Kingyo

Ordered the pork loin cutlet (tonkatsu) lunch combo, a jasmine tea and the matcha crème brûlée. The food and service was excellent and will definitely revisit and the near future

Ordered the lunch AAA steak. It came with miso soup.
Portion was perfect. 171lb man. It was cooked rare with a nice pink center.
We also had the Pork Loin Cutlet (Tonkatsu) combo, it arrived with a mountain of cabbage. It was cooked just right. Juicy, tender with the perfect krisp.
Not expensive which we were both surprised. Will definitely return. Hospitality is wonderful.

I’ve been to Kingyo at least 10 times now and was never disappointed with the quality of food and service every time. The menu has changed since I first came here and there are lot of new items to try, though I wish some of my old favorites were still available such as the ramen salad. The karagaee and pressed sushi are really good and definitely worth trying. Seating is comfortable with a good ambience. I recommend reserving ahead of time on weekends to avoid a long wait time.

Very loud greetings as most Japanese restaurants do :)
Service was friendly and efficient
We tried some special items of the day:
Fried soft shell crab salad, okay one, seasoning of the salad was better than the soft shell crab
Hot stone bowl unagi don. Liked it! Perfectly seasoned, hot and delicious.
Kingyo style calamari, good
Karagaee with magic powder wasn’t that magical.
Enjoyed the beef tongue on a sizzling stone. Thinly cut and very fresh .
The wow was frozen matcha crème brulee. So delicious! Liked it!
Was about $ 50 per person

Oh man, did I eat A TON here. It was my first time at Kingyo but I kept hearing from friends how great it was. First thing I gotta say is I love the décor of this place. It’s classy yet casual and they’ve got real, operating pachinko machines set into the brick walls of the main dining area as decoration; so cool! Not only that but there are two more downstairs outside of the washrooms that I think you might actually be able to play!
Anyway, we ordered a whole bunch of items: tako (octopus) wasabi, stone bowl mushroom tofu, garlic tuna tataki w/​ponzu jelly, hotate (scallop) carpaccio, red tuna and black tiger prawn avocado tartar and stone bowl seafood & uni (sea urchin) don, as well as the jewelery box off of their specials menu.
The tako wasabi was great. We ordered it raw (you can get it raw, cooked or half&half), and the wasabi has good punch but won’t have you on the verge of tears like other tako wasabi I’ve tried. You can also get unlimited extra nori if you run out. The stone bowl mushroom tofu was one of my favourites. It’s cubes of silken tofu coated in a gelatinous rice flour batter of some sort dropped in a sizzling hot stone bowl, garnished with sliced okra. They then pour a enoki & shitake reduction over it. Highly recommend it if you like tofu and/​or mushrooms. Make sure you don’t let it over-​cook in the bowl though, as it will burn and get charred!
The garlic tuna tataki was also a dish I thoroughly enjoyed. The presentation is quite lovely with this dish; the ponzu sauce comes in a little bottle so you can pour as little or as much dressing as you like on your tuna. The tuna itself was lightly-​seared on the outside and melted in my mouth. I’m a big fan of the ponzu jelly, too. The hotate carpaccio was probably my favourite dish of all. I’ve never tried raw scallop before, but it was so unique and amazing. The best way I can describe it is that it is mildly sweet and again, just melts in your mouth. They pick a perfect arrangement of flavours and textures in this dish to compliment the scallop. This is a must-​order dish!
The tartar was also another great dish. You mix it yourself on the plate and it comes with garlic toast to eat it with. Probably the least-​challenging flavour-​wise out of everything I tried; would be a good intro dish for someone not used to Japanese flavours. My only complaint with this dish is that the toast to tartar ratio is very unbalanced and they do charge extra for more toast. The stone bowl uni don was a really special dish. The uni actually turns the rice orange after being mixed. It is delicious and flavourful, with all kind of goodies mixed in there (shrimp, scallop, kombu). If you like sea urchin, this is a really special dish. Don’t miss it!
Finally, the jewelry box is a special item. A two tier-​box with eight special mystery items for you to sample. The contents vary from day to day. The presentation is lovely. Of all the items our box included, my favourites were the taro balls, kurage (jellyfish), and tuna tartar. I love anything reminiscent of an omakase-​like experience, so I’d definitely get this again in the future. I like being surprised!
My final verdict is that this place is amazing! I highly prefer it to other izakayas in the city that I’ve tried. It feels more authentically Japanese somehow, the dishes are more interesting and complex, and above all, it is more affordable! The service and ambience are great and it makes for an exciting dining experience. I can’t wait to come back!

Kingyo had been on my radar for sometime, and I finally made it here for dinner. We’d made same-​day reservations and got an 8:15 slot. Arrived 15 minutes early but they were able to accommodate us right away, which was always a plus. Service was excellent, albeit on the slightly slower side towards the end. Understandable, as it was a Saturday night. I call it the Japanese hospitality, polite and efficient.
Between my boyfriend and I, we had:
Mabo sticky rice — this was one of their daily specials and admittedly, I did not pay enough attention to the description. The mabo sauce was savoury and flavourful, but I wasn’t too keen on the deep fried mochi (sticky rice?).
Hamachi Carpaccio — fan favourite. Everything worked well together, and I especially liked the tanginess of their house sauce.
Stone Grilled Beef Tongue — need I say more?
Stone Bowl Seafood and Sea Urchin don — I am a big fan of anything cooked in hot stones, especially love the crunchy rice you scrape off the bottom of the bowl. mmm. however I find this dish too rich after a while. I suspect it’s the Uni? The diced pieces of daikon also threw me off texturally.
We had some beers as well, decently priced. Lastly, we finished with some desserts. It’s worth mentioning that they do half-​sizes, which I absolutely appreciate. I like variety, and normally can’t eat a lot of sweets. We got the black sesame ice cream, and Otona no pudding which reminded me of crème brûlée.
Overall, I had a good experience at Kingyo. Food is tasty and reasonable priced; it is a little on the noisy side, as commonly found in Japanese establishments with seats closely placed together and servers shouting their welcome and goodbyes.

Loved it.
Visited on 23^rd December with a friend, you gotta make appointments for dinner because while we were there this spot had some people waiting.
Food was fairly good, servers were helpful and patient. We had a bottle of sake which was alright since I don’t usually drink sake coz all rice-​based alcohol often have a bitter taste.

Huge fan of their lunch specials. We had three different lunch specials, and one of them was okay for the price, but the other two I was quite impressed with. We made a reservation and had to change the details several times, and they were very willing to accommodate for that. They also hold their reservations for 15 minutes, which I appreciate.
Had:
Tan tan ramen and kage don? — Something like that. Spicy minced pork ramen and a bowl of chicken karage with sauce on rice. Chicken karaage with sauce on rice was delicious. Chicken was tender. Sauce was lovely. Minced pork ramen was not particularly impressive. I wouldn’t have ordered it at all had my grandfather not wanted something spicy. It wasn’t particularly spicy either. Mildly spicy.
Chef’s choice of 2 kinds of daily grilled fish ($ 14.80) — Yesterday’s daily grilled fishes were horse mackerel and yellowfin tuna. For that price, I was very impressed with the portions of fish they gave us. The fish was fresh and cooked perfectly. The flesh was moist and the skin was crispy. The sauce that came with it was slightly sweet, salty, and tangy. I’m not sure whether the mountain yam was supposed to be a palate cleanser, but it works well as one. Served with rice.
Kingyo’s assorted delux bento ($ 17) — Their most expensive lunch set, and for good reason. According to their menu, they only serve 10 of these sets every day. This was the reason I went to Kingyo. I desperately wanted one of these bentos. The picture of this on their menu beautiful. I was hoping that reality lived up to the picture. When I made my reservation, I asked if I could reserve these bentos. They said yes! I reserved 3 (we had 5 people). When it came, I was actually so excited. Including the rice and the standard side dishes, there were 12 dishes on that lunch tray! There was a small dish of spicy salmon salad (I wish this was chunkier, and less of a mushy consistency), a slice of rolled omelette with sweet sauce (the one that came with all the other lunch sets did not have sweet sauce), a slice of braised pork belly atop what seemed to be thin mashed potatoes mixed with some incredible tasting sauce, a mixed greens salad with pickled daikon shreds and a few slices of red radish, two huge pieces of chicken karaage, a single fried shrimp (tempura style, but not the long tempura shrimp), two slices of beef tataki atop mixed greens and fried garlic chips (one of the best pieces of beef tataki I’ve ever had), and two deep fried mashed potato balls. Given the assortment of dishes and the quality of each dish, I’d rather eat this over eating AYCE. So many things to try!
*All lunch specials come with with pickled radish and carrot, a slice of steamed egg omelette, and a small dish of marinated baby bok choy. All save for the tan tan ramen were served with miso soup as well.*
Service was pretty good. They have a 3^rd anniversary event going on where each $ 10 we spent we got 1 chance to play their lottery wheel. Each chance wins (even if it’s a sample pack of shampoo and conditioner). We got a lot of those.
I’ll be back. Yum.

I went here on Friday December 4^th, 2015 around 9pm with 7 of my co-​workers for dinner. When entering the restaurant it was pretty packed and I found the environment to be really loud. As for the food it was just decent, nothing spectacular.
I ordered the Diced Beef Tenderloin Steak and Ebi-​Mayo. I found the tenderloin to be very chewy and I personally felt it lacked flavour considering the fact that I was trying to scrape off the remaining sauce on the hot plate (Sauce was poured over the meal but I felt like there wasn’t enough!). As for the Ebi-​Mayo, the spiciness was very overwhelming and kind of destroyed the meal itself. Throughout all the dishes that were ordered that night within the group, the ‘A Big Kingyo Short Rib’ were the best. The ribs were very moist that it can slide off the bone and the portion was huge. To conclude, the portions of the food I found were really tiny and it was some what overpriced for what you received. However; I do give the presentation of the dishes 4 stars.
As for the service, we had two waiters so it wasn’t too bad! One of them had a sense of humor so that was pleasant, the other was really polite and filled our waters when needed. Overall it was a great night and I wan’t ecstatic about the restaurant or food too much.
~ Service is: great
~ Décor is: appealing
~ Noise level is: LOUD
~ Food is: moderate
~ Price range is: eh

Came here with a party of 8 people for a birthday dinner on Friday November 13, 2015. I read other Unilocaler’s mixed reviews and had my fingers-​crossed for a great evening.
My first, and my LAST time coming here.
Here’s what happened: we had reservations for 6pm, and we were informed there is a 2-​hour seating limit. Everybody arrived by 6:10pm. We placed our food orders and were served water. So we sit, chat, and wait. At 6:55pm, the waitress comes to our table and tells us its «last call» for food from our table. WTF? I told her that the entire table has not received ANY of our food, we were sitting at the table drinking our water and you have the audacity to tell us that? She says «yes, sorry.» Wow, such fake empathy!
8 people and they still mess up our orders. They missed our Pork Tantan Ramen ($ 10.80). We cancelled the order and they still charged us for it — always double check your bill); 2 friends ordered the Kingyo Bomb dish… at 7:20pm, we follow-​up on its whereabouts. Guess what? «Sorry, because we only have one person inside the kitchen that makes it». She says it hasn’t been made yet and it «may» take another 10 minutes. Both decided to cancel the order.
I have to be honest. The Yuzu «Ankake» Bokkake Udon ($ 11.80) barely passed the grade. The $ 21 Short Ribs was expensive but was good. The «sampler» Jewel box ($ 13.80) sucked and was a total ripoff.
It annoys me when I see a restaurant put food on top of a big green leaf and suddenly they call themselves a «high-​class» restaurant LOL. Oh and to top it off, they charged me an auto-​gratuity because of the party.
Take my $ 5.79 tip Kingyo, because you won’t get another cent off me!
*We drove to Sansotei Ramen afterwards because we were still hungry. Afterall, we basically only had «appetizers» in the 2 hours we were at Kingyo.
Pics with comments to follow…

3.5÷5, +.5 for service
Take this at face value: I prefer Kingyo over Guu/​Kinka overall. I love the energetic atmosphere that Guu has, but in terms of food quality I liked Kingyo over Guu.
There seemed to be a heavy Power Rangers theme in Kingyo, and it showed via many of the decorations, in addition to an actual Power Rangers clip behind the sushi chefs’ table. Even the washrooms in the basement had some Power Rangers decorations, in addition to very traditional Japanese music.
Anyway, on to the food… my family ordered tako wasabi, garlic tuna tataki and ponzu jelly, Kingyo legendary chicken wings, stone grilled kobe beef, grilled black cod, aburi toro, aburi shime saba, and frozen matcha crème brulée.
Personally I enjoyed almost every one of these foods in different ways! The tako wasabi was unique, as you’re given both a raw and cooked option (or both). I went with a mix option, as I’ve never had cooked tako wasabi before. It honestly tastes just as good! The garlic tuna tataki was seared nicely and the ponzu jelly had a very unique taste to it. The chicken wings were also juicy and delicious, and I can definitely see where the «legendary» aspect came from. The stone grilled kobe beef wins for uniqueness; you’re literally grilling beef on a stone! The black cod was also very good (why is that not in the everyday menu?) and the frozen matcha crème brulée was one of the best I’ve had in an izakaya joint.
This leaves behind the aburi toro and aburi shime saba… I liked the aburi toro, however the rice fell apart too easily for my liking. Considering that was the most expensive dish of my meal, I had to dock some marks off. Finally, the aburi shime saba was too fishy for my liking, and I didn’t notice anywhere where the mackerel was torched.
Service was great; the servers were very knowledgeable about their products and consistently made sure we had enough water and the fact all our food has arrived.
Overall I definitely enjoyed my visit, considering it was my birthday dinner. I like how there are other izakaya restaurants in Toronto that I can choose aside from Guu, and this place definitely is up there in my favourite izakaya places I’ve visited in the city!

The girlfriend was invited out by one of her infinitely stylish and in the know foodie colleagues and I got to tag along.
Just off the main drag in Cabbagetown we were ushered in through an unassuming entrance by a very loud Japanese host yelling welcome! Ah yes an Isakiya joint.
Due to watching lots of «Mind of a Chef» on Netflix I’m kind of on Japanese food kick and was excited to sample lots from the menu.
To that end I got the Chefs selection appetizer box and the beef tongue cooked on a hot stone. My lady had the tempura and the house special karage chicken.
After what seemed like forever the food started to appear. While my tongue made an appearance the server appeared to tell me that they were out of the appetizer platter. O well I would drown my sorrows in some plum lime. I also ordered the battered shrimp with mayo.
The beef tongue was good and came with some interesting chimmicuri type sauce. The shrimip with mayo was good but I found it very very salty.
I also tried my girlfriend’s chicken and tempura. The chicken even came with extra salt for dipping, not that it needed it.
Looking at everyone’s else’s plates we noticed that everyone has ordered ramen or a rice dish. They all looked good and were maybe not as saline as what we ordered.
When it finally came to settle the server made a big song and dance about not being able to split bills.
Overall my food was okay, the service was lacklustre and the décor was neat (see my picture of the video games outside the bathroom)
I’m not sure if my soso experience is because of my inexperience in picking dishes or the kitchen having an off night. Even though I didn’t have a great experience I’m willing to give these guys a second chance.

Came here on a Wednesday night. Restaurant was busy, not full though, but the service was extremely slow. We ordered 5 dishes (portions are small and tapas style) and it took over an hour for all the food to arrive. We were still hungry afterwards but didn’t want to wait any longer for more food.
Highlights (or lowlights in this case):
Aburi Saba and Toro sushi: both were a disappointment. The Saba and Toro lacked the flame seared taste that warrants it to be called Aburi style sushi. The Saba tasted almost completed cooked, and the Toro was minced so finely that it had a really mushy texture. Also, there there was so much sauce that it really overpowered the flavour of the fish.
Special dinner menu item: i wish i took down the name of the dish that we ordered from their seasonal special menu, as I can’t recall what it was called, but need to warn others of this awful dish. It was mainly chopped salmon with scallion and a quail egg yolk that you wrap in seaweed. Their was too much egg yolk in the dish that it tasted really slimy and also bland. We couldn’t even finish it although we were starving.
The remaining dishes were average and not worth mentioning. The server did give us complimentary ice cream after to apologize for the slow service but it was not enough to compensate for the poor quality of the food.
We will not be returning.

Lacking of consistency. Sometimes you get wonderful experience and sometimes everything taste bland and not fresh

Attentive service! Mouth watering food! Great atmosphere!
Everything we ate was beyond our expectations. Think of «Guu» but a level up and not as loud.
Started with the torched toro pressed sushi. Very soft and warm rice. Toro was melt in your mouth. Came with six pieces. Was not served with soy sauce.
Kajima beef is a must order! Raw pieces of sliced Kobe grade beef served with a hot rock and three delicious sauces. A bit pricier than the beef tongue alternative but so worth the feeling of the fatty Kobe beef dissolving on the tip of your tongue.
Ordered the bokkake udon as my main dish and it just beyond any of my expectations. Served with a soft boiled egg, beef cubes, tempura bits, and scallions. You are to mix all the ingredients together then enjoy! The udon was perfectly al dente. All of this drenched in the most delicious yuzu sauce. I finished every last bit!
Finished with their 2-​layer almond tofu. Comes in a regular and small size but when asked which size would be best, the server insisted that small was just «oooohhh nooo, small is TOO small, nono!» LOL. Needless to say we went with the regular size and had absolutely no regrets. Smoothest almond tofu I’ve ever had!
Dined on a Tuesday evening and there was no wait but most tables were full. Greeted promptly by cheerful staff. Very nice and modern décor. Plenty of seats for couples and a few large party tables (there were a couple of birthday celebrations when we were there). Really loved the pin ball machines on the walls!
I will definitely come back! Really eager to try their lunch menu, as the options are different. Can’t wait!

Went here before a show at the Phoenix Concert Theatre and here’s what we had:
Watermelon Kimuchi (³⁄₅) — I think considering the rave reviews I read, this was pretty disappointing. Lacked the acidity I feel is really important in any good kimchi.
Wings (⁴⁄₅) — Great! Tasty but a bit too salty and not particularly special in any way.
East Coast Salmon Sashimi (⁴⁄₅) — Really fresh, came with really good wasabi, but not worth the 12 bucks we paid for the 7 pieces we got.
Hokkaido Scallop Sashimi (⁵⁄₅) — Superb! Definitely get this if available.
Beef Tongue (⁵⁄₅) — So good! Just make sure you don’t cook it on the hot stone too long or it’ll be tough.
Uni and Scallop Rice (²⁄₅) — I’m sorry but I hated this! Cooked uni? No thanks.
Toro Pressed Sushi (¹⁄₅) — This was the worst dish of the night. The fish was clearly not fresh – it was tough and stringy and I ended up eating less than one piece.
Pork Tantan Ramen (⁴⁄₅) — Good, but once again, way too salty. The noodles were yummy though.
Soft Tofu with Mushroom (⁵⁄₅) — HANDS DOWN the best dish of the night. The skin of the tofu was soooo tasty.
All desserts (3.5÷5) — We got the pudding, the crème brûlée and the gelato. The pudding and the brûlée were good, but the gelato was so lacklustre.
The service was great. Our waters were always full, they were also very attentive and kind. Wish the food was better though. For the three of us, after tax and tip, we paid around $ 145.

I came here for a birthday dinner and man is this a cool place with It’s a lively yet intimate setting. The loud Japanese greeting as you’re seated helps build the setting of the place. They had Ultraman playing in the background, I mean for people who know what it is how cool is that?
The service came quick and the food started coming fast. I strongly recommend the following items:
Hamachi Carpaccio: A well balanced fish dish, with a hint of citrus flavour. It delivered an amazing Japanese and south american fusion flavour that you need to try!
Beef tongue on hot stone: the thinly sliced tongue is cooked on a hot stone. The thin meat just melts in your mouth flavour with a citrus punch. Watching it cook on the stone was entertaining to watch as well!
If you haven’t gone here yet, book your reservation and go!

Came for lunch and loved the experience. The food could be a bit better though, so minus one star for that, but I would definitely return.
Love the set lunches. The sets come with soup, veggies, and rice. We got the special ($ 17) and the sashimi ($ 15.80) so we could try a bit of everything. It worked perfectly since everything came with two pieces. Everything was good, but nothing especially amazing on its own. The sashimi was ok, not the best quality, but passable.
A 150ml carafe of sake was $ 9 and the lunch beer is only $ 3!
A great value and great service!

I’ve been to Kingyo quite a few times now for lunch and dinner and I have to say their lunches are much better than dinner. Their portions are decently sized for downtown portions but more importantly delicious! The restaurant is well furnished and has a great atmosphere for hanging out with a group of friends and family. The service staff are all really friendly and it’s just a great time here. Highly recommended!
My favourite dish from Kingyo is the Fried Pork Cutlet. It’s crispy on the outside and moist on the inside. It also comes with a bowl of rice, two small appetizers, miso soup and some lettuce. Words cannot really describe how good this is! This lunch costs about $ 15 and it’s worth every little bit.
At the end, you’ll get a frozen grape as dessert. It’s a simple but sweet dessert and helps cleanse your palate at the end of the meal.

Had a nice dinner here for a friend’s birthday on Saturday night. It gets crowded so reservations are a must. The menu is extensive with a lot of unique dishes to Kingyo. Unlike other izakayas found in Toronto, it’s not too loud so you can actually carry on a conversation without having to lose your voice. I was impressed with the drink menu as they offered a lot of interesting cocktails — my favourite would have to be the yuzu mojito. I took photos of some of the items that we ordered; since it’s all tapas here, there are too many items to list, but a couple of items that I would recommend are the steak on a hot stone (very cool looking), chicken wings, and the pork rice bowl. I would skip the tomato+kimuchi dish as it was super bland (in spite of the kimuchi). Anyway, can’t wait to come back during their lunch hour.
Good for: groups, Japanese, tapas, drinks