Boru Ramen — Restaurant in Arlington

Last Thursday, I had the pleasure of dining at Boru Ramen with my family, and I couldn't have asked for a better experience. As we stepped into the restaurant, we were immediately struck by the clean, bright, and inviting ambiance. The setting was modern yet cozy, and it was clear from the outset that the staff took great pride in maintaining the establishment.

Service: We were promptly greeted by friendly servers and cooks who guided us to our table. The service was exceptionally fast, yet it never felt rushed. It was evident that the staff were well-trained and attentive to the smallest details.

Food: To kick things off, we ordered the Gyoza appetizer—pan-fried dumplings filled with a delightful blend of pork and vegetables. The dumplings were cooked to perfection, boasting a satisfyingly crispy exterior and a juicy, flavorful interior. They were clearly fresh and set the tone for what was to come.

For my main course, I chose the Tantan-Men—hot and spicy ramen noodles soup with minced pork, egg, bamboo shoots, scallions, peanuts, and roasted spices. I must say, this dish exceeded all expectations. The ramen noodles were cooked al dente, the minced pork was succulent, and the broth was rich and aromatic. The symphony of flavors was both complex and harmonious, with each ingredient contributing to a wonderfully spicy and savory experience.

The standout feature for me was the freshness of all the ingredients. Whether it was the bamboo shoots or the scallions, everything seemed to have been sourced and prepared with great care. The spicy notes of the soup hit just the right balance—powerful enough to satisfy my craving for spice, but not so overpowering that it masked the other flavors.

Final Thoughts: Boru Ramen proved to be an exceptional dining experience that ticked all the boxes: ambiance, service, and most importantly, high-quality, delicious food. If you're in Arlington, VA, and are in the mood for some authentic, palate-pleasing ramen, then Boru Ramen should be at the top of your list.

Will I return? Absolutely. And I'll be bringing more friends and family along to share in this...

Absolutely love this place! Love the environment. It's a little dark and dim but its very cozy. The service is excellent! Very attentive and friendly. Good customer service is hard to find!

I have been to Jinya, Daikaya, Haikan, Bantam King, and that's it haha! Those places are by far my favorite. I try not to say what Ramen place is better than the other because Ramen is truly unique to every chef. I am going to talk about why I like their ramen. I am going to be looking at highlights and what may set them apart from other ramen places.

Tantan-Men - There are many broths. I try to stick to pork for the most part because of the complexity of flavors. I believe I had the Tantan-Men. I am use to my broth being crisp and earthy. This one was thick and oily. I personally like that. I love oils in my soups. The spice was not overpowering. It added to the flavor. I love ground pork. Most places are very stingy with it but this bowl had a lot. It was delicious. I ate the entire bowl. My only complaint was that I wish the ramen was a little hotter temperature wise but maybe this is done on purpose so the flavors can meld together. Not sure honestly. Every chef has their own technique. The noodles were amazing per usual. The peanuts and bamboo shoots threw me for a surprise but they were very good. I like have multiple textures in my dish.

You get a lot for what you pay for. I highly recommend this place to people new the ramen world. Start with the most basic (Shoyu or Miso) bowl and move your way up from there. Add toppings to your liking. Make the bowl yours. That is the beauty of ramen! You design it your way! I typically get extra Wood Ear Mushrooms, Chasu, and...

I had dinner at Boru Ramen before a comedy show at Arlington Drafthouse Cinema a few weeks ago and thought it was a great experience!

There was ample seating and only four other parties there, so even without a reservation at 7 PM on a Friday night, we had no issue getting seated right away. Service was quick and our waitress was sweet and vigilant.

I am a vegetarian, and had the TOFU-EDAMAME BALLS & RAMEN — I thought the ramen noodles were perfectly cooked and the veggie broth was actually very flavorful. I normally find vegetarian ramen to be a let-down, with a flat flavor profile due to lack of effort out into the broth, but at Boru I was pleasantly surprised and slurping up every last drop of the veggie broth! The tofu edamame balls are a unique touch, but they’re battered and fried and then tossed into the bowl of ramen and sink down to the bottom… so they end up just getting a soggy outer texture from the broth. In the future, I would probably recommend others to just get the veggie ramen and order a side of the fried tofu edamame balls. I bet they’d be delicious as a fried appetizer dipped into a sauce, rather than as a part of your ramen.

The atmosphere is pretty average as you’ll see in the pictures. I thought the lighting fixtures added a nice touch. It’s good for a casual dinner date with your long-term partner or lunch with a friend, but not somewhere special you’d want to go on a first date or bring visitors.

I can’t speak to parking - I took the ART45 which drops off right out front.

All in all, I enjoyed my meal and will definitely be back next time I’m...