Mikaku Izakaya

An excellent izakaya deserving of it's high reviews here. The service is very nice and thoughtful, giving us extra details like where the washroom is and that the bar has no seating limit unlike the tables without prompting, and were consistent in checking in with us throughout our stay there. The food too is SO good, I really would want to come back to try some other dishes. The tartar was very flavorful and the fried cheese delicious as well. The creamy rice cakes in the bread bowl was really unique and filling with seafood and vegetables, and the crispy outside bread with the soft cream soaked inside bottom paired really well together. They also don't skimp out on the portions. We also got one of the yuzu sake bottle to share which was refreshing - unfortunately the peach and pear ones were sold out. Overall, definitely worth coming for a good time and good food!

Hands down the best Izakaya in North York. They don't take reservations at least on weekends but this place is definitely worth the wait. There isn't anything about the food to complain about, everything was absolutely stellar. The menu isn't very extensive which makes it easy to choose from. Service can be a bit spotty during peak hours, but that is to be expected. Prices were pretty standard compared to similar places in the area. The intimate environment made mikaku a very cozy and comfortable place for food and drinks with some friends. I definitely would come back.

This place gets quite busy so definitely plan some time to wait. I had to call them back since we waited a while and they said they called me many times and my phone didn't work. I was just glad they were able to accomodate us eventually. Service was good and the food came very quickly. The menu isn't too much which is great so it's easy to pick off items from the menu. Food was so good and I especially enjoyed buta and beef tataki! Portions were a little smaller for the price.

Be prepared to wait.. but MAN is it worth the wait!!! SO FRICKEN GOOD. I’m so glad I came here. Great variety of sake and every single food item was perfect I can’t wait to go back and try more of their menu items!

Get there early or prepared to wait. Everything was pretty good. Best is the udon dishes and pork belly. Portion sizes on the smaller end.

I was excited to try this restaurant after seeing its 4.5/5 rating, but unfortunately it fell short of my expectations. We decided to dine here since Nome Izakaya was closed today. The restaurant was quite empty when we arrived around 7 pm, but quickly filled up after we were seated. The waitress was very friendly and provided good service. For our meal, we ordered the spicy creamy udon, sliced pork belly seared buta, beef tartare bowl on rice, and chicken karaage. The spicy creamy udon was flavorful and creamy, just as promised. You could taste the layers of the dish, starting with fried pork belly similar to bacon layered with vegetables, whole garlic cloves, and cream. However, I found the dish a bit too heavy on umami flavor, which leads me to believe that it may contain added MSG. One downside was the whole garlic cloves, which were a bit unpleasant and could be better with sliced garlic. The beef tartare rice dish, unfortunately, was unsatisfactory. I was expecting a simple dish with just beef tartare, an egg, and a little sauce to bind it together. However, I received a large portion of box salad and gochuchang sauce. The gochuchang overpowered the dish, and I could barely taste the beef tartare. I think a lighter hand with the gochuchang would greatly improve the dish. The chicken karaage had a nice texture, and you could taste the aromatics in the marinade. However, the plate was half-filled with salad, which was a bit excessive for a side dish. While the presentation was attractive, the amount of salad was unnecessary, and I was able to make a full plate of salad from the leftovers from the buta and karaage alone. The buta dish was the most disappointing of all. It arrived when we had already finished everything else, and I was hoping they had forgotten about my order. Unfortunately, the dish was extremely charred and had an overwhelming perfume of burnt flavor. The char was likely due to incomplete combustion of the gas, caused by holding the torch too close to the pork belly. The smell was nauseating and made it almost too difficult to eat. Overall, the dining experience was decent but could use some improvement. I appreciated the friendly service and the creative dishes, but the execution of some dishes could be improved.

Had higher expectations. Staff was nice but food was just okay. Chicken karaage was plain/nothing special. Ebi mayo was also just okay. Garden salad was whatever. Salmon tataki was good but still nothing too special.

We heard many good things about Mikaku and were so excited to try. Unfortunately we didn’t feel the food met the hype/expectations. The food was decent for the price. The squid was nice, but not anything special. The chicken karaage felt more like popcorn chicken to me. It wasn’t terrible but I didn’t think it was worth the price and I definitely had better karaage elsewhere. The maze udon was okay as well but can’t say it was anything special either. The best part of the restaurant was the server. He was very attentive and provided us with great service! If it was just the food, I would rate the overall experience a 3/5 but would give it a 4/5 because of the service.

Excellent izakaya in north york. Atmosphere is great as izakaya. Food is amazing with various selection of sake. I really like the grilled caramari and the creamy udon. The oden soup is abit on the salty msg side.

Spicy cream udon is the best!!!!! You have to try it! Service was good and friendly Nice atmosphere Taco wasabi & Beef Tartare rice bowl was good.