Authentic simplicity at its best. Best Japanese food in Manchester; a tiny family run restaurant recommended by the Michelin Guide, yet incredibly down to earth and excellent value for money.
We shared prawn gyoza and chicken katsu for starters. The prawn gyoza....were plump prawns veiled in thin, stretchy, translucent dough. The chicken katsu was satisfyingly crunchy and succulent.
I had the Organic Salmon Don for £8.95, which was salmon sashimi served over sushi seasoned rice with a side of crunchy, fresh pickled cucumber seasoned with the lightest touch of sesame oil. It was so good that I keep craving raw fish...a bit like Golemn from Lord of the Rings. This came accompanied by the best Miso I have ever tasted; earthy umami flavour, savoury, salty but light complemented with a crunch of green onion served in a simple black lacquer bowl. ��� Delicate but flavourful.
Washed down with a glass of plum wine, which is perhaps the best ever kept secret!
Slightly over a year ago I wrote review expressing my disappointment with my visit here after frequenting this establishment for over 4 years. I subsequently avoided eating here for a few months - and since then I have to say that things have improved. The food here is excellent. Offering a good range of fresh and cooked options. Wait staff are friendly, helpful and obliging - albeit sometimes over worked. Probably 1 of only 2 Japanese restaurants worth a visit in Manchester.
My Japanese colleagues recommended this restaurant when I told her that I had a dream about a giant bowl of ramen in Japan :))) can’t wait to try food there !!! Wait wait for me .. i am cominggg
My favourite place for a lunchtime treat in Manchester. Try the salmon teriyaki don... Green or Barley tea while waiting ... A heavenly experience, and served up in double quick time too! Great deal at just under £10 ^^
Great place, loved the food. Good fast service.
Never fails to disappoint
Fantastic fresh cooked food , really quick service , def going back there
Loved that place! Very atmospheric!!!
Thanks so much for fitting us in before a reservation tonight. Kara-age with dip is the best xxx
Amazing Food as we drove from North Wales to enjoy YUZU.
The best Japanese I could possibly find in the UK.
My first time at yuzu what an amazing experience. The food was excellent will definitely be visiting again x
The ambiance was very Japanese themed, calm and peaceful. The staff were helpful and not too in your face. The food quality was good for the price but way too much salt in it. They should just put salt on the side for people to add to their meals. It's a shame because it kind of ruined the experience. The noodles were superb too I just really wish they didn't put that much salt in them.
Probably the most authentic Japanese food in the UK - but not for everyone
True Japanese food is an aquired taste, this tastes like the food you would get on the busy streets of tokyo - this is not changed to suit the UK pallette and so its not for everyone, but if you want to try real Japanes food this is about as good as it gets. Personally i love authentic Japense food so i really highly recomend this place.
Limited Menu and small portion sizes, but its cheap enough and from what i ate, i was impressed
There’s a fairly limited Japanese menu awaiting you up the steps of this Chinatown District eatery. The early evening crowd were enjoying their menu choices and I plumped for some edamame, soup and sashimi. First time I’ve had freezing cold edamame in a restaurant, but maybe that’s how they like to serve it. The tofu cube soup was light and delicate, as was the tofu. The sashimi was very nice, the scallops exceptionally creamy. With no accompaniments on the table you were left to ask for more soy & wasabi, but the wasabi was freshly grated and exquisite. Not a place for eye contact with the waiters as most of the seats face a wall of some description. That and the lack of ambience let the place down a bit. Good for a quick bite on the way home from the office.
Tried the Agedashi Tofu and the 'Veg Tendon' which was basically just a crispy vegetable tempura served in a bowl of rice with some soy sauce.
Yuzu had a quick service to begin with. The crispy tempura was indeed a treat and made the veg tendon delicious overall. Agedashi Tofu on the other hand was pretty sour and the ginger just added to the sourness. Well I didn't know what to expect from it because I have never tried it before. But I certainly won't be trying it again.
The restaurant is expensive compared to the size of the portions they serve. I mean two pieces of tofu for £4?! The amount of rice in the Veg Tendon wasn't filling enough either.
Overall, all I can give is a mixed response because the restaurant had its positives and negatives. If you're on a student budget, avoid it. If not, I'm sure it's worth one visit.
Having been persuaded (forced) into going to the Manchester Christmas markets with Nyssa for our 1 year anniversary, I thought I would book a table at Yuzu and at least get something I wanted out of the day (although Nyssa does like Japanese food, I’m not that selfish!). Yuzu is a small Japanese restaurant located on Faulkner Street just on the edge of Chinatown. Unlike the newly opened Sakana and other similar Japanese/Asian restaurants in Manchester, Yuzu is a cosy, authentic, and no-frills little place with wooden seats and tables along with counter seating.
Great food, reminded me of my time in tokyo and got to use my very limted japanese
Very friendly and polite staff (as the japanese are)
Been several times and loved it :)
Excellent simple place. Almost a canteen but it is l more comfortable than that word suggests. Great food. I started with the shredded radish (cold) which was crispy yet succulent. For main i had a huge hearty and delicious noodle bowl
With tempura prawn, asparagus and vegetable on the side. Ideal for single diners and small groups. It only has about 20 covers.
Much has been written about Japanese restaurant in Manchester China Town. Mr Nom and I wanted to see what it was all the fuss was about so we decided to pay them a visit one evening. It is a small restaurant; quite minimalistic inside with wooden furniture and sake bottles as decoration but enough to give Yuzu character. We ordered a selection of starters and shared a larger rice bowl since we were still full from an earlier meal. Chicken Kara-age was deep fried chicken thighs served with Ponzu sauce. At first glance the chicken looked rather dry but to our surprise inside the chicken was juicy and succulent Prawn gyoza were delightful, in other Japanese restaurants, dumplings with prawn fillings is rare and these were tasty. The agedashi tofu was silky and smooth in a lovely light broth. The daikon and wakame salad was simple and refreshing. We also ordered the organic salmon don, salmon sashimi served on a bed of daikon and rice. This was fresh and light. We are huge fans of sushi
Victoria “Mrs” Petticoat
+4.5
I cannot possibly describe to you just how fresh the fish was. But trust me, it was fresh. The real revelation though, was the roe which sat prettily on top, subsequently bursting in the mouth, coating the fish with salty wonderment. A little dollop of stingy wasabi, crisp shredded nori and sticky sushi rice perfected the dish. So good, I wanted to ask it out on a second date. But I had eaten it. This made me feel weird.
The gyoza was unquestionably the best I’d had in Manchester, and possibly beyond. Delicious little bundles of joy that contained large, juicy pieces of king prawn.
It was our ten year wedding anniversary yesterday, (you wouldn't get that for murder etc) so we went to the best Japanese restaurant in Manchester to celebrate. Also, we are on a post holiday diet, and the food at Yuzu feels healthy. You leave feeling you've done your body a favour rather than the constant abuse I give it in the form of booze and bad food.
Whilst I’ve thought about the food a lot over the past 12 months I’d forgotten how charming the cosy little restaurant located on the edge of Chinatown is. Inside feels authentically Japanese with it’s minimalist clean lines and shared wooden benches. Further decorated with sake bottles, origami and a traditional Japanese umbrella that takes centre stage.
Yuzu is not going to impress anyone who wants big, bold flavours, but I think its accomplished, authentic cooking must make it one of the best Japanese restaurants, certainly outside London. It's very focussed, and, although I can't say this authoritatively, it felt more like I imagine Japanese home cooking than you normally find.
Foodstotrybeforeyoudie
+4.5
Prior to the sashimi, the food had ranged from solid to very good. Pork yaki udon was cleanly cooked with decent noodles, though the pork was slightly dry and bland and there was nothing special about the pitiful amount of vegetables it came with (I think Kyotoya might have spoilt me in that area).
Not that I ever need any excuse to visit Yuzu, Manchester but a little bird tweeted that they had Fresh Oyster Katsu on the specials board. They were excellent; as were my usual faves including: Chicken Karage, Prawn Gyoza, Daikon & Wakame Salad and Agedashi Tofu. Star dish: Fresh Oyster Katsu.
The food's not amazingly complex or outstandingly different, but is cooked extraordinarily well.
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I’ve never been overly impressed by any of the Chinese restaurants in Manchester’s Chinatown but thankfully ‘Yuzu’, the solitary Japanese restaurant on offer is fantastic.
It’s a tiny little place which completely adds to the charm, it feels really authentic with it’s Japanese artwork, various bottles and ornaments and wooden benches although i’ve yet to visit Japan so I can’t confirm that it is. There were several Japanese customers which I always think means that they’re doing it right!
To start I ordered Chicken Kara-age, Prawn Gyoza’s & Homemade Pickles to start. I was undecided what to drink as I love Japanese beer, Sake and plum wine. In true food geek style I went for all 3.
It took a while for the starters to arrive and disappointingly we didn’t receive our drinks until the same time. It’s a long time since i’ve sat in a restaurant for 30 minutes without even receiving a drink. Luckily both the food and drinks were more than worth the wait.
They serve several Japanese beers in bottles such as the popular Asahi, Sapporo and my favourite Ichiban. The plum wine felt slightly overpriced at £24 for a 70cl bottle but was very nice, the highlight however was the Yuzu Sake the blend of Yuzu juice (a Japanese citrus fruit) mixed with the junmai sake worked so well and tasted incredible.
Starters were excellent too, the Gyoza’s so light and filled with huge chunks of perfectly cooked prawn and delicate flavourings. The Chicken Kara-age are deep fried chicken thighs which had been marinated in some sort of special sauce and it really was special, they were seriously tasty and the juiciest chicken I have ever had.
When the main courses came we realised that our pickles hadn’t arrived! The waiter apologised and brought them fairly quickly and wow, they were totally worth the wait too. The thin slices of cucumber and white radish didn’t look like much but the taste was mind blowing, nothing like their regular tastes, much much better! They were sharp as you would expect from pickled vegetables but they also had a deep, savoury, umani flavour which is impossible to describe but was so so good. The addition of toasted sesame seeds took it to another level, just brilliant.
As well as the Tempura we’d also ordered Vegetable Yaki Udon noodles and Kaisen Don which is a Sashimi dish. The noodle dish was good but for me it needed loads more heat, conveniently they provide cute little wooden contraptions full of chilli powder so I could spice it up to my hearts content.
The Kaisen Don contained scallop, tuna, salmon and prawn and was unquestionably high quality and so incredibly fresh, I’ve no idea where they find fish so fresh in Manchester. It was sliced skilfully and presented beautifully – served on a bed of rice in a bowl neatly arranged on a round wooden board with a jug of soy and a small bowl of pickled vegetables. The sticky sushi rice in the bottom was great.
Besides the slightly bland tempura everything else we ate was fantastic with some absolutely brilliant dishes. I’ll be thinking about those pickles, chicken thighs and gyoza’s for a very long time not to mention my new favourite drink Yuzu Sake. Although I still feel the Plum Wine is overpriced the food is amazing value, you’ll be lucky to find food of this standard using such quality ingredients at these prices anywhere else.
The tempura Don is amazing! I am not a fan of broccoli but they made tempura broccoli which is unexpectedly good! The sashimi is fresh. But there is a strong oily smell inside the restaurant and the table is a bit sticky too.
Decent and authentic Japanese food place in Manchester.
Especially I was amazed their yakitori which was so tender and tasty! It took time to be served but it was worth to wait. I enjoyed many small plates like tapas with Japanese alcohol. It was 70 pounds getting 4 drinks and 8 small plates. I'll definitely come back again :)
Great place for a quick bite to eat, the place gives off major izakaya vibes for those that have been to Japan. The menu is quite small, split into tapas/small plates for nibbling whilst you drink or something a bit more filling in the "large plate" section. Having a smaller menu means the food you do get is amazing, a few Japanese classics and a few surprises.
Service was very speedy and the staff were quick to help, as previously mentioned, more of a snack whilst drinking place or somewhere for a quick nibble, instead of staying for ages and taking up space.
it's a bargain lunch menu!! love the don, the rice was really nice. small portion, it's good for me. I'll go again for other items on menu
Had a great dinner experience here. The food is delicious, especially the chicken skewers, which is very juicy. The sashimi platers are fresh and large portions, good enough for two people to share. The pork uno is the only thing that we think should be improved because the meat is a bit dry and hard to chew.
The staffs are friendly, probably because there was only two staff there during the peak time, they were a bit too busy to take care of each table.
My husband took me here for my birthday as I love Japanese food - did not disappoint 😍 Lovely casual environment, food was quick and heartwarming, staff were attentive and lovely mannered. Will definitely be returning. Could be my new favourite spot in Manchester.
Quite popular with the locals so you may have to queue. A nice enough restaurant with many accomplishments. The food was fresh and the menu offers a variety to choose from. I tried their Katsu oysters which were crispy and tasty. I had the Salmon Don Buri which had generous rice and topped with slices of salmon. It was accompanied with Miso soup. Soup dishes seemed to be the fave of the locals. Food was served fast by friendly staff. Their toilet isn't bad but could do some refurbishing.
Small restaurant with limited seats and very popular, but you can reserve a table (recommend to come early for walk-in). Not a long menu, but what they serve are really good. We had sashimi, fried oyster, yuzu gin and tonic, green tea (free refill) and some beer. The seafood is high quality and extremely fresh. Definitely recommend it!
What a perfect lunch! Myself and a friend ordered from the lunchtime menu and added a couple of extra dishes along with a beer. It was delicious, prawns juicy, batter light and crispy, miso soup fresh and flavoursome.
It was so lovely and relaxed with such pleasant service. I’ll definitely return!!
It's been a while and miss coming here food is generally of a good standard, prices are reasonable and portions average. The best thing here personally is the tempura although everything else is also good. I can easily spend £40plus on food here for a meal. Opened by Japanese ppl as opposed to Chinese serving Japanese food, which means you will get an authentic experience. The rice bowls I feel are a little small but you can taste the quality in the ingredients. My only complaint is the chicken karage pieces are massive and often I feel is only just cooked or maybe even slightly under sometimes. Definitely the best Japanese restaurant in Manchester run by Japanese. 8/10
this place is a gem! a simple, small setting with nice ambiance. we had salmon don and a large set of sashimi - the fish tasted so fresh and the portion was good. the miso soup that came with the salmon don may have been the tastiest miso soup i’ve had :) just wished there were sweet prawns in our sashimi platter as mentioned in the menu, but i think we got extra salmon sashimi to compensate, so that’s fine. again, we really loved the fish here! would be amazing if they served sushi
update: forgot to add that i found out their yakitori chicken is halal! so that’s great
Nice atmosphere. Nice staff. Menu was small and quite minimalistic. Great quality food, portions were smaller than anticipated. Not the greatest value for what you pay for but still delicious nonetheless. If you're looking for a place for a quick bite but intend to still go sight seeing, this is a good stop.
I always love coming here, especially for their lunch menu. I had the salmon don which is always excellent. It's always super chill & quiet in here. Their seafood is fresh & their miso soup is very delicious.
Very, very tasty food. We had lunch there. We also tried the non- alcoholic Asahi beer which is very nice.
Bigger tables for groups if in a one or two you'll probably be seated at bar type of seating. Street parking outside as well as s car park (both charge for parking).
Didn’t get enough time for the whole experience but they are definitely on low staffing levels. Only one lady serving in busy lunch time. Salmon Don is very fresh and I love the cucumber comes with it. Miso soup is okay. The fried chicken is a bit oily for me, wouldn’t order it again.
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Do you like tapas?
I went to Manchester to meet up an ex-colleague and he suggested to have a dinner @yuzumanchester which is a Japanese tapas bar located in Manchester Chinatown. Most of my friends know that I love eating starters and so tapas is perfect for me.
@yuzumanchester
📍 City Centre, 39 Faulkner St, Manchester M1 4EE
WHAT WE GOT
🍥Agedashi Tofu
🥗Daikon Salad
🐟Assorted Sashimi
🥟Prawn Gyoza
🍗Karaage
🥬Assorted Tempura
🍜Veg Yaki Udon
Agedashi Tofu was authentic with Tsuyu sauce. Silky tofu lightly coated with flour and deep fried. It’s flavourful ♥️♥️♥️
Daikon salad included grated Japanese radish, seaweed, edamame and served with yuzu dressing. It’s so refreshing 😍😍😍
Assorted Sashimi included salmon, tuna, scallops and shrimps. Among all, I loved the scallops the most coz’ it’s soft and sweet. All of them were so fresh. Love it♥️♥️♥️
Karaage used chicken thigh which was well seasoned and deep fried to golden brown. It came with ponzu dipping sauce which decreased the greasiness and enhanced the flavour. It’s a perfect combination ♥️♥️♥️
Assorted Tempura consisted king prawns and seasonal vegetables which encased in a very light and airy batter. The tempura was golden crispy without excess oil and soft & juicy inside. Perfect♥️♥️♥️
After some Japanese Tapas, we finished up with the Veg Yaki Udon. The udon was springy and soft and I loved this texture a lot🥰🥰🥰
How’s the gyoza? See me next post on Instagram @ccgyozalover for details 🤗
Tapa is an appetiser but you can combine Tapas to make a full meal. What’s your favourite tapa?
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