HinoMaru Ramen
| Address: | 33-18 Ditmars Blvd, Astoria, NY 11105, USA |
| Phone: | +1 718-777-0228 |
| Site: | hinomaruramen.com |
| Rating: | 4.4 |
| Working: | 12–10:30PM 12–10:30PM 12–10:30PM 12–10:30PM 12–11PM 12–11PM 12–10:30PM |
Location
Photos 100
Reviews 6
LE
Leo O
Came here with 4 people and a baby and had a pleasant time. Service was excellent. They were really attentive to what utensils needed to be replaced after the baby threw them onto the floor, multiple times. They even refilled out water after the bill had been paid for. For appetizers, we had their chicken neck, buta kimchi, agedashi tofu, fried asparagus. Out of the appetizers, the buta kimchi was the best. What was really weird was that it only had one slice of pork but if you dig around in the kimchi section, they have pieces of pork. At first, I was appalled of only having one slice of pork, but luckily, they didnt skimp out on that ingredient. The kimchi was excellent and not too spicy at all. Definitely a well balanced dish. I had an issue with the asparagus because it wasnt al dente. It had to do with how they cooked it and then fried it. The tempura batter was excellent, lightly fried. When I bit into it, the asparagus was soft and a little "stringy". I guess a combination of produce selection and cooking method caused the dish to commit seppuku. I somewhat liked the agedashi tofu. It was extremely lightly fried which was good but the tofu was a little hard for my taste. I like mine a little softer but I guess thats just a matter of preference. The soup/sauce base is a little sweet but I thought the dish was good overall. The least appealing thing was the chicken neck. It really lacked seasoning and flavor. I dont mind the abundance of bones but fairly flavorless. I wouldnt get it again. For main course, we had their Miso ramen, Kurogoma tantan, Hinomaru Ramen, and Oyako don. Overall, the price you pay for the quality of food is decent enough to not have to trek to Manhattan for Ippudo. However, the ramen at Ippudo is better than this place. My miso ramen was on the salty side and definitely little to no miso taste at all. Definitely due to the overpowering of the pork. My noodles were also too al dente, bordering raw. The Kurogoma tantan (Black sesame miso and butter calamari) tasted more like black pepper and garlic sauce but soup based and with calamari instead of the traditional pork in chinese dishes. I didnt like the dish at all, one bite and I thought I was eating a chinese dish. Instead of this, they should make it into a black ink squid ramen. I think it would suit them better. I did however liked these noodles better than mine. The Hinomaru ramen was salty as well and the egg noodle reminded me of wonton soup. I just didnt like the noodles for this dish. All the other ingredients worked well in this dish and as another reviewer had posted, it isnt oily at all. Thats one common theme for all the ramen that I tried, none of it were overly oily. I didnt get a chance to try the oyako don but from the looks of it, the chicken looked a little dry and little to no sauce at all for the entire dish. Not sure if thats how its supposed to be but Im sure I can find another variation of it where there are sauces. Despite the overall dissatisfaction for their ramen (3 stars), still giving it a 4 stars because of the service and buta kimchi and not having to go into Manhattan and wait 3 hours for ramen at Ippudo. I would still come here again and I would recommend it with certain caveats.
RE
Ree Nay
Decor and location: located on Ditmars Blvd in Astoria, Queens. Street meter parking, decor is mirrored after a traditional ramen house in Japan. Very cute. Bench seating and solid wood tables. Service: pretty good, service was quick and pleasant Food: what we had 1. Veggie ramen - imagine a stir fry veggie ensemble over a Pork broth, that is essentially what you should expect with a heap of pickled ginger. Flavor was pretty bland to be honest 2. Tonkatsu ramen - Pork north, fatty pork, the pork was too fatty for my companion and it was the same broth as the veggie it seemed 3. Hinomaru ramen: their signature dish, seemed to resemble the tonkatsu broth but had a ball of ground Pork and chili sauce, I was not impressed with the flavor of this at all, the chili sauce was the flavor of the bottled Chinese chili sauce I get from my local supermarket and expected more in terms of authenticity and flavor 4. Overall ramen noodle - perhaps when we went during the lunch rush, the kitchen was off its game but all of our noodles were undercooked, very hard and tough. So much so that I couldnt even finish my noodle Overall, seriously bummed that this place was not as good as everyone says it is. I still think if youre willing to make the trek go to mitsuwa and get the santoku ramen
JO
Joshua Lory
Stopped by today on one of my lunch adventures. Was pleasantly surprised since some of my friends were saying this place was just mediocre for NYC ramen (nevertheless i had to try). The decor is immediately appealing which transports your brain to northern Japan with the rich wood furnishings and bonsai trees aplenty. I quickly ordered a hot green tea and the special lemon grass chicken ramen. I was blown away by the freshness, flavor and overall spice of the dish. I have not had ramen in many other places so i cannot compare on the above. Perfect combination on a cold day, dreary day. Well done. Bill was inexpensive and the service was prompt and courteous. They do not take CCs under $15 and no AMEX. Will be back to try more dishes.
YA
Yan Grinshteyn
My boyfriend and I go here quite often and we definitely enjoy the dishes we get. Most of the ramen dishes are very good. The broths are not watery and the toppings are great. Its a huge relief to have a place like this in Astoria On the other hand, there are a lot of minor things that annoy me: 1. The nikkuman dish has gotten smaller. Theirs is a small 2"x2" sandwhich and its just too expensive for $5. It is literally one bite. 2. They need to make their own noodles. 3. The seating at the bar is a bit uncomfortable. 4. Their appetizers are sometimes awful (like the fried chicken they had a few months ago.)
XI
xiao hello
Came here a couple of times. And the first two times, I thought the ramen was on point. I have had the Tonkatsu, Hinomaru, and Miso. The third time that I went, or the last time I went, I ordered the Miso, and I thought it was a tad too salty. Not what I recall the last two times. Just a heads up to the management there. Go easy there! People are becoming health conscious. I dont want heartburn after eating ramen. Anyways, for appetizers, we had fried shrimp and octopus. Both pretty pricey for the amount we got but overall super tasty. One of the better ramen spots in Astoria in my opinion.
JA
Jaclyn Incorvia Corrigan
My sister and I went here and enjoyed our food very much. I got the Curry Ramen and she got the Shio Ramen. Both were excellent, loaded with tasty ingredients, hot and cooked to perfection. The atmosphere is laid back and fun, very busy for a late lunch (around 3:00pm). The staff was mostly attentive and friendly, however a bit too much time passed after my dish being delivered to the table before my sisters came. It was nearly 5 minutes, making it awkward to wait and awkward not to wait for her - that is my only complaint. Otherwise, food is great and prices are fair.
