New Retro

This is a hidden gem in the city. Very cool and authentic Japanese bar in the basement. Food quality and taste are also really good. I love their Kaisen Don. However, this place is more for adults. Many of the dishes are designed to pair with drinking. It’s not a family friendly place to dine since kids can’t eat lots of raw stuff. Therefore the selections are really limited. It’s a great place to enjoy drinking and eat decent Japanese Izakaya food.

New Retro Japanese restaurant is located in the Cabbagetown South neighborhood, in Toronto, Ontario. It's hidden in a basement, underneath the Zakkushi on Carlton Japanese Izakaya. Amazing food, great atmosphere and very friendly and interactive staff. Discovered this little gem completely by chance, while dining at a restaurant located right above it. The menu boasts a wide variety of Sakes, delicious cocktails and highly refined, amazing dishes. Every single dish was an explosion of flavours. Ended up trying almost the entire menu, and everything was on point. Had 4 dinners at this place in a span of 3 nights. Can't recommend this place enough. If you have a chance, definitely grab a spot at their beautiful bar, if you'd like to interact with the team for a highly immersive experience. On the menu: • Thailandaise Seared Mackerel: Vinegared mackerel, cilantro, pine nuts, sansho, house made sauce with mustard, saikyo miso, sesame, soy sauce. • Potato Salad: Potato, shuto, bacon jam, parmesan cheese. • Stewed Oxtail: Stewed oxtail with potherb veggies, hatcho miso, red wine, served with grilled seasonal veggies. • Roasted duck: Roasted confit duck, balsamic vinegar, garlic teriyaki sauce, duxelle paste, blue cheese sauce. • Chicken Nanban • Grilled & Steamed Sablefish: Black cod marinated in sake kasu, saikyo miso. • Dashi maki: Rolled omlette, soy sauce, kombu & bonito dashi stock. • Obanzai: Chef's assorted sampler. • Ryu Kyu: Chef's choice of sashimi marinated in sweet soy sauce, sesame, shiso basil. • A couple of off the menu items ; Dessert: • Yuzu Semifreddo Instagram: newretro_b1_193carlton

new retro - basement, you can find the most attentive servers, peaceful dining atmosphere, and exquisite dishes, a gem in the east side of the city. the best service I’ve experienced in the city, water was always full, provided explanations to the dishes, asked for our feedback, timed each plate to perfection so we never waited too long for the next one, just hands down brilliant. we tried nearly the entire menu if you’re able I recommend you do so as well, not a single flop, but the most memorable ones were: cha-one-mushi kaisen don unagi dashi maki I was so satisfied with every serving, it’s was an incredibly enjoyable experience watching them cook we sat at the bar. As for drinks, their yuzu soda* made with home made syrup it’s an absolute delight and super refreshing during the summer. We were too full for dessert, but will definitely comeback to try any items I may have missed. *non-alcoholic

Have Returned. Worth Trying. Only came here for a drink and a snack - but definitely returning as the menu looks amazing, and the smells and decor create the kind of vibe Toronto needs more of: High end feels with middle of the pack affordability. The drinks are thick - not sure why or how - but they're much more thick than a regular cocktail. Aug 2023: Have returned. Tartare: Skippable. Portion is quite small and is relatively mild. Not a fan of the bread - needs to be grilled/charred better. The meat itself is very tender but missing flavour. Shisho: Delicious. Must try. Not spicy at all. Smokey, cheese is a good addition. Unagi: Skippable. Not much eel and frankly its a pretty simple dish. Crab Toast: Reminiscent of Foie Gras in taste - very buttery. Small Portion. Cucumber: Pretty good - very clever use of Miso paste and Wasabi and something sweet to bring it all together. Overall unfortunately most of these felt a little basic and lackluster. Ambiance is super nice but wouldn't return for the current rendition of menu. Takes AMEX. Expect $60-$100pp Please follow @trebzheng for more Toronto and travel eats :

The food is as excellent as Zakkushi but a better place for drinking and catching up with friends. My personal favourite is the Kanimiso Butter which is a special menu item. The kanimiso has so much umami that I just can’t stop eating it. The only thing I would suggest is that if you are not drinking for some reasonlike me, the Obanzai might be too salty. The dish itself has nothing wrong, in fact I can see all dishes goes so well with alcohol, it’s just Obsnzai is not really tailored for eating along just as it’s name suggests haha.

new retro is a quiet version of izakaya w/good food and sake. i especially love the fusion tataki and duck. great vibe and good service. will definitely come back for more.

New Retro is a basement bar flooded with divine dishes. Loved how a tiny menu could offer such an outsized variety of tastes. Plates are small-ish, flavours are big, and would suggest sharing to maximize the experience. Went here for dinner and got: - Stewed Oxtail: Superb fall-of-the-bone oxtail with a rich thick sauce. You believe it when they say this was cooked for five days in hatcho miso and red wine because it tastes that way. - Sea's Harvest: Raw spot prawn that is really juicy. Side crab and uni miso sauces were excellent counterbalances to the raw freshness. Afterwards, they deep fried the leftover heads, and it came out really tasty and crunchy. - Thailandaise Seared Mackarel: The rich fishy-ness of the mackerel was balanced nicely by a generous amount of cilantro and sauce. My wife doesn't usually like mackarel and she loved this dish. - Kaisen Don: If you're on the hungrier side, get this dish. It's your standard chirashi bowl but with uni! - Smoked Katsuo Tataki: Came with the theatrical smoke bowl. The sear on the tataki was spot on. - Dashi Maki: Rolled omelette which was traditional in its delicacy of taste and consistency. After the strong flavours across the dishes, this was almost like a palette cleanser. - Yuzu Sorbet: Looked like a mess, tasted like the absolute best yuzu sorbet I've had in the city. - Salty Lychee: Refreshing cocktail that tones down the sweet soho lychee with some rum, lemon juice and salt. Everything is pricey but the quality makes it worth the treat. Service is top-noth: informative, welcoming, efficient. Overall vibe is casually energetic. New Retro will easily be one of those literal underground places that everyone talks about because it is that good.

Really cool place with creative and delicious food and cocktails. It was a little pricy though for the portion size and ingredients 3 pieces of oxtail for $28. I thought the plum cocktail can be diluted with sparkling water - it was too concentrated. Seasoning was a bit heavy handed salty on a few dishes including the plum cocktail. Also would prefer the music was lowered just a tad. If the above were adjusted, I'd give it the full 5 stars.

Food is pricy for the portion size and quality. But, most concerning were so many bugs around - there were cockroaches, flies, and tiny bugs. The cockroach climbing on the wall almost fell into my friend's bag...Food: 3/5

This place is perfection. A Japanese culinary oasis, hidden in a basement. The team, atmosphere, food and drink combine to create a sublime treat.Food: 5/5

Directions to New Retro with public transportation

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