We stopped in late evening, on our way to the Amherst area. Both my husband and I thought ramen would hit the spot. I'm a vegetarian and the language barrier was definitely a slight issue, since I didn't know how to express my likes and dislikes. It wound up being a bit of an issue for my husband too, since spicy foods aggravate his respiratory system. It was a circus show. Luckily we ordered fried tofu and that was absolutely amazingly delicious! They gave me some wasabi and I was in heaven. (I like heat...) The ramen broth was not very flavorful, but the noodles and veggies were nicely cooked. Servers were kind, even with the huge birthday party in the side room. Parking was a little sketchy. No lighting along the side of the building. Restaurant was clean, as were the loos. I think I'd try them again, if only for the tofu. Did I tell you how amazing the fried tofu was?!?! read more

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Food was delicious! The service was timely and warm. Only issue I had with our experience was there was no back ground music or anything to give it a better ambiance. read more

I have to recommend the signature dish here - went with a group of friends and found the atmosphere to be familial and welcoming and the food to be fab. Our server was kind and answered our questions with ease. Would come again without a doubt! read more

Visited Mashumen because I was craving sushi and noticed they had a wide selection. It looked like there were only 2-3 people working, and despite arriving around dinner time on a weekday, the place was super quiet with just one other table seated. We started with the Chicken Karaage, which was delicious and juicy, just as expected. My partner and I shared the Sashimi Platinum platter with 17 pieces. Unfortunately, the fish wasn't particularly fresh--comparable to what you might find at a Korean supermarket. We also tried the Salmon Two Ways roll, which was tasty, but I wished the rolls were larger and had more fish, as I could barely taste it. My partner ordered the Classic Tonkotsu Ramen with a side of spicy paste. The ramen was decent but nothing special. The spicy paste was disappointing--not spicy at all--only adding color and a bit more flavor to the broth, without the heat we were hoping for. Overall, it's a cute spot for a quiet dinner, but I don't see it getting too busy. read more

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The ramen and sushi were alright. Initially, I thought the broth wasn't hot enough because that would have been a deal breaker, but turns out it was just the broth around the added corn that was lukewarm. Once I dug into the noodles in the middle, it was steamy and the broth was tasty. The noodles were fine, big serving and had some chew. The spicy paste wasn't spicy at all but added some flavor. That's coming from someone who likes spice but I assume if you're ordering it, then you're not one of those people sensitive to spice, i.e. thinks ketchup or black pepper is spicy. Other spots serve a smaller portion but it usually kicks. There were fibers in the paste so at least that gave me the sense that it was made from some fresh ingredients like some kind of grated root vegetable. The Sake Bomb app was the best part. The sear on the salmon gave it extra flavor and the white pearls on top gave a slight pop and crunch. The creamiest from the spicy mayo added flavor and a silky texture. Last thing we got was the Eel Lover Roll. Not bad but pretty ordinary. A little tobiko might have helped to add some saltiness to it because dipping in soy sauce wasn't quite enough. We waited quite some time to place our order and get a water but there was a handful of tables with only one person serving all of them. There were several to go orders he was managing too. He was super hospitable and got our order right, which is always a plus. Food didn't take too long to come out. Ambiance was fine-- a little well lit for my preference. Also, not sure if it's because I have an Android but their menu was inaccessible via my phone so I wasn't sure if I was viewing the most up-to-date one on Yelp. As always, had to research the options beforehand! read more

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Genuinely best gyoza I've ever had in my life. Service was also very nice! I really enjoyed the overall energy of the place and how expensive the menu was. Cannot express enough just how good these gyoza were. read more

Mashumen - Shrimp Tempura Roll - Ramen Near Me - Charlottesville, Virginia

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I was traveling south on I64 and searched for a Ramen place near an exit and with good reviews. This was absolutely the best Ramen I have ever had. The portion was huge and had enough left for 2 more meals when I got home. They had lots of options for extra toppings too. More than I've seen at other ramen restaurants. The hostess was very nice. The restaurant was nice and clean. When I go that way again, I will be stopping there for more Ramen. I had Tonkatsu ramen with several added vegetables. I had eaten at 2 different Ramen restaurants the prior week and they were good but did not compare to Mashumen. read more

Mashumen - Tonkatsu ramen with extra vegetables. - Ramen Near Me - Charlottesville, Virginia

Mashumen is definitely our favorite spot to get sushi in Charlottesville! Of course i highly recommend the sushi but their ramen is also delicious and you can't go wrong with basically any of the appetizers though the chicken karaage is my fave! The service is always quick and the staff is so kind! We've eaten here about 5 different times and have never had a bad experience! read more

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Was in town for the UVA graduation, I became ill after the second ceremony on Saturday so I stay behind at the hotel for the rest of the family attended a celebratory dinner. Ordered from Uber eats and having grown-up in Fukuoka Japan I really wanted some comfort food, but not necessarily Ramen because I al ready at Ramen at bad luck Ramen the day before. Mashumen has an extensive menu and I ordered karaoke chicken & Chasu Fried Rice. The chicken was perfect tasty and what I anticipated the rice perhaps because I wasn't feeling well was rather bland & chasu was just OK. Perhaps in retrospect I should've ordered a donburi instead. The food came quickly, and the diver seemed to not have any difficulties. Can't judge the ambience because I did not go to the restaurant. Get the karaoge ! read more

This place is a nice find in a college town (UVA). The place has ample parking in the rear and easy to move in and out through a dedicated ingress and egress. The ambience is nothing out of the ordinary. Actually it almost gave me a Hawaiian vibe for some reason. But again I was there for food. So here's the review. The Service: We were greeted by a waitress/hostess who was pleasant and welcoming and immediately served with menus with beverage orders. The waitress also came by frequently (but not annoyingly frequent) to make sure no additional services were needed) The Food: We ordered some spicy tuna rolls and their dragon rolls (not to be confused with the golden dragon rolls which come with additional salmon). Spicy tuna rolls were decent but the dragon rolls were pretty good. The shrimp was fried well and was crispy and blended well with the soft avocado layered on the top. Notably, I was surprised to find that an order of spicy tuna rolls were eight pieces and not the usual six. For the entree', we ordered tonkatsu ramen and tonkatsu w/ rice. The pork was fried very well and was crispy and was good. The ramen was also very good, especially the soup. The pork was tender and eggs cooked perfectly the noodles were just the right portion. Overall dining experience was very good. The Price: The cost is as expected. It's neither cheap nor outrageously expensive. However, this place adds convenience charge for using your credit card. I know this is legal in the state of Virginia but I think this is not really customer friendly. We are not taking about using credit cards for a $5 dollar meal. We are talking about a bill that goes beyond $100s. I doubt people, especially after the pandemic, carry around hundred dollar bills to go eat a casual dinner. There should be some discretion used by businesses to provide exceptions to customers when a bill exceed a certain amount as their business gets more customers because people can use credit cards to pay for the food instead of carrying around wads of paper money. Other than this, I would recommend this place for a visit. read more

A Really Great Ramen Find in Virginia! Having lived in Japan for five years--traveling to Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka, and Okinawa--and also spent time in California where great ramen is easy to find, I've been on the lookout for truly good ramen here in Virginia. After trying a number of spots, I'm happy to say that Mashumen in Charlottesville is one of the best I've found so far! I had the spicy Tantanmen, and it was absolutely delicious. The broth was rich, flavorful, and packed with umami, with just the right kick of spice. The noodles were perfectly chewy--not too tough, but with just the right amount of bite. I was slurping away with joy and didn't even care how loud I was! The staff was also so kind and welcoming, making the experience even better. I really wish Mashumen had a location in Virginia Beach, but I'll definitely be making a point to visit again whenever I'm in the area. If you're a ramen lover in Virginia, this is definitely a spot worth checking out! read more

Mashumen - Spicy Tantanmen, extra egg and extra pork chashu - Ramen Near Me - Charlottesville, Virginia

I moved here from Las Vegas not too long ago and I really miss the ramen from back home so I tried this place. This is the closest thing I could find that reminded me of Chinatown in Las Vegas. The ramen here was very flavorful and I loved the noodles they use! I'll definitely come back when I need a ramen fix again. I also tried their Goyza and it was nice and crispy. The restaurant and bathrooms were very clean, and the staff is super friendly. It's a great place to chill with friends or for a fun date night, and they even have sushi. The sushi bar looked super fresh. read more

Mashumen - Tantanmen - Ramen Near Me - Charlottesville, Virginia

Their food is not bad but a bit pricey. The broth was decent but the noodles were alright read more

Mashumen - Ramen Near Me - Charlottesville, Virginia

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We went here on a Sunday on our way out of Charlottesville. The service was quick and responsive and the food was delicious! We got there right as they opened and all of our food was so fresh and tasty. Highly recommend! read more

Mashumen - Spider roll sushi and shrimp tempura Sushi Appetizer - Ramen Near Me - Charlottesville, Virginia

The best food and service. Would highly recommend! Not just sushi, but that's what I like :)

So with my busy schedule, I find it really difficult to post reciews. So now, if a restaurant is exremely delicious or extremely bad, then you'll see my review. This restaurant falls in the bad category. I ordered california rolls for my 2 yrs old, that came with no avocado which I guess is not a big deal. But I ordered spicy miso ramen. The broth was sweet and lack miso flavor. Really tasted like honey broth. I could barely finish it. My son had their dry noodle and they literally threw in frozen peas and carrot and soy sauce and, well you guessed it, more honey. The bill was $113 not including tip. Nothing infuriates me more than spending alot of money on bad food. Please save your money and time and go somewhere else. read more

Mashumen - Ramen Near Me - Charlottesville, Virginia

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The service was wonderful and the food was great. We were seated in the party room and it looked so pretty. The flower wall and the lighting were pleasant and inviting. The BBQ pork was the surprise hit of the table. The sushi and various kinds of ramen were loved by all. The only potential low point was the curry, but that's more that the sauce is great in smaller doses, but by the end it got to be too much. Excited to go back and try something new. read more

I would not recommend this place if you are looking for really good ramen. I ordered the Mashu ramen, and the person I went with got the Tonkotsu ramen. Overall, the ramen wasn't bad, but I have had way better. I thought the broth was pretty flavorful, but the noodles were just okay. The chashu was super dry, and both me and the person I went with commented that it tasted more like chicken than pork. I would not come back for the ramen. Also, when I went, I thought it was really weird that they tried to charge me extra to pay with my debit card, and I had to pay with cash to get rid of that charge. read more

Mashumen - Tonkotsu Ramen and Mashu Ramen - Ramen Near Me - Charlottesville, Virginia

Food and service were good. I think I could have ordered better for my personal taste, I didn't love the pork in my Ramen, but the Broth was tasty and it looked like a lot of other great things were on the menu. The restaurant was quiet and clean. read more

Outdoor seating is unfortunately not available during our visit. Indoor seating very spacious. There weren't many diners on Sat night at 6pm which was surprising. What we ordered 1. Appetizer Agedashi Tofu Not many restaurants can make this dish correctly. Fortunately, this one does a pretty darn good job. The sauce has a great balance of sweetness with generous toppings. The only thing I don't like is the size of the tofu. The dish came with 3-2" cubed fried tofu. Hum. Too big y'all! 2. Mala Tantanmen with extra soft boiled egg and shrimp tempura Pretty tasty broth. My husband loves spicy food. We ordered additional side of spicy sauce. that sauce is a JOKE! I understand spicy level is very relative. If it can be ordered as side and you actually pay for it, we expect real SPICY! That part is about disappointing. This dish is marked with 2 , I guess it really represents the 2 chilliest. Flavor is good, size is also good. Oh having spicy ramen with San Pellegrino is the perfect combination read more

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We were visiting C'ville for UVA campus tour and had our dinner at Mashumen. We got the place around 6pm on Monday and there was only one table of two guests. That's not a good sign. And it turned out to be true that this restaurant was a disappointment. The ramen was over-cooked (super soft and soggy). The pork on top of the ramen was over-cooked, chewy and not fresh. We ordered four ramens and none of us liked ours. read more

Not my favorite ramen place but if you want sweeter simple broth this may be for you. The food and everything is hot and edible so if you want one step up from $1 grocery store ramen you'll get that. But please believe all of the reviews that mention the ramen broths are "fishy" or "sweet" - this is exactly how ours tasted and I don't think we had it on an off day, the broth is just flavored poorly. It was so sweet I couldn't finish it and my boyfriend couldn't finish his for being so fishy! I got the spicy miso ramen and there was very little spice OR miso! It tasted like chicken broth with a LOT of sweetness in it it was so hard to eat. The chashu pork was gamey and VERY dry. The egg and the rest of the toppings were pretty decent. My boyfriends tonkatsu ramen also had issues - very very fishy, dry pork and the broth tasted so strongly of fish and miso. It doesn't say miso in the ingredients list, this is one of the only broths that wasn't supposed to be miso based and the flavor was dominant. If you like fishy sweet broth you may find this place to be your cup of tea. Or if you're someone who just doesn't care about the flavor that much and is easy to please with regular ramen noodles and toppings, aka a dressier version than what you can get at the store. We felt the flavor profiles of the broths to be very flat and one dimensional and will not order ramen from here again. I can't speak to their sushi bc they're almost always not serving it when I call. For better ramen check out Bad Luck Ramen Bar in Ix Park - it's the best I've had in cville so far. read more

Overall the place is nice and food is good! There was a wide range of ramen and sushi. The soup was flavorful and the rest of the ingredients were cooked well. The restaurant is on the smaller side but it is cozy on the inside. The service was that of a typical restaurant! Compared to other ramen places, the size of the bowls were bigger and for average price! Would go again and recommend! read more

Mashumen - Shoyu ramen - Ramen Near Me - Charlottesville, Virginia

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Great ramen and sushi! Love that they offer Thai iced tea and smoothies. The servers are very friendly and the restaurant environment is incredibly fun and lively. read more

The service was really bad. They put me and my friend in a dining room off the main room and forgot about us. After 30 minutes we had to go and find an employee to put in our order. Then we also had to find an employee again at the end to pay. Too bad the service wasn't good because the food was delicious. read more

Awesome place, sweet staff, good noodles etc. We haven't gotten the sushi but people swear by it.

This place has the best sushi!! We love coming here anytime we visit Charlottesville! The staff is so friendly too!

Compared to other places in Charlottesville, this place gets a 4/5 stars in my book. While not the greatest ramen I have had, it does satisfy for craving for ramen when I am here. Unfortunately compared to New York and the large variety of choices there are in NYC, this place would be about average. read more

Good food good service clean restaurant can't ask for much more. Ate here for the first time today!!

On a windy November evening, ramen was THE option. I'm so happy Cville has a spot! If only they served alcohol to start warming you up while you wait for your noodles (; Service was prompt- a little too prompt some would say (as in he asked if we were ready to order as soon as sitting down and standing over while we paid). We started off with the Chashu buns and were fighting each other off with our chopsticks to get the last bite. They were delicious! We were also pleased with the spring rolls, super filling and tasty especially with the spicy mayo dip. The restaurant was cold inside so we could not wait to get our ramen bowls to start warming up...it wasn't as hot as we had hoped, but it was more than warm, just not enough to have to blow away the steam. I got the tonkotsu ramen which seems to be their staple. It was filled with plenty of toppings and meat and the broth was so yummy I slurped it all up! My friends got the spicy miso ramen and vegetarian ramen, they seemed pleased. And they have parking! read more

Mashumen - Tonkotsu ramen - Ramen Near Me - Charlottesville, Virginia

Would give this place a 5 if the server didn't blatantly scam our table on top of being slow and lost. The atmosphere of this restaurant is very nice, and although they're renovating the lot in front of the restaurant (probably to an outdoor seating area), they do have their own parking area behind the restaurant as well. The food was very excellent and came out relatively quickly after ordering. Our server, however, took way too long throughout the whole meal. It took her a long time to stop by our table to take our order (at least 10 minutes), and we eventually had to stop by the front area to get her to come to our table so we could process our payments. Despite this lack of decent service, we all paid for the meal and tipped appropriately. However, because it was processed on her ipad which we didn't get to monitor closely, we didn't realize we were tipping on top of the already processed auto-gratuity. She had the 18% selection already added when she had us on the signature page and there was no price breakdown on that page for us to review, so we ended up double-tipping on an already mediocre server experience. If you come here, please take note and review your bill closely in case you have her as your server. read more

Mashumen - Ramen Near Me - Charlottesville, Virginia

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Food was ok. Staff needs basic people skills training. I greeted my server with a smile and said hi, didn't get a response or even an acknowledgement. Whatever, not a big deal. Then started sucking up once she handed me the check/tablet. Needlessly to say I didn't tip. She walked after me asking me why I didn't tip in front of my wife and MIL, making a scene in front of everyone in the restaurant. Started saying I have bad manners. I really didn't feel like explaining why I didn't tip especially in front of everyone because it's not that deep, but looks like my judgment and decision not to tip was correct. I won't be coming back read more

Being a new student at UVA, I think I've officially found my go to ramen and sushi spot. Very solid ramen and spectacular sushi. On to the specifics: Ordered the Samurai Roll and I was blown away. Not just by the presentation, but also the taste and texture. You can distinctly taste out the salmon and fatty tuna and the wakame just topped it off with a cool and refreshing taste. As for the Tonkotsu Ramen, not as good as the sushi, but still very decent. Egg was spectacular however. Idk what they do but something about their egg stood out against most ramen shops I've had in terms of flavor. Meat was leaning towards the dry side and at least for me personally, while the broth was savory, the flavor just didn't seem as potent as other ramen shops. Overall I will be back for more. read more

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Love mashumen ... came here multiple times while wife was pregnant and craving sushi. Mashumen came through every time. Staff is very nice

The atmosphere, location, and service made it seem as though we'd found a hidden gem. Tragically, as many other reviewers have mentioned, the ramen was unusually sweet. To the point that I wasn't able to finish off the dish. The pork tonkotsu was fantastic however, and I have yet to try the sushi menu so maybe I navigated my visit poorly. Be wary of the broth and ground pork. Both were a couple grams short of candy. read more

I really wanted to give Mashumen five stars. I really did. Why I can't, a short story: A local friend recommended Mashumen, telling us her brother who lived in Japan for several years considers it the most authentic ramen joint in Charlottesville. Needless to say, I was really excited to go and try the ramen. So on our last night in town, I loaded up the family and we headed over for dinner. We arrived around 5pm and we're the only people on the restaurant for quite sometime. Even so, the service was sporadic, and as our server didn't write anything down, a few things we received were incorrect. These weren't deal-breakers (receiving chicken karaage not the chicken gyoza we ordered, or the missing nori in my ramen, or the fish cake in my wife's when she ordered without), but it was still a cumulative impression that was left on the meal, coupled with the lackluster/sporadic service. But the food as a whole? Amazing. I've eaten a fair bit of ramen, and the pork broth was by far the best I've ever had. The chashu pork was cooked well, the egg was PERFECT, and the portion size was spot on. Our server was very friendly, but it's obvious he needed more training, perhaps a reminder to look at the food he's serving before bringing it out. (I mean my dude, karaage doesn't look anything like gyoza.) Still, I'll come back the next time I find myself on C-Ville. Maybe when I do I can change this to 5 stars. read more

Mashumen - Tonkatsu ramen - Ramen Near Me - Charlottesville, Virginia

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First time trying this restaurant today and I was having a wonderful experience UNTIL I got the bill. Let me start with the food, unfortunately I cannot eat a lot of ramen but today I decided to say what the hell and break the rules. I was pleased with the portion and flavors. It was worth the pain I had after. The service was decent, communicating was a bit difficult which brings on the issue with the bill. One thing that can really turn a great experience sour is the bill. Prices are listed but what isn't listed is all the extra charges. Before taxes and all of their extra fees, my bill was at $31.50. After everything else was thrown on, I left paying $43.22. Sales tax is expected. Gratuity for a larger group (we had 7) but on top of that paying to use my card at a business that accepts cards...yeaa-no. Something that I didn't see a sign for nor was it mentioned. They also made it extremely difficult to split a bill and to split they wanted you to pay extra fees. It was becoming frustrating explaining what I was asking and I feel liked I ended up paying for more than I should have. ANYWAY, while I'm not cheap and I do understand things have to be the way they are...I was not looking to spend THAT much for a bowl of ramen. Not sure I'll eat at the restaurant again but if the extra fees are left at the door, I'll consider ordering out Overall, my group and I enjoyed our meals and I only gave it 3 stars because of the price and communicating. read more

Mashumen - Vegetarian Spicy miso Ramen Kimchi Fried Rice - Ramen Near Me - Charlottesville, Virginia

First time here and the ramen is absolutely great! Closest to authentic as possible. Service was also on point and very helpful. They even ask for feedback on the food. Place is a little out of main Charlottesville area however really close to UVA. read more

Mashumen - Spicy miso ramen - Ramen Near Me - Charlottesville, Virginia

Unfortunately, I really didn't like this place. I just moved to the area and was excited to try it but it was the worst 20 bucks I've spent in a while. I got the spicy miso ramen and it was really disappointing. The broth was okay, not really spicy though. The noodles were really gross- they were chewy with a very weird consistency. Though they looked the same, they did not taste or feel like the noodles I've had at other ramen places. The bamboo shoots tasted old so I didn't eat those. The lady checking me out (I did takeout) was really nice and the place looks clean, so I'll give it 2 stars for that. The food though was pretty awful- I don't think I'll return :( read more

Was craving some hot soup and took my parents to Mashumen while they were visiting. We shared a chicken karage and ordered two tonkotsu ramen and one mashu ramen. I absolutely adore the presentation of the ramen and it tasted as great as it looked. The broth was flavorful, there was a good noodle to meat ratio, and I could weirdly taste each individual flavor with each bite if that makes sense. The owner was attentive and respectful towards us and he really gave me caring old grandpa vibes. The only issue that occurred was nothing about the food or service but for some reason my dad got charged the wrong amount on his credit card? We got it figured out though! After looking at the other Yelp reviews I discovered they have a sushi bar and now I'm super excited to come back Cville since I'll be living within walking distance to Mashumen - expect me to be a regular! ;) read more

Mashumen - Ramen Near Me - Charlottesville, Virginia