Guu Izakaya

Popped in for a surprise date. Its a cozy warm vibe, food was good presentation and tasty. Duck was good and fried chicken (japa burgers everybody ordered!) was good too. The wait for the food was pretty long so order everything at once or look at the menu before hand. The touched sushi was so fresh too! This place does get crowded so book if you can, they were able to take a fewlarge groups and one of them 8 and another 14. Good vibes and friendly staff, we do wish our food came out faster.

Vibe was great but food is just okay. Ratings for the following we got: - Ebi mayo: the batter was a bit oily - Fried mackerel: same problem with ebi mayo and too much sauce - Pressed salmon sushi: It was just okay and the rice was kinda cold and dry - Black cod: This was the best we’ve got but also just okay. Not sure if it was an odd day for the restaurant. We used to love this place a lot but seems like the food quality has gone down over the years.

Follow @bredgyeats for more food photos! Go to Guu for a great night out for your palate, with a plethora of different flavours and textures being offered, all crafted to deliciousness. Ordered on a whim and almost satiated stomach, the salmon oshizushi was the highlight of the night. It fuses the smokiness of the flame with the buttery richness of the salmon, contrasted with the gentle chew of the perfectly marinated rice and flakes of salt to accentuate the salmon umami even more. The yakiudon is the embodiment of robust beefy flavours that permeate throughout each bite, heightened with the umami of mushrooms, scallions, nori and bonito flakes. The udon noodles have a luxurious texture that's satisfyingly chewy and is the ideal canvas to deliver the savoury balance of savoury and subtle sweetness of the teriyaki sauce to please your taste buds. Taste the freshness of the sea with their special platter of salmon belly, chutoro and scallops which are brimming with a pleasant sweetness, buttery smooth texture and an unrivalled freshness, contrasting the stronger flavour profile of the first two dishes with something lighter.

Guu is a classic and can’t complain. Had a few classic bites takoyaki, okonomiyaki and karaage with a few drinks. Their signature cocktail in my opinion would have to be Dakishime ginger. Staff and service were great. A little more quiet on a Sunday night.

Wasabi-marinated octopus with nori—bold and delicious. Salmon tataki—simply divine. Fried Japanese seafood pancake with squid—a plentiful joy. A meal of flavors that lingers beautifully.

Highly recommend this Izakaya, it is a hidden gem in the neighbourhood. Not only are the food immaculate, the vibe and the service is top tier. Unlike other restaurants, they don’t do anything extravagant but go with simplicity and pure authenticity. And the price is definitely reasonable compared to other Japanese restaurants in Toronto! Would definitely be back for more!!! Tako wasabi 🐙(5/5)($8): with nori provided on the side. The octopus was cut to smaller than bite size, pleasantly chewy and had a nice kick of real wasabi. Ebimayo🍤 (5/5) ($12): not the traditional tempura you expect but!!! The prawns were fried just right with mayo Miso marinated black cod (5/5) ($15): cooked just right, the cod remained very tender and juicy! Chicken knee cartilage (5/5) ($8): paired with Japanese mayo. Unlike other Asian joints, they didn’t just fry the cartilage itself but made a kaarage with cartilage attached in it. These are made fresh as there’s no frozen aftertaste in both meat and the cartilage! There’s no overcooking at all! Deep fried baby octopus (4/5) ($8): simply texture for me, prefer baby octopus as a cold dish instead ! Spicy beef ramen (5/5) ($18): our favourite dish! Rich broth, nice spice, tender beef and bouncy noodle! What’s not to love! Deep fried Oreo (5/5) ($7.5): got surprised for sure! It’s almost like a baked cookie dough, salty and sweet at the same time!

I would highly recommend sitting at the bar if you have the chance. The service by Attila and Gai was so fun and they definitely elevated the dining experience with their fun personalities! Lovely people. Not to mention the FOOD. My personal favourites were the Harami Steak and the Saba pressed sushi. The presentation as well as the depth of flavors were one of a kind. The ambience of the place is set beautifully with the dim lighting and wooden interior. Quite intimate. It is very rare I give a full 5 stars in every aspect in a review but this place has definitely showed its excellence. Come here not only for a full tummy, but a full heart as well!

Super place... small and a bit of a hole in the wall... open kitchen with lots of smells, flames, and wok action. We had a good view of the chef sitting at the bar and got to chat with him on the food, where it came from, etc. The menu is very inventive with daily specials... not like any other Japanese restaurant that I had been to before. The plates are small, ready for sharing. The very best for me was the sous vide duck... the best duck I have ever had! Guu is a lively place, with lots of client participation in the "sake" bombs... generating much laughter and many cheers. Fun on top of great food!