I just do not get used to this tonkotsu ramen. The taste is not appealing to me and actually very strange to me.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 1
Service: 4
Azhy Khatat
Food is excellent. This place is heaven. Downside is they are only open 4 hrs a day a few days a week
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
María Domínguez Villar
The best ramen of my life!
I had to sign up and wait for about an hour, but it was absolutely worth it. While waiting, we grabbed a beer at one of the bars nearby, which made the time fly by.
We ordered the chicken karaage and the spice tonkotsu to share, and honestly, it was the best ramen in the world — the broth was rich and flavorful, the noodles perfectly cooked, and everything was beautifully balanced.
On top of that, the staff was incredibly friendly and welcoming. I would come back a thousand times!
If you see people waiting in line, be sure to check in at the counter first.
Today I ordered the Spicy Tonkotsu Ramen, which uses their house-made chili paste. The chashu had a perfect balance of lean and fat—I really don’t like it when there’s too much fat. The broth, the heart of the bowl, had a rich, slightly sticky texture that made it absolutely perfect!
The ramen had great layers of flavor: the first sip gave me the pure tonkotsu taste, while the saltiness revealed itself more in the mid-to-lower notes.
Don’t miss the karaage either—the chicken was tender and juicy! Since it’s seasoned well, it tasted delicious even without dipping sauce. Definitely a place I’ll revisit. I hope they come out with a limited-edition ramen someday!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
CW Iul
The best ramen in the area IMO. Ordered tonkotsu ramen, shoyu ramen, and karaage. Everything tastes very good and is 100% authentic Japanese style.
Service might be slow as the place is very busy, but the staff are nice. Arrive 15 minutes before they open if you do not want to wait too long.
Will definitely recommend to others and will come back.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 4
Mike Hopkins
Absolutely delicious Ramen! Took a while for it to come out, but it was well worth the wait. We were lucky to get a table though. It's pretty hard to get a seat.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 4
Recommended dishes: Spicy Tantan Men, Karaage with Sauce
Jason Johnson
Simple menu and the absolute best in the DMV. Beer, ramen, karaage - rinse and repeat. Can't be beat.
Brandon Weldon
Really good karaage, and the spicy tonkotsu is fantastic as well. There was a 40 min wait, but the service was excellent.
I have been going to Menya since the pandemic and it has become my favorite spot for Japanese Ramen. I would recommend getting the Tonkotsu for first timers. The broth is very deep and full of flavor. All the toppings compliment the dish. The pork chasu is really tender and has a smoky taste. You can order extra noodles. Another favorite of mine is the chicken karaage. Served with a lemon mayo and a hint of spice. The meat is super tender and served hot. Crispy on the outside and moist inside. It has become increasingly harder to visit due to the increasing popularity of the business. There have been times where I came a little after open, but the waitlist was full and they were already sold out. They are open Tuesdays during lunch only. Otherwise other hours are Wed-Friday. Good to see them getting so much love from the DMV community and I wish the best for them going forwards.
This is probably the best ramen place I’ve been to in the U.S. The place is kind of small, but trust me the wait is worth it. They have truly incredible ramen that will make me miss them so much after I leave D.C. If you prefer lighter broth I recommend the truffle shoyu, if you prefer richer broth I recommend the triple threat. They are both so delicious. Every component of the ramen is perfect, and when they combine all you feel is happiness. The chicken karage is very good too, the portion is huge and it’s not that expensive. I’m so happy that I discovered this treasure place, and I will DEFINITELY visit again! Best food I’ve had in D.C.
Food is very good. There's not exactly service, since you're just ordering on your phone.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 3
J S
This is the best ramen in DC and would be a strong shop in Tokyo. However, I would implore the owners to respect customer’s time by allowing some type of online reservation system. Even the top shops in Tokyo have begun to do this so that customers do not need to stand in line, in the elements, for an absurd amount of time. You can still have a policy of canceling reservations if customers do not arrive immediately on time and accepting walk-ins. The current system is absurd and I have given up multiple times due to the wait.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 5
Service: 1
Anna S
To be honest, while it was good ramen, it was not anything super special. I don’t really understand the hype, as there is always a super long line, and they refuse to take reservations. Be prepared to have an hour wait, if not longer, even if you arrive 30 minutes before their 5 PM opening time. I got there at 4:30, waited in the rain, and then by the time the line got moving (5:15) and I got to the front (5:30) was told it was an hour wait. If it was easier to be seated, this place would probably be a 4/5 stars for me, but the actual flavors don’t really warrant the long lines and lack of ability to make reservations
Melody Alemansour
Delicious ramen, be prepared to wait for 20-45 mins since they don’t take reservations
I just do not get used to this tonkotsu ramen. The taste is not appealing to me and actually very strange to me.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 1
Service: 4
Food is excellent. This place is heaven. Downside is they are only open 4 hrs a day a few days a week
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
The best ramen of my life!
I had to sign up and wait for about an hour, but it was absolutely worth it. While waiting, we grabbed a beer at one of the bars nearby, which made the time fly by.
We ordered the chicken karaage and the spice tonkotsu to share, and honestly, it was the best ramen in the world — the broth was rich and flavorful, the noodles perfectly cooked, and everything was beautifully balanced.
On top of that, the staff was incredibly friendly and welcoming. I would come back a thousand times!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Spicy Tonkotsu Ramen, Chicken Karaage
If you see people waiting in line, be sure to check in at the counter first.
Today I ordered the Spicy Tonkotsu Ramen, which uses their house-made chili paste. The chashu had a perfect balance of lean and fat—I really don’t like it when there’s too much fat. The broth, the heart of the bowl, had a rich, slightly sticky texture that made it absolutely perfect!
The ramen had great layers of flavor: the first sip gave me the pure tonkotsu taste, while the saltiness revealed itself more in the mid-to-lower notes.
Don’t miss the karaage either—the chicken was tender and juicy! Since it’s seasoned well, it tasted delicious even without dipping sauce.
Definitely a place I’ll revisit. I hope they come out with a limited-edition ramen someday!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
The best ramen in the area IMO. Ordered tonkotsu ramen, shoyu ramen, and karaage. Everything tastes very good and is 100% authentic Japanese style.
Service might be slow as the place is very busy, but the staff are nice. Arrive 15 minutes before they open if you do not want to wait too long.
Will definitely recommend to others and will come back.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 4
Absolutely delicious Ramen! Took a while for it to come out, but it was well worth the wait. We were lucky to get a table though. It's pretty hard to get a seat.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 4
Recommended dishes: Spicy Tantan Men, Karaage with Sauce
Simple menu and the absolute best in the DMV. Beer, ramen, karaage - rinse and repeat. Can't be beat.
Really good karaage, and the spicy tonkotsu is fantastic as well. There was a 40 min wait, but the service was excellent.
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Chicken Karaage, Classic Tonkotsu Ramen
I have been going to Menya since the pandemic and it has become my favorite spot for Japanese Ramen.
I would recommend getting the Tonkotsu for first timers. The broth is very deep and full of flavor. All the toppings compliment the dish. The pork chasu is really tender and has a smoky taste. You can order extra noodles.
Another favorite of mine is the chicken karaage. Served with a lemon mayo and a hint of spice. The meat is super tender and served hot. Crispy on the outside and moist inside.
It has become increasingly harder to visit due to the increasing popularity of the business. There have been times where I came a little after open, but the waitlist was full and they were already sold out.
They are open Tuesdays during lunch only. Otherwise other hours are Wed-Friday.
Good to see them getting so much love from the DMV community and I wish the best for them going forwards.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
This ramen is like a warm hug.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Restaurantji Recommends
Food: 9.5 out of 10
Service: 4.5 out of 5
Atmosphere: 5 out of 5
Price/Value: 4.5 out of 5
Overall: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 4.7 out of 5
Recommendations: Truffle Shoyu, Triple Threat, Chicken Karage
This is probably the best ramen place I’ve been to in the U.S. The place is kind of small, but trust me the wait is worth it. They have truly incredible ramen that will make me miss them so much after I leave D.C. If you prefer lighter broth I recommend the truffle shoyu, if you prefer richer broth I recommend the triple threat. They are both so delicious. Every component of the ramen is perfect, and when they combine all you feel is happiness. The chicken karage is very good too, the portion is huge and it’s not that expensive. I’m so happy that I discovered this treasure place, and I will DEFINITELY visit again! Best food I’ve had in D.C.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Triple Threat Ramen, Chicken Karaage
Food is very good. There's not exactly service, since you're just ordering on your phone.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 3
This is the best ramen in DC and would be a strong shop in Tokyo. However, I would implore the owners to respect customer’s time by allowing some type of online reservation system. Even the top shops in Tokyo have begun to do this so that customers do not need to stand in line, in the elements, for an absurd amount of time. You can still have a policy of canceling reservations if customers do not arrive immediately on time and accepting walk-ins. The current system is absurd and I have given up multiple times due to the wait.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 5
Service: 1
To be honest, while it was good ramen, it was not anything super special. I don’t really understand the hype, as there is always a super long line, and they refuse to take reservations. Be prepared to have an hour wait, if not longer, even if you arrive 30 minutes before their 5 PM opening time. I got there at 4:30, waited in the rain, and then by the time the line got moving (5:15) and I got to the front (5:30) was told it was an hour wait. If it was easier to be seated, this place would probably be a 4/5 stars for me, but the actual flavors don’t really warrant the long lines and lack of ability to make reservations
Delicious ramen, be prepared to wait for 20-45 mins since they don’t take reservations
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Triple Threat Ramen
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