Review Megu Cafe - Varanasi

I'll be honest here: I had unreal expectations for this place as it lazed around on my list for *years*. Its location is a quiet one - inside the streets and close to some of the better known ghats in the city; also good accessibility from the main chowk in Godowlia is a plus. It's a quaint, small cafe with only around 4 tables. Now, I'm certain this may just be an effect of the pandemic, but the menu when we went was severely limited - only two types of ramen, some variant of an omelet and two types of soup were available. We tried the ramen and the Japanese omelet. (Pardon me for I don't remember its proper name.) The omelet was quiet nice and delicate, albeit somewhat bland. The sauce served along with it helped to an extent. Coming to the centerpiece of the menu - the ramen. Prepare yourselves in advance and go with an empty stomach as the serving size is very generous; a couple of us (not me!) had trouble finishing the entire bowl. Coming to the taste, the noodles tasted very... artificial, for lack of a better descriptor. They didn't taste very nice, and I remember myself trying to cut its taste with the broth as frequently as possible. Speaking of, the broth was amazing and was the highlight of the dish for me. Too bad there wasn't much else to write home about it, as it didn't come with any added heat and was only served with some sesame seeds and an egg on top. In a nutshell, I'd say that this deserves a one-time visit. I'm not sure where you can get better authentic Japanese food in Varanasi than here. I give it a 4/5 as I'm the worst critic on Earth.

It is one of my favourites in Varanasi. The vibe and the food, both are great. The Ramen, Katsu Don, Shouga yaki Don, etc. I have loved it all. The timing is 10AM - 3PM and 3PM - 5 PM. You can eat at the cafe and order takeout as well. The cafe owners are very humble. ❤️

Opening hours Monday to Saturday 10am-3pm and 5pm-8pm. Sunday is closed. This was absolutely spectacular. I left filled with love. If you are in Varenassi, prioritise eating here!

Best Japanese food we've tried in India after 2 months of travelling. Staff were professional and warm, ambience was quaint and meticulously clean. Came here for dinner one night and returned the next - planning on coming here for lunch too. Unbelievable Sushi and Katsu Don, highly recommend this little Varanasi gem.

Hidden in the alleys of Banaras the restaurant can give you the delicious taste of Japanese cuisine. The special item is Katsu Don and trust me it's simply wow and huge in quantity. It's more than enough for a single person. 2 people can share a full Katsu Don. Try this, it will provide you totally different flavor. And the chef is a Japanese so you can expect to get the original taste of Japanese cuisine...

The best Japanese restaurant in Varanasi, the owner is Japanese, authentic Japanese taste, really satisfied! Will be back for sure when visiting Varanasi. the location in map little bit wrong, located at the small alley, the actual place is around 30m from the maps pin, ask people around the location, or look at the sign

Apart from being an excellent Japanese food destination its staff is overly humble and well behaved. It is a kind of place where you have to remove your shoes prior to enter its dinning lounge . And your dining ends with a lovely Namaste. Manners well served.

Awesome.. this is the perfect word to describe this place. Gyz.. plz visit this restaurant. U must. Foods r awesome. It was my 1st visit in any jap restaurant. N i became fan of their food. I will visit there again when ever i visit Varanasi next time. 1 more thing. U will find a special taste in the food. A special ingredients. For me its LOVE. Reqst to all. Lets all know about this gem hidden in Varanasi gali.

Varanasi's cleanest and tastiest food is made at Megu cafe by CHEF MEGU herself who gets authentic spices for the food specially from Japan. So i would say great work on the flavor as well as heart and soul. Lots of love :)

If you want to find a safe haven for food during travel in India, this is the place. This is a real homemade style Japanese food place, which is hard to find in India. Rice bowl was great. A bit disappointed for the ramen. I heard the will be closing for 2 months for vacation. So please call ahead.

If you are watching for indian food and some spicy meal, you can visit here with your family and friends.... Service is good and staff is friendly,, As you know that it is situated in Varanasi,, so after taking some food, you can also hangout with your group to many great places....

Such a cozy homely japanese restaurant at a remarkable location. Very nice management and personalized food. Congratulations to Megumi and Sanjay on their amazing initiative beating all odds to bring the cuisine that defies boundaries.

I have truly discovered the heart of my desires here in the comfortable, quiet peace of Megu Cafe. The okinomiyaki will take your stomach into a state of bliss so deep that only the perfect spice combination in the ramen's broth can bring you back to reality. Your mind will be like a serene pond and your stomach a babbling brook flowing from the grace of pure ingredients combined in a splendor of transcendental culinary expertise. The owners are humble and kind people who seek the highest art of creating perfect food for their patrons. Thank you Megu Cafe.

Highly recommend this place if you want some authentic Japanese food! We ordered ramen, katsu Don, tempura... etc. All above the standards.

I consider this the best restaurant in Varanasi (and i have visited many restaurants, staying almost a year in varanasi). It is super clean, the owner is very friendly and food is also good and well priced.

The food was very good. And the hospitality was also very pleasing. The only down side was that the washbasin. And no pork.

A small part of Japan right here in Varanasi. Megu Cafe has mouth watering food items to choose from, and you cannot stop yourself from visiting again and again....

A veritable gem in the rough. Doesn't get more hole-in-the-wall than this. Very small place and a little hard to find but just look for the signs painted on the alleyways directing you down a small side alley. Food service and hospitality were great. They had veg shrimp and chicken options!

Wonderful place. I've been here multiple times and couldn't possibly stop coming back for more.

My trip to Varanasi concluded on a very high note. My sincere appreciation to @_abhirupnandy for being a perfect tour guide. That’s how I came to this restaurant called Megu Café, a Japanese food restaurant.<br/><br/>Megu-san owns and run the above mentioned restaurant with her husband. The foods served here are authentic Japanese food cooked with love. The restaurant has a very cordial vibe, the foods tastes magical and everything at a very affordable price.<br/>I request everyone reading this to visit Megu Café on your Varanasi trip. And while you are there, ask Megu-san about the origin story of this café. Trust me; her story is inspiring, romantic and incredible.

Wonderful place in the heart of Varanasi. The food was delicious! It reminded me of my travel to Japan. It even tops the Japanese restaurants I have had at home in Canada. The prices are very reasonable and Megu is a lovely person. You can tell she cooks the food with love! I would definitely recommend this place.

Food is excellent, amazing taste, beautiful ambience, original Japanese chef. You can eat with spoon too if you don't know how to eat with chopsticks

If you searching for authentic Japanese food in the streets of Varanasi, megu cafe is the best sorted out place. The owner here is herself a Japanese woman named megu, who likes to serve her guest the best sushis she makes from her own hands. They prepare the best ramen with egg white which was very refreshing and good. We also tried mango sherbet which was very sweet. It was my first sushi experience and it was an awesome one.

One of the only Japanese Restaurant on the streets of Varanasi which is worth visiting. I was never a big fan of Japanese Food until I reached here.They are serving amazing food with authentic Japanese spices. Loved it.

The best Japanese food I have had ever in my life!<br/>Varanasi is blessed to have a place like Megu!<br/>Do pay your visit with your family and friends!

This place is owned by a Japanese lady, Megu and the cafe is named after her. I visted this place with a friend. We tried ice tea and coffee iced latte, our tummy was too full to try anything else. We fell in love with coffee, it was so delicious. We asked her for the recipe and she was happy to share it.

Least did we expect a hidden treasure in the narrow lanes of Varanasi. But there was a Japanese joint where one can find deliciously wowww food. Tried Japanese food for the first time - Sushi , ChuukaDon. The very first bite and I was happy to have come across this Japanese food heaven

Really loved that place. The food was great. The hostess has been very polite and helpful. A must visit place in Varanasi, if u like good food and prefer a quiet homely place to enjoy it.

This place is very peacefull and such a amazing Japanese food I really like this place you must to for new taste for Japanese food iteam ..........

really great place super cozy it's like a small safe homely place midst of all chaos the food is delicious and lipsmacking and the authenticity of the dishes can definitely not b challenged do come to Varanasi to eat at this restaurant

MEGU CAFE..<br/>Nice place..<br/>........ They have served tasty and delicious Chinese..<br/>Ambience is good.. And<br/>Staff are very cooperative..<br/>VEG SUGI ROLL was awesome..<br/>Taste was mind-blowing..<br/>...<br/>Keep it up 👍guys..<br/>

Don't Insult this place by calling it Chinese. This is an authentic Japanese restaurant being run by a very sweet Japanese Lady and her loving family. Come here for true Japanese food. Food is sumptuous,tasty and good in proportions.

Nice place ... Good & polite behaviour ... Very helpfull (coz it was my 1st time in a authentic japanese resturent) ... Healthy food with remarkable taste

They weren't serving ramen after GST's kick in and their chef's a Japanese with awesome chopstick skills while cooking :D<br/>Food tastes good, dishes with fried chicken are must try as those can compete with KFC's chicken wings and win any given day.

Staff is very good. For a vegetarian like me, options are limited but I tried veg sushi roll as I wanted to eat Japanese food. I liked the taste. The veg sushi roll had sticky rice, fried carrots and raw vegetables and had a cover of brinjal. One can try if you like to experiment with different cuisines.

Just chanced upon this Japanese Restaurant as we made our way through to the Kashi Vishwanath temple. Being a vegetarian fist thing I asked for was the Menu and was surprised to find that there is indeed plenty of choice. I found the Menu  display itself very innovative. After leaving our footwear outside the restaurant we settled down. We ordered Ramen soup, egg plant with sweet soya, spinach and sesame seed and veg fried rice. Food was very tasty authentic and excellent. Half way across I ordered some wasabi as an add on which obviously goes thro the nostrils if you are not careful. The food is cooked by the restaurant owner  and you can converse with her to get some tips on Japanese cooking if you love cooking. Overall a great experience and will visit again to order a sushi perhaps next time. Don't miss it.

This is a really unique place. It opens at a specific time. It is a small place, difficult to find and difficult to get a seat. But it is worth the effort. They serve Japanese food and the owners are very nice people. It was very nice to talk to Megu who cooks all the food by herself.

Love this place! Super clean authentic ingredients. All dishes are consistently delicious. The bimbimbop is a little bland, but you can always ask for more sauce to dress it up a bit. Do not miss the small sides of sesame spinach and cucumber salad. Yum!

Bumped into this lovely little cafe after a long and exhausting walk in the Varanasi alleys. Japanese food were decent and served at a very reasonable price, iced drinks are at fair price too. The markets are so crowded even hard to stand so it's only too nice to have a place like this for a bit of rest. AC too cold though.

Very lovely dining place.<br/>The sign on the busy path definitely worked to indicate it's exactly location and had lead us there.<br/><br/>We ordered eggplant cold dish, chicken don,tempura and some cold drinks, cost us 570 rupees. They have decent price and good quality food, due to limited storage space,they seem to have to put most things in the fridge or freezer, but it doesn't affect most of the meat and veggies taste.<br/><br/>The only thing to complain is the air conditioning too cold for us.<br/><br/>

Quiet , cozy place which serves decent Japanese food. I liked the sushi rolls and they had good shrimps too. Finding a plastic wrapper in the food was a big turn off though.

Love knows no boundaries and food permeates every boundary-this quiet, little but absolutely brilliant cafe is an epitome of this. Similar to their love, the owners' rendition of food is unique and pleasing. It serves decadent sushi rolls, ramen and many other signature Japanese dishes. We loved the sushi,ebi katsu don, ebi okonomiyaki, ebi tendon. The taste was as unique as their names and they had a nice blend of flavors catering to both Indian and Japanese tastes. The owner, Megu, cooks the food herself and interacts with the customers in between. And her genuine love for serving food is reflected in the dishes.<br/>Its tucked away in a little corner of the city and can only handle 16 customers at once. But its worth all the trouble. Food exploding with flavors, homely ambience and ever smiling owners- I say Bravo!<br/><br/>P.S:The actual opening hours- 10am-3pm(lunch); 5pm-8pm(dinner). Zomato needs to update it.