I was looking for a quick lunch and had some errands to do at J-Town. I have walked by here before and thought to give it a try. It's hidden in the corner inside the market. Upon a quick glance at their menu, it's on the pricier side considering the ambiance. Still gave it a try to support small local business. I got the half curry rice and half soba noodle set. I like that you can small portions of both curry rice and soba noodle. Great option if you're craving both. This was $15 but does not have any protein or vegetables. The curry is nice, it seems authentic. The soba noodles were whatever though, feels like something I can easily make at home. Also got the chashu ramen and it was average. It wasn't bad but not particularly good either. You order up front like a food court but they bring the food to you. There's limited seating... even after ordering, it doesn't guarantee you a table either. Be mindful to secure a table before you go up to order. This place gives small business, family-owned vibes but sadly the food being on the pricier end, not particularly amazing, and mediocre seating, it doesn't make me to want to come here again. read more

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Located in J-Town, this is tucked away inside of Heisei Mart. There was no signs that said it was in the supermarket, but it's there. It's a small eating area with about 4 to 5 tables. There's a variety of selection with their main ones being katsu curry, soba noodles, and ramen. I got the chicken katsu curry. Curry was flavourful and katsu was fried to order. Portion was okay, reasonable for the price. Overall it was what I expected from a food court experience. Service was good as they bring the food to you and provide a cup of water which I appreciated. I would come back to try their ramen but it wouldn't be my first choice in the area. read more

Niwatei - Chicken katsu curry on rice with side salad - Japanese Near Me - Markham, Ontario

Never tried this place and we were hungry, so we got some takeout. I wasn't expecting much anyways but think it would have been better if we ate there. The ramen was meh; tasted like something I could make at home. The cheese curry was surprisingly ok and the soba, again, something I could make myself. Don't think I'll try again. read more

Niwatei - Chasyu ramen - Japanese Near Me - Markham, Ontario

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We have gone to J-Town a couple of times in the past but this was our first time trying Niwatei. Ordered their ten-zaru soba and soba bento set. Their tempura was fried perfectly and the food was flavourful and quite satisfying. I would love to come back again to try their other menu items. Also, their workers were very friendly and the tables were all pretty clean. read more

Niwatei - a tray of noodles, meat, and vegetables - Japanese Near Me - Markham, Ontario

Environment: when I went inside I was confused because it looked like a store and didn't see anybody there to greet or escort us. It was very cute with lots of space and seats for small groups of two or up to 10 if you want! Staff: most of the people who work in JTown are Japanese people so I was able to use some of my basic skills which was nice because I can't really do that in my hometown. They were friendly and nice. Food: first of all, you get your own water and bus your own table. They only serve you the food. I guess we arrived early so there was no one there to escort us because I was the awkward person wandering around and trying to figure out if we sit ourselves or not. I got a half-sized tonkatsu ramen with a side of karaage. The tonkatsu ramen was really good until you just drink the soup-it got kinda salty. The egg was cooked nicely and it had two pieces of char siu which were super tender (wish I ordered more!). The half-sized ramen ranged from $8-12CAD. They also have regular and XL size. I love the half size. It was the perfect amount for me and could try a side. The karaage was fried nicely but lacked flavor so I dipped the karaage into my salty soup base at the end lol. I liked that they had various sizes and there are also half and half. My dad got half-sized ramen and curry set which was $13-very reasonable. We need a shop like this in my hometown. Loved it. I wish I knew about this place sooner...like, I've been here 40 some times! lol. Their desserts and drinks looked amazing too but was full...next time, when I visit Toronto again! read more

Niwatei - Curry and ramen set - Japanese Near Me - Markham, Ontario

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My friend suggested this place for brunch. She came here often and tried everything on the menu. She recommended me to try their grilled salmon with rice breakfast combo. They have special breakfast meal from 10am to noon. The restaurant is tucked at the back of the store. The homestyle cooking was delicious. Miso soup tasted great. Grilled salmon could use a little bit more salt but dipping it into the soy sauce worked. I also liked that it came with chopped lettuce and onion. Definitely will come back and try their other dishes. read more

I have been wanting to try Niwatei's Ramen for the longest time. But with their limited openings hours (no weekday lunch hours and closed on Mondays), it is really not easy to make the time to go.. Finally, I made the time to visit on a Sunny Saturday at 6 pm... expecting an empty restaurant.. to my surprise it is more than half full and even more coming in while I was eating until it is up to almost full capacity. Settled for the Ramen Set ($13): Tonkotsu Ramen, Gyoza and Japanese Jello. The Tonkotsu soup based is really milky, full of favour and the flavour is quite complexed. I could not resist drinking the soup... yes it sounded strange why I don't usually drink the soup of Ramen, as some restaurants served soup that is so salty, so heavily favoured by MSG that I just could not make myself drink it! The noodle itself is quite chewy.. have a nice bite to it. The 2 slices of BBQ pork just have a hint of the charcoal taste and they are nice and lean.... The Gyoza is ok... when compare to Kenzo, I definitely prefer Kenzo's a lot more... Though I really have to give restaurant the credit to realize that Gyoza should not be deep fried.. or double/tripled deep fried.... yuck. BTW, using vinegar as dipping sauce did make the dumplings as it is served in Niwatei. Skip the Jello dessert... I want to scream to the people next to me when they ordering the Jello dessert, pick the green tea ice cream please!!!.. Though it is nicely presented but basically it is really canned fruits (how I hate canned fruits) with some tasteless jello and a spoonful of red bean mashed served lukewarm. I would definitely be back when I have cravings for some Ramen if I have cravings again! They accepts all credit cards! read more

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I haven't been to Niwatei in a while and I think their quality has dropped quite a bit... That, or I've just been spoiled with Michelin quality ramen. I ordered the Half Ramen and Takoyaki meal set ($12.98) and found it somewhat mediocre. The Tonkotsu Miso soup didn't have a very full bodied flavour and seemed a little watered down. The noodles, chashu and fishcakes didn't stand out either and I would have preferred more flavouring to the egg. The takoyaki had a lot of sauce on it but did not have the crisp shell or fragrant aroma I have come to expect from this street snack. It was also lacking some of the chewiness in the middle - probably because there wasn't enough octopus in the filling. While prices here are more affordable than Konjiki Ramen, I think I prefer to pay a little more for better quality when eating out. read more

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I love their Japanese style breakfast, very authentic to the ones I've had in Japan: miso soup, rice (white or multi-grain), and a fish of your choice. Hokke and salmon are my favorites, and also shishamo! I love how I can order natto extra, and benefit from this beans that are so beneficial for the guts. Their lunch sets are also my kids' favorites. Setting is casual, you hhsve to clean up your trays after you finish, and you pour yourself water. But I don't mind. Typical Japanese family style eatery. read more

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Haven't been here for a while. But after this visit I don't think I will be back here for a long while. The quality is just so diminished compared to before. I ordered their half ramen and half curry combo so I can try out a variety. Both disappointed. The curry tasted off like they used the cheaper model and watered down. It wasn't the typical thickness and so you can feel more of the heat spice rather than the aroma of the curry. The tonkotsu ramen was quite a disappointment. The only thing that was remotely the way I liked wad the egg. The soup tasted so watered down. It had absolutely no body. The two small chashu chunks had a spam aftertaste. Even my wife noticed it. The noodles felt right but didn't taste right enough that I would consider getting extra. In the end I still ate the solid parts of the dish but I didn't even want to drink the rest of the soup. Quite a big disappointment since I had given this place five stars before. read more

This place has a lot of things going against them - odd location, limited seating and parking, very limited opening hours - and yet when I came here for dinner on a couple of weekday evenings it was comfortably busy! They are doing something right because all of these patrons know about Niwatei and they are coming! Thank you Yelp for leading me here! I brought different groups of friends with me on both my visits and everyone was very happy with the food. Last week I ordered the Tonkotsu Shio ramen set, with the mini curry rice as a starter and green tea ice cream. I ordered the same this week, with a couple extra slices of meat in my ramen ($2.50 extra) and had the fruits and jelly dessert. The curry rice is very nice - not spicy and is a good filler if you are very hungry. It's a vegetable curry sauce, is not thick and goopy and has a nice homemade quality to it. The broth in the Tonkotsu Shio ramen is amazing - meaty, and almost milky and absolutely delicious! The noodles have a nice bite to them, and there is a very generous portion in each bowl. The egg is perfectly cooked - and has not been soaked in soy sauce. The meat is nice and lean, but 2 slices in the standard portion is a bit skimpy, and charging $2.50 for 2 extra pieces is ridiculous! The dessert options are a bit boring. I hate green tea ice cream, but chose it last week after reading Jennifer K's review; took a bite and remembered why I don't like green tea ice cream - so chose the fruit and jelly this time. It's basically cut up chunks of plain gelatin with some bits of canned fruit and a small blob of red bean paste. It's refreshing, but nothing amazing. The decor is fairly simple - white walls with some cartoon drawings on the wall, a few plants here and there and a maneki neko on a shelf. They play very odd choices in music - today it was a Japanese CD of 80's ballads, last week the radio was tuned onto an Italian station. The waiter was very cheerful and friendly, and our food didn't take long. I find the prices here a little bit expensive, but bearable since the quality of the food here is infinitely better than Ajisen Ramen. The fact that they accept all credit cards is definitely a plus. I'll be back to try some of the other items on their menu! read more

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I came here for a specific purpose only, RAMEN! Inside the space the decor was bordering more towards an attempt to provide some atmosphere but not completing it fully. There were cartoon hangings on the wall as well as a couple shelf structures with miscellaneous items displayed such as plants. We were asked what we wanted and I said WATER while my friend said Coke. For some reason the waitress didn't seem to hear him and said Water and it was for the better because Coke and other beverages here are $2.50 each. We were given wine glasses for our Water. Ramen SOUP base options: Soya Sauce, Miso, Tonkotsu. Topping options: Egg(Half/$0.50), Corn($0.50), Chashu(3 Slice/$2.50) There are Ramen Set Menu as well which is choice of Ramen and Appetizer, Dessert. We went outside of this for some reason and got Chicken Soya Sauce Ramen($7.80) & Gyouza($5.80), and Tonkotsu Ramen($8.80) & Kaarage($6.00). The Ramen came first and the soup base was A-OK however I actually LIKE the noodles although I can't say I love it. The noodles were the appearance(Shape & Color) of instant noodle and had a bit of CHEW to it. The Tonkotsu base was pretty good as well, although it doesn't have that addictiveness level I like my Tonkotsu to have. The Soya Sauce base was just as good, nothing negative to report here. I asked the CUTE server why they don't open during weekday lunches and she said it was because it is a SOFT-OPENING so there is hope yet for others that want to try this place in the future. The price point is not very friendly or kind as even basic Ramen without toppings are roughly $8.00, maybe there will be adjustments for their Grand Opening. The Kaarage was TASTY and cooked perfectly. The Gyouza had that thin dumpling skin and fried crisp but not crunchy crispy. Other patrons had the Set Menu and I saw a dessert bowl that was funky transparent blue and red colors however I have no idea what it was. There were about 3 Cooks in an open kitchen with bar-seating available just like Guu where you can watch them create the meals and 3 Servers that cover about 12 tables. read more

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Ramen lovers are a picky bunch. If you don't believe me just do a Ramen search on Yelp and you'll find that most people who love this simple, delicious, cheap, soupy noodle dish will have zillion bits of feedback to provide. From the texture of the noodles to the levels of flavour in the broth. Ramen is all in the details much like wine and coffee. If you're looking for an alternative to Ajisen or Kenzo, this is the place. Tucked away behind J-Town, Niwatei offers fresh noodles and the Tonkatsu based broth I tried was very yummie. They just opened last week and their menu is a bit limited right now, but I had their set for $13 where you get a choice of 3 broths and a bunch of appetizers. I had their hand made Gyzoa to go with my meal and a japanese jello & fruit dessert. The GTA needs more good quality Japanese Ramen houses so I hope this'll be the place that finally everyone can be happy with. So far so good. read more

Noodles were not overcooked and broth was flavourful. However portion for price isnt there. Service was good. They share this restaurant with another restaurant within J-Town. There isnt another ramen restaurant here aside from Niwatei. Would recommend if you want an enjoyable quick bowl of ramen as it isnt a bad choice aside from the quantity of noodles given. Not much of an atmosphere. read more

Niwatei - Pork - Japanese Near Me - Markham, Ontario

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Came here at 6:15 PM before the place gets busier for the dinner crowd, service is fast, and the restaurant is clean. As far as the food goes serving size isn't matched to the price you pay, but food tastes really good, so it's not like you're paying for junk food. I got the plain curry ($8.80) which is on the expensive side for just rice and curry. It comes with a small salad. The curry is spiced just right, but I wish there was more potatoes / carrots in the curry. My BF got the pork ramen (large) but the bowl is too small in my opinion. Taste is very good and the ingredients go well with each other. Very good taste. I would probably try to go to another cheaper ramen place and just go here occasionally when I am in the area. The server has a bit of a challenge with English, and it was hard for her to answer our questions, since it's our first time in the place, but otherwise she is very friendly and took care of us. read more

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Came here today for lunch. I had little to no expectations of this place so the crew and I walked in at noon hour thinking that we would get a seat right away. It was p a c k e d ! This place seems to be very, very, very popular with the Chinese population. We waited a good fifteen minutes before we were seated. This place is simple - in terms of the decor and the menu. It's your typical 'mom and pop' resto. You won't be running to Holt's to buy a dress before dining here. The brains behind this joint (they also work there in the kitchen and as a server) are two of the daughters of the Heisei owners. The concept used is very similar to their mother's Green Tea Cafe - keep the menu simple at a low cost and you will get customers coming in. I ordered the Chicken Ramen Set, which comes with a choice of an appetizer and a dessert. As an appetizer, I ordered the salad and I ordered the coffee jelly as my dessert. All under $15, it was very reasonable. As for the taste of the ramen, it was a-ok. Perhaps I have been spoiled? I've tried ramen in both Hokkaido and Kyushu (two regions in Japan famous for ramen) so I wasn't blown away by Niwatei's. Definitely check it out if you're in the area. I'll be okay if I don't go back. A solid 3 star ~ read more

- Portions are small - Soup is nice a flavorful - Noddles are thin and similar to the ones found in instant noodles packages but just slightly better. - Their location has recently moved inside the same building as Cafe Green Tea - I would much prefer Ajisen Ramen as they have more options to choose from and a whole lot more meat selections read more

Niwatei - miso soup ramen - Japanese Near Me - Markham, Ontario

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I stumbled across Niwa-Tei based on a fellow FB's friend foodie blog roll. I don't really have much to say about this place. The décor is simple. The service is adequate (they greet / seat / serve you accordingly). I can't say I am impressed with the selection. I did order a bowl of Tonkotsu ramen and it was like everything else: adequate. The broth was tasty and milky (but nothing truly spectacular). The meat was tasty and tender. The ramen was not chewy enough and tasted OK (instant noodle like). The portion was very small for the price. I was still hungry. I would not return. I prefer Konnichiwa (go check out my review). read more

Niwatei - Japanese Near Me - Markham, Ontario

I give it 3 stars not because the taste no good, actually overall food taste quite good, but because of the price. I think it's a bit expensive for what u got, but I really enjoy the taste of its food. I love the pork bone soup base among the 3 choices. Also the cold ramen that my mom had during summer is really good, full of sesame flavour and not watery like the one we had at the Japanese restaurant just beside Niwatei. One more thing, if u're going to order the ramen set, order ice-cream for dessert, cause the other choice is no good. read more

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SLURP! That's the kinda sound you gotta make when you eat some good ramen! And I really liked my bowl of Pork (Tonkotsu) ramen. The pork bone based soup is excellent and flavourful. The noodles were chewy. The egg was the perfect accompaniment. My party also got the Cha Sao ramen, the Miso ramen, and the Chicken ramen. Cha Sao ramen was a bit too salty, miso was good (I liked the corn) and chicken ramen was just okay. Prices were reasonable, about $7-9 a bowl. Not a lot of added stuff, just traditional and simple bowl of chewy noodle soup. read more

The last few times I've been to J-town, I've stopped by Niwatei and got their udon or ramen. Whichever suited my liking during the time. This restaurant is situated in J-Town, and as soon as you go in, there's two restaurants in one. Green Tea Lounge and Niwatei. The menus are at the front so you can take a look at them before you sit down. At first, we sat at Green Tea Lounge, the other restaurant hoping for some vegetarian options. However, when the lady was explaining the menu, they did not have much vegetarian options except for the appetizers. However, she said Niwatei had some vegetarian options which was really nice of her to offer. At least these two restaurants aren't in a feud. We switched tables without any hassle (Awkward tho!) This may sound really strange but I felt there were a lot more people sitting on the Niwatei side. I don't know if it's a thing, but I overheard a lot of people ordering vegetarian ramen - it could've just been a coincidence tho! For dinner you can order the sets which consists of 1 appetizer, 1 ramen and 1 dessert. Be warned: there's the regular ramen set, and the deluxe ramen set. Apparently, the deluxe has more flavouring. You could pay for the full portion or the half portion. In my opinion, I'd just pay for the full portion only because it's only a few dollars more and it was actually just enough. I don't think I would've been full with a half portion. The tonkatsu and shio broths were good, however I thought there could've been more flavouring in the noodles. If you're up for a surprise, you can always order the mystery dessert too. The mystery dessert doesn't seem to be consistent as two of my friends order it and got a green tea mousse, and vanilla ice cream with chocolate syrup. read more

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Came here with some friends for a late dinner and found that they were closing in less than an hour but they were nice about it and didn't rush us as much as Asian places normally do. Service was great, food was all right, could be better considering I've had mediocre ramen that was better than this place. Servings were small even at the regular size and pricey for what we were served. Toppings are a separate cost, which sucks because I could've gone elsewhere for a cheaper price and included toppings. I didn't like that we had to pay an extra $1.25 for spicy miso.... They should add an option on their menu for spicy ramen; the lack of one was disappointing. Friend ordered the fried chicken which was pretty yum but again, serving was very small and still was about ~$7. For what I'm paying for, it definitely wasn't worth it. All in all, I'm not coming back. This place was nothing special. read more

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The food is pretty good! But not the best!! But wow.. the service just.. speechless !! The waitresses and waiters are soooooo nice!!! Its a pretty expensive lunch meal for 2 people the total came up to $33.00. But i will definetly come back for more read more

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Before actually coming to try Niwa-tei, I had heard mixed opinions about it. Some people really love it, and others don't care for it much. It seems to be that way too if you do a quick google search for Niwa-tei reviews. For me, I would have to say it was a mixed-opinion experience as well. This restaurant is located in the hidden back alley-way known as Japan Town or J-town. Considering its located right off of the busy street of Steeles Ave, I found the J-town area shockingly peaceful. Once you walk past the chinese buffet and the car dealership, it's like you enter a whole new world. Despite not being exposed, lots of people know about it. Niwatei was a smaller sized restaurant, but was definitely more comfortable and spacious than some other Japanese places like Japango and Inakaya. The menu is rather simplistic here. Being a noodle-house, there isn't much to order aside from noodles. They offer a selection of about 6-7 different types to order from, but are essentially the same noodles just with either a different soup base, or different ingredients. I really liked that they had pictures of everything on the menu. That way you know exactly what you're ordering. If you have a big appetite like my personal trainer friend Sam, you'd pay a little extra and upgrade to a combo option. This option allows you to choose a side, and a dessert. Mini Curry Rice as part of the Ramen Set ($12.80) As a side, Sam chose the mini curry rice out of other options. It was a bit watery but I liked the tasted of it. It wasn't the overly powerful Indian curries, and kind of reminded me of those Korean instant curries that my old roommate in university used to make. "Miso Ramen" ($7.80) -Miso based noodle soup This was the ramen that I ordered, and I ordered it with extra corn ($0.5) and seaweed ($0.5). They actually offer butter as an extra add-on here too! My friend Elina swears by it, but I wasn't adventurous enough to try. Regardless the noodles were quite good! They were the perfect chewiness, and had a good bounciness! As I worked my way to the bottom of the bowl, I found I became very thirsty, and that's when I realized that the soup was just all MSG. Some of my other friends ordered the Tonkotsu noodles which seems to be a popular choice here. I didn't end up snapping a photo of it, but it looked essentially the same as the Miso Ramen, with a soup base that was more of a milky white colour. I tried a bit of the soup and I found it a bit bland and not as savory as it should be. Surprisingly I think I like the one from Nissin Foods () more! Vanilla Ice Cream with Lemon This is the dessert that came with Sam's Ramen Set. There are a bunch of other dessert options, but he opted for the daily special which ended up being this. I didn't really taste it, nor am I a big fan of lemon, so I wouldn't be able to give this dessert a fair review. Overall not too bad of a meal for the prices that were charged. The noodles were made really well, but the soup bases could be better. If you can get past that, I think this would be a really good ramen place. I wouldn't mind this as a quick filling lunch spot if I ever worked in the area. I will also definitely try the butter in my noodles next time! read more

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Because I had planned to go to Shiso Tree Cafe for desserts after dinner, I opted for a light ramen meal at Niwatei. On a Friday night, it was DEAD. One customer was even sleeping with a drink in front of her. Though it was quite comedic, I did find that a breather from all the hustle and bustle of the ramen places downtown. As an appetizer, I ordered gyoza and unfortunately, they were bland and mostly burnt. I got Miso Ramen and just chowed that down in seconds. It's been a while I've eaten ramen and I really like the fact that the broth was not salty. The ramens were priced on average at $8.80 but they have a "3 course dinner" where you get an appetizer, ramen and a dessert for $12 which to me is worth it but don't expect to be full on that if you're a heavy eater. Personally I'd come back if I'm in the area again but the party I was with didn't find the food justify its price.. read more

Niwatei - Miso Ramen - Japanese Near Me - Markham, Ontario

I was craving ramen one day and decided to search for a ramen place in my area. I found Niwatei in J-town and decided to give it a try. The restaurant is located in J-town and is merged with another store. After being seated, I ordered a bowl of vegetable ramen. The portion size was smaller than what I had expected and the soup base and sauces were not too impressive. Having been to other mediocre ramen shops, I was expecting more of a restaurant located in J-town. It was around 11$ for a small bowl of ramen. My party and I also ordered gyoza which took about 20 minutes to come. We were dining around 5pm on a Sunday and were one of the only seated tables in the restaurant so it was not an issue of the restaurant being busy. The gyoza was decent, but again, nothing too special. The gyoza was around 7$ for about 8 dumplings. The service was quick and the waitress was sweet, always smiling. Overall, I wasn't too happy with my meal but I had high expectations going in. read more

As others have said, this restaurant is hidden away in the back right corner of the plaza in J-Town and shares space with another restaurant. We went there for the ramen after reading about the place in the paper. It is small and was busy with all the tables filled so we sat at the bar. There was a choice of several different broths and toppings. I went with the pork and miso broth and the pork topping which also included several veggies, an egg, and fish cakes. It was ready quickly and we both were very pleased with our dish. It could have been a bit larger but it couldnt have been tastier. I just wish it wasnt so far away. read more

Niwatei - Pork ramen - Japanese Near Me - Markham, Ontario

So continuing on my ramen quest in toronto, I decide to go to the ramen place I heard about at J-Town in Markham. Word of advice, this place is kinda hard to find, it's actually down the alley a bit. After sitting down and hearing the people that worked there, I knew it was legit because they were all japanese... and they were wearing really cool christmas hats, which looked like you could only get them in Japan if you know what I mean (and yes I asked, and yes they were from Japan). I ordered the soy sauce soup ramen with a side of gyoza and karaage. Karaage is basically fried chicken (japanese style). It was actually my first time having it, at least being called that. The ramen was only so-so... The soup base was unimpressive and I had to keep adding a combination of hot peppers and sesame oil to it to make it taste better. The noodles were quite good though as well as the chashu. The chashu was actually very tender and you could pretty much break it apart with your tongue. Bad thing though is that there wasn't really very much "stuff" in the ramen with the noodles. For a 7.59 bowl of ramen, there were 2 pieces of chashu, half an egg, 3 sticks of bamboo and 1 slice of fish thing (ball/stick? I have no idea how to classify this). Kinda skimpy if you compare it to some of the other places. The gyoza was actually pretty good. I'm pretty sure they're homemade; they had a nice thin dough, were crunchy on the bottom and soft on the inside. I would have liked if they were a bit more crunchy on the top and not the bottom, but they were pretty good either way. The karaage was pretty good. The way they fried the chicken is with a very light batter. My best analogy to how much it's battered is how your skin looks after you lay in the sand at the beach (Sorry i was just in mexico, it's the first thing that came to mind). Otherwise, it was nicely flavoured, however I did find that if you let it cool down it did not taste very good anymore. Try to eat it quickly if you order it. All in all this place really only serves ramen. I mean there is a udon side of the menu, but most people that come here from the reviews seem to be getting ramen. I'd say that for the price you're paying, you can probably do better. Maybe if I come back I'll try the pork bone soup base. I have a feeling it may be better. read more

First of all, I have to start off with saying that I went to Niwatei the day after returning from a crazy Japanese food eating feast in Vancouver, so my taste buds were a little on their high horses from all the awesome food I'd been eating. I had heard from friends that this ramen place had opened up and my husband and I were anxious to try it. I really really wanted to like this place. But unfortunately, it needs a lot of work to be up to the standards of 4 star ramen place. We decided to make the trek up to J-Town for a Friday lunch. It was busy, but we got a table right away. Unfortunately, after we were seated we had to wait longer than 5 minutes before getting a menu and we only got a menu because I got up to ask the waitress. I noticed that there were two menus--one appetizer menu and one noodle menu--and the waitress only gave me the noodle menu. I just ignored the fact that we didn't get an appetizer menu because I was sooo hungry. My husband ordered the Chasu ramen and I ordered the shio ramen (with a substitute of chicken instead of chasu pork--no extra charge). My shio ramen was a little disappointing. The noodles were really good though. The soup base was really salty and left a weird greasy aftertaste in my mouth. Also the kitchen only gave me enough chicken to fit on my soup spoon! I thought that that was a little stingy! Once I started to eat the chicken, I was kinda glad that I only got so little because it was really really salty. The rest of the ramen was okay, kinda skimmpy on the ingredients (veggies, etc.). They wanted to charge us $2.50 for 1/2 an egg! That is ridiculous! My hubby like his ramen overall, but felt it was way too salty. His meat portion was a little more realistic to the price--with 5 pieces of slow cooked Chinese style pork. The waitresses were pleasant, but really need to learn how to be waitresses. They seemed a little out of it--i.e. not giving us a menu and not seeing our waving hands when we were trying to ask for the bill. We probably won't be back to this place for a while, but I'm curious to try the appetizers, so maybe we'll give it a try again in the new year. read more

I had my first taste of Japanese Ramen in this year of 2014, and have decided that it will be a regular occurrence in my life. When I cannot have ramen, I shall watch documentaries about ramen. When I found out through the all-knowing wisdom of Yelp Queen Jennifer K. that there was a uptown ramen shop near my dwelling hole, I immediately called the nearest Jew, and we set out for his first taste of the magical bowl of wonderfulness. Niwatei is located within J-Town, and shares the floor with another restaurant, which can be confusing when visiting for the first time. The restaurant open its doors, but does not offer anything until 11:30am. The selection of ramen, or any food items are limited. I would take this as a good sign and assume they specialize in what they serve. Maybe they do, maybe they don't. When the food came, we were anything but impressed. The soup base lacked the intense flavour that overwhelmed my emotions the first time around elsewhere, and the texture of the noodles was different, and slightly awkward in getting used to. The soft-boiled eggs were a tad on the hard side, and I found the meat to be slightly too lean. I felt slightly embarrassed to have hyped my friend about the miracles of ramen, as he seemed to share the my feelings towards his dish. I compensated by ordering some appetizers, but that didn't make much of a difference. I am not discerning enough to render whether this was good or bad ramen, I can only say I wasn't impressed by it. I promised my friend we'd go for some potato latkes later. read more

I was actually a bit disappointed with this restaurant. While the food was decent, it really had a pre-made, not-so-fresh feel and taste to it. The Karaage was on the oily side and was not seasoned that much. The ramen noodles had the same texture and feel as the frozen ones in the freezer over at Heisei Mart. However, the stock was OK. Probably wouldn't go back and would go with the restaurant inside Heisei Mart or just grab a couple Katsu sandwiches from Nakamura Bakery instead. read more

I went here for the third time now since the shop was opened and let me tell you they've really improved! The owners are the same owners as Green Tea cafe and I am always a fan of their Curry Pork Katsu. My first visit was the week they opened (thumbs down) and 2 weeks later the owner of FAMU (the next door butcher shop) told me they've improved so I went for second (....nahhhh) and Finally i went back there again last week (a year or so later) and saw some improvements. The Menu have changed to include a bigger selection of dishes (Which i really think they shouldn't as most Ramen Shops you find in japan concentrates and serves only ramen and Gyoza. The result---pretty damn good ramen!!) but I guess the owner has to suit the North American "taste" where it's not about the quality of food but rather the quantity and options and the ability to make choices, create your own combo BS. (ok...enough of my bs) Despite my previous disappointments, the owner have really improved on the ramen... no way can you compare it to Japan..but pretty damn close! PS. Nite time always attract 20 - 30 something "cool" HK "Kids" dressed to impress in a $10 ramen shop. Go at lunch time if you don't want to lose your appetite. read more

A cute ramen place, hubby and I came here because of a deal we purchased some time ago - $10 for 2 ramen sets when we got theatre tickets to see a Japanese drumming show. We didn't even realize what a great deal it was until we got here! A ramen set is $12.50 each and consists of a bowl of ramen (there were 5 options, I think), a carby snack and a dessert. The ramen... mmm... I had the plain soup ramen. Pretty presentation, so flavourful and so good! To be honest, the bowl of ramen was enough for me for dinner, though hubby would be starving if that was it for dinner. He had the miso soup base, but liked mine better. For the carby snack, I had the beef flavoured curry with rice and he had the vegetable rice. Both salty and very yummy. For dessert, we had the jelly thing and their surprise dessert of the day which turned out to be a small slice of banana cake. I agree with Jennifer K., don't bother with the jelly dessert! Though pretty and very refreshing, it tastes like it came right out of a can. The service here was good, served with plenty of smiles. The restaurant closes at 10pm on a Friday, and we came in at 9:50pm without realizing it. We weren't chased out and the servers were all seemingly happy to see us even as the place was still completely packed when we walked in. Go figure! The decor was cute and atmospheric. I would definitely come here again, though only for the ramen, which is the best I've had in Toronto. The carby snack was ok, but I could really do without it. The dessert, if ordered on its own outside of the set is $5 each - totally not worth it on its own. read more

Niwatei is ok. I think I like Kenzo's broth more, but the deals here are better. $12.80 for ramen, a small appy and dessert isn't much to complain about. They're pretty busy on the weekend, but service seems to move quickly enough. I liked their miso ramen, but I think the BF's Shiso ramen looked way better. But overall not too bad for a decent bite, and close to J-town supermarket for onigiri snacks in the afternoon! read more

SO CUTE! I love the little mascots they have here - whoever drew them is seriously talented! The ramen here is pretty decent as well but I agree with others, this place is hard to find and it's so strange being a restaurant in a shared space with a tea shop and a pottery store. We walked past it a few times at first because it didn't seem like it could possibly be right! They need better signage, that's for sure. The ramen is a bit pricy here for what you get. The food is good, but I don't know if I'd be spending that much on ramen. The sets are pretty decent, and the snacks / sides variety is good. I had the jap curry with a shoyu ramen (half size), and was surprised to find pickled ginger in the ramen. It altered the taste quite a bit, and I wish I had gotten it on the side instead. We also had the gyu-don and the gyozas which were all good (the gyu-don was surprisingly delicious, even though our server said it was a hit or miss item from people who ordered it). Overall, the food was well portioned, and the service was pretty good. The seating is limited, so be wary of peak hours. read more

This restaurant is not easy to find. It's in the back of the crammed jtown plaza. Pay close attention to the hours of operation as they are closed during odd hours in the day. You could be stuck stranded without ramen. They are next to another ramen shop, well a cafe that sells ramen, but still why would they need back to back ramen shops? When you first walk in you are asked if you want the cafe or ramen. It is randomly split into 2 sides but the seating area looks communal. well technically 3 sdes as the right side is a large area displaying ramen dishes for purchase. Very odd. The selections of ramen are average and prices are fair. The ramen is nothing special. The broth is a bit bland and the ramen itself is definitely not freshly made. I can see it being taken out of a package. The egg is not soft boiled. Both our eggs were full boiled which disappointed me because they advertised soft boiled and my main reason for ramen is for the egg (in my opinion). The place is deserted during the day. If you're craving ramen and you are in the area of Vic Park and Steeles then i would go to this place as the only other choice is Ajisen Ramen, whch in my opinion is very commercialized and more chinese-based. At lease Niwatei is from the heart of the Japs.. i'll give them that. But if you really wanted good ramen then i would head downtown for places like Sansotei, Santouka or Kinton Ramen. You'll definitely see a difference once you go there. Overall, not bad of a place. Could be better. read more

* 3.5 stars Got a Groupon for this place so I was excited to try it! Decent ramen place for a good value, small menu but has all the choices you would really need for ramen. They have a variety of broth bases (like miso and shio), but the Tonkotsu ramen I tried was really good. I also tried the chicken karaage but I thought it was so-so and was a bit pricy for the few pieces you got. In my opinion, I would stay away from ordering anything more than the ramen itself and avoid getting the combos because I didn't feel like the other dishes were particularly special and you lose the value once you start ordering more things you don't really need. My only complains are that their broth base tastes relatively average compared to Japan or Kenzo and they have less toppings (if you just order the basic) compared to when I ate at Kenzo. Good choice to get some basic ramen for lunch! read more

I love ramen, and what I love about Niwatei is it's location. I go to Jtown for groceries and haircuts anyway, and was happy to stumple about this in the Yelpverse without having to go downtown. One of the stuggles I have, is that with a toddler, izakayas and ramen houses are typically not very 2 year old friendly. I would have given this place three stars, as well, they are great but I mean at a level that I would expect...but they were super kid friendly. They have highchairs, bowls, and utensils for kids and were super cool with us having a child with us. Some places give you daggers with their eyes, this place the staff seem to love having kids and yes at least while I was there all the kids including mine was well behaved. I ordred the Tonkotsu ramen, and it was what I would expect. The rich milky broth, with noodles with the right bite. Meet was tender and flavorful. A great way to satisfy a ramen craving up north! read more

It's hard to find a good ramen noodle place in Toronto... and I'm still searching. Located in the J-Town complex, this small restaurant is getting a lot of attention. This small eatery has friendly staff and a basic menu of noodles and appetizers. ~Appetizers~ We ordered the kaarage to share. It was crispy, lightly battered, and enjoyable. The curry rice was Japanese curry sauce and a few vegetables served with white rice. Pretty unimpressive looking and pretty average tasting for a curry that probably came from a can to my plate. ~Main: Tonkotsu Ramen ~ The ramen itself wasn't bad. Noodles were chewy and perfectly cooked. Not a lot of meat or anything else in my noodles. The broth was milky but tasteless. ~Dessert: Japanese Jello with Fruit ~ I should have read Jennifer K's review and gotten the ice cream. The jello was indeed tasteless, accompanied with a few pieces of canned fruit and red bean paste. I ate the paste. And the search for good ramen continues... read more

Small resto tucked in J Town compound, right next to Izakaya Ju. Basic decor, casual / comfortable setting. Very friendly service. Tonkotsu ramen -- one of the best for sure! 5-star worthy. Gyoza -- a bit dry and bland, I've had better. Dessert -- Earl Grey flavour chiffon cake was so so; green tea or red bean ice cream was the better choice Overall 3.5 stars, will definitely return for ramen! read more