Tanpopo in Schenectady is just as good food wise as its Albany counterpart. The ambience feels less cozy and colder than the Albany location. The trendy black walls and industrial decor are ok, but nothing beats the feel of the old Albany building. In Schenectady you will always typically be able to be seated and not have a long wait. It's a great place for lunch as well. Service is always wonderful there too. read more

Tanpopo Ramen and Sake Bar - Tonkotsu Ramen with egg - Bars Near Me - Schenectady, New York

I had an atypical visit to Tanpopo because it was 3 in the afternoon on a blistering hot day, I needed to find a bathroom, and the bakery next door I had come to patronize was closed for Juneteenth. Also I hadn't eaten lunch so decided to make lemonade out of lemons, or dashi out of stinky fish for a better analogy, and have me a bowl of ramen. The tonkatsu ramen, my standard order, had excellent porky, fatty broth. Five stars. I need egg in my ramen though and the slices of kameboko were not a satisfactory substitute. Also instead of pork belly they use pork loin, albeit tender with a nice five-spice flavoring. I was the only customer except for a couple of takeout orders so can't review standard levels of ambience and service. The decor is like some older places in LA's Sawtelle neighborhood; it seems to be a part of an earlier generation Japanese-American aesthetic that you don't mind worn vinyl and wooden fixtures or a counter used for random repairs that is clearly in view of the clientele. I found it charming in a funky way. read more

Back again to Tanpopo after a looong break, and we're delighted to say the two things we like best about this place, the delicious homey noodles and the mostly zippy, always friendly, service are just about the same. This time we went into the meat ramens, and were not disappointed. The pork was very nice and tender, braised with a bit of hoisin (we think) and it melted in the broth with each bite. The broth remains hearty and agreeably fatty. We love the choice between getting the Tokyo Wave noodles and standard thin. We sampled the house standard Spicy Tanpopo, the Beef Stew Ramen, and the Tonkatsu, plus their above-average seaweed salad and decent pork gyoza. Portions are incredibly ample and the patronage has thinned a bit, so everything comes out fast. The flaws in the place we noted when they first opened are still evident: the lighting is beyond dim, except where it's glaringly bright with flourescent lighting leftover from the previous establishment. And it's feeling a bit beat up: the fixtures are showing the signs of age and even the tableware (we had two bowls with chips in them). The slight shabbiness may add to its charm if you're of a mind, although I could really do with an upgrade to the lighting to someplace between the blackout and operating room extremes. And I confess I'm still getting used to the sticker shock of restaurants in 2023: the bill for three, with two apps and a $6 sake carafe (a good deal) came to $72 without tip, which is just under double what we paid for four people in 2019. All that said, still a great alternative, and really hearty, pleasing noodles. read more

Tanpopo Ramen and Sake Bar - Tanpopo spicy ramen - Bars Near Me - Schenectady, New York

I finally got a chance to eat at this location of Tanpopo for a lunch meeting. I must say that I was very surprised to see that the place was absolutely dead. There was one other table present in the whole place. The place did honestly look a bit run down. It needs some updating and some love infused back into it. Our server was very kind and attentive. The ramen is still as good here as it is in Albany. I went for a departure from my typical selection of the Seafood ramen with a side of spicy and instead chose the Curry ramen with the extra spicy. That was a good decision! The curry ramen, although a lovely intensely flavorful broth, is quite spicy all on it's own. I also still stand by the choice to pay for a side of extra noodles for the very generous amount of broth that they give you. As an appetizer, we got the pork belly buns, which are still a stunner appetizer for me. My only complaint would be that they should come in a group of 4 instead of 2. If you're sharing, 2 is more like an amuse bouche. read more

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Amazing service and very good food!! I got the curry ramen and the spicy pork buns, both were very flavorful. The person who served me was very sweet, and he also offered to close the blinds for me because the sun was shining. read more

Tanpopo Ramen and Sake Bar - curry ramen with pork - Bars Near Me - Schenectady, New York

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I have been to Tanpopo many times and have loved it every time! I have finally decided on my favorite ramens in order as follows: 1. Tanpopo Spicy 2. Tonkotsu 3. Curry with Pork (shrimp just doesn't hit the same) Service is always decent, but nothing to write home about. When I have gone, there has been 1 waitress taking care of the whole place so I don't blame her for not being as attentive. Note: get the spicy pork buns appetizer (maybe multiple orders) because WOW those are amazing. Also, if you like sparkling stuff, I loved the Hana Awaka sparkling sake (as someone who is not usually the biggest fan of sake). read more

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First time eating here. The two of us came on a slow Monday evening. First off the waitress was wonderful. She was training a new person and was friendly and professional the whole time. I initially thought I wanted Curry Ramen but after the waitress told me the spice level (akin to hot Buffalo wings) I went with her suggestion of Tanpopo Spicy Ramen instead. The spice level was just where I wanted it. The Ramen had nice slices of roasted pork and a few small fish cakes in a rich broth. There was a lot of broth and I took some home and was able to have another meal with some ingredients from home. My dining companions Chicken Ramen was customized to her liking with no cilantro. The price while not inexpensive is fair for the quality. Overall a good experience. read more

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Looking for Ramen in the Schenectady area? Tanpopo is where to go. The seafood ramen is my go to, it's delicious. I also enjoy the pork belly buns and gyoza. The service is friendly and welcoming. Some booths are a bit worn, but the food makes up for a few well worn benches. read more

Tanpopo Ramen and Sake Bar - Seafood Ramen - Bars Near Me - Schenectady, New York

I really wanted to love this place because it's close to home but alas it's just okay. I ordered the Tanpopo Spicy Ramen and the broth lacked both depth and spice. The pork was without a doubt the highlight of the meal. It was tasty and tender! The seasoned egg was dry(?). Not really sure what to say about it other than if I come back I won't add it. The bowl had several chips on it so I won't say it's nice. Service was friendly and efficient. I did take the broth home for leftovers because there was just so much pork left once I was full. I'll add some heat, veggies and noddles and see what comes of it. ‍ read more

Tanpopo Ramen and Sake Bar - Tanpopo Spicy Ramen - Bars Near Me - Schenectady, New York

WHEN: Wednesday @ 2pm It was in the heart of upper union st where all of the local businesses are located. There are plenty of street parking right outside of the restaurant. The restaurant was fairly empty by the time we arrived, the lunch rush was over and getting prepped for dinner. SERVICE Server was very friendly and welcoming. She came by a couple of times to check on us which was very good. WHAT WE ORDERED Tonkotsu ramen (Tokyo cut noodles) It was so darn delicious and fresh ramen. I recommend ordering more noodles bc I finished my noodles very quickly n there were a lot of broth left. I haven't eaten ramen at all this year, it was so great bowl of ramen to devour. Seafood ramen It was very good as well. Lots of healthy seafoods. My friend liked it a lot. Fairly decent price food menu, aside from ramen, there are Japanese appetizers like yakoyaki, Gyoza, miso soups, etc. if you don't like noodles, there are Rice bowls on the menu, like Oyakidon, gyudon, katsu don, hibachi entrees. read more

Tanpopo Ramen and Sake Bar - Tonkotsu Ramen - Bars Near Me - Schenectady, New York

I've eaten a lot of ramen this place is the real thing,seems everyone is making ramen but few have the depth of flavor.careful with the heat it's 5 alarm. read more

Stumbled upon this place the other day. It was quiet when we walked in at 12:30. We were told to pick a table. Promptly a waitress came over. Serving Pepsi products, and green teas. Also beer & wine. Cute set up. Sake anyone??? We started off with the shrimp dumplings. Good but small. We both went for the spicy Ramen. I asked to extra hot. Went with a egg for a extra 1.50. When she brought it over I knew it wasn't hot. No steam coming from the dish. I tried it and we sent it back to be microwaved. I also told her it not spicy at all. She added more but just like the temperature it lacked heat. Had flavor but no heat or spice. A little pricey for lunch. 1 appetizer two soups two sodas 50.00. read more

Tanpopo Ramen and Sake Bar - Bar area - Bars Near Me - Schenectady, New York

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First time here even though it is close to our home. Likely will not return. Mr. Wasabi is next door. Ramen Bowls were 4 stars. Appetizers although priced low were 3 stars. Service was 4 stars. I ordered the Seafood Ramen Bowl and there were four shrimp in a delicious broth. I did not like the half cooked slices of red onion in the bowl. The Chinese broccoli was good. My dish was served in a ceramic bowl with a half inch CHIP in the rim. Low standards. My husband ordered the Beef Ramen and the beef was tender. Appetizers: Very small Vegetable Spring Rolls Over fried Fried Rangoons Sappora Japanese Beer was very good. Decor: 3 stars Hard wood benches and wooden tables. There were a few tables with chairs. When you enter, two t shirts are mounted on the wall -- one says "Firm Noodles" second says "Nice Buns" (worn by one waitress) Such classy ambiance. read more

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The Ramen is Really good, good portion and very fresh. For Delivery I was shocked how well it was packaged.

Excellent Ramen with delicious broth, be it chicken, curry or Tonkatsu. Charming interior at the Albany location.

I have ordered to go a few times from this location. The best thing I can say is that the quality is not compromised and it is still fresh and delicious by the time you get home. The staff taking orders and handling pick up are always friendly and happy to help. I always recommended Tanpopo whenever I can! The broth is so rich, the pork is flavorful, and overall just always a good experience! read more

Their Ramen is very good, but their rice dishes are no better than a cheap Chinese American restaurant. Super disappointing with their shrimp rice, pic included. This was $19, which includes tax and a 10% tip. I picked it up, not delivery. read more

Tanpopo Ramen and Sake Bar - Yeppenyaki shrimp rice lunch - Bars Near Me - Schenectady, New York

Review #2 Curry Ramen today. Wow! Just amazing. A riff on the tonkatsu ramen. The curry is potent which is a good thing. Shrimp Shu Mai. Not so good. NOA. Steamed Pork Dumplings. Very tasty and light. Loved them. I asked the waitress for hours of operation. They are open from 11 to 10 Sunday and weekdays and 11 to 11 on Friday and Saturday. read more

Tanpopo Ramen and Sake Bar - So beautiful:) - Bars Near Me - Schenectady, New York

Tanpopo Ramen and Sake Bar opened its second location in Schenectady, inside the former Hot Harry's space on Union Street. The menu offerings are the same as the Albany location serving up a variety of ramen noodle bowls, salads, rolls, dumplings, and teppanyaki rice dishes. The space was totally redone with a long row of booths along the windows, communal table seating, and high chair seating up at the bar. The bar offers 6 beers on tap including Sapporo, Southern Tier Mango Crush,, Allagash White, Samuel Adams, plus bottled Kyoto beer, wine, and hot and cold sake. There are also 2 flatscreen TVs too. I stopped in at Tanpopo Ramen in Schenectady for dinner. I decided to sit up at the bar for prompt service. I took a few minutes to decide on what to order. I started out with the Kani Salad ($7), shredded crabmeat/cucumber salad in spicy mayo dressing, which was pretty good. For dinner, the Tonkatsu Ramen ($11), which had  a hearty salty flavored pork bone marrow broth, tender pork slices, scallion, fish cake slices, and shredded kikurage mushroom, and Tokyo wave noodles (my choice). I was full after this meal at Tanpopo. Overall, the food I ordered was good and filling, though the Tonkatsu ramen was very salty and I was buzzing from it. I will try the Tanpopo Spicy Ramen on my next visit. The service was prompt and friendly on this visit. read more

I was excited to try the first ramen joint in the city of Schenectady. I went on a Saturday during peak lunch time and not another living customer was in the restaurant, other than the friends who I arrived with. Alas, I was not deeply impressed by the quality of the ramen, and can only award it one and a half (1.5) stars to the food itself. Its flavors and its juices were underwhelming. I ordered a spicy ramen and found it to be abrasive. I like spicy foods and eat them regularly. It was not the spiciness of the ramen that was overwhelming--it was the fact that the spiciness was particularly abrasive. Swallowing the liquids of this bowl of ramen was like having a thin strip of sandpaper sliding down my throat. On top of this, the morsels of meat were few and far between. There were just several slices of pork in my entire bowl! The price was reasonable--$12 or so--but for this price I think there could have been a little bit more flesh. Nevertheless, the flavors, other than the abrasive spiciness, were pleasant. My friends, who both ordered non-spicy ramens, found their bowls to be insufficiently flavorful. In spite of my disappointment with regards to the food itself, I was impressed by the decor and service. For this I award half (0.5) of a star. The waitress was attentive, the venue was clean and nicely decorated, and the food was prepared quickly (granted, we were the only souls in the restaurant). Overall, I was not deeply disappointed by Tanpopo, but I don't see myself coming back. read more

Tanpopo Ramen and Sake Bar - Spicy bowl - Bars Near Me - Schenectady, New York

the chicken lunch and the spicy buns were great. but the ramen was lacking...... $3 extra for the most over cooked hard boiled egg I have ever seen like legit the yoke was a golf ball, also the broth was not giving. wish they would step up their game for the prices. read more

Nice little spot. Not super polished but the food was really good. The woman who was serving looked like the owner and was friendly and attentive. I would go back again it felt very authentic and warmed you up from the inside! read more

Tanpopo Ramen and Sake Bar - Vegetable ramen with miso broth. Warm and tender! - Bars Near Me - Schenectady, New York

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First time here. It is a fun place. Got red curry ramen because I read a Yelp review that said it was spicy, but not too spicy. Instead, I found it to be at the very upper end of hot and I like spicy food. Be warned - it's hot. read more

Love Tanpopo and wish I lived closer so that I could get it more often. This place is pretty much my benchmark for ramen. I haven't been to this place in a few years and it was still just as fantastic and flavorful. We ordered the spicy ramen for takeout and now this review has me craving all over again. Highly recommend. read more

Tanpopo Ramen and Sake Bar - Spicy ramen - Bars Near Me - Schenectady, New York

Great place when you need something hot and filling! The sake selection is nice, you get a great bang for your buck on Ramen, though I always get extra of that Chashu Pork. The chicken Ramen can be made safely and deliciously gluten free with rice noodles. Also, get the edamame to go with your sake. read more

I love Tanpopo, at both their locations. At this location, although decor is sparse and simple, the food speaks for itself. Portions are huge, and while the menu does not offer pages and pages of options, I have never had something at this restaurant that I didn't love. The tonkotsu ramen is delicious and a classic- the eggs are cooked just right, the noodles are firm enough to be chewy and springy, and the broth is rich and savory. I also order the takoyaki every time I eat here. They are always a treat, served hot, and the sauce is tangy and sweet with a kick. Tanpopo offers solidly good service as well. We never have to wait long for our ramen, and the employees generally give us our space to eat without checking in to ask how we're doing at the exact moment we take a huge bite. All in all, this place sells affordable food in huge portions, and it tastes fantastic. read more

Love this place. I have eaten here twice this week grew up on baker game home and wow great food. Had the spicy pork bun great. Then had curry ramen perfect spice. I came back next day for seaweed salad and miso ramen both amazing read more

Tanpopo Ramen and Sake Bar - Spicy pork buns very good - Bars Near Me - Schenectady, New York

Service was great, apps were great, beers were great, broth and most everything in the bowl delish! ...but the actual noodles seemed fresh out of a cellophane package. read more

Tanpopo Ramen and Sake Bar - Seared tuna, Yum! Spicy Ramen and Miso Ramen... yum, delish broth... noodles meh. - Bars Near Me - Schenectady, New York

My go to spot for ramen! The veggie fried dumplings were phenomenal. The ramen tasted great and was very flavorful. Service was very welcoming, and was informative about the food prepared. Only thing I have to say negative is that they charge for to go containers ($5 for 2 pints) as I can understand with the overhead cost. Other than that, amazing experience! read more

Since this restaurant will not allow reviews on Google Maps I will post my review here for all to see. I would give it 2 out of 5 stars. When I arrived there was one other couple in the entire restaurant. The lighting was very dim which I don't understand why you'd need ambiance in a Ramen place. The bar was the only well lit area and seemed to be very poorly stocked. The waitress from what I could tell was probably a local student as Union College is nearby. She did her best to take care of me while I was there. The service was very prompt and she came back regularly to check on me to see if everything tasted good and if I needed anything else. The food here is mediocre at best. If you are ever in the area and stop here to eat please don't judge what Asian food or Japanese cuisine should be by what they serve here. It feels like there were some college kids in the back cooking the food that didn't really understand what Ramen should be. I ordered hot tea, gyoza, and Tonpopo Spicy Ramen with extra egg and noodles. The hot tea was luke warm but had a decent flavor. The gyoza felt as if they had just defrosted it and barely pan seared it. The filling was hot and had okay flavor but the cook was very inconsistent. Some were seared far more than others. The Ramen was quite disappointing. Again the food was luke warm when it arrived at the table. I could have picked up the bowl and drank the broth. The extra noodles were served in a separate bowl and were clumped together as if it had been sitting for some time. The egg in the ramen was extremely over cooked. You could tell it had been hard boiled some time ago, cut in half, and just placed in the bowl to warm through. The yolk had the consistency of cardboard. The ramen had decent flavor but little to no spice at all. There were no chili threads or anything that provided much heat at all. I travel for a living so I am used to having various experiences with food throughout the country. If this is your first time eating Ramen please don't judge with a good Ramen should be by what is served at this restaurant. read more

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Driving through and this was a great find - a ramen shop in an old historical diner. Really cool interior, very friendly and prompt service. Veggie ramen was very flavorful. read more

The service and food were excellent! We've never been to the Albany location but have only heard good things. We each shared an order of crab ragoons - they came out hot and they were delicious! My husband ordered the kani salad and he said it was the perfect blend of spicy and crunch. We ordered three different ramens and everyone enjoyed their choices. We had food leftover, because the portions are large. The saki selection is really interesting. I am going to try their rice dishes next time and I'm excited to try other saki options! read more

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Highly over priced, limited menu and best of all right in front of a methadone clinic. This place is definitely not worth the price they charge. Mostly the customers are paying high prices because they keep getting robbed. One work. Location, Location, Location. read more

Tremendous addition to the Upper Union Street dining scene. Extensive sake list with many Ramen dishes. Prompt knowledgeable severs. Try the fried oyster appetizer with the fiery ramen entree. Bigger than Albany but still cozy and packed on weekends. Quickly becoming a neighborhood favorite. Great food at reasonable prices. read more

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Ooh! I'm already making plans to come back here! Pricing is decent, clean establishment, attentive staff, and the food is amazing!!! Stop in. You'll be so glad you did! read more

Tanpopo Ramen and Sake Bar - Bars Near Me - Schenectady, New York

Lightning quick and professional service. The the food is next level good. The Seafood Ramen hits different read more

Tanpopo Ramen and Sake Bar - Seafood Ramen w/boiled egg - Bars Near Me - Schenectady, New York

Really great noodles and atmosphere. This will become a regular stop for me! (Wish that I had taken some photos)!

Stopped in here for lunch after shopping next door and it was excellent! We had the pork Ramen and spicy seafood Ramen. Both were excellent! Highly recommend! read more

In finally made the leap and tried something other than the scrumptious spicy ramen, and had the equally (if not more delicious) shrimp curry ramen - it ridiculous! Kylie and Courtney at the counter were phenomenal with their hospitality, and made us feel right at home, as we slurped up our delicious dinner! Thank you!! read more

Tanpopo Ramen and Sake Bar - Curry shrimp ramen - yummmmmmm!! - Bars Near Me - Schenectady, New York

This place is actually out of the atmosphere! All sorts of Japanese beer and saki. Multiple options of soups noodle dishes and rice dishes. The bowls are tremendous. You will be full. Not to mention the appetizers pork bellies sandwiches. I could live off them I would need anything else besides an ice cold Sapporo beer. Crab rangoon's are delish and the dumpling fried or steamed are........Im hungry!! read more