Nara Ramen and Izakaya - Bown Crossing — Restaurant in Idaho

VERDICT: Ramen was pretty good. I would recommend the black garlic tonkatsu with a draft Sapporo if you're in the area, with a couple of simple changes that could be made by management today at no cost.

FOOD: The ramen was good. The soy sauce & miso marinated soft boiled egg was a delightful accent as well as the al denté bamboo chutes. I like that the black garlic tonkatsu comes with grilled pork instead of pork belly. (I find expertly cooked pork belly is an evasive find at reasonably-priced restaurants.) Of the two ramens tasted, the tonkatsu was good, though a touch light on richness and salt for my preferences. The black garlic tonatsu had deeper richness lent by the black garlic, and a slight hit of soy sauce proved quite delicious. SUGGESTIONS: Serve the broth at a higher temperature. This will help bring the flavor out more strongly. I'm guessing our broth was hovering around the threshold of food safety (140°F) but, in my opinion, should be closer to 200°F (think drip coffee temp).

SERVICE: The service was a little slow. We were sat fairly promptly, but the waiter didn't reach us for a while. With a vase pitcher on the table, our water was always full. This was good. Our bowls arrived sticky on the sides. I know this is just the broth from handling the bowl, but SUGGESTION: wipe the bowl down before service.

ATMOSPHERE: Quiet vibe with brightly stained woods and decor. Perfect,...

I've visited this restaurant a few times in person and ordered via DoorDash a couple of times. Overall, the experience has been a mixed bag. The ramen is good but not great. It’s never served hot enough when dining in, which takes away from the experience (though I can reheat it at home when I order delivery). There’s also never enough broth, which is disappointing because that’s such a key part of good ramen.

That said, the chashu pork and marinated eggs are absolutely amazing—they’re definitely the highlights of the bowl. Unfortunately, the rest of the ingredients tend to be underwhelming.

We’ve also tried some sushi rolls. While a couple of them were good, many fell apart, making them difficult to enjoy.

Another downside is that they don’t have a kids’ menu. We ordered noodles and broth for our six-year-old, thinking we were getting a deal based on how it was presented, but we were charged full price. If I’d known that, I would’ve asked for the meat and veggies on the side at least to get more value for the cost.

In summary, I have a love-hate relationship with this place. There are some standout elements, like the pork and eggs, but the inconsistencies with the food and lack of attention to customer needs (especially for families) make it hard to...

Authentic? Mayby. Taste good? Absolutely! Cute spot that can be super busy or relatively empty (in the same evening).

Staff is super helpful and nice. Many people to help and easy to get more of something of needed. NOTE: If you are on a wait list expecting a text/call - it may come from a personal cell number of an employee. I got a call from a California number, I'm just glad I answered it...

Appetizers/drinks: Many drinks for all ages. The hot sake is always a treat. Ikageso Karaage - fried calamari was tasty with a lemony dipping sauce Harakumi - deep fried spring rolls were ok, a little strange and soggy filling. Wakame Salad - seaweed salad is delicious

Ramen: Flavors are fine, noodles felt over cooked and meat was ok. I would not kick it off my table... I'll have to come back to see if flavors are different. Spice level can be nice. Do not expect to be blown away by 3 chiles out of 5. If hyoue like spicy might start a little higher.

Ultimately, the experience was pretty good, service is great. Was the price after several appetizers and four people eating with some drinks? We were right around $100 before a tip.

Check it out for sure. If you don't live on this side of town, they do have a location on the other...