Founded in Montreal and the first-ever sub-brand of Fuwa Fuwa, Café Noya offers a fresh take on Japanese cuisine in a unique coffee and bar place. It serves comfort home-cooked meals.
Café Noya comes across as a cozy, casual udon cafe in downtown Montreal that fits studying or casual meals. The menu centers on udon and onigiri, with beef udon and creamy miso mushroom udon among the popular bowls, plus flavorful onigiri such as unagi and salmon; several notes mention rich broths and chewy noodles, though some dishes are criticized for being bland or undersauced and portions can feel small for the price. The drinks and desserts, especially matcha based options and mochi, are often highlighted as standout items and a welcome complement to the savory bowls. The service is described as friendly and efficient when not too busy, but a few reviews report slower service, inconsistent knowledge about Japanese dishes, or hiccups with order accuracy. The space is repeatedly praised for its cute, welcoming vibe and good atmosphere for studying or hanging out, while a few comments mention it feeling cold or busy and noisy at times. Overall, the place is seen as a reliable go to for satisfying udon and onigiri with quality matcha and pleasant staff, with some room for value improvements and portion sizes.
I was quite disappointed by this place because my expectations were high. I initially wanted to rate this place 2/5 but my partner liked his dish so I give 1 more star.
I ordered a matcha tiramisu. They had a very nice dessert shelf so I was excited for it. Turns out it was just cream cheese on top of the matcha, nothing close to the tiramisu flavor. The matcha in itself was good, but nothing exceptional.
For the udon, I took the miso & mushrooms one. As one of the other comment was mentioning, the miso flavor was lacking & it was more creamy udons. I took an extra tempura shrimp (+3$), & I had to look for the shrimp in all of the fried paste. Absolutely not worth the extra. Noodles were good.
My partner really liked his beef udon on the other side.
Generous portions, but I think it is more of a student café/snack bar rather than a restaurant. Prices were very correct, especially for the onigiris.
Ordered the mushroom udon & strawberry green lychee tea. Wasn't a huge fan of both, the udon lacked that rich mushroom flavour & the tea + syrup weren't that potent/fresh
Feb 10, 2026
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We decided to visit what is proudly advertised as Montreal's first Udon café-a title that immediately raises expectations &, unfortunately, also the stakes. The space itself is undeniably cute, the menu sounded promising, & the inclusion of onigiri excited us too.
We started with the miso mushroom cream udon, a dish whose name suggests depth, umami, & earthy warmth. What arrived, however, was more of a dairy-forward soliloquy. The miso was nowhere to be found, the mushrooms had apparently taken the day off, & the broth tasted exclusively like cream. To be fair, the mushrooms themselves-when encountered-were quite good, which somehow made their overall absence more tragic.
The beef udon fared better. The beef was well-cooked & nicely seasoned. The broth, however, pulled a classic bait-&-switch: it smelled rich & inviting, only to taste far more subdued than expected. Aromatically impressive, flavor-wise a bit shy.
The unagi onigiri was decent by Montreal standards, & honestly one of the safer bets on the table. If you go, I'd gently nudge you in that direction.
We noticed an impressive lineup of desserts, though we didn't partake. The café was busy, which is always a good sign, but unfortunately not a great justification for service that felt a little rushed & impatient-less'welcome in' & more'what'll it be.'
Overall, it isn't a culinary catastrophe, but it's also not a destination. If you're downtown, cold, & craving something warm, it's perfectly serviceable. Just don't go out of your way for it.
I had the miso/mushroom Udon & the salmon Onigiri. I was disappointed of the Udon dish since it was literally udon in alfredo sauce. It was good but really not what I was expecting. The salmon onigiri was ok🤷?♀?
I ate at Cafe Noya last night. The place looks nice. I ordered chicken teriyaki, & the sauce tasted good but wasn't enough for me. I didn't like the black mushrooms that came with it. Overall, my dining experience was 6 out of 10.
Food looks good, but tastes bland. My friend & I each ordered cold noodles , gyozas & drinks + dessert. I personally got sesame cold noodles & vanilla matcha.
I rarely leave reviews, but I feel the need to be completely transparent here.
As for noodles, the taste was extremely bland. The texture of crispy flakes very quickly became soggy & off putting in the noodles but that might be a personal preference. The most flavourful part of the dish were shiitake mushrooms, which speaks for itself. Portion is underwhelming, just like the taste.
As for the matcha, it was very sweet & i could taste more syrup than matcha. Also, the vanilla syrup they use tasted very artificial to me which affected my rating.
Overall, the food mostly just *looked* good but didn't taste it. Service was alright, nothing much to say. Wouldn't return, wouldn't recommend 🤷?♀?
Aug 4, 2025
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A casual Japanese street food restaurant in downtown Montreal. You need to go to the counter & order/pay first. Then they'll bring the dish to your table. Tried miso cream mushroom beef udon & it was delicious! Credit cards accepted.
Tried it for the first time & it was good, but not exceptional. I got the Creamy Miso Udon. I couldn't really taste the miso flavour, but it was still good just a little plain. The mushrooms were marinated in a very good sauce. I would go back again & try something else.
Really great service & amazing food. My friend & I got the miso mushroom udon & the beef udon & it was delicious! I would also recommend the Hojicha latte.
