Tanuki Restaurant in Markham

This is probably my favourite spot for Japanese comfort food. The restaurant is cozy and the menu is pretty curated. We went pretty late in the day so some of their appetizers were sold out, so go early if you want all the options. I loved their selection of cocktails for suck good prices. We got the momo cape codder, tokyo mule, and yuzu sake g&t. The drinks aren t too strong so you can try a few without getting too tipsy.

Great food and atmosphere. Tristan and Christienne served me and my gf an awesome date night. I recommend the duck breast and espresso creme brûlée!

Reasonably priced and well seasoned food complimented by attentive, friendly, and professional service from Tristan and Christi out front.

The food was amazingly good and delicious especially their karaage. The place was a vibe. And the service was top tier and welcoming especially Christienne and Tristan. Definitely recommend!!

I went here for the first time as a treat for myself on Friday night. I was so surprised because the customer service was so great!!! As my first time here so i didnt know what to try so the servers recommended me an amazing meal and drink. I m so happy, and definitely come back again. Highly recommended!

We like the fusion Japanese food. Brunch is good

Ive been visiting Tanuki for a number of years now, however, Ive been finding the food and service to be quite inconsistent. Food isnt always the greatest both presentation and taste wise. Service is standard but I find on the weekends it is much better.

If you are looking for a brunch place that serves more than just the usual fare, this is the place to go. They also have your usual brunch pancakes and eggs Benedict so not too worry. This place is fusion done well.

Been there with my family, the atmosphere makes up for the rather limited menu. Will be back.

Tonkatsu Curry is

Never had anything to complain about eating here. Servings are quite generous and the staff is friendly and helpful.

Great food and great service!

Had dinner at Tanuki for the first time several months ago and have been coming back regularly ever since. Amazing food, very kind and friendly staff, and they ve had new dishes on their menu every visit! By far my favourite restaurant, can not recommend enough.

The ramen lacked authenticity and fell short of expectations. My wife can make a much better, more flavorful bowl at home

My wife and I had their omurice and pork belly ramen. The omurice was done well. Very tasty and the omelette was perfect runny. However, their pork belly ramen was lacking flavor. The soup was bland, and the black fungus lacked flavor.

The service was pretty great, as they were friendly, the place has a really cool setup, they didn t take too long making the food, and the food and drink were delicious!

The first time I wanted to try this restaurant, it was fully packed so I remembered to make reservation the second time around. There were lots of options and i settled for the dan dan udon and chicken karaage. The udon was ok and mild on the flavor. I had to add additional seasoning myself. My family also had a few other concerns on their dishes as well but the karaage was excellent. Service was great for me and the atmosphere is unique

Feels like a 2nd home! Great service, yummy food, amazing vibes.

The foods are tasty.

i wanted an ice cream float but they had no ice cream

Best restaurant ever

Nestled in the heart of J-town, this lovely spot is known for their tasty Japanese inspired brunch menu along with a lot of tasty Western style fusion choices! Also a plus, they have outdoor seating making this a pet friendly establishment!!

I haven t been for a year. So I took my family for a birthday lunch. But today the food disappointed me. I hope it s just they had a new chef for the day or else I won t go back at all . The ramine and udo we ordered were room temperature . And the taste is not like before at all .

Service and food were okay. However, on the day I was there, the whole floor was extremely greasy and slippery. I thought it was because of my shoes for some reasons, but my friend experienced the same.

2024: 4/5 - Summary: Food was good, service was okay, atmosphere was okay. We had a number of dishes at our table including salmon sandwiches and beef...food was rather bland at times. We had to get up a few times to get items like drinks as took a while for the waitresses to bring stuff. Place is casual which is okay...

That karage...sooooo good. Absolutely THE best! And the service is phenomenal. Super friendly. Well be coming back for sure.

Third time not a charm

I had an incredibly disappointing experience at this restaurant. First, we had to wait 20 minutes just to be seated. Once we were finally seated, the server kept pressuring us to place our order. After ordering, it took two hours for my first dish to arrive. My friend s food still hadn t come by the time I finished my meal. To make matters worse, we noticed that other tables, which arrived 30 minutes after us, were already being served. When we asked the waitress how much longer we d have to wait, she responded impatiently, assuring us that the food was on its way. After waiting another 30 minutes, I checked with her again, and she admitted that she had forgotten to place our order in the system. She apologized and offered to prepare the food immediately, but by that point, my friend was too upset to wait any longer, having already waited three hours without any food. We decided to leave. When we received the bill, we were surprised to see that it included items we never received. We had to point this out to the waitress, who, this time, didn t even apologize she just corrected the bill and handed us the POS machine. We also asked for a takeout box, and while she said she d bring one, she went off to serve other customers instead. After waiting another 30 minutes, we realized she had likely forgotten about the box. My friend was starving, so I went to the front desk to ask another server for the takeout box. However, the girl there seemed annoyed that I approached her, telling me rather curtly to return to my seat, and that she would bring it to me. I wasn t sure what else we were supposed to do after all the mistakes just sit there and wait indefinitely? I did go back to my seat, and when the second server finally brought the box, it was the wrong type. I wanted to take home some soup, but she brought me a paper box that obviously wasn t suitable. Trying to remain patient, I asked for a container specifically for soup. Without a word, she returned to the kitchen and came back with a used, dirty container. At that point, I just wanted to leave. I was completely disheartened. When we were ready to leave, nobody came to collect the POS machine, and no one acknowledged us as we left, even though there were at least five servers working at the time. The food itself was quite good, but the terrible service left me frustrated. I wouldn t recommend this restaurant to anyone I don t want my friends or family to be treated so poorly. P.S. Although the food tasted good, I ended up with severe diarrhea after I got home, and I couldn t go to work the next day. I can t believe a restaurant like this is even in operation.

We went for a late lunch on a Saturday. The food was excellent despite the long wait. We had a table of three, but our start to finish without apps or dessert was an hour and a half. We waited 20 minutes for drinks and had to get our bill fixed repeatedly. The food was worth the wait but I d be hesitant in trying again based on the slow service.

The egg on the Omurice was overcooked. Not sure if this is a fusion restaurant but food was overall on the sweeter side than your regular Japanese restaurant . Staff was nice.

Omurice egg great, rice avg and avg tonkatsu

Veggie Omurice. Usually made with chicken fried rice but they adjusted for vegetarian. Love the friendly atmosphere of this place and the food never disappoints

Great place

I should not expect much at izakaya style restaurant but if I pay for a ramen more expensive than the ramen restaurant, there should be at least of minimum expected taste. Long story short, paid $20+tax for ramen, it tastes no seasoning, broth is tasting like premade stuff. Pork belly, which I expected chashu, however it was just grilled pork belly. Unfortunately I could not finished ramen first time in my life. I also ordered Omurice, did not use demiglace or ketchup, very oily gravy fried rice with annoyingly distinctive big green beans maybe because it is Canada? Its located in J town which I assumed the cook is Japanese, but there is no such care about taste therefore it is very questionable to consider this restaurant as recommendable Japanese restaurant.

Weekend lunch Croquet was huge size but maybe not enough for normal men daily portion. But Omurice portion was large. It was little salty side but not too bad. rice was more close to risotto texture than fried rice but that was fine with us. The food was served right time. Its not perfect but good to have a quick meal or drink while visiting J-town

The asian female waiter with the blue jeans is horrible. She took our order and when we followed up with them 40 minutes later, she said the printer didnt work and they have to start our order from scratch. We waited 40 minutes for no food and left. Very unprofessional. Avoid the restaurant

Picture is more than words. Found this in my food, could ve been worse if I didn t see it and accidentally eat it. For 17 dollar And the noodle was very oily!

The first time I came here for a weekend lunch was going to be a long wait so I decided to leave and come back another time. The next few times I decided to come right when they opened and there were seats available with a nice window view. The chef is very good at making the omurice with a perfect soft middle when you slice it. I also highly recommend the katsu breakfast, very filling. Price seems a bit high so I can only afford to come here occasionally, but I have no real complaints

TANUKI. A name that might not ring a bell, but step inside, and youre transported to a cozy nook in J-Town where the aroma of Japanese comfort food wraps around you like a warm hug. This isn t just a place to eat; it s where you come to feel at home, even if you re thousands of miles away from the land of the rising sun. The Omurice. It arrives at your table, not just as a dish, but as a promise of something spectacular. The soft omelette, a masterpiece of culinary simplicity, rests atop chicken fried rice, each grain a testament to the art of cooking. Edamame adds a surprising crunch, a textural counterpoint to the omelettes creamy embrace. And then, theres the gravy. Rich, flavorful, it s the unsung hero of the meal, a harmonious blend that ties everything together without stealing the spotlight. It s a delicate balance, this gravy, enhancing the dish s intricate flavors while letting each ingredient sing its own tune. TANUKI isnt just a restaurant; its a haven for those seeking the true essence of Japanese comfort food. Whether you re a die-hard fan of Japanese cuisine or someone in search of a meal that feels like a warm embrace, this is your spot. Highly recommended, without a doubt.

Couldn t even finished half of Omurice, nothing wrong with it just not my taste. Stuffs are friendly. Would not come back

This place is overhyped. I don t understand the good reviews. The food was okay, the prices were high for the quality of that food. I found some of the dishes extremely salty. The pasta of the week was a yuzu cream sauce and it sounded great, but there was nothing special about it. The pasta they used was not a good vessel for the sauce. The service was worse. The servers don t seem to know what s going on. The female server told us they were out of the pasta of the week. They weren t. The male server told us they were out of mussels but DID NOT REMOVE IT FROM OUR BILL. So thanks for charging us an extra $44. The two washrooms were very very gross. I have no idea if the liquid on the floor was water or something else. I didn t want to touch anything in there. Definitely will not come back and will recommend everyone avoid this place. There are so many other places nearby that have much better food and service. And cleaner washrooms.

Food taste good!

Yuzu cream and shrimp pasta was a huge flop. The sauce was so runny and barely had any yuzu taste. By the end of it, majority of the running sauce just sat on the bottom of the bowl. Katsu breakfast was a disaster. The katsu coating completely fell off the meat. The pork was dry. The salad sat beneath the hot katsu making the lettuce all wilted and unappetizing. What a huge plating flaw! The eggs even tasted weird with the togarashi powder dusted on top. It didn t pair well with the egg at all. The gravy was bland. We finished the meal anyway because we were hungry and didn t want to waste food. We won t be back.

Love this place. Great service, good ambiance (inside and out on their patio), flavours are just right and drinks are perfect. Curry was delicious. Omurice was so flavourful.

We put our name down for a reso. When another person from our party popped in, the server saw an empty table and told her to go up and then was told after she was about to sit down that the table was reserved. Later she came with the party and then they were reluctantly seated by the kind gentleman. The party that the table was reserved for never showed up. I guess that s no surprise. No menu card was given to us, waters were offered way later. There was only 2 sets of cutlery for the table. I had to ask for 5 more. When I dropped one by accident, the young lady with no smile looked at me like I did it on purpose. Food was staggered and extremely slow. Food was mostly good except for the ramen which I would say is mediocre. The noodles arrived so last. 40 mins after we ordered. The first person who got served already finished their meal. The noodles tasted like it was store bought. The only thing good was the egg. The young lady without the glasses was snippy when asking for the bill. She told me to Wait one second, I am busy with a fake smile. I was not all impressed, just say Yes, please kindly wait while I finish up. I also didn t like that I had to ask for things like I inconvenienced her . like extra bowls and plates. It s obvious we needed extras. The woman was the glasses was super nice. I liked her a lot. It does only take one person to make the experience unsavory. I think the 18% gratuity that is auto added to your bill was not deserved. The take out container for the soup had a hole in the top and was not actually a take out container FOR soup but for dry food. It got a little messy. Review from the boss kid: Hi I do not like how the Raman was very dry but the curry is really good. Am not impressed please better luck next time I think the washrooms were very clean but still the food is very slow!!!!! If I had to give stars I will give it 3stars

I went this restaurant to have Omurice which I watched a video from uncle Rogers lol. It was so tasty and this Thai milk tea is the most delicious thing. Place is warm and welcoming. Food is coming a little late but worth it.

Garbage service! A young male waiter at 2:50 pm on June 10th! Quickly finish today s lunch in English! Turn around and leave immediately Just give me a QR code! Just go! Ask him if I can place orders using my cell phone! He said no. You can only place an order with him! Follow me and follow him on your phone! Because there is no menu! He immediately turned around and left! Missing I have been waiting for a long time! He just came here! I want to be alone again! He also said that he could only be alone with him! Followed and turned around immediately and left I was left alone three times! They all leave immediately! The restaurant was not busy at all! If you have CCTV you can see clearly! This trash with no professional ethics uses his job to tease the guests! Ive never seen such a mean waiter! Some customers may not speak English very well! In fact, they can explain it to the guests! The waiter seems to understand English himself! Thats amazing! He is arrogant He doesnt want to answer even if he asks more questions! If he is the boss One! Even more scolding! You don t know how to operate! It s so tiring for other shareholders!

My reply regarding to the owners slanders and threatens Even though you delete your slandering and threatening reply, but remember there s a function called screen cut in everyone s phone, and I have uploaded here as photo to remind everyone who wants to step into restaurant what kind of humiliation you would receive from both the employee and owners just for a single not tasting meal. For the owner, first, I don t have the obligation to educate you what s is called micro aggression if you re uneducated. Also, check your CCTV before you open your month and slandered, there is all the truth for all the false accusations you made up. But obviously you don t dare to do it, and slandering your customers is just like a daily routine you would do, given your replies under other reviews. If seeing so many real negative feedbacks cannot let you even reflect a little bit, and you insist blinding you eyes with all the lame 5-star comments you brought, my kindly suggestion will be go and see a counsellor before try to operate a restaurant. Obviously a paranoid cannot a run a restaurant well. This is the last time I gonna waste my time on you, you and your restaurant just simply don t deserve it. original comment DON T come to this restaurant if you don t want to ruin your entire day. The food is mediocre level(especially the karaage, tastes like overnight leftover ), but the service is terrible and slow, and the waitress and waiter are ridiculously rude. The waitress in grey sweater is a racist and so rude that I couldn t believe she s actually a server. She looked very pissed the moment we came in, and even rolled her eye when we asked for sharing plates no mentioned everything is so slow, we waited half an hour for coffee, and another half an hour for food. If the owner see this comment please make your sever got trained and educated to be polite. No one wants to be treated like this.

My favorite restaurant in Canada, no joking And their service is the best! Food

Food was great but it took too long for the food to arrive.

Came on a Wednesday for $1 oysters and was surprised at how good they were. I also tried the pasta of the day and the omurice. Both were fantastic dishes. Servers were friendly and attentive. Would recommend and I would come back again.

Best omurice I ve ever tried in the city! Honestly been looking for a place that does their omurice like this and I finally found it. We also got the smoked mackerel sandwich and that was also really delicious

Omg so good

Came once for dinner and everything including the salad was drowning in soy sauce which made everything one note. Came back to give it another chance for brunch and was disappointed yet again as the eggs benny came out cold since it seems they re-did the pancakes as the dishes took a while to come out. I can only assume the eggs benny was made a while ago and sitting at the window for way too long. I do not recommend this place.

Brunch was fun! The dishes were full of surprises. If I want to drown myself in sugar and feel no regret, this is the place! Latte with condensed milk to kick off the meal, followed by pasta loaded with cream, waffles with fried chicken and dessert. Wow! Need to go on treadmill later, but totally worth it!

Best Omurice in J-town. Loved the ambiance and the vibe of this place. Service could be a little faster.

I went to Tanuki today with high hopes as I had previously eaten here before. However today during brunch it was terrible. The service was lack luster. They moved us to make space for others and then the wait staff repeatedly made mistakes such as spilling my food, knocking my belongings over and at one point the waitress was taking photos for the table beside us and started backing up into us. The food was very mediocre and did not live up to what I had here in previous years.

Honestly. Slightly disappointed. Food takes quite sometime to come. Tempura shrimp is a joke... too oily. Not crispy at all. However. The Hayashi ox tail was somewhat impressive. But over all not satisfied. I feel the the pre-packaged food they have in the supermarket was better...

Great food

Amazing and great food!

Add lunch with parents here today. Simple food and good experience.

Amazing food, very nice service!! This place should be bigger!

Creative menu that is brilliantly executed. We truly enjoyed every dish we ordered, 10/10 recommended!

Great food and service, recommend the omurice

The food was so good! Big portions! The staff were great! Big shoutout to our server Robin your great! Food : 5/5

The matcha French toast with sweet red beam filling was amazing-never have had anything like that in Toronto. Had it with an excellent matcha latte. Enjoyed their huge kaki fried oysters!Their chicken and waffles was delicious. Highly recommend a visit.

love going on dates with the homie

Food was ok. Didnt think there was anything special. Wouldnt return to this restaurant with so many other places nearby

Always a favourite brunch spot.

5/5 delicious meals really taste good I love it and I love Morning sunrise mango drink mmm yummy

Update after reading a reply from the owner: hi, I appreciate your reply. If you have videos then please spend some time and review what really happened, because at all time we NEVER entered your kitchen. After the long wait my baby was getting extremely sleepy and fussy. We tried to find your waitresses who were not nearby, so excuse us for walking around and try to talk to someone. Again, I emphasize that WE NEVER STEPPED INTO THE KITCHEN!!!! NOR DID WE SHOW ANY DISRESPECT TO YOUR STAFF!! After all I still tipped and let my baby wave goodbye to your staff. As a customer I did nothing wrong. Even if customers did enter your kitchen (WHICH I DIDNT!), maybe your kitchen staff could start asking them to leave with a more polite tune first, instead of being so offensive and almost directly threatened your customers. I dont demand any compensation (but thanks for offering), and its pointless to argue here. I was happy about your waitresses but not happy about your kitchen staff. End of the story. I also appreciate you taking time and replying to my review, it shows that as an owner you care about your business. as a customer Im glad to see it. Personally I wont return anymore but best wishes to you and your future business! Original review: Waited way too long for the order, but thats not the worst. The kitchen forgot one item from my order, we asked many times and it was still not ready. When we were getting very upset and tried to ask for another time, a bold guy with tattoos stormed out of the kitchen and began to yell at us. His exact words were we are busy here if you dont want it then leave. ARE YOU KIDDING???? We were not happy because you made a mistake and instead of apologizing you try to intimidate your customers? If you are short on staff then hire more people, this kind of attitude from a service provider is intolerable! On the other hand, two waitresses were nice and patient. They deserve an extra star.

J Town used to mean authentic Japanese food and services. This place isnt it... It is not even proper fusion Japanese food. It is more like heavily Canadianized Japanese food that you would find in a small town up north in Ontario. Food quality is low.

Didnt have much time but got a table, they took the order, i ate it and paid for it in 45 minutes. Never had omurice before but i really liked it. flavourful but not overwhelming.

Wow~~~worst ramen ever. Noodle in little coloured soup. Dont have any taste. Coffee served with hair. Fries are soggy Donkatsu is served cold.

Food was very good but long wait and ended up being cold when it came. They should serve when dishes are ready instead of waiting when everyones order is ready. Even though the food looked great and taste was good, my moms egg benedict was cold, and my ormurice was bearly warm. The temperature of the food makes a huge difference! There were only 3 tables, including us in total. One table was already eating before we ordered. Took about 20 - 30 min for our food to come, and it was cold. Last time we were here, food was slow too, but at least there were lots of customers, which was more understandable. Waiters attitude was good but in general just not thoughtful to customers needs. (Gave me ice water when its-2 and super windy today.)

After an amazing brunch experience where I ordered the Omurice which tasted amazing. I went back and ordered a pork knuckle for takeout the following day. This was absolutely a mistake. The meat is fairly tender but poorly seasoned. (The color of the pork was extremely light unlike some other pictures on google) The sauce it was served with was extremely watery and tasted of almost nothing. I could not eat such a gigantic hunk of flavourless meat especially with such fatty and slimy texture. Extremely disappointing experience after a great one.

Tanuki, not my first time here and certainly not last. Great service, quality food, and area for groups or more intimate settings. I ordered the pork knuckle, husband got the katsu breakfast and we ordered blueberry cream cheese french toast (no whip) for our son. Husband loved the thick, juicy katsu with gravy. Son loved the berries but not so much the french toast itself. I personally liked the french toast and the refreshing cream cheese inside. The pig knuckle... Okay. I can taste and see the quality of this dish but it wasnt for me . First, this is fudging huge. Even after removing meat from the giant bone, you are left with enough food for multiple meals or people. The meat was very fall-off-bone tender. The taste reminded me of those chinese braised red wine chicken dishes. Like its not salty, it is mildy sweet? To be fair, this is the first time Ive ordered pork knuckle in my entire life and I was feeling adventurous. My son LOVED the rice and the soup/gravy that the pig sat in. Will be back bit to try other things :). Fyi, Parents : they have high chairs.

Super delicious! Must try!!!

Long lineup ..... the order is all messed up, such that waited for 30 min and no food came up (while food is served to other tables which come in for only 5min)... We have to ask the waiter to check for food before they actually confirmed that our food was served to other table... By the time the food is here, we dont really have the mood to enjoy.. ... Food is just so so, dont worth the wait

Decent place to go for some quick and homey Japanese food. Good portion sizes and variety. Kid friendly menu.

Looking forward to trying the other menu items. Friendly atmosphere, family friendly as well. Came during dinner time and ordered Tonkatsu curry with a strawberry fever. It was delicious. Made me miss Japan again : )

Came here with my husband. I had duck Ramen and he had the duck eggs Benedict. The duck Ramen honestly couldve been better. The duck was very dry so Im assuming they had used chicken breast regardless its still worth a try. But the duck eggs Benedict? Oh my lord. It tasted like steak!! I couldnt believe it! Husband wishes he had more of the tater tots but still, that plate was divine. Thank you. Well definitely come back here again.

I came here on Sunday, January 21, 2024 for dinner as a group of 6. Two waiters all evening despite it being fairly busy, so service was substandard. I found that the waiters would avoid eye contact because they did not have time to help. Very long wait time for food and any requests, such as to order or to get the bill. At the end, we learned that 18% gratuity was already applied because of our group size. This condition is nowhere to be found on their website or QR-scanned menu and it was not brought to our attention at any point in time, until we we saw it on the bill as we were paying. I dont believe this is enforceable. Ultimately, I dont blame the waiters personally. Management should ensure there are adequate staff to operate a restaurant.

Today, we enjoyed Omurice. It consists of chicken fried rice with mushrooms and vegetables topped with a carefully prepared egg omelet on top. The beauty of this is to slice the omelet down the middle and let it envelope the rice and top it with a drizzle of brown gravy. It was very tasty and quite a portion for lunch. But we eat it all up because it tasted do good. Perfect rice...perfect egg omelet.

10/10 would eat here again! Came in friday morning and was immediately greeted by servers with a friendly atmosphere. If youre planning on coming, the hayashi beef and katsu curry are MUST tries! Ill definitely be adding this restaurant to my weekly lunch spots! Food

Came here a few days ago and my sever Robin was amazing and gave a really good recommendation to me and my family for the omurice. Will come back for the mango sunrise.

First time here at tanuki and I would definitely recommend this place to everyone! The potato and taro chips are definitely a must try and I would solely go back just for them. Although the food took a while, we understood that it was pretty busy and overall the servers were so nice about it :)

Amazing food. The best

The food was so good! We couldnt just order one thing so my friend and I got 4 dishes just to make sure we could try everything. Highly recommend and great place to unwind, hang out with friends and the perfect vibe!

Tanuki restaurant has consistently exceeded my expectations since its opening. The friendly staff always goes above and beyond, seamlessly accommodating every customers needs. Not once have they failed to provide exceptional service. The menu, marked by its excellence, offers a delightful array of dishes that never disappoint. Tanuki has truly mastered the art of delivering an outstanding dining experience.

Amazing service and food!

The food was immaculate, combinations that I wouldn t have thought about but I enjoyed every single bite. And the service was amazing hands-down!

LOVEEEE COMING HERE! The food and the people are amazing! My go-to is the Kaeshi Karaage and Pig Knuckle. Highly recommend!

The quality of the food was top tier. Service matched with the atmosphere made the experience something worth mentioning. Highly recommend!!

Came here for the first time, since I heard amazing reviews and they did not disappoint. My friends & I ordered the Lychee Mojito and it was flavourful! We all also ordered the Chicken Sando & that was delicious. It was a very big portion, I was only able to finish one half of the sandwich. The fries and salad that came with it was also tasty. The servers were very attentive to their customers. I would definitely return & recommend if youre looking for a Japanese style cusine!

dined in, food was delicious, service was great.

Food is great and the staff are phenomenal and personable! So friendly and kind. Dined in for brunch and came a second time to try their dinner menu. Was not disappointed. Highly recommend

It looked promising but, tbh it was a TRAP. Food was plain with no depth. Service was slow already and the staff were chatting and snacking? Disappointing

We had a great experience at Tanuki, we went during family day weekend and were seated within 15mins, as the place was packed, we had got there around 1150am. The portions were really good and service was good. The Omurice was what we went there for and it did not disappoint.

It wasn t too busy when we arrived but our food took an extremely long time to come. The food was great with a lot of flavour though. We ordered the pasta of the week which was a bolognese and the yakisoba. The egg was also cooked to perfection. The server was very kind and friendly and checked in on us despite being the only server. The Thai tea creme brulee was also delicious with a strong tea flavour. We would come back for the food but wished the food came a bit faster.

curry katsu very flavourful

Will definitely be back. Came during brunch and had the Tonkatsu Curry. It was great. A good cut of meat, perfectly crispy, and served in a curry that had flavour and vegetables in it. For $20 Id say it was definitely worth it and Ill order it again. Im not sure if it was just the rice that day, but it was a little too soft - Still edible though. Otherwise the meal was great. Service was extremely friendly, but we had to flag them down for the bill despite it not being overly busy at the time. The rest of the menu looked great and I hope to explore more of it someday, but first, another Tonkatsu order.

!!!!!FALSE ADVERTISING for $1 oysters on Wednesday!!!!!!! We came today for the $1/shuck and was told because they re not too busy, there are no oysters but they still have the (fake) deal up on their IG We ordered the omurice, tonkatsu curry and fries Omurice: best omurice I ve had in GTA. The egg was cooked perfectly upon arrival BUT is quickly overcooked by the STEAMING HOT rice under. I would suggest letting the rice rest to a lowered temperature before dishing the egg on top. The menu also describes a chicken fried rice but it came with tiny (ground) chicken pieces in the mostly mushroom fried rice. The gravy it came with was fantastic Tonkatsu curry was a solid choice. Not a traditional Japanese curry but more like a cream based butter chicken sauce - I enjoyed it. It could have came with more rice. Fries are fries Pictured: the chicken in question Service was mid - our waitress was probably high cause she was suuuuper slow

The food was really good and a beautiful Atmosphere. But I need to point out the one of the waitresses were kinda rude for no reason. I dont know whether she was having a bad day or racist. Despite of that everything was really good.

great music. great menu items. i got the omurice and it was legit bussin. staff were nice and timely. highly recommend. Vegetarian options: lots of tofu based dishes, perfect for vegetarians.

Great little spot and really good food. Great quality and quantity. However the Oysters did make me sick... Would go back again, unfortunate about the Oysters.. Took the risk even though they smelled a little off.

We ordered two entrees and it took them 45 mins on a dead Wednesday. The food portion was a little small and the price tag was overpriced.

Wife and myself had a brunch at this restaurant greeted by the waitress name robin soon as we walk in, food was amazing, only issue was food took longer to come. other than that will definitely return back for more and try other food they offer.

I don t normally comment on google map, but we had the worst waitress ever. Her racist talk and altitude targeting us were miraculously unpleasant and bad experience. Food was also bad. Will not recommend it to anyone!

The food was fine but there are some serious operational issues at this restaurant. There were only 2 members on the wait staff when we went. We waited over 15 minutes for our orders to be taken and another 30 after asking for the check. Hopefully they manage to hire a few more staff, but I would generally avoid this place if its more than half full.

Good food and nice atmosphere Ordered crispy smelt egg benedict and strawberry green tea Crispy smelt egg benendict: The top is fried small fish (smelt fish). The small fish is crispy and has fish roe inside. The roe will pop when you eat it. It is very fresh. But this poached egg is too cooked, the yolk is completely solidified, and there is no longer any smoothing effect. Iced strawberry green tea: Not very sweet, with the sweetness of strawberry and the tea feeling of green tea. They often have all kinds of magical egg benny, and the menu changes frequently. The food service is really slow, and the waiter is often not found. But overall, its really fun to sit by the window here, soak up the sun, and eat brunch.

I like the matcha mochi pancake the most but the pancake this time I ate was over cooked. Also, the omelette was a bit cold, and the Katsu pork meat tasted not very fresh, skin wasn t crispy, either. Waiters did not refill the water during the whole meal.

I have been back to this restaurant for brunch at least 4 or 5 times since my friend first told me about it. This hidden gem in Markham offers a weekly rotating brunch menu which offers a variety of breakfast options including different pancakes and eggs benny every week. They always have great service and everything Ive ordered so far has been delicious and flavorful. They have a cute little patio in the summer and its dog friendly too. I have been bringing a lot of my friends and family to this place and theyve all loved it. I would highly recommend this place to anyone.

I love their cinnamon latte and the food. Came with coworkers for lunch and it wasnt too busy. Decent service and helpful staff.

It took 45+ minutes for food to arrive with no explanation. If you have all the time in the world to kill, their outdoor dining area is lovely.

Omurice has been added to my comfort food list. It was so good. I will come back again to try the other items in the menu. Thanks!

The food was beyond tasty. On another level. Service very attentive and kind. Atmosphere was fine, nice and quiet.

Tanuki is a small, cozy restaurant with attentive and positive staff, who are dedicated to serving tasty food and drinks! I went there a few times and their vibe and food are amazing, with unique Japanese fusion flavours. They have a rotating brunch menu, check out their socials to find out whats new! At times, their savoury dishes are slightly under seasoned, but it doesnt ruin the dish. The seating area is tight; so it may feel cramped for some especially when its busy. I highly recommend this place! Theres plenty of shopping around the area too.

The food took over 40+mins to come out and it was cold and soggy, the curry sauce tasted very sour like they had put too much vinegar, I ve had it before and it was never this sour. Would not recommend if I could give this place a 0 I would. Maybe this place is better on the weekends but the Friday I went it was awful.

Very nice location in JTown. Portions are pretty big but slightly pricey. Rotating brunch menu so check on their Instagram before you go to make sure there is something you want to eat there.

Some good nuggets in this place. The omurice is pretty authentic compared to what I had in Japan. The pig knuckle is a bit of a fusion item. Definitely tastes like Chinese BBQish (Shanghainese version not Cantonese version) and the hot sauce on the side is very similar to Singaporean Hainanese chicken hot sauce. Overall not bad. Would like to try other items on the menu.

Wow! Delicious and creative. The chefs magically find a way to sneak umami into everything you taste. Sweet, salty, and tangy in all the right places. The food could easily be 50% higher in a busier neighborhood. Come eat here before everyone discovers this gem

We were the only table there and the food still took over 40mins+ to come. I ordered the omurice it came out cold and with the sauce spilled out. We had expressed our concerns with the waiter and he apologized and just walked away, he didn t do anything else. Water was not refilled at all the entire time we were there. On top of waiting 40+ mins the food wasn t that good and the waiter he was extremely rude to us. The Alcoholic drinks come in half glasses and was mostly filled with ice. For paying premium prices I expect atleast a full glass. Would not recommend.

Nice cozy place for lunch. Great service and food.

Serves some food that in other restaurants or at home I dont enjoy. I am now an Omurice lover! Chowder was undercooked.

Great Japanese fusion restaurant with outdoor patio seating (dog friendly). Used to be another restaurant with lots of pasta fusion. Great service. Good small menu with cocktail, beers and sake. Wednesday oyster specials (a buck a shuck) Used to have $5 cocktails now it is half off sake. They have little canned sakes which is usually rare at our LCBO (reg $16 at restaurant) Fresh oysters, lovely cooked dishes, fresh and flavourful. Came a few times and the Pork Belly Brussel Sprouts, Smelts and Ox Tongue dish were unfortunately unavailable. Overall, great experience!

Theres always something different, every time we dine at Tanuki. Their presentation of the dishes is very nice, and the taste is so delicious. Reasonable prices exceptional food quality, and very friendly service from the staff.

Cute restaurant and cute patio in J-Town. Dog-friendly. We had the omurice and pork katsu. The staff were good and attentive, but the service was a bit slow. Good atmosphere!

I was searching for a good restaurant with a spacious patio. This restaurant serves tasty foods and allows our dogs to be on the patio. The server Brandon was very attentive and friendly. The dishes were very unique and delicious. I will definitely return to try other dishes as well.

Food was really yummy!!! Its dog friendly restaurant. I will definitely visit again

We dropped by for brunch. While the food is delicious, the restaurant seems to be experiencing operational issues in the kitchen. It took nearly an hour from being seated to receive the entrees, while it looked like online orders were being fulfilled in a timely fashion. Favouring them over the customers seated inside the restaurant. I wouldn t recommend dining here unless you can spare more than two hours for lunch.

Came on a Sunday afternoon. They were relatively busy, but we were able to get seated immediately. We ordered the omurice and matcha french toast - both tasted good. The kitsune milk tea was good too (its basically Thai iced milk tea). The food is a bit expensive. It also took a while for the food to come out. There is a 10% discount if paying by cash.

Great eatery in J-town with a spin on traditional Japanese fare. Service can be a little slow during busy times, but the food never disappoints. Brunch menu rotates regularly, so always worth a visit over the weekend.

Omelette rice must try!

Cozy Japanese fusion restaurant located in J-Town. Came in on a Monday evening. Plenty of parking and the restaurant wasnt too busy. We had pork knuckle, smelt fries and shrimp soba. The pork knuckle was a very good sized bone in, with a bowl of rice. I love the flavor. The smelts were good too served with tartar sauce to cut the fishy taste. Soba noodles were good served with fried egg. Although they only had one server, she was very attentive and pleasant. Will return to try other dishes.

Tanuki IS THAT RESTAURANT. With a rotating menu and a stellar mainstay menu too, Tanuki is a place that you dont want to miss. We had a number of different items across both their brunch and main menu and were not disappointed. The pancakes were unbelievable, the karaage was delicious, the pig knuckle was delectable. Everything here is a must try.

Food is ok but selections are limited. Service is good.

Place is pretty. The food does not justify the cost. Chicken Sando is $21 and yes, it is interesting but not worth the price.

The food here never disappoints! Love the fusion and enjoy their new menu every now and then. We would have enjoy it more before they increase the price but I guess that s like everywhere else. Monday $1 oyster is another reason of coming here. I love their wide selection of sake Update Aug 2023: great food as always. Tried their new menu with the sandwich which is also very nice.

We came here on a Friday night and it wasnt busy. We got seated right away and ordered the mackerel appetizer, omurice, and chicken sando. Everything was just ok - the omurice was a good texture, but the fried rice was something I could have done at home. The fries with the sandwich were soggy. The mackerel was flavourful but very oily.

The menu is small but they rotate it weekly. The curry was quite different from typical Japanese curry but I liked it.

This place is the real deal I have never been to Japan but you could experience a glimpse of it if you come to Tanuki. OMURICE OMURICE OMIRICE Thank you to the friendly faces staff and hats off to the chef!

Great food and always fresh. Brunch menu offers a great variety from savoury to sweet and great options for the kiddos too. For a caffeinated drink, recommend the tanuki coffee which is sweetened with evaporated and condensed milk (iced). The omurice and Tonkatsu curry is always one of my go-to and delicious. Chicken karaage is a great choice for the kids.

Great ambience and service was satisfactory. Food-wise it was disappointing especially with the final price we paid for. Went out for Lunch with my partner here today and we ordered 2 Nesteas, Thai-Iced Tea, 6 piece Shrimp Tempura, Pork-cutlet curry and Omurice from the Lunch Menu. Tempura was not crunchy, felt soft for something that was fried. It was a bad choice on our end. My partner got the Pork-Cutlet (Tonkatsu I think) with curry and rice. He said it was mid. In other terms, ok. Just ok. The Omurice was ok as well, not good, but not bad. Overall the total bill was around $79.27 including 15% Tip. Would not recommend to be honest.

The food wasn t good but wasn t bad. The cocktail was really good (I recommend the kiss kiss cocktail and the curry)

First time leaving comments. We ordered Tonkatsu Curry and Shrimp Yakisoba to share during lunch today. We both got diarrhea in the afternoon. Not sure which item has gone bad, the curry, the shrimp or the pork, nothing tasted fresh today anyway.

The food was delicious! I loved the oxtail and gravy. The Omurice was also very tender. Portions are generous. Service was great. Will definitely be back for date night!

September 2023 update: Ive dined in at Tanuki a few times since theyve opened and happy to see a changing menu and improved execution. Most recently I came for dinner and we got the torched mackerel for the table and I got the Chicken Sando and Aki Crisp cocktail. The food was fresh and tasty. The salad with my sandwich was really overdressed and sitting in a pool of salty dressing. Service was great. ~~~ 2020: Came here at 8pm on a Saturday evening and was seated in their outdoor patio immediately. The tables were distanced well and staff were masked up. Service got rather slow near the end of the night so we were waiting quite a while to flag down a server. We ordered the Tanuki slaw appetizer, and Buddha Palm Pig Knuckle and Memories of Harambe Tonkotsu Curry. The Tanuki Slaw has a lovely mix of textures but I think it needs tweaking on the seasoning. The umeboshi (salted prune) dressing is too sweet and needs a pickled/savoury element. The portions of the mains are huge so I think its great value. The Tonkotsu Curry was fried perfectly. Note that the curry tastes like butter chicken sauce - it was a bit unexpected, but still tasted great and had potatos and carrots like in traditional Japanese curry. The Pork Knuckle was super tender and tasted good. The sauce is a bit watery and I think could be more concentrated. The pickled beets that comes with the mains are awesome. But the miso tahini glazed sweet potatoes dont really have any of the described glaze flavours. Overall, its a great addition to J-Town and Im hopeful that they will improve as they establish themselves.

Recommended delicious Japanese oxtail rice.

Weve eaten at this place several times now and we fully enjoy ourselves each time. Great place to eat with friends, family, or just ourselves. Eating at the patio Id quite relaxing if the weather is nice enough. The portions are very filling! Much larger than I would have expected and surprisingly quite full after a meal here. The servers are really nice and very hard working. Then you have J-Town to explore after eating... Parking: No issues with parking.

Was in the area for some lunch and found this place when searching, wait time for the service it s pretty short when getting your food after ordering as it was a mid afternoon time. Ordered some seafood noodles, and fried chicken, The portion of the noodle it s was quite small for the price you paying for same go as the fried chicken, The flavour of the noodle was a bit salty for my liking, as it tastes like soy sauce for majority of it. Same goes for the fried chicken. Both were little to salty, not a Japanese authentic restaurant, for what it served and the pricing of the food, recommended go somewhere else. Overall it was okay place to grab a bite if you re near J -town, was it worth? Not really

The fact that I am writing this review upon immediately leaving the place after eating shows my extreme dissatisfied about this supposedly high-class restaurant. I dont know if it is supposed to act like a fusion-style Izakaya restaurant, but I didnt think it lived up to the hype I was told itd be like. The pictures are a fraud and service was beyond just terrible. I went the moment it opened at 11am and tried out the three dishes as attached to my post. It was overly fried and the tempura batter wasnt sticking to the shrimp. Their fried stuff needs a lot of work. Their representation of the food and how the photos are published dont match so theres a consistency issue. It also doesnt taste that great as others stated. The atmosphere was quite cold when fall is just around the corner. We changed our seating location once already thinking that going up the top of the stairs would be warmer but its not. We didnt even take off our jackets when dining and we still kept feeling a draft coming from somewhere. Maybe the a/c was still on. Idk if they changed the staff and owners overtime, but it was definitely how I remember it when I even walked in to grab a take-out menu as a newcomer. My brother bought the Thanksgiving special one year and again, the inconsistency from the promo pictures werent lining up! The roast beef was too dry despite the outlook of it looking quite juicy and moist. One thing I agree with one of the other reviews mixed in here is how they said the service is unbelievably frustrating. They come to you frequently for the first 2-3 times when youre NOT ready yet but when you are, they DO actively ignore your table when it isnt busy. Mind you, I said I went there immediately upon opening. Later, walked in 2-3 more tables of people. It was still quite empty. I wonder if they think its because us customers are indecisive and slow at ordering that they essentially just give up on coming back to serve your table until they hear you say were gonna leave if they dont come back to me in the next round. On top of all of this, she didnt come back to clear out the table as we were running out of space to put things aside when done and she didnt refill our water pot (I asked to have hot water) given its finished so fast because of its tiny size. Its the same size as the cups she provided us and we deliberately watched ourselves to conserve our pouring because we knew itd be gone in a flash of we split it in half. The fact the waiter said its 10% off if we paid in cash made us fume given how poor the customer service experience was so I said we will stick with paying with credit card. We were originally thinking of tipping but luckily we didnt and saved a few dollars on top of a hefty bill. The customer behind us did the same and we could almost feel off of him even that he was dissatisfied with his visit here as well. Absolutely not worth it. Is the dinner time portion the same type of dissatisfaction?

The menu is small, but i have had the omurice and the oxtail dish I thought they were both super tasty. Trying the tofu dish next time.

Tanukis menu changes occasionally. The servers were friendly and helpful. Everything was delicious. We have been to this restaurant several times for dinner. We tried the Fuji apple salad, kaarage, tonkatsu curry and tofu cheesecake. Will be back. Good to see the restaurant is busy on a Saturday night.

A Japanese family restaurant in J-town . Delicious food with decent portion. Excellent service.

Came here for their dollar a shuck oysters on Wednesdays. Oysters tasted and smelled fresh. Service is was good and fast. The restaurant appeared clean.

Food is under average. Wait staff is good

Its salty... and the seasoning is weird...

I forgot my leftovers on the table n am disappointed that they threw it out right after I left.

Kitsune Friar is now closed, but Tanuki is still around. Had the Omurice, was very well made. The soft omelet was made to perfection. Not over cooked like most other places. The chicken fried rice was good, just wish there was a bit more chicken. Rice, edamame and shiitake hit the goldilocks zone. Service was friendly, you can sit anywhere you like. Music not too loud. Atmosphere pretty quiet, good place to just chill.

love how they have a changing menu! very delicious options + generous quantities Food

Thank you for rekindling my memories of Japan. That Tonkatsu Curry, wow!!

Yummy fusion restaurant in J-Town! This is my third time coming to Tanuki and I think we were spot on with everything that we ordered! We got the chicken karaage, pork belly brussel sprouts and shiseido peppers - everything was very crispy and tasty. The brussel sprouts were especially my favourite - the sauce that it was drenched in was soo good. Previously Ive dried their curry katsu and I wasnt the biggest fan, but would definitely come back for more apps!

Food was great, portion was great but the price is way too costly...

The food is great and feel like in Japan

Nice cozy fusion eat. Staff are good to deal with and the pastas are my go to. A bit on the pricey side for what it is but still within the norm these days.

Nice food and ambiance just terrible service. First of all it took so long to come which I don t mind but the staff are very unprofessional hear them talking very loud. I told them there was no tissue roll and I never once saw them go to refill it but they are talking and on their phones??

Karaage, beef stroganoff, omurice and tonkatsu curry. Everything was delicious!

This is second time we came. We love the flavor of the food! It just the fried noodle had a bit salty from our taste bud. And the oysters quite small size.. The rest are perfect! The dessert is very surprisingly have cheese in the middle of the toast ! It was sooooo yummY!! We saw they have the customer just come for the dessert as well! Kid-friendliness: And for sure that kids-friendly taste!

Im a regular in this restaurant but the service is really upsetting tonight. We would not go back again. I asked the waiter tonight (wed) to move a small table to another table as we have a party of 6 and needed more space. The waiter told me to move it ourselves. When I questioned him why I have to move the table myself, he gave me an arrogant look. Look.. if this is a food court, I dont mind moving the table ourselves... But this is a restaurant and you charged us 18 percent mandatory tip. I hope the owner sees this as this is totally unacceptable. Otherwise, the food is decent but the portion got much smaller .

very cozy place and the decor was very cute. the servers were kind but not very attentive. they forgot to give us utensils and water, and the food took almost an hour to come out, unfortunately. the omurice was delicious!! the egg was super silky and the gravy and fried rice were very flavorful. they were kind enough to do a vegetarian version without chicken. the clam chowder was quite bland and had bits of shell in there. otherwise it was okay if you add salt. curry in the tonkatsu curry was very good and flavorful. the katsu itself, however, was not that great. rest of the dish was good though! we also got the pasta of the day (rose mentaiko pasta). very creamy and flavorful, except for the shrimp which was a bit bland. but overall nice :-))

Between 3.5-4 stars. Had the omurice and pasta of the week (shrimp rose mentaiko pasta). Food was overall OK but I felt could be better. The omurice s egg was great! Very well cooked, but the demi glace sauce lacked depth and the rice was also a bit bland. The pasta was slightly undersalted and lacked pollock roe (I also felt it was too creamy, but that s my personal preference).

Omurice (decent egg, the proper kind I m expecting from Japanese omurice. The rice are well fried, good texture, but the taste is so bland Oxtail hayashi rice (meager oxtail. The starchy sauce is really sickening for me Pig knuckle (tender knuckle. mediocre taste Spiked tanuki coffee Overall well presentation but lack in taste, no depth

We ordered the Yakisoba and the tofu. Food was overly salty and had no flavor. We barely touched our plate and the best we got was a 2$ discount. Will not be returning, would rather go to Izakaya Ju next door, which we had to do because we were still hungry.

Ordered the tofu but unfortunately all I could taste was soy sauce :( I couldnt even eat the dish and they still made me pay lol do not come here, the food is terrible and the service is untrained. Theres a better restaurant next door!

nice place to check out and the food here is not too bad as well. i like how they use local ingredients from the stores within jtown! however, i do find the food here to be quite pricey. all of their mains are $20+, where you can find the same dishes at stores nearby for a fraction of the price. out of all the dishes, i would only recommend getting the tonkatsu curry as this one is the most bang for your buck (in my opinion). the curry is rich and the tonkatsu is very tender. i ve tried other dishes here such as the omurice, shrimp yakisoba, chicken sando and pasta of the week (i believe it was a bolognese one that i had at the time) and they are all very mid. most dishes lacked flavour or would only taste like one ingredient. on the other hand, i find service here to be quite slow sometimes. i understand they can be busy and maybe short staffed, but the few times i ve come to this restaurant, the waiters will always take their time for us to get a refill on water or getting the bill. we would have to call them a few times with the same question for them to actually get it done.

Tanuki Restaurant is a Japanese restaurant. The place is very well decorated and maintained. The staff is very prompt. There are a lot of varieties in their menu to try. The food is very very good specially the pork knuckle which was fall off the bone tender. The Fries were very crispy and flavourful. The fried oysters were just yummy. The portions size is very big and can be shared by 2-3 people. It was a very pleasant visit for me . Happy Eating

Had the Katsu breakfast and tanuki latte, the Katsu was pretty good but I thought the gravy/sauce didnt taste like anything so I found it a bit bland overall. Latte was very nice.