Ramen Arashi Victoria — Restaurant in Victoria

Review is being made while store is practically new, therefore the restaurant is still finding its best operating procedures without sacrificing quality *I made this review after sleeping on it for a few days because I want them to be successful without being overly critical. *

Positive: Easy to find location, plenty of free parking available, diverse choices of soup base, and roasted pork is delicious. Interior is nice and spacious and there is bar seating.

Talented artist that drew out the menu on the wall.

Place is popular so be prepared to wait/line up

Negative: staff forgot our (just 2 of us) order and we figured it out when it became really awkward not once, not twice but a third time a different staff came to us and ask if we are ready to order.

It was pretty obvious when people who came in after us was able to eat and leave before we were done. We were there for an 1.5 hour...most it it just waiting.

When we ask the first person that took our order if our order is coming. The staff never apologize, left and never came back with our answer.

Nit picking alert we notice no consistency with the usual greeting/goodbye when you leave/enter the store. One staff tried but gave up after when another staff made a comment in Japanese the other staff is yelling too much...

Food for thought: prices are on the high side for what we get. (Food prices have gone up so this isn't a surprise) Quantity of food left more to be desired.

For myself, the food is just...ramen... Yes it tasted delicious but it's not really that different from other competitors.

Limited opening menu, so it looks like they will of be expanding their menu once they have some food equipment in.

We also notice that they expanded their hours to accommodate demands. It makes me wonder if the staff are going to be burnt out, which I have seen with many new restaurant where initially everything is fantastic, but overtime restaurants struggle to keep up with its own high expectations.

The restaurant is in the "honey moon" stage where people are just excited for something new. I still recommend coming and I will post an updated review after a...

I just finished watching ラーメン大好き小泉さん for the umpteenth time and I was craving for some authentic ramen bad. Had this discussion with my boyfriend to try this place (was on my list but out of commission lately for my bad back). Nevertheless we squeezed time between after his class and before grocery errand time.

This place does not disappoint and blows most local ramen joints out of the water. I ordered their appetizer sampler to start; I love the eggs and bamboo shoots while my man slurp up the chashu. He downed his Tonkatsu and Sapporo beer while I went for Black Arashi Tan Tan. It was extremely good with the broth being so incredibly flavorful and rich. Already decided in my head going to try standard tan tan next visit and in subsequent visits other flavors. I finished off with a taiyaki which was perfect for a cold windy day.

If there's anything that is slightly off-putting was the music selection; it sounded like music belonging to a steak cookhouse in the middle of Manitoba. The up side was the staff were incredibly polite and you don't feel rushed with them throwing the bill and POS at you while you're only a 1/3 eating your bowl like certain other places in town. You pretty much have to flag them down or else they'll just let you sit there feeling food comatose and comfortable!

I've heard this small chain received accolades in their Banff and Las Vegas locations. Thank you for choosing Victoria as your BC location of choice. Definitely the new ramen staple place and enough to keep us from missing Vancouver too much during the pandemic. You will be seeing me again soon. 🤤🍜

Update (24 Feb 22): they're now playing Japanese music which sets the mood a bit better. Nothing headbanging yet but like their expanding menu, I'm sure the music selection will expand and improve to wow all their clientele. Also don't forget to ask for a punch card. For every 4 ramens ordered you get a free appetizers. Definite plus for those who'll become...

“It can pass as [one from] a Vancouver ramen joint. In fact, Arashi needs a Vancouver location” - me to the host, after he checked up on me about my tan tan ramen.

I'm a Vancouver-based anime con presenter who's known for a presentation that also solicits local ramen recs during out-of-town cons I present at (since I love trying out good local eats). I ran that presentation at Tsukino-Con and one of my audience members recommended Arashi, so I came here for lunch after bouncing early on Sunday before taking the ferry home.

I ordered the gyoza and the tan-tan ramen (the signature ramen, according to the host). The gyoza is crispy and tastes like it's made in-house (meaty and juicy). It's a bit greasy, however, which is improvable by draining the gyoza for longer after it's out of the deep fryer. Now the tan tan ramen slaps. The soup is flavourful and creamy while having the right amount of spice, the noodles are al-dente, the pork belly melts in your mouth, and the garlic chips remain crispy despite being submerged in broth for 10 minutes.

I'm also impressed at how the host (a non-Japanese guy who can communicate with Japanese-speaking staff) built a rapport with me during my stay. He was there along the way from communicating the waitlist policy and asking for a candid review after I disclosed that I’m from Vancouver, to checking up on me after I finished my ramen and wishing me a safe trip home (both of which where he addressed me by name).

I still hope Arashi can open a Vancouver location. But in the meantime, I look forward to returning once I'm back...