to date (which is probably mild for those in Russia). Had a party of 8 coming here to enjoy random food choices to try things out. Normally this would've been pricey, but considering we had 8 people at just over $120 with tip, I would say it was a good deal. Most of the food we liked. Some like the chicken knuckles were just too exotic for my tastes. The Ox Tongue donburi was excellent in terms of meat quality. However, the sauce is no match for what my friend's dad makes. The meat was tender and you don't get the cheap aftertaste that you get from Chinese Cafes. The Chicken Donburi was especially good. It had a sweet taste and I would really like to try it again once I am off my diet, because the rice they use was well fluffed. The Beef Gyu Don, wasn't as good. It had too much onion and little beef. It was also very salty. So I won't order that one again. I ordered takoyaki like I did before. And like before, I know this isn't Japan, and I am pretty sure Japan has better, but this is one of the better takoyakis I had in North America. Considering it was packed the service wasn't too bad. Will come here again soon. read more

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Japanese Izakaya restaurants are basically pubs with much better food. Located in the J-Town complex near Woodbine and Steeles, it's a great place to try authentic Japanese pub food with the emphasis on grilled items and ramen. The menu is limited to tapas style eating where you pick and choose thing from appetizers, skewers, ramen, etc.. They do have some set menus but most of them seem to be for lunch menus. Going to an Izakaya restaurant, I do recommend just pick and choose off the menu, and keep ordering till you are full! Eat like they do in Japan! The food was wonderful! Some of the stand outs were the Yakitori Combo (chef choice), Deep Fried Chicken Soft Bones, Asari (Clam) Ramen, Stuffed Chicken Wings and the Okasa Fried Rice. The only weak spot was probably the lobster roll, but then again Izakaya places are not known for their sushi. Other then that everything we had was fantastic! For dessert, I highly recommend the custards (egg and green tea) as they are beautifully done. The service was very friendly and the atmosphere was very nice. Not as rowdy as some other Izakaya places probably but that is probably because we are in the suburbs:) Highly recommended and will be back! read more

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My friend and I split the yakitori combo (chef's choice), and it came with a variety of skewers. The best ones were the pork belly and pork cheek. The chicken ball was the runner up, but a little too dry. The liver is an acquired taste so I suffered through that, and the wagyu skewer was also on the dry side. If these skewers weren't overcooked, I would have loved it. The flavors were right, but the meat was too tough. read more

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Don't let the small limited lunch menu fool you like it did me. Its limited because they make the food perfectly here as appose to offering many different items but doing them poorly. Grilled salmon and rice $13 - the salmon skin was super crispy and portion of meat is a lot better than other places that offer it in a bento box (4 stars). Tuna sashimi with rice $15 - once again the portions were great and the sashimi was fresh (4 stars). Both meals came with salad and miso soup Also tried the chicken and leek skewer $2.50 each - pretty good but I was never a big fan of the grilled innards of an animal. read more

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If you want to eat authentic Japanese food, this is the place to go. Food is authentically delicious, I use the word "authentically" because you need to have a palate for authentic Japanese food. As well, this is one of the few establishments in the GTA that has a Japanese chef and servers. We ordered the Yakitori combo, Pork knuckles deep fried with a Panko coating, grilled mackerel, and a couple of other dishes. The food is reasonably priced but the portions are more Japanese size instead of the North American style t have at we are used to at the everyday Japanese restaurant. Sushi was very fresh but the price was steep when compared to other casual dining restaurant. Decor is devoid of any lackluster, but is something you would find in a typical joint in downtown Tokyo, around the Ginza area. I would award 5 stars for the food and 4 stars for the decor and service which was rather slow. All in all an enjoyable experience, with a $30 tab per person which included sake and beer. read more

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We ate here and spent a lot of money on a very small quantity food that left us hungry (not all pictured). The food itself also wasnt pipping hot such as the yakitoris etc. Seems like they were served at room temp/almost cool. Portions are also way too small? The meat skewer had three chicken pieces that were like the size of my thumb. Comparing to other izakayas, definitely poor value. Maybe they had a bad night as it was pretty empty. I only gave this izakaya a chance when Shiso Tree next door had a line up (I hate line ups). A plus is that it is located in J Town so its very convenient for an after dinner Japanese snack at the mini supermarket across from this restaurant. read more

Izakaya Ju - Japanese Near Me - Markham, Ontario

Haven't been here in a while since they renovated. I love the expanded version of izakaya ju, don't need to feel crammed anymore, and a lot more spacious and room for people to stand in the front and wait for a table. Their menu has changed, they have a special menu with higher end items like Toro, uni, salmon roe, most were 30+. Since I haven't been here for a while, decided to try some of their popular items. We got the Osaka fried rice. It was like a rice version of takoyaki. It was really good with all the sauce, pickled ginger, octopus pieces. We tried the yakitori combo with 5 skewers. All were really yummy and nice aroma of charcoal BBQ. In the combo we got a skewer of chicken tail. Very interesting and fatty. It's very small pieces like chicken hearts. Tried a cold started of yakko (cold tofu). Pretty good and smooth. Onions and ginger adds a nice touch, and you add your own soya sauce. Got the friend chicken soft bone, this was freshly made, and very hot inside when we got it. Add a squeeze of lemon, and it has a nice refreshing taste with texture of crunchy and softness (from the batter). Lastly we tried the roasted green tea pudding. It was a pretty big portion good for sharing. It didn't have a strong green tea flavour, and more grey in colour. It wasn't bad, but I couldn't locate the roasted green tea taste. The service here is good and attentive. Can't wait to come back and try other items on the menu!! read more

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Cute little restaurant in J-town. It wasnt too busy on a Saturday afternoon so my friend and I got seats right away. I ordered the Osaka fried rice, fish cakes, and fried chicken. I highly recommend trying to Osaka rice, it was super tasty and probably the best thing out of the things I ordered. The fried chicken was decent, but a little too fatty and soggy for me. Because this place is mainly for fried foods, try to order those rather than sushi! Service was great and fast. I always find the service in J-town restaurants really fast with friendly waiters. I'd come again to try some other dishes if I'm ever in the area. read more

Izakaya Ju - Japanese Near Me - Markham, Ontario

Izakaya Ju works for me... An Izakaya is a type of Japanese drinking establishment which also serves food to accompany the drinks. There are 2 elements at Ju that suits me quite well, but obviously not all people can be ME. I think if you consider this a YAKITORI-YA, it'll be more enjoyable. First, I am not an alcoholic by any means so not serving ALCOHOL here doesn't affect me one bit. It might defeat the IDEA of Izakaya but don't forget that Izakaya serves FOOD too which most of us hungry people are more interested in during those lunch/dinner time. I have been DREAMING of Yakitori and Kushiyaki for the longest time and this place definitely fulfills it. We ordered ALL the Yakitori items from the menu. We gave the cook full command on which should be SAUCED and which should be SALTED. The all CAPS mean I will be back for those. Salted: SKIN, Leg & Leek, SOFT BONE, CHICKEN WING, Gizzard Sauced: LEG, Liver, CHICKEN BALL Neba Neba: Chopped Natto, Okra and Japanese Yam on Salmon Sashimi, Topped with Wasabi and Seaweed. This dish is quite unique and I'm glad I had a chance to try it. WARNING! The SLIMY texture of Natto & Okra combination might not be for everyone. Neba Neba reminds me of a Japanese version of Spanish Ceviche or Thai Mango Salad where the flavours EXPLODE in your mouth. It is a NEW flavour profile that I have not encountered before. As for Rice & Noodle category, it can be omitted during dinner as I believe Jen K. had it better during LUNCH. As for me, I don't want the rice getting in the way of my YAKITORI. I wonder if this place would be anymore popular if they called it "Yakitori Ju" instead. read more

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8/10 for the quality of the food. 8/10 for the services. 8/10 for the value. 8/10 overall. Skewers have a good charcoal taste, and most are very good! However, I wish they had a bit more variety. The chicken skin in the Yakitori Rice was a bit burnt, but in general, it was really good. Uni sashimi was really fresh! and the Octopus balls were also really good! read more

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Came here on the weekend for dinner as we were feeling for Japanese small bites but wanted to stay uptown. This place was packed so we sat by the bar. Service here was very good and we were able to order right away. We tried a bit of everything: scallops, wagyu skewers, ox tongue, pork jowl, chicken thigh skewers, uni sushi, chawamushi steamed egg, whole octopus and plum sake, citrus sake. Everything was really tasty especially all the skewers and the octopus!! However everything was also a bit pricey in comparison to other izakayas. We ate about $125 worth of food for two people. Not the best deal or value but saved me a trip downtown. read more

Izakaya Ju was just alright. I came here with high expectations and I left a tad disappointed. While there were a few highlights to my meal here, overall the food is just okay and in some cases forgettable. We ordered the horse meat tartare, seared tuna sashimi, uni sushi, takowasa, osaka cha-han, mixed mushroom robata, osaka omelette, karaage, assorted yakitori set and the custard pudding for dessert. The horse tartare was one of my favourites. I'd never had horse meat before, and I must admit, was a little alarmed when it came to our table due to how red the meat was (although it is raw, lean meat, so I suppose that was to be expected). It's a fairly simple dish, but so full of flavour. I would order it again. The tuna sashimi was forgettable. Way over-cooked, tasted like unseasoned canned tuna. It was supposed to come with ponzu sauce but I think they totally forgot because it was bone-dry and flavourless. The uni sushi was quite good. They had uni from Japan and uni from BC on the specials menu; unfortunately the Japanese uni was sold out, so I settled for the Canadian option. So creamy with that unique bitter flavour. I really enjoyed the one morsel I had. (It was $4 for one piece.) Takowasa was meh. I've definitely had better tako wasabi elsewhere, say Kingyo's for example. Osaka cha-han hit the spot but was still disappointing. Fried rice with some scrambled egg, hardly any octopus at all and topped with the traditional mayo, okonomi sauce, aonori and bonito. It was good but not worth the price seeing as there was hardly any seafood to be found in the dish. Mixed mushroom robata was your typical cooked-in-foil-with-butter dish. It was incredibly salty and even with a huge bias for mushroom dishes, I remained unmoved by it. The osaka omelette was also disappointing. It was mostly egg and sauce with little filling to be had, and the same toppings as the cha-han. Again, felt like a waste. The karaage here features some cartilage maintained with the meat, which I personally don't like too much (I've never been able to get over the texture of it) but felt it gave huge flavour to the dish. The assorted yakitori set is chef's choice. Ours came with chicken leg which was pretty undercooked, almost alarmingly so. It also included balls, wings, hearts and sternum. I'm always willing to try off-cut pieces of meat, but none of it was really memorable. The sternum was interesting and had good flavour, but again, that cartilage texture. Lastly, the custard pudding was quite good (although we actually asked for the matcha flavoured custard pudding and were given the regular flavour). It has a custard consistency on the top layer and is similar to a flan at the bottom. It was nice but not really enough to save the meal in its entirety. Service here is very good, our teas were constantly being topped up and the servers are extremely polite and friendly. Unfortunately, the food falls short. For the cost, I probably won't go out of my way to come back. read more

Izakaya Ju - horse meat tartare, seared tuna sashimi, uni sushi & osaka cha-han (fried rice with octopus). - Japanese Near Me - Markham, Ontario

So many nights I sit by my window Waiting for someone to make me yakitori So many dreams I kept deep inside me Alone in the dark but now Until Ju came along Ju light up my life Ju give me hope To carry on Ju light up my days and fill my nights with song Rollin' at sea, adrift on the water Could it be finally I'm turning for home? Finally, a chance to say hey, I like Ju Never again to be all alone A nice little Izakaya place tucked near J-Town. Not quite Guu, but an okay option if you're in this neck of the woods. read more

Had a little teaser tasting here and can say Izakaya Ju offers a wonderful and authentic Izakaya experience. I've heard good things about their yakitori grill so I decided to get the yakitori combo - 5 skewers of the chef's choice. There was tendon, liver, teriyaki chicken, chicken legs, and chicken meatball. It was an interesting assortment and was really was grilled to perfection. While they were all tasty, I probably would stick to the chicken legs/teriyaki though. The tendon and liver didn't quite satisfy my palate. The osaka cha han was one of the cheaper entrees on the menu and don't be fooled, there's quite a bit of of fried rice there! It was really good. There's that sweet and tanginess from the mayo/HP sauce. If you like fried rice and/or takoyaki there is no doubt you will love this. There is more than enough to share. The takoyaki was piping hot and fresh. It was a tad crispier than the usual (in a good way!). I have had the teba gyoza (the stuffed chicken wings) on my first visit here and really enjoyed it. I would highly recommend it! It is a hefty half fried chicken wing stuffed with a pork dumpling. That's kind of a match made in heaven. It was pretty darn juicy. Service is SUPER friendly, the people here are awesome and you will feel welcomed. The price is undoubtedly on the higher side but it is worth it! With so many interesting items on their menu there is no doubt I will return here. read more

Izakaya Ju - Yakitori Combo (5 skewers of chefs choice) - tendon/liver/chicken wings/teriyaki chicken/chicken meatball - Japanese Near Me - Markham, Ontario

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Izakaya Ju is a clean, bright, and cosy place ideal for knocking back a few beers and having some decent Japanese bar food to go with it. The menu shows an okay level of variety, ranging from standard grilled items to the sushi and sashimi. On my visit, my group ordered many delicious dishes including the Osaka pork belly omelet, yakitori set, shio wagyu skewers, a sashimi special, and a sushi special. The yakitori set was very well put together play of flavours and textures, ranging from the cartilage to the liver; this selection of charred smoky and savoury skewers were naturally an excellent accompaniment to the beer. However by a good margin, my favourite dish here was the omelet--- the combination of the sour pickled ginger, the savoury bonito and nori flakes, the creamy and sweet kewpie mayo/soy drizzle, the fluffy egg, and the fatty belly made for a really exciting bite. Honestly, the omelet was only rivaled by the delectable chu-toro nigiri topped with a nob of creamy uni in my "premium sushi" set special. Plated on a long wood plank, the sushi set was thoughtful progression of fresh and choice morsels. While the price point seems a touch steeper than expected (even for an izakaya), I am already creating a list of other items I'd like to try on my return visit. read more

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Here's an update for Izakaya Ju - I come here quite often and I still love this place! :) They've renovated the restaurant by expanding it (kicked out the ramen place haha). It was a good choice because the customers are piling up. NEBA NEBA (Chopped Natto, Okura and Yam on Salmon Sashimi) This is so delicious! I'm a big fan of natto beans. It's either you love it or hate it because of it's acquired taste. It's a mushy dish, yummy. NANKOTSU - SOFT BONED CHICKEN Crunchy cartilage, chicken. ANKIMO (Steamed Monkfish Liver with Ponzu Sauce) After my omakase experience at YASU, Monkfish Liver became my new favourite! Tastes like buttery foie gras (on the fishy side :P). GINDARA DAIKON (Black Cod with Daikon soup broth) This dish is soupy based and is more on the sweet side of taste buds. Yakitori: MOMO (Chicken Leg) NEGIMA (Chicken Leg & Leek) I usually get this with salt rather than teriyaki - salt has a lighter taste than teriyaki. TEBA GYOZA (MY FAVOURITE!) (Deep Fried Chicken Stuffed Pork Dumpling) You must try this! This is one of my favourite items on the menu :) Plus, it comes with my beloved Okra. OKRA It's healthy & delicious. read more

Unfortunately I did not get the chance to try their famous yakitori, so I can't say if those make this place worth a visit. The sushi here was fairly good but certainly not mind-blowing. Prices are on the higher side, though I personally felt that the ambience and the service level balanced it out. I would highly recommend the restaurant as a meeting place, since it was relatively quiet during lunch (or at least not super hectic) and the whole experience (from calling for reservations to menu ordering to the promptness of tea refills) was quite pleasant. read more

Izakaya Ju - Sushi Lunch - Japanese Near Me - Markham, Ontario

Came here for a late lunch on a Thursday, it was quite empty so getting a table was no problem for 3. The place has large ceilings and it spacious. Their green tea is also pretty good They have a bunch of lunch specials on the menu for a very reasonable price. I got the pork udon. The clearly broth came nice and hot, but unfortunately came with only 2 thin slices of pork but had a lot of leafy veggies. The noodles were nice and chewy, it was solid but nothing out of the ordinary, pretty mediocre. It was very busy, so we were there for a long time more than 2.5 hours just chatting and was never rushed or asked to leave which was nice and they kept pouring the tea. I will probably come back another day though due to the price and would like to try other things on the menu. read more

Izakaya Ju - Japanese Near Me - Markham, Ontario

Ju Izakaya is my favourite of all the restaurants located with J-Town. While the selection of food for an Izakaya is a bit smaller, the food itself makes up for it. The set up of the restaurant is also split into two sections, alcohol and no alcohol. We regularly order the Takoyaki which is usually pretty good. Crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside with a piece of octopus inside. My favourite dish is their Osaka Cha-Han which is an octopus fried rice. It's covered in the same sauce that the Takoyaki is made of which is sweet and tangy and is absolutely delicious. Another highlight is the Negitoro-don which is a rice dish with diced pieces of raw tuna that you pour soy sauce and wasabi over. The tuna is fresh and the wasabi provided is real wasabi and not just paste. Service is always friendly at this restaurant and food comes at a pretty good pace. If the restaurant is busy though, be prepared to wait a little longer for your food. Definitely recommended and will continue visiting this place regularly. read more

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