Hakata -Wayne Ramen & Sushi — Restaurant in Tredyffrin Township

This is a rather difficult review for me to write, my ramen (tonkotsu black) was decent however the other 2 ramen orders in my group didn't like theirs and neither of them are "new" to ramen. The spicy tonkotsu had a low spice level and didn't have much going on flavor wise. The chicken wonton ramen was reviewed even worse, it was down right bland and had virtually no flavor even adding soy sauce and chili oil couldn't save the dish. The final dish being the poke bowl was received really well and was given a 4 out of 5 from the person that ordered it. Before I go into a long winded review I also want to add that I really liked the vibe and to me and my group the staff were attentive and nice.

Here's my "let me level with you" part of the review, mostly for the owners. I love ramen, for a lot of us we grew up with instant and when we first discovered ramen bars/shops we gained a new appreciation for it. It's like the ultimate comfort food for me, so I want to see more ramen shops and as such I want to see places like this be successful. I love ramen so much and reviewed so many ramen spots that I'm actually planning a ramen tour in Japan for 2025. That said however, to me ramen doesn't need to follow strict rules or even be Japanese in origin (considering ramen itself originated in China). I've had ramen from Japanese, Chinese, Korean, and American born owners and all of the good ones bring something to the table. My concern here is that the flavor is potentially being turned down to accommodate local tastes but that's a huge mistake, just focus on making your best bowl of ramen. The Hakata Black for example was good because the additional flavors carried it, I could tell the tonkotsu broth itself was a bit underwhelming, which was odd because parts of it still seemed rich. Perhaps this is a dashi issue or it's frankly watered down a bit I don't know but the flavor was definitely muted. I assumed the additional spice from the spicy would make up for this but apparently it did not, and the person who ordered it didn't find it very spicy and they don't even have a particularly high spice tolerance level. I don't think it's bad it just isn't good. The chicken wonton ramen on the other hand is a total miss, it just tastes like nothing. I noticed the person in my group wasn't the only one to say this so I really think it's something worth looking at. At the end of the day if you believe this is your best bowl of ramen, and you are serving exactly what you intended... Ignore me. At the end of the day you know your business and if you think we're wrong that's absolutely fine. Because of the varying experience of my group I'm leaving a 3 star review and when I leave 3 or lower I tend to like to elaborate why. Ultimately my complaints are muted tonkotsu broth, my ajitama was edible but I prefer a gelatinous gooey yolk (soft boiled), which was not what I got and the noodles were a bit clumpy (which tends to happen if the noodles aren't separated enough when cooked at very high boil (they like fuse a bit). That's my two cents, do with it what you will and regardless I hope your business lasts years to come. We...

Ok, so I have read the review from Bo Zhou and decided to go here since it is around the corner. I have been to Japan as well and realize that there are many "fake" Japanese restaurants in the area that are owned by Chinese and Koreans. They just don't know how to prepare Japanese food the way the Japanese do. And the owners of Hakata are Chinese as well.

That being said and taken into account, this place was a nice surprise! I think that the viewpoint of the reviewer MUST be regarded when reading these reviews. Where are they from and what do they expect are important questions to ask while reading the review.

I went here not expecting much since I know the owners are Chinese. I had a great meal even though Bo Zhou was correct in her analysis of the place.

The Chashu was not cooked correctly and came out slightly cold. Was it delicious and cut into a good portion? Yes, it was. So, I just let it submerge in the broth for 1 minute and voila! Hot Chashu!

The Gyoza were not perfect Japanese style but who cares? They were good!

The Spicy Wonton were cooked perfect and a nice combination of flavors. The edamame were cooked perfect, fresh and not over-salted like other places do.

Our waitress came by the perfect amount of times to ask if we needed anything else, never once interrupted our conversation and also helped us with the bottle of wine we brought with us.

I rated this a 4-star because of all of the components: We are in GATEWAY shopping center, not Tokyo, the food was good, the service was above average and there are many options on the menu. Was it perfect Japanese food for someone who has lived in Japan and knows what it is like to have Japanese-style food? No. There is a heavy Chinese influence in this restaurant. Was it a clean place, good atmosphere, good service and good food for people who don’t care about who is preparing it? Yes.

I will go back soon and try the remaining items on the menu and provide an update. Good...

The food is great. But don't bother to use online menu, or the menu that they give you when you arrive at the store to use for takeout. They're both wrong.

I ordered a $26 King of Prussia combo. There was no description in the online menu, but the gentleman manager had given me a paper menu to use the next time I ordered. So I picked my special roll, picked my sushi roll, and expected the specified 4 pieces of either Sushi or sashimi to go with.

Nope. They called me up and told me that it didn't come with the sushi roll, so they were going to give me the special roll and the sushi or sashimi this chef picked. Ok.

Nope. I got there, and found I got the special roll, a $14 Sunshine roll. That's $14 on the in-store menu, takeout menu, and the website. And they gave me the sushi roll I picked a yellowtail roll for $7. But they charged me the $26 for $21 of menu items! Then to make matters worse, when I pointed that out they said "oh, we increased the price of the Sunshine roll by $3." So I paid a total of $3 more than the new menu, and $6 more than the takeout menu, for absolutely nothing. Air. And the woman at the door refused to re-ring the items individually to let me pay the $3 less!

No third item, no forth item, as on the menu. And $3-5 more than purchasing the two individually! ($3 more than their verbal prices, $6 more than all their menus.)

Also note that the last third of the takeout menu has no descriptions at all. That's why the man gave me the paper menu to use on Friday, 4 days ago.

Good food, but far too much frustration to be worth it. And they overcharge for their own items if you buy a combo!! Combo just means we will charge you $3-5 more for air, just for the word combo...