Menya Hanabi Arcadia - The Original Nagoya Mazesoba — Restaurant in Arcadia

Summary - Great noodles, delicious sauce and a very different kind of "ramen" shop

We found this place just randomly browsing for new food places near us (was feeling lazy) and this popped up. Reviews said it was something different and soft opening. Looking closely, they serve mazesoba which is a dry noodle with minced pork sauce on noodles or rice. At first glance, the pictures looked very much like a dan dan mein or the other regional equivalent so we were intrigued. We first tried to go on Saturday but one look at the line outside was a big no but also a great sign, especially for a soft opening.

Sunday, they opened at 530 and we got there at 515. At that time, we were already 5th in line and more people coming by the minute. We got seated relatively quickly, it seems they were smart to put a little bit of time between each new seating to give the kitchen some breathing room. The space was industrial with the cooking stations to the left in full view with a wrap around bar and tables throughout. Their cartoon mascot is all over the place too.

As this was a soft opening I was expecting some delays and learning experiences for the staff. However, they were all professional, worked well and quick and very earnest in helping customers. The only downside was that some of the appetizers were not available probably due to tweaking the recipient or supply issue.

The menu was simple, variations of their meat sauce over noodles or rice. Their was the plain meat sauce (spicy/non-spicy), meat sauce with chasu, curry, meat sauce with cheese. All come with the ability to have either poached or raw egg yolk on top. We ordered 2 spicy chasu and 1 curry. We also had the potato croquets and sausage.

The appetizers come first. The croquets came in 2 decent size pieces with a sweet teriyaki-ish dipping sauce. These were well fried with great crispy exterior and soft fluffy interior. It had a hint of sweetness which was different than others we've had and very good. The sausages were good, you get 3 with mayo and ketchup but not memorable.

The real star then arrived. I got my noodles with the raw egg. Mixed it together and tried it. Super good. You taste the pork and the spice. Very rich deep umami flavor. The best way to describe it is a tsukemen ramen but the soup reduced down to a sauce but well balanced and not overly fish driven. The noodles were perfectly cooked, thick, chewy with some bite still that we love. We will most ramen shops had and can cook these noodles. Even better is make sure you add vinegar to your bowl and mix. This adds a new level of flavor and complexity and actually livens up the dish to counter the heaviness of the sauce.

We also got the curry noodles. It was good but not nearly as memorable as the original. The curry seemed well executed but the flavor was not mind blowing.

At the end, if you've eaten all your noodles and have sauce left over, they offer a small amount of rice to mix with the left-over sauce. Do it! Its so good and an extra treat!

We are definitely going back and plan to multiple times. This is great food and something new and fun. It can only get better as the staff gets more experience but the food is...

I really liked this place when I went to Nagoya so I was really excited that they opened a branch in Arcadia. As a person who gets burned constantly with hot soupy ramen, this place was perfect since it's dry saucy noodles. They are pretty generous with the sauce so you don't have to try to portion your noodles with sauce. There is almost always some left over sauce so they give you some rice afterwards so you can finish the yummy meaty sauce. I really wish boiling crab did this..

The wait wasn't too long, there are a lot of people but the turn over is pretty quick. I think they said the wait might be up to an hour, but I think I only waited like 20 minutes. 👍. It's better to over estimate a little.

I actually went during their soft opening for both lunch and dinner.. it was because some of my friends could only make lunch and some could only make dinner. Well it great because I wanted to try different dishes. I had the original mazesoba with chashu with corn and the pork belly cubes add on. It was very similar tasting to the Nagoya branch, but not as spicy, which is fine because not everyone who likes spicy can handle the level of spicy there.. but I really liked it spicy, they have some chilli powder at the table to add on and some vinegar so you can have a different flavor while eating. The portions are great, I was pretty full afterwards. The flavor just has something that makes you want to eat more, even if you are full.

I got both of my dishes without seaweed because I'm unable to eat it at this time unfortunately, but they substituted it with some spring mix, which is nice. The Curry cheese one is amazing. When I had dinner there again I was still feeling the meal from lunch, but I still ate and finished the Curry one.. the flavor kind of reminded me of those Japanese Curry breads, but more meaty and noodley. Anyways, I got the soft boiled tea egg as an add on. The tea egg was so goooood. You have to get it. Anyways I highly recommend this place is you...

Overall: 4.7/5 (dine in)

We came on a Saturday night an hour before closing and every table was still taken. We had a party of 5 so we had to wait about 30 minutes since they only had 2 tables for big parties. After we put our names down, a bunch of other people showed up and put their names down. They close the wait list and kitchen on time but their customer service was still really good.

My mom can't eat pork so she got the curry vegan mazesoba. They have very limited vegetarian options FYI.

Hanabi Monster Fries ($10.49): The fries legit taste like McDonald's french fries and are the same length and width. They give pretty big pieces of karaage. The diced pork belly is more overcooked and dry compared to the side order we got with the mazesoba. Nothing really stood out about this dish so I wouldn't get it again.

Kimista ($2.99): This is an add on item my husband got for his mazesoba. It was soft, tasty, and went well with the mazesoba.

(Spicy) Deluxe Nagoya Mazesoba ($17.59): You can choose between spicy or non-spicy. I got spicy and it wasn't too bad. The portion is huge, and the food is really heavy so I had leftovers. I gave one of my soft boiled eggs half to my mom since there was a lot of protein already. What makes this dish super creamy is the egg yolk in the middle that you're supposed to break and mix in with your noodles. I wasn't a huge fan of the chashu since it was a bit too thick & a bit dry. However, I love the complexity of this dish. The flavors are good but you can change it up by adding vinegar and/or chili flakes. The vinegar is surprisingly one of the best ones I had. Highly recommend trying! After you finish the noodles, you have the option of getting a side of rice and mixing it with the remaining sauce to eat. If you want a less creamy version, maybe...