Hearty yet elegant Japanese brunch food. The restaurant is very small and gets crowded easily. The staff are friendly and efficient which made the wait more tolerable.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Stella Lee
I’ve been wanting to come here for ages and it did not disappoint. The food is exquisite, and I have not gotten anything like it elsewhere in Canada. The service is excellent. Great casual date spot with a partner or friend :)
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Tanya Wasson
I visited Noren in Capitol Hill yesterday and unfortunately had a very disappointing experience. I ordered the glass noodles, which arrived extremely hard and difficult to swallow. When I politely told our server, Mandy, that the dish was not edible, she did take it back but never offered a replacement or apologized for the quality.
When it came time to pay, the dish was still on the bill. Mandy told me only the manager could remove it and gave me Jessica’s contact information, asking me to follow up the next day. I never received a call back.
I called again and spoke with Mark, who claimed to be a manager. He informed me that they would not remove the inedible dish from my bill and that the only compensation they could offer was a 5% discount on a future visit—which, frankly, feels unreasonable given that the food was barely touched.
The overall customer service was dismissive and unprofessional, and I left feeling unheard and undervalued as a customer. Based on this experience, I will not be returning.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
Jasmine Hompal
This place is very small but great staff!! I recommend their Okonomiyaki
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 4
Kid JL
The food was absolutely fantastic. The flavours, the play in textures and the presentation. I really enjoyed how the flavours of the soup and the sauces were not overwhelming the main ingredients, letting them shine more. The texture of the eggplant and that of the dessert was truly amazing. The different level of softness in each bite was fantastic. The service was super polite and friendly. Although, they were speaking in really low volume which made it a bit hard to hear them from time to time. The restaurant was pretty small and they don't really take reservations so we ended having to wait close to an hour and a half before having a seat. Unfortunately, the customers do end up staying a bit longer so the wait time is longer as well. While I enjoy the small and cozy restaurant, I feel like there was a bit too much smoke in the air which made my eyes really dry and uncomfortable. We were sitting at the counter which gave us a fantastic view of the staff preparing the food but the smoke was too much.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 4
Justin DeBattista
Finally made it to Noren. Nice gentle flavours and a real japanese ambiance ✌🏼
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Giovanni Tagliamonte
One of the most unique places for a traditional Japanese brunch. The atmosphere feels truly authentic, as if we were transported to Japan even though we have never been there yet 😅. The food is absolutely to die for. We tried almost every dish on the menu and everything was not only delicious but also very affordable for such high quality, which is rare to find these days. The service was warm and friendly, always with a genuine smile. We will definitely be back!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Nathan
Being from Vancouver I was a bit skeptical if it was worth lining up for since we have great Asian food on the West Coast. The answer is an outstanding yes.
Every dish was prepared with care and perfectly balanced flavours. The highlights were the side dishes - cucumber, eggplant, and braised pork belly. It felt like we were eating at their home. Udon was also great, but didn’t find it anything special.
If you want to be transported back to Japan, come here. It’s worth the wait.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Sib Humayun
Best noodle soup I’ve had in mtl.
Everything on the menu is made with love and you can taste it. True gem.
Randomly stumbled upon this gem. Their food is incredible. I had the okonomiyaki pancake which had a nice crunch from the cabbage, the pork was amazing, just melted in the mouth and every bite surprised me. I also tried the aubergine dish which had a nice smokey hint. Beautiful food, great staff.
Food: 5
Service: 5
Rob Rish
Amazing home style Japanese brunches at the Noren restaurant. The restaurant has a reasonably small menu, which allows the team to concentrate on the quality and creation of delicious weekly specials. Every time you come by, you experience something homey and familiar, but at the same time, something new and refreshing, flavor wise.
Warm up your appetite with a delicious Matcha or Hojicha oat latte, while waiting for your meal to be prepared. The dishes are a perfect size for sharing or if you'd like to try a number of items from the menu at once.
The restaurant itself is reasonably small (12-13 seats), and gets busy pretty quickly, but the line-up system, where you note your own name and time of arrival on a board at the entrance and then are seated in order of priority, works very well.
Try to arrive earlier, as some menu items are very popular and start running out towards the end, and sometimes towards the middle of the day (ex. Tataki Salad).
The restaurant is also located in a perfect location for a picnic takeout; so have everything packed up to go and head to the Jean Mance park or to the foothills of Mont Royal nearby.
On the menu: • Oyako Chazuke (Weekly special): Salmon rice dish, ikura, mizuna, nori, shiso and wasabi, with dashi broth poured over the top. • Kamo Soba (Weekly special): Buckwheat noodles a dashi broth with slices of grilled duck, leeks, green onions, lemon zest and yuzu kosho. • Tonjiru (Weekly special): Soup with pork and root vegetables in a miso broth. Served with rice and small marinated vegetables. • Udon (Weekly special): Pulled chicken, cucumber, green onions, sesame sauce and J'ai Feng red oil. • Okonomiyaki: Cabbage patty with choice of Pork and/or shiitake filling. • Takoyaki (Octopus fritters). • Nasu Agebitashi: Eggplant marinated in soy, mirin and dashi. • Tataki Salad: Albacore tuna-with ponzu vinaigrette. • Potato salad with marinated egg and mustard soy sauce. • Miso Shiru (Miso soup with vegetables) • Goma Kyuri (Cucumbers and sesame) • Onigiri (Seasoned rice balls) • Tofu: Cold tofu with soy sauce, bonito, shiso and grated ginger. • Kashiwa Mochi • Matcha oat latte
Edit: Please note that the restaurant no longer makes Takoyaki (Octopus fritters).
I think words are not enough for this place. The food was just delicious especially the curry udon. Absolutely banging!! 10/10
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Danielle Yefman
Amazing quality and taste. Will certainly be going back!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Maryse M
The wait was worth it! Really delicious food with well balanced flavors. The small space where you can see the chefs cook added to the authenticity, just like in Japan. Plus, I'm still thinking about that eggplant (nasu agebidashi <3).
Hearty yet elegant Japanese brunch food. The restaurant is very small and gets crowded easily. The staff are friendly and efficient which made the wait more tolerable.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
I’ve been wanting to come here for ages and it did not disappoint. The food is exquisite, and I have not gotten anything like it elsewhere in Canada. The service is excellent. Great casual date spot with a partner or friend :)
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
I visited Noren in Capitol Hill yesterday and unfortunately had a very disappointing experience. I ordered the glass noodles, which arrived extremely hard and difficult to swallow. When I politely told our server, Mandy, that the dish was not edible, she did take it back but never offered a replacement or apologized for the quality.
When it came time to pay, the dish was still on the bill. Mandy told me only the manager could remove it and gave me Jessica’s contact information, asking me to follow up the next day. I never received a call back.
I called again and spoke with Mark, who claimed to be a manager. He informed me that they would not remove the inedible dish from my bill and that the only compensation they could offer was a 5% discount on a future visit—which, frankly, feels unreasonable given that the food was barely touched.
The overall customer service was dismissive and unprofessional, and I left feeling unheard and undervalued as a customer. Based on this experience, I will not be returning.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
This place is very small but great staff!! I recommend their Okonomiyaki
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 4
The food was absolutely fantastic. The flavours, the play in textures and the presentation. I really enjoyed how the flavours of the soup and the sauces were not overwhelming the main ingredients, letting them shine more. The texture of the eggplant and that of the dessert was truly amazing. The different level of softness in each bite was fantastic. The service was super polite and friendly. Although, they were speaking in really low volume which made it a bit hard to hear them from time to time. The restaurant was pretty small and they don't really take reservations so we ended having to wait close to an hour and a half before having a seat. Unfortunately, the customers do end up staying a bit longer so the wait time is longer as well. While I enjoy the small and cozy restaurant, I feel like there was a bit too much smoke in the air which made my eyes really dry and uncomfortable. We were sitting at the counter which gave us a fantastic view of the staff preparing the food but the smoke was too much.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 4
Finally made it to Noren. Nice gentle flavours and a real japanese ambiance ✌🏼
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
One of the most unique places for a traditional Japanese brunch. The atmosphere feels truly authentic, as if we were transported to Japan even though we have never been there yet 😅. The food is absolutely to die for. We tried almost every dish on the menu and everything was not only delicious but also very affordable for such high quality, which is rare to find these days. The service was warm and friendly, always with a genuine smile. We will definitely be back!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Being from Vancouver I was a bit skeptical if it was worth lining up for since we have great Asian food on the West Coast. The answer is an outstanding yes.
Every dish was prepared with care and perfectly balanced flavours. The highlights were the side dishes - cucumber, eggplant, and braised pork belly. It felt like we were eating at their home. Udon was also great, but didn’t find it anything special.
If you want to be transported back to Japan, come here. It’s worth the wait.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Best noodle soup I’ve had in mtl.
Everything on the menu is made with love and you can taste it. True gem.
Amazing food, the miso soup was soo good!!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Restaurantji Recommends
Randomly stumbled upon this gem. Their food is incredible. I had the okonomiyaki pancake which had a nice crunch from the cabbage, the pork was amazing, just melted in the mouth and every bite surprised me. I also tried the aubergine dish which had a nice smokey hint. Beautiful food, great staff.
Food: 5
Service: 5
Amazing home style Japanese brunches at the Noren restaurant. The restaurant has a reasonably small menu, which allows the team to concentrate on the quality and creation of delicious weekly specials. Every time you come by, you experience something homey and familiar, but at the same time, something new and refreshing, flavor wise.
Warm up your appetite with a delicious Matcha or Hojicha oat latte, while waiting for your meal to be prepared. The dishes are a perfect size for sharing or if you'd like to try a number of items from the menu at once.
The restaurant itself is reasonably small (12-13 seats), and gets busy pretty quickly, but the line-up system, where you note your own name and time of arrival on a board at the entrance and then are seated in order of priority, works very well.
Try to arrive earlier, as some menu items are very popular and start running out towards the end, and sometimes towards the middle of the day (ex. Tataki Salad).
The restaurant is also located in a perfect location for a picnic takeout; so have everything packed up to go and head to the Jean Mance park or to the foothills of Mont Royal nearby.
On the menu:
• Oyako Chazuke (Weekly special): Salmon rice dish, ikura, mizuna, nori, shiso and wasabi, with dashi broth poured over the top.
• Kamo Soba (Weekly special): Buckwheat noodles a dashi broth with slices of grilled duck, leeks, green onions, lemon zest and yuzu kosho.
• Tonjiru (Weekly special): Soup with pork and root vegetables in a miso broth. Served with rice and small marinated vegetables.
• Udon (Weekly special): Pulled chicken, cucumber, green onions, sesame sauce and J'ai Feng red oil.
• Okonomiyaki: Cabbage patty with choice of Pork and/or shiitake filling.
• Takoyaki (Octopus fritters).
• Nasu Agebitashi: Eggplant marinated in soy, mirin and dashi.
• Tataki Salad: Albacore tuna-with ponzu vinaigrette.
• Potato salad with marinated egg and mustard soy sauce.
• Miso Shiru (Miso soup with vegetables)
• Goma Kyuri (Cucumbers and sesame)
• Onigiri (Seasoned rice balls)
• Tofu: Cold tofu with soy sauce, bonito, shiso and grated ginger.
• Kashiwa Mochi
• Matcha oat latte
Edit: Please note that the restaurant no longer makes Takoyaki (Octopus fritters).
Instagram: @restaurantnoren
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Sesame Cucumber, Classic Takoyaki
I think words are not enough for this place. The food was just delicious especially the curry udon.
Absolutely banging!! 10/10
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Amazing quality and taste. Will certainly be going back!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
The wait was worth it! Really delicious food with well balanced flavors. The small space where you can see the chefs cook added to the authenticity, just like in Japan. Plus, I'm still thinking about that eggplant (nasu agebidashi <3).
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
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