Izakaya Ju Japanese Restaurant — Restaurant in Markham

If you're looking for an authentic Japanese Izakaya experience but can't afford a trip to Japan, come here. The staff are very friendly and polite, and the food is just mind-blowingly delicious. The greatest care is taken to coax the natural flavours out of each ingredient. You can tell that every dish was carefully crafted and thought about extensively.

Personally, I recommend coming during the lunch hours as it's less likely to be busy and the quality will be on point. But if you do come during the evening, it's a great time to enjoy some alcohol. Tori Karaage is a must have if you're a beer drinker. It compliments a tall glass of Sapporo perfectly. Yakitori is also a great accompaniment. If you're in the mood for some sake, try some charcoal grilled fish or vegetables. They're refreshing and light. I recommend the grilled saba (mackerel). It comes with some grated daikon on the side, and if you pour just a touch of soy sauce on it and put it on each bite of your fish, man is it perfect!

The sushi is the freshest, most delicious sushi I've ever eaten. Hiroshi (or James Bond, as he likes to be called) is very skilled at making it and I sit at the counter just to watch. The ikura sushi feels like a wave is crashing into your body as the fish roe bursts in your mouth (assuming you eat it all in one bite like you're supposed to, and without soy sauce). Unagi is just phenomenal. It's so tender, juicy and lightly sweet with that classic umami flavour from the soy sauce.

I've eaten here a lot and have never been disappointed. Don't be afraid to try something new! It's also a great place to practice ordering in Japanese. I can't sing their...

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...

We got The RICH, Osaka Chahan, Teba Gyoza, Yakitori Combo and Grilled Whole Hokke. The RICH came with Otoro, Japanese Uni and Ikura on Sushi Rice, all the Sashimi were super FRESH, the Otoro melted in my mouth, Uni was sweet, what a satisfying bowl! Osaka Chahan was a Octopus Fried Rice topped with Tonkatsu Sauce, Mayo, Bonito Flakes, the Rice was fried to perfection, topped with the Sauces, it was like having Okonomiyaki but with Rice! Teba Gyoza came in 2 stuffed Chicken Wings, it had well-seasoned Ground Pork stuffed in de-boned Wings, so crispy and delicious! Yakitori Combo came with 5 Skewers, Chicken Wings, Pork Belly, Tsukune (Chicken Balls) and Duck Breast, it was carefully grilled, packed flavour, perfectly smokey, all the Meats were incredibly juicy as well! Grilled Whole Hokke was a type of dry preserved Atka Mackeral that was grilled beautifully, it was flakey, glistening, and so good to go with Lemon Juice and ground Daikon! Overall, we absolutely enjoyed this spot, it was as if we went on a trip to Japan, super authentic, great vibe and...