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Chako Barbecue Izakaya
Category: Restaurants Korean Korean [Edit]
2190 McNicoll AveUnit 112-113
Scarborough, ON M1V 0D3
Neighbourhood: Scarborough
(416) 298-9978
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Private Lot
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- No
- Take Away:
- No
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Wi-Fi:
- No
- Good For:
- Late Night
- Noise Level:
- Loud
- Ambience:
- Casual
- Has TV:
- No
- Caters:
- No
24 reviews for Chako Barbecue Izakaya
Review Highlights
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"Short Ribs - Mini steaks basically, oh so delectable." In 3 reviews -
"The place is very modern and clean (even the washrooms." In 3 reviews -
"dessert: green tea and mango ice cream." In 3 reviews
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24 reviews in English
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Review from David G.
Toronto, ON
3/19/2012 7 Check-ins Here
I would give it 4.5 stars if I could.
Lunch and Late Night are the best deals, go if you can.
The quality is average to above average for an AYCE KBBQ place, but the short ribs are amazing.
Service is pretty good as well. -
Review from Audrey L.
Toronto, ON
5/16/2012
I like Chako slightly better than Korean Grill house (only SLIGHTLY), for several reasons:
1. It's newer. Despite Korean Grill House's recent renovations, Chako still looks newer and has a lot more space, so I don't feel so crowded.
2. If I go to Chako, I only go for the 'late night' menu because it's cheaper. That being said, I haven't gone for lunch so my review (obviously) excludes that. I wouldn't come here for lunch, anyway, having seen the prices. I know I'm likely to get better sushi elsewhere.
3. Their Korean barbecue menu also includes vegetables (where at KGH, they're an additional cost). I don't eat more than one round of the vegetables anyway (I'm there for the AYCE MEAT!) but it's nice to have the option.
The service at KGH exceeds that of Chako, I presume because it's a smaller setting. This shouldn't really be an excuse on Chako's part, but it's likely the reason. I can only really justify coming here past 10pm, otherwise I find their prices to be a little steep, considering I'm cooking my own food (I realize sushi's involved, but from the sounds of other reviews, it's not worth the extra money either). All in all, both places have their good & bad. At the end of the day, my decision is based pretty solely on what time it is. -
Review from Eric L.
Scarborough, ON
1/2/2012
Let talk about the good things,
The food tasted great WHEN it came
the decor of the resturant was tasteful and it was a good enviroment
However there were lots of negatives.
First, the sushi that we ordered came when our bill came
The hand rolls didn't come at all even though we called them multiple times
The waiter had this horrible attitude
The tips was included in the bill (which may be typical in many resturants but when you are getting this kind of crap service, thats forcing you to pay for service you didn't recieve)
and we were kicked out of the resturant because we sat for longer then an hour
Many would say that this is a good resturant but i would pass. -
Review from Elise X.
Scarborough, ON
10/29/2011
They've increased the prices by a dollar from what I've seen.
Anyway, this place is average for a KBBQ place. If there were better ones near me, I wouldn't be going here.
The beef is definitely my favourite, but that's just because I'm a beef person. Next the short ribs (which are usually a bit too fatty for my liking), and the pork, tied for second.
This place is really up and down with the cuts of meat they give you. Some days are better than others. I wish they had a bit more consistency.
Either way, still very reasonable for the price. Make sure to douse your meat in the BBQ sauce, or it will probably taste too plain. -
Review from Keziah T.
Toronto, ON
12/22/2011
If you want to be around a swarm of Asian people, then this place is for you. REALLY. LOL! But aside from that, not that it is a negative thing, the place will leave you smelling like BBQ. Fake sushi but good. I love how I order here compared to the other shitty Korean BBQ Grill whatever the hell their called. "Ummm I want everything please", then they fill your table up. Plus they have dessert! and Mussels! LMAO I know it's random but I think that is a plus.
Service is actually good! They don't IGNORE you when you need something which I like. I've been here dozen of times and I can't get sick of it. -
Review from William T.
Scarborough, ON
7/8/2011
Korean BBQ. Monday-Thursday AYCE special $10 after10PM!
On the special menu:
Short Ribs - Mini steaks basically, oh so delectable.
Beef - Sliced thin for fast cooking & has a hint of seasoning of some sort.
Calamari - Flavor orgasm in my mouth, also it cooks very fast.
Kimchee - Optimal & I had it rated by an actual Korean man from Korea.
Fish - Tilapia fillets, marinated with some sort of sauce but if you are patient enough to cook this it is well worth the wait.
Steamed Rice - l personally use it as a grease napkin by distributing it over my plate evenly to soak excess oils from my meat, but the actual rice is quite good on its own.
As time passes, the iron grill will accumulate lard & meat debris which will form into black sludge after a while due to flame exposure, however, when asked to an attendant will remove the old grill & replace with a freshly oiled one. Service is optimal especially being an AYCE restaurant as the servers are quick & proactive.
The washrooms are interesting in the sense that they are semi communal for both sexes, a central hall lined by doors that when opened reveal a separate washroom much in the style of a home washroom sans bath or shower equipment.
Definitely returning again & again!Listed in: Good for Groupies
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Review from Darren L.
Scarborough, ON
When you first enter the area during dinner time, you can smell the BBQ from a mile away. The place is always packed so it might be a few minutes before you can find seating, especially if you have a large group. We started our order with one of everything which was a good decision. Their beef is amazing, chicken is not too far behind. Sushi, while being basic, still is a great treat.
I just wish I could remember which sauce is the red and which is the green. -
Review from Yvonne T.
4/22/2011
All you can eat Korean BBQ. If you can hold out until after 10PM, $10 on weeknights.
We had:
Short Ribs - Very very tasty!
Beef - Meh, wasn't very flavourful
Calamari - I don't know what they marinate it in, but it is just bursting with flavour
Kimchee - I'm in love!
Fish - I'm guessing its a bassa fillet or tilapia fillets, these were very tasty, but they do take longer to cook through.
Steamed Rice - I use this as a grease/oil soaker. Spread my rice all over the plate, and then it soaks up all the grease. However, if you could still stomach it, the rice is VERY savoury afterwards, lol
Green tea ice cream is pretty good. You can ask them to change the grill for you once there is too much black char stuck to it. They are quite busy, and service can be slow, but they are good at refilling your water (which is much needed after ingesting all the MSG).
The washrooms are interesting. You walk in and there are individual washrooms lining the walls. The space is quite large, with high ceilings and its very spacious. A great place to go with a group of friends!Listed in: Scarberia, The more the merrier..., Eat your heart out!
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Review from Justin R.
12/24/2011
I came here with my cousins for dinner and we tore it up. All you can eat barbecue. I'm hearing it's Korean, then I hear it's Japanese. My guess is that it's Japanese because it says Izakaya. People get mixed up because Korea and Japan share a lot of the same ingredients within their cuisines. This restaurant carries both Korean and Japanese food. I leaned more towards the beef. I ate so much and the service was okay. It's a little loud because it attracts more of the younger crowd and generally Izakaya places are generally loud.
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Review from Patty H.
North York, ON
3/13/2011 1 Check-in Here
First all, I am not complaining about the food. The food is great, but literally this is such a typical all-you-can-eat asian venue that you need to watch out.
The service blows at this place. We came in late at around 2:14pm and were told that the last call was at 2:30pm, so we ordered more because knowing that we won't be able to get more order. And by 3:00pm they are asking us to pay first.
So we paid, and then they told us the leftover plates with meat are not eaten will be charged with $3 each. Great, they could have told us that before we order item.
And I swear to god that when she told us it is last call at 2:30pm, they still let another group of 8 people to come in to sit down at 3:00pm and then also told them that this is 'last call'. The other table of people are also panicked and then ordered more than they should and would eat.
Apparently the waitress had to charge the other table for 15 plates of leftover meat. And we just wouldn't give up and we literally cooked every single leftover plate and sat till 4pm to finish most of them.
They could have just locked the door at 2:30pm and say that the lunch time is over. All of us are were told that we can only order 'once' for this 'all-you-can-eat' place. And guess what? everyone over ordered.
This is the 2nd time I've been here, this is actually the first time we over ordered, why? because we were told it's the 'last call'. And then they let another group to come in at 3pm and also tell them 'last call' at 3:00pm. The restaurant opens till 4pm, why they kept doing this 'last call' trick?
Such a typical all-you-can-eat venue that you won't be getting much of service. That is fine, we expected that, and yet this 'last call' trick is not gonna make me come back here ever again. -
Review from Calvin S.
Markham, ON
6/4/2011
I'm surprised noone complained about the seating in this place. I'm 5'7", and I can barely fit in the booth seats. I can't imagine anyone taller than 5'10" who would be able to seat properly.
I've been to this one and the one in Richmond Hill. Some things this place is better, some Richmond Hill is better (for example, the seating). This place has better calamari, ox tongue, and pork, while Richmond Hill has better kimchi, beef, and chicken.
Service is weird in this place; for me, they took out all the plates they offer, showed it to us, and asked us which ones we wanted. Contrast to Richmond Hill, where you order the plates you want and they give it to you. Aside from the food aspect, the cheque took a while to come, and we had to wait a long time before they changed the plate for us.
Overall, I like Richmond Hill's slightly better, but the pork here is so delicious... -
Review from Lynn C.
3/17/2011
All you can eat KBBQ for 17.99 on a weeknight include:
- meats: beef (meh)/chicken(no good)/pork (good)/ribs (very good)/ox tonue (DELICIOUS)
- vegetables: pineapple/zucchini/red pepper
- side dishes: kimchi (surprisingly very good)/tofu/beansprout
- seafood: squid/shrimp/fish/mussels
- sushi: four types of rolls, none of which are any good
- steamed rice
- dessert: green tea and mango ice cream
not included:
- drinks
- service (yeah, the service is slow and like someone else said, "blows")
Honestly though, the food is really good, and since you cook your own food, nothing else really matters too much, especially when the place is really spacious, clean, and well-decorated.
I think it's 18.99 on weekends, and they offer more food on the menu.
I would love to come back and leave smelling like delicious bbq'ed meat. -
Review from Alan W.
Toronto, ON
4/24/2011
2-1/2 STARS.
There is nothing authentic about this restaurant (not run by Koreans or Japanese), but for all you can eat it was a good value.
The restaurant is nicely laid out and the individual bathrooms are cool.
For some reason the selection of meats and seafood we received wasn't really marinated too well and tasted very bland after grilling, so we relied on dipping the meats in soy and chili sauces.
Avoid the sushi. This is not a sushi restaurant and the rolls they had there were poorly made, the fish wasn't that fresh (most of the rolls offered were vegitarian, probably for a reason) and didn't taste that great.
The Korean side dishes were decent.
The built-in table grills needed to be cleaned or replaced a few times during the meal, which would have been okay but service here is painfully slow especially if you are in one of the private rooms where they can't really see you -- it was awkward having to leave the room to fetch a server everytime we need something.
Desserts were very disappointing and not a great way to end a meal. They were served in small plastic bowls with plastic spoons which was very ghetto (almost like hospital or school cafeteria food). The mango ice cream was more like cheap orange creamsicle in a cup and the mousse/pudding was more like jello.
You will be walking out smelling of BBQ smoke so be sure not to wear anything too nice, and place does get extremely busy after 8pm, so be sure to get there 6 or 7-ish if you don't want to be waiting for a table. -
Review from Dug L.
Scarborough, ON
12/16/2011
it's okay...the meat is not all that tasty. The sushi is below average. The service is friendly. The atmosphere is pretty good for northern scarberia. You can find the same thing for less money nearby (admittedly, you'd get a ton less atmosphere though)
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Review from Hilary S.
12/30/2010
$16 for all you can eat korean barbecue with some Japanese sushi rolls thrown into the mix.
Good since drowning in meat might be a bit disadvantageous to your bodily functions. So take a break in the middle and eat some rolls. Or order some greens to grill, they have some (zucchini is by far the best!) for you to order too.
Good food, fast service, and the people working there were super nice also! I came here with two friends and it turns out they knew one of the people working there which made it slightly awkward to have him serve us, but everyone there was very nice and accommodating.
For those who have not been to kbbq before:
COOKING TIMES: beef grills the fastest (especially if you like it rare), and pork is pretty fast too. Chicken is next but it takes some time to get the inside cooked completely. Ribs take a century. Seafood takes a while too. Veggies are up to you, how long you want to cook them. Usually I like to put a mix of slow cooking and fast cooking stuff on the grill so you can enjoy the fast cooking stuff while the others roast.
THE GRILL: the metal plate thing on the grill will get covered in charr if you let the food stay there for too long and it burns. And then when you cook other stuff, the charr will get onto them. Not fun. So you can get the plate thing changed once per meal so I would do so near the middle, maybe after your first or second round of ordering.
And a note about this place: they're pretty slow with bringing the sushi/rolls (I assume since they make them when you order them) so order them early or else they might never arrive.Listed in: FAVSIES, Stomach Fillers--Taste the…, Asian Food
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Review from Maritza L.
Scarborough, ON
10/29/2011
Good selection and fast service. Sushi is good and fresh. Could it large group of people.
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Review from Paul C.
Ajax, ON
2/13/2011
Awesome, awesome, awesome!!!
$10 lunch was very cool. My wife and I spent 2 hours cooking, talking, what a great experience. Loved it! -
Review from Michael S.
Markham, ON
9/18/2011 1 Check-in Here
Wow! Great food, good service and overall a very nice experience. We will be back.
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Review from Sandy L.
Toronto, ON
9/27/2010
My son and I love trying new restaurants therefore we eat out alot! Our latest new place is Chako barbq in Scarborough. My son and his friends and college mates are fans of Korean Grill. I felt like Korean bbq but wanted to try a new place. I looked on the internet this morning and found Chako which had some great reviews. My son was skeptical especially with the drive...for we live in the Beaches area. We both ended up loving the place! Even he agreed it was worth the drive. The place is very modern and clean (even the washrooms). The food was very fresh and juicy. Great service and great prices. I would have given it a 5 star if it weren't for the music! Horrible! I was expecting some kids to get up and dance! When we first walked in they had some great modern asian music on then they changed it to hip hop or crap they play at raves!
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Review from Daniel K.
Scarborough, ON
3/23/2011
Great place...I love the food and the atmosphere...they dont have the all you can eat sushi during the week which kind of sucks
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Review from Jon M.
Scarborough, ON
My girlfriend and i usually go to Korean grill house on hwy 7, but there was a 45 minute wait there tonight. Not being able to wait that long, we decided to give chako a try after ruling out some other restaurants - I'm glad we did. From the outside the place looks huge and modern, and that look continues inside. Its a hip restaurant that puts KGH to shame in terms of looks. In to the most important part, the food.....unlike KGH, Chako includes a variety of sushi in the all you can eat menu.
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Review from Mo K.
Oakville, ON
6/8/2010 2 Check-ins Here
Excellent Korean Barbeque Restaurant. It's very new, so the Decor and Atmosphere is very nice. The staff are very helpful and the selection of food is excellent and the place is very clean. They even have a late night menu - $10 on weekdays after 10pm. It's also open late. You can also order sushi as part of your all you can eat but that is not available on the discounted late night menu. I've been there 3 times and never have been disappointed except I can never get enough. Next time you have a craving for BBQ Beef, Ribs, Chicken and Seafood, Check this place out. Your stomach and pocket will not complain.
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Review from Stephen C.
Scarborough, ON
6/27/2010
Best Korean BBQ in the area. The restaurant is clean, spacious, and accomodating. The food is good, and the service was great.
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Review from Vivian L.
Scarborough, ON
4/12/2011
Being owned by Chinese people you know you won't get anything authentic. The very FIRST chako around silverstar was actually more of a Japanese grilling experience, with good quality food, but I suppose they figured that Kbbq has lower costs, and will allow them to earn more money. What makes them unique (as far as I know) is that in addition to kbbq they also offer sushi items. Though they are nothing exceptional, considering it's part of the AYCE menu it is still pretty good. (I recommend the spicy salmon roll.) They offer the typical meats and seafood (with mussels which is rare), and all are very good. Special props to the seafood 'cause they usually suck at other kbbqs. On several occasions where I went I was never pressured to leave, or over order and was able to leave feeling full and happy. Two complaints though is the service and the thirst that follows the experience. One of the male managers is quite useless. Me and my group of friends asked him to divy up the bill and he said, "ask your waiter to do it." That just showed a great deal of irresponsibility in my opinion. Also while eating and after leaving the restaurant I found myself drinking water constantly, which should say something about the msg/sodium content in the food. Overall a decent place, with good price. Good to visit with big group of people.
