MUSASHI Ramen & Izakaya

Michael Nelson _{on Google}

Jan 1st, 2019

It can get a little busy around lunch time, so aim to come early. Their Ramen is fantastic and the broth is delicious! My favorite is the Spicy Garlic Ramen, something about the broth in this one is extremely well developed with wonderful, rich flavor.

Lawrence Tan _{on Google}

Dec 19th, 2018

You gotta try their home made Yuzu soda. It's so refreshing in a hot day. The fruit is fresh and the sparkling water just adds enough spritz to really bring out the flavor. What an unexpected treat!

Vidisha Shah _{on Google}

Dec 8th, 2018

Nice place they do have some good vegetarian options available too. Good ambience good service. Better to have reservations because they do have long waits..

Vivian Le _{on Google}

Dec 6th, 2018

We love this place, We’ll definitely come back again.

Jake P. _{on Google}

Dec 6th, 2018

Summary: fast, friendly service and delicious ramen in a nice space. 4.5 stars.
Service: 4.5 stars
The servers are all friendly and attentive. Frankie especially. I go here probably once a week, and Frankie always remembers me and goes out of his way to make me feel welcome and make friendly conversation. But all the servers are good. The one time that the kitchen seemingly never got my order, I could tell the server was concerned and wanted to get me my food as quickly as possible - I heard them ask the kitchen about my order probably 3 times in a 10 minute period. (That was a one time thing, by the way, normally the kitchen is really fast).
The only thing I would change is that if left to their own devices, they often seem to seat me in the very front section of the bar (even if the rest of the bar is open), and that is where the kitchen sets cups and water carafes on a ledge for the servers to pick up. So I sometimes have a server trying to reach over my head from the side to get something.
Food: 4 stars
The broth is flavorful, the noodles are delicious, and they have lots of options for broth styles (chicken stock, fish stock, miso stock, plus spicy options). I normally get the tori paitan with garlic and extra chasu. The spicy garlic ramen was good too, but I’m way too white to handle that spice level lol. It kept making me cough haha.
Only thing I would change is adding more meat to the ramen (reason for the 1-star deduction). A regular sized bowl comes with 1 slice of chasu, and paying $2.50 for extra chasu only gets you 1 additional slice. For comparison, the normal sized bowl at Sapporo ramen includes 3 large slices. I also like the cut of pork served at Sapporo better, it’s thicker and has more veins of fat running through it, AND they pan-fry it first to make the edges a little crispy - really good. Musashi’s pork is fine, but less fatty and smaller portions (to be fair, Sapporo is Chinese- and Taiwanese-influenced ramen, but still).
Location/ambience: 5 stars
The restaurant has lots of seating and comfortable chairs. You can choose between bar seating, table seating, or booth seating, with 1 curtained/partioned room for a large group to use if you need it. Music is audible without being too loud to talk to others at your table. They normally play a fun mix of latest jpop and kpop hits - don’t be surprised to hear BLACKPINK or an anime’s opening theme when you walk in. Lighting is good, not too bright. No complaints.