Zen Sanuki Udon

We celebrated our anniversary at Zen Sanuki Udon today. My partner had always wanted to try their food and had been bugging me to bring her here, so I finally did. We walked in and tried to get a seat, but the restaurant was quite busy and we were booked to wait for at least 30 minutes.

Was the wait worth it? Absolutely! It was a completely different experience. We ordered their September special and my partner ordered the Kakiage Udon and Unagi set. The portion of my special was perfect, but the set was quite larger than usual.

The purpose of our visit was to try out their udon and broth, and it was our first time trying them. The broth was very mellow and subtle, almost like a calm and zen experience. We usually eat soup with a strong flavour, but this was a refreshing change. The udon on my plate was closer to pho noodles, but the texture was different in a good way.

Overall, the food was amazing, and the staff was very attentive and friendly. They explained how to mix and add the side dishes, which made our experience even better. I highly recommend Zen Sanuki Udon.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Edit Sep. 2025:
Still an amazing place. Their consistency must be studied! And such nice staff.

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Exceptional Japanese run and staffed udon house.

Delicious food and brilliant service. A gem in North Scarborough.

Get a reservation.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

This place is our go-to restaurant if we’re craving Udon and want somewhat higher quality sushi or a chirashi bowl, without breaking the bank.

The portions are a bit on the smaller side, but you’ll appreciate the higher quality ingredients and flavors that make up for it.

Lunch or dinner for 2 usually rings up around $100, depending on what we get. It might be a bit on the pricier side, but you’ll appreciate the authentic Japanese food. They also have specials that are worth it imo.

Always make a reservation or come earlier before their service or you’ll be waiting for a table, as they only have about 15 tables or so.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Their udon was delicious and their staff are very hospitable and welcoming. The atmosphere is calming and quiet, excellent to enjoy a meal.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

I tried the August special Inaniwa udon and the strawberry shaved ice.
It was my first time trying Inaniwa udon, and everything was absolutely delicious. Servers were very kind and attentive. I never expected to enjoy authentic Inaniwa udon in Toronto, and it became a precious memory for us. I’ll definitely be back soon

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Had a bad experience tonight, the server keep collecting our finishing dish and distract our conversation four times. I understand that was part of the service, but keep that in mind care what people concerning in order to rushing finish the clearance.

Atmosphere: 3

Food: 3

Service: 2

Delicious udon, similar to the one I had in Oahu, Hawaii. Clear broth flavored with umami dashi at a hot temperature served with perfectly cooked udon noodles. The shrimp tempura was crispy, large and hot! Also ordered the unagi rice which did not disappoint. Definitely worth a visit!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Disappointing experience

We’ve been fans of Zen for a long time ever since Zen was a little restaurant in a little Scarborough plaza.

So we came here, mainly because we though it’s under the same group of Zen restaurant.

However the total dining experience on July 27 2025 at 13:50 is disappointing.

1. The beef tongue tasted like beef chunk stew(please refer to the photo), which has nothing to do with beef tongue. So either it’s not beef tongue, or it’s been cooked and frozen for so long that the beef tongue lost its original texture.

2. The tempura is very poorly made, mostly because the batter started to fell off once we took a bite. It’s hard to imagine that an Udon restaurant with about 1/3 items on the menu being tempura, do NOT know how to properly make tempura!

3. The duck Udon’s the best of the 3, however the duck meat was kinda chewy.

Besides, at Sanuki, an Udon place specialized in udon noodles, we didn’t taste any difference from the noodles here, compared to those commercial udon sold at J town.

In the end, our server came over to give the fairwell greeting: “Is everything OK today?”

As soon as I started to talk about the suspicious beef tongue, he turned his back to us and left.

I wonder if Zen restaurant gets paid by some underground business by cash, allowing them to use their name for return.

Atmosphere: 4

Food: 2

Service: 3

This place is definitely overpriced for what it offers in terms of food, service, and overall environment.

The udon and sashimi were decent—just good, not great. Service was average, similar to what you’d typically expect at a standard Chinese restaurant around here.

It might be worth trying once, but I wouldn’t come back a second time. The value just doesn’t justify the high price.

Atmosphere: 1

Food: 2

Service: 1

From what I can tell, this eatery is an authentic Japanese restaurant, which ended up being wasted on me as I am unable to distinguish any significant difference.
If you are looking for some Japanese cuisine then this place should be fitting, but if you are looking for a cheaper meal this eatery unfortunately does not offer low prices.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Loved it

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Service isnt that great.
But tsukemen (off menu) is amazing.
Udon soup is bit too strong in anchovy or bonito flavor.
Quite expensive.
But would return for tsukemen (with pork).

Love the perfectly cooked texture of their udon (made in-house with flour that they import from Japan) in a flavourful broth with light and crispy tempura served on the
side. Also tried their Yuzu chicken breast Udon (never a fan of chicken breast before), but due to dietary changes, tried it. It was subtly seasoned and perfectly poached served in a flavourful clear broth. Another favourite especially in the summer months is the Ikura (salmon roe) Oroshi (grated daikon) Udon served cold.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Recommended dishes: Sangenton Katsu \u0026 Kake Udon Set, Roasted Duck Breast, Agedashi Tofu, Tempura Udon, Soya Milk Ice Cream, Small Sashimi, Udon Soup

This has been a favorite of mine for a while now. Every time I am in the Markham area this is a must go to!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

I had the kakiage udon (vegetable + shrimp tempura). I think they only used one piece of shrimp in the tempura because there wasn’t much. It was mostly fried batter. The udon itself didn’t blow me away but it was good. The green tea they serve is also good. It’s a nice place for a simple & hearty meal. I would come back if I was in the area, but I wouldn’t go out of my way for it.