Ichigo Ichie Izakaya

The ramen portions are very generous, especially the quantity of meat! Though, the broth is a little salty (normal salt chosen) and not particularly distinctive. The service is unquestionably excellent! 🍜Quality: 3/5 🔢Quantity: 5/5 💁‍♀️Service: 5/5 ⭐️Overall: 3.5/5

Best Vegan Ramen 🍜 in town. Great experience, excellent service. I always choose the Vegetarian broth, Vegan noodles, green onions, seaweed, extra tofu, bamboo and corn 😋😋😋 love also the extra toppings and spices you can add on top

We went here on a Tuesday at around 7pm and were lucky enough to get seated immediately without reservation. The place is definitely busy, so you probably should get a reservation. We got seated in the bar area, where it was a little dark, but that’s probably the vibe they are going for. We got a couple of sides, the chicken karaage and ebi mayo (shrimp tempura with puffed noodles, mayo, almonds). I liked the sauce that came with the karaage, and also found the puffed noodles fun to eat. You get to customize your ramen with different broth options, noodles, toppings. We got the Tonkotsu ramen with pork belly and thin noodles. The pork belly just melts in the mouth, lovely broth and noodles. This is one of the best ramens I have tasted. For dessert, we got the matcha tiramisu and the matcha icecream with mochi filled with red bean paste. Both desserts were delicious. The matcha icecream has a very fancy presentation. Our waiter James was friendly, answered our questions and provided good recommendations. Service was pretty quick as well. You pay with your phone by scanning a bar code on your table, which is pretty nifty. While it’s a bit on the expensive side, it was a great experience!

Restrictions are lifted (hopefully for good!) and it’s time for another review =) Ichigo Ichie Izakaya doesn’t show much from outside, but trust me, inside… it’s a discovery!!! The decor is exquisite, the uniforms are beautiful and the design of the place, lock, stock and barrel, is magnificent. I truly loved my experience here, kind of felt like I was in Tokyo! The food was fabulous. I had Ramen 🍜 and in comparison to one of the places I usually go (Kinton Ramen), their Ramen is something else. Give it a shot and you won’t regret it. Just be careful how much you eat as you can quickly get to the burst point here 😄

My girlfriend and I went there based on her previous experience of the place. It's been there for many years and has acquired a very good reputation of THE place to go to for ramen soups. Since I had was on a business trip in Montreal, we decided to stop there for dinner. The place is pretty big, with a main split-level and an upper level. Reservations are highly recommended as the place was packed when went there, to the point that there was a line-up outside (and this was a week day). When you get seated, you are provided with a sheet of paper to "build" your ramen soup, and order any additional items. we naturally had ramen soups and a side of Karaage as a starter. All was great, tasty and well presented. It was very filling as the soups are quite large and had a lot of meat in them. I also found a keto-friendly type of noodle which I especially appreciated. We even found a wine from a domain that was just 30mn away from where I used to live in France and that I've known since I was a kid... anecdotal, but nice to see wine you know in the wine list. As a side note, that offer a good selection of privately imported wines. Service was great, but a bit on the slow side. Granted, the place was very busy but we wished we hadn't finished our first drink before the food arrived. I would recommend you visit this restaurant, we had a great time and the food was admittedly very good. A reputation well earned!

We tried tapas and yuzu Sapporo, the experience was great. The appetizers that we enjoyed were takiwasa and grilled octopus. The rest tbh they did not meet my expectations. However the service was so good that overall deserved a 5

They have amazing tapas and drinks! A lot of vegetarian options. Also very good desserts! The environment is very warm and the ambiance is great! The staffs are super friendly :)

Great discovery in the heart of the Plateau Mont-Royal. The restaurant reminds me Tokyo kind of Izakaya. The food was really delicious and the service was excellent. Highly recommended for a group meal!

My friend recommended this place and I was hungry. I checked out the menu on yelp and and immediately saw, chicken karaage and it was a big yes for me. On the outside the restaurant doesn't seem so big but once you walk in, it's another world. There are two side to the restaurant. On the right dining section it's a ramen house. In the left, it's a la carte (but you could still order ramen. A la carte side is what we went with. My friend and I were able to share the different dishes that we ordered: Chicken karaage (so good especially that wasabi aioli) Chicken skewers. Tempura With a side of rice, we enjoyed the food and it was just the right amount for two people to enjoy. The staff was very pleasant and helpful. If you're looking for a place late at night, check this place out. Njoy!

Jon Batiste, Toronto/Montreal, Uneasy Tour Road Trip Food Stop #3: Pre Concert Meal Montreal! Yes! I was on an 1100 mile (look I'm an American and I don't do Metric...) round trip loop starting and ending in Hartland, Vermont and spending one night with dinner and lunch outings, in Montreal. Pretty sure I've been in Montreal before. But also pretty sure it was so long ago I cannot pinpoint what decade that might have been...LOL I love a road tip tho. And I do spend some time planning out every move I make, most importantly my meals. Two things: I want to know where I'm going to eat and I do not want to "waste" time/money/calories on a meal with no forethought or a seriously disappointing meal. So I spent some time on Yelp browsing Montreal restaurants and I focused on Asian cuisine, because that's my jam. The restaurant scene in Montreal seemed a little strange, but there were Japanese options and I was actually kind of excited when I found Ichigo Ichie. I mean Japanese Pub?? Seemed like a genius idea. Spoiler Alert: It Is! I am that person who not only plans where I am going to eat, I also plan my actual meal. I review menus, I make preliminary item choices. I don't eat beef, pork or poultry, so some level of planning is always required. Particularly if I'm going to eat somewhere that identifies as a "Pub." Pubs are not necessarily known for their embrace of "meatless." You know? I read online menus for Ichigo Ichie and there were actually some things I really wanted to try. Plus they had small plates. Which is my jam. I always want to try as many different things as I can when I eat out and I'm that friend who is so commitment phobic I can't even commit to an entree for dinner. No. Really. Let me graze and snack! It looked promising at Ichigo Ichie. I drove from Toronto to Montreal and found parking right on the street on the same block (which I'm thinking might not be unusual for Canadians/Quebecois, but was kind of shocking for me!). I arrived shortly after they opened and was able to get a seat at the bar. There are multiple dining rooms and levels here and I feel like the lower Ramen spaces is probably amazing. There was no way I could eat a bowl of Ramen pre-concert and with Hot Flashes...but that situation looked TOP NOTCH. Take the whole "pub thing" seriously folks. I feel like I did not and this spot FILLED UP and became insanely loud. Which, if I'm saying it was loud, means probably unbearable for most everyone else. Service was good, but everyone got to where they were RUNNING because it was crazy. LOL Sake list is limited, but pretty good. Much better than most places. So my dining experience was sort of evenly split between being disappointed because I'd somehow ordered a dish with flavors I work with at my own spot every day (I want completely different flavors when I'm eating out) and meh Age Dashi Tofu to being SUPER INTO an amazing damn Daikon Salad (I. LOVE. Salads. Most especially when someone else makes them for me and they are intricate and have complex flavors and an interesting variety of ingredients) and the most delicious and satisfying Udon Carbonara (which they made meatless for me!). Not gonna lie. That Udon Carbonara had my attention all the way from Vermont before I ever got in the car to start that 1100 mile loop and it did NOT disappoint. Some delicious stuff happening here. Also staff is fully bilingual. But this is a local spot in the middle of a residential neighborhood. Which is the kind of place you WANT to be going to! Genius concept. Excellent execution. Great Local Vibes. Next Time: Ramen!

This place is rad. I have been three times, every time the food was great. They know what menu items to keep as staples and what to rotate seasonally. My favourite drink is the Shiso Sour which always tasted the same between visits. My favourite menu item is their noodle carbonara, which they served once with udon and once with ramen. Both times it was great, it seems like they were trying to see which noodle suited the dish more and I think it was wise to switch to the thinner noodle. It's always worth it to try lots of different things. I would double up on favourites depending how many people you are sharing with. I would suggest one noodle, one fish/seafood appetizer, a tartare/crudo/tataki type appetizer, karaage or another fried item, and hot beef or pork main. The prices are very fair for the quality of the food, your dollar can go far while trying lots of different foods. There is also an extensive ramen menu which I will try when I go back. The service is quick and reliable, the staff are knowledgeable and helpful when it comes to the menu, and items arrive to the table quickly. This place is already busy and doesn't need more praise, but I just want to commend them on the quality of their food and service. The high patronage is deserved.

Great food, cocktails, and service. We came with a group and shared a ton of dishes. Nothing disappointed.

Great ramen, on par with what you can buy in Japan. The plates arrived promptly and the staff had a good attitude. I would recommend going during the day because the place is much more relaxing when it's not noisy.

Really bumping spot! Small place that always seems to have a line! Gréât izakaya place in the Plateau. Lots of options and varieties of fish and you can even order ramen from their neighbouring sister restaurant! Came with friends and we shared a few dishes, loved the salmon tartare - the crunchy chips were amazing! Marinated squid was another hit as well as the unagi bowl - loved the variety of vegetables and accompaniments. Really cool Japanese influence cocktails. I got a whisky cocktail that came with red wine, was instructed not to stir it. It was a little weird at first, but once the red wine was all gone it was very good! Ended the meal with matcha tiramisu, who doesn't love tiramisu? Would love to come again to try the black sesame version!

This place blew my mind! I thought it was going to be like any other Japanese restaurant but their dishes all have a unique twist. A must go restaurant in Montreal! We ordered the 1. Short ribs on hot stone 2. Unagi bowl 3. Daikon salad The idea of cooking thinly sliced shorts ribs on a hot stone yourself is so exciting! It really adds to the experience. The meat was also marinated to perfection... so tasty, I love Japanese BBQ! The Unagi (eel) bowl was perfect. They gave you so much Unagi and I love that it came with different types of pickled vegetables. I like Unagi bowls but sadly they usually don't come with vegetables so I was fairly surprised how much vegetables and toppings this combo included. The best Unagi bowl I've had as a veggie lover! Daikon salad was so unique. I've never had a tofu salad like this before. The salad dressing I can't quite make out the ingredients but it was amazing. I love each ingredients they used for the salad - it was such a wonderful combination. It had so much texture. We devoured everything we ordered. This was the best meal had in Montreal. Definitely make a reservation since this place gets packed during dinner time.

We made a reservation at 8:00 pm on a Saturday night. It was pretty busy. The reservations are only for the izakaya so we couldn't try the ramen unfortunately but next time! We ordered a bunch of dishes, and honestly everything was SO good. There was not a single dish that I did not like. I particularly loved the miso black cod - it was seasoned well and cooked to perfection! Everything else (Takowasu, Takoyaki, Salmon Tartare, Fried Chicken, Udon Carbonara) was delicious too. This Izakaya might even be better than some I've tried in toronto! Service was really good. I'll definitely be back here!

I appreciate that there's an authentic izakaya in Montreal! They really make an effort by greeting all customers with a loud shot when they enter and leave. Not something I see in a lot of Japanese restaurants outside of Japan, especially when most of the staff isn't Japanese. I lined up with my friend at Yokato Yokabai Thursday evening, hoping to eat some ramen, but was told by the guy who came to put our names down that the wait was at least an hour. He recommended that we go next door to Ichigo Ichie and put our name down there as well, since they share the same kitchen and serve the same ramen. I did that, and found to my surprise that they will also text you when your table is ready, unlike Yokato Yokabai where you have to physically wait in line. At Ichigo Ichie, I was quoted a wait time of 45 minutes to 1.5 hours but decided to put my name down anyways, and to my surprise I got a text saying my table was ready not even 30 minutes later at 8:20! I was waiting nearby in my lodging and was able to get to the restaurant quickly. Once I was there, I was seriously tempted by some of their cocktails, but since I was planning to get ramen, I thought it'd be weird to mix the two and refrained. One thing I noticed about the menu is that it's very vegetarian friendly, both from the izakaya side of things as well as on the ramen menu. They offer both a sesame and mushroom based broths for vegetarians and even vegan noodles, which I rarely see. I got the salmon tartar ($18) to start, and that was phenomenal. The salmon was marinated with a ginger soy sauce, the nori chips had a strong wasabi flavor to them, and the avocado dip paired really well with the salmon and the chips. I thoroughly enjoyed every single bite of this. I appreciated that the ramen was completely customizable, from the level of saltiness of the broth to the toppings and garnishes. They have blank menus at each table, and you can mark whatever you want. I got a tonkotsu ramen ($18) with thin noodles, less salty broth, pork belly, seaweed, and a full egg (+$1). I also added bamboo shoots for another $1. I tried to get thick noodles but was told they currently aren't available. I have mixed feelings about the ramen itself. I'll start with the good. The broth was light on the salt as I requested, and it did have a nice flavor. The eggs were perfectly marinated and soft boiled with runny yolk. They were generous with the bamboo shoots and I got more than I expected. Now onto the bad. Some of my noodles clumped together, which I've never experienced at a ramen restaurant. Whoever was cooking my noodles didn't fully separate them out. The pork belly, however, was the biggest disappointment. I was super excited to see two giant slices in my bowl when I first got the ramen, but the inner bits of both pieces were super tough and overcooked, to the point where I was considering not finishing it. You can either pay directly on the website by scanning the QR code, or the servers can also bring the check to the table and you can tap your credit card. I'd love to come back and try their cocktails and some of the other items on the izakaya menu!

The food is good, but if you want to be quick and eat your food and leave, this is NOT the place. We got here around 6:30pm on a Thursday night not knowing that we could've made reservations. We waited until 7:50pm to be seated. It took a while for them to take our order. We ordered 5 food items: Ebi Shrimp - Excellent! Would order again. Carbonara Udon - Also excellent. Great value. Waygu Beef - For $55, there were some fattier parts that should have been trimmed off and leave only the marbled parts. Was delicious but wouldn't get again. Ramen - the ramen here is NOT it. It's just not. The noodles weren't that good and neither was the broth. Lots of pork though. Wouldn't get this again Matcha Tiramisu - THE BEST matcha tiramisu I've ever had. 100% delicious and worth it. A few critiques on the service: - server didn't check on us regularly, but she was taking shots with other patrons - the hostess didn't mention to us that there is a place for our coats (would've been helpful information) - food took a long time to come out, and they came one at a time - we left finally around 9:50pm and we usually NEVER spend 2 hours at restaurants

Such a cute hole in the wall restaurant with really tasty ramen. We had a few appetizers and drinks along with dessert to end the night. This place is usually very packed! Great service overall

I adored this place. Everything was on point from the dishes, desserts, and drinks. The decor was great as well. You can build your own bowl of ramen and choose the type of noodles, broth, protein, and veggies. I had a Nashi it's was amazing. Very yummy cocktail with lavender. The takoyaki(octopus fritters) was also one of the best I've ever tried as well. The karaage was very good, not the absolute best I've ever had but still high up on the list. Honorable mention: the matcha tiramisu was actually to die for if your a matcha lover (drools)

Great ambience and a fine selection of cold and hot tapas. I recommend going with a small group so you can try more options! Be sure to make a reservation. Favourite dishes were the ebi mayo, sashimi sanpular (sashimi sampler plate) and karaage with wasabi mayo. Drinks were delicious too: Mango Majin Buu is dangerously good, same goes for the Tokyo Sour. Enjoy!

There's a reason we went to this place twice in the 1 week we visited Montreal! It was right around the corner from our hotel, and after going the first time, I understood why there was a line out the door! So many unique and tasty drinks first of all - I loved loved the lavender/elderberry cocktail and my husband really enjoyed the beer he got too. We sat right up at the bar and their online pay system makes it so convenient to order and just come and go. A couple of vegetarian options for ramen, and it was pretty good! Flavorful soup, pretty standard overall I would say for ramen though. Lots of veggies which I appreciated. We also split the tempura veggies the second time we went which were good too, with a variety of veggies, but I don't really feel like enough for it to be worth the price, so I was a bit dissapointed by that. But overall, the service is really friendly and quick, amazing unique drinks and tasty ramen, creative desserts. Highly recommend you drop by! Ramen cannot be ordered if you make a reservation, just a heads up! Just go ahead and drop by for that!

Loved our meal here and the staff. Surprised by how large their space is with fairly unassuming signage. Glad we popped in!

If I could give 6 stars I would! Amazing food and service. We got two drinks, takoyaki, two bowls of ramen, and matcha tiramisu for dessert. Everything was wonderful, our server even brought over complimentary shooters because she thought our drinks took a bit long (we didn't even notice it had been "too long"). Can't say enough great things - if you are in Montreal you must try!!

This is THE place to be for ramen and that's why there's always a waitlist whenever we go. If only we live near Montreal, I would probably have ramen every week. We took a weekend trip once and ate here twice. It's hands down one of the best ramen I've ever had. The tonkotsu broth is savory and very rich in flavor. Noodles were made to perfection. Meat was very tend. Their karaage was also pretty good. Since they're always busy, service might be slow at times but that's understandable. Staff was attentive and pleasant. It could be loud at times also. Overall, we always have a great time here so it's definitely worth the wait and would recommend it.

I've been there several times, really good. I really enjoyed the Carbonara udon. One of the best ramen place

Amazing Japanese food. 10/10 noodle soup. Excellent desserts! Excellent services. Friendly staffs. Good ambiance. Love it. One of the best Japanese cuisine. Highly recommended!

Exceptional cuisine at a very reasonable price. We ordered a range of food and everything was delicious. Gyu Tataki (beef) and Yatai Ika (squid) we're outstanding. This restaurant is very popular, plan ahead!

The sesame broth is amongst the best I've tasted in the city. Attention to detail, great ingredients and knowledgeable staff.

Rated as one of the best ramen spots in Montreal, so I decided to give it a shot. Busy spot with dim lighting, pretty simple lay out with tall tables and bar stools. Bar sits at the entrance but you cannot order from the bartenders unless you already have a bar seat for food, which was kind of a bummer deal. I started with a gin cocktail which was a bit strong, but I liked it. I got the karaage and the tonkotsu ramen. The karaage was definitely the highlight of the meal. The chicken was fried perfectly, and really didn't mess the mayonnaise. The put some lemon over it which I thought was a nice touch and gave it another level of flavor. The ramen was great, but nothing I would rank; maybe I was there on an off-night. The soft boiled egg was a bit overcooked. And maybe I'm used to American portions, but I left the place still a bit hungry even after my app and my ramen. Either way, the karaage was delicious and I definitely recommend trying it if you go.

A popular restaurant with the twenty something crowd, make sure you make a reservation, or else you will wait a while. We enjoyed our food, and the highlights were the salmon tartare and the beef short ribs, which you cook at your table. Prices are very reasonable. You share 5-6 dishes amongst 2 people. One thing which I didn't like was that if you make a reservation, you cannot order from the ramen menu. It is supposed to be so good, so was disappointed that we could not try it. Perhaps they should change the policy, so that you can order 2 dishes, and then have the ramen.

We were starving after being out all day. The crew wanted ramen so we Ubered over to Ichigo Ichie/Yokato Yokabai. They share the same digs but we sat on the Ichigo Ichie side. We dropped in on a Sunday evening (around 8:00pm) and put our group of 15 on the wait list. There was no chance we'd get seated together so we split up our group to increase our chances/lessen our wait time. The place was bumping and the crowd a fun mix of students and young professionals. Didn't realize the place was so big; if you walk down the stairs, there's even more seating. Service is friendly, young and enthusiastic. Makes for a fun, vibrant ambience. The menu is izakaya style; appetizers, salad, cold, hot, fried, noodle & rice and dessert. There's a separate ramen menu from the YY side; pick your broth, toppings, noodles and extras. A bit odd that you can't order thick noodles after 6:00pm. For the ramen, they bring out four condiments; garlic, sesame seeds, pickled ginger and chili oil. - Premium select Gekkeikan sake haiku (~$36.00) - I can't remember exactly how much this bottle cost. Surprisingly, for a Gekkeikan, it was reasonably smooth. Good to share between four. - Tonkotsu ($14.50) - for my bowl, I opted for the cha shu and thin noodles. Kept it simple to see how their ramen is in its purest form. My buddies did the same. Verdict = very, very close to what you get in Japan. Broth was fantastic; rich, hearty with good depth and flavour. Noodles had a satisfying toothsome bite. Everyone devoured their bowls. Easily the best ramen I've had in Montreal. 4.5 stars.

Wow! What a fabulous meal and time I had at this gem! I am so glad I finally made it there after having it bookmarked for months!!!! I give it a well deserved five stars for food, service, ambiance and presentation. We had: tuna, fried calamari with salt and pepper which was absolutely delicious, the beef was even more delicious and we were also given a plaque to fry the meat. Let's not forget to mention the best part of the meal... the desert!!!! I had such a hard time what to order since I was debating between 2-3 items . I ended up ordering the matcha tiramisu and it was to die for. I hope you get the chance to go there at least once in your life and have the same experience I did. Tip: rsvp before going since it's a very popular restaurant even on a Tuesday night ;-)

Super delicious meal. The croquettes were deep fried to perfection and the sauce paired really well with the dish. The carbonara udon was creamy and flavourful and the onsen egg on top was cooked to perfection. The unagi don was really tasty as well. The miso cod was so flaky and tender but slightly oversalted. The parfait with the red bean taiyaki was amazing. The matcha and black sesame ice cream was incredibly tasty and aromatic.

My boyfriend and I ended up here almost by accident and we are so thankful that we did! When we got here they told us we may have to wait up to 45 minutes, which we agreed to, another move we didn't regret! The food was amazing and rather unexpected, the staff was friendly and knowledgeable. We enjoyed every bite of every plate!! Good environment for a date or a fun night out with friends!

Best Ramen broth. You should definitely try it out. Also they have amazing cocktails.

Amazing ramen. The broth is just divine. Reminds me of ramen I had in japan. The appetizers were so-so, but I'd go back for that ramen again and again. I took "normal" for salty level and green onion level and it was perfect.

Great but slow service, understandable because it was so busy. Food was lovely! Appetizers - tuna was amazing, Maki was not my favourite (not really a fish person in the first place, could just be me). Ramen had the biggest pork belly I've seen! Tasty thick tonkatsu broth. Can't complain.

This is a must place if you like noodle soups. I recommend that you get here early, and that you are ready to wait. I suggest once you get on the waiting list you stay for a drink or look for something to do on St. Denis street. It is worth it! One experience I like to share about this place is when I was dinning here with two other friends. We were finishing our soups and suddenly a waiter asked us if we had any inconvenience in moving to a smaller table. He explained his demand so he could sit 6 people where we were at that moment. We did not hesitate. Not two minutes went by and the waiter offered us something on the house for the trouble. These gestures make you feel like home. The other part is you can customize your Noodles. I will always recommend a place where the food stays personal, the sake is good, and when its more about the experience than just eating.

Came back again!!!! XD This time even though I told my friend that my mom's braised pork is better, he insisted on trying it anyway because he never tasted it before so we ordered it along with my favs: king oyster mushrooms, salmon tartar w mthfkn tempura nori crackers (omagerd!) smoked duck breast and of course, the ice cream & mochi dessert. We also had some cocktails & sake. The waitress was very nice & helpful (I mean, the staff here is always so great anyway) I already knew I'd like it as it's one of my go-to spots and my friend, it was his first time, liked it too so I thought Id post some more pics just because.

Visiting Montreal for the weekend and Ichigo Ichie was one of the restaurants that came highly recommended by local friends. This restaurant really did not disappoint! I love the restaurants atmosphere, very picturesque, intimate, although it can get on the louder end its nothing over the top. The service was amazing. Can I please give a special acknowledgement of our waitress Sue? She is the tiniest, funniest, sweetest thing ever! She was so knowledgeable of the menu gave great suggestions and was just really attentive despite it being a packed house! We opted for the negima , butabara, kinoko udon, and zuke don! Everything was delicious but the butabara (pork skewer) was seasoned so well I would have had 5 more! And I was basically licking the bowl of kinko udon! For dessert my friend could not stop looking at what was coming out of the kitchen which resulted in us getting the donuts from the their fall menu. I have a sweet tooth so really didn't contest too much and they were delicious. Honestly I would come back Montreal just for this food! Thank you guys

Ichigo Ichie is literally down the hall from Yokato Yokobai - this small Japanese bar is located right off of Rachel, and offers a variety of hot and cold appetizers, as well as hot and cod dishes. The hubs and I came early in the evening, and while there was a queue, there wasn't much direction or notification the host. It was really based on an honor system who arrived first, and who should be seated next. I personally enjoyed their homemade yuzu sorbet, as it had pieces of the yuzi rind and it was tangy, sour, citrus-like, and refreshing. Some may opt out of dining at Yokato Yokobai and just walk down the hall to order small plates; however, others may bypass the bar area to just focus on the ramen. Restrooms are located down the narrow small-stepped stairs. +down the hall from Yokato Yokobai +small Japanese plates +MIA host

Got this delivered. Ramen was great, best delivered ramen ever. Got the one with pork broth, creamy and delightful! Thick noodles were great. Vegetables were fine, but not wow (could have been better however since I selected that over meat). I loved the amount of customization available, too! However, the appetizers didn't come out well : pork belly skewers & oyster mushrooms were meh. Pork belly was overcooked. Mushrooms were soggy, kind of cold. I would like to believe however that with the right selection, this would be a 5/5. I shall be back and try it again! :)

A nice space with friendly staff and awesome food! My husband and I ordered their torched mackerel, garlic fried rice, carbonara udon and karaage. Torched mackerel - amazing and unique flavors of eating each hand torched mackerel with a slice of lemon and kiwi. The staff hand torch it at the table, and the torched mackerel tastes so good with the acidity of the lemon and sweetness from the kiwi! The flavor combo blew our minds! Garlic fried rice - delicious and not clumpy! It has great garlic flavors and sesame, and the most surprising element is the ume that gives the fried rice an unique fragrance! Carbonara udon - nicely cooked and chewy udon!! It was such a good texture. Overall flavor was good and doesn't feel too heavy. Karaage - batter was a bit heavy for our taste, overall the chicken was well seasoned and tender. If we lived in Montreal, it would be one of our staple izakayas for sure! I think this place might be better than some popular izakayas in Toronto!

This is the best Ramen place I ever been so far. The soup base is just amazing. You can totally taste the high quality and the hours of cooking for the soup. The Ramen noodles taste fresh made. And the half cooked egg just melt in your mouth. The service is pretty fast. And Bartenders are very nice and friendly. The green tea tiramisu and Macaroon are so delicious. The matcha on both taste very authentic. It gives you a real authentic Japanese food experience. I will definitely come back. I can have the ramen everyday

The food is lovely, we had the octopus fritters, ramen and the black sesame tiramisu, the tiramisu is a must-have. More than anything we enjoyed the service; at our table we were given paper ramen order forms and a pen (so we didn't have to order out loud, we just handed them the forms) the light was golden/low, the music was conversation-speed beat-heavy rhythms instead of lyrics/annoying music, you could pay/order from the table using a QR code, and they seemed to have enough staff to not place too much of a burden on their servers/employees. Our server was wonderful, I didn't catch her name but she had lovely angel-wing back tattoos. The bathroom was very quiet and clean. The whole experience was very friendly to me and my friend's neurodivergent needs, i would definitely recommend this place to other autistic people :) Thank you!!!

After tasting the ramen in the small shop right inside named Yokato Yokabai, I left with very good memories of good ramen from Japan. Remembering this, I was itched to try the other restaurant. And then voila, the moment presented! My friend decided to organize her birthday in that restaurant on a Saturday evening. Being a large group, we had access to the higher floor, where they were able to reserve for about 25 people. So let's get to business now! Going in and checking the menu, I was kinda overwhelmed by the prices, I mean 12$ for small plates is kinda a big ask IMO. But that did not stop me and I was determined to try to get my nostalgic vibes from Japan again. After all, I decided to go for a few plates including a plate of beef where you can cook it yourself, a plate of fish belly, and many others that I cannot remember, unfortunately. I have to admit, it was good, but not outstanding, especially all things considered such as the pricing and the amount of food. The vibes at the restaurant were also very nice! Overall, I'll give it 4 stars, 1 lost because of value.

This may be my favorite bowl of ramen to date & I've had my fair share of ramen in NYC, San Francisco, San Jose, and San Diego! I came here on a recommendation of a friend of a friend. Came in on a Friday night around 6pm & waited about 15 min for a table for 2. Loved the option to customize your ramen! Especially loved the options you have for seasoning which comes out in portable containers (see picture) & where you can add as much as you want :) The soup base is PHENOMENAL. I generally don't drink much of the soup after, but I couldn't help myself to consuming every last bit in this case. The noodles were also perfectly cooked in my opinion & everything came together so well. It was a packed restaurant & had a bar vibe to it. I enjoyed the hustle & bustle of the clearly hardworking servers and appreciated the attentiveness when they had a moment to spare. 10/10 would go back if I ever find myself in Montreal again!

Alright! I came here to celebrate a friend's birthday as a party of 8. I am a regular at Yokato Yokabai, and this was my first time on this side of the restaurant. If you specifically want ramen, they seat you in Yokato Yokabai, and if you want an Izakaya menu, then they'll seat you in Icho Ichie. I had their Kinoku Udon, which was well done, but I thought the portions were too small. It was also quite pricey, which I was slightly disappointed about. I am also not crazy about the ambiance; it is loud, hot, and dark. The server looked like she wasn't happy to be working there, although she remembered our names and efficiently took our orders. They do, however, have an interesting 'Ginger Sapporo', which is essentially a slice of ginger in Sapporo beer for a $1 surcharge. It was an alright experience, but I was not crazy about the ambiance. The portions are a little small, but very tasty!

The decor, atmosphere and service are the reasons I'm not giving this place 3 stars. Our waitress was nice, attentive and using her iPad, remembered our names and our orders. Our waters were frequently filled up. It's a VERY LOUD and HOT restaurant so if you're a big group around the large rectangular tables on the top floor, chances are you'll only hear the people next to you while sweating buckets. Dress lightly. Overall, I found it overpriced. I had one cocktail (mango & berry) and ordered the ebi mayo and the albacore tuna sashimi for $43 (including tip). The ebi mayo is essentially 2 shrimp tempura cut up with mayo and some fried noodles... it was ok, kind of bland. The tuna was delicious, fresh and paired really well with the pink peppercorns. I got to try the garlic and pepper edamame which was delicious. The deep-fried calamari appetizer burst in flavour and the beef sirloin rice bowl tasted pretty good. Props on plating too - creative visuals using gorgeous plates. Again, just overpriced. Fun vibes, great service and would consider returning if I wasn't paying!!

Heard many good things about this place so I decided to finally try it out. First off, the shime saba (torched mackerel) was fantastic. It was served with torched kiwi as well, which was a strange mix, but the servers torch it in front of you. Quite a show! Though this is only after they forgot about our order and I had to remind the servers. Most of the food we ordered were below average compared to other Izakayas. For example their takoyakis were extremely mushy and had very little octopus in it. The menu is beyond overpriced for its quality. The reason why I gave it 2 stars was the absolute terrible service. I've never felt so attacked in my life. We were one of the first customers to walk in at opening (5pm) and they were already in a bad mood. At the door, one of the servers rudely told us to wait at the door to be seated, talking over my question, which was "can we eat Ramen in this side of the restaurant?". Throughout the night, the servers only did what they had to do, serve the food without looking or explaining the said dish, ignored me to the point I had to foolishly wave both arms in the air to get the 4th waiter's attention. There were only 2 great waiters this visit that did their job correctly, but honestly, 0 stars on service for the rest of the staff of about 5 people. Terrible terrible terrible. We were expecting to drink and enjoy our time tonight, but instead we felt very unwelcomed and had to finish off our night elsewhere.

The boozy brother of Yokato Yokabai, this Izakaya has a wide menu of classic Japanese dishes and beautiful punchy cocktails with a lot of floral depth. My favorite cocktail is the Tokyo Sour, it comes with a smoked cherry and I could see they add smoke to cocktails on the spot using a smoking gun and that has inspired me to be more adventurous in my home kitchen with smoke. They have two vegan items on their menu, apart from the vegan ramen of course, and these are the agedashi tofu and the the yasai tempura. I'd love to see even more vegan items on the menu, but regardless, this is my all time loved Izakaya in Montreal, and the lines speak for themselves.

I usually go for ramen there, but I finally decided to try the izakaya menu. I was definitely not disappointed. Everything we ate was great! I especially loved the takoyaki. The salmon tartare tasted very fresh, and it came with fried wasabi seaweed. I don't usually like wasabi but I enjoyed it. We had the Japanese ice cream sandwich and green tea tiramisu. Their desserts are incredible and it's partly what makes me come back! The prices and portions are reasonable, I don't know why people complain about it. It's worth every dollar.

Large variety of tapas to eat with your ramen. The takowasa is a bit salty. The burdock roots and the salmon tartare with the nori chips are a must. I love the fact that you can customise your ramen according to the salt level. The service is quite fast and the staff is friendly. Would recommend this place if you cant decide between the ramen from yokato yokabai next door or the tapas.

I came here for my mom's birthday. Since we were a group of 5 people, we decided to reserve ahead of time. Good thing we did because we skipped a line and got the spacious booth! The service was a bit slow throughout the night but the busboys were fast because the moment a plate was empty, they removed it from the table to make room for the next dish. We got the edamame (average), sa-mon tartaru (my favourite dish of all time), tako carpaccio (tasty, tender octopus), gyu tataki (good), kakuni (good but fatty), karaage (average), ebi mayo (really good and huge portion), nikujaga (savoury but can be soggy), kinoko udon (too salty), garlick fried raisu (biggest surprise of the night, amazing), zuke don (average). We were so full by the end of the night but very satisfied. I asked the waitress if they did anything special for birthdays, and she said no. However, she surprised us with a cake for my mom! It was very nice of them and greatly appreciated it. We ended up paying about $40 per person which I think is reasonable for the amount of food we got. I had a great experience here and would definitely come back! I cannot give a perfect score because we were not aware that if we reserved, we couldn't order ramen. We still enjoyed our dinner but it would have been nice to have the delicious ramen from the other side. For this reason, I do have to give 4.5/5 stars.

K. Yokato Yokabai shares this building? Anyhow, Best ramen found, thus far, in Montreal. On the pricey side, but worth it. Ambiance is thoughtful. Ambled through both main floor rooms, down one set of stairs to the restaurant, then down another set to the washroom and noodle making room. Great wall murals throughout. Looking forward to sharing with a friend, having a drink on the bar side, and a meal in the main restaurant.

Thanks to our Airbnb host for recommending us to this restaurant. Street parking available (in the residential zone). And please remember to make reservations, we wished we had done that before waiting about 30 minutes for a table. :) Also note there are 2 entrances to the restaurant. There's the ramen shop side and then there's the tapas side. Originally my partner and I wanted ramen but the line-up was so long we switched to the tapas. And we were glad we did because the tapas side includes ramen as part of their menu, yay! We ordered the chicken katsu as recommended by our Airbnb host. It was just simply Japanese fried chicken - made well but nothing too exciting - although the mayo type of sauce paired well with it! We also got a bowl of ramen - it was delicious!!! We have never seen the pork slices so thick and big - such a generous ramen shop (we were very satisfied!). The soup base and noodle itself were delicious as well, must have been made in house of course. We also ordered beef tataki. It reminded us of the one we ordered in Distillery District. It was very tasty as well. Lastly, the grilled calamari was worth trying - it was just quite a lot for 2 people though. These tapas would have been better if we came with a bigger group, so we can try a variety of their food. The barista was also very friendly as well. He recommended us a plum sake I think - I wanted something sweet! It was great. Overall, we had a great time eating here. We will come again when we visit Montreal again.

I've waited a bit of time to write this review because I am very torn. The longer I wait, though, the less I am bothered by the ramen mishap (see my review for Yokato Yokabai, which works with Ichigo in a collaborative menu to include ramen). I guess I would suggest not getting the ramen unless you're sitting in the ramen side (even though it is delicious!) Nonetheless, everything about Ichigo Ichie was fun and tasty. It's definitely a spot for those who are adventurous with food. My group of 6 luckily got seated right away on a Saturday night. The spot was packed, but the timing just worked out! We sat in a booth around the corner - not as good for people watching, but it made the space feel a bit more intimate. Ambiance is trendy and definitely feels like a izakaya in Japan, with all its unique dishes and fun atmosphere. Everything we ordered was delicious. Stand outs were the fried chicken and pork belly. Even the fried rice was innovative (beware, it has seeds!). The presentation of each dish was delightful. There are tons of ways to avoid getting the ramen and still be super satisfied.