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.đ
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.
Zoe Tráș§n
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 werenât seasoned right and were also overcooked.
The Noodles: Just Pasta
The âmade in house noodlesâ 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 locationâwe 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! Canât 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.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Masha Mitkov
Best Ramen Iâve 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 thatâs ok because they had a pool table, we kept ourselves busy.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Philip Bale
Spicy coconut ramen was đ„
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 đ
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. Itâs 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.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Jenne Pierce
We have been Setsunai fans for years, and are excited for this new location. There may be a long wait to get seated and for food as they get their sea legs during these busy summer months, but the food and staff are worth the wait!
Beautiful new waterfront location with a nice view out onto the marina. Love that you donât need a reservation any more. Will miss the small intimacy of the old location but happy to see a new bigger home for Setsunai on-island.
Mari Fiess
Amazing spot with delicious food. Recommend getting the chili crisp udon and the pork and cabbage dumplings!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Weston Breda
We had a fantastic dinner at Setsunai! The sampler menu was delicious and very filling. We really enjoyed the variety of pickled vegetables, the dumplings, and the udon. Both the server and the chef were friendly and knowledgeable.
Definitely make sure you stop here the next time you're on Lopez - you won't regret it!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Aimee Lopez
We were late for our reservation due to ferry troubles and they kept our table for us. Very awesome. Noodles were AMAZING. Chile Oil was AMAZING.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Jovie
i got the sockeye ramen and the mushrooms were the best ive ever had!
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.đ 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.
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 werenât seasoned right and were also overcooked.
The Noodles: Just Pasta
The âmade in house noodlesâ 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 locationâwe 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! Canât 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
Best Ramen Iâve 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 thatâs ok because they had a pool table, we kept ourselves busy.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Spicy coconut ramen was đ„
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 đ
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. Itâs 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
We have been Setsunai fans for years, and are excited for this new location. There may be a long wait to get seated and for food as they get their sea legs during these busy summer months, but the food and staff are worth the wait!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Restaurantji Recommends
Beautiful new waterfront location with a nice view out onto the marina. Love that you donât need a reservation any more. Will miss the small intimacy of the old location but happy to see a new bigger home for Setsunai on-island.
Amazing spot with delicious food. Recommend getting the chili crisp udon and the pork and cabbage dumplings!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
We had a fantastic dinner at Setsunai! The sampler menu was delicious and very filling. We really enjoyed the variety of pickled vegetables, the dumplings, and the udon. Both the server and the chef were friendly and knowledgeable.
Definitely make sure you stop here the next time you're on Lopez - you won't regret it!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
We were late for our reservation due to ferry troubles and they kept our table for us. Very awesome.
Noodles were AMAZING.
Chile Oil was AMAZING.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
i got the sockeye ramen and the mushrooms were the best ive ever had!
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