Madden Ramen — Restaurant in Eau Claire

You’d have to be mad to skip this place.

For the short while that Tim has lived in Eau Claire, he has always said great things about Madden Ramen. With that in mind, we made plans to visit here on this trip to visit him. After getting our gaming on at Rebbot Social, we walked the few minutes over to Madden and were promptly seated. Our waitress was quick and attentive with seating us and taking our orders and clearing off the table as we finished.

Tim and I talked about the menu a little bit and he highlighted the few things he’s had here before. I am a sucker for spicy stuff so I ended up getting the Madden Ramen. Tim ended up getting the same plus one of their boba teas to go with it. The food didn’t take long to come out and while we were being served, I ordered a Kirin Ichiban beer to go with it.

I’m glad I got the beer to go with it as this sucker was hot hot hot. Not only temperature hot but also spicy hot. Each bite was delicious but left me sweating a bit… which is a good thing. Tim talked this place up and it delivered with every bite of the ramen and every swig of my beer. The food tastes of high quality and the cuts of pork made me wish I ordered it with extra beef. It was dang good. Each bite a treat for the taste buds.

For how good the food here is, it’s pretty easy to pop in for a quick bowl and dip out after you finish. Maybe not for the hotter bowls but this can be a quick trip if you need a quick bite.

On our way out, I did stop and get a pokeball from the coin machine. I got a Darmanitan, I think? I’m not familiar with any pokemon after Gen 2. I also tried the claw machine and came close to getting an Ash Ketchum twice but it slipped out after the claw fully retracted. Had I a few more dollar bills, it would’ve been mine.

I’m definitely looking forward to visiting here again once I return to Eau Claire in 2025. Our friend Matt will be joining us then and he is in...

I treated myself to Madden as a present for surviving the semester. I ordered the Gyoza and the Pork Tonkatsu Ramen.

The Gyoza were fresh, hot, and had that perfect crisp bottom and chewy wrapper. The filling was juicy and unexpectedly extra soft- the scallion flavor was present but not overwhelming. Overall, a really exceptional Gyzoa. I highly debated ordering some to-go after my meal.

As for the ramen, it was personally one of the better tonkatsu ramens I have had. The broth was rich and very deeply pork flavored without being "piggy" like some can get. It was perfectly salted, no overseasoning. The chashu (rolled pork belly) was incredibly tender and fall-apart amazing. I personally have some texture issues with animal fat, but I truly could not care about that with how perfectly melt in your mouth it was. I do wish the ramen came out a little warmer, as by about 10 minutes in it was already cooling off a lot, but the flavor was out of this world. This bowl is a good, large portion and I am going home with about half of my bowl as leftovers still.

For the atmosphere, overall there isn't anything wrong per se, but it does seem like theres some design aethetic confusion on what the main colors of the room should be. Some areas lean into a clean grey marble aesthetic while others seem to be going more towards a teal and gold one? I digress. Otherwise, great quiet music that keeps the energy going without being intrusive. The tables and booths are set in clean layout that leaves lots of nice open space sightlines, aside from the obvious booths for a little more privacy while eating.

I went on a Friday at right around noon and was sat and served in 20 minutes. I thoroughly enjoyed and would absolutely recommend to...

I was beyond excited when I heard that a ramen place was coming to Eau Claire. And might I say I was not disappointed. I couldn't even tell you how many times I said "this is perfect" as I shoved such delectable food in my mouth. I got the Madden ramen and everything in that bowl was perfection. I usually have a hard time finding ramen places that put good meat into their soups but the pork just melted in your mouth. I usually find that bamboo sprouts are too tough for my liking but not these ones. If you are hesitant eating the Madden because it says its a spicy ramen, it is very mild and they make it very easy to make it more spicy if you so choose. I also added corn to mine which was a nice touch. We also got egg rolls (4pc.) and gyoza (6 pc.) which were so good. I see a lot of early reviews saying the prices were too high, however I VERY MUCH disagree with that. With the amount of food the price was very exceptional. At most ramen places I go (for 2 ppl) a meal can got around $40-50 + tip for just the ramen, this place was $45 + tip for 4 dishes, great food and wonderful service. Everyone was so nice and I am pleased to say I will definitely be...