Great vibe. $5 highball on Sundays. Jake is one of the friendliest bartenders in the city. The…read moreambiance and low lights with Neon works very well. The DJ keep the mood going. Will definitely be back.

Place was 90% full Friday at midnight. We left at 1AM and still 60% full…read more 2 single stall bathrooms. Great decor. We were seated at the bar. Place was not rowdy at all. Music was pretty loud. Honestly, I was a little toasted by now so I am hesitant to give ratings. We tried: Baijiu barbie: 8/10 Strawberry Yum Yum: 7.5/10 Pisco Sour: 9/10 boyfriend thought it was better than at the Alchemy (smoother). Ha Long Bae: 9/10. Boyfriend loved it and gives it a 10/10. Drunken Dumplings: too spicy for me but boyfriend loved them. 7/10 for me. Very small portion, just a small bowl with 6 dumplings in it.

If you like to belt out rowdy tunes in the good company of only friends/ family, this would be a…read moregood venue if you don't have a home large enough or if you didn't want to buy karaoke equipment. This place is randomly placed in the middle of nowhere, but it's easily accessible off whitemud with a good amount of parking. It's on an upper level which I don't believe has wheelchair access. The furniture/decor is dated (think 1989s-1990s) with horizontal blinds, but in decent condition. The rooms are not sound proof, but does muffle out a lot of noise if you are in neighbouring rooms. You can even turn off the lights & let the disco ball create a bar type mood. They have 2 washrooms, no change table, but let's be real, I don't imagine kids coming to this type of late night venue. Rooms can be prebooked & can comfortably hold at least 10 people per room. The only thing is that the karaoke is operated in Korean & so is the remote, so listen carefully to the English instructions from the staff. I have to say the song selection is really up to date which is impressive & the song binders are sorted either by artist name or song title to make it easy to choose. There is a water dispenser, but you need to ask the front desk for cups. I think the owner was the only one running the venue that night, but he was quite responsive. Even came into wipe up our table spills on occasion. There's a decent drink selection at the front desk area & they have lots of soju (Korean alcoholic beverage). You can also order outside food delivery & not only is it allowed, but they supply paper plates & napkins too and let you know when your order has arrived. He also was quite patient too, never rushed us, in fact we stayed until just past 2AM (their closing time on Saturday night). Overall l have to say it's a pretty fun experience & really brings back memories of traveling in Asia, as that was a common thing to do there. It's something different than the bar, but still entertaining & I wouldn't mind going here again.

I had a wonderful time at this karaoke bar with girlfriends for my stagette over the weekend. There…read moreis plenty of parking out front and several private rooms. I booked a few weeks prior to for one room for all the ladies. We loved the privacy and comfort of the room. We got to scream at the top of our lungs and let's be honest we all did. It's definitely a bit of a pricier night. It's about 25 bucks per person for karaoke and the drinks are not cheap. We paid about 20 for a bottle of soju so by the end of the night, we had a heftier bill. We had a ton of fun though and I would likely come back again for another special occasion night!

Food was surprisingly delicious! Try the chicken wings and noodles…read more Service was good and the vibes were top in the city. Come for karaoke, stay for food.

TL;DR: great place for karaoke with a decent karaoke machine. The food was a letdown but overall it…read morewasn't too bad. I went here with a couple friends during a night out. We rented one of their private karaoke rooms and I would definitely say it was quite fun. It was a small room with standard lighting, however, I'd say it would sit 4-5 people comfortably. The karaoke experience itself was pretty good; the rooms were noise-cancelling enough as to not annoy the guests in the lounge area and the machines were very good with a clean user interface. I love the relaxed atmosphere of this place -- definitely perfect to sing your heart out! The audio was good and provided crisp microphone vocals and the surround sound speakers were amazing. One of the let-downs overall was mostly with the food and drinks; personally, I did not enjoy any of them and found them to be quite overpriced. We ordered the Sweet Potato Fries, the Lychee Cocktail, Chicken Stew with Rice, Takoyaki, Pina Colada (and others). Overall, I felt that all of them were quite bland in terms of flavour. The beverages could have contained more acidity or some element of flavour that makes it a little bit more interesting. As for the food, I did not particularly enjoy the presentation nor was the taste any better. The chicken dish which I acquired was very plain and boring, I honestly expected better for the price-tag it had. The only dish I ordered that was decent was the Takoyaki which was surprising. Overall, I like this place and I would definitely recommend coming here for karaoke with friends. Their casual service and atmosphere is welcoming and hassle-free. The whole experience was smooth and I enjoyed the private room which we had. I am just very, very disappointed about the quality of their food and custom beverages.

We went here again to celebrate a birthday. Food was impressive. I like the atmosphere. it is super…read morefun, and brings a vibrant dining area to somewhat a bleak downtown. Service was okay, but not outstanding. It also wasn't that busy. That is why this time it looses a star. Food was delicious however. Nice selection of cocktails. Which were well executed. We ordered a bunch of things. First of all we did the Dorinku sushi set. Dorinku Sushi Set -Salmon Pressed Sushi, TNT Pressed Sushi, Scallop Pressed Sushi, Tuna Tataki. Everything here was delicious. Most of the table loved the salmon and TNT pressed sushi the best, however I am a sucker for scallops and this did not disappoint. You won't go wrong with any of these selections. The fish was top tier and so fantastic. I think I will always order this here. For mains we went with the Miso Black Ramen, the vegan ramen, the tonkatsu mack and cheese, the cream udon, and the shaka shaka fries. Everyone was pleased with their dishes. I myself had the vegan ramen and the broth was full bodied and flavourful. I would also get this again. The tonkatsu mac and cheese was super rich and a steal of a deal for 13 bucks, and the others seemed to enjoy their food as well. Try it if you haven't. Really good food for a really great price.

Edmonton has no shortage of izakaya-style Japanese restaurants and there are now plenty of amazing…read morespots to choose from. I've visited Dorinku's Tokyo counterpart on Whyte Ave many times (you can read my review here) but somehow the Osaka restaurant has eluded me. I absolutely love the idea of Dorinku's two restaurants; one Downtown and one in Old Strathcona, each catering to the cuisine of their respective cities in Japan. I was expecting to see some crossover dishes between their menus but was also hoping for some uniquely regional ones as well. Dorinku Osaka was named as a Don't Skip the Dishes Here restaurant in CBC Edmonton's Best Restaurants 2019 list and EDify Magazine called them the Best Japanese Restaurant 2023. I was excited to head Downtown on a Saturday evening to take a short trip to Osaka (flight not necessary). Parking is always trickier downtown but if you're lucky you'll be able to grab a street spot right out front. This restaurant feels larger and more spacious compared to its Tokyo sibling. The focal point is the massive bar in the center of the room, complete with a noki-gawara style roof reminiscent of Osaka Castle. The dining room is brighter at the front where natural light pours through the sakura branches and moodier toward the back where the izakaya vibe truly takes hold. I had heard that this location employs a robot server which I was looking forward to seeing in action but it never appeared. When I think of Osaka my mind goes directly to the iconic Dotonbori area and I almost wish that this restaurant embodied a bit more of that particular mayhem and wackiness. My group was seated right in the front which was lovely and the design of wooden slats with a circular opening in the window was particularly memorable. The menu encompasses much of what an izakaya should: drinks and snacks! But there is much more on offer as well; from sushi to bowls. Dorinku Osaka also stays open until at least 11pm on Friday and Saturday evenings to cater to the night life crowd and even offers a special late night menu (let's be real, everyone just wants those Shaka Shaka Fries). On my visit there was a features menu which included a feature cocktail called the Wabi-Sabi (Plantation rum, amaro Montenegro, Aperol, pineapple liqueur, lime, honey wasabi syrup, milk wash - $16.00). I had to try it! However, the Sakura cocktail from the Signature Seven menu would've been an easy second choice. I loved this beverage!! Complete with a single, perfectly-formed ice cube, this drink was fruity yet adult. The complex flavour bounced from sweet to tart plus there was also a hint of wasabi heat in there. I was really enamoured with this cocktail and the level of expertise involved in creating it. Our friendly server took our order and I certainly knew that we ordered way too much! It was difficult not to with so many enticing dishes to try! There are two specific dishes that come to mind when I think of food from Osaka; one of them being Takoyaki (6 pieces, katsu sauce, kewpie mayo, bonito flakes, aonori - $8.80) which I ordered immediately from the Hot Snack & Sharables part of the menu. The other dish is okonomiyaki which I was shocked not to find on the menu. Seems like a pretty short-sighted omission for an Osaka-themed restaurant. For me, the dancing bonito on top is key! These takoyaki were excellent! It's pretty easy to end up with really mushy takoyaki (including in Japan) and to me, the texture of these ones were just right. The outside was fried to perfection allowing for a really nice and toothsome crunch. I wonder if they achieved this by deep-frying instead of using a takoyaki-ki. The inside was soft but not too much so, concealing a piece of octopus inside. All of the delicious toppings really make the dish. It's very easy to keep popping these tasty little orbs into your mouth. Sushi was going to be a must. Dorinku Osaka specializes specifically in pressed sushi (oshizushi) which is prepared by using a wooden mold called an oshibako that firmly compresses the sushi into compact, geometric blocks. This creates a modern and stylized presentation that dazzles effortlessly. The Dorinku Sushi Set (Salmon Pressed Sushi, TNT Pressed Sushi, Scallop Pressed Sushi, Tuna Tataki - $58.80) is a great way to try a bunch of different types! (Unless you order the full Osaka Bridge which is massive and incredibly impressive!) Served on a "smaller bridge" atop a bed of banana leaves, the presentation alone was something special. Starting with the Salmon Pressed Sushi (wild sockeye, avocado, creamy mayo sauce, teriyaki sauce, kaiware). I found myself pleasantly surprised with this one. I'm usually not a huge fan of the aburi preparation, where the top of the pressed sushi is flame-seared. (Maybe I'm too much of a purist?) But I really liked it in this case. The rich, smoky flavour worked beautifully with the salmon and other saucy components. The most simple of the sushi and maybe the best. Next was the Scallop P

Amazing food ambiance and service. Tried a few different menu options and loved them all. Highly…read morerecommend the soup dumplings. Great music venue attached to the side with wall.

So there is a lot of attention to Fu's Repair Shop. The atmosphere is lovely. The lanterns on the…read moreceiling and the fun ambiance is probably why you want to go here. The cocktails are great. The service was not so great, even though we told them that we were celebrating a graduation. Nothing special and it was so loud that we were yelling at each other. I would overlook it if I thought the food was good. For the amount we paid, the food was okay but nothing that I would run back here for. So I don't get the hype. We ordered a bunch of cocktails (because we were celebrating but not that our server understood that because she didn't even get a congratulation) . and a bunch of food House pork dumplings Truffle Siu Mai Beef Tartare Cha- Siu Shanghai Noodles Wai Siu Chow Fan with added cha-siu 5 spice duck tacos Mozza sticks Nothing stood out. I found they were really heavy with the 5 spice which can be overpowering. I really don't understand the hype. And really everything kinda tasted the same. Like it was painted with the same paintbrush. I was trying to think of something to say about each individual item but really I can't and the portions weren't great. The rice and the noodles were decent but the duck tacos and the beef tartare were almost an embarrassing portion. Unless my child wants to celebrate her masters here, I won't be back.

This place is like a high end Korean restaurant. Love the…read moreambiance and how spacious it is inside. When we went there weren't that many people which was great, it was quiet. Their food was top notch and everything bulgogi was just delicious. 100% recommend.

Such a pleasant surprise. Delicious! Service was great. Enjoyed the bulgogi. Will definitely come…read moreback again!

We came here for a night out and expected to hear 70s music but it was not quite what we were…read moreexpecting. Still, it was great that we were able to reserve a spot and have a wonderful place to sit. The club is quite nice and the staff are very friendly. Drinks are what you would pay anywhere else, but I was expecting to have a bit more variety considering the high-end nature of the club. I'll go back - maybe try 80s night and see if the music is better!

Came here with a group of friends for some Saturday night fun. Being as old as we were we arrived…read morewell before 11 so there was no cover charge. I immediately noticed the gothic Victorian decor and was awed by what the young folk now have to choose from when going out for a night of hoopla. The waitress recommended a gin cocktail called the bees knees and it tasted like a sweet glass of mead. I thoroughly enjoyed it and highly recommend trying one out for yourself. The dance floor was small but large enough for what this joint can hold. From what I can remember the DJ was quite good and everyone on the dance floor was completely inthralled by his mix.

Legacy Post from 2019…read more I came to The Common for lunch a while back. They offered decent food in a good atmosphere...However, it took a while before the food arrived so I'd give them 7.5/10

Loved the atmosphere here, nice and cozy, almost like going back home to grandma's house. The…read morewaitress was very accommodating even with all of our special requests. The fish and chips were amazing, including 2 large fillets with a light crispy coating. The fries were also above par. The only thing I didn't like was not being able to eat it all and I was staying in a hotel, so I couldn't take it with me.