Hokkaido Ramen House — Restaurant in Ankeny

Hokkaido Ramen House has provided food I've wanted around for years.

I've had food all over the Midwest and recently in New York Long Island. I've discovered that food is a bridge into other cultures. While I was there, I tried as much food as I possibly could from Korean, Filipino, Indian Salvadoran, Japanese, Latin, and more. It was about as traditionally cooked as I think we could get in the area.

Food brings people together. I know that as an amature foodie, when I cook from home, I enjoy seeing smiles on faces and getting that warm.Feeling in your heart from a good meal.

This meal I had at Hokkaido Ramen House has perfected exactly that experience.

The atmosphere in the restaurant was cozy, chill, and quite frankly, once I was finished with my meal, I didn't even want to leave. It just felt like a good place to slow down in and enjoy myself.

I ordered fried sesame balls with red bean paste center as an appetizer, which were crunchy on the outside and soft and sweet on the inside.

My main dish was a ramen bowl, of course. I got the spicy beef ramen with Shoyu broth, or soy sauce, beef and beef bone, cilantro, bean sprouts, bok choy, corn and scallions, and two soft boiled eggs. The beef and beef bone, along with the Shoyu broth, provided an umami comfort that forms the base of this dish. As I ate, the cilantro provided a bite back with a tolerable level of heat in the dish and broth. Combined with the fresh vegetables, the texture was crunchy, which was enjoyable.

I also liked taking a bite of my hot ramen with the sesame balls, too. It made a light, sweet note pop at the end.👌

I know in some traditional raman houses they tend to have a roman master, But due to appointments I was running late for I didn't have a chance to ask about how Ingredients were prepared or if the noodles were prepared in house. I guess I'll just have to go back and ask. 😏

For sure, go here! 👏 Thank you to the friendly staff there who I'm pretty sure they worked through a break to serve me lunch....

My husband picked some up for lunch to go, we got the chicken fried rice, spider roll, shrimp tempura roll and chicken katsu. First time getting food from here and was dissapointed to say the least, the spider roll tasted awful, like the crab had gone bad I had 1 of the 5 pieces and threw the rest away, the tempura roll was okay but not great, the chicken fried rice which is usually a safe bet when ordering from a new place, was honestly gross, I took 2 bites and couldn't eat anymore. The chicken katsu was about the only thing that was good but by the time I had tried it I was so thrown off from the other food that I didn't eat that either, my husband enjoyed the katsu. $50 in the trash, I dont think I will be going back.

Edit: since I can't figure out how to respond to the reply

The Spider Roll (soft shell crab) is one of my favorite sushi rolls amongst many establishments, I can confirm I do enjoy them, just not the one I had today at your establishment. I suppose too much yum yum sauce could explain why the chicken fried rice was the way it was... to an extent however I also enjoy yum yum sauce. It is unfortunate that you would have to dine in to get a better experience/food. I read plenty of reviews after my experience, several are amazing. I eat Japanese, Chinese, and Thai food on the regular when I do eat out, I ordered what I did because it was a new establishment and those were my staple items to get. They were just not good. It's unfortunate that it being to-go would bring the quality so far down, that you suggest I dine in to get a better experience. I hardly ever write reviews on anything but I had some major stomach issues after eating the little bit of food I had as well, I hope the crab didn't go bad, but I know what soft shell crab tastes like and the mark was missed today. Many good reviews for this place. I'm just sharing my...

I cannot speak highly enough about my experience at this little gem of a restaurant! Every aspect of our dinner was top notch. We were seated at the last available booth. I was initially nervous since the tables are closed together but we never felt crowded and had plenty of space to ourselves. There were 2 or 3 different employees we interacted with from being seated, ordering and delivering food. Each one was amazing. Our order was taken quickly and (non-specialty) drinks arrived at the table moments later. The pork bun appetizer was at the table within 5 minutes. The pork buns aren't bao style but folded to look like tacos. Which meant there is a much better filling to bread ratio. Flavor was on point, the dough is perfectly soft and fluffy but still holds up while eating. I highly recommend it! Our ramen arrived just as we finished the pork buns and I was delighted by both presentation and portion size. I got the Tonkatsu Ramen with an extra egg and my friend got the Spicy Beef ramen. The eggs were perfectly cooked and yolks were silky and delicious. We both got our spicy and it was a pleasant heat that builds as you eat. The service through the whole meal was the perfect balance of there when you need something without being overly available. Our drinks were never empty and refills arrived promptly. I really like that the tables have napkins, straws and chopsticks at the tables which was great since we ended up needing a few napkins each as we slurped our ramen. It truly baffles me that this location used to be a franchise taco place. The lighting and music is very cozy and makes the overall vibe intimate. The interior design is very organic with lots of stained wood which softens the aesthetic and I really liked both the light fixtures and the softer temp bulbs used, again adding to the chill vibe. I definitely found my new favorite spot to...