Tampopo Ramen & Hibachi — Restaurant in Greensboro

Instant ramen may be a staple of college dorm sustenance, but it also gives the real thing a bad name. For those who have never had a chance to experience genuine ramen, Tampopo will deliciously illuminate all you have been missing.

Tampopo is a smallish space though patterned chair covers and wall art give the domain some personality. It seems to do a brisk lunch trade, which is great for its coffers but puts a strain on the constantly bustling servers, who are at least polite and helpful (a thick noodle suggestion proved to be a good call) when available.

The menu here offers the expected apps (gyoza, tempura, edamame) and hibachi plates (chicken, shrimp, steak, veggies, etc.), but the ramen offerings are really what set Tampop apart. There are about half a dozen ramen offerings here, varying in broths (pork, chicken, or vegetable), flavor profiles (miso, soy, or spicy), and toppings. Additional toppings can be added for an upcharge, allowing for a highly customizable experience.

For our first visit, I went with a champon ramen (a Nagasaki specialty with seafood and a spicy broth) while my wife opted for the classic tonkatsu (pork broth) ramen. The dishes were a good value at $12 and $10, respectively, as they came in huge bowls that easily yielded two meals apiece.

Both bowls presented well with plenty of meat, vegetables, and noodles. The champon ramen was tasty but punishing: plan on drinking plenty of water if you want to take it on. The tonkatsu ramen, ordered spicy, still had a kick, but its flavors were more complex. Both dishes were hearty and filling.

Tampopo is not the only place in Greensboro that offers real ramen, but it certainly provides the most variety and the most intriguing examples thereof. Whether or not it becomes a favorite depends on your taste for the titular dish, but the next time you find yourself craving soup on a cold or rainy day,...

This was my first time visiting and the food was delicious. I ordered the Pad Thai and orange chicken and my friend ordered the orange chicken as well. The food came out quick, hot and fresh. We also had a side of kimchi and for drinks we had sweet tea and white sangria. That was pretty good also. The food I give 5 stars and the staff was very friendly. Now I read through all the reviews but no one mention how they rush you to eat, pack up your food and leave. So I am wondering if it was just us??? A different person came to our table every 2 seconds. We sat down and didn’t have time to really look at the menu before 4 people came to our table literally back to back asking are we ready to order. We explained we are still checking out the menu and give us a few mins. As she walked away a guy was right behind her and said are you ready to order now. We was so confused. Then as we are eating our food every time we put down our fork/chopsticks someone would come asking do we want a box and she can box it up for us. Again we was so confused because we just got our food. We got there at 6pm and was out by 630-640pm. For a dine In restaurant that is really fast because that timeframe includes looking over the menu, ordering, receiving our food, eating and paying. It was constant back to back of the staff coming and asking do we want a box so she can pack it up. We didn’t finish our food because it was so frustrating we just said box it up, paid and left. I can understand rushing if the place is busy and they need the seats but it was only us and maybe 3 other people. There was 3-4 tables available. The place still had a few hours before closing on a Saturday. Although I would love to come back for dine in I don’t know if I can deal with being rushed to eat my food. I will probably just do pick up order and eat in my car or at home. It was weird and extremely...

The food here is always very good and fresh. However, the staff needs a lesson in professionalism and how to properly serve customers. My husband and I were enjoying our meal and were being rushed to finish our food and leave. Within 2 minutes 3 different staff members came up to us asking if we were finished eating, and they barely gave us time to respond. Our appetizer came out with I food so I told one of the gentleman that I needed a box for my appetizer but we were still eating our food. He came back and put our boxes on the table. Before we knew it a lady came up and grabbed my chop sticks OUT OF MY BOWL as I was drinking the broth from my spoon. She proceeded to use the other end of my chop sticks where your hand would go to to pack up my appetizer for me. She then tried to pack up my husbands food and he told her “Don’t worry about my food I’ll do it myself, just get the check.” The lady then proceeded to take our food off the table AND WE WERE NOT FINISHED EATING! They rushed us out of the restaurant because they were on a 15min wait. Regardless of the wait time at no point should you rush your customers, put your hands in their bowl while they’re eating, or snatch their food off the table when they weren’t finished eating. Our money is just as good as anyone else’s so the entire thing was uncalled for. The owner tried to make things right, but this isn’t the first time we have felt disrespected in this establishment. The food is good, but all the staff lacks professionalism and respect...