Ramen Bar Ichi continues to be our first choice over the years when we're in the area. The noodles, flavor of the broth, and condiment and garnish pairings are all cooked to perfection. The broth is rich but not overpowering. Tonkotsu is our go-to when we try new ramen places because it's a classic that gives us a first impression of the ramen place. I typically like to try out miso too, but the Tonkotsu here is so good that I don't feel like I need to think about other options! read more

Ramen Bar Ichi - Tonkotsu Ramen - Ramen Near Me - Houston, Texas

Ramen Bar Ichi was great! I definitely recommend the Tonkotsu Ramen, it was rich, flavorful, and really satisfying. I'll definitely be coming back to try more from the menu. read more

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Delicious food everything was good. We ordered the lunch special Ramen combo with karage and tonkatsu. Very nice ambience and great service. read more

Ramen Bar Ichi - Tonkotsu and karage - Ramen Near Me - Houston, Texas

Good menu, okay food. Service and atmosphere: The restaurant is nicely decorated inside. They offer good number seating options. Service was friendly and timely. Could have been more attentive. Food and drinks: I liked that the menu had few options which usually suggest that the kitchen concentrates on what they know best. The many had typical dishes expected at ramen spot. The flavours lucked a bit comparing to other ramen restaurants we visited. My ramen salad (no broth option) was nicely presented. The noodle was on a firm side. Other ramen soups needed more flavours. You can order alcoholic beverages here. Pricing: $$ definitely affordable and not overpriced for what was served. read more

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Super affordable and my friend wanted to try. Great parking. The flavor was lacking a bit and I could have used more protein. I wouldn't drive 30 mins for it but if I lived closer, I would visit more. Gyoza was delicious and super hot. read more

Came here on a Saturday afternoon for lunch by myself. Service was quick. I was sat at the bar. Plenty of tables and some booth seating. It was relatively busy. Got the tonkatsu ramen. Broth was creamy- wasn't as salty as i expected. Noodles were chewy and tasty. Didn't transport me back to the ramen I had in Japan though but I enjoyed it. Calamari with ponzu sauce was good- crispy. Kaarage was just ok. Overall experience was pretty decent for what it is and where it is. Next time I'll try the rice bowls. read more

Ramen Bar Ichi - Tonkatsu ramen, kaarage, calamari - Ramen Near Me - Houston, Texas

Nut allergy friendly: I've never had issues with anything here. One of the best ramen spots in Houston, though I feel like their broth got more oily over the years. They have lovely takoyaki options. Service is always quick and efficient with food coming out in minutes. I'm partial to their Tonkatsu or spicy tonkatsu. read more

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I am not usually picky about food quality if it's a food I like, meaning I've never met a ramen I didn't like until trying this restaurant. The Tonkatsu broth was watery and relatively tasteless, contrasting the rich flavor I'm used to. It felt like I was eating ramen that was run through a dishwasher. The gyoza was also spongey and questionable. I'm deeply disappointed with the food here, especially since I saw an Instagram reel touting that it's one of the best ramen spots in Houston. Giving 2 stars opposed to 1 because the waitress/management was kind enough to not make us pay for the ramen we barely ate. read more

Ramen Bar Ichi - Menu - Ramen Near Me - Houston, Texas

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Been here before and don't recall it... decided to give it another chance but when you tell me to sit at the counter and never bring a menu... yeah... I won't go back ever now. Bad service isn't worth it. Besides sweeping while people are eating is kinda nasty... read more

There's plenty of parking in the plaza though it can get filled up during busy hours. I came right when it opened on a weekend and it wasn't busy until later. There were plenty of tables inside and the ambiance was nice. Service was quick as the food came out fast! We got the Spicy Tonkotsu ramen and Tonkotsu ramen . The spicy tonkotsu ramen was spicy but it's the type of spice that gradually grows while eating. The broth for both was rich and the noodles were tasty as they were thin noodles. As for the egg, it was gooey and had a sweet taste to it! Overall, the ramen was good! read more

Ramen Bar Ichi - Spicy tonkotsu and tonkotsu ramen - Ramen Near Me - Houston, Texas

So.... I've been here a couple of times. Food is pretty decent. They had this crunchy cabbage dish in the past but it wasn't there today. Service is OKAY too. For some reason my family of 4 got styrofoam cups verses everyone else standard thick plastic cups. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ idk.... Ramen was ok. My little girl enjoyed it. Wife got the Mentai Takana bowl which was the same size as the mini bowls but cost more. I got the pork chashu bowl (which is a mini bowl) and the unagi bowl (which isn't a mini bowl but came in a mini bowl). The karage was over cooked and a little tough. The wife also got the takoyami but I didn't hear any complaints from her about it (not my thing). Dishes came out pretty but ultimately.... It was ok. Most likely won't be coming back here for a while. It's a cute little date spot if you want to flex to uninformed. Honestly, I find myself spending more money at Seiwa Market next door. Once their kitchen gets back to what they were in the past, I would find myself hard pressed coming back to Ramen Bar Chi. 2.5 stars if I could give it. Didn't hate it but I didn't love it. Kinda feel a little ripped off about bowls. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ it is what it is. read more

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My friends and I decided to stop by here for an early dinner based on the high reviews. The restaurant is small and the decors is nice. We ordered 2 bowls of spicy tonkatsu with egg, a regular bowl of tonkatsu, takoyaki, and 2 orders of calamari. Ramen - the ramen noodle was cooked perfectly not mushy or hard. The spice on the spicy tonkatsu was strong and you cannot taste the tonkatsu broth compared to the tonkatsu without spice. Eggs do not come with the bowl of ramen so it is an additional add on but the egg was cooked and seasoned perfectly. The chashu was a little chewy and doesn't melt in your mouth, my friend thought his chashu smelt and tasted strongly of pork (almost like not clean pork). Calamari - they give you a large portion and I enjoyed the little salad that's included with the item. It comes with an "Asian sauce" which I am not a huge fan of. I wished it came with a creamy sauce like spicy mayo. The restaurant is located in a shopping plaza so there was plenty of parking. read more

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For me this is the example of doing all the basics near perfectly. It's a cozy restaurant space that feels kinda like it's in the city, but you're in the 'burbs (so there's parking). Brought a larger group size and we were managed to be sat immediately, almost like they made space out of no where. Service was quick and straightforward, and nobody got an order incorrect. The menu consists of about half a dozen types of soups and a few extra ways to customize your bowl. There's a separate menu for appetizers that has a good selection of takoyaki and karaage; mostly just different ways to top them. Also a pretty good selection of sakes, beers, and cocktails to make it a liquid lunch/dinner. The ramen itself is executed exactly how I'd want. Tons of soups fillings with lots of noodles and probably the biggest serving of pork chashu that I've gotten at any ramen spot. The bamboo was prepared better than I've ever had, with plenty of it served; I didn't know that it could be not rubbery. Soup broth was unctuous but not overly heavy, I cleaned the whole bowl. The portions being this generous and the taste being this good made this a 5 for me. read more

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Drove 30 minutes to this place after hearing all over Reddit that this was the best ramen shop Houston had to offer. Was sadly a bit of a letdown. Showed up right around opening and it was just us there. That was fine. We opted to sit in a booth close to the kitchen. Ambiance looks like a pretty casual ramen shop. Server was friendly. We ordered the Spicy Tonkotsu Ramen, Pollo Loco Ramen, and Takoyaki (I believe it was Osaka style). - Takoyaki: This was pretty standard. Not bad, but also not anything to write home about. - Spicy Tonkotsu Ramen: Pretty disappointed with this one. Although there was some decent spice, I found the broth to be pretty watery. For a tonkotsu ramen, I expected a super hearty/creamy broth, but didn't really get any of that. The char siu and other toppings were fine, but I also found the noodles weren't as bouncy as I was hoping. Maybe a little overcooked? Or just the noodles itself weren't very good. - Pollo Loco Ramen: Don't usually got a chicken-based ramen so this was definitely unique. However, I think this suffered the same issues of the tonkotsu of being a bit too watery when I don't think it should've been. I'm all for lighter broths (i.e. shoyu), but this didn't really connect. The ground meat and noodles also didn't particularly grab onto the broth. One other thing I would like to mention was a little after the takoyaki came we started smelling something weird closer to the kitchen/bathroom. Smelled almost like cleaning solution? We figured maybe it'd eventually pass, but it never really did and we definitely had a bit of a headache by the end. YMMV, but just something I personally experienced. Overall, it was definitely not worth the journey or the hype. If you're closer to this location and want ramen, I can see this working in a pinch, but I have a hard time recommending this one. read more

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Hands down the best ramen in Houston. The broth is consistently rich, flavorful, and so savory. The Takoyaki balls are good too! I forgot to take a picture of their cucumber salad which has a nice spice kick but tastes very refreshing. read more

Ramen Bar Ichi - Takoyaki - Ramen Near Me - Houston, Texas

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We were headed to this area to pick up some Tofu and figured we'd try a new spot. This place had good reviews and was next to my favorite Japanese grocery store Seiwa. Service started out shaky. The girl we initially thought was our waitress had trouble understanding our drink order (we just wanted ice tea and a water so?) and seemed like she had no clue what the menu items were. But later on another girl became our waitress and the girl we initially had just bussed tables. So that happened but it wasn't necessarily bad, just odd. The food was okay. My husband got the Spicy Tonkotsu Ramen; he didn't care for it. I got the unagi bowl, which was pretty good (4/5). We also got sides of edamame (2/5 edible but no flavor) and kimchi (5/5 best thing we ordered hands down). So, I can definitely recommend the kimchi and unagi. And the price was super cheap so major plus there. Everything I described plus two teas came out to $38. read more

Noodles were perfect. Dipping broth was delicious. Only the pork was sad. Other than that still fast delicious service. read more

Ramen Bar Ichi - Tsukumen - Ramen Near Me - Houston, Texas

Overall we had just an average experience here. This is a drive out for us to visit and I don't think we will be back. We visited on a Friday evening and had to wait a few minutes for a table. There was only one waitress working and although she was attentive, service was slower due to this. She mentioned that the vegetarian ramen contains shellfish oil, and we were easily able to make it vegan. There was only one vegetarian option on the menu. We made the special trip out here to try this vegetarian ramen due to some positive reviews. For $12.50 it is cheaper than your typical ramen dish. Although it was tasty, I didn't love it. My biggest complaint is lack of tofu/protein, which left me feeling hungry after finishing the end of the dish. Tofu is also not an optional addition you could request on their menu. The lotus root and sweet potato also offered a unique spin on your typical ramen dish. I do wish they put more than one of each of these items. There were additional mixed cubed veggies added that I wish had been seasoned in the dish. The broth and noodles were tasty. read more

Ramen Bar Ichi - Vegan ramen - Ramen Near Me - Houston, Texas

The broth was quite good overall, I'm impressed as I typically don't have a good broth in most places. It's a mix of pork and chicken so not a true tonkotsu, but as a paitan it's quite well done. The ajitama is really good, well seasoned and cooked to a jam-like consistency. The chashu is really tasty, not too thick, not too thin, cut just right and very well seasoned. I can't say this is a 5 out of 5, but it's a strong 4.5 out of 5. This is both in restaurant and delivery as well, tried twice, not disappointed at all. read more

I've been here before COVID pandemic and it's been awhile to get back! I had a bowl of vegan noodle and it was pretty good! I like the fact that vegan people can come and enjoy the delicious ramen noodle made of spinach! The waiter is pretty attentive and supportive for my order! Only cons I could say is that they don't have soy sauce or spicy sauce/oil at the table so when I got an extra bowl of noodles it got lessen saltiness... But I had a good time overall! I can come back when I'm around here again! Try this place out! Cheers read more

Ramen Bar Ichi - Ramen Near Me - Houston, Texas

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Totally worth it - cool little ramen bar. Had a beer cocktail which was interesting. Next to Japanese grocery store.

I enjoyed some tonkatsu ramen and a lychee soju drink here on a busy Friday evening. The tonkatsu ramen was well cooked, with incredibly flavorful meat and broth in a generous serving, along with strips of flakey black mushroom, seaweed, and bamboo. The lychee soju drink was yummy - a great blend of flavors, moderate intensity, with star jelly to complete the drink. The 1 star deduction is for some minor annoyances - there was an additional charge for the egg, which was (slightly!) overcooked/overboiled, and the seating area is fairly small. Overall, this is a solid ramen place to check out - they stick with the basics, and they do it well. I look forward to returning! read more

Very happy with the quality of the Ramen here. The Tonkotsu is so good. The atmosphere is a low key date night kind of vibe. Super chill. The staff is very friendly as well. read more

It was my favorite place for ramen, not anymore. It looks sad, very average ramen now.

This is the second time we have eaten at this Ramen restaurant and hands down the worst. The first time we thought maybe it was a fluke since the other reviews were so good so today after a couple months we decided to try again...nope hands down the worst Ramen. I didn't even eat mine after one bite. The Tonkatsu broth was watery and relatively tasteless, noodles were under cooked. Hard pass...the chicken was ok. Go to Jinya instead. The service was good and the waiter was nice but we will not be going again. read more

I read the reviews and had to try this place. To have +800 reviews and still have 4.5 stars is quite an accomplishment and I found out why (and you should too), they are really that good. I'm not going to waste your time and repeat all the stuff the other reviews said other than its some of the best ramen I have ever had. Unassuming casual restaurant with BIG RESULTS. My Spicy Tonkotsu Ramen was authentic, fresh, and flavorful. Truly enjoyable. I will be back. Maybe I'll see you there! read more

Ramen Bar Ichi - Spicy Tonkotsu Ramen - Ramen Near Me - Houston, Texas

We stopped Seiwa and saw a line outside this place around noon. Decided to try out and waited for 10 mins before getting inside. You can scan QR code for menu but tmobile had poor signal so we used the ones tapped to the table. The lady/hostess explained the menu and we had calamari as appetizer, spicy tonkotsu ramen and chicken ramen. Both added egg for $1 each. I LOVE the gooey yolk and always get that. Broth was flavorful with the right heat. Pork was very tender and ramen was chewy! Hubby liked his chicken broth too. Overall, a great place for ramen. Service wasn't fast or slow, just normal. Will be back for trying other rice bowls. read more

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Amazing amazing amazing. The food is GREAT but the service is what brings me back. Polite and inclusive (which can be hard to find in Texas ). But overall I will be back and I suggest y'all take a visit too. read more

Ramen Bar Ichi - Spicy tonkutsu ramen - Ramen Near Me - Houston, Texas

One of the best, if not the best, in Houston. If I'm being hypercritical, it's more like a 4, because it's not without some slight flaws. But possibly being the best in Houston deserved the bump up. Karaage - As close to perfect as you can get. I'm assuming made to order because it came out super hot and still glistening from the oil. Should be standard and easy to do but still appreciated. Super juicy. Slightly spicy. Light and crispy coating. A little too salty but that's just nitpicking. I asked for Japanese(kewpie) mayo to dip but got, what I'm guessing, is a mentaiko and mayo sauce. Also good but not necessarily needed. Good on its own. Tsukemen - I've had a few of the "best" in Houston and this is by far the actual best I've had in Houston. Hard to compare to the famous Tsujita in LA, but it's the closest I've found yet. Egg isn't included, so you have to pay $1 extra, which is kind of a bummer. More nitpicking, the egg wasn't even that great. Good soft boil with the gooey yolk, but it was still slightly overcooked and the flavor was lacking and off a bit. Char siu was very good but I kind of wish they were thicker and/or another slice. Broth was rich, salty, and delicious, as it should be. Couple tips: I like to ask for warm noodles instead of the traditional cold noodles. Clumps a bit because it's usually rinsed in cold water, so just pull and shake gently. The green onion cuts the richness, but imo, it can kind of overpower the flavors. Try it with and without, to see what you prefer. I can safely assume the other menu items will also be good. Definitely going back to try the tonkatsu ramen ASAP. read more

Ramen Bar Ichi - Karaage - Ramen Near Me - Houston, Texas

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I tried the tonkotsu ramen and it was very underwhelming. The broth makes or breaks ramen for me and unfortunately this one wasn't very flavorful and lacked the richness I was looking for. read more

Ramen Bar Ichi - Tonkotsu Ramen - Ramen Near Me - Houston, Texas

Chicken broth ramen was OK but I felt so thirsty after the meal then I realized they used too much MSG. I'm not going back there. read more

Hot and fresh. Both sounds was full of flavor. The noodle where cooked to perfection. The cucumbers where not spice at all but very light and refreshing. I suggest eat them before the ramen, they taste very different after. The staff are very nice and accommodating but unfortunately they are busy and due to that and the lack of staff they kinda for get about you. You almost have to stop them in their tracks to get their attention. read more

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An excellent place for ramen and appetizer! We arrived shortly (no more than 15 mins) after noon. The line was already formed. There were around 5 groups of people in front of us. Luckily, we were seated without waiting so long. The appetizer was delicious! We had Shime Saba Aburi (highly recommended) and Spicy Cucumber. Both were great. For ramen, I had Spicy Tonkotsu Ramen. It was amazing! I love the taste of the soup base. Personally, I didn't find it too spicy. However, I would recommend having Tonkotsu Ramen as an alternative if you're not into spicy food. Overall, it's a great place! However, I would suggest arriving early to avoid the long line. read more

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Came here for dinner with my food bestie. We started with Calamari, Kimchi, and a small Chashu Pork rice bowl. Calamari was a 4/5. Super fresh and the dipping sauce was a great compliment. I like my Calamari slightly crispier, just a personal preference. The Kimchi was AMAZING 5/5. Definitely one of my favorite Kimchis I've ever had. The Pork Rice bowl I also give a 5/5 but my bestie ate most of that LOL I ordered the Spicy Tokantsu Ramen and my friend ordered the Pollo Loco Ramen. The soups were both flavorful and filling. Im picky about my ajitama eggs but this place did an amazing job with them. Overall I highly recommend trying this place out read more

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I would rate this place a 4/10. The Tonkatsu broth can use more flavor, and not just by MSG. Cha Su in the ramen was not tender enough. The Takoyaki tasted really glutinous. We drove all the way from downtown for this, which was not worth it at all. Our waitress was nice and attentive, given it was only her handling a full house. read more

When you first walk-in, host was very nice. Flavor of the chicken broth was good! Ramen was good as well. I got the spicy pollo loco chicken with strips of chicken. The places was pretty small and not as eye appealing as some ramen bars but it was nice. Seats where kinda old. Overall it was good for lunch. read more

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This is a great spot for lunch for super quick service and tasty ramen. When you look at the digital menu be sure to change the filter because they have a lot more than what's on the initial page. Some of the booths are a little beat up but there is ample parking which is a plus in my book! read more

Ramen Bar Ichi - Tonkotsu Ramen (regular & spicy) - Ramen Near Me - Houston, Texas

The service was great and the edamame was delicious. The calarmi was a bit rubbery and I wasn't sure how fresh everything in the ramen was. The noodles seemed undercooked & the broth could've been warmer. The meat was questionable as well - the Tonkatsu was ground beef not a slab of meat. read more

Ramen Bar Ichi - Tonkatsu ramen, chicken ramen, calamari, edamame - Ramen Near Me - Houston, Texas

I've been wanting to try this restaurant out for the longest time but I rarely ever on this side of town. And plus, with the whole COVID-19 going on, I didn't really care too much to write reviews for pick-up orders. Well, my sister and her boyfriend happened to be visiting this restaurant and she was nice enough to text me and ask me if I wanted anything from here. I told her that I wanted to try The Tonkotsu Ramen and to also order me an extra order of egg (I thought it came with at least one - I was wrong), corn, and kaedama (extra ramen noodle). My sister was going to be home about the same time I was going to be home from work so I was totally excited to have some delicious dinner waiting for me at home. However, when I got home and started opening the packages, I started asking my sister, "did you order the eggs? What about the corn?" to which she said, "yes." She even told me that she had to specifically ask the person from whom she ordered what "kaedama" was and that she had instructed them to place the eggs on the side and not in the soup. Well, the corn was missing and the TWO eggs that she had ordered and paid for weren't in the bag. And on top of that, I also noticed that my ramen bowl didn't come with seaweed. Frankly, I'm not sure whether or not the ramen bowl was supposed to come with seaweed, but my sister had sent me a picture of her bowl from when she was at the restaurant and it included seaweed. As for the ramen itself? It wasn't too bad. But it didn't wow me either. Maybe it would have been much better if I had consumed the ramen at the restaurant immediately after it was ordered. However for to-go order, even after heating up the broth, it just okay. Combine that with the missing sides that were ordered, meh. read more

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From the looks of the place, it has a vibe that matches their food. I ordered the spicy tonkotsu ramen with no egg, the addition of an egg costs extra so I chose not to get it but still loved the ramen I had. It was spicy but not to the point where I couldn't eat properly, it was at a level where you start to sweat. As a family we ordered takoyaki (6 pieces) and Karaage as appetizers, both were tasty in their own rights and would recommend you order either or both for appetizers. The workers were nice and attentive. Would recommend this place with family for a more special event than just a lunch outing due to the price. Overall a 5 for both taste and service read more

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