Big in Japan

I love Japanese food and although a lot of Japanese restaurants /​izakayas have been popping up in Montréal lately, Big In Japan has been around the block for quite some time. Always a good experience in my opinion. Check out my review to find out more:

This is a great place to eat or even have a small date I went and had really satisfying meal it’s open late and it was great cause most places close at 10pm. Don’t pass this place up

Ordered a buta don and a miso ramen. Taste like something diy. Definitely won’t return there.

Tuna tataki, best choice, hands down. It’s fresh and raw on the inside, and cooked crispy on the outside. Comes with a really delicious salad and rice filler.
I also tried the beef-​tofu-​eggplant-​ramen noodle dish, but I’m pretty sure it was packed with MSG, it was so salty and in the Unnaturally Extreme Flavour category.
I also tried, for the first time, unfiltered sake, which is like alcoholic rice milk. Really yummy! My partner had their somewhat well-​known ginger beer, which is a beer with fresh grated ginger added in a shandy-​like bevvie that is pretty tasty and refreshing. Both those drinks are a win, but I’m also interested in trying that black sesame milkshake.
Wait times are not long at all — we got a table right away but they don’t take reservations because wait times don’t often go past ten minutes and you can have a drink while you wait (so civilized).
The menu has a limited number of choices so you don’t take forever to decide. The décor is *well-​loved* but comfortable.
Their wait staff is comme ci, comme ça — one of our dinner companions didn’t get her dish until well after the rest of us had devoured our first plate, which seemed quite poorly coordinated, and when her dish did come, it was the wrong order… so maybe rack that up to a little Friday night chaos.
Let’s not confuse the Big in Japan restaurant with the Big in Japan bar, which is a different establishment, quite a few doors down St Laurent. That’s where I’ll check out next!

Food: I wouldn’t call it «authentic» Japanese, rather the menu seems more fusion to me but with Japanese influences, with some interesting choices. The servings are big and the food is excellent in terms of taste.
Service: Fast despite the large crowd
Price: reasonable
Ambiance: relax lounge style, with a hipster twister.

When we got there we asked to wait on the side by the washroom, we grabbed a drink and a few minutes later we were seated at a counter table beside the kitchen. We had there appetizers and a couple rounds of drinks. Food was pretty good but felt the waitress was rushing us, taking away our food even while we still eating it, twice.

Miso Ramen was way too salty and the pork was tough. Doesn’t taste very authentic, just very very salty and meh.

Pour le midi, c’est un peu cher. Le style du Resto plait ou déplaît, je le trouve un peu défraîchi, usé. Il faut aimer les tables de chez mcdo avec chaises soudées au sol. La cire d’abeille au plafond plutôt me dégoûte :/​et les murs défraîchis également. La bouffe est super, mais comme le décor me déplaît (je regarde mon excellente soupe miso sur Formica rouge trop usé…) juste bof. Pas big à Montréal. Mais hyper hipster.

After seeing this on Anthony Bourdain, we had high hopes. Boy, were we disappointed. I don’t care that the food wasn’t authentic. But the awkward combination of flavors in our mushy, poorly prepared dishes betrayed a complete lack of mastery that made us rethink our planned restaurant itinerary.
I was sorry to waste a meal in this wonderful city at this establishment. With so many great restaurants in Montréal, don’t waste your time at a place so mediocre.

Not in Japan, not very big. Crowded, even. But the food is definitely Japanese-​inspired and the servings are decidedly big.
It was a bustling place and our waitress was incredible — fluidly moving around the crowded dining space and taking care of the other diners. The large open front window let fresh air in, which countered the tight conditions inside.
The miso ramen is delicious! A rich broth with tasty vegetables and lots of noodles. A very good deal and quite filling. My wife got the Hiyashi Chuka which had a light but flavorful broth and she opted for vegetable tempura as a topping which was so good! There was also a hefty portion of delicious strips of tofu mixed in. The soft-​boiled eggs on both dishes were a surprise, but were cooked well. We ended up taking some home because it was so filling!
We both had «sake slush» drinks, which my wife found quite tasty. Careful, they’re more potent than they look!
Definitely worth a try; when you’re on the Main, drop in to Big in Japan!

Actually I don’t even know how to start this review. My friend warned me before about how unauthentic this place is, and I regret that I didn’t listen to her…
Ok first of all it’s not a isakaya at all, not even close, it feels like some kind of asian fast food Resto which also sells beer (and also u have to order one entrée or two appetizers, then you’re allowed to order beers).
The miso ramen we ordered was just one word –«plain». There is no flavour in it, maybe just a bit instant miso paste.
The crispy pork which was recommended by our waitress was below average, although the side arugula salad was pretty good .
I think I’ll try another «real «isakaya next time.

I feel guilty using their wi-​fi. Good news is the draft beer (12oz) is $ 4. Bad news: the miso ramen is to miso ramen what chop suey is to Hong Kong style noodles. Also the all Canadian staff was very friendly. Enuf said.

The whole pace is overhyped. The inside looks good and the service is pro, but the food is incredibly disappointing. There are way better noodle/​soup dishes on St Laurent, at more low key restaurants.

This is one of my favourite comfort restaurants in downtown Montréal! Why? It’s open from 11am until 3am! Hurray for late night eats! Even though they’re open until wee hours, the quality of their food is very consistent and yummy every time.
They do classic Japanese eats like ramen but also have cool street eats of Japan that are very tasty. I’ve never had a miss from their menu which is really rare (and trust me, I’ve tried a lot: D). From their appetizers, main dishes, to dessert, every single one of them seem to be almost perfect on my palate. I definitely recommend their desserts and milkshakes as they’re really refreshing and creative!

Bön, je suis allé au Big in Japan un lundi midi… même late lunch… j’avoue que je né m’attendais pas à la «top ambiance» mais c’était relax et sympathique. J’ai pris la salade au poulet citronnée qui était vraiment très bonne et mes amies ont pris le poulet frit avec riz… assez bon ! Le menu midi est toutefois plutôt petit. Bref, c’est un petit spot sympa où je né crois pas que tu peux être déçu mais tu né tomberas pas de ta chaise de délire gustatif non plus… Je vais sans doute réessayer pour le souper.

A friend recommended this bar and my first impression was I found the staff pushy. They kept on coming up to check my drink every two minutes. I was told it was laid back atmosphere and it was far from it. I waited 20 minutes for my bill. I followed it up and was surprised how rude the manger Andre was. He actually told me rudely to have some patience. He even went as far as to scream at me that I’m never allowed back. Try somewhere else. I have to rate it one star but from my experience it was a zero.

Super cool comme endroit, j’ai vraiment adoré! L’ambiance est super relaxe, la bouffe est pas chère et vraiment excellente, les serveurs sont sur la coche. J’y ai été un vendredi soir avec un petit groupe d’ami, c’était parfait. On a commandé plein d’entrées (les gyozas sont excellents), de la bière (pas super bonne, mais je suis un peu difficile), des drinks à base de saké et de thé vert, des milkshakes, et des plats principaux qui ont ravi tout le monde. Mon préféré: le porc croustillant, trop miam!
Un gros coup de coeur pour cet izakaya à la déco vintage!

The food was awful and overpriced. It had nothing to do with Japanese food, disgraced the food culture showed no or little respect to the dishes by adding other weird vege mix salad in vinegar in every dish we ordered. It was nothing like what we had expected from the name big in Japan. If your hungry go find somewhere else but if you’re adventurous this place definitely worth a try!

Endroit très chaleureux et particulièrement different ! J’ai été agréablement surprise! Bouffe differente et abordable, service rapide et déco funky ! J’ai bien aimé!

What a fun night we had at this place! No wait for a table, though the seats were horribly uncomfortable (I get that they’re retro — but there’s a reason most places have upgraded from molded plastic.) We ordered the green tea-​ginger punch right away. It was fabulous, light and fruity and not quite boozy enough for experienced drinkers like us. :)
All three of us ordered very different dishes, but they were equally excellent. My husband had a spicy beef ramen with eggplant, about which he is still raving four months later: it had a lovely depth of flavor and was just the right combination of hot, salty and piquant. Our friend ordered a ramen salad that was cooler and lighter: crispy pork, vegetables, and curly noodles. I ordered the tuna tataki, seared and served with lightly-​dressed greens — and I also got some of each of their meals, because they were so huge! Seriously, they don’t call it Big in Japan for nothing.
Our server was incredibly nice even though she had some difficulty understanding us (we were speaking English in deference to my husband, who doesn’t speak French, and the music in there was also really loud.) Next time we visit Montréal, I will make it a priority to return here!

Went to big in japan last Saturday with a girlfriend… Gotta say this is probably my best experience thus far !
I’ve been to big in japan several times before, some are better than others. It was mostly because of the service, seeing as it usually takes 45min + to prepare my food. However this time, the waitress was extremely friendly, and food was relatively fast (compared to previous experience) and the food was DELICIOUS. We had the age Goyza to start (Japanese dumplings), which was perfectly deep fried and went extremely well with the sauce. Thinking about it gives me the drools right now. Then for the mains, I had the braised pork with rice while my friend had the tonkatsu don (deep friend pork chop over rice). Both were excellent ! I really recommend the braised pork dish ! beware of the portion, it is GIGANTIC. This is the perfect place to go if you want some comfort food before passing out in front of your couch watching netflix. Of course, even though we were both extremely full from our main, we couldn’t help but order some dessert. We had the green tea cake with ginger icecream, which i would definitely go back for ! I was surprised how much matcha flavor was in the green tea cake, which paired perfectly with the ginger ice-​cream (surprisingly okay!).
If you’re in for some large portion comfort food that’s not burgers and pizza, give big in japan a try, think you’ll be pleasantly surprised !

Bön, pas cher, et grosses assiettes !!!
Nous avons pris les ravioles au boeuf et la viande panée en entrée. Et en plat, une soupe ramen et un plat de pates et de viande. Un régal pour tout !! Et les quantités sont énormes !! Ca nous aura fait le repas du lendemain midi aussi :)

This is NOT an authentic Japanese restaurant. I went with a group of friends who eat frequent Japanese food. We all agreed that the food was not good.
The miso ramen tasted like instant noodles with msg and salt.
The pitcher alcohol for $ 35 (Ginger and lemon) tasted diluted…
Only people who have never tasted real Japanese food would give this a 5 star, no offense.
Stay away.

My sandwich was fantastic, but I found the service was a little slow.
Also, if you’re seated in the middle and it’s cold outside (like we were), every time the door opens you will feel like an arctic blast washing over you. They wouldn’t move us to an empty table away from the door, because it was apparently reserved. Although it appeared to us that the table in question was later occupied by walk-​in customers.
Again, the food was very good. I think the prices are a little high, but that’s what you get in this location.

I’m a big fan of Anthony Bourdain, and when he visited Big in Japan while shooting for The Layover– Montréal, I added this restaurant to my «Must try» list. Big in Japan has two locations. The Big in Japan Bar which is on St Laurent & Rachel and then Big in Japan, the restaurant on St Laurent & Pine. I’m talkin about the restaurant. The places looks more like a diner with Japanese scrolls hangin down the wall. Service is quick and very friendly. One thing to keep in mind, this is not an authetic Japanese joint. Its Japanese fusion cusine. The food is interesting. Liked the curry braised pork. The green tea braised veal cheek was good too. The soy chicken wings are ok. Also pass on the chicken neck. Dunno why they have it on their menu. The Mibo Nasu & Miso ramen are massive. Portions are HUGE and if you are someone who counts calories, you rather skip. This place won’t satisfy your craving for authentic Japanese food. For that there’s Imadake /​Kazu. But what Big in Japan promises is that you’ll be atleast a size bigger once you stuff your face with this interesting Jap Fusion food.
Food — Good
Service — Fast & friendly
Ambiance — Casual
Worth the money –Hai

Contente d’avoir essayé ce petit resto dont tout le monde parle depuis quelque temps… Service un peu lent. mais l’attente en vaut la peine! Partaagez les plats qui sont en plat principale ou en entrée plutôt que de choisir le spécial «à partager». Je vous conseille la soupe ramen, le tatziki au thon et surtout le crispy pork sur riz!!! Le tout d’accompagné d’une bière maison à 4 $ :) KANPAII!

La bière maison est délicieuse. Excellent rapport qualité prix. Peu coûteux pour une cuisine aussi avant gardiste.
Un must

Si le décor est peu impressionnant, vous serez surpris par les succulents mets japonais qu’on y retrouve. J’ai pris la crêpe au porc, qui fut une agréable surprise! Chacun de notre groupe de 4 a été heureux de son choix!

Super resto. Copieuses portions et surprise agréable dans l’assiette.

Probablement que la recommandation de ma serveuse sur «un must de l’endroit» n’a pas aidé mon appréciation de la place. J’ai tenté un porc au curi et sésame (rien à dire sur le porc, il était vraiment tendre et savoureux), mais c’est plutôt l’étrange et dense sauce brune dans lequel il baignait qui m’a laissé perplexe. Les dumplings étaient par contre de leur côté vraiment succulents. Belle ambiance, j’y retournerais pour essayer autres chose, tous les plats qui sortaient de la cuisine étaient très appétissants…j’ai l’impression d’avoir simplement fait un mauvais choix.

Il y a de quoi plaire à presque tous les portefeuilles, chez Big In Japan. Je parle de prix avant tout, car à première vue, les repas y semblent dispendieux. Cependant, il y d’excellents sandwichs et soupes sous la barre des 10 $, et les portions sont généreuses.
Côté nourriture maintenant, si votre palais est un peu aventureux, cet endroit est parfait pour vous! Beaucoup de mets à base de poisson, cari, et sésame, c’est le meilleur du Japon, sans trop tomber dans la parodie américaine.
Deux mentions spéciales: les desserts (chers, mais très goûteux), et les heures d’ouverture (on peut y manger jusqu’au milieu de la nuit — rare pour les restos de ce calibre).
Finalement, il est à noter que le menu y semble en constante évolution. C’est bien pour essayer des nouveaux plats, mais ça peut être un tantinet décevant lorsqu’un mets spécifique que l’on désire n’est plus servi.
Somme toute, Délicieux!

Très bon, et superbe rapport qualité prix, pour 15 $ (taxes incluses).
J’ai mangé la crèpe misoyaki excellent porc et crevettes nordiques excellente avec une bonne touché de luzerne et crudité très bon !
Je n’ai pas eu l’occasion de gouter à la bière maison.
Very good pork and nordic shrimps (misoyaki crêpe), with a nice touch of alfafa.
I think it worth the 15 $ (taxes included). I like it a lot but i didn’t have time to taste the beer they made. The beer is supposed to be good !

J’y suis allée hier pour le lunch et j’ai pris le menu spécial du midi a 15 $ (ça né comprend rien d’autre que le plat, de la mon léger désapointement)
” Tataki de boeuf et curry de sésame noir sur riz. Accompagné de roquette en vinaigrette. (voir photo). ” Tout simplement DIVIN. J’ai vraiment été surprise par le goût sucré/​salé de la sauce contrastant avec le boeuf tataki. Magnifiquement présenté et la portion parfaite. Le boeuf d’une fraîcheur saisissante. Le menu offre du ‘comfort food’ japonais, de quoi contraster avec la fine cuisine du même pays (sushi, tempura & compagnie)
Le service fut rapide, courtois et discret. J’aime dîner en tête a tête avec mon livre et le gentil dude au comptoir a compris. J’aime aussi le fait que la plupart des tables donnent sur le comptoir, qui est aussi la cuisine a aire ouverte. On peut voir les chefs confectionner ton plat ’ juste la ‘. Ce qui est bien et assure une certaine transparence, c’est toujours rassurant pour moi. Ils offrent une bonne sélection de bière que je n’ai pas pu goûter étant donné le fait que j’étais sur mon heure de lunch au travail, mais j’ai bien hâte d’y retourner.
Autre ++: ouvert jusqu’a 3h du matin, situé sur st-​laurent. pour moi ça rime snack d’apres bar ! yessss. Il y a aussi un petit comptoir cute ou ils vendent des items japonais, c’est un peu out of space, mais c’est cute. La déco est ravissante et l’endroit en soi est vraiment cozy.

J’étais tellement excitée d’essayer ce resto! J’y passais toujours à côté et j’en ai entendu parler à travers le vidéo de layover à Montréal d’Anthony Bourdain. Cette adresse est une destination de choix pour les chefs puisque ce restaurant est ouvert jusqu’aux petites heures du matin! Par contre, le menu de nuit est différent que le menu de jour. Il change à partir de minuit plus précisément. Beaucoup plus court et servant davantage des snacks. Nous avons commandé le bol de ramen et le porc croustillant. Le ramen était servi dans de la soupe miso avec des morceaux de porc bbq. Les nouilles étaient résistante sous la dent à souhait, mais je n’ai pas adoré le bouillon étant beaucoup trop salé. Le porc était pané et frit à la perfection. Servi avec une touché d’algues séchés, des graines de sésame et le tout sur un lit de riz, le plat aurait été parfait s’ils n’auraient né l’auraient pas aspergé d’autant de sauce soya. Je serais définitivement prête à y retourner pour le menu régulier!