Ramenka Budapest — Restaurant in Budapest

Here's the thing: I see there have been some really high marks for this noodle shop and some really low ones, with the low ones seeming to grade on an absolute scale against places with more authenticity / built-in experience in crafting ramen bowls and the high ones not really qualifying much with feedback.

I'm giving it 4 stars for delivering consistent quality in a fairly cross-cultural selection of noodle houses in BP (there's no ramen-ya scene to speak of yet) and for offering a decent array of sides (yes, the gyoza is very good, as others have mentioned). Now is it mind-blowing, innovative ramen? Not really. But does it do the basics well enough for a market that appreciates the flavor & ingredient combinations that make it ramen and not just a generic meat, broth, and noodle soup? Yes, certainly.

I came to Budapest a few years back from NYC, where there's a relative embarrassment of riches when it comes to ramen joints and places that have the know-how and experience to do it. In comparison, Ramenka is pretty basic.

I agree that more could be done to achieve authenticity and innovation like 24-hour tonkotsu ramen bone broth, wider variety in preparation techniques & ingredients, etc. But those things take time, effort, training, etc. (I don't think having Asian owners or kitchen staff necessarily has much to do with that if the blueprint, training, and mindset is right).

The fact is that until the patrons that come regularly and frequently through the door are people who recognize and love the things that make a truly stellar bowl of ramen what it is to the point that they're willing to pay for all the extras that go into that each and every time, that amazing not gonna happen.

Maybe (hopefully) in a few years more ramen places will open up here to compete, and one of them will start pulling off bowls of soup more akin to what one would find at an established higher-end ramen place like Ippudo or Ramen Setagaya (both Japan/NYC/International).

I'm rooting for Ramenka. Their success has help lay the groundwork for greater ramen popularity here in Budapest. And I do hope they do get to a point where they can dare to raise their ramen game and offer something thoughtfully conceived and different. I'm saving my fifth star for when I can sit down and eat that special bowl of Ramenka ramen.

At this moment in this city, Ramenka is tops of their niche, a big fish in a very small pond, and I think a lot of people can be happy with that. While I'm here, I'll keep coming back and enjoying it as the best of what the scene has to offer, all the while crossing my fingers for the Budapest Ramen...

Very poor imitation of japanese food! Upon entering you get the feeling that ok this is a 4 star place that with a good enough food can reach 5 stars. But you sit down and it starts going downhill from there. First downside is the very stupid ordering system, you are asked to provide and verify an email so you can order on your phone in age of convenience and privacy this is just 0 in both areas. Then the food arrives and you are faced with a very average ramen, its not good enough to bring you back nor bad enough to get you out. We tried beef and pork belly, beef was very dry and overall the broth while ok lacked any sort of excitement or flavor to make you more interested. The dumplings on the other hand were better than average, spring rolls were slightly oily for my taste and vegan option part bland and flavorless but overall the texture and looks were in a better shape than the ramen combined with the sauce it was actually enjoyable. Overall, first impression you get is a take on an authentic Asian restaurant and assuming the menu is a try on being modern and giving you space but as you spend time you start to notice how soulless the place is. The waitresses while kind, did not speak a word with me which was rude but convenient for them as my girlfriend spoke Hungarian. If food was the only factor ramen would get a 2 star and dumplings push it to a weak 3 star as the food is just that, average! But add the rest its a...

This restaurant is borderline evil. The establishment is purposefully set up to collect a working email from you and give you no time to change your mind about the place given its red flags before you spend over 10 euro on really disappointing food.

Once you've found a table, you will notice that the menu is on a QR code. It brings you to a login page where you must give an email and verify it before it brings you to the food. The website is also how you place your order, sealing your fate. This means that mere seconds after sitting down, if you were really hungry, you could have ordered and paid before realizing all the bad signs of this place. This is what they want.

The ramen is unreasonably salty, maybe urging somebody to buy a drink... The ramen and food seemed to have been sitting in the kitchen for quite some time, and it all came fairly quickly... The temperature of the food makes me guess they have some sort of microwave system set up. My buddy ordered some kind of meat sauce with rice and the meat sauce was visibly solidifying and the rice looked like it was sat there perfectly shaped for a long time.

At the end when I paid at the counter, the man at the desk did not look me in the eyes which really just confirms to me that they know what...