Hakata Ramen & Sushi — Restaurant in Waltham

Hakata just opened in the past four weeks or so. It's walking distance from our house, so we decided to take a stroll down and check it out. We had a very nice experience.

The restaurant only offers ramen dishes, sushi, and appetizers. They have six ramen dishes and they are priced at $12.95. The sushi pricing was pretty average.

We didn't have the ramen, but the folks at the table next to us did. Their dishes looked delicious, and they said they were. They told us they were very happy with the meal.

My husband ordered maki rolls. He commented on how they are different from anyplace else we've had sushi. The thickness of the layer of rice is noticeably thinner and the pieces of fish were more substantial. This rice-to-fish ratio was a much nicer bite than what one usually gets. Later he said it was the most he's enjoyed a sushi meal.

I ordered sashimi and some pieces of nigiri. The slices of sashimi were generous and some of the nigiri were larger than normal (the uni and scallop were noticeably more generous). The plating was beautiful (see pics). They put a tea light under the shaved daikon with an ice rose in front of the light. It was a presentation that made us and our ramen-eating-neighbors all say "oh wow" out loud. The sushi was delicious.

They do not have an alcohol license. When asked they seemed unsure if they would be getting one. (They can be hard to get.) They leave a pitcher of water with sliced lemon in it at your table so you don't have to wait for your glasses to be filled. (They have other drink offerings than lemon water though!)

The people were warm and welcoming. The waitress and hostess stopped by our table to make sure we were pleased with everything. The service was good - friendly and efficient.

The atmosphere is very minimalistic. Ceramic floors, black tables/chairs, cream colored walls, large black & white prints along the walls. In addition to the seating at the sushi bar there is a line of stools at a shelf along the wall where you can sit to slurp your ramen for a quick lunch.

Hakata will definitely be a frequent haunt for us. I definitely...

A very nice place. The atmosphere is bold. The portraits of ecclectic animals on the side wall done in a kind of monochrome is nice. It looks like they used to have some echo problems but they fixed that right up with some sound dampening and dispersing panels. The ambient music from the Martin Logan speakers work well because they are spread out nicely. I only noticed because I used to be very interested in sound design.

Anywho, the food! The ramen is very tasty. The broth is always delicious with just the right amount of savory that doesn't overtake the ingredients in the dish. Me and my girlfriend like the tonkatsu bowl. The tonkatsu Curry is very flavorful as well.

It can sometimes feel like they skimp a bit on the meat but that's just because it's so good, and sometimes being the glutton I am my body just wants a whole bowl of meat. But they balance the ingredients pretty well here and it's a reasonable price.

And the sushi! They have regular rolls like most places do, and those are done as they should be, not too much or too little of any particular ingredient. The quality of the fish is good.

I've only had one of their signature rolls. It was the Hawaiian roll. I am a lover of mangos but I don't like it in my sushi because often they use the California type of mangos that are very hairy and pulpy. They use it here, but it's actually quite delicious, and pairs well with the apple. Something about very clean tasting sushi grade fish that has a sweet clean fruit on it that gets me every time. 95% of the time other restaurants get it wrong, but this one is doing it right. It came beautifully prepared and I can't wait to try the other rolls on their menu.

Tdlr; pretty dope place to eat. 9/10, would (and have) eat...

Hakata is now open! And I couldn't be happier to see this local chain's newest, third location pop up on Waltham's main street. I have not been to the other two locations but with few ramen options in the area, I was beyond elated to see the place open for business.

I walked in to a fairly busy restaurant with a sushi counter and numerous tables. The layout is open and spacious, the tables aren't crowded. Since I was eating alone I opted for the counter and was given a two-sided menu page. On one side was the sushi roll offerings, on the other the ramen and other Japanese specialties. The establishment doesn't take itself too seriously, and has fun, framed artwork featuring animal portraits.

But enough about about the space, let's talk food.

I went ahead and ordered up one of my all-time favs, Tantan ramen ($13.95). It has a roasted sesame broth base and traditionally features spicy ground pork with some very thin strands of chili peppers. Hakata has a twist to it which was both unexpected and frankly, awesome. Instead of having ground pork on top, they instead took their chashu (roast pork) and diced it up, giving the bowl some nice contrast of texture. The broth had great depth of flavor, wasn't too salty and the toppings made for one tasty bowl of ramen.

I cannot wait to go back and try some of their other variations including their vegetarian tomato ramen, their spicy miso and other tonkotsu variations. They have like 6-7 options, if not more.

Service was attentive and friendly and the place is spotless. And street parking is pretty easy to get around there. I wish them great success and hope they become a long-term staple in the Waltham restaurant scene. I cannot...