Alkaline

Wow! So good! We are here first time. The staff is wonderful, very friendly. The food is great! Wonderful ramen menu. Great beer and sake menu. Nice indoor space. Would definitely recommend it.

Yesterday, I visited this Ramen spot and was immediately greeted with a welcoming atmosphere. I truly enjoyed every part of my experience. The food was delicious—definitely some of the best Ramen I've had! The customer service was excellent, making the whole visit even more enjoyable. I left feeling satisfied and happy with my meal. I’ll definitely be returning soon! 🍜

I've been to Alkaline twice now --- the first time was for a meet and greet I scheduled for a group that I run. I met some great people for a brainstorming session and forgot to leave a good word...but Alkaline is a great restaurant with a really cool atmosphere that is especially appealing if you are into anime and/or manga. There is artwork that reminds me of some of the more traditional Japanese restaurants that I've been to, but also things from Fullmetal Alchemist, among other things. To add, the staff is friendly and gave some good info when we asked a couple of questions about the food we were curious about. The ramen was very tasty, and the bowls are rather large (or so I feel). I got the Tonkotsu Ramen and my partner got the Smokehouse Ramen. We tried each other's dishes and liked everything, but what I REALLY wanna talk about is the "Miso Butter Cake"...I have not encountered such a cake at the restaurants I've been to before. If someone was serving it, I was not aware...but the Miso Butter Cake at Alkaline is seriously one of THE best cakes I have EVER had. I STRONGLY recommend it, especially with the scoop of ice cream. The cake is warm and melts in the mouth, but it's also buttery and creamy, and the pecans and the flaky crust of the cake (near the back of the cake) --- all of those things go so well together, in my opinion. It was deceptively filling as well, but it could be because me and my partner already had shared an appetizer and had our own large bowls of ramen, prior to tackling the cake. So, sharing the cake was perfect for us. If you try nothing else, definitely try the Miso Butter Cake!

10's across the board!! Food is always great. Service exceptional. Atmosphere divine.

Triple garlic tonkotsu ramen? Absolutely! I saw that on the menu at Alkaline, and had to give it a try. I had garlic breath for the rest of the night, and I regret nothing. I added extra noodles for $3 and I left feeling very full. The broth was absolutely the best part of the dish. It's hearty and clings to the noodles for more flavor in each bite. There are also other ramen choices, including shoyu and kimchi and spicy varieties. I'm gonna have to try the spicy one next. If you've got a kid who likes noodles, the kid's ramen is a cool choice for just $7. My son wanted the noodles and broth separate, and ignored the noodles for half the meal and only wanted broth. After he tried a noodle, he started double-fisting them. Kids are the toughest critics, and Alkaline won my two-year-old son over. I've never been to Japan, but I love the vibe at Alkaline. There are always One Piece or some other anime running on loop on the TV, and even the bathroom has a Gundam Wing poster. It's little touches like this--and the food-- that keep me coming back. The service is always nice too--each employee has a lot of personality. "Main character energy." I feel like each employee has a tragic backstory. Love it.

Walked in for an early lunch. Was immediately greeted and seated. I ordered the Beef Ramen and it was awesome! Probably the best ramen I've had. Will be coming back!

The place has a nice atmosphere and wonderful service! Price wise spent about $40. The food on the other hand is different if you want a traditional ramen this is not the place for you, it’s more fusion food. The wings were crispy and definitely tangy but had an off taste to them. As for the ramen the beef had more of a Smokey flavor which I felt didn’t suite the broth, wasn’t spicy in the slightest had to ask the waiter if they gave me the wrong thing. Overall the food is pretty but not good!

We liked their ramen. Both Tonkatsu and Kimchi ramen were good. But not great. We never had shredded pork with ramen before and would prefer to have pork belly instead. The pork belly is an add-on a la cart item. Who would dream of this idea? The downside and perhaps the breakpoint was the lack of slow cooked eggs to go with the ramen. They cited that the egg shortage forced them to forgo eggs in the ramen with no attempt to compensate, just a plain "sorry". Without eggs, they still charged the same price for each bowl. May be this joint has become too famous for its own good....

We have been to ramen and Asian fusion places all over the US and in other countries. Living in the DMV we are surrounded by them. I do not understand the hype at Alkaline. The waitress was great! She was one of the best parts of the experience. The Brussels Sprouts appetizer was the other. They were full of flavor. Definitely order these. The wantons- meh The ramen ... ummmm where was the flavor?? The broth is supposed to be the best part. We have never had to add fish sauce, soy sauce, hot sauce, salt or anything else to a delicious bowl of ramen or pho. This was the first time we have ever asked for soy sauce in an effort to add some taste to the soup. Even the pork on the garlic ramen had 0 flavor. It tasted like pork battered in non seasoned panko crumbs. We were dipping it in soy sauce and using the left over sauce from the Brussels Sprouts in an effort to give it some taste. What's with the egg? My son hates the eggs so I told him I would eat his. It was barely cooked. When he tried to pick it up it opened and gushed everywhere. That was a first. All of the eggs were like that. We had 4 bowls of ramen. I'm not even sure if we ate 1/2 of the bowls. The only reason we forced ourselves to eat it was because we had a 3 hour drive home. Our bill was just under $100 and not worth it at all. This was a huge disappointment. Maybe we went on an off day. Out of all the places we ate at, on our short trip, this was the only place all of us said we'd never go back to. 2 stars for the Brussels and the waitress. After reading reviews it seems I am not alone in my assessment. One reviewer said this is a Filipino owned establishment. How do they not know what Patis is?? When I asked the other waitress she said she didn't know what that was. Patis is a staple in Filipino cuisine.

Went in the other night on a double date night for the first time. They had been quite busy and were clearly a little short staffed but that did not interfere with our experience at all. We did have a little on the longer side wait to be seated, but you could see that everyone was busting their ass to do their jobs. The bar was pretty full, otherwise we would have waited there. Once we were seated we ordered drinks and apps, and despite the amount of people they came out in a pretty timely manner. We ordered the wontons, green bean salad, Brussels sprouts, and pork belly. Everything was amazing and I could have ordered 4 more orders of wontons. For our meals we had fried rice and ramen. Everything I tasted was exceptional. We thought that since we had been told they were slammed that it may have affected the meal, but it was all delicious, and fresh. Our waitress was on her first day back from an injury (we pried), and did amazing! Right back into the groove and made sure we didn't go without anything we needed. She was fun, joked around with us, and made the entire night better. We hope we gave her a little fun in return. Overall, we'll be heading back there again soon to try more of the menu!

I got the duck ramen that was on a separate menu. It was really good. At one point I must have eaten ALL the spice that was in the dish. Probably should have mixed it up a little. At lunch in a Saturday it wasn't very busy. We were sat right away. The food came out quick and hot. The Asian wings were pretty good also.

I've been coming here for years now but this is the first time I've left a review. We came in about a hour before they closed and were quickly seated. The inside is such a vibe - neon lights, cool artwork, anime playing in the front, it's just a really cool place. For the food, we ordered the fried Brussels sprouts, 3X Garlic tonkotsu, and the big smokehouse ramen. Brussels sprouts were really good - perfectly crispy and flavourful. The 3x garlic tonkotsu is probably my favourite ramen of all time. You get a cripsy pork cutlet on top with a creamy broth with tons of flavour. The noodles were cooked perfectly. We missed out on the miso butter cake but if you're there, def get it!!!

Always such a great spot for Ramen and Asian fusion dishes! Service is quick and they always check up on you. The restaurant has cute lights and ambient lighting which made for a great dining experience.

So been here several times and I have to say the service is always on point. Servers are nice and very attentive. The ramen is good. Not my all time favorite but definitely worth a try. The place can be a little noisy when it's full but you can generally still hold a conversation. I have no doubt that we will be back.

The red curry ramen was very flavorful and wasn't salty. The warning on the menu with 3 peppers was right though because it was it was pretty spicy. If you are a spice fiend, I highly recommend this to you. The brussel sprouts were really good, but I don't know why it was only given on half of the plate. It was quite a bummer with that. They share a parking lot with other restaurants and stores.

My cousin and I decided to dine in at Alkaline on Saturday night since we heard nothing but great things about their food. We arrived around 7pm and were seated right away. The restaurant was a bit smaller than expected but the dim lighting and the great music definitely created a vibe that we really enjoyed. Unfortunately, it took quite a while for our server to greet us, but it gave us time to thoroughly look over the menu. Once our server finally arrived, we ordered everything at once and decided on the Fried Brussels Sprouts, Asian Sticky Wings and the Lumpia for apps. I then ordered the Tonkotsu Ramen while my cousin chose the Spicy Red Curry Ramen. The appetizers were served pretty quickly and we had to try the Asian Sticky Wings first, since they're all the rave. I liked them but I've had better. They could've added a bit more flavor to the sauce but the crunchy texture was perfect. The Fried Brussels Sprouts were pretty good and were cooked very well! The Lumpia was amazing though!!! They tasted very homemade and were packed with flavor. The Tonkotsu Ramen was good but it would've been better if I spiced it up a bit. My cousin enjoyed her Spicy Red Curry Ramen. She mentioned it being pretty spicy but wasn't unbearable. Before we left, we tried the Miso Butter Cake which included chocolate chips, miso caramel and candied pecans. The miso caramel gave the cake a sweet & salty taste which balanced everything out so well! It was delicious! Overall, I would definitely return again. The cocktails were amazing and the food was pretty decent, I just hope the service is a bit better next time.

The place has a great vibe, intimate and dim lighting with some cool decorations! Service was extremely friendly and food was good. You can even get a refill on noodles if you have extra broth left over at the end which was awesome!

Alkaline has been on my bucket list for YEARS, and I'm thrilled to finally check it off. First, the yuzu lager on draft was delicious. For our meals, husband ordered the beef noodle soup and I went with triple garlic katsu ramen. Both were full of flavor and richness. We swapped bowls a few times because they were equally delicious. We ordered the miso butter cake for dessert, which was excellent. The caramel sauce and candied pecans really set it off. Our server was very friendly, and the playlist was enjoyable. We'll be back!

Had the beef ramen with pork belly, and it was so good. Sat at the bar and service was great and bartender was very nice and friendly

Nothing like my on a rainy day. We came in for a late lunch so it wasn't crowded. We were seated quickly & our server was attentive. We got the lumpia to start and they were yummy. I got the beef noodle soup Md ales for extra chili oil to make it spicier. The beef noodle soup was tasty, full of flavor. My fiancé got the curry ramen. His was really spicy! I'll definitely get that next time. A great spot for ramen!!

Delicious food and great environment. Unfortunately it is a bit pricey but they give you a huge bowl of ramen. We got the okonomiyaki tater tots, lumpia, and bowls of ramen. The tots were good but nothing too special, but i also have a high bar to pass for okonomiyaki. The lumpia was delicious but they just gave us two cut in half. I got the Kimchi Ramen which was loaded with meat and ingredients! Very delicious. Service was great as well, quick and they kept checking on us for water

Great service, great atmosphere, great food. Worth a visit! I really enjoyed everything that I ordered.

It's been a while since I've had alkaline and I was happy with my lunch experience. Came with a friend for lunch. I had the triple garlic katsu and it did not disappoint. We also had the lumpia as part of a special meal. The service was excellent honestly

Absolutely love this place! Best ramen you can get in my opinion, I always get the beef ramen and my husband gets the tonkatsu ramen. Our servers name was Brittany and she was incredibly attentive, sweet, and friendly. The drinks are always really good here but are more on the pricier side however completely worth it, recommend the everything goes. Our favorite appetizer to get is always the green beans as well as the fried rice. The ambience is calm and pleasant.

Definitely enjoy coming here one because it is walking distance from me but also because it has an amazing environment/ambiance. If you are in the mood for a good vibe with darker style bar/seating with anime playing this is the place! It is a great date night location but also just good for sitting there and takeout. I love that they have a happy hour and give 15% off during that time for the ramens. I enjoy their shoyu ramen and love the portion size. I will say that my friend who got the beef ramen did not enjoy it as much since it was too salty. Service here is also really nice and the amount of time you have to wait for ramen is not that long either. This is great ramen for a rainy or cold day if you want something warm in the Norfolk area. Definitely will be coming back in the future with friends whenever I am craving ramen close to me!

I'll start off by saying that the service and atmosphere is great. The music and the vibe is really nice. I wish I could say the same about the food. The sticky wings was an appetizer there was no flavor. I can understand what they were trying to accomplish but they need push it further. There was no seasoning. The sauce was very bland and not sticky. The Beef noodle soup also had zero flavor. The broth tasted like it was store bought. This is the second time I have been to this establishment. I didn't like it the first time so I thought I would give it another try. I'm sorry that I did.

It was a rainy Friday night, and we couldn't imagine eating anything else but a delicious bowl of ramen. FOOD: They ran out of the tonkatsu ramen, so we ordered the shoyu ramen and asked to substitute the shredded beef for the braised pork belly. I've never in my life seen shredded beef in ramen, so I'm glad we could sub it for something better ($2 charge). They were also out of some cocktails, but I tried the "Everything Goes," which was pretty good. SERVICE: Pretty good service, although they should have told us what they were out of when we sat down :/ We didn't have to wait any time to be seated on a Friday night, which was pretty great. LOCATION: Spacious and clean spot! Many 4-top tables, so they are not too friendly for big groups. Will we return? Yeah, absolutely! It's a good ramen spot near our home :)

Alkaline has been a favorite of mine since their pop up days at Pendulum Meats I love the ambiance of their place from the color scheme to the neon signs. Toward the back near the bathrooms is a neon sign that says "mo money mo problems" in Tagalog and it's one of my favorites. So! Food-wise! My classics are the tater tots, tonkotsu (add pork belly, it's a must), and the miso butter cake. Their specials are awesome. Most notable menu items that I remember off the top of my head are the farmhouse ramen, the palabok shrimp toast, and the triple garlic ramen. I wish I could go back in time to experience trying it for the first time lol. The miso butter cake gives me the same feeling too. The music is always on point, staff is kind and courteous. It's a whole vibe really. I have to prepare my wallet anytime I'm there because I can't go without ordering a good drink, a few appetizers (sticky wings if I'm feeling like a baller), ramen of course, and dessert. Truly a Norfolk gem

I'm sorry, but this ramen joint ain't it. Alkaline is a Filipino-owned ramen place that seems to have a loyal following. We were curious about their menu, so we decided to give them a try for dinner. We ordered: +the Tonkotsu - a pork broth with shredded pork and scallions; the broth was okay, and not as thick and creamy as we thought it would be; the shredded pork, while marinated, was EXTREMELY salty, as if someone unloaded a pound of it in it, either accidentally or on purpose +the Kimchi Ramen - a kimchi broth that usually comes with shredded pork and scallions; the broth had a weird off-putting sour/vinegary aftertaste, and, no, not from the kimchi - not sure if it's the 'seasoning' or the 'spices' that were used? The kimchi, while fermented, could have been fermented longer, especially if you were using it to make a broth for it (think of jjigaes); I had requested to substitute the shredded pork for the pork belly, but there was never any mention of an upcharge, as it doesn't state that when you're ordering online - what's that all about? The noodles, while cooked al dente, had a mildew/old dishrag taste, meaning someone wasn't cleaning their tools properly, or they were wiping them with an old rag that hadn't been washed in a while. Super gross. In addition, the kimchi ramen was missing the egg - I thought it would be a nitimago egg, but it was a cold, slimy, watery poached egg that was not at all seasoned. Super weird. I'm not sure if it was even worth mentioning that the egg was missing, because it did not do anything to the ramen. Just be sure to check your items for any missing ingredients. Our server was Alisha R. - she was nice, but it took a while for her to come to our table, place our orders, and we just didn't see her throughout our dining experience (like, at all) until we had to flag her down to get the check. She never mentioned anything about the specials (such as the garlic katsu ramen), and we only found out about it on our own from an obscure little paper that was pushed off to the side on our table that looked like a drink menu. Nor, did she mention the upcharge on protein substitutions (this was also not mentioned anywhere on the menu/online ordering). There's basic service, but this was just way below it. We had trouble getting anyone's attention for missing items (the egg), refills, and the check. I don't think we've ever strained our necks so hard to catch someone at an eatery. The place seemed busy - I wished we had the same delicious experience that others have had. We regretted coming here. No dice, Alkaline. +old dishrag-tasting noodles +off-putting tasting broths +missing ingredients - check your orders +non-existent service +plenty of parking in the shared plaza lot

I couldn't believe the place wasn't packed after seeing how good it was. I will be back! Brussels sprouts were amazing.

Nice clean location and great host at the front and bar I ordered the spicy beef and added bok choy. The food meal had the perfect amount of spice and a nice serving for the price. I ordered my meal to go. The order took about 10-15 minutes to receive.

Went around 6pm on a Saturday evening. It was almost a full house with some customers waiting by the door. We ordered the wings appetizer which came out fairly quickly but it took a very long time for the ramen to come out. Also noticed that a lot of other customers were waiting a long time for their food. The wings and ramen tasted good. The music was loud and upbeat by the bar. The workers were all friendly however they could have stopped by more often for water refills.

I usually dine in and the service is great! There's usually one girl there in particular who always waits on us and she is the same one who took my order for my to go order. The dining room is always clean and I like that the wait staff seems to be comfortable working there. The Tonkatsu ramen is the one I go with 99 percent of the time but the triple garlic is also a really good broth. Tonight I went with the Tonkatsu and an order of house pickles on the side. The house pickles are amazing!!! I came from San Diego and this is the closest I can find to my favorite spot, I just wish they used more garlic!

Great service. Quick. The Asian wings were delicious. The ramen was very salty though. I haven't had ramen many times so I can't easily compare but it was definitely salty. The menu is slightly too small also. Not many options.

I have great hopes for Alkaline. It was one of the ramen places everyone talked about in the area. Ambiance: The place was bright and very modern. It is clean, and you won't feel claustrophobic. Food: We ordered Tater Tot Okonomiyaki as our appetizer and Tonkatsu Ramen and Shoyu Ramen as our entree. The Tater Tot Okonomiyaki was the highlight of our meal. It tasted similar to a takoyaki without the octopus. It was our first time trying it, and we will try again next time. The broth for the Tonkatsu ramen and Shoyu Ramen were flavorful and delicious. The only thing I disliked was that they served it with shredded meat. It was my first time eating ramen with shredded meat. While I like variations, I was not too fond of the texture of the shredded meat on my Ramen, and I prefer the whole thing instead of the shredded ones. Service: Our servers were pleasant and friendly. They were able to accommodate my requests. I hope to try other things on their menu since, from what I've been told, they are an Asian Fusion restaurant. I am unsure if I am still getting the Ramen with shredded meat in the future, but we will still be back.

Since it's been years since my last visit, I decided to come back at their re-location. They're now located in a shared shopping center close to downtown Norfolk - right across from a grocery store and by other nearby restaurants. After ordering, the wait was not very long. My friend ordered the crispy brussel sprouts as an app and it was really good. It had a nice sweet and spicy glaze over it. For soup, we ordered the spicy red curry ramen. The flavor was very deep. It wasn't overly fragrant. And the soup was super creamy. The noodles had a very firm texture, though I do like mine a little more soft. The sousvide chicken was super tender and complimented the ramen so well. The only thing that was getting me was the heat. I had to drink water after each bite, lol. To be fair, the description said "very spicy". It went just a bit over my tolerance I guess. I also got the miso butter cake that I remember getting my first time around and it was just as good as I remembered. With the ice cream on top, it just balanced the saltiness of the miso. The cake itself was nice and moist.

yummy food and great service, I will definitely be returning soon. my only critique is that the spicy items aren't actually spicy at all but that's easily fixed with chili oil.

Overall it was a great experience!! Food quality was surprisingly very good and I was happy to see that they served chu hais! I've been stationed in Japan the last three years and so far this is one of the best ramen spots I've been to in Norfolk. The chu hi was a bit watered down from what I'm used to but it was the nostalgic factor that made me content with it. Service was amazing, hopefully I'll get the same server the next time I'm there! Only giving four stars this time just purely on the prices. I was a bit confused on how my appetizer (Asian sticky wings) cost more than the ramen and just the surprise gratuity of having six people at dinner. I thought the standard for large groups at restaurants were eight people and above....I could be wrong but it was definitely a shock to see that 20% gratuity was already included in the cost. Regardless, a great meal experience and I can see myself coming back!

I think I found my new favorite ramen place in Norfolk! This restaurant/bar is located in Ghent in the shopping center across from Aldi. The ambiance here is very modern with some cool artwork & neon lights. Great music selection. It was a very busy night for them the day I came so I waited for a few mins to be seated at the bar. There is maybe 10 seats at the bar. The dining area has more seats/tables. The drink I tried was the Love Letter, so delicious not too strong or sweet. They have a few signature cocktails & a nice selection of sake & beer. Now the ramen I ordered was the Spicy Beef one..this was probably the best beef ramen I've ever tried. The soup had so much flavor, the beef was so tender and juicy. Everything about it was perfect. I would definitely come back again just for that ramen. They do close Monday & Tuesday& open the rest of the week.

Great ramen, great drinks, great service. The asian sticky wings are a must have for anyone coming here. The ambiance and lighting made the experience feel classy yet affordable.

Cant say enough good things about this restaurant. Customer service is superb. It is extremely clean. I absolutely love the food.

The service is great and cleanliness is notable. But I can't give anything more than 2 stars for food - maybe it's an off day or maybe it's the first ramen order of the day (I was the first to be seated after they opened at 11am) that the cook forgot that he just had way too Much salt!!!! The broth and noodles are almost inedible. I just stopped eating and asked for it to be packaged to go - maybe I can add boiling water when I go home to water down the broth! So now am waiting on the miso butter cake (without ice cream, an option that's available to you for $2). It's just nippy outside, not in the mood for anything cold! After about 7 minutes, lo and behold - burnt walnuts (bitter!) garnishing an otherwise okay plate. The cake was burnt on the edges and at the bottom. Memories come rushing back and quickly reminded me why I never went back the first time I ate here 4 years ago! Sorry Dennis, I would have loved your recommendations... you didn't disappoint with the others!

My partner has been a huge supporter of this company, Alkaline since they were a pop up shop, since they were at a butcher. Today, I finally caved in and went... left with the biggest frown on my face and was incredibly disappointed. This place is watered down and has nothing going on for your flavor palette. Service, Ambiance: chill little place with decent seating, scenery and lighting. Service was good, just a quick spot. Asian Sticky Wings: crispy, good crunch to it but very bland... not much going on on the outside other than presentation, inside of the meat was very bland and just white, no sight of seasoning. Beef Noodle Soup: there was absolutely no depth in this noodle soup which is labeled as "spicy" on their menu -- no spice at all! No depth at all, this soup tasted nothing but salt and nothing else. Tonkotsu Ramen: it's hard to mess up tonkotsu ramen simply because of the process to get the actual broth however there was nothing spectacular about this dish. Overall service and ambience was cool. I would come back for that however, the food is very bland and I would never come back for the food.

Been here twice and they never disappoint! The service is amazing and their garlic chicken is amazing! The ramen is delicious as well !! The environment is upbeat & just sets the mood ! Definitely will come back with my daughter !!

It wasn't bad, i got the beef pho. It was tasty but I've had better pho. I didn't get the chance to grab a drink. The service was efficient and servers were friendly!

Ambiance was great, everyone seems really welcoming and accommodating. And it's great place to have wine with really good price during happy hour. However, the food was not great. I have had better ramen and fried wing chickens somewhere else.

Embarrassed to say I haven't been to Alkaline since they got a new location, I've definitely been missing out! First thing our server was so nice and super helpful! We got the Tater Tot Okonomiyaki as our appetizer and each got a bowl of ramen. It happened to be a rainy day when we visited and the creamy Katsu was perfect! The veggie side also had an amazing flavor. I got 2 cocktails and they were both great & my husband enjoyed his beer. They have a full bar where I think you can sit at as well as tables. It's family friendly and a great place for a date night too!

I had a great experience at Alkaline. I really enjoyed the tonkotsu ramen and ordered another serving of noodles. I've now been here 5 separate times and have recommended it to friends in the area because it is so tasty. The servers have all been very hospitable. The happy hour special is a great deal: I want to say it's 15% off ramen and $1 off all add-ons with cheap drinks. The interior of the restaurant (including the bathrooms) is very nice. I also love that the menu doesn't have an abundance of items. I wish the water cups were a little bigger and that the long cushion seats did not move around. Still, Alkaline is my favorite ramen spot in Hampton Roads, and I will be back very soon.

Always great food and service. Never disappoints. My go to for ramen in Norfolk. Triple garlic!

I've been wanting to go to Alkaline for quite awhile. I always forget they aren't open on Sunday and Monday but I'm usually gone out of town by then. So I was really happy I finally got to go this past weekend. I ordered the spicy red curry ramen and tator tot okonomiyaki. Both were delicious and I was happy the noodles were nice and springy. The okonomiyaki didn't have traditional fixings or ingredients but still tasted savory and delicious. The service I've received was prompt and friendly. I hardly had to wait for anything including ordering, and checkout. I thought my server had good timing and promptness without making me feel rushed to clear the table. It's a fine balance between the two and it really is an art. I also liked how she didn't interrupt my conversation with my mom. All in all, the combination of service and food made it 5/5. I'm looking forward to visiting again in the future.

The ramen was abt a 5/10. I have had better broth for a ramen place. The egg was easy over and pretty good, haven't had it in ramen in a while. The service was not so good, our food took a long while. We couldn't flag down a staff member (they weren't even that busy). I would say the vibe was nice but the food wasn't.

Before going to Alkaline, I had only tried Cup of Noodles or the kind of ramen you get in a packet. "How different could it be?" I thought. Well...it is really different, in the best way! I've tried the Kim Chi Ramen and the Tonkatsu Ramen, and both were absolutely delicious. The kim chi is not overpowering and adds just the right amount of flavor. The thing that sets Alkaline's Ramen apart from other restaurants (for me) is the shredded pork. I've been to other restaurants that use pork belly instead and while it was still good, it can be too fatty for my taste sometimes. On my most recent visit, I tried their sticky wings, and...wow. It had the perfect amount of crunch and the sauce was just sooo good. I'm typically not a bone-in wing person, but for these wings, I will be!

Super cool Japanese themed restaurant right in the heart of Norfolk. The interior has Japanese anime and some great books about ramen to read while you wait. The tables are comfortable and the menu isn't overwhelming- the heavy focus is on ramen (with the ability to customize) and everyone enjoyed theirs at our table - both those familiar - and unfamiliar with authentic ramen. Our waitress was so friendly, happily explained everything to us, and even surprised one of our children with a birthday dessert. We will definitely be going back!

My first time EVER eating ramen that's not from my instant noodle stash back at home lol. I was super nervous to try only because I'm a shin ramen stan and anything other than that I hesitate with. Asian Sticky Wings: To start off my boyfriend and I shared these and they were AMAZING. The crispy breading was unmatched and offered the most amazing crunch. The flavor was also great and had an amazing kick to it, but not too much of a kick. You get 6 wings in each order so it was plenty between the two of us. Beef Noodle Soup: I decided to go with this one because it seemed to have simpler ingredients compared to the rest on the menu. On the menu it was listed as a spicy ramen but there was no hint of spice at all to me personally. The flavor was excellent and the noodles were perfectly al dente. However if you're not a big cilantro person I would definitely opt out of this one or ask for less to be added. I found it to be overpowering at times in this dish. Daiquiri: This drink packs a punch. The lime definitely is the star of the show in this cocktail. I would definitely order it again as it did it's purpose if you know what I mean lol. It was one of the cheaper ones on the menu as well at $9 Service: The service was great being that they were short staffed the night we went. All the food and drinks arrived very quickly even with the dinner rush. Our server was super attentive and checked in frequently to make sure everything was to our liking. Ambiance: Loved the neon signs throughout the restaurant especially as it got darker. They had a tv playing anime which was really cool too. Perfect place for a rainy day as it has a super cozy element.

My first time here and I was not impressed. I wanted to try this place out since day one but having eaten ramen my whole life, I didn't feel the need to go out and buy it when I eat noodles at home. So I really really wanted to like this place. Middle of the week, Some in our dinner party got there early and waited at the bar. The bartender didn't even acknowledge them or ask if they wanted a drink. Ignored, they called out to him to get a drink. Besides getting their drinks, the 30 mins at the bar they had some sort of invisibility clock on cause they were ignored the res of the time. Once we sat down to the table, our server took awhile to get to us, but she was decent, but let me just say, the tall skinny guy looked pissed and was unfriendly. He "helped" bring the food out to the table, but he just looked irritated and pretty close, slammed the plates down. The apps were good and we all really enjoyed them. I got the ramen bowl and I liked the ramen's bite, but the katsu itself seemed flavorless, it was pounded down thin, but I prefer the meat to be thicker then the breading. The soup was decent, but heavy and saltier then I preferred. While we were still eating, the wrong bill and credit card was placed on our table without a single word asked. We asked the couple next to us if it was theirs, but it wasn't. That credit card info can be quite valuable in the wrong hands. Just incredible how disengaged the place is. Overall: Service (2) and food(4) combined =3 stars.

I don't know about you, but every time I'm under the weather I crave ramen to warm me up and soothe me. Alkaline is such a great local spot for ramen. The entire restaurant is welcoming and inviting. It definitely has a unique, trendy flare that differs from a more traditional ramen spot. I loved the ambiance and my friend loved the anime wall. The food was tasty. The brussel sprouts had great flavors and textures that we both enjoyed. The tonkatsu ramen was delicious. The shredded pork was a different twist that I've not had before. We were a little disappointed that they ran out of the octopus karaage as we both really wanted to try it, but I suppose that's just another excuse to go back. Apparently the smokehouse ramen special was amazing...I wasn't allowed to try it . I'll be back for sure!

food was good. Service was terrible. Our food took a lot longer than everyone elses. we ordered a kids noddles for our son that it instead of being the first thing out it was the last. With as long as it took he was very hungry and unsettled. Our waiter made it feel as if she didn't want to serve us and it was very noticeable difference when it came to us and the other guest. Never again coming here uncomfortable and worst experience.