Hokkaido Ramen House — Restaurant in Morrisville

I just went here this evening and first off, I would like to say that their service is 11/10.

So I got 3 things: Hokkaido milk tea, gyoza, and garlic tonkotsu ramen.

Hokkaido milk tea (got it without boba) - 8.5/10 It's pretty good with a nice balance of sweet that is not overly bitingly sweet. I like that. I also liked the fact that 1/4 to 1/5 is ice so you get more milk tea overall. I appreciate that a lot. Gyoza - 8.5/10 The gyoza tastes made in house with good wrapping texture. The fillings taste pretty average though. I love the char on the bottom. Portion size are small, but that's ok because if it were bigger, I'd probably be super full from finishing the main course which is the ramen. The dipping sauce is ok as well. I like mine with a more intense vinegar forward flavor than what's being offered, but I did tell the server about it. This is just personal preference though. Garlic tonkotsu ramen - 8.5/10 For being a tonkotsu, I was quite surprised that the broth was pretty light and not super fatty. Usually a fatty broth would make you feel pretty heavy afterwards, but this isn't the case. And that doesn't mean it doesn't have flavor, it certainly does have a good pork flavor. By the end, I did not feel like I was tired of eating the ramen so kudos for that. Noodles are springy and soaks up the broth quite well. You only get 1 piece of char siu, but it was pretty big and tastes great! Also, +1 for having 1 egg cut in half with a good jelly yolk in the middle. Other places have 1/2 an egg and that always rub me the wrong way. I think you should definitely soak the egg in soy sauce marinade to provide contrast to the white broth color. For some minor gripes. For having garlic in the name, I didn't smell the garlic or notice it as the dominant smell/flavor in the ramen nor do I see any garlic pieces in there. It's fine though and I did end up finishing the entire bowl. I also would've like the broth to be steaming hot. So, if you want a good base for ramen, this garlic tonkotsu ramen is definitely a good start and doesn't leave you feeling bloated or tired. This gives me a good indicator to try the other bowls of ramen next time I drop by.

Back to what I was saying about customer service being a 11/10. I mean it. The waitress was so amazing! She saw me struggle with my phone so she gave me a phone stand to put my phone on and checked up on me after I've tried some of the items. The best part of all this was that I forgot my milk tea and when I went back, they offered to make me a new one even though I offered to pay! To me, that speaks volume and I will come back here again to try your other ramen dishes.

Overall, I'd give this place a solid 9/10. Thank you Hokkaido for a great meal with an...

I was here solo on a Sunday, late afternoon. A few tables were taken but there were also plenty of open ones. (This is a good sign for me, as it means I can take my time and enjoy the quiet)

I ordered the takoyaki and the garlic tonkatsu ramen with an extra egg instead of the pork (I'm not vegetarian but I don't really like the meat's texture). I wish the egg could've been substituted for free since I wasn't getting the meat, but alas - the server told me in advance that it would be extra, and $1.75 isn't too bad for one of those delicious marinated eggs.

The takoyaki were steaming hot and presented quite nicely. I think the pieces of octopus inside were quite small but this isn't a huge issue for me. They were filling.. six come in an order and I only got through two before the ramen came out. (Yay, leftovers!)

The garlic ramen was new to me, and it was so fragrant that at first I thought maybe the garlic would overpower the dish. It didn't, though - it was definitely garlic-flavored but subtle enough that the other flavors could still come through.

Staff were very polite and checked in regularly, but didn't rush me - in fact I never had to ask for anything except to-go containers at the end! As a solo diner who also doesn't drink, sometimes I feel brushed off a bit since I'm probably not going to buy as much as couples or groups, but here that was not the case. When I told my waitress that it was my first time eating there she asked how I found the place and then smiled and said "nice to meet you!"

Very good...

Update: 3rd time coming here in Hokkaido Ramen House, and enjoyed it here more than the second time. This night, the highlight was the Chasu Buns appetizer ($3.50) - very satisfying as it has large pork, chef special sauce & other ingredients. This was ordering ordering this and we thought it's a great appetizer at an affordable price.

My wife ordered the Spicy Beef Ramen, which I ordered in our 2 previous visits. She asked for additional corn, and requested to make the ramen milder with side of chili sauce on the side. I ordered the Tantanmen, which has a ginger & sesame based chicken broth and comes with chopped pork.

Sofia was our server again, and her customer service was professional, as always. Our orders were served fast. As I mentioned in my new reel on Instagram (jakevyper), the anime art in Hokkaido's cozy ambiance made us feel like we entered a ramen shop in Japan.

The Spicy Beef Ramen, in our opinion, is still the best ramen we've tried in Hokkaido. The amount of large beef back rib & beef brisket makes this ramen such a showstopper.

Tantanmen's broth was spicier, and the chopped pork pieces were alright but I still prefer the grounded pork of the Spicy Tantan Ramen in Miso Ramen Bar in Cary, NC.

Overall, Hokkaido is the one of the best ramen spots in the Triangle, and we'd probably try the other appetizers & gyudon next time we visit.

Overall...