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    Gen Ramen

    4.7 (147 reviews)
    ModerateRamen, Beer Bar
    Closed 11:30 am - 9:00 pm
    Updated 2 months ago

    Order Gen Ramen Takeout or Delivery

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    GEN RAMEN ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Moderate noise
    Casual
    Trendy
    Dogs allowed

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    Tonkotsu Ramen

    Literally my favorite ramen place I've ever been to. Pork is always cooked perfectly, service is very quick. Surprisingly, some of the best gyoza I've ever had has been here as well. I keep trying new ramen places but always come back to Gen Ramen for their delicious food and consistency!!!

    Tonkotsu Ramen
    Pam W.

    This is a little hidden gem. If you live Ramen this is a quaint little spot off of Wake Forest Road. They have a limited menu but the food is good and always piping hot. The Tonkatsu Ramen is yummy. I get extra broth. The Edamame yes! And you must have an Asahi to wash it down. The staff always delivers excellent service. Check them out.

    Michele S.

    The best Ramen I've ever eaten. The service is also exceptional. Don't miss this gem.

    Pork Belly Bao (1pc)
    Shakira W.

    Ohhh yes to this Ramen spot! My first time here and I can't wait to return. It's located in a shopping plaza tucked in the back. When you enter, it's a cute, quiet setting with a relaxed, laid back atmosphere. The service here immediately made the experience start off strong. Everything was so fresh. The hot sake was delicious and certainly pure. My starters were great portions and filling as you can tell from the photos. I couldn't pick one, I started with three lol And my Tonkotsu Ramen was chef's kiss! This is my new absolute favorite Ramen spot in the area. I've traveled to Okinawa a couple of times and truly enjoy Ramen, and honestly, this location has the best tasting food that makes me feel like I'm right back.

    Shoyu Ramen
    Felice B.

    To be fair, it's closer to 3.5 or a little higher. There's nothing really wrong with the food here but there's nothing notable or exceptional. The restaurant is "cute," with neon, sushi cats, and TVs. Quiet when it's empty, loud when there are large tables. Both the tonkatsu and shoyu ramens tasted fine if a little too salty. Salt was, in fact, the primary flavor. The broths had nowhere near the richness and depth of flavor that should have been present. The noodles were appropriately bouncy and were well cooked. The appetizers were also just okay. It's hard to screw up edamame and they didn't. They were served hotter than usual which was actually very nice. The furikake fries are overrated. The fries themselves are good and beautifully crispy but that's due to the light coating of cornstarch or rice flour on the fries. That helps give them that extra boost. The furikake itself doesn't stick to the fries and just falls to the bottom of the dish, adding absolutely nothing to the fries. The restaurant seemed understaffed. The server did his level best but was spread too thin. All in all, decent food but Miso Ramen by the bus station is much better.

    Furikake French Fries ( we ate some before I took the pic)
    David H.

    We decided to stop in and try a different Ramen place. The restaurant is clean, great ambience with sitting inside and out. The staff was very helpful in making selections and had great recommendations. We ordered a variety of things from the menu and everything came out fresh. The food was very good. We all had different things and kept trying to eat each other's because the variety was incredible. I would highly recommend stopping here. We will definitely be back.

    Edamame with Black Salt
    Monique J.

    I think I just found my new favorite ramen spot! The vibe here is so good -- cozy, modern, and just the kind of place you actually want to sit and enjoy your food. I started with the CCR which is the crab meat over crispy rice and avocado and the edamame with black salt. It was so delicious that I almost forgot that I was here for ramen. I ordered the creamy chicken ramen bowl and when it came out I hit my happy dance. It was piping hot upon arrival, the broth was super flavorful, the noodles were cooked perfectly, and the chicken was spot on. The staff was really friendly and made sure I had everything I needed without hovering. I left full, happy, and already planning my next visit.

    Tonkotsu Ramen
    Candice B.

    One of my absolute favorite ramen spots in Raleigh! Their Tonkotsu Ramen is my go-to, along with their chicken & pork gyoza. The Creamy Chicken and Lemongrass Ramen are really good too.

    Spicy Creamy Chicken Ramen
    Davina W.

    5/31 visit: My daughter and I had the taste for ramen but didn't want to travel too far out. We had been eyeballing this spot since we visited the taco spot a few months back. We decided to give it a try. It's a cute little spot with outdoor dining. We opted to eat inside. It's kid friendly, so no worries for us parents. The staff was awesome and friendly. Very helpful in answering our questions along with making suggestions and substitutions when allowed. Our server was on point with making sure our drinks were filled and our food didn't take long. It was fresh, hot and delicious. We ordered sushi, spring rolls, gyoza and 3 different ramen bowls. Nice size portions all around. Definitely will be back.

    Jessica G.

    Cute ramen spot in the vicinity of Raleigh. The ramen was good, broth had good flavor, noodles had good texture. Staff were very nice and we got our food quickly (when I went it was pretty late and there was only 1 other table occupied). The decor is cute too, there are anime memes on the wall. Not particularly stand out, but I liked this spot.

    Delicious rice bowl with broiled eel, seaweed salad, pickled ginger and salad.
    Marilyn B.

    Wonderful experience at Gen Ramen last night. Low key restaurant, nice vibe, great prices for high quality food. I had the eel rice bowl and my friend had a veggie bao bun appetizer and the vegan ramen, which looked fantastic and I think non-vegetarians would enjoy it just as much as anyone. My friend said it was great. Good service, relaxed atmosphere, great food and great prices. Just a note - if you've been here before and enjoyed their selection of sushi they are sadly not offering sushi anymore. The focus is on ramen and rice bowls, with a poke bowl offering and a few small sushi appetizers, as well as some tempura apps. Highly recommend this place but unfortunately, no more sushi - just great rice and noodle dishes.

    New ramen spot   Let's see how it is
    Birdie P.

    The ambiance was definitely top tier, with a modern atmosphere and Japanese anime accents it was a nice tie into culture and modern decoration. Eric, our server, was amazing. Sat us promptly and was very knowledgeable about the menu and he gave us multiple recommendations. The karaage was good but it was a bit overpriced for only being 5 pieces of chicken. We also tried the bao buns one being marinated beef and the other pork belly, they were VERY GOOD and flavor packed. The tonkotsu was good and rich. I wasn't a fan of the noodles. They were a little too thin for what I normally expect ramen to be. My husband got the Miso and he finished the entire bowl. I would have preferred the noodles that were in the miso ramen, over the noodles I had. Overall, it's a good spot for ramen and not too expensive. Walked out with a $56 dollar bill after getting 3 appetizers, and two bowls of ramen.

    Lemongrass Vegan Ramen
    Melissa H.

    Now that I've frequented this ramen spot well over a dozen times, I feel even more confident in my 5 star review. Everything we've tried has been consistently excellent: the furikake fries, edamame (we added furikake seasoning), pork katsu bowl, and various types of ramen. The lemongrass vegan remains the standout favorite for me. It is perfectly delicious! The staff here are kind and attentive, and often remember my regular order and/or specific requests I always make (2 spicy mayos with the fries instead of ketchup). Remembering me and my order goes a long way in terms of my perspective on customer service! I drive from Wake Forest almost weekly for this ramen. That speaks volumes because I don't often leave my WF bubble. Haha! Keep up the great work, Gen Ramen chefs and staff!! And please consider opening a location in WF .

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    2 months ago

    The food and service were good. The ramen is delicious the tea eggs are some of the best I've had and our server was really nice

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    6 months ago

    The tonkatsu ramen is what I had and it was 10/10. My wife says it's the best she's had.

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    1 year ago

    Excellent selection menu options. I eat there often and every thing that I''ve eaten is delicious.

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    Noodles Blvd had the BEST ramen, I personally ever had. I recommend the Chicken Curry Ramen with…read moregood spice and bursts of excellent flavor. The chicken is seasoned perfectly. 5 stars, no contest.

    Delicious!! This was…read moremy first time having ramen, and my friend suggested we go here, and I'm so glad we did! Noodle Blvd is located in a spot that you could easily miss, but it's easy to get back on track. I pulled into the gas station parking lot beside the restaurant, then just turned right into the restaurant parking lot. The parking lot is fairly small, so be warned about that. My friend was there when I arrived, and he sat at the bar. When I walked in the door, I was greeted with smiles and waves. It was very inviting, which is fitting for a ramen restaurant. My friend ordered us Lychee Margaritas, and oh my goodness, it was so good! We decided to visit right at opening on a Saturday, so the bartender was still preparing some of the ingredients needed for the margarita. The bartender informed us that it's usually better once a key ingredient sits for a while, but I loved the drink regardless. I ordered edamame for an appetizer, which came quickly and was good! Since I've never had ramen before, I asked our server what he recommended, and he told me about some of their most popular dishes. He told me the N9. Chicken Curry Ramen was a favorite of his and the patrons, so I decided to order that. It came quickly, and I was immediately in HEAVEN upon my first bite. I loved every bite after! I decided to play it safe with the spice and got level 2, but I can definitely go up a level or 2 since I love spicy. Highly recommend, and I will be back! Worth the drive from Clayton, where I live.

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    Sono Sushi

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    4.3(697 reviews)
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    The Restaurant week menu was great!…read more Flounder/Sea bass/Dessert option was a recommendation and was amazing. Service, and community make this restaurant one of the top in Raleigh.

    Five stars, no hesitation…read more I heard about Sono Sushi through Resy and finally made it in. It's located in downtown Raleigh on Fayetteville Street, right next to the ABC 11 studios, easy to find and a great spot if you're already downtown. The ambiance is great and fits the food well. There's a nice mix of seating, tables along the windows looking out onto the street, high top tables, traditional dining tables, and a sushi bar if you want to sit up close and watch everything being made. It feels lively without being loud, and works well whether you're there for a date night or a more casual meal. We started with the Aburi appetizer, torched salmon belly, ooba, salmon roe, Japanese seabream, yuzu kosho, and ponzu, and it was outstanding. Everything worked together perfectly, rich, bright, and balanced. I also ordered ikura and ebi, even though I meant to order ama ebi, but no regrets there. Still excellent. We shared the Poke Roll with wakame, avocado, cucumber, mango, tuna, salmon, hamachi, and Sono poke sauce, and it was very good, fresh, flavorful, and well composed without being overdone. My wife ordered the spicy miso ramen and loved it. The broth was the star, deep and comforting, and the pork chashu pieces were massive, in a good way. I went with the chicken katsu curry, panko fried chicken thigh with house curry and koshihikari rice, something I haven't had since Little Tokyo in LA a few years ago, and it tasted like home. Comforting, familiar, and exactly what I was hoping for. For drinks, I ordered the "SONO? SO-YES!" entirely because of the name, but also because I love blood orange. Casamigos Blanco tequila, Cointreau, lime juice, coconut cream, simple syrup, and blood orange juice, it was excellent. My only complaint is that I wanted more of it. My wife got the Okinawa Spritz, a play on an Aperol spritz with passionfruit, and it was even better than the original. We finished with the yuzu cheesecake. I debated between that and the ube cheesecake, but since this is a Japanese restaurant, yuzu felt right, and it absolutely delivered. Overall, everything from the food to the drinks hit. This is a place I would happily return to, and honestly, I'm already looking forward to the next visit.

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    Bida Manda - Fresh Summer Rolls Dinner

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    Bida Manda mean "father and mother" in Sanskrit. This restaurant was started by siblings (a…read morebrother and a sister), and they named their restaurant to honor their parents. What a great idea! I like to come here for one dish: the squash curry or the pumpkin curry. It's either vegetarian or vegan, so yeah, it's pretty much the highlight of the menu as far as I'm concerned. It's called the Manda Curry or Mom's Curry: Slow-cooked house coconut curry with fresh root vegetables, jasmine rice, and pumpkin. It reminds me of Vientiane Palace's Squash Curry. Upscale ambience!

    I have not been to Bida Manda in years. It is a classic in downtown Raleigh and highly regarded as…read morethe predecessor to Brewery Bhavana. We came in with some friends on a Monday to celebrate a birthday. My friend has a gluten and dairy allergy, which was actually no problem here. So if that is a dietary concern for you or a loved one - this is a great spot to bring them! We were all able to enjoy a majority of the food. My partner and I both enjoyed a mocktail version of the roselle freezy - it was amazing! Either as a mocktail or a cocktail, you should try this drink. For starters, we had the crispy chicken wings, spring rolls with veggies, and the lettuce wraps. We all enjoyed the chicken wings so much that we got a second order of them. I enjoyed the spring rolls much more than the lettuce wraps as they had more flavor to them. For dinner, we shared an order of the Manda Amphone's Curry and the chicken pad thai. I originally did not expect to be blown away by the pad thai - boy, was I wrong. This is hands down the best pad thai I have ever had. If you love pad thai, you need to try theirs. I also thoroughly enjoyed the curry. Both dishes were rich and flavorful and came with enough to share between 4 adults. Overall, not having been to Bida Manda in 10+ years, I was impressed and will definitely return.

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    Miso Ramen Bar

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    4.5(363 reviews)
    11.3 mi
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    My daughter and I were in the area later in the day after a goalkeeper camp she was at. When…read moreprompted for what she wanted she picked ramen, and this was the nearest place still open after 8pm I could find. Nice little shop, fun artwork on the walls themed to the store, simple counter order and they bring it out when ready. Unfortunately for me, they had a lot of options I wanted to try, we ended up with the edamame, some pork belly cheese fries, and since it was warmer we went with rice options instead of ramen. I got the tonkatsu rice bowl and she got the Japanese curry rice bowl. Between the appetizer and the meal we were both unable to finish and I enjoyed it the next day as a left over. They have a great self service option for take away containers which I appreciated, except my skills of 'dumping from bowl into container' were less than stellar. While we probably won't be back often as they're a 45m drive from our normal haunts for a 'whats open after 8pm on a Friday' they were a welcomely pleasant surprise and quite good.

    Best ramen in the area…read more We are from Southern California and we finally found a quality tonkatsu. This pork broth is one of the longer broths to make and you can tell they did it right. Great service, quick and happy to serve! They do not skimp on amount of food either. The price you pay here is great compared to west coast. Lots of thick pork, charred, and lots of noodles and toppings. High quality blended chili oil was also a surprise. We'll be back! I ordered Spicy #2 but I think a great order is to try the tonkatsu regular and the spicy #3, order the side of chili oil! Thanks team! Very good job

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