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Menya Makoto
Authentic Japanese ramen and fresh flavors in the heart of Newcastle.
3.6
Ramen
$$
Authentic Japanese ramen and fresh flavors in the heart of Newcastle.
Menya Makoto is a cozy, unpretentious Japanese restaurant in Newcastle, specializing in expertly crafted ramen and traditional dishes. Known for its rich, umami-packed broths, tender chashu, and fresh ingredients, this intimate spot focuses on delivering high-quality food with attentive service. Ideal for date nights, casual dinners, or takeaway, it offers a welcoming atmosphere where flavor takes center stage. With rave reviews for its ramen, karaage chicken, and unique cocktails, Menya Makoto is a local favorite for authentic Japanese cuisine.
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Rich, umami-packed ramen with tender chashu, perfectly cooked noodles, and flavorful broth, including options like Aka Kuro Tonkotsu.
Crispy karaage chicken, fresh sashimi, and other appetizers made with high-quality ingredients for sharing or starters.
Unique udon offerings, such as Eel Udon, featuring chewy noodles in savory broths for a comforting meal.
Enjoy our food in our cozy restaurant or take it to go, with prompt service for both options.
A selection of unique cocktails and drinks to complement your meal, perfect for enhancing the dining experience.
Overall rating
Andrew Squires
Poor experience all round. Teriyaki salmon was average, $27, no seasoning and lukewarm. I've made better with bottle teriyaki sauce. The ramen, the signature dish that they rave about was standard at best with the broth letting it down. Karrage chicken tasted dry, pre fried, small portions and high price. We asked for the chicken to come out as with the main, it didn't, so it sat there until rice arrived 10 mins later. What's the point of having a 2 min conversation about entrees and mains if going to be forgotten? Tempura veg, a special, small and bland. Food took about 40 mins to come out. The guy serving was good but run off his feet. Our meals come out by another waiter and were left on our table with no cutlery, I had to chase that down. Very poor experience costing $110, an absolute disappointment all round.
Sean Rogan 93
The staff were amazing, the food was genuine Japanese quality and overall was a great experience, definitely will be coming back.
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Julienne
While in Newcastle, my partner and I were craving Japanese food and decided to try Menya Makoto after reading the positive reviews. When we arrived, the restaurant was packed, which set our expectations high. The space felt cozy but a little unorganised, with no clear theme, just tables and chairs arranged throughout. That said, we were there for the food, so we didn’t let that bother us too much. We ordered two ramen dishes along with a side of fried chicken and rice. The drinks were quite expensive; a Sapporo beer was $15, which felt steep, especially for a regional town. Unfortunately, the ramen was lacking in flavour and overly salty, which was disappointing. From our experience, the noodles didn’t seem fresh and tasted more like packaged noodles. While we enjoyed parts of the meal, overall it didn’t quite hit the mark, particularly as we arrived very hungry and excited for Japanese cuisine. We can see the potential in this place for Newcastle, but on this occasion, it didn’t fully meet our expectations.
Brenden Whitehead
ordered spicy ramen, but what I got was two thin, tasteless slices of chashu pork and a very bland, unflavored broth.i did order extra pork but taste weird lots of fat on it felt sick afterwards
Louis Rolfe
$30 for the Ramen (their most expensive), the protein portion is a tablespoon. Compared with competitors with larger portions and lower prices.