My friend invited me to try this place before they closed down for renovations. The staff knew their menu well and have good recommendations when it comes to which drink goes well with what dish. We ordered the deluxe bento box which is like a sampler set of nine dishes, the nigiri special, the tiger prawn tartare, the beef tongue, a bottle of sake, yuzu G&T, Moscow mule, and the Doraemon drink. 1) Bento Box I don't remember which dishes came in the set but I really enjoyed the ebi mayo the most. I believe it also came with karaage, salmon, beef, corn, and others. There's enough food to share with another person as well. 2) Nigiri Special The fish they used is from Taro Fish. Not much to say except for it being fresh. The Nigiri already has wasabi added to it so it doesn't come with any on the side. The tuna tataki bowl was also pretty good. 3) Tiger Prawn Tartare The dish comes with garlic toast and the tartare is mixed with avocado. It was quite lovely and I enjoyed the garlic toast. 4) Beef Tongue I've never really tried this before and it was unexpected. I did find the meat to be slightly salty but the sauce it came with complements the beef tongue well. 5) Drinks The bottle of sake we ordered was recommended by the staff as it pairs well with the fish on their nigiri plate. The cocktails were regular but I liked the yuzu g&t the most. The food is what you'd expect from an izakaya and a bit on the pricier side too. But I would come back and try their noodles next time since I didn't get the chance to. The service was good, the food came pretty quickly and the server was attentive. read more

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This place is so cute, and I can't wait to come back! I just wish it wasn't situated in a quieter part of town because I'm so used to downtown core. But I'll trek out to come here again. Really nice and cozy vibes, great to meet friends or for a date. My friend and I really came here for the bento after seeing it on IG multiple times. It was a really nice and tasty experience seeing what each block was/contained and then trying it. Each part was delicious and it was like a mini omakase experience but definitely without the $$$ price tag (it was $35). I had some friends comment on my IG story about how it looks like places you'd find in Vancouver! Their bento does change, so I would definitely go back We also ordered an eel roll which I don't remember the name now. It was really delicious but there was some type of leaf in the roll that my friend and I both didn't like -- the taste was quite overpowering unfortunately. I did see the tables around us also order the bento box in addition to actually getting some grilled products so I'd love to come back and try to grill things. This is one place I'd actively go back to Cabbagetown for! read more

Kingyo Izakaya - Japanese Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

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Yea things have changed since the dine-in days haven't they? Forget about what the server said, how you didn't get your water glass filled right away, now it's all about the FOOD! There's a massive menu on-line where you can buy whole fish, fresh or frozen, etc., but I grabbed a small paper menu from the counter which is accessible inside the restaurant where you will be greeted by a friendly server. I scanned the menu and the (Lunch Only) lined grabbed my attention and it was Beef Fillet Steak Bento, hmmm, that sounded fine at $19. They said to give them 30 minutes at noon on a Friday, so I went for a stroll around Cabbagetown, trying not to stray too far. Right on the dot I was back and my meal was ready, boom! The steak was fantastic! It was great to have a meal like this as a takeaway. The sides were tasty as well, with a tuna salad, chef's dish, and pickles, according to the menu. See my closeup pics for more details. The chef's knife skills made for a gorgeous looking bento box, and the subtle charring of the veg and steak introduced a nice smoky flavour from the hibachi. This place is sooooo good I want to go back again soon and try more items like the Makunouchi Bento $25, or the Kaisen version for $24. Maybe someone out there can point me to other items good for a lunch meal from this menu as everything is reasonably priced and I'm sure will be over the top good! read more

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Dépêchez-vous, il faut découvrir ce restaurant époustouflant dès maintenant - une explosion culinaire aussi vibrante qu'un défilé du Nouvel An chinois ! L'ambiance vous enveloppe comme un bol fumant de congee par une nuit glaciale, chaleureuse et accueillante, tandis que le service énergique et sincère du personnel vous fait sentir comme des rois lors d'un festin lunaire. Les plats sont arrivés à notre table plus vite qu'une danse du dragon dans une tempête, chacun étant un chef-d'œuvre débordant de saveurs - audacieux, frais et préparé avec une précision remarquable, comme des lanternes illuminant un ciel de minuit. Le menu est un véritable trésor, regorgeant de classiques comme des raviolis et de créations audacieuses qui raviront tous les palais. L'atmosphère ? Un mélange pétillant de la chaleur douillette d'une maison de thé traditionnelle et de l'effervescence électrique d'un marché festif - parfait pour toutes les occasions, grandes ou petites. Je trépigne d'impatience de retourner dans ce joyau culinaire, qui brille plus fort qu'un dragon de jade ! N'attendez plus - allez-y maintenant, la ! read more

I ordered the couples platter which is a sampler of many items and the "trendy" mazeramen (dry ramen). Couples Platter: - 2 boxes. One with the cold items and one with the hot (fried stuff) - SO MUCH VARIETY... it came with SO MANY SAUCES too! I was surprised. Wish they were labelled so I would have known what they were. I don't think the sauces were even mentioned in the item description. For example, it came with 4 sauces for the sushi... one of them was a ponzu JELLY, and there were at least 2 different kinds of soya sauce. One seemed less salty. The fried box had ketchup for the fries, hot sauce, a mayo that was more vinegary, and a more savory mayo with onion and garlic. I enjoyed them both! It was hard not to make big scoops of the mayo - all in all, everything was yummy and great a combo Trendy mazeramen: - Ive had soupless ramen many times from different places, including the OG that this ramen is trying to copy. It looks good and similar at the surface level, but thats about it. This was TOO dry... just because its soupless doesnt mean it has to be dry with no SAUCE. I think its lacking oil and also flavour - I ended up saving it for later so that I could add my own sauce and additional toppings for flavour (fried mushrooms, onions, hot sauce and sesame oil) read more

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The food was amazing for its price. All the fish was quite fresh and the appetizer platter was also and amazing dish to share. The store connected to the actual restaurant was also super cute with a bunch of different Japanese food items. Highly recommend if you're visiting Toronto !! read more

Kingyo Izakaya - Marinated sashimi bowl - Japanese Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

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An amazing izakaya that really focuses on great food with fresh ingredients. The beer and cocktail menu has a lot of variety and I liked that they had creative non-alcoholic cocktails too. I'm very sad to see they are closing for renovations and rebranding on Nov 1, but have faith that the management will re-open with something wonderful with a bit of Kingyo's old charm. If you want to enjoy the original Kingyo menu, better book a table ASAP. There's a 2 hour eating limit. So you can't stay here all night but that's good news for waiting list people to know tables will open up at regular intervals. The vibe is very chill and the servers are so friendly. We ordered a lot of food and she paced everything so well. The next wave of dishes came out only when we were done what was in front of us. We started with the hot stone beef tongue. I love tabletop cooking and the beef was sliced nice and thin. The stone's temperature was enough to slightly sear and cook it tenderly without turning it rubbery. The server was happy to bring another stone if it got too cold to continue cooking. Pressed sushi came next. Saba is my favorite fish and the sushi portion here was very meaty! The rice was just the right amount. Spicy Toro was ok. I think the spicy sauce overpowered the tuna and I couldn't taste much else. It's the one thing I probably would not order again. The Makunouchi bento is very popular and one of their signature menu items. Lots of little dishes to sample a variety of traditional Japanese flavors. This on its own is good for just snacking on while drinking with your buddies. My favorites were the miso glazed grill fish, fried ebi, and deep fried tofu nuggets. It's possible the dishes in the box differ from the printout, and your server will tell you in advance what was substituted. Our chirashi came last and at this point I was happy they were mini! Topped with fresh seafood and beautifully presented. I enjoyed what I could but had to ask for a box to eat the rest at home. They surprised us with complimentary ice cream and strawberries as a gift for our anniversary! It was a very nice way to end off the night. For the ladies: their washrooms have complimentary grooming and hygiene items to help you freshen up! read more

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The bento boxes and chirashi bowls are not only super colourful and pretty to look at, but they also taste extremely delicious, healthy, and fresh. You get a 'clean eating' feeling after having a meal at Kingyo. All their dishes are plated beautifully, and they exhibit the true Japanese-style presentation where each bento box is made up of dozens of high-quality, fresh ingredients and each mini item is crafted to perfection. They pay a lot of attention to detail in terms of presentation and variety in their dishes, especially the bento boxes. The bento boxes are closer to what you'd actually find in Japan (made up of lots of small portions of goodness, and everything is balanced so perfectly - the protein, carbs, veggies - lots of greens!). read more

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Food was really good! We didn't know there was going to be a wait of 30 min and more for the omasake. We went during lunch time, it was very quiet, so we enjoyed the space etc. Service was good. read more

Kingyo Izakaya - Set course - Japanese Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

Mini Sea Urchin & Snow Crab Chirashi - Apparenlty I missed the word "mini" because when this dish came out I was shocked at how small it was. It was my first time having Uni! Very creamy, but there was a noticable fishy after taste (which my friend said is quite normal). Stone Bowl Eel Unagi Don: one of the best eel rice bowls I've had! They topped it with egg omelet, takana, dried seaweed, and scallions and it really elevated the dish a made a huge difference in terms of texture and flavour. Kaarage: Really juicy and tender, I enjoyed this, and wish it came with more than 3 pieces! Sushi: we got 4 different types, I honestly don't remember all the names. These were decent but the rice wasn't packed tight enough as it kept breaking when we tried to pick it up. The fish was on the softer and fishier side then I prefer. Kingyo has recently announced they will be restructuring their restaurant and menu starting November 1st so you can look forward to new dishes when they re-open! read more

Kingyo Izakaya - Mini Sea Urchin & Snow Crab Chirashi and Kaarage - Japanese Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

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The restaurant is really nice atmosphere and comfortable, dishes are really well presented. BUT: 1- Menu is confusing, there is 1 menu and 2 extra "papers" with some specials but that is similar to what is in the main menu. The design make it harder to read. I didn't like. 2- Service was OK, the server was there for us, but no patience to explain dishes to us and it makes me mad because I want to know what I'm gonna eat! 3- Pricey! I wouldn't say overpriced, because this place is considered a higher level than regular restaurants. But it's too expensive specially when you see the amount of food that comes, so little. I left there with my pocket empty and feeling hungry!! - Maybe I eat a lot, but anyway it was not enough. :( I would recommend JUST if you are in a mood to try new dishes or in a mood to grab few bites while talking to your friends. Don't go too hungry! read more

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Five stars. Remarkably delicious. Very diverse menu and a lot of good options to choose from

I've been to the Kingyo Izakaya in Vancouver before and while that location wasn't big, I was very surprised with the Toronto location. We went on a Friday night and tried to book a seat online - none available till 9:30pm. So a heads up, call to book because you can always book a bar seat which isn't available online. We got a seat at the end of the bar and service was really good - attentive and super nice. Food came super quickly too. For dinner, we ordered the... Doraemon and Super Lemon drink - Super Lemon is as citrusy and lemoney a drink can get. I loved the Doraemon which is basically an Asian twist to the Blue Lagoon. Deluxe Makunohchi - Basically a Kingyo staple, it's a sample appetizer order of 9 different dishes. It's a great sharing option for two where you get to try a bit of everything. Chef's Choice Sashimi - Given the price, it was pretty fresh! The hamachi was really good along with the tuna but the ebi was a little too slimy and fishy for us. Negi-T - So...when this was presented, I was a bit confused because I thought it was a Negitoro Roll. No, it's actually a deconstructed Negitoro Roll which was kind of cool and it was loaded with all sorts of ingredients like pickled plum. Premium A3 Wagyu Hot Stone BBQ - Loved this! The Wagyu melts in your mouth and it just tasted really meaty and delicious. The only thing I would suggest is to get an extra hot stone to cook it faster. Stone Bowl Seafood Sea Urchin - To be quite frank, I don't really see the hype in this. It wasn't super flavourful and I couldn't really taste the sea urchin... read more

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I have been craving for good Japanese food since the lockdown that I decided to treat myself by ordering dinner from Kingyo yesterday. This review is based on a takeout experience via Ubereats. Upon receiving the deluxe kaisen chirashi, the presentation looks a little off as the two we ordered looked like they were a little shaken up. This probably happened in transit. The food itself was super fresh and delicious. The uni did not have that fishy taste as it was very fresh. The sashimi slices were nicely cut and great size. There was fish chopped into small cubes along with tamago. The portion was perfect and the fish and rice proportion was perfect! Although it was $32 on ubereats, it was definitely worth it. For dessert, we ordered the "oh strawberry" which is a weekend exclusive. It was a soft fluffy cake wrapped in cream with two pieces of strawberries inside. It tasted great, but the chirashi was the item that really wow-ed me! read more

Kingyo Izakaya - Deluxe Kaisen Chirashi - Japanese Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

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The premium wagyu beef was so tasty. Very flavourful. They only serve 10 servings each weekend, luckily they still have it when we ordered it. Sashimi selection was fresh. The black cod, I think it was a bit undercooked. I've ordered the uni rice, I find it a little too sweet to my liking. Service was very good. Just the two dishes can use some fine tuning. Good sake selections! read more

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The "beef tongue on hot stone" was so good! Its selling point was great - you got to cook yourself in a refreshing way (laying on a hot stone), plus the meat was tender too. Their oysters and sashimi were so fresh and could literally melt in your mouth. We also had the sea urchin rice and sizzling tofu. The rice that mixed with cheese was tasty, tofu was ok but cooked well too. If you want something to drink, their Kingyo original sake is a must-try. It was light and not so sweet, we ordered the warm one and the temperature was perfect enough to comfort your stomach. For dessert we had sake cheesecake and matcha brûlée, both were delicious but we liked the brûlée better as its rich matcha flavor and the ice cream taste. Will definitely revisit. read more

We went on Monday evening for dinner for two, a couple of months ago. To our surprise, a lot of the Izakayas were closed on Monday. So we decided to venture out to the east end to satisfy our cravings. Atmosphere & Service: There's a bit of construction happening at the restaurant storefront, so we did have a bit of difficulty finding the main entrance around the maze of scaffolding. The restaurant floor area was larger than I had expected. Divided in essentially three different zones - two of which are near the open kitchen. The other is surrounded by vintage Japanese slot machines on the walls. The servers here are friendly and extremely attentive. Food & Taste: We ordered 5 different dishes and created our own mini omakase. Our order: - Kingyo Bento ($35) - Could be a cute order for date night. The bento includes 9 different appetizers ranging from sashimi, fried seafood, steamed egg, grilled fish, beef tartare, etc. I believe the bento changes on a daily basis. - Red Tuna Carpaccio ($9.80) - Full of flavour with complementary sauce and greens. - Stone Grilled Beef Tongue ($14.80) - Very theatrical dish. The dish came with a decent amount of tongue. Personally, I would have preferred the wagyu beef over the beef tongue. Overall great value. - Saba Stick Sushi ($12.80) - One of the best mackerel sushi I have ever had. The cut was extremely thick, but not too overpowering. - Stone Bowl Seafood Sea Urchin Don ($16.80) - Great carb dish to top off your meal. The stone bowl don was loaded with bits of juicy shrimp, scallop and sea urchin. Best bang for your buck. Price: Overall, the dinner amounted to $100, not including tips. For presentation, service, and taste I would say it was extremely worth it. The servers spaced out all our dishes, so the service was pretty much omakase-style. If I am in Cabbagetown, I would stop by again to get the Saba Stick Sushi, Kingyo Bento and the Stone Bowl Seafood Sea Urchin Don. read more

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Mmm. Still had gift certificates left from Christmas and we finally made it to Kingyo. Cozy, clean, exceptional service and great food. Expensive, but good quality. For dinner tonight we shared: Pineapple Punch Housemade Ginger Ale Special scallop sashimi Agedashi tofu - bestversion I have ever had Ebi Mayo Tuna Tataki Chicken Karaage Seafood waffle thing All of the above were delicious, listed in order from my most favourite. In hindsight we would not have ordered both the ebi and the chicken as both were deep fried and more filling. Will definitely repeat again. read more

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10% off for take out, so call in and walk there if you can! We got the couple value set split between two and it was honestly super well portioned! Way bigger than I expected and tasted amazing too. It came with so much variety - salad with rare beef, raw fish, sushi (of your choosing with possible additional fee - base price is for tamago), pork cutlet I think, croquette, shrimp, fried chicken... Everything was in a perfectly splittable portion too. Oh yah and came with nori! Well packed too for takeoit. Would definitely return. read more

Kingyo Izakaya - Couple value set - Japanese Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

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This place is a solid place to get your Japanese food fix. I came here to check out their lunch menu and originally wanted the don, but then I noticed there was a monthly lunch special. I was quite curious and ordered the Neba Neba Marinated Sashimi Don. It's served with sashimi, grated yam, okra, pickled radish, ikura and tobiko on rice. Sound good right? I didn't really enjoy it that much though. The fish was really fresh but the dish was too slimy for me. However, I also ordered the grilled beef tongue. It comes with a side of dipping sauce and a hot stone for you to grill your meat at the table. I don't really like tongue but this dish made me love it. The meat was not tough at all. It tasted very nice with the salted oil sauce. I am giving this place 4 stars for service and the awesome beef tongue. I wish I chose one of their regular menu donburis. read more

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Love their summer specials! Lovely atmosphere and tasty food but items are quite pricey. Would recommend their special items though; they seem to have promotions pretty often, and they're far more affordable! Recently tried out their Kaisen Chirashi and loved the presentation! Would recommend going~ read more

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As a group of 5, we came on Sunday evening right when the restaurant opened at 5 30pm. We should have made reservations as this place usually require reservations, but we got lucky and hot seated quickly. We ordered three rounds of food and two rounds of drinks. Even though the seating limit was 2.5 hours but we stayed for 3 hours. No rush in kicking us out though at a time the restaurant must have being full! We agreed our favourites are tomato kimchi and the two sashimi platter! read more

Kingyo Izakaya - Japanese Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

This is an average Japanese restaurant. Nice service and food are ok! Great place with friends gathering dinner. Recommended read more

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This is one of the favourite Izakaya place in Toronto! I've been here several times for years now and it still live up to my expectations. My recent experience - I order their hamachi sashimi to start and the fish basically melts in your mouth. Then I got their bento box and it's basically a variety of their appetizers so you can get the most bang for the buck.. and it was even half price! Another app that I got was their sizzling agedashi tofu. I love how they bring the sauce to your table and basically "cook" in front of you. As for their sushi, they only have three types - I ordered two of them though. The spicy chopped tuna batter sushi was really good and full of flavour. It also has a nice kick of spice. The other one I got was aburi gyu battera, they flame torch the beef in front of you so it's fresh. As for their Don, I always get their sea urchin Don as their flavour is really powerful. I forgot what my other Don was called but it was pork and the meat was really chewy it's good. The server will also bring the stone bowl over to the table and will mix it in front of you. Annnd the kaarage always hit the spot - the portions are big and it's juicy. They served it with some sea salt but I prefer their mayo more. Btw, if it's for a special occasion like a birthday, they will serve you an on the house dessert! The matcha creme brûlée was really good. Definitely will be coming back. Also I think they have specials every week!! read more

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Halfway through my family's weekend lunch here, we were plotting a trip to Japan. That's how delicious Kingyo is, yo. This is not a joke. Once upon a different life I lived in Cabbagetown. As is often the case with previous lives, I don't think of it super often, and when I do it isn't affectionately. If more incredible restaurants like this were lining Parliament street in 2011, I definitely would have looked back on this hood with more love, and returned more frequently. Following a family trip to Riverdale Farm, we popped into this gorgeous Izakaya. I had the ramen and karaage meal and shared it with my daughter. It was perfect, and we both left stuffed. Her obsession with Japanese noodles brings me endless joy, and the flavours at Kingyo are unrivaled. The booths are made of magic, and the details in the ambience are super cool for adults and children alike. Yes, you might have to wait for a table if you don't have reservations, but hell yes, it is worth it. read more

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We celebrated our 8-year-anniversary at Kingyo. This restaurant has that mood lighting, and is decorated with these old school, gaming console in the wall, they look like pachinko machines, but you can tell that the images come from games like the original street fighter, fatal fury, that era of gaming. The menu is a tapas style menus, with specials coming on a separate menu card. We decided for the Prix Fixe menu and added a duck and check breast dish. This was a good amount of food, split between two people. The server dropped off the stone bowl with mushrooms. Man this dish was just full of that earthy umami flavour. Its highlighted by that bonito like taste of the sauce, the mushrooms, and then the soft tofu-ey centre of the tofu. We scraped the bowl clean, even just as a first dish. This was followed up by the Beef Tataki Salad and the Ahi Tuna Poke. The Salad is a salad, you kinda of lose the beef tataki a little bit. It was hard to split but, I appreciate the bit of green with any Japanese meal, as they are sometimes non-existent. The Tuna Poke was good. Vibrant and fresh. The sauce is deceptive, with the pieces of bread, not an easy time trying to run the bread through it on a flat plate. We devoured the poke and enjoyed the salad. The sashimi followed, and I have to say when you have high quality sashimi that follows more delicious and flavourful dishes, you almost don't remember you ate it. I do remember that the quality of the fish was quite high, the texture and temperature were just right. You get the sweetness of the scallop and the shrimp and the texture hold up for the hamachi, just that bit more of a toothsome feel compared to the salmon or tuna. The duck and chicken breast were all good and interesting but are accentuated with the garnishes on the side. These are a must. I will say we were probably starting to get full at this time. I would say this dish was nice, but maybe not one I would get again. The garlic bread was quite large and didn't match the size of the chicken or duck. By this point this was the second dish with garlic bread and these were larger portions than the ones for the poke and they had more garlic butter on them. HERE COMES THE SHOW STOPPER!!! The wagyu hot stone beef. It is a spectacle, with the smoke hot black stone, like actual rising smoke and steam of this thing. Please tend to the stone when you put the beef one. I feel like the quality was good enough we could have eaten the all raw but we literal just slapped a slice of beef on flipped it and then took them off. The tenderness of the beef is divine. Highly recommend this as part of a meal, definitely not a whole lot of food on its own. I feel like at this point I'm reliving a chinese wedding menu, because we're now starting to feel the food. The karaage was good but we didn't enjoy it as much as we were hitting a level of fullness that makes the next dish that much more interesting. This hot stone bowl uni fried rice, man it was a game changer like the wagyu beef. The server let up photograph the food before mixing it. That UNI, man that Uni just disappear into the rice but you taste it's essence with each bite. It's magical. I mean we were starting to regret life with how full we were, but we would have had a happy death at that point. No regrets. If you're not a fan of Uni or things that taste like the sea, you will most likely not like this. Finally, even though we were already regretting adding the extra dish, we decided to get dessert. Because you know, you have a separate dessert stomach. The frozen matcha creme brulee caught our eye. It was interesting. Definitely brulee-ed but not very creme? not sure if that make sense. It eats like a melona or something of that sorta. With enough solidness but the cool temperature and the lightness despite being frozen didn't exacerbate our level of fullness. Overall a great meal for a wonderful night. Looking forward to revisiting this place!! read more

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For something that is rated so highly and spoke so fondly of, I was immediately surprised to find it DEAD at 9:30pm on a saturday night? The place is big, fancy and aesthetically pleasing.. but why was there only 1 other table? Also, it left me wondering why an izakaya, especially a popular one located downtown closes at 11:30pm on a weekend.. The service was awesome and they were very efficient. That's on an empty night though, hopefully it would be the same for a busy one. Does it get busy here?? The menu of drinks were super unique and next time I'm getting the doraemon punch for sure! Sounds yummy and super cute names definitely sell me. They had a bunch of interesting cocktails and a nice list of sake. We ended up being basic 4ever and getting a pitcher of Sapporo as we always do. The food was pretty good! I found the vegetarian donburi with tofu & taro + rice & spring mix was perfect. I couldn't finish it because it carbed me up too fast. Also had the kimchi cucumber sticks, which is a really nice snack to munch on. He had the tan tan ramen, karaage and this fish thing that he said he liked - when the pickiest person about their fish actually likes it, that's a good sign right? Overall a cute place and I'd definitely be back to visit if I was in the area. Just wish it opened later and was a bit more 'lit' read more

Kingyo Izakaya - Kimchi cucumber appie - Japanese Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

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DINNER Been here numerous times and each time was decent. This is true Japanese owned and operated so you know its going to be legit. Ordered the wakame salad, unagi fried rice(special order) , cold ramen noodle (summer menu), pork belly udon and chicken karaage. (See pics for details) All dishes were high quality and tasted amazing! Cant wait till I hit up Osaka next year.. until then this place will do! Keep up the great work! おいしい oishii! read more

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An excellent choice for Japanese food in Cabbagetown! Went here for lunch with coworkers and can say it definitely lives up to its hype. Food: My colleagues and I ordered a variety of dishes ranging from the very popular Pork tantan ramen set to the Stone grilled beef tongue; all of which was presented very nicely. In terms of portions, it is definitely generous. Pork tantan ramen and mini karaage set - A large bowl of ramen topped with minced pork and a slice of chasiu. The broth as very flavourful; very deep umami flavour though I would say nearing on the end of the salty spectrum. It does get balanced out because the set comes with some pickled veggies that cut through a the richness and saltiness very well. The compliment to this set is a mini bowl of rice topped with fried chicken then garnished with Japanese mayo, scallions, and seaweed. Would have enjoyed it more if the karaage was kept intact (it was cut up into smaller pieces) but no points missing from here because the entire set itself was more than satisfying! Grilled fish - both cuts were grilled to perfection. A squeeze of lemon brings out the fish flavour Avocado battera - A veggie option with pressed sushi rice and sliced avocado. Light and delicate. Unfortunate that there aren't more vegetarian options. Service: Despite there being about two dozen of us, food came out at a reasonable pace. The waitstaff was very quick and nice. No complaints at all. Interior: Very liberal use of wood. Booths are semi private and have ample seating space (don't worry about getting squished). One wall is lined with some super flashy light fixtures which I thought was somewhat strange but I guess it adds to the whole izakaya feel in the evening time! read more

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I can't say enough good things about this place. Their service is always great and attentive. I first visited this place about a year or so ago and had ordered their grilled beef tongue. It came on a sizzling hot stone where you lay the thinly sliced pieces of tongue on it to cook. The cook time isn't long because the stone is super hot. It also came with yuzu and some sort of pepper dipping sauce. My go to order at Kingyo is their Hitsumabushi which is an eel rice in a hot stone bowl, topped with kelp and shredded egg. There's also a side pot of clear broth you can pour to make a congee-like concoction. It also comes with some side pickled veggies, home made miso soup, yummmmy! read more

Kingyo Izakaya - Hitsumabushi - Japanese Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

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Kingyo Toronto lived up to its name! My girlfriend and I visited their location in Vancouver, BC a few dozen times when we used to live in Seattle, WA. This restaurant was once of the few reason we drove from D.C. to Toronto...yes it is THAT good. We always order the same few entrees which are: the Kingyo prime rib (the best thing I have ever tasted in my life), the tan tan ramen (my gf's favorite ramen ever), and the Kobe/wagyu hot stone bbq. These dishes were worth the 8+hour trip! Wish we had more time to stop by again before we leave in the morning! PS. The honey lemon mojo to is da bomb! read more

Kingyo Izakaya - Kingyo prime rib - Japanese Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

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This is my second time here at Kingyo and must say both the quality of food and service here have plummeted. We ordered the maguro and salmon yuzu carpaccio and both came with undercooked sushi rice that completely fell apart when lifted with chopsticks. We complained and the server's response was "sorry, the chef is new and skills are lacking, but I'll let him know"... Really? A real Japanese sushi chef would rather fall on his sword (or sushi knife) than to besmirch his family honor by serving such mediocrity. Obviously, this sushi chef hasn't completed his 10 years of intensive training washing dishes and peeling daikon like a real sushi chef in Japan. Even the $29 Chef's choice 7 kind sashimi assortment was a joke. I've had better quality sashimi at some AYCE buffets. The fish was very mushy and not the typical texture of good quality fish. This was the first time I've had amaebi (sweet shrimp) that wasn't actually sweet. Such low-quality sashimi for such a high-price, are you kidding me? The $16 rib eye udon came in this massive donburi, but what was inside was half the size of a regular bowl that you would get elsewhere. They also served the broth luke-warm, so it wasn't even hot enough to cook the raw rib eye they threw in there. The service here is just as bad as the food. We had a bottle of plum wine in an ice bucket, but because there was no room, we had it off to the side. Some server came and took the bottle even though it was still half full. It's hard to train common sense into someone that just doesn't have any. Then we ordered a Kagua Rouge beer, and after we poured it, realized the server brought us a Kagua Blanc instead. After we flagged down the waitress we placed the order with, she said sorry and was about to walk away without even offering to replace the beer. She seemed confused when we told her we didn't want the wrong beer. Clearly, a new inexperienced staff that hasn't received adequate training. The first time I came here, I thought the food and service here were both excellent, so what happened? Did they replace all their highly trained kitchen staff with a bunch of drop-outs from the local culinary school to cut down on cost? Such a tragedy when a great restaurant is poorly managed and goes on a downward death spiral to get this bad. Would much rather go to Aka-oni or even Zakkushi than here. Never coming back... read more

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My favourite izakaya place! First came here for an anniversary lunch. We got the Doraemon Punch, and the Wish Upon a Star; the cocktails were photogenic and tasted great. The karaage was juicy and tender, and the tuna tataki went really well with the ponzu jelly. My Makunouchi deluxe bento set was SO GOOD, it was unforgettable. My favourite appetizer there is hands down, the sea urchin shooter, which contains salmon roe, raw quail egg, and caviar, too. My boyfriend enjoyed his chef's choice sashimi platter. We received a complimentary anniversary dessert, too, so that was a pleasant surprise. The second time I came here was for my birthday dinner. The Pre Fixe menu was fantastic (see pics), but I think I still prefer the Makunouchi deluxe bento box. I can't wait to try their other menu items in the future! read more

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Had lunch here on Valentine's Day. Superb food quality and presentations. Nice environment with friendly waitresses. The super mega giga deluxe bento box was a total KO and I'm loving it. Great lunch and can't wait more to come back for dinner!!! read more

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This place never fails to amaze me with their exceptional food quality. Apart from that, the service is superb as well. Their servers are highly attentive, and they always make sure to check on you from time to time. Their hot stone grill beef tongue is a must try and if you're a sea urchin fan like myself, you will be missing out if you don't order their sea urchin don and shooter. Their interior is beautiful and there are Japanese pin ball machines on the wall for decors. It makes the entire atmosphere much more enjoyable. read more

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Make a Reservation! I am so impressed with how Kingyo handled my reservation. My table was ready exactly the time I reserved: Saturday 8:30 pm. Service was attentive and courteous. The vibe was buzzing and full of energy but a lot more quieter than Guu. Food wise, I was not as impressed. Everything was a little off in taste. A little too bold and overwhelming in some. We ordered: Vancouver famous chef Sada's Sea Urchin Shooter ($7.80) - Love the presentation Goma Ramen Salad with Spicy Cod Roe ($7.80) - meh! The sesame oil overpowered everything and ended up being a little heavy as a salad Stone Bowl Seafood Sea Urchin Don ($13.80) - I have high expectation, maybe a little too high... - Or I prefer my Urchin raw, fresh from the shell Eel Puff Pastry ($10.20) - I like the puff better than the eel stuffing and I love eel - The filling just way too salty I will give Kingyo another try when I am in the area. Nothing really wow me. Maybe other items on the menu are much better?! read more

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Kingyo came from the famed original spot in Vancouver. The one in Vancouver is constantly on the top Japanese restaurants out west. Seeing how I love izakayas, I had to try Kingyo and see how it was compared to my favourite Guu. I would say Kingyo is far more bigger in size and capable of handling large tables without issues. The space is clean but like most izakayas... dark and with very little lighting. The use of tree stumps for table legs is cute touch as well as the Pachinko machine screens on the walls. There is a large bar space so if you want to sit and watch the sushi chef make the food, there is ample space. Service here is mostly good as they're quite a few of them but they're zooming EVERYWHERE. To grab their attention might be a bit hard cause they're often running to somewhere else. BUT they do clear your dishes the moment you're done... I've only seen sneaky speeds like this when a dog is trying to sneak bacon. They do refill your tea often and I do appreciate that. Also, they're more than happy to be help tell you the specials and best dishes on the large menu. The menu was missing a few izakaya classic... gomaee, takoyaki, or okonomiyaki. If anything, it had a few more sushi and sashimi offerings than other spots. They do have the good karaage, grilled squid, and ebi mayo that is on most menus. I would recommend to take a look at the specials menu... sometimes you'll spot something very unusual and grab it while you can. Also they do have a phenomenal deal on oysters... $12 for 6 or $24 for 12! Sizzling Mekabu Agedashi Tofu - If you love mushrooms, savoury notes, or umami, this would be your dish. This was just amazing... custard silken tofu are fried and lightly crisp. Then a whole bowl of amazing mushrooms (shiitake, enoki, and shimeji) are braised and create this amazing sauce ... it's then poured on top of the tofu that sits in a stone bowl. It's a bubbling bowl of goodness. 5/5 Karaage chicken - Chicken leg is used for this particular dish and it is pretty good. Thick tender and generous pieces are coated and deep fried. I found the coating to be thinner and not as crispy as Guu's. It did come with 3 different salts... some are nuanced but it's still salt. 3.5/5 Fried Brussels Spouts and Bacon - They should call this dish Bacon and Spouts... honestly. I think there was as much good crunchy bacon pieces as they were sprouts. The flavour was really good with the sweet and salty soya sauce with a mild kick of heat from the spices. It is definitely an oily dish so for those who don't like that... you might want to stay away. But who can say no to bacon?? 4/5 Waygu steak cooked table side on hot stone - Novelty... absolutely. Fun... oh yes. Well priced for ridiculously fatty juicy meat... uh huh. I was surprised that we got 8 pieces of Wagyu. Easily around 4 ozs ... though it was not like the A5 kobe pieces, each piece was super tender and flavourful. Just little great bites of fatty beef. Warning... the stone does cool quickly so put on the fattiest and thickest piece immediately and keep cooking!. 4/5 Spicy chopped tuna battera - This was far better than it was described. A nice bold spicy sauce is mixed in with tuna, green onions, avocado, spicy wasabi dressing, and topped with tobiko & tempura bits. It had tender and crunchy parts. Just really good. It was also quite a large amount ... great size to share. 4.5/5 Matcha creme Brûlée - One of the favourites at Kingyo and I can see why. It is a petite dessert that reminds you of matcha ice cream but a bit more creamier. I also like how it has caramelized ice shards in it. The addition of the cream and berry topping puts it over the top. It was sweet but not overly sweet. Just enough to satisfy a sweet tooth. 4/5 Overall, I do like Kingyo better than Kinka's. I find Kingyo more about the atmosphere and food quality compared to Kinka's. Its like the older family oriented brother to Kinka. Guu is still my favourite izakaya with it's amazing tastes and dishes but Kingyo is deserving of love as well! Yes read more

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Came here to try out their famous makunouchi bento set for lunch (they only have 15 sets each day!), which came with a selection of 9 dishes with rice, miso soup and 2 sides. The waitress explained to us that the 9 dishes vary each week so theres always something new to look forward to. A little on the pricey side ($25 for the set) but the quality of the food was definitely worth it. My favourite was the sashimi selection, the fish was super fresh and it literally felt like it melted in my mouth. The ambience of the restaurant makes you feel like youre in a hidden japanese night club which was pretty cool, not your average japanese restaurant for sure! I read on previous yelp reviews that you should check out their washrooms (which i did, lol!) The decor was really unique and definitely worth checking it out. Theres so many other items on their menu I want to try so I will definitely come back again. read more

Kingyo Izakaya - Japanese Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

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Solid lunch specials. I've been here for dinner a little while back. I think in terms of value, you want to come here for lunch. Dinner was a bit expensive for the portions. However, regardless of time of day, the service is consistently attentive but not overbearingly so. If I were to dissect each dish of my makunouchi lunch set, it would take way too long. Overall, for quality, taste, presentation, and value, I would say a solid 4 stars. I'm definitely coming back for the sashimi lunch combo! read more

Had a nice dinner here for a friend's birthday on Saturday night. It gets crowded so reservations are a must. The menu is extensive with a lot of unique dishes to Kingyo. Unlike other izakayas found in Toronto, it's not too loud so you can actually carry on a conversation without having to lose your voice. I was impressed with the drink menu as they offered a lot of interesting cocktails - my favourite would have to be the yuzu mojito. I took photos of some of the items that we ordered; since it's all tapas here, there are too many items to list, but a couple of items that I would recommend are the steak on a hot stone (very cool looking), chicken wings, and the pork rice bowl. I would skip the tomato+kimuchi dish as it was super bland (in spite of the kimuchi). Anyway, can't wait to come back during their lunch hour. Good for: groups, Japanese, tapas, drinks read more

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