“ Kyotoya is an excellent Japanese restaurant, hidden in one street in Withington. One of those restaurant you don't expect, from the outside Kyotoya doesn't impress, but once you stepped inside, the decoration and the atmosphere would surprise you. The authentic Japanese chef will cook every dish, with all fresh elements, and in everyone's views! The restaurant is quite small, around 10/12 tablets, on a Saturday afternoon it was quite empty. The menu is quite big, and the is even Japanese beers to choose. We will be back for more ”

“ A friend took me here as a surprise, quite shocked such a cute little place is just tucked away like this. The place itself is very small and compact, but has its own charm. The staff were friendly and the kitchen is practically open for all to see. We ordered miso soup and spring rolls for starters. The miso soup was fine, it pretty tastes the same wherever I go (apart from when I was in Tokyo). The spring rolls were petit but perfectly formed, crispy skin and the fillings were very tasty. My friend ordered a Beef Yakiudon and I ordered Chicken Donburi Rice. The udon was well seasoned with peppery beef and the udon was chewy (not overcooked like in many places). The Donburi was surprisingly good, the rice was soft and fluffy and the chicken was well cooked with a rich sauce that was mixed well into the rice. We didn't have dessert as we were way too full, the Donburi was massive. Charming little place, recommended. ”

“ This is easily the quirkiest restaurant I think I gone to in this country! I agree with Marie about her toilet comment- more to follow! It all starts with the bizarre exterior which is more like its on a local strip somewhere exotic in Vietnam. All fairy lights, Japanese art in the windows and this strange door covering you go through to enter. However as you go through and look around, realising it really used to be a takeaway but they've added tables and chairs to make it look like a restaurant.... you think hey- there must be a reason we had to book. ALSO there must be a reason it was packed on a Thursday night! There's quite a large menu with a mix of noodle dishes, sushi, starters and big main courses. There is a lot of dishes on their which don't have English next to them and to be honest we hadn't a clue- we asked and they were so lovely and explained everything easily. We plumped for 2 glasses of wine (£3.50- wooopee!!) some veggie spring rolls and chicken gyoza to start- while I went for a chicken katsu curry and my friend went for some crazy chicken chili with rice dish. Everything was bought out really quickly, cold and tasty wine with some really excellent gyoza and both came with soy sauce and sweet chili as standard. Main courses arrived equally quickly and both tasted fantastic. Really authentic cooking which you can quite literally see going on behind the counter. Now back to the toilet situation.... as much as I love the place I'm not quite sure how they swindle health and safety as you have to walk through the kitchen, next to some very hot pans spiting oil etc and lots of raw meat and fish out in back prep area when you walk to the single toilet. I make it sound mental but it really was so strange! I didn't mind and actually gave me an idea of what I think my forth coming trip to Thailand will be like! I will definitely be coming back and ordering some take out which they also do! ”

“ Dam Yelp with their lack of half a star! I'd ideally give this place 4.5 stars because the value for money is really some of the best I've seen for sushi. But I'll be restrained because you can't call it nearly perfect. The place itself is quite "down and dirty" and I'd advise everybody to make sure that they nip to the loo BEFORE visiting their establishment, but the food really can't be faulted. All the sushi is made in front of you, and it is fresh and flavoursome. I'd highly recommend the gyoza which are cooked to perfection every time I go and always make me want to order more. As mentioned in a previous review the sashimi platter is fantastic and at £13 for an entire boat of fish, is great value. I'm not going to state it's the best sushi place in Manchester, but I'll say it's the best I've tried so far. ”

“ so I make it my mission to find good Japanese sushi restaurants.. This was on my next hit list..so travelling down on Easter Sunday I was prepared for this place to be closed like everything else...thankfully it wasn't.. You cannot miss this place as it has quite a garish red sign with flapping Japanese banners..ducking under these will lead you into a small sheltered place with laminate floors and pine tables. When we sat, we were facing the open kitchen, where a waiter approached us asking if we wanted sushi..of course! The menu offered the usual sashimi, maki, nigiri and udon noodle dishes , but it was 8 pieces each for around £4-5 mark, We ordered the tuna sashimi, nigiri and salmon maki... After seeing previous reviews I chose the recommended salmon teriyaki which is one of my favourites anyway! I have to admit the thing that kills the atmosphere is the lanky waiter.. who was more wooden than the pine table. There was no emotion whatsoever, when he took the order it was flat, and his face expressionless.. Anyway when the sushi arrived I was impressed with the size of the maki roles. The quality of the tuna was also excellent, beautiful red coloured meat in thick slices...nom.. however I love making a small paddling pool of wasabi and soya sauce,, So I was dissappointed when a tiny shallow dish was presented..in seconds this was demolished, and I asked the waiter for some more...I was hoping he would just give me the bottle. but he brought another shallow dish over instead.. When the mains arrived, these looked divine. The beef in the udon soup dish looked good, but apparently the taste was not your average ramen dish...it was flavoured differently.. My Salmon Teriyaki was beautifully cooked in its nice sticky glaze. The portion was just right for the price. The sake was your averages £6.50 for a flask price but was presented in a nice patterned set. After the meal it was discovered that they don't take card ..and when I asked where the toilet was I was baffled when I couldn't find it..the place is only small! Eventually we found out you had to go THROUGH THE KITCHEN which left me feeling uncomfortable..especially because I'm a klutz.. Overall it was worth the trip for this amazing sushi.. to make it 5 star they need to replace/inject life into that one waiter, offer card payments, sort out the bathroom arrangements and leave a soya bottle on the table! ”

“ Kyotoya is one of my all time favourite Japanese restaurants in Manchester. I frequently get takeaway from them as there so close by, but eating in is also just as pleasant! You can get two courses from kyotoya for roughly £13.00. My favourites are the seafood soups, they are exquisite! but if your not a seafood person then I highly recommend the Chicken katsu donburi (with curry sauce), my fiancee gets that same dish every time we go and he literally salivates just thinking about it. You can't go wrong with Kyotoya, very decent prices for excellent food! ”

“ I've been here three times while I was living in South Manchester. The food is cooked by the family owners just behind the counter; it is intimate and honest and extremely good. I am veggie and was still really satisfied by the food. My bf, who, coming from London, has eaten in many more Japanese places than me, was particularly impressed by the Teriyaki salmon (he ordered it on 2 consecutive occasions). My only quibble would be the range of drinks, but that is hardly surprising considering how small the place is. I would definitely go back there and have strongly recommended the place to my parents. ”

“ Came in here the other day for lunch with a friend, found it quite by accident. The food was good but not as good as the atmosphere. You could literally feel the warmth radiating off the owner who made us feel very welcome. We started with Miso, Gyoza and some Sushi which was not bad followed by katsu chicken and oyako don. Will definitely be back ”

“ Some of the best Japanese food I've eaten and all at student-friendly prices thanks to the Withington location. Lots of things great for sharing, whether you eat in or take out. Overall, an unlikely gem! ”