In the year since our last Best Restaurants issue, I’ve had three people say to me, upon finding out I write about food, that they know the best place in town for sushi. All three said Dorinku Osaka, and one said “I’m from Vancouver, so I know good sushi.”
Should you trust the collective taste of our judges? Absolutely — they eat food all the time, and they’re very good at it. But the people should have a voice too, and while three is a small sample, it’s not a fluke. Dorinku Osaka does sushi (and tataki, and tempura rolls, and everything else on its menu) right. You can take all our words for it. — Cory Schachtel
Downtown | 10328 Jasper Ave, Edmonton | 780.761.9990 | osaka.dorinku.ca
With its traditional design and simple ingredients, Edmonton’s first izakaya (according to its website) still delivers in what’s becoming a tougher category each year. I had the Seafood Carpaccio salad, and will admit it can feel kinda weird looking at a plate full of raw seafood (including octopus) on a cold winter night in a landlocked province. But the entire plate was fresh and delicious. The open prawn spring rolls were a tasty change from most restaurants’ traditionally wrapped rolls, and the curry udon soup, with pork and deep-fried tofu, somehow felt like home. The only complaint I’ve ever made with my order is that I didn’t order enough. — Cory Schachtel
Strathcona Industrial Park | 3739 99 St NW, Edmonton | 780.440.9152 | izakayatomo.net
There are dishes that are made to go with a cold beer, and then there are dishes made to go with a cold beer. If the point of an Izakaya is to share snacks that can be enjoyed with a pint or more, then Shoji’s Drunken Clams tick all the boxes. It’s my favourite item (so far) on a playful menu. The clams are immersed in a broth of sweet chili sauce, beer and butter, and you’d better ask for an extra spoon so you can slurp it all up once the clams are all gone. Add an order of sushi pizza to up the snacking game — as tuna, scallops or salmon are placed atop a crust made of panko crumbs. Did I mention the menu was playful? Yeah, I think I did. — Steven Sandor
Permanently Closed
Oliver | 10425 121 St NW, Edmonton | 780.540.4800 | shojoizakaya.com
This article appears in the March/April 2023 issue of Edify
