Tanpopo Ramen & Sushi Restaurant
| Address: | 5191 S 108th St, Hales Corners, WI 53130, USA |
| Phone: | +1 414-525-2266 |
| Site: | tanpoporamen.com |
| Rating: | 4.1 |
| Working: | 11AM–9:30PM 11AM–9:30PM 11AM–9:30PM 11AM–9:30PM 11AM–10PM 11:30AM–10PM 11:30AM–9PM |
Location
Photos 100
Reviews 7
KY
Kyle Kasprzak
Good but requires improvement. Stopped in about 7:30 PM on a Sunday night, and the place was dead. The only other people there, a couple, left shortly after I sat down. I just feel weird in any restaurant thats that slow and EMPTY. Aside from the lack of patrons, the overall decor was Asian-themed but way short of authentic, not that I thought they were trying to be something that they were not or could not deliver. It was simply a typical, non-chain Asian restaurant (operating in a former Wendys or equivalent). Now, the awesomeness of the experience. The service was good, borderline great. It ought to have been after all, right? I was virtually the only patron. (A mother with two young children came in later followed by a pair of women toward the end of my dining.) The waiter was polite, friendly, expedient and attentive. The only complaint was that initially, when I was the only patron, he was way too attentive and then way too inattentive when the others arrived and I wanted to close out the check. A better balance was needed. The food. Im no stranger to Asian cuisine, at least not sashimi, sushi, stir-fry and the like, however actual Asian ramen was new. The miso ramen with pork was delicious. Without a comparable experience for reference though, Ill leave it at that. The hamachi carpaccio and yellowtail roll were flavorful, at least with the sauce and wasabi on the two respective dishes. Bottom line, Ive had better sashimi and sushi and overall a better experience elsewhere, yes, even on a Sunday night. I tried this place for two reasons: 1) proximity and 2) it served ramen, which I wanted to try. Id recommend giving Tanpopo a shot. Just manage your expectations. For the price-point it was good; I just rate primarily on food and without comparable experiences with ramen Ill limit my rating to 3/5. Lastly, Ill definitely give them another go-around later this year after I seek out alternatives.
JA
Jason Kern
This establishment has changed names to Tanpopo Ramen & Sushi Restaurant and has received a menu refresh, however it is owned by the same proprietors as the previously named Le Bistro Shanghai. I was a bit skeptical when we first arrived as we were big fans of Le Bistro Shanghai. They always made their food fresh and was some of the best Chinese food around. It was priced accordingly, but we were never disappointment. At first glance, the new logo and to-go menus looked gimmicky and cheap, the drive through board was hand written on poster board and I thought this place had gone to the land of crappy corner Chinese food. Once we got inside, my mood quickly changed. The place was busy and full of happy customers. We were seated just a few minutes after we arrived and give nice professional looking table menus. We were happy to find that they still had some of their old staples near the back of the menu such as General Tsos which we decided to split and order a couple of sushi rolls as an appetizer. Everything was presented beautifully and tasted great. I will mention that the fried chicken had a distinct taste of overused fry oil, but perhaps this was just due to them being busier than they expected, so I will return and report on that again at a later time. The service was great and the food was good. I am glad to see this place has not become the the crappy corner joint I thought it had turned into. They still have some of the best Chinese food in the area.
ME
Melbourne Russell III
Tanpopo...is just OK. Sure it gives me my much needed ramen fix right NOW, but its not very special. Their broths taste too similar (the Tonkotsu tastes like their chicken based broth) and their noodles arent homemade (not uncommon). The service also tends to be a little slower than youd like. The ambiance leaves much to be desired as well. Ive had ramen in NY, Chicago and a half dozen other cities across the country and one of the things the best places have in common is a unique, funky and modern atmosphere. Be it loud unedited 90s hip hop or a Godzilla theme there is usually something super cool that makes you want to be there. Tanpopo lacks any of that uniqueness. With ramen juuuuust starting to blossom in the Milwaukee area (shout out to Justin Carlisle for bringing legit ramen to Milwaukee) Tanpopo stands as one of the only places to be able to slurp a bowl during lunch (definitely the only place open on Mondays) but I feel like as ramen gets bigger and bigger in the area this place will need to up their game if they really want to stay in in.
C
C Laurenzi
Our first time here. I had high hopes with the somewhat stellar reviews. The building seems to have been possibly an old Culvers or something. You can get ramen to go through the drive through if youd like. That could be a plus. Walking in, I was met with a dimly lit room and the sushi chef watching the game. I suppose, its down time, yet seemed a bit off. I asked to be seated near the windows for a bit more light, which only exposed the poorly cleaned tables, carpet, windows, and ledges (which still showed the imprint of soy sauce or drink of the previous customers). Minor typographical errors in the menu, which isnt a deal breaker, but contributes to the overall amateurish impression. "Aparagus" sounds like something Harry Potter would shout to dispel an invisibility charm. Service was prompt and done with care. No complaints about there. I had eagerly wanted to try the ramen, but settled for the Mad Dragon roll. When asking the waiter if the eel in the roll is fried, the response was, "its microwaved".
WO
wolfangel155
We were in the area after a movie and wanted to grab a bite to eat. We originally were gonna go to place next door but closed down. We entered the establishment place was pretty busy. We were told 10 min wait which was true but when we finally got in to our seats we noticed many open dirty with dishes and uncleaned. It then took awhile to get orders in both drinks and food. Owner came by and did most of the work seemed the regular staff couldnt keep up. We got mix of sushi which was good and decent size pieces and ramen . Filling and great taste. Wouldnt mind trying to go again - it is out of the way but the food was worth it but they definitely need to work on staffing and handling "rushes" .
JA
Jason Bowers
We had ordered a couple bowls, and a couple appetizers. The bowl of ramen was good, but we never received one if our side dishes, which was a simple roll. We asked about it after we received everything else, but never got it, just told the girl working on it was backed up. We received the bill, which had the roll we never received on it. Upon asking our server to remove it, she returned with the roll. We declined the roll, because we were done, it should have been a part of the meal we ordered. They removed it, then a manager came out to apologize. Good food, but the speed of the service leaves something to be desired. Ill try it again at some point, hoping my experience was a fluke.
RI
Rita Clark
Dont be put off by the fact that this is in a converted fast food place and still has a drive-thru. The interior is cute and has a nice bar area. The staff was very friendly and accommodating although service was quite slow. The food, however, was great. There were 4 of us and we all were very happy. I dont know what to say about the reviews that call the food "gas station" quality or worse... our experience was the opposite. A very good value for the food quality. We are all frequent restaurant diners and familiar with good Asian food. Ill be back.
