Yokai Izakaya - Vaughan, Ontario, Canada

Normally, I will go to Downtown Toronto or the Richmond Hill areas to find good Japanese Izakaya, so this was super refreshing that we found this Yokai Izakaya located in the Vaughan area. Overall, we luv the ambience, the interior decor, the service, and most importantly, the food & drinks are on point and reasonable price.

Yokai Izakaya is located in a shopping plaza so there are ample of free parking spaces. However, depending on when you are coming, it was a bit difficult to find spaces close to the restaurant as it was busy Saturday evening when we went.

It was a bit hard for me to find this restaurant since it’s my 1st time visiting as there were so many store front signs around the plaza, so it took a little bit of time, so it’s located at the corner slot of the plaza.

Moment you walked into the entrance, it’s very peaceful and calm with natural sunlight. It reminded me of “Zen” restaurant located in Markham. I really like this section of the entrance as it’s nice and quiet and you couldn’t hear what inside those brown door.

Then, there was a big rugged rustic brown wooden door. Moment you open the door, you can hear loud fast paced music, it’s darker inside with neon lights, it’s like you have entered into another world, which I really like.

MoVernie TIP: The server informed us that there is a “Happy Hour” daily featuring $2 Sapporo. Yes, you didn’t hear it wrong, it’s only $2 a pint (please drink responsibly). Furthermore, the person who communicated to me via DM of their IG account, he/she informed me that they also serve $1 buck a shuck oysters. That’s dope!

The interior design looks modern and chic and there were high stools along the bar area that you can watch what the chefs are doing, a pretty typical style in any Japanese Izakaya. On the side of the walls are long sit down chairs with tables. They aren’t comfy per say as they have no back support, but it definitely gives you an Izakaya feel. There were no coat hooks for your winter jackets but each chair had a cubby hole for you to place your jacket, again, very typical Japanese ergonomics style.

Our friendly server came over and took our drinks order as well as informing us that there is a “Happy Hour” daily from 4:00 PM to 6:00 PM with $2 pint of Sapporo, which is a massive deal!

When we were there on a Saturday evening, there was a LIVE DJ spinning hip-hop music which really elevate the good weekend vibes here at Yokai.

I think we literally order almost everything on the menu to try the food items among 5 of us. There was enough food to go around. The portion are decent and most dishes were on point and tasty.

The only item that I wasn’t fond of but just my own personal taste was the BBQ pork ribs, the meat didn’t really fall off the bone and I didn’t really like the BBQ sauce, it’s a bit on the sweet side for my taste.

In particular, I did enjoy the tempura shrimp, it’s gigantic and juicy.

I I also enjoyed the giant Hokkaido scallops.

The Yokai Signature Maki was also amazing.

The chicken karaage was equally impressive. Nicely battered, golden looking and crispy outside, juicy inside. The dipping yuzu aioli sauce was a great combination.

Cocktails were tasty and in particular, this drink was super fancy and it had a great presentation that is perfect for the Instagram.

If you ever visit Vaughan and you are looking for a Japanese food, Yokai Izakaya is the spot, I highly recommend it. #MoVernieApproved

MoVernie TIP: Go check out its washroom section. Even if you don’t need to go, just go and explore not just one but all of the washrooms.

Now, let’s check out more food and drinks that we ordered at Yokai Izakaya.

Yokai Izakaya – Vaughan, Ontario, Canada
Website
Address: 3175 Rutherford Rd Unit 28, Woodbridge, ON L4K 5Y6
Phone: (647) 930-2623
Google Maps: https://goo.gl/maps/TGC9obPbsyZuUcrX8

Yaki Udon

Hamachi Ceviche