Bad Bones Ramen

Food was truly delicious - haven't had a meal I enjoyed this thoroughly in a long time. We were smiling ear to ear from the first sip of broth. The Pork Tantanmen was particularly yummy! Our waiter, whose name I sadly didn't get, was energetic, welcoming, cheerful, and happy to help explain any of the dishes we weren't familiar with. The atmosphere is very laid back and informal, which honestly just adds to the ambiance of the place. Not cheap, but the servings reflect what you are paying, my partner and I both got two meals out of our ramen bowls. We will definitely be back for more whenever we are next in town.

Over the last 2.5 years I’ve tried all of their main broths - Miso, Shoyu, Tantanmen, and Dirty shrimp. Initially, they were pretty good; however, recently all of them have been bland and lacking in flavour. It has been a constant let down in the past year. Ironically, as their quality of ramen constantly decreased, their prices continuously increased, and it gets harder and harder to justify the price of their unappetizing ramen. Noodle Nami on Rowan St. has arguably better ramen for ~$4-5 less. The one good thing Bad Bones has going for them are their side dishes - they are a great bang for your buck. All in all, if you’ve ever had half-decent ramen in another city, I’d recommend you skip out on Bad Bones for your ramen cravings in St. John’s.

We definitely enjoyed our ramen here. We had the pork belly shoyu. The broth is well developed and pork belly and egg were perfect. The broth is a little rich, and sits heavier than most ramens. It’s a few tweaks away to go from good to great, in our opinion. Service was good. We could see them working in the kitchen, and it was clean how much attention and care was given to presentation and preparing each bowl fresh. It was definitely worth the wait.

Bad Bones Ramen provides great food, ample service, and a wonderfully unique and refreshing atmosphere. The chicken shoyu was a delight. The portions were generous, the ingredients were fresh, and the presentation was lovely. It was easy to see the effort put into the dish. The service provided was more than sufficient. I never had to ask for a refill on my water, and the waiter checked in often enough without being a nuisance. There was plenty of seating available during dinner hours. The dining area was clean, well-lit, and pleasantly quiet, allowing for proper conversation. The decor was good, and the staff music taste was on point. The ceilings near the bathrooms are a bit low, especially if you're a taller person like myself. However, that's a given for most buildings in the downtown area. I absolutely can't recommend this place enough. Considering the steep decline in quality for most other dine-in restaurants, Bad Bones absolutely knocks it out of the park in comparison. I will be eating here again in the future.

This is such a lovely spot, and I have to say, the staff was so friendly! We came down during the pedestrian mall, and had no trouble finding a spot to sit down at around 1PM. Everything was decorated nicely, and it was really clean too. We ordered almost right away and had some dumplings, which were honestly my favorite! And before we could even finish those, we had our main dish come out. The broth was absolutely amazing, and all the toppings were fresh and cooked really well. Our server was so kind, and the atmosphere was wonderful! We seen a few people pick up some orders too, so if you didn't want to eat in, that seems like a great option.

Bad Bones Ramen has a cute and fun location that immediately catches your eye. The ambiance is lively and inviting, making it a great spot for a casual meal or a hangout with friends. The staff here are excellent—friendly, attentive, and always ready to help with a smile. However, while the atmosphere and service shine, the ramen itself doesn't quite hit the mark. It's not bad, but it falls short of the high expectations set by the rather steep prices. For the cost, one would anticipate a more memorable culinary experience. If you’re looking for a fun spot with great service, Bad Bones Ramen is worth a visit, but ramen aficionados might find the quality doesn’t justify the price tag.

Generous with meat Cooked to perfection pork belly and chicken kastu The broth is tasty but not too salty. Overall the food is authentic at the meatier side( better for Canadians) . Also it's presentable topped up with lots of healthy veggies. We found our ramen place in this city!

Exceeded my expectations. We ordered the Pork Tantanmen and Pork Belly Shoyu. Both had plenty of pork and a good amount of noodles and vegetables. Also added the homemade hot sauce which was sweet and spicy. It's not quite traditional but was quite good. Service was good and efficient for having only one person on staff for the whole restaurant. Decor was familiar for a ramen restaurant with the menu on a wall chalkboard and benches along the wall and chairs on the other side. Would definitely recommend.

Nice service here! Good decoration of the restaurant. No individual menu for each person but the menu is written on two black boards on the wall. The chicken shoyu here is kinda too salty but i guess it's bc there's too much soy sauce? I asked to add some tofu but they didn't taste rlly well,the surface of the tofu is too hard and the tofu didn't taste fresh. Btw me and my friend went into the place when it just opened and there wasn't any seat left after like 30 mins, so a reservation is recommended to make before.

We had a very long wait. But I absolutely do not fault the restaurant. It is a small place and it was a Saturday night in downtown St John's. One server / bus person / cashier / bartender / cleaner and she was kind, sweet and a star. There are two guys in the kitchen on food and dishes. All in all we waited to get in but the wait for food was not too bad. We had fried chicken curry, pork, and tantanmen noodles. As well as the chicken gyoza, and shrimp tempura. First the sides. The tempura was acceptable. Pretty good. Not crispy though. But good flavor, your oil needs to be a bit hotter and try adding a little oil to the batter. The gyoza was good. Could have a little more green onion in the inside, but you cook them properly. Pan fried. Crispy bottom and soft top. This is the first time in the last 9 years I have seen this. We live in the states, have done for the past 9 years and all gyoza are frozen factory ones and then deep fried. These were so much better. Add cabbage Finely chopped, garlic, ginger and again that green onion and they would be very close to a Japanese correct gyoza, for using thick Chinese wanton skins. That part is opinion. As is they are your gyoza and they are very good. All three "ramen" we tried were very good. Presentation, toppings, and the soups were all good. The pork was strange but not bad. If you are expecting chashu it isn't. It is pork. But they are not advertising chashu. Of the three the Tantanmen was best. The soup was really good. Not the best I have had but the best I have had is either Misen or Asian noodle in Nagoya. Both are different but good. This is also good. There are sooo many different variations of ramen in Japan. It is an art and every chef has his own variation. This is a very good one. So my complements. For those who have opinions on the flavor or the saltiness or whatever, again this is the chefs choice, and recipe. You go back to the stores you like and don't go back to the ones you don't. There is no correct, and incorrect. If you feel that way, get educated. Different is good and correct. People tour japan to try all the different kinds in search of the one "they" like best. I have two points of disappointment here. And they are big. Ramen should he served piping nuclear hot. This like all other ramen we have had in North America was kinda hot. But not hot enough. Hotter than warm but not like a Japanese ramen shop hot. But I do not fault the restaurant for this. North America is litigious about these things and if you wanted to serve the ramen like in Japan you would need all your guests to sign a wavier. So I get it. I don't deduct anything for this. Just expressing myself. I have lost so much mouth skin over the years with ramen in Japan. The big disappoint, is a big one. The noodles. These are not ramen noodles. They tasted like old dry somen, or Chinese lo mein, or chow mein. Cant put my finger on it. But they are not ramen. Ramen are wheat noodles (sometimes with egg) and they should be crinkly. They are cooked in alkaline water (baking powder). They should be thicker and almost a little chewy. What a ramen noodle actually is, is the one thing that unities all ramen as ramen. It is the only real consistency amongst all shops. Be them road side Yattai or proper stores they all have ramen. I lived in Japan for 20 years. I have eaten ramen from Hokkaido all the way down to Okinawa. I have a pretty good understanding of this. I have seen the store owner saying in other reviews "we don't make Japanese ramen"well ramen is a type of noodle. Your noodles are not ramen so it is simply incorrect to call it ramen. It would be like calling ramen pasta of a salmon a cod. Yes. It is still a noodle but not the noodle you are expecting. You serve great bowls of soup with noodles in them. Good ramen is three things, soup, toppings, and noodles. (And heat but I waive the heat). If I compare this to 20 years of ramen in Japan, and that is hundreds of Bowls, it would pan out like this : Soup: 80%. Yea. Top 20th percentile. That is good. (Tantanmen) Toppings: 70%. Sorry you will never have the same things as in Japan. Noodles : 1%. Sorry. Just not ramen. So that makes 50%. And I give 10% for the creativity. I know how hard it is to get stuff in Newfoundland, and they are doing well. And for the creativity I would say great job. I was happy and surprised to see ramen here. I have not lived here in 30 years. Fantastic. If you have never had great ramen in Japan this is very good and you won't know the difference. But man. If you could get proper ramen noodles. It would just be spectacular.

Came in the day before, and they were closing for an hour between lunch and dinner. That was fine, came the next day. The place was freezing - slow service getting a table. Everyone in the restaurant was wearing their jackets. Decided to stay since we were ordering ramen (so it would be a hot meal). I ordered the Pork belly shoyu, and my partner got the tantanmen. Food came out decently fast. Both ramens were sour tasting and not good. The shoyu in my ramen had similar consistency as cardboard, and the other toppings were mediocre. My partners ramen had a really different taste and extremely non traditional. This place may work for you if you have never had good ramen in your life. But if you know a good ramen, then avoid this place. Maybe their silver lining is they have no other competition in the ramen sphere. Thus, locals have no other comparison.

A gem of a place for ramen. The Pork Belly Ramen is unlike anything I've tasted in other places. Also tried the shrimp tempura and chicken wings. Both are also top notched.

Heard alot of hype about this new ramen place downtown, so I decided to try it with my family for lunch one day. It is a small place that can probably only fit 10, but it's cozy and seems like a hip St John's fast food spot. It's a small menu, so you don't get to choose from much, but what is on the menu seemed top notch. I also heard alot of complaints of it being packed or running out of food at late lunch hour times, but I didn't experience any of that. I got the Chicken Shoyu Ramen with a marinated egg ($17), and my mom got the Chicken Miso Ramen, so I got to try both soup bases. The shoyu had a more soy sauce-y taste while the Miso soup tasted like well, Miso beans. I feel the Miso taste was a bit too strong to finish a whole bowl, while the shoyu was a more reasonable amount of flavour. The dish included green onion, corn, celery, seaweed, cabbage, chicken, and the extra egg I ordered. I was happy with the amount of vegetables and meat they provided per serving. I really liked this place as a place to get a good quality fast dish of ramen for a lunch hour, or quick supper. I just wish they had a bit more variety of soup bases on the menu to choose from. I feel like the place is new so they are getting a feel of what downtown St John's likes, so I'm excited to see how the menu changes over time.

Food was perfect, drinks were good, we ate on the tables they had outdoors on their patio like spot. Well sized portions, fairly priced and a very nice waiter. There's also a changing menu which keeps things interesting if you wanted to return several times.

The shoyu broth was very tasty, but the chashu could've used a bit more cooking & the noodles threw me off because they were like chow mein noodles. The eggs were excellent though, and loved the gnocchi.

Concise menu, a humble + beautifully put together space. Prepare to wait it out a bit for a seat... but know that it's totally worth it. Staff/owners are super personable and take your order upon entering, you pay, and then are seated until your # is called to pick up your food and return to your seat. Pork tantanman was phenomenal, and the pork belly was also a hit. Can't wait to head back!

We four had a craving for ramen and Bad Bones nailed it. Bowls were well presented. The miso broth was chili-inflected and flavourful with no salt added in the making of it. My daughter found it too spicy but we adults enjoyed it. The Shoyu had an enjoyable flavour depth. The noodles were thin and springy, not normally what we were accustomed to from other ramen houses in Toronto like Sansotei and Santouka. The loin was was the only pork available for lunch this time, which was dense and chewy, and I prefer softer pork belly with my ramen but that would have to come at dinner times. Water station, was helpful. Hard stools, wall tables and a single washroom make for no lingering.

It's a hole in the wall on Water Street, not far from the corner where the Alt Hotel is located. Don't let the exterior fool you, it is the best ramen noodle house in Downtown St. John's!!! The staff are friendly and more than happy to explain the menu to you if you bring a friend who has never ever had ramen noodles of any quality besides the instant stuff that come in 35 cent baggies at the grocery store. Ask lots of questions! It is a semi-self serve setup. You order and pay upfront, then you go grab a seat along the wall, then you go to kitchen counter to pick up your bowl of ramen when called. There's complimentary water, cold tea and hot tea for you, also via self-serve We counted 14 high-chairs along the wall.... this place is not crowd friendly. But if you are with only one other person or you're in a small group of three or four, this is a great stop!

Amazing! Great customer service and affordable menu with something for everyone. The best in ramen in town that won't disappoint!

Honest Review - 1.5/5 Many people recommended the newest sensation to hit Newfoundland so I decided to go. We ordered the pork belly and shrimp ramen with two drinks. I will put this in a simple baseball metaphor. Strike One: We were ignored for fifteen minutes after being seated with three tables in the restaurant. After ordering the drinks never came, strike one. (1/5) Strike Two: The fact you have to get your own water. This is not "quirky" this is bad service. If you have two servers with three/ four tables combined this is laziness at best, strike two. (1/5) Strike Three: The food was (2/5) and that's being generous. The one pork belly piece, good. The broth was salty and fake, a 1$ ramen packet equivalent. Egg was cold yet tasty, credit given. The shrimp tasted like salted fish broth. No soup dish, seafood or fish, should have such a strong fish smell and taste you are turned off. Over cooked shrimp doesn't help. Strike three. (2/5) If you want ramen go to somewhere that cares about their service, quality and most importantly your business.

For a quick ramen fix this place is just right. First time here, had the chicken shoyu....delicious chicken breast with ramen noodles and an assortment of veggies (Bok Choy, corn, shallots) in a lemon soy broth... excellent! Coming back soon.

Closest experience I've had to resemble the soup nazi on Seinfeld except for the amazing taste, which is missing. If you've never been there before, don't expect utensils or napkins or service of any kind. Ignored at the door, no menu, no instructions that we were required to get our own utensils, no refills for drinks, don't understand why anyone would visit for a second time. First and lase visit for me.

Went with my family I got the chicken shoyu it was flavourful and filling. Brother got pork belly it was even better than mine. I wish the menu was more detailed on what came inside the ramen as other dishes came with eggs and mine didn't. I read reviews prior to coming that the dishes were salty so I specified to the server I wanted no salt added on all the dishes. Server didn't write it down and didn't let the kitchen know as I watched her go back to he kitchen and yell out order. Smh as my mother is diabetic and has to watch her intake. Server sat down at the table next to us and talked to a friend, I spilled a glass of water all over the table and wasn't assisted with extra napkins, you have to get your own cutlery, water, tea and napkins. Pay at the front. Service 1/5. Food 4/5.

Hands down best ramen in St. John's. There is no sign for this place until they open for lunch. The day we decided to go there were already about 10 people waiting outside before they opened the door. The inside is small with bar seating running the length of he restaurant. Not an overly extensive menu but I found the simplicity and quality of the food very refreshing. The staff were great to talk to and joke around with. Of all the restaurants we ate at in Newfoundland this was definitely my favorite!

The pork belly shoyu is my go to. I haven't been nearly as much since they moved down the road but I'm very happy they moved into the far more spacious spot down the road. The gyoza are excellent and they always have a great selection of appetizers. Pairs well with a rainy day (which we have a lot of) that's for sure.

Gave 4 stars because they gave me what I asked for. She said: ""How spicy". I said: "I'm Irish, you can't hurt me!". Does any have any spare gastro bacteria they can lend me? It was hot ! Damn hot! But, I asked for it and I ate it. It was good. Next time, I will say: "medium". It remains the best Ramen joint I've been to in YYT. And, second best ever. Only been to two.

Premier ramen bar in the city. It was bustling on opening day with the owners working like dogs to feed a long line of hungry people! The food is excellent and I will definitely be back!

A poor experience, I wait for food nearly 50 minuts on the seat , I think they begin to cook after the guests sitting full in the room. Not worth to wait a long long time for a bowl of noodles.

After ordering and waiting almost an hour for food, the waiter who took our order pops by to ask if we've ordered. How many tables are there? (not that many)

Waited for over 50 minutes w three kids for warm soup that does not resemble high quality ramen. Avoid.

Honestly one of the best, if not the best, ramen places in town. Portion sizes are generous, they don't skimp on any ingredient (protein / broth / noodles / veggies / etc) and they chefs sure as Heck know how to make a good sauce! I strongly recommend their Chicken Miso - made with white *and* red Miso paste, and by gosh do you notice the difference! All in all, an extremely pleasant dining experience, and would DEFINITELY recommend to others!

Best ramen shop in yyt. Every bowl is made with care. Highly recommended. Get the pork belly pro tip: you can ask for extra noodle refill at no cost.

After eating here once and being impressed, I decided to go back for more delicious ramen, but unfortunately this was not the case. After being ignored by the waitresses for well over 15 minutes, we ordered 2 bowls (shrimp and pork belly) and 2 drinks. The drinks never came, and we were served after a table that was seated 10-15 minutes after us. Additionally, when the food did come, it tasted no better than a poorly made Mr. Noodle, with the proteins in both bowls being overcooked. The broth of shrimp bowl was noticeably and overly fishy, while the broth of the pork bowl tasted like pork bullion. The first time around I had no issue finishing an entire meal but this time we both left hungry after being unimpressed by both the proteins and broths of our meals. After such a positive experience the first time, it was disappointing to have such a negative experience this time around. When there are only 3 occupied tables in a restaurant and 2 waitstaff, there is no excuse to ignore tables and "forget" drink orders. Would not recommend.

Really good soup bowl. Few choices but that's because they do what they do really well. Amazing miso egg and pork belly, great broth. I'd like to give a 4.5 for two reasons - the noodles need work, and we waited 45 minutes in line because the place is so tiny (so be willing to wait).

The ramen is great! The food takes longer than expected. Not great if you are in a rush, but if you don't mind waiting- it's worth it.