Nikkei Ramen-ya 565…read moreEngland Ave Courtenay, BC V9N 2N2 (250) 897-4700 Open 7 days a week from 11.30am - 8pm except for Friday & Saturday (closes at 9pm) Street parking available around the restaurant It began on a sunny October day in 2016. Inspired by the shops of Vancouver, LA, and Tokyo, and driven by their love of noodles, Greg and Erin Masuda served the first bowl of authentic, scratch-made ramen that Vancouver Island had ever seen. Six years and 40 flavours later, Nikkei Ramen-ya still bustles; if you can't make it to our shop in Downtown Courtenay, you can now find our ramen at your local Vancouver Island grocer. From silky Tonkotsu to vegan-friendly options and crisp karaage chicken, we've got something for every craving. Gluten-free options are available Our review- We met a friend for dinner, we went early at about 4.30pm, it wasn't crowded yet. Ordered our ramen on an electronic kiosk menu board... By the electronic menu board, there are table # stand. Chose a number & put the number that you chose onto your order as identification. Then place the number stand on your table. The noodles were very good, nice soup broth... we enjoyed the noodles very much, we also added a side dish of green beans, dressing on the beans was like the Japanese spinach (Gomae). Beans was crunchy & with that dressing, it was yummy. Overall a very good experience, do check it out if you are in downtown Courtney. You will not be disappointed ! Place was clean with decent seats Come after lunch or before dinner, the place was crowded during dinner time.

I give this founder the props to open up a fresh ramen noodle shop here. Fresh ramen made next…read moredoor during the day. I didn't care too much for the broth (definitely a lot of umani flavor for the dashi) as it wasn't a type of broth i was use to. It wasn't bad but just not my style. The noodles were good. The bamboo shoot was different too but tasted a bit sweet? The pork belly was too thin in my opinion. I'm use to a more fatty pork belly. Soy sauce marinated egg is extra but we gave it a try. You can get "free" extra ramen if you do a review for them. Just scan QR code on the table. You order at the kiosk and pick up your own bowl of ramen. No tip asked.

Very ,very disappointed, waited an hour, tasteless broth, one tiny blob of pork that was mostly…read morefat, we were excited to try but we won't recommend or go back. Total waste of money

Stopped by for a late lunch/early dinner and was surprised they had quite a few people inside…read more There's actually quite a bit of seating. With booths for two and tables for larger groups. We were seated after a short wait, as there was only one server. They were friendly and attentive. They have quite a bit of ramen options ranging from tonkotsu to curry ramen. I went with the basic tonkotsu ramen and added an egg. I wanted to be able to taste the broth without anything extra. My aunt got their seafood ramen (Nagasaki champon). I was quite surprised by the portion and toppings for each. There was plenty of noodles. The pieces of pork were large and I liked the variety of toppings. The seafood one had soooo much seafood ( small shrimp, larger ones, squid, and mussels) and had plenty of veggies. Both ramens were quite filling. Typically I don't drink all the ramen broth due to it being too salty or rich, but I found their broth had just the right balance. It was flavourful and rich, but not overly in either. Although at first I thought the price was a bit high, the quality and quantity justify it. Overall, it was a great meal to end our day on the island. I'll definitely be a returning customer.

This restaurant serves mostly Japanese cuisine (although not authentic) as well as Pho at the same…read moretime. Owned by a nice korean family. The ramen were frozen ramen packets you can buy at the grocery stores and the soup was definitely not pork bone soup simmered for hours. They did try to make some fusion taste and it was ok but because of the lack of work needed to make this, it should not be priced similar to real ramen. Also comes with a button mushroom disguised as a shitake mushroom. The udon soup was on par with other japanese restaurants since the dashi stock is fairly easy to make. The portion is very huge and the taste is not bad. The tempura was fried nicely. This one is priced fairly. Since Port Alberni lacks authentic Japanese cuisines, this is all they have. Taste-wise is ok for a fusion palate.

What a great little spot. They have pho and ramen everything was good. Our family enjoyed it.read more

My friend and I was recommended to this restaurant when we were in town. So we decided to give it a…read moretry. The restaurant was fairly empty on a Saturday late afternoon. We quickly sat down and placed our order. Both my friend and I ordered the Bog Mountain ramen. It was well worth the price because it has most of the add ons. My friend ordered the miso broth and I got the shoyou broth. Both broth was a bit bland, but understandable because there are additional add ons that could potentially enhance the flavor. Overall, we thought it was decent. The interior decors felt appropriate for the space. There was booth seating that showcase Japanese murals. It looked really cool.

Great service in a cute, but small restaurant. I love that they have vegan options as well.read more

Family and I were in town for the day and needed a place to eat when we stumbled upon this…read morerestaurant. Was very fast getting seated and the vibe here was awesome people were happy, music was good and the waitresses were very friendly and kind. Regarding the food some say it's overpriced but in my opinion I thought it was justified and inline with the quality. We ordered a variety of different sushi and skipped out on the ramen but from what we heard was what this place is known for. Overall the things we ordered were served fresh, fantastic and delicious I highly recommend the unagi that possessed a smooth smoked flavour overall 9/10 only note is that are one dish took awhile to come which was expected due to the traffic

This is my second time coming through Squamish in the past 3 years and I remember seeing this place…read moreas we were passing by. Finally stopped in the area for lunch this year and we all agreed to try this restaurant. Oh my god, although we were skeptical, they did not disappoint! The moment we walked in, we knew it was going to be authentic because the staff were Japanese. My partner ordered the Paitan Shio Ramen which was delicious, flavourful and a very generous portion size. The soup base was on point and not too salty. I ordered the Tuna Avocado Roll and Negitoro Cone, and both were very fresh and delightful to eat. Loved the environment in this place even though it's small. Loved the wood vibes and the washroom sign! Would highly recommend trying this place if you're headed to or driving through Squamish!

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!

This place is a solid lunch spot if you want ramen, but that's probably the extent of it. Fairly…read moreopen on Friday for lunch, as with any lunch spot it's quick/efficient, and solid. I love a good tsukemen, but while this place has it, it's fairly mid. It reminded why I usually only get it at tsukemen specific spots. The shoryu ramen was more impressive though still just good. All in all, above average lunch ramen, you could easily do worse, but you could also do better.

Stopped by Maruhachi on a Saturday lunchtime after our long commute from Seattle. this restaurant…read moreis tucked in a corner not too far from the main Robson street. Paid parking was not too hard to find on the Main Street but during busy dining hours it might be difficult. We got seated right away at the bar since there were no tables open and the service was quick. Traditional Japanese style ambiance and even the bathroom had rounded Japanese bowl sink. As someone who doesn't have chicken broth (paitan style) ramen, I was really looking forward to the original ramen I ordered but I was a bit disappointed in the flavor profile of the dish. The ramen had both chasu and seaweed paired with thin round noodles. The broth was creamy and had a hint of chicken flavor but even adding several rounds of their soy sauce/salt seasoning they have on the side to adjust your broth to your liking-- I found that the richness of the soup was not what I had expected from the reviews that I read prior to coming here. Overall, a bit disappointed in the flavoring of the broth but maybe we came on an off day. I would be willing to give it a shot again in the future if I had ramen cravings and given that it was very affordable ($11-15 per bowl with tip), but I would probably opt to try another place first.

We just had the chance to visit Setsunai in their new location. It is worth the trek! Loved that I…read morecould other Ramen and my kids could get burgers from the Galley! go!!

I was expecting an outstanding ramen noodle dish from the previous reviews. However, the pork ramen…read moredish I had was mediocre at best. Flavor, ingredients, even the noodles were ok but not great. Service and atmosphere were both excellent. However, I wouldn't recommend.

Solid food! Friendly service. Food comes out quick too. It's not a big place, but there's four…read morepicnic tables outside & more seating inside.

The tonkatsu ramen here was really good. My favorite part is that they allow you to add beef…read moreinstead of chicken or pork. I've never seen that before at any ramen place, but I've always wished I could add it since pork and chicken seems so limited. The broth is very flavorful, especially if you get the spice added which is an absolute must. We came here because we stayed in Creekside to go skiing. So if you stay in the area I highly recommend walking over here!