Menya-Gumi — Restaurant in New Haven

Broth: 4.5/5 Noodles: 4/5 Toppings: 4.75/5 Portion size: 5/5 Appetizers: 4.5/5

I was excited to try Menya Gumi during a day trip to New Haven. Overall I enjoyed what I had and would probably come back if I found myself in the area again. We went on a Saturday for dinner ~6:20pm. There was no wait but the restaurant did slowly fill up as the dinner hour continued. As others have said, the service is a bit non-standard when you first walk in (nobody greets you; they just tell you to sit wherever). They also have a rather aggressive sign in all caps that says that looking at the kitchen won't make the food come out faster -- it made me feel self-conscious about looking at the kitchen even though it was right in front of me. That being said, once we got seated the service was quick and smooth.

We got two appetizers. The karaage ($10) was solid -- it had a crispy exterior and tender interior. I would have wanted slightly more flavor -- maybe some ginger/garlic flavor or some saltiness. Overall not my favorite karaage ever, but still good. The tebasaki wings ($11) were also good. These had good flavor reminiscent of Bonchon soy garlic wings. I was glad they weren't too sweet. They had a good crunchy texture and were quite large. Overall very solid ramen appetizers.

I got the shoyu chintan ramen ($16). The broth is quite good -- well-balanced, not too salty, with good chicken broth flavor. The noodles were your standard packaged yellow wavy noodles. Mine were clumped up in a few places but otherwise good. The ramen had a lot of toppings -- for $16, this is pretty generous given what I'm used to. The toppings were all quite tasty. One thing I noticed was that everything was cut quite thick (or not cut) -- the bamboo was given in thick chunks, the shiitake mushrooms were cut pretty thickly, the pork belly was a thick slab, and the egg was not cut in half. As a result you get a lot of toppings, which I'm not complaining about, but I think it could've been even better if the toppings were sliced a bit.

Overall I enjoyed my experience and certainly came out of it very full. Good flavors and plentiful toppings. I would come back. I definitely want to try some of their...

Angel and his crew are genuine folks providing great hospitality and delicious comfort food 🍜

Your first step into the door is followed by a warm welcome and friendly service. Even on my first of many visits into the restaurant I felt like I was returning to a friend's house. It consistently feels like that because they have a nice rapport with everyone who walks in -- the service is still awesome, even for the unreasonable jerks who walk in with a negative vibe.

The food has no comparison to other ramen shops in downtown New Haven. There's no competition. Sorry.

All the local foodies will mention Menya Gumi because everything is on point within its niche. Others in the vicinity have a lot of fusion or heavy-handed seasoning that throws off the balance, with little focus on the important factors.

Here, the ramen bites the way it should. The broth improves over time as you make your way down to the last morsels of the bowl. The ajitama is the right consistency with a golden, slightly runny, yolk. The portioning is just right.

It's a small menu but you wouldn't go wrong with other choices. The sando's are generously buttered, which makes it easier to eat, texture-wise. They're cut in small rectangles which makes it disappointing because the two bites of the individual piece go by very quickly and you're stuck eyeing your friend's last piece (true story).

It's often a good idea to share an appetizer or two and get a bowl of ramen or other entree for yourself. If you're sharing everything, mention that to your server, but get two different types of ramen and maybe one app if you're trying them out (you'll see the extent of how each broth is differently made). If you're dining by yourself, the bowl of ramen and a drink or app should suffice unless you're super hungry!

There's a decent selection of sake and whiskey which wouldn't be a bad idea to try out. I don't recommend getting boba (but you do you!) especially with the assortment of the other cool drink options. The hot tea options are pretty good quality too!

Thanks for the good laughs and warm meals. See you...

Coming from a half-Japanese person who's been to Japan many times, this is really good! Tasted authentic and was very yummy. All the toppings were perfectly cooked and tasted wonderful, the meat was especially tender and fatty, and the egg was perfectly jammy and golden orange in the middle with great flavor. Noodles were a bit firm, but I actually like it that way and they had perfect texture and taste too.

The only thing is that the shoyu broth was a bit lacking and could use more depth in my opinion, but still plenty satisfying. Not too oily/greasy too. I found the portions and $16 price to be fair too. I would definitely recommend this place to someone who wants to try good Japanese ramen!

I also got $8 hot sake which was so perfectly smooth and hot during my meal. Perfect for a cold & rainy day.

The sake cups and chopsticks were nice quality too.

My husband got the $24 duck ramen (limited time special, didn't get a picture) which I think was a bit overpriced. But it was quality, and we both liked it. The toppings and flavors were fantastic there too. I just prefer the classics due to my nostalgia.

The service was fantastic though! Got our waters right away, the order, the bill, etc. all at the perfect time with good attention from the waitress. The ramen came very fast too actually.

I just think all the random passive-aggressive signs in the restaurant are off-putting. Like "staring at the kitchen won't make your food come out faster!" or "do NOT sit in these chairs!" ... Okay? Then why are the chairs there? Just weird. Makes the customers feel like they're a nuisance when that kind of hostile stuff is everywhere. Otherwise, the atmosphere &...