Shoryu Ramen Regent Street — Restaurant in London

I am so excited to write this review! Today I went to Shoryu Ramen for lunch and from the moment I walked in I knew it was going to be good! I went with a friend who is a ramen virgin and she left wanting more! Hands down the best bowl of Ramen I have had outside of Japan!

We arrived around noon and the place was nearly empty! We noticed a lot of tables said reserved but thankfully they had a few open ones in the back. We were one of 2 seated tables. Our server was amazing and quickly came over and took our orders! I wanted something meaty and spicy so I went with the Karaka Tan Tan Tonkotsu! This was the best ramen ever! They ask you hear how you want your noodles. You can have them soft, medium, or hard noodles! I got it with soft noodles. It was a tonkotsu broth with a twist - rich and spicy marinated minced pork instead of one giant piece of pork belly! It had garlic and chiu chow chili oil! It was delicious and I finished every drop of my bowl!

As an appetizer we decided to get the bbq pork belly buns on a steamed bun! They were super tasty and wonderful! It was so good! They were huge and had spicy mayo on them. The bun had a piece of cabbage and a cucumber spear on it! Each bite of the bun was delicious!

The service was wonderful! Our waiter made sure we had everything we could want! The restaurant is kinda small inside, but it's a traditional ramen shop! I've never been in a ramen shop that's bigger than a counter and a few tables! This ramen shop also has a full bar for those who want a drink. They also give free ice! This is a big deal in Europe!

I can't say enough good things about this place! Hands down this was amazing! I have nothing bad to say! I hands down recommended this place and it won't come to a surprise if you see me check in here again this week!

I...

Rude staff (Giorgia, Isha & Roger). Please retrain staff on customer service. Demanded for table back after 20 minutes because it was reserved. Were ignored for awhile and had to go up to the counter to let them know that we wanted to order. Had to wait 15 minutes (were told it would take 7-8 minutes) for the food to arrive then only had 5 minutes to eat £50 worth of food until the bill was shoved into our face and we were told to pay up and leave. Had two 4 year olds and ordered the kids menu with 3 courses and staff were extremely defensive when we told them that we had barely touched our food and hadn’t even had our deserts yet. Staff blamed us saying that we had to tell them in advance to ask them to bring our deserts and it was not their fault that we hadn’t had the desert yet. (Of course - we had barely eaten our mains!) Staff told us that we had to leave and suggested that we stood to the side for our kids to quickly finish their ice creams. Isha was stressed and got annoyed when we asked to pay separately for the bill as we were 2 different families. Asked for a takeaway box from the manager (Giorgia) as we had tons of food still left to eat but was only given a plastic cup which they serve beer in?!? We had to ask again for a proper food container with a lid. Staff were clearing our plates before we had even finished eating. The manager (Giorgia) was just as rude and kept interrupting and blaming us when we complained. A large group of people finished their food quickly and left so there were empty tables but we were still forced to leave. There were a lot of staff but a lot of them seemed stressed and lacked basic customer service skills. Not kid friendly! Shame as I’ve been to Shoryu multiple times in other branches. Just avoid the Regent...

Despite a lack of vegan options, this used to be my favorite Shoryu. However, my last experience was awful. The service was terrible and the server mocked me repeatedly. I’m American, but have lived in London for almost two years. I mistakenly asked for a to-go box instead of takeaway and the waitress repeated “to-go?” several times before correcting me. When she brought the container over, she asked for a google review. I thought it was odd as she had been rude and inattentive, but because I had had other positive experiences I said I would be happy to leave one. I then forgot to grab the box after putting on my coat. I came back as soon as I realized. The server did not acknowledge me at all, but clearly recognized me as it had been a short time and when I shyly asked about my leftovers she said “we waited and you didn’t come so we threw them out.” No apology was offered. Every time I asked if there was anything that could be done she just shouted, “we waited.” I asked for a partial refund and was informed they don’t issue refunds of any kind. I asked for a discount in the future and they refused. They wouldn’t even give me a punch on the ramen punchcard for the meal I had already eaten (well half of.)

Edit 29/4

I feel gaslit by the response from the restaurant. It was not a misunderstanding on my part , it was miscommunication, rudeness, and lies on theirs. They never told me it was policy, which I would have understood. Furthermore, when I returned it was an hour before close. I checked my texts to my husband about the situation and they confirm the time. I might consider other locations in the future, but I have no reason to return...