Bakudan Ramen — Restaurant in San Antonio

Pricey ramen but lacks many basic elements.

Our group got multiple ramen bowls as well as karaage with fries. Each ramen bowl is at least $15 not including any add ons. This makes it already premium ramen price. Karaage with fries was around $8 as it's a children's meal (we wanted to use it as an appetizer). Their other appetizers are not cheap either. From gyoza to takoyaki, you'll end up paying closer to $10 for each app.

Taste ranged from mediocre to bad. Let's start with the ramen. Garlic tonkotsu ramen would sound like it's packed with flavor right? But the broth was light and lacking the richness that you'd expect from a pork broth. While the egg was cooked nicely, they salted the yolk too much. And lastly, the pork cutlets were small pieces without the standard fat ring around it that give it more flavor. Quite stingy for the price. So after all that, all I could find redeeming were the noodles, which were cooked perfectly. As for the karaage with fries...the fries were delicious. But they only gave 2-3 pieces of the chicken. And while it tasted nice and was juicy, it had a lot of tendon inside that detracted from the pleasant experience.

Let's talk about the vibes and the general atmosphere. Because it's worth mentioning as it really livened up the place. They have a great playlist of clubby music that blasts loudly enough that you can hear from the outside. Decor and lighting on the inside also matched the mood of the music. So if you're a younger crowd and you like the kind of atmosphere that makes you wanna dance, this will definitely appeal to you.

Overall, I appreciated the amount of work they put into making the place feel lively. However, the food just did not hit any marks that make it a standout ramen joint. There are too many other ramen locations that will easily outdo this place in...

🚨WARNING * 🚨 🚨WARNING *🚨 Here is my experience. When we walked it it was so nice. There is asian umbrellas hanging from the celling. Asian art on the wall. The kitchen looked like a small asin hut. The music is good. They were playing Demond Slayer on the T.V. it has good vibes. Service? The waitress was so nice and humble. She explained everything on the menu. I like that. Now. Let me tell you about the food. I ordered a Ramen Bowl. Oh my goodness. I could not stop eating 😩! We were chowing down like if there was no tomorrow. My Gyoza bowl was good. My wife and two boys enjoyed their meal as well. I also had three cups of green tea 🍵 😳. We really like this place. We're going back for more. So... here is my *warning *. Don't go if you're going to complain to your wife your stomach hurts from eating so much. Don't go if you enjoy a good bowl of Ramen. Don't go if you like to take a bite and talk because after the first bite you won't stop eating. Don't go if you enjoy good music and service. Try this place once. I'm sure you'll enjoy it 😉. (09-17-23) update.

We're back and the place hasn't changed. I ate the Pozole Ramen. Bruh, it was good. Served on Saturday and Sunday only. The Ramen was a tad bit spicy for me, but still good. My son ate Spicy Shoyu. For him it was spicy. My wife ate Bakudan Ramen. She loved it. We like the restaurant. It's fun. The have good music and show anime on TV. The service is great as well....

The restaurant opened recently in our neighborhood, and was in direct competition with our favorite ramen place, just across the highway, Hoka Hoka Fuku, so we had to try it. My wife and I both had ramen, she had the Chicken Gyoza and me, the Spicy Miso. The broth was very umami, almost sweet, as a well made chicken-based broth should be, I like the dashi taste (made with Bonito flakes) of Hoka Hoka Fuku better but my wife thinks it's just a different style. However, Bakudan is the champion of noodles, the home made noodles had that exquisite and unmistakable slight chewiness and slight taste of wheat that only freshly made, never dried noodles can have. Add to that the unique mango flavored sake, the frankly better made shirashu eggs and chashu pork, and Bakudan wins in overall ramen experience. Hoka Hoka Fuku takes it back by its variety of other Japanese entrees, though, however I'll have to come back and try Bakudan's bibimbap, a Korean specialty but a favorite if mine. The atmosphere and decoration is very japanese, a draw with across the street, and the service is good at both places with a slight edge at Hoka Hoka Fuku, but Bakudan is new and will improve. Conclusion? Both are great places, we are so lucky to have both in the neighborhood, and we'll come back to both. You should also try both and feel the difference, you will enjoy...