Chow's Ramen & Hibachi — Restaurant in Tempe

New ramen place, not sure when it switched from a Chinese takeout place to Japanese style Chinese ramen - my kids get their hair cut next door and I didn’t know it changed 😂 Chows doesn’t pretend to be Japanese food. It’s sort of the Chinese takeout version of Japanese. All-American. 🤔

Definitely come here with zero expectations besides being hungry and be prepared to be amused and filled up.

For once I didn’t get the tonkotsu, maybe I didn’t want to be disappointed, you try it and let me know how it is. I went with tan tan ramen and the Japanese guy got spicy miso. Spicy miso wins for broth seasoning. Both weren’t spicy at all to me, but J-guy was sweating and the big kid said no thanks, mini-me ate half my noodles but said the broth itself was spicy.

“Agedashi tofu” - Interesting to say the least - simply perfectly potato-starch fried tofu with…. dumpling sauce? Interesting… so, not agedashi tofu, but I don’t discriminate against any tofu I love it all. Great half boiled egg in the ramen and ramen itself received zero complaints. Also no full-on compliments, but no complaints is almost a compliment with my family 😂 Pork was Chinese bbq sort of flavor and too thick for ramen but it was a lot better than a lot of the ramen shops in az. The J guy actually ate it. (Basically a compliment) White Rice was the only thing that got complained about. But in terms of jasmine rice it was A+ and perfectly cooked. Just not the short grain that I’m sure was expected.

Now for the Chinese stuff, basic salted chicken wings, veggie fried rice. Both on the higher end of Chinese takeout style. Not overpowering and was perfectly cooked not dried up and not neon yellow, ok, the chicken was sort of neon pink... but the chao fan was terrific.

No complaints about the boba tea, much larger than expected, boba had a bit of bite in the middle but I like it that way. Sort like your typical donut shop boba. They have brown sugar milk tea or green tea with fruit flavored boba.

Food - 9/10 - could have actually been tad more flavorful, good for Japanese palate. “I did my homework on Japanese ramen” grade - 3/10

Another funny thing - The calamari/fried squid is labeled “geso yaki” (grilled squid) just amused us.

Their online takeout menu has a lot more items than the menu in store. They also have a fancy electronic takeout kiosk.

First time I’ve actually left a restaurant happy in a long time. Leave your cravings for something specific and “real ramen” expectations at the door, but eat all the yummy food. It’s not special, it just hits the spot, I didn’t have to cook, and the restaurant itself was relaxing to me. The waitress is super nice as well and doesn’t hover. We had fun. I think it was because we went in expecting it to be terrible and it was actually pretty good so it gets bigger marks. Plus we were...

We actually just stumbled on this place one night when we were headed to the Pollock Theater, and now it’s easily one of our favorite spots for hibachi-style food.

It’s a small little place they don’t cook in front of you, everything’s done on the grill in the back but oh my goodness, it’s so good. The chow mein can be made vegan (just tell them no eggs), and the hibachi tofu with vegetables is our absolute go-to. The tofu is deep-fried just right, and it’s honestly addictive. I usually ask for extra tofu, because why not? It makes it even more filling and just… yeah, it hits the spot.

They don’t have a vegan menu, but they’ll totally make stuff vegan if you ask. We’ve had their vegan ramen too, and it’s super flavorful. The appetizers are great if you order them vegan, and their teas? Amazing. Sometimes they even do little specials, like buy one, get one free, or you get a free tea if you dine in.

Price-wise, it’s pretty reasonable you can get a big, delicious plate for around $15, and honestly, I feel like when you eat in, they give you more food than takeout. Takeout’s still great though.

They have high chairs and cups for kids, but the bathroom is tiny and doesn’t have a changing table. The place is kind of well-known in the area, but it still feels like a cozy, hidden spot.

If you go, get the hibachi tofu with veggies (no eggs), extra tofu if you’re hungry, and some tea. Trust me it’s one of those meals you start thinking about again the next day. Easily 5 stars from us never fails for quick dine in or eating out. Umm finger licking good! Love ya and Jesus...

Average strip mall restaurant, clean inside, and nothing too much to talk about.

The ramen was slightly above average, kudos to them on that! Chashu Pork was flavorful with a smooth Tonkotsu. Gyoza was also slightly above average with a nice crunch on one side and soft on the other.

Hibachi chicken is where this place did us wrong. The chicken was relatively dry and there was no sauce provided. Usually hibachi-type places give you some choice including "yum-yum" sauce, we had no choices. I eventually asked for some sauce and received terriyaki and some other random, unknown sauce. The flavor also seemed slightly off as compared to other places I've tried the same meal at. Almost like too much of a char/ burnt taste.

The fried rice that came with the hibachi chicken also was caught lacking. It tasted like normal rice with sauce and veggies, not like fried rice should be. I was hoping it was fried and came with egg in it like some of the photos on other's reviews. Unfortunately, it wasn't much to be happy about.

Overall, I would stick to the ramen...