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Checked the place out for lunch. Very stuffy (no ac and 85 outside). Staff not very welcoming or pleasant. House water excellent. Chicken bun: dry but tasty. Should be thigh not breast IMO Shiitake bun: lacking flavor Octopus appetizer: excellent. Seafood ramen: excellent. Beef ramen: very good Prices very reasonable. Good food. Service can be better.
Aug 2026, my first and last time visiting Maru Ramen in Ithaca, NY. We found this place while passing by and decided to give it a try before heading home. We were greeted by who appeared as the owner, the place has no energy at all on a Sunday afternoon. It feels like a spot where you will go to for a quick bite after heavy drinking at 2 in the morning. Second warning sign appears when I saw sushi and pho appeared on the menu. The choices were limited but it seems to me they want to put more varieties on the menu rather than focusing on what a ramen shop should be focused on - making the ramen right. The tonkotsu ramen was simply terrible and they fundamentally misunderstood the dish. After sipping on the broth, I understand why the place was empty.. Instead of a proper, soft-boiled marinated ramen egg, I was given half of a plain, dry hard-boiled egg. Even more baffling was the addition of yellow pickled radish floating in the broth, which completely clashes with a tonkotsu flavor profile. The biggest offense, however, was the chashu. Rather than thin, tender slices of pork that melt in your mouth, I was served three massive, tough chunks of pork belly that hadn't been properly sliced and were inexplicably served with sauce. The execution of the food just shows a complete lack of care. It feels like either there is absolutely no passion for the food being served, or the owner genuinely doesn't know how to cook or run a restaurant. Save your money and go somewhere that actually respects the craft of making ramen.
Family was craving ramen so we came here for lunch. Got seated quickly and patient staff taking our order for a group of 8. This was a second visit and we recalled loving the ramen the first time. However, it just didn't have the same appeal. The bulgogi ramen noodles wasn't savory. Shiitake bun just seemed haphazardly put together, nothing geling the ingredients. The octopus salad was ok, vinegary but on the plain. Heard the Tonkotsu ramen was pretty good. There were lots of food leftover as food was just average. Will probably check out another place in Ithaca if wanting ramen.
Service is friendly and quick. Food is delicious! We made it a point to come and eat here again on our second visit to Ithaca!
Besides the food being mediocre the waiter was awful. I parked my car in front of the restaurant on what looks like a meter spot. The meters looked really old and only took coins. I saw other meters on the block were all expired and none of the park cars seems to pay the meter. I went into the restaurant and asked the waiter, do we have to pay the meter? He answered if you don't want to get a ticket in a mean manner. If I was not starving I would have went some place else with his attitude. The food here is ok, nothing special. Twe ordered 2 appetizers and both were made from frozen. The shrimp tempura appetizer was 3 frozen shrimps fried up with some iceberg lettuce for $9.00 and the Okonomiyaki was also a frozen cabbage pancake. For our meal, 3 out of 4 of the party order ramen and it was ok. Eggs on all of them was over cooked. The order of tempura Don was so salty, my friend had to ask for a bowl of white rice to eat the topping only. When we told the waiter, no reaction except to charge us for the bowl of rice. When the bill came, I guess you have to pay at the counter but we were not advised. I felt like I was called like a dog to the counter when the waiter taps the counter for me to go there. Just past on this place and try other places that might appreciate your business.
Every time I come to Ithaca I visit Maru Ramen. I feel like since my last visit there may have been a change in ownership? Either I am totally unobservant but I never noticed the anime illustrations on the wall. There was also semi-annoying to me music, what seemed to be anime scores?? Our food seemed pretty similar with some tweaks. The bibimbap used to come with purple rice versus the now regular white rice. It made for a more unique presentation and it's certainly not every day I eat purple rice. Sprouts seem to be used more heavily in dishes here now, including the ramen. I'm glad I read the menu carefully because the ramen is now topped with mushrooms and we are not mushroom fans. Despite the menu changes, I still think it's a solid spot. I haven't been able to find good ramen in Syracuse...There are also a fair amount of vegetarian options and it makes it easy to find shareable items with my mom who is a vegetarian.
I had miso ramen and other had different ramens. We shared the okonomiyaki and edamame. I had the miso ramen which I enjoyed the broth and noodles. The portions were large as I shared part with my young daughter and was still full. My son enjoyed a tonkatsu dish but I sampled his and it was a little dry. Considering the area, it's a decent step up from instant ramen(although that can have its place/purpose)! If compared to a larger city's option, I would say it's in the middle of the road option.
My recent visit here left much to be desired, especially when it came to their ramen. Service was great! Prices are fair! The interiors are nice! But I had high hopes for the ramen, unfortunately, they fell short. The broth lacked depth and complexity, tasting more like seasoned water than the rich, flavorful broth I was expecting. The toppings were overloaded and uninspired, failing to elevate the dish. There was an awkward amount of cabbage (the tough root ends), a hardboiled egg (no jammy yolks here), and a bunch of raw bean sprouts which collectively made up at least 40% of the dry mass of the bowl. Overall, while the ambiance and service were decent, the quality of the ramen was subpar. I left feeling underwhelmed and unlikely to return for another bowl. I also left with about 80% of my food remaining and as I was walking out, the server very nicely asked if I wanted to bring the food home. She's very nice and lovely and I wanted to hug her, but regarding the pale chicken and subpar ramen, I think I'm good.
If you're looking for a place to get your ramen fix, this is it! The restaurant is really cute and has awesome Naruto wall art if you're in to anime. The service was great and fast. There's street parking so it can be a little tough to find a parking place. We came around 3:30pm and were able to park out front. I know that street can get a little busy during lunch and dinner hours. We tried the pork buns that were delicious and so flavorful. I got the bulgogi ramen and it was A LOT so I recommend coming hungry or just be ready to take some home with you. My partner got the katsu-don which was a little different with fried pork and rice with broth and it was also very good and filling. I will definitely be back to try more things from the menu!
Maru Ramen was great cold night / warm food meal! The dining area is small, so plan ahead to you're going on a weekend. The service staff was polite and friendly. The best part was our food came out surprisingly fast. We tried the steamed beef dumplings and they were what you'd expect, nothing outrageous, but they were good. The ramen noodles were perfectly cooked and toppings were paired well. I will definitely be back!
We come from an urban metropolis with many great ramen choices so we held our great ramen expectations in check ... and Maru Ramen did not disappoint. The ramen isn't as good as big city ramen but each of our three bowls had good flavours and were well-executed. The Maru-Katsu was a standout, deep-fried pork, crispy on the outside, juicy on the inside, paired with a sesame dressed salad. It's a casual restaurant (as you'd expect from a ramen joint) with friendly staff (more friendly than a big city ramen joint).
28 days ago
There was a change of ownership in the last couple of weeks and it was "temporarily closed " but It reopened last week, finally. The previous Korean menu is gone. Now it's mainly ramen and sushi, and some authentic Chinese dishes, just asked the chef Kenny and he'll recommend everyday's special. I was gonna try the ramen but the new sushi menu is more attempting. Ordered a gazela roll and it was absolutely great! Ramen next time! And sashimi! And fried rice! read more
You order at the front and sit down and in about 10 minutes they will bring you food. I have the spicy seafood. It was fresh and fast. There is street parking outside and it's not handicapped accessible. They will do take out orders and it's kid friendly. read more
5 days ago
6 months ago
1 month ago
2 months ago
Checked the place out for lunch. Very stuffy (no ac and 85 outside). Staff not very welcoming or pleasant. House water excellent. Chicken bun: dry but tasty. Should be thigh not breast IMO Shiitake bun: lacking flavor Octopus appetizer: excellent. Seafood ramen: excellent. Beef ramen: very good Prices very reasonable. Good food. Service can be better. read more
2 months ago
Aug 2026, my first and last time visiting Maru Ramen in Ithaca, NY. We found this place while passing by and decided to give it a try before heading home. We were greeted by who appeared as the owner, the place has no energy at all on a Sunday afternoon. It feels like a spot where you will go to for a quick bite after heavy drinking at 2 in the morning. Second warning sign appears when I saw sushi and pho appeared on the menu. The choices were limited but it seems to me they want to put more varieties on the menu rather than focusing on what a ramen shop should be focused on - making the ramen right. The tonkotsu ramen was simply terrible and they fundamentally misunderstood the dish. After sipping on the broth, I understand why the place was empty.. Instead of a proper, soft-boiled marinated ramen egg, I was given half of a plain, dry hard-boiled egg. Even more baffling was the addition of yellow pickled radish floating in the broth, which completely clashes with a tonkotsu flavor profile. The biggest offense, however, was the chashu. Rather than thin, tender slices of pork that melt in your mouth, I was served three massive, tough chunks of pork belly that hadn't been properly sliced and were inexplicably served with sauce. The execution of the food just shows a complete lack of care. It feels like either there is absolutely no passion for the food being served, or the owner genuinely doesn't know how to cook or run a restaurant. Save your money and go somewhere that actually respects the craft of making ramen. read more
Family was craving ramen so we came here for lunch. Got seated quickly and patient staff taking our order for a group of 8. This was a second visit and we recalled loving the ramen the first time. However, it just didn't have the same appeal. The bulgogi ramen noodles wasn't savory. Shiitake bun just seemed haphazardly put together, nothing geling the ingredients. The octopus salad was ok, vinegary but on the plain. Heard the Tonkotsu ramen was pretty good. There were lots of food leftover as food was just average. Will probably check out another place in Ithaca if wanting ramen. read more
7 months ago
1 year ago
Service is friendly and quick. Food is delicious! We made it a point to come and eat here again on our second visit to Ithaca! read more
Besides the food being mediocre the waiter was awful. I parked my car in front of the restaurant on what looks like a meter spot. The meters looked really old and only took coins. I saw other meters on the block were all expired and none of the park cars seems to pay the meter. I went into the restaurant and asked the waiter, do we have to pay the meter? He answered if you don't want to get a ticket in a mean manner. If I was not starving I would have went some place else with his attitude. The food here is ok, nothing special. Twe ordered 2 appetizers and both were made from frozen. The shrimp tempura appetizer was 3 frozen shrimps fried up with some iceberg lettuce for $9.00 and the Okonomiyaki was also a frozen cabbage pancake. For our meal, 3 out of 4 of the party order ramen and it was ok. Eggs on all of them was over cooked. The order of tempura Don was so salty, my friend had to ask for a bowl of white rice to eat the topping only. When we told the waiter, no reaction except to charge us for the bowl of rice. When the bill came, I guess you have to pay at the counter but we were not advised. I felt like I was called like a dog to the counter when the waiter taps the counter for me to go there. Just past on this place and try other places that might appreciate your business. read more
Every time I come to Ithaca I visit Maru Ramen. I feel like since my last visit there may have been a change in ownership? Either I am totally unobservant but I never noticed the anime illustrations on the wall. There was also semi-annoying to me music, what seemed to be anime scores?? Our food seemed pretty similar with some tweaks. The bibimbap used to come with purple rice versus the now regular white rice. It made for a more unique presentation and it's certainly not every day I eat purple rice. Sprouts seem to be used more heavily in dishes here now, including the ramen. I'm glad I read the menu carefully because the ramen is now topped with mushrooms and we are not mushroom fans. Despite the menu changes, I still think it's a solid spot. I haven't been able to find good ramen in Syracuse...There are also a fair amount of vegetarian options and it makes it easy to find shareable items with my mom who is a vegetarian. read more
I had miso ramen and other had different ramens. We shared the okonomiyaki and edamame. I had the miso ramen which I enjoyed the broth and noodles. The portions were large as I shared part with my young daughter and was still full. My son enjoyed a tonkatsu dish but I sampled his and it was a little dry. Considering the area, it's a decent step up from instant ramen(although that can have its place/purpose)! If compared to a larger city's option, I would say it's in the middle of the road option. read more
My recent visit here left much to be desired, especially when it came to their ramen. Service was great! Prices are fair! The interiors are nice! But I had high hopes for the ramen, unfortunately, they fell short. The broth lacked depth and complexity, tasting more like seasoned water than the rich, flavorful broth I was expecting. The toppings were overloaded and uninspired, failing to elevate the dish. There was an awkward amount of cabbage (the tough root ends), a hardboiled egg (no jammy yolks here), and a bunch of raw bean sprouts which collectively made up at least 40% of the dry mass of the bowl. Overall, while the ambiance and service were decent, the quality of the ramen was subpar. I left feeling underwhelmed and unlikely to return for another bowl. I also left with about 80% of my food remaining and as I was walking out, the server very nicely asked if I wanted to bring the food home. She's very nice and lovely and I wanted to hug her, but regarding the pale chicken and subpar ramen, I think I'm good. read more
If you're looking for a place to get your ramen fix, this is it! The restaurant is really cute and has awesome Naruto wall art if you're in to anime. The service was great and fast. There's street parking so it can be a little tough to find a parking place. We came around 3:30pm and were able to park out front. I know that street can get a little busy during lunch and dinner hours. We tried the pork buns that were delicious and so flavorful. I got the bulgogi ramen and it was A LOT so I recommend coming hungry or just be ready to take some home with you. My partner got the katsu-don which was a little different with fried pork and rice with broth and it was also very good and filling. I will definitely be back to try more things from the menu! read more
Maru Ramen was great cold night / warm food meal! The dining area is small, so plan ahead to you're going on a weekend. The service staff was polite and friendly. The best part was our food came out surprisingly fast. We tried the steamed beef dumplings and they were what you'd expect, nothing outrageous, but they were good. The ramen noodles were perfectly cooked and toppings were paired well. I will definitely be back! read more
9 months ago
Same owners, different restaurant. Now only 100% Korean. Spicy food, no more ramen!!! Food is still good if you like Korean, but we were expecting our usual ramen. read more
9 months ago
1 year ago
Food was ughhh! Taste is not a real ramen. No flavor, Not tasty anymore! The staff was so rude. We say Thank you many many times but silence back. Inside looks nice read more
We come from an urban metropolis with many great ramen choices so we held our great ramen expectations in check ... and Maru Ramen did not disappoint. The ramen isn't as good as big city ramen but each of our three bowls had good flavours and were well-executed. The Maru-Katsu was a standout, deep-fried pork, crispy on the outside, juicy on the inside, paired with a sesame dressed salad. It's a casual restaurant (as you'd expect from a ramen joint) with friendly staff (more friendly than a big city ramen joint). read more
9 months ago
My boyfriend and I have gone here a couple times before and it was always delicious, however they have now rebranded to 'Maru Korea' and have an entirely new menu! I was a bit worried at first because i was a big fan of their Tonkotsu, but the meal i got was SO good! The service was super fast and friendly, the restaurant was clean (although it always is!) and the server even brought us two complimentary courses while we were waiting on our food. 10/10 highly recommend!! read more
I can't wait to slurp their Hangover Ramen again-- those tofu chunks, finely chopped wood-ear (my fave mushroom), and broth are addictive, and I didn't even have a hangover. They also have delish shrimp tempura. Ramen not your thing? They got rice bowls, too. Went here with the bae twice and even drank the broth of his bulgogi ramen. Try this place at least twice and order different dishes, as they cover different flavours, which makes it easier for you to determine what tastes you like. Pretty casual restaurant vibes with relatively quick service. Prices are reasonable. read more
6 months ago
1 year ago
1 year ago
We struggled with finding a better rated ramen place near Cornell, so we came back here. We had the Tonkatsu Ramen and Tori (spicy chicken) Ramen. The ramen was very good. Portion size just right for us. Service not that attentive as there's only one waitress and it gets busy, but it seems like a nice family-run business. Found street parking right across the street; meter time ends at 6:00pm. read more
I seldom pass up a chance to dive into a steaming bowl of ramen. Figuratively speaking of course....although given the chance I might actually consider diving in a pool of brothy goodness. A few weeks without it and I start to get the itch. To my delight, Ithaca does offer a few options to scratch that itch. Maru Ramen is located just a few minutes outside of the university. The menu features typical Japanese favorites like ramen, boa buns, and even some Korean dishes. Tonkotsu is always my go to. What's not to love? Pork belly swimming in a pool of warm pork broth. Being the ramen snob that I am, excuse me as I get a little technical. The pork belly is well seared and super tender, as good as it gets. Noodles were plentiful and nicely Al dente. The broth does however lack depth. The richness simply does not come through with the vegetables being the predominant flavor in the broth. The hard boiled egg was also unfortunately overdone. The pork belly was definitely worth the trip! Although there were a few technical flaws, All in all, Maru serves a decent ramen for a decent price. read more
3 years ago
Such a delicious and flavorful broth on both soup! They are not shy with the protein serving! Very generous portion. Service is great as well! Highly recommend read more
10 months ago
While traveling around Ithaca we needed a place to have dinner. Word to the wise..this is an adorable town but a lot of places close early so plan ahead. We found Maru and popped in to have dinner. Not a huge dining room but the 2 servers were hustling. Everything looked and smelled amazing. It was hard to choose. I had the spicy shredded chicken Raman and let me tell you it was amazing! I ate way more of it than I should have bc it was soooo good. Hubby got the vegan tofu stir fry. He said it was very good but was a little surprised it was only tofu and onion, no other veggies. He said the it had great flavors but could use a variety of veg. read more
This is a small restaurant that has Vietnamese, Korean, and Japanese influences in their menu. It is important to come here before the dinner rush as it can get busy. I tried the Tonkatsu ramen and tofu sesame salad. The tofu sesame salad had a nice miso sesame dressing that was slightly sweet. The tofu was warm and easy to eat. The ramen was Al dente and the egg was perfectly soft boiled. The soup was rich, however, the choice of seaweed gave it a more ocean briny flavor. The pork slices had more fat content that I prefer, but it was overall tasty. read more
When you've been on the road for two weeks and away from your regular haunts, you start looking for places that might provide you with some of that comfort food that you need. Maru Ramen seemed like one such place, and we were attracted by the relatively high ratings here on Yelp. One piece of advice before getting onto the food - despite the fact that this is just a short walk from Ithaca Commons, consider driving here especially if you're visiting late at night. We were not familiar with the area, and as we walked down State Street to the restaurant we were surprised by what we saw. There was a large group of people on a front lawn drinking beer and talking and cursing loudly. A couple houses were worn down and looked abandoned, and in front of one of them a couple of shirtless guys drinking 40s started catcalling my teenage daughter as we walked past. There were other sketch elements along the way. I lived for five years in areas of Chicago and St. Louis that were similar but I was not expecting to find it in Ithaca. Anyways, we were happy to walk into Maru after our stroll. We got seated right away indoors. There really isn't much space for social distancing here and we got seated at a table right next to a couple who were just finishing up their meal, but we were okay with that because we're all vaccinated and it had been a more than a few weeks since I last encountered a Covid-19 patient at work. Staff here are super friendly and attentive. I can only imagine that they were smiling behind their masks - at least that's what their eyes seemed to be doing (that's called smizing, right - smile with your eyes?). So, what did we eat today: Pork buns - chashu with some vegetables and hoisin sauce. Pretty decent, though I thought that the hoisin didn't quite taste hosin-y - almost like a BBQ sauce instead. The rice flour bun was nice and fluffy. Shoyu ramen - soy sauce based broth, reasonably good and thankfully not too salty, which can be a downfall for this particular broth. Tonkotsu ramen - this was a bit of a disappointment. My daughter and I both ordered it and agreed that it didn't have that rich, deep flavor that comes with the slow simmer of pork bones. It also had a distinct flavor of garlic powder. Overall, it was fine but I wouldn't really call it tonkotsu. The noodles were of good consistency. The egg was overcooked - typically it's a soft-boiled egg with a runny yolk, but ours were cooked all the way through so we couldn't incorporate the yolk into the broth. One nice surprise when it came time to pay is that if you pay with cash, they give you a 5% discount on the bill. This is actually a little surprising because I don't think credit card swipe fees are quite that high, but it was nice to get a couple bucks knocked off the bill. read more
2 years ago
Decor is cute and the server is nice. But the food is just terrible. Simply terrible. We got bulgogi but frankly I don't know what kind of meat this is. All the veggies don't have flavors and taste bland. Kinda an insult to Asian food to be honest. read more
This small hole in the wall ramen shop should not be underestimated. Some of the highlights of my meal were the chicken buns & spicy seafood ramen. Both of these dishes were packed with flavor. And the service was excellent. Our server was the only one working at that time and she was so attentive. Will definitely be stopping in again for a warm bowl of ramen and some buns! read more
While visiting Ithaca we were looking for a place to eat and yelp helped us find a jackpot, a ramen place with 4.5 stars with over 130 reviews... perfect combination for us! If you're in town, stop by, you won't be disappointed. We were hungry after a long day hiking and ordered the shrimp tempura roll to share, and then we each got a bowl of ramen. The sushi was fantastic, so amazingly fresh and flavorful, I almost wished I got my own roll to myself! However then the miso ramen I got came and I was glad I had plenty of room. It was warm and tasty, the perfect comfort food. The place was following covid protocols, with limited seating. When we visited Columbus day weekend they were still utilizing some outdoor tables on the sidewalk to extend their seating even after dark. We came at an opportune time, and didn't have to wait, however the place was busy all night with people coming and going, they seem to do a great take out business. Next time we visit Ithaca we will be sure to stop here. My husband was prepared to come back for a 2nd night in a row on Sunday but we did decide to share the wealth, but this will definitely be somewhere we return to! read more
Loved the personalized service from the warm greeting when we entered to holding open the door after we left the establishment. What an amazing experience and a truly wonderful meal that left us full. Portions were large and filling. My boyfriend and I enjoyed our first meal at this warm place. When we entered we requested a seat where it was warm and we were promptly seated by the window with the sunshine streaming in on a cold February day. They are following all COVID protocols and we received paper menus and guidance that helped us as first time diners. We started with the veggie sushi which was made of purple rice l and filled with crunchy vegetables plus a side of wasabi, fresh ginger and soy sauce. It was a generous portion but I was hungry so it didn't last long. We both ordered Ramen bowls. His was pork which he stated was very flavorful and filling. I had the Shiitake mushroom bowl without an egg. I'm vegan so egg isn't an option for me and they accommodated my request. I used both the chopsticks and my spoon to consume my lunch. We both drink water and our server kept our water glasses full. We were pleased with the help when making our selections and how quickly our meal was freshly prepared and delivered to our table. Overall the establishment is very clean and everything was efficient. The plastic orange seats were comfortable. There was one other table filled with two diners when we entered and we were seated on the other side. When we left we were thanked and asked to come back which we assured them that we would sooner rather than later. We highly recommend this place and we look forward to trying more menu items in the future whether dining in or taking our food to go! read more
1 year ago
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More info about Maru Ramen
512 W State St
Ithaca, NY 14850
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(607) 339-0329
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Is there gluten free optins?
Yes, all ramen noodles can be substituted with yam noodle and various rice and vege dishes available.
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21 reviews that are not currently recommended
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