Iru Izakaya - Quartier des Spectacles — Restaurant in Montreal

This is a recently opened restaurant which may explain why the service was a little uneven to start. Our waitress could not adequately explain the menu choices, so we had to guess between trying the Discovery menu ($50 pp) or the Experience Menu ($70 pp). We ended up going with the latter. It was frustrating to wait 45 minutes before being presented with an appetizer in the form of tuna sashimi. (And why do sharing plates come with an odd number of portions? 5 sashimi for 2 people). We also got the pork & mushroom dumplings in a wonton wrapper and infused with a sample of foie gras (also 5 to a plate). Both apps were tasty and the dumpling sauce was memorable. After a slow start, the remaining dishes came in rapid order. The grilled shrimp was very good, the spareribs in sweet & sour sauce were excellent, the pork belly skewers were tender and juicy (easily the best dish of the night), and the black cod was flaky and moist. However, the beef striploin was dry and tough and frankly, not edible. The chicken karaage was just okay, while the tomato-cucumber noodle salad was ruined by the oversalty dressing. Despite these last three dishes, we enjoyed our meal. As to the setting, the restaurant has been cleverly laid out into different sections suitable for groups or intimate date nights. There are high chairs, counter seats at the bar, tables, and booths. The ceiling must be 30 feet high, giving the whole restaurant a wonderful airy feeling. Bright neon signs with Japanese characters dotted the ceilings. The space was modern and comfortable. Aside from our waitress’ lack of familiarity with the menu, service was good. They work as a team, so even though we had one principal server, at least 6 other servers stopped by to sweep up the empty dishes and refill our glasses. Overall, we had a satisfactory evening and would put this restaurant on our list for future visits. One caveat: Pay attention to their tip calculator which is based on the total amount after GST and PST (this is illegal) or you may end up tipping more than...

I had reserved a seat at the bar the night before our visit. At the time of booking, there were available options for the bar, tables, and booths. We decided to arrive early, around 6:00 p.m., since we had tickets for Hamilton at Place des Arts later that evening at 7:30 p.m.

Upon arrival, the restaurant was sparsely populated, as most diners typically come after 7:30 p.m. The décor immediately caught our attention—gorgeous Japanese-inspired neon lighting created a vibrant and stylish atmosphere throughout the space.

We noticed the booths were designed like cozy alcoves and asked the hostess if we could be seated there instead. Unfortunately, she was not very accommodating and seemed resistant to our request. Reluctantly, we made our way to the bar.

Once seated, we ordered drinks and began discussing our disappointment with the hostess. That’s when Hugo, the bartender, overheard us. He immediately stepped in with warmth and professionalism, explaining the menu and offering thoughtful suggestions for both drinks and food. His knowledge and friendliness were impressive. Without us even asking, Hugo discreetly contacted the manager to assist with our seating request.

The manager, Benjamin, was charming and attentive. He informed us that he could offer a booth until 7:45 p.m., after which the tables were reserved. Since we needed to leave by 7:30 p.m. for our show, we gladly accepted. Benoit personally escorted us to one of the alcove booths, which were as beautiful as they appeared from afar. His cordiality made a strong positive impression.

During our dinner, Benjamin checked in on us and even comped two cocktails, a gesture that added to an already excellent experience.

The food itself was outstanding—every dish was delicious, and I would highly recommend this restaurant. While the hostess at the entrance lacked experience and courtesy, the senior staff more than made up for it with their professionalism, attentiveness, and genuine hospitality.

Overall, I would give this restaurant ten stars for its exceptional food and...

If you’re coming for good food - this place definitely hits the spot. Just if you are a group of over 4 people, be prepared to wait. We were a table of 6 and the 4 course dinner service took roughly 4 hours to be served to us. First two hours we were starving eating edamame and drinking our drinks. We even got the last main dish at 10:40pm when they close at 11pm.

This sort of bummed us out a bit as it took over our whole night when we thought it would just be a couple hours of dinner. It was my girlfriend’s birthday and we wanted to go out but by the time we left it was practically midnight and was a bit too late now.

I don’t support this but two of my friends tipped poorly due to this. And the server let us know (without them present) that this was unacceptable. I find this quite unprofessional. I know the service industry and how it works and know the importance of tips but you don’t proceed to practically yell at the table members who did tip well about the two people who didn’t. Made us all feel very uncomfortable. Then they lost my other friend’s umbrella - which was expensive and just a little cherry on top as we were finally leaving.

It really is a beautiful restaurant with great decor, atmosphere & food. Just this was an interesting experience to say the least. Bit...