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Kenzo Ramen
Category: Restaurants Japanese Japanese [Edit]
522 Yonge StreetToronto, ON M4Y 1X9
Neighbourhood: Downtown Core
(647) 340-2112
- Hours:
Mon-Sun 11 am - 11 pm
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Takes Reservations:
- No
- Delivery:
- No
- Take Away:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Wi-Fi:
- No
- Alcohol:
- No
- Noise Level:
- Average
- Has TV:
- No
- Caters:
- No
12 reviews for Kenzo Ramen
12 reviews in English
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Review from Jon O.
5/19/2012 2 Check-ins Here
Ramen is hitting this city like a nuclear explosion (too soon?)
I haven't tried many of the new ramen joints so I can't compare, but for a reasonably priced and (up until now) unique soup in the core I recommend either of Kenzo's locations.
The menu is small and simple. You'll be getting ramen noodles in soup with a variety of extra, some spicy, some savoury. If you order a non-spicy dish they'll happily bring you their chili powder to bring it up to taste.
Again, I'm no expert, but I happen to think their tacoyaki is top notch. Love it.
Great in the winter when you're looking to warm up or if you want to clear your sinuses....or really just anytime because it's delicious. -
Review from Alan W.
2/25/2012 1 Check-in Here
My girlfriend and I came here on February 24 at around 2PM. When we arrived, the place wasn't that packed and only 3 tables were filled. After we sat down, a mob of people came in and almost half of the restaurant was filled! After we were seated, we took a quick glance at the menu and decided what to order. Our waitress was very attentive and took our orders promptly. I went with the Nagasaki Champon (Seafood) and my girlfriend went with "The Kings of the Kings Ramen" (she's so fancy)! I also ordered the Matcha Green Tea Smoothie.
My green tea smoothie took about 10 minutes to come out and it was kind of too bland for me. It had a milky but not too sweet green tea taste. It was good, but just not my kind of drink. Our food came out probably around 15 minutes after we ordered it, which isn't too bad. My seafood ramen was awesome, mostly because I love seafood and the soup base tasted great. It came with a decent amount of seafood (Shrimp, scallops, and mussels) and noodles. One minor complaint I have is that the shrimp should be unshelled, this makes it easier to eat especially when eating ramen...or maybe I'm just picky! As for my girlfriend (she's a picky eater), she thought that it was just okay. They could have gave less toppings, primarily the bean sprouts because it seemed like there were more of that than noodles. Another thing is that she didn't like the smokey flavor of the pork, but that depends on your taste. One thing that we both agree on is that the noodles had a great texture to it, it was an awesome smooth and soft texture.
As for the service, I thought our waitress did a great job. She accommodated with our requests and was very attentive. She came back often enough to not annoy us, but enough for us to request items if we needed. Our ramens didn't come out quick, but it wasn't so long that we would complain. We also got a coupon for 5$ off 25$ the next time we visit :)
Overall, I had a great time and meal at Kenzo. If I am ever in the Toronto area, I would definitely come back here and try the other ramen. Not only was the is service great, the food was delicious as well. Definitely a place to check out if you're around the Toronto-Downtown area. -
Review from Brian T.
1/6/2012 2 photos
I'm surprised the ramen craze hasn't hit Toronto like it has New York. So, in a city relatively starved for decent ramen, thank goodness for Kenzo, which is actually serving up a very respectable bowl of noodles.
The noodles are nicely chewy, and they have a rather wide variety of broths on offer, as well. The Tonkotsu broth is savory and creamy. The miso broth is well balanced, and not overly salty.
My suggestion, however, is the King of Kings ramen, an irresistible, spicy broth with a nice variety of toppings, including 2 kinds of seaweed. All of their ramens are topped with a nice amount of sprouts and scallions, which I appreciate.
Although there is occasionally a brief wait for a table, they are very friendly here, and the washroom is very clean. One word of warning: skip the tea, which is just a teabag, and they charge too much for it. -
Review from Xi Y.
Toronto, ON
5/19/2012
I like Tonkotsu Miso Ramen and the king of the kings ramen, the soup of Tonkotsu is better than the king of kings, but king of kings is like a value pack, you have everything in it and the quantity is big.
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Review from Jennifer K.
Markham, ON
This Kenzo Ramen seems to be solo eater's heaven!
Not only it has tons of tables for 2 which are perfect for single, there were in fact 5 tables of single while I was eating there.
Wait staffs are a lot friendlier than the other locations I been to, especially the Dundas location.
My Netsu Ramen ($8.95) level 3 spicy also a lot spicier than the one I had in other locations?! The noodles were chewy and cooked al dente.....really warmed me up on this cold winter's night!
Another great Ramen location if I have a Ramen Attack!!Listed in: Japanese Restaurants in the…, Ramen in Toronto!
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Review from Nao C.
North York, ON
1/3/2012
The Kenzo chain in general is "OK". Don't let that deter you, I don't mean to attach any negative connotations with "OK", I really really just mean it's OK. Considering ramen options in Toronto in general, it's pretty good.
I like the atmosphere of this Kenzo a little more than the other ones. It's easier to be seen by waiters than the one on Dundas and it feels less gaudy than the one on Bloor. Every time I've been there it's also been quieter, with parties usually from 1~4 people. This might be why the waitresses are sometimes distracted talking to each other though, and they don't notice if you're looking expectantly their way with your meal done right away.
I usually just opt for their more basic ramens. My main complaint about Kenzo ramen is it's got too much going on. Too many bean sprouts, too much saltiness to the broth, etc. I can't taste that hearty pork bone flavour in the tonkotsu ramen as well as at J-Town because of this. As a solution I always order shoyu or shio ramen and water down the broth with some water.
If you're a ramen newbie, don't worry, the food is still pretty good. If you're picky about your ramen, you may not be too impressed by Kenzo, but it's not too bad, especially when you're really craving some ramen. -
Review from Emily H.
11/8/2011
I freaking love Ramen. Authentic Ramen. But since I am no longer flying to Japan every weekend, I'm a beggar and not a chooser now, am I? And what are ramen beggars left with? Kenzo.
This new location used to be the home of Bowl, a pan Asian restaurant (and shall I mention I served there for a while? ha). The new owners did not change much in terms of layout/design. The location gets + points because it is simply much more spacious than the Dundas location, but - points because it feels a little less like a Ramen House and even less authentic (wow didn't know that was possible).
Food is alright; the menu is identical to the Dundas one. I could go on and on about how ramen in Toronto is just not good enough and too expensive (I am SUCH a ramen snob, even bigger than I am a sushi snob)... but seriously when my choices are as slim as Kenzo or Ajisen, I still regularly - albeit half-assedly - satisfy my cravings at Kenzo. Now I just have a location that is even closer to my home!
In terms of side dishes, they are really average. I would recommend to just stick to the noodles, and don't try their "fancy" green tea drinks either. My personal favourites are always Miso, and Tonkotsu. But guys, you really gotta go to Japan.
Atmosphere - 2/5
Service - 3/5
Food - 3/5
Price - 3/5Listed in: 30 Day November Challenge!
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Review from Mauricio A.
Toronto, ON
11/15/2011
I love soups and sometimes ignorance can truly be bliss.
I know my way around Pho's and Pork Bone soups, however Ramen, I can't say much except that I enjoy them. As such, I do happen to like Kenzo.
Both times I have been there, the new location has been mostly empty --including dinner time here, so I would take most people don't know about this location yet, even though it is listed on their website.
The first time I was there I had a Netsu Ramen which --with limited experience found to be very tasty. The second time I had their Orochong ('cause youth love it ;-) ...which I found good but I actually preferred their Netsu better. Mind you that is a matter of taste, not quality.
On a positive note, the waiter came after our meal and asked what we thought of it. If perhaps it was too salty or if there was anything they could do to improve the dish.... WHAT? Really? For better or worse, I cannot even remember when was the last time I was asked that in a restaurant. It was appreciated, however due to my lack of Ramen experience, I really could not give any meaningful feedback.
As far as quality, I could not how "authentic" it was. I could only assume that it is not. But unlike places like Pho88, where their pho is neither authentic or that well made, this simile of Ramen was quite delicious given it's lack of authenticness.
If you have never been to Japan then I very much recommend this place. However if you HAVE been to Japan, chances are that you know better and probably just come her because the selection in Canada is so slim.
Having said that, I will keep an eye for other Ramen places to expand my palette. However next time I go back, I will have check out the King Ramen. -
Review from Tee Jay R.
Toronto, ON
11/24/2011
One of the few viable options on Dundas between Spadina and Yonge St., and a plausible destination at which to recharge after a day of horrible, horrible, but unavoidable shopping in the Eaton Centre or visiting the AGO if you don't want to venture into Chinatown, especially in the dead of winter. I've been twice, and I don't see why I won't be going back several times.
The King of Kings ramen is rich, spicy, and chock full of crunch and tasty tidbits, including sliced and ground pork and a nice egg. The servings are *humongous* -- bring an appetite, or prepare to be defeated and exhausted as you dive into a bottomless bowl. The noodles are passable; I've certainly had better.
My friend, who recently ate his way through Japan, said it compares favourably with what you'll get at most places there, and I would rate it just slightly lower than my favourite of all time, Saiwaii Ramen in SF.
The Osaka octupus balls are *insanely* rich, and even six is far too many for two people, consisting as they do of soft cheese (I only found out later that this is what they are made of ... glad I didn't know before I ordered them ... also since when do Japanese dishes involve dairy?!?) doused in super-sweet teriyaki sauce. I loved the shaved dry octopus on top. Oddly, they were a little bit like small melted, spherical seafood okonomi (PS: see my review of Okonomi House for the genuine article).
This is not a cheap fill-up, but it's probably the best value in this neighbourhood (which exploits suburban shoppers who don't want to venture too far from Yonge & Dundas when they come to town), and even worth a visit if you live elsewhere in the city.
The tables are small, and it's pretty busy, so I can't really recommend it for a party of more than 2-3. -
Review from David B.
Toronto, ON
4/1/2012
I got the Netsu ramen in medium and boy was it spicy! Next time I'm getting mild. It was still decent although I'm not a fan of the noodles. Decent portion size. I tried the Tonkotsu Ramen as well and I preferred that. The broth and meat were delicious in that one. It seemed a bit small especially for the price.
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Review from Danielle L.
2/10/2012
Because there is no half point, I gave five points. It worths 4.5 points. I like their ramen variations. I had Tonkotsu ramen and it was good. The soup base was port bone and it was yummy. One of my group had Yakisoba and it seemed really delicious. It's impressive to have a good Japanese ramen in the heart of Toronto and the price is also reasonable. It is recommended, definitely.
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Review from Kay L.
Toronto, ON
