Ani Ramen

Reviews 9

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Alejandro Gomez

Ramen was very mediocre, it was garnished with completely raw onions not marinated in the broth at all, they charge you extra for bamboo shoot and the egg when that should be standard for any ramen recipe. The gyoza was extremely overcooked on the outside with a slightly undercooked inside. The pork in the actual ramen was very good but didnt come anywhere near close to salvaging how much of a travesty the rest of the dish was. The lemonade they make had an incredibly weird aftertaste and they tried charging me for it even though it was disgusting and Im sure tainted with something. I saw my waiter once when he took my order and once when he dropped the check. The entirety of my service was carried out by the rest of the staff although this is more excusable because I cant imagine it being easy to navigate in the overcrowded loud and air tight environment I was eating in. I will say however that our waiter was very knowledgeable about the "menu" and did provide good service. Speaking of environment it was so packed and loud I couldnt imagine ever eating food of any caliber and enjoying it here. I was elbow to elbow with people I wasnt eating with and I couldnt hear my friends talk across the table. On top of everything I payed 45$ for two people which honestly isnt anything for good food, but 45$ is 45$ too much for horrible food and experience.

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Jorge Tovar

I first visited Ani Ramen in 2015 and was so happy to find a a Ramen place in New Jersey. My first visit was really good and I thought the food was great. I went back in August of 2016 and was pretty disappointed. First, the vibe was completely off. The music was too loud and I thought they were trying to hard to pretend like they were a ramen shop in NYC. Second, the food has suffered a bit. The pork buns just werent quite as good and the soup was definitely not as fresh as I remember. They are definitely packing in a lot more salt for flavor. Third, and this may be the reason I may not ever go back, the service was awful. I am not sure if the food and service are suffering from their popularity but I did not feel like a valued customer. The worst part, my soup came out fifteen minutes later than everyone at the table. It almost felt like they completely forgot to make mine. I had to force my friends to start their meal so that their soups did not get cold. My friends side of chicken also came out a full twenty minutes later and he didnt even touch it because he was basically done by that point. Food is still respectable if youre looking for ramen but dont expect it to compare to a place in NYC and dont expect great service.

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Anonymous

The Ramen is incredible. The noodles are perfect, and the soup itself is flavorful and great. The problem however is the service/waiting time. I got here at 7:30 with a party of 2 on a weeknight, and wasnt able to get a seat until 8:00 at a community table. The servers were struggling to keep up, as was the kitchen. I didnt get my Ramen until about 9:00. I cant imagine how this place is on weekends. Its probably a zoo. Location is very small, and loud for that matter. Food is incredible, so if you dont mind the wait then by all means go ahead. I also wasnt a fan of the ambiance. We sat at the "bar" and I felt like a fish in an aquarium. All of the hungry people waiting outside for a table were gawking at my bowl of ramen/pork buns from outside. They could have hung up blinds at the very least. I dont know if I would come back. Maybe for Lunch. However factoring in the time it took to get seated and served I think Id rather go to NYC next time for my ramen fix.

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Dustin The Reviewer

We tried to go on a Saturday night, but the wait was just way to long for us. I heard so many great things about the place, so we went back the following Sunday around noon, and this place lived up to our expectations. The pork buns were amazing, and the shrimp buns were really good too. I had the #6 ramen bowl, but make sure you ask for a soft boiled egg with it, they wont tell you it doesnt come with the ramen bowls. The inside is very tiny and could be loud at times. Do to space issues if you are fine with sharing a table with a stranger that could speed up your wait time. Overall though this place is really cool with amazing food and staff. You gotta go!

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Katlyn Carter

My friends and I (4 of us) met the manager as we were finishing dinner. She is very down to earth, and asked for our names. Not many people are really concerned with us personally, all they care about is the service. In this place, they want to make sure you feel at home!! Im definately coming back here for dinner more often. Its my first time here! We had to make a reservation in order to secure our table. Its definately worth the wait if you walk in. Food is great. Vibes are chill. BYOB so bring your own. Menu isnt huge, which means food is fresh and CONSISTENTLY GREAT.

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Greg V

The food here is top notch and is one of the few places that makes excellent vegetarian Ramen that my wife loves. Weve tried Fujiya Ramen after finding Ani was full and theres no comparison - Ani is the winner by far on all counts from service to food. The staff are super friendly, and the food is always on point. The buns are always delicious and pillowy, and the Ramen portions are extremely generous. If you dont eat a lot, be sure to bring a container to bring your leftovers home as they dont provide take out containers.

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Alisa Jeffries

Its as amazing as people say! The pork buns are the stuff of dreams. I want to go back for every lunch and dinner left on my trip! We also had the short rib ramen which was more expensive but delicious. ($16 rather than $12.) The place is always packed and usually has a wait. We got there ten minutes before they opened at 5pm on a Saturday, and there was already a line waiting to get in. Its BYOB and BYOC (bring your own container) It took about 39 minutes to get our ramen. The pork buns came out pretty fast.

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Albert Zhou

I had high hopes for Ani Ramen, but the tonkatsu ramen was extremely disappointing. The noodles were fine, but the broth lacked any hint of flavor. Having been to Japan, I know what good ramen is, and this place just isnt it. For those who have never had authentic ramen before, I can understand how they might consider this place decent. However, if youve had good ramen before, this place will disappoint. Try ippudo in the city if you want good ramen. I know I will never be coming back here.

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Alex Cagg

I just got back from Japan and had a craving for Ramen. I ate A LOT of Ramen in my combined 7 months in Japan. Ani Ramen is close to nailing it, very close. The gyoza is spot on just like Japan. The pork broth ramen (tonkotsu) or "Ani Ramen" is missing a hint of garlic, and could use more pork fat in the broth. But thats just me being a perfectionist. Its still comparable to most ramen shops in Japan. Wait staff was great, food came quickly, shop was clean and decorum was nice. 8.5/10

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