Ramen Gojiro - Godzilla Ramen in Vancouver [REVIEW]

Hey guys! If you’re looking for a skytrain-accessible new ramen restaurant that isn’t found in the West End, Ramen Gojiro has recently opened up in Vancouver for that purpose. Hailing from the same parent company of Ramen Butcher, does this ramen eatery’s broth and noodles take you to a new level of enjoyment or are you better off buying instant noodles from the 7-11 down the street? Read on to find out.

Food:

Team Work came here for an early lunch and I had the following:

• Basic Chicken Karaage Ramen ($10)
• Gyoza ($5.35)

The Basic Chicken Karaage Ramen was their regular-sized ramen with 2 pieces of chicken karaage, a lot of bean sprouts, and a dollop of garlic paste on top. Ramen Gojiro has been touting a new flavour of ramen not yet seen on the West Coast and I’m guessing it’s this combination of garlic paste and chicken karaage. I thought the garlic flavour was very strong and enjoyed its addition to the broth. 

In addition, the noodles here are thick. I like them thick, actually. I feel it’s a good way to mix with thick broths without getting too fatty. The broth here though wasn’t that thick. It was quite thin, almost a little too salty, and for my tastes, I would order the spicy version of this ramen next time if only to make it a little more heated and less apparent in saltiness. The noodles here were some of the best I’ve tasted in Vancouver thus far. I’m talking up Santouka good. The chicken karaage was very tender and made me wish I ordered the “bakamori” sized ramen which gives you double the meat and a little more noodle for 30% more of the price. Overall this was quite filling and I was ready to hobble out after but I also ordered a gyoza.

Speaking of gyoza, these were golden brown wrapped nuggets with a pork filling inside. The skin was chewy and lightly fried on one side before served to us with a soy-based sauce. I quite liked this but would be full enough from a single bowl of ramen. I would recommend you split with a friend unless you’re starving.

Features:
Ramen Gojiro renovated the old space at the corner of Dunsmuir and Richards Street. The eatery holds about 50 guests and seating is primarily made up of tables and one longer communal tree trunk table. The feel is quite vibrant and cement-modern similar to Ramen Butcher. 

Service:
This place was busy! We came at 11:15am on a Friday which wasn’t too bad, but by the time we left at 12pm there was a 20-something lineup going out the door and wrapping around the street. The ramen hype is real. Food here took about 15 minutes to come out so take that into consideration in case you run into a line outside the restaurant. Staff were quite friendly and one even said goodbye as we left the place. Overall, a smooth and seamless experience.

One-liner: Great thick noodles and tender meats at this new ramen eatery
Highlight: Basic Chicken Karaage Ramen
Recommended for: Thick noodle ramen lovers
Would I go back? Yes.