Ramen Nagi — Restaurant in Santa Clara

I came here on a Monday right at opening, 11am. The wait was about 15 minutes.

My review is based solely on the single vegetarian option, the "veggie king". I'm sure their traditional ramen is great, otherwise there wouldn't be a huge line all-day, everyday. But if you're vegetarian, please read my in-depth review. If you're vegan, please don't waste your time coming here and just go to Din Tai Fung downstairs or Marugame Udon across the way.

They have you fill out a form for your order while you're in line. If you want the veggie king, they cross out the option to choose "richness in oil", "pork" (obviously), and what veggies you want. So that is already taking away from the experience. While I think it's great that there's a vegetarian option at all, it could be much improved.

The ramen comes with two potato cakes, which is more similar to hash browns. Potatoes in ramen seemed a bit odd to me at first glance, but I love potatoes so who am I to complain. The hashbrowns were hot and crispy on arrival however, after just a minute or two, it became soggy. The soggy texture of the hashbrowns in the broth was very off-putting and unappealing. As soon as I noticed the sogginess, I rushed to eat the potato cakes before anything else. Since they're not implementing tofu or faux-meat at this time, I suggest using at least potato croquettes instead of the hashbrowns. I think that would be much better.

The veggie king comes with exactly 2 shiitake mushrooms which is kinda ridiculous. I think I would prefer extra shiitake over the two potato hashbrowns if that were an option. If you want additional mushrooms, you will need to pay an extra $1.25 although they're a different kind of mushroom.

It also comes with a small handful of unseasoned, blanched spinach. The broth itself is made of cauliflower, and you can definitely tell. The broth was not smooth or as creamy as it could be. There were still small chunks of cauliflower in the broth and it was split. It leaves a bad texture in the mouth. I did opt to add an egg which was an extra $1.25, but they do not cut the egg for you, so you better hope you don't accidentally let the egg slip out from your chopsticks while trying to open it up or grab it to take a bite. I think the experience and presentation of the ramen would be a lot better if they took the effort to cut the egg for you.

I chose the thin noodles as they are the chefs recommendation. The noodles had a nice texture. They also have beansprouts on the table as a free appetizer/add-on and those beansprouts were delicious, so at least that was good. There's also a powder on the fixings tray but it contains fish. It is not labeled so beware if you have an allergy or dietary restriction. Good thing I asked before trying it.

If you're vegetarian or pork-free eater, I don't see why you would come here unless you're with your friends who are craving traditional style ramen. Then at least you have something to eat as well but as I mentioned in the beginning, if you can convince them to eat at Marugame or DTF, you yourself will have a better meal.

The service here was not bad, everyone was polite but the space was a little crowded, someone backed into me on accident, and the person sitting next to me also accidentally bumped my elbow (I was sitting at the solo eaters bar). They also only accept cash if you do not need change, which is a weird concept to me.

At the end of the day, it is your choice if you want to eat here, I just don't understand the hype as a vegetarian. If you have a conventional diet, then you probably have nothing to...

As the first Michelin Star ramen shop in Tokyo, this place has a reputation preceding it. My experience surpassed my expectations. By a lot. First thing to know is they open at 11am, the line forms as much as a half hour before that though. I was number four in line when I got there at 10:30am. By the time they opened at 11:00 the line was much much longer. We were able to get in on the first seating and our food was on the table within a few minutes. We ordered the items that I would now consider "Must Haves". For starters or side dishes, I highly recommend the gyoza and the chicken karage. The gyoza are smaller than others I've had, but the flavor is the highest quality. The way that they fry them up in a circle is art on the plate. The frilly apron that forms holding them together becomes the top when they are turned out on a plate. Crunchy and delicious apron, juicy gyoza. Perfection! The chicken karage is made with chicken thighs. Cut into large pieces coated in a light but perfectly spiced batter and then deep fried to juicy perfection. The karage is served with a side of Japanese egg salad. Very simple and delicious. I suggest trying the chicken by itself first then trying it dipped in your ramen broth. Chef's kiss! The ramen is the star of this show and deservedly so. When you are waiting in line they give you a half sheet of paper with the ramen options and menu on it. The sizes are all king size, the flavor variations are listed with plenty of ways to customize the perfect bowl of ramen for yourself. Having never been here I went for the recommended Original King with the Chashu (sliced pork loin), all of the recommended settings for things like garlic, salt and oil. I added on the Tamago marinated egg and was quite happy with it's perfect jamminess. I ordered my ramen with the thin noodles. I usually have the thicker noodles but was a surprised to find these thinner noodles to be even better. No review on a ramen place would be worth reading if it did not touch on the broth itself. If the ramen is the star of the show, it is because of that tonkatsu broth! So luscious and velvety. You could remove everything from the bowl, leaving just the broth and I would have enjoyed it thoroughly. So many flavors coming together, a very long cooking time to extract all of the collagen from the pork bones. The other styles available include: Red King: A velvety broth with garlic, chili oil, cayenne pepper, miso-infused minced pork, and chashu Black King: A silky broth with blackened garlic, calamari ink, chashu, minced pork, black sesame, and Nagi spices Green King: Tonkotsu broth with basil, olive oil, parmesan cheese, and chashu Veggie King: Cauliflower based It's important to note that this restaurant is "Dine in only", no takeout or to-go orders accepted. Understandably, they would like you to enjoy your ramen at its peak...

The line was around the corner when we arrived but the wait was about 15 minutes. The turn over rate is fast since it's cafeteria style. You order, get seated at a communal table, for gets delivered, and pay upon you leave. Ordering style is very similar to Japan except there's no vending machine. You are given an order sheet and you select your choice of ramen (original, spicy, squid ink, or vegetarian). Then comes the details: how much garlic, the amount of fattiness, chewiness of the noodles, toppings (char su or pork belly, green onions or cabbage, etc). The bottom of the list is additional toppings/food items/drinks you'd want to add for addition fee. Hubby ordered the original with extra garlic, green onion, pork belly, and extra noodles. I ordered the spicy with a side of char su rice to share. The rice was delicious. Very savory, the chopped meat was tender and fatty, and the rice to meat ratio was perfect. Lots of condiments on the table so each bite was a little different. On the table, you have a pitcher of ice water for you to serve yourself. Condiments included a pepper grinder, a sesame grinder, vinegar with a piece of kombu, bonito powder, spicy pickled cabbage (similar to a Kimchi), and drained bean sprouts. The original ramen came with a creamy pork broth, thin noodles, a slab of pork belly, and green onions. I ordered extra black woodear mushrooms and added some to hubby's bowl. He ordered an extra piece of pork belly, which came on the side. The broth was well seasoned, thick, creamy and fatty. After a sip, you can feel the fatty goodness as you smack your lips. Noodles were toothsome and the broth really adhered to the noodle. The pork belly was sooooo tender and flavorful, totally melted as you but into it. Only criticism, the broth was too thick. I wished it was just a touch thinner so it didn't feel so heavy after eat just a few bites. Hubby was surprised there were no thinner broth options like a shio based or a shoyu based. The spicy ramen was firey red but it didn't have much spice (although I should've order a higher level). Like the original, the spicy has a thick broth but the flavor is even bolder. The ramen came with pork belly, green onions, black woodear mushrooms and bits of ground pork. The mushroom was a great addition because it provided a contrast in texture. Between the two bowls of ramen, I liked the original more. It was a good experience but I can't see myself coming here for a while. The food was good, don't get me wrong, but I just prefer a broth that's not as...