Five Stars -- A Must‑Try in Downtown Salem!…read more My wife and I stopped by Akai Ramen yesterday, and this spot absolutely delivered. We ordered the shrimp fried rice, hot gemai tea, cucumbers, fresh salad, and the seafood ramen -- every single dish came out flavorful, balanced, and clearly made with care. The portions were generous, and the prices were surprisingly reasonable for the quality. The service was immaculate from start to finish. Friendly, attentive, and genuinely welcoming -- the kind of hospitality that makes you want to come back before you've even left. The decor is clean and modern with plenty of seating, creating a relaxed atmosphere perfect for a date, a family meal, or a quick bite. Yes, you do have to pay for parking in downtown Salem, but once you're inside, the food, the vibe, and the service make it more than worth it. If you're anywhere near Salem, I highly recommend stopping by. Akai Ramen is doing everything right -- great food, great people, great experience. Five stars all day.

Yummy! Good Ramen, good service and lots of seating!…read more Service was very friendly and food came out quick! Nice soft music playing restaurant was cute lots of seating options. Ramen was tasty! The kaarage was kinda like chicken nuggets, different than we normally have but still yummy. Will be back when in the area!

Very good place for casual dining. Prices are excellent. Portions are generous and so far every…read moredish I've tried has been good. I especially like the Chicken Stir Fry. Seems like a popular spot because there's always people inside and lots of takeouts while we were dining in.

I had such a lovely experience dining at Ibendoo Ramen last night with my friends and family for my…read morebirthday celebration. The waiter went above and beyond to ensure our party of five was well-attended, making great suggestions and providing prompt service. Honestly, his kindness and attention to detail was on par with service I would expect from a more exclusive establishment. Thanks for making our evening special. Everyone in my party opted for the soba noodle dish, except for me. While I'm sure theirs was delicious, I really enjoyed the Char Siu Tonkotsu ramen dish I ordered. The soup had a rich and flavorful broth, the noodles were done to my liking, and the slices of pork were surprisingly robust. I thoroughly enjoyed my meal. The dining room isn't a large space, but the restaurant has done an excellent job designing the layout so as to maximize seating options. The tables are roomy with benches along the walls, and very comfortable and sturdy chairs everywhere else. The lighting was a little bright for my liking, but that's to be expected in a strip mall retail space. Even though I can't give them any more stars in this review, if they could refine the lighting I'd find a way to do so! I am very appreciative for the caring staff who helped make my day extra special. We had a lovely time at Ibendoo Ramen, Thank you!

Delicious food. I gone for lunch many times. Never disappointed wait time no waiting. Very clean…read moreand positive establishment. Love eating at Bibimbap House. Thank you folks for your kindness . LindaSue

We love this place, especially on Sundays right when they open at 11:00…read more The menu has a large selection to choose from and we have never had a bad meal. The place is cute and clean and the sevice is always excellent, even when they are busy.

Good food great service Ordered the tonkatsu ramen and it…read moreabsolutely delicious, the broth was perfect my ordered the lio wein with the teriyaki chicken and it was fantastic, we ate out food and it delicious. The host paisley was very nice with great .customer service the ambience is right on it.we definitely come back for some good food. 5 star all over

To be honest, this place probably deserves closer to three stars, but I didn't quite have the heart…read moreto rate it that low. I know firsthand how challenging it can be for small business owners--especially immigrant-owned businesses. That said, there were several shortcomings that affected our experience. The issues started when ordering. There were two vegetarians in our group, and while many of the ramen dishes listed an option to add vegetables, I wanted to confirm whether the broth itself was vegetarian. Unfortunately, our server repeatedly said she didn't know and didn't offer to check with the kitchen. One ramen listed a miso broth, which is typically vegetarian, but when I asked about that specifically, I received the same response. To be safe, we ordered the clearly labeled vegetarian ramen, while my husband ordered the miso ramen. His dish arrived almost immediately, while the rest of us waited at least 15 minutes longer. When his ramen was delivered, there was no explanation or indication that ours was coming shortly. He tried to eat slowly so we could eat together, but he was nearly finished by the time our bowls arrived. One other small but noticeable issue: it was around Christmas, and the holiday music playlist was extremely limited. We heard the same songs rotate four times, which became a bit distracting. My advice would be to invest more in server training, especially around menu knowledge, and perhaps update the music playlist. With some improvements in service and attention to detail, this place could be much better.

Their Sushi is excellent. The owner is very friendly and enthusiastic. Looking forward to trying…read moremore selections from the menu.

First off the Owner or woman that was there today is the meaning of hospitality! The moment we…read moreentered she really lit up the room and made everyone feel welcomed so A++ for that! To me this cute place is a casual japanese of people's favorites. Sushi burritos, pork katsu, sushi, teri chicken and poki bowls. The inside is clean and the place is small but the take out is awesome option. Thats what I did. The food was good. We enjoyed our meals. The only thing I did not expect was the salmon bowl not to have chunk of visible salmon it was more of a crab and salmon mix bowl. Wasn't bad but it wasnt what we would consider be a poke bowl.

I thought I'd check out Simply Pho in Salem, OR after seeing a performance at The Historic Elsinore…read moreTheater. This Vietnamese restaurant is in a small shopping center with several other Asian restaurants as well, and has plenty of parking in the lot. First off, the folks who work here are very kind and attentive. I was quickly seated, and given a rundown of the menu before the waitress left to get water and utensils. When they returned in 3 minutes they were ready to take my order, and were receptive to my requested modifications to the dish. My steaming hot pho arrived about five minutes after I ordered it. The broth has a great flavor, and didn't seem too salty or oily. The aromatics were fresh, clean and plentiful. My only critique is that the noodles were about 15% overcooked. The restaurant uses noodles that seem a little more substantive than what I'm normally served, which I really liked. Overall, I had an enjoyable experience and I'd consider returning to try their other dishes.

We ordered the garlic edamame, Vietnamese chicken wings, orange chicken with white rice, and pho,…read moreplus the mango coconut drink with boba. Everything came out hot and was super tasty. The only thing to note is that the chicken wings came out last even though we ordered them as an appetizer, so just be aware they take a bit longer to cook--but they're so worth the wait. The service was great, and the place itself was very cozy. Every single table was filled on a Thursday night, which says a lot. Super affordable too--$54 for our entire dinner with drinks. We'll definitely be back!

Updating my review because the second time around was delicious and I remembered to take a pic this…read moretime. I ordered the Tan Tan ramen again, with extra boiled egg and corn. The first time I didn't even realize the broth had little pieces of beef. Outside of the broth their was more meat with my noodles this time around. Thank you!! I also ordered the Chicken Karaage a la carte, which was delicious cooked perfectly. Not too over cooked and not too under cooked and the sauce that came with it was paired perfectly. The amount of food you get without my order of extra egg and corn is worth it. I even had broth left over and made my own little personal dish with it. This place is great, the food is great, and the portions are even better. Can't wait for my next order. 10/10

Ordered the Japanese Curry and it was very, very good! Really enjoyed the flavor profile. And it…read morewas crazy fast! Definitely would eat here again!

Sept. 4, 2025 - nice anniversary meal, great show at the table by the chef cooking our steaks. Food…read morewas good, restaurant was relatively busy for a Thursday. Oct. 1, 2025 - handwritten sign on the door, CLOSED INDEFINITELY as of Sept. 28th. Sad.

Good food and service @ Nagoya in Salem, OR. !…read more We were passing through and in need of a good sushi restaurant. This restaurant had mixed reviews and we were willing to see what's what. We were acknowledged and seated upon entry. We received great service by Summer throughout our time here and were checked on frequently. The food was good and we ate more than we should have. The restaurant itself was on the larger side with decent decor. It could have been cleaner and updated, the walls were a bit dirty and paint was chipping off in many different spots... Overall, satisfying dinner.

Great place for Vietnamese food. I love their pho, bahn mi and grilled pork. They also have some…read moreother ethnic influences mixed here and there. Like they have the Spanish soda, Jarrrito's. You can add a chinese donut (it's a savory long piece of fried dough) that you can dip into your pho (not a typical chinese or viet thing but it works!). Boba tea is ok and made from powder, but to be expected. Staff is friendly and quick. Place is clean. I like there's a kids menu for smaller portions for my kid (see pic)

Good Day Yelpies!! If Pho is on the menu or some amazing…read morelow carb options.... Oh yeah they have a low carb option on the menu. Please see the amazing chicken picture below ... the food here is really delicious but the time it takes to get it to the table is much longer than any pho spot I've eaten at.( I've been going to places like this for close to 30 years...,) So before you PhoGet make sure your not in a hurry or Hangry. Besides that get you some of this next time your in Salem Oregon

Attentive and caring host. Both the vegetable roll (delicious panko yam) and blackened tuna were…read moremade very well. Nice background music doesn't make you frazzled. I stopped by for an early dinner. Parking was available and booths are comfortable. I'll bring back friends and family.

I was excited they got a high rating but I was disappointed. It wasnt bad it just wasnt for a…read morereal sushi eater. Its for begginer sushi eater who likes more cooked fish and sliver of raw. The rolls were the phoenix and crunchy salmon. The crunchy salmon was an avocado roll with bits of salmon inside not on top by inside a littke dot. The phoenix was ok and a sliver of fish. I then ordered nagiri sushi white tuna, salmon, and spicy scallop. They gave a regular size slice which I had to order an extra salmon because I was craving salmon. Fish was fresh but the scallop one all you could taste was the Saracha. I also ordered Pepsi and hot tea. Hot tea tasted like hot water. The miso soup though was really good. Also the soft shell crab was good too. The service was great and place was clean and looked fun with there art on the wall. Good music was playing and people seemed to enjoy themselves there. Just I expected great sushi for a place that was manly serving sushi.