I was shocked when I read Takara is the oldest Japanese restaurant in Europe. I thought they were…read morecappin, but my rigorous 5 minute google research says this is true. It only opened in 1958, which sent me into an existential spiral. A city that is such a cultural melting pot like Paris, and Europe as a whole, got their first Japanese restaurant in 1958? The world has not been connected for very long. I don't know why, but this really put time into perspective for me. When we stepped off the Parisian streets and into Takara, it literally felt like we just entered a worm hole to Tokyo. They somehow bottled the energy in Japan and brought it to Paris. You could take a breath in here. There was just such a calming, respectful energy in here that I have only felt in Japan. When making a reservation, you are required to order either Shabu Shabu or Sukiyaki which honestly was kind of annoying. We just wanted to rip a bunch of sushi. 52 euro a head was the cheapest option, and we went with that because I'm a brokie. We sat down in the most authentic Japanese ambiance that I have ever set foot in outside of Japan. I was so damn inspired. One of the walls was lined with 70+ different types of beautifully crafted Japanese wallpaper, and I wanted to steal it and bring it back home to line the walls of my tiny NYC apartment. Along with our forced shabu shabu, we went with a mixed nigiri platter, 3 different cut rolls, and some fried chicken. My Chase Sapphire Preferred card was in hell. The nigiri and cut rolls went absolutely insane. The thing about writing food reviews is there are only so many positive adjectives in my repertoire. It was better than any nigiri I've had outside of Japan. Maybe the quality of fish has been the same in LA or NYC, but the vibe in here just took it up a notch... See, my words are futile to describe the feeling this fish gave me. I would honestly love to hate on the shabu shabu that we were held at gunpoint to try, but it was also PHENOMENAL. Maybe it's just a case of Stockholm syndrome, but it was magical. Thin cuts of beef with the most perfect marbling, paired with fresh vegetables to cook in a hot pot right in front of you? How could you not love it? The waitress came over and got us started, showing us how to operate the shabu shabu machine. All in all, this was my 2nd favorite meal we had in Paris only behind the Senegalese restaurant Waly Fay. However, Takara did HURT the pockets. I don't even know how much it ran, I just winced as I tapped my Chase card. I'm refusing to look at the statement as it's all just monopoly money on vacation, right? IG @johnny.novo Tiktok @jnov__ Substack @johnnynovo

The oyster, hotpot & chicken karage are amazing. Service is…read moreon par, very cozy location.

TL;DR: Authentic Japanese udon and a must-try…read more Wow what a surprising spot! We were looking for a refreshing Japanese spot amongst the pyramids and couldn't resist stopping here. The food is mostly various Japanese Udon soup, but it is done so well we were blown away. We have had a lot of Japanese food in the US and countless trips to Japan and this is some of the best we have had outside of Japan. The owner is from Kochi, Japan and the food is authentic. We took the shrimp/vegetable tempura, katsu curry udon as well as the kunitora. All came out together and piping hot. The katsu curry udon was outstanding and definitely a do not miss dish. The katsu was so crispy and cooked to perfection. The dish itself was very interesting because there was a healthy portion of curry poured over the soup that the meat sits on top, then as you eat, the curry and soup mix more, and you get a rich delicious broth at the end with all the udon. The tempura was done well. We also had matcha ice cream which is texturized with various cereals on top and bottom of the ice cream as well as a tasty crispy wafer. The service is quick and effective, they speak English well and were so nice. The place is busy so be prepared to wait 10-20 minutes for a spot - it is well worth it. The atmosphere is a really nice open bistro with modern design and classic rock and pop 80s-90s music. It is mostly community style seating, which some may not love, including myself, but in this setting I couldn't care less.

Authentic udon in a charming cafe - space is small and cozy. The wait (10-20 minutes) is worth it…read more Friendly staff and tasty shrimp tempura udon. Generous portions, reasonable pricing. Get the lunch set add-on. Street window seats are the best - one of my favorite Paris memories!

Walking around Paris and we ended up in a Japanese district. At this point, my wife and I were so…read morehungry and we were down for anything. Although we do love Japan and we've been there numerous of times so you can't really go wrong with Japanese comfort food. My wife ordered the curry ramen and the portion was huge! I could have shared that with her to be honest lol. I had a few bites and I really enjoyed the flavors! The noodles were really soft and the curry was on point. I ordered the gyu don buri bowl. A simple meat and rice dish. It was really good and such a simple flavor and that was all I needed to keep me fueled for more exploration around Paris Lol.

Was excited to come here due to all the positive reviews and the menu offerings. We arrived just…read morebefore 7 on a weekday and there was no wait, the downstairs area was fairly empty. We sat at the bar in front of the okonomi cook station. The okonomi we ordered was probably the best thing. The katsu don was fine (hard to mess up don). The soba was terrible. Noodles were overcooked, sauce bland - didn't even finish because it was so bad. Our server was also lackluster - couldn't even deliver food to the right person, dropped it and left. Also, food comes out whenever it does so don't expect to eat together with your group. Disappointing as we were really looking forward to aKi.

I was really craving udon today, but since Sanukiya was closed :(, I had to pivot and try this…read moreramen place. I started with the 1/2 torikara (karaage/fried chicken). Honestly, this might be the best karaage I've ever had! Kid you not! It's perfectly seasoned, super crispy, and no sauce needed. That's how good it was!!! You have to try it! Next, I tried the "petit" shisen don, which came with marinated minced pork, half of a soy marinaded soft boiled egg, and a large serving of rice. Like too much rice... The minced pork was very flavorful! Last but not least, I ordered the nabeyaki udon. It came with one shrimp tempura, boiled chicken, and egg. The broth was rich and comforting, but I was a disappointed by the shrimp tempura, it wasn't as crispy as I'd hoped. I don't know if it was even fried... Service was a bit slow and the dishes came out in a random order, but overall it was a decent meal.

Staying at a hotel close by, I always wanted to eat at Kintaro, a place that almost always had a…read moreline at the door of hungry waiting folks. Going for lunch right at the opening hour provided us with a bar table at the window and food that came quicker as it might need to cook. It was decent but nothing that would explain a line. Would I go back? Yes, but definitely not standing in line for it.

This place caught our eye and stopped here today to get some onigiri for our rice loving kiddo…read more My toddler inhaled the chicken mayo onigiri. We also enjoyed the salmon and tuna mayo onigiris. While at the checkout, the karage caught our eye and I got one portion of that. Chefs kiss. Delicious fried chicken. I wanted it for myself but my kid ended up eating most of it.

I got a spicy chicken and a spicy tuna. Both were warm and fresh. I wish it had more filling but I…read morethink you feel like that with all onigiris. Very quick service, very small place.

I've walked by this place many times but was always a tad bit nervous about going in. The line is…read moregenerally long and it looks like it's a very homely joint for those who are frequenters. When I passed by here on a Sunday afternoon at 2pm and the place looked relatively empty, I thought to myself - this is it! I love japanese cafe's like this in NYC (I've never been to japan), where they have different sections for hot food and cold food and ready made food. The hot food section provides you with a selection of ready made bentos as well as a selection of bentos you can choose from and choose your own three small sides. Each bento is approximately 10EUR plus or minus and the portions arent too big. I asked the cute guy serving what he liked and he told me the kaarage, or fried chicken, or poulet frite. So that's what I got, and my friend got the chicken teriyaki, or chicken grille. We were both extremely happy with the food. The best part is that the rice is real japanese rice. sooo good. There's a little cafeteria on the inside with jugs of water, another upstairs area for seating, and another upstairs area for general japanese snacks and alcohol for purchase. The sushi section is pretty cool too, providing you with sushi stuffed with the chicken or breaded pork (katsu). I definitely wanna try that next time. Um they are opened 7 days a week, even on xmas and new years! This is a real japanese joint, rant by japanese people, and good looking japanese guys manning the cooking section. Love it!

Used to come to this joint every time I visited my sister in Paris, like, daily. It was within…read morewalking distance from her apartment and so a very convenient alternative if we did not feel like cooking in her tiny miniature kitchen. (That is, even among all the other yummy options I could have had in Paris, I had to eat something from this place everyday to feel complete.) Now that my sister has relocated I really miss this place. I love love love their karaage chicken (may well be one of the best outside of Japan). And whatever that celery+bacon appetizer they have, is so flavorful and a must-try. Everything is very affordable and super authentic. I regret not taking pictures of our bento boxes so that I can just salivate over when I dream of you, Jujiya. C'est très bon!

Loved this place so much we came here twice! My mum even suggested coming here again after the…read morefirst time - it was her idea, I swear! :x If you're a fan of una-don, definitely check this place out. We also had the chawanmushi which was very unique as it was flavorful and really warmed our bellies and souls during the chilly evening. Super friendly service and easy to get a same day reservation for by booking via their website. I'm not a planner, so stumbling across this restaurant and knowing how accessible it is made me a repeat customer. 10/10 would recommend if you're a fan of grilled eel.

You will pay a lot and eat very little and leave hungry. They owners are petty and stingy and they…read moredo not understand what it means to serve diners. On top of being hungry you will leave in a bad mood because they are extremely rude

don't go here. my friend and I went today and sat up against the kitchen and in the span of 3…read moreminutes we saw three! different cockroaches. we hadn't even ordered and after seeing that I would never try anything from this place..additionally the bugs were running around the take out boxes so be aware! N'y allez surtout pas ! Mon ami et moi y sommes allés aujourd'hui et, assis près de la cuisine, nous avons vu trois cafards différents en seulement trois minutes ! Nous n'avions même pas commandé et, après ça, je n'y remettrai jamais les pieds. En plus, les insectes se promenaient dans les boîtes à emporter, alors faites attention !

Unexpected Hidden Gem! We stumbled upon this ramen spot after finding long waits (over an hour) at…read moretwo other popular places nearby -- and we're so glad we did. The food was excellent. We ordered the miso and spicy miso ramen, gyoza, and half fried rice -- all were flavorful, authentic, and satisfying. Service was quick and courteous. As self-proclaimed ramen snobs from New York who've also traveled to Japan, we were genuinely impressed -- this place beats at least half the ramen joints in NYC. Highly recommend if you're craving a solid bowl of ramen.

My friend were lucky enough to dine here without a wait! The other day we came back and there was a…read morewait for 1 hour which is insane. This place does seafood broth based ramen and I could not wait to try it. First off the decor is very unique. It looks like you just stepped into a outdoor Japanese seafood market with fish, eel, crab hanging around (fake of course). We sat down and ordered right away since we were both starving. As an appetizer I got the edamame which was steamed fresh with flakes of salt. Very delicious. I got the lobster bisque based ramen. It was very rich with great flavors. It came with sliced duck breast, citrus flavored scallop, a soy sauce egg and other veggies. One of the most flavorful ramens I've ever had. I enjoyed every bite and slurp of it! My friend got the sardine shoyu ramen which came with two slices of sardines. He enjoyed this as well. We were very happy with our meals and the staff was so nice! One of my favorite meals I had in Paris for sure.

Did not think I would love a fish-based broth as much as I loved it here. I had friends who claimed…read morethis was the best meal they had in Paris. I found that hard to believe until I tried it myself -- maybe one of the best ramens I've ever had in my life. The initial plan wasn't to come here, but since a lot of restaurants are closed on Mondays, we decided to give this a shot. Surprisingly, there was no line or wait at 5pm. We were seated immediately at this Tsukiji fish market-themed restaurant. Crazy how realistic the decor is and actually teleports you to Japan. You can see all the consideration that was put into the detailing of this establishment -- huge tuna on the table, the piles of insulated foam containers, hanging squid, and even the residual "puddles of water" on the table. We ordered the Sardine Shoyu (the classic) and Sardine Bomb (the strongest). Opted for chef style, which is a few euros more, but added extra protein such as an egg and chicken/pork chashu. Both took a bit of time to come out, but let me tell you -- it was absolutely worth it. The broth was rich, umami and not too fishy. The sardine bomb is a bit of a thicker and more potent broth, but wasn't overpowering at all. The noodles were wavy and chewy (maybe buckwheat?). Each bowl was loaded with tender pieces of protein that tied together seamlessly with the broth and noodles. We left more than satisfied from this meal, but will definitely think about this bowl on a regular basis. Well-deserved recognition!

Even though the food was decent and the service staff was friendly it's just not enough for 5 stars…read moreif you ask for money like this. Even if you have all the fancy gourmet and review stickers in the window.

We came visiting Paris from LA, and found this restaurant at very last minute before their lunch…read morehour closing, enjoyed the excellent quality of sushi. love it! Service is good and place is nice!