Tanpopo Ramen — Restaurant in Waitematā

Been there on a Saturday evening wishing to get some quick dinner for 2. Have been a patron for years and always had good impression about Tanpopo Ramen however the latest visit has been a complete disappointment.

We waited to be seated but nobody brought us menu after we sat down. We had to ask 2 different staff for menu and went through the same process for someone to come and take our orders. During the whole time there were only 4 tables of customers including us and instead of helping customers, the floor staff was busy filling the drink cabinet. We eventually ordered 2 ramen, dumplings, rice and 2 beers. The ramen and beer came first followed by the fried rice whereas the dumplings never showed up. Instead, the table next to us who came in a lot later got theirs. They also seated another 2 customers right next to us with the tables literally 5cm apart while there're plenty of empty 2-seater spaces available. Would anyone appreciated sitting so close to complete strangers when it's completely unnecessary?

Honestly this is just too many errors considering the restaurant was not even half full. Won't be coming back again and advise those who's considering to visit here to be prepared for a substandard service. We were being polite the whole time there but I don't think the shop appreciate it and we certainly didn't feel comfortable or welcome there. On your visit here just sit wherever you want and shout loudly across the room to the waiting staff and kitchen, you'll get served semi immediately. That's what the other table...

The food here is amazing! Always love ramen. This is only my second time here. The reason it is getting a lower rating was because of how fast they kicked us out. Their website says they close at 10, but it was before 9:30 and they came around and just said ‘last order.’ We were like, okay, no thank you we’re fine. 10 minutes after that they turned the music off and when we looked up he said from the counter ‘we’re closed.’ Yup, ok, we’re finishing up our drinks and soup. They had already started putting the chairs up and due to the quickness at which he was putting them up one fell onto the floor with a loud bang. Alright, atmosphere ruined, let’s go. We stood up from the table furthest from the counter and I had barely put my jacket on when he said from the counter (before we had even started moving towards it!) ‘How are you paying? Altogether or separate?’ I said ‘yeah hold on, we’re coming!?’ I found this so rude, I am also a manager of a restaurant and this is unacceptable, they were practically begging us to leave and we could very obviously see that they wanted to go home. We had barely finished our meals, barely finished putting on our jackets and they were already chasing us out before 10pm. Not cool. Totally ruined...

My girlfriend and I were staying at a nearby AirBnB and figured ramen would make a good meal after 30 hours of flying.

I ordered the Tanpopo Ramen and my girlfriend had the Soy Ramen. The food arrived quickly and hot and we were actually surprised at the flavours, they seemed unique and different from other ramen we've had around New Zealand. The noodles were super good and the bamboo shoots, which I've often found mushy at other restaurants, still had some crunch and a distinct flavour. I personally liked the Soy ramen dish even more then mine.

If I went back I think I would arrive a bit earlier then 7:30 - I feel like the broth was a bit too thick for my liking. It was very tasty and not nearly as salty as other ramen I've had, but by the end I found it a bit too fatty.

The staff were super friendly the whole time, and we were happy to shuffle out quickly to allow space for a group waiting at the door for a spot.

Overall really good and would definitely go back and try something else!

(I think it needs to be said that I'm super white and haven't had a whole lot of non-Migoreng ramen; but places like Tanpopo are definitely getting me interested in...