Ramen BARIO Ala Moana — Restaurant in Honolulu

Yes it is in a food court, but better than a lot of stand alone ramen shops.

I ordered the #2 bario egg ramen in black garlic shoyu tonkotsu broth with extra noodles (20.98). I had to settle for that because I was overwhelmed with the variety of choices on display. They really need to streamline their menu as it was kind of confusing.

They had a large backlog of takeaway orders before we ordered but I got my food within twenty minutes.

First off I loved the broth, it was thick, full of that sticky collagen feeling, and most all garlicky. Maybe even too garlicky for me, but I eventually finished it.

The char-siu was very tender, to the point it can be shredded apart with some force. It had a nice smoky undertone as well, unusual but welcome.

Noddles were great, firm as I like it.

The shoyu braised egg was disappointing, it was marinated too long. The egg white end up being brown. As a result, the egg ended up being sweet, not savoury.

My friend had the red spicy lovers soup. Even at hot it was a little too spicy for him. He did love that broth though.

This is a place worth visiting. Yes, it is in a food court but that is why the place was so...

Any great gem is hard to get to (sort of). It’s quite a journey to find Ramen BARIO in the back of the Makai Food Court where the Chinese takeout kitchen used to be. (To be clear, Ala Moana’s food options have vastly changed over the years and I’d learned to skip this food court altogether.)

But, thanks to a friend that I ran into...he happily told me as passed one another at the mall that he was stoked Ramen BARIO was now at Ala Moana. He told me about the tsukemen and how having a restaurant at Alas beats Waikiki because of parking. But, he didn’t tell me where it was located. That was on me.

Guys, I found it. Smack dab in the corner of the food court. Where there aren’t the best options or rather pretty much the same options for years at the Makai Food Court... there is now Ramen BARIO!!!

For our first try, we went with the original. It was delish. Thick noodles, thick broth, garlic-filled and yummy, FAT char siu!! I am a fan and I can’t wait to return to try the rest of their menu!!!

Bonus: the restrooms are right next door so don’t waste your time walking all the way to the ones by...

Overall pretty good, but pricey. As you walk up you see the extensive menu options which can be super overwhelming. I knew I wanted tsukumem so just focused on the middle column. I ordered the spicy tsukumen with extra noodles, cha siu and added seasoned egg for $3. Originally I tried to order the tsukumen that came with cha siu and egg and asked to make it spicy, but apparently that wasn't a thing and they just pointed to the spicy version. They give a little buzzer and were pretty fast - all orders are to go regardless if you're eating in the food court or not. The broth was seasoned well and actually spicy. The noodles were thick and had a great bite to them. Cha siu had a great sear and the seasoned egg was pretty yummy. Broth was at a good temp, noodles are served cold

Probably will try again, but keep in mind you're paying food court prices. They do offer a 15% kamaaina/military...