Anju Noodle Bar — Restaurant in Kittery

The king of ramen in the USA; probably never to be dethroned; is Ramen Tatsu-Ya in Austin and Houston, TX. Having moved to Maine from Texas about five years ago, I've been searching for decent ramen in New England.

At this point I've tried literally every ramen shop in Boston / surrounding area, Maine, and NH with meh results. I had pretty much written off New England ramen entirely before finding Anju by semi-accident in Kittery. The closest Tesla service center to Maine as of Oct 2025 is in Londonderry, NH; and the route passes right by Kittery. You can put the rest together.

I had the Jiro ramen because Tonkotsu is the only ramen, imo. While no ramen will ever beat Tatsu-Ya mi-so-hot (hope I'm proven wrong), Anju was; by far; the best ramen I've had in New England. I got a spicy miso bomb, but the broth was good and didn't need it. The pics show clearly what comes in the bowl. Once the shichimi togarashi is mixed in, the broth has a pleasant heat to it that is mild and enjoyable. The broth is excellent. The noodles are good. The ajitama is good; not great.

The only mild criticism is that to me the pork shoulder tastes like an unseasoned pork butt roasted in the oven and nothing else. I took this home and gave it to the kids (2 goldens and a newfie) and they loved it. For research purposes, I got an order of the regular pork belly chashu to go, and it is good.

My recommendation for tonkotsu ramen anywhere with 4 hours of Maine - go to Anju - get the Jiro - remove half of the garlic on top before mixing in, substitute regular chashu for pork shoulder if they'll allow it. The miso spicy bomb is good, but...

Our family of 5 dined here after our kayak tour, exhausted and hungry. Overall I would say that I enjoyed their service. Their head waitress or manager was welcoming and accomodtaing. The service and atmosphere for a casual dining place is a four star. However, the food would deserve a 2 Star. Despite the creativity of the menu, the taste of the dishes are very disappointing. The duck yakisoba was so salty that it’s bitter. The head waitress was kind enough to replace it with a new dish that is less salty, for which I’m greatful since yakisoba has always been my son’s favorite dish. However , the flavor is not there. As an Asian person who has had ramen in Japan, and American Asian restaurants in California , Las Vegas , and small towns such as South Hadley MA, I have to sadly say that AnJu’s Shoyu as well as Shio Paitan ramen are the highest priced ( $14 before tax where as it’s normally 7-10 in the other places), but have the least satisfactory taste.

We also order the rice cake, which is creative but too sweet for my taste, and the pork bun ( a traditional dish from Taiwan) was decent but also on the...

Anju is definitely a place my wife and I frequent when we want some soul warming, stomach filling food, when we want to splurge a bit. I will admit thier prices can be a little steep, but you most certainly get what you pay for. Thier apps can range from smaller portions around $7-$12, medium from $11-$13, and thier bowls can range from $14-$18. But the range of flavors they offer is where they really get you, different styles of noodle bowls and flavor profiles from multiple Asian countries. I love the fact that they work in partnership with the local meat market next door, providing them bones to make thier broths, and I wouId assume the meat from local farms. Being in the industry it's easy to get along with others that cook or serve, but the people that work here are genuinely nice people. Aside from the wait on a substantially busy lunch or dinner, my wife and I have never had a bad experience here. We decided to go this time due to realizing they've added some new menu items, and I have to say, this was the best food we've had here so far. Get here when they open, they can...