First time having Kakuni pork belly and it was very flavorful and tender. Perfect with sushi rice. Service was excellent and fast. I've had better ramen noodles but will be back for the rice bowls. read more

Tampopo Ramen - Tonkotsu Ramen - Ramen Near Me - Tempe, Arizona

See all

I absolutely maintain that this is my favorite ramen place in Arizona! The food is amazing and I love the restaurant's vibes.

Ordered a spicy miso ramen . The broth flavor is ok but too nutty after taste . Noodles is ok . Overall I would say it's just ok . The portion too are on the small side for $12.50 and a side of 3 pieces of chicken doesn't really fill me up . I ate in many ramen places including in la , this is just below average . read more

Tampopo Ramen - Ramen Near Me - Tempe, Arizona

I was waiting for the time they would re-open to finally try this ramen shop. Parking is in the plaza, the shop is on the smaller side but there is plenty if space. The service is fast and efficient. We got the tonkotsu ramen, pork gyoza and pork belly. While the pork belly was super tasty, I thought that the tonkotsu broth was just okay. It didn't have that creamy texture and was a tad too salty. The other thing was the chasu was cut so thin that it felt really like burnt meat when they grilled it. Noodles were good. read more

Tampopo Ramen - Gyoza - Ramen Near Me - Tempe, Arizona

See all

I had the teriyaki over rice bowl while the rest of my friends got ramen. Just a heads up--almost all the ramen has broth that is pork based with the exception of the seafood ramen. The presentation of all the dishes are really nice, but I was not a fan of my teriyaki chicken over rice at all. It was a nice portion size for 5$, but not all that appetizing. As for the service, the staff is nice but since the place is so busy, that they never answer the phone. My friend thought he may have left his credit card there after we left the restaurant. So we called and got put on hold forever and then got hung up on ughh. I imagine it'd be hard to do takeout because they don't tend to answer their phones. The place itself is really casual--very loud and very hot. It felt as if there was no AC running. I probably wouldn't be back here. read more

Tampopo Ramen - Teriyaki Over Rice - Ramen Near Me - Tempe, Arizona

The best Ramen place I have been to so far. They had social distance dine-in due to covid. You had to wear a mask to enter. The staff members were all nice and helpful. I got the spicy miso ramen, it was good and had a small hint of spicy to it. My fiancé got the Tonkatsu ramen which he said was really good. We will definitely be back. Cons Space was a little small Kinda hot inside while eating ramen read more

See all

Walking into the restaurant, my friend and I were barely welcomed and told to sit anywhere. We chose to sit at the bar because the place had narrow walkways, so we didn't want to sit close to anyone else and feel suffocated. Once sat, we had to call the waiter over because no one came to explain anything to us or take our order at the bar. Throughout the whole dining experience, I had to always call over the waiter because they didn't check up on us. Additionally, the waiter did not seem very informative about the menu because when I asked questions about extra costs or substitutions, they did not have an answer and were unsure themselves. The food we ordered was subpar too. The fried octopus balls were not cooked through and had wet dough in the middle. The pork bao had flavorless sauce, meat, and bun. The chicken wings were lightly seasoned so it didn't taste like much either, and it had little amount of meat on the bone. The rice triangle filled with chicken was also flavorless and had no seasoning. The only thing that elevated it was the red sauce served in the side, but even that was of little help. The main entrees were ramen and a teriyaki tofu rice dish. Just like the reoccurring theme here, the ramen broth was flavorless and so were the toppings. Even adding chili oil and other sauces available at the bar did not help with the flavor. The star of all these dishes was the teriyaki tofu rice dish, which had so much flavor and spices. The tofu had a nice crunch to it, the veggies were cooked to perfection - also with a slight crunch, and the sauce was savory with a little hint of sweetness. So if you do decide to come here, I would only recommend the rice dishes. Besides that, this experience was not a pleasurable one, but filled with disappointment and a desire for more. read more

See all

I was craving ramen and wanting to get my ramen fix while in the Phoenix area. I wanted to try a new place and this place popped up! The restaurant was busy doing a lot of take outs and dine ins. The service was great - nice and friendly staff and prompt service. Food came out super fast. I ordered the Miso ramen! The miso ramen was okay, nothing super spectacular compared to other miso ramens I have had. The miso was pretty overpowering. The ultra spicy ramen that my friend ordered was not as spicy as we originally anticipated. Maybe it was just a miss for us but I liked Hachi more. However the service and staff were great! read more

Tampopo Ramen - Miso Ramen - Ramen Near Me - Tempe, Arizona

My go to Ramen spot in the Tempe area. At least unless I find something better. I really like the atmosphere of the place. I can't recommend the seafood ramen, but the other ramen are VERY GOOD. It's gotten pricey over the years and they seem low staff right now. But it's a great place and the service is decent. read more

I would skip the Hirata Buns. The steamed buns ($3 each) were dry and hard. The yaki gyoja $6.50 filled rice things were interesting but I felt the flavor of the filling was too burnt-like for me. This is the first time I've tried soymilk ramen and it was like you'd imagine. A soymilk soup. Interesting, but I'd probably stick to the tonkotsu next time. I ordered an egg for $2 extra because I like the egg in ramen more than the pork sometimes. Both the tonkotsu and spicy mison ramen broths and noodles were tasty. I wish all the bowls were "rich soup" instead of having to pay an extra dollar. But maybe that's alright since some people don't care about the boniness/fattiness of their broth and it would be wasted. At the starting price for $8.00 without any add-ons for a bowl of ramen, I feel the price is reasonable and would encourage repeat customers. Cute place and fun atmosphere. read more

See all

This hole in the wall place is so crowded inside, It literally felt like I was packed like sardines. The chairs are so close together, we had to keep our elbows in as we slurped on our noodles. The noodles are made in house and was absolutely delicious. The consistency and texture was spot on. The broth wasn't overly salted which was big relief. We tried three different ramens. The tonkatsu was my favorite in terms of broth and toppings. The soft boiled egg was seasoned well and was very satisfying. Consider ordering extra for added protein. The spicy miso had korean gochujang flavor mixed in with miso. It was funky for me but my son seemed to enjoy it. The ultra spicy ramen comes with spicy broth as well as spice infused noodles making this dish extra spicy. However, the broth (I should say 'sauce' because it was really thick) had again gochujang and tobasco flavor which was really strange combo and didn't taste right. Hubby didn't care for this dish either. Again, tonkatsu ramen was very good. The takoyaki was delicious but it was on super soft/mushy side. It was seasoned well too. Overall, the cramped seatings took away from the experience. I would go back for the food. read more

See all

Went in per my brother's recommendation (it's his fave). Wow-was in love after the first bite! Tiny little place, but the food is huge on flavor! I will definitely be back soon. Yum! read more

Tampopo Ramen - Tonkotsu Ramen with Karage and Corn added with spicy paste on the side. Also got some sake. - Ramen Near Me - Tempe, Arizona

I've eaten here once before, some time ago and remembered it being decent, but I was disappointed this time. I ordered Tonkotsu ramen with extra chashu, and woodear mushroom. The chashu was sliced paper-thin, unlike in any ramen I've had anywhere before, the seasoned egg was very hard boiled (powdery yolk) and had little flavor, and I didn't receive the woodear mushroom. The broth was alright, but not great, a bit heavy on black pepper flavor and light on pork flavor. read more

Honestly my favorite ramen in the valley. I'm never disappointed and I am always bringing friends or out of town visitors here!

I don't mind the food here, but I think it could be better. It tastes a little fast food-y and less quality like proper sitdown restaurant food. The staff are kind and attentive, but another downside is the cramped-style of the seating area. I'd recommend trying to go during a slow time of the day if you struggle with claustrophobia. read more

This place is a gem. They make their own noodles in house and they specialize in Hakata style ramen which is a specialized technique of making the broth. I had the Tonkotsu ramen with mentaiko (spicy cod roe), negi (scallions). You have the option of getting a richer broth as well for an extra dollar, I will probably do that next when I'm back. read more

Tampopo Ramen - Tonkotsu Ramen with Negi (scallions) - Ramen Near Me - Tempe, Arizona

This place used to be my favorite ramen shop to recommend and go to. Never had a bad experience until this most recent time going. The recipe and quality is not the same. Our waitress she said they changed management sometime in 2023. Ultra spicy ramen was flavorless and not spicy like it used to be. Egg had no flavor. Pork slice was not the same either. Everything was different in the worst way possible. I wish the new management would change the name because what they serve now, is not the Tampopo it use to be. read more

Amazing food. Great variety on the menu. Lots to choose from. Love the atmosphere. Great service.

I ordered UberEats the other day and got the spicy ramen with an extra egg and added the pork belly (you know, to meet that $15 free delivery threshold). They did not skim on the toppings! Overall, the ramen was pretty good but I had the same issue I've had with other places - the noddles really stuck together which made it difficult to eat. read more

Tampopo Ramen - Miso Ramen before I added the broth - Ramen Near Me - Tempe, Arizona

Visited for the first time since the start of the pandemic! Surprisingly not busy for a weekend afternoon so the service was great and got our order super quickly. The food was pretty good but not quite as amazing as I remember it. I do wish they offered different noodle types and the "spicy" ramen could've had more kick to it (which says a lot coming from someone who now resides in the Midwest!) read more

Tampopo Ramen - spicy miso ramen - Ramen Near Me - Tempe, Arizona

Raman was super yum. Not much to say the raman was delicious. I also ordered the japanese fried chicken - sucks Keep in mind, I lived in Japan for 1 year. Grew up in Los Angeles were i visited little Toyko a 1000 times. I even speak Japanese Every time i come to a Japanese restaurant, i wont order the norm. I understand its a raman shop but if they are going to offer yummy delicious food why not try it. So i ordered the raman for my kiddo. That was so good. Great flavors! The fried chciken known as "karage" was a crispy read more

I've given this place many chances but the soup seems to lack flavor, definitely better ramen places out there. Also the staff don't seem to like or care to be there & that just makes it worse. Not bad but wouldn't recommend to anyone read more

Tampopo Ramen - Spicy miso ramen & seaweed salad & edamame - Ramen Near Me - Tempe, Arizona

Tampopo serves good ramen (for Arizona). You can see that they make the noodles in-house. We started with the hirata bun which was good but not great. The bread to filling ratio was too high, and the cold bun wasn't soft and fresh. I had the tonkotsu ramen which came with sprouts, mushrooms, soft boiled egg, and a slice of pork. I added fried chicken or karrage (more like nuggets). The broth was a bit bland. Serving size was generous. It looks busy from the outside, but just go in and request a seat. They usually can seat you quickly because the communal table is adaptable to adding/removing patrons. read more

See all

Their Japanese Curry Don is actually one of my favorite meals, it's sooooo well done and the rice is perfectly soft. The restaurant itself is very narrow and can feel quite cramped. I would not bring parties larger than 4 here, and overall order out if you have physical impairments/disability/use a chair. The service however is always spectacular and everybody is always nice. read more

HOLD YOUR FIRE!!! What I am about to say is brutally honest, not out of anger or poor service, and goes against most other reviewers here. In a nutshell, there are freeze-dried ramen bowels you add water and microwave from the grocery store that are equal or superior flavor products. I am unapologetic, Arizona is still in need of a culinary-creative ramen house. While Tampopo is making their ramen fresh, on site, it doesn't matter because you truly cannot tell the difference once the noodle has steeped in the hot broth. The appetizers are poorly executed and boring while the ramen broths we sampled lack umami, spice and depth of flavor, even after taking suggestions to enhance these deficits. We sampled the Yaki Gyoza and Hirata Steamed Pork Buns to start. The gyoza were pan steamed with poor execution and their fillings were inferior to the frozen version you buy and prepare at home from Costco. The Hirata buns were cold and because they ripped apart in the kitchen from the fold, were served with multiple toothpicks like little shumai crutches. The bun was over dressed with a mixed aoli and hoisin sauce and beside the sheet of limp lettuce, lacked any contrasting crunch that you typically get from pickled vegetables or sprouts to bring freshness to the bites. While we didn't order the teriyaki wings, we did look to our right at other patrons' meals. They look evenly dressed and hot but the wings themselves looked like they came from starving, skinny chickens you would see running free range around an island. Taking our cues from previous Elite '19 reviewers, we ordered two of the most talked about ramen bowls; the Tonkotsu Ramen with Rich Broth (add $2) and the Spicy Miso Ramen with Rich Broth. While I can get on board with the choice to add the rich broth as it adds salt and a creamy, silky texture to the bowl, the base broth in both these bowls simply lacks flavor variety and depth of flavor. You could tell me that the broth is derived from a chicken bouillon cube and I would believe it...except bouillon cubes have more balanced salt. Adding spice and ground sesame (provided on the table) is required. By no means are the ramen bowls offensive. They are just are unremarkable. Finishing with our meal, which was admittedly filling, we ordered Mochi Ice Cream balls (green tea and mango). It is quite clear that these are sourced from outside, likely the Trader Joe's freezer section. The restaurant has decided to "jazz 'em up" with a blob of canned whipped cream and Hershey's chocolate sauce. You know what you get when you put lipstick on a pig? You get an extra step in cleanup before you get the bacon. That is exactly what Tampopo has done to a perfectly innocent ball of mochi. Chocolate sauce on a mochi ball is not only unnecessary, but it's a poor flavor combination. Tampopo was recommended by one of my Asian colleagues from work. It turns out, she is from the Philippines and cannot be trusted for rave reviews of Japanese fare. Lesson learned, the hunt for impressive ramen in AZ continues. read more

The tonkotsu broth was extremely underwhelming - the opposite of thick and complex. I did not expect Ichiran-level broth but this is one of the worst tonkotsu broth I've had. The egg was hardboiled, not softboiled. I hope Phoenix gets a great ramen place one day. read more

Very good ramen and friendly staff! I love being able to watch them prepare all of the food.

Blech My miso was no good. Noodles were dry, broth too thick and lukewarm (nowhere near hot enough to help the noodles) corn was cold (again, lukewarm broth couldn't handle heating things up). Egg was hardboiled all the way through. Chicken was greasy and unseasoned... But tasted like it was fried in really old grease. On top of that the condiments on the table were nasty and sticky... Especially the soy sauce. Looked like they have been refilling it for months, but never clean the bottle or lid. Gross... read more

Tampopo Ramen - Super Nasty Soy Sauce... Do they ever clean? - Ramen Near Me - Tempe, Arizona

This is going to be an unfortunate update. For YEARS, I loved Tampopo because they were able to recreate a somewhat authentic (as close to authentic) Japanese ramen, and up until Daruma Ramen opened in Mesa, Tampopo was the only place I went to for ramen that reminded me of home (I'm from the Kansai region of Japan). I don't know if there was a recent change in management, but the taste of the Tonkotsu ramen has changed drastically. I had been picking up on several changes in the food over the last few years, but I went to Tampopo steadfastly because of their Tonkotsu soup (soup is the life of ramen). Even when they decreased the size of the charsiu and yet charged more for "extra", I stuck with this place because the taste was the real deal. Even when they drastically decreased the amount of soup in each bowl, I stuck by Tampopo. But I think the complete change in the soup recipe was the last straw. I even asked the server if the recipe changed, and he said yes. Of course, one need not even ask to tell how different the taste it. This "new" tonkotsu soup was thinner, reminiscent of Shoyu ramen. Tonkotsu has lots of bone marrow mixed in so it should be thick and rich in taste. What I got this past weekend was a watered down version of what it used to be. The charsiu keeps getting smaller but that's just the icing on the Disaster-Cake. The soup, the main umami element of ramen that holds every other ingredient together, is no longer worth the trip to Tempe. I would rather drive further to Mesa to eat a Daruma Ramen now. I'm sad to have to cross Tampopo of my go-to list now... read more

We came here cause it's one of my daughter's favorite ramen places. It's a small place with a fairly long community table and counter seats. Very few single tables but only for two with one table for four. It's a cozy place. Casual yet inviting. We sat at the community table and our serve was pretty friendly and patient with us as we waited for my daughter and her husband. Anyhow, we started out with our appetizers of yaki gyoza which are basically dumplings. I thought they were pretty good. Fresh and delicious. Got the tebasaki which is Japanese chicken wings. Not bad. Lot different from the American chicken wings. Not as much sauce. Not bad but it was okay. We got the hirata buns which are pork buns. Loved the buns. Nice and soft with a nice piece of pork. It came with a spicy sauce on it. Very good. Probably my favorite. Lastly for our appetizers, I got the yaki onigirl which is a Japanese rice balls but it's really triangles. Hahaha. This is rice with dried meat inside. Not bad. Pretty good Okay so I ordered the seafood ramen which had whole shrimp, squid and seaweed. It was pretty good. Just a little difficult to peal the shrimp but i like it. Filling. My wife got the tonkotsu ramen. It had roasted pork and a boiled egg. She enjoyed it and really didn't complain. So the service was very good. Cleared our empty dishes. Filled our water cups. Was fairly friendly and helpful. Overall, we really enjoyed ourselves. Really good food. Fresh. Service was good and really liked the nice little vibe and ambiance this place had. Not a bad place for ramen. We enjoyed and looking forward to trying their other ramen dishes. Enjoy read more

See all

Didn't realize they changed ownership and the broth is now lighter than it used to be. Got a problem with the authenticity of Agedashi Tofu since now it looked like a grilled item with sprinkle of seaweed and had to raise and school them on what the expectations should be and how it was served. Promptly replaced with rice balls that met expectation. Will have to think hard to return. read more

This place has the best ramen. Hands down. They also make it very well for to-go orders. It is a small venue, but the flavors are BIG

Such a cute and tiny ramen spot! My friend and I arrived on a Saturday evening, and the place was packed. We did get a table immediately, and the service was amazing. Parking was not an issue. I got the Tonkotsu ramen, and my friend got the Spicy Miso ramen. We also added Kakuni (Braised Pork Belly) on to our ramen. First of all, we love the ramen! It's delicious. The Kakuni is AWESOME! I highly recommend it. So juicy and tender. The only gripes that I had was the broth itself; I would have liked it to be more flavorful. Otherwise, definitely coming back to try their other ramen bowl, and would try their option to add "rich soup" since it definitely needed it. read more

Tampopo Ramen - Ramen Near Me - Tempe, Arizona

See all

I love this place! The food is delicious. It is made fresh to every order but comes out very quick. There's a bar you can sit at in front of where they cook. It's fun to see the process. The service is always nice & attentive. There's nice music playing, not too loud it's just the perfect little place. read more

I was so excited to go today to my favorite Ramen place as a surprise.. It was the worst experience in a long time. Both of our dishes came cold, mine was inedible. So p orders an appetizer I like. Took a while, I know it's supposed to be a hot bite, it literally was cold inside. We will no longer come here. I don't know if change of management but it was not good. We loved our servers, paid our bill and left. read more

I like Tampopo, but it pales in comparison to a ramen joint I'd experienced in Chandler, as the broth didn't quite measure up to that fragrant, rich tonkotsu I was looking for. It's neat that there are strips of bar and communal seating, and the chefs are visible as they prepare the noodles. Service was mediocre, as the waiters didn't seem to want to stop by and were always in a rush to leave. Tonkotsu ramen: The noodles were a touch undercooked for me, and the broth was on the bland side. I did like the black garlic oil, and I ordered mentaiko on the side, which was nice with the broth. The pork wasn't anything special to me, and I could taste that it'd been prepared and refrigerated before serving (which is the norm I understand, as I've yet to come across a ramen place that didn't do this for preparation's sake). The egg was also rather overcooked and didn't have that soft runny center I love dipping noodles into. The bowl did come out piping hot, which I appreciate and never take for granted. Curry ramen: I was surprised by how thick the curry here was, as other places I've had curry ramen usually have curry broth whereas here, it was thick curry similar to the kind served over rice. I didn't mind; I thought it was pretty good! Our waiter suggested pairing the spicy noodles with this curry, and I couldn't really tell the difference except that the noodles were a pinkish color. It's a nice option, but I don't think it makes too big of a difference. There were nice huge chunks of chashu here though, and I liked them better than the sliced version in the tonkotsu ramen. Just a quick note that the tea here comes in cans, so unfortunately no complimentary refills. I may come back for a quick bite, and there's a Starbucks next door for a nice after-meal drink or dessert. read more

See all

If you enjoy eating subpar ramen and are okay with poor quality then this is your place. It's very apparent that the owners do not care. Other reviewers who provided 5 stars have never had good ramen and it shows in their glowing reviews. - Chashu is gross and chewy, not prepared properly. - eggs are not cooked correctly, always old and hard boiled... what sort of hell hole is this - noodles are good and proper - broth is off but for the Hakata styling they're pursuing it's good (gets the job done) - you have to be a madman to order their spicy noodles... atrocious what they've done to a nice meal. - business did not have rich broth prepared for several days. The employees do not care about maintaing the business and it shows. They're only there to collect a check and bounce. This place does have a chance to be one of the best ramen places in Arizona but they fail in almost every category. For actually good ramen go to Origami Ramen or Jinya. Although Arizona ramen has always been a let down from what I've had across other cities and my time spent in Tokyo and Osaka. read more

Always a great ramen place they recently added a sea food ramen which I had to try. Still the same rich broth that I remember for their other varieties. This is one of the better ramen places in the valley so check them out! read more

I can't count the number of times of been here! If you're looking for a fantastic ramen with a perfectly seasoned and rich tasting broth this is the place for you! My go to is still always going to be the spicy miso ramen, but I noticed that they've added a few different ramens to their menu so I'm definitely going to have ti try some! I love that you can get refills of just the noodles if you're a noodle lover like me and eat the noodles first before the broth. One of the things I like so much about this place compared to others is the noodles. They are different and amazingly delicious! read more

Super cool and casual place to get ramen! It's kind of small but I love the vibes. It seems like a very authentic ramen shop! The spicy miso ramen was so so good! I love the flavor and I love spicy so I honestly could've made it even spicier. They have some with lots of options for seafood. I'll have to go back and try other ones!! read more

Tampopo Ramen - Spicy Miso Ramen - Ramen Near Me - Tempe, Arizona