Danica Odyssey
After a chilly, but fun day in Madison, I couldn’t have found a better place to unwind and have a lovely meal. Izakaya Kuroyama impresses from the moment you enter – with visually stimulating decor and the fragrant scent of spices, sweetness and charry smoke from the grills. I loved that I could order several smaller dishes, so I could try different things, and was equally pleased to find that each small dish stood out with its own unique seasonings and flavor profile. I was able to savor each item individually and slowly, since the staff were very welcoming and not rushed. I tried the eggplant which I loved. Don’t shy away from the chicken heart skewers! Incredible texture and flavor! That was my favorite item and my daughter’s as well (when I brought her some home to try.) Our least favorite of the items was the steak skewer, but we’re only casual carnivores, so anything gamey or chewy we’re sometimes on the fence about. While there, I also savored the passion fruit mojito (delicious, with the perfect amount of charge) as well as a scrumptious dessert. A perfect grand finale to a special day, and I highly, highly recommend!!
… moreEarl Go-Aco
Arrived around 7pm on a Saturday and got seated immediately. Ordered the Sapporo spicy miso ramen which was not bad and I liked how spicy they made the broth. The chicken karaage was very good as an appetizer – crunchy and flavourful. I would try something else other than their ramen if I come back again.
… moreYoung Guen Lim
This place is okay for a quick drink, but not ideal for a proper meal. The interior is decent, but it doesn’t feel like a traditional Japanese izakaya at all. The food didn’t taste fresh — more like pre-made dishes that were simply reheated. Overall, everything was too salty.
… moreLeishopping
i don’t understand the super high reviews. the chicken katsu was cold, like some returned dish you left on countertop for a while and then “oh perfect someone just ordered it “.
love the roof decor, and scallop tasted really good. baby octopus was okay.
service was very “meh” – a lady with a very sad face took the order and i felt so sorry for her that she had to work that day.
… morePaula Bezark-LaRue
The food came out super fast but it took a long time to pay. They should make payment as easy as ordering. Also the fried rice tasted like something you would get at a mall food court. Other dishes were better though.
… moreSeryphina
Came in from Kansas City, Missouri. The hospitality, atmosphere, and food was all absolutely divine. It was like being transported straight to Japan. I’m a vegetarian and my friend is a carnivore and they had enough food options to satisfy both of us! Highly, highly recommend. I would come back to this city, just for this restaurant.
… moreSamantha Loveland
I loved my meal here. As a vegetarian I got the spicy edamame and veggie udon. The edamame had a great peanuty chili oil on it that was slightly spicy, but not much. The veggie udon had tofu in it (along with a mix of veggies) and the broth was delicious. My partner got okinamayaki that he said was pretty good and wagyu skewers he enjoyed.
One menu suggestion: label vegetarian/vegan options so people can easily spot them.
… moreFemi Chee
Best Japanese restaurant in Madison. Their omuie rice and unagi don is to DIE for. Pickup service is also super fast, like under 10 minutes fast. Staff are friendly and helpful. And they never forget my straw
… moreJade Leung
This place has great curb appeal with the windows full of paper lanterns. But the mood inside is off and struggles to find it’s authenticity. The menu includes a lot of great options but very few are done well. Ok but not great. A lot of the recipes seemed to missing some key ingredients to really be authentic. For example, the chicken katsu had no katsu sauce and had the rice swimming in a sort of curry sauce. Not so much katsu curry but katsu on curry rice. Ordered drinks. Draft beer and pretty sure there was no draft. Actually saw the bar tender try to hide pouring the beer from a bottle only to have the pint 1/4 empty and no head. Also the beer glass was warm. In Japan, nama biru is always served in a frosted glass and has a nice one inch head. I so want these types of ethnic places to be excellent but there needs to be a high level of care and execution to be successful. This place just doesnt have it.
… moreDante Schrantz
The food is delicious but the service is not the best. Our water was never refilled which and it was difficult to get our waiter’s attention at the beginning. I wish the portion sizes would be slightly larger given the price paid.
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