Yuzu Japanese Tapas in Manchester

Enjoyed what I ate quite a lot, good food. I won’t be visiting again sadly after hearing a server make fun of me from the open kitchen after I told him I loved the karage when asked how it was.

Food was great! Eloise and Abby were lovely servers!

Had a great meal here earlier in the week! Have been a number of times and it never fails to impress. Would personally recommend: - Tempura Udon - Agedashi Tofu - Chicken Teriyaki Skewers Good little Japanese spot in the city centre!

Very authentic Japanese food & good vibe :)

Excellent food, very well priced, lovely staff. Definitely recommend. Has a very authentic Japanese vibe. Salmon Don was delicious.

I had some unpleasant experience at Yuzu a month ago. I didn't have the time to leave review because I was on a trip. But now I am finally back to home so I can sit down and write a review for this restaurant. Instead of leaving a hostile review, I just have some words for the store owner. I came to your restaurant August 3 for dinner. My mother and I asked for a table for 3, with my wife coming on her way. I am the one who came up to you (presumably the Store Manager) asking why we were treated differently. You asked (rushed) us to leave after our meals because you said we have occupied the table for 90 minutes (we've actually been seated for 75min), although the table next to us came before us but was not asked to leave. You insisted that that table came after us, which was obviously not true. By reading some of your replies to the review, it seems that you would go back and watch the CCTV to point fingers at your customers. You can verify what I said is true. The reason why I came up to you and pressed you for an explanation of why we were asked to leave but not the other table, is that we want to let you know that it is not okay to treat people like that. The way you asked us to leave and your attitude made us extremely uncomfortable. Upon reading other reviews, it seems that I am not the only one feeling it. Please make no mistake about it, it is okay to let your customers know that there is a 90-minute seating limit. However, please do it politely and do not give preferential treatment. We, as your customers, just would like to be respected and treated equal. I would like to stress that all other waiter/waitress provided excellent service, but only this presumably Store Manager.

Very tasty food! Price was great!

Gorgeous food, service was good, Sake was disappointing,

We had a nice dinner at Yuzu. The Japanese food was really tasty. We really liked all the flavours. We had small plates (gyoza, miso soup and some eggplants) and as main course, tempura udon noodles and salmon don (which was delicious). The seating area is very original and the staff was pleasant. The atmosphere was intimate and relaxing. Overall a nice experience, so we recommend this place for anyone who enjoys Japanese food. The restaurant is ideally situated in the city centre of Manchester, in Chinatown 😊

Food was good although very limited menu. As others have said the place is greasy and smells of fat and it is a big dingy. The service was friendly but pretty pushy and it would have been nice to relax a bit more in terms of timings. Couldn't see any normal wine on the menu (only Sake - I know it's a Japanese but would expect a couple of choices) which was disappointing. Probably wouldn't rush back until they get it properly ventilated and get a larger menu of food and drinks

Really cool spot, lovely drinks and a good selection of food to go with. Would recommend

The food was very disappointing. I came here a year ago and the food was really good but they’ve had a change of chef and unfortunately the food is extremely bland. The tempura was soft and yellow. The service and atmosphere was great as usual so it’s a bit of a shame.

The place was good and the food was amazing. Service is sparse and slow but the place to sit is not very comfortable. I ate kara-age and prawn katsu. They were simple but very tasty .

Great food, really well made by chefs who knew what they were doing. The staff were very polite and helpful. A good experience all around.

Really enjoyed eating in Yuzu while on a business trip. Food was very good and the service was excellent.

This is a lovely, cosy gem of a restaurant! I came with a friend who recently got back from Japan and she said the food was excellent. I have less expertise but completely agree! We shared gyoza and tempura to start and each had teriyaki salmon for mains. Yuzu gin and tonic was tasty too. Friendly staff and quick service.

Simply delicious Japanese food. Can't wait to be back

Yuzu has always been fabulous. The lunch menu is great for those who doesn't want to be Very Full and with the price of £10.50 you really can't complain much. However, the deep fried today was disappointed. In particular, the Karrage (fried chicken) cos of the oil seems to be not so fresh. But tempura prawn was fabulous. Good choice of tempura powda and does remind me of Tokyo.

Felt like a hidden gem kinda spot. Not as pretentious as some other places with great food

What is going on here? Waited over 5 minutes for 2 spaces to be cleared. There 3 staff running the floor and 16 customers in (4 eating, 7 finished, 5 awaiting food) Sat down, waited a further 20 minutes before being acknowledged, staff seemingly nowhere to be seen in a 15x15 space. Ordered drinks and food. Waited another 10 minutes. Was told that one of the beverages requested was out of stock so we opted for literally any other variety. This wouldn't have been a problem but by this point we were one of two tables awaiting food so not really sure why it took so long to look at the fridge which is no more than 12 feet away behind a curtain. Food started to arrive, was not given any chopsticks with which to eat. The girl realised her mistake and said she would get some. Disappeared back into the ether to hyperventilate over the stress of 16 customers shared between 3 staff. No chopsticks arrived, food sat going colder. 5 minutes later other food arrived at the hands of someone else. Asked for chopsticks again. Girl buggered off, other girl came 2 minutes later with chopsticks. All in all, food was a bit meh. Flavourless miso soup, bland rice, cake-like tempura and greasy oil Flavoured chicken teriyaki. Kara-age was OK but not worth the 45 minute wait. The lack of management or anybody of accountability seems to be a running theme. It's a small space with limited numbers and a small menu, it should be a goldmine. Cherry on top, the big kitchen extraction hood seems seems only for show. Sticky residue on everything as seen by touching the empty bottles along the counter (considering the wait for drinks it must be nothing short of a miracle that these bottles are empty). Thanks to this we went home stanky and sticky and quite disappointed. Definitely needs to do much better to earn the many past accolades that adorn the grease-ridden walls.

authentic Japanese food and great service however small shop

The price is very expensive, the portion is extremely small, and it is seriously not proportional. I strongly do not recommend it🤑👎🏻

It wasn't that bad when I came here six months ago, but there's a strange smell inside the restaurant, and the food has gone a long way from the Japanese style. I'm Japanese, but miso soup has too much crab flavor. In Japan, the soup stock is made from crab, so it has a good balance, but I felt like it was seasoned with some kind of additive. I don't think I'll go again.

My husband took me here for my birthday as I love Japanese food - did not disappoint 😍 Lovely casual environment, food was quick and heartwarming, staff were attentive and lovely mannered. Will definitely be returning. Could be my new favourite spot in Manchester.

I waa excited to try this place so we went for their meal deal. It took over 40 minutes to bring us the food. We asked for water 3 times. The place had a mild rancid smell. We will not return.

the woman in the counter is not friendly and rude. food was ok but not the best...ventilation is horrible and never visit again.

It's too bad, it's so bad. It's said that it was still Michelin-starred two years ago. Oh my God, it's so bad. I've never had such bad Japanese food. There is nothing, nothing but the roasted bird, very monotonous. The rice is not delicious either, a Japanese restaurant doesn’t even know what sweet soy sauce is 🤷‍♀️I admit that the ingredients are fresh and the golden onion chicken is not bad, but overall, it’s too bad.

Very amazing Affordable price to enjoy amazing Japanese food

Ordered a selection of the small plates. All of the food was cold with the exception of the tempura Rice over cooked Pricing appears great however the portion sizes are tiny Our server was new and lacked knowledge. The most disappointing Japanese restaurant I’ve been to. Not 4.3* rating as reported on google reviews

The food was OK. But the service was terrible or none. The servicing staff was miserable, unfriendly and rude. Ventilation was poor, the cooking smell engulfed the whole place, including all clothings worn. Can find a better place than Yuzu, to enjoy our meals, with better service and a smile.

Really love the environment.It is clean and comfortable.The food was very delicious.I had a salmon don and prawn katsu and that was extremely tasty.I also had a yuzu sake and that was good choice of dining in here.☺️.

Great place. Good authentic Japanese food.

it's a bargain lunch menu!! love the don, the rice was really nice. small portion, it's good for me. I'll go again for other items on menu

Very nice place definitely worth visiting that serves authentic Japanese food. Food was great quality, tasty and right portion. Will definitely come back here again to try different ones

A restaurant with very unique feel and good Japanese food. Very friendly staff too.

Food was good, authentic flavours and menu choices. Some other reviews complained about the interior or the smell, but the atmosphere reminded me of my local izakaya in Japan. Food: Karaage was £6 for 3 large-ish pieces which were juicy and delicious. Agedashi tofu at £3.50 is a steal. £5 for two yakitori skewers is maybe a bit steep, but they were really tasty. The tendon (tempura donburi) had a great portion of shrimp, sweet potato, aubergine and okra tempura which were perfectly cooked and the rice is definitely high quality. £13 is very reasonable. Only complaint is that the miso soup was kind of weak in flavour. Drink: free refills of green tea or hōjicha for £3, and we had two cups of yuzu sake, and a glass of umeshu. Yuzu sake was nice and sweet but definitely on the weaker side in terms of alcohol. Choya is the standard umeshu and nothing to complain about, but £6 a glass is a bit hard to justify for me. Service: maybe a bit slow at times, but with only 2 waitresses it's understandable. Otherwise friendly. Overall, under £50 for a main, 3 small plates, and 4 drinks in a relaxing authentic izakaya style restaraunt is probably hard to find anywhere else in Manchester.

The tempura Don is amazing! I am not a fan of broccoli but they made tempura broccoli which is unexpectedly good! The sashimi is fresh. But there is a strong oily smell inside the restaurant and the table is a bit sticky too.

Very, very tasty food. We had lunch there. We also tried the non- alcoholic Asahi beer which is very nice. Bigger tables for groups if in a one or two you'll probably be seated at bar type of seating. Street parking outside as well as s car park (both charge for parking).

Food was decent, but the main issue as others have mentioned is the smell - the kitchen is open to the seating area and doesn't have extractors on, so the whole place and clothes smell of cooking fat. It's still in my jacket a week later.

Pricing were high in terms of the quality we perceived. The noodles don't taste Japanese at all.

Terrible service - there were three empty tables but the server left us standing for 10 minutes.

Had a great dinner experience here. The food is delicious, especially the chicken skewers, which is very juicy. The sashimi platers are fresh and large portions, good enough for two people to share. The pork uno is the only thing that we think should be improved because the meat is a bit dry and hard to chew. The staffs are friendly, probably because there was only two staff there during the peak time, they were a bit too busy to take care of each table.

Recent quality has dropped massively sashimi does not taste right. Huge smell as always.

I have been looking forward to eating at YUZU for ages. Sadly, I was left disappointed by the lack of flavour in all our dishes, very slow service which I wouldn't mind if the dishes were worth waiting. The small plates are served in odd numbers which is annoying when sharing. What a crying shame.

Worst customer service we have ever experienced from any restaurant. Certainly not the Japanese standard that we expect. Clearly, the head waitress has major issues and should probably find a new position.

I think the vibe and the food at Yuzu compliment each other perfectly. The straightforward menu and undeniably delicious food (amazing fresh sashimi) are everything you could ask for from a Japanese restaurant. The dining area is a bit smaller and quieter but I believe that peacefulness suits the simple but satisfying food. I've seen people complain about management in the reviews, but I've been eating here for two years and have never had any issues. As for the service, just respect the waitstaff and they will respect you.

The food feels healthy, not too oily or heavy msg. But it wasn't bringing the flavours. I felt like I could've made those if I wanted homemade but healthy version of food. Because of that, I think it is a bit expensive. I usually go out to eat because I know either I cant make the food or it is energy and time consuming to make it. Menu was a little limiting but thats fine, not all restaurants need to go crazy with 50 dishes. However when I asked for a rice dish, they said they did not have rice and Ive seen reviews mentioning the same. A little weird. The atmosphere is okay. It depends where you sit. If you sit on benches, you'll have nowhere to lean back so it is not ideal for people with poor back. Please don't bother to reply if you're unhappy about this honest feedback. I've seen your replies to some reviews and it's not professional.

We called this place 3 times before we set off and they didn't answer. No problem. Arrived and the place has maybe 8 people inside. We were then informed that there is no rice available so only the small plates. So ... Friday night, well within your opening times and you have no rice. If they only answered the phone it wouldn't have been a wasted trip. I'm sure the food is great (if it's available) but I feel like that's very poor service considering if they knew they had run out, answering the phone to advise should be a priority.

Visited under the eat out to help out scheme. Had Kaisen don. They were flexible with my allergy, changed an ingredient with something else.

Having been previously and really enjoyed my meal I was slightly let down on a quiet Tuesday. I don't know if the oil for the tempura either wasn't hot enough or not fresh but lacked the crispness of previous visits, was discoloured and I left smelling of chip fat... Maybe the chefs later in the week are better /different, I'm not sure.

Went here for dinner last night there was a nice cozy atmosphere and the food was excellent

YUZU felt like an authentic japanese restaurant, the food was delicious and filling and the staff were polite and accommodating. My wife and I would definitely recommend the TONOKATSU on the lunch menu and the Large Sashimi Platter was fantastic.

Excellent Japanese food, very authentic. Decent price, simple, clean and cosy environment. We had two tendon bowls (big rice bowl with tempura veg, prawns, miso soup, picks), a small plate of kara-age and fried tofu, and two drinks for £43. Can't beat that.

Delicious food, lovely intimate atmosphere, an absolute gem of a restaurant.

食事は美味しいが 店員さんの機嫌が悪かったらしく、接待はほぼなかった。「お召し上がり物はいかがでしょうか」、「はい、わかりました」など一切言わず、客に全部言わせるので本格的な日本らしさは感じなかった。

No disabled access, ordered a takeaway. 10 minutes in the rain in my wheelchair. Half the menu was unavailable. Both dishes were tasteless as well as miso (I know, right, how did they manage that?). Binned it after a couple of bites - £21 down the drain. They should cater for the NHS, they will fit right in. Replying to their reply: 1. Have the building management refused to put a wheelchair lift like in Cicchetti or Hawksmoor? 2. Gyozas were off the menu as well. 3. No issues with my calling your food 𝘁𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗹𝗲𝘀𝘀? Glade we agree. 4. Your miso snobbery is pathetic. All the food you eat is GM, Nothing wrong with it scientifically. I suggest you educate yourself, it helps in life.

Decent and authentic Japanese food place in Manchester. Especially I was amazed their yakitori which was so tender and tasty! It took time to be served but it was worth to wait. I enjoyed many small plates like tapas with Japanese alcohol. It was 70 pounds getting 4 drinks and 8 small plates. I'll definitely come back again :)

I always love coming here, especially for their lunch menu. I had the salmon don which is always excellent. It's always super chill & quiet in here. Their seafood is fresh & their miso soup is very delicious.

3個lunch sets好味又不貴，刺身美味新鮮可口，一間很好的日本菜小店

Simple, but great. Fresh sashimi with tasty miso and rice: perfect dinner.

Terrible service. The food is fine but we found a huge piece of fish scale from the salmon sashimi. We told the waitress about it while paying the bill. The response we got were literally nothing but just “Ok”.

Really nice place! Staff very friendly but the menu needs improvement it seems very basic n not a lot of variety for me so tiny disappointed but very tasty food overall!

About as authentic as you'll get in the UK. Food was good quality and service was attentive. And a good range of authentic Japanese beers!

A little gem! Fabulous authentic Japanese restaurant :)

What a perfect lunch! Myself and a friend ordered from the lunchtime menu and added a couple of extra dishes along with a beer. It was delicious, prawns juicy, batter light and crispy, miso soup fresh and flavoursome. It was so lovely and relaxed with such pleasant service. I’ll definitely return!!

Food was good. Decent beers. Needed a good clean though lots of dust but I am sure the dead fly on the website windowsill was enjoying the vibes.

Very tasty food, beautifully presented with care. Easily the best Japanese food in Chinatown

Great place for a quick bite to eat, the place gives off major izakaya vibes for those that have been to Japan. The menu is quite small, split into tapas/small plates for nibbling whilst you drink or something a bit more filling in the "large plate" section. Having a smaller menu means the food you do get is amazing, a few Japanese classics and a few surprises. Service was very speedy and the staff were quick to help, as previously mentioned, more of a snack whilst drinking place or somewhere for a quick nibble, instead of staying for ages and taking up space.

Each time we come in Manchester, we go to Yuzu. Authentic Japanese plates with true taste of Japan.

I am so disappointed by the unfriendly and unwelcoming attitude of the restaurant staff. I don't think I will go the restaurant again.

Disaster. Shared platter was not even enough for one child. Very unhygienic place. Very overpriced and not worth it at all.

イギリス旅行の10日目、夕食のため訪問しました。イギリスでの食事には強い不満はなかったものの、そろそろ疲れてきました。始めての日本食です。心配しつつ訪れましたが、ほぼ日本でと同じ味わいです。 刺身、トンカツは美味しい。あと、他の客が食べていたvege udonを食べました。野菜の炒め合わせとうどんを合わせたものですが、味付けが絶妙です。ゴマ、ノリ、醤油の味付けだと思いますが、日本でも流行ると感じました。 日本人の女性従業員も親切で、注文を助けてくれました。私は十分満足しました。

4 of my friends decided to have dinner at Yuzu. I arrived early so I went in to ask for a table and the waitress asked me to come back when the 3 arrives. When 2 arrived we went in again and asked for a table, she told us to come back when the last one arrives. Why?!!?!? To earn more money ? (Btw there were 3 empty tables which were still empty when we sat down). There’s more.!! our bill came out 57.50 and wanted to split the money in 4. The old lady says we should pay 15pound each. We didn’t really work out our bills properly and thought that was what we had to pay but no! They were gonna charge us 3pounds extra. We complained and she says “ oh we are busy so just pay 15, we don’t have time to type small numbers “ WHAT??? Pleaseee give training or some sort to those people who work there. I am so disappointed and annoyed.

Very bad service. Not worth the delicious food they serve because the owner is very rude!!!

The food was decent ..not something special to make you go back considering that they don’t have the best services also Was a bit hard to book a table.. we called many times and they weren’t answering the phone.. They require a 10£ minimum payment per person when you book and as the only way of booking is to call them it’s not that safe to give your card details over a phone call!! When we tried to place our order they told us that the most of the dishes owe wanted weren’t available. Fair enough but they could have informed us when they first give us the menu. However later we saw them bringing one of the non available dishes to the people next to us..

Un bon japonais Petite salle mais nourriture excellente Juste un petit Bémol sur le rapport prix/quantité

The yuzu sake was really nice. Nothing special except that. Unfriendly staff.

Firstly I don't like that the word 'tapas' is now used generically with any cuisine - tapas is Spanish not Japanese. This place used to be good as can be evidenced by the collection of (now dated) restaurant guide stickers on the front door. But it's not good any more. There are just a couple of raw fish dishes. The vast majority of dishes on their menu are now deep fried - they are fine but there's a lot more to Japanese food than the fried stuff. And because the kitchen is in the dining room and the ventilation is poor, you will leave smelling like the fryer. Disappointing.

Lovely, reasonably priced food and fantastic service

Slick service, tasty and fresh dishes, great atmosphere. Very reasonably priced for such great food. Will definitely return!

Great service and great food. Rations are perfect size and lunch menu are a great choice!

Recommended by my Japanese colleague. Great vibe, nice drinks. Sashimi was really fresh. Slightly overpriced. Sad that they don’t do tempura on my visit.

God mat og hyggelig servitør. Slitt og lite lokal

Small restaurant with limited seats and very popular, but you can reserve a table (recommend to come early for walk-in). Not a long menu, but what they serve are really good. We had sashimi, fried oyster, yuzu gin and tonic, green tea (free refill) and some beer. The seafood is high quality and extremely fresh. Definitely recommend it!

Quite popular with the locals so you may have to queue. A nice enough restaurant with many accomplishments. The food was fresh and the menu offers a variety to choose from. I tried their Katsu oysters which were crispy and tasty. I had the Salmon Don Buri which had generous rice and topped with slices of salmon. It was accompanied with Miso soup. Soup dishes seemed to be the fave of the locals. Food was served fast by friendly staff. Their toilet isn't bad but could do some refurbishing.

Amazing food and staff, definitely recommend! 🤩🤩🤩

Very nice food and very nice place. Suitable for eating alone. Will visit next time.

A little gem in Manchester for great Japanese food.

Nice basic decor, food came out extremely quickly, good service. But most importantly, the food was amazing. Probably the best Teriyaki Chicken I have ever had.

Great food, good atmosphere and the lunch deal is great value.

Service so slow, manager is acting like we’re forcing her to be there. Made to wait 20 min for food cos they ran out of rice. Not really too authentic japanese, breading falls off the meat. It was nice and cheap considering it’s in manchester that’s it.

The only one authentic Japanese food in Manchester

Really cute space, tasty food and friendly staff. Great for a romantic date!

The tonkatsu was unfortunately really below standard. This is my favourite Japanese dish and I was so excited to see it on the menu. It was not well fried, soggy and thin crust. Not enough sauce. Should be served with shredded cabbage. The rest of the dishes are great, but this was massively disappointing.

Amazing service and fresh food for a great price!! Best sashimi I have ever had!

Had one of the lunch offers which was great value at under £10 for a rice bowl with meat, veg and miso soup. Food arrived quickly and was quite good but nothing special. Service was hit and miss. However, they charge 50p for tap water! Not only is this unbelievably stingy, it's actually illegal in a restaurant where alcohol is served. Won't be coming back on that fact alone.

一間充滿日式感覺的餐廳, 天婦羅好食, 粉不太厚. 價錢中等. 唯一點注意間餐通風不算好好, 食完後衣服會有少少油煙味. Overall the taste is quite good, the tempura powder does not thick, it worths to try in UK if you want to have Japan food in Manchester

Limited menu ..esp drinks .. but super tasty food

平日のお昼に行きました。 ランチはメインにご飯とお味噌汁と漬物が付いて£8.5でした。とんかつセットとチキン照り焼きセットを頂きました。どちらも美味しかったですが、キャベツとかレタスとかの付け合せがほんの少しでも付いていれば…と少し残念。でもイギリスでこの値段はリーズナブルだと思うので、マンチェスターで和食を食べたい時にはオススメです。 店員さんはとても感じの良い女性でしたが、レジの店員さんは無愛想で怖いくらいでした。

The best prawn tempura I ever had .. the prawn was in tact, tempura coating only blends with the prawn when in the mouth, yummy .. The salmon teriyaki was so good, I didn’t even have the time to take a pic .. The restaurant is also busy from opening for lunch, so I guess the food tells its own story ..