Boxer Ramen
| Address: | 1025 SW Stark St, Portland, OR 97205, USA |
| Phone: | +1 503-894-8260 |
| Site: | boxerramen.com |
| Rating: | 4.2 |
| Working: | 11AM–9PM 11AM–9PM 11AM–9PM 11AM–9PM 11AM–9PM 12–9PM 12–9PM |
Location
Photos 100
Reviews 13
EM
Emily Jiménez
Went for the first time and was not impressed. My initial thought when looking at the menu was "oh, there arent a lot of plates, but they must do each dish very well.". Unfortunately thats not the case. Had the tonkotsu which had WAY too much fat and my noodles were not prepared right (they were all stuck together). I could only eat half of my bowl because it was so fattening, which seems wasteful since they wont let you take your leftovers to go. Very wasteful and un-Portland of them. We left feeling like our mouthes were covered in pork fat for the rest of the day. It left a bad taste we couldnt get out. Decor is nice, hope this place gets better. It has a lot of potential but there are better ramen places in PDX imo.
AL
Alyssa Carter
I came here when they first opened and were offering free ramen - I waited about 25 minutes in like - not bad at all for free ramen! - and the service was really amazing and friendly for how slammed they were giving away free ramen and all. Im bummed that the ramen didnt blow me away as much as I thought I would. I did think it was good - and by no means am I a ramen expert - but I definitely wouldnt go back and pay $10 for a bowl. My money will still be at boke bowl or Biwa, both ramens I love (Biwa at the top) - too bad since they are RIGHT next to my office. Perhaps it was just due to the influx of people but nothing to write home about. To clarify, I had the pork ramen.
PH
Phillip Mills
The Spicy Red Miso ramen is fantastic -- nice heat, tons of delicious pork belly, great stuff. However, the place is a bit... oh, how should I say this... is "twee" still a popular term? Case in point, all the cutesy signs on the wall that basically double as passive-aggressive ways of saying that there are no to-go orders or changes in ingredients. Like, OK, we get it, you believe that the experience you provide should be experienced as the head chef envisions, but... you can do that without a rabbit-like creature saying so. And whats up with all the jagged-edged bowls? All that aside, the ramen is amazing, but the presentation is a bit jarring for me personally.
ME
Merlyn Alexander
So delicious. Got there around 6 p.m. on a week night. There were only few people there when we got in, but it filled up very quickly. Ordered the okonomiyaki tots ($6), which are outstanding! Such a good idea. She got the tonkatsu, I got the spicy miso - and both were outstanding (and around $10 each). I prefer the broth at Yuzu in SW, but this is now easily one of my favorites. The spicy miso was perfectly spicy, and my sinuses are now very clear. The noodles were a bit underdone, but everyone has their own opinion on how well-cooked they should be. Portions were large, and we were unable to finish everything. Highly recommended for a casual downtown date spot.
JO
Johnny Chau
I dont like the style of ramen served at Boxer Ramen. Ive eaten a lot of ramen in my life. I appreciate the movement toward more refined cooking techniques. However, the sous vide egg and pork belly just dont do it for me in ramen. I ordered the Tonkotsu Shio Ramen. The pork was a classic 146 degree egg. Normally, I enjoy the custardy goodness, but eggs in ramen need a firmer white. The pork belly was too smoky and clashed with lightness of the broth. Whenever I took a bite of the pork, it just overwhelmed everything. The broth was too light for everything that was going on in the bowl. Also ordered the tots. Huge let down.
MA
Matthew Noyes
We ate the greens, the spicy red miso and the tonkotsu (pork bone both) ramen. Both came served with scallions a soft boiled egg and pork belly. First off the salad was deeelish, really nutty and (good) sweet/tangy tasting. The bowls come with thin noodles which were cooked well, I found that their thin-ness was very good at soaking up the tasty broth. My miso was great, not too salty but with lots of background complexity. It had the oh-so-familiar oily swirls on the surface, you see that in the ramen places in Japan, ahhh heaven.
MA
Marc Thayer
Ive now had everything on the menu at least twice. Some things of which I wasnt initially a fan have since changed. So dont be wary of trying things a second time to see how you like it, but also dont claim a favorite too quickly as it might be different in the near future. Hopefully they settle into something consistent once theyve knocked out their perceived kinks. Id like to have a go-to favorite that I can count on. The service has always been great, but it can get a little busy at times. So I try to go at off hours.
KE
Kevan Banngertir
Delicious. The place is small and cozy with a Japanese vibe. The menu is kinda small but thats ok. They do have a small list of different sakes. I tried the spicy bowl (forgot the name) and one if the sakes. My friend got a medium heat bowl and the tots. The tots were nothing special. Just regular tots with spicy orange sauce and fish flakes. Our waitress was extremely cute I cant recall her name though. My only gripe with this place is its cash only but they do have a ATM in the place.
ME
Megan B
The flavor of their ramen is an umami explosion in your mouth. It can get us all through the cold wet Portland winter/spring. I recommended Boxer Ramen to some colleagues who were visiting from Denver and San Francisco and they ended up going back for lunch two days that week. It youre not into intense flavors and are looking for something more subtle, this is not for you. The spicy ramen wasnt spicy at all, but that is subjective and easily remedied by adding chilies.
AR
Ariela Kristantina
Broth flavor is on point, ramen is a good balance between tender and firm, meat is delicious, service is friendly and nice. Boxer has small menu but definitely you want to try all their ramen menu --I thoroughly enjoyed their Spicy Miso Ramen; it also has decent sake options. Small restaurants, peope do eat quick and go but you might still find yourself in line for a while. Not really a place to extend your conversations and such. Also good if you go and eat alone.
LA
Lauren M
The broth for the Tonkatsu Shio ramen that I had was amazing! It was definitely the highlight of the dish, and the noodles were okay, but a bit on the thin, instant noodle tasting side. There are definitely other ramen shops with better noodles, but I was still pleased with the experience over all. The description claims that they only accept cash, but that isnt accurate. I paid with a card.
DA
Dawn Tower
This is the only ramen place Ive found in Portland that consistently has my beloved tonkatsu broth. I enjoy their smoked pork belly, which is similar to very thick-cut bacon. They serve their eggs poached in broth rather than soft boiled and marinated. I prefer the latter, but the former is very nice as well. Ive had good service both times Ive visited. Music selection is fun.
KR
Krishna Sharma
After I ordered the Spicy miso ramen and saw how it looked, I regretted so much for eating there. I was looking for something soupy to have in a cold day, and eating here just was not the right decision. The Ramen bowl is definitely not worth $12. Should have gone to a pho place or a Thai soup place. I do not recommend it to someone who knows how Ramen should be.
