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    Damso Izakaya

    4.3 (18 reviews)
    Closed • 5:00 pm - 10:30 PM

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    Washroom art
    Ali G.

    Tasty with good atmosphere! This place is busy!! I enjoyed the diversity of dishes, the art and kitschy decor, Japanese music and media, and the sense that I was somewhere echoing Japanese culture. We walked in but most need reservations to get in after the initial line at opening even on a Wednesday evening.

    Dragon roll
    Andy J.

    I love Izakaya's! Japanese pub food and beer?? Yes please! This place is super cute. Little nooks for private dining, and long bar and some open tables too. We made it for happy hour so everything we had was super cheap and equally delicious! This menu is huuuuuuuge! Probably too big for their own good but we here we go. We started with probably the best ramen I've had in this city. The broth was rich and spicy, noodles were absolutely perfect and all for 16 bucks!! Had a couple beautiful pieces of pork on top too, would eat that everyday of my life. We followed with their chicken kaarage. Honestly it was just ok. No crispness at all which was disappointing but it tasted pretty good. I would figure out a different sauce if I were them also. We finished with some delightful dragon rolls which our gal forgot, but she was crazy busy serving the entire place by herself. Their sushi is really good, and gigantic! You can also get Asahi Japanese beer on tap, which if you know you know is absolutely amazing in draft form. You usually don't see it. All in all this place is great and can't wait to go back Cheers Andy

    midori wave roll ~$18
    Janey T.

    Really love the ambiance here. Service and food came out promptly. Rolls were nicely put together and the torched fish was a nice touch. The sauce was diluted from what I'm used to at least but still had a nice flavour.

    Chicken Karaage
    Nat L.

    After hearing so many good things about this place, we decided to pay a visit to celebrate a birthday. We made a reservation ahead of time for a Saturday evening, but honestly this wasn't needed as the place was more than half empty when we arrived. The interior is very inviting and reminded me of the street markets in Japan with the lanterns. As a One Piece fan, I especially loved seeing the anime's 'Wanted' posters on their wall, along with their collection of modern and retro Japanese advertisements. The service was standard; nothing special or above and beyond. We ordered a total of nine dishes for a party of four, and were extremely disappointed with the portion of food for the price you pay. Some of us left still feeling hungry, but decided to take our business elsewhere after noting the unreasonable portions. We were equally disappointed with the presentation of our food, as their website and Instagram displays colorful, creative arrangements, but what we received did not match what was advertised. I must say the quality of the food was, overall, pretty good however. A more detailed review of each item we ordered: - Mentaiko Avocado ($5): one of the most disappointing dishes. Their instagram shows the mentaiko oozing and overflowing from the avocado, but what we actually got were little dabs of mentaiko. Because of this, we didn't taste any mentaiko at all; each bite just tasted like avocado, and we were really disappointed that we basically just paid for heated avocado. - Ebi Mayo ($13): also extremely disappointing. I had heard from so many foodies that their ebi mayo is one of the best Edmonton has to offer, but I'd like to argue otherwise. Not only was the presentation so sad compared to what others experienced (see photos for what I mean), but the flavours weren't anything spectacular. - Kaki Fry ($15): the fried oysters were really well done! - Tofu Tornado ($10): this was one of the dishes that everyone enjoyed. Essentially, it's deep fried tofu with sauces that resemble the taste of takoyaki. However, I would say $10 for 5 small pieces of tofu is quite steep. - Karaage ($12): this was also another enjoyable dish, and one that was reasonably priced. The chicken had a good crunch on the outside, and was nice and juicy on the inside. - Tako Wasabi ($7): the taste of this dish was delicious, but the portion was extremely small for the price. - Squid Leg Tempura ($10): not at all what we expected, and again, the portion was so small for what you're paying. It did taste good though. - Kuro Garlic ($22): one of the group's favourites. The scallop was very fresh, and we really liked the unique use of black garlic which lended a sweet and aromatic flavour. - Rising Sakura ($18): another unanimous favourite. I especially loved the crunchy topping. Overall, super disappointed with the pricing and presentation of the food. The only thing worth coming back for, in my opinion, is their rolls.

    Kuro Garlic
    Rose W.

    Damso Izakaya is a new restaurant that opened during the pandemic back in November. They are currently offering a 10% discount if you directly order from them on their website. The food here has great presentation and aesthetic. The Kuro Garlic roll has 24k gold flakes on it and the Sakura roll has pink tempura on a branch which represents cherry blossoms. The taste of these two rolls were not bad. My favourite roll is the Mindori Wave. The aburi salmon on it was delicious. The carbonara udon had great presentation as well but I felt it was a bit heavy. Overall, I would say give this restaurant a try! It's not the best sushi in the city but it's still decent. I wouldn't mind trying more of their food items.

    Mark Y.

    There have been a lot of new izakaya spots popping up around E town, but Damso is in a league of its own. They offer yakitori on their menu, and most places I've found do it ok. The yakitori here is so good! My favourite is the chicken and the squid...delicious!! Their sashimi and rolls are great, and their takoyaki is on point. Definitely check out this Whyte Ave gem!

    a plate of fried chicken with a side of lemon wedges
    Salvador G.

    Successfully broke the go-to decision of always eating at Dorinku on Whyte ave by trying something new. It's hard, but sometimes change can be good. In this case, it was a surprise to me that this unsuspecting restaurant on Whyte served up some decent fare. Damso Izakaya on Whyte is a small Japanese restaurant that had some surprising dishes. First was some Parm Truffle Edamame. This dish was surprisingly tasty, might not be your thing if you don't like the taste of truffle. Surprisingly, our Dynamite Roll came out super quick. It had the shrimp tempura in it with some spicy mayo. Flavor was spot on and tasted better because it came out in under 4 minutes. Standard roll, great execution. Tried the Ika Geso (squid tentacles) skewer and it was kind of disappointing. They said it was a deep fried skewer but was hoping for it to be cooked over charcoal. Just something I'd expect from a Japanese restaurant but it's not a dealbreaker. The skewer was just ok though. Salmon tataki was also quite tasty with the nice touch of yuzu ponzo all over it. Without fail, the chicken karaage slapped pretty hard. We got it with the honey mustard sauce (cause it's my fave) and was pretty happy with the dish. It also tasted good as leftovers. Had some crunch in it even after nuking it. Another surprising dish was this massive Agedashi Tofu. Had some solid flavor but wish the tofu itself were bite sized and I also wished it was crispier. Carbonara Udon was a pretty standard with the exception of the fresh yolk in it's shell. Pretty cool to just mix that up in the udon. Although this udon had the standard bacon, parm and carbonara sauce...it kinda felt flat. Not enough tastiness for me to recommend it. I was already insanely full but felt the need to get dessert for a full assessment of Damso. Souffle cheesecake here was not too bad. Nice and dence yet fluffy? What am I trying to convey here. It's great to share and was decently presented with the matcha strewn upon it. Damso had great service here and offered a pretty cozy experience. Damso in Japanese means "to have a good chat" and i'm sure it had that in mind when designing this small yet traditional looking restaurant. Would definitely try again. Sal says: Just Try It (3.8/5) Ashley says: Sushi and edamame was good. Tofu was delicious and I loved the salmon tataki! Udon was meh.

    Truffle Roll

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    2 years ago

    love the customer service the food was great everything was just perfect definitely recommend visiting

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    Pip - Classic Eggs Benedict with breakfast hash and Pip's hot sauce on the side

    Pip

    4.2(220 reviews)
    0.1 km•Strathcona
    •$$

    Date of Visit: 9/27/2026 Time of Visit: 11:45am…read more This was our first meal of our week-long trip to Edmonton that was recommended by my wife's cousin. It was a rather busy time of day to visit, and we waited about 30 minutes for our seats. We ended up being seated at the bar and were serviced by a very friendly bartender. He was always quite attentive to our party. I ordered the farmers breakfast with bacon and scrambled eggs. The highlight was the bacon since it was peppered and perfectly cooked. The sourdough toast that came with my meal was also quite good! Overall it was a very positive brunch experience that got us going for our first full day in Edmonton.

    Very misleading hours posted we showed up there at 9:41 and were told that they were closing soon…read moreand that they shut their kitchen down at 9:45pm & that they had already done last call for food for the night. They were still willing to serve us food to go though when my friend initially asked for menus they said to go? . Super disappointing we drove a half an hour to make it on time and rushed and everything thinking that an hour and 20 minutes before it closes is more than enough time for a quick Dinner service for two people and obviously we're not a-holes so when the entire staff is ready to just shutter early and leave, we're not gonna be the two people that insist that they stay open. The guy working there was really nice to my friend apparently though. So nothing against the staff personally or anything. Oh, and the gazebo is getting wild. There's some guy out there screaming about cutting some girl named Kristen's head off so if there's any violent crimes tonight, we're audible witnesses lol

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    Pip - It's clean, a bit austere.

    It's clean, a bit austere.

    Pip
    Pip - Another angle of a classy.bathroom.

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    Another angle of a classy.bathroom.

    Tiki TiKi On Whyte

    Tiki TiKi On Whyte

    3.7(7 reviews)
    0.4 km•Ritchie

    First of all, it was an amazing find it was the end of the evening finishing a Fring festival show…read moreand almost out of nowhere a tiki bar arrives greeted by some guests were questioning why two people of our age and look wanted to come to a tiki bar at 11 o'clock at night, but don't judge books by a cover customers or restaurants. Our house was warm and enjoyable. Explain the menu to us and the origins of the restaurant and showed us the tiki paraphernalia. I told him as a Hawaiian resident. We don't even see things like this in Hawaii partially because of the cultural appropriation signals that the items on the Wall offered but they were tastefully honoring the tiki and Polynesian culture. The drinks were good. The food was very good. we had meatballs served on top of grilled pineapple poutine with hashbrowns that was innovative and I had a special fruit salad with some brisket on top of it. Wow, tasty I would definitely be back again if I was in Edmonton.

    Pretty fun place for cocktails . I really enjoyed the atmosphere. It is a bit on the cheezy side,…read morereminding me of the 70s where people snorted cocaine in bathroom, but fun none the less. Great selection of cocktails. Okay menu. Interesting Hawaiian style but not a whole lot of variety for people who want vegatables. Cocktail menu is much bigger than the food, and that is what they focus on. We had two cocktails and they were good. We ordered a few menu items. The mac and cheese spring rolls, the pulled brisket sandwich, and the saimen noodles. Service was quick. Food was good. I think our favourite was the mac and cheese spring rolls. It has a lot of cheesy goodness in it. The saimen noodles were also really interesting, the flavours were vibrant. My husband liked his brisket but I can't say that it is as good as other beef briskets around. However pleasant enough Definately check it out.

    Photos
    Tiki TiKi On Whyte - I don't even know what they call one of these things, but it's there

    I don't even know what they call one of these things, but it's there

    Tiki TiKi On Whyte - Bluey juice and Maitai

    Bluey juice and Maitai

    Tiki TiKi On Whyte

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    Pals Sandwiches

    Pals Sandwiches

    4.3(20 reviews)
    0.1 km•Strathcona
    •$$

    PALS!!! I have been a huge fan since their opening day in 2022 and it's about time that I finally…read morewrite about them! Part of the venerable Strathcona restaurant monopoly of The Next Act (the OG), Meat (the meaty one), Pip (the brunchy one), and Marlo (the taco one), Pals holds their own as the sandwich one. This five-restaurant stronghold wouldn't work if each and every one of them wasn't so dang good. But they are. Pals showed up on the scene after Pip moved across the street and there was enough room in the building to fit a delightful little sandwich shop in there as well. Pals to the left and Pip to the right - and one (beautiful) shared washroom downstairs for both. It's a pretty harmonious arrangement as far as I can tell! Pals might be a small little sandwich guy but it boasts a beautiful outdoor patio in the summertime that just about doubles the space. Named Favourite Handheld on the Edmonton Food Faves We Crave 2024 list and most recently awarded Best Sandwich 2025 in EDify Magazine, you'll also find them on the Worldwide Faves section of this very website. The interior is somewhat small but very bright and fresh. Casual light wood high-tops, counter seating, a few bench seats near the back, and the aforementioned patio. You'll also note pops of their signature yellow, especially on their unmistakable brick facade outside. The restaurant feels breezy and gives off a comfortable vibe that makes you want to "stop in to grab a quick sandwich." And maybe people-watch out the window for a few minutes. The staff is also super friendly which makes you feel like you're hanging out with your pals. (Ha! See what I did there?) Situated at a table on a Saturday evening, I was looking for the maximum Pals experience! Pals is all about the drinks and offers an impressive array of cocktails and beer, especially for such a small shop. The Winter Sangria sounded like a seasonally appropriate delight while their Caesar made with pepperoncini brine is an ideal compliment to their use of pepperoncini elsewhere on the menu. On this visit I opted for the Strathcona Sling (Gin, cherry liqueurs, orange & pineapple juice, bitters - $15.00) which not only sounded delicious but also might be the signature beverage of the entire neighbourhood. This drink sounds like it might be pretty sweet but I didn't find that about it. It's very refreshing and the grown-up flavours from the gin and bitters hold their own. What sounds like a kid's shirley temple actually tastes quite adult. This would absolutely be the quintessential patio beverage on a hot summer day during the Fringe - a cocktail that lives up to it's name. The Pals food menu is an extravaganza of sandwiches! There are fourteen different sandwiches in two categories; made hot or served fresh. There's usually a feature sandwich as well. Be prepared for sandwiches like you've never seen them before! But the snacks, soups, and salads are incredible as well and the quality certainly doesn't stop with the sandwiches alone. In an effort to dig into this part of the menu a bit more I thought it prudent to order the Soup & Salad Combo (Choice of soup & salad with house focaccia - $19.00). A great option if maybe you don't want a sandwich. Pals usually has two different soups and salads on the go so you're able to customize this dish with whatever combo you like. I chose the House Soup (dill pickle & spicy pepperoncini) and The Other House Salad (iceberg lettuce, tomato, green onion, blue cheese, bacon, buttermilk ranch). Let's start with the soup. How unique!! You've never tasted a zingy little bowl of soup like this before! I don't know about you, but I love a dill pickle soup very much (maybe it's my Eastern European ancestry) but the addition of pepperoncini totally changes the game. This soup packs a punch but in the most interesting and delicious way. And then the salad! I ordered this one because it sounded like a wedge salad (one of my favourites) without the wedge. A deconstructed wedge salad, if you will. And boy did it deliver! The flavours of tomato and bacon together are so classic and the generous chunks of crumbled blue cheese were perfection. I loved how well-dressed everything was - not a dry leaf in the house. A salad may sound like a boring thing to order but certainly not in this case. Let's not forget the focaccia which cannot be treated as an afterthought because it was incredible. This bread was impossibly light while still possessing the unctuous and oily quality that you want from a focaccia. The crust was impossibly crispy and dusted in salt. What a dream! Honestly, I know that you need to order a sandwich... But maybe you don't? I'm going to have an existential crisis about this. But yes, I obviously ordered a sandwich. This might be an unpopular opinion but I highly favour the "served fresh" sandwiches at Pals by a lot. The BLT is the best in the entire city, I swear. The Burrata is completely insane - I've never seen a stack of prosciutto so high.

    I am not particulary a sandwich person when we go out. However, we did want to try the new Pals…read moreSandwiches that opened up just off of Whyte Ave. They also had the sweetest patio which happened to have a few free spots. We ordered a couple of beers (Mojito Sour) and the Italian Pilsner. My husband also ordered a cocktail (the Spicy Paloma). The cocktail was okay but overpriced. It kinda tasted like the ones that you order at a place like Boston Pizza. However, the beers were refreshing and hit the spot. Menu is basic with a variety of Sandwiches, fries, soups and salads. We decided to try two sandwiches and share them. I chose the feature of the day which was a cheddar beef sandwich with a side of tortilla soup. Hubby chose the Reuban with fries. Service was friendly and our water glasses were filled constantly. Sandwiches came out pretty fast. They were well constructed and tasty. They both had a decent amount of meat in them. Definately the Reuban was more flavourful than the cheese and beef. My soup was awesome. Hubby's fries were average. Is this the best place to get a sandwich? No. But if you want a quick bite with decent food with a lovely atmosphere, check it out.

    Photos
    Pals Sandwiches
    Pals Sandwiches
    Pals Sandwiches

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    Damso Izakaya - japanese - Updated October 2026

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