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Niwatei
Category: Restaurants Japanese Japanese [Edit]
3160 Steeles Ave EUnit 2
Markham, ON L3R 3W4
(905) 513-6492
- Hours:
Tue-Fri 12 pm - 2:30 pm
Tue-Thu 5 pm - 9 pm
Fri 5 pm - 10 pm
Sat 12 pm - 10 pm
Sun 12 pm - 9 pm
- Attire:
- Casual
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Private Lot
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- No
- Take Away:
- No
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Wi-Fi:
- No
- Good For:
- Lunch, Dinner
- Alcohol:
- No
- Noise Level:
- Quiet
- Has TV:
- No
- Caters:
- No
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
24 reviews for Niwatei
Review Highlights
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"We decided to make the trek up to J-Town for a Friday lunch." In 9 reviews -
"Ramen lovers are a picky bunch." In 19 reviews -
"...area of J-Town, Niwatei is tucked in next to Izakaya Ju." In 3 reviews
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24 reviews in English
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Review from Wendy C.
3/14/2012
Small resto tucked in J Town compound, right next to Izakaya Ju.
Basic decor, casual / comfortable setting. Very friendly service.
Tonkotsu ramen -- one of the best for sure! 5-star worthy.
Gyoza -- a bit dry and bland, I've had better.
Dessert -- Earl Grey flavour chiffon cake was so so; green tea or red bean ice cream was the better choice
Overall 3.5 stars, will definitely return for ramen! -
Review from Mary C.
Richmond Hill, ON
2/15/2012 4 photos
Before actually coming to try Niwa-tei, I had heard mixed opinions about it. Some people really love it, and others don't care for it much. It seems to be that way too if you do a quick google search for Niwa-tei reviews. For me, I would have to say it was a mixed-opinion experience as well.
This restaurant is located in the hidden back alley-way known as Japan Town or J-town. Considering its located right off of the busy street of Steeles Ave, I found the J-town area shockingly peaceful. Once you walk past the chinese buffet and the car dealership, it's like you enter a whole new world. Despite not being exposed, lots of people know about it. Niwatei was a smaller sized restaurant, but was definitely more comfortable and spacious than some other Japanese places like Japango and Inakaya.
The menu is rather simplistic here. Being a noodle-house, there isn't much to order aside from noodles. They offer a selection of about 6-7 different types to order from, but are essentially the same noodles just with either a different soup base, or different ingredients. I really liked that they had pictures of everything on the menu. That way you know exactly what you're ordering. If you have a big appetite like my personal trainer friend Sam, you'd pay a little extra and upgrade to a combo option. This option allows you to choose a side, and a dessert.
Mini Curry Rice as part of the Ramen Set ($12.80)
As a side, Sam chose the mini curry rice out of other options. It was a bit watery but I liked the tasted of it. It wasn't the overly powerful Indian curries, and kind of reminded me of those Korean instant curries that my old roommate in university used to make.
"Miso Ramen" ($7.80) -Miso based noodle soup
This was the ramen that I ordered, and I ordered it with extra corn ($0.5) and seaweed ($0.5). They actually offer butter as an extra add-on here too! My friend Elina swears by it, but I wasn't adventurous enough to try. Regardless the noodles were quite good! They were the perfect chewiness, and had a good bounciness! As I worked my way to the bottom of the bowl, I found I became very thirsty, and that's when I realized that the soup was just all MSG.
Some of my other friends ordered the Tonkotsu noodles which seems to be a popular choice here. I didn't end up snapping a photo of it, but it looked essentially the same as the Miso Ramen, with a soup base that was more of a milky white colour. I tried a bit of the soup and I found it a bit bland and not as savory as it should be. Surprisingly I think I like the one from Nissin Foods () more!
Vanilla Ice Cream with Lemon
This is the dessert that came with Sam's Ramen Set. There are a bunch of other dessert options, but he opted for the daily special which ended up being this. I didn't really taste it, nor am I a big fan of lemon, so I wouldn't be able to give this dessert a fair review.
Overall not too bad of a meal for the prices that were charged. The noodles were made really well, but the soup bases could be better. If you can get past that, I think this would be a really good ramen place. I wouldn't mind this as a quick filling lunch spot if I ever worked in the area. I will also definitely try the butter in my noodles next time! -
Review from Danny T.
North York, ON
1/30/2012
I went here for the third time now since the shop was opened and let me tell you they've really improved! The owners are the same owners as Green Tea cafe and I am always a fan of their Curry Pork Katsu.
My first visit was the week they opened (thumbs down) and 2 weeks later the owner of FAMU (the next door butcher shop) told me they've improved so I went for second (....nahhhh) and Finally i went back there again last week (a year or so later) and saw some improvements.
The Menu have changed to include a bigger selection of dishes (Which i really think they shouldn't as most Ramen Shops you find in japan concentrates and serves only ramen and Gyoza. The result---pretty damn good ramen!!) but I guess the owner has to suit the North American "taste" where it's not about the quality of food but rather the quantity and options and the ability to make choices, create your own combo BS. (ok...enough of my bs)
Despite my previous disappointments, the owner have really improved on the ramen... no way can you compare it to Japan..but pretty damn close!
PS. Nite time always attract 20 - 30 something "cool" HK "Kids" dressed to impress in a $10 ramen shop. Go at lunch time if you don't want to lose your appetite. -
Review from Gloria F.
York, ON
4/23/2012
What a great experience! Small homely noodle house tucked away from the busy streets of Steeles. Friendly and attentive staff, quick food and service.
I disagree with some of the reviewers from before - I think Niwatei is superior to Kenzo. The broth is richer without being too heavy or greasy. The consistency of noodles more springy. The meat (cha-su) were tastier and also larger and thicker pieces than Kenzo.
Small bonus are the options of ordering a la carte ramen, or combining with a set (lots of options for the sets: I think choose 1 or 6 side dishes, and choose 1 of 4-5 desserts). I'm not a huge dessert or gyoza fan (except for one place in Vancouver) so that is not a big thing for me. The quality of the ramen makes it or breaks it for me!
Will be back. Too bad it's so far out of downtown! -
Review from Kat K.
10/19/2011 1 Check-in Here
Niwatei is ok. I think I like Kenzo's broth more, but the deals here are better. $12.80 for ramen, a small appy and dessert isn't much to complain about.
They're pretty busy on the weekend, but service seems to move quickly enough. I liked their miso ramen, but I think the BF's Shiso ramen looked way better. But overall not too bad for a decent bite, and close to J-town supermarket for onigiri snacks in the afternoon!Listed in: 30 days of Yelping, Noodling in Toronto
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Review from Mariko M.
7/23/2011
Came here today for lunch. I had little to no expectations of this place so the crew and I walked in at noon hour thinking that we would get a seat right away. It was p a c k e d ! This place seems to be very, very, very popular with the Chinese population. We waited a good fifteen minutes before we were seated.
This place is simple - in terms of the decor and the menu. It's your typical 'mom and pop' resto. You won't be running to Holt's to buy a dress before dining here. The brains behind this joint (they also work there in the kitchen and as a server) are two of the daughters of the Heisei owners. The concept used is very similar to their mother's Green Tea Cafe - keep the menu simple at a low cost and you will get customers coming in.
I ordered the Chicken Ramen Set, which comes with a choice of an appetizer and a dessert. As an appetizer, I ordered the salad and I ordered the coffee jelly as my dessert. All under $15, it was very reasonable. As for the taste of the ramen, it was a-ok. Perhaps I have been spoiled? I've tried ramen in both Hokkaido and Kyushu (two regions in Japan famous for ramen) so I wasn't blown away by Niwatei's.
Definitely check it out if you're in the area.
I'll be okay if I don't go back.
A solid 3 star ~ -
Review from Karen S.
8/15/2011
A cute ramen place, hubby and I came here because of a deal we purchased some time ago - $10 for 2 ramen sets when we got theatre tickets to see a Japanese drumming show. We didn't even realize what a great deal it was until we got here!
A ramen set is $12.50 each and consists of a bowl of ramen (there were 5 options, I think), a carby snack and a dessert. The ramen... mmm... I had the plain soup ramen. Pretty presentation, so flavourful and so good! To be honest, the bowl of ramen was enough for me for dinner, though hubby would be starving if that was it for dinner. He had the miso soup base, but liked mine better. For the carby snack, I had the beef flavoured curry with rice and he had the vegetable rice. Both salty and very yummy. For dessert, we had the jelly thing and their surprise dessert of the day which turned out to be a small slice of banana cake. I agree with Jennifer K., don't bother with the jelly dessert! Though pretty and very refreshing, it tastes like it came right out of a can.
The service here was good, served with plenty of smiles. The restaurant closes at 10pm on a Friday, and we came in at 9:50pm without realizing it. We weren't chased out and the servers were all seemingly happy to see us even as the place was still completely packed when we walked in. Go figure! The decor was cute and atmospheric. I would definitely come here again, though only for the ramen, which is the best I've had in Toronto. The carby snack was ok, but I could really do without it. The dessert, if ordered on its own outside of the set is $5 each - totally not worth it on its own. -
Review from Archimedes T.
Toronto, ON
This to me is the best ramen place around my area. I have tried quite a few including Ajisen (yuck) and Kyuushu (too much $ for what you get), Kenzo (meh).
This place is a bit hard to review, because I had to figure out what the heck this place was called. I only knew this place as either "the ramen shop in J-Town" or "the ramen shop beside Izakaya Ju" for the longest time.
The service here is exemplary and the taste of the ramen is excellent as well. They don't have much selection here, but I only came here for one thing: good ramen.
I had the pork bone ramen. They had a lot of fix-ins with it but most important is the pork they provide was tender and did not smell or taste like the cheap kind you get from Chinese groceries Foody Mart or T&T.
I usually get a combo when I come here just so I get some filler. Although I really like their curry rice, it isn't something I can stand too much of because of the spice level. Instead I got the mixed vegetable rice and their dessert of the day.
After the meal, I was satisfied with the taste and the portion. It is still quite expensive running at about $15 per person after you pay taxes and tips. However, this is another one of those once in a while cravings for real good ramen. -
Review from Joanne W.
7/31/2011
Located in the adorable little area of J-Town, Niwatei is tucked in next to Izakaya Ju.
The restaurant was okay - simple decor: casual area holding about 30 people with a little bar to overlook the chefs cooking the ramen. Service was okay - doesn't seem very "Japanese."
The ramen was okay as well. I had the soy sauce ramen whilst my friend had the chicken ramen set meal (including the side dish of a "mini curry" - which in reality - was not that mini and a dessert). The ramen was okay - however, I guess I was expecting a bit more flavour in the broth and the ramen was not as soft as I hoped it to be. The curry - my friend said absolutely delicious. The dessert - we had the mitsumame - an amazingly refreshing dessert that has fruit, agar jelly, and a small spoonful of jelly. I think this was the favourite part of the lunch.
All-in-all, a pretty good place to have some comfort food. -
Review from Jaime Y.
Toronto, ON
1/2/2011
First of all, I have to start off with saying that I went to Niwatei the day after returning from a crazy Japanese food eating feast in Vancouver, so my taste buds were a little on their high horses from all the awesome food I'd been eating. I had heard from friends that this ramen place had opened up and my husband and I were anxious to try it. I really really wanted to like this place. But unfortunately, it needs a lot of work to be up to the standards of 4 star ramen place.
We decided to make the trek up to J-Town for a Friday lunch. It was busy, but we got a table right away. Unfortunately, after we were seated we had to wait longer than 5 minutes before getting a menu and we only got a menu because I got up to ask the waitress. I noticed that there were two menus--one appetizer menu and one noodle menu--and the waitress only gave me the noodle menu. I just ignored the fact that we didn't get an appetizer menu because I was sooo hungry. My husband ordered the Chasu ramen and I ordered the shio ramen (with a substitute of chicken instead of chasu pork--no extra charge).
My shio ramen was a little disappointing. The noodles were really good though. The soup base was really salty and left a weird greasy aftertaste in my mouth. Also the kitchen only gave me enough chicken to fit on my soup spoon! I thought that that was a little stingy! Once I started to eat the chicken, I was kinda glad that I only got so little because it was really really salty. The rest of the ramen was okay, kinda skimmpy on the ingredients (veggies, etc.). They wanted to charge us $2.50 for 1/2 an egg! That is ridiculous!
My hubby like his ramen overall, but felt it was way too salty. His meat portion was a little more realistic to the price--with 5 pieces of slow cooked Chinese style pork.
The waitresses were pleasant, but really need to learn how to be waitresses. They seemed a little out of it--i.e. not giving us a menu and not seeing our waving hands when we were trying to ask for the bill.
We probably won't be back to this place for a while, but I'm curious to try the appetizers, so maybe we'll give it a try again in the new year.Listed in: Authentic Japanese Food
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Review from Joe H.
12/23/2010 1 Check-in Here
So continuing on my ramen quest in toronto, I decide to go to the ramen place I heard about at J-Town in Markham. Word of advice, this place is kinda hard to find, it's actually down the alley a bit.
After sitting down and hearing the people that worked there, I knew it was legit because they were all japanese... and they were wearing really cool christmas hats, which looked like you could only get them in Japan if you know what I mean (and yes I asked, and yes they were from Japan).
I ordered the soy sauce soup ramen with a side of gyoza and karaage. Karaage is basically fried chicken (japanese style). It was actually my first time having it, at least being called that.
The ramen was only so-so... The soup base was unimpressive and I had to keep adding a combination of hot peppers and sesame oil to it to make it taste better.
The noodles were quite good though as well as the chashu. The chashu was actually very tender and you could pretty much break it apart with your tongue.
Bad thing though is that there wasn't really very much "stuff" in the ramen with the noodles. For a 7.59 bowl of ramen, there were 2 pieces of chashu, half an egg, 3 sticks of bamboo and 1 slice of fish thing (ball/stick? I have no idea how to classify this). Kinda skimpy if you compare it to some of the other places.
The gyoza was actually pretty good. I'm pretty sure they're homemade; they had a nice thin dough, were crunchy on the bottom and soft on the inside. I would have liked if they were a bit more crunchy on the top and not the bottom, but they were pretty good either way.
The karaage was pretty good. The way they fried the chicken is with a very light batter. My best analogy to how much it's battered is how your skin looks after you lay in the sand at the beach (Sorry i was just in mexico, it's the first thing that came to mind). Otherwise, it was nicely flavoured, however I did find that if you let it cool down it did not taste very good anymore. Try to eat it quickly if you order it.
All in all this place really only serves ramen. I mean there is a udon side of the menu, but most people that come here from the reviews seem to be getting ramen. I'd say that for the price you're paying, you can probably do better.
Maybe if I come back I'll try the pork bone soup base. I have a feeling it may be better.Listed in: Quest for Ramen!
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Review from Patty L.
North York, ON
This place has a lot of things going against them - odd location, limited seating and parking, very limited opening hours - and yet when I came here for dinner on a couple of weekday evenings it was comfortably busy!
They are doing something right because all of these patrons know about Niwatei and they are coming! Thank you Yelp for leading me here! I brought different groups of friends with me on both my visits and everyone was very happy with the food.
Last week I ordered the Tonkotsu Shio ramen set, with the mini curry rice as a starter and green tea ice cream. I ordered the same this week, with a couple extra slices of meat in my ramen ($2.50 extra) and had the fruits and jelly dessert.
The curry rice is very nice - not spicy and is a good filler if you are very hungry. It's a vegetable curry sauce, is not thick and goopy and has a nice homemade quality to it.
The broth in the Tonkotsu Shio ramen is amazing - meaty, and almost milky and absolutely delicious! The noodles have a nice bite to them, and there is a very generous portion in each bowl. The egg is perfectly cooked - and has not been soaked in soy sauce. The meat is nice and lean, but 2 slices in the standard portion is a bit skimpy, and charging $2.50 for 2 extra pieces is ridiculous!
The dessert options are a bit boring. I hate green tea ice cream, but chose it last week after reading Jennifer K's review; took a bite and remembered why I don't like green tea ice cream - so chose the fruit and jelly this time. It's basically cut up chunks of plain gelatin with some bits of canned fruit and a small blob of red bean paste. It's refreshing, but nothing amazing.
The decor is fairly simple - white walls with some cartoon drawings on the wall, a few plants here and there and a maneki neko on a shelf. They play very odd choices in music - today it was a Japanese CD of 80's ballads, last week the radio was tuned onto an Italian station. The waiter was very cheerful and friendly, and our food didn't take long. I find the prices here a little bit expensive, but bearable since the quality of the food here is infinitely better than Ajisen Ramen. The fact that they accept all credit cards is definitely a plus. I'll be back to try some of the other items on their menu! -
Review from Jennifer K.
Markham, ON
8/30/2010 9 photos
I have been wanting to try Niwatei's Ramen for the longest time. But with their limited openings hours (no weekday lunch hours and closed on Mondays), it is really not easy to make the time to go..
Finally, I made the time to visit on a Sunny Saturday at 6 pm... expecting an empty restaurant.. to my surprise it is more than half full and even more coming in while I was eating until it is up to almost full capacity.
Settled for the Ramen Set ($13): Tonkotsu Ramen, Gyoza and Japanese Jello.
The Tonkotsu soup based is really milky, full of favour and the flavour is quite complexed. I could not resist drinking the soup... yes it sounded strange why I don't usually drink the soup of Ramen, as some restaurants served soup that is so salty, so heavily favoured by MSG that I just could not make myself drink it!
The noodle itself is quite chewy.. have a nice bite to it. The 2 slices of BBQ pork just have a hint of the charcoal taste and they are nice and lean....
The Gyoza is ok... when compare to Kenzo, I definitely prefer Kenzo's a lot more... Though I really have to give restaurant the credit to realize that Gyoza should not be deep fried.. or double/tripled deep fried.... yuck. BTW, using vinegar as dipping sauce did make the dumplings as it is served in Niwatei.
Skip the Jello dessert... I want to scream to the people next to me when they ordering the Jello dessert, pick the green tea ice cream please!!!.. Though it is nicely presented but basically it is really canned fruits (how I hate canned fruits) with some tasteless jello and a spoonful of red bean mashed served lukewarm.
I would definitely be back when I have cravings for some Ramen if I have cravings again!
They accepts all credit cards! -
Review from WaYnE c.
Maple, ON
7/29/2010 8 photos
I came here for a specific purpose only, RAMEN! Inside the space the decor was bordering more towards an attempt to provide some atmosphere but not completing it fully. There were cartoon hangings on the wall as well as a couple shelf structures with miscellaneous items displayed such as plants.
We were asked what we wanted and I said WATER while my friend said Coke. For some reason the waitress didn't seem to hear him and said Water and it was for the better because Coke and other beverages here are $2.50 each. We were given wine glasses for our Water.
Ramen SOUP base options: Soya Sauce, Miso, Tonkotsu.
Topping options: Egg(Half/$0.50), Corn($0.50), Chashu(3 Slice/$2.50)
There are Ramen Set Menu as well which is choice of Ramen and Appetizer, Dessert. We went outside of this for some reason and got Chicken Soya Sauce Ramen($7.80) & Gyouza($5.80), and Tonkotsu Ramen($8.80) & Kaarage($6.00).
The Ramen came first and the soup base was A-OK however I actually LIKE the noodles although I can't say I love it. The noodles were the appearance(Shape & Color) of instant noodle and had a bit of CHEW to it. The Tonkotsu base was pretty good as well, although it doesn't have that addictiveness level I like my Tonkotsu to have. The Soya Sauce base was just as good, nothing negative to report here.
I asked the CUTE server why they don't open during weekday lunches and she said it was because it is a SOFT-OPENING so there is hope yet for others that want to try this place in the future. The price point is not very friendly or kind as even basic Ramen without toppings are roughly $8.00, maybe there will be adjustments for their Grand Opening.
The Kaarage was TASTY and cooked perfectly. The Gyouza had that thin dumpling skin and fried crisp but not crunchy crispy. Other patrons had the Set Menu and I saw a dessert bowl that was funky transparent blue and red colors however I have no idea what it was.
There were about 3 Cooks in an open kitchen with bar-seating available just like Guu where you can watch them create the meals and 3 Servers that cover about 12 tables.Listed in: Oishii, Pull my Noodles - Korea +…
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Review from Vivian L.
Scarborough, ON
5/6/2011
Initially I went into the plaza because I wanted something from Nakamura bakery, but it was closed so I defaulted to this place. I had pretty high expectations because I thought "well everything else in J Town is so good, cause it's authentically Japanese, why shouldn't this one!" They also posted a newspaper article regarding their ramen which got me excited! To be honest my only other ramen experience is Ajisen, and I thought this "authentic" place must be waaay better.
I was kind of wrong. They had a very limited menu, especially compared to Ajisen, and the soup base was kind of bland. Some may argue that maybe this is b/c they have no msg (not sure if they do), but personally I think broth can be flavourful with or without msg. I ordered the ramen with miso soup base which came with half an egg, 2 slices of chasu, and some corn and beansprouts. I was excited to see that the egg is cooked just right (medium rare, kind of hard to find in a restaurant), but i bit into it and it was flavourless =(. I prefer the soy egg from Ajisen. I somewhat salvaged the egg when I submerged it in the soup though. Also the noodle quality of the ramen looked very instant noodle-like. It had a good texture, but I still prefer Ajisen.
Overall I think this restaurant was a miss, despite a really good atmosphere and a friendly waitstaff. I know some of you might be appalled that I am a fan of the Ajisen franchise as opposed to the rustic and little ramen shop, but for a similar price Ajisen offers me more food, and more flavour in comparison. I also question the authenticity of Niwatei's ramen, 'cause I heard that Japanese ramens are supposed to be a bit thicker, but hey I can't really make a call on it since I've never been to Japan.
Lesson of the day: Just b/c it's Japanese people making Japanese food, doesn't mean it'll be really good!!
Note: I know I mentioned Ajisen alot, but I swear I'm not affiliated! It's just the only ramen place I've ever had, and I like to compare b/w similar experiences in my reviews. =) -
Review from Steph L.
1/19/2011
It's hard to find a good ramen noodle place in Toronto... and I'm still searching.
Located in the J-Town complex, this small restaurant is getting a lot of attention. This small eatery has friendly staff and a basic menu of noodles and appetizers.
~Appetizers~
We ordered the kaarage to share. It was crispy, lightly battered, and enjoyable.
The curry rice was Japanese curry sauce and a few vegetables served with white rice. Pretty unimpressive looking and pretty average tasting for a curry that probably came from a can to my plate.
~Main: Tonkotsu Ramen ~
The ramen itself wasn't bad. Noodles were chewy and perfectly cooked.
Not a lot of meat or anything else in my noodles. The broth was milky but tasteless.
~Dessert: Japanese Jello with Fruit ~
I should have read Jennifer K's review and gotten the ice cream.
The jello was indeed tasteless, accompanied with a few pieces of canned fruit and red bean paste.
I ate the paste.
And the search for good ramen continues... -
Review from Joan L.
Mississauga, ON
9/28/2010 1 photo
I stumbled across Niwa-Tei based on a fellow FB's friend foodie blog roll.
I don't really have much to say about this place. The décor is simple. The service is adequate (they greet / seat / serve you accordingly). I can't say I am impressed with the selection.
I did order a bowl of Tonkotsu ramen and it was like everything else: adequate. The broth was tasty and milky (but nothing truly spectacular). The meat was tasty and tender. The ramen was not chewy enough and tasted OK (instant noodle like). The portion was very small for the price. I was still hungry.
I would not return. I prefer Konnichiwa (go check out my review). -
Review from Tony F.
7/8/2010
Ramen lovers are a picky bunch. If you don't believe me just do a Ramen search on Yelp and you'll find that most people who love this simple, delicious, cheap, soupy noodle dish will have zillion bits of feedback to provide. From the texture of the noodles to the levels of flavour in the broth. Ramen is all in the details much like wine and coffee.
If you're looking for an alternative to Ajisen or Kenzo, this is the place. Tucked away behind J-Town, Niwatei offers fresh noodles and the Tonkatsu based broth I tried was very yummie.
They just opened last week and their menu is a bit limited right now, but I had their set for $13 where you get a choice of 3 broths and a bunch of appetizers. I had their hand made Gyzoa to go with my meal and a japanese jello & fruit dessert.
The GTA needs more good quality Japanese Ramen houses so I hope this'll be the place that finally everyone can be happy with. So far so good.Listed in: Omnomeriffic Yum! (TM), Date night
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Review from Jay Y.
North York, ON
8/15/2011
I love this place. Its quiet and the food and service is really good. I think the owners are Japanese and they really know how to make great Ramen. I lived in japan for 2 years, and have been disappointed with the quality of Japanese noodle places here in Toronto. This is as authentic a place as you can find without flying over to japan to find it. Just remember to slurp your noodles loud to get the full experience :P
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Review from Amy L.
6/24/2011 6 photos
Niwatei is a ramen place located right in J-Town, by Steeles & Victoria Park. J-Town is a complex consisting of a Japanese supermarket, book store, salon, bakery, and a few restaurants, including Izakaya Ju, Cafe Green Tea and Shiso Tree. In between the two buildings is a nice pathway with a small waterfall and a few benches. Ruby and I arrived early to check out the supermarket and grabbed a few end-of-day sale items. It is a bit difficult to find certain shops/restaurants because of the set-up, so you really have to search for the store signs. While we were waiting inside Niwatei for Eric, he calls me and tells me he's lost, lol ;D He asked me to come out and find him; I laughed hysterically :D I opened the door, only to find him a few feet away with an oblivious facial expression (I'm sorry Eric, that was way too funny for me to leave out in my review :P). My visit to Niwatei was actually my very first time in J-Town. Yeah, how is that even possible right? I've passed by it many times on Steeles, but I never once stepped inside this complex. I still haven't given Izakaya Ju a try yet, surprise surprise, but it's definitely on my restaurant list. I'm a much bigger fan of sushi/sashimi than izakaya or teppanyaki :)
Niwatei has a very narrow menu since they're dedicated to making their specialty ramen. They do; however, offer Udon and appetizer such as edamame, karaange chicken, and salad. There are only 4 different soup bases available for their ramen: soy, shio (fish), miso, and tonkotsu (pork bone). Price for each order of ramen ranges from $7.80 - $9.80. I find the Ramen Set to be a much better value as it includes your choice of ramen + side + dessert for only $12.80. The classic ramen is made up of a soy-based soup with Chashu (pork slices). I opted for the Tonkotsu Ramen with a side of Gyoza (Japanese dumplings) and their dessert of day, a slice of Génoise Cake.
The Tonkotsu ramen had two slices of Chasu, fish cakes, half of a boiled egg, scallions, and pickled ginger. I liked the dense texture of the noodles and they were cooked just right. I found the pork bone soup to be on the mild side without enough flavour to it. This soup base was very mediocre in my opinion, and I definitely expected more since the entire staff at Niwatei are Japanese. I would've liked a more intense flavour to go with noodles.
My side was Gyoza that had ground pork inside. It took a while for these to arrive and again, there was nothing special about them. Surprisingly the gyoza at AYCE Japanese restaurants tasted even better than these ones.
Ruby's side, Mini-seasoned beef with rice was average in quality as the beef was slightly tough. At least the flavours were good for this mini-bowl of rice and it was a good deal to have been included in the set.
Chicken Karaange is basically fried chicken pieces that can usually be found in Izakayas. The ones here were really tasty and piping hot. When you bite into them, the chicken "shreds" might stick to your teeth so you'll need a tooth pick after devouring these :) All three of us enjoyed these succulent chicken karaange.
Dessert of the day was a slice of Trio Génoise Cake with layers of matcha green tea, vanilla, and blackberry. Let me explain what a Génoise cake is. When baking goods, the leavening agent, baking powder and/or soda, is required for them to rise. They also give them a light and fluffy texture. In the case of a Génoise cake, the air in beatened egg whites help to create that same texture and increase the volume of the cake. That's Baking102 for you ;) Anyway, I found this cake to be pleasant and I could distinguish between each flavour. The blueberries were even placed according to their size; from smallest to largest :)
To conclude, the word mediocre would best describe Niwatei. I really wanted to like them since the waiters were very courteous and I liked the ambiance. But as you know, food is the most important factor when reviewing a restaurant. Unfortunately I'd have to bid them farewell and try other ramen places in the city ^^Listed in: Japanese Restaurants
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Review from Jay Y.
North York, ON
8/15/2011
Trying to find a good Ramen place in Toronto is pretty hard. Which is why I was so happy to find this place. It is japanese owned and operated right in Little Japan. The taste is very flavourful and authentic Japanese. Great to settle the stomach after a night of drinking :P
Its worth the drive to Markham especially since alot of the other Japanese noodle places are not Japanese owned and operated. -
Review from Erwin M.
8/15/2010
I learned of this place's existence through this website so Thank You Yelp for this one. While its not the best ramen I've had in the GTA, just knowing that I've got another ramen option raises my level of joy one notch.
It isn't difficult to rate this place, it's better than Ajisen for sure but not better than Kenzo. As always I had the tonkotsu ramen because fat = tasty. The chashu pork slices were a bit of a disappoinment. After hours of simmering, I'd expect the pork to be ultra tender, almost falling apart as you raise it with your chopstick. This was slightly tougher, so in that aspect, it's worse than every other ramen I've ever had in my life.
However, as any ramen lover would know, its all about the broth, and although I found it a bit salty, it definitely filled my tonkotsu ramen craving that day. For that, this place is A-OK. -
Review from Susu H.
Toronto, ON
9/2/2011
Really? This is the best I can get for ramen in the GTA? I can just go buy and make the packet of tonkotsu ramen myself and save the $14. Please dear god, someone tell me that a good ramen shop exists somewhere around here!
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Review from Tina N.
Toronto, ON
12/5/2010
I came here accidently wanting to try the sushi restaurant directly across from Niwatei but because it was closed, I hopped a restaurant over. As soon as I entered the restaurant, I was seated promptly and took a good look at the menu. I ended up ordering the tonkatsu ramen combo which comes with an appetizer and dessert - I got the curry rice and jello w/ fruits. Everything was pretty good. Yummy curry! As for the ramen, the broth was quite bland but the noodles were soft and crunchy - still the soup could have used a pinch more of salt and chasu slices could have been better. Verdict, good ramen that's soothing and is good to eat on a cold day. its very fast/filling and under $10!
