Ramen Nagi - SM North EDSA — Restaurant in Quezon City

I've tasted many different Ramen in my life and their ramen is my latest. I've tasted it before and given it a five star but after a year it's not the same Ramen as before.

Let me start with the place itself. The place isn't well ventilated for a place full of spicy ramen. You are also forced to sit beside strangers during the hungriest hours on their four seat tables.

Next, the Ramen itself. I remember ordering a year ago a chef recommendation Ramen. I was served the normal "Butao" ramen and it tasted good that time though I think for half the price you can buy same quality ramen. Their ramen today isn't just like before. The noodles were cut short, chef's recommendation is too spicy to be slurped without coughing and the chashu (pork slices) had a weird aftertaste. Also, tamago (egg) doesn't come standard with their Ramen. For a Ramen that's close to ₱500, I think that's unacceptable. Some ramen joints serve noodles with whole sliced tamago for a lot less. We ordered the tamago separately and to be fair, it tastes good.

One thing that made me quite mad while dining is about the mineral water I ordered for ₱50. I was served with a "purified drinking water" branded by SM instead. I called the manager by then. For ₱50 I can buy 2 purified drinking water in gallon containers with change to share.

Dining there is a disappointment. I can eat good Ramen for ₱300 at another ramen restaurant which is in SM...

I had such a good experience at the Makati branch so I thought it would be the same at SM North. To say that I was shocked was an understatement. The staff were poorly trained. Not only were they not accommodating (they did not welcome us when we entered unlike in the Makati branch, I literally had to initiate the convo first to tell them to seat us at a table for 3), they were even ignoring us when we were calling for them to give our orders, I was raising my hand and looking back to see if they can see me. They can. But they literally just stared and averted their gaze. The rudest one was the older one (she has grey hair) who treated us like we were just eating at a steet food cart, was talking to us as if we weren't customers. The only okay-ish one was the younger woman in her late 20s maybe. Polite and waited on us properly. When I was in queue for the restroom, I did notice tho that they were only accommodating to big parties or older customers and I think it's because of a bigger service charge. Train your staff well. Keep up with the Makati branch. You shouldn't be in this industry if you don't know...

Update: They renovated this branch, so my observations about the interior have changed. Wow, the upgrade is so fantastic! The vibes are much cooler, more modern and inviting. There’s a funky floating bonsai in the middle of the dining area that I can say I have never seen before anywhere. So kudos to management for improving the place ——

Delicious ramen. Offers the same quality of ramen that most Ramen Nagi branches do. Delicious, heavy broth with noodles cooked to the customer's liking.

My companion tried their 1-5PM set, which was a smaller bowl of ramen, a rice bowl and a few side dishes. The ramen tasted delicious, and the rice bowl was also quite good. The sides had a lower quality. It was wasabi-potato, mixed vegetables, and crisps. It's an okay meal for those who want to eat a meal with variety but filling at the same time.

This branch probably exudes the least cool vibes among the Ramen Nagi branches I've visited though. Something about the harsh light and the crampness...