We were sat immediately when we had come in but I think it's a busy place because when we left,…read morethere was a small queue outside. Apparently, Ramen Arashi is part of a Canadian chain that originated in Banff. It's a clean restaurant and the service was good. The bathroom is very clean and nice. I got the miso ramen and it was yummy but about what you would expect from a ramen place. It's served with a dollop of butter on top which melts nicely into the broth.

This place is not huge but our party of 7 was able to squeeze in for lunch a few Wednesdays ago…read morewithout having to wait. It was on the late side for lunch (past 1PM) so we were fortunate enough to be able to walk right in and get served quickly. The takoyaki wasn't the most octopus-stuffed I've ever had, but it was solid! My husband and I split the black sesame tonkotsu ramen and the yuzu shio ramen. Both were unique in their own ways; the black sesame flavor in that tonkotsu was super pronounced and it was a very hearty ramen. The yuzu shio was super light and very flavorful; the yuzu flavor was also super pronounced. Also love the amount of tender chashu slices they give you with each bowl. The lettuce in the yuzu shio bowl was not my favorite; I appreciate the thought of more fiber/something healthier but the soup is so hot that it cooks the leafy greens immediately and I don't love wilted lettuce in my ramen. But all the other toppings were great; bamboo shoots were super flavorful, nori was crunchy, and eggs were perfectly jammy. Great place to grab a bowl of ramen if that's what you're craving!

It was a cold rainy day so I wanted something to warm me up. Ghost Ramen seemed liked the place to…read morego. It's a simple, bright and clean space. We walked in and it wasn't too busy. We were seated right away. I ended up ordering Gekikara Tonkotsu and it was good. Noodles were good. Pork belly was surprisingly and unpleasantly mushy though. They did provide more toppings than expected. Service was pleasant and attentive. Overall, it was a decent visit. Nothing too memorable but it did the job.

Was super excited to check this place out and found it permanently closed June 2025. Wah.read more

=== 1. VERDICT/VALUE The downtown eatery seems to have a…read moresister location in Hillside Centre - whoohoo! The same authenticity brought to you by Japanese entrepreneurs is available here, complete with Japanese decor and NHK broadcasts on TV :). Good option when you're hankering for warm noodles in soup. === 2. FOOD The quality is just as good as that found in the downtown location, except shio ramen is not available here. I've tried the shoe and miso ramen here and it's delish as it is downtown. The $3.50 add-on sukiyaki beef on rice is good; I just wish it were bigger :) === 3. SERVICE It's all self-serve for the most part - you're encouraged to to use a large-screen kiosk to order everything, including any customizations. The service of the food itself is relatively quick, polite, and can be in English or Japanese. While you can normally bring your dishes to the collection stations, the stone bowls from Menbow requires you to return your tray to Menbow directly. === 4. ENVIRONMENT The Hillside Centre food court offers you a lot of space for groups of any size, with or without baby strollers or wheelchairs to dine in a bright, open, relatively-modern decor. Parking is a breeze too, given the spacious parking lot outside for the mall/.

Delicious ramen and donburi. Adding a mini donburi bowl to our ramen bowl was plenty for 2 people…read moreto eat. We went here twice in our 3 day visit to Victoria. Also tried the chicken appetizer that was delicious. Clean and service was great. Highly recommend!

Was here back in early January 2026 for our family trip. The…read moresushi was fresh! The server was attention to detail. We had a time crunch to drive to BC ferry before leaving the last ferry. The server was honest about the time it took to prepare the food. I would come back to this place again when I could. The price is affordable.

Decided to give this place a try during our first trip to Victoria and we weren't disappointed!…read more Great service, amazing staff and the food was delicious!

Drove down from courtenay to meet with a friend to go to the…read moreCity & Colour show and she suggested the Block as she had been before. Ambiance was great - super warm and welcoming which was magnified by the host. Super lovely. Then the wait staff. Whoever is hiring/training is doing a great job! Not drinking right now but the cocktail menu was super tempting. Every menu item sounded great. We got some help on ordering from our servers and Tanya picked ones she had enjoyed before. We also sat right beside the pick up window so it was fun seeing food come out! The food was fantastic. See pictures for what we ordered. Not sure if I can remember the names of everything but it was a perfect combo!!

So straight up this place went and took us to places we hadn't been prior to eating at the Block…read more Overall a very enjoyable experience for sure, but you cannot pigeonhole this place, which is a very good thing! We are big fans of traditional fare, but the Block is a place we are so glad we experienced and will certainly return utilizing the knowledge we garnered during our first experience. A big thank you to for helping us through picking one price fixe January exploration of your local restaurants and filling it with other ala carte additions. As we often do we ordered far too much food, wanting to explore everything off a menu that is far reaching. Not sure if our additions worked with the price fixe menu, but we sure enjoyed checking everything out. The interior is interesting with the addition of structural steel in the space to keep this heritage building (I think) standing tall for a few generations. We sure hope it's still here for a long while and will most likely come again the next time we are in Victoria. That is saying a lot as there are a wide range of restaurants in the neighbourhood, but you do want to check the Block out!

=== 1. VERDICT/VALUE A touch of Japan on Cedar Hill - come…read morehere for the food, language, good food, and if you're a young one - Pokemon cards from the proprietor! === 2. FOOD Salt (Shio) Ramen ($16.50) The broth here makes the difference - thick, and true to flavour when one steeps a long time with bones - it's good and flavourful, yet not too salty and it doesn't leave you thirsting to drink anything thereafter. The Japanese-style BBQ pork slices, delicately-boiled egg and bean sprouts of course work well. Pork Egg Don ($18.25) Great pork tonkatsu - lightly battered the way it should be and it overall a great choice of dish if you're not looking for something soupy! Fried Rice ($4 for regular size; $7 for large size if buying an entree) I think it's worth it - it's tasty but a little salty and the portion size is good ofr sharing between two people! === 3. SERVICE I've only ever seen three people work there before and so while service is professional, they can get a little busy when the house is fulll (which is not uncommon). But it's worth it. And the leader/owner (?) is always cognizant of little kids including my own and is ready to hand out a choice of a random Pokemon card to bring more smiles into the establishment! === 4. ENVIRONMENT It's all, a little dim, and maybe updated in the 90's. The lights are different coloured, but they clearly spend the money on the staff and food. There are a few two-seat, and four seat tables/booths. There is a single table that seats up to eight. Wheelchairs and baby strollers could fit but only barely and they may best stay near the front. Parking is about as lucky as you get in the shopping complex which seems to ebb and flow throughout the day!

I've visited a half-dozen times now with family and consider this the "go to ramen shop". Simple,…read morerelaxed layout and direct, no nonsense service, but the ramen is fantastic and prices are reasonable. Mostly spicy bowls (one non-spicy called the "Salt" that I always get due to food allergies). Lots of options for "extras" (e.g., meat, corn). You can get a basic side of fried rice that is a nice add-on. It has a warm, social vibe and is popular with the younger crowd. Appreciate that the guys offer my kid a Pokémon card at the end of each meal - makes him feel welcome.

When a friend tells me they are going to Victoria or ask for food recommendations in Victoria, I…read morealways tell them Bao needs to be on the list of restaurants they eat at. Definitely not traditional but absolutely fantastic. All of their baos and noodle dishes are absolutely fantastic. This place is smaller but worth a wait for a table.

Came here for dinner the other day and it was okay. Not sure if I would come back but if you come…read morehere I would recommend only trying their baos and maybe avoid their noodles. I wasn't craving baos so I ordered a noodle soup but it wasn't to my liking. I feel like this place is more known for their baos so I should have ordered those. I got to try a phew bites of the Taiwanese classic and Chinese bbq Baos because someone else in my party ordered them and those tasted WAY better.

The ground pork curry was so good! This isn't a fancy place but very tasty if you need something…read morequick and fresh.

Came here during a short stay in Victoria at a friend's recommendation. The menu was interesting. A…read morelot of cool Asian fusion options. You order at the register and the food didn't take long to be ready. You grab your own utensils and stuff. There is only counter stool seating inside. There are some bench seating on the patio. Everything we ordered was good. My friend and I shared 3 dishes and that was perfect. Would definitely come again to try more things on my next visit.

Tried the other location in Victoria last weekend and loved it so much I decided to try this one as…read morewell! Sushi was delicious again, we both really enjoyed it! Our favourites were again the Japa Roll and the Zero Roll! This time we added the assorted tempura bowl which was great! Service was good the staff were very nice! This location seemed a lot less busy than the other which was awesome. Restaurant is very nice inside and has a great view of the city!

Good food, fresh seafood, lots of options! Only complaint was that the water tasted a little fishy…read more It was pretty busy when we went, which was a weekend night. However we were able to be seated at the bar and it was great nonetheless. Service was excellent, the bartender who also took our order was super nice and gave great recommendations. She even gave us secondary suggestions for food that was out for the day. Inside was pretty lively, good interior and clean. Overall, not too pricy for good quality sushi and seafood. The portions for each roll/ nigiri/ sashimi piece was very reasonable as well. Loved it! A good sushi spot in Victoria! Definitely recommend.

=== 1. VERDICT/VALUE The downtown eatery seems to have a…read moresister location in Hillside Centre - whoohoo! The same authenticity brought to you by Japanese entrepreneurs is available here, complete with Japanese decor and NHK broadcasts on TV :). Good option when you're hankering for warm noodles in soup. === 2. FOOD The quality is just as good as that found in the downtown location, except shio ramen is not available here. I've tried the shoe and miso ramen here and it's delish as it is downtown. The $3.50 add-on sukiyaki beef on rice is good; I just wish it were bigger :) === 3. SERVICE It's all self-serve for the most part - you're encouraged to to use a large-screen kiosk to order everything, including any customizations. The service of the food itself is relatively quick, polite, and can be in English or Japanese. While you can normally bring your dishes to the collection stations, the stone bowls from Menbow requires you to return your tray to Menbow directly. === 4. ENVIRONMENT The Hillside Centre food court offers you a lot of space for groups of any size, with or without baby strollers or wheelchairs to dine in a bright, open, relatively-modern decor. Parking is a breeze too, given the spacious parking lot outside for the mall.

Had an excellent time, ramen was great and service was attentive!…read more I personally had the spicy Tantan Men, I do recommend.