Muteki Ramen — Restaurant in Hoboken

It's Saturday night in January. Prime time for some ramen on a cold winter weekend night. I live in Hoboken and this is the first place that came to mind because it's close and I've had good food there several times. It was 8:50 pm. I checked their website to make sure they don't close at 9:00. Website lists 10:00 closing time. Just in case, I check Google maps. Hmmm, 9:40 closing time. I assume this is so they can cut off orders and give the staff enough time to be out the door as close to 10:00 as possible. Cool with me. Plenty of time. I bundle up and head out. I arrive at 9:18. It's a very specific time, I know. Here's how I know what time it was. I tell them I'm a party of 1 and just want a bowl of ramen. Having worked in a restaurant many years ago, I know patrons who walk in 10 minutes before closing are persona non grata. It's 42 minutes before website closing time, and 28 minutes before Google maps closing time. It's ramen, not a 4 course fine dining experience. The gentleman at the door was more of a defensive lineman than a server. He moves towards me as I come in the door and says, "We close in 8 minutes". I look at my watch. Yup, 9:18. I reiterate that I just want a bowl of Ramen and that their website lists 10:00 as closing time. I get a Division I defensive lineman blank stare. I take the hint. I leave, after suggesting they update their website. I end up walking up to 14th Street to another ramen place where they're open later (and until the advertised hours that consumers have to rely on). They greet me warmly. Frankly, the ramen isn't even as good, but that place on 14th is my new go-to ramen place in Hoboken, despite being further away. Any owner that doesn't train their employees not to call an audible on closing time and shoo customers away on a Saturday night because they want to go home early, isn't focused enough on their business. Will they miss my $200 a year? Nope. But I won't miss their ramen either. I reward businesses that value the customer experience by giving them more business and giving servers excellent tips. I don't ever go back to places that treat customers poorly. Customer...

The food itself was great. It was the service that was kind of disappointing. Now I've been to dozens of Ramen spots and this is the first where I didn't feel very welcomed. I was placed in between a white couple and two Asian guys. And the servers were being very attentive to them. While I on the other hand felt like I had to keep going out of my way to get their attention. Usually they'll serve water and ask if they can start with drinks when they sit you down. I got none of that. I sat there waiting for several minutes before I finally had to start waving at the servers. There were 2 women, 1 man. The man caught my eye and almost seemed reluctant to serve me. I gave my order, it came fairly quickly, but after that the servers left me alone the entire time. However they went out of their way for the two tables next to me, constantly asking "how's everything, can I get you anything else?". I just felt ignored. Then when it came down to the check, I asked one of the woman waiters if she could take the "extra noodles" off my check because I never received them. That's when the male waiter who originally took my order came over and was like "Do you have a question about your order?". I was like," yea I never got my extra noodles and I'm ready to leave so you can just take it off the check". He claimed then that they put the extra noodles in the bowl already, which usually never happens (usually placed on the side) and it certainly didn't seem like extra noodles. Either that or they don't give as much as other Ramen shops. But I was just like fine whatever, paid my check and started getting my things ready. One of the lady servers then came over with a lollipop for my son, he's 3, which was nice. But other than that I just felt ignored and rushed out of there. So for that I gave the minimum tip and will probably not return, which is a shame because the place is beautiful and the Ramen is great (I had the "Black...

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 5 Stars — Flavor? Muteki! Service? Needs a Little Ramen-Up.

If you’re craving a tonkotsu ramen that hits all the right notes — rich, savory, and soul-warming — Muteki Ramen is a solid go-to. We devoured the ramen, seaweed salad, karaage buns, and sipped our tea with satisfied smiles. The chef deserves all the high-fives — flavors were absolutely on point, no notes!

Now for the service… let’s just say I got real familiar with raising my hand for water. While the food was fast and hot, the staff could use a little seasoning in the attentiveness department. A little anticipation training would go a long way — because when the food’s this good, you kinda want the service to match the same energy. You wouldn’t want to always raise your hand for a water refill, to go box and when to order the dessert.

Still, would I come back? Absolutely. 😋🤗 The ramen alone is worth it — just maybe bring your own water… kidding! (Kind of.) 🤣

Muteki Ramen, you’ve got the flavor game down. Now let’s turn the service from “normal” to “next...