Cafe Green Tea

Love their curry pork katsu! The pork is very juicy and delicious. I love how their curry is a bit sweet and not very spicy. The rice is perfect, not too hard and not too soft.
I have been to this place for over 10 times and their quality of food are always the same. The service is good. The cashier always has a smile on her face and speak gently to the customers.

I’ve known about this place for a while now, but seem to come to all the surrounding restaurants every time I’m in J-​town. Finally got a chance to check it out for lunch on a Sunday, craving curry and katsu. The restaurant is set up cafeteria style, complete with clearly labeled menu overhead, self-​serve water jug and numbered wood blocks to take back to your seat as you wait for your food to be delivered to you. The space is bright and spacious, so its comfortable even without the frills.
I had the pork katsu curry rice and was pleasantly surprised by the quality and flavor in the dish. The katsu was thinly breaded and cut on the thicker side, which allows for a better appreciation of the juiciness of the meat while delivering on the important crunch factor. The curry carried chunks of vegetables and was well spiced, but had that characteristic sweetness I’ve come to associate with Japanese style curry. The mound of rice helped soak up the curry, and the little pile of pickled vegetables cut through the grease to keep the meal going. In all, it was a well constructed dish and satisfied any cravings.

Good Japanese food court style restaurant in the J-​Town complex. Meals are priced from about $ 7-​$ 11 for various meals such as udon, soba and rice dishes. I ordered the tempura soba noodle soup. Not a big portion but good texture and flavour. Service was fast and friendly. Look forward to trying out some of the other dishes!

The curry udon was delicious! Sauce was rich, noodles were cooked just right. Love the fact that they serve authentic Japanese home-​cooked food — a rarity (it seems) that is served in Toronto! A few things that I wasn’t too pleased about: I found a tiny piece of foil in the curry sauce and the staff were a bit inattentive. However, the curry udon was so good that it makes up for the café’s shortcomings. I’ll be coming back to try out more items.

I’m a big fan of J-​Town with the various shops under one roof and decided to eat lunch while I shopped. The restaurant was by the J-​Town supermarket and had a cafeteria-​like atmosphere and décor.
Most items were about $ 10 with many udon and rice dishes. I ordered the pork katsu don (battered pork cutlet with rice) and Japanese curry. The water was self-​serve.
The curry was spicy and tasty but I wish there were more vegetables in it. The pork cutlet was nicely deep fried and crispy but the pork was really tough and was hard to chew. This had to be the worse cutlet I’ve ever had. I was disappointed.

Now part of a place that encompasses 2 restaurants and a shop, Café Green Tea is a nice place to go for some authentic Japanese food.
Pros:
Authentic Japanese food
Cons:
Side dishes not done as well as could be
Like I said, Green Tea café now shares a larger location with Niwatei Ramen and Yamachu Japanese tableware store. Even if you sit in Green Tea Café, you can order some of Niwatei’s Ramen as well. When I walk by though, I still see the old location and it still looks open so I’m not sure what’s going on for sure. Maybe both locations are still open? The décor of the new location looks a lot better. The older location looks like a cafeteria basically. The new location has better tables and chairs as well some really nice booths with cushioned seats. It’s a much better and open atmosphere if you ask me.
My GF ordered the tempura udon and I got the pork tonkatsu ramen. We also ordered the boiled spinach and chicken karaage side dishes. The side dishes came out first and to be honest, they were a little underwhelming. They looked nothing like the pictures in the menu, portion size and appearance. The taste was OK, but could of been a lot better. At $ 4 and $ 6 respectively, I wanted more for my dollar. The udon and ramen were much better. Both tasted great and I have to mention the broth of the ramen was one of the better ones I’ve had. I wished there was a extra noodle option but sadly, there wasn’t.
Service here is very good as with almost all Japanese restaurants. The waitress was very nice and polite throughout our time there. Overall, the whole experience was excellent.
I like Green Tea Café very much. I’ve been here in the past and had their curries are excellent as well. If you like Japanese food, this is a place you should definitely try.

Whenever I bring my car to Don Valley North Toyota for service, I stop next door at J-​Town to get baked goods from Bakery Nakamura, Japanese groceries from Heisei and lunch from Café Green Tea.
One thing you can be guaranteed at all the shops in J-​Town is that they are all Japanese owned and operated and completely authentic Japanese.
The one thing I noticed about Japanese restaurants not run by Japanese people is the rice is not right… Koreans tend to make it too soft, Chinese too hard and often don’t even serve Japanese style short grain, slightly sticky rice — Kaiju, and AYCE sushi places are prime examples.
I must sound like Goldilocks — this rice is too hard! This rice is too soft! But at Café Green Tea the rice is just right! When you grow up on rice, texture is important!
The curry, katsu, ebi fry, tempura and other traditional Japanese lunch items are all authentic as can be as well.
The potato salad that comes with the katsu meals is very Japanese style — more like potatoes mashed with mayo and a bit on onion, corn and peas thrown in, the serving of potato salad is painfully small considering its one of my favourite parts of the meal! I’m weird, but it’s just like my sweet Gramma used to make so it’s a very sentimental thing for me.
Line up, order and pay for your food and get a wooden block with your order number and sit in the seating area reminiscent of someone’s kitchen with mix and match tables and chairs, it is all part of the experience.
Prices are reasonable considering its all authentic.
If it’s not fancy enough for you there are plenty of other places to eat in J-​Town!

Not the most glamorous seating area but Japanese curry is spot on and they bring it to where you sit. You can also puruse the connected grocery store while you wait.

Pretty good place in J town. It’s in the corner nearby Shisho tree. Came here for lunch on the weekend with my cousin. We both got curry pork katsu.
The katsu was pretty tasty. Thick cut slices of pork and very crispy and crunchy. The curry sauce tasted good as well. Not too watery. Good texture and not too salty.
We also ordered a side of karage, which we both didn’t like it too much… The chicken pieces were smaller than other places that we’ve gone to and it sort of tasted like a chicken nugget from mcdonald’s despite the crunchy context. Wasn’t that good.
Service was good, food had come out quick, and our waitress was nice. Only thing is, there glass cups of water are way too small… Would rather if they have given us a larger glass… It’s just easier that way instead of them always having to come back and refill our glass all the time.
Gonna come back to this place for sure, and probably try something different.

Always my go to place for an authentic curry katsu meal. They have been around for a while, but they manage to keep the quality and portions the same throughout the years.
For those in the know, I actually like Japanese food, but am not a big sushi fan. So when I need to get my Japanese fix on, I usually head to my two staples: ramen and katsu.
This place seems to customize their own non-​spicy Japanese style curry sauce, which is a gravy like sauce with a mild hint of spice. Mixed in is some beef, potato and carrot. To the side is a heap of rice, and the piece de resistance, a thick and juicy pork chop topped with Japanese style Worchester, but thick like ketchup. Making this place authentic, they always add a side of Japanese red pickles.
For $ 10 with a free pitcher of water on the side, you can’t beat this for an authentic Japanese experience. When you’re done be sure to check out some of the exotic ingredients at the supermarket next door like sweet pickled chestnuts and natto (fermented soybeans).

If you are craving real Japanese food like udon, soba, chicken omelette rice etc. Come eat here. The place also has a grocery store, amazing bakery, and more. This is not your typical Japanese restaurant that you see in downtown.

The curry chicken was excellent. It’s crispy and fresh tasting (ie they don’t use old oil). The curry is home style in that it is not as thick as I’m used to — but still very flavourful. In fact I dare say the curry is drinkable when you have finished your rice.
I look forward to trying other items on their menu next time.

I’ve been a regular at Café Green Tea for almost 10 years. My favorite dish is the Curry Chicken with Rice. I’ve tried to find other restaurants to benchmark against, and none of them compare (in my opinion).
–First of all, this is a «cafeteria» style experience; order at the register and wait for you food with a table number.
–Staff is extremely courteous
–atmosphere is very «Japanese» since it’s owned and operated by a Japanese individual. This just adds that little something to make the place feel authentic.
–Meals are reasonably priced, curry chicken is $ 7.98, if I’m ever feeling famished I add an extra side of chicken for $ 3.00.
–Service is what I consider quick, usually you’ll have your meal in front of you within 10 minutes max, regardless of dish.
Café Green Tea offers good value, great taste, quiet atmosphere, and the location is very accessible. (close to the 401 and 404).

Maybe the café has changed, but I found the tofu udon that I got in the last visit (Jan 2013) was about the same standard as the udon I made at home. I won’t go as far as calling it a total loss, but at best I will regard it as a hunger filler, not an enjoyment.

I have been here many time given that I use to work nearby a few years ago which means I end up having lunch here quite a bit… Café Green Tea is located inside Heisei Mart, the J-​Town Supermarket, so it great to shop while waiting for food ;)
I find myself coming back again and again for one thing and one thing only…
Katsu-​Don $ 7.98
~ It’s a bowl of rice topped w/​deep-​fried pork cutlet, egg and fill with a yummy onion sauce/​broth.
~ This is my favorite katsu-​don in Toronto and the kind of comfort food, perfect when served piping hot in the winter.
~ Love how the rice are immerse in the sauce, there’s more of everything then rice… It’s such a heart-​warming dish.
Cold Soba $ 5.98
~ I always see people order this, so I decided to finally try it but really there’s nothing special about this… def something you can easily made at home.
We also usually drop by Sakanaya, the mini fish market next door to grab a sashimi platter.
And a hint, they discount these platter by 50% or more at the end of the day ;)
Verdict:
~ Love their Katsu-​Don and will be back again and again for it
~ And no harm in dropping by next door for some fresh sashimi

Had a craving for omu rice. So went there and ordered ice coffee and omu rice.
The omu rice today was quite disappointing, though I am left to wonder did I ever like it here? More precisely where can I get good omu rice now.
The egg was too thin, there wasn’t much meat inside either.
The iced coffee is excellent though, much better than what you’d get from McDonalds or Starbucks, though it’s $ 2.50 + taxes.

In my opinion Café Green Tea is one of the hidden and little known treasures of the GTA. Most people think sushi when they think Japanese food, the truth of the matter is, the vast majority of Sushi restaurants in Toronto and elsewhere aren’t actually owned and ran by Japanese people. Im not saying its a bad thing, Im just saying for myself I crave the real deal, and in Toronto this is about as close as it gets.
In J-​Town there are a series of choices with respect to dining, so far I have only experienced Café Green Tea, and currently I am hooked, the menu consists of 30 Dishes, I have tried a handful and have yet to be disappointed.
Don’t let the rather basic cafeteria style look fool you, the food is among my all time favorites, friendly service, warm smiles & exceptional meal delivery has kept me coming back.
I highly recommend the Katsu & Curry Dishes, having a German background I possess a prerequisite love for fried breaded pork, and they do it to a T! If curry isn’t your thing they have a variety of other tasty dishes including various Udon’s & Soba’s as well as a salad for anyone looking for something extra light.
Because of the close proximity to my work place I am there pretty much everyday and have yet to grow tired of it, I plan to try every dish on the menu and could probably easily do so before feeling any desire to move on.

This place has a lot of basic cafeteria style items done Japanese style. I went for omrice though a lot of other items were tempting.
Nothing fancy here just your regular goodness. Simple rice with a ketchup base and chicken chunks served wrapped in an omelette topped with ketchup and nori flakes. Such a simple dish yet tastes somehow combine well in a harmonious way no wonder this dish is popular with kids in japan. The udon dishes ordered by other people eating here looked good. I wish there were cafes like this in downtown but hey it gives another reason to visit J town.
3.5 stars overall.

I wish that there are more little Japanese places like Café Green Tea.
The Shrimp Tempura Soba noodle I ate here is a Foodie dream noodle. There are so many complex taste in every bite and each different items in the noodles give one different senses of adventure for your tastebuds.
BTW, this is the only place where I been to the actual orders are bigger and more appetitizing than the photos… I could not stop smiling when the 2 older ladies at the back was so excited when they saw their XXL shrimp tempura set they ordered.
Yes I will be back… Yes I will see more noodles
Yes I think the Japanese girl server has a nice and friendly smile!
They accepts Visa and Interac!

Home Style Japanese Cooking? Domo Arigato. I’m sure most of you J-​Town fanatics have been here before in this semi Food Court setting in a serve-​self dining area where you pour your own Water but at least you’ll notice it’s next to the tap with a Brita filter on it while when you finish the meal you put your own dishes and garbage away (think Ikea).
The Menu Board reads Home Style, which has always been successful to most patrons that has come over the years. From left to right, Soba items, Udon items, Curry items, Meal items, and Rice items. 31 items in all and if you don’t feel comfortable ordering in Japanese or butchering the English term, then simply use the Numerical system. Ichi, ni, san, shi…
You pay up front and tip in the Jar as necessary and as I didn’t have 2 pennies, the staff took it from the Jar. I knew there’s a reason I never bring COINS with me. She gave me a wooden block #18 while she went to the back with 1 Male & 2 Female Cooks. I ordered an item that didn’t have a «Takes Time» sign so my meal came out pretty quick.
#8 Udon with Tempura Shrimp ($ 7.98) had a good Kombu stock, slurpy chewy Udon, a couple Fish Cake slices, Shrimp Tempura, and a Shitake. The Shrimp Tempura was a funny item as you know what to expect when Tempura gets wet but I ordered it knowing of this fact but the look of this Tempura was very good if I imagine it prior to the soaking.
Upon being impressed by the Udon, Broth, Fish Cake. I was additionally surprised by how perfectly cooked the Shrimp was inside the Tempura and had just the perfect bite that all Shrimp should have. Wait… There’s more, that unassuming Shitake that looks like a Shitake and you don’t expect much from it? It had such good flavour as I believe it must have been marinaded in some sort of Shoyu sauce.
All things considered, this meal was very good for the price and this cool Fall weather as the broth came out steaming hot. Also on a sidenote, I believe this would be a good Vegetarian choice or just leave out the Shrimp and go for the Tofu ($ 6.98) or Plain ($ 5.98) options.