Izakaya Ju Japanese Restaurant

Everything was amazing, with fantastic service and amazing food.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Lunch- good food with fair prices. The grill fish was great!

Atmosphere: 3

Food: 4

Service: 4

It was a hot day, the kind where the sun feels like it’s licking away at the trees.
In the morning, my friends and I headed to J-Town for some comforting bowls of ramen and curry rice at the supermarket. While exploring, we spotted an izakaya that instantly caught our eye, so we decided to return in the evening for dinner.

By the time we arrived, the light still lingered—it was that perfect summer brightness at 7 PM. The staff welcomed us warmly, taking time to explain the menu and even offer helpful suggestions. When the food arrived, everything looked amazing. Now, I have to be honest—the portion size didn’t quite match the price tag. Personally, I don’t eat much, so it worked fine for me, but my friend definitely didn’t share my opinion 😋

That said, the seafood and BBQ were fresh and absolutely delicious. Our total bill came to over $250 with HST and tips, which felt a bit steep. So, my advice would be to come here for the overall experience rather than just a taste test. You can probably find great alternatives at more affordable prices elsewhere—or get a combo here for less if you stay moderate. We went a bit extra this time, just to see what it’d be like.

Overall, I really enjoyed all the dishes and the restaurant’s minimalist charm. The simple décor, clean table setting, and thoughtful service gave the whole place an easy, relaxed vibe that made the evening memorable.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 4

Service: 5

Pretty good

You are one of the best Izakaya in GTA. The food quality is the closest to the top Izakayas in Japan. The only thing I wish you can consider is to open late on weekends till at least midnigjt. I firmly believe your restaurant will thrive much more!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Best place to go for brunch.
Average $15-$20/person.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Loved the food and service here! 🥹

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Skewers are good. Quiet and tasty.

Atmosphere: 4

Food: 4

Service: 4

Our favourites were the mushroom salad and the black cod radish dish. Sashimi was also fresh and tasty. Yakitori combo was so-so. One of the skewers was so salty we opted not to finish it. Overall - solid spot for Japanese small plates - we'll be back again.

Went in on a Saturday night with no reso. Found a sign on the door that said they were almost fully booked and that there may be a wait time for walk-ins. Was told that the wait would be about 30 min! We waited around and visited Heisei Mart. Before we knew it, we received a call that our table was ready! So happy we waited! The yakitori was amazing (we ordered the chef’s combo). Tried a bit of everything and were super happy with our meal :) Will be dreaming about the yakitori tonight.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Grilled fish, Ramen snd skewers are pretty good. It would be better if they can reduce the salt level on ramen soup base and the salad dressing.

Atmosphere: 4

Food: 4

Service: 4

Just stumbled upon this place while we were in the area. Really friendly staff, great food. Had a wonderful time here! Would love to go again!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Food was decent but small portions and pricey. The chirashi sushi rice was really good though

Atmosphere: 4

Food: 4

Service: 4

I tried the yakitori at Izakaya Ju since it’s one of the more popular dishes at this place. I got the yakitori combo so I could sample more items. I was a bit disappointed that the pictures on Google Reviews from years ago showed 5 different skewers for the combo, but now the combo only has 4 different skewer items because they give 2 skewers of wings.

Ju’s Yakitori Combo (5 skewers)
Chicken wing x 2, pork belly x 1, duck breast x 1, meatballs x 1

The restaurant wasn’t really filled up when I went despite it being ~6:30PM, and a lot of the people there were there with their parents.

I thought the skewers were nothing special or worth coming for, it just tasted like hot meat on a stick. Maybe it’s an off-day. I didn’t really taste the nice charcoal aroma either.

I’d say the best skewer item on the plate though is the tsukune; it’s nice and tender with good texture; if I had to order skewers here, I’d only order this.

Atmosphere: 3

Food: 2

Service: 3

I've been coming here for about ten years and if has always been amazing everytime .

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5