The spot was very cool. The service was fast and friendly. They did allow limited seating in the restaurant and required all guests to wear masks, unless eating and drinking. The ramen was very good. I had the black garlic ramen and my only complaint was that the broth was a bit fishy. Overall, great spot for authentic ramen. read more

The broth is the best ever! Fast service and great location. This is my go-to lunch place!

Meh, it was fine. Not quite $16-for-ramen fine, but it was fine. One thing that stood out to me was that the menu had a lot of items on it that are supposed to include wood ear mushrooms, but they seem to use just the usual white button mushrooms here. The workers were nice. read more

Nami Ramen - Tonkotsu - Ramen Near Me - Saint Louis, Missouri

First dinner order ever from Nami left room to be satisfactory. Signature ramen had bland broth and undercooked noodles that were stuck together. Ordered/paid add veggie and did not have in carry out bag that was stapled all the way shut so couldn't check. Lastly $8 salad was very small with way too much dressing already in salad. veggie ramen was 'good'. Shumai was good. read more

The wi-fi password is 'legit ramen' or something like that. I found that pretty pretentious. To their credit, this is the only local ramen place I've been to where the broth wasn't salty. Still, not the same taste I remember from Japan. Maybe my standard is too high. read more

Nami Ramen - Ramen Near Me - Saint Louis, Missouri

This is the second ramen restaurant I've been to in St. Louis and WOW! They had so many different Ramen options including some rice dishes like teriyaki beef or Chasu pork, and awesome appetizers as well!! We stopped by close to closing time so we sat outside. I got the karaage chicken and chasu rice dish, while my boyfriend got the traditional Ramen. The Karaage was super crispy and delicious!! The braised pork was tender and flavorful. We ate before o could even get pictures! We will definitely be back to try more of their dishes soon!! read more

I really want to love this place, but it is far far far authentic Japanese Ramen. The decor is nice and clean, service was good, but food was mehhhhh. We ordered 2 bowls of ramen, black garlic tonkotsu and spicy pork ramen ... both were disappointed. Black Garlic Tonkotus - hardly tasted any garlic flavors, soup was water down and bland, lack of flavors. Portion was big, but it doesn't matter when there is lack of flavors. Spicy Pork Ramen - brother ordered this, he didn't like it either, lack of flavors. Usually he can finish a whole bowl, but didn't touch half of it. Gyozas - arrgghh!! These were dry and hard! I thought they were pan fried like most gyozas, but it was deep fried instead! read more

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Came here on a Saturday afternoon for a quick bite to eat. The layout looks like a mix between a chain restaurant and a trendy open shared seating restaurant with exposed bulbs strung about. You order at the front, grab a number, and bring it to either one of the high top seats by the window or the shared long tables. I got the 2 for $11 lunch special where I ordered the Nami Signature Tonkotsu and some gyoza. You get literally 3 pieces of fried gyoza, but they are well seasoned. The ramen was tasty, but not super photogenic. The pork itself was tender and wonderfully smokey. It also had crunchy pork skin, half a soft boiled egg, some corn that sunk to the bottom, nori, and some bamboo shoots. The broth was also rich, savory, and smokey. Maybe it was due to being a lunch special, but I wish it had more noodles and a little more of the toppings. read more

Nami Ramen - Gyoza. - Ramen Near Me - Saint Louis, Missouri

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Well this place taste no good more like a unique flavor (hopefully they use the broth instead of water), idk where they learned to make their ramen but don't expect to have a good flavor Hard to find a good ramen place read more

Ate hear twice within a week and was impressed with each visit. It has been hard to find Tonkotsu ramen that even comes close to what could be had in Japan. Nami comes close and nails the flavors perfectly. Their Tokotsu Ramen and their black garlic ramen were so flavorful. Staff was friendly and helpful. You have to call in your order and once you get there call them again so that they can have the food at the serving table. Nami will receive many more visits from me. read more

Nami Ramen - Nami Signature Tonkotsu Ramen - Ramen Near Me - Saint Louis, Missouri

I tried the black garlic tonkotsu ramen. Definitely was more on the standard end. Compared to other ramen joints, I couldn't even taste the garlic. The ramen noodles themselves were really hard and there weren't any options on adjusting noodle hardness. The broth was on the thinner side, more of a clean taste rather than rich and thick (not necessarily a bad thing). The chasu was decent but the egg was cooked perfectly and was delicious. Lastly, I think a solid 3/5 is fitting as it didn't live up to the high price of $17 for the just the bowl of ramen. read more

Nami Ramen - Black garlic tonkotsu ramen - Ramen Near Me - Saint Louis, Missouri

Delicious! Great experience if you could have Ramen here especially when winter is coming. Environment and service are good. read more

Nami Ramen - Nami Signature Tonkotsu Ramen - Ramen Near Me - Saint Louis, Missouri

It kills me to review this place so low because I loved it when it first opened. I'm an avid ramen lover and I'm from Tokyo where ramen industry is very very competitive. My ramen preference is more on junky side which means I love solid tonkotsu ramen over delicate seafood base. On my first visit, this place filled everything I expect from tonkotsu ramen. Minimum & fast service, well maintained broth, thick cut chashu with delish fatty part, and hard noodle. Yes, it is overpriced compared to what I'm used to, but it seemed fair considering location and stuff... This time, today, the only decent thing was white rice and soft boiled eggs. Service was...a mess. Maybe it was the first day for our guy? Ordered two miso butter ramen and ended up getting just one. (I didn't fix it because the one that came first was terrible.) Asked for white rice on a side (it is a thing in Japan) which was a pure struggle... throughout this whole thing, none of the staff members smiled or expressed any sort of friendliness. But hey, I don't go to ramen place for exceptional customer service...well it certainly got worse when the ramen arrived. I don't know what changed, but the chashu was like sandwich ham thin, dry, and tasteless. Broth...the key of ramen, had zero depth. Not sure exactly what it is, but I thought they skipped getting the soup stock part...like getting dashi. I almost felt like I was dipping my noodles into thick miso soup with no dashi. For two of us, we ended up getting just one ramen (due to our server's mistake) and we didn't even finish that one bowl because the broth was just so awful. (Our intension was to have leftovers) I was looking forward to dipping my rice in the soup...left half of my rice because of the broth being such let down... I really hope this place can bring back the ramen it once had...right now, so not worth the money. read more

The ramen was pretty good considering that I've consumed various amounts of ramen while living in Japan for the last couple of years. Pricy but thats expected in America. The egg didnt have that orange silky yolky look, didn't care for it. The broth was tasty and flavorful. The noodles tasted good. I'd return. Service was ok. read more

Nami Ramen - The Nami Signature Tonkotsu. - Ramen Near Me - Saint Louis, Missouri

We stopped in because of a ramen craving among us.. The atmosphere is fast casual, think Noodles & Company or some such table service without a waiter type restaurant. I was turned away by the price of all the dishes once I walked in and saw the menu, even though we were eating vegetarian. We opted to split the spring rolls and a bowl of the Veggie Ramen. The spring rolls were good and came with a sweet and sour dipping sauce. The ramen bowl was complete (egg, mushroom, peppers, bean sprouts, tofu, seaweed, kale) and filling but strangely enough, not that hot. Good but not great, and I'm pampered by a ramen spot back home that does it up really well. Lastly, the music was a big turnoff for me. Something like Top 50 Country songs (why not something Japanese or just ambiguously Asian?) that were playing louder than the average conversation and on speakers placed strategically around the place. My conclusion is that Nami is good, not great. Worth a try if you're close and craving ramen, but there's nothing here to set them apart from competitors who may be priced more.. competitively. read more

Nami Ramen - The Veggie Ramen.. - Ramen Near Me - Saint Louis, Missouri

Yum! The braised beef ramen is so delicious. The flavor is deep and the beef is so tender. I can't wait to try more menu items!

Best ramen In STL! Definitely want to try this place out. Unfortunately the HVAC was busted when we visited but it didn't stop us from enjoying the delicious food. read more

Nami Ramen - Tonkastu Ramen and agedashi tofu - Ramen Near Me - Saint Louis, Missouri

Great fast food ramen! You order at counter and sit with a number and the food is delivered

I haven't had good ramen since having moved to St. Louis a few years ago, and was really hoping this place would change that. I'm sad to say it's just as big of a disappointment as other places I've tried. Interior/establishment - the space itself is decently sized, and there are tables that are long and large for community seating, as well as smaller two or four top tables. The menu is extensive and along the wall as you walk in. Overall well-lit and clean, however, you can smell the back of the kitchen the moment you walk in. And when you leave? You better air out your clothes and wash your hair, because the smell is going to stay with you for a while. Service - the girl who took our order at the register was nice and friendly, and she helped explain some of the menu items my friends and I were looking at. Food came out in a timely manner. Aside from this, I didn't interact much with the rest of the staffing members, nor did I have any issues with the service here. Food. This is where the big disappointment comes in. First of all, the noodles used wasn't even ramen. It was just regular egg noodle. This in itself defeated the entire purpose of why I came to this restaurant to begin with, as well as the purpose of calling it "ramen". The broth was sodium-saturated, which was simply upsetting. I ordered the tonkatsu ramen, and the slices of beef that were in it were surprisingly good - 'melt in your mouth' kind of good. That's the only thing that makes me give this place two stars. Regardless, it was still also overly salted because of the broth. Pricing of the bowls here are pretty standard, cheaper than some places maybe. But given my experience here I can say it was not worth what I paid for. I really hope they change their recipe, and actually use ramen noodles. It is a ramen shop, after all, isn't it? Maybe I'd give it another shot later, but as of right now, it disappoints me to say that I would not recommend Nami Ramen at all. read more

So - this place is like Panera ( I mean the STL Bread Company) for Ramen. It's pretty standard. You order at the counter and they bring it to your table. I do appreciate it that you don't have to get a pork based broth - which is very hard to find sometimes at Ramen shops. But if you can eat pork and it's your first experience - do the pork broth! But the Tonkotsu fell short for me. Where is this Umai flavor that I am desperately seeking? The ramen noodles were clearly not handmade and/or they stuck together. It was good overall, but honestly not worth the special effort/price to get here. But they do have wine/beer and I really do like the casual atmosphere. Things to note when you go to a Ramen shop- there are no Asians that are eating or working here! It should of clicked for me, but this is a great place to go if you are craving Ramen, but it's not the best in town. read more

So I came here before I saw the average reviews, before I was biased against this place, and I'm really glad that's how things worked out. I love soups and ramen. I came here with really high expectations and I wasn't disappointed. My friend and I walked here from University City because we wanted to work up and appetite. Upon arriving, I immediately loved the communal feel of the place. You were forced to sit by people you didn't know and as an extrovert, I enjoyed it very much. On your table you will find a sesame dispenser, a small jar of salty pickled ginger, and some chili powder spice mix. All of them are fantastic with the food. My friend and I each got a pork belly bun. Really good -- rich, juicy, melty, meaty. And we shared two ramens: the black garlic and the regular. Both broths had that perfect richness one would expect from ramen -- you know, the kind that leaves your mouth a tiny bit sticky and greasy. The garlic one had this wonderful mellow and warm garlic flavor. I liked the garlic one slightly more... but my super power is being able to ward off vampires with my breath alone... so i'm biased. Things that annoyed me and I hope this place works on: I didn't find bamboo in one of the bowls even though it was on the list, the ginger was SO good we ate most of what was at the table and there was only 1 jar instead of 2 for a LARGE table, we only had 1 slice of meat even though some photos showed 2. That's really about it. Do i recommend this place? YES! Do I think you should come here with high expectations? SURE! read more

Nami Ramen - instagram pic i compiled. left: some of their wall and ceiling lights i thought were cool; top: garlic ramen; bottom: normal ramen - Ramen Near Me - Saint Louis, Missouri

3.5 stars due to tonkotsu-ness/flavor vs price/value. Perfecting ramen can take a lifetime. Creating a ramen identity that is unique to a personal brand is even harder. I get it and I appreciate what Nami is trying to do here in STL. Onto my meal. I stopped in for lunch on the second day of opening. I ordered the black garlic oil tontoksu; my husband ordered the tsukemen. Our ramen arrived 13 minutes later, which was more swift than expected. Staff was working hard and very friendly. We didn't experience any hiccups that others encountered. My mayu tonkotsu was pretty good - I'm most impressed by the toothiness and firm chew of the noodles - exactly the way I like it. The broth was somewhat lacking in tonkotsu flavor, but it was still tasty. It lacked the extra richness and milkiness of tontoksu broths, so I quickly ran out of broth before I could finish my noodles. This was rare as it is usually opposite for me as ramen broths are usually so rich that I wouldn't be able to finish. The black garlic oil was already mixed into the broth, instead of it spooned on the side of the bowl, so I wasn't able to see just how much as added in. But I definitely tasted the black garlic oil, and it helped elevate the broth. The chashu pork was flavorful and soft, and the egg was very well cooked (yokes were perfect). Overall, I was happy with my ramen, and I see potential for an even better tasting bowl in the future. At $14+ a bowl, I couldn't help to be extra critical, given a less than expected richness to the broth. To be blunt, it just did not taste like a $14 bowl of ramen. One of my fav ramen joints in the NYC/Japan, Ippudo, charges the same price for a life changing bowl of ramen. It was hard to not directly compare the value differential given the same price levels. My husband's tsukemen, unfortunately, was a disappointment. Tsukemen is his favorite ramen style, which is served with thick noodles on its own, and dipped into a separate bowl of broth, then slurped. The broth did not go well with the noodles at all. The tsukemen broth should've been even richer and thicker to their standard broth, and neither was the case. The toppings were good but that was all he could compliment on regarding his tsukemen. Tsukemen is a completely different animal in the ramen world and should be treated with the same reverence as the standard styles, and not just be added to the end of the menu board for the heck of it. Maybe this needs to be taken off the menu until the recipe improves significantly? I appreciate what Nami is trying to do here and we get it, it'll take time and effort to perfect. Overall, I applaud the efforts put into this long awaited opening. Nami is a good addition here in Stl, as long as it addresses its fixable shortcomings. read more

Nami Ramen - Roasted garlic tonkotsu (black garlic oil pre-mixed in) - Ramen Near Me - Saint Louis, Missouri

Originally had plans to go to a different restaurant until we found out it would be a 2 hour wait. Wandered down the street and wandered into what was the best decision. My husband and I got two different meals and I really had plans to get photos of both mine and his but before I knew it his food was gone and mine was halfway gone. It was some of the BEST ramen I've had in a long time and now I can't wait to go back read more

Nami Ramen - Jigoku Ramen - Ramen Near Me - Saint Louis, Missouri

My favorite Ramen place in STL!! I ordered the grilled chicken ramen and it was absolutely delicious! The curbside pick was quick and easy. My order was hot even after driving 30 minutes back home! read more

Ok folks, everyone has their own opinions and tastes, but when it comes to ramen and Japanese restaurants I usually roll with an expert on the subject (my wife is Japanese and I lived in Japan for 17yrs). That said we rolled to Nami Ramen with about as much expectation as thinking we'd get good sushi from insert-blaa-strip mall sushi joint name here, but were pleasantly surprised when we enjoyed everything that came to the table! Spicy ramen, shrimp tempura rice bowl, chicken karage, and gyoza - all tasty served at the right temps and delivered quickly by friendly staff. Now we did go on Presidents Day afternoon around 2pm and were seated with about 6 other diners. I'm sure when they're packed they'll be tested, but today they did good and put out a solid 4 star experience! I'll be back again soon and will update my review.. read more

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I recently moved to the area and I have been looking for a ramen spot. I had ordered the Nami signature ramen. And it's really good. It was a wonderful balance. The food came out pretty quick and I am def pleased. The meat was great mixed with the broth. They complimented each other. The staff is really nice and it's location is great. Would recommend. read more

Nami Ramen - Nami Signature Tonkotsu - Ramen Near Me - Saint Louis, Missouri

I had a lunch with my friend in January. Chicken nuggets appetizer finally came after 1+ hours wait. The first nugget that I put into my month was RAW! The nugget dipping sauce was good. And it's exactly the same as the KFC signature sauce- speaking originality here:( Ramen was tasty. But would I risk 2 hours of my life for a bowl of ramen and some raw chicken nuggets again? No. read more

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We just move to Clayton and decide to try it tonight I ordered Curry laksa Ramen and my husband order Lemongrass yakisoba noodles also some spring rolls. Our food come and mine come and had shrimp in it ( did not realize they come with shrimp chicken and tofu), told them that I was allergic to shrimp so they made me a new one. Few minutes later my curry laksa come , I'm so excited taste delicious kind remind me curry laksa in Singapore. After few minutes eating it found shrimp it , so freaking out we told them and rushing running home to get my allergy meds . My body is on fire itching everywhere thanks God we reach home take double dose my meds waiting in pain about 15mins and finally get better . We are clearly told them I'm allergic to shrimp in the end still had on my curry laksa . Please be extra careful take this seriously you can kill somebody !!! read more

Nami Ramen - Ramen Near Me - Saint Louis, Missouri

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Honestly -- disappointing oh where to start? (black garlic tonkotsu) the pork was flavorless. carried out in a giant frozen slab and cooked on top of each other so one side gets brown and the other doesn't? gross. also it was under seasoned. their egg which was soft boiled had no salt. no seasoning. was just a bland egg. menma was too hard. flavorless broth was decent, but no dashi, no tare. sad noodles were hard and super fake. didn't absorb any of the broth so they were bland too $15 for bland ramen. nice. however i will say their water was good. i'd much rather spend $20 at Ramen Tei in ballwin, or mcdonald's. read more

The Ramen craze is coming to St Louis. With a bunch of new Ramen places opening up, the time to try all the places is now. Unfortunately, Nami Ramen is maybe one of the worst ramen joints I've tried in St Louis. I was able to try 4 or 5 of their ramens, the gyoza / pot stickers and the pork belly bun (bao) First off, the pot stickers were horrible. They literally tasted like frozen pot stickers from a super market, they weren't even hot when they were served to us. The pork belly bun was also no bueno. The bun itself was dry and didn't taste like fresh dough being made that day. The signature tonkotsu pork flavor ramen and all its variation was just a watered down soup base that wasn't rich in flavor at all. They give you tiny pieces of pork belly which is unacceptable for the prices you are paying. On top of that, the bowl they serve it in is pretty large only for it to be only half full so the portions are small compared to the price you are paying. read more

So let me start this review off with that I'm familiar with ramen places and don't compare them to the .25 packet you used to eat in college. The service was good here and the ramen was very flavorful. I had the grilled chicken ramen and it wasn't too salty. You can tell they chop their ingredients in back, everything tasted fresh. It was dead in here when I went in, but this was a decent spot. read more

Nami Ramen - Grilled Chicken Katsu Ramen - Ramen Near Me - Saint Louis, Missouri

I admit, I was pretty hesitant about trying this place out after reading all the reviews on yelp, but I was craving ramen and needed a fix! The big menu hung on the wall is one of the first things you see when you walk in. There were quite a few ramen choices, but I didn't feel overwhelmed. The braised pork belly bao immediately caught my eye! I'm a sucker for anything pork belly related. Now for the ramen. I asked the lady behind the counter what her recommendations were. She replied that the Nami Signature and Roasted Black Garlic were the most popular. I ended up getting the garlic and my wife went with the signature. The bao came out first. They were a little on the pricey side, so we only ordered one. I think they were around $3 each. The bao was actually pretty good, I would've definitely have ordered more if they were a little less expensive. The soups came out a little after the bao. No problems with the temperature or the service. The broth was well flavored, but I wasn't a huge fan of the noodles themselves. Like someone else had mentioned, the egg was cooked just a couple of minutes more than what I would have preferred, but they were still good. I really enjoyed the braised pork shoulder, but really wished I had more than 2 pieces. All in all, it was a good experience. Good enough ramen to satisfy my cravings. read more

This place isn't the worst, but you can find much much better ramen (and for a much better price) in Saint Louis. They were out of a bunch of things mid-day, it was overpriced which for the area is to be expected.. but I guess I would expect that the food would be good too then. The takoyaki tasted really funky, the soda machine had multiple sodas out of flavor/carbonation. The Ramen itself was so-so, personally not my favorite and kinda like I could have just made it at home. The service was okay and the place is kind of cozy inside but still modern and minimal. read more

It's just okay, sadly. The broth lacks real depth of flavor and falls flat. I wasn't a fan of the corn in the classic ramen, either. The noodles were okay but nothing special, and I felt like the whole thing could have used salt. I also had the pork belly bao, which was definitely the highlight. If you go, get the bao for sure. It was the best part of the meal! read more

Nami Ramen - Pork belly bao - Ramen Near Me - Saint Louis, Missouri

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Soooo I watch anime a lot and my favorite of all times is Naruto so I had ALWAYS wanted to try some good authentic ramen and MANNNNN when I say the chicken Katsu ramen was soooo good it had me on my ass I was so full I couldn't finish the whole bowl (even though I tried) and the chicken was bomb 2. read more

I got the Nami special without the bamboo. And it was sooo good. I've tried several ramen places, and I usually end up having to add more seasoning to my broth. This broth was spot on! I did not have to add anything. The noddles were cooked perfectly, and this is important to me, because a lot of places will cook the noddles too fast, and they are not cooked all the way through. I will definitely be coming back! read more

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After coming here twice previously but being turned away due to new restaurant growing pains (running out of food), I was excited to finally try Nami. Located in downtown Clayton, Nami is located in the prime business lunch location. Luckily, it wasn't crowded the day I went. The design of the restaurant is modern from the decor to the group seating (which I can't say I'm a huge fan of). There are only a few small tables to take advantage of and the rest of the seating consists of huge tables that can probably seat more than 20 people each. I was actually pleasantly surprised that Nami isn't designed as a standard sit-down restaurant. More importantly, as far as the ramen and food are concerned, Nami Ramen is disappointingly mediocre, especially given my eager anticipation and expectations. That's not to say the ramen wasn't good, it was okay, and being just okay is good too. I got the Black Garlic Tonkotsu and the Pork Belly Bao, but also tried the Karaage Chicken. The pork belly bun was flavored well but it didn't have that classic pork belly texture that I like in the pork belly used in buns. It looked like it was braised so while juicy, it lacked the crispy outer layer that I personally enjoy. Also, even though the description says that there should be cucumbers, it was barely noticeable and really an afterthought. It's rather unfortunate because I enjoy the fresh contrast that a cucumber provides in the other pork belly buns I've tried. The Black Garlic Tonkotsu had its positives and negatives. The meat portion was just right and it was well cooked. The egg was perfectly cooked too, and delicious (I'm a sucker for soft boiled eggs). Unfortunately, the broth was just okay. There wasn't as much flavor development that I would expect from a great Tonkotsu. Maybe the black garlic oil overpowered it but the lack of any creaminess to the broth would suggest that it could have used more time to develop. I also thought the noodles were a little too raw for my liking. The Karaage chicken was actually my favorite dish that I got at Nami. The chicken itself had enough flavor by itself but the addition of the sauce and the spicy kick put it over the top. However, $8 for a tiny chicken appetizer seems too much. Overall, while Nami wouldn't be my first choice when craving ramen, it brings an acceptable option in the developing ramen craze in St. Louis. read more

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Solid ramen noodles, great flavor and definitely will come back to try the curry laksa and other dishes. Spam was tasty and the portion was huge. read more

Nami Ramen - Spam musubi. Its huge! - Ramen Near Me - Saint Louis, Missouri

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I'd call this a 2.5 star visit. Reviews of blandness scared me off of getting ramen at a ramen restaurant. My Chicken Katsu rice bowl was decent, but I think it would have been better if chicken wasn't breaded (and I usually prefer breading/fried chicken). The sauce was good. My partner got the same thing in ramen form. It was not what he was looking for. He likes ramen, but when he makes it at home, he uses very little water (closer to a stir fry) and adds additional spices, scrambled eggs, and vegetables to the instant noodles. So it's possible he won't actually like any of the ramen restaurants, despite being excited when they started to open. It is expectedly overpriced for a new, "trendy" restaurant ($12-17 for entree), but the prices don't match the dining style. Order at the counter with a fast food feel. If it was $7-10, I'd try it again. I did end up with leftovers thanks to the filling rice (and my small stomach), but my companion did not with his soup. The to-go containers need stickers on top to keep them closed or a different container altogether. I had to repeatedly close after setting it down each time until I gave up and carefully held it closed the whole drive and transferred it to a tupperware style container when I got home. At least they didn't run out of noodles like reviews said they repeatedly did when they first opened in January. This visit was in May. We also weren't a fan of the large family-style tables, but luckily the restaurant was essentially empty (likely between typical lunch and dinner hours). read more

Nami Ramen - Chicken Katsu. - Ramen Near Me - Saint Louis, Missouri

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It's an okay place to have ramen. Actually there is almost no good ramen restaurant in St. Louis area, which makes it an acceptable choice read more

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