I was shocked when I read Takara is the oldest Japanese restaurant in Europe. I thought they were cappin, 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 read more

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

It is a lovely hole in the wall. The ambiance is romantic and cozy. Staff is welcoming. The food is good, but it's on the expensive side as the portions are small. Their menu is quite diverse and covers many Japanese traditions from sashimi to shabu shabu to udon, etc. A big whisky collection and the crowd tends to be young. Metro: Pyramides, Palais-Royal. read more

Takara - Japanese Near Me - Paris, 75

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Best sushi I ever had in my entire life. We also had the hot pot which was define. Spicy salmon roll was on another level.

[FRENCH/ENGLISH] Un bon restaurant japonais même s'il est un peu cher à mon goût. Malgré le prix élevé, la qualité est au rendez-vous. J'ai pu goûté en apéritif, le champagne au yuzu, excellent et intéressant pour les papilles.Nous avons commandé différent plats à partager typiques d'un izakaya japonais: edamame, agetofu, nasudengaki,... et un plateau de sushis. Très bon, service correct mais, pas beaucoup de flexibilité sur la disponibilité des tables.... A pretty nice Japanese restaurant in Paris even if it's a bit pricy. Although it's a bit expensive, the quality is good. I tasted for the first time the yuzu champagne which was good and really original! Then we ordered different typical izakaya meals:edamame,agetofu,nasudengaki,... and some sushi. Everything was good, the service was good but they are not really flexibile about the time... read more

Takara -- maybe one of the best in Paris but I still don't see it's specialty. Compared to the best japanese restaurants in NYC, London, and even LA it does not stand out. However, if your looking for a traditional japanese restaurant in the heart of paris - go there! Just because the cuisine is not that SPECIAL doesn't mean it's bad: I've been to Takara a few times and I do prefer the sukiyaki over the Shabu-Shabu. The sashimi and sushi are also pretty good. it's better if you get a reservation. The picture below is actually the sukiyaki - wrong picture (not shabushabu) read more

Takara - Shabu Shabu - Japanese Near Me - Paris, 75

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Overall a good restaurant. Got the shabu-shabu menu, which came with a small eggplant entry, sashimi, tempura, the shabu-shabu (a big bowl in which veggies are cooked and where you dip your slices of meat) and finally green tea and black sesame ice cream. Everything was at least good, with the sashimi and the green tea ice cream being exceptionnal. We paid 260€ for four persons with a bottle of wine. The staff is helpful and very polite. I'll come back, maybe to have more sushi and sashimi this time. read more

Ah.... Takara is as good as it gets! My parents and I are obsessed with Shabu Shabu and it is quite difficult to find it in Paris. Well, Takara is known to have one of the best in town. And frankly, it is just perfect! The sauces, the meat, the veggies... did I mention the sauces were amazing?! My oh my... We took the menus and it was a lot of food. We are not crazy about raw fish but that fish melted in our mouths! Very fresh. The service is amazing and even though it was our first time, we were treated very well. You could see a lot of regulars (one of them was a very loud Valerie Lemercier) and how the staff knew their habits well, etc. Super good service... Of course, all of this has a price, and a pretty high one at that. I wish I could go back soon but I think I'll have to save quite a lot of money (as the poor student that I am) before I can do that... or go with Mommy and Daddy, again ;) read more

Must make reservation, almost got rejected, luckily managed to get a seat at counter without reservation. Ordered the toro, uni sashimi, hamachi, and tonkotsu. They have good selection of Japanese whiskey. All the food is great, just make sure u make reservation. read more

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Service is mediocre and so was the food. The 500ml glasses look more like 330-400. It is surprisingly busy though.

authentic & calm japanese restaurant. if you are looking to get away from the typical loud french food & brasserie atmosphere for one night, you will appreciate this japanese restaurant. we ordered sashimi, tempura & sushi, & everything was so fresh & presented beautifully. the restaurant itself has a welcoming atmosphere & the staff is friendly. the only reason for not giving 5 stars is the fact that it is so expensive. we were two and ended up paying (130euro). nonetheless, if you are craving fresh japanese food in a pleasant atmosphere it is absolutely worth it! read more

Takara - Japanese Near Me - Paris, 75

Ok, first off great sushi! My dad owned sushi restaurants when I was younger so I am really picky when it comes to getting quality sushi. But. It's wayyyyy over priced. If you're willing to spend a lot for great but not the best- than this place is great for you read more

Takara is a perfect japanese restaurant in Paris. It has the tradition, old style decoration (oldest japanese in town) and very rich menu. Especially the sake options are awesome. It is a little expensive but certainly worth the price! read more

Had a shake (salmon) chirashi bowl. Was a pretty good dinner price at €22 especially when compared to other authentic sushi restaurants. Menu is pretty extensive, has sushi, udon, grilled squid etc... Sushi was fresh and came with pieces of avocado, which was a nice kicker. read more

Takara - Salmon (shake) chirashi - Japanese Near Me - Paris, 75

Was walking around the neighborhood with a colleague on Friday night and we both do not live in Paris. We were both hungry for some good Japanese so found Takara that has a 5 start rating on the Yelp app. We entered and luckily there was the last table for two available. We ordered a mix of sashimi (large portion at 38 Euros) and then Soba with tofu tempura.Both dishes were excellent! We had a couple of draft beer each. Oh, we also shared a california roll that was delicious. The total bill was 85 Euros. Can't wait to go back when I will be in Paris! read more

I am still not sure what I ordered, as the menu was in French, and my waitress only spoke two languages I know very little of - Japanese and French. However, the food that arrived was delicious! The salad was phenomenal with a slightly tangy asian dressing which distinguished it from the typical bento box Japanese salad just enough to make for a very tasty meal. The miso soup was good, and is sometimes the case in Paris, arrived after my main course. The Sashimi in the Chirashi was fresh and tasty, and I still have no idea what a couple of kinds of fish (I presume) that were in there were - but I left very happy and satisfied! read more

I came back from Giverny and wanted to eat Japanese food near the Pyramides neighborhood. I yelped it and found this restaurant that was walking distance. I ordered the chirashi sushi. It was very good with a nice variety of different fish atop. My husband ordered the chicken teriyaki and he enjoyed it very much. The decor was traditionally Japanese. Waitresses spoke Japanese which is always nice. If you want good sushi come here. read more

One of the best places we ate in Paris and it was a perfect end to our trip. I think we had the sashimi and a couple of other appetizers along with the shabu-shabu and it hit the spot. Please note, however, that this restaurant isn't particularly great compared to NY but I assume if you're reading this, you are in Paris and have a sushi / shabu-shabu craving like we did. Only bad thing is that they added the spices and vinegar to our broth without asking us; I like it as a clear broth and using the sauces to dip. Also it has a cool intimate ambiance and I would recommend this place. Also I think the price for two was around 150-200. read more

Very traditional and quaint little Japanese restaurant. Waitresses in kimonos gives it that extra touch of awesome. If you order the tamago make sure you are ready or have a friend. It's made fresh and it's a big helping. The Ebiten maki was very tasty. Best of all was the ShabuShabu. Very fresh and extremely good. If you go to Takara and don't order it or the Sukiyaki you aren't ordering correctly. read more

Best sushi I have tasted in Paris. Authentic sushi and sashimi. You can tell by how they cook the rice/ferment for sushi and sashimi. Had also the anago-don which was very good. Will definitely come back to Takara for sushi and sashimi! read more

Randomly stumbled upon Takara as i was in the area with friends. The place is wonderful, hands down one of the best Japanese restaurants in Paris. The service is friendly and polite. The food is delicious, slightly on the pricey side, but you clearly pay for what you get. We tried many dishes, but my favourites would have to be the cuttle fish appetizer, udon tempura, grilled cod fish, and the soft shell crab sushi. The green tea desserts are also definitely worth a try. Highly recommend this place, especially if you want to escape the hit or miss places on Rue Saint Anne. read more

I went here on my recent trip to Paris, and this was by far hands,down my favorite meal of the trip. Im from LA where Japanese food is everywhere, but the shabu-shabu here was the most amazing thing i have ever put in my mouth. Yes it is expensive, but well well worth it! read more

We made a reservation through our hotel but when we arrived at the restaurant we were told that no such reservations was made. We then asked to be seated and wouldn't mind waiting for a table but the restaurant totally refused to sit us. This is the second bad experience I've had at two japanese restaurants in Paris. The staff are very rude read more

While the place is quiet and very "Japanese", I find it a little sad. Interior is furnished in a typical Japanese style with wooden panels. However, the food was pretty darn good. If you want to discover the real Japanese cuisine, you better go in here. read more

The food was absolutely delicious! The fish is fresh, the rice is perfect-- there is absolutely nothing to complain about. For cons, the prices are quite high given the size of the portions which are quite small. I recommend it anyway. read more

Takara cured my japanese craving in Paris. Their shabu shabu and chirashi bowl are amazing!!! Definitely a place to go after all the french food. read more