Mensho Ramen — Restaurant in Mesa

absolutely the best ramen in arizona! it's a little on the pricier side because I think on social media I've seen them advertised as michelin starred but I can't say I've ever eaten at a michelin starred restaurant before so I don't know if it's deserving of a star, but I know that it was SO good. although, I admit I've noticed them continuously increase their prices. my coworkers went last week as well and took pictures of the menu. the prices on their menus from yesterday were a little higher for some of their options in comparison to their prices from only one week ago. don't know if they'll address it any time soon.

wait is long, even though we lined up at 4 pm when they open it still took us almost 1.5 hours to be seated. perhaps because we were a party of 3 and had to wait for a table, but parties of 1-2 get the bar first I believe. but they'll text you when your table is about to be ready so you can leave and come back. you have to go through the line of people in the narrow hallway when you first enter to get to the podium to the hostess. I don't know if they'll fix this later but it was lowkey warm in there lol and after eating my ramen I was sweating a bit so I recommend bringing a hand fan if you plan to wait inside the establishment.

for first timers I recommend the signature toripaitan like I got since it has all the different meats in there for you to try and egg! if you get the wagyu truffle aburasoba it's a dry ramen they call it, still so good but when I was eating it, it reminded me more of a stir fry than considering it to be a dry ramen.

I think for girls or anyone that eats smaller portions, you could definitely get away with splitting a ramen portion wise and to save money! I was so full after eating EVERYTHING from mine. my coworkers were right to split because it's their second time going!

I will say though the yuzu cucumber pickles were just okay, not phenomenal? an in between taste of not cucumber but not too pickle-y, a good refresher in between bites of my ramen since it's a cold dish but if you're looking for appetizers maybe try something else? I much prefer the cucumbers from din tai fung. mensho arizona also serves enoki "chips" as an appetizer option but it was included in the wagyu truffle aburasoba so I got to try some pieces. it's not as crispy as I was expecting, don't know if it's because they had to put it in with the rest of the ingredients for the wagyu truffle that perhaps the heat softened them or it's just like that, but still tasted good regardless. I will be back to try a lot more different dishes!

psa for ladies or anyone that carries purses/bags, there's not really any space to put your purses/bags away so try to only bring in stuff you'd need (they accept apple pay/tap payments). their chairs have gaps in the back so if you were to put a bag behind you on your seat they're susceptible to falling on the floor (happened to me!). happy...

I've been at this place at least 3 times and there was going to be a 4th time but they had us wait for more than 40 minutes after stating on their queue system that there are indeed no more people ahead of us. We asked at least 3 times what's going on. First they said, they're cleaning up. Second they said they were checking out. It took 3 times of complaints just for them to take action.

In addition, the times where the queue went well, there was still inconveniences that we faced. Every time we went there and got seated, there was no napkins ready. I would not have minded it if it was only 1 time but seriously, 3 times? I am not sure if it was fixed yet but the 2 times I was there, one of their bathroom doors wouldn't even lock. Another thing that caught my attention was that their layout of tables and chairs are pretty random and crowded. There are tall seating mixed with short seating and LISTEN when I tell you this, you're bound to hit some table corners and elbows just to get to your seating.

Food wise, it is somewhat close to authentic (Lived in Japan for a year). Especially the noodles that are handmade and chewy, it is indeed good. Broth is good and are pretty close to the ones I'm used to in Japan but my problem every time was that it made me want to go to the bathroom every single time afterwards.

Price wise, can't really do anything about that. There's always a premium undisclosed tax when trying to experience other cultures outside America, especially Japan's. Literally for half the price of their classic Toripaitan, additions that are on their menu are added already at your local ramen place in Japan for only ¥1150 = $7.46. And actual additions like an egg boiled the same way, is only ¥110. Also it's overhyped that it is from a brand that has been awarded a michelin star before (which is only handed to its certain location, not the whole brand itself) so it is so much more expensive than if you go someplace else

And lastly, it is always sooo crowded especially during the weekends. If you literally care for the sane of your customers either adapt a reservation type of service for your customers or propose a time limit type of deal to limit the number of people inside. Americans don't have the Japanese mindset where a customer is behooved to checkout asap to let more people in so they really have to adapt to that because at this point it is not worth the time and there are probably better ramen places...

Word of the Day: Abligurition - lavish spending on food and drink. Who needs purses or gadgets when there's abligurition to keep us spending on foie gras, truffles, and bubbly champagne?

Came for Sunday lunch and it was amazing. Having only waited 30 mins for a table, I was happy. Give this Michelin-award ramen shop their flowers because it's well-deserved.

Signature Toripaitan ($28 - Rich creamy chicken soup, A5 wagyu, smoked pork, duck, chicken, spinach, white truffle sauce, green onion, red onion, ajitama egg, fried Japanese menma, and a charcoal negi egg): We were instructed to try the white truffle sauce first before mixing it in the broth and mmm. Truffle-y! While $78 is still the most I ever spent on ramen, a truffle ramen at Momofuku, I think this $28 bowl was money better spent. So much protein and what a great bowl of ramen. The noodles had an amazing texture for the fat-dripped broth to cling onto. All the meats had a lovely smoked aroma and that egg... perfectly jammy. If there was any spare space in this intimate and cozy restaurant, my skirt would have flipped.

Enoki Chips ($10 - Enoki mushroom chips, lemon, shichimi chili peppers): I was imagining a thick slab of tempura-battered enoki so imagine my surprise when some deep-fried enoki mushrooms came to the table. We had been told to throw it into the ramen to let it soak up the delicious broth. Keeping it honest, I say pass on the enoki chips completely. While they did soak up the broth, it left my mouth coated in oil after every bite. Not ideal. I'd rather have fresh enoki mushrooms for my ramen at that point. Pass.

Aji Fry ($12 - Deep fried Japanese mackerel tonkatsu sauce, karashi, and lemon): Now this is a great deep-fried fish! Flaky, delicious, and moist. It paired well with the tonkatsu sauce.

Takoyaki ($6 for two pc. - Octopus balls with takoyaki sauce, katsuo bushi, and nori seaweed): I love me some takoyaki and these were decent.

Come as a single diner, a duo, or maaaybe a table of four. Any party size bigger than four, this place might not be for you. Seating is limited and it's a very small place. It can also get quite warm in here so be warned. The staff is super friendly and speedy despite them practically walking on top of each other with how the space is laid out and how tight the quarters are. Other than that, you're in for a delicious meal. I can't wait...