Fin Izakaya

The food was very very good. I had the marinated chicken along with the fried chicken along with other items. They offer a unique selection that I didn’t find in other izakaya restaurants before and my friend and I thought it was great. Service is excellent

Ambiance/​décor-​4
Service-​4
Food-​4
Strikeouts-​0/​3
Finn is what you can say is a modern upscale sushi place for the hungry businessmen. Actually not too expensive for lunch. Easily around $ 10 for their lunch special, but easily goes to $ 20 with all the upgrades like soup and salad.
Definitely get your money’s worth with the lunch special. The fish is pretty high quality and there’s not many places that would serve ikura (salmon caviar) with rice in the combo. Their miso soup is actually so good that I think there’s a lot of MSG in it, but the dryness was masked by the salad. Both is unlimited refills. I suggest adding extra rice for the average man, by the extra sushi I is definitely not worth it for the price. I would rather order the dish twice. If you’re willing to drop $ 20, everything at lunch seems worth it.

One of my favorite Japanese restaurants. There is free parking in the back. Call to get instructions on the parking beforehand. Everything here is great. I particularly liked the tapa bento box mix. I think if was an extremely good deal and full of awesomeness.

Love the environment this place offers. It is very friendly and a great place for friends to hang out. Their takoyaki is super yummy, and they have these GIANT sushi rolls.
Overall a great bar to eat some authentic Japanese food while you drink.

Service here was very friendly. One of the waitresses had a big smile on her face the whole time and she brought out a platter of different kinds of fresh fish for us to see and decide if we wanted sashimi. It was interesting that they also did a food auction for sashimi.
Food wise, they were average to good. They give you fried pasta sticks as a complimentary appetizer. We tried Takoyaki, Tuna Tataki, Beef Sukiyaki and Chicken Karaage. I enjoyed their Takoyaki the most. Chicken Karaage and Tuna Tataki were similar to the ones I’ve had elsewhere. Beef Sukiyaki broth tasted like Bulgogi sauce mixed with water. It was a delicious mix of enoki mushrooms, cabbage and beef slices. It was fun cooking the sukiyaki, too. I’d try different dishes if I’m here again.

Fin Izakaya is a welcoming and trendy restaurant. My friend and I came for dinner right when it opened (at 5:30 pm), and the waiter informed us that we had to leave at 8:30 pm because their restaurant was fully booked that night. The waiter yelled IRRASHAIMASE! and the other workers echoed the word with great enthusiasm. She ushered us into a spacious U-​shaped table that had a lovely centrepiece of (fake?) bamboo shoots and a Lucky Cat statue.
The iced water contained little slices of lemon in it and was refilled frequently. A free appetizer was brought up for us, which was a cup full of sticks that tasted like salted pretzels. We ordered Fin’s Tapas Bento Mix, and this contained a three-​story tall bento box. The top layer housed cold appetizer tapas, the middle layer with hot tapas, and the last layer with sashimi and diced-​up fish. I highly recommend it if this is your first time at Fin’s– you can try out a variety of tapas at a decent price!
We also got the blowtorched mackerel, which is a plate full of mackerel sashimi that the waiter blowtorches in front of you. The torched mackerel was small in size and slightly smoky from the heat; as well, they had their own sauce for the mackerel! Our order was enough for two people, and close to ~$ 50. It’s a little expensive for the size so I took a star off, but other than that I would come back!
I also really dig their eclectic mix of tranquil koto music and Nicki Minaj.

Walk in and you’ll be hear the usual loud yells of the izakaya staff. Still, this place wasn’t that full on a Friday night, so it’s not too loud all the time like busier izakaya-​style restaurants. The service was friendly and very quick. They came back very often and the food came quickly. Now on to the food.
Hits:
Takoyaki — Soft and delicious takoyaki! They do top it off with bonito flakes, but they could put a bit more octopus inside.
Chicken Karaage — That is some delicious, tender chicken! I love the way they fry it. My only complaint is that they only give you some salt/​pepper to flavour it. «Spicy dipping sauce» was an extra $ 1.50. I assumed they would give you some sort of regular sauce at least. Nope. It just comes off as a money grab to me… like charging plum sauce for spring rolls or ketchup for fries.
Beef Sukiyaki — This dish is very sweet but I still liked it. They give you a generous amount of beef, veggies and eggs. Udon was an extra $ 3. and they barely give you any!
Misses:
Tuna tataki — Not the best tataki I’ve had. The flavour wasn’t there, but the fish was pretty fresh.
This is one of the few places in the area that offers Japanese food that’s not typical or sushi. And the food is not too shabby! The only drawbacks are those little charges they tack on for things that should not be an extra charge in the first place.

Excellent lively atmosphere whenever you drop by Fin. You’re always greeted by the whole staff as you enter. The service was friendly however, the waitress forgot several times when I requested for a plate. Other than that I noticed they have a new menu which includes a personal bbq grill. They removed some items that used to be on their old menu which got me pretty bummed but nonetheless the food was nothing short of delicious. They have their own private parking some where in the back however to get in you must first enter and alert one of the waiters/​waitresses so they can come outside and open the gate for you however for the people like me who just can’t be bothered, there’s a parking garage right behind Fin. Dont forget to become a Fin member so that you can get treats in the future. Just ask your server and they’ll sign you up. Washrooms are very clean and offer mouthwash for those of you who may be on a date with that special someone and want to freshen up.

Izakaya is a decent chain of traditional Japanese fare and comes very close to a lot of the authentic stuff I had in Japan during my time there. I’ll come out and say it, if you have a very narrow view of what Japanese cuisine is, then this is definitely not the place for you. This place has great ambiance and an unusual but effective seating arrangement that maximizes the space. Staff is very friendly and in my experience is very precise in carrying out requests/​orders even if service is on the slow side.
What I will say is the current pricing definitely does not add up, portions are very small but this is supposed to be a higher end establishment so I kind of expect it, even though booze is on par with competing bars and resto pubs in the area. Food is subtly seasoned as is tradition within Japan, so if you’re looking for something super exotic you will be disappointed. What you can expect is good healthy food that wont leave you feeling guilty after, even if your wallet may feel violated.

My managers and coworkers have their lunch here on a regular basis. I finally tried it and now I can see why they always go here for lunch.
The price is reasonable. I got a bowl and a miso soup, it was just over $ 10.
The service is quick. They understand you’re here for your lunch break, they hussle to serve you and they do it with huge smiles.
The environment is lively. They yell out something to everyone who enters and leaves the place. I don’t know what they’re saying, but it’s pretty awesome.
The food is yummy. I’ve had miso soup a gazillion times and hands down, they make the best one. I didn’t think miso soup could taste that good. It’s 50 cents add on, but it’s free refill. Trust me, you’ll go for seconds.
Overall, I highly recommend this place.

After looking at their online menu, I thought they’d have a larger selection of desserts, but that was an older menu. We decided to try some savory tapas and their ice snow parfait for dessert. To our surprise, there were cornflakes mixed with strawberries, ice cream and another topping (ie. Oreos or cheesecake). The green tea cheesecake parfait was pretty yummy and had a strong matcha flavor to the firm cheesecake, which my friend preferred. I liked the black sesame Oreo parfait more because it was sweeter and more unique! The parfait reminded me of a twist on a common breakfast item and I definitely wouldn’t mind a bowl of cornflakes, strawberries and ice cream in the morning if my body let me: p
Had their salmon sashimi namabera style as recommended by the waiter. It came out as thin slices of salmon sashimi sprinkled with sesame seeds and dipped in sesame oil… The sesame oil part was good but I think I prefer thicker salmon sashimi in soya sauce and wasabi he he.
The chicken karange was also really good. Definitely ask for a side of spicy mayo sauce! Not sure if its the same as the spicy sauce on spicy salmon rolls but there’s a dab of siracha with mayo! So good! I might go back for more tapas next time :)

I like the vibe but it is rather loud and noisy overall. The food is okay, nothing spectacular, but not bad either. The prices are average. The oysters are all one price and pricey, so it would be prudent to get the kinds that are the most expensive elsewhere, unless of course they only have the cheaper ones at the higher price. I did not eat nor ask for oysters and instead opted for a seafood assortment. Considering a variety of factors like parking, accessibility etc. I could possibly go here by public transit if joining friends, but I would not plan to bring friends and family.

Haven’t tried dinner here but their lunch menu is the best (I work close by). They will shout in Japanese when you first step in and when you come out (which is a bit awkward for me).
There are many options on their lunch menu and it’s hard for me to actually choose one. But, just to be safe from disappointment, I always stick with one same dish whenever I’m here: Ebi Chilli Mayo Don (spicy shrimps on rice). It’s very tasty and it’s better if you add a little chilli powder.
I have tried their Karaage Chicken and Egg, it was bland. And since I have allergy to onions and I had to pick them out myself (the kitchen already pre-​made them with onions), it was a turnoff for me. The tofu teriyaki on rice is pretty good as well if you’re a vegan. The Pork Katsu Bowl was good, but I started to feel sick and heavy after finishing ¹⁄₃ of the bowl. The pork is perfectly breaded and topped with tasty sauce. If you want to finish it, you should order Miso soup to help you with the dryness from the meat. Extra miso soup is only $ 0.50 but free refill (Yay! And also free refill on salad and steam veggies)
My colleague always order sashimi with rice. It looks super fresh! If you really love having sashimi for lunch, make sure to come here early for lunch. Their sashimi dishes run out fast!!! I also heard they have auction for fish of the day, which is very interesting. Hmppp! Raw Fish!!!
The portion size is decent for me and the price is very reasonable. The service is fast, staffs are very friendly and attentive.
I will always come back here for lunch and will definitely come here to try out their dinner menu soon.

We came here on a weekday evening. We tried a lot of things and everything was good. Like other Izakaya, it’s run by Japanese and the staff will shout in Japanese when you come in.
The highlight was definitely the miso milk broth hot pot with udon. This is a unique taste. We also had other things like sashimi, and skewers. Everything was snack size and very delicious. Service was good.
This kind of place can get pricey. I can probably eat $ 100 before I’m full (I’m a big eater). But this is the kind of place you come for the atmosphere and uniqueness, not for value. I can’t find this quality of Japanese food anywhere else because most places are run by Chinese doing things their way. Plus, it’s a great place to hang out with people.
I would come again if I crave quality Japanese food.

3.5 stars
Parking is kind of a pain. Basically, you have to go to a little side street located near 76 Eglinton Avenue East (next to Formocha café) and call the restaurant to come out and buzz you in at the gate. It’s free parking, but definitely an inconvenience because we had to call a couple of times before someone picked up.
The restaurant was super busy so I recommend that you make a reservation ahead of time. Hip hop music was blasting in the background! I liked it, but it kinda didn’t fit with the restaurant since they had a very japanese feel. The food is tapas style with a lot of unique dishes like raw octopus, blowtorch mackerel, small hot pot meals, shrimp sashimi, skewers, and seafood salads. They even had a salmon and ikura (salmon roe) don where they encouraged me to scooped as much ikura into my bowl as I could. It was a unique concept! The food was pretty delicious. For food alone, I would give this place a ⁴⁄₅.
However, points are deducted for the service and parking. The service was super slow because they were super busy. We had to ask 3 – 4 times for our drinks to come. Don’t get me wrong, the servers were super friendly and polite, but it was just slow!
When the bill came, it was automatically split up per person so we didn’t have to do the math. Pretty convenient. For 6 people, we each paid about $ 30, which was not bad. Definitely recommend to bring a group of people so you can try different dishes!

Came for dinner tonight with my parents.
Had:
Blowtorched mackarel ($ 9.50) — made me realize the website menu is outdated. If I’m not mistaken, it says it’s $ 9. Anyhow, the blowtorch it at your table. Fancy. Didn’t really do much for the dish though. To my knowledge, blowtorching i is supposed to make the skin crisp. It wasn’t particularly crispy. For those of you who have never had mackarel, it’s quite fishy. I like it though. Although there were quite a number of pieces, the pieces were smaller than I expected, size-​wise.
Takowasa ($ 3.50) — raw octopus marinated in soy and wasabi stem/​root or something. Portion was quite small for $ 3.50. octopus was chopped up into fairly small pieces. I quite enjoyed the flavor of the wasabi on the octopus. Some of the pieces were more tender than others. Some pieces were quite chewy. They should have given us a spoon, as the pieces are quite difficult to pick up with chopsticks.
Self-​bbq set (forget the name of this) — cost just under $ 37. Had 4 oysters (small), 4 mussels, 2 whelk, 1 plate of salmon in butter with enoki mushrooms, 1 tin of sardines, 2 spices of pumpkin, 2 slices of carrot, 2 skewers of cherry tomatoes (3 tomatoes on each), some slices of cabbage and some slices of king oyster mushroom. Came with 2 dipping sauces — one tasted like garlic butter with alcohol in it, and the other tasted like soy sauce. This was cute, but some of it, veggies especially, were difficult to bbq because they were so thin and burn easily. It was also not worth $ 37. On the menu, the tin of sardines is $ 4.50. I can get a tin of sardines (unless this is some fancy imported Japanese brand that comes in the same tins) at Shopper’s for like $ 1.25…
Giant red shrimp sashimi ($ 8) — two shrimp. Actually giant. About the circumference of a nickel and slightly longer than two of the rectangular soy sauce dishes (including the head). Delicious. Absolutely amazing. From Argentina, we were told. Shrimp flesh was juicy, sweet and succulent. Shrimp heads were filled with shrimpy goodness. Highlight of our night. Had we not decided to order this, this review would have been a 2.5 star review (for less than stellar previously reviewed foods, very loud greetings [the first time is cute but it gets irritating], and the slightly slower service].
Green tea crème brûlée ($ 4) — definitely green tea. No brulee in sight. To my knowledge, brulee involves crispy sugar that has been torched. This should be on the top of the crème brûlée. There was no crispy torched sugar in sight. Matcha was definitely prominent. Not so creamy because of the amount of matcha powder in it. For $ 4 though, not bad. I’ve had better though.
Red bean cheesecake — It was my parents’ 28^th wedding anniversary (hooray for them!), and they asked if anything special could be done. The server brought them a fairly large slice of red bean cheesecake on a plate that someone had written «happy anniversary 28^th» (yes, with that Engrish) in chocolate. Complimentary, of course. That was nice of them, as on the menu, this dessert is listed at $ 7.50. Look-​wise, it looks like a no-​bake cheesecake in a Keebler graham crust, but with a layer of red bean paste at the bottom. Taste-​wise, it’s slightly heavy on the vanilla, but pretty good. Lovely cut strawberry rose on top, and they had a candle for my parents to blow out. Not worth $ 7.50, but a totally sweet gesture.
Total damage after tax but before tips: $ 78 something.
I’ll probably be back to try their hot pot dishes ($ 13 something + $ 3.50 for rice or udon/​ramen). Seems like a good portion and smelled delicious.

One of my go to places for lunch (I work nearby). Fast food pricing at lunch (most meals are under $ 10) — but at a sit down restaurant with table service. Can’t be beat!
It’s real izakaya food run by real Japanese folks. Mostly bowls but a couple of maki rolls for those who must. The sashimi is fresh, and the «salmon family» — salmon and eggs — delicious. The chicken karaage is delicately breaded and fried boneless chicken pieces, in a yummy soy and ginger marinade. I’m drooling just thinking about it!
Have only been a couple of times at night, for drinks but can see that dinner is a different vibe, more Japanese tapas and a party atmosphere.
Hint: Arrive before noon to get in and out fast as it gets busy and the kitchen does back up. The salad and steamed veggies at lunch include free refills!

Everything is super delicious. Melt-​in-​your mouth pork belly keeps revisiting me in my dreams. The service is always friendly and reliable. The staff give you a nice welcome holler when you enter the restaurant. I only wish my wife was this happy to see me come home at the end of the workday. One of my favourite restaurants in the city.

Besides their regular menu, this restaurant also offers 3 types of party menu ($ 25 comfortable menu, $ 35 Meat lovers and $ 40 seafood menu). Each menu requires a Minimum of 4 people. Each plate comes in a portion for 4 people, it’s not individual plated. So you can’t order the
if you only have 2 people. I think that’s not flexible. wouldn’t it be nice if each person at the table can order different menu? The restaurant owner explained this is a special party menu so it is set for 4 people portion. I would think is easy to Just do a. give menu like this for people to choose from.
We tried their $ 25 party menu.
Cumcumber addition
Marinated salmon salad
Edamame
Spicy salmon tartar
Sashimi 3 kinds make your own hand roll
Deep fried skewers 3 kinds
Sake marinated chicken kaarage
Hotpot, yosenabe or sukiyaki beef with udon or rice.
The party menu portion was more than enough for 4 people with the given price, quality is just average.

Went back to Fin Izakaya with some friends and it is not as good as I remembered. The portions are smaller and the prices have gone up. The quality of the food is still quite good but I have definitely been to better izakayas. The staff are very friendly and service is pretty fast. Avoid the «biggest fotomaki» — at $ 28 there was nothing special about it. It wasn’t even the biggest I have had. Hope they make improvements here because the competition is heating up.