Anju Noodle Bar

After a walk on the beach, we were looking for a noddle place to eat, can’t believe how lucky we were to find this spot. Great service, friendly and fast. Four different meals and all were amazing, I had the ribs. We will definitely be going back.

The king of ramen in the USA; probably never to be dethroned; is Ramen Tatsu-Ya in Austin and Houston, TX. Having moved to Maine from Texas about five years ago, I've been searching for decent ramen in New England. At this point I've tried literally every ramen shop in Boston / surrounding area, Maine, and NH with meh results. I had pretty much written off New England ramen entirely before finding Anju by semi-accident in Kittery. The closest Tesla service center to Maine as of Oct 2025 is in Londonderry, NH; and the route passes right by Kittery. You can put the rest together. I had the Jiro ramen because Tonkotsu is the only ramen, imo. While no ramen will ever beat Tatsu-Ya mi-so-hot (hope I'm proven wrong), Anju was; by far; the best ramen I've had in New England. I got a spicy miso bomb, but the broth was good and didn't need it. The pics show clearly what comes in the bowl. Once the shichimi togarashi is mixed in, the broth has a pleasant heat to it that is mild and enjoyable. The broth is excellent. The noodles are good. The ajitama is good; not great. The only mild criticism is that to me the pork shoulder tastes like an unseasoned pork butt roasted in the oven and nothing else. I took this home and gave it to the kids (2 goldens and a newfie) and they loved it. For research purposes, I got an order of the regular pork belly chashu to go, and it is good. My recommendation for tonkotsu ramen anywhere with 4 hours of Maine - go to Anju - get the Jiro - remove half of the garlic on top before mixing in, substitute regular chashu for pork shoulder if they'll allow it. The miso spicy bomb is good, but not mandatory.

We really wanted to enjoy this place, but our visit was a bit disappointing. My friend ordered a ramen that turned out to be 𝐞𝐱𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐥𝐲 𝐬𝐚𝐥𝐭𝐲 — even after asking for hot water to dilute it, it was still difficult to eat. What surprised us more was that no one checked in to see how the food was, and there was no offer to replace the dish. The staff seemed more focused on chatting than on the customers, which left us feeling a little overlooked. I think with more attention to customer service and a willingness to adjust when something isn’t right, this restaurant could provide a much better dining experience.

ABSOLUTELY DELICIOUS! This place is the cutest and has amazing food! As a vegetarian their options were all so flavorful and unique! Their veggie ramen was bursting with flavor which is commendable. Their cauliflower and yakisoba with tofu were also quite tasty! For dessert we got the matcha crepe cake and like the other items it was also scrumptious! Their staff were extremely welcoming and kind! Overall I would highly recommend!

Highly rated place, I have tried 4 different Ramen dishes, They're all prepared the same way; different ingredients are brought together, but it doesn't taste like a dish cooked together . However, the ingredients are plentiful and the portions are filling.

Passing through Kittery and found this place on Google. Ahh-mazing. We visited at 5pm on a Sunday. There were 3-4 tables open but it was still bustling inside. Service was fast and food took maybe ten minutes, if that. I ordered the Khao Poon and it was the most creamy delicious broth with the perfect amount of chili oil. The chicken was falling apart, perfectly cooked for soup. Highly recommend and if it wasn’t 2 hours for us, I’d be back often.

Perfect as always. Anju knows flavor, that is for sure. We got the tuna & watermelon salad, the Vietnamese crepe, chicken khao poon ramen, and the matcha cheesecake and everything was incredible. The crepe was by far the best, honestly insane.

We came here for lunch on a glorious Halloween afternoon and Anju was spot on! Starting off with the rice cakes the chili oil brought them alive. Quite good! My Ramen was truly the star of the show. Amazing flavor profile, it was simply delicious! Service was great and it ended up being a memorable afternoon. Highly recommend!

Overall: pretty and yummy food, fun menu, casual ambiance, indoor and outdoor seating, kind service, single stall inclusive restrooms All four of us enjoyed our dishes. No complaints :)

Service: Very friendly. We were greeted right away and seated shortly after. Ambiance: The restaurant is not very big so parties larger than 6 would be a problem. The restaurant was HOT. The AC was struggling to keep up with the heatwave. The bathrooms are shared between the restaurant and other tenants of the building. They were filthy! Food: The food was lovely! My husband enjoyed his ramen. I was craving something lighter and refreshing that day so the watermelon salad was perfect! The salad also had slices of tuna in it for extra protein!

I've been meaning to go here for ages and finally did. Small place, tight seating, extra stools at the small bar and at the windows. Cool artwork, loud music, and somewhat of a hipster vibe. Fantastic, friendly service. Gochujang Wings: On the small side, they're oven baked, but had the feel of boiled. That said, the sauce treatment (gochujang plus some tartness) and toppings (scallions and crispy garlic) and dipping sauce (blue cheese spiked with some spices to make it beige) were fantastic. Arugula Salad: Simple, but effective. Fresh. Shoyu Ramen: Gloriously flavorful bone broth (a little salty but not out of hand), unctuous pork shoulder in good-sized shreds, and plenty of complementary flavors. Good flavor, good texture, good time. Good bottled sauce on the table too: peppery, tart, refreshing. Vegetable Ramen: My wife really enjoyed hers. Looking forward to coming back and trying more of the menu. And for the 1% of you who didn't know already, there's a fantastic bakery (Lil's Cafe) two doors down.

Located in downtown Kittery. Will require parallel street parking. Close to the water which was a nice walk and view. Cute but small location, not recommended for large parties on weekends at peak hours. Service was quick and friendly. Noodles were traditional thick, chewy, well cook. Unfortunately the Jiro Ramen broth was bland to me, it lacked that rich fatty pork flavor that I'm used to in the pork bone broths. Also had the Shoyu Ramen with the pork shoulder, also even more bland. Just oily from the pork, though the pork shoulder was well cooked, but again lacking flavor. Another thing I'm very critical about in ramen is the soy egg. Not traditional marinated egg you expect, overcooked, not marinated. Overall, very disappointing and quite expensive for a bowl of ramen. $22 for this bowl of sadness was quite the price to pay. Wouldn't recommend if you're a ramen fan.

If you're in Maine and looking for ramen, this a decent place to go. If you haven't been to ramen restaurants in la or ny, this is probably as good as you can get in the new England area. The pork belly and shoulder was cooked well in both of the ramen soups we ordered, the noodles were al dente, and the broth was decent. My biggest wish was wanting the ramen served at a much higher temperature like hot. I want to see the steam coming off my ramen when it comes to me, especially out here in cold a** Maine. When we received our ramen, both were lukewarm and then transitioned to room temp as we were eating. Ramen is best enjoyed hot, but this might be my personal preference and what I'm used to growing up in LA.

I stopped by on a quiet weekday afternoon between errands for a late lunch and was seated quickly. The shio ramen was so flavorful - I loved the spicy seasoning that was on top, it added the perfect amount of heat. As an after thought, I also tried the matcha cheesecake, but it was a lil crumbly and light in matcha flavor - I really had to search for the flavor. I hope this was a fluke but next time I'll forgo dessert and grab a cruller at Lil's next door.

We arrived at this quaint little asian restaurant in Kittery, Maine at the average dinner hour around 6ish and were seated at the counter as it was quite busy. My +one and I were greeted kindly and given water and took our orders of Cauliflower $17 very tasty & Jiro Ramen just very different tastes $22. A lot of the tastes were very different and I think will take getting use to. What was so interesting was sitting at the counter and watching every thing that went on facing the kitchen. This place does a great take-out business...It was a very delightful experience... Kittery has so many enjoyable places to eat at. Will be back next year!!

Excellent food each and every time we eat here. The vegetarian yakisoba and shoyu ramen are always our go-to orders. We've tried a variety of appetizers and they are all great but the thai chicken meatball is a recent favorite. The fast paced environment, mixed with people watching at the bar seat windows and watching the chefs cook over the bar make Anju such an enjoyable dining experience.

Tasty noodle place in Maine with generous portion sizes! We tried the duck yakisoba and the khao poon. Both were very flavorful. The chicken in the khao poon was excellent. Their house hot sauce is also pretty good. We added it to the yakisoba only, since the khao poon was already quite spicy. Service was friendly and efficient, and the interior feels casual with a lot of natural light. We'd visit again if we're in the area!

Their Paitan Shio Ramen is a must try. Their pork belly was the softest and best tasting pork belly I have ever had! Skip out on the bao bun and get their okonomiyaki! High quality food and a great ambiance!

I had the tofu dish and it was phenomenal! 10/10 would recommend! My husband had the wings and he would not order them again but I loved mine!

This place was on every list of places to eat in Maine and we had to stop in. Waited about 20 min for a spot at the counter, which was a bit tight but we made it work. The menu had a few unique options and I was curious to try something new-- okonomiyaki. Hate to say it, but I wouldn't order it again. It was really big for just two people and due to the nature of it, the dish took a long time to come out (which we were warned about). The flavor was savory but it was very filling.... the Bonita flakes were kinda creepy to watch moving about! We then had the jiro and spicy miso Ramen-- nice flavor on the spicy miso but it wasn't overly hot. The pork belly was excellent, just wish there was more! Definitely a fun place to try-- dinner and a show when you sit at the counter!

I recently got a take out order that leaked when I got home. Can't believe that when I called to say the lid wasn't sealed, the manager drove over immediately to my nearby house with a replacement ramen noodle bowl...that's going above and beyond the call of duty! The food is always fresh and delicious too. Thank you for being such a great restaurant...

As my last dinner in Maine, I walk away unimpressed. I decided to change things up a bit because I needed a small break from seafood, but this fell short of what I expected. First, they got my order wrong, even after I told them twice that I did not want any form of onion in my food. Then, they took so long that one of the deadly sins of ramen noodles occurred, the noodles sank to the bottom. You see, food is a living thing. Once the air gets to the noodles, they dry out, leaving with little character. This also happens for noodles sitting in broth too long. They get soggy, and any grip that once had on them disappears. I also feel the noodles are not homemade. Perhaps I am wrong, but l overheard someone saying they get their noodles from New York. Maybe that explains the lack in rigidity in the noodle. The staff was also a bit curt with me. Like I was just a statistic for them. The food is also highly overpriced. I have had better ramen bowls for less. Only positive? The chashu pork is good.

Solid ramen spot, and cozy atmosphere. Parking can be tough, and it's a bit pricy, but one of the better spots in the area.

Ten out of ten and even beyond that. Great service. Amazing food. Love the ambiance. I'll be there again with my partner, we traveled 45 minutes and it was well worth it.

Holy crap this place blew us away! You will be lucky to get a spot to sit but when you do (and the wait is worth it!) hold onto your taste buds! We had the vegetarian Ramen top notch! The rice cakes sweetened with coconut milk and served with local mushrooms and green onion were an amazing combination lastly the ENTIRE head of cauliflower was coated in a magical miso seasoning that had us leaving with leftovers. Thank you Anju, we will be back!

Cannot wait to go back!!! Everything we had was delicious. I had to take most of my ramen home as I was so stuffed from the apps but it reheated very well. Staff was great as well. Mercedes was our server and she is always awesome!

Decent food, ramen texture just right, soup has a lot of flavors. Kids love it too. Pork bun is great. Service is very friendly.

On a two week road trip of New England with my partner, we stopped here for some lunch. The food tasted very fresh and the flavors were solid. My partner is Vietnamese, so he felt the flavors were more fusion than fully authentic which is not a criticism, just an observation. Sat outside to enjoy the gorgeous sunny weather. Service was friendly but a bit slow.

Food was amazing!! Def recommend coming here and enjoying the food. The chefs and staff are such a great team.

Everything is good here. I've had a couple of their ramens and their wings and pork buns. I always get the fermented habanero pepper on the side and dump the whole tin in Very cool vibe and location.

The vermicelli is great. Very friendly staff. Cool little spot in a charming part of Kittery. Would recommend and I look forward to returning!

they are so good that when my wife tried to do a carry out order for our daughter the staff apologized and told them they aren't doing any because they are too busy. LOL. They are great though give them a try!

Amazing ramen with a hearty and powerful feel to it. The variety of different dishes allow you to explore a selection of different bowls that are fun but also delicious. I would highly recommended the canned Shirley temple there from the Wallingford dram right next door. Staff is friendly and down to earth and you can see the cooperation between them and the chefs which are on display at the bar. I love the ambiance and the format of the restaurant is exceptional. Low lighting, cool neon, and dim overhead lights make the dining experience all the better. if I had one critique it would be the noodle itself. I wish there were a bit more thick and flavorful, but the ones they use are still amazing. Highly recommend.

We came at the perfect time! Small place so either get there early or plan to wait. The ramen was very delicious. I ordered the spicy miso. The appetizers were okay. Pork bao was probably the best. Definitely recommend here for that ramen fix!!

Anju kills it! We usually hit this spot for lunch, right when it opens up at noon. Tables are usually all filled by 12:05. The indoor dining room is very small and only recently has opened up again. Outdoor seating is quite nice as well. We've found the servers to be efficient and food to come out of the kitchen promptly. Keep in mind this is a very small restaurant, and food may come out as it is prepared, but we've never waited long or found the service to be awkward. If you want food served in a particular order, they are happy to do so. On our last visit, we learned that the longstanding Chef Kate has moved onto a new opportunity, but I am happy to report that the food was just as delicious, and we would have not known if I didn't ask since I did not see her in the open kitchen. Our must have dishes are the cauliflower, roasted with a miso tahini sauce. Epic and not to be missed! Any of the buns we've tried are also great, most recently tried an Unagi bun. For noodles, we usually enjoy the duck Yakisoba. A recent addition to the menu is the viet-cajun corn salad, which we think is great. Bright and loaded with flavor, tastes like summer! When thinking about cocktails, don't shun the "canned" cocktails, in particular the Mai Tai. Really really good! We understand they are bottled by the "Dram", a popular bar next door. Lucky to have this right next door to Portsmouth, always a pleasure and you have to stop at Lil's a few doors down for a crueller for dessert!

Had the Paitan Shio Ramen at the suggestion of the waitress. It was warm and filling with just enough spice to make it warming on a wet maine day. Would have liked a bit more noodle but can't fault them for that. It was very tasty the place was packed and I can see why.

Yummy ramen and the appetizer crab cakes were bomb! Service was efficient and friendly. The restaurant is cozy.

We had a lovely meal here on a busy Saturday. We sat at the bar and got to watch the staff assemble the ramen, while enjoying the cozy atmosphere. Ramen was delicious and I would come back to try other menu items or even just add the scoop of spicy miso to my ramen.

On our way to Boston we stopped in Kittery at Anju. The reviews seemed promising.... Decor wise it's a trendy establishment with minimal seating inside. There is outdoor seating presented on the sidewalk in front of the restaurant. We ordered the following: Okonomiyaki - 7.5/10 Kimichi Trio - 3/10 Bun Bo Hue - 1/10 Shio Ramen - 5/10 Okonomiyaki was the highlight of the food experience with a decent flavor and presentation. The kimichi Trio only the cucumber tasted okay. The rest of the kimchi was super sour with very little gojujang in it. Similarly, the Bun Bo Hue had an over powering flavor of lime. No other flavors could be found. Shio Ramen was subpar at best with very little protein and a weird earthy flavor not normally found in Shio. We received the Kimchi in the first five minutes and thebOkonomiyaki relatively quick in around 10 mins from order. The rest of the food took 45 minutes. Since we were passing through it's hard for me to say if there are better choices around but for the money it just isn't worth it.

Delicious! We went on a very busy day and it was packed. We ended up sitting at the bar, which was great because we were able to see our food being prepared. I honestly don't know how they did it! The cooking area was itty-bitty. The food was amazing. We ordered extra ramen to go so we could eat it again; it was that good! We also had the pork buns which were super yummy.

The best place to get ramen in the seacoast area - shoyu with spicy miso is amazing and it has a cool vibe inside with open kitchen - yum! Service was great as well. You might have to wait for 30 mins but they text you when you put your name in - worth it

Delicious creative food; family friendly clean and fun. Loved everything. Cauliflower, bao, rice cakes delicious - and buttered pasta for kids was a huge hit. Love love love.

So good would definitely come again! Sat at the bar and watched all the dishes come out, I would try every single item on the menu, it all looked delicious! Staff was awesome and food comes out pretty fast. Cute location will plenty of outside seating for nice weather. If you want something other than fried seafood while you are on vacation in Kittery, I would totally give this restaurant a try!!

This place was amazing! So glad we stumbled upon it! We started off with some bao buns because you really can't go wrong. They were the best I've ever had. I had the tonkatsu ramen which was out of this world. A lovely touch is that they make their own hot sauce that goes well with everything! You can buy it and I highly recommend that you do! Next time I'm in the area I will definitely be going back!

The Laksa soup was so delicious! If it were closer we'd visit all of the time, it's so worth the trip! Wish the would bring back the spicy rice cake appetizer!

Everything is great, especially the rice cake appetizer (I expected Korean rice cakes like in ttekbokki, but they're little cubes of rice seared on the sides; we got them with duck but they would be just as good without it) and, obviously, the noodles. But in particular, don't sleep on the hot sauce -- Fresno chiles are one of my favorite chiles for flavor, and we got a bottle to take home and have been putting it on everything. Bonus points that the cocktails are canned and you can get them to go.

Alright- this is THE ramen place in the seacoast. We had the tonkatsu style one and also a spicy miso. They were fantastic. My husband has spent a good amount of time in Japan and this has been the closest to authentic we have found! They offer to make plain noodles for kids and they do have some other regular menu options I think kids would generally eat. They have canned cocktails from a local place and also quite a large beer and wine list. You can sit up at the bar and watch the chefs work their magic or at a low top table in the dining area. This restaurant is SMALL. I wouldn't recommend groups over four people. They do quite a bit of take out orders so that may be your best move if you have a large party. Parking can be difficult in general in the area. There is a small public lot probably half a block down the road that you can park in for 2-3 hours for free I believe. If you're looking for ramen- there's no better choice!

Loved this restaurant. Thankfully Yelp help light the way. I wouldn't have known this place was here, if it wasn't for the handy help search function. Thanks Yelp!! It's a cute location, not a huge space, so get here early if you don't want to wait, especially if you have a party of 4 or more. You might need to split up the group in a couple of locations, the good news, it's not a big space, so you won't feel that far away from one another. The term noodle bar is appropriate because we sat that the "bar" seats. Those seats in my opinion are the best seats, because you're facing the kitchen/ prep area. It's fun to watch and listen to the staff. They work so efficiently and well, everyone has their role and they get the food done right. My friend made a good point, that if a person was sick...and sat at the bar, that could be bad, luckily we didn't see anyone sick or gross at the bar table :) The food and drinks are equally creative. We just had the mint lemon water. But they did have soda options as well as beer and mixed drinks. We ordered Ramen, Yakisoba, Chicken Wings and Two different types of steamed buns...Yes, for two people...it was way too much food!! The servings are HUGE! But oh so good. The flavors were fantastic! The egg in the ramen was one of my favorite things, because eggs are my favorite :) The Duck Yakisob, had soooo much protein, it was amazing. Almost equal parts noodles and duck. The chicken wings were sticky and delicious. Couldn't finish them, I think there were 7 or so in an order and they were FULL wings! The steamed buns were larger than normal. One could be shared by two people, however, they are so full of ingredients, it's not that easy to cut or hold :). Don't worry there is a bowl of wet naps nearby. The staff was very attentive, fun, but not annoying. The location had convenient parking next door, within 1 minute walk. I loved the experience and I will definitely go back when I am in the area. I highly recommend Anju Noodle Bar.

Fantastic. Shoyu ramen super and Cold soba noodles were fantastic and incredibly flavorful

If you want the best ramen dishes on the seacoast look no further. I have never had a bad meal here in all of the numerous times I've been here

Saturday night - this place was hopping, and for good reason. Everyone was packed in tight with seating in every possible space which was a little intimidating at first but felt fine once we sat down. The small space allowed us to smell the expert cooking happening just over our shoulders. At first, we were bummed on the prices but soon realized it was well worth it. We had the veggie dishes and I swear, it was the best I've ever had! The vegetable yaki soba was exploding with flavor! Ginger, ponzu, and other discrete ingredients (Sorry - I don't recall them all) kept their distance on the plate somehow but rushed together like a mosh pit in my face. Holy f*ck. I was in the middle of a dumb story and this meal gave my wife a much-needed respite. Now, the music, it was pop crap like a brick of Nasoya .ramen from the store Why not hand the controls over to our waiter with the KING TUFF t-shirt?? He'd stroke that scraggly gray beard and spin something more fun and weird befitting the best little noodle joint, named after a pear!

They only way I'd be doing outdoor seating right now in 30 degrees is with a large bowl of steaming hot ramen! Everything we ordered was incredible- I absolutely loved both the pork bun, with its incredible sauce and the eel bun, which was so tender and flavorful! For ramen, my favorite was the spicy miso, which was just the right amount of spicy, and my husband really enjoyed his jiro ramen, which had a big helping of pork. The size of the ramen was daunting, but due to sheer tastiness and the cold, we finished almost the whole thing. This place is super cute and had great service, I'd love to come back and try more of their menu!

Trendy noodle bar that is popular, the wait was 1.5hr for a table at 6.45pm on a Friday. Kimchi was small and lackluster, it was pungent, spicy and sour, but was missing the umami taste of shrimp/fish. I had a hard time deciding between the khao poon and laksa, and decided in the khao poon when the server said the laksa is tangy, and I didn't want that. But alas, the khao poon was also tangy, in fact that was the first thing that hit me. Good amount of spice and the chicken was tender, but a noodle soup that's not served piping hot (it was hot-ish warm) is a red flag for me, and the rice noodles didn't seem fresh either. Service was slow, the noodles took more than 30 mins, besides taking my order and serving my food, no one checked in on me.

Yelp drew me here off the interstate. I can not even begin to say how amazing this food is. My husband ordered the Khoa soi and I ordered the shrimp laksa. Truly truly amazing.. rich and beautiful.. like the best sunset you ever saw.. Thanks for a truly spectacular meal.

My absolute favorite noodle place in all of Maine/New Hampshire. We have no problem driving 45 mins for a bowl of their ramen and kimchi. Every meal here has been excellent! Its can get very busy so expect a wait, especially in weekends and at night. They have many different options for noodles and the staff is always full of knowledge about the dishes. I have even told the server to "surprise me" on several occasions. Their kimchi is ALMOST as good as the kimchi my partner's mother makes (and she is from Korea)

Always try to stop in whenever I'm passing through town! They have great appetizers & ramen!

Absolutely delicious and great service too. You won't be disappointed. We had several items and loved them all. This will be a go to anytime we are in Kittery.