Ramen Utsuke — Restaurant in Baltimore

Ramen Utsuke is my favorite ramen spot in the Downtown Baltimore area, and the options are pretty limited. The soups are always rich and velvety (even the clear broths give you a great "mouth feel") with fresh or well-cooked vegetables. Every once in a while I'll get some noodles that are a little unevenly cooked, but that isn't a huge deal to me as they end up steeping in the piping hot broth for a short amount of time as I inhale the bowl. The poke we had was decent, nothing to write home about but it definitely came loaded with toppings and a good ratio of rice. Dumplings had a good sear and a typical amount of filling, also wouldn't write home about them. We asked for additional chili oil to add to the dipping sauce and our entrees. We also had a fried california roll which is exactly what you would think... a hot, friend piece of sushi. It wasn't my preference (I prefer my sushi with raw fish) but my guest LOVED it. It was definitely decadent!

Most of my ramen doesn't make it to photos cause we begin eating so quickly (it's best enjoyed HOT!) but the certainly make sure you enjoy eating with your eyes first! The bowls are large and showcase all of the ingredients beautifully, just like you see on social media. Very ig/tiktok/sc/whatever-worthy. The restaurant itself is cute, they play tourism videos or anime on the TVs, and the music is often Jpop or Kpop.

You're right by the harbor, so parking is limited. You have an easy walk to the rest of the water right out of Ramen Utsuke's doors (and after carefully crossing the street). It's also close to a Charm City Circulator stop (free...

First, the customer service here needs some improvement for sure lol.. the host greeted us and handed us some menus. It's self seating. It was packed when we arrived. I guess everyone wanted Ramen today anyways there was only one table available and it was right by the entrance. It was also dirty. We sat down and waited 7 mins before anyone came over. I actually went to the front to inquire lol then she came and bought us some water. We both ordered spicy chicken miso with chicken broth. I got a side of spicy paste and kimchi. The soup was BANGINGG. It was so flavorful. But it wasn't spicy at all. We made it spicy by adding sriracha. Our waitress wasn't attentive at all :/. We had to go up to ask for the sauce and she barely checked up on us. It took her awhile to bring water that we asked for as well. When my spouse went to ask for the sauce, she said she saw the workers standing around talking..... Also, i found out at the end of our meal that they are spiciness levels. She didn't ask how spicy we wanted ours. I only figured this out by looking up the restaurant on DoorDash. I will be back, but I definitely wouldn't eat in again. Customer service means a lot to me. I'm only coming back cause the ramen is...

Overall, the atmosphere is your average ramen shop with hints of anime and Japanese adornments. The menu is a decent size with good options for different crowds: ramen, sushi, apps, and bento boxes.

I chose the current special, Tonkotsu Shoyu, and I wish I could say it was special. The flavors just weren’t there and I ended up wanting more flavor especially since it boasted about having a rich umami flavor. The same could be said about the ebi-yaki which ended up being more dough than actual shrimp. My wife’s Chicken Paitian also was underwhelming and lacked flavor in the broth. The only saving grace was the chicken karage’s honey mustard sauce and the tenderness of the pork chasu.

The service was also lacking even though the initial “everyone is your waiter” comment made me feel at ease. I asked for an extra egg originally with my ramen and never received it. And then I asked for a Coke and never received that either. They were also very slow to get take my card when ending the meal. Mind you, there were only 5 tables occupied at the time.

Overall, if you are looking for a quick bite with low expectations on ramen, this is the perfect place for you. Anything higher than that, go...