On an udon crave lately, decided to try out Hinode in Richmond. It is very spacious inside with light wood decor and a beautiful Japanese backdrop. ** There is currently a 10% discount for lunch Monday to Friday.** The only confusion I had was there was a wooden sign that says to seat ourselves but the sign on the kiosks says 'Please wait to be seated' lol. You can order and pay first via kioski and QR code on table. Or you can order through the server and pay later. The tempura is done perfectly here. Light and crispy. Highly recommend getting tempura of any sort. I had the shrimp and the veggie tempura... really delicious! The duck breast had a nice smokey taste. Soup was served on the side in a hot thermal kettle, so that the udon doesn't get soggy right away. I would recommend getting a separate bowl and eat noodles w/ soup separately (bc if you put all soup in, the udon does get soggy overtime) The lemon cold broth udon was refreshing; it was not sour at all (unless you accidently drink the broth lol). The udon is extra chewy as compared to udon in hot broth. I think I still prefer a yuzu broth instead of lemon :ppp read more

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Finally tried the viral udon restaurant at Golden plaza! We were the first ones there for early dinner but I was quite surprised that the tables were still dirty despite being closed for 2 hours after lunch? We saw the self serve checkout machine by the door but the server also took our order. You could scan the menu and order via snappy but it does ask for "tip" before food is even served. So would it still be considered self serve though? Anyways, we got the duck udon, beef udon, 5 piece tempura and chicken karrage. The tempura batter was thick and oily and I could only taste the batter. I wouldn't recommend though.. the chicken karrage was better and definitely tasted better with some lemon juice. The duck udon was quite smoky and the broth came in a little pot, cute! The beef udon, on the other hand, was rich in flavour but the beef was quite chewy and reminded me of hot pot beef lol Would I come back? Maybe. read more

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It was my second time coming to Hinode. My wife loves it and she was craving Udon on that day. My impression last time was that it was tasty and we definitely needed to come back. During the time between our first and second visits, we also had Udon at the newly opened Marugame Udon in downtown Toronto. We now have a reference and we can say it with high confidence that Hinode is a premium level Udon restaurant and we're lucky to have it in Richmond Hill. I believe there is a huge gap between Marugame and Hinode -- one is just fast food level, and the other one is like a Michelin level udon. The Kake Udon, which is literally Udon noodle with hot fish broth, is a Japanese gourmet. The Udon noodles feel completely different from other Udon restaurants. They are a bit springy and also chewy. The broth looks just like an ordinary fish-seaweed broth, but the strong flavor will surprise you. Both were made to an extremely high level. I am not eating a bowl of Udon, I am experiencing the Japanese spirit, the crafty spirit. There must be a lot of people who don't know this restaurant yet, given that it is next to a Michelin recommended restaurant, Pho Le. However, I truly recommend you come to Hinode to enjoy premium level Udon. read more

Hinode Udon and Tempura - Japanese Near Me - Richmond Hill, Ontario

Had cold bukkake udon with duck. The bukkake didn't have a lot on top, just green onion & egg. The noodles were on the firm side, the egg was soft boiled & the green onion was fresh. The soy sauce seemed very light. The duck was pretty nice with some char. It wasn't the usual smoked duck breast. Normally you can order at the machine like in Japan but it was broken. read more

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Always delicious this place. Add more more items to my photos because we had so much yummy food. The service is always pleasant and nice. The space is clean and welcoming just like the noodle bars in Japan. You even get to order from the little machines on the side like in Japan. Love it! I hope this place sticks around for a long time because I used to dislike udon. This place brought me a new love for it. read more

I love udon so this place caught my eye and I've been meaning to try it for a while. I went for a casual hangout with a friend and it was super tasty! It has a cozy and nice atmosphere with friendly staff. The drinks are self serve so it definitely feels a bit more casual, but the food makes up for it. They make their noodles in house and it was the perfect thickness and had the perfect bounce for me! The broth was delicious as well, the duck had this wonderful roasted flavour to it that surprised me. The price was also super cheap which is a nice change from $30 udon, but depending who you are the portions might also be too small as a trade off. Overall a nice cozy udon spot with great traditional udon! read more

Hinode Udon and Tempura - Beef udon and duck udon - Japanese Near Me - Richmond Hill, Ontario

The food here was servicable and the price was decent and service was good. However the review really reflects that there is nothing special or above average. The restaurant is very averagem it's not particularly great at any item. But not terrible. So if your in the neighborhood and crave this it makes sense. But I wouldn't go out of my way to come here. The price was fair relatively speaking. I think I'm a little disappointed only cause nothing seems great considering this is a restaurant that specializes in only a few items. I was expecting some wow factor. But it doesn't have any. Its clean cut and that's about it read more

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I'm honestly surprised by the mid reviews that others are posting. Udon is supposed to be a Japanese comfort food, not something ultra amazing or innovative. Hinode Udon and Tempura offers just that. They have the basics and the staples - and that's all that you really need. It's definitely a very Japanese-esque aesthetic inside. You order at a kiosk, serve yourself tea/water, and sit until they bring you the food. No need to tip either. What more can you ask for? The restaurant itself is also run by Japanese people. The food itself was quite tasty. I believe they make their own udon in-house and while I do prefer a bouncier noodle, I can appreciate that it's definitely not frozen premade udon (I make enough of that at home lol). I ordered their basic udon and added some pork belly on the side. The pork belly really made a whole difference - the smokiness is honestly the star quality. If you're looking for something super amazing, go to Mikaku down the street. If you're looking for something to hit your udon craving or need something comforting, Hinode is the place. read more

Hinode Udon and Tempura - Japanese Near Me - Richmond Hill, Ontario

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Quite enjoyed it! Their noodles are made in house and broth served on the side. It was pretty busy, so instead of waiting for a table, we opted for the solo-dining booths next to each other. Ordering can be done through QR code, kiosk by front, or with a server. Reminded me of Japan in some ways, where you have minimal interaction with staff aside from them bringing out your order. Self-serve in terms of getting your own cutlery, water, and seasonings like togarashi, and returning your tray after. Not sure what's the difference between their Duck Breast Udon and how I ordered, but I saved a few dollars. read more

Hinode Udon and Tempura - Solo dining table - Japanese Near Me - Richmond Hill, Ontario

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Our second visit here, the first one was a very 'meh' experience but we attributed it to possibly opening jitters so we decided to come back because we have seen business picking up. Changes that have happened since our first visit: - you can now order via the kiosk near the front door, the QR code at the table, or with one of the servers (hard copy menus can be found at each table. Menus are in English and Chinese - drinks (water and tea) are now self serve - utensils are self serve What was ordered: Plain Udon (7.99) Assorted tempura (11.99) Beef Udon (about 16 bucks) For 11.99 you get 2 small shrimp, a small bundle of enoki mushrooms, a small piece of eggplant and a small piece of sweet potato. While the tempura quality was quite good 11.99 seems steep for what you get. Portions in general on the smaller side. I am generally a light eater and felt just right when I walked out. I love the business idea and I know things are expensive now but the price of some items just seems crazy ie. 1.25 for extra topping of green onions. read more

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Comfort food alert! Honestly, such a great spot that scratches the itch. My fianceé and I love Japanese cuisine, and truthfully udon is one of our all-time favourites. Hinode offers a simple yet delicious menu of udon varieties (hot vs cold udon, curry vs broth vs tempura). We got the Curry Beef Udon and the Duck Breast Udon. If you've never had the former, imagine a thick coat of hot curry that envelops each strand of udon as you slurp the noodles. This is definitely a heartier dish that will warm you up in the cold. Hinode does the curry well - not too thin so it's watery, but not too thick so it feels like a paste. The Duck Breast Udon came with a pitcher of deep umami broth paired against the perfect char on the duck breast. Feel free to pour as much or as little broth as you desire! One downside we felt was that the udon noodles were slightly overcooked, but nevertheless remained a chewy texture. Hinode truly feels like an authentic restaurant run by a Japanese team. A simple, inexpensive menu that focuses on elevating the udon itself. Complete with an ordering kiosk, self-service hot tea & water, and an area to return your own dishes, this place hits on all the right places. read more

Hinode Udon and Tempura - Curry beef udon. - Japanese Near Me - Richmond Hill, Ontario

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This place is located in Golden plaza on the north side of Hwy 7 and Bayview Avenue. It's very basic here, when you walk in there is a sign with instructions on what to do and a kiosk where you can start your order. You can also grab a table first and order from a QR code. Udon noodles are made in house and you can see it displayed on their counter. Noodles start at $7.99 with protein options starting at about $12.99. We arrived on Tuesday at lunch and the place was decently busy. We noticed tables were NOT cleaned or wiped down at any point in our 40 minutes of eating there. Cutlery, tea, cold water is all self serve and located in the back of the restaurant. They also had a long narrow hallway with individual single dining booths set up with small dividers facing the wall, so that's great if you want to eat out but don't want to be bothered. The broth was full of flavor or umami, but the noodles despite being made in house were disappointing as most of it broke as I picked it up with chopsticks. The taste again was decent along with presentation but texture was not there. Service was extremely minimal, friendly but basically non existent in terms of cleaning tables When done eating you also need to bring your tray to the back of the store for return. I noticed folks were also taking the tea pots from the self serve area to bring back to their table to refill everyone's tea, not a huge minus but just didnt like non servers walking around with a hot liquid. Based on food alone I wouldn't mind coming back, but this wouldn't be top of mind for eating out as it was very no frills. If that's your thing this is your place! read more

Hinode Udon and Tempura - Chicken egg udon - Japanese Near Me - Richmond Hill, Ontario

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Quick and food is fresh. Clean environment and not over priced. Great value. Will return read more

Hinode Udon and Tempura - Niku Udon - Japanese Near Me - Richmond Hill, Ontario

Closer to a 3.5 star. The food is tasty and the noodles are really good. The prices were also very fair. We just had a hard time with the ordering. It's very self serve, I think they were hoping to set it up like japan where you pay and get a ticket first, then get your food. The app was glitchy, food said it was sold out but we saw other tables being able to order. Some tables paid after and not before. We had no idea what was going on. We wish there was a bit more interaction with the staff to make the experience a bit better. read more

Hinode Udon and Tempura - Curry udon - Japanese Near Me - Richmond Hill, Ontario

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A really disappointing 3-star review. The udon itself was actually delicious and every bite was a delight. But the Mazeudon was SO underseasoned I wish I had salt in my bag. The togorashi only helped marginally with the flavour. Easily forgivable given the $15 price tag but probably wouldn't come back. read more

Hinode Udon and Tempura - Mazeudon. Needs SO much more salt. - Japanese Near Me - Richmond Hill, Ontario

This is a new udon spot that is similar to the ones in Japan, where you order and pay at a kiosk first and then find a seat. The food is brought to you but you return the trays yourself after you're done. We got the Duck breast udon and the Nikutama udon which is a thick sauce with egg. The prices seem cheap until you realize the portions are quite small. Overall the flavours were good, but everything was a bit too salty. I think it's a good spot for a quick meal or snack. read more

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When we first walked in, we were confused by the kiosk and I thought we had to order there first, but the staff came to tell us we could just order via table QR code. It's a self serve for tea/water and cutlery. It was also a little cold inside from people coming in and out. I got a curry beef udon with an added on spring egg. I thought it would look like the photo, with potatoes and carrots and a fish cake, but alas, all I got was two pieces of tofu. The onsen egg was much more raw than I thought it would be too, still having those thick globules of raw egg whites surrounding the yolk. Everything tasted pretty okay though and I did not get sick. read more

Hinode Udon and Tempura - Curry beef udon + onsen egg - Japanese Near Me - Richmond Hill, Ontario

I had the kake udon with duck meat and a tempura egg, and it was delicious. The broth was on the milder side, which I like. It was served in a thermo pot, which was a thoughtful touch and perfect for a slow eater like me since it stayed hot throughout the meal. The duck meat was tender. The tempura egg was great. It was my first time having a tempura egg served as a whole egg -- the outside was crispy while the yolk was runny, adding great texture and richness to the dish. The portion size was on the smaller side, but the pricing reflected that, so it felt fair. Service was quick and attentive, the seating was comfortable, and parking was easy. Overall, a very enjoyable experience. read more

Hinode Udon and Tempura - Kake udon with duck meat - Japanese Near Me - Richmond Hill, Ontario

The waiting system is very inefficient. You grab your own number and they have no idea how many people are in your group. There were a lot of two seat tables available but they did not seat people for just two. We walked to them to get seated for the two of us. Food was very mediocre - have had much better udon elsewhere. Mine also had egg shells in them. The tempera was good and crispy however. read more

So happy to have a udon place uptown woohooo! I was a little confused with the different ordering systems and how it is self serve cutlery and tea/water but then they would also bring it for you/refill for you haha. We got there early and there was plenty of seats but it filled up quite quickly for sure. We ordered via the QR code on table (same if kiosk) and paid at time of ordering. You can also order via the staff. There were menus on the table. Ended up getting a cold udon and added side orders of duck and chicken karaage and the niku beef udon. We really enjoyed the duck while the chicken was hot and fresh but just okay. The udon was so good and we wished the portions were a bit bigger but otherwise amazing. Will definitely be back again!! read more

This restaurant has great food and price is affordable. It's self serve for utensils, water, tea. It's pay first and then you get your food. The seating area is aesthetic. There's also a single dining area. read more

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3.5 / 5 stars, but Yelp doesn't do half stars so rounding up. Came back for the maze udon - definitely better than the oyako don and very filling! The order came pretty fast too. Good for a place for a quick bite alone or to chat with a friend. read more

Hinode Udon and Tempura - oyako udon - Japanese Near Me - Richmond Hill, Ontario

I loved this experience! Brought me back to Japan asap with their pay first (touchscreen stand) semi-self-serve option. You then get to choose your seats, and the server will bring your meal to you! You can't forget to go grab your utensils and green tea/water at the self serve station as well. Once you're done eating, you bring it to the back where you drop it off and that's it! It was early when we went for dinner so it was quiet and the ambiance was soothing. The noodles were fresh and bouncy, just the way I like it too! Would highly recommend both the beef and duck udon. And am definitely gonna want to return to try their dipping udon option next time! read more

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