Izakaya Ju Japanese Restaurant in Markham

The food and the images on the menu are completely different. Flavors were unexpectedly terrible, agedashi tofu (fried tofu) was submerged in soup which ruined the crunch, and the chicken wings appeared as though they were sourced from a chicken that had been homeless for over 16 years. Worst of all, I experienced extreme diarrhea the day after eating here. Expensive and subpar.

Wow! Definite place for many return visits! The Yakitori combo is incredible. The Chicken Karaage was also great. Every dish was very tasty. We also had the Oden, the Tokyo Ramen and the Osaka Chahan. Service was fast, friendly and helpful. The portions were good, but the taste and quality were exceptional. Also had an imported beer from Japan, Sakura Mochi Stout, which was refreshing and awesome with the Yakitori.

Make me recall my memory in Japan

No chinese credit card, i order samlon sashimi bow ,give me a special lunch sashimi, whats meaning for oder, tips i gave, never go back here

Food was amazing ! Service 100%

What a great Japanese restaurant with an open kitchen and well prepared delicious dishes.

Awesome!

Great food, excellent service

authentic food and good service

Food here is sooo good. Wake up your taste buds Food

Authentic Japanese place to get delicious charcoal grilled skewers. I love their lamb chops and chicken liver skewers. The ox tongue and stuffed chicken wings are also highly recommended. Sashimi is fresh but I think they are a bit overpriced. You can get better value sashimi elsewhere. Great place to have a beer and have a great dinner with friends or family. I suggest you book a table ahead of time if you go on weekends. I have been going to this restaurant since they opened many years ago.

Blissful food. My go-to is the teriyaki lunch combo.

Authentic and tasty Japanese izakaya

best unagi in town

Decent restaurant

Fresh sushi~~

Lovely experience at this little tucked away izakaya in J Town. Tamagoyaki is very good. Grilled whole sea bream was just absolutely perfect. Skewers were on point. Fresh sashimi. Creme brulee needs work, but everything else was great. Highly recommended.

Great place for Izakaya. Although I would stay away from skewers for takeout, best eaten done in. Curry rice at lunch is my fav.

Japanese comfort food.

Good authentic Izakaya in the heart of JTown (hahaha not much of a town) Good service. Fish (especially the black cod) is delicious. The various skewers are also delicious. The fried chicken though tasty was salty. $80 of food is probably required to fill up two people. However the experience here was good.

Been here numerous times. Gets very busy and can get loud. When busy, choice seating is limited. Food is always good. Not bad but a fun izakaya.

The best yakitori don.

Been coming here for years ever since our Japanese mechanic reccomended it. Great quality food at reasonable prices. The only note is that this place definitely gets busy, so be prepared to wait for your food a little as theres usually only 3-4 chefs and 1-2 servers.

Great and Friendly environment

Pork on skewers was bit chewy and had too much fat on it. However the ramen was great, I love the broth. Cassis oolong was on the lighter side not enough cassis.

One of the best izakaya in gta

So glad this place is still here! Highly recommend their wagyu!

True Japanese style for me

hayashi rice ( )

Hard to find an authentic izakaya. Izakaya Ju is the authentic one in Markham. Like their skewers and the dishes for sake. Recommend to people like Japanese food!

Izakaya Ju, one of the handful of restaurants in J-Town, has been around for some time. My husband and I went for a date night many years ago, but hadnt returned until today. The lunch menu is much more limited compared to dinner, but there is a decent variety. We had the ramen, ja-ja men, and black cod, and all were simple but done well. We didnt order any sashimi, but it seemed a bit on the pricier side for lunchtime (a simple sashimi set was just over $40). With current food prices everywhere, though, it wasnt surprising either. Service was friendly and attentive, and the space is larger than I remembered, with ample seating when we went at lunchtime.

Very authentic Japanese food. But a bit pricey for lunch.

Excellent food and service. You should make a reservation though. Of the yakitori we liked the chicken balls and pork the best. The rice dish reminds me so much of okonomiyaki flavours, loved it. Karaage was moist and crispy, delicious. Looking forward to coming back to try other dishes.

Food is good but I was expecting more/better. Probably great if you come for a drink at night. Food is on the expensive side.

Great service(fast, polite), good food(decent sized proportion, 2/3 dishes wed reorder again), a little on the high side price wise(lunch prices range from $12ish to $40ish) ....still wed go back :) Kid-friendliness: Staff were so attentive, polite and would go back just for the greats service and decent food.

Izakaya Ju Japanese vibe Authentic quality food Around $36 (with tax) per person Food : 5/5 |

The restaurant is located inside J-town. They open a few hours for lunch and dinner. In between, theyre closed, so its better to check their opening hours before going. I always get their salmon ikura don. Its a bit expensive, so its only a treat meal. lol Fresh ingredients and they dont cheap out on the quantity. It might look small, but its very filling.

Love their yakitori, grill food, sashimi, tamago sushi, ...... Overall, the food is great!

My favourite lunch spot is open for lunch again!!

Good quality food, perfect place to grab a drink and Japanese BBQ

Had lunch here and enjoyed the hayashi beef tongue rice and shared the yakitori and vegetable skewers. All of the food tasted good, and surprisingly the vegetable skewers, especially the leek and shishito peppers, were one of my favourites. Prices are on the expensive end.

Love this place!

A family owned izakaya restaurant. I ve been here many times with my family and coworkers over the past 10 years. I love their dishes and food are always fresh and I really hope they can bring back my favourite spicy scallop and salmon roll!

The rice was pretty hard and cold, didnt feel it was fresh.

Truly excellent. We visited for lunch.

Proper Japanese food! Deliciously skewers and grilled fares. The mackerel was incredible. Highly recommend. Bar seats have a great view on the hard working chefs! Vegetarian options: Vegetable skewers

Ordered the mackerel and sweet potato tonight, it was really good! The food is well priced and the service is really friendly. Highly recommend!

have been here a few times and a good experience caused me to bring my friends and family with me. Keep going great

Good for a quick bite and drink

Great food. Nice people. Everything is good except it closes too early.

Really enjoy this izakaya. Authentic Japanese cuisine cooked by Japanese chefs. Freshest quality

Like a classic Japanese yakitori place, love the vibe there. Had few cold app, skewer platter, fried chicken and takoyaki, all tasted great with no complain. We wanted to order a 720ml sake but they ran out(only had small bottle), so we end up ordering a bottle of Japanese soju. Should have stock more sake for a nice lzakaya like this.

On the pricy side but it s worth it! You can taste the respect they put into the food.

Stumbled across this restaurant on a Thursday night. Service is great, staff is super friendly. Food came out fresh and piping hot! Everything we tried was amazing.

It is too overpriced for what you are getting. The sashimi 12 pieces for $42. Everything else is too small, and doesn t taste that good. We spent about $100 for 3 dishes below and one beer. The food is not that special.

Everything was quite disappointing. Food is not fresh at all. I saw black coloured IKURA for the first time in my life. I am sorry to say this, but I dont recommend this place.

Not much of a selection now. Used to be a good place with lots of different food. Also got very pricey. As well, still charged us $3 for tea refill???? The tea pot was not enough for our party of 10..... would not come back

Always amazing service and great food here.

People who are complaining about over price and small portions surely have no idea what Izakaya is about. I have been to Omoide Yokocho many times and I can confidently say this is one of the very traditional izakaya you can find in GTA.

average quality average taste, low quantity high price.7 pieces of salmon and a bowl of rice with a few does cost 28$

Am amazing food and drinks! Service is great! The sashimi omakase was delicious!

Wow.. it was an extremely disappointing experience and I highly DO NOT RECOMMEND. First of all it took literally 40 minutes before our food came. Secondly the service was terrible, we had to ask for water three times before we were served plain water for our table. The food was all very overpriced for the quantity and quality - the skewers were dry, the takoyaki was just alright, and we also got the Unazu and Zaru Soba and all of the portions were quite small ($40 for grilled eel on rice for a mediocre taste and small portion?? $7 for few cucumber slices with miso paste??) Also we never got one of the dishes we ordered (agedashi tofu) and when we asked our server for follow up they confirmed it was being made.. and we never got it til the end, and they charged for it! It was baffling. Plus the indoor decor was just not pleasant at all, very run-down appearing (certainly not what I would expect for the amount they charge). It was just a terrible and prolonged experience all around (since we had to sit for almost an hour waiting for our entire order) and we will never be coming back again.

Food is good, especially liked the grilled scallops and the yakitori. There is an extra charge of $3 per person if you bring a cake. Parking is plentiful, reservations are recommended.

The service was excellent , but the price does not match the lack of ambiance and below average food qualities. The portions were tiny even for izakaya standards and almost all yakitori dishes were super dry. Spent about $98 for 2 people w/o alcohol yet barely any food was served.

Good place to eat. Has a casual and relaxed atmosphere.

Wonderful. Authentic food and great service. Would highly recommend. Easily one of the best izakaya in town.

I have been to this place once long time ago probly before the pandemic and I remember it was alright. I happened to be around this area yesterday night and decided to come this restaurant again. Unfortunately, This is the Worst izakaya experience so far. The service is slow, food is overpriced, they also reduced the menu. The first item arrived was agedashi tofu, and I already knew this place has gone down in quality. The tofu is not crispy, the sauce has too heavy ginger taste. The skewers arrived like 20 mins later and was barely warm?! How? Aren t this supposed to be grilled and served right away? I quickly cancelled the rest of my order and left. I also wasn t feeling well after I got home. Please avoid this place! Do not recommend!

The food tastes so so

It s good food but on the pricey side for the food quality

Great meal! Pricy but delicious.

Food is pricey, little salty, but worth to try. Servers are super friendly. Atmosphere is cheerful. Generally a good place.

Great food and great services. Amazing services by one waitress who attends all tables without delay and yet maintain its fast, courteous services and always smile to the customers.

Love this place. Clean food great prices and services. The food is real, all pure ingredients of good quality. This place is a little gem and our regular go to.

Fresh uni sashimi. We were curious about natto but it turned out we didn t like it. Everything else is perfect.

First came here some years ago and tried chicken heart for the first time. I enjoyed it so much! I came back recently but unfortunately theyve removed chicken heart from their menu :( My friends and I got the yakitori combo, veggie combo, and one of their dons - all of which were delicious! I will say that Izakaya Ju is a little more on the expensive side - the yakitori combo was $20 for 5 skewers, each skewer having roughly 3-5 pieces. Their service is very good, and I look forward to coming back for more yakitori

Izakaya Ju is one of the most traditional izakaya place located in J town. Many of the new izakaya restaurant offers more varieties than this place. However, because of the good review of their eel rice, I pick it for dinner tonight. We ordered mushroom salad, grilled chicken salad, baked mushroom and oyster with cheese, takoyaki, fish cake, eel rice, ramen, sashimi platter for 2, grilled whole mackerel and vanilla ice cream. Overall, the quality of food is good. The eel rice is not as stand out and personally i wont come back because of the eel rice. Sashimi is fresh and cut is thick. Fish cake is a bit lack of flavor. The chicken salad has some surprise, reason to say that is I dont expect such a large portion and very good taste at the price point of $12. Finally the vanilla ice cream with brown syrup is excellent. Very special to end with this for a dinner.

Food is not bad. Skewers are tasty and cooked perfectly, but way over priced. Service is attentive and just how the way we felt when we were in Japan.

Came here on a quiet Thursday evening for dinner. I made reservations anyways just in case they got busy. (Note: they only take reservations for 6pm & 8:30pm, as they are currently only open for dinner.) It ended up being pretty quiet, so food was hot, fresh, and delicious. We came with a table of four, so we ordered a few small plates and rice / ramen bowls to share. The karage was fried to a crispy perfection, and the inside was moist and deliciously seasoned. The agedashi tofu was hot and a wonderful palate-cleanser. We ordered the mixed set of skewers, both meat and veggie: both were delicious, but I enjoyed the veggie one a bit more. The fried rice was a little heavy, being it covered with mayo, but the contrasting textures of the chewy octopus and the slight crisp of the fresh bonito flakes. The ramen was very refreshing: the broth was light, but full of flavour. Service was amazing. The staff were friendly, efficient and very helpful. I look forward to coming back to try more of their menu.

Good food quality and service :)

Limited choice of food. Very small operation. However server very friendly...Japanese style.

5 stars. Hands down.

A bit too expensive for what you get in my opinion. Rolls are very small and the fish not the best.

Tasty

love the place, food are delicious

Rotating specials menu keeps it fresh.

good food

The waitresses are very nice and friendly, they are nice to children. The quality of the food is quite good. The blue fin tuna was quite nice with the green onion (even though its very minced), yet the portion is very small, so that makes the price quite expensive. Their curry is quite nice. The eel avocado rolls are very good too but again it was quite small.

Quality fare in a relaxed and fun atmosphere. Wagyu beef showers are fantastic!! Definitely coming again!

Enjoyed everything. Nice thick portion of pork tonkatsu. I will be back.

Good and friendly place. It is a little pricy depending on how much you want to order or spend. If you dont want to spend too much I advised dont go when you are hungry.

Best salmon and tuna sushi. The skewers were amazing too.

Authentic Japanese owned izakaya. Food is just like in Japan with traditional pub food and drinks. It s the best place in Scarborough and Markham area.

I order Bento Box from special menu at this time , it was so so so delicious !! There are so many variety of food inside and everything was perfect taste as no too salty . Just right and perfect taste ! Also the Balance of ingredients is very healthy with lots of boiled vegetable and grilled fish. This Bento box is Perfect for lunch and dinner !

Skewers are back on the menu but no yakitori yet.

Went for dine-in after covid reopen. All the servers and patrons were wearing masks except for the owner and the chef who were both preparing food behind the counter in the kitchen. Kinda defeats the purpose.

Friendly staff, would recommend

Super friendly staff. Great food. Very clean settings. Highly recommended!

Service is excellent! The skewers are a bit dry today.

The restaurant provide very good Japanese foods and drinks, with very good services!

First, lets make an egg This was my favorite style. And shimeno salt ramen This was also the best .

Amazing Japanese food, find a lot of dishes not commonly available at so called Japanese restaurants

Food was good but not great considering the price.

Simple yet elegantly hidden Japanese restaurant.

Price was expensive! Taste not good

Yummy

Came here for my birthday. Everyone was so friendly and polite. The owner is so outgoing and funny! It was a great atmosphere. Food was great and sashimi was extremely fresh. Just a great experience. Will return!

Indoor dining is limited to 10ppl. Must need to make a reservation. Friendly customer service. Authentic Japanese food. Sashimi is fresh and good.

Decent skewers, nice selection. But my god are they overpriced.

Amazing. Incredible food!

A great option for an izakaya outside of the city with two very unique dishes: the Osaka rice and dumpling stuffed chicken wings. I absolutely love the Teba gyoza - chicken wings stuffed with pork. They might be a tad on the salty side, but 1-2 per person usually hits the spot. Sesame, soy, and chicken just make so much sense together. I wouldnt call the Osaka fried rice a bargain, since theres not exactly a ton of great octopus in there, but its still a very filling dish for $11. If you love takoyaki, youll get all the same flavours - with a lot more ginger. I wish the place was a tad cheaper considering they no doubt get their products straight from the market. Everything ranges from reasonable to pricey - even for the quality. Overall, Im always pretty happy. I like to order the eel/unagi every once and a while, but youll definitely have to pay for it!

Amazing food great staff

Great food and service

Wonderful place, great staff too! Service was awesome and the food was delicious. Absolutely no complaints. I am making this place a go-to restaurant when I want Japanese food cooked from Japanese chefs. If I lived closer Id be a regular.

Service is good and food came out fast as well as very tasty. Love the yakitori! Savoury with nice charcoal flavour.

most consistently decent place for dinner, great snacks portion good

Went for lunch Ordered the Osaka cha han ($10) and Unaju ($35) Prices seem fair in my opinion. Atmosphere is really nice and staff was attentive and friendly. The food was tasty, full of flavor in every bite. I got the Cha han because of how recommended it was in reviews on both Google and Yelp and I would say I can see why lol. My boyfriend also really liked the Unaju and rates it high on his list of places to eat unagi in the area.

Had a long wait but it was worth it. Every dish was well made and delicious. Reasonable prices. Biggest surprise was how yummy the cod was. Melts in your mouth! Other fav was the pork cheeks. I ate it all before I remembered to take a picture. Their menu has a good selection so we will have to come back to try other dishes.

Food is good but the portion is way too small for its price. Waiters are nice but they dont speak much English. It was kinda hard to ask about the food.

This is a real Japanese izakaya.

Really fresh sushi and tasty grilled meat skewers. Love the variety of Sake. Some menu items can be pricey but they have excellent service

VERY OVERPRICED. $29 sashimi combo (see picture) is portion like an appetizer. The cho fan (fried rice) tasted like plain steam rice with some sauce on top. The yakitori is OK. After spending $95, the four of us were still hungry - and we are not big eaters. we ended up going to a second restaurant to satisfy our stomach.

Food favorites are the beef tongue, pork cheek,black cod and karaage chicken. Service is a little hit and miss...slow to follow up and check in with tables, perhaps its a language barrier. Reservations recommended on weekends.

Always fresh. One of the more authentic Japanese places in Toronto at an affordable price.

Real Japanese food. My favorite Restaurant!

The staff are polite and the food is delicious. I drank a beer called coco IPA. This beer has a strong hop aroma and feels like an IPA. The bitterness is less bitter than other IPAs and goes well with fried chicken.

always good place for my comfort food, friendly helpful staff, steady food quality

This place is authentically Japanese with the finest ingredients served delicately to perfection. Mind you it is on the pricy end but you should expect what typical costs are for a good Izakaya place. The specialty cocktails are quite delicious too. Great for dates.

Its been awhile since we were there but I remembered that the food was pretty good. When we went today, the waitress brought our food and we helped her by redirecting the plates to the appropriate people. Unfortunately, a bowl slipped our hands and fell onto the table. We cleaned it up and gave it back to the server. She surprised me by saying that you can still eat it because if you want another, they will charge us for an additional plate! I was shocked at her response! I mean what kind of restaurant would do that?! Anyway, food is good, but I definitely wont go back because of the bad service!!

A little salty

It is no longer the same Ju before. The foods taste awful.