This place made me fall in love with salmon again! The service was excellent, and the atmosphere was perfect for a family outing with a baby. We ordered the takowasabi, half dozen oysters, red ramen, deluxe sashimi, and duck pressed sushi--everything was fantastic. The sashimi, in particular, was very fresh and high quality. A couple of small notes: the seaweed for the takowasabi was cut a bit too small, and the oysters were slightly on the smaller side for the price--but overall, a great experience and definitely coming back here again next week. read more

Place was 100% full Saturday 7:30PM. They signed us up for the text waitlist and told us 30min but it was 15min wait to get in. Beef tataki: 9/10, boyfriend loved. I think it's fine. Assorted Sashimi 5 kinds - loved the variety but we didn't like the squid or octopus at all. Next time we will just focus on tuna and salmon. Sakura Roll: 8/10. Boyfriend have it a 10/10. Super Dynamite roll: 8/10. Great flavor but roll is too big and hard to eat without taking a too big of bite or making a mess. Garlic Salmon Fried Rice: 10/10, what a surprise! My favorite dish of the night by far. Flavor was so umami. Highly recommend. Kokuto Umeshu ice cream: 10/10 such a nice light sweet flavor over vanilla ice cream. Overall food was fantastic. read more

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Izakaya is one of my favorite forms of food, think Japanese tapas where you share a bunch of small plates. Izakaya Tomo looked popular online and I enjoyed a number of the items we tried. Things were overall hit or miss, but if I were local I would still come back to order worthwhile items. As a California native, I'll have to wait until my next trip to Edmonton. We came on a Monday night for dinner with a reservation but probably could have gotten away without one unless it's a weekend. Good amount of food for under $100CAN! Service was super quick even though we ordered in 3 rounds. The good: - bluefin chutoro handrolls: simple, fresh, could eat ten of these. - carbonara udon: really, really good carbonara sauce with perfectly chewy udon noodles. - negi chutoro, salmon with ikura sushi tacos: I liked the handrolls more, but thought these were fun. The fish tastes very fresh. - aburi saba: I love mackerel and enjoyed this a lot. - fried oyster in ponzu: very crispy breading with great ponzu sauce. What I'd pass on: - tuna tataki: for such a popular item, I wasn't impressed by this at all. - spicy chicken karaage: we didn't finish this one- the sweet gochujang sauce was not tasty. read more

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Had a 5 pm reservation for dinner on Canada Day made online with and confirmed by Yelp. Received a text message asking to reconfirm today and after responding I got another affirmation about the reservation. When we arrived at the restaurant, doors were locked and sign said closed on holidays! Why did your online reservation system accept and confirm a reservation on a date/ time you were obviously closed? read more

On lunch break, a coworker and I decided to find a sushi place on the Southside. This restaurant popped up with a 4.6 rating on Google. The decor in this space was beautiful and gave it an authentic feel. It is one of the nicer decorated sushi places. We went around 2 pm (they closed at 3 to prep for dinner), so no one was in the restaurant, so the service was pretty good. I would have liked to see more lunch options on the lunch menu. The chirashi bowl was smaller portioned from other places I have been for a similar price. With that being said, the sashimi did taste fresh. The lunch option I chose came with a miso soup, so that was a bonus. I would recommend trying this spot if you are ever on the south! read more

Izakaya Tomo - Chirashi bowl - Japanese Near Me - Edmonton, Alberta

Always different specials to try. Yesterday was lobster on top of their lobster roll. Starters- edamame cooked in butter, tuna tataki (no pics - too good and ate it right away), sashimi 3 kinds, udon carbonara. Also real wasabi - worth the real cost. This is the freshest sashimi in YEG. read more

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This is by far the BEST and most fresh sushi in Edmonton. Their restaurant ambience is also unbeatable which is why they are always busy. I recommend this restaurant to anyone who is looking for incredible sushi. read more

Izakaya Tomo has an excellent atmosphere for late night hangout with friends/groups. That being said, the price is a bit on the higher end for the selection and quality of food, so I'd rate them 7.8/10 read more

Izakaya Tomo was the very first izakaya to open in Edmonton and I consider them a part of the food renaissance that happened in the city in the early 2010s. It was a time when Edmonton started to experience new things in our cuisine and everyone was very excited about the concept of an izakaya coming to town. Since then, Izakaya Tomo has truly paved the way - you can probably find upwards of ten izakayas in the city today. So what's an izakaya? It's an informal affair where you order drinks alongside small dishes of food. A Japanese pub, essentially. It's all about eating, drinking and being merry - Japanese style. The atmosphere is meant to be boisterous and even a bit rowdy. EDify Magazine named Izakaya Tomo as Best Sushi 2022 and the Edmonton Journal voted them as Favourite Ramen Restaurant 2022. (I find the latter accolade curious because they don't have ramen on the menu. Did they used to? They do have udon... But that's not ramen.) You'll find the restaurant in the Strathcona Industrial Park, which is admittedly a bit of a strange location. Maybe it's the train yard directly across the street? However, parking is easy and the signage is very clear. Inside, you are met with an unexpectedly beautiful space. The staff will acknowledge your entrance (and exit) by shouting a welcoming greeting at you which sets the tone for your visit immediately. The style of the restaurant is quintessentially Japanese, with beautiful dark wood, dim lighting, bench seating, and sake bottles adorning the shelves. If you want to be transported to Japan without leaving Edmonton, this is a surefire way to do it. All of the menus at Izakaya Tomo are extensive - drinks included. You'll see the Japanese beers that you know and love (Sapporo, Asahi), tons of sake (both hot and cold), and you know that they've got Ramune as well. It had to be the Sake Caesar (Sake, clamato, shichimi pepper, soy sauce and hot sauce - $10.00) for me, which seemed like a fun fusion of east meets west. Delivering sake in a big way, this drink accomplished what I wanted it to do. Salty and savoury, I enjoyed the spicy kick and notes of Asian flavours that turn this classic Canadian cocktail into a new version of itself. The food menu is lengthy and everything is served tapas-style with the intention that a group of people will order many dishes with everyone sampling all of the different flavours. We did just that and our helpful and attentive server began to produce each dish in no particular order. A menu like this might come off as overwhelming but I recommend trying at least one plate from each section of the menu, if possible. From the Appetizer list, I was excited to order my favourite dish, the Aburi Saba (Torched sashimi grade mackerel - $8.00). Mackerel is one of my very favourite fish to eat and this was such a delicately beautiful version of it. Tender pieces of almost-raw saba lay on the plate, each infused with a light smokiness from the torch. Mackerel has a very distinct flavour that is quite bold. If you're a fan of it like I am, you will love this ideal preparation. Next up was the Sashimi part of the menu and we wanted to go all-in with as much fresh raw fish that we could get. The Assorted 5 Kinds Sashimi ($45.00) was the answer. The plating and servingware at Izakaya Tomo is gorgeous and I kept noting this fact with each new dish. The sashimi offering included; tuna, salmon, octopus, squid, and scallop. Each piece was expertly sliced and generous in size. The freshness was evident and each bite melted in my mouth. Izakaya Tomo blends their own soy sauce that is less salty and milder in flavour compared to what you might be accustomed to. The soy sauce enhances the natural taste of the ingredients and I really noticed this application when dipping the sashimi pieces into the sauce. From the Sushi section I had to take the opportunity to order Bluefin Tuna ($5.00 each), the most sought-after (and most expensive) fish in the world. One of these fish can sell for millions of dollars! Our server asked if we wanted fatty or lean pieces of maguro and we selected "fatty" knowing that this is where you'll find the best, distinctive medium-full flavour. Known for its melt-in-your-mouth firm texture and deep red colouring, bluefin is known for having the darkest and fattiest flesh of all the tuna varieties. You can expect a meaty texture and a characteristically rich and full flavour. Served atop their soft sushi rice, this was a treat! You can't miss the Tomo Original Rolls and this is where I found my favourite dish of the meal. The Lobster Roll (Lobster tempura, lobster California roll, avocado, with honey garlic mayo sauce - $29.00). The presentation of this roll says it all! I've never eaten anything quite like this before and I was impressed by the perfect execution of this dish. The crispy, saucy lobster tempura on top was tender on the inside and not overcooked. The roll underneath packed more sweet lobster within, capitalizing read more

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You've got a friend in me Izakaya Tomo...after that fantastic meal you served. Not only did you graciously accommodate our group of 15, but you served up one tasty dish after another at a super quick pace. I can't get the experience out of my head, it was so good! Izakaya Tomo is exactly like other Izakaya: small Japanese plates best eaten with groups and with alcohol. Dishes vary from sushi, fried foods, sashimi, and carbs like rice and noodles. All meant to leave you feeling full and satisfied. While I can honestly say I loved everything that was served that night, there were definitely a couple of standouts. The chu-toro (medium fatty tuna) was sinfully decadent. Not sure it's even fish because it literally disintegrates in your mouth. The seared mackerel was nicely charred. The Mentaiko Udon was savoury and chewy and the Takoyaki was up there in quality: crispy on the outside and pillowy on the inside. Ending off the night was the perfect dessert: their Crispy Honey Bread topped with a scoop of ice cream. All that food and it was still less than $50 per person! Maybe it's just an Edmonton thing, but I certainly wouldn't have gotten this type of value back in Toronto. Keep being phenomenal, Izakaya Tomo! I might need to fly back to Edmonton to eat here again! read more

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We always order Melanie roll every time we go there never fails. Food and service is worth the trip and money. Ambiance is very Japanese, love their tableware. read more

Wonderful service and delicious food. Recommendations from our servicer did not disappoint. Fun, lively atmosphere. Definitely recommend!

This is the best Japanese restaurant I've ever been to! Perfection: that's what you see in every single person working there! Watching the chef and kitchen staff is mesmerizing! They don't just sell foods! They give you an experience! An amazing experience! Dishes, plates, trays, bottles, cups and even chopsticks seems to be selected carefully to give an authentic experience! Our server was "Terry"! Such a nice person, very polite and helpful and he was perfect for creating the perfect experience! When I asked some questions about some items in their decorations, he brought those for me and explained things the best possible way! The food was amazing! Every bite was magical! We enjoyed every single item that we ordered and at the end we had two amazing desserts! Followed by a quick chat with the owner! I have never gone to a place that I actually go back to study and read their website! I did that for this restaurant! I know what Japanese food is and this was beyond my knowledge! It was simply perfect! I'll definitely go back there And I recommend this restaurant! Do yourself a favour and enjoy the experience! read more

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Went to this restaurant twice now, once with a friend for lunch with wonderful service. We returned another time with family and found the evening service to be extremely slow. It took 10 minutes before we could order drinks and a lot of waiting to get the bill. Unfortunately due to the number of staff in the kitchen it seemed that some party members finished their food before the last person's meal arrived. The food was tasty for the price. I wished their carbonara dish was a thicker creamier sauce but portions for all dishes were satisfactory. The ambiance was nice both times as they sat us in a comfortable table for six people when we called for reservations. My favourite part of this restaurant is the ample parking available surrounding the restaurant. read more

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Amazing food, the freshest sashimi. My only wish is that the booths were padded for my skinny butt. Worth it for the food though! read more

Their sushi is always fresh and they have some unique dishes! They are often packed and don't take resos on the weekends so go early! read more

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Awesome food! Cozy atmosphere and very friendly, helpful staff! Lots of small sized dishes, which is great because you can try so many different things. Hope to go back here very soon! read more

We wanted some sushi for our take out tonight and decided to go with something new we haven't tried before. We ordered directly from the restaurant which offers free delivery if you're within 10km of their restaurant (not always available for delivery). But we ended up going to pick it up as the delivery was not available on Sunday. You can also order from skip the dishes. They have a pretty sweet loyalty program too if you order for pick up directly from them you get a "stamp" for every $35 spent. Once you get 12 stamps you get a $50 credit! That's pretty awesome. Now on to the food....we decided to go with the Tempura Shrimp Roll with Salmon ($16), 2x Chop Chop Roll with Tobiko ($26), Crispy Tuna Roll ($10.50), Salmon Tempura Roll with Sesame Mayo ($12). My favorite would have to be the salmon tempura with sesame mayo. It had great flavours and was so tasty. The chop chop tasted good as well. And the tempura shrimp roll with salmon was also delightful! Overall it was a hit! I definitely plan on coming back here and trying some of their other menu items. I would love to dine in as their presentation pre-Covid looks very appetizing! If you're looking for a something new or some sushi open late on a Sunday night try this place. You won't be disappointed. read more

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The service at Izakaya Tomo was excellent but the food was not to my carbonara, it tasted off. Although the sushi rolls were tasty, I read the other review and I think I order the wrong items. Will definitely come back to try their takoyaki and much more ! read more

Izakaya Tomo - Carbonara, sushi rolls - Japanese Near Me - Edmonton, Alberta

Good service , great food , very nice place , and the price was very good . Definitely coming again

Great food, reasonable prices. Would definitely go back. Poor server was basically alone during lunch on a Friday afternoon. She did a great job though. read more

The food is always great here. They have some interesting dishes and we've enjoyed every meal. The people are friendly and inviting.

Again an amazing dinner at Izakaya Tomo. Simple and cool vibe, but benches were not comfortable to sit in. That is the only thing I would change here. Service was informative, prompt, and profession. Food was was really amazing - again the favourite at the table was the pepperoncino udon. Noodles were cooked perfectly. Sauce stuck onto the pasta which was flavourful and not heavy. And the flavours were balanced. The Takoyaki was perfectly cooked. I loved the texture of the takoyaki and the perfect amount of sauces and i am happy they didn't skimp on the bonito flakes. Prawn spring rolls were fresh and flavourful. Loved the light crispyness of the wrappper. The second favourite at the table was the salmon tempura roll. My kiddo wanted this one. I am not usually a fan of tempura rolls. I often find that the batter of the tempura gets soggy wrapped in the the roll. We loved the sesame mayo. The melanie roll was good as well. However, the salmon could have had more of a sear ontop. The only thing that we weren't a fan of was the oyster ponzu. Which is sad because oysters and ponzu are my favourite things. The oysters were overcooked and the ponzu sauce lacked flavour. However, this would not deter me from coming here again and trying more things on the menu. Price point it was very reasonable for the quality and quantity of the food. read more

Very good ambiance, serving was a bit slow. The grilled fish and takoyaki was good. The mojito has too much water. Tonkatsu a bit salty. read more

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One of my new favorite sushi places in YEG! I have a few sushi going friends and recently checked this place out! It was delicious with fast service and great food! We also tried the plum-wine which I actually enjoyed both types but my friend preferred the lighter version, non the less both tasty!! I often can't handle many carbs or dairy so I had to improvise a bit but it was fairly easyhetr which was a treat! The sashimi was fresh and tasty. I had the choose three for $24 which tonight included; tuna, salmon and squid. We also shared the edamame, tuna tataki and then ordere lettuce roll- which was notnas expected but still tasty and easy for me to de rice! Then the lobster California rolls and an eel or ugnami roll. Everything was fresh and tasty. The feel authentic and the service was efficient but nothing over and above. Our bill was just over $90 but descent value for quality. read more

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I've been here many times for dinner, but I've never been here for lunch before, so this was my first time, and I was pleasantly surprised at the selections they have on their lunch menu. I ordered the aburi saba and tuna kimchi to start, with the Chicken Katsu Don as the main lunch and it also came with a bowl of miso soup. I enjoyed everything that I ordered. read more

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Great little Japanese tapas restaurant located on the south side of the city! Love the concept and they really delivered on the food as well! Fresh quality fish and a variety of unique "street food" style dishes. If you're looking for something different, then this is definitely the place to go to. We started off with the Tuna Yukke. Japanese style tuna tartare topped with a fresh quail egg yolk. Absolutely delicious! The egg yolk added a nice creaminess to the dish, and the chips, a much needed textural element. Next we had the Age Dashi Tofu. Light crispy exterior and a smooth and silky interior. This is my go to dish every time I go out for Japanese food, and it did not disappoint! We then moved onto the Dashi Udon. This was my favourite course of the night! The dashi broth had a good depth of flavour, and the bonito flakes gave the dish a great smokiness. Reminded me of when I was back in Tokyo! We also ordered Kim Chi Fried Rice. Unfortunately, this dish was a bit underwhelming. Still good, but really nothing special. And lastly, we ended our meal with scallop, mackerel and blue fin tuna belly nigiri. The fish just melted in my mouth. A bit heavy handed on the wasabi, but nothing I couldn't handle. Good service and really tasty dishes. It definitely satisfied my craving for Japanese food! read more

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Outstanding and very authentic Japanese food!! Would compete against food in Japan and probably win. read more

My favourite izakaya in Edmonton! I love tuna belly & their sashimi didn't disappoint! The saba was good, strong smell at first but not that bad, prawn spring rolls & takoyaki standard deep fried izakaya food. Tamago don was filling :). The deep fried bread dessert was quite good- perfectly fried, just a bit too sweet sometimes-but i would recommend trying it. Great service & fun ambience. Can't wait to go back :) read more

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Exceptional food. Can't wait to come back and try more on this extensive and delicious menu!

Very cool ambiance, the service is and always amazing. Had terry as a server was very quick with orders and for everything 10/10 you have experience , good food, and price is overall not too bad, read more

Izakaya Tomo - Japanese Near Me - Edmonton, Alberta

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It's a bit more tapas style but definitely authentic Japanese! The sushi is super fresh and my favourite is the chopchop Melanie roll! Make sure to make reservations if you can as the space is a bit small and the wait may be long! read more

The food was 10/10! The sashimi was super fresh, and the tempura shrimp was amazing. The dynamite and salmon rolls were also delicious. Since my girlfriend and I were celebrating her birthday, the server brought out a complimentary dessert that he recommended, and it was incredible. The server and the whole crew were awesome. I 100% recommend! read more

Great Japanese food ! sashimi's are fresh and love their beef tataki . Nice environment with Japanese theme.

Delicious! I'm glad we finally found a Japanese restaurant we like in Edmonton! It's pretty good for what it's worth. Their spicy tuna is spicy! My fiancé loves it because he likes spicy food. It comes in 3, placed on wontons. It was pretty good and the fish is better than what we've had in other restaurants. The pork belly was good too. The meat was tender but since it was mostly fat, it was juicy and melt in your mouth. The beef tataki was really enjoyable. It is thinly sliced seared beef. The ponzu with the beef was good. They complimented each other. The salmon is fresh unlike some places I've been to in Edmonton. The sashimi salad was okay. I thought it was pretty decent. The fried oyster was really crispy, large and juicy as well. I liked it too. The service was good. I was fairly impressed with this place. It reminded me of another restaurant that is very similar in San Diego. read more

Izakaya Tomo - As you can tell, we like salmon. - Japanese Near Me - Edmonton, Alberta

Environment was great. Beef tataki, Seaweed salad, Tako Wasa and Tuna kimchi was perfect. Although their tempura shrimp udon's soup base, and noodle was light firm and very good, they ruin the dish by putting the tempura shrimp inside the soup, which made the crispy tempura soggy. This is the #1 Big mistake for any type of tempura paired with any soup base noodles, please ask your chef to put them in a separate plate. Salmon sashimi to me is a bit thick, but if it were sliced perfectly it would of melt in my mouth, then I wouldn't mine the thickness. If the chef doesn't have this skill perfected it's better to slice your sashimi thinner. Oyster Ponzu, sadly I didn't enjoy it at all, because it isn't fresh, or half fresh. Unless you're the type of person that enjoys foods that is loaded and heavily sauced to cover its natural taste. Sweet Potato ice cream, the taste is very good, accept for the messy caramelized sugar presentation at the top, that makes it very hard to eat. Please search Google on how to make caramelized sugar art before attempting to use it on your dessert. Food presentation is meant to look decorative/functional/pairing to taste. If you made it the way you did, and a meaning to your art, and a way to eat it, then please show your customers on how they should be eating them. Don't get me wrong I'll still come, and try other things. Keep on improving. Fighting! read more

Izakaya Tomo - Half eaten beef tataki. Tuna kimchi, Tako wasabi, Seaweed salad. - Japanese Near Me - Edmonton, Alberta

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Izakaya Tomo is a great little "Japanese tapas" restaurant in South Edmonton.  It's definitely worth a trip outside of downtown for something a little different.  This is a "strong four star" choice.    We enjoyed the Yaki Edamame (stir fried with butter and salt); Nama Harumaki (vegetables and smoked salmon wrapped with rice paper and dipped in special soy & mayo based sauce); Deep Fried Tofu; Tuna Tataki; Tuna/Salmon Sashimi; Brussel Sprouts (Grilled with butter ponzu sauce and Parmesan); and Prawn Spring Rolls!  All was awesome! Zero complaints!   The atmosphere is casual (picnic table style seating), the décor is great, and the staff and super friendly.  The chef stopped by our table to chat, which was a really nice touch.    Izakaya Tomo  really works for it, which should definitely be appreciated by all. read more

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It's been a few years since my last visit to Izakaya Tomo so we decided to check it out for some birthday shenanigans Tuesday evening. You should already know this but if you don't, they were Edmonton's first izakaya and have been around for years. Hanjan is right beside them now. Love how Tomo is open late till midnight every night! I didn't expect it to be busy but it was bustling for a weekday. We originally sat at the bar but they moved us to a table once it opened. The inside is quaint with wooden tables and sake bottles lining the walls. Service was excellent and the food came out quickly. The menu is easy to peruse with pictures for almost every dish. Starters, salads, ippin, teppan, rolls, sushi & sashimi, rice & noodle and desserts. I asked about their daily specials but they only had two chutoro pieces left ($6.00 each). - Beef tataki ($10.00) - seared sliced beef with butter ponzu sauce. Lightly seared. Good start. - 3 quick ($9.00) - you have 5 options to choose from; we went with the seaweed salad, kimpira and spicy tuna. Loved all three. Seaweed salad's always a favourite. Kimpira was burdock root and carrot; nice crunchy texture. Spicy tuna was well balanced with a bit of heat. - Deep fried tofu ($6.00) - agedashi tofu was excellent. Touch of sweetness from the sauce and lightly fried. - Pork shoga ($12.00) - stir fried slices of pork and onion with shoga (ginger) sauce. Again, flavours are there but this was a really small portion. - Peperoncino ($13.00) - olive oil, bacon, chili pepper, octopus, squid and onions. Their stir fried udons are bomb. This one was peppery with a subtle bit of heat underlying all the umami flavours. Japanese Italian fusion with flair! - 3x salmon and tuna nigiri ($2.50/each) - this was my favourite dish of the night. Both the salmon and tuna were incredibly fresh. They also do their wasabi fresh and rice is properly done; correctly seasoned and slightly loose. - Garlic salmon fried rice ($11.00) - salmon, garlic, onion and wakame. This portion looks so small when it comes out but like everything else, the flavour was on point. Rice was perfect and reminded me of sticky rice but in a refined way. Garlic salmon was delicious. - Curry udon soup ($13.00) - pork, deep fried tofu and green onions. Their udon noodles have that satisfyingly chewy texture but felt the broth could have had a bit more depth. Tomo is great; just be prepared for small portions. read more

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Definitely a gem among the few Japanese cuisine restaurants in the city. The plum sake with side of takoyaki is heavenly. Chicken karage along with spicy tuna sushi are among the other favourites. Definitely recommend. read more

I adore Izakaya Tomo. As other reviewers have noted, the attention to detail is phenomenal, and this comes across in the quality and flavour of their food. Dining in is a wonderful experience, with a vibrant atmosphere that's great for a date, hanging with friends, or even just unwinding. It's no wonder to me that their carbonara udon ended up in a cookbook a few years back; their menu is designed to leave you satisfied, and combined with great service, you'll leave happy! read more