Karma Ramen — Restaurant in Vienna

I still remember the first time I went to Karma Ramen. I had a massive hangover after my brother's party and need some extra power to bring me back to life. Ramen. Karma Ramen delivered exactly what I needed. My soul and my body instantly started to radiate happiness. This a bit over 2 years ago. I was a regular since then. I went there in March 2019 and a minute after my Ramen arrived and I had my first blob of disappointment – the chicken was cold. Not even room temperature, just cold. I remedied that by immersing it in Ramen for some more time. Still, I believe this just should not happen.

Spiciness is another point where we both had severe doubts. I felt no spice whatsoever in Karma Dragon 2.0. If you put a flame next to an item on the menu, make it actually spicy.

What didn’t help the overall impression is how watery the broth felt: it was lacking the fattiness and depth of a good ramen. It didn’t linger on the tongue, made no real impression that you would cherish later.

By no means it was a catastrophic meal. It was decent. I ate everything and indeed felt a bit better. But the magic is gone. Also what does not help the overall impression is how much they crowded the room with more tables. Just waiting for the accident to happen as even waiting staff can't move...

I've lived in Japan for two years and I'm a big ramen fan. The first thing I do when I travel to a city is to find the local ramen place and try it out.

The service here is impeccable, the décor only tops it. The wall murals transport you to contemporary Tokyo. Little known fact- they've a beautiful outdoors garden seating at the back, just ask for it. This place is perfect for a date/meeting/friends hangout or even if you're going alone.

And now comes the elephant in the room- the food -the taste-the essential umami. I had the pork gyoza and the karma dragon ramen with extra chashu pork. Both of them were delicious.

I understand what others here are talking about when they say the flavor was lacking. But that's not correct. I actually appreciate the chef for taking a bold direction, he's keeping the flavor true to ramen, and at the same time experimenting with new ingredients. Way too many ramen shops add artificial flavors, but not here. You can taste the difference.

Vienna you've a wonderful gift in Karma! If the chef ever reads this review, please open a restaurant in New York!

Will...

As previous reviewers already said, it’s not at all authentic japanese food. The ‘Ramen’ part in ‘Karma Ramen’ are only there for marketing purpose to cash in on japanese culture. With the ‘Karma’ the customer gets bullied to pay tips. Why else would there be a sign saying ‘Tipping is good karma’. This sign is so wrong on so many levels.

1. We are not in the US, where we need to bully the customer for tips.
2. Good karma is also paying your staff fairly
3. In Japan there is no tipping culture at all, but since beeing authentic was never the point, cherry picking only the best parts.
4. Misusing a principle for personal gain. Disgusting.

However after reading this i decided not to pay tip, so it may work. Greedy actions lead to no tips - well karma i guess. Imagine paying 16 EUR for something that is not even close to a ramen and a glass of water and while you eat this pseudo fusion ramen, the only thing you can stare at is a badly drawn manga character. Or a sign that tells you better to pay tip when you leave, to secure a good cosmic fate for your life.

I’ll guess...