Mashumen — Restaurant in Charlottesville

I really wanted to give Mashumen five stars. I really did.

Why I can’t, a short story:

A local friend recommended Mashumen, telling us her brother who lived in Japan for several years considers it the most authentic ramen joint in Charlottesville.

Needless to say, I was really excited to go and try the ramen. So on our last night in town, I loaded up the family and we headed over for dinner.

We arrived around 5pm and we’re the only people on the restaurant for quite sometime. Even so, the service was sporadic, and as our server didn’t write anything down, a few things we received were incorrect.

These weren’t deal-breakers (receiving chicken karaage not the chicken gyoza we ordered, or the missing nori in my ramen, or the fish cake in my wife’s when she ordered without), but it was still a cumulative impression that was left on the meal, coupled with the lackluster/sporadic service.

But the food as a whole? Amazing. I’ve eaten a fair bit of ramen, and the pork broth was by far the best I’ve ever had. The chashu pork was cooked well, the egg was PERFECT, and the portion size was spot on.

Our server was very friendly, but it’s obvious he needed more training, perhaps a reminder to look at the food he’s serving before bringing it out. (I mean my dude, karaage doesn’t look anything like gyoza.)

Still, I’ll come back the next time I find myself on C-Ville. Maybe when I do I can change...

Had the spicy ramen. Added extra oil and spicy powder to get it to a proper spice level. Other than that the taste wasnt very good. Overall temperature was cool , not piping hot. They dont put a good amount of broth in either. Flavor was fairly bland and felt like broth you get from the store. The noodles were al dente and not cooked very long- which is usually okay but the broth wasnt hot enough to continue to soften the noodles. The bean sprouts felt mushy like they were pulled out from a pool of water. The chashu was also very mushy and not a good amount for the price. I also got extra - $3 on top of the 13.50. For this flavor and volume I would have expected to pay around 7.50 maximum. If you're looking for excellent, authentic ramen- try Tenka Ramen in Richmond or Tanpopo Ramen in Newport News. I haven't had any other ramen in Charlottesville so i can't speak to this area. Was excited but left disappointed :(

Edit: This place is incredibly disappointing. I went and tried it again a year later (11/7/2021). I was still disgusted with the food. Not only that, I got charged for a 40% tip even though I left a tip in cash. I am never going back to this restaurant. I'm also changing my review from a 2 star...

I have now been in Charlottesville for almost a year now, coming from NJ/NY area. The food in this town is decent but not the best. I always am left with a bad taste in my mouth. I can confidently say, Mashumen is the first restaurant in this town that left me wanting more. This restaurant isn't as good as Ichiran NYC, but god dang close. It is definitely on my top ten best ramen I had in the States. The broth is so flavorful, and the chashu is cooked perfectly and melts in your mouth. The kikurage mushroom in the ramen is soo flavorful, I should have asked extra. The chicken karaage is so juicy and good. Fried perfectly. The chashu buns is good, not the best but it is good. A bit greasy but the flavor from the chachu makes me melt. I am definitely coming back for sure. The only reason I give it four stars out of five is because the service was alright. With only 4 other tables active during this pandemic, it was a bit slow attending when I was asking things like napkins or spice. Other than that, it...