At Honō, it happens in the gestures, and in the consistency of these gestures. As newcomers to the community, it is with respect that we make our place. Saint-Roch is like a team: we wear it proudly on our jersey, and when there are players who fall, we are there to reach out to them.
Speaking of respect: for us, respect is measured by the sum of the parts to which we decide to apply it, and this is what makes our integrity. Here there is no discrimination. Respect is applied everywhere: to traditions, to food, to customers and to their experience. Fla-fla in our decor, we don't want it. We do not try to influence the client by anything other than our thirst to perfect the fusion of Japanese and Quebec cultures.
Details
Our Specialties
Yakitoris (small skewers grilled on our Japanese grill)
Tempura and fried dishes
Sake and cocktails
Hono Izakaya is widely celebrated for its exceptional Japanese-inspired small plates, creative cocktails, and overall dining atmosphere in Quebec City. Many guests highlight the high quality and inventive presentation of dishes like the pork belly, skewers, and dumplings, noting that the shared-plate concept offers a fun and exploratory culinary experience. While the restaurant is consistently busy and requires advance reservations, the majority of visitors praise the staff for being attentive, friendly, and knowledgeable, often providing helpful recommendations that enhance the meal. Although some diners have noted occasional issues with seasoning intensity, seating density, or temperature near the entrance, the consensus remains that this establishment provides a memorable and high-value gastronomic experience that keeps people coming back.
A wonderful meal! We sat at the end of the kitchen counter with a view of the plating station & I'm so glad we did. It was a little less crowded than the main restaurant & interesting to watch. The service was terrific. When she offered, we let our server choose our courses for us, which I recommend -- I don't think I would have chosen some of the dishes we tried & her selection was excellent & well-paced. My favorite of the night was the agedashi tofu, which was surprisingly delicious, but everything we had was very good -- pickles, marinated quail eggs, bluefin toro in a green sauce, agedashi tofu with bonito, mushroom yakitori, & vegetable dumplings. They were able to make all of their interesting cocktails without alcohol, which was appreciated. There were two of us & we both left full & satisfied but not overly stuffed. Mercí, Hono Izakaya!
If you are looking for authentic, expertly grilled skewers, Hono Izakaya is a must-visit. It has a Michelin Guide Bib Gourmand designation & it is an incredibly popular spot, so reservations are absolutely essential if you want to secure a table or a coveted seat at the bar.
We came specifically to try their famous yakitori, & while we ordered a broad variety of dishes, these were the absolute highlights of the night:
Butabara (Pork Belly): 🏆 Our personal favorite. It was incredibly tender & packed with flavor. The fat was perfectly rendered, meaning it literally melted in your mouth in the best way possible.
Momo (Chicken Thigh): Absolutely delicious. It had a wonderful, distinct grill taste while remaining incredibly moist & flavorful on the inside.
Waka (Chicken Skin): This was a chef's selection item. The first few bites were fantastic, but it is deeply rich.
Pro-Tip: The yakitori items-especially the chicken skin-are intensely rich. We highly recommend ordering a side of rice to help cut through that richness.
Because the grilled meats are so wonderfully decadent, we ordered the vegetable tempura & pickled vegetables. They provided the perfect crisp, bright contrast to the savory skewers & completely re-energized our palates.
Between the incredible grill technique & the vibrant atmosphere, Hono Izakaya completely lived up to the hype. We will definitely be back again!
Absolutely love the place! The waitress - Jessica services is great! The food is a surprise to us! Strongly recommend Karaage- our top 1 favourite! Yakitoris are amazing too- chicken, marinated salmon, pork all great!
Jun 14, 2026
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Hono deserves all the accolades it's gotten. & no wonder why reservations are a must.
Beautiful warm space filled with tables for 2, big groups & counter seating in the back to watch all the action.
Plates are meant to be shared & to continuously order so that you're not left waiting too long for another amazing bite.
We tried mixing up yakitori with bowls so that we could get a variety.
In order of what we enjoyed were the
Butabara pork belly skewers (decadent & melt in your mouth) we ordered it twice ,
Pickled veggies (radish & cucumber) to cut through the fatty bits,
Chicken skin skewer (I don't know how it's not slippery oily & how they made it into squares, witchcraft, I swear)
Sashimi (yellow tail, butterfish, salmon) the seasonings they paired with each individual piece was so thoughtful. That Butterfish was buttering, yum!
Pork dumpling with chili sauce (perfect acidity & spice) I drank it up!
Miso & maple creme brulee (love the thick sugar crackling on top)
Pork rice bowl with miso soup (reminiscent of Japan's beef bowl with pickled ginger)
Quail eggs in dashi sauce (it was good, but there's no seasoning in the eggs)
Salmon shrimp croquette (good fried bite)
Chicken thigh skewer (moist, but it didn't have as much flavor as the other bites)
We thoroughly loved our food from beginning to end. Service was exceptional & kind. They were nice to explain in English everything we ordered.
We even loved the yuzu lemonade!
You can tell the chef thought very carefully about which pairing would be perfect & then elevated it even further.
It's like a love letter to Japan.
So happy to have ended our Quebec stay at Hono.
This was such a wonderful experience! From the food to the ambience. The yakitori was some of the best I've ever had! Definitely recommended this to anyone visiting Quebec City, looking for fresh & delicious Japanese food!
Everything we ordered--quail eggs, picked daikon & cucumber, kaarage, pork belly, & the chicken thigh yakitori special--was absolutely delicious! The quail egg dashi was so good I wouldn't let the server take it away, I had to taste it with my rice. The two cocktails I had were inventive & great, especially their take on the aviation. Service was outstanding. This was our second visit to QC & to Hono; hopefully we'll be back soon. Definitely get a reservation!
Super resto avec de belles découvertes culinaires !
La formule de plats à partager est super intéressante & tout est excellent. Gros coup de coeur pour les Yakitoris King eryngii & Sake miso.
We had a mixed experience at this restaurant. The food itself was generally good; we especially enjoyed the yakitori king eryngii (grilled mushroom) & the vegetable okonomiyaki. The momo chicken thigh yakitori, wagyu & fish temaki were just okay.
Where the experience unfortunately fell apart was with the dessert of the season & the way the situation was handled. It was described as a Black Forest-inspired dessert with chocolate cake, berry & chocolate sauces, & whipped cream. When the dessert arrived, we identified a very strong taste of alcohol & immediately asked the waiter about the alcohol content, as one of us is pregnant.
He initially told us the cake batter contained beer but insisted it was safe to eat because it was baked. When we asked if the berry sauce might also have alcohol, as the taste was too strong to come only from the cake, he went to check with the kitchen. He returned & confirmed that alcohol was also used in the chocolate sauce, & again reassured us it was safe. Unfortunately, this reflects a common myth: alcohol does NOT fully disappear when cooked or baked.
Alcohol should always be disclosed, as it affects people who are pregnant, medically restricted, avoiding alcohol for religious reasons, or in recovery. The dessert was removed from the bill, which we appreciated, but the interaction left a negative impression.
The staff would benefit from doing proper research on cooking with alcohol & ensuring full ingredient transparency.
This was the best meal we had in Quebec City this visit, & one place we went to was $600 for two. Hono Izakaya was 170 for two before gratuity, including a few unique cocktails & we had a lot of food. So it is saying something. The food here is very good & it has good vibes & service. Standouts were the miso salmon & mono yakitoris, & the crème brûlée, but everything was good. Fair warning the okonomiyaki were pretty huge so don't order both if there are only two of you (lesson learned haha), also the meat one has very strong smoked fish flakes on it that was not our cup of tea but can understand some people may love it if smoke fish is your thing. Anyhoo thank you Hono Izakaya for restoring my faith in the Quebec food scene 🙏 I will go here again! Side note it's across from a big Eglise de Scientologie which is also a bit of a novelty to see for those of us that are small town folk at heart.
