Tanuki Restaurant

Not recommended for people who has not have Japanese food before. The restaurant did a creative take on two of the common Japanese family style dishes, the tastes were unusual and not standard, they taste a bit blend for me. The fried rice was supposed to be chicken fried rice, but there are very chicken pieces inside, it is mostly soy sauce rice with egg. The hamburger steak over rice is also mostly rice. The dishes are a bot pricy, about $20-30 per dish. The interior decoration is good and they sell merchandises.

The servers were really kind and attentive. The portions were great and very filling. The place itself is a tad small, so if you sit near the door in the winter you're going to get waves of cold air. The art and decor though is gorgeous. I couldn't stop admiring the walls of the restaurant. I love the "tanuki" branding and menu items. I got the chicken naban which was amazing. The chicken was delicious as well as the steaming rice. I wasn't a huge fan of the sauce. It was good, but there might've just been too much of it. I also got the tanuki temple (shirley temple) which was good. Would love to come back again!

We came during VDay and while we had to wait for our food, the wait was worth it. TBH my only complaint is that the food didn’t all come out at the same time, which was odd, but it was also VDay so they were much much busier than normal (we understood). The eggs were cooked great AND they have matcha beer !!

Delicious food, nice atmosphere, patio space on good days makes this a great spot for brunch. We ordered the Duck Ramen which includes Seared duck breast, ramen egg, ginger scallion relish. And the second order we had the Smoked Salmon Eggs Benedict which they say is ★ Now smoked in-house! Brioche bun, house smoked salmon, spinach, hollandaise, salad, home fries. Very enjoyable food and price is reasonable! Will return! Please check this spot out!!

The brunch is pretty good—their in house smoked salmon was really good, almost like gravlax in consistency, and not too salty. The duck ramen was ok, not the best I had, with the duck being a bit tough. The chocolate mousse dessert is too dense, not airy enough like a mousse. But the smoked salmon with hollandaise sauce was really worth the money, and the food is quite generously sized. Overall I like Tanuki and will return again.

With the weather still pretty nice out, most people opted to sit outside at the patio chairs. But I opted for indoor seating by the window. It has a really nice atmosphere with lots of decorations around the whole restaurant. My companion and I shared their seasonal pumpkin spice latte pancakes while I got the smoked salmon eggs benedict and my companion got the seafood doria. The pancakes were really light and fluffy on the inside and crispy on the outside! I absolutely adored the (what appeared to be) poached apples. I think they must have slowly poached them in cinnimon with sugar; they were sweet, almost like candy, and very tender! I believe the pumpkin spice was the powder on the cream and the "sauce" on the plate under the pancakes. Would highly recommend if you want to try their seasonal items!! The smoked salmon was done in house and were thicker slices than what I was used to. It tasted absolutely amazing with the eggs benedict. The potatos and spicy mayo were great together and I used the remainder of my spicy mayo on my greens, which consisted of cale, spinach, cucumber and other microgreens. My companion got the seafood doria. Neither of us have had doria before but she described it as "rice at the bottom with stew on top" after eating it. The top part of the doria has a nice layer of crispy cheese with a variety of vegetables and seafood beneath. Overall it was really good! Though there was a slight drying sensation on the tongue after eating it, which I assume must have been from some of the ingredients.

From the moment we entered we were greeted by an exuberant and welcoming employee. He directed us to our choice of seating. All of the staff were helpful, friendly, and engaging. We tried the Omurice and the Tan Tan Udon. The Omurice was made with chicken rather than beef, which was a welcome surprise for my partner who does not eat beef. She enjoyed the meal and said it was delicious. I tried it and have to agree, it was very well balanced in flavour and umami despite not being made with the traditional style of gravy. My Tan Tan Udon was served with a fried egg and a good amount of spicy ground pork. The noodles were perfectly cooked and the pork was well seasoned with the right amount of spice. Overall I quite enjoyed the dish and would recommend it. The atmosphere was pleasant and the overall experience is worth it for the price. We'll be coming back for another brunch session soon enough. Edit: We returned for another brunch, my partner loved the omurice so much the first time she decided to order it again. This time the omurice gravy was made with shiitake mushrooms and she quite enjoyed it. I tried the Menchi Katsu Sausage Eggs Benedict and once again the dish over-delivered on my expectations. The menchi katsu was seasoned perfectly, not too salty which is all too common with sausages, and the the right hint of heat to balance the creamy goodness of their hollandaise sauce. We also both tried their Hojicha Latte, which was the perfect mix of flavourful roasted tea with a hint of sweetness and velvety smooth finish. Be sure to stir to get maximum flavour from the Hojicha powder that tends to settle at the bottom if left unstirred for too long, but by all means allow it to settle if the flavour is too strong. The food, the service, and atmosphere were once again all top notch. Tanuki Restaurant is putting in the work to become one of our favourite go-to options for brunch, but we will definitely need to drop in for dinner next time to explore even more of this delectable menu. 5/5 across the board!

Finally got a chance to stop by this cute family-owned restaurant for their brunch and it did not disappoint !! My friends and I managed to get a seat fairly quickly on a Sunday afternoon even though it looked quite busy. We were seated by the nicest staff who informed us on their personal recommendations and daily specials (truly appreciated due to my indecisiveness haha). What we ordered: 🍗 Chicken Karaage - flavourful, not too salty, nice cwisp, and really juicy 🍽️ Smoked Salmon Eggs Benedict (pictured) - def our favourite dish we ordered! nice thick cut portion of smoked salmon and we also found out its smoked in-house! the poached egg & hollandaise was ooey gooey goodness and the mini salad was a nice balance to an otherwise heavy dish 🍽️ Smoked Salmon Yuzu Cream - surprisingly generous portion!! the yuzu comes through in a nice subtle way and the dish didn't feel too heavy even though it was cream based 🍵 Iced Strawberry Matcha Latte (pictured, but it was already mixed oops) - DON'T SLEEP ON THIS!!!! honestly the best iced strawberry matcha iteration i've had in toronto from the good food, the cute japanese inspired decor, vibrant atmosphere, to the kind and attentive staff, this was a 10/10 dining experience ☺️