Reviews Don Don Izakaya

The Torched Mackerel was actually torched table-side. We watched the torch action happen. This was a substantial dish where there were a lot of slices of mackerel on the plate! The mackerel was quite good. I especially liked the daikon that was on the side.

This place is quieter than a previous izakaya place I've been to previously called Guu. My only problem with the noise was my family and I (4 people) were seated at a table in a private area for a larger group. The larger group (11 people) was louder and being in a smaller space made it even louder.  If they had reservations for a larger group, they shouldn't seat another table in the same confined space. Being in a private space also made ordering harder. One of us would have to exit the space and find a server if we wanted to order more food or drinks. As for the food, it was delicious and easy to get carried away ordering the small dishes. I recommend the ginger fried chicken, torched salmon sushi and beef tataki. I would definitely return but will make sure next time to be seated somewhere else.

Nice place to grab some Japanese snacks. recommended the udon noodle there. The waitresses there are super welcomed. If you don't want to wait in a long queue, should get there at the right time they open

Conveniently located by eaton centre. The food is alright, nothing very spectacular. I would recommend the salmon/tuna cooker over some hay. Also, the skewers lightly salted. One thing I found really repulsive was the hanpen as well as the frois groi.. might be spelling it wrong. Had their bao, you can tell it is not fresh and they have a generic sauce that they use for their noodles and dipping sauce for their cheese stick. They also use the sauce for their takoyaki. Their beer is always nice and fizzy though.

I was walking down Dundas Street towards Dundas Square and saw a lot of Korean and Japanese eateries in the area. I decided to try Don Don Izakaya, thinking that a quick drink and a few tapas dishes would be perfect for a late light dinner before checking out the clubs. The place was fairly big, and run by an energetic staff as we normally see at any Izakaya. If you sit in the main dining area by the open kitchen, it could feel quite warm in the summer. The menu was huge like a phone book, but it would certainly please the folks who like to see what dishes look like before they order. Each dish description also included recommendation of the pairing alcohol, which I found interesting.

textures: crispy, crunchy, and succulent. And it did not taste greasy or too rich. I had never tasted anything like it and I quite liked it!

とってもおいしかったです！ Don Don is like a piece of Nihonbashi on a Friday night in Downtown Toronto. The Kimchi Udon stands out as does the quality of the tuna sashimi. Sapporo beer extremely fresh, cold and tasty. いただけます！

Excellent. The food was clean, well presented and very good. A huge selection of Japanese drinks that you can't get anywhere else. I've been to Japan several times, and this is about as close as you're going to get to an authentic Japanese atmosphere in Toronto. They've put a lot of effort into the decor and it shows. I will definitely be back.

Their overall score should be much, much higher. This is a great place.

Love a bunch of Izakaya Japanese cooking at Don Don. Personally, I think it's way better than Guu.

Delicious! Better than Guu. I was a bit skeptical about this place because of the reviews, and the really low rating that it has on Urbanspoon. I'm happy to say that the reviews were absolutely wrong. The food was delicious! We ordered a wide variety of seafood and veggie dishes and every thing was yummy. The portions were also decent - very typical for an Isakaya restaurant. When we got the bill it wasn't as much as we thought it would be - about $15 a person. Prices were reasonable. We're new to Toronto and big Izakaya fans and we were disappointed by the much hyped Guu. This place was way better and the atmosphere was nice as well. The only sour note was our waiter. He kept pressuring us to order more, and was not very nice. But otherwise, we had a great evening!

I loved Don Don!. Hello everyone!
I loved Don Don Izakaya!
I ordered Mayo Shrimp , Jalepeno Bomb, teriyaki hot dog, Chicken and Corn Udon with Cream sauce, beef bowl and my boyfriend ordered beer.

I loved it all! My fave was the shrimp and the beef bowl.
For photos, please click at my profile and check out my blog. :D

Japanese Pub 'Izakaya' In The Heart Of The City. E: Izakaya - Japanese drinking parlour especially sake wine - is an up-and-coming category (along with Ramen shops) in Toronto. We need more Izakayas here and I say that as a person who does not even drink sake.
So, if I don't imbibe sake what did I have?
Well, I would not order sushi at an Izakaya. Sushi, the art of, requires specialized knowledge, quality fish, quality rice and years of practice. I was not the one doing the ordering at Don Don. I had sushi at Don Don. It was surprisingly good. It was not very good as sushi is at Mikado, Aoyama or Zen, but it was above expectations nonetheless. We were sitting at the bar in front of the sushi chef and, while he was doing a workmanlike task of preparing mass sushi, he did a good job. His sushi was round in the form of rice balls topped with garnish - these balls are called temari-sushi. He was also making Osaka-style square and pressed sushi (Oshizushi) in an oshiwaku (pressing box), although contrary to tradition it did not come with thin slices of thinned nori on top. Nevertheless, the mixed sushi plate was completely edible and beautifully designed. Blink and you might miss it, but every nigiri came topped with a different kind and different design of topping. Whether ginger (gari), seaweed (nori) or radish (daikon) they were assembled with creativity and ornamentation. I am glad I was not alone or I would have never eaten sushi at Don Don including hamachi (yellowtail), sake (salmon), saba (mackerel) and hirame (flounder), as well as the square oshizushi.
We also had the croquette and shrimp tempura. Both were light and fluffy. The sauce was the same as katsudon's (pork cutlet) and good. The beef dish came with its own sauce and was tasty. It was almost tender.Their gyoza (dumplings) were stuffed with chicken and not pork. That was different.
The miso soup, which was part of the meal, was OK.
The salad, which was part of the meal, was not OK. Do not expect the typical Japanese dressing, which is made with radish, onion and carrots. The Don Don salad is dressed with vinegar!
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A: Don Don Izakaya is just what one expects from a Japanese establishment. it is full of wood, communal, loud and fun. Owing to its second floor setting they have more space than one expects. There is a hidden elevator, but the stairs are more fun. The stairwell is decorated with Japanese and English signs encouraging the customers to keep climbing. Incidentally, the menus are also photocopied sheets.
To the right of the entrance is a taiko drum that they bang every time a customer enters allowing all staff to welcome the newcomer with the traditional welcome of 'irashaimase.' The drums also line the window of the restaurant.
The kitchen area is spacious and takes up a large area of the restaurant. It gives the whole restaurant a comfortable feeling as the staff have ample room to move around and feel comfortable at doing their jobs.
The izakaya has communal tables, independent tables, bar seating and even booths.
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T: The Izakaya is well-staffed. At one point I counted 12 staff members including the waitstaff and the front kitchen employees. There were an additional two persons at the door and several people in the service area in the back. This is so typically Japanese. It is a service-oriented culture, which any fair person should appreciate. As such, the waitstaff are quick to be with you, take your order, respond to subsequent requests or bring the bill.
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S: Our server Yoshimura was efficient and helpful. She did take away our sauce before we were done eating however. All the staff seem friendly and maintain the lively atmosphere.
One of the chefs behind the bar reminded me of the second sushi chef at Miyabi. He has not been at Miyabi in sometime so you never know!
Thanks to two staff members at Ozawa - Ryouko and her colleague Junji - I know that 'don don' refers to the sound made when the Japanese 'taiko' drums are banged. Otherwise, I had imagined that the name means 'bowl bowl' per the translation of rice bowls.
Don Don Izakaya is co-owned by a Japanese (editor for Bits) and two Chinese owners (co-owners of Sushi Time) featuring chef Daisuke Izutu the once-owner of Kaiseki Sakura. In that respect, Don Don is likely several other Canadian establishments where non-Japanese staff the front of the house with Japanese people. Think the Mazazu crepe chain in Vancouver or Toronto's own Nami and Take Sushi.
Incidentally, another party had ordered the sushi plate, but what they had done with it was rather peculiar. They had eaten the neta (sushi toppings), but left all the rice behind. The server was picking up a tray full of rice balls with no fish on top to take back to the kitchen. Er, isn't nigiri sushi without rice simply sashimi?

We sat right in front of the grill and the male staff looked like an anime character. Anime hair with anime eyes.
I love it how the kitchen is open so you can watch people make your food.
It was really clean.

dre @ Dundas & Bay: We met up with some of Mike's Queens' friends at this place on Dundas. They greeted us yelling some Japanese phrases and banged this big gong. I liked the gong haha We sat in a booth where we had to take off our shoes but it was cozy and fit all 8 of us. We ordered an assortment of things: 1) Black Croquette - inside was shrimp, code roe and mayonnaise around a breadcrumb crust 2) Karaage - fried chicken 3a) Hoppeta-Yaki - Chicken with potatoes and otafuku sauce 3b) Fried Mushroom with spicy sour sauce 4) Fwhat-fwhat pork - pork belly with ginger, cucumber, green onion, coriander, hoisin sauce in a bun 5) Skewer Set - pork and green onion, bacon wrapped asparagus, beef, bacon wrapped oyster mushroom and chicken 6) Pork Kimchi Udon - pork belly, kimchi, and seaweed 7) Potato Wedges - soggy fries 8) Tokyo Dog - Kimchi pork 9) Tokyo Dog - Teriyaki sausage 10) Chicken Pita - pita with chicken breast, pickles, teriyaki sauce, and rice puff 11) Black Sesame Ice Cream

At first i came here i was surprised by how they play the big drum every time there is a new visitor coming while they shout something in Japanese (i think they're saying "welcome") "oh thats nice!" I thought.
the foods are good, the servers are so energetic and fun, the vibe is sooo Japanese. but after i stayed there with my friends for awhile, i started to get annoyed by the big drum sound because the restaurant is getting packed and many people are coming in. "Oh cmon, maan.. stop it now" lol
Definitely recommend this place, but don't sit near by the entrance if you plan prefer a quieter place.

Don Don Izakaya is not as noisy as Guu Izakaya where the staff welcome you with a beat of the drum. Their food is average for the caliber of the head chef who specializes in Kyoto Kaiseki cuisine. A few of the dishes that stood out would include hay-smoked yellow-tail sashimi and the blowtorched marinated mackerel.