Gaijin

Reviews 20

BE

Ben Bethel

We are from Arizona and flew into Traverse City on our way to Mackinaw. We travel to Japan for 3 to 4 weeks every year, and this is as close to authentic ramen as possible. Noodles are fantastic, broth is perfect, it was served very hot, and their kara age was a little bit different but excellent nonetheless. Service was fantastic. Well be eating here again, probably three more times on our Michigan trip... Before and the Electric Forest festival, then again when we fly back to Arizona... Looking forward to it! Picture is of their appetizer thats wrapped in noodles, very original and something we havent seen before.

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LU

Lucky McKeen

This is a place where I can eat safely and have a great meal! Going out to eat isnt easy for me because Im gluten free (by necessity) and have dangerous allergies. The head chef met with me and helped me identify several safe options for my meal. My dinner was amazing! It was so delicious that we went back a couple of days later for a second, equally outstanding meal. In addition to fabulous, unusual meals, everyone working there was friendly and accommodating, and the atmosphere is comfortable and relaxing. Prices are mid-range and reasonable. Gaijin is definitely our go-to place now.

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WU

Wuxia Hero

Tiniest bowl of ramen Ive ever had. Not enough ingredients in the base bowls for the price. Most ramen places Ive been to include broth, noodles, meat, several veggies, & an egg before they even start to charge for extras. Not this place. $12-$14 for a small bowl of broth, noodles, a slice of chashu, a "soy egg," and the extent of the base veggies are green onions or bean sprouts. Then you have to start paying for more ingredients. Way over-priced for what you get. Taste is mediocre, too. Guess they can get away with it in a small town where barely anyone has had real ramen before.

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JA

James Horn

Love the atmosphere, staff and most of menu. Ramen is consistently undercooked (asked my sister-in-law who we took there, and is knowledgeable about Japanese cooking, and she had the same complaint before I said anything). Dont know if its possible to ask for noodles to be cooked longer but the staff should at least be offering in some way. Chicken lemongrass goyza is excellent. Best way is to order a rice bowl or ramen bowl per person then one of everything else for family style dining! Lots of fun in a relaxing atmosphere.

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TR

Traverse AA

9/1/16 Had bao buns, ramen, gyoza, and a rice bowl. All cafeteria quality. I really wanted to love this place but its 90 percent superficial pretense and within 20 minutes I was in the bathroom as the meal ran right through me. Obvious food poisoning issue. I can only hope that others dont fall prey to what is a poor reflection of what a food town is supposed to be about - taste, quality, and safe product.

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EE

eedgarify

Really excellent food - ordered both a rice bowl and a noodle bowl as well as two of the buns. Probably the most authentically "asian" restaurant in the area. Service was good - staff was friendly and eager to provide whatever we requested. Prices are within 10-15 range, very reasonable for Front Street and excellent given the quality and portion size.

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HA

Harry Harrison

Holy wha, the food was delicous, and plenty. Beware that your eyes dont get bigger than your belly, or vise versa ;-) I was going to go for tea, but their house made soda was so enticing, and delicous. I had a sip of the soy cola, mmm, and my melon lemongrass was scrumptious. Next time, I may have to go with a rice bowl to give it a go.

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PI

Ping Zhou

Food was pretty decent, but pricey for the portion size compared to most other ramen/Japanese places. But I suppose that is to be expected since it is located in downtown Traverse City. On a side note, I find it amusing that this place is called "Gaijin" and the entire staff was Caucasian. Did they do this on purpose?!

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RO

Ronald Clise

This place rocks! My family enjoys Japanese food. I found this apparently a little expensive (common 28th Japanese food), but when I saw the portion size the price was actually reasonable. Big portions, and I found the food quality to be excellent; tasty and comforting. If you like ramen, you need to try this restaurant!

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JU

Judy Baker

The place is so cool and great waitress....The recommendation i would give to change the description of your resturant...it was the day you changed your menu so I know that can be hard...but we felt it was not Japanese meet midwest...the Midwest was missing...we love Asian food....the truffles and plum tea were amazing.

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AL

Alex Hamtie

The food looks great. However, it lacks flavor. The atmosphere is nice but its too expensive and the ingredients are cheap and obviously not fresh. Has nothing to do with ramen noodles nor Midwestern tastes. I feel like I ate food from a truck stop and paid for a fancy restaurant. I feel cheated. Not a fan at all.

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JO

John Quintano

Great atmosphere and delicious food. The restaurant and the bathrooms were very clean which I appreciate. Minimalistic seating with metal stools and flat wood benches, so be prepared if your ass hurts from a 20 mile bike ride (like mine did when I went). Kinda had a samurai champloo vibe, so it was really cool

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KO

Konrad Link

Japanese restaurant that does not have fish. No eel. No fish. Nice concept, nice people. The excuse of "I dont carry fish because we source locally" is outdated and can work only for a small town. The concept is great: simple menu and hippie contemporary ambience, but I got disappointed there was no fish.

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AD

Adam Ackerman

Service was good but the food was terrible egg was undercooked and raw, pork belly was cut into cubes and waaaay over cooked, they added kimchi on accident and put chili oil on it which made the whole bowl spicy, table wobbled and just a low quality class place second time Ive been here and it was worse

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RO

Roger Dodger

In general fantastic. Im not really sure if the ramen noodles are made on sight or are a very good dried pre-made noodle. All the appetizers are fantastic, my favorite was the pork belly sweet bun. The seats will make your butt sore before your meal is through. Definitely a must for mealtime though!

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KE

kelly bialczak

We had such an amazing lunch today! The staff was extremely friendly! Everyone worked together to make sure all customers were taken care of promptly and efficiently! The menu is small but absolutely everything was amazing!! We ordered 4 items And loved it all! Fried Shishito Peppers are a MUST!

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MI

Michael Strouse

Okay put stickers were awesome. But when I got to the noodles I got the tobkotsu, pork, the flavor was so heavy of oil or fat.... Undescribable heavy flavor. But that is probably my palette. This is not Raman noodles this is real noodles and flavor. I think next time Ill just order a rice bowl.

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JO

joy kinzer

I havent actually been to this place... So giving it 2 stars as a benefit of the doubt....but the name... Gaijin? Really? Thats the equivalent of calling someone the N word and its used for foreigners in Japan. If you speak Japanese its pretty offensive.

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CH

Chad Vander Henst

Noodle bowls were large, so the price didnt seem overly bad, though it could still be lower ($15 for a noodle bowl is excessive by any standard). Too much cilantro kind of overpowered the dish as well. The noodles themselves were really good.

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MA

Matt G

The food is good but not great and very expensive considering. The decoration and feel of the restaurant itself is pretty cool but its also small and gets packed quickly. It seems like more of a novelty than a legit dinner option.

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