Rai Rai Ramen — Restaurant in North Brunswick Township

Rai Rai recently reopened after a fire shuttered the original. The outside doesn’t look like much sit is in a strip mall amongst many other nondescript strip malls. Inside though, it’s fairly classy for the locale with nice big black tables. Due to the high quality, it can get pretty busy during dinner and apparently waits can be quite long. For lunch on a Sunday, we were seated immediately, had our order taken quickly, and had food almost right away. Service was good but not exceptional. The waiter who took the order was quite friendly but the servers who brought the food were pretty surly and didn’t utter a word. We wanted to try the roti after rave reviews, but were told it would be quite a wait and were suggested the pork buns instead. These were good, but not great. The lettuce added some nice freshness and the mayonnaise was light but enough to add some oil. The pork was delicious and tender. The bun though was just ok. It didn’t seem super fresh. The ramen however was amazing. It equaled and exceeded some of the ramen in New York. The experience was also nice as we didn’t have to wait hours to get a seat or sit with our backs nearly outside in the cold like some of the small shops. The broth was incredibly complex with flavor and got thicker and more spicy toward the bottom as a good ramen should. The mayo ramen had no mayonnaise in it thankfully, but was nice and swimming with veggies, pork belly, and tons of noodles. The pork was tender and fell apart in the broth. The spice level was nice, just enough to get the nose running, but not enough to be painful. For a strip mall in central NJ, this is some pretty...

One of the best places to get ramen in the New Brunswick/Edison area. It's really the rich and flavorful brother that sets this place apart. It's not watery, a little on the thick side as far as broths go but that's a good thing in this context. I ordered the house ramen and it came with a healthy portion of pork belly, bok choy, sea weed, pickled bamboo and chives. I think I'm missing more ingredients, oh yeah like a nice hard boiled slightly watery egg and a fried oyster on the side! Since this place is owned by a Taiwanese family, I can sense some Chinese influences in terms of the ingredients, but it definitely compliments this Japanese treat not distracts from it. For an appetizer I DEF recommend the Mochiko Chicken. It's fried pieces of chicken that is crunchy but slightly chewy too, I'm guessing they use a different starch in their batter. It's GOOD and satisfying, and one order is quite large so it's good for 3-4 people to snack on. The decor is nice, chique and modern but it still has the vibe of a casual sit-down so no need to get all gussied up to come (but no harm if you do!). The customer service was courteous and prompt. The waiter was polite, had great memory and gave us everything we needed promptly. I definitely felt valued as a customer here and would make this place a regular go-to.

Oh yeah, come dinner time (6pm+) the place is P-A-C-K-E-D, so I'd shoot for an early dinner if you don't want...

SEE UPDATE - DONT SUPPORT A BUSINESS THAT DOESNT APPRECIATE YOUR BUSINESS

Best ramen in the area. Since rai rai opened, roughly 5 other spots opened in a 20-30 min radius. None have matched rai rai. The noodles are great and the broth tastes so rich. I havent been there in a while and my mouth is watering writing this. The ramen addons are also way better than any other ramen shops around.

EDIT 2021 You would think with the pandemic probably reducing business they would attempt to maximize their opportunities. Nope. I didnt want to believe the other reviews as I have been going here for over 7 years. The owner was great, always friendly and accomodating. Whoever this new manager is just lost weekly business over $.50-$1 worth of bobas. The person making the boba tea walked over to hear and I overhead "Should we ask them?" She brushed her off and then I find that the boba tea orders came without boba. When confronted she informed me they were out of bobas. I asked for a refund and return then, she tried to say it was not possible when I paid in cash. She reluctantly refunded me with attitude and a scowl treating me like I did something wrong. Fine, plenty of other good options. Ramen 10-15 north or south is comparable. Ninja Sushi and Shu House non ramen items are 10x better in flavor and quality.

If the owner reads this, please get rid of that woman ruining...