My husband and I were in Princeton for the day and decided to try this place. It is quite small inside but there was only 3 other groups in there so we did not have any problems sitting right away. We ordered the 'Pork Shumai' which was very yummy for an appetizer. Unfortunately, it came out with the other meals but that's okay. For an entrée, my husband got the 'Popcorn Chicken Udon' which was fried Japanese style chicken over rice. It was very flavorful, very moist, really delicious! I got the 'Tomato Vegetable Ramen' which was tomato vegetable broth topped with fresh tomato, tofu and corn, served with kale noodles. I did remove the Tofu and replaced that with the egg though. It was good, but I would liked a more strong tomato flavor like tomato soup... this was very light on flavor. The service was very friendly and kind as well as informative. I don't know if I would be back - just because I have had better Ramen... but that Popcorn Chicken was DELICIOUS. read more

Absolutely delicious ramen spot with an extremely friendly staff! I attended the Dancing Under The Stars event tonight in Princeton and wanted to eat something after dancing up a sweat and working up an appetite so I decided to walk to Purinsu Ramen. I ordered Coconut Bubble Tea and Tonkatsu Ramen. The bubble tea was fresh, refreshing, sweet & hit the spot. The Tonkatsu Ramen was delicious with savory broth, plentiful noodles, delectable boiled eggs and seaweed. I stopped back in closer to closing time and the owner let me in and even grabbed me a bottle of water which he let me drink some of inside his restaurant even though it was empty and they had obviously closed up for the night. I had been dancing for hours and really needed water and there weren't any other spots where I could just walk in and ask for a bottle of water and he was gracious enough to provide one even though it was a minute before closing time and the entire restaurant was empty. If you're in Princeton & want some tasty ramen from a friendly & professional staff, check out Purinsu Ramen! You wont be disappointed. read more

Purinsu Ramen - Tonkotsu Ramen - Ramen Near Me - Princeton, New Jersey

See all

Yummy and reliable spot for ramen! We've never had an issue getting seated, even though it's a relatively small space. The ambience is nice and a bit muted and dark. Service is friendly, though it can be a bit slow at times. The prices are reasonable, and the ramens have always been very flavorful! The noodles are a good texture, and the pork is always very succulent and sweet. There's the option to add additional toppings, and I always enjoy getting extra bamboo shoots. I've also tried the taiyaki, which is good though the amount of octopus meat was a bit wanting. read more

Purinsu Ramen - Ramen Near Me - Princeton, New Jersey

The staff here seem like genuinely kind people, but unfortunately the restaurant feels overwhelmed and poorly managed. We came in during the dinner rush with our toddler, and although the hostess promised to seat us quickly, it took about 15 minutes. I figured that would be the longest wait of the night, but it was not. We ordered two appetizers, two house specials, and the kids' spaghetti-men. Thirty minutes later, no food. We let our waitress know we might need to take it to go, and she said it was almost ready. Looking around, several tables were still waiting, and at least two tables even got up and left. When our food finally arrived, the appetizers were missing. The waitress offered to have the kitchen make them, but honestly, once the entrées are on the table, I'm no longer interested in eating an appetizer. The steak special was covered in a Worcestershire/A1-style sauce, served with rice and a hard-boiled egg. The lamb dish had four tiny, overcooked chops on spinach soaked in bottled raspberry vinaigrette. The rice was the best part. The one highlight was our child's spaghetti-men, it was actually delicious and well-seasoned. I'd happily order that again, but only as takeout. Overall, this place feels understaffed and struggling to keep up, which really impacts both service and food quality. read more

Purinsu Ramen - House special lamb chops. Kinda dry and don't go very well with the spinach raspberry vinaigrette combo. - Ramen Near Me - Princeton, New Jersey

Saw this place while walking around Princeton. I was split between this place and Lan Ramen. Lan Ramen was packed. Purinsu had seating. Also, I chose this place because they let us in with my dog and they offered Chicken Katsu, which my daughter loves. The food was good. The broth of the ramen was flavorful. Also, the bamboo shoots that came with the dishes didn't have that weird, Chinese takeout smell. The fishballs that came with the ramen were very tasty. There was ample seating. The staff was very friendly. Also, the bathrooms were very clean. Worth coming back to if I am in the area again. read more

See all

It was disappointing. The food took very long to come out, and when my tonkotsu ramen finally arrived, it tasted like instant noodles. The toppings made no sense: premade fish balls, raw spinach, and a random seared pork cut tossed on top. The broth lacked depth, and for the price, it's definitely not worth it. read more

TLDR: decent ramen and mediocre service The majority of ramen here is Japanese styled with Chinese ingredients. I ordered the tonkotsu ramen the broth was clean tasting, but everything about the bowl felt like I was at a Chinese noodle shop: fish cake, fish ball, veggies, etc. this isn't a bad thing but it's not really what I expect at a ramen shop. The roast pork is pretty lean, which lead to a meatier but tougher protein. The service was pretty subpar. The only times the waitress came to our table was to take our order, place our food, and get the bill. I finished my water early in the meal, but I wasn't able to get her attention as she was either sitting and looking at her phone or chatting with other employees. While I wasn't a big fan of the food I could see others enjoying it. With all the other noodle shops opening in the area I'd rather try others before coming back. read more

Purinsu Ramen - Tonkotsu Ramen - Ramen Near Me - Princeton, New Jersey

Very disappointed compared to many other ramen places. The place was felt outdated after being seated. The tables had paint chipped and felt run down. Food was not worth the price. Tasted more like it should be a take out restaurant rather than sit in. The ramen was mediocre and the tonkatsu meat was just grilled pork slices. For the katsu rice dish, the katsu mushy and not crispy enough. It is edible place to eat and service was average but not a place I would go back to. read more

Came here for dinner. We ordered ramen and Katsu Don. Both dishes are okay. I like the service and how spacious the interior is.

This was arguable the worst dining experience. The service was so slow that we ended up forgoing our appetizers. The food was underwhelming we sent 2 dishes back. While we were seated 4/5 other tables got up and left due to not being attended. If you can skip this place. read more

This place is near Princeton University. The service was excellent, although it took a while to get food. The place was nicely decorated. We ordered Ramen and Katsu Don. Katsu Don came with little overcooked meat on the dry side, and there was no egg like in other places that I used for Katsu Don. It had half of the boiled egg. Overall, it is okay that we found this place near Princeton. Unlikely, we will return here. Next time, if we decide to visit Princeton, I need to research more places nearby, read more

See all

The service was great, Mathew was extremely accommodating and charming. The food came swiftly and the ambiance was extremely cozy even though it is slightly underground. read more

Didn't love it here. Kind of a weird combination of foods for the dishes. I would go for the more typical Japanese dishes because the other ones are not great. Beef stir fry with rice noodles was decent. The servers are really sweet but they do try to upsell you on stuff. Maybe don't get the scallion pancake... The atmosphere isn't too busy and is nice and cozy. read more

See all

Love the dumplings and the ramen. I have been here many times, by myself and with friends, it has never disappointed. Run by Tony and staffed by family, he is not only friendly, but he really cares about whether you love the food. Located in the heart of Princeton, this restaurant is a casual must eat-at retreat from the busy streets. Highly recommended. read more

We ate here when we couldn't in elsewhere. We got the special dinner for two which came with 2 ramens, 1 fried rice and 2 beverages. My husband got the shoyu ramen which had a rich broth and lovely slices of pork. I got the shellfish curry ramen. The broth was bright with a lightly spicy curry broth. The true highlight of the meal was the beef fried rice. It was nicely fried, not greasy, well spiced with an excellent texture. The service was friendly and efficient. read more

First time diner; I had a bowl of miso ramen, and was slightly disappointed. Compared to miso ramen I've had elsewhere, the miso broth here was rather bland and did not have the pronounced umami flavor profile one typically associates with miso. I see that other reviewers have noted that their ramen broth here tends toward the bland, so my experience doesn't appear to be a one-off. The noodles seemed slightly undercooked. The amount of noodles was less and the ramen did not have the variety of other ingredients than I've had elsewhere. At $20 the miso ramen here was about $5 more than I typically pay elsewhere. I realize that rising costs for ingredients and labor make it challenging to run a restaurant these days, but I don't feel the cost was justified by the value and quality of the meal. Service was hot and cold. I was seated immediately - only one other table was occupied - and my food was delivered quickly. The waitress checked on me once, then spent the remainder of my visit on her phone at a table at the other end of the restaurant, which kept me waiting longer than necessary after I finished my meal and wanted the check so I could depart for my evening plans. The ambiance is utilitarian; not much more to say about it than that. read more

First time trying Ramen. I ordered a bowl of the Tonkotsu Ramen. It was just ok for me. I guess it's not my thing. Soup came out warm not hot. I like my soup piping hot. Did not care for the Egg Balls or fish cake. Had a chewy texture. I did like the Pork Chashu (pork belly). That had a wonderful flavor. Must not a fan of Ramen over all. Some positives are great location on Witherspoon and byob. read more

Purinsu Ramen - Booths inside dining room. - Ramen Near Me - Princeton, New Jersey

Poor service but mandatory 18% tip! When I choose to custum my tip, the waitress took away the pos machine and insist I must pay minimum 18%. Definately rude and unreasonable! read more

Purinsu Ramen - Ramen Near Me - Princeton, New Jersey

This place was a bit strange. They had all the typical japanese ramen offerings, but they also had a separate, hand-written menu with cantonese style food. The waitress also was advertising to us some kind of deep fried vegetable root (maybe lotus root???). Our group got two ramens, two Beef Chow Funs, Chicken Karage, Takoyaki, and that deep fried root. I got the beef chow fun, and it was solid. I tried some of the ramen, and it was okay. The chicken and takoyaki were below average, but we did not like the fried root. It was cut too thick and not seasoned. We much preferred the side salad and berry dressing that came with it. Service was also a little slow. They only had one waitress and the restaurant was maybe half full. The space was clean and looked like a typical japanese restaurant. Although, our table for four felt a little cramped. This restaurant seems to have an identity crisis, floating between Japanese and Chinese cuisine. For the price, this place was not worth it. I'd only come back here if there were long wait times for other places (which is why we came here in the first place). read more

See all

My son wanted to try the ramen. My wife and I didn't want that. We ordered a bowl of ramen. The owner was not happy we 3 people ordered only 1 ramen, so No service. My son didn't like the ramen either. Bad service, Terrible food! Don't recommend it! read more

I was expecting Japanese flavors but the curry tasted very coconut-y, which leaned more towards thai flavors. The food is just ok... I wouldn't recommend this restaurant. Service is a bit slow and the katsu was disappointing. read more

Terrible food, bad service, over priced and deceiving. Not typical Japanese food. A lot of MSG in miso soup made us very thirsty after lunch there. While we tried to order a diet coke ($1.5) for my teens, they seduced us to get some "japanese" drink. We later learnt that drink cost us $6. Very aggressive billing practice. Refused to provide bill breakdown initially. After requesting the breakdown, we realized the restaurant charged extra fees for Ramen soup (unbelievable). In addtion, they never told us they have extra charge for us to use credit card to make payment. We ended up paying over $100 for three ramens for lunch and extra fees for using credit card to make payment. When we refused to pay tip, the owner of the restaurant pushed us out of the restaurant and yelled Fxxx against us. We had no choice but called police. Extremely bad practice. read more

I am sad This will be a first negative review from me. My husband and I ordered the Shumai dumplings, the Shoyu Ramen and the gyoza. The Gyoza was the only thing worth finishing in my opinion. The shumai dumplings were still frozen in the center. The Ramen lacked flavor entirely. The fish balls were bland, the broth was room temperature and the noodles and everything else were just as flavorful... The waitress didn't seem to give a hoot if you were ready to order or not, she was not communicative, at all, and was a little careless when sliding the plates of food and sauce onto our table. read more

Purinsu Ramen - Shoyu Ramen - Ramen Near Me - Princeton, New Jersey

See all

I was kinda expecting more authentic flavors when it comes to their Ramen, but fell short on that end. The cha Sui was very small and almost had the texture of beef Jerky. I don't think I would order this again. read more

See all

Instant, stringy noodles in a flavorless, watery soup. Takoyaki was definitely frozen ones that were put in a deep fryer. Authentic takoyaki is not fried. No wonder no one was in the restaurant but another ramen shop nearby had a line out the door. Save yourself the time and money. read more

Purinsu Ramen - Tonkotsu Ramen - Ramen Near Me - Princeton, New Jersey

I loved Purinsu Ramen (even back when it was known as Edo Ramen) before the pandemic and even now! The wait for our group of 4 was quick, around 5 - 10 minutes despite it being prime lunch hour on a Saturday. The staff were all wearing masks and the tables were socially distanced. The prices are average for a ramen restaurant, but you get a big portion of ramen. Their takoyaki is one of my favorite ones I've had at a restaurant. The scallion pancake is okay, I wish it was thicker. The takoyaki and scallion pancake are the perfect size for an appetizer and can be shared with 1 other person. I've had the tonkatsu ramen and the seafood curry ramen and you honestly can't go wrong with either. Rarely does a person finish the entire thing including the broth, so you're definitely getting the bang for your buck. Both of the broths are very flavorful. This time I ordered the mini curry rice bowl, which was $8. This was the perfect portion for that price, and I felt satiated. Purinsu Ramen never disappoints and will please all ramen cravings! read more

Purinsu Ramen - Menu - Ramen Near Me - Princeton, New Jersey

See all

Nice service and atmosphere. The pork and umami in the tonkotsu ramen were great, but the broth didn't have deep flavors compared to other ramen places, so it was lacking in flavor. Steamed buns looked strangely chewed up. Hilarious moment when my wife ate some of the paper that was still on the bottom of her steam bun. Why was there paper? Probably because it came out of a package. Fried tofu had an interesting plum-like sauce. That was different and unique. read more

Place has mediocre food. Not flavorful or fresh tasting. More like a fast food place for student population of Princeton. read more

The thought of eating Ramen in 90 degree weather outside was not so appealing but because of COVID this is unavoidable. What is avoidable however is the somewhat bland Ramen soup I had. The soup is the foundation of Ramen and if that in itself is lacking flavor the soup will falter. The presentation was great and the Ramen looked too good to eat. Kudos to the owner who was very obliging and catered to our needs, even suggesting that I don't have hot tea while eating hot soup in the hot sun. A wise suggestion that I followed. I'm sure there are other Ramen places within the area that has much better flavored soup but I can honestly say I just might return only because of the friendly service alone. Cheers. read more

Purinsu Ramen - Tonkatsu - Ramen Near Me - Princeton, New Jersey

New ramen place in the same place as Edo Ramen. The interior is basically the same, mostly small tables that seat up to 4 people, but now they take credit cards. Right now they have 10% off for their grand opening. The food is similar to how it was at Edo Ramen, with a few menu changes. I got the chicken shoyu ramen ($14), which came with 4 pieces of pork (not too fatty though a bit tough) and ~4 pieces of chicken (dry). The broth didn't have that much depth but on the plus side wasn't super salty. It was mostly noodles and not that many toppings, and the noodles were decent. The egg had a good texture and was slightly on the sweet side, but the now there's only one egg half in each bowl. My friends' ramen (tonkotsu and miso) didn't look too different from mine. Overall it just seems like Edo Ramen with a new name. read more

See all

Could not remember how many times we try their ramen. Every time we come to Princeton we would come for a lunch. It's always around the autumn season Before I think it's run by Japanese but now I think the owner may he changed. The ramen quality is ok. The fried chicken is good but I wasn't so sure about the takoyaki. The sauce and the texture is just not right. Hope their quality would remain and maybe go for another try next year:) . read more

See all

Love this place Been eating here since they opened as well as take out during the pandemic. Great prices for the potion size and always delicious quality. Can always count on purinsu to be reliable and hit the spot. My go to in town!! read more

food is very good . s we vice was great. very reasonable prices and good quality. fresh food and very reasonable prices!

Service was quick, prices were okay, but the food itself left much to desire. The noodles were alright in terms of texture, but they used an odd green-colored (perhaps green tea-infused) noodle which didn't taste quite right. The toppings were very simple, and nothing stood out. The broth itself was similarly mediocre. Nothing absolutely horrific here, just a very ho-hum mediocre ramen place. read more

Purinsu Ramen on Witherspoon at in Princeton NJ has the best Ramen in town! The broth, the great variety of ingredients and even the egg served cold with liquid middle by the traditional recipe! Service is amazing - very friendly, eager to make you enjoy your experience! Ambiance is wonderful for a casual meal, clean, music and sitting is a great! read more

Purinsu Ramen - Ramen Near Me - Princeton, New Jersey

We ordered the Kinchi Seafood Udon, Chicken Katsu and Takoyaki. The Takoyaki was cold and you could kind of tell they weren't made fresh. The udon was decent but definitely not worth the $20. The katsu was just ok but again a bit overpriced. Overall it's decent but not worth the prices. read more

See all

I'm here right now and the ramen is a total 10/10 please try it Fast service hot food it's amazing read more

Purinsu Ramen - Ramen Near Me - Princeton, New Jersey

The quality of the food here is pretty good. I don't care much for their ramen, but their Japanese style chicken and unagi don are very tasty. However, you don't get a lot of bang for your buck. The dishes here are small, especially for what they cost. The service is also atrocious, some of which is due to the incredibly slow kitchen. I've ordered food to-go 3-4 times now and it hasn't gone smoothly once. Today I ordered two unagi don meals, but they only made one for me. They apologized and told me to wait another 10-15 minutes so that they could make another one. However, it took them 25 minutes to make the entree because "they ran out of rice." What kind of a Japanese restaurant runs out of rice? I've had it with this place. read more

Pretty decent place to eat! Loved the fried chicken dish. Was also happy with the service and ambiance of this establishment.

Delicious food, noodles are very great and i am a big fan of the egg, service was very good and the atmosphere was quiet read more

Purinsu Ramen - Ramen Near Me - Princeton, New Jersey