We felt compelled to leave a good review for the Setsunai team. We first came here in Dec 2020. It was wonderful experience that we still have sweet memories about the food dedication, clean food, atmosphere and service there. We only came back after 5 full years and wanted to stop by and only realized they have recently relocated to a new address. Quick check on recent Google reviews and got a bit skeptical. We went in anyway to try. The food was at the same exceptional quality we remembered and the team did not disappoint! I personally have been to many famous ramen places, in Seattle, SF, NYC, Tokyo, Osaka, HK, SG etc this is absolutely one of my favorites. You can tell the team make the noodles, broth, pickled vegetables and everything in house. They use the cleanest ingredients (no addictive or garbage). We tried the Shoyu Pork and Black sesame salmon. I would agree it’s not a conventional ramen place you envision. But I recalled I watched a food series where a popular ramen store in Japan added tomatoes into their ramen and got critics. At the end of the day, good food and passion stand above everything. Though I must say I missed the little wooden hut it once located. Now it’s a mix of old Style American diner and ramen. I understand the team wanted to revive a historic landmark on the island and I respected it. It’s worth every penny and the long trip here again in 5 years! Thanks!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Tyrone Manning
The place looks pretty cool,filled with arcade and games,the noodles were all hype and looks great in pictures,received my noodles were cold , broth was flavorless and Luke warm ,egg was filling apart with a touch I couldn’t pick it up ,the waitress didn’t ask if everything was okay.couldnt even finish and wasted 30 dollars.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 1
Service: 2
J J
My girlfriend (who lived in Japan for many years) and I recently stopped at Setsunai on our way back from Friday Harbor, excited to try the much-hyped ramen. Disappointment ensued. Upon being served, we both remarked that the noodles looked more like soba than ramen. The color, flavor, and texture were way off. The noodles were mushy, without any of the spring expected from ramen. Setsunai seems to pride itself on the fact that their noodles are made in house, but unfortunately the end result leaves something to be desired. It's nice to see a ramen shop in the US serving shio broth, but the delicate flavor was overpowered by the large amount of chives in the soup. In Japan, good ramen is cheap and plentiful. Five dollars will get you a bowl of noodles customized to your liking. At Setsunai you will pay $23 and leave disappointed. I do not recommend traveling to Lopez Island just for the noodles. But if you find yourself out there, the bar does serve good cocktails and the view of the sunset is quite nice.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 1
Service: 3
Liz Aggarwal
Worth the trip!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
angel quezada
Came here to Looez Ilsand for a weekend vacation. Not gonna lie, Its the best burger I ever had. Halibut was crazy good. This would be my place if I was a local. 10/10🔥🔥🔥
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
rascal_x
Veggie dumplings were great. Order without aioli sauce.
Spicy Shio Coconut Ramen: sub the egg out. We subbed for tofu on this dish, though realized it was fried when it arrived. They have meat shared fryers we learned about when asking about the fries.😒
Leek udon noodles: sub the egg out. I opted for more mushrooms. Loved this dish and would order again.
Overall the food was great and while all options needed to be modified to be vegan, we were grateful how understanding and accommodating the staff was. The food was great.
Carrie
Really cool spot. I liked the blend of the old island restaurant with ramen shop. Met the chef and he was great and helpful. Everything was delicious! They are closed from 2:30 to 4:30!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Zoe Trần
The ramen was so bad that it extinguished the argument my partner and I were having at the table because we became too stunned to speak the second we tasted it. It's that bad.
The Broth: Tasteless and Lacking
The broth was almost tasteless. It didn't have much of any kind of flavor note in it, and it wasn't even salty enough. Most ramen is too salty for me, actually, so for the saltiness level in this broth to not hit my tolerance level is actually quite impressive, lol. It also just doesn't taste like ramen broth at all. An instant noodle soup package has more flavors than this broth.
Toppings: Wrong and Lacking
The toppings were absolutely lacking and done entirely wrong. The pork belly was so burnt that the bitterness lingered and overwhelmed my senses every time I bit into it. It also didn't have any other taste except for a faint hint of salt and wasn't cooked the right way, so I can't accept it as chashu. My partner's karaage was also not really that. The coating wasn't crispy enough and wasn't the right batter. There were only four toppings in each bowl: my bowl had burnt pork belly, shiitake mushrooms, green onion, and an egg, and my partner's bowl had fried chicken breast, corn, green onions, and an egg. There was no seaweed in either of our bowls. And the eggs weren’t seasoned right and were also overcooked.
The Noodles: Just Pasta
The “made in house noodles” are absolutely not ramen noodles. They are pasta. I have eaten enough noodles in my life to know instantly. The texture is not right, and there's no bite to them, either.
Summary: A Disappointing Effort
All in all, they were such sad bowls of noodles we didn't know what to do with them or with ourselves because we had wasted half a day trying to get there from San Juan Island, paid $35 for the ferry and $59 (before tip) for the food, just for it to be utterly disappointing and confusing. What was served was not ramen at all by any measure. Heck, it wasn't even fusion food; it's just in its own category of terribly done noodle soups, lol.
I know the restaurant would continue to do well considering how it's a rare noodle house on the San Juan Islands and would continue to receive raving reviews from others that are not familiar with how a good bowl of ramen tastes. So, I'm not writing this review to try and damage their reputation. I'm writing this to warn all others like us who know what a good bowl of ramen or noodle soup should taste like and are all excited to spend the time, money, and effort to come all the way out here and try it out, just to be hit with the saddest, most tasteless, and poorly cooked bowl of ramen in their life. We did it so that you don't have to.
I usually don't write bad reviews because I don't want to affect people's businesses even when I've had a terrible time at their establishments, but since I know for sure that Setsunai would continue to do well in spite of this review and considering the ginormous amount of effort we put into reaching this place, I decided to leave this review to help all the travelers that could read this so that they can make a more informed decision than us, anyway, lol.
We are riding the last ferry back to Friday Harbor while I'm writing this, and our tongues are still tingling and feeling numb from the burnt taste of the meat.
Rebecca J
Excellent cocktails, beer and food! Such a lovely location—we sat at the bar and could see the boats in the marina and the sunset. We got the pork dumplings, kimchi pork belly udon and the smash burger noodles. Everything was delicious! Can’t wait to go back.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Sue Sampson
Drove an hour, ferried over to Lopez, just to visit this restaurant. The best ramen in the PNW.
Best Ramen I’ve had in a while! I got the coconut ramen and asked them to put the crab in it and it was very tasty! Great dish. Next day we ate leftovers and combined the Shio ramen with the coconut and the broth was excellent. If you are adventurous, try the interesting combinations. When we got there on a Friday night, there was a little bit of a wait but that’s ok because they had a pool table, we kept ourselves busy.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Philip Bale
Spicy coconut ramen was 🔥
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
nmckale
Food is amazing; happy they moved to a bigger location, service just need to be a little more on it. But other then that, it was great 👍
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 3
Emily Parker
I love this place! The food is beyond delicious and the new space at the Galley is so nice. Lovely people too. It’s not always fast but worth the wait.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Stephanie Gail (Ranger Hazelnut)
The food is excellent. Love the new space at the old Galley and the mix of old and new menu's. The dumplings are amazing, the noodles too.
We felt compelled to leave a good review for the Setsunai team.
We first came here in Dec 2020. It was wonderful experience that we still have sweet memories about the food dedication, clean food, atmosphere and service there.
We only came back after 5 full years and wanted to stop by and only realized they have recently relocated to a new address.
Quick check on recent Google reviews and got a bit skeptical. We went in anyway to try. The food was at the same exceptional quality we remembered and the team did not disappoint!
I personally have been to many famous ramen places, in Seattle, SF, NYC, Tokyo, Osaka, HK, SG etc this is absolutely one of my favorites. You can tell the team make the noodles, broth, pickled vegetables and everything in house. They use the cleanest ingredients (no addictive or garbage). We tried the Shoyu Pork and Black sesame salmon. I would agree it’s not a conventional ramen place you envision. But I recalled I watched a food series where a popular ramen store in Japan added tomatoes into their ramen and got critics. At the end of the day, good food and passion stand above everything.
Though I must say I missed the little wooden hut it once located. Now it’s a mix of old Style American diner and ramen. I understand the team wanted to revive a historic landmark on the island and I respected it.
It’s worth every penny and the long trip here again in 5 years!
Thanks!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
The place looks pretty cool,filled with arcade and games,the noodles were all hype and looks great in pictures,received my noodles were cold , broth was flavorless and Luke warm ,egg was filling apart with a touch I couldn’t pick it up ,the waitress didn’t ask if everything was okay.couldnt even finish and wasted 30 dollars.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 1
Service: 2
My girlfriend (who lived in Japan for many years) and I recently stopped at Setsunai on our way back from Friday Harbor, excited to try the much-hyped ramen. Disappointment ensued. Upon being served, we both remarked that the noodles looked more like soba than ramen. The color, flavor, and texture were way off. The noodles were mushy, without any of the spring expected from ramen. Setsunai seems to pride itself on the fact that their noodles are made in house, but unfortunately the end result leaves something to be desired. It's nice to see a ramen shop in the US serving shio broth, but the delicate flavor was overpowered by the large amount of chives in the soup.
In Japan, good ramen is cheap and plentiful. Five dollars will get you a bowl of noodles customized to your liking. At Setsunai you will pay $23 and leave disappointed. I do not recommend traveling to Lopez Island just for the noodles. But if you find yourself out there, the bar does serve good cocktails and the view of the sunset is quite nice.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 1
Service: 3
Worth the trip!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Came here to Looez Ilsand for a weekend vacation. Not gonna lie, Its the best burger I ever had. Halibut was crazy good. This would be my place if I was a local. 10/10🔥🔥🔥
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Veggie dumplings were great. Order without aioli sauce. Spicy Shio Coconut Ramen: sub the egg out. We subbed for tofu on this dish, though realized it was fried when it arrived. They have meat shared fryers we learned about when asking about the fries.😒 Leek udon noodles: sub the egg out. I opted for more mushrooms. Loved this dish and would order again. Overall the food was great and while all options needed to be modified to be vegan, we were grateful how understanding and accommodating the staff was. The food was great.
Really cool spot. I liked the blend of the old island restaurant with ramen shop. Met the chef and he was great and helpful. Everything was delicious! They are closed from 2:30 to 4:30!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
The ramen was so bad that it extinguished the argument my partner and I were having at the table because we became too stunned to speak the second we tasted it. It's that bad.
The Broth: Tasteless and Lacking
The broth was almost tasteless. It didn't have much of any kind of flavor note in it, and it wasn't even salty enough. Most ramen is too salty for me, actually, so for the saltiness level in this broth to not hit my tolerance level is actually quite impressive, lol. It also just doesn't taste like ramen broth at all. An instant noodle soup package has more flavors than this broth.
Toppings: Wrong and Lacking
The toppings were absolutely lacking and done entirely wrong. The pork belly was so burnt that the bitterness lingered and overwhelmed my senses every time I bit into it. It also didn't have any other taste except for a faint hint of salt and wasn't cooked the right way, so I can't accept it as chashu. My partner's karaage was also not really that. The coating wasn't crispy enough and wasn't the right batter. There were only four toppings in each bowl: my bowl had burnt pork belly, shiitake mushrooms, green onion, and an egg, and my partner's bowl had fried chicken breast, corn, green onions, and an egg. There was no seaweed in either of our bowls. And the eggs weren’t seasoned right and were also overcooked.
The Noodles: Just Pasta
The “made in house noodles” are absolutely not ramen noodles. They are pasta. I have eaten enough noodles in my life to know instantly. The texture is not right, and there's no bite to them, either.
Summary: A Disappointing Effort
All in all, they were such sad bowls of noodles we didn't know what to do with them or with ourselves because we had wasted half a day trying to get there from San Juan Island, paid $35 for the ferry and $59 (before tip) for the food, just for it to be utterly disappointing and confusing. What was served was not ramen at all by any measure. Heck, it wasn't even fusion food; it's just in its own category of terribly done noodle soups, lol.
I know the restaurant would continue to do well considering how it's a rare noodle house on the San Juan Islands and would continue to receive raving reviews from others that are not familiar with how a good bowl of ramen tastes. So, I'm not writing this review to try and damage their reputation. I'm writing this to warn all others like us who know what a good bowl of ramen or noodle soup should taste like and are all excited to spend the time, money, and effort to come all the way out here and try it out, just to be hit with the saddest, most tasteless, and poorly cooked bowl of ramen in their life. We did it so that you don't have to.
I usually don't write bad reviews because I don't want to affect people's businesses even when I've had a terrible time at their establishments, but since I know for sure that Setsunai would continue to do well in spite of this review and considering the ginormous amount of effort we put into reaching this place, I decided to leave this review to help all the travelers that could read this so that they can make a more informed decision than us, anyway, lol.
We are riding the last ferry back to Friday Harbor while I'm writing this, and our tongues are still tingling and feeling numb from the burnt taste of the meat.
Excellent cocktails, beer and food! Such a lovely location—we sat at the bar and could see the boats in the marina and the sunset. We got the pork dumplings, kimchi pork belly udon and the smash burger noodles. Everything was delicious! Can’t wait to go back.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Drove an hour, ferried over to Lopez, just to visit this restaurant. The best ramen in the PNW.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Restaurantji Recommends
Best Ramen I’ve had in a while! I got the coconut ramen and asked them to put the crab in it and it was very tasty! Great dish. Next day we ate leftovers and combined the Shio ramen with the coconut and the broth was excellent. If you are adventurous, try the interesting combinations. When we got there on a Friday night, there was a little bit of a wait but that’s ok because they had a pool table, we kept ourselves busy.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Spicy coconut ramen was 🔥
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Food is amazing; happy they moved to a bigger location, service just need to be a little more on it. But other then that, it was great 👍
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 3
I love this place! The food is beyond delicious and the new space at the Galley is so nice. Lovely people too. It’s not always fast but worth the wait.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
The food is excellent. Love the new space at the old Galley and the mix of old and new menu's. The dumplings are amazing, the noodles too.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
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