Oku Roji — Restaurant in Warsaw

Oku Roji is a subterranean izakaya in downtown Warsaw IN. With access through Anthology Whiskey Room at 105 E. Center Street, this sunken escape offers Japanese fare, such as a gyūdon, tonkotsu ramen, chirashi and sashimi — along with a long list of Japanese spirits, via Anthology.

For dinner, I had the gyoza (dumplings) and salmon chirashi bowl. The gyoza was strongly recommended to me a few weeks prior, after a conversation with one of Oku Roji's staff. I chose the chirashi bowl due to my affinity for donburri.

GYOZA pork dumplings, lemongrass, leek, scallion, ginger, chili oil, sesame

SALMON CHIRASHI raw salmon, soy, avocado, scallion, furikake, tobiko, seaweed butter, black sesame, sesame chili cucumbers, toasted nori

With good company, I had the opportunity to sample Oku's chicken wings that I first heard about months ago:

TEBASAKI spicy wings, lime mayo, pakuchi, togarashi, fried garlic, chili oil

While dining, everything coming out of the kitchen was distracting — because it looked so good. I'm curious to try Oku's gyūdon or ramen with my next visit.

I didn't have anything to drink beyond water, but I did take a look at their Japanese selection of spirits upstairs in Anthology Whiskey Room. On display and in a cellar, Oku Roji's offerings include Japanese distillers, such as Matsui, Akkeshi, Akashi, Kamiki, Hibiki, Nikka, Shibui, Mars Shinshu and more.

With the appreciation aesthetics and a dialed-in dining menu, Oku Roji is an underground getaway worth a visit. Walk-ins are welcome — I was a walk-in — but reservations are recommended.

Instagram and...

What an experience! On a whim a friend and I wanted to try this restaurant. I read on the website that the entrance is through Anthology whiskey room, which in itself, is amazing. I had called about 40 minutes ahead to make sure we could walk in with our party of 2 at 8 pm. We were directed to the restaurant in the basement and seated immediately. I thought the decor was simple and achieved the almosphere they were going for. I ordered the eggs as an appetizer and they were heavenly. For entrees, we ordered the spicy salmon rice bowl and tonkatsu ramen. For dessert, we shared the lemon matcha cake and sticky toffee pudding cake. For my drink, I ordered a gin and tonic. The entrees were what I expected but the dessert was absolutely delicious and home made. I would absolutely revisit. Drawbacks: Not handicap accessible. Not a place for children. Not your typical sushi menu; it is limited and does not have rolls. It consisted of some appetizers, ramen, rice bowls,...

Absolutely amazing atmosphere, friendly staff, just overall unique experience. We tried two appetizers, the ramen (of course), and both desserts. All was delicious! The ramen had the best noodles I've found from a restaurant. Rich broth, well marinated soft boiled egg, and surprisingly crispy pork slices. More modern with no sprouts or bok choy but instead an add-on for buttered corn. Definitely want to come back again and again, mostly for the ramen! Huge whiskey list if you are in to that.

Came back a second time with my wife and still fantastic! Loved the robot delivering our food. Ramen still one...