Mizūmi Ramen Bar | Hoofddorp ラーメン — Restaurant in Haarlemmermeer

As we were sitting down we felt it was a pretty cute place but it really did feel quite cramped. They've really outdone themselves with decoration to their credit, but there's a large amount of seats in a pretty small space.

When we got the ramen, the flavor was largely fine but there wasn't that much broth and the bowl was stuffed with ingredients to the point where it felt like there wasn't much 'soup'

The chashu was saltier than it should have been, almost like bacon. The noodles did not really feel special. I don't think they make them themselves.

We didn't get much attention from the staff until the bowls were put on the table. Then within a minute two different staff members came by to ask if everything was alright while I hadn't even had a chance to take a bite yet. We were also asked at some point if we wanted to make an Instagram post for a chance to win a bowl of ramen. The service in that sense felt a bit disruptive.

Overall I thought it was fine flavor wise but not worth the asking price, wait time and cramped feeling. I could not move my chair backwards at all as I bumped into the person behind me if I did.

We also had karaage and home-made iced tea. The ice tea was bland and the karaage was unexceptional.

With the pricing and design of the interior it kinda just felt like the owner wanted to capitalize on the pop culture perception and hype around Japan with little respect to how Japanese cuisine is actually supposed to look/taste - with an undeserved 4.8 star rating. There's only Dutch people in the staff which is not inherently wrong (I'm Dutch myself), but to me does evidence a lack of understanding of Japanese cuisine when the bowl comes late, overstuffed and with bad inauthentic Chashu for a pretty high price. As if I went and started serving Dongbei cuisine (which I might never understand at a high level) under a trendy name and location for a considerable upcharge. Just not a great feeling, very inauthentic.

Do yourself a favor: try ramen kingdom in Amsterdam, Yokohama Ramen Saito in Schiedam or Tensai Ramen...

WONDERFULLY MADE. ABSOLUTELY LOVE THE EXPERIENCE WE HAD THERE :)

I have to say this place really deserves its high ranking. Please please come and try yourself. I was blown away!! At first, I was a bit skeptical because Hoofddorp is not very big on Asian food (not a huge Asian community here compared to Amsterdam, for instance). But seriously this restaurant exceeded my expectations in so many levels. Really worth the amount of stars they have now!!

ALL the staffs seem genuine and kind, super engaging as well! Love love the Miso Special a staff recommended as it tasted super amazing. I’m addicted now, just wanted to go back! Haha! It’s a mixture of the thick and intense taste and a bit creamy, pure as well, making it perfectly umami. As an Asian, I approved. The noodles were cooked perfectly. The meat was a bit medium (I like well-done) but overall goes well with the bowl (you can also tell them to adjust). Everything else was exceptional. I also love the selection they make with the toppings. I will DEFINITELY come back!! The Tori Paitan ramen was also amazing!!

The side dish we chose was pork marinated in soy-garlic sauce! At first, it was salty but the staff/manager managed to request an extra grill from the kitchen with a bit more honey for us, so eventually it tastes amazing as well! I love the fact that they take customers’ opinions into consideration and even made it up for us! All in all, an absolutely lovely experience!! Really the Japanese omotenashi (~hospitality) that is hard to find elsewhere. Love love!!

I’ll come to eat the Miso special next time with a matcha latte if they have oat milk or soya (I have lactose intolerance).

Overall, one of the BEST ramen restaurants on my list of must-try ramen shops now in the Netherlands!! Hope they could maintain such quality, and expand to other cities. Will definitely come back!! Thank you for the...

I had high hopes for Mizumi Ramen Bar—the name alone sets a certain expectation. Unfortunately, the experience didn’t live up to it.

I waited around 35–40 minutes for my food, and honestly, I was hoping the wait meant something special was being prepared. But when the ramen finally arrived, it was lukewarm, bland, and completely underwhelming. The broth lacked depth, the noodles were average at best, and the dish overall had no real flavour to speak of. It wasn’t bad—it was just completely forgettable. And for ramen, that’s a crime.

Curious about the kitchen, I noticed that the chefs weren’t Japanese, which isn’t a problem in itself—but the food also didn’t reflect any authentic Japanese technique or taste. It felt like a poor imitation rather than a respectful fusion.

There were only three servers for the entire restaurant. They were doing their best, but it was clearly not enough. The whole place felt understaffed and overwhelmed.

Very expensive for what you get. For that kind of money, you'd expect either excellent food or a premium experience—or preferably both. Here, you get neither.

All in all, it was a disappointing visit. I wouldn’t recommend it unless they seriously rethink the quality, pricing, and overall service. It's definitely not worth the hype...