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- Hours:
Mon-Wed 11:30 am - 8 pm
Thu-Fri 11:30 am - 11 pm
Sat 12 pm - 11 pm
- Attire:
- Casual
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Price Range:
-
$
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- No
- Take Away:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Good For:
- Lunch, Dinner
- Alcohol:
- Beer & Wine Only
17 reviews for Manpuku Japanese Eatery
All Reviews
Manpuku Japanese Eatery
6/22/2010
2 photos
I love that you can get a decent meal here for about $10. It's tucked in a corner of the Village on the Grange, across from OCAD and a quick walk from St. Patrick subway station.
The udon is good - the noodles are a good texture and the soup broth is delicious! I wasn't impressed with the takoyaki balls - they were mushy and not nearly as good as the ones I've had in Vancouver and Japan.
That said - the location is convenient for when I'm downtown so I'll be back! The "balcony" part of the restaurant seats about 16-20 people so if you call ahead that area can be reserved for a party but there is very little privacy.
Manpuku Japanese Eatery
Updated - 7/24/2010
7 photos
I came back for their special calorie-free noodle. Was it worth the 2$? No. It didn't taste special. And I am not a dietitian, but I am pretty sure the only calorie-free item on this planet is water.
Also, the salami curry is odd as hell. I don't have a pic (camera was in the office) but just a heads up: it barely has curry taste. The ketchup and mayo completely overpowered the dish. The salami was too salty. Yuck.
1 Previous Review: Show all »
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4/13/2010
This is yet another staple resto on my dinner/lunch rotation. I have been here ... maybe 4 times… Read more »
Manpuku Japanese Eatery
5/12/2010
1 photo
Located and tucked in Village on The Grange, Manpuku may be a over-looked restaurant. You're greeted with a smile right when you walk in.
I ordered a curry udon with pork (which was absolutely cheap for about $5.99). If you add two bucks on top of that, you get a "combo" where you get a choice of two out of chips, salad, soup, or takosen. I decided to opt for the salad and takosen. The salad had a bit of crunch to it - so it was pretty interesting. The curry udon was delicious -- I was craving Japanese curry -- so it was nice and filling. There was quite an amount of pork. My friend ordered the curry udon with vegetables -- the vegetables were disappointing as they were just mixed frozen vegetables.
My favourite was actually the takosen (a takoyaki between two senbei). The takoyaki was slightly softer than my usual takoyaki, but it was a nice touch to the end of my meal.
Keep in mind that if you come here, you would have to wait a bit for the takoyaki/takosen - takes about 20 minutes or so for it to come to your table.
All in all - it was very worth the meal that I had. I was really full, and the food was delicious for a lunch time meal! Will visit again!
Listed in: In search for the Best…
Manpuku Japanese Eatery
7/31/2010
A small, cozy place inside a pretty unpleasant mall. Nevertheless, the decor is clean and inviting, and the staff are friendly and keep filling up your cups with tea or cold water.
Food was good, I had curry udon, my mom the miso chicken udon, and my sister had some rice dish. The soup/broth was made very well, and the noodles were tender and done just right. The takoyaki we had took about 20min, which the server let us know beforehand, but when it finally came out it seemed a bit rushed since there was no crispiness to it at all, just very mushy congee like texture...which was disappointing.
My other complaint is that there is no AC...which is brutal because there is no ventilation whatsoever and also no draft/fresh air (since it is inside a mall).
Manpuku Japanese Eatery
4/21/2010
*2.5 Stars*
The UDON is decent, as good as the frozen packs I get at Asian Markets which are about $1.00 per individual serving. What I cannot replicate(YET) at home is the balance of the Soup Base, or at least I haven't been that dedicated to attempt. I have BONITO Flakes in the cabinet waiting tho.
In terms of Takoyaki, my ranking at the moment is the following:
1. Street Stall @Tokyo Nakamise Dori (Japan)
2. Food Court Takoyaki @T&T Middlefield - TIED
2. Food Court Takoyaki @First Markham Place(Closed) - TIED
4. Manpuku
5. Guu (or similar)
I won't go in details but if you wish you can message me about this List-like List UTL(Unofficial Takoyaki List). The ones I had this FIRST time, It was FRESH and HOT however it didn't hold the shape and the texture was too soft almost Gooey but better than Guu's Frozen Bagged Re-Fried.
The service was NICE as the ladies did refill our tea from time to time. There is VALUE as well only if you do not like to PREP and CLEAN at home attempting to re-create a similar Udon item, especially the CURRY Flavour.
My friend pointed out that the Udon wasn't STEAMING hot, and he was right. It was hot enough but NOT hot enough to make SLURPING the Udon necessary, which I always believe is part of the reason for the Noodle Slurping Culture(NSC) so to COOL the Noodle down.
The UDON here is a very Close Relative to the one I had at NARITA Airport in Tokyo. I'm not even sure if that comment is good or bad, whatever...
Listed in: Pull my Noodles..., Oishii
Manpuku Japanese Eatery
2/25/2010
This place is GOOD. Ever since I went there once with Catherine L., I couldn't get this place out of my mind. Since then, I've tried to go there 2 or 3 times, and each time I was thwarted by either getting there too late, or one time, by a roaring private party.
Today, not only did we get there on time, there were no too hip too cool parties to hinder me from what I was craving - gimme my warming bowl of noodles on this chilly day! I had a bowl of their regular noodle soups, replacing the udon with the 0 calorie yam noodles. The broth was light and delicious. The noodles were chewy and yet crisp, with a very pleasant feel on the tongue. For an extra $2, I added a salad and the takosen . So good! For dessert, we got the ice cream mochi which is an ice cream ball surrounded by a glutinous rice cake layer. There are four flavours - green tea, mango, red bean and chocolate. Mmm... a great way to end the meal! I left with my belly warm and full, extremely satisfied and my desire unquenched for another go at the yumminess that is Manpuku.
Credit cards accepted, friendly, attentive service, and they sell durian flavoured candy at the counter. Eeps!
Manpuku Japanese Eatery
1/10/2010
There are lots of options at the Village by the Grange food court, but Manpuku and Gallery Sushi are the only two sit-down restaurants of which I am aware. From the outside it looks like the seating area in Manpuku is tiny, but when we entered we discovered an upper level with more tables.
The menu is mostly in Japanese, or English renditions of Japanese, and not very descriptive. Luckily, they provide pictures of the food, so you can take an educated guess at what you're ordering. The waitress was also very happy to answer our 457 questions about the food options so that we could decide what to order.
My rice with beef was larger and more filling than expected, especially for the low low price (around $5). For slightly more you can make your meal a combo and add a couple of appetizers. A few people at my table ordered the Takosen - something I had never heard of before my experience at Manpuku - with their meals. (As described in other reviews, Takosen is Takoyaki served between two shrimp rice crackers.) The waitress warned us that it would take a while (this just means it wouldn't be served instantly) because it was made fresh once ordered. It was well worth the wait! I dare you to try it!
If you're adventurous and like good value for your dollar, Manpuku is a great place to dine.
Manpuku Japanese Eatery
3/22/2010
Great alternative to Guu instead of waiting 2 hours in line, this small little place under the Grange on McCaul is very good and serve the same izakaya type food.
Be sure to get the Takoyaki (order it first, 20 mins wait, but worth it). Also liked the Curry Udon. They have a limited menu, but there's something there for everyone. Also be sure too check out the specials on the wall .
I also was able to call ahead and ask them to save a table for me while I was heading there. They don't take reservations.
They don't open Sundays and Mondays, and close early on some day.
Manpuku Japanese Eatery
2/20/2010
Very solid noodles. One of the best udon I had. The curry beef udon and the pork udon were ordered.
Curry udon had a nice curry flavor, very prominent but not overbearing and the beef was good as well.
The pork udon had good soup. Flavourful and very clean tasting. Pork had good flavour too, not overcooked.
I love takoyaki and these ones were certainly satisfying...very long though. The T&T at Middlefield (um...I think) had pretty much identical takoyakis and theirs did not take foreeeeeever.
The bathroom is very clean so people, go with ease!
Manpuku Japanese Eatery
Updated - 11/5/2009
Business has been booming for our friends at Manpuku, but can it be that their popularity has given way to slightly lackluster-leaning food? Most notably, their takoyaki (which requires patrons to wait "at least 20 minutes" for, even on a weekday) has the "balls" to be served SANS octopus. Every single otherwise flavourful, but much more mushy morsel, was missing it's star ingredient: the ball of octopi (?) that should have been snuggled within.
And the response upon payment? "Oh... sorry." And yes, they charged us. Lucky for you, Manpuku, you've won me over before, and I have faith you can redeem yourself.
1 Previous Review: Show all »
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7/10/2009
This place is so solid and that is partially due to the fact that the staff here are actually,… Read more »
Manpuku Japanese Eatery
6/10/2010
I have been here and tried many dishes on their menu. My favorites are still their curry udon and curry don. Their takoyaki or takosen and shigure don are also pretty good.
Don: their rice dishes are all very tasty, but the only problem I have is that they don't cook their rice very consistently. It's either mushy or too hard and while my brother has had decently cooked rice mine has always been one of the above. Shame.
Udon: their udon is amazing and while you can tell that the noodles were frozen, it doesn't make much of a difference as, in terms of homemade udon noodles, these are the best in Toronto. Shipped flash frozen straight from their noodle manufacturer in Japan.
Curry: it's homemade and contains trace amounts of msg. I have a sensitive stomach for such so this is a very pleasant surprise.
Takoyaki/Takosen: it's pretty good. Could be better and I prefer mine with larger pieces of octopus. I've actually gotten some which contained either no or trace amounts of octopus such that I couldn't even tell if I had any while eating it. This could be a good thing for people who aren't very familiar with octopus, however.
Onigiri/Yakionigiri: i've had better but I don't care much for onigiri in the first place.
The other thing to note is the price for their dishes is amazing. Very competitive with the other food in the area yet this food isn't prepared in advance.
Manpuku Japanese Eatery
10/30/2009
Awesome Japanese restaurant in the Grange Food court. Thoroughly modern with rock solid noodles and great prices. Order the Takosen (Takoyako served on a Senbei, obviously). They're like grilled calamari smores, served between shrimp crackers, made to order, and served piping hot. The portions here are enormous and the service is fine. I shall return.
Obligatory Title Pun: MAN that's some good PUKU.
Menu Readability: Perfect. Giant white on black laminated broadsheet with easy-to-read descriptions and pictures of the fare. Veggie dishes are color-coded.
Need to mention: The place is bigger than you think. There is lots of seating at the back.
What this place teaches me about myself: I think I'm turning Japanese, I really think so.
Listed in: Village by the Grange Food…
Manpuku Japanese Eatery
11/4/2009
I'd heard nothing but amazing things (admittedly all from Tammy Y.) about Manpuku, so I was beyond stoked to finally wrap my frozen paws around a big steaming bowl of udon. Now, the only problem I had was that besides the bowl, nothing else served to me could actually be called sizeable. You know that freak flush of the toilet when only half the water returns and you think to yourself that something weird is going on? That's what I felt like when I was presented my half bowl of noodles.
My friend's beef don was reportedly awesome. It reminded her of this very specific and unbeatably delicious oyako don of her childhood. My other friend's beef udon was apparently also awesome. Both the udon and the toppings in his bowl were more than double that of the ones in mine too. Strange, but I'm not complaining - just telling it like it is.
The two measly slices of sweet tofu skin in my noodles were inari-like and indeed sweet. They could have really used some veggies or other space-filling sidekick. For two extra bucks, I got a tangy and colourful salad and a miniature bag of "chips" (crushed instant noodles). I would highly recommend allowing the extra 20 minutes (how long it takes for the custom order to be prepared) for your meal and getting the takoyaki in your combo instead.
A word of caution: It was sweaty like a sauna in the restaurant. Arrive prepared, dressed in layers. Sweat moustaches might be sexy, but they may also alter the taste of your soup.
Manpuku Japanese Eatery
11/23/2009
I was so excited when Manpuku opened up in Village of the Grange in my neighborhood. It's a nicely decorated place - clean and spacious, and the menu is CHEAP. For $4, I can get a steaming bowl of udon noodle soup. For $2 more, I could pick 2 things from the following options: salad, miso soup, takosen (which is Takoyaki sandwiched between 2 shrimp rice crackers), and chips. I always pick either salad or soup, and the takosen. I am addicted to the takosen! There's something perfect about the combination of a hot octopus ball and crispy light shrimp crackers. So much so that I had takoyaki at another restaurant, but when I realized they didn't have shrimp crackers, I bagged it to go and bought shrimp crackers from manpuku just to eat with them. And they were infinitely improved. :)
I went again recently and found that they have added to their menu where you can substitute the udon noodle with another noodle that is supposedly 0 calories. Not sure how that is possible, but it definitely made me feel better about straying off my grapefruit diet. The noodle is white and chewy, and actually quite tasty. My friend I was dining with said they offer that in Japan too (she used to travel there a lot on business), so it's still authentic japanese food.
So I left there having only spent $8 on a bowl of low calorie noodles ($4 + $2 noodle substitution), salad, and takosen ($2 combo option).
Another note - the takosen does take 20 minutes from the time you order, but I don't mind since I just start eating everything else and it comes well before you are done your meal, and I know it's fresh!
Manpuku is definitely a staple for japanese udon noodles that's light on your wallet. The curry is pretty good too.
Manpuku Japanese Eatery
8/10/2009
Oh Manpuku, where have you been throughout my university life?
Manpuku gets it down right as an eatery. Easy on the wallet, generous portions and an upbeat atmosphere with friendly service.
The menu moves away from the sushi, bento box and noodles that are common in Toronto's Japanese restaurant scene.
However, not so many veg-friendly choices, but then again Japanese cuisine was never super generous to vegetarians and the definition of vegetarian in Japan includes the consumption of fish. I'm pretty sure soup is made from fish stock. But a little compromise never hurts.
Manpuku definitely is one eatery that I'd return to for food that I love.
Vegetarians be warned: Ochazuke, although labeled as veg-friendly, does contain chunks of fish. It's still delicious though.
Large groups of 5+ be warned: it's a small place and like Tokyo, space is a premium and limited.
Manpuku Japanese Eatery
10/26/2009
Love the decor, quirky ambiance, and the fact that it's REAL Japanese! Sorry, but it really makes a difference. Kake Udon and Edamame - PERFECT. Prices are awesome. Easy on the wallet is an understatement. I think they would do better if they had some signage outside though. A better location would drive more foot traffic. But maybe it's better this place remains a best kept secret? This place reminds me of Curry House in J-Town LA. What else can I say? I'm a fan!
Manpuku Japanese Eatery
9/13/2008
Had the Pork Udon, Takoyaki, Ice Mochi, and the cookie.
The Pork Udon wasn't really anything special but decent. The pork was a bit different then what I'm used to seeing in pork.
The Takoyaki was pretty good. It seemed a bit heavy on the flour side but since I'm not a Takoyaki expert I can't say if that's good or bad.
The green tea ice mochi was really good. I particuarly enjoyed that dessert. The cookie was good as well, wasn't very soft (which I prefer) but it was different. It was white chocolate and some other ingredient.
The atmosphere was pretty good though it seemed a bit thin for a Thursday night. All in all, a good cheap meal that I will definitely be going back to.
