Downtown Montreal Now Has a Restaurant Committed to Deep-Fried Japanese Skewers

Montreal is set to get its first taste of kushikatsu — a Japanese style of fried skewer — with new restaurant Kinoya Kushi Bar now open on Bishop Street.

It takes over a space near Ste-Catherine that was formerly short-lived sushi restaurant Ninja.

Kinoya’s primary focus will be those deep-fried skewers. Originating from Osaka, kushikatsu feature battered and deep-fried vegetables, fish, and meat. Shiitake mushrooms, shrimp, and pork are commonly skewered items — however, the exact menu at Kinoya is still to be determined.

The skewers are fried and usually served with a tonkatsu-style sweet-but-savory dipping sauce. Kushikatsu are not the same as tempura — for these skewers, a stronger flour is used, and breadcrumbs are added to the batter mix.

It seems like Kinoya will be a light-hearted, casual spot — another key offering will be sake bombs.

It’s unclear if Kinoya Kushi Bar has any connection with izakaya Kinoya on St-Denis — while different owners are listed on Quebec’s business registry, an Instagram post refers to “Kinoya v.2” (version two), and it certainly seems to be following a very similar design scheme to the Plateau Kinoya, with spartan wooden fixtures brought to life with colourful paint.

STATUS — Kinoya Kushi Bar is open at 1242 Bishop from 5 p.m. to midnight daily.

• Kinoya Kushi Bar [Facebook]
• The Art of Kushikatsu [Michelin]
• The Right Way to Eat the Famous Osaka Kushikatsu [Tsunagu Japan]