Toriko is currently enjoying considerable success. Readers have consistently ranked it among the top five Weekly Shōnen Jump titles in the magazine's popularity polls alongside the best-sellers like One Piece, Naruto, Bleach and Hunter x Hunter. In 2009, Toriko was nominated for the second annual Manga Taishō award.[43] The first and second collected tankōbon volumes, both released on November 4, 2008, were ranked 10th and 11th respectively on Oricon's manga chart for their first week, with nearly 70,000 and 67,000 copies sold.[44] It was the 10th best-selling manga series during the first half of 2011, with over 1.8 million copies sold.[45] Toriko was the eleventh best-selling manga series of 2012, with over 3 million copies sold,[46] and the thirteenth best of 2013, selling 2.8 million.[47] The series has 18 million volumes in circulation as of November 2013.[48] In 2011, Bandai Namco estimated Toriko would bring US$25.6 million in toys for the 2012 fiscal year.[49]

Otaku USA's Joseph Luster called Toriko "an absolute feast for fans of beasts", not able to tell "whether Shimabukuro just comes up with everything on the spot or if it's all meticulously planned out", and said that the series' charm is "how it effortlessly applies classic shonen tropes to such an outlandish world."[50] However, he commented that "The formula of Toriko is apparent right from the start in true shonen fashion[...] tougher and tougher creatures will quickly follow."[51] Deb Aoki writing for About.com also praised the imaginative beasts and monsters of the series, as well as the occasional informational bits on the true science of foods, but called the art "grotesquely goofy."[52]

Lisa Pattillo of Anime News Network (ANN) called Toriko an "in-your-face action story riding on the back of a gastronomic fetch-quest."[53] She compared Toriko's design to that of characters from Dragon Ball and Fist of the North Star, and suggested this might deter some readers.[53] ANN's Rebecca Silverman stated that "Shimabukuro has clearly devoted time and thought to crafting the story's world, as complex creatures, animal profiles, and distinctive landscapes attest.", and called his art an "odd mix of old school JoJo's Bizarre Adventure-style manly men and newer One Piece-style chibis."[54] Carlo Santos, also for ANN, praised the action, saying "For over-the-top action, it's hard to beat the thrill of Toriko punching out a swarm of giant insects, or the creep factor of a villain who literally wears another human's skin.", and called the art one of the series' highlights.[55] Reviewing the anime, Santos said "Fans will know what to expect in each adventure: ravenous strongmen flexing their superpowers, ferocious foes being slaughtered by said strongmen, and a rich, imaginative world full of impossibly delicious foods. But the simplicity of Toriko is also its downfall: there are no clever twists in store, the characters don't develop at all, either personally or interpersonally, and even the most calculating villains are just mindless targets waiting to be knocked down one by one. The on-again, off-again animation also does a disservice to the bright colors and creative designs of the series."[56]