the oven baked cheesy udon is a must read more

MeNami - Japanese Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

Not sure what the hype is about this place. Saw this restaurant featured in Toronto Life magazine. Ordered the beef Niku-Yaki udon and the soup was not that hot and the slices of beef were all lumped together which make it taste tough. My husband had the regular Kama udon which he thought was just average. We also ordered the Chicken Karaage which was nicely battered and juicy. The decor was nice however the service here was poor and the servers were lazy. Being that this place specializes in udon noodles, I didn't feel that the texture of their noodles were anything close to unique. read more

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This place sort of reminds me of Guu and Nome-type izakaya places, but a bit more toned down. It's not as rowdy, but there are similar tapas style dishes available. We tried the corn kakiage (fried corn fritters) and the spicy salmon tartare, both of which were really good. The corn fritters were especially a bit weird (in a good way) cause it was slightly sweet, but also savoury. Then we ordered two udons, which were definitely not Guu-size -- they were a lot bigger, and I could only finish half of mine. My partner ordered the spicy pork udon, which was spicy pork belly and came with soup, and I ordered the creamy salmon, which was a kind of Asian twist on carbonara. He loved his, and mine was also perfect for what I was craving -- a pasta-style non-soupy, stick to your ribs kind of dish. You can tell that udon is actually MeNami's specialty because we sat at the bar, and watched them constantly turn out fresh udon noodles. The noodles themselves were reeeeeally good and you could taste the freshness and bounciness and chewiness with each bite! The food also came out ridiculously fast, and service was great. We'll come back here for more udon, for sure :) read more

Udon noodles here are salty. But all the appetizers are amazing. Very good. The corn and the tartar is amazing. Worth trying. But Udon soup is very very salty. read more

The cold noodles are a little lacking Very busy at night Service good down a little during that time read more

Had a great night here for my birthday, the food was amazing quality. Their seasonal specials were out of this world. I myself had the "Potato Curry Udon". And yes, yes they do have a cocktail called "Sailor Moon Gone Wild". The decor was very hip and bright which I always love about restaurants. The only reason it's not a 5 stars for me is that the service was extremeeeelllyyyy slow. It was very difficult to get the waiters attention... The food though was 5/5. I would go back in a heartbeat if it were JUST about the food, but because of the REALLY slow service I might check out some other Japanese restaurants in North York before making it my "go to". read more

One of my favorite places to go for Japanese style tapas. Might want to go earlier though, they are pretty packed on the weekends. They also have great drinks!! read more

Menami is a very fun experiment of a restaurant. Lots of fun udon dishes, great hot pots, and a bunch of oddball drinks (spiked thai iced tea!) coupled with some great beers (delirium on tap, what?). My girlfriend and I have been coming here for months, and I don't think we've ever had a bad experience. That being said, we tend to gravitate towards our fave dishes a lot (black sesame beef udon, mmmm) so I can't say we've tried most of the menu at all. We get them time after time because they do them very well though. The owner has stopped by our table on several occasions just to check in - a nice, appreciated gesture Overall, I'd sum up Menami as a fun night out with good food and drink. It's not the cheapest place around, but the experience is consistently fantastic, and no one can say that they don't bring anything new to the table! read more

This is a great place to have some late night small dishes OR if you're feeling for some udon, this place will satisfy your cravings. I had the baked udon and it was definitely rich and cream but hot and delicious. Their honey butter corn balls were sweet and crispy. It had a sweet and savoury feel which hit the spot. read more

We like the texture of the udon as it was very chewy and the soup base was pretty flavourful. The deep fried corn was pretty good. However, the Thai ice milk tea was not good as it has a weird taste (we suspect it may have some alcohol mixed in it...) We would come back for their udon and appetizers. read more

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I really wanted to like this place. Toronto NEEDS an udon place! But meh. I've only been once and am willing to go again to try something different. But their udon soup dishes were only ok. The soup/stock needs some improvement. It's weak. But I'm willing to go back and try their "pasta" dishes like their creamy udon dish. read more

I went with a friend and got the Corn-kage and the Oven Baked Udon aka the cheesy monstrosity. The Corn-kage was DELICIOUS and I'm mad it's only an appetizer! Meanwhile, the Oven Baked Udon was extremely boring even though it looked really heavy and cheesy. The noodle were thick and chewy but ya, don't get it. It's not bad but it's not the cheesy delight you're expecting. read more

I came for the salmon cream udon and it did not disappoint. The noodles were bouncy and the sauce was creamy and flavourful. However, I decided to order a tonkatsu for my daughter and it was a little dry. The service was great, our waitress was friendly and patient with my daughter. Will come again but will likely to try and order something else. read more

This place makes their own udon and has a great variety of traditional and fusion dishes. Also a great place to catch a few drinks with friends. read more

Place was rather mediocre. The udons were not anything spectacular or out of this world. It was decent. Cheese udon is just fattening, not delicious. The appetizers are better than the udon main dishes however. Staff was friendly, but not to the point where I would give menami another chance. read more

There wasn't really anything that stood out from my experience. I personally felt that it was a bit pricey for the quality or the portion. Perhaps I'll have to try more dishes but MeNami for sure has a great ambiance. Street parking is available and close to the TTC. read more

In a part of Central North York's Yonge Street (that I like to call North Koreatown), populated with a variety of Asian diners with more or less the same kind of all-familiar barebones comfort experience (and a couple downtown culinary colonialists like Kinton Ramen establishing an eating post this far north), MeNami begs to stand out in the area with its blazing bright sign, giant corner doors, and a hip trendy décor more reminiscent of a Queen West bar than, say, your average run-of-the-mill Korean or Viet restaurant. I guess it is working, as this place has become an instant popular hit--so proud of their cover feature on a NOW Magazine on new Japanese places to eat, they plastered several copies of it all over their windows. The menu is all udon, all the time, done in many ways, all made in-house. The multitude of savoury to-share appetizers like beef tataki and pork belly helps to get growling stomachs started. The bar is equipped with under-counter electrical outlets, which I guess is useful to charge up mobile devices while drowning in whatever combination of draft sake, beer and soju. As for the udon dishes, they are served in many ways: cold, in soup, or in some odd gwai-lo kind of way. The 'original' Tsuke Udon ($7.95) has a clean presentation and a nice chewy and salty taste, and you dip it in a soy-based dipping sauce tsukemen ramen style. A bit more on the traditional side, the mentai ankake udon ($10) was interesting too, with its thick-ass slimy broth with a miso soup flavour. What was really fun was their Oven Baked dish ($14), essentially udon that is more like mac-and-cheese than udon, and it is awesome. Other than a odd mixup with bill-splitting among our party that resulted in a mysterious and awkward check produced for a non-existent person, service here was fairly decent. {TTC: Finch subway station} read more

Come here if you want udon. I am no expert on udon but it is pretty damn good. I am a big fan of their udon that has a crazy amount of cheese on it, making it like mac and cheese, except it's udon and cheese. It definitely appeals to the North American palate. Nothing else really impressed me but I come back for the udon. read more

As a kid, udon to me had always seemed bland, boring, and uninspiring - yet somehow MeNami has managed to turn it into a fun and delicious food item, so props to them. I honestly didn't even care that much about the udon, the main thing I wanted to try here was the corn kaki-age because as I can't help mentioning like all the time, I do love me some corn. The dish was $5 off their tapas menu and came with 5 pieces of deep fried clusters of corn kernels. Honestly, the dish was delicious, the corn was very sweet, and the honey butter mayonnaise added an extra bit of delicious sweetness. So good, but did seem a bit pricey given the portion size and the fact that the dish seemed like it would be so simple to make. We ordered the oven baked udon ($14) and the black sesame puree udon with beef ($15). The texture of the udon was honestly unlike anything I've ever had - it was chewy, I guess the udon version of pasta al dente, and I really enjoyed it. The oven baked udon is pure comfort food - like a Japanese version of mac and cheese with tons of cheese, as well as shrimps, scallops, bacon, green pepper, and onion. It's definitely a very heavy and filling dish though. The black sesame udon was very interesting. I could definitely taste the black sesame flavour, but didn't think it mixed well with the rest of the dish, because there was a slight sweetness that was just weird. Other than that there was nothing special in it, just clumps of beef. I honestly think this dish is a bit gimmicky and would not order this again. I thought the service was good, as our food came fairly quickly. We had no problems getting our bill and they refilled our water once while we were there. Honestly we were in and out of that restaurant in less than an hour. Came around 6:30 on a Wednesday night with a friend and luckily we didn't have to wait at all for a table. By the time we left about 40 minutes later though it looked like there were about two groups waiting. I wouldn't mind coming back here to try other things. read more

Unexpectedly good. I came here with two others and the place was full on a Tuesday evening. We gave our phone number and they told us they would call in 30 minutes, give or take. We didn't wait for the call and came right when 30 minutes struck and the gentleman said he was just about to call us...not sure if true or not based on one of the more recent reviews. We were seated and had a female server. I ordered the Chicken Kara-age and Yuzu Mojito. The chicken was decent. Fried, hot, what you'd expect. Well worth the price tag. The Yuzu Mojito could have been better....it wasn't as strong as I'd hope it'd be, and yuzu bits kept getting stuck in my straw. Luckily, I sampled my friends' dishes. They ordered Corn Kakiage and Spicy Salmon Tartare. The corn was sooooo good. It was my favourite appetizer of the night. Crunchy, along with the natural sweet corn taste and tart of the sauce was a perfect combination. The spicy salmon tartare's portion was really small, but it definitely packed the flavour. Not worth it though, in my opinion. I also tried the Oven Baked Udon and OH MY GOSH. Cheese lovers and udon lovers truly unite in this one dish. It is the perfect marriage between the two. I wish I got this for myself.... Last but not least, I tried the Salmon Cream Sauce Udon. It was good, but not as good as the Oven Baked Udon in my opinion. Obviously, I have my bias as a cheese connoisseur. Service was okay. The server seemed to fill my friends' waters but not mine? read more

First off I'm not Japanese but I work in the area so I thought why not. We got the famous corn which is basically a corn fritter with a cream sauce and it was okay, I wouldn't say it was a must. Service was pretty good- I thought our food took a while to come considering the restaurant was basically empty but that was okay. My husband got the curry udon w/tempura shrimp and I got the creamy salmon udon. Not sure how traditional the above dishes are but they were amazinggg, the creamy salmon was a rich alfredo with salmon and crean onions and they curry udon had an interesting flavor, tempura was okay. The portion size was fairly good, udon was the perfect firmness. Other popular dishes are the baked udon. We got the thai ice tea which was good but holy cow it was $6.00! Next time I go I want to try the seafood hot pot *If its your first time here: Get curry udon with shrimp as it is the most popular and safest to try read more

Came here 4 times and am an absolute fan of their udon and tapas. Their menu isn't extensive but I love that they offer a creative variety of udon and delicious tapas. I'd highly recommend their original tsuke udon, very light and refreshing. It's cold udon that's served separately from soy sauce with ginger, sesame, green onion. Aside from the tsuke udon, I always order the stone fish roe rice which is marked at an extremely low price for the portion. I'm usually not interested in squid but I had their deep fried ika here and it was amazing!! The squid was unbelievably tender with a thin layer of batter surrounding. I'd recommend the crispy king prawn and corn kaki-age. Order the drunken matcha tea as well! read more

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Food it very delicious, especially the spicy pork udon but wasn't a fan of the raw octopus dish because of its weird ginger and wasbi flavouring. Service was very nice. would recommend to come. read more

MeNami - Spicy pork udon - Japanese Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

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Menami staff have the patience of saints. Many a time have my party arrived drunk, or out of control. The staff have always been accommodating to our outrageous demands, and our over the top rowdiness. The food is delicious but a bit pricey. The location prime as either Starting point for the night or a bridge for continuing the night. 4/5 would return drunk or sober read more

Service was nice but the food was mediocre. It is a good place for people that don't know how to make udon dishes. I had the curry udon which was very pastey and dry. The only good dish was their appetizers which I had fried shrimps. It was kind of over price for what you are getting. read more

Came here on a Saturday afternoon around 1pm and it was about 80% full. By the time we sat down and had our menus, there was a queue forming. Tried the Yaki Niku Udon and friend had the Tempura Udon. The food took a while to get to us - not sure if they handmake their udon in their kitchen, but it did take a while. The bowls seemed pretty big and the broth for both were a bit different. Overall, pretty filling udon -- will come back later to check out other things on their menu! read more

MeNami - Japanese Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

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This was my second time trying Menami. I had visited the restaurant at around 10pm and the restaurant was not too busy (maybe 5-6 couples). The server took our order (corn kari-age), tsuke udon w/ tempura and spicy pork udon. The app came within 5 or so minutes, the entrees however, took more than 20 minutes. Food was not hot or to temperature, and when the menu says "shrimp tempura" they literally mean ONE shrimp and ONE green pepper tempura. This time around service was lacking, food was not good and I doubt I would visit again. read more

Ordered the creamy salmon udon, chicken karage and fried corn for take out and it was all good besides the slightly overcooked fish. I didn't expect to like the fried corn balls so much but they were the stand out I wish I got two orders. And even though I only got take out the staff on phone were nice and let me know in advance that they were really busy and I would have to wait (if they hadn't told me in advance this would be a one star review LOL) and agreed to call me when my order was ready. Interior and exterior decor are nice too. read more

Cozy, rustic atmosphere, though quite loud. Udon soups are amazing. Creamy salmon was a definite standout! Sooo tasty and comforting.

Very nice atmosphere and feel. Trending hip hop music playing. Tables a bit too close together and ours was a very wobbly table. I was super excited at the array of menu items featuring mentaiko, but my main dish still left something to be desired. We ordered: -corn app -wasabi octopus -mentaiko udon -mashed potato croquette -original udon Based on these items alone I wouldn't come back. The corn has a nice texture but was a bit too heavily breaded. The butter-mayo was unique. The wasabi octopus was mild in flavour which was disappointing. The mashed potato was actually really nice - it was soft and smooth inside with a crunchy breaded shell.. with a delightful dipping sauce.. lots of flavour. Probably my fav dish out of everything we ordered. The mentaiko udon was very disappointing for me - the usual saltiness of the mentaiko was drowned out by the sheer amount of cream sauce. All I tasted was buttery cream. It was too too heavy and I could not finish the plate. The original udon was nothing special. They had orange slices in their water pitchers but there was no hint of citrus in our water so I think this is moreso decorative. Their receipts have precalculated tip amounts for 15, 18 and 20%. read more

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I visited with my friend to try their udon. I ordered the kitsune udon to try their noodles. The waitress told me it would take a while because they had to make the noodles fresh. After 20 minutes of waiting, what I got was a rather simple combination of udon noodles, broth, and a large piece of kitsune. The taste was okay, but it was mostly coming from the seasoned kitsune, and not so much from the noodles. In fact, I didn't think the noodles were as good as they were advertised. I also felt the portion was small for a $11 meal. Overall, my experience was not great. However, this places has many other things to offer than just udon noodles, and the atmosphere was great. So I may come back for a drink and to try other items on the menu. read more

Very nice atmosphere and vibe. Food selections are limited but the ones I've ordered were good. Service was fast and attentive. Would be great to bring your partner or friends! read more

I eat at MeNami regularly. I particularly like their chicken kara-age and corn kaki-age. The chicken is so juicy with a subtle hint of ginger and the batter is on the light side which is such a refreshing change from all the overly battered chicken kara-age out there! I also enjoy the torched saba here, it's nothing special but consistently fresh and reasonably priced. The tako-wasa (octupus with nori) is also reasonably price and properly seasoned. The seafood baked udon with cheese is really yummy and super cheesy. We're not big eaters so we can share it between the two of us with an order of chicken kara-age and another app. There is street parking right outside MeNami, however, it can be difficult to find a spot during peak eating hours on the weekend and friday nights. The music can get loud at this restaurant, which I don't enjoy. You can ask them to turn it down and the one time I did, they did it no problem. read more

Great food and service, but the background noise is too loud and is not good for group conversation in my opinion.

Arrived around 5:45pm on a Friday night with many of the tables already reserved and we were able to get a table before the rush of hungry customers came in soon after. Decent and attentive service. Ordered corn kakiage - sweet and delicious corn niblets fried to crunchy goodness. The mayonnaise sauce that came with had a nice sweetness to it - yummy! Spicy salmon tartaré, yummy and fresh pieces of salmon. Sukiyaki had thinly sliced beef with good amount of fat cooking in the broth. The Sukiyaki pot had napa cabbage, onion, different types of mushrooms and glass noodles. Additional add-in: udon noodles ($3). Satisfying dinner on a cold night. read more

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Great new restaurant in North York. MeNami is one of the new eateries in the cut that serves authentic hand made udon, served in a variety of ways from bowls of thick soup based noodles to pasta-style cream sauce udon. There is also a great list of tapas dishes, such as the Torched Mackerel, Smoked Salmon with Parsnip puree and a variety of fried items. The cocktails/sake/soju/beer offerings is also great, and the casual dining room and long bar makes the place really appealing and exciting. There's also a secret drink (Thai Iced Tea with Coconut infused milk) that's not on the menu. You can order it with or without whiskey. Great first impression of this new restaurant from the owners of Han ba Tang. PS: I've been back many times since and have always enjoyed the udon. read more

MeNami - kake udon with chicken thigh tempura in cold broth. ($11) - Japanese Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

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Totally recommend this place! Great place for Udon during the day and drink at night!! This crispy shrimp is awesome! They are gigantic paired with the house spicy mayo sauce is to die for! The Chicken- Kara-age with or without true tartar sauce is awesome, full of flavour and not too much batter. The beef Tataki was sliced too thick.. Didn't really work out for me, a little bit too frozen for me. The calamari taco Yaki udon was amazing, cleaned the plate in a matter of seconds! The Mac and cheese style seafood udon (oven baked) in a stone pot was perfectly stringy. Jus the perfect amount of butter and cheese. Braised Short Rib portion was kinda small for the price, but definitely tasted good, 1 order wasn't enough to go around for our table, but definitely worth ordering round 2. Props to the seafood udon soup base, even though it was MSG Drinking and eating atmosphere was great, the girls are cute and he bar staff are friendly. My drunk friend kept of taking selfies with the waitress all night and they were cool with it! Come here and look for Ethan or Dk, they will take care of you!! read more

I split the Corn Kariage and the Chicken Karage with a friend and thought both tasted great ! Loved the corn kariage :) ..It was a bit pricey, but I enjoyed it. I also had the Sailormoon Gone Wild drink, which was okay. Not as magical as I thought it would be. Their soups come in huge bowls, which my other friends had and looked delicious. read more

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3.5* Went here to celebrate a birthday and they were able to accommodate a large party of 15 with a baby. The food was good. We ordered the yaki niku udon, chicken kara-age, and spicy salmon tar tar. The udon broth was tasty but the add ins were few and far between. The chicken kara-age was good, well fried and good chunks of chicken. The spicy salmon tar tar was disappointing. Wasn't spicy and little for what you pay for. Will probably be come back to try other things on their menu. read more

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I love their Mentai Ankake Creamy Udon noodles. It is creamy and flavourful. All my friends liked this place but I only gave it 4 stars because of the price. I wish they gave larger portions. read more