DonDon Izakaya

Great place for a nice cozy gathering with close friends after a long day at work, or for the weekend! Good authentic food and atmosphere! Lively environment without being overwhelmingly loud. Love their smoked sashimi!

Da tooooooooffffffffuuuuuuuuuuuu I could die for it!!! A little bit overpriced, but overall, good experience!!!

Went here for the first time Jan 03, 2016 and I can not wait to go back. Thankfully I went with a friend from Japan and she was able to help describe the different items for us when ordering. My three favourites were the miso soup, baked Tofu & Yam and of course the overflowing glass of sake! There were many other nummy things as we filled our table trying as much as possible.
The staff was attentive, efficient and energetic. Don’t be surprised when you hear them all welcome new guests at the sound of the drum in the centre of the dining area. The atmosphere and décor is a nice change from all the metro-​lounges and big box restaurants in the area.
I continue to try to gather friends for my next trip back to don don’s.
Hope your experience is as good as mine was.

Haven’t been back for a while, just realized they have a new menu, which is necessary because I stopped coming back for a while when I was tired with the old menu.
It’s still a very nice place for chatting, drinking and munching on delicious small plates. The smoke fish fire show with the Japanese drum effect offers an unique experience of this restaurant. I like the vibe and energy of this place. The bar sitting in front of the smoke fish and yakitori are even better than the table sitting.
Food are not pricy, mostly under $ 10 per dish. A whole variety of sake on the menu, from cheap to expensive, it’s all your choice.
Also they have real Japanese chefs and waitresses, they just added to the authenticity of this izakaya. I highly recommend here for dating or friends gathering. This place always let me leave with a happy mood.
It will be better if they add in more new dishes more often, that’s very important for people to not get tired of a izakaya. This is why I gave 4 stars to give it room for improvement on menu.

This was a stop of convenience. I was in the area with a friend and I was in the mood for Asian cuisine!
1) It’s on the second floor but there is an elevator so make sure to look for it if accessibility is an issue.
2) It can be very dark but the atmosphere is very authentic. Everyone speaks Japanese or at least I think it’s Japanese… They also drum a lot. I don’t know why but it happens. They also have traditional Japanese seating areas in the back. It looked cool but there were only 2 of us and these tables sat many. We sat at the bar. The bartender made some pretty fancy drinks. But I’m a Sapporo in a pitcher kinda classy so I can comment and say that the beer was good.
3) Had chicken skewers and the ramen. It was good and maybe my rating is a bit harsh but nothing really blew my mind. I had no complaints, it just wasn’t special. No doubt that it’s a fun Izakaya and not very loud like other establishments of a similar genre can get and it’s a nice night out.
It was just underwhelming!

This place is a ton of fun! The staff are always high energy and enthusiastic when welcoming the new guest who come in. My party had booked out a party room for our night. It was tucked way in corner and we didn’t get too much noise interference from the other guest.
Of all the things you must get, karaaga chicken! Perfectly deep fried pieces of chicken thigh with japanese mayo. So delicious we kept ordering it! Now a true japanese party experience wouldn’t be complete without Sake Bombs! For those who don’t know about it, you take an 8 ounce glass and fill it with beer then place chop sticks on top of the beer then a shot of sake on top of the chop sticks. The challenge is to bang on the table to make the sake fall into the beer and drink it all in one go! Its so much fun and an absolute must do for new people!
Forewarning! You need to book a reservation ahead of time! This place fills up quickly which means you could be waiting for hours for a table. There is a bit of a language barrier since most of the staff speak english as a second language so be patient with them.

Came with twenty of my co-​workers at 5pm for drinks this past Thursday. Despite making a reservation, we still had to wait for about ten minutes before we were seated. Our server was sweet but didn’t speak English too well, so it was a little awkward at times but endearing! Most of our party ordered polar beers but I went with a peach cooler. It was alright. Tasted like an artificial, fruity soda. I have no idea what’s actually in it and the server couldn’t really explain it to me when I asked. We also got several sashimi platters, skewer combos (salt and teriyaki-​style) and ginger-​fried chicken. Everything was tasty and fresh… but omg, that fried chicken. Perfectly crispy on the outside, hot and juicy on the inside… drooooool. This place is cool with a fun, lively atmosphere — loved the 90’s hip-​hop jams playing!

We happened to run into this place when strolling along downtown.
The portion sizes are not huge, but just enough for two people. We had the spicy okra shrimp, it was a little on the salty side, but it was good. We also got grilled fish which was decent as well. We only went into get a quick snack so i cant comment on the main course.
I really like the open kitchen concept. The décor creates a nice atmosphere. The washrooms are clean and beautifully decorated. For the ladies there is a huge mirror with a small stool to sit down and touch up on your make up, which i haven’t seen in many places. The environment is loud and the staff are full of energy.
If you are all about trying something out of the ordinary, then you must check this place out.

This review is only for their lunch menu. Don Don updated their lunch menu for a few months and I have visited twice so far. They offer wide selctions of set menu: sashimi set, Terayaki chicken/​beef/​salmon set, Fry Set (pork cutlet, shrimp pawn, fish cake, scalloops). All sets come with side dishes, soup, salad and rice. The side dishes change regularly and they taste pretty good.
First time I had a Fry Set, the portion was very generous. They taste pretty good.
Second time I had a Kaisen Don Set (Seafood Bowl various sashimi), the seafood selections were good and fresh.
They price is very reasonable from $ 12 to $ 14.5. Very nice place to hang around with friends and coworkers during lunch hours.

i got the don don set and it was relatively okay… it came with like five different side dishes (which were all very interesting! especially loved the one with I believe carrots and radish and sesame seeds) the chicken I got was burnt a bit so that was a no bueno. I also got the sake freezie which I kind of liked. it was very interesting, but the grapefruit syrup? tasted like grape medicine so for you people out there who hate the taste of medicine just keep that in mind.
customer service wise, they were alright. it gave me a shock though when the servers and chefs announced our arrival by banging on a drum LOOOL oh and their menus were something that shocked me even more… it was like hand drawn … oh and my food took quite some time to arrive (around thirty minutes) because there was a huge group of people at the back so all the orders went to them first

I love me an izakaya! But after visiting this one I will have to rephrase — I love me a GOOD izakaya. Came in with the large party. For a place this size you would think that would not be an issue. Here are the problems we faced: wrong orders served, some orders not served at all, long wait time for service, and they would not split the bill more than 5 ways. I will give their staff credit for kindness, humour, rushing to fix issues, and apologizing for their mistakes.
The food is mediocre. I prefer the quality and taste of most of their izakaya competitors. The only thing I could see that sets them apart is the polar bear beer — Sapporo is served with frozen foam that keeps your beer ice cold longer and comes in 4 different sizes. Go large or go home.
I don don think I will be returning to this izakaya.

Despite all the negative reviews here, I actually quite enjoyed DonDon.
Yes, the portions are smaller than usual, but that’s expected of any «authentic» Izakaya restaurant. I found the pricing to be alright as well, since each dish was around $ 7-​$ 20. If you want a full meal, then it would probably be two dishes– still quite affordable.
My experience with the servers have mostly been positive, though I felt a bit rushed today when the server was taking my order.
The atmosphere is fun and bustling with life, though the restaurant is rarely fully-​seated.
I highly recommend the following:
1. Chirashi Rice– fresh sashimi mixed with hot sushi rice
2. Okra Kimchi Fried Rice
3. Pork Kimchi Udon

I came here for dinner+drinks the night before Canada Day (Tues) with a group of 10. The restaurant itself is quite big for an Izakaya; although we made reservations, we would’ve still had seats. The atmosphere is typical of an Izakaya, it was loud, dark, and bustling.
Food: The food here left much to be desired and did not live up to the price tag. The dishes I enjoyed were beef tataki, mayo shrimp, and torched mackerel. However with the torched mackerel, they didn’t heat the plate so the fish ended up hot near the top and cold at the bottom. You only get 5 pieces of beef tataki and 5 mayo shrimps. Their portion sizes are definitely small. They had a beef teriyaki burger special, which was not great. Finally the Tokyo style hot dog upon first taste was delicious, but because of the high amounts of spicy mayo, it got salty very fast. The bun was also slightly burnt.
Drinks: For an izakaya they have a very impressive selection of sake. I’m not very knowledgable in that area but it’s great that they have so many choices. They had a great special that day of $ 10 Sapporo pitchers. We were very happy about that. Reading some previous Unilocal reviews, I decided to go with the Sake Freezie Red (pomegranate-​grapefruit slush style drink). It was one of the worst cocktails I’ve ever had. It was like drinking artificial, concentrated, candy with ice. Would not recommend. The house hot sake however was very nice and smooth.
Service: Their service was not great. The servers did not come around very often, and assumed we were going to share all the food. We understood that was the way Japanese people ate but the server only took orders from a few people (out of 10).
Overall I would not come back here just because of the price. We each forked out $ 40 at the end of the night and I can confidently say none of us were well fed. I know izakaya food is that way but it should at least be good quality. I would not recommend coming here to eat, but maybe for drinking sake due to their large selection.

So, you want to go to an Izakaya. Cool. And you’ve had a hard day at work and don’t feel like the 120 decibels of Guu, well give DonDon a try.
The ATMOSPHERE: Traditional-​ish looking izakaya. Real Japanese waitstaff. Gangsta rap on the speakers. Drunken asian college students.
FOOD: Stop, and order the BEEF TATAKI. I put it in capital letters because it’s that good, and at $ 6.50, maybe you should just order two. The rest of the food menu has been a bit hit and miss. The sushi chirashi ($ 8.50) was a miss, as the main component was butterfish, and some of the salmon had bones, although the rice was nicely flavoured. The chicken teriyaki burger ($ 6.5) was very fresh and tasty, but quite small in portion size.
DRINKS: Pricey! $ 8.40 for what they call a «pint» of Asahi Super Dry. Dear DonDon, 14 ounces is in fact only 70% of a pint. Sake has insane markups for anything you’d want to drink.
SERVICE: Friendly, but you’re going to have to practice your best waitress-​flagging techniques. Empty plates and glasses will be your fate otherwise.
OVERALL, kind of a fun vibe. Everyone seems to be happy. Food is pretty average, and drinks are pretty pricey. And much, much quieter than Guu.

Don Don is a hit or miss for some people. My friend and I spent around $ 50 when we were there and had around 4 – 5 dishes with sake. They also had daily specials, but a lot of them were sold out by the time we were there (around 8pm, which was really disappointing).
Atmosphere:
Nice décor and looked a lot like Guu. I like that they had the drum — adds a nice touch. If you are there with a friend, I would consider sitting by the bar. You can see the chefs cook and prep the food; an added bonus is them serving you once the food is ready. They also had a lot of party rooms/​tables to accommodate larger parties. One thing I found odd/​off putting was the smell of bleach when I walked and sat down at the bar. Perhaps they just cleaned the area?!
Food:
Not Recommended — Deep Fried Pork Belly & Takoyaki Pizza.
— The deep fried pork belly was all tempura batter. You couldn’t even see the pork belly! Not worth the price.
— Takoyaki Pizza looked like it was a dish of meat balls, pretty neat! BUT, it was covered in tomato sauce and cheese which made the takoyaki really soggy. The tomato sauce was also pretty bitter and did not pair well with the takoyaki.
Recommended — Sake Flight, Torched Mackerel, Smoky Hay Sashimi
— The sake flight gave you a nice sample of 3 different sakes. Great for people who can’t decide on what to try. You get a taste of light to strong sake. Two of them tasted like fruit juice to me! Don Don also has a pretty extensive sake menu.
— The torched mackerel was amazing! Since we sat at the bar, the waiter was able to torch the pieces of mackerel right in front of us. The dish came with some ground daikon and onions to pair with the fish.
— Smoky Hay Sashimi (BC Tuna) was another great dish. You can really taste the smoky flavours in each bite. You are instructed to dip the fish in to some salt, top it off with a piece of garlic and onion.
Service:
The service could have been better, I had to constantly ask for water refills and for the bill a few times. They missed one of our orders, but promptly put the order in for us again. They did a great job explaining the dishes and how to eat it properly.
All in all, would come back if there is a huge wait time at Guu.

I’m a big fan of Izakayas, maybe I was too tired that day but I was a bit disappointed.
The weird black nuggets with schrimp were a good surprise but nothing terrific.
The sashimi salad was very fresh, but the pork belly mini buns were a bit disappointing.
It’s good but too expensive in my opinion, I’ll try some place else next time.

Haven’t had a chance to come back here but I will definitely recommend this place to my friends.
I was here for my birthday. The food was amazing. Unfortunately I didn’t take any pictures because I was busy celebrating my birthday.
They have the sake tasting and we tried 3 different sakes, from light to heavy. Oh I had my sake bomb as I wished.
This place is super comfortable, and the price is not too expensive. The servers are nice. They are very sweet!
One of my friends wanted to surprise me so he secretly told the manager about my birthday. So just right before I asked for the bill, they announced my birthday and gave me an energetic drum roll (I was like heck is happening lol) Then they brought me a plate with a scoop of ice cream of nice drawing, stood at my table and slapped and sang for me. Super super sweet! Even sweeter than my ice cream!
I love DonDon!!!

The unique culture of japanese bar is spreading in Toronto! Located near the intersection of Y&D square, It is definitely on the pricier side.
From décor and atmosphere, it’s very Guu-​like. But in terms of food, the menu is definitely more extensive but the quality of each dish is definitely lacking in some of the dishes we tried. Location is on the 3^rd floor with a hidden elevator so be prepared to climb a few flights of stairs when you’re tipsey.
Because each dish is tappa-​sized, Don Don is a great place to experiment different dishes family style. Each dish can range between 4 to $ 10.
The smoke salmon was the highlight of my meal. You can see how they smoke it with their open kitchen concept and they slam on the drum while they smoke the fresh sashimi.
Other than that, none of the other dishes stood out to me.

Service was great on a Tuesday night. Portions are good. Restaurant looks really nice. Tried the apple duck salad, takiyaki pizza, bamboo squid, and hoppeta taki. All of it tasted good with different flavours maybr odd flavours. Overall I think this is a restaurant worth trying.

It feels like this place is under new management. The service is slower and the menu items have changed — specifically I’m sad to see the tuna don missing from the menu, it was one of the reasons I come to DonDon.
Not sure if the chefs had changed, but skewers during my last few visits were dry and slightly overcooked, not to mention it also lacks in flavor.
The thousand island shrimp is delicious of you like tons of batter. Chicken karage was very tender but overly salted… Ask for a large glass of water to go with that dish.
Service could have been more attentive. Our server kept giving our dishes to the table next to us who arrived later. We ended up waiting for so long we decided to just cancel the order.
DonDon no longer has that warm homely ambiance I felt when I first came here two years ago, I don’t think I will be back.