Akira Ramen & Izakaya — Restaurant in Baltimore

It's been months since the last time I went there, but from what I remember it was really nice. I mainly just got the Poke Salad and various kinds of sushi though. Never actually had ramen or anything else. Still, it was delicious and the quality was awesome. One thing I would note is that if you get the Poke Salad to go, they put the soy sauce in a container rather than pouring it out into the bottom of the dish. Personally, I don't like that much salt lol. I'm sure you could probably ask them not to do that in the restaurant but if you don't know about it ahead of time... Anyway, the reason I don't go there anymore is just about the price difference between Akira Ramen and Harris Teeter(which is across the parking lot). If you want to go to a fancy Japanese restaurant and have a nice meal, obviously Akira is much better. Their prices aren't bad at all, but they can't compare to a grocery store. Especially not on a Friday, when you can get 10 pieces of spicy tuna roll for 5 dollars at Harris Teeter. The Poke Salad is actually cheaper at Akira Ramen though. Which is something to keep in mind. Even when you add in tip and tax, it's probably still cheaper, unless you're a generous tipper. If you weren't worried about tipping, I think the Poke Salad was 10 dollars the last time I went. Maybe 10.50, probably 11-something with tax. They also sell seaweed salad for 6 dollars, I think? Which is about the same price as Harris Teeter but I haven't compared the sizes. Their Poke Salad is almost only fish and some lettuce, with some tiny apple pieces. Harris Teeter has a bunch of rice, a little seaweed salad, some fish and some artificial crab mixed together in a relatively larger and heavier container. It will fill you up, but I think the ingredients are probably cheaper overall compared to Akira's version.

My go-to order from Akira would be a Poke Salad, some type of sushi roll(6 pieces for about 4-6 dollars), and a seaweed salad. I like to mix the three together. The Poke Salad doesn't come with any wasabi, but that might just be because I didn't ask for it due to social anxiety lmao. Seriously, it's so hard for me to ask for stuff like that... But I think a lot of people are that way too. Also I'd be afraid it'd cost extra no matter what I asked for? Maybe other...

Love their Chicken Karage Ramen in chicken broth but don't like their soup saddle.

I don't eat pork, red meat for health reasons and I had a hard time finding chicken ramen made in chicken broth in Baltimore. I used to go all the way to College Park or New York to eat chicken ramen and I am so happy that Akira Ramen has opened in Canton Crossing in Baltimore. It has been my go-to restaurant for a quick noodle soup on a cold or rainy day. I have also gone there on my wedding anniversary and birthday and I don't need to wait for an occasion to go there. I prefer them over Kippo ramen in Fells.

Food: We ordered the Okonomiyaki, chicken karage ramen in chicken broth and the Volcano Spicy Chashu ramen in pork broth. The Volcano ramen, as the name suggests is not very spicy which is perfect. The spice won't kill you. The ramen bowls are delicious. The garage is served separately which makes sense otherwise the karage will become soggy.I asked them to make t extra-spicy and they were more than happy to acknowledge it. The portion of each ramen bowl is perfect for one person. I don't like their soup saddle. I really struggle using it. I hope they replace it with a user-friendly saddle or a soup spoon. I wanted to have the seafood ramen but it is made in pork broth which is why I couldn't eat it.

Ambience: Clean!

Service: Quick service. We had to wait for 10-15 mins for the appetizer and another 10 mins for the ramen.

Location: The neighborhood is very very safe. The restaurant is located in the Target/ Chic Fil-A/ TD Bank, Iron Rooster, Ulta complex and has a huge private parking lot. Minutes away from the waterfront.

Price: It is very much in par with ramen bowl in other ramen restaurants. Our total was $38 including taxes which is about...

Edit: when this restaurant first opened they were still working out their kinks. I have nothing but good things to say about Akira. It's better than most of the ramen I've had in Japan. Get the volcano on a cool day to warm your body and spirit. I've been back several times and each bowl has been expertly executed.

Excellent ramen! The tonkotsu broth was creamy and full of flavor. As of the time I'm writing this review, it seems like they are still getting in the groove with a new restaurant. But they really nailed the flavors. You are greeted in a traditional ramen shop manner and seated with your own jug of water. I ordered the Akira Ramen with wavy noodles. I watched as one of the cooks charred the delicious chasu-- you get two pieces in the Akira Ramen. The noodles were bouncy and held the broth. The broth was pleasently dotted with black seasame seeds. They have the traditional Japanese accompaniments on the counter for you and I opted to add chili to mine. The fish cake was usual, but it checked the box for ramen. I was impressed by the bamboo shoots. They had uncharacteristically intense flavor. At the bottom of my bowl I found the corn. My only complaint is one noodle clump, but that is nitpicking. The total was 14.31 after tax before tip, so the convenient parking is reflected in the price of the bowl. Don't...