Roppongi Ramen Bar — Restaurant in Charlotte

When I heard that there was a place serving ramen and Korean wings, I was filled with both excitement and trepidation. Yet, nothing could have prepared me for the absolute disappointment I experienced. It fails to deliver on all fronts and if you've ever had a good bowl of ramen and some finger licking good Korean wings, you'd do well to stay away.

On my visit, I ordered the pork bun, the spicy miso ramen, the sweet and spicy garlic chicken wings and the classic chicken wings. To start, the pork bun was so drenched in sauce, that it was impossible to taste anything else. Good pork buns focus on making the pork shine, but with so much sauce, you could have tuna in there and never notice. Next, the ramen. I was shocked by just how forgettable this dish was. The broth had no spiciness and you could hardly taste the miso. The noodles, toppings or even the chashu did nothing to improve the flavorless broth. To make matters worse, the egg was overcooked so none of that beautiful golden yolk seeping into the broth to provide an extra layer of flavor. I actually put the ramen aside hoping the chicken wings would redeem the dining experience, they did not. In fact, I'll go so far as to say that what I had that day was not Korean wings. For starters, the wings were not doubly fried. No trace of corn or potato starch that gives Korean wings that unique and magical texture. The sweet and spicy garlic wings were just sweet. No spiciness. No garlic. Just a thick sweet sauce. In addition, you could tell the wings were simply coated since the flavor was only found on the skin. As soon as you took a bite of the meat, it just tasted like an okay seasoned chicken wing. It was really sad that the flavor of the sauce was so one sided. I was really hoping to savor the complex flavors often found in Korean chicken wings. Lastly, the classic. Had it not been for the classic, I would have rated this place a one star. I just want to say that if you take the Korean out of the chicken wing, then the classic offers one of the most beautifully fried chicken wing that you can find. The texture was on point. It was wonderfully crispy and it was so juicy on the inside. That takes a lot of skill and I want to congratulate the chef on his skills. Unfortunately, that does not change the fact that I was simply eating a chicken wing rather than the Korean chicken wing I had expected to have.

The skillful preparation of the classic chicken wing is not enough to warrant a visit. You can definitely find better ramen and Korean chicken...

Id try it again, but only as take out, and probably only if i was crazing ramen. This is a small hole in the wall place serving ramen and korean fried chicken. They have 4 kinds of ramen, and 3 kinds of friend chicken. We tried the chicken family platter, which had original, soy garlic and dakgangjung. the soy garlic was my favorite. The regular fried chicken was extra crunchy and really tender but bland. It just needed a little salt or flavor and it would be my go to. Overall the chicken was pretty good, the gyoza was meh (pork is the only flavor id consider ordering a second time). I didnt try the ramen but my friend said it was delicious. Will definitely try the ramen in the future. Inside is capitol T tiny. There are 3 bar sections that seat about 3 each, 2 tables that seat 4, 1 table that seats 8 and 2 tables that seat 2. We waited about 10 minutes to be seated at a table with 4 other people we didnt know, but sti felt like we had enough space. The menu is very small but quality over quantity i guess. There pork bun isnt my speed. I like more traditional style and this was more of a gourmet take with a slice of pork, a slice of cucumber, some greens and a super sweet sauce instead of the stuffed sweet bun style i prefer. They have 3 types of gyoza, seaweed salad and i think one other appetizer (kimchi i think). All told i think they have less than 15 items on their menu. The fried sweet potato was really good with the chicken but the menu states it comes with cole slaw and it didnt. The dakgangjung chicken was clearly made with almonds and peanuts. One of my friends is mildly allergic to almonds, but i asked what the dusting on top was made of because it looked like more than just those two nuts sliced It looked like white shavings of something, with a texture i couldnt quite place. When our waiter asked the ched, as soon as he found out my friend was allergic to almonds he tried to deny there were almonds, which there clearly were. We were more curious about what the shavings were we couldnt figure out, but denying something like that could be really dangerous for someone with a more...

We've tried a few Ramen shops in Charlotte, and so far this is hands down our favorite. Before, our go to was mostly Silverlake (which they've spun out to CLT from LA). But this is another level.

I had the tsukemen and my girlfriend and the Shio. The broth was light, quite fishy, and had lots of yuzu citrus. So it was really bright and umami. Perfect for a hot day, and with the seasons turning to summer heat, it really hit the spot.

The only thing I'd say is that I'm not sure it was a different broth for tsukemen vs the regular shio. I thought it tasted a little fishier, but unlike most tsukemen, it was not super thick. But it didn't matter, because the thicker noodles had no problem picking up the sauce. And they were cooked with just the right amount of bite and chewiness. Lovely noodles.

The eggs were perfect. Like as good as any ever. Nice jelly yolk and a perfect soyness to em.

The chasu... Chef's kiss. You could cut it with a sideways glance. So freaking tender, but not fatty. Slight yakitori char.

I mean, I'm blown away. We finished our meal maybe an hour ago, and I'm still smiling from how good it was.

The vibe inside is very welcoming and charming, while retaining an authentic feel. The restaurant appears family owned and operated. We will be coming back very soon - and I'm...