The udon noodles were very good, but the service is a bit slow and the ambiance is extremely…read morecramped unfortunately. We'd probably go back if it was less busy and the service was quicker.

Excellent udon just one street over from a main street. There may be a wait, but it moves quick…read more Most of their tables seat 2-3, although the accommodated us - a party of 4. Good service, udon was delicious, and tempura was perfect! Great choice for a cold and rainy Paris day!

I was shocked when I read Takara is the oldest Japanese restaurant in Europe. I thought they were…read morecappin, but my rigorous 5 minute google research says this is true. It only opened in 1958, which sent me into an existential spiral. A city that is such a cultural melting pot like Paris, and Europe as a whole, got their first Japanese restaurant in 1958? The world has not been connected for very long. I don't know why, but this really put time into perspective for me. When we stepped off the Parisian streets and into Takara, it literally felt like we just entered a worm hole to Tokyo. They somehow bottled the energy in Japan and brought it to Paris. You could take a breath in here. There was just such a calming, respectful energy in here that I have only felt in Japan. When making a reservation, you are required to order either Shabu Shabu or Sukiyaki which honestly was kind of annoying. We just wanted to rip a bunch of sushi. 52 euro a head was the cheapest option, and we went with that because I'm a brokie. We sat down in the most authentic Japanese ambiance that I have ever set foot in outside of Japan. I was so damn inspired. One of the walls was lined with 70+ different types of beautifully crafted Japanese wallpaper, and I wanted to steal it and bring it back home to line the walls of my tiny NYC apartment. Along with our forced shabu shabu, we went with a mixed nigiri platter, 3 different cut rolls, and some fried chicken. My Chase Sapphire Preferred card was in hell. The nigiri and cut rolls went absolutely insane. The thing about writing food reviews is there are only so many positive adjectives in my repertoire. It was better than any nigiri I've had outside of Japan. Maybe the quality of fish has been the same in LA or NYC, but the vibe in here just took it up a notch... See, my words are futile to describe the feeling this fish gave me. I would honestly love to hate on the shabu shabu that we were held at gunpoint to try, but it was also PHENOMENAL. Maybe it's just a case of Stockholm syndrome, but it was magical. Thin cuts of beef with the most perfect marbling, paired with fresh vegetables to cook in a hot pot right in front of you? How could you not love it? The waitress came over and got us started, showing us how to operate the shabu shabu machine. All in all, this was my 2nd favorite meal we had in Paris only behind the Senegalese restaurant Waly Fay. However, Takara did HURT the pockets. I don't even know how much it ran, I just winced as I tapped my Chase card. I'm refusing to look at the statement as it's all just monopoly money on vacation, right? IG @johnny.novo Tiktok @jnov__ Substack @johnnynovo

The oyster, hotpot & chicken karage are amazing. Service is…read moreon par, very cozy location.

TL;DR: Authentic Japanese udon and a must-try…read more Wow what a surprising spot! We were looking for a refreshing Japanese spot amongst the pyramids and couldn't resist stopping here. The food is mostly various Japanese Udon soup, but it is done so well we were blown away. We have had a lot of Japanese food in the US and countless trips to Japan and this is some of the best we have had outside of Japan. The owner is from Kochi, Japan and the food is authentic. We took the shrimp/vegetable tempura, katsu curry udon as well as the kunitora. All came out together and piping hot. The katsu curry udon was outstanding and definitely a do not miss dish. The katsu was so crispy and cooked to perfection. The dish itself was very interesting because there was a healthy portion of curry poured over the soup that the meat sits on top, then as you eat, the curry and soup mix more, and you get a rich delicious broth at the end with all the udon. The tempura was done well. We also had matcha ice cream which is texturized with various cereals on top and bottom of the ice cream as well as a tasty crispy wafer. The service is quick and effective, they speak English well and were so nice. The place is busy so be prepared to wait 10-20 minutes for a spot - it is well worth it. The atmosphere is a really nice open bistro with modern design and classic rock and pop 80s-90s music. It is mostly community style seating, which some may not love, including myself, but in this setting I couldn't care less.

Authentic udon in a charming cafe - space is small and cozy. The wait (10-20 minutes) is worth it…read more Friendly staff and tasty shrimp tempura udon. Generous portions, reasonable pricing. Get the lunch set add-on. Street window seats are the best - one of my favorite Paris memories!

Walking around Paris and we ended up in a Japanese district. At this point, my wife and I were so…read morehungry and we were down for anything. Although we do love Japan and we've been there numerous of times so you can't really go wrong with Japanese comfort food. My wife ordered the curry ramen and the portion was huge! I could have shared that with her to be honest lol. I had a few bites and I really enjoyed the flavors! The noodles were really soft and the curry was on point. I ordered the gyu don buri bowl. A simple meat and rice dish. It was really good and such a simple flavor and that was all I needed to keep me fueled for more exploration around Paris Lol.

Was excited to come here due to all the positive reviews and the menu offerings. We arrived just…read morebefore 7 on a weekday and there was no wait, the downstairs area was fairly empty. We sat at the bar in front of the okonomi cook station. The okonomi we ordered was probably the best thing. The katsu don was fine (hard to mess up don). The soba was terrible. Noodles were overcooked, sauce bland - didn't even finish because it was so bad. Our server was also lackluster - couldn't even deliver food to the right person, dropped it and left. Also, food comes out whenever it does so don't expect to eat together with your group. Disappointing as we were really looking forward to aKi.

I was really craving udon today, but since Sanukiya was closed :(, I had to pivot and try this…read moreramen place. I started with the 1/2 torikara (karaage/fried chicken). Honestly, this might be the best karaage I've ever had! Kid you not! It's perfectly seasoned, super crispy, and no sauce needed. That's how good it was!!! You have to try it! Next, I tried the "petit" shisen don, which came with marinated minced pork, half of a soy marinaded soft boiled egg, and a large serving of rice. Like too much rice... The minced pork was very flavorful! Last but not least, I ordered the nabeyaki udon. It came with one shrimp tempura, boiled chicken, and egg. The broth was rich and comforting, but I was a disappointed by the shrimp tempura, it wasn't as crispy as I'd hoped. I don't know if it was even fried... Service was a bit slow and the dishes came out in a random order, but overall it was a decent meal.

Staying at a hotel close by, I always wanted to eat at Kintaro, a place that almost always had a…read moreline at the door of hungry waiting folks. Going for lunch right at the opening hour provided us with a bar table at the window and food that came quicker as it might need to cook. It was decent but nothing that would explain a line. Would I go back? Yes, but definitely not standing in line for it.

As a college student studying abroad in Paris, my nephew collected his favorite places to eat in…read morethe neighborhoods that he most frequented. Omusubi Gonbei was the quick place to get his favorite riceballs when in the area. We stopped into a fast moving line, where we saw the riceballs flavors that we wanted, and paid by credit card. We took the tuna fish (mine) and salmon (his) for a total of $6.89. After another stop, we walked over to the nearby gardens to eat them while sitting on a park bench. It was cold and a bit windy this day Paris winter day, but the riceball had stayed warm and provided some surprisingly good nourishment. Sometimes you don't really know you needed something, until you have it in your hand (and stomach).

I got a spicy chicken and a spicy tuna. Both were warm and fresh. I wish it had more filling but I…read morethink you feel like that with all onigiris. Very quick service, very small place.

I've walked by this place many times but was always a tad bit nervous about going in. The line is…read moregenerally long and it looks like it's a very homely joint for those who are frequenters. When I passed by here on a Sunday afternoon at 2pm and the place looked relatively empty, I thought to myself - this is it! I love japanese cafe's like this in NYC (I've never been to japan), where they have different sections for hot food and cold food and ready made food. The hot food section provides you with a selection of ready made bentos as well as a selection of bentos you can choose from and choose your own three small sides. Each bento is approximately 10EUR plus or minus and the portions arent too big. I asked the cute guy serving what he liked and he told me the kaarage, or fried chicken, or poulet frite. So that's what I got, and my friend got the chicken teriyaki, or chicken grille. We were both extremely happy with the food. The best part is that the rice is real japanese rice. sooo good. There's a little cafeteria on the inside with jugs of water, another upstairs area for seating, and another upstairs area for general japanese snacks and alcohol for purchase. The sushi section is pretty cool too, providing you with sushi stuffed with the chicken or breaded pork (katsu). I definitely wanna try that next time. Um they are opened 7 days a week, even on xmas and new years! This is a real japanese joint, rant by japanese people, and good looking japanese guys manning the cooking section. Love it!

Used to come to this joint every time I visited my sister in Paris, like, daily. It was within…read morewalking distance from her apartment and so a very convenient alternative if we did not feel like cooking in her tiny miniature kitchen. (That is, even among all the other yummy options I could have had in Paris, I had to eat something from this place everyday to feel complete.) Now that my sister has relocated I really miss this place. I love love love their karaage chicken (may well be one of the best outside of Japan). And whatever that celery+bacon appetizer they have, is so flavorful and a must-try. Everything is very affordable and super authentic. I regret not taking pictures of our bento boxes so that I can just salivate over when I dream of you, Jujiya. C'est très bon!

Was taken here for lunch and was really excited to try a Michelin guided unagi restaurant whose…read moreJapan version carries 1 star. Had the 130g BENTO SATSUKI which was Teo stacked lacquered boxes containing shirayaki (70g plain grilled eel), homemade tofu, umaki (Japanese omelet), simmered vegetables, pickled daikon radish with shiso, and grilled eel with sauce (portion of your choice), served with rice It was nice but not as good as its reputation. Eel flavour a touch bland and I didn't like the homemade tofu flavour. Overall ok but good portion Service was nice and friendly. Not special though. Decor was traditional Japanese.

extremely salty probably due to the elder chef losing his taste in his age. The service manager an…read moreolder Japanese lady from Kobe was very arrogant and refuse to listen to feedback.

Unexpected Hidden Gem! We stumbled upon this ramen spot after finding long waits (over an hour) at…read moretwo other popular places nearby -- and we're so glad we did. The food was excellent. We ordered the miso and spicy miso ramen, gyoza, and half fried rice -- all were flavorful, authentic, and satisfying. Service was quick and courteous. As self-proclaimed ramen snobs from New York who've also traveled to Japan, we were genuinely impressed -- this place beats at least half the ramen joints in NYC. Highly recommend if you're craving a solid bowl of ramen.

don't go here. my friend and I went today and sat up against the kitchen and in the span of 3…read moreminutes we saw three! different cockroaches. we hadn't even ordered and after seeing that I would never try anything from this place..additionally the bugs were running around the take out boxes so be aware! N'y allez surtout pas ! Mon ami et moi y sommes allés aujourd'hui et, assis près de la cuisine, nous avons vu trois cafards différents en seulement trois minutes ! Nous n'avions même pas commandé et, après ça, je n'y remettrai jamais les pieds. En plus, les insectes se promenaient dans les boîtes à emporter, alors faites attention !

My friend were lucky enough to dine here without a wait! The other day we came back and there was a…read morewait for 1 hour which is insane. This place does seafood broth based ramen and I could not wait to try it. First off the decor is very unique. It looks like you just stepped into a outdoor Japanese seafood market with fish, eel, crab hanging around (fake of course). We sat down and ordered right away since we were both starving. As an appetizer I got the edamame which was steamed fresh with flakes of salt. Very delicious. I got the lobster bisque based ramen. It was very rich with great flavors. It came with sliced duck breast, citrus flavored scallop, a soy sauce egg and other veggies. One of the most flavorful ramens I've ever had. I enjoyed every bite and slurp of it! My friend got the sardine shoyu ramen which came with two slices of sardines. He enjoyed this as well. We were very happy with our meals and the staff was so nice! One of my favorite meals I had in Paris for sure.

Incredible decor that really does feel like you are at Tsukiji market in Tokyo…read more Surprisingly didn't have to wait while trying to get in at 7pm on a Tuesday. The line got long shortly after though. Had the following: GYÔZA KODAWARI: dumplings that are deconstructed. Don't know why the called these dumplings. They aren't. Just deconstructed noodles with "filling". Calling them dumplings just sets expectations and makes the presented form annoying. NUTA DE GAMBAS BIO DE MADAGASCAR OSO : nothing carpaccio about this. It's slices of prawn on sushi style rice. It's more like a loose sushi than a carpaccio or any type. SARDINE SHOYU RAMEN: delicious and unique flavour. Haven't had this anywhere else before and it's done very well here. Strong flavour, not salty. I had the egg and chicken chashu add in. LOBSTER RAMEN: there is no lobster meat in this and they make sure to tell everyone to avoid misunderstanding. The flavour is strong and very nice as well. BLACK SESAME MINI DORAYAKI: it was ok. Not special though. Daifuku: looks like it was bought outside and just put on a plate. Overall, both ramen were very good and a unique change. The appetizers and desserts were disappointing though so I'd suggest to skip those.