Takja BBQ House — Restaurant in Toronto

Truly enjoyed Takja’s Hansang, a table full of food($135 per person)

Started with cold seafood salad aka “Naeng Chae” Could not believe how they could bring up so much flavour to go great with seafood from pine nuts dressing. Unlike ceviche there was not much acidity, but it was creamy & delicious. Shrimp, tuna and scallops in the salad were super fresh.

Seafood pancake was thick and crispy and Uni from Hokkaido went amazing with the savory pancake. They intentionally underseasoned pancake so it could go well with soy based dipping sauce.

For the main course,

there were 4 diferent meat served on the table; Short rib ( they add sauce just before they serve) & hangers steak from Guelph, ON, A5 Wagyu striploin from Miyazaki, Japan & Iberico Presa from Salamanca, Spain. My favorite was believe it or not pork from Spain.

All the mests were carefully grilled to medium rare & cut off to bite size by the serving staff and was served to my plate. Server stayed with us and made sure we were satisfied with each meat, felt like I had a personal chef at my table.

There were fermented squid condiments, ssamjang, flaky yummy salt handpicked from BC served as dipping sauces for the meat. Alrhough each sauce was very tasty, other than salt ( amazing salt!) I did not feel like I needed any additional dipping sauce for my meat. Meat itself was excellent! All the side dishes such as spucy jalapeno, pickles mustard, white kimchi, radish salad were all prepared in authentic Korean style.

Using both dry and wet aging process for the meat seem to work to develop the flavor and improve the texture.

Caulilini & assorted veggies to grill and fresh veggie to wrap from Tamarack Farm were also super tasty.

Stone pot bibimbop was aleo mixed by the server at the table for us. Most of the veggies for bibimbop were special wild ones that you can getin Korea. How authentic!

To finish up matcha & strawberry binsu was served. Enjoyed very light icy slushes and they did not go heavy with condensed milk.

I had a glass of full bodied Bordeax red wine($19) to go with my meat. However I had a sip of my friend’s Superdry Asahi 0.0 ($8) and the best No Alcohol beer I have ever had! Wow.

Overall I enjoyed food quality, components, authenticity of Hansang. And was very content with the quality of their hospitality....

Definitely lived up to the experience I envisioned when I began to hear and read about this spot. Went for a special occasion because this is definitely a splurge (and well worth it in my opinion). We went with hansang (tasting menu) and trusted our servers to guide us and they did a fantastic job.

Highlights for me were (in no particular order because they were all 10/10): the razor clams from seafood tower seafood pancake with uni (the latter makes this dish imo) ALL the meats: our chef chose pork jowl, prime ribeye, short rib galbi (this was exceptional) and wagyu - I would advise eating as is or with bit wasabi + salt which we did as our server advised for our first bites of every cut ssamjang - although a humble condiment, this lil thing with some meat wrapped in lettuce was fire. They make theirs in-house bingsoo

I think their cocktails were good but I could take it or leave it - their ice teas on the other hand, were a standout to me.

Although this is a fine dining spot, I really appreciate

1. the approachability of the food and menu and
2. the unpretentious service.

In fact, I want to highlight the second point (as it's important to my enjoyment of a restaurant) and say that their service is absolutely impeccable - the perfect amount of attentive and friendly. We loved being looked after by all the servers who were also very knowledgeable about the dishes and willing to teach the pairing of certain cuts of meat with the accompanying banchon and condiments.

To me, the restaurant is doing what Toronto does best - exceptional food, beautiful atmosphere and friendly service.

We spent ~$350-$400 for 2 people with drinks and I would...

Takja BBQ completely redefines what Korean barbecue can be in Toronto. You still get all the familiar warmth and communal feeling of traditional KBBQ, but here it’s elevated to a level that, dare I say, feels worthy of Michelin recognition.

I went with the fixed menu, along with a shrimp cocktail to start. That shrimp cocktail? Absolutely to die for. Perfectly balanced, fresh, and decadent. The fixed menu was flawless from beginning to end the appetizers set the tone, the quality of the meats was genuinely next level, and every course felt intentional and refined.

One of the most memorable aspects was the service style. Instead of the traditional self-grill setup, the staff cook the meats for you, showcasing their technique and timing, so each bite arrives at its peak. Rather than a communal sauce bar, they present a beautifully curated tray of condiments and sauces directly at your table, each one enhancing the flavors without overwhelming them. Even the kimchi was unlike anything I’ve had before.. bright, balanced, and deeply flavorful.

And then there’s dessert. As someone who doesn’t usually gravitate toward sweets, I was stunned. It was exceptional, the perfect finale to an already stellar meal.

I’ve dined at every Michelin-starred restaurant in Toronto, and I can honestly say this was one of the most impressive culinary experiences I’ve had in years. Takja BBQ isn’t just a restaurant, it’s a statement on how Korean barbecue can be reimagined at the highest level. I truly hope the Michelin Guide takes notice, because this is a gem Toronto should...