Came to Waterloo for the first time to visit family. They reccomended this spot, and I wish they hadn't. The restaurant was empty and dingy. The server had a lot of trouble taking our order, and mispronounced the names of the menu items. Also, they were out of some of the items we ordered. Chicken Karage: Surprised by how juicy the meat was. The coating was just alright, but the chicken was good. Sukiyaki Beef Don: Bad. The egg was stringy and somehow dry. The miso soup was bland. Worst of all, the sukiyaki was doused in sauce and was too salty. read more

Asakusa - Chicken Karage - Ramen Near Me - Waterloo, Ontario

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The restaurant was empty when we entered so we were seated promptly and the food came out quickly. Overall the ramen was just okay. The broth lacked flavour and the chashu was sliced very thick so it was tough to bite. The karaage tasted odd and not very crispy. The oil on the broth dried up very quickly and created a film over the soup which made it look very unappetizing. Pricy for what it is. read more

Asakusa - Ramen Near Me - Waterloo, Ontario

Ordered ramen for takeout. It was very hot when we brought it home which was amazing. The pork was very well cooked and tasty, along with the other fixins. The broth flavour, however, was okay. It could have used a bit more flavour, which was a bit disappointing as it is one of the best parts of ramen. read more

Ordered via DoorDash. $100+ order, received appetizers only. Called restaurant - zero effort to make up for the dishes that we "out of stock" Ignorant when, after 3 phone which were picked up, and could here the restaurant noise and simply ignored. Finally, someone answered... Appetizers were garbage, no dipping sauces as promised and paid for. Told "yeah, we're out". Fuck Asakusa, DoorDash driver was great. Nothing in the University area is worth your money. read more

The service was okay. Could've been due to short staffed. The food was also okay as well. The Mapo tofu was a bit too salty for my liking. The visual and portion was great though. read more

Asakusa - Mapo tofu with rice - Ramen Near Me - Waterloo, Ontario

(Delivery order) - Octopus Skewer: Good - Tan Tan Men (with Straight Thin Noodle): Noodles were overcooked even though the noodles and soup were packaged separately. - Takoyaki: Good - Fried Karage: Mostly good. One piece tasted a bit off. read more

Solid 3.5 star review I was in the area for a quick lunch and decided to stop by here for some ramen. We got the Shoyu Ramen ($12.50) and mild Miso Ramen with chicken ($13.50). My aunt said the shoyu was fine but preferred the miso ramen more because of the taste and size. We both found the portion of the shoyu ramen on the smaller end. The miso ramen was very tasty and for mild, it had just the right amount of heat for me. The bowl was also massive (omg never ending noodles), the chicken was super tender (but I wish it came with more), and the soup was very good! the eggs could've been better though. Service was alright, nothing special to note. read more

Asakusa - Mild Miso Ramen - Ramen Near Me - Waterloo, Ontario

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Stopped in for a quick bite while in the area. Minimal staff on site when I was there but as I was there on an off peak time it wasn't a concern and I was served promptly. I decided on the Tonkotsu - Shoyu Ramen with thin noodles and wasn't disappointed. The broth and the chashu were both very flavorful. Not sure why so many dishes have corn in them, seems out of place in a Japanese dish. Anyway the meal hit the spot. I would recommend! read more

Asakusa - Tonkotsu - Shoyu Ramen :-) - Ramen Near Me - Waterloo, Ontario

My rating is 3.5 stars. I tend to forget that when it's a long weekend, Kenzo Ramen isn't open. For me, it doesn't matter. This plaza has a ton of eateries that I can always find another place to visit. I spotted Asakusa. It was open on Canada Day. I presumed that it was a sushi place, which was fine. I like that these eateries tend to post their menus on their window. I looked and it was a ramen place. Perfect! I walked in. Staff there greet you in Japanese. It was a nice touch. I was shown to a table, sat down, and looked at all the menu options. Normally, I order a starter and ramen. The standard ramen bowl tends to be on the small side. I had to ask my server how large it was. She said that it would be plenty for a single person. I decided to skip the starter and dessert. I ordered the shio ramen. You get a choice of chachu or barbeque chicken as your protein. I went with the former. The ramen comes with a ton of items, such as a full egg (you normally get half of one), woodear, bamboo, green onion, corn, slices of fish cake, and seaweed. At first, you'd think that $12.50 for a bowl of ramen is on the pricey side. Considering that I could barely finish my food says a lot. Right off the bat, you get more ramen than you'd expect. I also think that the hot weather contributed to my having difficulty polishing off everything towards the end. I'm not big on bamboo shoot. I discarded my slices. I prefer a harder egg yolk than what I got. I ended up submerging it in the shio broth to cook it a bit more and I was good. The broth had the usual salt in it, but it wasn't to the point where I immediately saw my feet swell up. The chashu stood out. It was flavourful. It had a higher content of fat than I'm used to. I ate it all because it was that yummy. I also love corn and it was done perfectly. I ate all the green onions. It was a delicious bowl of goodness. You get water that has a refreshing hint of lemon. Nice! Staff are attentive and friendly. As soon as a customer leaves, the table is immediately cleared and wiped down. I paid for my meal. You can use credit, debit, and cash here. I asked my server how long the restaurant has been open for. It has been around for a couple of months. I haven't been to this plaza since January of this year. I am glad that I did. I'd come back here to try other items out. Perhaps I will get the gyoza to go. (238) read more

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I was looking for a Ramen place in Waterloo, having already exhausted Kenzo and Tutti Frutti. Asakusa came up in my searches as a somewhat new shop that opened up in the Mel's Diner plaza and I was hoping for great things. I've read multiple reviews and thought I'd give it a shot. I went on a Sunday near noon and it was quiet. Ample parking, ample tables. We were seated quite quickly and served water with lemon immediately. The menu itself was pretty standard. Options of miso or shoyu, Chashu or chicken. I opted for a spicy miso with chashu and two chili's. It presented nicely - the portion sizes were good. The spice was not spicy at all. Usually I expect a rich spicy base, but they only added gochuchang to the base which made it very sweet and spicy, not exactly what I was looking for in a ramen. There wasn't enough tonkotsu flavour, the thick and creamy soup that you'd expect for a miso tonkotsu soup. The noodles were thin and overcooked. It felt like cappelini in a red pepper paste soup. The chashu and the egg were the best part of the meal. The soup was bland, not enough flavour. It looked pretty, but it was clear that it will not be my go to place for ramen. The shoyu ramen's soup base tasted a lot better. But surprisingly it was half the size of the miso ramen. Not entirely sure how they control portions but it didn't seem right. Also ordered the karaage. It came with a gochuchang and mayo sauce. The chicken itself tasted like popcorn chicken, as in frozen popcorn chicken they fried up. It didn't taste fresh. It didn't taste like karaage. Service was good - they were very attentive. But I wouldn't choose to come here again if I was craving ramen. read more

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Scallop Croquet Loved it! Crunchy but soft inside. Sauce was the same as takoyaki and most other appetizers but it tasted pretty good! Would maybe order again. Chicken Karaage Not bad but didn't taste especially good either. Thought the white sauce was ok but the red tasted like 100% Sriracha. Not worth. Shoyu Ramen Forgot to ask for thick noodles (personal preference) when ordering and wasn't asked. Also wasn't bad but not great either. Would not order again. Mackerel Don Presentation was pretty decent and sauce dripped on rice was pretty good, though mostly soy sauce probably. Enjoyed the mackerel and thought it was pretty well balanced. Overall Very expensive place and not very authentic at all. Would not return. read more

Asakusa - Grilled mackerel don - Ramen Near Me - Waterloo, Ontario

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We came as a big group of 10 in the Spring term and there were enough seats - the restaurant is relatively big and can accommodate larger groups. I got a donburi - cha shu don. The portions are huge, and the food itself tastes really yummy! I also got to try out the BBQ eel unagi and spicy salmon don from my friends: I would also recommend these don's, they were very delicious as well! The donburi came with seaweed salad and miso soup! read more

Asakusa - Chashu don - Ramen Near Me - Waterloo, Ontario

Hey Yelpers! Waterloo bound yesterday noon and for lunch we randomly decided to try Asakusa. I got a lovey pumpkin chicken don witch had rice, pumpkin, green onions, nori and other vegetables. I really really like pumpkin... pumpkin pie, pumpkin latte, pumpkin tarts, pumpkin scones, pumpkin loafs, pumpkin!!! The flavour was sweet from the pumpkin. Which is great! Not too bitter nor salty. And the vegetables was refreshing. Because pumpkin tends to be dense... the new is pretty heavy. Trust, I was definitely stuffed. But it felt good stuff. I didn't feel disgusting afterwards. My partner on the other hand had a noodle soup. Forgot which one. I know he wasn't too fond of it. But I liked it. The broth had a roasted taste to it. Unsure how to explain.. maybe they cooled it too long? Or that's the taste they were going for? I'd definitely come back again for the pumpkin dish. Love it! Thank you! read more

this is place is very good and close to the school which is convenient and cheap. I would recommend this place

Found this restaurant when I tried to find a ramen place in Waterloo. Ramen was good, not bad at all, and the service was good as well. I ordered Tonkotsu miso ramen and they gave me a large bowl with lots of noodles and toppings read more

I've heard mixed reviews about this place but my friend and I decided to give it a try. We both got the tonkotsu ramen (it has the garlic oil). The first thing that stood out to me is the noodles - they are really bad tasting. Definitely not what ramen noodles should taste like. The broth, egg, etc was pretty average. The environment was a nice place to catch up and talk to a friend so I would recommend if you're looking to sit down for lunch for a few hours. Overall, don't recommend the food here but it's a nice place to eat with others. read more

Asakusa - Tonkotsu ramen - Ramen Near Me - Waterloo, Ontario

Only worth trying are the donburis in my opinion! Had the Ramen here, and for ~$13 it's a small portion and not really filling. With that being said, it was really high quality Ramen and tasted amazing. So if you don't mind splurging a bit, give it a try! If you're here for the first time, I would really recommend the Chashu Don, it is really good for the price and the slices of Chashu are probably one of the best I've eaten, which surprised me since I've been to many Izakayas in the GTA who could not compare to this kind of flavour. There's quite a bit of rice in the donburi bowls, and comes with seaweed salad and a miso soup. The rest of the dons also have this. Still currently trying out the rest of the menu, so I'll update once I can find the Top 3 items! The atmosphere of this place is really traditional but quite small. Not good for huge groups of like 10 or more, you'll fill up half the place. Maximum for a group of 6 would be good. Try out this place if you're near UW! Worth a shot if you enjoy Japanese cuisine :) read more

Ramen is okay, but the broth was a bit too salty. I believe I got the basic miss ramen and it was filling, but after I was left with a salty taste in my mouth. Drank lots of water after and it was better. Portions are decent size and it's tough considering they are opened next to Kenzo which serves ramen as well. I did not try their sushi dishes but I would be interested in giving it a shot. read more

Big portions price is decent. Food quality is not bad but not top notch. Good selection on menu. read more

Asakusa - Good food. Big portion. - Ramen Near Me - Waterloo, Ontario

Food are largely sized! And you get more for your money than at Kenzo, however quality is lower. Rice dishes are large, but 30% filler onion, 50% rice, 20% meat. 3/5 Shio ramen: 2/5 Takowasabi: very impressed that this was even a menu item! Very well priced and tasty and well-sized! No complaints! 5/5 read more

The flavours here were amazing! Had the miso ramen Spicey! The service was great and quick!

So far, this is the best ramen I've had in KW. Classic ramen, done well. The noodles were springy and the broth was rich. They were out of thick noodles when I was there, so that was the only disappointment. read more

One of the first things I order at a new ramen shop, is generally their shio ramen. The shio ramen I had at Asakusa was overall not that great. Soup: The soup was pretty much the main reason I hated the dish. The soup had a thick pork stench when I tried to drink it. It was the same kind of smell you'd get from boiling pork in water with salt, and then trying to drink it. The soup was also very thin and had a strange after taste. Moreover, it felt like there was basically no flavour profile in there besides the stench of the pork and some salt and egg?? Not too sure where that after taste is from Noodles: The noodles were very soft almost mushy. It made me think that the shop simply buys their ramen noodles from the supermarket next door. The noodles were bad but not inedible at least Best part: The best part about the dish was the chashu pork. It was very tender and had a nice flavour to it. Honestly, if the soup was just a bit better maybe the chashu would have been able to carry the flavour of the dish Conclusion: The Shio Ramen I had was poorly made in my opinion. However, from what I have heard the Red Dragon ramen is suppose to be much better. I dont expect the noodles to change, but if the soup is much better and the pork is the same, then maybe that one won't be so bad. Will consider going again. read more

My favourite ramen in waterloo. Friendly service and awesome gyoza. Really fun place to go to and affordable as a student