Ichicoro Ramen

Reviews 3

KN

Knirps Lyn

+ Ramen was delicious overall + Unique atmosphere and decor - Very limited menu - Very limited non-alcoholic drink selection - Music in the bathroom was nasty - Not sure about meat quality - Service wasnt top notch - For a $14 bowl of ramen I shouldnt be eating out of a broken bowl +/- Some menu items defined later in the extra section, some not *Snacks are more like meals *Unique seating not preferable to larger patrons *Cozy layout, not for people who prefer space Overall, I enjoyed the experience and the food was good. I dont know if Id come back...maybe when the menu changes (I heard its seasonal). -- Im probably being picky but I had issues with a number of small things. The menu is VERY limited and completely in character so if this is your first time out eating authentic ramen (or even just Japanese in general), youre probably going to have your phone out to translate. I myself have been eating sushi since I was young and am moderately into Japanese culture and media...but I was completely and utterly lost. (Im sure if you watch subbed anime youll have a leg up. lol) I ended up inquiring about some of the terminology to a server (when one finally showed up) and while his demeanor was friendly, I felt sorta irritated when he pointed to the extras section and said, "Most items are defned here, in the extras." and walked away... Yeah, that doesnt help me figure out the seven things that arent. Google was also not the best help as, for example, one ingredient came up as a flavor enhancer used in ramen broth for the brothless ramen... Drinks include water, ginger ale in a can, unsweetened green tea in a can, pepsi... I was hoping for hot tea, personally, but settled on drinking broth. For such an emphasis on the liquid half of the restaurant I feel like they should have more options. When we glanced in through the window before entering, we saw a large man teetering on a tiny chair and with both me and my guy having back/knee problems, we became apprehensive. The seating was cramped and uncomfortable for us because we had to squeeze and slide in...but do-able. When I got up to use the restroom I almost stabbed my eye out on the corner of the bar, though, which juts out at the end of the bench. I really, REALLY didnt like the music in the bathroom, though. Whatever they were playing must have said the N word 20 times during my piddle among other nasty things. Not that I think anyone would be bringing kids here but if you do, dont let them use the bathroom. Oh, and then the inedible scrap of gristle cooked into jerky in the ramen...is that just a garnish/to flavor the broth? The bacon was ridiculously hard in the brothless, too... One thing I will say that absolutely impressed me...when an employee needed to spray down and clean a table, she made absolutely sure the nozzle was almost touching the table and shielded the spray with the rag. Considering wed had several occasions where a table was sprayed with us there, or next to us and got on us, we were staring with wide eyes waiting for this server to ruin our meal and were VERY grateful that she did not. I dunno, overall the food was good but I felt like it was lacking in so many other places. Guess Im just not hipster enough for this edgy establishment.

AU

Austin Spreadbury

Unlike the majority of the reviews here that feature people not even eating at the restaurant and judging it based on complete farcity, people with a chip on their shoulder who think everyone is meant to bow to their every unmentioned desire, and the outright liars that accuse this wonderful establishment of using low quality ingredients, Ive eaten here dozens of times, have met the staff and actually know the difference between "Wal Mart Top Ramen" and Sun Ramen made by a private company in NY for an extremely small list of distributors. Lets get the common whining about this place out of the way, shall we? 1. The wait - Of course theres a wait! Its a tiny pop-up establishment with EXTREMELY high demand food in one of the trendiest and high traffic areas in Tampa! Do yourselves a favor and take that smartphone you overpay for every month out, download DineTime, and sit at home until your three hour wait at 8PM on a Friday night is up! 2. The food - Their broth is made in-house from actual stock components, not bouillon cubes, cups of MSG and water. Their noodles are made by Sun Noodle Company (you used google to find this, you can google that company too) specifically for Ichicoro. These are not dried noodles you get off the shelf at Wal Mart like some space cadets claimed in their baseless one-star reviews. They are pre-packaged FOR DELIVERY from the factory in NYC, not because they sit in storage after mass production to be rehydrated months later. Every dish is hand designed by the staff and the ingredients are sourced as local as possible. Theyve even been trying to source eggs from here in Tampa from chickens fed a special ingredient for a dish idea. 3. The Staff and Management - Im quite sure plenty of the low star reviews on here base their remarks (or lack thereof) on the atmosphere that they werent expecting to find when they found Ichicoro and not their actual interaction with the staff. This still growing staff bends over backwards for their craft, restaurant, and their patrons. There is constant communication between the fans and the staff on social media, and not just to hype the restaurant and the dishes, but to even address concerns like the long wait times theyre doing their best to facilitate. They rushed the DineTime App in to use to manage some kind of reservation system and that still does a great job of estimating wait time every day of the week. This fledgeling ramen shack in the heart of town made a nuclear-blast scale splash when they opened and do everything they can to get their customers taken care of. Theyre one of the only places in town that does ramen at all and they crush it with every single dish they put out. Dont let these stupid low rate, low effort posts fool you. The wait gets up to 3 hours for a good reason: SUPPLY AND DEMAND. #RAMENARMY

RY

Ryan Cragun

As long as youre willing to wait to get a seat (and by wait, I mean it could be a very long wait), the food is good. I tried going here on a Saturday evening once and was told the wait would be 1 1/2 hours. That wasnt worth it to me. I tried again on a Thursday for a lunch meeting. I tried to make a reservation, but they dont take reservations. So, I showed up 15 minutes before they opened (they open STRICTLY at noon, and I mean STRICTLY!!!) and there were already two people in line. I got in line, and before they opened, there were another 12 people behind me. When they opened the door (at noon, precisely), we walked in and they started seating people. The two people in front of me got a table. Then it was my turn. I asked for a table for 3, but they told me I couldnt be seated until the rest of my party arrived. Seriously?!? (Apparently, Ichicoro Ramen doesnt really want people to eat at the restaurant.) I waited another 10 minutes for the other people to arrive and they finally seated us (luckily it wasnt so busy that all the tables were filled). The menu is a little different. There arent a ton of options - either ramen or rice bowls. I ordered the standard pork ramen dish. It came out promptly and it was very good. The noodles were flavorful, the added ingredients were savory, and the broth was delightful. So, the food is good. Also, once seated, the wait staff were nice. In summary: a) Be prepared to wait a long time to get a seat. b) Make sure your whole party is there. c) They dont open until there stated time. Period! Other notes: The restaurant seating area is very small - maybe 25 people can be seated at once. They dont do take out. Conclusion: Yes the food was good, but I wont be going back. Id prefer not to have to jump through hoops in order to eat at a restaurant. Ichicoro kind of reminds me of the "soup Nazi" from Seinfeld - the food is good, but good luck getting some.