Takja BBQ House: Elevated Korean Barbecue on College Street

Takja means table in Korean, and it’s precisely around the table that everything happens at this College Street restaurant. Opened in April 2024 by chefs Edward Bang and Jeff Kang (Oroshi Fish Co.), alongside Jason Ching, Takja is an elevated take on Korean barbecue, shaped by years of fine dining experience.

The three partners, all of Korean descent yet none of whom had ever operated a Korean restaurant professionally, found inspiration during a trip to Los Angeles. “We went to lots of barbecue restaurants and Korean restaurants in LA, and then realized we don’t really have something like that in Toronto,” recalls Yuna Landau, who joined the team in 2023. The concept was born from a desire to revisit the tradition of hansang, the abundant Korean table where dry-aged meats, banchan and house ferments are shared among guests. “When we have Korean barbecue on a table, it’s a celebration of gathering, celebration of friendship, celebration of being a family member,” says the team.

What to eat

The menu centres on dry-aged beef and pork, a rarity in Korean barbecue. “We were the first in the city to utilize dry-aged beef and pork as our main focus,” notes Bang. At the heart of the offering is the Han Sang, a signature set menu that opens with neng che (seafood salad with caviar) and a seafood pancake, followed by four chef-selected cuts grilled tableside by the staff: dry-aged copa, Tajima wagyu, A5 Miyazaki wagyu and marinated galbi. Everything comes with housemade banchan (fermented kimchi, ssamjang made from scratch, seasonal pickles), stone pot rice and a bingsu for dessert.”

Me and Ed, our background is fine dining, we create a lot of stuff from scratch,” explains Jeff Kang. “There’s nothing fusion about it. It’s more like very classic.”

What to drink

Every cocktail carries a Korean twist: the Spicy Omija, made with five-flavour berries (sweet, salty, sour, bitter and umami), and the Chosun Fashioned, an old fashioned reworked with a Korean cinnamon-date-ginger punch. The wine list, curated by Landau, was thoughtfully composed to pair with barbecue, from sparkling to skin contact and biodynamic. For soju, Takja imports its own brand from Korea, Golden Barley [à valider], unavailable anywhere else in Canada. The restaurant also pours an exclusive makgeolli brewed by a private Toronto brewery: unfiltered, unpasteurized, with more acidity and minerality than anything found at the LCBO.

The space

Designed by Jeff Yao of Quintessential with significant input from the owners, the room blends minimalism with traditional Korean touches. Ancestral folding screens from Edward’s family line the walls. Jade-green banquettes draw from the dancheong colours found on Korean temples. In the back, a dry-aging fridge bathed in red light showcases the process. At the bar, a mother-of-pearl cabinet and traditional moon jars complete the setting. Service is personal and attentive, each server takes care of a small section and grills every cut for you, making the experience welcoming even for first-timers. “For people that have never been to Korean barbecue, we cook everything for them, we set everything for them,” says Kang.

Written by Fabie Lubin
Photography by Takja

Updated on May 11, 2026

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