Mystic Ramen — Restaurant in Hamilton

We visited Mystic Ramen in Hamilton as a pitstop/lunch on our way back from Niagara Falls to Toronto yesterday, and found them on Google maps and decided to try them out, did not disappoint.

The shop is located in downtown Hamilton on a small and seemly quiet side street populated by other cool little restaurants. From the outside the restaurant is small and not very noticeable, but we can tell it's really busy by seeing quite a few people sitting inside through the windows, going inside it has a chic and hip ambiance, with upbeat music, a video projector projecting Japanese anime videos on a white wall, and really busy on a saturaday at 2:30pm (when most restaurants are winding down their lunch business),

We are both vegetarians and they have a relatively nice selection of vegan and vegetarian ramen bowl options, our server was very patient and meticulous in explaining the different vegetarian options and ingredients to us , which we appreciated. We can see thar they have put in a lot of intentional effort to create a menu that is vegan and vegetarian friendly. We chose the curry miso raman and the spicy miso raman, as well as the Passion Fruit Pannacotta dessert.

The Ramen are delicious and chewy, the broth is flavorful but a bit more watery than other Ramen places such as Midori which I would have preferred a more thicker and creamy broth, the Pannacotta was quite nice, our server took a bit longer to find out if they have them available when we asked them about ordering the dessert, so they surprisingly and delightedly provided the dessert to us complementary on the house for making us wait for the dessert, that was quite nice of them. We can tell that they really cared about creating a great customer experience for us, its nice to see that in a business. There are a lot of intentionality in the little details which I can see would be some of the reasons why its so busy there

Compared to the surrounding vicinity of the restaurant where it seems the business is not very busy and a bit desolate with quite a bit of homeless walking around, this restaurant is a rare Hip and trendy ramen oasis in the heart of downtown Hamilton that is wonderful place to visit, we will come back again when we...

We are absolutely enthralled with a recent visit to Mystic Ramen on Good Friday. This restaurant came with high recommendations from a friend and we were NOT disappointed. The décor is nicely done (especially the seated bar) and environment is very cozy and inviting. Environment aside, the staff made our seating and experience delightful from entry to exit. I will admit the space constraints (as with a lot of niche downtown restaurants with smaller footprints) did place a bit of hesitation in us entering with a stroller and kid, we were nevertheless welcomed warmly and accommodations were made for seating. Washroom facilities were clean, thoughtful and minimalistic. The washrooms are down a staircase, so it may pose an issue for those with mobility issues (I admit I did not personally see a main floor washroom/elevator).

We were provided with a QR scan card that took us a digital menu. It was easy to navigate and prices were reasonable. It was not until I had a chance to eat the food before being absolutely floored by the quality and felt the prices were more than justified. The portion sizes are fair, but do expect to order appetizers or accompanying items as a single main dish is not enough to fill. The broth is strong and aromatic, nothing "out of a can" or "from powder" which ties in nicely with our chosen dishes. It was a delight downing all the broth after the noodles and didn't leave us with a terrible after taste and dehydrated. I am informed that it's a nut-free establishment, and the use of sesame for that 'nutty' flavour was well thought-out.

While I'm looking forward to my next visit to try new dishes, I almost feel obligated to eat the three we chose this time as they are "tried, tested and true". I will have to say that Mystic Ramen is going to be replacing my existing 'de facto ramen place' ... only wishing that the parking situation on the street could get sorted (at no...

If I could give this place 1000 stars, I would. We have been customers of Mystic for years and were likely some of the first people who tried them when they took over their stall in the market. I am so proud of how they have grown and expanded in popularity and I AM OBSESSED with their beautiful new storefront on King William. I have never had a negative experience at Mystic and have been bringing friends and family there religiously.

Owners: two beautiful souls who are passionate about inclusiveness and authentic soul food. The kindest and most humble people you will meet in the restaurant industry.

Food: something for everyone! They have vegan and gluten free options as well as a slew of broths and noodle types. They also just expanded their menu to include tasty appetizers like the edamame dip (YUMMO!). My personal favourite is the tantanmen.. a nutty and rich broth served with ground pork (or puffed tofu) and the best damn ramen eggs in the world. I like to ask for two scoops of gunpowder to make it extra spicy.

Ambiance: beautifully designed interior with unique artwork and fixtures. The bar is also gorgeous and I love the handpicked decor and custom ordered peices.

Inclusiveness: these people care about the Hamilton community, and everyone in it. They often fundraise for various charities and they support indigenous and LGBTQ2S+ rights. I love how much they give back and care.

Overall: Run! Don't walk to try these beautiful bowls of ramen (seriously, they are like art to look at). Make a reservation so you aren't disappointed as they are consistently busy, especially in the...