awesome food and drinks!! servers were super friendly and helpful with picking what to order. will definitely be back
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Gyoza, Pork Belly Fried Rice
Kate J
Gaku ramen was a fabulous experience! Food was spectacular and the service was even better. Would definitely recommend the pork buns. Bartender Jack very attentive. Must visit!
Jack N
Holy Moly! To state the least. The food, phenomenal! The service, excellent! The drinks, Incredible! I can’t imagine a better experience than here. Authentic Japanese ramen and great drinks. Ladies and gentlemen, we have found our ramen heaven!
Colton Anderson (Colt)
Service was top-notch; friendly and attentive (good timing too, didn’t come to us when we had food in our mouth). The spicy tonkotsu ramen with shrimp was probably one of the best bowls I’ve ever had - swapped the bamboo for bean sprouts, and would recommend that swap. I don’t think I can really fault anything from our meal.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Tonkotsu
L S
Gaku serves the best ramen I’ve ever had (And I consider myself a ramen connoisseur)!!Definitely make sure to get the Tonkotsu, add an egg, and black garlic. Black garlic is truly the icing on the cake and should not be skipped!I was heartbroken when this place closed due to covid and I’m so glad it’s back now. I am probably Gaku’s biggest fan.
Recommended dishes: Tonkotsu, Tonkotsu Ramen with Egg and Black Garlic, Soft Boiled Egg, Black Garlic Tonkotsu Ramen
Tianna See
This place is beautiful, I love the atmosphere. My favorite details in decor are the paper cranes strung against one wall. The staff is friendly and courteous. My server convinced me to have mochi for dessert-- it was some of the best I've ever had. I also enjoyed the edamame with all the toppings they offer; an absolute must.My go-to when eating ramen is spicy miso, and the flavor of the broth (or maybe it was the added spice) unfortunately fell short of my expectations. I will be returning in the future to try a different kind of ramen, because this place deserves another trip.
Parking: There are many places to park around the Pearl Street Mall.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 2
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Mochi Ice Cream
Kaitlin Gabriel
Came here because I was craving ramen, but the best part of the meal was the fried rice. I don’t know what magic they sprinkled into it, but it was the perfect amount of smokey and the chicken couldn’t have been more tender. Whoever worked in the kitchen today is definitely a kitchen witch. I will be worshipping at your altar from now on. I’m coming back for the biggest bowl of fried rice I’ve ever had and I can’t wait.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Natsuko Harada
Being a Japanese, it was the worst ramen I've ever had in my life. I had the sakana shoyu ramen. The broth was insanely salty that I had to pour in a whole glass of water. There was close to no umami flavor, it definitely needs more bonito/ niboshi dashi if it's supposed to be a seafood based dashi broth. The noodles were not bouncy, all stuck at the bottom of the bowl so I had to untangle with chopsticks. Plus I don't understand why they put almost uncooked onion slices. The rice should at least be Japanese rice, especially if they are calling themselves an 'authentic Japanese ramen place'. It was so dry, crumbly, almost like orzo pasta. My Japanese kids didn't even touch the rice bowl (saying What Is This!??). With that quality, it's not worth the $$. The tonkotsu broth was slightly better but it really lacked in flavor as well. I do appreciate that there are more Asian restaurants opening in Boulder so I really want them to get better as well!
Kid-friendliness: They provide forks, small bowls, high chairs
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 1
Service: 4
Jojo Wan
I love my bowl of ramen noodles. It never goes wrong, especially during the cold weather. They also have a cold noodle on the menu.I have the Sakana Shrimp shoyu, and my friend has the chicken shoyu.
Vegetarian options: Yes.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Richard Jones
TLDR version: meh.The tonkotsu ramen broth was ok but lackluster; something's missing. The meat—and we tried both chicken and pork—were flavorless and just boring. I only ate because I was hungry and don't like wasting meat, not because I liked it.It is not worth $18.95/bowl. There are way better, less expensive options in town. Don't waste your time and money here.Service was ok, not bad, not amazing.Atmosphere is pleasant enough though my first thought upon entering was that it smelled funny. Not quite pleasant, not necessarily bad, but just odd.
The ramen was not very impressive. Pretty bland. The temperature of the ramen was not hot. More like luke warm. I only ate a few bites then had enough. The restaurant itself was fine. It was clean and had a lot of tables. The service was also fine. Just need to work on quality control of the food and this place would be worth going back to.
Vegetarian options: Vegetarian ramen
Cami Garcia
I had Tonkatsu Ramen, my husband had Pork Belly fried rice and son had chicken fried rice. We had edamame as an appetizer to start. The portions were perfect. I had leftovers, but the price is reasonable for portion size. There was also a discount with another store so we saved 10%. My brother in law tried Ramen for the first time here, and he is hooked now! Thanks Gaku Ramen!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Tonkotsu Ramen
Xinyi Wang
Worse ramen in my life! Pork belly is very fat and oily. No corn no bamboo shoots. Service is very extremely slow. Never will come back! Go any Asian grocery store buy a easy cooked noodle is better than this! Can’t be worse!
Narissara Udomvongsa
By far the best ramen in Boulder and as good as I had when living in Japan. Attractive atmosphere, great staff and tasty appetizers and specialty cocktails. We also loved their brand new restaurant in Fort Collins, which I also highly recommend.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Tonkotsu Ramen
Charles Stiles
We just paid $100 for the three of us on some appetizers, a big bottle of water to share and three bowls of ramen with not much to modify unless you want to be charged for ridiculous add ons for $3+. The karaage was too salty, the chashu bun felt soggy and the ramen tasted average compared to other better places with more options. This was not worth $100+ at all and you are better off at a Japanese all you can eat buffet.
awesome food and drinks!! servers were super friendly and helpful with picking what to order. will definitely be back
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Gyoza, Pork Belly Fried Rice
Gaku ramen was a fabulous experience! Food was spectacular and the service was even better. Would definitely recommend the pork buns. Bartender Jack very attentive. Must visit!
Holy Moly! To state the least. The food, phenomenal! The service, excellent! The drinks, Incredible! I can’t imagine a better experience than here. Authentic Japanese ramen and great drinks. Ladies and gentlemen, we have found our ramen heaven!
Service was top-notch; friendly and attentive (good timing too, didn’t come to us when we had food in our mouth). The spicy tonkotsu ramen with shrimp was probably one of the best bowls I’ve ever had - swapped the bamboo for bean sprouts, and would recommend that swap. I don’t think I can really fault anything from our meal.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Tonkotsu
Gaku serves the best ramen I’ve ever had (And I consider myself a ramen connoisseur)!!Definitely make sure to get the Tonkotsu, add an egg, and black garlic. Black garlic is truly the icing on the cake and should not be skipped!I was heartbroken when this place closed due to covid and I’m so glad it’s back now. I am probably Gaku’s biggest fan.
Recommended dishes: Tonkotsu, Tonkotsu Ramen with Egg and Black Garlic, Soft Boiled Egg, Black Garlic Tonkotsu Ramen
This place is beautiful, I love the atmosphere. My favorite details in decor are the paper cranes strung against one wall. The staff is friendly and courteous. My server convinced me to have mochi for dessert-- it was some of the best I've ever had. I also enjoyed the edamame with all the toppings they offer; an absolute must.My go-to when eating ramen is spicy miso, and the flavor of the broth (or maybe it was the added spice) unfortunately fell short of my expectations. I will be returning in the future to try a different kind of ramen, because this place deserves another trip.
Parking: There are many places to park around the Pearl Street Mall.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 2
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Mochi Ice Cream
Came here because I was craving ramen, but the best part of the meal was the fried rice. I don’t know what magic they sprinkled into it, but it was the perfect amount of smokey and the chicken couldn’t have been more tender. Whoever worked in the kitchen today is definitely a kitchen witch. I will be worshipping at your altar from now on. I’m coming back for the biggest bowl of fried rice I’ve ever had and I can’t wait.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Being a Japanese, it was the worst ramen I've ever had in my life. I had the sakana shoyu ramen. The broth was insanely salty that I had to pour in a whole glass of water. There was close to no umami flavor, it definitely needs more bonito/ niboshi dashi if it's supposed to be a seafood based dashi broth. The noodles were not bouncy, all stuck at the bottom of the bowl so I had to untangle with chopsticks. Plus I don't understand why they put almost uncooked onion slices. The rice should at least be Japanese rice, especially if they are calling themselves an 'authentic Japanese ramen place'. It was so dry, crumbly, almost like orzo pasta. My Japanese kids didn't even touch the rice bowl (saying What Is This!??). With that quality, it's not worth the $$. The tonkotsu broth was slightly better but it really lacked in flavor as well. I do appreciate that there are more Asian restaurants opening in Boulder so I really want them to get better as well!
Kid-friendliness: They provide forks, small bowls, high chairs
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 1
Service: 4
I love my bowl of ramen noodles. It never goes wrong, especially during the cold weather. They also have a cold noodle on the menu.I have the Sakana Shrimp shoyu, and my friend has the chicken shoyu.
Vegetarian options: Yes.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
TLDR version: meh.The tonkotsu ramen broth was ok but lackluster; something's missing. The meat—and we tried both chicken and pork—were flavorless and just boring. I only ate because I was hungry and don't like wasting meat, not because I liked it.It is not worth $18.95/bowl. There are way better, less expensive options in town. Don't waste your time and money here.Service was ok, not bad, not amazing.Atmosphere is pleasant enough though my first thought upon entering was that it smelled funny. Not quite pleasant, not necessarily bad, but just odd.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 2
Service: 3
Restaurantji Recommends
The ramen was not very impressive. Pretty bland. The temperature of the ramen was not hot. More like luke warm. I only ate a few bites then had enough. The restaurant itself was fine. It was clean and had a lot of tables. The service was also fine. Just need to work on quality control of the food and this place would be worth going back to.
Vegetarian options: Vegetarian ramen
I had Tonkatsu Ramen, my husband had Pork Belly fried rice and son had chicken fried rice. We had edamame as an appetizer to start. The portions were perfect. I had leftovers, but the price is reasonable for portion size. There was also a discount with another store so we saved 10%. My brother in law tried Ramen for the first time here, and he is hooked now! Thanks Gaku Ramen!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Tonkotsu Ramen
Worse ramen in my life! Pork belly is very fat and oily. No corn no bamboo shoots. Service is very extremely slow. Never will come back! Go any Asian grocery store buy a easy cooked noodle is better than this! Can’t be worse!
By far the best ramen in Boulder and as good as I had when living in Japan. Attractive atmosphere, great staff and tasty appetizers and specialty cocktails. We also loved their brand new restaurant in Fort Collins, which I also highly recommend.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Tonkotsu Ramen
We just paid $100 for the three of us on some appetizers, a big bottle of water to share and three bowls of ramen with not much to modify unless you want to be charged for ridiculous add ons for $3+. The karaage was too salty, the chashu bun felt soggy and the ramen tasted average compared to other better places with more options. This was not worth $100+ at all and you are better off at a Japanese all you can eat buffet.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 1
Service: 3
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