Honestly, across the last 3 years, this is the best restaurant in Charlottesville. I'll get unlimited shade for saying it, and places like Hogwaller and Michoacana deserve their due. But guys! This is the place! They check every box, from the same exact amazing dishes done right every time (this point will essentially run everyone but Bodo's off the road), and joyful service coming out of and now persisting long after Covid. I hear they are also in the rarefied air of being in North America and having a Japan-quality rice-fermenting room (apologies for the terms back there I for sure got wrong). I very recently took some downtown friends who had never been. And they were, you know, shocked. Except this place would bang even in Paris. Which is why I'm finally getting around to writing this overdue review. Phenomenal community asset. You have no idea how much you'd miss them if they weren't here. Grateful to the waitstaff and whoever manages and owns this place. All good luck and best wishes to Charlottesville's hidden gem. PS - If you want menu recommendations, it's literally all good. Just decide what you like. if you don't like sake, their other drinks are, yeah you guessed it, as good as almost anywhere in town. Bingo, Manhattans, a good malbec. Impressive. read more

Very disappointing visit. We went on Father's Day and they did not have two main items on the menu. They had just opened for the day. Food took 90 minutes to arrive (I'm not kidding....other parties arrived, ordered, ate, and left during our stay). Worst part is when the food did arrive, it was just average. Our ramen soups were missing the wonderful egg and the broth was missing salt. Subpar broth at a ramen bar? That is a huge no no. I can only hope they were just having a bad day. Would not recommend. read more

Staying in the area and found this spot on Yelp..another gem of a find! We ordered take out to bring to the hotel, and it was great! I loved that the noodles were separate from the broth until we were ready to eat. We both got the momo chicken, and the broth was deep and flavorful, chicken cooked perfect, but my favorite was the mushrooms. Roasted, almost charred, they were delicious. We also got two cans of sake (the clear one) and it complimented the ramen nicely. The server at pickup was super friendly and made sure we had everything we need. If I'm ever back in the area, I would certainly come here. read more

Bad Luck Ramen Bar - The entrance. - Ramen Near Me - Charlottesville, Virginia

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I think the settings was really fun, its a bar ish vibe after all. The booth and the seats were really comfy. The waiter was really quick too, she made sure to check in on us every so often. As for the food itself, I honestly have mixed opinions about it. I feel like the portion size could have been better, and that the sushi was not up to par at all. I wouldn't recommend the sushi personally. The broth and the noodles was fine, I do think you should try the Mr.Hot if you do come. read more

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I was quite excited to try this place as the ambiance was quite warm. The place feels so welcoming when you walk in. I came here for lunch, so no real wait time. I ordered the Bok Choy appetizer and the Momo Chicken Ramen. I was only given the Ramen, the waitress apparently forgot to put that part of the order in. The Momo Chicken Ramen was pretty unsavory. The chicken thighs inside were very bland, the soft boiled egg had more flavor than the entire bowl, and the wheat noodles they used did not balance well with any of the flavors. Subsequently, I could not continue to eat the bowl of ramen. (I did not have breakfast that morning or dinner the night before, so it wasn't a lack of appetite..) The waitress gave me a discount due to my dissatisfaction but I don't think I will be dining here in the near future. I guess there name holds true. *deep sigh* read more

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Decent ramen but a cute ambiance and interior! We loved the extra side of spicy miso paste we could order. It really amped up our meal! Smokey & the veg was absolutely delicious except the tofu. It felt as though they used some type of fake smoke flavor (like a liquid smoke) as it was way too overpowering. read more

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Incredible food and stellar service! Lovely environment for lunch, cocktails, or a nice casual dinner, and they even have a little board game library! I would definitely recommend the inari, Nas Original ramen bowl, and Smoky and the Veg ramen bowl. Both broths were incredibly flavorful, the ajitama had a perfect jammy yolk, and the tofu was beautifully seasoned and packed the perfect smoky punch without dominating the entire bowl. My partner and I were celebrating our 3 year anniversary and had the absolute pleasure of having Tara as our server. Tara was hilarious, kind, and truly provided outstanding service across the board. Gave us some amazing drink recommendations and kept us laughing each time she checked in. Seriously, we would go back just to keep chatting with her if we lived nearby! :-) All in all, a fantastic and positively-memorable experience, and a must-go spot if you find yourself in Charlottesville! :-) read more

Below average ramen. Broth was extremely disappointing. Have honestly had had better microwaveable spicy ramen. Noodles were cooked well though. read more

Bad Luck Ramen Bar - To Go Mr. Spicy (Delivery) - Ramen Near Me - Charlottesville, Virginia

Tasty and super cute. We first went here, admittedly, because their little logo mascot kitty looks just like our cat, who herself has a spicy personality, so we wanted to check it out and get merch. I think the surprise sleeper hit of the night was their sake, which is their own brand and extremely tasty - especially for canned sake. We wound up buying some at the end of the night to take home. This place was packed, so I recommend a reservation, which we did not have as we came by on a whim after a hike. We wound up waiting around 30 minutes, which wasn't a huge deal - there's a brewery next door, so we killed some time there. Service was friendly and fast once we were seated. The ramen is very good for what I have had outside of NYC - it's deff a little more Americanized, but I don't think that's necessarily a problem. After the meal, we were allowed to use their bad luck fortune machine at the front of the store, which was a nice touch. I bought a hat, which looks just like our grumpy little kitty. Overall, this was a fun experience, and I would come back - especially for the sake. read more

My son is graduating from UVA this weekend & my other son& I wanted a solid lunch with the grad & his girlfriend. This places name caught my eye but the food & funky vibe & friendly waitress made it worth it. Having grown up in Japan, paying $17.+ ridiculous, but these occasions don't happen very often and I'm not sure when our next be here in Charlottesville so it was a win. The broth mine was Tonkatsu was good and I like the chewiness of the noodles, some places over cook it, and I hate limp ramen. Egg cooked perfectly. My other son got the tonkatsu with spice bomb. My son's girlfriend got the teriyaki chicken bowl. She said it was delicious and the grad the chicken ramen. Everyone was content. The decor was retro Japanese & reminiscent of my childhood home. Will be back if I'm ever back in town. read more

This place was awesome. I went during happy hour and the food and drinks were great. The ambiance was nice. Service was good not a long wait for the food or drinks. read more

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Service was disappointing, we had gotten there early, and multiple tables that arrived after us were served their food. Mind you we had just gotten two ramen. By the time those other tables were about to leave, we finally got our food, and it was inedible. My Momo Ramen was unbearably salty, to the point where I couldn't eat it. The waitress only came to drop off our food and pick up the check. I'm very disappointed and will not be coming back again. The restaurant's name truly describes the experience well. read more

Food is great, ambience great and service was good. Casual, easy parking. And at the end you will get your bad luck fortune!

Im sad to leave this review! I came here over the summer and the spicy meatball ramen I had was AMAZING - they also did a CBD strawberry cocktail that was also bomb but the food has gone downhill since then. I came in with a group of friends and we all ordered various dishes and they were all pretty bland. I had the spicy tuna poke and it was just pretty flavorless although the fish was fresh and the portion was large I just felt bored eating it. Our table ordered every ramen dish on the menu and every one of the broths were just meh. Well cooked and decent toppings but pretty mid. The gyoza was fine but the sauce was more like oil, the gyoza were super greasy and you could taste it. I like the ambiance in here and also like the games they have available to use at your table, we had a fun time but I had hyped the food up so I think our table was a bit disappointed considering how bland the food is now. Service was great and wait until the end when you get your "bad luck" fortune! Such a cute activity for the end. If the food goes back to how it was when I first tried it in early summer I would give them more stars. Since they removed the one dish I had tried and liked everything else tasted pretty bland so until that improves this place is good but pretty average. read more

Bad Luck Ramen Bar - Spicy tuna poke bowl - Ramen Near Me - Charlottesville, Virginia

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Very tasty ramen. The appetizers are really good too. And so many vegetarian options. It's amazing.

This restaurant was perfect! We sat on comfortable throw pillows at a low table, for some nice, authentic dining. We got a sake flight, which was a great way to taste some different options. The ramen was delicious as well. Overall, great food and experience. read more

Bad Luck Ramen Bar - Sake Flight - Ramen Near Me - Charlottesville, Virginia

We enjoyed the ambience of this place. A retro Japanese vibes. Sake tasting selection had a good variety though there is still room for improvement knowing great sake from all over Japan. We wish the server gave us a better table instead of the one right by the entrance, especially when it was pretty much empty and workers started setting up some things right next to us - felt like I had my food and drinks all dusty... Ramen and edamame were just OK, again from our extensive experiences in Japan. Friendly service and overall good experience. read more

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This restaurant is part of North American Sake Brewery, which always served food but nobody knew, so they named the restaurant separately (very recently) to make it clear. Ambiance was fun, eclectic, and casual, and the place was packed so we found bar seating and only ordered food. Started with Garlic Bok Choy and Mushroom Dumplings. Both items were DELICIOUS. I am a garlic girl through and through and the bok choy seasoning was spot on, garlicky and spicy and slightly sour. The dumplings were chewy all around and crispy on the bottom. Both great options! We both got the Veggie Ramen with Smoked Tofu, and my partner added the Spicy Miso Bomb ($2) as he loves spicy food. To be honest, I didn't LOVE the ramen - I probably wouldn't order it again. The taste was a little off and even smelled slightly fishy. I tried my partner's spicy version which was actually better - I think the spice masked some of the funky taste. Overall good food, especially apps - I wish they had more veggie options for ramen. You also get a cute token at the end to play the vending game and receive your "bad luck fortune," which was cute! read more

Bad Luck Ramen Bar - Bok Choy, Mushroom Dumplings - Ramen Near Me - Charlottesville, Virginia

I absolutely love the Mr spicy and the "you're the very zest" cocktail. Even though she was off the clock Myia still stole the show!! Love this place read more

Bad Luck Ramen Bar - Ramen Near Me - Charlottesville, Virginia

Best ramen I think I've ever had. Not really good at wheel chair accessibility, my grandfather couldn't really reach the table because it was still too high. And the service was okay. But overall food was delicious. read more

the happy hour sushi is amazing and the drinks are amazing. its good to remember that they arent a food spot but the vibes are great.

I tried this place for the first time last night since the ramen bar was added, and it was great! My friend and I each got the spicy bowl, me as it normally comes and her with chicken. We also got the sake flights (both of us loved the big baby one). The broth was rich and delicious, and had the right amount of spice in it. We made a reservation, but in a week night really didn't need to. Service was good, environment was cute, I'll definitely be back! Make sure to get a token for the fortune teller machine at the end--you could wine a free bowl of ramen! read more

Bad Luck Ramen Bar - Ramen Near Me - Charlottesville, Virginia

My sister was in town and is a huge ramen and sake fan so we were thrilled to take her here and finally try it out. The restaurant is not massive and we walked in and were immediately seated which was nice for a Saturday night. Servers were quick and polite. And food service was swift. We got an order of the veggies mushroom dumplings and they were incredible. I could've had three plates of them and been fully content. We all got ramen, I got the Momo Chicken and the chicken was not tough at all and extremely flavorful. I loved the button mushrooms and the egg was perfect. If you like spicy you need to get the spice bomb, too, it made it the perfect level of spicy. My husband got the Mr. Spicy and enjoyed it, his only comment is that the heat could've been turned up a hair. We split a sake flight and it was enjoyed by all. Really the only place of its kind in Charlottesville. The space is a tad dark but pretty cool inside, booths and bar tables and bar seating at the end, we got fortune tokens to use in a fortune machine which was a nice novelty touch. With cold weather finally here, we look forward to coming back. read more

Bad Luck Ramen Bar - a neon sign that says i have bad luck - Ramen Near Me - Charlottesville, Virginia

Ramen was just okay, instant ramen would've been better than theirs lol for the price we paid it didn't see worth it. They definitely were cheap about toppings. Also the people next to us took their shoes off in the restaurant and that was a big turnoff. read more

Met and talked with the owner after an amazing meal. So passionate about his craft. Just good people.

bad luck ramen has amazing ambiance and vibes are great inside - i will give them credit here but the food was terrible. the ramen was one the worst i've ever had, it had no flavor and the noodles they use are super cheap. we tried some apps and sake here and ended up spending around ~$70 ish. we felt like it was not worth it at all and it inspired us to actually start cooking at home because we felt so disappointed. the service was also not great either, they didn't come to our table for over 10 min once we were sat and couldn't get a hold of them to get our bill read more

We had the spicy ramen, and it was fine, but I didn't think it was anything that special for the price of it. I have had better (RIP Miso Sweet) and worse (Mashu Festival) ramen in Cville. Our waitress was really nice, and we enjoyed the outdoor seating. I don't think I would crave it again. read more

Tucked away in IX park, Bad Luck is a unique spot that offers low key and fun vibes and is more than just ramen. The ramen scene in Cville is a bit lacking in my opinion and Bad Luck brings in some delicious flavors to the game. I got the original (always have to try at any new ramen spot) and I was very satisfied - I really don't have any complaints. The broth was deep and savory, tasted like many hours of labour and love had been invested in it. I loved the pork belly, perfectly cooked egg, and abundance of corn as well. I also tried one of the ahi tuna rice bowls which was filling and delicious. Love the diversity of the menu (read: not just ramen). Lots of drink options (including the neighboring sake spot) as well. read more

Bad Luck Ramen Bar - Fiery ahi tuna rice bowl - Ramen Near Me - Charlottesville, Virginia

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I can't do it, dudes. Eaten mind-blowing ramen in Japan, and sought out sake and ramen across the US, which are two of my favorite things. Bad Luck is...terrible, to put it politely. The Shoyu and the Tonkatsu are two of the worst iterations of what you expect in the entire United States. White guys messed this up completely. That's not even a joke. This is not great. read more

I love C Ville. There are sooooo many good places to eat and this place is one of my favorites. The Raman is awesome and the sushi is also fire. The service is solid but they get overwhelmed very easily. The atmosphere is great. read more

I'll have to come here again try the different varieties. The Spicy Ramen was ok the broth wasn't there. Good service and good ambiance read more

Bad Luck Ramen Bar - Ramen Near Me - Charlottesville, Virginia

It's been years, but we found our favorite bartender in the entire world, in Charlottesville, VA. The little man with the beard, also known as Alex, but it is already known because he knows everything. We actually opened Yelp back up because of him and this amazing spot. We did a sake flight. It was really cool to know the Baby one and the Real Magic are the same, just the sediment is removed. I did like the Giant one, cause he remembered I always drank IPAs and my wife added a fruity sake canned drink. She's a wonderful wife, but I did marry a White Claw woman. So. Then he goes... want to see how it's made? And there we are in a Sake Brewery. Learning about rice and proteins and spores. Really? So awesome. Just to have a complete brewery tour, there and free. You'd have to pay to see that in Tidewater. The ramen itself is special. The broth is the key. I think, if I'm wrong I apologize, they are the only place in the area that makes it all in house. Alex said this ain't no ramen powder package. He was again was right. Not only was it aesthetically pleasing it was also pleasing to the soul, and stomach. We both just got the "NAS" ramen bowl. It's important to try the original classic dish of the location, before getting too crazy. So good, lock me in the madhouse. I'm going to get crazier there, next time we're in town. Ambiance? Yes. Yes a great one. It's like a NYC daytime club. Very trendy, but clean and inviting. I could bring coworkers, the in-laws or even our kids there. I know Finn would be glued to Pokémon on one of those TVs and Amelia would live the board games. Very nice touches for a parent that just wanted to get some adult time. Either way. This has now became the go-to place every time we're visiting UVA. *bottom right, we knew him before the beard. Warm and enthusiastic staff Amazing Sake Write to home about it Food Really cool environment Returning Customer read more

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Killer ramen, great drinks and funky atmosphere make this a winner. Don't forget to get you fortune read before you leave.

Great little spot to grab some ramen and sake. Super cool atmosphere and friendly service. Odd location but it fits in read more

Bad Luck Ramen Bar - Ramen - Ramen Near Me - Charlottesville, Virginia

Great place! Great service and direction, great food too! We figured out that we were NOT sake people and it only took one flight to figure that out...we had the traditional Ramen and the spicy ahi bowl and they were both very good! Come check them out! read more

Bad Luck Ramen Bar - Baby version of milk sake - Ramen Near Me - Charlottesville, Virginia

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Food was pretty delicious but they are clearly understaffed. We waited 30 minutes after sitting down to even place an order. For drinks. With a reservation. At 5:30 PM. Staff is very nice. Just clearly not enough of them. read more

Very mixed feelings, service took 30 minutes to start, but once he came over he was great. It is in the IX park, and there was a Fei Festival going on, so free entertainment. The dumplings were good (wife preferred the mushroom ones) the broth for the ramen (two different kinds) was good, but the noodles were very much "top ramen"-esque. The patio was perfect for a nice evening. I like both of the homemade sake that I tired. Large parking lot in the adjacent park. I wanted to give it more stars but the family outvoted me-4+3+3+2/4 people = 3 stars read more

Good spot! They've got lots of different ramen options!! They've got other options as well such as sushi and dumplings. They have non-alcoholic beer options along with cocktails and sodas! The service was excellent- she was able to do individual checks for a group of six! I got the vegetarian ramen which was very good- not too salty and the broth was yummy (not watery). There's plenty of parking. read more

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We loved coming here when it was just North American Sake and we still love the place. Our kids and their friends are always happy to get to come here with us. Give the place a try.... my favorite is the curry... everyone else loves the ramen. read more

Bad Luck Ramen Bar - Ramen Near Me - Charlottesville, Virginia

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Firstly, it was absolutely FREEZING in the restaurant. I feel like I can never actually enjoy a meal if I'm freezing cold the entire time. The location of the restaurant is very hard to find, maybe some more signage would be helpful. The ramen was delicious but overpriced at 17 dollars for a bowl, in my opinion. Service was not the best. The interior is very cute but I find the premise of "bad luck" kinda strange, seems like bad juju to me. Why not just wish good luck on your customers? read more