Samurai Noodle — Restaurant in Seattle

Samurai Noodle

Atmosphere - 4/5

Samurai Noodle is a small ramen-ya in Seattle’s International District, and the OG stop for the Ramen Warriors. This quaint ramen shop is small, but consistently busy. Music varies, but I prefer when they play classic rap or hip-hop to match the pace of the joint. The wait staff is pretty friendly, but the itamae really makes the place. He is a transplant from their now defunct location on Broadway in Capitol Hill. The itamae remembers the Ramen Warriors, and is out front to greet us every time he recognizes our ticket. A Ramen Warrior in his own right.

Selection - 4.5/5

Samurai has 15 varieties of ramen to conquer. They specialize in Hakata-style tonkotsu from Japan’s Fukuoka region. In addition, they offer Tokyo-style shoyu and Hakkaido inspired miso ramen along with original spicy recipes.

Cost - 3.5/5

The cost is on par with the average ramen joint, at around $12 a bowl. Samurai Noodle does have a punch card, where every 13th bowl is free.

Appetizers - 4.5/5

Gyoza. Impeccable, super crispy gyoza. Excess crispy parts can be broken off and dipped into the gyoza sauce. Really good. They sell out of these often.

My Ramen

Spicy Miso Ramen with pork broth. This is my typical order at Samurai Noodle. I choose the Hakata tonkotsu (pork broth) religiously, as it is the house specialty. This is my estus.

Broth - 4.5/5

This koterri (rich) ramen marries Hakata tonkotsu with miso for a Sapporo-style bowl. The tonkotsu is smooth and flavorful, complimented by the creaminess of miso and a roundhouse kick of heat from Samurai’s hell fire chili paste.

Noodles - 4/5

The noodles are fresh and home-made! I sub for the egg noodles (when they are available), but both egg and wheat varieties are superb. They are cooked properly, with a slightly firm and chewy texture.

Toppings - 2.5/5

True to Hokkaido province, this miso ramen comes topped with chashu pork belly, bean sprouts, scallions, corn and a pat of butter.

The pork belly/chicken is steamed as opposed to grilled, which could have added some smokiness. Add bacon to remedy this, though note it is microwaved. Garlic chips ARE A MUST. Use very liberally!

Ramen-ya - 4/5

The itamae makes each experience welcoming as the ramen, though the tiny kitchen forces shortcuts that could elevate an otherwise awesome bowl. Their gyoza are the best around. The Spicy Miso Ramen is good to the last drop, making me want to battle a second bowl each time…. but the quest for the perfect bowl continues. Samurai...

Until just a few years ago, I used to eat Ramen at U district location almost ever other day on my drive home from work. I went back to the U district location first time after 2 years due to the pandemic. I even took my teen age son with me and we were so excited to go back again.

We both ordered the super shoyu tonkotsu. I ordered the spicy version. I was a bit surprised because the waiter did not understand "karashi takana" when i requested the additional topping. I used to order that karashi takana topping everytime in the past years. Regardless, we waited and our ramen came pretty quick.

I almost cried with sad disappointment when i found out the soup was served just barely luke warm. The quality and taste that i was so used to from Samurai Noodles is now totally gone. It was so sad indeed. I did not know what to say. It was a major major disappointment and a waste of my money and so sad. Samurai Noodle used to serve the best ramen I used to find in Seattle area, now just yesterday it was the worst ramen i have ever had. I have no idea why they couldn't even serve the ramen in hot soup instead of lukewarm soup! That is "negligence". The quality of the noodles, pickled eggs, menma they have all gone down drastically from a few years back. This could not be a one time error, this is why I am writing this so the owner can see what he has allowed to happen to this place. Maybe he is too busy "training" someone to be a master ramen while his own place serves the worst ramen...

Seattle unfortunately does not have a reputation for great ramen, but I was looking forward to giving this place another try. Tucked away in the corner of International District, Samurai Noodle was one of the first few ramen spots in the city.

I can see that care was taken to make each part of the ramen in-house, with a thick broth with good mouthfeel, generous chashu slices, and handmade hakata-style noodles.

A great bowl of ramen needs to be harmonious, each component complementing and elevating the other. Unfortunately this was not the case in Samurai Noodle.

The broth is promising but lacks finesse, with a distinct gamey flavor and smell perhaps indicative of the preparation of the ingredients such as the pork bones. It was overly chalky, too. The noodle, I felt, lacked the bite necessary to complement the broth; perhaps could do with more kansui? The overall result was a bowl that I had trouble enjoying.

I hope Samurai Noodle can take another look at its offering and preparation, since I believe that they have the elements to shine above the other more commercial offerings...