Established in 2008 in the city of St. Catharines, East Izakaya is a restaurant with an 11 years-long tradition. Its current owners, Peter Li and Li Wang have more than 20 years of experience in the Japanese food restaurant business, and became owners and partners of this venture in 2011, after working there for many years.

With a young and cosmopolitan spirit that follows its Izakaya style (acquired after 2016’s exhaustive renovations), this restaurant is a casual dining space that blends Canadian, Japanese and Chinese culinary culture through extensive and constant research and study, reflected in more than a hundred dishes on the menu, an incredible record of apprenticeships in the Japanese BBQ and the kitchen, a multicultural staff, and a detailed selection of the best and most appropriate flavours and ingredients for the guest's taste.

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The Menu

Focused on quality and presentation, East Izakaya takes the heart of the Izakaya meaning: small portions full of flavour that can be perfectly paired with sake, beer, wine or any of their signature cocktails or mocktails. It has around 160 items in an all-you-can-eat Asian menu, with versions of lunch and dinner, a la carte and take-out, and offers seafood, sushi, sashimi, vegetarian-friendly dishes, Japanese BBQ, and another more traditional Japanese cuisine.

East promotions are focused on a working community that enjoys good times unwinding after a hard day of labour. Thus, 3 shots of sake and beer promotions are infallible elements in the menu, as well as the rich and varied cocktail list that gets updated periodically. Another relevant item on East’s menu is the Lunch Special, complete and affordable high-quality meals that can be purchased for dine-in or take-out.

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The People

“My place is your home.”
Even when it doesn’t look like it, East Izakaya has a staff group of around 58 people! This multicultural, multi-age environment contributes to the dynamism of the restaurant and the adventure, entrepreneurial vibe felt by its visitors.