Taku Sushi & Ramen
5259 Victoria Ave
https://order.mrsdigi.com/404810210211024/424897bd-7a7f-5024-b241-1ef905efa36f
Food: 7/10
Space: 9/10
Price: 7/10
Total: 23/30
It’s hard to find good Japanese food in Niagara Falls. East Izakaya (overpriced), Wind (Japanese… and Thai?), Suisha (cool), a handful of casino spots (bleh), and a couple strong contenders around Five Corners (Danny’s and Weko) are all we’ve got. Then drill down even smaller: at how many of those places can you get restaurant-style ramen any time of day?
Props to Taku Sushi & Ramen for addressing the need right there in the name. While ramen may be trendy in downtown Toronto, the trend hasn’t crept down to Niagara Falls, where Japanese restaurants are more likely to feature all-you-can-eat sushi buffets than a warm bowl of salty noodles.
So Taku enters the fray, reclaiming the building that once housed one of the filthiest bars in the city (which thankfully closed during the pandemic), refurnishing it with beautiful semi-private wooden dining rooms, comfortable booths, modern light fixtures, posters on the wall and plenty of greenery. The atmosphere is far and away the best part of the experience: if you can dine in, as opposed to ordering take-out, I strongly recommend it. The service is fast and friendly, and there are usually enough families, students and tourists to enhance the mood.
The food is… fine. The ramen is a real specialty item, running $15-$20 per bowl. The broth is meaty, overly salty and sometimes one-dimensional. The quantity is acceptable, but not abundant. There are also only a handful of options: tonkotsu, beef miso, shoyu, dan dan men and vegetarian are the mainstays. The toppings are all relatively similar. We’ve tried them all; there are no standouts here.
The sushi rolls are saucy and simple. Once we ordered a roll with asparagus that was under-cooked, so we avoided that one ever since. The sashimi is not noticeably fresh, but it’s better than supermarket sushi. Classic rolls stay under $10; fancier ones can run up to $17. Most sushi pieces come in orders of two; sashimi comes in threes. This is not revolutionary. It’s all around $4-$6.
Look, what I’m saying is: none of this stuff is gonna blow you away. If you google search “generic sushi restaurant,” this is the place that comes up. You won’t walk away feeling ripped off or disappointed by any means—but you also won’t be raving about the food to your friends.
The best part is the in-person dining experience, which is laudably unique within Niagara Falls. It’s also nice to have a restaurant with consistent hours (11:30 am-10 pm every day but Monday). If you’re downtown, Taku is a reliable option—safe and easy, if not particularly exciting.
