Rai Rai Ramen — Restaurant in East Brunswick Township

I’m sure most people come for the ramen but being a seeker of mapo tofu I dropped by to taste their take on the Chinese dish. I ordered a single plate of their mapo tofu over rice.

First impression was visual: it’s a big plate of food! Which felt nice because their pricing nowadays is around $15.

Taste-wise, their mapo tofu has a light heat that I’d say is less spicy than sriracha. I couldn’t notice much of the bean paste flavor that I’ve come to generally prefer.

By default the dish is cooked with minced pork. I thought it was ok, and liked the silky tofu they used rather than the more firm tofu used by others.

All said, I would’ve said I’d order this dish again despite its flavor profile not being among my favorites - but then a few hours later I started to feel a stomach ache, and I did not overate and this was the only dish I had. Of course your own mileage may vary because my aging digestive system seems less tolerant...

Staff here were very rude to us. Like others have said, the waitstaff here destroy the experience. We came in to an empty shop and as soon as we sat down, the lady at front desk said please order quickly. And about 3 minutes later started hounding us to focus on menu. The orders came in really quickly, about 5 minutes, but was basically the ingredients layered onto the plate in huge serving sizes, with little seasoning or preparation, like they just threw it together in a hurry.

While we were eating, the two waitresses were pointing at us and laughing in their own conversation, not subtle or discrete. It made us feel very self conscious. The short one was periodically removing sauces from our condiment tray and giving us disposable packets in their places saying “we will clean up this way”. It was 90 minutes before closing, so we were really confused by the attitude.

We won’t be coming here again, we got sick...

I've been a fan of Rai Rai Ken for many years, and their East Brunswick location has really grown on me—it's now my go-to spot! This cozy ramen shop in the plaza consistently provides excellent flavor and quality. The noodles are the ideal Kansui type, and the broth is always deep, soothing, and full of flavor. The chashu quantities are big, and the house ramen is definitely worth it. One of my favorite dishes is the hot and spicy seafood ramen, which is perfect for a cold day. Another favorite is the curry fried chicken rice, which is thick, delicious, and, quite honestly, irresistible. The delivery is swift, and the food is always served hot. Also, don't skip dessert! They make the best bubble sweet rice balls. Definitely...