JAPANESE RESTAURANT TARO HAS OPENED INSIDE AN OLD PIE & MASH SHOP IN WALTHAMSTOW

This marks the sixth opening from the Japanese restaurant group and their first branch in east London

Taro, the affordable Japanese spot that originally opened on Brewer Street in 1999, has just launched a new site, this time making a move east. The new Walthamstow location has landed inside the Grade II-listed building that was the home of the iconic pie and mash shop L. Manze from 1929 until it closed down in early 2022.

You can expect the same menu here as you would at any of Taro’s five other locations, with options that include the likes of ramen, udon noodles, bento boxes, sushi, miso soup, rice dishes and gyoza. But there’ll also be a site-exclusive special, Manze Dragon Roll (a nod to the building’s previous resident) that’s filled with avocado, asparagus, crab stick, tobiko and teriyaki sauce, and topped with grilled eel and sesame seeds. As for drinks, choose from the list of hot and cold sake, Japanese whiskey and shochu, wines, Japanese beer and soft drinks.

The news of L. Manze closing was a blow felt by pie ‘n’ mash fans across the city, especially as the (traditionally East End) business has notoriously been dying out over recent years. While Taro has restored the shop’s interior, adding in Japanese design elements, the original floor, tiling, gilt lettering, marble counters and mirrors have all been kept intact. Taro Walthamstow is open now for dine-in or takeaway, but is currently walk-in only.

76 High St, London E17 7LD
tarorestaurants.uk