Marufuku Ramen is located in a pretty hip shopping area in Austin, and we went on a Saturday night for dinner fully expecting it to be busy--which it was. We had a late lunch earlier in the day, so we didn't mind a later dinner or some waiting time.
Parking deserves its own mini review. If you're willing to pay, street parking a few blocks away is easy enough and runs about $2/hour, which isn't bad at all. After reading other Yelp reviews, I tried to find the parking garage that Marufuku validates (up to 2 hours). I even called the restaurant to confirm, but all I got was "the one with the green sign" and something about "Ranch." Helpful-ish.
For clarity: the actual garage is a nearby retail garage called Metropolis, very close to the restaurant. Rates there are also $2/hour, so even if the validation doesn't work, you're only out a few bucks.
As we left our hotel, we hopped on Yelp to join the waitlist. Note that you have to be within a mile to do this so we had to wait until we were close. Around 7:00 pm, the quoted wait was over an hour. The waitlist system is well organized and easy to track in real time. We ended up getting seated around 8:15 pm for a party of four. Pretty close to the original estimate.
Service was great overall. Our waiter was kind and attentive--nothing flashy, but definitely solid and professional.
Food-wise, this place really shines.
Ika karaage: Not my favorite dish personally, but still worth trying. I would have ordered the chicken karaage but we had fried chicken for lunch that day so opted for something else.
Takoyaki: Absolutely spectacular, especially if you already like takoyaki.
Ramen: Some of the best ramen I've had. You have to try their flagship Hakata Tonkotsu Ramen. If you're looking for something bursting with flavor and noodles with a nice chew, the Tantan Men is also excellent. We got both ramens with medium spice and it was just right.
The only minor hiccup came at checkout. The waiter brought over an iPad and took my card tableside. Luckily, I checked the bill (which I usually don't if the waiter is holding an iPad waiting for your credit card) and noticed it was the wrong one--about double what I expected. I pointed it out, and he fixed it immediately. No hassle, no awkwardness, just interesting to mention. Pro tip: take a few seconds to check your bill. People make mistakes and you can be kind about it.
One final tip: there's a QR code at the door for parking validation, so don't miss that on your way out. Also, the Metropolis parking website is kind of janky--it kept spinning and blanking out for me--but it eventually worked. The validation ended up working (the 75 minute wait plus the 45 minute meal - made it just in time).
Bottom line: if you want really good ramen and don't mind a little parking inconvenience, Marufuku Ramen is absolutely worth it. If you want better ramen, go to Japan. read more