Ima Izakaya

We went in during happy hour before a concert. We were seated immediately and were able to put in our orders quickly. They came out pretty fast one after the other. We ordered a lot of small plates to try and most were good. We loved the edamame, it was so tasty! The corn was a bit disappointing as it was one tiny piece on a skewer. I thought it would belong on the robata grill part of the menu so a bit misleading. We both ordered ramen and they weren't bad at all. I got the ginger tori with chicken and my friend got the yuzu miso with short rib. It was very filling and satisfying. We liked the dessert also, a bit of a different take on a warm brownie Sunday with green tea ice cream instead of vanilla which was interesting. It was a bit dim inside and got crowded soon after we sat but there was always someone cleaning up our finished plates to give us more room as the next dish came out and we appreciated that. Overall, I would come back to try some other dishes that I didn't get a chance to this time as their entire menu was interesting

CATERING! I recently hired Ima to cater a party I hosted and it was simply outstanding! I didn’t expect anything less of course given how wonderful the food always is when I eat at the restaurant, but the freshness of it being catered really wowed me. It tasted restaurant fresh, like they just cooked it and walked it out of the kitchen, except they had to pack it up, drive it to my event and then set it up and it tasted just as amazing. Ryan was wonderful to work with when ordering, he helped me build the perfect menu. The delivery was super prompt, and Ryan & Mike who were both so great did all of the set up with the food, chafers and all, which was a lifesaver. Their attention to detail with everything was spot on. We had miso sesame cucumbers, glazed pork bao buns, edamame, Karaage chicken rice bowl, chilled sesame noodles with shrimp, sesame butter yaki udon and pork belly. All equally amazing. Highly recommend them for catering!

This is not my first time trying this restaurant, but it is my first time at this location. I had the lamb dumplings as an appetizer, absolutely amazing mouthwatering flavorful I had the strawberry basil. Margarita don’t really care for basil, but once I took the basil out the strawberry margarita was amazing. Nothing like I’ve ever had and I got the beef Pho which is a hit every time so good all of the vegetables very fresh. Everything was just amazing. I guess everything 10 out of 10. The atmosphere was just a little bit too dark for me, but other than that, I don’t really have any complaint service was amazing. Our waitress was very nice and very attentive. She was patient with us because we were there for my cousin‘s birthday and we all are very loud and talkative. My overall experience was great

We had dinner at Ima Izakaya and were excited to try some of the newer menu items. The space was dimly lit and relaxed, not too busy, and service was timely. Not overly warm, but efficient. We started with the ahi tuna tartare (4.5/5), which ended up being the clear standout. The tuna was fresh and nicely dressed, and the sesame rice crisps, while oversized on the plate, were actually perfect for each bite. The avocado added just enough richness to round everything out. I honestly wish we had ordered a second. I went with a couple of handrolls, and this is where things leveled off (3/5). The salmon avocado roll was fine, but the salmon was overseared and flaky instead of smooth and tender. The spicy tuna handroll was standard, though the tuna felt overly minced and a bit pasty. At $9 a handroll, I would prefer less handling and a cleaner texture. Sometimes simple is better. My wife ordered the chicken katsu curry (3.5/5). If you have had Japanese market curry rice with a fresh chicken katsu, this dish brings those elements together, but it does not elevate them beyond that. At $26, we hoped for a bit more refinement or a little twist. The portion of pickled ginger was surprisingly large and mixed into the dish more than we would have liked. It is probably best to ask for that on the side. Overall, it did not quite do it for us. We will definitely be back, but next time we will probably just stick to the classics. Ramen and udon all the way!

Food was great, service wasn’t. We ordered beers and a gin shot and we started with three appetizers, the grilled steaks, the sushi and the crispy fried chicken, all were excellent. For the main course, we had spicy pork belly Ramen which was lovely. I asked about the beer I will order and the waitress kindly offered to give me a sample, unfortunately the glass that she brought the sample in had a lip stain on it because it was not washed properly, I also noticed only after taking a sip, which was really unhygienic. The waitress apologized and took the glass back, but we did not receive a proper apology about it or proper acknowledgment. Our server seemed busy and we felt a little neglected in general.

Best ima among all ima in Detroit. Sample platter is a must. Everything is well grilled and tasty. Ramen wasn’t as salty as the different ima is. Priced well. Expect to spend around 30-40$ a person with drinks. Could probably skip mochi nothing special but the combination of the matcha ice cream and brownies was delightful. Only hindrance to this place is parking

I enjoyed the shrimp pho very spicy but great! The waitress was very helpful with picky sister she ended up loving her ramen. The curry and dumplings were very good here as well!!