KINKA IZAKAYA MONTREAL

We luckily got a table for four on a Saturday night. The place filled up shortly after. Fun menu. The big hits were the tempura prawns, fried calamari tentacles and fried oysters. The service was excellent. I didn’t get our server’s name. Long hair, green eyes, tattoo sleeve. They have a fun shot glass sake board for birthdays. They also offer free matcha cheesecake for birthdays. Clean and nice bathrooms. They even have mouthwash.

An out of the ordinary Japanese restaurant with a unique twist on its dishes. Although the menu is limited in choice, the chef could have expanded on it. The food is delivered rather quickly. The waiters can use a little more training and some smiles while serving or taking an order. And fix the toilet 😘

The atmosphere of the restaurant is great, especially the outdoor patio area in the summer. Service was excellent as well. Unfortunately, the food was extremely average despite being quite pricy. Selection was also limited and the portion sizes were small.

I really enjoyed the contemporary atmosphere, but outside of appearances, this restaurant is not up to par. I had their truffle ramen from the rotating menu, there wasn't no indication that I had anything different. Wasn't a fan of the broth, and in any scenario, it's just standard ramen. Honestly the best thing was the seaweed. For me, the main draw of Izakaya restaurants are the seasonal menus where the chefs can draw out their creativity, but their seasonal menu only had different kinds of sushi. . . and truffle ramen. The karaage was very crispy, moist on the inside, but it was really lacking flavour and the garlic mayo could not rescue it. For drinks, we got their neko punch, and it was also mediocre. It was empty when I came, and I could absolutely tell why.

Went to Montreal and decided to try this place for some sushi. It's surprisingly open late as well which I liked. We had the best waitress who was full of energy and gave us great recommendations. We got some sushi, ramen, and karage. The karage was amazing and definitely was the best thing there. The sushi and ramen were solid as well. We also got sake bombs which are insane at this restaurant. They have a full set and the waiters basically come and yell sake bomb while you bang your table and the sake that's sitting on the chopsticks falls into your beer. The overall vibe is really nice and was great for a Saturday night out. Would recommend for sure!

I personally had a mediocre experience. We were sat at the worst table that was wobbly and next to a large group of loud people even though I had made a reservation prior. Other tables were available and I do realize I should have asked for a different table. The drinks are really good but do not order the set menu. It’s boring and repetitive. Not any of the dishes had a wow factor and for a table d‘hôte you would expect the dishes to be better curated. I still think some of the other dishes might be delicious though. On another hand, the decor is very charming and the bathrooms are top tier. Visit the bathroom just for the experience you won’t regret it. Note that the music is very loud and it’s hard to hear each other talk. One thing that really bothered me though is the poor service. The dishes were served not in order, it took them very long to pick up empty plates and overall they looked like they did not want to be there. Léa was the only one that should be a server since she at least had the ability to smile and check on us a couple of times.

We came here on a Wednesday night, we didn't have any reservations but we didn't mind sitting at the "bar area". It's a cute little place that has an open chicken When we walked in, you can instantly see the interaction between the employees which I loved, they were calling out of each other when a customer was coming in or leaving and also when it came to food. The service was good, we ordered and the food came in pretty fast We ordered Miso soup, seaweed and tofu salad, veggie dumplings, udon carbonara and the salmon tataki. This is a tapas restaurant so the portions arent huge. My favorite was the udon carbonara is was creamy but not to heavy and also the veggie dumplings. The seaweed and tofu salad was not that good, there was barely any seaweed or even dressing in the salad, it was mostly mixed greens. And the salmon tataki was a tease there was only 4 pieces that we shared. We didn't get any drinks so I cannot comment on that. Overall it was good and not expensive, if you like to share good this is a good place but not the best Izakaya in Montreal. They also have locations in Toronto and New York.

The atmosphere here is clean, open, and casual. The service we were provided with was also top and one of the best. Everyone was so nice and the food was so good! I honestly recommend their cocktails too - I had the mojito lychee and it was the most refreshing cocktails ever. I wish I could try all their cocktails! For food, we ordered okonomiyaki to share, karaage curry, and sukiyaki curry udon. The price here is so reasonable and the portions are very large. If you haven't been DEFINITELY try!

Great izakaya! The food is delicious. The cocktails are really good. The atmosphere is lively.

A bustling izakaya in Montreal's Asian neighborhood. The service was quick and they were nice to let us keep the menu and order as we went a long. I really enjoyed the different cocktails that they had for happy hour. The Karage was excellent with the Japanese mayo and also the tuna tataki. The servers seemed to all be eager to help with orders and with an electronic mobile ordering system each waiter has. They also have online reservations. I recommend it if you're looking for a fun izakaya experience in Montreal. They have both indoor and outdoor dining options but we chose to dine indoors for the air conditioning.

Overall we genuinely enjoyed our experience very much. We went for lunch and were met with quick and friendly service. We suspect there are different items on the dinner menu which we are curious about trying in the future

We came here on a Wednesday night, we didn't have any reservations but we didn't mind sitting at the "bar area". It's a cute little place that has an open chicken When we walked in, you can instantly see the interaction between the employees which I loved, they were calling out of each other when a customer was coming in or leaving and also when it came to food. The service was good, we ordered and the food came in pretty fast We ordered Miso soup, seaweed and tofu salad, veggie dumplings, udon carbonara and the salmon tataki. This is a tapas restaurant so the portions arent huge. My favorite was the udon carbonara is was creamy but not to heavy and also the veggie dumplings. The seaweed and tofu salad was not that good, there was barely any seaweed or even dressing in the salad, it was mostly mixed greens. And the salmon tataki was a tease there was only 4 pieces that we shared. We didn't get any drinks so I cannot comment on that. Overall it was good and not expensive, if you like to share good this is a good place but not the best Izakaya in Montreal. They also have locations in Toronto and New York.

We went to the original one in toronto and that was A-MAZING!! So we wanted to give the montreal one a try but it was day and night. The food was still good but the original one definitely got this beat. We also wish there were more options on the menu, it was a bit limited. The calamari was sort of cold. The mackerel bento box was good, same as the eel pot. The salmon was a bit salty. The mackerel sushi was... different.

The staff is very nice however service isn't great as it's super slow. Sushi was great and very filling. The ramen dish with the pancake on it is the best. Little pricy but good spot! Sake bombs are really fun and a must-do here.

Our first place we ate at when we arrived to Montreal. We were seated right away and was helped by our server pretty quickly. The restaurant was packed since it was Saturday night. We were both very hungry so we ordered quite a but of dishes to share - we ran out of room on our table. Haha. We ordered: Garlic rapini Salmon tataki Ponzu beef carpaccio Tokyo calamari Tokyo fries Chef's choice sashimi salad Spicy tuna tartare Oyster kakimayo Everything was delicious! One of our favorite stops since being here in Canada for a week. Highly recommend!!

My family and I went for dinner here. We tried Duck noodle soup Fried Brie Carpaccio Tuna Taretare Edamame All of it was very lackluster and disappointing. On top of that, it was severely overpriced. Literally $14 for a scoop of tuna the size of a baby's fist. Same with the carpaccio that was tough. The flavors were dull all around. The 2 stars is for the decent ambiance and quality enough waitstaff

The wait staff ignored us even though it was almost empty. The food was overly salty

Always a good experience! Well priced, great quality food, clean and spacious interior. Our server Alex impressed my party after less than satisfactory experiences at neighboring establishments. Thanks for the consistently great option for a better experience on St Caths. Terrace is also lovely when open!

Vy was an amazing and personable server! Food came out fast and everything was still piping hot when it came to the table. Great proportion sizes that were very filling. Everything tasted phenomenal and was not too saucy but just the right amount. Best Japanese restaurant in town!

This place is exceptional. My wife and kids joined me for an amazing meal tonight. The menu items were outstanding, with a really nice variety of options, low prices, and amazing flavors. Service was terrific - friendly, patient with my kids, and accommodating. I enjoyed the atmosphere, though my wife and kids thought the music was a touch on the loud side. Not too crowded on a Monday night, but I bet it gets packed later in the week. I wish there was a place like this near my home, I would be there every weekend!

Horrible!!! Made a reservation for 8, 2 were children, restaurant had no high chairs. Order was messed up and didn't receive what we asked for, when server realized they made a large error she never came back, we had to ask other employees for the bill after almost 2 hours. No one asked how the half cooked, cold, horrible food was. We asked for the food we paid for but never received in "to go" containers, paid the bill and left. I am not sure how they have any positive reviews, there was 8 of us that have nothing good to say about this restaurant!! Stay away! This was a 50th birthday party that was ruined because of this dive!!

Came here for a casual business dinner with colleagues . The decor and menu for that matter is Asian fusion : a little bit of everything which is nice . We started off with Sake and a host of shareable so such as edamame, gyoza and some spicy tuna . For the mains we orders some noodle dishes which were phenomenal. Service was great and lively as the staff sang out some mantra with every shot taken by the customers. A great choice for Asian food !!

Eh. It felt like more of a spot for college kids with more refined palates as most people there were college students due to the nearby school. This is by far your traditional izakaya, it was crowded, hectic, and boisterous. The young college vibe was confirmed after learning there were sake bombs on the menu, with a scene from the employees cheering/dancing at the table anytime anyone that orders them. I'm all for a cheerful time at the right place but expected much more of a calm atmosphere for what is advertised as a traditional izakaya. The takoyaki and salad with yuzu dressing were good (I had the option to swap dressing for the other salad they offered) but everything else was above average - good enough to eat but nothing too memorable to return back. Both atmosphere and food fell short of expectations.

Great, friendly atmosphere! The place is pretty big, so we were able to get seated immeadiately on a Saturday night. Food is tapas style, so can be a bit pricey for the portion sizes. I generally enjoyed the yaki udon more than the seared sushi, as the ozisushi was a bit underwhelming. Service is great, but the food is okay!

Very genuinely Japanese. Starting with the actual Tokyo subway announcements piped in in the foyer, the Japanese guy serving us, and the food. The hamachi appetizer, the salmon oshizushi and the karaage curry were all very good as well as the yuzu drink.

Very authentic Japanese Izakaya Style Restaurant. One of best in Montreal. Every food quality is so good. Variety of drink choices.

Very yummy, nice atmosphere just maybe a bit loud and this might be a turn off for some. Quick food though.

Food is okay. Menu lacks a variety of tuna and sushi maki that typical sushi restaurant would offer. Sashimi is a bit thinner that what I was expecting from a nicer sushi restaurant. Service is good.

Amazing spot to take friends out to post work or studies. Right next to Concordia on St-Catherine. Great spot to stop by on a whim. Good spot for drinks & a shareable meal. The garlic rapini is an every-time must!

Great food and great service. My friends and I arrived in Montréal late at night and were looking for somewhere to eat and although they were about to close, we were greeted by Vy, welcomed in and encouraged to order as much as we wanted. We were so impressed with the food and service that we decided to come back before we left for home at the end of the trip several days later. We were recognized by Vy whose cheerful personality ensured we got the best experience. Will definitely come back if we return to Montréal.

Great great food and the ambiance was super nice !!! Everhone is super friendly and nice The drinks were great there's so much variety and everything tastes so so good Fried calamari is probably one of the best it's a must try Chicken curry was not that good (there's minced meat in the curry which threw me off a bit)

Definitely one of my fave spots! They had an amazing deal during mother's day weekend! The ambiance, the service, the food and the drinks! Everyone was so nice and welcoming. A little sad that the menu changed a little since I last visited nonetheless it is a great place downtown!

Great service and friendly staff! First time to this location, but I've been to the Toronto one many times! It doesn't disappoint and its worth the trip!

My partner and I ordered the larger of the 2 prix fixe menus and it was way too much food for us!! We have average appetites but we had to take some of the food home. The beef shave salad was a standout, and that's coming from someone who really doesn't like salad. The miso soup was one of the best I've had in a while. Everything was overall good, and really good value, but I don't know if I would say anything else was necessarily standout.

I'm pretty disgusted with this place and their attention to detail. I'm from out of town staying in a hotel and I asked specifically for hot sauce and soy sauce and cutlery.... I was given nothing of the above. Food quality things OK I just can't enjoy it properly, and it ruins the experience. For under $50 okay I understand mistakes have been. For this overpriced nonsense of $180, there is absolutely no excuse you pay attention to the details of the order because you are overcharging in the first place! Not to mention the value for the money spent was nonexistent the miso soup was so ridiculously small it was pathetic.

We really enjoyed this place. Best to share. Japanese tapas. Started with a sushi. Tokyo calamari has some kick and really tasty. JFC aka karaage was bang on. Different than the way karaage is normally served. $45 for dinner for 2. Perhaps could have done 1 more dish. Maybe.

The food was amazing and the price was right! I ordered a ramen, takoyaki, bibimbap, and carbonara udon. I actually thought bibimbap was a Korean dish so I was like wait... is this Japanese or Korean? But I guess they gave their own touch to the infamous Korean bibimbap! Before taxes, most dishes are from $10-15 so it's super reasonable and is to be expected. The ambiance was incredible, the waiters were fast, friendly and efficient! I honestly miss eating here, and can't wait to come back here for inside dining!

Can only write about three dishes because i couldn't bare spending more on overpriced food that was underwhelming. Seasonal octopus salad was a 3 out of 5. Tasted okay but could be better with more acidity. Salmon tataki 3.5 out of 5. Not enough acidity once again and cut of fish wasn't consistent. Grilled oysters gets a 1 out of 5. Unlike the pictures I saw ours came in a tiny skillet smothered with cheese and thinly sliced bread that weren't even toasted. I think the oysters were bad because this left a bad taste in my mouth hours after consuming. A hard no. While everyone was friendly and nice I simply think they charge way too much for their food. This was not the typical izakaya restaurant im use to from places like New York or Hawaii.

At old Faubourg, perfectly located. Nice wooden decor but unfortunately windows are blocked with wooden decor. Not able to see anything outside. Felt a bit claustrophobic. Initially service was good and quick, but later when restaurant got filled up, the service became super slow. To get our bill, it took almost 20 minutes. But our waitress was sweet. Food was ordered from the lunch menu for two people: Vegetable Tempura, Salmon Tataki (including rice, Miso soup and Salad), and vegetables stuffed dumplings. The taste of all these dishes were average. It was super oily; I felt I ate more fat than the food. The prices were really reasonable for all these dish, as lunch menu was 30$ with tax and tips included. So that was wonderful.

Not really Izakaya. Nothing super objectionable but not really very good. I felt like this was Asian food for people who don't really know what authentic Izakaya orJapanese food is supposed to be. We were starving and it was late,so we went but would not return

Really awesome place! This is part of the franchise they have in Toronto. Visited on a Sunday evening and was seated right away. You are greeted immediately upon entering in Japanese by all staff members. They shout to get each other's attention so be prepared for that (it caught me off guard the first time). The staff are super friendly and will answer any questions you may have. I decided on the torched ozisushi and kinoko bibimbap (basically my staple items here at Kinka). The dishes were served promptly and piping hot. He served asked if I wanted my rice mixed for me but I declined as I wanted to do it myself. I also asked for spicy sauce and without hesitation they brought it. The serving size of the salmon ozisushi (torched aburi sushi) was amazing. It incredible tasty, though they could've gone lighter on the mayo. The kinoko bibimbap in the stone bowl was extremely tasty too. Great balance of cheese, mushroom and rice. It is on the pricier side of things, but I would say it's worth it!

Quite similar to Guu in vancouver, this is a popular izakaya in Montreal. We ordered many dishes and they all tasted average, but nothing stood out. Sorry for the lack of details as this was a long time ago, but from what I remember, we got a sashimi salad, chicken kaarage, soft tofu soup, aburi oshi (salmon), kabocha croquette and short ribs. There was a special on the menu i remember very distinctly as it was tofu patties that were very mushy in texture. Overall, if you're looking for japanese food, its not bad but I wouldn't see it out when coming from Vancouver.

4 stars for eating on the terrasse. 3 stars and under if eating inside. You'll notice the good reviews to this place mostly come from a younger crowd. That's because older people walk in...and then walk out. It is so friggen loud in there it's not funny. In regards to the indoor volume: it's a narrow space with tall ceilings so sound travels in an echoey-boom kinda way yet you can barely hear the person sitting in front of you and have to basically yell at each other. The music is weird hip-hop type beats (possibly Japanese but probably not from what I could hear of it) and is blasted at an uncomfortable level yet still muffled/inaudible by the pervasive general noise of this whole place. Everytime a new guest enters the restaurant the whole staff waves at them and yells a Japanese greeting (which despite hearing it like 50 times I still cannot figure out what they were saying and no one bothered to explain it to us). Needless to say we asked for our reserved indoor table for 4 to be moved to the outdoor terrasse within 5 minutes of our arrival. So kudos to them for accommodating. Once outside the atmosphere was much more pleasant to accommodate a 4 star review and we genuinely enjoyed our time there and the food. I would like to emphasize just how much inside truly SUCKS and would not merit more than 3 stars, again with the food being its' saving grace to not smack it with 2 stars. The food is tapas style. We ordered plenty of different plates to share and most were quite good. We enjoyed almost everything we ate and nothing was left. I was a bit disappointed that despite ordering more than enough plates for our party of 4 I was still kinda hungry by the end and that's extremely weird for me, I usually feel full quite quickly. I should point out that while we ordered the black cod and octopus balls as being 2 of their specialty dishes, all 4 members of our party found that to be a flat out lie and we far preferred the other dishes. Most notably the beef ribs imo. One of my friends is not used to dining with me and she was quick to cut up and serve out the portions so photos were kind of a do-or-die situation lol. This is why there isn't photos of every plate we ordered haha. Besides which, this place boasts 1000+ photos, not sure they need any more lol. We did partake in the sake bomb tradition and they were sweet to accommodate me, since I don't drink beer they swapped out beer for gingerale for mine. We had a great time sharing plates and drinking cocktails, but when it was done I was still hungry and not at all drunk and we paid quite the pretty penny. I would visit again, but only on the terrasse and only for a couple of drinks and appetizers before an actual meal somewhere else.

The food was amazing and our server was sooooo sweet! The only reason I'm putting 2 stars is because we had an issue with our reservation and the host that kind of ruined our night. We reserved a table for about 10 people. We were ordering a lot of food and drinks. The problem started when we realized that half of our table did not have their food yet while the other half already finished theirs. About 10 minutes after they got their food we were told that we had to leave in 30 minutes. We were really shocked because a lot of people had a lot of food on the way! No one told us we had a time limit during the booking, the confirmation or when we arrived. I asked the waitress if it would be possible to cancel the last two meals that my boyfriend and I ordered because we wouldn't be able to finish them in 30 minutes and she said she will go check. Next thing you know, the host came to our table and was extremely rude to us. Acting like we were a bunch of Karens even though we were just trying to figure out how to leave in 30 minutes. Most of us have worked in customer service and the food industry so we get it if they have to follow their policies. But she kept repeating that we were there for too long and was talking to us like we were being scolded. It was so upsetting and embarassing in front of other customers. It was very uncalled for and put us all in a really bad mood. My food arrived and I asked for a to go box. It was an upsetting experience to be treated like we were causing trouble over a misunderstanding. I understand it got packed over the night because it was a Friday night. I also understand if they acted like that if we weren't ordering anything, to make space for paying customers, but we were there for a birthday and were planning on getting much more food. I wish there was a way to give all my tip to the waitress that night because she was so sweet and I felt horrible that the situation made her stress.

I ate here this evening with my husband. We love eating at Izakaya's! For the 2 of us we order half of the tapas menu + more sashimi's. ALL the tapas (6 dishes) was served to us so quickly that we didn't even get our drinks before the food arrived. As a matter of fact we were almost trough our tapas that our cold sake came to us. Luckily we still had another 15 piece order of sashimi to drink it with. But as soon as we were half way trough our sashimi plate, they came to ask us if we wanted to take the bill. I said no because I was ordering desert, so they stood nearby our table to watch us finish the desert and didn't waste any time to ask us again if we wanted to take our bill. I was rushed out of the place. That's too bad for this review because I did like the food and the place but the service was awful. We didn't even stayed our 2 hour reservation slot. Sorry but I will not go back!

My family and I enjoyed the restaurant and the concept very much. It's not a very big place but it has many long communal like tables meant for larger groups. We were a party of four but there were many larger parties here. The ambiance was fun! Music was playing and as people entered or exited staff would greet loudly. The restaurant had a younger hip vibe. Service was informative and prompt and efficient. Plates are made for sharing and are served in tapas style. Dishes are not served all at once. Food is delicious. We loved every dish we ordered. We especially loved the short ribs, pressed salmon sushi, ramen soup, and tuna tataki. My Japanese cocktail was delicious. Drinks are only &6 on Tuesdays and Wednesday's. The price for four people was reasonable.

We tried a few items. Most were pretty unimpressive, I'm afraid. The curry and rice was good, but the other items we tried really didn't do much for me. Maybe it was my jet lag. The bonito flakes on the fries were simply too much, and I like fish. Restaurant was also very warm, which didn't help. Staff was friendly.

We came all the way from Toronto and to be fair it is just ordinary place. The drinks look nice in a mug

I had this place bookmarked, it was right near our hotel, and it was open late, so it was the perfect dinner spot for us. My BF and I came in at around 10:45 on a Friday and there were a few groups having drinks. The vibe was kind of a party vibe, so if you're looking for a quiet place to talk to your date, this is probably not it. We decided to do the tasting menu because we couldn't decide on what we wanted. Everything sounded so good. For $35 pp, the menu includes: Takoyaki (fried octopus balls) - these were alright, but I'm not a huge fan of takoyaki to begin with Gyu Carpaccio (seared beef sashimi with ponzu, wasabi mayo) - this was one of my favorites of the night. It was thinly sliced, which enhanced the flavor of the raw beef Kinoko Bibimbap (rice, mushroom, and cheese with seaweed) - I really enjoyed this bibimbap, most likely because of the cheese. I wish it was served a bit earlier, and not as the last dish because were pretty full by the time it came out. Still ate everything though Gomaae (blanched rapini with sesame sauce) - this was only okay, but I appreciated the fact that they threw in some veggies Kaki Mayo (baked oysters with spinach, mushroom, garlic mayo, topped with cheese) - when this came out, the cheese was still bubbling. This was another top contender of the night. Cheesy oysters? What's not to love? Salmon Tataki (seared salmon with ponzu and wasabi mayo) - basically the carpaccio from earlier but in salmon form. This was good too - no complaints Ebimayo (fried shrimp with spicy mayo) - this was probably the worst dish. The batter was way too thick, and it was also soggy. You could probably find better shrimp tempura in the freezer section of a Costco Gyu Shabu Salad (shabu shabu beef with greens and a black sesame dressing) - good way to balance out the heaviness of the other dishes Karaage (fried chicken with garlic mayo) - not the greatest chicken karaage, but not the worst Ice cream (choice of matcha or sesame) - each of us ended up getting a different flavor, so that we could try both We also added on a special, which was 12 pieces of assorted sashimi for $36. While the fish was good, it was a bit pricey, considering a set menu per person is cheaper than that. For drinks, I had the yuzu cocktail (whiskey, yuzu, and ginger-ale). I didn't taste any alcohol in here but it tasted so good! It was nice and refreshing. We also did a sake bomb each ($5) which is a whole big spectacle here. Every time someone orders a bomb, the whole staff gathers round and screams sake bomb with you. I appreciated that it wasn't a huge glass of beer like it normally is in the US, because after eating all that food, I don't think a whole beer would have fit in my stomach. I would say the food was 4 stars but the overall experience (including the service) brought it to 5 stars. It was just a fun and chill atmosphere. We even wanted to come back Sunday night for a late night snack but they close early on Sundays (10:30). Definitely recommend!

On a rainy Tuesday night I was brought out for dinner I decided to not research where I was going and just let it be a surprise. It had a great vibe to it. It's much like imadake style but more clean and modern the bathrooms are huge and set up extremely well. All individual rooms and gorgeous unique sinks for each one. The waitress was helpful and understood what I was saying for the 7 items we picked. They have a lot more options then imadake. They have pork dumplings that come in a pot with tofu and veggies very good broth. Best fried chicken not greasy perfectly cooked. Drinks special 5-7 5 dollar drinks. It's a great place to go, music loud place has low lighting not romantic but very relaxing and comfy. I would recommend calling for reservations as we came at 5 and by the time we left at 8 place was packed.

This was my first time in Montreal, and this place had decent reviews. This is not a place if you want to have a quiet meal. Every time someone walks in, the scream welcome in Japanese. Every time food is ready in the kitchen, they will scream. But this review is not about this. The dishes are tapas style, so they are shareable. The takoyaki was very good. Flavor was good, well filled with toppings, and sauce complemented it very well. The "Hana" drink was good, non alcohol, and had calpico in it. Everything else was kind of meh after that. The yaki udon had a very weird slimy consistency, like it was covered in starch, and the flavor was not there. The sashimi salad like only 3 piece of salmon in it. The short ribs had nice flavor, but there was no char, and there was a lot of fat on it. The hojicha brulee was half good. The brulee was a little weird, did not taste like green tea, more like a red bean. But the green tea ice cream was pretty good, but not sure if they made it on site. What really topped it off was that our Salmon was raw. My cousin and I don't eat raw fish. We ordered the special baked salmon with miso and mushrooms. The inside was completely raw. When we asked if it was supposed to be raw, the waitress did not know. Unless the salmon was sushi grade, people could get very sick from this. Overall, the atmosphere is loud, music is good. Food is average. Staff was very kind.

Cute Japanese izakaya on Sainte Catherine Street! The staff greet you warmly in Japanese when you enter and when you leave. There is a wide selection of beers, sake, cocktails, and virgin cocktails. The food menu mostly consists of small tapas, but there are also bigger dishes like udon, ramen, and bibimbap. It's a bit on the pricey side (6-10$ for tapas, 10-13$ for slightly bigger dishes that aren't that filling either) so don't go there if you're on a budget! On average you'll probably spend about 35$ per person, not including tax and tips. I ordered the takoyaki (fried octopus balls) and vegetarian bibimbap (which was rice with cheese, mushroom, and seaweed in a hot stone pot). Food tasted great!

I actually planned on having lunch at another Japanese place, but it was closed that day, so I started walking around and found Kinka Izakaya. First thing I did? I yelped this place and saw that it had pretty great reviews. That's all I needed to give this place a try. Because coming here was unplanned, I decided to play it safe and ordered a small plate first. I ordered vegetable croquettes with rice and had I known that they made the best croquettes, I would have ordered more! Because croquettes were more of a side dish, I worried I would be hungry before dinner so I ordered chicken karaage as a meal which came with miso soup. The chicken karaage wasn't so bad, either -- it was very crispy from the outside, but really soft and juicy once you take a bite of it. It was PRETTY hot it burned my tongue T__T. Miso soup wasn't so great as I found it pretty bland. What surprised me was when I asked for a check and it came with a small bowl of frozen grapes! At first I was reluctant to try, but after tasting the first one, oh man it was naturally sweet and I wish I could have had more! Forget about those regular candies or mints, this is awesome! Since it was my first time at Kinka, I had nothing to compare, but I love the time I went which was around 11 am ish and it wasn't so busy! The wait time wasn't so bad. Next time I'm in town, I may try their desserts, too!

For all the Japanese food lovers this restaurant is a must try Very nice ambience They often have a special menu The price for Wagyu Nabe (10.5$) and Takoyaki (6.9$)

+.5 for service I've been to Kinka several times in Toronto and this place was close enough to my hotel during my recent stay in Montreal. Since I'm an experienced Kinka diner, I came in knowing the atmosphere will be loud and there will be people shouting over one another. To my disappointment, the menu selection is significantly smaller. While their main menu is similar, there's far fewer specials than its Toronto sister branches. However the staples are there, and from my orders of okonomiyaki, takowasabi, ebimayo, and salmon oshizushi came with a similar food quality as Toronto's Kinka branches. Their drink selection was a lot bigger though, so it seemed they veered more towards drinks than food in this branch. Service was excellent, as is tradition with the other Kinka branches I've been to. It's a place nestled in an area with many bars, and it does stand out a bit in its uniqueness.

This was our first stop after we dropped our bags off at our downtown hotel, and everything we ate here was fantastic. It has an authentic Japanese izakaya feel, right down to our waiter shouting out our order in Japanese to the chefs in the open kitchen. You are even greeted with that traditional Japanese greeting when you walk in. Nice! My wife got the karaage combo, which is Japanese deep-fried soy sauce marinated chicken and comes with a healthy dollop of garlic mayo. This was some of the best karaage we've ever had. The dark meat chicken was so tender and juicy. The breading was flavorful and fried to perfection. SO GOOD! I ordered the yaki saba combo, which is grilled cured mackerel with a side of grated daikon radish and soy sauce. Again, perfectly cooked with that dense meaty quality that is the opposite of the flaky white fish cod I'm used to eating. SO GOOD! Even the traditional garden salad and miso soup were far better than what we're used to in Japanese restaurants. The dressing had this smoky profile, maybe from mirin or soy sauce. The flavors in both the salad and soup were bright and vibrant. SO GOOD! A great way to start our Montreal anniversary weekend. If you're in the area and love a good Japanese izakaya experience like I do, this is your spot!

Would be 1 star if the space/seating were not generous. We each ordered bento and they came out more than 20 minutes apart. Food was unimpressive at best. Go elsewhere.

I wanted sushi while on vacation in Montreal, but ended up with way more at Kinka Izikaya. The menu is large and diverse, from sushi to bibimbap, so it's great for groups with different tastes. We ordered the tasting menu, which included 8 small plates and ice cream for dessert - perfect for two people. All courses were duhlicious and the plates were decently sized - we left very full and unable to finish the last two courses. The service was attentive and friendly and spaced the courses well, at least until the very end. Before the ice cream arrived, we overheard our server saying that she was going on break, and we didn't see her again for 20 minutes. In the meantime, someone else refilled our water and, once we asked, brought our ice cream. It was an odd slip up in otherwise great service. The drink menu is also expansive with lots of unique cocktails. We knew about the saki bomb chant from other Yelp reviews, so we ordered them right away and enjoyed the entertainment that ensured. Most other patrons were in large groups ordering multiple saki bombs, which increased the noise level but did not bother us. The table next to us was visibly upset by the frequent chanting, and I can imagine that it would be disruptive if it's unexpected.