Very busy, but a great space. Food was really interesting, well made! You order at a kiosk and grab a seat, then they call your name, and you pick up your order at the counter.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Pork Gyoza, Miso Ramen with Pulled Pork
Marigold G.
It was our first time here and even though it is an hour drive from Nanaimo we are really excited to visit and try their ramen!What we liked about Nikkei:✅️Delicious ramen!✅️Easy kiosk ordering system✅️Quaint traditional ramen shop vibesWe ordered Hokkaido Miso Ramen (comes with a curly type of noodles) and Tonkotsu Shoyu Gyokai Ramen (comes with thin straight noodles) both with Ajitama. The noodles are firm and perfectly cooked. Ramen noodles that are made from scratch are definitely the best. The broth is thick & rich which I liked! The thin tender slices of that chasu, kanpeki. The ajitama was on point! I did my poke test lol, cut it in the mid with my chopsticks, and then poof! There she goes, that soft-boiled marinated, center oozing with goodness tamago.What we disliked about Nikkei:❎️Loud background music❎️Small serving for the price point❎️Not a family-friendly restaurantWe expected that it was a family-friendly place as we'd seen on a google review and watched a small clip of a baby eating on a HC with a table attachment so we went with our 18-month-old. They do have high-chairs (I believe, those are ikea ANTILOP) BUT the problem is that they don't have the table attachment (I asked) and the HC is too short to fit on their tall tables. They all have bar tables and stools. So both of us (to all parents you know the drill lol, time is running and we need to start eating that bowl of hot ramen and most importantly avoid any impending tantrum) just SLURP and GO. So in the end, we concluded that maybe the table attachment we saw was brought by a customer, and if only our toddler was seated properly, all of us would've enjoyed eating that bowl of ramen more and not been in a hurry.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 3
Service: 3
Recommended dishes: Hokkaido Ramen, Tonkotsu
Stuart Clarke
I only go up to Courtenay once a year but I always go to Nikkei Ramen-ya when I am there.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Extra Noodles, Shoyu Ramen
Therese Mah
Excellent ramen, multiple vegetarian options that did not disappoint! They don't offer a tip option because they pay a living wage, which makes this ramen at this price point a steal!
I was visiting in the area and found this Japanese ramen house by surprise. I have to walk 15 mins in the rain to get there, but it was worth it. It’s very much an authentic ramen house and even it is self-served, the kitchen staff are friendly and helpful. There are different options to choose and substitute which is nice. Ramen is fresh and broth is tasty. Definitely will revisit next time when I am in the area. Highly recommended.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Joe Hutton
Waited over 45 minutes, ti then have my souo given to another patron. In all it took over an hour to get my soup and i believe it was what the other patron ordered, not what i had ordred. Tge employees did more chatting amongst themselves than cooking. $70 for the two of us and Not even given an apology or explanation for over an hour wait other than they gave my soup to soneone else. Horrible experience. Will never return and sugest others to think twice about dining here.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 2
Service: 1
Amanda Porter
It was 52$ for two bowls of ramen and the food wasn’t anything special. It wasn’t a lot of food either and my friend and I were still hungry afterwards. Loud and very crowded on the inside. This place used to be amazing but I feel for the cost its no longer worth it.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 3
Service: 2
GRAHAM HANDSWORTH
Overpriced Undercooked and low quality. Better off with a bag of Mr.Noodles. The living wage top up is a scam. You deserve better. Spend $$$ elsewhere. .
I love that they are a living-wage employer! Food is tasty, my family can always pick something they love despite our picky eaters and diet restrictions. Food is ready quickly but is of high quality and fresh.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
B.S. L.
Great meal and nice
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 4
Leslie Do
Small and cozy place. You order by yourself on the machine, so it’s feel like a fast food place. They have a good selection of broth flavours, rich and tasty. However, I’m not a big fan of their meat, taste like a deli meat ?♀️
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 4
Bryanna McLean
For the price it didn't seem like enough food. My partner and I were both still hungry when we left. We paid an extra $2 for more noodles on one of the orders and we were going to split it and they never gave it to us. The staff cooking are the only workers there so it's hard to talk to them. After trying to get their attention to ask about the extra noodles, no one saw me so we just finished the rest of the broth and left. It was good ramen. Very small and tight space inside with uncomfortable seats. If you have back problems you probably will have a hard time dining in with the backless metal stools they have. It felt very cramped loud and a little pricey for the amount you get. Besides that the ramen itself is quite tasty and nice they have 1 or 2 vegan options.
Very busy, but a great space. Food was really interesting, well made! You order at a kiosk and grab a seat, then they call your name, and you pick up your order at the counter.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Pork Gyoza, Miso Ramen with Pulled Pork
It was our first time here and even though it is an hour drive from Nanaimo we are really excited to visit and try their ramen!What we liked about Nikkei:✅️Delicious ramen!✅️Easy kiosk ordering system✅️Quaint traditional ramen shop vibesWe ordered Hokkaido Miso Ramen (comes with a curly type of noodles) and Tonkotsu Shoyu Gyokai Ramen (comes with thin straight noodles) both with Ajitama. The noodles are firm and perfectly cooked. Ramen noodles that are made from scratch are definitely the best. The broth is thick & rich which I liked! The thin tender slices of that chasu, kanpeki. The ajitama was on point! I did my poke test lol, cut it in the mid with my chopsticks, and then poof! There she goes, that soft-boiled marinated, center oozing with goodness tamago.What we disliked about Nikkei:❎️Loud background music❎️Small serving for the price point❎️Not a family-friendly restaurantWe expected that it was a family-friendly place as we'd seen on a google review and watched a small clip of a baby eating on a HC with a table attachment so we went with our 18-month-old. They do have high-chairs (I believe, those are ikea ANTILOP) BUT the problem is that they don't have the table attachment (I asked) and the HC is too short to fit on their tall tables. They all have bar tables and stools. So both of us (to all parents you know the drill lol, time is running and we need to start eating that bowl of hot ramen and most importantly avoid any impending tantrum) just SLURP and GO. So in the end, we concluded that maybe the table attachment we saw was brought by a customer, and if only our toddler was seated properly, all of us would've enjoyed eating that bowl of ramen more and not been in a hurry.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 3
Service: 3
Recommended dishes: Hokkaido Ramen, Tonkotsu
I only go up to Courtenay once a year but I always go to Nikkei Ramen-ya when I am there.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Extra Noodles, Shoyu Ramen
Excellent ramen, multiple vegetarian options that did not disappoint! They don't offer a tip option because they pay a living wage, which makes this ramen at this price point a steal!
Exceptional food at a decent price!
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Best ramen on Vancouver Island maybe even BC.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Miso Ramen and Pork Belly, Tonkotsu Miso Ramen, Shoyu Ramen
I was visiting in the area and found this Japanese ramen house by surprise. I have to walk 15 mins in the rain to get there, but it was worth it. It’s very much an authentic ramen house and even it is self-served, the kitchen staff are friendly and helpful. There are different options to choose and substitute which is nice. Ramen is fresh and broth is tasty. Definitely will revisit next time when I am in the area. Highly recommended.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Waited over 45 minutes, ti then have my souo given to another patron. In all it took over an hour to get my soup and i believe it was what the other patron ordered, not what i had ordred. Tge employees did more chatting amongst themselves than cooking. $70 for the two of us and Not even given an apology or explanation for over an hour wait other than they gave my soup to soneone else. Horrible experience. Will never return and sugest others to think twice about dining here.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 2
Service: 1
It was 52$ for two bowls of ramen and the food wasn’t anything special. It wasn’t a lot of food either and my friend and I were still hungry afterwards. Loud and very crowded on the inside. This place used to be amazing but I feel for the cost its no longer worth it.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 3
Service: 2
Overpriced Undercooked and low quality. Better off with a bag of Mr.Noodles. The living wage top up is a scam. You deserve better. Spend $$$ elsewhere. .
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
Restaurantji Recommends
I love that they are a living-wage employer! Food is tasty, my family can always pick something they love despite our picky eaters and diet restrictions. Food is ready quickly but is of high quality and fresh.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Great meal and nice
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 4
Small and cozy place. You order by yourself on the machine, so it’s feel like a fast food place. They have a good selection of broth flavours, rich and tasty. However, I’m not a big fan of their meat, taste like a deli meat ?♀️
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 4
For the price it didn't seem like enough food. My partner and I were both still hungry when we left. We paid an extra $2 for more noodles on one of the orders and we were going to split it and they never gave it to us. The staff cooking are the only workers there so it's hard to talk to them. After trying to get their attention to ask about the extra noodles, no one saw me so we just finished the rest of the broth and left. It was good ramen. Very small and tight space inside with uncomfortable seats. If you have back problems you probably will have a hard time dining in with the backless metal stools they have. It felt very cramped loud and a little pricey for the amount you get. Besides that the ramen itself is quite tasty and nice they have 1 or 2 vegan options.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 4
Service: 2
Most authentic ramen on the island.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Pork Gyoza, Miso Ramen with Pulled Pork, Tonkotsu, Miso Yasai Ramen, Shoyu Ramen