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J-Town
Category: Shopping Shopping Centres Shopping Centres [Edit]
3160 Steeles Ave EUnit 6-11
Markham, ON L3R 4G9
- Hours:
Tue-Fri 10 am - 7 pm
Sat 9 am - 7 pm
Sun 11 am - 6 pm
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Private Lot
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
19 reviews for J-Town
19 reviews in English
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Review from Xi Y.
Toronto, ON
5/3/2012
I went there with my friends...it's quite far away from downtown, but I love the little stuff inside the supermarket, some makeup puff, 2.20 for a very high quality puff, very cute cookware, they don't have a large selection of stuff, but sure you can find something nice and useful for a good price.
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Review from Thomas M.
Toronto, ON
5/17/2012
I did know that theres a Japantown somewhere here but I didn't know that it's in the outskirts of nowhere. Situated near commercial buildings in a odd plaza, J-town is just a collection of stores connected together and from what it looks when I went there a few years back, it looks very outdated.
I mean, one store still has a shelves of VHS that you could still rent, it does look cool to have a VHS store stacked with things like old NHK tapes to other shows that aren't translated to English. Inside this store, there are individual stores like a expansive clothing store to some beauty place.
Next to it is a store that looks like they did add anything in it except for a shelves of old manga and next to it some small restaurant that I did not go to. But I went to the supermarket which always looks weird to me, I mean, it's goes horizontally from the fish section, meat, bakery, grocery to a restaurant. I did not like the look of the place and I did not trust the freshness of the place there and the fact that it's somewhat more expensive. I brought a litre of juice and went to the bakery and ordered the red bean bun which looks cute but when I ate it, it was somewhat bland.
Regardless I went to the restaurant inside the supermarket and had a omurice which is surprisingly good and appetizing. I took me awhile to realize how to order by pointing to it while the girl behind the counter was confused at what I'm trying to order but nevertheless it was worth the wait.
I think I am going to have another try with this place but I am somewhat disappointed or somewhat relieved that it isn't really anime-based for weeabos to go here and geek out. -
Review from Flouny S.
Toronto, ON
2/20/2012
Not a bad place, but it's really small and I mean really small. One of the stores at the end closed so if you were to consider the length of this place from the restaurant down to the meat store at the end it's about the size of old navy.
I get confused when I go there because it seems like it's one big supermarket but I have to remember that it's actually individual stores.
The bakery looks nice but pricey, I'd like their baked goods but when I get there it's at the end of the day and it doesn't look that great.
Interesting grocery items but many of them can be found at T&T for less.
It's not a bad place to go to once in a while but I'm usually done in five minutes max. -
Review from Em L.
Markham, ON
4/3/2012
My friends first told me about J-town i had no idea where it was. Until i went there! it's a really small plaza with a couple of Japanese stores. The one i like most is Shiso tree cafe, because of it's environment. Not to mention it is owned by actual Japanese people. They also have a bakery that i've never tried, a japanese store that sells japanese cosmetics and magazines.
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Review from Vivian W.
10/16/2011
I like to come here for their bakery! my secondary reason to come here is to get some fresh sashimi. And every time I drop in, I will browse their snacks section and check out what's interesting or if anything is on sale. They do have good promotions sometimes, and usually $1-2 dollars cheaper than what the grocery store would sell it for.
Bakery section - my favourites are
1. English Truffle (it's made of fresh cut fruits, fresh whip cream and some really soft angel food cake, in like a parfait cup) They always sold out if you come in like 3pm. But you can pre-order them the day before if you are certain about getting it.
2. Chestnut Cake
3. Green Tea Red Bean Cake
what so special about their cakes? Their cakes are all made with fresh ingredients, fresh cream, and they are light and fluffy! I normally take out all the cream when I eat a metro cake, but I can clean the plate for these Japanese cakes. Sometimes if you order it and pick it up on the same day, you might see them assembling one just for you, a layer of their pound cake sandwich with some red bean paste and then another layer of pound cake. Finally a light layer of frosting with light cream on the outside and some simple decoration, and it's ready to go! -
Review from Elvis A.
11/20/2011 3 Check-ins Here
This used to be one of my favorite grocery places to visit when I was living uptown.
I just luved the idea of going through Japanese items and interesting snacks.
Alas the trips a few and far between so I only come up here when I absolutely need to. A lot of memories were brought back in today's visit. Their prices can be a little higher for some items but given you can get your Japanese food fix all under one roof one can't put a price on that. This is the only place where I can find seaweed based Soup Base concentrate in the city not to mention all the good Japanese snacks that leave me craving for more whenever I have them.
This is the place to go to if you want to get your Japanese groceries. -
Review from Yvonne T.
10/28/2011 1 Check-in Here
J-Town, its lucky that this place didn't exist while I was growing up or I think I would probably have become a criminal trying to steal money just to get my hands on the tasty snacks that are available.
J-Town is a Japanese groceries store that carries mostly perishables. The layout is quite interesting as there are many vendors located within the store itself. My favourite section has to be the bakery with cream puffs, to tuna and cheese buns, to a Green Tea Red Bean Bun... Yummy!
This isn't where you'd go to do your weekly groceries shop as selection and variety are definitely limited. It is, however, a place to get some hard-to-find Japanese goods.
If you're in the area, stop by for a browse - but I wouldn't recommend coming all the way up here just to check it out.
The one inconvenient thing is that all the labels are in Japanese, and if you have to rely on the poorly-translated stick-on labels... well... I'll let you take on that challenge! -
Review from Nicole C.
8/29/2011 1 Check-in Here
I was all excited to visit J-Town until I got there and realized that there must be something lost in translation there since "town" in Japanese must mean 4 stores?
And I use the word "store" lightly since really there were only two stores: one was a little cubby selling some authentic Japanese imports including tabi socks which I grabbed and onigiri molds, the other is a cosmetic store that has some fashions, and books (all in Japanese of course). Note that there are no cool Japanese cosmetic dothingies like smile molds, eyebrow stensils or eyelid tape - BOO.
The other small spaces are occupied by a grocery/bakery store (with NO Japanese KitKats so why even exist?), a meat shop where you can get Kobe beef, and a fish shop that is also a sushi stop.
Now you may be reading my review and think: hmm...hey that sounds like a lot. Now imagine all of that crammed into a space about the size of a large 7-11. That's J-Town.
So really there not much for me to go back for although I didn't get to try the tea house that is on site or the sushi place which I heard has some of the best sushi in the Greater Toronto Area. -
Review from Wendy C.
5/21/2011
I don't have a lot to add to what other Yelpers have already reviewed. Clean, nice service, and quality items.
Sakana-ya has a cooking / grilling stall outdoor in warmer months, you can buy the seafood from them and have it prepared right there. Grilled uni and scallops in shells are sublime. You can also get Oden skews from the same stall, not bad.
Nakamura is where you get authentic Japanese-French style stuff. Imitation cheaper versions are plentiful in many Hong Kong or Taiwanese bakeries in GTA, for the REAL thing, come to Nakamura. -
Review from Jennifer K.
Markham, ON
I love visiting J-Town!
Hey I love anything that is Japanese and here is as Authentic Japanese one can get!
I can spend a whole day eating here and I will be so happy
Cafe Green Tea
- Best and reasonably priced Udon I have till now
Izakaya Ju
- Maybe not as good as Guu... but hey I don't have to line up for 2 hours in order to eat here and they have lunch specials!
Bakery Nakamura
- Japanese infused Western pastries. Best suit for Asian taste with less sugarless and taste is more subtle
Niwatei
- Ramen Ramen!
Shiso Tree Cafe
- Enjoy a cup of tea and chit chat with your friends!
Shopping
- Japanese beauty products
- grocery
- meat
- raw fish!
- DVD and Japanese comic/magazines
- boutique
Unfortunately nothing open on Mondays my day off.. so I guess I cannot really spend a whole day here!Listed in: Memories of Japan in GTA!
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Review from Mochi M.
3/15/2011
"The biggest mall" may make you think of more than 4 shops, so be forewarned that it isn't huge.
That said, it has a sushi section, Japanese gifts section (very tiny), and bakery area.
The other part of the "mall" is full of Japanese sauces, and all these special products that you can't find anywhere else, even in Chinatown, T&T or Scarborough.
Try the onigiri and the other lunch specials! -
Review from susan c.
11/2/2009
This J-Town is so small, it should be called J-Village or J-Burg--maybe even J-Hamlet--but certainly not J-Town.
Where are the usual J-Town fixtures like the Japanese dollar store, roasted chestnut vendor, and teahouse evoking Memoirs of a Geisha?
I guess this Japanese mall is a reflection of the Japanese population in the Toronto area; practically non-existent. But if I were the perfect Japanese housewife, I suppose I'd make the rounds at:
Famu "Natural Meats, Japanese Cuts" for Wagyu beef and organic pork
Sakana-ya for live uni, toro, and some kind of small red fish that goes for $80/lb
Heisei Mart for 20 kinds of miso, Japanese curry cubes, and a gazillion bottles of Japanese condiments
Or I could just be lazy and feed my family prepared foods like the potato croquettes, Hamburg steak, and sushi combos.
Then pick up some eclairs and strawberry shortcakes from Bakery Nakamura.
Indulge myself in a haircut at Studio T, and browse the book and video selection at the Japan Book Centre.
And because all that shopping would make me hungry, I'd refuel with an offering from the oden lady out front who sells skewers of fish cakes from a big steaming kettle.
That would be the perfect day in J-Town.Listed in: Epic Suburb Crawl of October…
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Review from Helen L.
Toronto, ON
Updated - 3/28/2010
I've been loving J-town lately so I thought it's time for an update.
One of the most common complaint in Toronto is that there aren't many (or any) good ramen places. For those that love ramen, pick up some "Toronto ramen" from J-town's grocery store. It is AMAZING! takes only 3 minutes to cook and the result is incredible. They sell them on its own, or with flavor packs. They also have udon that is so good, you just cannot even compare to other ones. Another new find is their fresh tofu. Even eaten plain, it tastes so good! I thought all tofu were the same, but boy was I wrong!
Aside from ramen and tofu, my new pantry staple is mochi. I am not talking about the soft ones filled with red bean paste. I am talking about mochi squares that are hard like a piece of brick. I never buy them when I see it at other health food stores because the pack of mochi is one large chunk and I know there is no way I can eat it all in one sitting and I don't want it to go bad or something. Anyway, at J-town, they sell packs of smaller individually wrapped mochi blocks. Each piece is the perfect size for one serving. You can toast it in the oven or even slice it and make it into mochi waffles in a waffle iron. In fact, that's what I had for brunch today!1 Previous Review: Show all »
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9/9/2009 First to Review
J-Town is a Japanese mall in Markham. Inside the "mall" is an assortment of shops that mostly… Read more »
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Review from Luke R.
Toronto, ON
1/1/2012
Really interesting place. A large variety of fresh food, imported Japanese items and even a small cafe and restaurant with lunch and what not. The staff all seem to speak English and Japanese. The meats are a little pricey but they're fairly specialized so it didn't bother me.
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Review from Vincent C.
Markham, ON
7/19/2011
This is as Japanese as it can get in Toronto when it comes to malls. It consist of a cosmetics store, bookstore, grocery store, bakery,cafe, and hair salon. kitchen ware and a small court. The service there is the best around. The food are all fresh and are as close to the taste of Japan's culinary.
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Review from Angel Z.
Toronto, ON
3/20/2010
A few caveats. J-town is small. J town is expensive. J town can be difficult to navigate without a working knowledge of spoken or written Japanese.
Now onto the good stuff:
Bakery - when you can get it, because they sell out fast, this bakery makes the best Japanese-French style pastries. The pastries as interpreted by Japanese bakers are always more elaborate and more decorative and more delicate. You feel as if you are eating mini flower arrangement art. It can be heartbreaking to eat these as you just want to look at them. Oh, but the taste! Wonderful.
Fish Market - There are two items of note in the fish market and they are likewise also not always available. It's worth asking them which day they receive their fish shipments, as I cannot recall off hand. The Japanese snapper is very expensive but has a melting flesh that is more tender than snapper from other waters. Occasionally there are small Styrofoam packages of uni (sea urchin). If you don't need the fanfare of beautiful tableware and waitresses in kimono to appreciate your sashimi then this is the right place for you. The salmon is usually of higher quality than fresh salmon you will purchase elsewhere but lies somewhere just below what I would consider optimal for sashimi.
Supermarket: One standout item is the Tamaki California grown Japanese short grain rice in a foil bag filled with nitrogen to preserve freshness. Another is the bonito shavings in larger sizes than that you would find in other Asian groceries. Also, if you need a katsuobushi for shaving your own bonito flakes old school style this is the place to get it. -
Review from Joyees Y.
Scarborough, ON
3/20/2010
Yes the place is small, and there are not much variety aside from food, but...THE FOOOOOOD!!!
Great food and great price, I'm in love with this place! There's a restaurant that serves what I guess could be classified as Japanese comfort food. They have those food you always see in anime and Japanese dramas like omlette rice and hamburger steak. Most of the time when I go to Japanese restaurants they only have sushi or noodles so this is quite a change. It also have a very homemade feel, something so simple but so good and satisfying.
The hamburger steaks (it is exactly what it sounds like) are really juicy and flavorful. The omelet rice (omelet with tomato rice filling), the egg is really well cooked, I find a lot of places overcook their eggs, this was so perfect! The rice inside was a nice addition of flavor. It comes with a Japanese ketchup (the hamburger steak does too) which completes it, just the omelet and rice makes the whole dish a bit dry. Also well done is the udon (definitely get it!) and curry which tastes unreal (in a good way).
Now they have a sushi place too. It's amazing how such a small place have such a wide selection of all things sushi related. Toro and uni and ikura! They also have real wasabi root. Great place to buy supplies for homemade sushi. The chunks of sashimi is a bit pricey but seriously, their fish is really fresh, sashimi grade and all. A step below the really high end stuff but many step above any average sushi place (that costs a lot more).
But if you're like me and is too lazy they also have pre-cut sashimi. There's also already packaged sushi for a low price. There's eight pieces of sushi for around nine dollars which includes uni (sea urchin) and ikura (salmon roe) so it's a steal really. If you want more westernized sushi like the spicy salmon roll it's SIX PIECES FOR $3.99!!
There's cooked items like marinated fish which is great for those who hate raw fish and breaded seafood like this giant ass shrimp, that is $2.99 though but I think that will be the standard price for shrimp of that size. And their vinegared mackerel is pretty much the best one I've tasted in Toronto, not very overbearing, have some salinity for balance and the fish has a nice firm texture.
Next to the sushi place is a...butcher? Meat shop? Anyways, they have Wagyu beef and Berkshire pork, more higher quality meat. I never actually tried it so I don't know if it's worth it but hey, usually the only meat stores I see around uptown is...the meat section of Asian grocery stores so it's a nice alternative. They also have homemade pork stock and sauces as well as ready to go foods like a hamburger croquette.
And there is a bakery to finish the meal. I'm usually not a big fan of cakes in Asian bakeries in Canada because...I find them terrible but this uses good ingredients, the cakes have flavor! The mango mousse tastes like mango! And they brushed the cake layers with a raspberry juice (?) which is so good with mango. Their cheese cake is really soft and light but the cheese flavor is all there. Now there aren't that much variety for the bread (maybe we went there too late...two in the afternoon...) Some I didn't really like, like that noodle in bun but they have a doughnut which is fantastic. It's not like a donut you would imagine it, but it is yeasty, very soft and fluffy and coated with sugar. I would like to it to be fried more but it's better than Timmy's and even better than the one I had at the Drake cafe (and where else are you going to get non-franchised doughnuts these days?).
There's also a grocery store with very limited variety, but they have some items that are harder to find elsewhere like salted cherry blossoms (don't get it). -
Review from Willow W.
Richmond Hill, ON
3/30/2011
Love that there's such a cute little town of its own nestled in the middle of Markham. It's convenient when I want to have some authentic ramen or pick up Japanese fashion magazines. LOVE!
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Review from Thomas P.
Scarborough, ON
8/10/2010
This place is like a home a way from home for me. The second best place next to going back to Japan. Don't mind the price - it is a little on expensive end.. then again, nothing from Japan is dirt cheap anyway. The service is excellent and the place is clean as you would expect from any Japanese establishment. Check it out .. you wouldn't be sorry. You have my word! ;-)
