MI RAMEN — Restaurant in Bellbrook

This was a rough experience. I'll preface that this was their opening day, so I have high hopes they'll work out the kinks. Walking in, there was no one to greet us or explain how things worked so it was pretty confusing and awkward. The line where you order is right on top of other people sitting at tables, so it felt really crowded even deciding what you wanted to eat. We placed our orders and the cashier didn't tell us about the wait times, which in retrospect feels very disrespectful of our time. We sat for almost two hours in a restaurant where no one had food at their tables. We finally gave up and asked for a refund. We didn't get drink refunds. That's fair since we had soft drinks while waiting... but it just felt greedy. Especially because their ice machine didn't work and the soda was flat. The food itself was outrageously overpriced. The cheapest appetizer was almost $7, and the cheapest ramen was $17. I could've gone to the store, bought the ingrediants, and made my own ramen in the time it took them, and could've done it for half the price. The very few dishes I did see come out of the kitchen did not look worth the money. I feel really bad for them. It was a 0/10 experience. Really hoping they can figure out their operations and pricing. Seems like they just bit off more than they could chew with dine-in orders, phone orders, speciality drink orders, etc. Hoping for the best for them, but we won't be coming back. Even if operations improved,...

Admittedly it might be overhyping to give a 5 star review after a 2 hour wait, but to be entirely fair this was opening day. 50% off and opening day. Me and my friend were expecting a wait, we were expecting kinks in the system, and with those tampered expectations they did meet and exceed our hopes.

We were told about the 90 minute wait when we ordered, and we chose to stay and wait. After about an hour and 45 minutes we were graciously offered some delicious free drinks for our trouble. Then the meals themselves did arrive around around the 2 hour mark.

The important part is that the ramen was excellent. Delicious, complex broths (that were very unique from each other on each chosen dish), and ingredients all as advertised on the menu. Noodles not too soft or too firm. It was piping hot when it got to us, so while we waited at least our food did not.

Layout and environment is all fine. Casual but clean and with nice seating, if maybe a bit cramped.

Staff was very polite and personable and attentive.

We'll definitely be coming back to try some of the appetizers and some different flavors, though mine (Moonshadow) was definitely good enough to order again and my friend concurs about her...

When entering the restaurant, there was no explanation of whether it was a sit down or order up front. Shortly, we were met with a less than ideal interaction. Dismissive, and not friendly. The language and tone was not welcoming. The “helpful” language received was “there’s a menu” and they appeared to be impatient as we navigated our choices.

On the menu, there was sushi, but was told they were not serving it. There was no explanation of when it was being served. I was looking forward to sushi.

As I went to pay, there was no transparency of a 13% surcharge (after I paid for my meal) for using credit cards. (So be aware, they charge more with credit cards than with cash)

I noticed that the appetizer I ordered (ebi ten) was not fried properly, greasy. And no mention of mayo on top as person I dined with has an allergy.

Person I dined with their ramen was sub par, however, the Kimchi ramen was decent. Flavorful. I enjoyed the beef, kimchi, and broth. Solid bowl of ramen.

Cost for two to dine: one app, two bowls of ramen, and a couple fountain drinks…price was more elevated per the dining experience and...