Overall reviews describe Jatoba as a refined Asian fusion destination with outstanding, beautifully presented dishes and fresh sashimi, complemented by a chic, lively ambiance and attentive service. The cocktails and wine pairings are frequently praised, and staff are noted for knowledge and friendliness, making celebrations or date nights feel special. While the experience is consistently described as excellent and worth the price, some comments call out the high cost, occasional slow service or pacing during busy times, and a few notes about uneven service at the bar or in the dining room. The restaurant is often listed among Montreal's best dining spots, with many guests planning a return and appreciating the chef's touches and the care in plating and ingredients. Reviewers also highlight the variety of dishes, the ability to accommodate dietary preferences, and the opportunity to sample many plates in a shared, tasting style, even as a few find acoustics or meal pacing could be improved.
Amazing service & food! A group of us decided to try this place out & we're very pleased with the whole experience. The service was superb & the food very enjoyable. Definitely recommend the mushrooms & wagyu dumplings.
The sole reason I don't give it 5 stars is the lack of meatless dishes. I was hoping for perhaps some tempura but I settled for Chinese eggplant & I broke down & ordered the gyozas because I was starving.
Service impeccable.
Food quality unsurpassed.
Menu selections abundant.
My partner had crispy rice cakes with salmon tartare & ha gao dumplings. He went on to order the firecracker dumplings also & they were wonderful.
Sep 4, 2025
on Google
🍽️
Know where to eat in Montreal before everyone else.
Get the first look at the hottest openings, secret menus, and RestoMontreal.ca's weekly top picks. Join 50,000+ foodies.
Delicious food & really good service. Since it's on the pricier side, I'd recommend to go in a group & & spend 100-150$ pp to get to try as many different plates as possible. Some of the high lites were the black cod, the dumplings (all delicious) & the beer noodles
I'd like to recognize both the positive & negative aspects of the service during our visit.
Service Rating:
⭐ 5/5 for the support staff (bussers, runners, & bar staff) - Everyone else on the team was attentive, friendly, efficient & really top-notch service worthy of the highest end restaurant.
⭐ 2/5 for the waiter who took our order - Unfortunately, our overall experience was seriously impacted by two concerning incidents. The 1st is not drama, the second in quite unnerving.
1. Drink Order Mishandled
One of our guests ordered a regular (non-diet) Coke. When the drink arrived, the server delivering it (holding the printed bar order in hand) stated it was a Diet Coke. The waiter who originally took our order quickly & firmly insisted it was not. However, a simple taste test confirmed it was Diet Coke.
Though the drink was eventually replaced, the way the situation was handled was troubling. The waiter's defensive attitude, dismissiveness, & his unwillingness to listen came across as unprofessional. It felt more like,'just take what you're given,' rather than an effort to ensure a good customer experience.
2. Allergy Risk - Serious Oversight
We ordered a multi-course tasting menu (we did not choose, we let our waiter decide on the menu) & clearly communicated one important dietary restriction: an allergy to shellfish. Despite this, the final course included two plates containing shellfish (crab & shrimps). Thankfully, we identified this (again thanks to the support staff) before anyone with the allergy took a bite - but that's not always possible, especially with items like dumplings where the filling isn't obvious.
When we raised the issue, the same waiter casually responded,'Oh yes, I know - but I really wanted the rest of the table to try these out.' This is not just a lapse in judgment - it's a dangerous & completely unacceptable approach to food allergies. It demonstrates a lack of seriousness, care, & professionalism.
Mistakes can happen, but the lack of accountability & the dismissive attitude from the waiter made both situations feel much worse. Service staff are not just responsible for delivering food; they are trusted to listen, respect guest needs, & ensure a safe & welcoming environment. In this case, that trust was broken.
I hope the management sees this as constructive feedback & takes appropriate action - particularly with regard to allergy protocol training & service standards.
I had the pleasure of enjoying some incredible Asian inspired food. Every bite was a celebration of flavor-perfectly balanced sushi, rich & savory dumpling, & the freshest bluefin I've had in ages. Unfortunately, the service didn't match the food's quality. The staff seemed disorganized, also a bit arrogant. The mushroom dumpling was fried & boiling inside. (the type of dumpling you eat in one bite) & me & my friend all got burned inside our mouth wich made the rest of our meal a little less tasty. Our server answer was basicly to blow on our food & wait but at no time mentionned this dish was very hot. I guess the attitude kinda ruin it for me & a little warning is usually common & apreciated. It's a shame because the culinary experience was top-notch, but the poor service put a damper on the evening. If they can improve the service, this place would easily become a favorite.
Dec 1, 2024
on Google
🍽️
Know where to eat in Montreal before everyone else.
Get the first look at the hottest openings, secret menus, and RestoMontreal.ca's weekly top picks. Join 50,000+ foodies.
It's important to note that although this restaurant is very good, it is very expensive & clients should know this beforehand. Cost over 300$ for two people, & this is with only one alcohol beverage. However, we did leave very full. The atmosphere is amazing, the decor is phenomenal & it feels very cozy. Great date place. The service was very good, hostess at front was kind & happy. Our waiter(male with moustache), did not make any mistakes, & came to see us the perfect amount of times, however the person I brought here felt like he was never smiling & looked annoyed to serve us, which can make people feel uncomfortable. We understand that working in the service industry is not always easy & fun, but in restaurants where there is a tip at the end & you have an extremely high bill, it doesn't leave a customer feeling like they want to tip. So the person I brought here felt sour to leave so much money to the waiter after feeling like we were a burden to him. The menu is very big, which is shocking for a place with a lot of quality because that is hard to achieve. It allows people with different food tastes to come; they hold seafood, meats, dumplings, salads, sushi, rice options, & more. It was wonderful to have such options. I do recommend this restaurant to anyone who doesn't have a budget & wants to experience a fun cozy & quality evening.
Truly splendid service & atmosphere at Jatoba. The food is good but not great. The quality of the fresh fish really stands out & the oyster mushroom gratin & firecracker dumplings were both divine. The black cod was a bit mushy for my liking (it's not Nobu esque) & the har gao tastes standard.
I have gone pre-covid when this place was fairly new/hyped & recently. I recall the whole experience about the same both times. Let's quickly talk about Service & Atmosphere. Service for what we had was 5/5 on par & up to basic expectations. Greeted warmly & well informed of their menu. Atmosphere they have 2 areas, front & back with the back being more open in a glass room enclosure & a lot of plants, it had a nice vibe but the front does have this cozy warm Asian inspired feel to it. 4/5 Let's get to the food: This place is on the pricey side & I'll describe it as best as I can for what I have had, & seen. I will also describe how to go to this place & really enjoy it. Food is pricey, easily call it double of what you would expect from a standard Asian restaurant. High price, small dishes, almost tapas style if you want to call it that. Some items from their menu, Filet mignon, Lobster ginger & King Crab ($60+) offers at most 5-10 bites. Their other items which would be your go to for sides like Fries ($20), Calamari ($40) or dumplings (3) (~$18). There is only so much you can go high for price. Flavours had that hint of Asian cooking with a more quality preparation & plating. Tasty yes, unique no. Be full & happy? Not at the prices. Desserts are double the price of something typical but nothing unique that I haven't seen or tasted before. Drink wise, everything stands around $15+ for your alcohols. They made some fairly nice drinks & I would say they made an amaretto sour that is going in my books (super frothed egg whites). I make this drink blind folded & even started to make it with egg whites but this was another level of froth, almost whipped cream line. Half the glass was alcohol & the other half was whipped but it was well worth it. Listen if you go to this place as 2 & you order a app, main & dessert, you are easily over $100 & you won't be full. The best suggestion is going to this place as a group of 4-5 people & each spend about $75/all in (2 orders each). This will get you about 8-10 dishes that you'll be able to try tapas style with just 1 maybe 2 bites. This way you can try a lot of different stuff without hitting a price tag of $200+ (person) which you can easily do. Food is 3/5. It's not bad food, it's just pricey & with pricey food, your expectations are just up there. Go here with friends, real friends that know how to food share & you probably won't be disappointed.
Great experience. Loved the Asian fusion food & the welcoming vibe. The ha gao dumplings were amazing & the chocolate cake for dessert was exceptional. We will return!
Sep 14, 2024
on Google
🍽️
Know where to eat in Montreal before everyone else.
Get the first look at the hottest openings, secret menus, and RestoMontreal.ca's weekly top picks. Join 50,000+ foodies.
Excellent repas, service & ambiance. On y était pour une soirée d'anniversaire & la soirée était parfaite. Absolument tous les plats étaient délicieux (dumpling, sushi, agneau, canard, morue, bar rayé, boeuf wagyu, etc.). J'aimerais aussi mentionner les cocktails signatures qui était très bien.
Une très belle soirée avec des amis avec de bons plats. Une très bonne cuisine en général. Certains plats ont déçu; les crevettes tempura qui était beaucoup plus friture que crevettes & le dumpling crabe & homard ne nous a pas impressionné. Les choix végétariens étaient très bons. Le service a été extraordinaire. Je ne voulais pas mettre 4 étoiles, j'aurais mis 4,5 mais nous aimons beaucoup le restaurant donc je vais rester a 5.
One of top choice if you looking for a high-quality dining experience. Complex flavors highly praised. The dumplings, tataki & the confit duck are delicious. Very professional service & very attentive staff
A group of ten went & it was a fantastic experience. The food was next level as were the drinks & the service was outstanding. Would recommend. The fish was so fresh & the dumplings I'll be thinking about for awhile.
Jun 21, 2024
on Google
🍽️
Know where to eat in Montreal before everyone else.
Get the first look at the hottest openings, secret menus, and RestoMontreal.ca's weekly top picks. Join 50,000+ foodies.
We've been here twice all the way from Ottawa just because the food is so amazing! The key is to sit at the bar so that you can chat with the bartender & learn about new drinks. Our favorite menu items are the pork & shrimp dumplings & the star anise spare ribs with rice!!
Bel endroit, super ambiance, excellent service, délicieux cocktails & la nourriture y est exceptionnelle! Le filet mignon & le plat de homard valent à eux seuls le détour. Les dumplings sont savoureux, bien relevés. Parfait pour un souper en amoureux ou une bonne bouffe entre amis.
Exquisitely romantic! The food was divine. The dumplings & scallops are a must try. The blondie dessert was sensational, I have never had such an amazing dessert at a Japanese restaurant before. The grilled calamari was lovely but I would not order it again.
The service was excellent & outstanding!!! Duck confit, black cod, firecrackers dumplings & beef springs rolls were amazing!! We can't wait to return!!
