Makanai Ramen Noodle House — Restaurant in Sydney

Great food. Fast service. Friendly people.

Are you looking for Japanese cuisine in the Hills and Sydney north west suburbs and you appreciate great value when you see it (taste it)? Look no further than Makanai Ramen Noodle House in Castle Towers.

Makanai has a wide menu selection of Japanese enticing entrees and sweets, steaming noodle bowls (ramen, udon, soba), filling rice dishes (donburi or curry), various tasty side dishes (like tempura - yum!) and value packed set meals (bento box). There’s something satisfying for everyone.

Did I mention that Makanai’s service is super fast? There’s almost no time between ordering and when the buzzer goes off signalling that your food is ready. In fact, it probably takes us longer to decide what we want to eat than it takes them to prepare and cook it. If you’re short on time or just don’t like waiting to eat, then this is as fast as non-fast food gets.

Taking a break from shopping? Then relax in Makanai’s cosy restaurant and ‘eat in’. There’s a mix of seating arrangements for when you’re eating alone, with someone special or with the family or in larger groups.

Rushing from the station? Then benefit from Makanai’s fast service and pick up some take away on the way home. Ready to eat snacks available over the counter make it worth the stop.

Already comfortable at home? Then stay where you are and don’t move, you can easily order online and take advantage of Makanai’s home delivery services. Ubereats, Deliveroo, Menulog, Doordash - take your pick.

I’ve already visited Makanai many times (here and Chatswood previously) and will be back many times more. The kids absolutely love it and it’s impossible to walk by without stopping for a bite, even if it’s just to grab something from the counter.

But don’t just take my word for it. Check out Makanai’s high ratings and positive reviews from other happy customers across multiple platforms - not just Google.

Bottom line - if you love Japanese food, then you must visit Makanai. You certainly won’t be...

It's ok. It is the genuine article of Japanese ramen but it's very average and isn't exceptional. That said, if the chefs consider the feedback, they can elevate their food to being the best in the area. They're about 60%

Noodle - menya noodles, that are average, but that's not a bad thing. They're not too thick and grab the soup broth well, but lack character. It's what it is.

Ajitama - very good, perfect. The best I've had in Australia. Comparable to Japan. The saltiness and consistency of the soft boiled egg was exceptional.

Chashu - above average, needs more salt and char to bring up the flavour

Soup broth - I had the tonkatsu broth which should be a deep flavour with a rich broth. Sadly, they didn't deliver as the broth was quite thin and light. Ultimately, it's just ok. Far better than most mediocre noodle shops that claim to be Japanese ramen houses, but would be a far cry from what's generally available in Japan. I would recommend more time to develop the flavours to get a really good soup base.

Karrage - above average. Batter is light, but but lacks some seasoning, specifically some salt. The chicken thigh quality is good. There's decent fat to hold the moisture. I would say the chicken needs a bit more salt before frying to bring out the flavour and thin the batter out more. Also, an extra lemon wedge would really help cut through the oilyness and compliment the chicken. I'd pay more for two more lemon wedges for the large, normal chicken Karrage.

Recommendations : Order the soup base of your choice, extra chashu, extra Ajitama and extra negi. This will really add to the ramen.

Don't ask for extra noodle, it won't soak in fast enough and will be bland. If it was tsukemen, it'd be a...

Outside my own country, Japan is the country I've spent the longest in, 1 full year, and Japanese is my favorite food, so when I saw Makanai Ramen Noodle Soup in Castle Tower I immediately was interested in eating there. It wasn't the right time for me that day though, so today I came here on purpose First the style is nice, including the kitchen with an open window so you can see what's going on there, typically Japanese, and I've always loved it, I believe it improves the experience (and trust) Their menu is clear, with a condensed offer, and pictures of every food item they can cook, with ramen, udon, tempura, gyoza, takoyaki... They have both Western and Japanese drinks I personally had Aloe vera, and typical Japanese Hata ramune soda To eat had mixed (vege & prawn) tempura as a starter Then chicken katsu ramen with tonkotsu soup as a main And for dessert daifuku desserts, mango & green tea (that are available to snap at their counter, just like their onigiri snacks, and both jellyfish & seafood salad) Actually I had karaage chicken & chashu pork onigiris to go (it's so hard to find those snacks, that you can find almost in every street in Japan, so convenient food to eat on the go) If you miss Japan and its food, or want to try it out, you know where to go when at...