Zen Sanuki Udon

Brought me right back to my trip in Japan eating udon in Osaka! this is by far the most authentic udon restaurant you can get in Toronto, the staff and food were all amazing 😁. Highly recommend the Tempura udon!!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Delicious udon and great service. The vegetable & shrimp tempura were really tasty, and the broth wasn't overly salty as is the case with many udon & ramen dishes. Service was relatively quick despite the full restaurant - the staff are mostly Japanese as well, which added a touch of authenticity to the experience. I really enjoyed the unagi don which was served as a side dish, along with the salmon onigiri. Definitely worth checking out if you're nearby!

Atmosphere: 4

Food: 4

Service: 4

Was my first time trying this restaurant and this was the easiest 5 stars I could’ve given. The staff were friendly and very inviting, great service. I ordered the braised pork belly and changed my soup to the spicy soup. The handmade udon noodles were incredible, the perfect texture, and the pork just melted in my mouth. Every bite was amazing and I never wanted it to end. HIGHLY recommend supporting this business !!! ❤️

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Very good food. Very authentic ambiance.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Worth the hype. The udon was so delicious. The sushi was so fresh and the eel was just scrumptious! Service was just as great as the food.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Amazing food and wonderful service.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Recommended dishes: Tempura Appetizer, Tempura Udon

To the Management of Zen Udon,

I am writing to express how completely absurd and unacceptable your handling of tempura and its sauce is.

Tempura is one of the most basic and classic Japanese dishes. The proper dipping sauce, **tentsuyu (tempura dipping sauce)**, is an essential, standard part of the dish — not some optional luxury item. In any normal Japanese restaurant, when a customer orders tempura, it is taken for granted that tempura sauce is included.

At Zen Udon, tempura is served **without** any tentsuyu, and when the customer asks for the sauce, you tell them they have to **pay extra** for it. This is laughable and frankly embarrassing for a restaurant that calls itself Japanese. It goes against basic culinary common sense and against the standard practice of practically every other Japanese restaurant.

If you truly believe it is reasonable to strip a fundamental component away from such a simple, traditional dish and then charge extra for it — without making that crystal clear upfront — then you have completely missed the point of both Japanese food and basic respect for customers.

Your policy on tempura and tentsuyu is not just disappointing; it is **ridiculous**.

Regards.

Atmosphere: 3

Food: 1

Service: 3

Zen Sanuki Udon is moderate. The food is ok, the flavours are moderate, and while the udon is made in house and there are Japanese staff working, which does add a nice authentic touch, the overall experience didn’t wow me. For a place where a single bowl of udon ends up costing over $30 after tax and tip, I expected something a lot more exciting or memorable.

The noodles are good, but not that good, and the flavour just isn’t explosively standout enough to justify the price point. I tried it once, and honestly, I don’t really see what’s so special that would make me come back at those prices. I enjoyed the small eel rice bowl more than the Udon.

Not a bad spot, but definitely not worth the hype, or the bill for me.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 2

Service: 5

Definitely worth coming back!!!!
My wife and I had an amazing time thanks to the host who gave us great recommendations for the menu. All employees there are Japanese. Felt like we were in Japan again.
It's got some delicious udon bowls you can try. Also don't forget to get their sake taster drinks and their deep fried crispy salted udon noodle snack bowl. Great way to end the night.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Recommended dishes: Udon Soup

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ A Must-Try!

I ordered the spicy hot-pot udon, and honestly, this is one of the best udon/ramen dishes I’ve had this year.

The udon was perfectly chewy, the pork belly melted in my mouth, and the broth was rich, spicy, and layered — the kind that keeps you going back for another bite.
But what impressed me the most was that they make their tofu in-house. Tofu isn’t an expensive ingredient, but they still choose to make it themselves. That level of effort and dedication already deserves extra credit.
Just for that alone, it’s a five-star dish.

The shrimp tempura on the side was also excellent, with a tapioca coating that made it extra crisp.

Overall: great flavor, great craftsmanship, and attention to every detail. I’ll definitely be back! 🔥🥢

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

The food here is at such a high level. The flavour and texture of the fresh house made upon noodles is incredible and the soup absolutely masterful. The selection of fish, the quality, and the execution of the makisushi and nigirisushi which were part of my set meal were one of the best I've ever had. What a perfect place to have enjoyed a special birthday treat.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

The handcrafted udon is so good. I ordered the warm inaniwa udon which is September special. This Udon restaurant is one of the best in Toronto.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

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