Local Guides World

Top Ramen restaurants in Raleigh, United States

Top Rated Ramen restaurants in Raleigh

Top Reviewed Ramen restaurants in Raleigh

Reviews

We tried Tonbo today & the food/service was amazing but it was scorching hot on the second floor. We were literally dripping sweat by the time we left. We only ate for an hour because of the lack of AC.

The drinks were amazing, lobster crispy rice is a must order, the tonkotsu ramen was ok not bad but not amazing!

If it was a little cooler in there it would have gotten a five star rating, but the environment was unbearable today. Also, the waiter offered a spice bomb & didn’t mention it was a $2 charge lol
This was our first time here at Tonbo Ramen. The Tonkatsu was delicious and the Vegetarian Ramen was so full of veggies honestly if I ate half of my noodles I would still be so full!! The Virgin Strawberry Mojito was absolutely stunning and my kiddo loved it!
Janet, our server, was so sweet and funny. She made this night out so fun. It's rare to find amazing customer service so when you get it it really stands out...and she does!!

Come eat here, you won't be disappointed.
We went for dinner! Spur of the moment and later in the evening. Super cute little restaurant ! They have seating both downstairs and upstairs (no elevator, steps only). We sat upstairs next to a window, they do open which was a nice change however they do not have a soda spout upstairs so you have to pay per refill for sodas ! We had appetizers and tried 3 different main dishes! The apps were great, the main dishes were good! Very fresh, plenty of food! Our server was pretty attentive and the chef personally was out walking around, talking to the patrons, recommending foods and making sure that everything we ordered was to par! They have a phenomenal drink menu and have some stellar deals on so many drinks! They recently changed menus and are a mix between Japanese and Latin.
good and atmosphere were great, yet, what really gives this place the best and truly earned rating, is the service! chef and staff are simply amazing
Once you walk in you will notice dim lighting with a romantic vibe to this Asian-Fusion ramen noodle restaurant. The service needed a little work the employees kept asking where food go once food was ready. Older gentleman was asking around where my mock-tail drink went to. I didn’t notice it was mines because it was not exactly what I ordered. I took it anyway. If, you love a ramen noodle dish this is definitely where you go. The Japanese fried chicken bowl was the best! Fried chicken,corn, mushrooms, yams and greens in a bowl over ramen noodles. So Good. Husband and I will return soon!
J J
at 2024 Mar 21
J J
at 2024 Mar 21
LOVED it here. Amazing food. The Sake and bourbon selection is top notch, and the dessert was perfect. We wish we lived closer!!
We really wanted to like this place, as there was a lot of good but a few things just held it back..
The atmosphere was great, nice lighting and mood, clean, and happy they accepted reservations because it was certainly busy. The appetizers were very good, we had the cucumber salad, dumplings, and pork buns and we were pleased with each, very flavorful.

Now the not so great.. the service was VERY slow. To get the service going you had to specifically try to catch their attention on their way by to flag them down. When you asked for something very simple (like soy sauce (which should have been available anyway)) you had to ask 2-3x because they forget/are too busy.
Also, the mixed cocktails were watered down/very weak. The sake was good though, since served straight.
I enjoyed the duck ramen, there was fair proportion of everything in it and tasty. However, the tonkatsu ramen was almost flavorless and came with only one slice of meat and no veggies.
Overall it was a fine place, if the service improves it would be a much better experience.
I tried several ramen spots while in Raleigh and this one has a very different flavor with the tonkotsu broth than the others. The atmosphere is nice on the inside. The service was fine. Nothing exceptional but your needs are pretty much met and it’s a bit laid back.

Takeaways on the food:

Mac and cheese bites are one of my favorite things here. Wonderful take on a classic food.

The ramen wasn’t my favorite. I’m not sure what they do differently but the flavor is not what I expect from this particular ramen. All of the ingredients were good. All appeared fresh and the noodles were cooked well. But the flavor of the broth, which I feel is the best part was not my favorite. I could eat it but it didn’t live up to my expectations.

I did add a chili bomb, used half of it but I didn’t notice too much of a difference with it. Overall the few other ramen spots I tried placed above this locations ramen.