Ryoji Ramen & Izakaya

My new favourite spot. Great for going out with friends or on a date. Very cozy and also funky atmosphere. The ramen is delicious. Decently priced. My favourite drink on the menu during the winter time is the hot oolong cassis. The staff is great and very friendly. Oh also, the toilet seats are heated. You’ll either love that or hate it.

The food was actually amazing, and its definitely a cool place, really good japanese tapas and ramen. It was really expensive though, and they have those tiny beautiful servings that you feel hungry after. But the biggest problem was that when we got the bill they had added like $ 10 of food and alcohol tax which was a total surprise since we’d been eating and drinking out for days without ever seeing that on another bill. So we felt like we got scammed by this restaurant, at every other restaurant the taxes were included in the prices. For that reason I wouldn’t recommend coming here, because they add about 30% onto the bill without telling you beforehand. Also the house white wine was really bad!

If anything coming for the tonkatsu ramen is amazing. Honestly I feel it was as good if not better versus the Toronto favourite sansotei. What’s even better is this is a bar and they serve popular izakaya food. I would stray away from takoyaki because the one I got were potato based? And legit was a friend potato with octopus? Not sure.
Come here for ramen and sake!

It should be two stars but I am still happy that our city is host to a variety of food that never gets old. Ryoji Ramen specializes in food from the island of Okinawa in Japan.
Food: we tried many things but not their ramen. The bitter melon and pork dish was tasty. The yellowtail was thick and delicious. The wings seemed baked and were not good.
They have a menu above the kitchen but do not actually have them. Every single one of the items was not available! Why have them up there then?
Service was pretty bad. We didn’t tip. Drinks arrived without glass. We asked for glasses and they forgot so we started drinking from the bottles. When the food finally came after a long wait they forgot extra plates. We asked them for extra plates and they again forgot. Finally, we ordered a warm dish but they served the fish cold instead and apologized 10 minutes later. Of course we were still charged.
They were playing Christmas music (actually I prefer Japanese music to get a real Japanese feeling when I dine at Japanese establishments), which is fine I guess but they were playing Christian country music with «baby jesus» and «he is our lord» and ‘shepherds saw the king” lyrics which was gross.
I am not a fan of the tacky chandeliers or Hawaiian shirts on the cooks either but maybe that is Okinawa style? Anyone the guys in the group complained about the waitresses not being flashy but one can ignore that because they always complain. Hey Bill, why didn’t you take us back to Hapa?

Had a good time at a tasting event here. Tried 4 different izakaya’s dishes Deep fried house-​made Okinawa tofu (atsuage), Grilled Tontoro (Pork Jowl), Takoyaki (Deep Fried Octopus Ball) and Fried Ebi (tiger shrimp) Mayo. Definitely enjoyed the tofu, pork jowl and fried ebi as they were quite flavorful. The takoyaki was interesting as it was made of potatoes but didn’t really taste any octopus in it. Also tried 4 different kinds of ramen as well. I tried the Tonkatsu (rich pork broth with egg white ramen), Shio (sweet soy broth with whole egg ramen), Shoyu (light chicken and pork bone broth with whole egg ramen) and Okinawa Soba (light bonito and pork bone broth with traditional Okinawa style soba). All the flavours were good but the Soba noodles were my favourite as it was full of flavors. My only criticism is if the pork was a bit more fattier as that’s how I like my meat in the ramen. Also had the Sata Andgai for the finishing touch and simply loved it! Overall, great experience. Loved the décor and the staff were friendly as well.

My review is solely for the Okinawan Soki soba.
I just ordered this dish because I’ve been craving it ever since my trip to Okinawa. It’s an addicting soup that I couldn’t stop dreaming about.
It’s light yet unique and isn’t greasy like the other ramen options so I would call the bowl pretty comforting. The noodles weren’t like the ones that I had in Okinawa (chewier at Ryoji) but they were equally enjoyable. No complaints here. They also added all the right toppings and provided me with the unique koregusu which is vodka-​infused chilli peppers. Love!
It’s unfortunately out of my way in Little Italy and don’t think I will be able to go too often.

Came here for a late night food hunt.
Atmosphere was great, as it was the night before Halloween, the entire place was decorated and all staff was dressed up including the kitchen staff, which was pretty cool.
Now that being said, the atmosphere was almost the whole 3 stars.
Food was not even mediocre. I ordered the special ramen, the soup had a weird taste and had a thick layer of oil flowing on top making the whole dish taste greasy, and the ramen wasn’t fresh, texture was weird as well. The slices of pork belly was way to fat. Dish of assorted pickles was ok, but really wasn’t worth the $ 2. Salmon was fresh, still not worth the $ 13 for so few pieces.
I would not come back again.

*I got a $ 50 gift card so part of this meal was paid by someone else :)
*my friend and I ended up ordering $ 100 worth of dishes and drinks as toward the end of the meal, we realized $ 50 was just simply not enough to fill up both of us.
*Servers were good except for manager who gave us an attitude, because we were using a gift card.
–Red Tuna Sashimi with Salted Wasabi Pesto — $ 13:
The tuna was placed inside a tube made out of daikon radish, and the flower-​shaped radish resembled the falling sakura flowers. Despite the artsy presentation, I thought this dish was a bit too expensive for $ 13 as you are only getting a few chopped pieces of tuna here. I liked how the salted wasabi pesto had enough spicy kick without the heat linger in your mouth. However I couldn’t really taste the raspberry balsamic soy vinaigrette as I felt there were too much raw red onions compares to the sashimi, thus I couldn’t taste the flavors of the tuna.
–PEI Oysters topped with Yuzu Jelly — $ 9 for 3:
Very good, sweet PEI oysters with a slight tangy yuzu jelly to brighten up the freshness of the oyster.
–Kobe Beef Tartar — $ 15:
I highly recommend this dish! The portion was generous for $ 15 and it would have been better if they offered more crostini or different type of bread! My teeth constantly felt like it’s going to break soon everytime I took a bite :(. I liked how the fresh scallion purée and garlic confit aioli added just enough flavors while still letting the natural flavors of the beef tartare to shine through. It was not spicy nor too salty, just seasoned perfectly with some crunchy texture from the crispy rice
–Kobe Beef Steak — $ 23:
Again the portion was a bit small for $ 23 but it was another dish that both of us really enjoyed. The steak was perfect medium rare and melted in your mouth goodness. The garlic oil and pickled onions gave a hint of spiciness and the sweet (!) soy sauce was just right without overpowering the natural taste of the kobe beef. That bright orange purée is smoked carrot and I wished there was more, it was aromatic, smooth and comforting, yummy!
–Mini Shio Ramen — $ 7
The noodle bowl came out piping hot with a smooth and superb flavorful broth. With that said, it was quite bland and I felt the broth might be too fatty for some people. Noodles were cooked to perfection and I was surprised to see thin noodles (which is what I prefer anyways), and there wasn’t an option to choose thicker noodles so I guess this is how Okinawa ramen is supposed to be? The cha siu was buttery soft and melted in your mouth, but I would have appreciate it if there was more meat compare to fat and a bit more charred on the pork belly.

This last time at Ryoji Ramen was really pleasant as well. It’s just formidable when you visit a place which provides you consistency and tasty deals every time you go.
This is the kind of places that are concerned for building a clientele of regulars that would visit them without mattering they aren’t in the hip radar anymore (sometimes ppl likes to make lines just for new hot spots).
About to entering the place I read on the blackboard: $$$Kobe appetizer half the price$$$ What??? Mmmmm!!! Once seated, we were tempted by the waitress again… «Today’s deal is the Kobe appetizer half the price», damn!!! So much inducement was kind of fishy even for a Japanese place.lol. After sharing our thoughts of how those Kobe cows are massaged and treated excellent, and how pricey their slices usually are, we decided that even if they were trying to get ridden of «about to expire» product” it was going to be worth to taste it.
We scored, if you ever go on Sunday and they have that deal + 5 $ Sake, you’ll be so happy you won’t even care next day is Monday. Those slices were like smoky butter that just melts in your tongue while you try to chew. Wonderful!!!
The Ramen were tasty too, but this time the flashlights were stolen by an appetizer.
They had a big party in there as well on the upper part, but this place is so well planned, that the slopes, mirrors, and decoration give you space to just enjoy without caring what is happening around.

Amazing! Everything about this place is great. We ordered the ramen which was so yummy. Our waitress was so nice and pleasant. And the décor is very beautiful. I would recommend eating here and I hope I get a chance to go back.

No doubt about the atmosphere, I like it lot more than Guu, not too «dramatic» and noisy. Service is good. Full bar, not too fancy but with great quality. I think I had the best «whiskey sour» here in town.
No doubt about their food quality. My favorite dishes so far is Kobe beef tata and homemade peanut tofu. Definitely have to mention their Raman. Soup flavour is rich and thick but not salty… everything just make. I think I will try their potato takoyaki and the wasabi cucumber at my next visit.
No pictures cos my phone battery was dead… and the food was too good to be wait till the battery has been charged.

My girlfriend and I tried this place out last week and I was a big fan. We were sat quickly and the service was good. We began our meal with the wasabi cucumbers, which are fun and do have a bit of a kick. The sake flight was a great buy and gives you a good opportunity to try some different sakes.
For dinner we each had ramen dishes. She had the spicy miso ramen with an side of pork belly and I had the tonkotsu with an extra hard boiled egg. Between the two I’d say hers was the clear winner. The spicy miso is really quite good and I’d recommend giving that a try for sure if you want a ramen dish with some heat and wonderful flavours.
Overall I’d certainly go back and would recommend this to place to anyone in little Italy looking for some ramen.

WORST SERVICE EVER!
We ordered «Red tuna sashimi with salted fresh wasabi pesto»
The red tuna had an extremely strong fishy smell and a cloudy colour. It was clear that they were NOT fresh and I was so grossed out after trying one piece.
When the waiter came to bring our next dish, we mentioned to the waiter «Sorry, but these tuna are extremely fishy and don’t look so fresh».
She went «Well, because it’s FISH» with more attitude than common sense because clearly that wasn’t the issue.
I said «Well, I am Japanese myself and was born there. I know what fresh sashimi should taste like and this is really gross. You can smell it from here.»
Then she started arguing with me, saying «Well, I lived in Japan for 8 years too and trust me, everyone loves this dish. It’s probably just YOUR PREFERENCE.»
Rather than trying to make it right, she just kept arguing with me and being defensive.
In the end we just had to tell her, «We are not here to argue with you. We just want you to take this dish away because it smells and we don’t want it here».
When we ended our dinner, my friend and I were still pretty upset and shocked about what happened and asked a different waiter if we could speak to the manager.
The entire restaurant was dead empty and all the staff were just chatting at bar. We waited at least 15 mins and the manager could not even get his lazy ass off the bar to speak to us.
We were just so extremely disappointed with the staff’s behaviour.
This kind of business won’t last.
Even if the food were remotely palatable, service is king. Don’t waste your money.

Very filing!
We went for the Ramen tasting. My daughter and I were traveling from the US. She is ¼ Okinawan but has never been. She has a love for Asian food and enjoyed every minute of her dining experience here. The atmosphere has a modern Japanese twist. I lighting set the tone, the bar is long and big and the people are super friendly. We had edamame, 3 ramen dishes and a desert. I also had Saki beer. Yum to all! The edamame had an anchovy sauce to give it a salty kick. The ramen had a tasty broth filled with protein and veggies. The desert was a donut hole type pastry with carmel sauce and ice cream. Amazing presentation and a flavor explosion!

My love for ramens runs deep… Real deep. I told this to my friends in Toronto and they decided to take me here to take my love even deeper.
First of all, we all got 1 L Shapporos and that was great. They were the size of my torso. And then we ordered edamames and deep fried zucchinis to start until we got our soups.
I got the veggie ramen, which was delicious but a mistake when I tried one of the ribs in my boyfriend’s ramen soup that he had along with other tasty pork products of types. I was definitely jealous. (Next time I am getting that).
I really enjoyed Ryoji, however (I did really enjoy my soup! But next time, RIBS!). It was dark but fun and a great place to go with friends for a hot bowl of ramens.

Usually, I headline my reviews by my orders and recommendations. But since I went to a Toronto Commons event (and we get to nibble on everything), it will be fully incorporated into my review, cheers :)
Starters
Deep Fried Homemade Tofu: tangy and salty– very flavorful. I am not usually a fan of tofu but I loved the novelty of the texture.
Tontoro (Pork Jowl): rich and delicious, it reminded me of chinese pork.
Takoyaki (Deep Fried Octopus Ball): Fried mashed potato, ocotpus, bonito flakes, pickled ginger, tonkatsu sauce and mayo. I found it interesting– there was a mashed potato mixture on the inside with the octopus ball.
Ramen
Tondou Tonkatsu Ramen: Rich and flavourful pork bone broth, topped with chashu, bean sprout, scallion, and kikurage mushroom. I found this to be a lovely. very heavy/​rich of a dish.
Tondou Shio: Light and flvourful chicken and pork bone broth, topped with chashu, leek, konbu, fish cake, and yaki-​nori. This was my personal fave. It was rich in flavor but not as overwhelming as the Tonkatsu
Seasonal Special Ramen: cheese ramen (delicious)
Tondou Vegetable: Konbu and Shitake mushroom broth topped with thnkly sliced mixed vegetables and finished with garlic chips, black pepper and basil oil. I found this to be an interesting western fusion dish with the sliced red peppers and balsamic vinagrette to add an earthy aroma/​taste.
Dessert
SataAndagi: Freshly prepared Okinawa doughnuts drizzled with chocolate sauce with ice cream. This was a rich ice cream and I loved the homemade jam that accompanied the dish
My suggestion is to check out Toronto Common (
) if you haven’t already. It is a great business that lets you sample little portions of their top sellers. I think I paid $ 25/​person for all of the samplers I got above. Definitely well worth it :)

This place is solid, I’m surprised it hasn’t scored higher. The interior is decked out in fun styles and staff greats you with traditional welcome chants (screams if you’re lucky).
We came in a group of 12 and they were very accommodating, everyone showed up at different times and they had no issue. Also gave us our own bills.
We ordered off the special menu so I can’t recount all the details — each week I believe is different anyway. We were very happy with the tastiness of the food!
Saturday special $ 10 Saporo pitchers too — can you say WOW I’ll take a second!
KABAM! Go here — you’ll be happy you did.

For me there are certain specific meals in life that spell out comfort food but none more than Japanese for me! Nippon food isn’t typically something very highly seasoned yet simplicity is key to a finely crafted meal. On a cold December evening I was craving a nice piping hot bowl of Ramen. In SW Japanese cities such as Osaka, Ramen is a food culture whereby people slurp noodles in Ramen bars in places such as Dotonbori in silence where a specially tuned broth is finely crafted by day and noodles are hand made.
Coming to Ryoji it was evident that this was owned by Japanese with your typical greeting when you walk in the door and a nice communal table facing the kitchen. The décor was tasteful of wood accents and mirrors to make the place feel larger. The kitchen had an open design that you could see some of the action of the chefs preparing your meal.
We ordered the wasabi cucumbers as an appetizer and the grilled tako. The wasabi cucumbers were nasal clearing good but not overly overpowering that they were unpleasant to eat. If wasabi is not your thing avoid. The tako was exquisitely prepared and succulent and not overcooked. My main reason for here was however for some Ramen. My selection was the Ryoji Ramen which had soft boiled egg, pork belly. and vegetables. When ordering I was asked how I want the noodles (firm, medium or soft). Medium I selected. The broth was really exquisite. It came out piping hot with a very buttery but smooth and superbly flavourful broth that was lightly salted. Really how Ramen should taste! Noodles were cooked to perfection. Serving size was not ginormous but adequately acceptable.

Very cute ambiance. Lots of mirrors and lights giving a more spacious effect to the whole place.
Tonkotsu ramen & Shio ramen: It was alright. The tonkotsu ramen tasted better than the Shio ramen — but the broth needs more flavour
Ji-​Ma-​Mi (peanut tofu): 3.5÷5 I liked this! It had an interesting mochi-​taste; I enjoyed the tofu mochi paste itself without the sauce.
Grilled calamari: ²⁄₅ nothing too special.
Goya chanpuru (stir-​fried bitter melon slices with tofu, scrambled egg and pork belly): ²⁄₅
Service was great.

My favourite place for ramen, the spicy miso has this delicious creamy taste. Try their specials. Their fried chicken is awesome and mackeral sushi.
The staff are always super nice, and the décor is really lovely. I love that it’s not super congested with people and everyone gets their own space. They’re super understanding towards students which is refreshing. A lot of restaurants show no love towards students so when Ryoji offers a student discount? In my books that is awesome.
Will be my go-​to spot for ramen for sure!

Vous aimez la cuisine japonaise et vous en avez marre des faux restos-​sushis? Et bien voici le dernier arrivé de la scèné torontoise: Ramen Izakaya Ryoji. Spécialisé dans les soupes styles ‘ramen’, ce restaurant est très porté sur l’authenticité de l’expérience culinaire japonaise. Quand nous y sommes passés, nous avons eu la chance d’avoir parmi nous un grand connaisseur de la culture et la cuisine japonaise. Son verdict? Bön mais pas extra, authentique mais cher. Nous y retournerons pour y découvrir les nouveaux plats en espérant que le rapport qualité prix s’améliore.
Was exited to discover the new Ramen house in my neighbourhood and promptly invited a group of work friends to check it out. We were lucky enough to have a nipponophile amongst us. The verdict: OK, but not great. Authentic yes, but overpriced. The menu selection needs to be expanded because we all want to believe in Izakaya Ryoji.