Kinoko Bacon
Mushrooms and bacon in a hot pan with butter and soy. The table always orders a second.
Japanese · Church-Wellesley
Kinka Izakaya
The izakaya that taught Toronto to shout its order across a room
JapaneseChurch-Wellesley, Toronto$$Details being confirmed
The review
Kinka — Guu, as most of the city still calls it — arrived on Church Street and made every subsequent izakaya in Toronto sound quieter by comparison. The shouted greeting on arrival is not a gimmick that wore off; it is still the first thing that happens and it still works.
Order kinoko bacon immediately, then ebi mayo, then beef sashimi for whoever at the table thinks they will not like it. Everything is small, everything is cheap enough to keep ordering, and plates arrive whenever they are ready.
Honest notes: it is loud on purpose, the ordering has no sequence, and weekends mean a wait. Go with four people, order in waves, drink cold sake.
What to order
Ebi Mayo
Fried prawn, spicy mayo, no pretension whatsoever.
Beef Sashimi
Thin, cold, garlicky. The dish that surprises first-timers.
What works
- Cheap enough to order freely
- Open properly late
- Sake list is broader than it needs to be
What doesn’t
- Very loud by design
- Plates arrive in no particular order
- Waits on weekends
Verdict
Kinoko bacon, ebi mayo, cold sake, four people. Order in waves.