Niwatei

COME ON guys.
The ramen at Niwatei is just not serious. When you think about Japanese food you think about sushi and ramen. It is sad that Jtown cannot bother to offer you above average sushi or ramen. Putting the sushi situation aside, Niwatei’s ramen was definitely not up to par with the likes of Raijin, Sansotei or Santouka. Nowhere near. In fact, I suspect their ramen is made from the frozen ramen packs they sell at the supermarket across from them.
A ramen restaurant uses a lot of water, seeps the broth and uses fresh broth and pork bones and so forth. Niwatei’s ramen is like something you can make at home so they are not serious about their art.
In the meantime, the restaurant has combined into one with Green Tea Lounge and presents one big menu.
By the way, the watery bland ramen (yes they added too much water) is available in full or half size. Fortunately, the chicken karaage was delicious and juicy.
Hint for all ramen newbies: good ramen is not made from dried or frozen packs, takes hours to prepare and made in large batches according to particular noodles or broth (fish, pork or chicken stock…) and you can usually sit at the bar and see the chefs in action (and I don’t mean hydrating dried/​frozen noodles).
Waitress was a sincere girl and quite nice about everything. Polite service is always nice.
The on-​site dishware shop sells ramen bowls with the Niwatei logo, but the ramen is not served in bowls with the logo!
Finally, whoever said they wear traditional Japanese dress or uniform must have not visited recently. They stopped doing that.

Came here with some friends for a late dinner and found that they were closing in less than an hour but they were nice about it and didn’t rush us as much as Asian places normally do.
Service was great, food was all right, could be better considering I’ve had mediocre ramen that was better than this place. Servings were small even at the regular size and pricey for what we were served. Toppings are a separate cost, which sucks because I could’ve gone elsewhere for a cheaper price and included toppings. I didn’t like that we had to pay an extra $ 1.25 for spicy miso… They should add an option on their menu for spicy ramen; the lack of one was disappointing.
Friend ordered the fried chicken which was pretty yum but again, serving was very small and still was about ~$ 7. For what I’m paying for, it definitely wasn’t worth it.
All in all, I’m not coming back. This place was nothing special.

It’s definitely hard to find the restaurant since its tucked away and shared with another restaurant. We walked back and forth multiple times before we finally realized its shared with Green Tea Lounge. It’s right beside Shiso Tree if that helps!
I went with my boyfriend for lunch on a Saturday afternoon and they were packed. The miso ramen was really yummy and if you get the regular size they give quite a lot of ramen. We were stuffed when we left! (Should note that we also got a karaage to share as an appetizer). My boyfriend got the fish broth one and he said it was really plain. The chasu was also a bit stiff and hard to bite. It was decent for the price though!

As others have said, this restaurant is hidden away in the back right corner of the plaza in J-​Town and shares space with another restaurant. We went there for the ramen after reading about the place in the paper. It is small and was busy with all the tables filled so we sat at the bar. There was a choice of several different broths and toppings. I went with the pork and miso broth and the pork topping which also included several veggies, an egg, and fish cakes. It was ready quickly and we both were very pleased with our dish. It could have been a bit larger but it couldnt have been tastier. I just wish it wasnt so far away.

Came here at 6:15 PM before the place gets busier for the dinner crowd, service is fast, and the restaurant is clean.
As far as the food goes serving size isn’t matched to the price you pay, but food tastes really good, so it’s not like you’re paying for junk food.
I got the plain curry ($ 8.80) which is on the expensive side for just rice and curry. It comes with a small salad. The curry is spiced just right, but I wish there was more potatoes /​carrots in the curry.
My BF got the pork ramen (large) but the bowl is too small in my opinion. Taste is very good and the ingredients go well with each other. Very good taste.
I would probably try to go to another cheaper ramen place and just go here occasionally when I am in the area.
The server has a bit of a challenge with English, and it was hard for her to answer our questions, since it’s our first time in the place, but otherwise she is very friendly and took care of us.

SO CUTE!
I love the little mascots they have here — whoever drew them is seriously talented! The ramen here is pretty decent as well but I agree with others, this place is hard to find and it’s so strange being a restaurant in a shared space with a tea shop and a pottery store. We walked past it a few times at first because it didn’t seem like it could possibly be right! They need better signage, that’s for sure.
The ramen is a bit pricy here for what you get. The food is good, but I don’t know if I’d be spending that much on ramen. The sets are pretty decent, and the snacks /​sides variety is good. I had the jap curry with a shoyu ramen (half size), and was surprised to find pickled ginger in the ramen. It altered the taste quite a bit, and I wish I had gotten it on the side instead. We also had the gyu-​don and the gyozas which were all good (the gyu-​don was surprisingly delicious, even though our server said it was a hit or miss item from people who ordered it).
Overall, the food was well portioned, and the service was pretty good. The seating is limited, so be wary of peak hours.

The last few times I’ve been to J-​town, I’ve stopped by Niwatei and got their udon or ramen. Whichever suited my liking during the time.
This restaurant is situated in J-​Town, and as soon as you go in, there’s two restaurants in one. Green Tea Lounge and Niwatei. The menus are at the front so you can take a look at them before you sit down.
At first, we sat at Green Tea Lounge, the other restaurant hoping for some vegetarian options. However, when the lady was explaining the menu, they did not have much vegetarian options except for the appetizers. However, she said Niwatei had some vegetarian options which was really nice of her to offer. At least these two restaurants aren’t in a feud. We switched tables without any hassle (Awkward tho!)
This may sound really strange but I felt there were a lot more people sitting on the Niwatei side. I don’t know if it’s a thing, but I overheard a lot of people ordering vegetarian ramen — it could’ve just been a coincidence tho!
For dinner you can order the sets which consists of 1 appetizer, 1 ramen and 1 dessert. Be warned: there’s the regular ramen set, and the deluxe ramen set. Apparently, the deluxe has more flavouring. You could pay for the full portion or the half portion. In my opinion, I’d just pay for the full portion only because it’s only a few dollars more and it was actually just enough. I don’t think I would’ve been full with a half portion. The tonkatsu and shio broths were good, however I thought there could’ve been more flavouring in the noodles.
If you’re up for a surprise, you can always order the mystery dessert too. The mystery dessert doesn’t seem to be consistent as two of my friends order it and got a green tea mousse, and vanilla ice cream with chocolate syrup.

Ramen made by Japanese people so it’s not bad. But not like Santouka or sansotei.
Servers are friendly and accommodating though. A good option off the 404 and you don’t want to go downtown and spend money on parking.

I was actually a bit disappointed with this restaurant. While the food was decent, it really had a pre-​made, not-​so-​fresh feel and taste to it. The Karaage was on the oily side and was not seasoned that much. The ramen noodles had the same texture and feel as the frozen ones in the freezer over at Heisei Mart. However, the stock was OK.
Probably wouldn’t go back and would go with the restaurant inside Heisei Mart or just grab a couple Katsu sandwiches from Nakamura Bakery instead.

Located in the back corner of J-​Town plaza, this restaurant shares space with another restaurant which, makes it a little hard to find. At first it was hard to decide what to get-​curry or ramen– but then I noticed that you can get a combo deal. This was the best option for me. I got the small tonkatsu ramen with a small curry and a scoop of green tea ice cream. Yummy. The wait staff is friendly and the food came out quickly.

Nice clean place with exceptional service. Food is great and tonkatsu needs to be tried. Also tried the takoyaki and it was good too.

It’s a nice small little place. They have good ramen combos and the curry rice set is decent. The restaurant is a little confusing because it was connected with another one and the waiter asked us which restaurant and we weren’t sure when we walked in.

This restaurant is not easy to find. It’s in the back of the crammed jtown plaza. Pay close attention to the hours of operation as they are closed during odd hours in the day. You could be stuck stranded without ramen. They are next to another ramen shop, well a café that sells ramen, but still why would they need back to back ramen shops?
When you first walk in you are asked if you want the café or ramen. It is randomly split into 2 sides but the seating area looks communal. well technically 3 sdes as the right side is a large area displaying ramen dishes for purchase. Very odd.
The selections of ramen are average and prices are fair. The ramen is nothing special. The broth is a bit bland and the ramen itself is definitely not freshly made. I can see it being taken out of a package. The egg is not soft boiled. Both our eggs were full boiled which disappointed me because they advertised soft boiled and my main reason for ramen is for the egg (in my opinion).
The place is deserted during the day.
If you’re craving ramen and you are in the area of Vic Park and Steeles then i would go to this place as the only other choice is Ajisen Ramen, whch in my opinion is very commercialized and more chinese-​based. At lease Niwatei is from the heart of the Japs. i’ll give them that. But if you really wanted good ramen then i would head downtown for places like Sansotei, Santouka or Kinton Ramen. You’ll definitely see a difference once you go there.
Overall, not bad of a place. Could be better.

The food is pretty good! But not the best!
But wow. the service just. speechless !! The waitresses and waiters are soooooo nice!!!
Its a pretty expensive lunch meal for 2 people the total came up to $ 33.00.
But i will definetly come back for more

I had my first taste of Japanese Ramen in this year of 2014, and have decided that it will be a regular occurrence in my life. When I cannot have ramen, I shall watch documentaries about ramen. When I found out through the all-​knowing wisdom of Unilocal Queen Jennifer K. that there was a uptown ramen shop near my dwelling hole, I immediately called the nearest Jew, and we set out for his first taste of the magical bowl of wonderfulness.
Niwatei is located within J-​Town, and shares the floor with another restaurant, which can be confusing when visiting for the first time. The restaurant open its doors, but does not offer anything until 11:30am. The selection of ramen, or any food items are limited. I would take this as a good sign and assume they specialize in what they serve. Maybe they do, maybe they don’t. When the food came, we were anything but impressed. The soup base lacked the intense flavour that overwhelmed my emotions the first time around elsewhere, and the texture of the noodles was different, and slightly awkward in getting used to. The soft-​boiled eggs were a tad on the hard side, and I found the meat to be slightly too lean.
I felt slightly embarrassed to have hyped my friend about the miracles of ramen, as he seemed to share the my feelings towards his dish. I compensated by ordering some appetizers, but that didn’t make much of a difference. I am not discerning enough to render whether this was good or bad ramen, I can only say I wasn’t impressed by it.
I promised my friend we’d go for some potato latkes later.

We were brought here by my god daughter and her husband. The goal was ramen. Of course, everyone but me chose ramen and I chose udon. They made the better choice.
Each broth was hot and full flavored. The bowls are big enough and the servings are ample. The ramen noodles had a wonderful flavor. While my dish was adequate, the ramen dishes were excellent. Every one was happy.
The service is good, prompt and friendly. This place is not fancy, but the ramen is well worth the trip.

— Portions are small
— Soup is nice a flavorful
— Noddles are thin and similar to the ones found in instant noodles packages but just slightly better.
— Their location has recently moved inside the same building as Café Green Tea
— I would much prefer Ajisen Ramen as they have more options to choose from and a whole lot more meat selections

Today I decided to really violate the terms and conditions of my diet. It’s Christmas Eve and all anyway plus they said they can prep a Mille crêpe for us.
The regular ramen chef was here today and made the ramen just the way I want that is not too salty. As usual I drank every last bit raising the bowl up to my face. Finally aside from enjoying the food I got treated by a picture saying thank you. :)
Just so I don’t make my nutritionist cry too much I got the salad for the first time there. It was a light salad and it was good to the last bite.
Finally we got the Mille Crêpe for dessert. Awesome. I missed the thing. It was a green tea version of the one I got in New York. When asked which one I liked more, all I can say is I like both. The New York one is rich and flavourful, but this one is light and refreshing. Since I am still in a diet I think I will choose the light and refreshing version for now.
Since it is the holidays I paid a bit extra on the tip. Let’s say it’s a little more than 50% if I did the math right.
The service and quality there are exemplary.

Because I had planned to go to Shiso Tree Café for desserts after dinner, I opted for a light ramen meal at Niwatei.
On a Friday night, it was DEAD. One customer was even sleeping with a drink in front of her. Though it was quite comedic, I did find that a breather from all the hustle and bustle of the ramen places downtown.
As an appetizer, I ordered gyoza and unfortunately, they were bland and mostly burnt.
I got Miso Ramen and just chowed that down in seconds. It’s been a while I’ve eaten ramen and I really like the fact that the broth was not salty.
The ramens were priced on average at $ 8.80 but they have a «3 course dinner» where you get an appetizer, ramen and a dessert for $ 12 which to me is worth it but don’t expect to be full on that if you’re a heavy eater.
Personally I’d come back if I’m in the area again but the party I was with didn’t find the food justify its price.

SLURP! That’s the kinda sound you gotta make when you eat some good ramen!
And I really liked my bowl of Pork (Tonkotsu) ramen. The pork bone based soup is excellent and flavourful. The noodles were chewy. The egg was the perfect accompaniment.
My party also got the Cha Sao ramen, the Miso ramen, and the Chicken ramen. Cha Sao ramen was a bit too salty, miso was good (I liked the corn) and chicken ramen was just okay.
Prices were reasonable, about $ 7 – 9 a bowl. Not a lot of added stuff, just traditional and simple bowl of chewy noodle soup.