Paper Crane Ramen Shop & Cocktail Lounge — Restaurant in Iowa City

When I heard a new ramen shop was opening up (by the creative minds of The Webster, no less!) I was very optimistic. I have spent some time in Japan and, while I am certainly not an expert, I know Japanese cuisine well. I wasn’t necessarily expecting Paper Crane to be extremely “authentic,” but for the price tag, I was expecting some delicious eats. Unfortunately, while the service and vibes were great, some of the food was a miss for me.

THE GOOD: The wood ear mushroom salad and milk bun were both unique and delicious. The gyoza were crispy, and the sauce they came with was delicious (though the filling was just average).

THE BAD: We were very disappointed by the tantanmen. Though the menu lists sesame as an ingredient, it completely lacked the strong nutty sesame flavor that makes tantanmen, tantanmen. The broth lacked any flavor in general, honestly. Also, our tantanmen didn’t come with bok choy or menma, though the online menu says that all ramen bowls come with those things by default (I’m sure they just ran out, but still, it hurt to pay full price for something that was, by their standards, incomplete). Overall, the only thing we really liked were the noodles, but given that they advertise themselves as primarily a RAMEN shop, I was expecting this to shine a lot more than it did.

Also, when you’re already paying over $20 for a bowl of ramen, it feels insulting to have to pay extra for an egg! I heard people around us comment on this too.

Additionally, the menchi katsu had a strange, strong aroma that was only amplified when you bit into it (perhaps it’s the pickled mustard seeds?). It was really unpleasant, and my partner and I didn’t even want to finish it. We did, of course, because we paid $13 for it, but it was by far the least enjoyable of all 5 dishes we tried.

THE STRANGE: The spoons were big and ceramic and thus quite heavy; it certainly felt luxurious but was quite impractical to use. The napkins were also very thick, which was nice. However, it felt weird to use a fancy spoon and napkin with disposable wooden chopsticks. I know they’re going for a “casual ramen shop" vibe, but this place is already upscale enough that single-use chopsticks feel like a weird hill to die on. I especially felt this when I rested them on the beautiful paper crane chopstick rest.

We ordered our dessert (the milk bun) at the same time as other food, expecting it to come out last, but it showed up first. We were forced to eat it immediately so the ice cream didn't melt. I didn't mind, but it was a bit weird.

Regarding their waiting system, I joined the online walk-in waitlist before arriving. However, when I showed up to check in, I was told that my name wasn’t on the waitlist at all, despite me having the text and web confirmation to prove it. My name was manually added, and I was told by the kind staff that they would honor my place in line. However, when I showed up again when the website said my table was ready, the staff still couldn’t seem to find my name on the waitlist. They were nice enough to still seat us right away (I do not blame them for a system error!) but it was quite annoying. Moral of the story: don’t assume that a spot on the online waitlist is necessarily secure.

OVERALL: I do want to come back to try the drinks at the lounge (they can’t be ordered to the main dining room), but I don’t think that I will be back to the main restaurant for a while. My partner and I did have a good experience overall, contrary to what this long review may have you believe, but it is just too much money for food that is hit or miss (before tip, it was $72 for 5 dishes and their cheapest pour of sake).

This place has potential, but from what I tasted, they still have many...

Paper Crane is not only an easy 5, but an exciting new addition to the Iowa City food scene, and it absolutely delivers. As a couple, we’ve enjoyed high end ramen in our home city of Seattle, but also in places like Vancouver, San Francisco, and Taipei. We do have super high standards for Asian food as we’ve been lucky to try some of the best. Frankly, we don’t hold the Midwest to the same standard as the coasts, but this place completely surprised us—in the best way.

The chicken karaage was flavorful with a crispy coating, though it was a little too oily. It might be improved if it emulated more of a Taiwanese popcorn chicken vibe. The gyoza was fresh and delicious, but we felt a lighter sauce profile like a ponzu derivative could’ve been a signature addition to the menu. We appreciated that large window into the kitchen so guests can observe the chefs prepare the meals—it’s clear everything is cooked fresh. That said, the karaage and gyoza together felt like a savory overload, especially when paired with the ramen. It might be worth considering lighter appetizers to balance out the meal better.

Speaking of ramen, we ordered the tantanmen, and wow—it was incredible. The broth was rich, flavorful, and absolutely comforting, and the soy egg? Absolute perfection. It was so good that it’s worth coming back just for that egg. HIGHLY RECOMMEND.

Unfortunately, dessert was the one weak point of the meal. The milk bun wasn’t really like a milk bun at all—it had more of a dry toast-like texture, which was disappointing. The vanilla ice cream was okay but didn’t do enough to redeem the dish. It looked better than it tasted—more for aesthetics than actual flavor. I’ll skip that next time and try the mochi ice cream instead.

Service, on the other hand, was top-notch. The staff was incredibly attentive, friendly, and quick to refill waters throughout the meal. We also tried the Demon Slayer sake, which we highly recommend if you enjoy dry sake—it paired perfectly with the food.

Overall, Paper Crane is a gem that’s raising the bar for Asian food in Iowa City. While dessert didn’t impress, the ramen and appetizers more than made up for it. The atmosphere was also a nice surprise, with cool lighting and red backlights that set the vibe. This is an awesome new place, and we highly...

I’ve never left a bad review but coming away I couldn’t stop thinking about my experience. I sat down at 8:20 on a Sunday thinking I would get a whiskey and take some ramen to go. As soon as I sat down at the bar I felt like I did something wrong the way the bartender was groaning as I sat down. Not wanting to be a customer that is chit chatty I got straight to ordering my whiskey, asking him about the Japanese whiskey on the menu. He gives me a rushed blurb of information but just seemed so disinterested as I was sitting there curiously. I am a server in a restaurant so I understand not wanting to be there late, but as another couple gets sat down again groaned and complained to the other person at the bar with me. Feeling extra bad I reiterated that I would like my food to go, to which he sighed with relief and said “great!” And quickly walked away. As he was gone another person sat at the bar next to me. Seeing that I was no longer alone I considered ordering another drink. The person next to me orders their food and has a drink and we start to talk and hit it off. Our food comes out and I decided to sit and eat with them. This really upset and visually annoyed the bartender which made me very anxious about just being there. I was so excited to have a nice time but the bartender put such a sour taste in my mouth I couldn’t enjoy the experience or the food. I’m forgetting many of the mannerism's and details that had me tearing up on the bike ride home. I really liked the separate bar but was disappointed to be given a smaller menu with no ramen. I ordered chicken skewers to go, and a two glasses of whiskey. I spent almost $78 with tip to have a really agonizing service with quirky bar food. I was so excited for this place to be great and was prepared to spend accordingly but this was outrageous. I really hope this review finds the right people and can spark some conversation as to why this may...