Menjiro — Restaurant in Portland

This little place is tucked at the backside of a parking lot on the south side of the island, east side of the freeway sharing a parking lot with the liquor store. It's quite unassuming and had a search for "restaurants" not revealed it, I never would have known it was there. The inside is bigger you'd think when walking up to it, but still on the small-ish side. The bar-height tables and chairs along with one wall being floor to ceiling windows eliminate any feelings of claustrophobia. Were it daylight when I visited, I'm sure the view onto the Columbia and marina would have been wonderful.

If you're new to Japanese food/ramen, you may want to leverage Google for some menu items (or just swallow your pride and ask the staff :-) ). The friends I was with mentioned they'd come here once before and were disappointed that their order was missing soup broth. It turns out items on the menu indicating "no soup noodle" are served without broth (like Yakisoba).

I ordered the chashu ramen and my friend got the "plain" ramen. I think the main difference was the amount of pork in the chashu, because mine had so many massive slices of pork in it! Very filling, plenty of noodles and other veggies too. I'd say the broth tasted kind of plain (I may have been expecting some kind of artisanal bone broth - damn portland has messed up my tastebuds!), but it wasn't bad. The price can't be beat either!

This place is a welcome change from the fast(ish) food places and chain restaurants that take up space on the island. Plus: Sapporo beer is on tap! I definitely want...

I've eaten at every ramen shop in the PDX metro area and Menjiro is one of the best and easily the most unknown ramen shop in town. An easy stop if you're shopping or staying in the Delta Park/Jantzen Beach area. It's on the east side of the highway, so don't drive around looking for it in the Jantzen Beach shopping area. It's the small, unassuming"shack" sharing a parking lot with one of the most infamous liquor stores in NoPo.

And here's an insider tip for my fellow west side, Vancouver dwellers... It's closer and way less crowded than any other noodle shop in or around Vancouver, it's better than 95% of the restaurants in Clark County, and it's a quick drive, bike ride, or walk across the I5 bridge.

Asian-owned and operated. Fast, friendly service. The food has always been perfectly cooked and fresh every time I've dined here.

The food is totally legit. Ramen (hot and cold), a large assortment of appetizers, rice bowls, an assortment of Japanese noodle dishes, and a Kobe burger for under $10.

Vegan and vegetarian menu items available.

Stop in and show them some love. They're hurting like many other small, independently owned restaurants right now. No lines and no waiting most of the time. I'm sitting outside eating a bowl of the Gekikara Hot ramen right now, at prime dinner time, and from ordering to eating I waited...

I lived in Japan a long time and I’ll tell you most Japanese restaurants in the states are not an authentic experience, they might be good, but they don’t have that homey neighborhood feel that is the backbone of Japanese cuisine. First off, most American Japanese restaurants are expensive and seem to be striving for some trendy zen concept. Menjiro felt like I was back in the Kobe neighborhood, getting a bowl of Ramen on the way to the train station. Unpretentious, friendly, reasonably priced. That’s pretty straight forward, isn’t it? Honest good food in a welcoming environment. It’s tiny and the prime table has a wonderful view of the boat docks, with plenty of room for outdoor seating. The cook/server was the perfect addition, cheerful and friendly, exactly like so many Ramen shops in Japan. To be honest, I have had better Ramen, but I haven’t had more authentic ramen. It’s not the place for your wedding party or a corporate merger. It’s a place you eat at regularly… with friends, or by yourself. You don’t have to dress up, or put your makeup on, you just have to relax and imagine you’re in a little harbor town in Japan and you’re dropping into your little neighborhood joint. And...