Shaka Ramen — Restaurant in Middletown

Shaka Ramen

400 S. Ridge Ave. Middletown

Like many people, I’ve been waiting for a Ramen shop to come to town for some time. Now that we FINALLY have one, I went in for the full treatment! For starters, I will say the restaurant is very cool on the inside, the decorating and graphics on the wall were all pretty impressive. The space is unrecognizable from its previous iterations of the taco shop and the cheese place. Second, the staff was super-friendly… like it was a place I’ve already been to 100 times.

On to the food. They offer a combo which gives you a choice of one of the ramen bowls and an appetizer for $20. I went with the spicy ramen with pork and the Takoyaki. I also ordered a tornado potato ($3) and a taro tea to drink. I LOVED the ramen. For me, the noodles and pork were perfect, but what really won me over is the spicy broth. I like spicy, and frequently order things spicy but get served something that I don’t think is spicy at all. The other extreme is I’ll end up over emphasizing the “make it spicy” part and then get something ridiculous that I can’t eat. This was the perfect level of spicy for me. It had kick, it had heat, but 1) didn’t overpower everything else that I ate and 2) didn’t linger and make you want to constantly be drinking something the entire meal. The ramen was an excellent balance of spicy, savory broth and tender meat and noodles. The egg was also good (I added an extra). The Takoyaki was also very good. I wasn’t really sure what to expect. I had never had it before. It is kinda like a fish ball, but made with octopus instead. I like all kinds of sushi, but not a fan of octopus. I don’t like the texture when it comes to tako sushi. This was different. Maybe because it is chopped fine and mixed with other ingredients, but in any case I enjoyed it and the sauces drizzled on top made it even better. It is something that I will absolutely order again at some point, but I want to try some other things first.

I will be back within a day or two for more spicy a ramen. I highly recommend it. If you are looking for something a little unique to try, I will recommend the Takoyaki. Something else I had never tried before was taro flavored tea. I’m a big fan of Thai iced tea and this is now my new favorite. Delicious! It is on the sweet side, so if you don’t like sweet drinks, this isn’t for you. But if sweet doesn’t bother you, I highly recommend giving it a try!

Overall my experience was really very nice. They were rather busy, so it did take a little time for food to come out, but it wasn’t anything annoying. Maybe as much as 15 minutes, but no other issues. I’m anxious to try other appetizer options, but the ramen was so good the first time, I think I will stick with the spicy ramen with pork! Will be back within the week!

The restaurant is located in one of the little strip malls next to Kohls. If you know where Green Turtle is, it is in the same building at...

Been here two times now and we love it! Such a cute little place, prices arent awful considering the prices at similar establishments, and they've got different stuff but also typical stuff like tempura. I am a huge fan of the Yuzu chicken, and I won't forget what it's called now. The first time I had it, it was on a lunch special and it was amazing. I came back recently, quite a while after my first visit almost a year ago now, and couldn't remember the name of the dish, just knew it was chicken with a sweet tangy sauce. Our waiter was so nice and helped me figure out which one it was! Thank you so much. I loved every bite. 😁 And my daughter took my leftovers on me! Sneaky girl. I love that they have very authentic dishes, but I wish they would add some more Americanized, or I should say "kid friendly" ramen dishes that are more synonymous. They have ramen dishes with all this different stuff like fish cake that my kid just won't eat. No matter how good it looks. Unfortunately she didn't really care for either ramen dish she tried both times. But she did love my chicken. Maybe a more plain chicken or beef ramen with meat, noodles, and some other stuff like wonton sticks that isn't too much of an acquired taste.

But other than wanting more ramen dishes, we love this place and will keep...

Very good atmosphere and convenient location in Middletown. We ordered the Tan Tan and Tonkatsu ramen, as well as tornado fries (reminded us of our latest trip to Seoul where countless vendors sold tornado fries). The tornado fries was very flavorful and crispy. Just be wary that some bites will contain a mouthful of cheese dusting. The ramen was packed full of flavor, however the amount of soup was a letdown. I've eaten at countless ramen shops and I never experienced just a small puddle of soup remaining after consuming the noodles.

Another side note, the menu offers a combo special for $20 which includes a ramen and appetizer. Most of the ramen was $14-15. The tornado fries was $3. When I asked would be get two since it's $20 for a combo, the waitress said the combo only includes one appetizer. Why would I pay $20 for a ramen and tornado fries, when I could just order the $3 tornado fry separately? I guess if you were to order the combo, just stay away from the lower priced appetizers such as tornado fries and edamame. There was also an option for takoyaki for the combo set but takoyaki wasn't listed to order separately on the appetizer menu?

I wouldn't come out of my way to dine here, but it's a solid spot if you're craving ramen and happen to be...