Don Don Ramen — Restaurant in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria

Don't be put off by the street it's on, the unexciting shopfront or the darkish oldish interior. Don't be put off even if you found out that it's owned by Filipinos. Their speciality is, as the name suggests, ramen. And they pride themselves in the fact that they make their own noodles. Ramen is not very known here on this island, and Don Don Ramen is just about the only place you can have ramen whenever you fancy one (except when they're closed, that is).

I can thoroughly recommend their Tantanmen, if you like your ramen spicy; otherwise try one of the others. I've also tried the Shio. On this occasion, I would have preferred it to be hotter and less salty.

The Takoyaki were great, they melt in your mouth, but I couldn't get much of the umami taste of octopus.

The matcha cheesecake was delicious and the mochi was quite good, but could do with more anko. There was barely any of it in the filling. Both are made in the premises.

They don't have an extensive menu but there's enough to entice me to keep coming back to go through it.

Word of caution: the restrooms are up quite a steep staircase. Be careful especially when coming down. They don't have outdoor seating. What you see in front of the restaurant belongs to the...

(Abajo en español) Last night my partner and I stumbled upon this restaurant on the way to our favourite Korean spot and it smelt so good that we decided to change our plans and give this place a try instead. I´m SO HAPPY we did. Born and raised in Los Angeles, my palette is conditioned to the rich flavours of Asian food from many regions, and it can be hard to find these authentic flavours in Spain. From the moment we entered the ambiance was perfect. Michael, our server (and perhaps the owner?) was friendly, polite and very welcoming. The decor was clean and minimalistic, as is traditional in Japanese restaurants. Peering into the kitchen from our seats, you could see that it was spotless, as were the restrooms and, of course, the dining area. Then, there´s the food. We started with the kimchi, which was spectacular and perfectly authentic. My sister´s husband is Korean and it tasted exactly like the kimchi that his mother and grandmother make. For the main course, my partner ordered the miso ramen (9.80) and I had the vegetarian ramen (8.80). Both of them were prepared perfectly, full of flavour and garnished to perfection. We typically eat very light dinners and had planned to taste half and bring the rest home for lunch the next day, but simply could´t put our spoons down! We both completed every last bite of our ramen. I regret nothing! To finish, we ordered a 180 ml taste of the sake, which was enough for two small shots each to wash down our delicious meal. The flavours at Don Don Ramen are authentic and delicious and the prices are very fair considering the quality of the food and the friendly service. I plan to return soon to taste their lunch menu and absolutely recommend this restuarant! Thanks Micheal and Don Don team! You have two happy new clients :)

Mejor Ramen en Gran Canaria Anoche mi pareja y yo encontramos este restaurante de camino a nuestro sitio coreano favorito. Olía tan rico que decidimos cambiar nuestros planes y probar el Don Don Ramen en vez del otro. Estoy tan feliz de haberlo hecho! Nacido y criado en Los Ángeles, mi paleta está condicionada a los ricos sabores de la comida asiática, y es difícil encontrar estos sabores auténticos en España. Desde el momento en que entramos, el ambiente fue perfecto. Michael, nuestro servidor (y quizás el propietario?) era amable, educado y muy acogedor. La decoración era limpia y minimalista, como es tradicional en los restaurantes japoneses. Mirando hacia la cocina desde nuestros asientos, se podía ver que estaba impecable, como los baños y, por supuesto, el comedor. Pero lo que realmente me flipé fue la comida. Comenzamos con el kimchi, que fue espectacular y perfectamente auténtico. El marido de mi hermana es coreano, y el kimchi de Don Don sabía exactamente como el kimchi que hacen su madre y su abuela. Para el plato principal, mi compañero pidió el miso ramen (9.80) y yo el ramen vegetariano (8.80). Ambos estaban preparados perfectamente, llenos de sabor y decorados a la perfección. Normalmente cenamos muy ligero y entramos con el plan de probar la mitad y llevar el resto a casa para almorzar al día siguiente, ¡pero simplemente no podíamos bajar nuestras cucharas! Ambos completamos hasta el último bocado de nuestro ramen. Para terminar, pedimos 180 ml del sake come digestivo, que fue suficiente para dos pequeños chupitos cada uno para bajar la comida. Los sabores en Don Don Ramen son auténticos y deliciosos y los precios son muy razonables teniendo en cuenta la calidad de la comida y el servicio amable. Tengo pensado volver pronto para probar su menú de día y absolutamente recomiendo este restaurante! Gracias, Micheal y equipo de Don Don! Tienes dos clientes...

The shio ramen here is the tastiest in the area by a small but noticeable margin, and somewhat competitively priced at 11 euros, or 13 euros for a large double portion. The broth and chashu is of superior quality to competitors, a worthwhile tradeoff for only receiving one slice. Any thinner however and it may raise an eyebrow. The use of kikurage instead of the dirt-cheap beansprout - which in the west apparently now belongs in every ramen - is not to be overlooked.

It is clear that a delicate balancing act is at play here. A little less of the most expensive ingredient for consistent quality and greater variety, at a price point that looking at pictures won’t sway you, but will once you have a taste.

I hope they grow by attracting even more customers, instead of risking toppling this balance with a millimetre too thin or a euro too high. An immediate improvement at no cost would be the eggs, or at least my egg. About 90 to 120 seconds boiled too long. A ramen + gyoza lunch set like your competitors may help too.

I have not tried anything other than the shio ramen, but the chashu don should be good too as long as it’s covered by several...