Azusa Ramen & Sushi — Restaurant in Tempe

I've been on a quest to find the best ramen in Arizona, and this place was next on the list.

I think finding a good ramen joint has been one of the more difficult things to do, but this place knows how to do it right. I ordered the Azusa Black Ramen and was asked if i preferred a soft boil or hard-boiled egg as well as my desired spice level. Let me tell you guys, I've been asked about my spice level before, but egg doneness was a first and much appreciated aspect. Everyone always advertises a seasoned soft boil egg, but typically, it's a hint of marinade and always cooked to hell. Its like they are afraid of a real soft boil. However, this place did it perfectly. I could tell the egg was cured for at least a day due to the perfect jamminess of the yolk, and it wasn't overcooked.

The chasu pork was also better than most. Perfectly tender and well seasoned. Next i order ill will definitely have to order an extra.

Finally, the tonkotsu broth with the black garlic oil was really good. The garlic was noticeable but not overwhelming. The broth wasn't as rich as most of the tonkotsu broths I've had, but it made the dish easy to eat and wanting more.

The other toppings were good complinents to the dish, but the straight noodles left me unsatisfied. It was somewhat wheaty and bland. The broth didn't seem to stick with noodles either. I ended up ordering the curved noodles to try with the broth and it definitely helped but i would say that if their noodles on both ends were able to improve that they be a strong competitor for the best ramen in AZ.

Overall a wonderful ramen shop and ill have to come and try the other options. Id give the Azusa Black Ramen a 7.5/10. Broth- 9/10 Black Garlic Oil - 9/10 Seasoned Egg - 10/10 Chasu Pork - 9.5/10 General Toppings - 8/10 (menma was a little strong) Straight noodles - 6/10 Curved noodles - 7.5/10

PSA: please get a soda fountain. The cans are unfortunate to pay...

Does their name literally mean AZ, USA? What an odd little restaurant. Seating is pretty limited, but it’s clean and inviting. I don’t quite understand the choice of green paint, nor their obsession with Nashville country music, both of which left me feeling confused and wanting to get the hell outta there.

Now, onto the ramen. I ordered the Azusa Black, medium spicy, with a hard boiled egg. I appreciate the option between hard and soft boiled, levels of spicyness, as well as their concern for allergies. The presentation of the bowl was beautiful, as well. However, the flavors didn’t quite hit me right. The garlic oil was pretty heavy, and the little crispy fried onions quickly turned to mush and took away from the clarity of the broth. The chashu was a chunk of a slice and smoky delicious. Overall I’d give this bowl a 7 out of 10.

I’ll plan to come back and try a couple more bowls. I like that I can sit and have a beer, and the kids ramen option is something you don’t see at most ramen shops, so I’ll definitely be bringing the children next time. And what’s more, they have punch cards that give you a free bowl of ramen for every 10 you buy!

Azusa is quirky and awkward in appearance but they serve some serious eats. We’ll see how they hold up after round 2.

EDIT: I’ve now been here almost ten times, and it’s quickly become one of my favorite Japanese restaurants in town. Service has always been solid, food is consistently good, and we love how they serve “kid size”...

Made our reservation through Google and instantly got seated with barely any wait when we got to the restaurant. It was a pretty packed weekend with regulars and customers picking up online orders. We were greeted by the staff and he was very attentive eventhough there were a lot of people. They only had one server serving almost 7 tables so there was quite a wait but the guy was attentive and he was quick so we didn’t really mind. The food was good. Everything we ordered, including the spicy edamame, were all good. Tuna quality for the Nigiri was so-so but is okay for Arizona (cause we don’t have sea or ocean nearby to get good quality fish) The ramen broth was good, not too bland or too salty. I wished I asked for the egg noodles for the tonkatsu ramen since I prefer it but the white one was okay too. The CHASU was perfect. The taste and texture and how it was done is how authentic Japanese Ramen places would do theirs so I was very satisfied. The Pork Katsu was so good we wanted to come back and bring more of our friends from ASU. The place had cute decors and was clean and organized. We will...