Forget about sushi and ramen restaurants. Japanese cuisine is so much more than that!
But of course, if you love sushi and ramen noodles as much as we do, then you’ll be happy to know that Kinka Izakaya Japanese Restaurant has both. And if you haven’t know by now, they also own Kinton Ramen, another great place to hit up if you’re salivating for classic ramen noodles.
Aside from ramen, Kinka Izakaya has an extensive menu with all your favourite Japanese dishes, plus some new and exciting ones that you’ll definitely want to try.
Whether you want to destress from a hard day at work or celebrate a special occasion, Kinka Izakaya is the perfect place for you. This Toronto hotspot offers a wide variety of Japanese dishes and drinks that are sure to tantalize your taste buds.
If you want to get a taste of Japan infused with a taste of Toronto, then head over to Kinka Izakaya. It’s one of the most popular izakaya restaurants in Toronto, and for good reason.
Just as delicious as Guu, we know that Kinka won’t disappoint. And with such a large menu, you’ll definitely find something that you love.
Spoiler alert: there are a few things that annoyed me and one dish I absolutely hated. Read on to find out more!
Kinka Izakaya Toronto Review
It’s a Monday evening. And Rui and I decided to come here with our friend, Darrin, to relax and catch up.
I think our last outing was when we went to Daldongnae, one of the top Korean BBQ restaurants in Toronto, followed by Kitaya for some Hojicha (roasted green tea) ice cream — super creamy and delish!
We had a great time and wanted to go to Kinka this time.
We ordered 6 different dishes to share and here’s our honest review about this top Japanese restaurant in Toronto.
Writing about this just makes me want to go back there again, but not anytime soon because eating all this stuff at once will be so bad for the waistline – haha!
Kinka Izakaya Menu
Let’s first give you a glimpse of their menu.
I remember coming to this location for Guu years ago and we thought the food was phenomenal, so we figured Kinka has to be amazing too!
Take a look at all their to-die-for items here.
1. Duck and Spinach Udon – $16
The first dish to come out was the duck and spinach udon.
This is basically thinly sliced duck breast with wakame (a type of seaweed), spinach, tempura bits, and dashi broth, which is the base for most miso soups.
We all enjoyed this dish because the duck was cooked perfectly when you soak it deep inside the dashi broth. To our surprise, the duck did not taste like the typical duck meat you find at French or Chinese restaurants. The one here actually tastes sort of like lean ham but we suspect it was smoked, hence the “smoked ham” flavour.
There was a generous amount of udon, which is a good portion size if you are eating this as a main.
The only thing I wished they did differently was to add more wakame because I love seaweed, but I was totally satisfied with the amount of spinach here! Spinach is a great source of iron and fibre – what a fantastic way to sneak some nutritional veggies into those delicious meals like this!
Overall, we would definitely recommend this dish!
2. Truffle Carbonara Udon – $17
The truffle carbonara udon is marked as a “vegetarian” dish because it doesn’t contain any meat.
It’s simply mushrooms, onions, and soft-boiled egg mixed with mouth-watering truffle oil and carbonara sauce.
This dish was Rui and Darrin’s favourite because of how flavourful, creamy, and I want to say “fatty” or “buttery” this dish was. I try to stay away from super deadly dishes like this, but it was extremely hard to resist.
I, myself, have to admit this was amazing too! Secretly, it was one of my favourites too though I don’t want to admit it.
It is actually quite comparable to the Udon Carbonara we tried at Inspire restaurant in Markham, except the one at Kinka is a little more unique. Both versions are really good.
I personally enjoyed how the carbonara sauce wasn’t thick like the traditional ones on Italian dishes. The truffle carbonara udon at Kinka was more watery and “truffly” (if that’s even a word to describe it). This plate is literally like crack and you could easily finish it all by yourself if you’re a sucker for some good food loaded with desirable creamy fat! YUM!
3. BBQ Eel Bibimbap – $15
Next up, we have the BBQ Eel Bibimbap.
Bibimbaps is a Korean rice dish, but this was a fusion of Korean and Japanese flavours.
They have a few stone bowl bibimbap to choose from, but we decided to go for the eel since we don’t often have this whenever we stay home to cook.
This Korean-inspired dish infused with some Japanese touch contains burdock (a plant native to Japan), raw egg, a few chunks of eel with sweet unagi sauce, and of course, rice. To be honest, this bowl seemed to have more ingredients than what the menu states, and we all had no idea what we were really eating.
It was a special day for us to enjoy good food at the restaurant, so eh.
Despite not knowing, we didn’t care. All we cared about was how it tasted and this bibimbap tasted great! In fact, we prefer a bibimbap dish like this over the classic Korean dish we had at Makkal Chon.
Both Rui and Darrin loved this bowl. I really liked it too, but the rice was a little dry in my opinion. They thought it was perfect though! So, don’t listen to me because I’m just a picky eater.
4. Kinka JFC Karaage – $12
Would you prefer Kentucky Fried Chicken or some Japanese Fried Chicken? If you ask the guys, they say JFC hands down!
Also known as karaage, the deep crispy fried chicken at Kinka is marinated with garlic and a hint of soy sauce. They actually offer 3 different versions, including the original, but we chose the one with the garlic sauce. It’s so good that our server told us she had it for breakfast! My face was like “seriously?”
The karaage was fried until it’s nice and crispy on the outside, but still juicy on the inside.
Rui and Darin absolutely loved it! It was probably their second favourite after the truffle carbonara udon. They said it was crispy and packed with great flavour. Another addicting sharable dish for two people.
Me? I hated the karaage here. After one bite, I immediately spat it out. This was disgusting and a BIG NO for me!
I know, I’m such a critic, but I’m all about being intentional. If I’m going to consume bad calories, it better be something I love, which is fried chicken breast.
It is expected that most places will serve you dark meat karaage instead of white meat because the majority of people prefer it that way, but I don’t. So take what I said with a grain of salt.
I guess it really depends on your preferences. If you enjoy dark meat karaage, then this is the place for you! In fact, Rui says this is hands-down better than the fried chicken that came with the “Waff Out Loud” Fried Chicken and Waffles we ordered at Inspire Restaurant.
5. Tokyo Fries – $8
If you enjoy McDonald’s french fries as the base, then you’re going to fall in love with the Tokyo Fries at Kinka. And honestly, who doesn’t love McDonald’s fries??
Just image McDonald’s fries topped with sweet Japanese garlic mayo, bonito flakes, tonkatsu sauce, and sprinkled with some nori seaweed.
Umm… the sweet mayo was so good with the fries, and the bonito flakes gave this Japanese-style poutine the perfect smoked flavour. Oh, and that green onion on top… ah-mazing!
Rui and Darrin were really surprised that I was addicted to the Tokyo fries because they know I am mindful when it comes to eating too much unhealthy, fatty, and greasy food. But, honestly, the Tokyo Fries here are not that greasy, and I can’t resist when it comes to good fries. They 100% agreed.
None of us could stop eating these fries. We were all hooked! It was such an addicting dish, and we would definitely order it again the next time we visit Kinka.
So, definitely order this dish when you are there!
6. “The OG” Beef Curry – $15
After finishing the first 5 items we ordered, we still weren’t that full. It was getting there, so we decided to order one more dish to try to close out our experience at Kinka.
We were debating between the Pork Tonkatsu and The OG Beef Curry, but we all agreed that we wanted to try the curry.
The OG Beef Curry is slow-cooked ground beef with a thick Japanese-style curry sauce. It also comes with white rice on the side, which can help fill up your bellies when you’re still hungry.
When we mixed the beef and curry sauce with the rice, it was nice and creamy. It also smelled so good! We were all really enjoying the curry, and we would definitely order it again.
The beef was cooked perfectly, and the curry sauce was flavourful without being spicy at all. There was no hint of spiciness, which will probably disappoint those of you who love spicy food. It wasn’t the best curry we’ve ever had, but it was still an amazing dish nonetheless.
Food: 4.4/5
The food at Kinka Izakaya deserves a 4.4 out of 5 rating because, overall, we enjoyed most of the dishes we ordered. The truffle carbonara udon, BBQ bibimbap, Tokyo fries, and beef curry were all outstanding!
They were all made to perfection, and we would definitely order them again.
The only dish I didn’t like was the karaage, but that’s because I’m not fan of dark meat fried chicken.
We have to admit that if you only order the side dishes, or appetizers, to share, you will not be full. Not even close because they are all considered bite size. You will probably be disappointed based on many people’s experience who order only side dishes to share.
Knowing that ahead of time, we went for the main dishes, which are bigger in portion, and a few side dishes for the three of us to share. Of course, we also have to admit their main dishes aren’t large either. For example, if you ordered just one dish of udon, ramen, or bibimbap, you will probably still be hungry afterwards.
But, if you order several main dishes to share amongst your group, then you will probably be fine and won’t leave feeling hungry. That’s what we did, and we left feeling satisfied.
Service: 4.2/5
The service was amazing! Our server was so sweet and attentive, and she made sure we had everything we needed.
She was also very patient when we were trying to decide what to order, and she gave us her honest opinion about the dishes. Like the karaage she had for breakfast even though I personally didn’t like it, but Rui and Darrin devoured the chicken!
She made sure our water glasses were always full, and she gave us extra utensils for our sharable plates.
She was just an all-around great server, and we would liked to be served by her again if we came back.
Ambiance: 4/5
The ambiance nice and spacious, but it wasn’t beyond beautiful. It’s a typical Japanese izakaya restaurant, so don’t expect anything too fancy or over-the-top.
It’s a casual restaurant where you can come to relax and enjoy some good food and drinks with friends.
The restaurant was pretty quiet when we went, but it was a Monday evening (got there at 6:30 PM) so that’s to be expected.
It would probably be a lot busier on the weekends and after 8:00 PM.
Price: $$
The price is pretty reasonable, especially for the quality of food.
For example, the BBQ bibimbap is $16, and it’s a decent size! It can easily be shared between two people when you order another main dish plus an app.
The Tokyo fries are also a great deal at $8 because it’s a reasonable size of deliciousness. The beef curry is also reasonably priced at $15.
We ordered quite a bit because we’re just hungry hippos, I guess?
We had four main dishes and two appetizers, which came out to be $93.79 after tax but before tips for three people to share. Including tips, we paid $110.67. That works out to be $36.87 per person. We didn’t order any drinks because the guys weren’t feeling for any alcohol or beverage.
I personally don’t like alcohol, soda or any sweet drinks from a restaurant. I always prefer drinking warm water because it helps me stay hydrated, and it doesn’t bloat my stomach like soda does.
Rui and I actually thought about our last visit to Aka-Oni and Kaka Sushi. At Aka-Oni Izakaya, we paid over $70 per person.
At Kaka All You Can Eat Sushi, we paid $50 per person. It’s the same at Matsuda.
But obviously, the best AYCE Sushi restaurants in Toronto are quite pricey. And we have to admit that Aka-Oni does serve unique and special sushi rolls like no other!
Still, it was a no-brainer that Kinka Izakaya was the better deal out of the three if you’re looking for a well-rounded Japanese cuisine.
So overall, the price is great for the quality of food you’re getting. Again, we think the price is reasonable when you order main dishes to share and not only the appetizers or snacks.
Kinka Izakaya Rating: 4.3/5
We would definitely come back to Kinka Izakaya, and we would recommend it to anyone looking for a casual place to enjoy some good food and drinks with friends.
The only reason why it didn’t get a 5 out of 5 rating is because the karaage wasn’t my favourite, but that’s just personal preference. Other than that, everything was close to perfect! From the food, to the service, to the price. We had an amazing experience, and we will definitely be back!
Tell us if you have been to Kinka Izakaya in the comments below, and what you thought of it!
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