The ramen is tasty-- broth is very flavorful, the noodles are fresh, and the meat is good.
I don't mean to be negative but I wish I knew more about this place before I went. Definitely know what you are getting yourself into when you...go. I was not aware of their service model which unfortunately lead to a bit of a bad experience. I am normally pretty open to new experiences, but frankly, I was really hungry and tired and I felt like I was being treated like a child at camp.
We were instructed to wait multiple times because they can only make a max of 6 portions of ramen at a time and they insist on making them all together. Though 2/3 of the chairs were empty, we had to wait for more than 25 minutes while one of our six person party showed up and were not allowed to sit, only stand inside, and even then we had to stay "behind the lines."
The portions are generous, but you are not allowed to bring any food home. I felt guilty not being able to finish my food, as did my companions, but you are not allowed to take anything home because "the noodles will become too soft." It is stressful for me philosophically and financially to waste food. They also shout to the entire restaurant "perfect" "almost" or "next time" depending on how much of the food you can eat, which can really increase how guilty you are feeling. The incentive is to go hungry (which for me today meant cranky) to eat the whole thing, but then to contend with all of their rules. I personally would rather decide for myself to eat only until comfortable, then bring home noodles that I have paid for even if they get soggy-- I paid for them.
It is a really creative model and for some people, this may be a dream come true. For me, I felt ignored while waiting, listened in on while eating, patronized when interacting with staff, judged, and pretty uncomfortable throughout the whole experience. They do not seem to care if they are making you uncomfortable because they are very dedicated to their model, which I can respect.
In sum: just be aware that you are going into an experience that they will dictate (even though you paid for it) -- if you go with the flow, you might really enjoy it. If you are hungry, tired, or otherwise not up for it, I'd recommend you go somewhere else. There are plenty of comparable ramen and noodle places in the area and it's not worth paying $15 to eat more than you want to and have to follow rules that may not make much sense to you.More
