Machida Shoten Albisriederplatz — Restaurant in Zurich

I am genuinely happy of this new addition in Badenerstrasse. That part of the street needed some good options too! It will be good competition to the existing ramen places. Maybe because it is the beginning, but the queue can be long, and booking wasn’t possible (I guess). Still, if you arrive very early, there’s nearly no waiting time. My chicken ramen was the closest I got to the ramen I had in Tokyo’s Ichirans. Yes, it’s different (of course), but I found it much better in taste that what the competition currently serves. The takoyaki had some taste (sadly, I can’t say the same for the ones at the street food festival last summer). My broth was very tasty, and nothing was too salty. The price is also very fair and portions are good. I usually love the sesame ice cream, and here it was a tad too creamy. I would have preferred it more sorbet-style. Service was efficient and kind to us. It’s true that it gets noisy but that’s also their way of serving ramen, so after one hour - unless you come with a big group- you are usually done. Still, they didn’t put any pressure on us about leaving (something that other businesses can do). I hope the keep up with the good quality because I have only heard good things and confirm them! And let’s give new businesses some mercy - they’re just tying to...

I ordered the vegan creamy ramen with chicken as an extra, and it was by far the most delicious ramen soup I have had in Europe. The portion is generous and definitely filling.

I also tried the homemade lemonade, very tasty and refreshing. It is not too sweet, just the way it is usually enjoyed in Japanese cuisine. I really appreciate that they have kept this authentic touch and brought it to life here in Zurich.

We visited on Sunday around 4:30 pm and got a table right away without waiting. Shortly after, the restaurant and the outdoor seating filled up quickly. If you come during peak hours, you should expect some waiting time.

The place only opened in mid-August, yet it already seems to have made quite a name for itself, every time I pass by, it is busy and lively.

Domo arigato gozaimasu. Iam already looking forward to...

It seemed they were understaffed when we were there. (Just 2 servers for the whole restaurant) it took a bit time to get the server to help us. We asked for plates to share when we got the appetizer, and the server argued with us if we needed bowls or plates. When we got the plates, the plates were a bit dirty. We told the server the plates were not clean, she simply took them back and wiped off the oil stain. ( it still looked dirty at the same spot, when we got the “new” ones.) The ramen noodles were a bit too soft compared with the original Japanese iekei ramen. The condiment counter didn’t make a lot of sense in such a small store with every customer walking around with their bowls of ramen. Also, it was almost empty when we were there. (15h-16h) The food was good, but the service was totally not up to Japanese...