KINKA IZAKAYA ORIGINAL

The food was a 10/10 and the drinks were also unique and tasted great. A very fun vibe to this place. Atmosphere lost a star only because it was very loud. But honestly the interior was so cool and welcoming, a definite must-see. The service was top tier too, they made sure to celebrate my husband's birthday in a way that was more comfortable for introverts (without all the crowd singing) and then took a Polaroid picture of us together as a memento for our night 🩷

Absolutely love the familiar feel and delicious food at Kinka! It’s one of a kind. The menu is perfectly crafted for a small or big group to enjoy a shared lunch or dinner. The place is so beautifully designed with wooden interior decor that’s cozy in the winter and fresh in the summer. Also, they do great group surprises from the sake bomb to the birthday songs. MUST GO!

The overall experience was okay. We made a reservation, but still had to wait, though the manager kindly offered us a free drink while we waited, which was appreciated. We ordered the smoked duck and tempura (see attached photo), but the portion sizes were surprisingly small. Then, we waited a long time for our main dish, which turned out to be underwhelming. The server mentioned that it was shareable, but even with that in mind, we found the portions to be quite lacking. We understand the restaurant was busy, but the food just didn’t seem to justify the wait or the price.

Went for a birthday dinner before a TMU basketball game and it was great! Had a group of 9 people and we were seated comfortably and quickly. The happy hour menu was a hit, the chicken appetizer (not in photos it got eaten fast) was delicious! We also got a pitcher of mojitos which was a nice happy hour menu option. Their birthday celebration was really sweet - love the giant Polaroid photo! Overall the food was good and the experience was nice.

Nice variety of tasty Japanese food. Great atmosphere. Good option if you are after convening with friends around small, tasty plates. The place lacks main courses imo (or it’s mostly carb heavy). Great for a good time, not so much if you like to leave full 😅

Considering the price of this place, the quality and creativity is not matched at all. The food was very very subpar lacking umami and depth. We went here as a small group and found ourselves regretting going here, literally thought of getting food again after lol. I’m not sure if we just got unlucky and went on a bad day but I don’t think that’s an excuse. I think a new menu would be beneficial and some of the items definitely need to be reworked. Also the cod was very poorly trimmed, mainly bones, couldn’t even eat it. Tried this place because we wanted some nice Japanese style food and this place had a lot of good reviews. However, our experience with this resturant was not good. considering how expensive the food is for what you get, the food was very subpar and lacked any kind of preperation. We had to cut our dinner short and get food elsewhere. I am not sure if I just happened to go on a day maybe when they were training new chefs and did not know how to execute food but it was not good at all. The cod was very poorly trimmed and was not even deboned, like what?? Food tried: Truffle Tokyo Fries, Takoyaki, Calamari. Stir Fried Beef Udon, Kinoko Cheese Bibimbap, Kinka Roll, Assorted Sushi, Miso Cod. Pros: Ambiance, Location Cons: Food, Service Standards, Noisy

The Neko Punch came in the cutest cup, and the bar is super cute too! (Peek the cats!!) The servers were really nice and they’ll hold your drink for you behind the bar if you come in with one instead of throwing it away LOL

The food was really good, so good that we bought more than one plate of the wagyu carpaccio. I would recommend the neko punch for a cocktail to drink. I have to shout out our server who burnt herself while delivering our miso soup but didn’t let it show!