Manpuku Japanese Eatery

This is a good for a cheap meal. Don’t bring your date here.
Food is average.
Get the Kake Udon and add $ 2 to make it a combo (choice of 2 sides from salad, 3 pieces of takoyaki or takosen, chips or soup). $ 6 total and will make you full.

Delicious! I came here with high expectations from their high reviews and they did not disappoint!
I got a Yaki Onigri and a Ochazuke to go and the waitress kindly offered me a menu and cashed me out. I see that they have regulars that they know by name!
I waited maybe 10 mins for the food. She neatly packed the boxes and said «thank you for waiting» when she handed me the food — how kind.
I didn’t realize that the rice from the Ochazuke is the same rice from the Yaki Onigri. The soup is a mild roasted tea; I can go without it though: P
The rice, though quite oily, is packed with flavour and lots of soy sauce. There’s flavour from the grill and the meat inside. I must admit, it’s so flavourful at first I never had anything as tasty as this, but then I realized how salty it was because I was drinking so much water afterwards. Eat in moderation lol.

i come here mainly for the takoyaki. its really good considering they actually make them with the proper cookware, unlike other places that just fry them from frozen. friendly staff, i havent been there in more than a year and i was so surprised they remember my name. (i was so ashamed of myself for not remembering theirs)
this joint has a special place in my heart.

Cheap Japanese food that’s small in portion and mediocre in quality, I got the hotate rice and I wasn’t too impressed, the rice was dry including the scrambled eggs, there was suppose to be some scallops but I barely got any, should have asked for more teriyaki sauce
My mom got the beef udon, it was alright nothing special, at last we got the octopus balls, totally not worth it, there was barely any octopus and flavorless… quite disappointed, this place used to be good

I came here again with the same friend nearly 1 year after my first visit. I was surprised to see so many people waiting for Manpuku to open, but I guess that’s just a sign of how good it is.
I went for the kake udon again (I’m cheap ok?) and got the takosen + salad combo option with it for an extra $ 2. The kake udon once again, is delicious. They don’t skimp on noodles but there’s a lot of soup so when you look at it you wonder if you’ll be full or not from it. By the end of the meal though I was totally full, like pregnant full. The takosen to my tastebuds and eyes is no different from takoyaki except there’s 3 balls instead of 6 (but think of the price difference!!) and the salad was very good; dressing was light so I think it was pretty healthy but taste was fantastic as well.
It’s a very relaxing place in the morning especially because I went when classes had already ended. I’ll be coming back when school starts again, to use the glorious food of Manpuku to heal myself from the pain of student life.

Food is nice, Best Takoyaki and udo noodles around, but beef with rice is a let down. Service is ok but can be improved. Hey Japanese people, you need to smile! It is a deli so I do not expect much. I would give 5 stars for a deli but 4 for a restaurant

The hotate rice was fantastic. The curry was good. The takoyaki looked really good, but we haven’t tried it yet.

I have bookmarked this place for a while now. Finally had the chance to check it out last week. Manpuku is located in a food court, I entered from McCaul street with the doors next to Grange Green Farms store. You have to walk a little into the food court to find it.
The store is not too big but it has a small bar table area, tables on main floor and then another small area on a higher floor (kind of their second floor). Service is generally prompt and polite, and you pay at the cashier.
I ordered the niku udon noodles with beef and takoyaki. I wasn’t really a fan of the niku udon, it was pretty bland and while takoyaki was very big in portion… the sauce they put on it was a bit too much, too salty. However, I guess it’s a good option if you are just craving takoyaki and are on a budget. Portion is pretty big in comparison to other places. Oh and I was told by my friend and staff that takoyaki will take 20 minutes to make but I guess I was lucky because they gave it to me in 10 minutes. Just something to think about if you plan to get it.
My friend ordered the ramen and chawan mushi and said it was fine. Again, not amazing but will do if you are on a budget.

I’ve been coming to Manpuku since it first opened — the quality has gone down over the years, but it’s still my go-​to place for simple, cheap eats. I went most recently on a Saturday around 1pm with two friends and it was easy to get seated as it was pretty quiet. What we ate:
Takoyaki (6pc to share): The last couple of times I’ve ordered this, the octopus bits were significantly smaller and the bonito flakes were more like crumbs. This used to be their best dish — not anymore.
Curry Udon (beef): Old faithful — everyone loves this. It’s more like a soup curry than a thick sauce, so it’s lighter than one would imagine. The udon was soft but chewy, and the curry was flavourful but not overwhelming. There was a generous helping of beef and veggies which were cooked to the right texture.
Ochazuke: More specifically, yaki onigiri chazuke — two grilled rice balls stuffed with salmon in a green tea + dashi broth. It’s more filling than it sounds! There was less stuffing than before though, and I found the grease from the grill a bit overpowering for what used to be a subtle dish.
As usual, the staff were friendly, attentive, bill splitting champs. Overall, we paid less than $ 10 each for decent, filling food in a comfy, calm setting — it’s hard to find restaurants downtown like this these days. To the owners: the menu prices have never changed and my wallet thanks you for that. But I would be more than happy to pay a bit more if the ingredient quality could reflect the old days

Great cheap Japanese food! Try the amazing ramen with udon, delicious!

Manpuku is my ultimate go-​to for quick, cheap and delicious food — and I am so thankful this restaurant is a one minute walk from my office!
This place is definitely a hidden gem, literally hidden somewhere in the back of the Village by the Grange food court. Quality of food is great, price is so amazing, and the service is fantastic (your food is out no more than 10 minutes after the order is in)
My ultimate fav are the Curry Don and Curry Udon. The curry is so good, it is almost addictive (trust me many of my friends whom I’ve introduced the curry to, are now addicted to it!)
I have also tried their takoyaki in the past, and I thought they were alright, especially at that price point! However, most of the times I usually just end up ordering the Curry Don/​Udon!
I’d definitely reco this place to anyone in the area –such a great place for when you’re craving Japanese food and don’t really want to pay the big bucks!

After eyeing this restaurant on Unilocal for a couple of days, I had time to visit this place this weekend. First of all, the customer service is great, the servers are polite and apologetic when one of the dishes we ordered was late (and gave me a candy as a sorry, lol).
The seatings on the other hand can accommodate groups, pairs, and singles depending on how busy it is or you may have to wait.
Now for the dishes we ordered, its ⁵⁰⁄₅₀. Heres why:
Unagi Don — the fish was soft and flavourful because of the sauce. It was served in a decent amount of rice but the garnishing of seaweed was a little too much for my liking as it overpowered the actual dish. Its a good dish regardless but I felt like ALSO that the sauce soaked the eel a little too much… if you like saucy then this might be for you, I wouldn’t personally order it again.
Shigure Don — this was an interesting dish as we never had it before. It reminded me of Gyu don because its made and looked the same, but this dish is slightly different in taste from one or two ingredients. There was a lot of meat and it was very tender. Very filling. My partner liked it.
Curry udon — I surprisingly liked this one. It had a very soupy consistency, and not overwhelming while eating it. The udon was really soft and chewy and the beef was tender too. I recommend this dish. I would get it again.
Tofu cheesecake — tasted okay but it wasn’t at all creamy and it was hard to cut through it (I mean, tofu and cheesecake are basically easy to slice but not this one ironically). I think its been sitting on their fridge for awhile. Its a shame though. It had potential. Wont order it again.
Overall, it was an okay experience. This is something like a fast dining experience more than anything because the food was, afterall, made quick and easy. I would come back here to try their other dishes in the future.

Manpuku=cheap+comfort food
3.5÷5 food
5/​5price
4/​5service
I would never think of manpuku when I want to treat myself a nice meal. However, I would come here if I am just looking for a quick and cheap meal (quick as in it wont take long to decide what to order). For the price point everything on the menu is great, always well executed. Their food reminds me of the comfort foods mom would cook at home, nothing fancy, but good and satisfying. There are so many elaborate (overpriced) food in Toronto sometimes I forget how to appreciate simple sincere food like these. Manpuku is certainly providing some quality food for the students and (starving)artists in this area.
Wait time here is terrible during meal times, especially lunch hours. But the wait staffs are always friendly and attentive. I love the snack size items on the menu, I can have more than one dish and not getting too full.
I would recommend Manpuku, but don’t come here expecting mind blowing food, take it as if you are coming home for dinner after a long trip.

3.5÷5
This was one of the only times in my whole life where Google Maps failed me.
I walked up and down McCaul trying to find an entrance to this place. It turns out that you have to enter the plaza that has a food court in it, and the entrance is inside.
Once I successfully located the restaurant, I met up with a friend, and a peculiar thing happened — there was a 30 minute wait, even though there was an empty table, and the entire upper section was dark and not being used: S. The hostess then told us that we could sit outside of the restaurant at one of the food court tables, so we decided to do just that.
I ordered the Hotate Rice — rice bowl topped w/​scallop and egg ($ 8.99). Though it was pretty simple, I definitely enjoyed it. The food in general seems to be pretty simple but good, and cheap (key word).
I definitely want to come back and try more things on the menu.
Also, follow my food instagram:

Not that impressed by the food here. I love takoyaki, so I try it whenever I can. The takoyaki started out promising at first glance. They are pretty large with the right sauce and toppings, but then you cut into it and find out it’s 95% dough. You have to really search for that little tiny piece of octopus in each one to taste something different. Also, it wasn’t really seasoned inside, relying mainly on the sauce to give it flavour. There has got to be better takoyaki in TO, this can’t be the best there is.
My friend got the shigure don. The portion was generous but it was literally a pile of shaved beef on rice. No slice of onion or drop of sauce in sight. It just seemed a little dry to me. The winner of the night was the tofu nuggets. They were a step up, with a great crispiness outside with a good texture on the inside. But 1 out of 3 isn’t a good score…

Walked by at least three times before finally finding the restaurant. It is located inside the foodcourt across form OCAD. The price is really good for downtown Toronto and food is tasty as well. My personal favourites are the udon bowls and takoyaki.
The service is sometimes slow, depending on the availability of the dishes you order. One time I had to wait 15~20 minutes for takoyaki. The ventilation of the restaurant is not very good and thus it gets really stuffy at times.
This is one of the few Japanese comfort food restaurants in Toronto. Would return next time I am crazing octopus balls.

After having such a great first experience, I decided to come back today for a quick dinner. Unfortunate to say, this second experience was a little disappointing.
The tofu nuggets were great — they reminded me of those fish-​shaped tofus you get at hotpot/​asian supermarkets, but the yakitori don was subpar. It was lukewarm when served to us so the rice was already getting a little hard and the sauce of the chicken skewers was starting to coagulate. It wasn’t that tasty and I wouldn’t order it again.
Solely from this experience, I would give a ²⁄₅ rating but since my first experience was actually really good, my averaged rating for this restaurant would be a ³⁄₅. It seems to be a real hit or miss.

Hidden away at a food court near Art Gallery of Ontario, this place is good for trying Japanese food other than typical sushi, sashimi, ramen and udon fare. Service is friendly; portions are decent; and prices are inexpensive.
I was hoping to try Takosen, because I usually like senbei (rice crackers) but alas, they were out of takoyaki, beef and chicken. Really, no takoyaki, beef or chicken on a Saturday evening? So, I got adventurous and ordered a ground pork rice bowl and infamous Nattō Gohan. The waitress kindly warned me by asking if I knew what nattō was. I just wanted to try it, because I heard that it was good for you.
Nattō definitely required an acquired taste. It reminded me of Korean fermented soybeans stew called Chung Gook Jang. Only because I’ve had Chung Gook Jang a couple of times a long time ago, I found nattō at least edible. I was able to finish about one-​third of it, but if I had an unlimited amount of time and an unlimited amount of side dishes to clear my mouth of that taste, I might have even finished the whole dish. My date could not stand the smell nor the taste of nattō. He spat it out after daring me to take a spoonful of nattō with him lol. This is what I expect your reaction to nattō will be as well. The minced pork rice bowl was of course tastier of the two. I didn’t really enjoy these dishes but it was fun to try something new.

Came here with a friend, attracted by the cheap prices claimed by Unilocalers. This place is hard to find, we later realized it was inside the OCAD food court.
We got a variety of snack food: 2 types of takoyaki, fish cakes, and onigiri. The takoyaki takes awhile to cook as it is made fresh, the other dishes came quickly though.
The service was not bad, sometimes they took a long time to come around. They didn’t give us utensils or plates until we asked.
In total it ended up being about $ 10/​person, not bad at all. The takoyaki ends up being quite filling between two people.
Next time I’d like to try the noodle dishes seeing as the portion sizes are quite large.

I felt so disappointed about Manpuku… Four-​star rate was actually overrated! It’s true that the restaurant provides various kind of Japanese cuisine but the quality of food was not good.
Some reviewers considered the prices were very cheap. But I don’t think so because the portion was very very small! Can you imagine that there were only ten pieces of vegetable leafs in a salad? And the tayoyaki (actually I ordered Takosen, but the staff told me they have no senbei! So it became three pieces of flour balls) was almost full of dough with only a tiny octopus inside. And mayo sauce on the top was just a little. Yakionigiri was just two lighted fried rice balls with little tuna inside…
Staff appeared to be too busy to listen to your requirements, atmosphere in the restaurant was in a messy.
I definitely would not go back… What a pity! I had expected for a long time!