Kunitoraya — Restaurant in Paris

Oh, Kunitoraya, you beautiful beautiful noodle haven, you’ve stolen my heart and my taste buds in a heist so slick it’d make the recent Louvre robbery look like amateur’s work. Walking into this establishment is like stumbling into a Parisian love story. I’m not saying Kunitoraya’s noodles are my first love, but if my high school crush could see me now, she would be crying into her sad microwave ramen.

Let’s talk about the broth… oh, sweet mercy, the broth… It’s like the gods of umami held a board meeting, fired all the amateurs, and distilled their collective genius into a silken, savory elixir that makes my soul sing opera. Pavarotti even. One sip, and I’m feeing like I’m on Japan Airlines on my way to Kyoto. It’s rich, it’s deep, it’s sincere, it’s emotional, it’s the kind of broth that makes you question every life choice that led you to eat anything else.

What about the noodles you may ask? Don’t get me started, because I am still talking to my therapist every Wednesday about how to process my feelings. The noodles are a work of art, fat, tasty, hand-crafted by angels. Each noodle is a love letter to my mouth, tickling my taste buds, playing with my heart… yes, I love you too noodles. I’ve had dreams about these noodles… but let’s not get too personal.

And the starters? Sweet baby ramen, where do I even begin? The pork katsu is so crispy you could film yourself biting in it on Tik Tok and retire rich. One bite, and it crunches like the sound of my enemies’ hopes shattering. The fried chicken? It’s like Kunitoraya took the bird, whispered sweet nothings to it, and then deep-fried it into golden perfection. I’d propose to it, but I’m already married. The omelette is so fluffy it’s basically a cloud, and the tempura is so light and crispy it defies physics. The shrimp will slap you in the face and your only regret is not ordering more.

Dining at Kunitoraya is an emotional rollercoaster. As soon as you sit, you are welcome by the friendliest and nicest staff in Paris. Waiters and chefs do not judge me when I whisper “je t’aime” to my plate and wipe broth off my chin after licking the bowl clean in public. The vibe? Cozy, unpretentious, like your cool aunt giving you a beer discretely at the family Christmas reunion.

If Kunitoraya were a person, I’d be leaving voicemails at 3am begging her to never change. Kukitoraya isn’t just a restaurant, it’s a life-altering experience. I’m counting down the days until I can return. Kunitoraya, you’re my forever love… just don’t tell Allison, my beautiful wife, who I cannot wait to share a bowl with as soon...

We’re visiting from Singapore, and after having spent 7 days in Milan and Florence we were ready to get our Asian food fix. So we could be a little biased, having said that, this place does not disappoint!

While it’s not fully authentic, it was authentic enough and we had such a great meal!

The udon texture was really very good. Both the dipping sauce and the broth for our udons came seasoned very well. We feel the dashi or tsuyu flavors could be stronger, but a small nit pick.

The tempura was fried very well and competes with tempura we have had in Japan and Singapore. It had no oily taste and the batter is the right thickness.

The curry don was excellent - it even came with bonus slices of beef! The curry roux tasted authentic but could also be a little stronger in flavor. The katsu itself was fried very well the breading could be improved but they’re not a katsu restaurant so no complaints here. The rice was proper Japanese short grain rice so we were very pleased.

All in all this meal left us far from disappointed, and satisfied our Asian food craving.

We highly recommend this place if you’re hankering for authentic Japanese food. We will be back if we ever find ourselves in Paris and need Japanese food!

Do note they don’t take reservations so you’ll...

I almost don't want to write this review because I feel like the people who usually line-up around the block for the sister restaurant the Udon Kunitoraya Bistro might flock over, but I must, it is simply so good! The main difference between the lovely Udon Kunitoraya and this one is that here you usually have to reserve and the bistro is for walk-ins only. Other then that, the quality is at least as good, but rather better. They DO have a lunch offer, which is absolutely delicious. Their speciality is freshly made Onigiri´s, those rice triangles you can often get a supermarkets pre-made. If you ever had some of these and are thinking, mah, boring, TRY THESE HERE! This is a completely different thing, everything is freshly made, the rice alone is amazing, the filling magic and the seaweed they are wrapped with, uhhmm. 23€ for a lunch menu isn't exactly cheap, but you'll get two delicious Onigiri´s, a plate of equally delicious Udon´s of your choice and a varying little starter to begin with... So don't go there, or I won't get any place...