Bob Ramen - Hartford
| Address: | 399 Capitol Ave, Hartford, CT 06106, USA |
| Phone: | +1 860-904-5370 |
| Site: | bobramen.com |
| Rating: | 3.3 |
| Working: | Closed 11:30AM–10PM 11:30AM–10PM 11:30AM–10PM 11:30AM–10PM 11:30AM–10PM Closed |
Location
Photos 16
Reviews 10
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Christian Lorenzana
So, my experience here was lackluster for lack of a better word but let me try to break it down. Firstly, the atmosphere is very cozy and nice, a quaint little ramen shop so thats a plus, the waitstaff was friendly and attentive but probably because we were the only 2 in there at 7 p.m. Anyway, onto the issue of this restaurant, the food. The food is just tasteless, thats literally the best way to describe it. My girlfriend and I started out with the "pork bun", this was honestly the best part of the entire meal but it was still disappointing, we were handed a sort of sandwich? I guess it was their take on pork bun but its essentially a sandwich with the bun being the bread, this tasted like the oddest culmination of ingredients just mashed into this floppy mess. The sourness of the pickle wasnt balanced properly with the other i ingredients causing it to be overpowering and the meat was flavorless, also a bit overpriced. Onto The Ramen being the star of the show you think itd be great, not at all, its essentially flavorless choice of meat and when i say flavorless i mean it literally taste like it was not seasoned whatsoever, that accompanied with "broth" which was really just colored water and the soggiest most unsatisfying noodles ive ever eaten. I prefer cup noodles over these noodles. The chef really needs to try his own food I feel. Theres loads more I can say about this place but this is long as it is so Ill end here . TL:DR Come here expecting good service but bland tasteless overpriced food.
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Randy Ebora
I am joining the choir singing the "I-really-wanted-to-like-this-place" refrain. Being Asian and frequenting all sorts of Asia-towns , I consider myself a noodle afficionado. Superb noodle places are no-frills foodie joints where ambience, customer experience, menu choices dont really matter much compared to speed of service, flavor, and bang for the buck. The latter is what youll find in some of metro Hartfords noodle gems (eg, Pho Boston, 501 or Saigon for hearty Vietnamese noodles, Murasaki or Hana Sushi for satisfying nabeyaki udon or ramen, Sukhothai for an envigorating tom yum noodle fix). The former is what I found in Bob Ramen. The taste and flavor did not match the visual appeal of the dishes. One can overlook a 45-minute wait (for lunch) if the place is hopping but not when there were only 3 tables with customers or if the dishes (taco, ramen, wrap) require a lot of preparation. My curiousity about Bob Ramen has been satisfied with regards to ramen. If I go back, it will be to find out what their Cubanh Mi tastes like and I definitely will order for pick-up. For a satisfying ramen fix, skipping BR for now.
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Tricia George
This place is OK. Theyre new, so maybe some kinks will get worked out. The wait staff was nice, our water glasses stayed full. They brought the check just 5 minutes after we got our food without asking, a little pushy? The music is classic rock and the decor could take that theme a lot further. Its cozy and small enough that a group can make it loud. I had the vegan bowl which, at $14, I expected to be more robust. There was 1 mushroom top, a half cup of broccoli, 2 garlic cloves, green onions, and a ton of rice noodles in a basic vegetable broth. Per the norm, this vegan dish had no significant source of protein and I dont think any fat. Blerg. Ill be hungry in an hour. My boo had the tonkatsu, broth and noodles and pork belly. He reports the broth to be delicious, but that it didnt have anything other than meat, noodles, and broth. He said he wanted more vegetables, which is totally out of character. Ill go back for the veggie miso in hopes that its got more action.
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Jeffrey Wood
Went here the second day after they opened. Got seated right away. The glasses that were brought to us were still dirty and when we were brought new glasses those were dirty as well. The atmosphere is intimate and pleasant though the music was very loud which made conversation difficult. The ramen itself was a bit al dente and without a boiled egg because they ran out of eggs. They also messed up one of our orders at the table. All that said, it was only their second day in business and hopefully they will work out the kinks. This place has potential but didnt deliver the first time around, though I plan on giving them another chance in the future.
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Jeannette Von-Doom Hall
I wanted to love everything because of the nice setup but I couldnt get over the food being terrible. The reason I could even give it one star is the steamed bun which was actually nice. But the ramen was terrible. It has no flavor other than egg. It tasted a bit like egg water with more egg and an awkwardly pasty egg stuck right in the middle of the ill-cooked noodles. I had high hopes when I heard about a ramen shop opening up in Hartford but it ended up making me miss my Maruchan instant cup of noodles.
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April S
I visited on a Friday night. The space is small, so there was a bit of a wait. Because it was only two of us at a 4-top, we decided to split our table with another couple. The server was really nice. Their menu isnt overwhelming, straight to the point. Ramen with meat or veg and add-ons. The Ramen bowls are $12 with add-ons from $1-$3. The bowls were very flavorful and plentiful. Since theyre just starting out, the space is ok, but I do see them upgrading to a bigger space if demand continues to be high.
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Chase Null
This is too Americanized and over all bland when it comes to their ramen dishes. If you want good ramen go to Mecha noodle bar, they make ramen I would travel over an hour for, plus they have parking. Its bad when your competition is an hour away and I would still choose them. I write such a bitter review because I was excited to have a place so close to where I live, I was hoping to not have to travel so far to get my favorite food, so my disappointment is much more since I will still need to travel.
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Zafir Hussein
Everything is made from scratch. Menu is small and makes ordering quick and easy. Food comes out quick and is tasty. Parking is difficult as there is no designated parking lot. All parking is either on the street or a short walk from the state buildings parking lot. I went during an off-peak time so parking was available on the street right outside the resturant. $14 for a bowl of Ramen is too overpriced in my opinion. I would go back but this place wont be on my "go to" list.
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Andy Rees
As a relative newcomer to the world of ramen, I was a bit intimidated by the well-delivered, if not lengthy, introduction to Bob Ramens menu. However, after diving head on into a bowl of pork belly ramen, I was hooked. Bob Ramen sports a small dining room and an upbeat, laid back, genial staff. The food quality is on point and consistent, but be prepared to ask for a doggy-bag, because the portions are huge.
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Jen Y.
I really wanted to like it, especially with all the hype, but was very disappointed. The ramen was very Americanized; the pairing of ingredients were odd and tasted bland. Spent $24 for 2 ramen bowls - went to Wendys right after. Pork bowl: 3 fried garlic cloves, 2 bamboo shoots, fried (almost all fat) pork belly, a runny egg, al dente noodles, bland broth with scallions on top and a seaweed square.
