York’s newest Japanese restaurant is wowing diners, earning rave reviews.

To date, all bar one reviewer has given Izakaya five stars on Tripadvisor, with the other still giving four stars amid much praise.

Izakaya opened two weeks ago in Grape Lane, where Wilde’s Bar & Bistro used to be.

The new venture is owned by Adam Johnson and Danny Victory.

Chef Patron Danny, 28, has a background with high-end restaurants, which in York include ShoriYork, Forage Ltd and the Star Inn in York .

Operations director Adam, 30, has a wider hospitality background with roles at the Bohemian Bar, Oscars and others.

Adam said of their start: “It’s been excellent really. We have had very positive reviews.”

A ‘soft’ opening saw a range of tasting plates created.

This has now been extended to include new lunch menu as well as more choices in the evening.

A 9-course tasting menu has also been created for New Year’s Eve, which will include both meat and vegetarian options.

The restaurant is also winning plaudits for its extensive range of cocktails.

Among the praise posted is one diner, who enjoyed the experience so much, their wife would come back down from Edinburgh just to dine at Izakaya again!

“Staff are warm and friendly, the presentation of the food and restaurant as a whole is immaculate,” he said, before adding: “Izakaya is an absolute triumph and a restaurant that we shall be strongly recommending to anyone heading to York.”

Another five-star reviewer reports “professional staff, cozy dining area and authentic Japanese food.”

“They didn’t disappoint. Would love to go back in the future,” they added.

One diner also praises the cocktails that have a Japanese twist, also citing the intimate setting, welcoming staff and ‘reasonably priced’ lunch menu.

They added: “We'd definitely come again next time we're in York and would highly recommend Izakaya to anyone looking for something a little different in York.”

Another diner also reported an ‘excellent meal.’

They commented: “We asked for the chef’s choice of dishes and I have to say I was blown away! The steak tataki was amazing but the star of the show was the beef rib. I cannot recommend it highly enough.”

Another also reports amazing service, reasonable prices, saying they too will definitely be back.

“We had bar snacks and 3 small dishes, a cocktail and sake all for £45 each. The restaurant itself is beautiful and the service was outstanding.

Amazing first visit, wow outstanding food and amazing cocktails. The launch taster menu demonstrated the skill of the chefs. Amazing.”

Further details can be found at  https://www.izakaya-york.co.uk/