Shiki Menya — Restaurant in Calgary

My husband and I wanted to try Shiki Menya after all the hype we had heard about it. We decided to go on a Saturday, around noon. It is incredibly busy in the Bridgeland area, so we had to do a few laps before finding a parking spot on a nearby block. When we arrived, there were two couples in front of us waiting for a table, but it was a relatively short wait - about 10 minutes.

The restaurant is very clean and modern, with a large outdoor patio area. There is lots of table and bar seating options throughout - it was actually a lot more spacious than I was expecting.

They were very busy inside, and it took quite awhile for a server to come to our table. We wanted to order tea, but they did not have any hot tea options - only cold - which I found very unusual for a ramen house.

We started with the chili goma flavour fried chicken karaage. All I can say is WOW - it was absolutely outstanding! For $9, we received a generous portion of delectable fried chicken - very similar to boneless wings - in a delicious sweet and spicy sauce with an incredible, smooth, creamy dipping sauce on the side. The dish had a perfect degree of spiciness and was a great start to the meal. I would absolutely go back just for this dish.

Now onto the ramen - I ordered the hazy chicken shoyu and my husband ordered the tonkotsu nu-classic. We were expecting a lot from this ramen based on what we'd heard, but unfortunately it really fell short. For the positives, both ramens had very good noodles, which seemed to be made with whole wheat flour and were definitely fresh and perfectly cooked. The broths were tasty, but not at all spicy, nor was there any sriracha available. I was disappointed in the chicken broth, as I found it lacked body.. it was a well developed flavour, but felt a bit thin and was not what I was expecting/craving from a ramen broth.

Both ramens were very thin on toppings - each had only half a (very liquidy) egg; the chicken ramen had only one extremely thin slice of beef; and the tonkotsu had only two slices of pork.

While the appetizer was outstanding, it missed the mark for the feature dish - ramen. While still decent, the ramen was way overpriced for what you get. Overall, it was way over hyped, and I would only return to have the...

Been wanting to try out Shiki for almost three years now but never had the power to wait in line for too long. Fortunately, we got up early morning on a holiday morning and decided to just go and try it out. We still waited outside but just for a brief couple of minutes. I think it’s best to go here with just one companion so you can go skip the line and head out to their bar counter table. Most big groups had to wait for too long for what I observed. I like the ambience of the restaurant with their up to date hip-hop tunes and funky-Tokyo interior design. Of course we had to wait for another 45minutes to get our hot bowls of ramen but we didn’t mind as we are so excited to finally try it. I got the MISO GARLIC RAMEN and it was just Okay. Charsiu pork was charbroiled and taste really good. Noodles are firm and not too much in quantity. The soup was okay with a little hint of spice and garlic flavour. There’s not much in my bowl and I’d say the servings weren’t that generous. I felt betrayed with all those hype years when I always see the place jam-packed with folks and good reviews from our friends. My partner’s bowl was TONKOTSU BLACK and it wasn’t that good to be honest. Soup taste bland and the sea weed flavour enveloped the whole experience. My partner didn’t like it and so am I. While sitting on the bar and watching the kitchen and front of the house crew, they were all moving fast and really precise with all the customers’ orders. We noticed that they only have 2 people by the kitchen doing the bowls and there were a lot of tables inside including the patio area. So I guess that’s ratio of the kitchen crew to tables weren’t that suitable to serve a fast-paced ramen place, hence the long wait for both outside and inside. I’m not saying you shouldn’t go here and try out their food. I’d say it’s pretty much delicious and there are more choices in their menu. Plus I really like the vibe of the resto and the quality service of all the crew members. And that’s why I’m still giving them 4 stars. I’d be back next time to try out their premium...

I've changed my opinion of this place over my last few visits, the food is good but the business leaves much to be desired and seem to be undergoing enshitification.

Atmosphere: the place is small and cramped even after they moved, there is very little space so don't order too many dishes and be prepared to sit awkwardly with randos sharing your table and elbow space. There is nowhere to put your coat, as the chairs are backless stools so you either have to sit on it or hold it in your lap. The music is always so loud its like being in a club, combine with near no face to face seating and no reservations allowed makes this a TERRIBLE DATE EXPERIENCE.

Service: the kitchen makes no effort to serve an order at the same time; we got our side dishes 20min after the ramen when we had already finished eating. You cannot split your bill, it takes them too much time. Time that you, as their customer, are not worth or allowed. They also don't offer take away containers anymore fyi, if you want to take your late sides home. They say it's to go plastic free but there are plenty of paper and cellulose options that are fully compostable available. Again, not their problem, thats on the customer.

Food: the food is delicious, and completely over shadowed by how uncomfortable the dining experience is, which is a damn shame. With the new menu the prices have also increased, which can be expected with inflation.

Overall: Shiki Menya, you've lost my recommendation and business, there are other fantastic ramen places in calgary that are a treat to dine in and don't rush you through your meal. SM, you post your customers complaints on your website like a badge of honor but it's honestly disappointing that you can't take any constructive criticism and build a better business, one that makes their customers feel welcome and eager to return.

But it's great if you; eat alone, only order one item that you've picked before arriving, don't wear jackets, don't use credit cards and really appreciate good old fashioned food...