Bokujo Ramen

We arrived right before they closed (we didn't do our research), however we were immediately sat and our server was very attentive and professional. What a cool place! The ramen is VERY good. We ordered extra noodles for our youngest and they came out in only a few minutes. We're definitely coming back.

The servers were great. Myer and Justice took great care of us and we watched Kyle hustle helping others. The food was fantastic and very filling. The restaurant clearly is popular. Justin Warner and his wife Brooke have done a great job. If you are a fan of the Food Network or even if you are not, put Bokujo Ramen on your list of things to do while visiting the Black Hills.

This was a huge highlight on our trip to South Dakota. We snagged a pork belly sandwhich and three different ramens. The kids had beef and absolutely tore it up. Wife had a pork ramen while I had the bison. The broth was rich in flavor but still light enough to drink up. Our waitress Mier (probably didn't spell that right) made sure that the kids were set up and very attentive. And getting to meet the owner was a bonus that we will never forget. We will be back next time.

We found Bokujo Ramen online and I was shocked Rapid City would have ramen. We were staying at Box Elder to see the SoDak sites, and I was hungry for Asian food. We arrived here for dinner on a Tuesday night about 30 minutes before closing, very hungry. The staff were kind and seated us and didn’t try to rush us. I ordered the first ramen on the menu (pictured below). I believe it was the sirloin ramen- the broth was very fatty and delicious. The sirloin came on a skewer, which was neat, but it was a little tough for the children and me. Another member of our family ordered the pork belly ramen, and the pork belly is far more tender. The veggie in ramen was some kind of kale mix, which was an interesting twist. The soft boiled egg was cold, so I suppose they premade these and pull them out of the fridge. Generally I’m not a fan of fusion restaurants, but this hit the spot. Another member of our family also tried the bison bao, and enjoyed it. For kids, definitely have them share a ramen, otherwise it’s too big. These 3 spots: Bokujo Ramen, Powder House, and Wall Drug donuts, gave us some delicious things to eat to break up all the trail mix, sad Sickies burgers, boneless (fake) chicken nuggets at our hotel. I would recommend and I would come again if I were in Rapid City.

My wife and were visiting from MN and really excited to have found a restaurant owned by a Food Network Personality. We stopped in for dinner and both ordered the Tonkatsu Ramen and Green Tea. The first person who greeted us was great, the person who took our order and delivered our food was not. Kind of slammed cups down, slammed bowls down, and zero personality. No matter. I wanted to love this ramen, I really did. The ajitama egg was cold, I mean refrigerator cold, so the yolk was a blob not creamy and delicious. The broth was good, but I kept having to chew these bits of dehydrated garlic. The noodles were good, but left a fatty mouth feel. This is the first time I’ve ever not finished a bowl of ramen. I really wanted to love this. Pretty disappointed, and underwhelmed.

They tried. I've been to ramen places across the US and, unfortunately, this one has been hands down my least favorite. I got the Pork Bone Tonkostu and the best way I can describe it is lack-luster and missing flavor. The broth was the most disappointing part, as it is the most important part. It is missing the body and soul of the meal. It truly tasted like tan water. The noodles felt like instant ramen noodles... Honestly, it could have been instant ramen without the flavor packet... Overall it felt like an unfortunate choice for dinner. The service was decent, as was the atmosphere. I'm not sure if this was an off night but I don't intend to return to try again.

Wonderful food and hospitality here!!! Everyone was so welcoming and the ramen and buns are SO good. We visited as part of a college class and the chef/owner, Justin, hung out with us to chat about the many inspiring and innovative things they’re doing to make world-class food that also builds up the community and sustains the land. Can’t wait to come back!

The food and service were amazing. I had the beef bone with mushroom and chili oil. The soy sauce egg was amazing too. The only downside it seemed was the dining area was small. Seems like if you have a party of 3 or more you may incur a wait.

I am going to start off saying this place is everything I wanted and more. Or expected and more. Either way. I was very please with everything we had here. We were in Sturgis for the rally and I found out that Justin's place was not far and the menu looked great. So we drove up for lunch one day. We were immediately greeted by a nice lady and sat against the wall. The place is smaller than I thought it would be in an unassuming shopping strip. The decor inside is really fun. I walked around and saw the karaoke rooms and pretty wall art. Between 4 of us we ordered cucumber salad (amazing), 3 ramen (delicious and one person referred to the egg as sexy), a bison bao bun and furfaki salad. The dressing on that salad was amazing! We also had some beers, and a bottle of delicious sake to share. Great meal overall! The only thing I think that could have made the meal better was if Justin himself was there to chat with. If I am ever in the area again, I will definitely stop in for something delicious.

I once had a "cheeseburger and fry" meal cooked by a Japanese person, at a restaurant in Japan. I could tell they tried, but while eating I never really was able to shake the feeling that everything was off versus the beloved, original USA creation. For me, those foreign buns, patty, fries--even the ketchup--entered a kind of gastronimic "uncanny valley". And no one is comfortable with or likes "uncanny valleys." Reverse that and it'd be applicable to my experience here. I sampled the "Yokohama pork bone" ramen. The broth was lacking; the egg seemed plain; the wavy pork belly tasted like disintegrating wood pulp. Only noodles were passable. And the bill added to my dissatisfaction with a final sting: over $20, for what was basically an uncanny imitation. But you see, in Japan, at least when I requested "ketchup" they knew what it was and brought me some. When I asked my trendy-but-actually-clueless Bokujo Ramen server for "shichimi," she relayed that to the equally pretentious chef who responded with--and I quote--"no, no fish" (because he must have thought someone was asking about "sushi," this being a "Japanese"-wannabe eatery displaying a ton of glaring culturally appropriate objects and decorations). Fucking amateurs.

Amazing food! Great customer service Loved the beef ramen I had, if you're ever in town and want to eat ramen this is the place to go!

This place is totally awesome - your typical ramen place with rapid city influence! Super fun decor. The ramen was fantastic! I had the one with pork belly and my husband had the one with bison and they were both delicious! The noodles were the best noodles I've ever had in a ramen and the broth was delicious - just needed more salt. The soft boiled egg was perfect and the scallions were perfect in there. When we walked in, the server totally looked like a random guy, not someone who was working there. I've never seen a waiter/host wearing gym shorts and a random t-shirt, hence the 4 stars (and the lack of salt).

Easy to find the parking is right around the corner. The seating is slightly limited, but they have karaoke rooms!! It's a Japanese restaurant with a Western flare. Lots of swag decorate the walls and it's cool! We ordered a bison bun, a little dry but very tasty. Our ramen we ordered was Beef, Bison and Pork. Each comes with a soy sauce egg soft boiled, which is very delicious. The vegetables are well seasoned. The meat is prepared well. Now we are in South Dakota and you wouldn't expect a Ramen! But the reviews were good so we had to give it a shot! It was good, I've had ramen in many places, but it was good.

Still awesome. Liked it better this time around! I wish they had the dumplings available at lunch like at dinner.

5 stars for aesthetic, service, food and fish tank. Seriously, don't overlook the fish tank. It's Mount Rushmore themed. I had the miso ramen and can you believe they had two vegetarian ramen options here? It's hard to do flavorful veggie ramen but this one hit the bullseye. My ramen was flavorful, wholesome and filling. My friend got the bison ramen and enjoyed it. There is also a karaoke room here!

We were intrigued by the promise of bison ramen at Bokujo Ramen and made it a priority to visit when we were in Rapid City. We stopped by for a late dinner - less than an hour before they closed, but the place was completely packed and there were two other parties ahead of us. Luckily seating didn't take too long, maybe around 15 minutes, and we were able to order and dig in to the very unique ramen served here. Bison Bone Ramen ($20) - If you didn't tell me that the broth was bison, I'm not sure I could tell. The aromatics come out first with quite a bit of ginger, then it transitions into a soy flavor and finally a very slight beefiness. Sunflower seeds and arugula add bitterness. The ramen here is on the thicker side, cooked quite all dente with a bit of a firm but nice bounce. The bison, served in almost a kafta-type shape, is very lean and is charred well and cooked until it's easy to eat; not fall apart tender, but also not extremely chewy. The egg here is perfection - marinated in a deeply savory soy and sporting a yolk that's jammy but not runny. The broth is quite light and after finishing the dish, I felt satisfied but not particularly full. (4/5) Beef Bone Ramen ($18) - The broth in this ramen is quite one note and tastes very strongly of roasted beef bones. The noodles are thinner, softer, and not nearly as bouncy as the ones included in the bison bone ramen. There's some kale, scallion, and a skewer of chislic that includes four pieces of tender beef. The same excellent jammy egg is included as well. I thought this was overall a little weaker than the bison ramen. (3/5) In both cases I thought that the broth was missing depth of flavor with not nearly enough body. There's just something off about them - like maybe they are missing some layered umami elements, perhaps. Both broths are extremely thin, without the fattier unctuous elements that a broth with lots of emulsified fat/collagen/cartilage/gelatin typically has. It's more of a thin and watery ramen rather than a thick filling one. Still, the ramen at Bukujo is definitely worth trying, just because the fusion dishes are so uniquely South Dakotan. I would never make this my go-to ramen shop, but it's somewhere I'd recommend people try out. Bathrooms: Two individual rooms through a curtain in the back

This was a really fun find for our first meal in Rapid City. The restaurant is filled with interesting Japanese themed posters and Knick knacks and was very entertaining to look around. Service was prompt and friendly. The food was interesting but overall a bit on the heavy side (even for ramen). It is definitely Japanese style ramen and we enjoyed trying the various combinations. Worth a try definitely to check out the vibe and the (secret) karaoke room!

I got off the plane and immediately headed to the Ramen shop to be honest. The hope was that I would get to meet Justin Warner head chef and owner of the restaurant but he wasn't there initially the food was fantastic. The Ramen is out of this world so much so that I had to come back the next day and I forgot to take a picture of that Ramen, but I ordered the bison Ramen, the second time which was equally as good as I'm eating my Ramen and enjoying the ambience that is Chef Warner low and behold, he walks out and stands right in front of me and of course my mouth dropped open because I've watched him on Food Network since his time on Food Network star what an amazing man super humble thank you

As I was making my trek from Cali to South Dakota, my last stop was in Rapid City. I figured there had to be a place that was on Food Networks DDD and Bokujo Ramen was one of the names on the show. Lucky for me it was only a block away from the hotel where I was staying. The interior is a cute little place and the bar area was a nice little hang out with a variety of Saki choices. After driving 8 hrs this place was a very nice welcome. The menu isn't complicated and pretty straight forward with a nice selection of ramen. I'm always a fan of pork belly so I went with the Yokohoma Pork Bone Ramen, which is composed of Pork Belly, Spinach, Scallions, &Soy Sauce Egg. What I found different to these compared to standard ramens is the volume or bowl seemed about 15% larger in proportion. Regardless, it was very tasty. I enjoyed the ramen and choices here and would recommend to anyone that's stopping through town to visit Bokujo and get yourself some tasty ramen.

Ordered the bison bone ramen and a soda. Got the soda right away. After about 20-25 minutes the waiter told me there was a glitch in their ordering system and my order got lost and it would be out in about five minutes. When I got the bill, they had given me a discount because of the issue.

I found this place online and thought I might give it a try since I was visiting the area. I ordered the pork belly bun and tonkatsu ramen. The oko bun was full of flavors and I love how tender the meat was. However the ramen was not as impressive as I hoped. The broth was very light and was not as flavorful. Overall, the staff was very nice and helpful but I wished they turned down the music a little.

I have been waiting two years to come back to this shop and it lived up to the hype of my memory! I love love love Bokujō ramen! First the food is amazing. I got a bison bun, the mushroom miso ramen, and three mochi ice creams - pistachio, chocolate, and mango. The Bison bun was so delicious - the meat was so tender, the wasabi sauce gave it great flavor and the cabbage gave it a nice crunch. The ramen was so flavorful and chock full of mushrooms - it was definitely a good price for what you got! And finally the mochi flavors were all delicious, a perfect way to wrap up my meal. Additionally, the aesthetic is so fun - they have a lot of trinkets from Japan and cowboy inspired knick knacks. Finally, the waitstaff did a great job. The only thing I hate about Bokujo is that it isn't closer to where I live! I'll be thinking about Bokujo until next time I'm in the area.

Best Ramen in the continental US! Must have the Bison Bone Ramen and doo yourself the favor and the Wagyu fat pls... this is over the top delicious!

This is an amazing ramen place! The decoration and the collected toys are from Japan. You cannot even move your eyes out of them. The ramen are so yummy! Their flavors and portions are very satisfying! The service is warm and patient. I am so happy to find this place while traveling!

Bokujo Ramen Was Such A Sweet Little Place In Rapid City! I Was Small But Was So Charming! We Were Greeted Upon Walking In And The Vibe Was Casual And Retro Anime Themed. The Pink Napkins Were The Cutest Touch For Me! The Ramen Was Hot And Flavorful and For The Price It Was Well Worth It! There Was A Lot Of Food, I Couldn't Even Finish My Bowl, Which Speaks To The Value. The Ramen Was Fresh And Definitely Hit The Spot On A Chilly Day In Rapid City! Although I Am Not A Rapid City Native, I Would Definitely Suggest Bokujo To Anyone In The Area!

The ramen here is pretty good! I heard about it through triple D. The broth was flavorful and had good ramen texture. The bison broth was delicious! I love the egg the most! So tasty and perfectly cooked!

What an awesome little sit down! So much japanese pop culture all over the restaurant! I always get the pork tonkotsu with an extra egg and it never disappoints! Wait staff is always speedy, attentive and kind. 10/10 would recommend anyone in downtown Rapid looking for a quick bite!

Food is awesome, the inside is really well decorated. A great place if you love Ramen.

A+ ramen in a super fun and kitschy setting. We have never been to Rapid City and did a deep dive into the restaurants downtown. The Food Network nerd in me was thrilled to discover that this was Justin Warner's place so we eagerly showed up for lunch promptly at 11am. We had the bison bun and mushroom foil as starters, both delicious. I typically don't love steamed buns (too sweet for me) but the dough here is perfect - seasoned well and the wasabi slaw, yum! We ordered 2 traditional bowls of ramen, the pork and the beef. Added on chili oil, YUM. Especially loved the pork ramen because the wood ear mushrooms in it added such great flavor and texture. Topped it all off with some beer and sake and voilá! Perfect lunch. Highly recommend!

An incredible find in Rapid City. We were not expecting such excellent ramen on our roadtrip - and thematically, one with bison meat! We really enjoyed the bison ramen and the buns, and the service was friendly and attentive.

Ramen was fabulous! Atmosphere was calming! Thoroughly enjoyed my dinner while here from Florida!

We come here all the time and the ramen is amazing! Cute little spot with a small but phenomenal menu. They also have secret party rooms with pinball and video games! Staff is always wonderful too. Highly recommend this place!

Really great ramen, and great service! They have a fun selection of sakes - I highly recommend the hot sake - and a couple Japanese beers. My current favorite spot in Rapid.

I love their spin on ramen! Especially the bison bone one. The place is cool, lots of stuff to look at. Wish they had booths to make it cozier. The people that work there are fast and nice.

Had the chance to go to Rapid City and couldn't pass up a chance to eat at Justin Warner's ramen cafe. It was exceptional. We had the bison ramen and loved it. We also had the Oko bun and Bison bun, both were delicious. Highly recommend if you're anywhere close.

Wow. I'm not always a ramen fan, but the level of culinary talent here is something that most (even supposedly high-quality) restaurants in the Black Hills lack. I even love the ramen! What a gem.

My family and I ordered this ramen for takeout. I picked it up at the restaurant, which had a fun decor and featured a lot of Japanese memorabilia. It is dark in terms of lighting inside, so it's good for a night out and there's even a Karaoke room for events. The staff was very nice and helpful when I came in, and there was a good amount of people dining for lunch. There are tables in the main dining area and also a bar, if you want to do bar seating/dining by yourself. I tried the Bison bone ramen, and it was very good! I appreciated the instructions on how to prepare the ramen if you do takeout to ensure freshness. If you do takeout, it comes with the noodles and seasoning on the bottom of the bowl, with a separated tin for the fixings (meats, veggies, other ingredients), and the broth in a separate bowl so that the noodles wouldn't get soggy/overcooked. It was very flavorful, although I my noodles still felt overcooked despite the careful preparation, but the good flavor compensated for any faults there. We also ordered pork baos which are big portions, and delicious. I'd definitely recommend Bokujo Ramen, and hopefully can dine-in next time!

Delicious spot for those who know what real ramen is... *Dear Yelp, here are a few more sentences for the people who enjoy reading reviews rather than getting outside & experiencing what this world has to offer. Remember what life was like before yelp? We just went places 'cause they looked cool, tried restaurants 'cause they looked nice or someone recommended it... but now, most of us go on Yelp. Why? To read novel length reviews from wannabe journalists? Or are you like me: I just want to look at the menu before hand, check out the prices, & know if I'll get food poisoning or not. Either way, you read this long rant, thanks, I hope I made you laugh :) Oh and thanks Covid for making me lose my Elite status

My husband and I found out about this place several months ago. We are from Arizona and I've been plotting on how to come here. I'm so happy be finally had the opportunity this gem is delightful. When we sat down we were offered their special Bison bun which was eaten before any photos. It's a bao bun with bison, cabbage and a wasabi mayo. Everything about it was delicious. Also that wasabi mayo was the best I've had and I'd buy a bottle of it. The high was 93 and we were hot. I thought it was funny that we chose a place with hot food. The server advised when we got in that they have cold ramen. Normally I would have passed on that but I was hot. My husband got the Bison Bone Ramen (hot) and I got the cold version. The bison was cooked perfectly and the flavors were amazing. My husband finished his entire bowl broth and all which I've never seen him do before. The cold version was weird just because it's not what you'd expect however it was so good and just what you need on those hot days. The flavors are different. The bisons temp was good it was not super cold or hot. The egg was creamy and the arugula is a nice peppery flavor to compliment the broth. The restaurant decorated with cute Knick Knacks. I didn't know Justin Warner has his own action figures. You have the option to sit in the bar, at a counter, or in tables. We got there a few minutes after they opened as we were leaving there was a huge line.

Ok, well that was delicious. In town for a conference and walked a couple of blocks from my hotel to this little cozy spot. Sat by my lame and lonesome self at the bar and was served this huge bowl of amazingly prepared ramen goodness. I went for their signature dish of the bison bone ramen with added mushrooms, and definitely made the right choice! The broth was savory, and the buffalo was tender. Didn't intend to eat the whole thing, but only a bit of self-discipline kept me from licking the bowl, lol. Wait staff was super nice. I'll definitely be back the next time I'm in town!

Love this place. Food is stupendous, service is top notch. Love the ambiance. Justin and his crew know how to do ramen. Just wish the gyozo was offered more often.

Our high food expectations were exceeded! We started with the oxtail gyoza which were deliciously meaty and perfectly formed around the meat. The Mushroom foil was buttery and I will be making this next week at home with a selection of shrooms. Already sated - we watched our Beef Bone Ramen and Spicy Miso hit the table. The portions are huge. The Ramen eggs cooked to perfection. Jammy on the inside and gray on the outside. A process Chef Justin explained to us the following week when we went back. I will be trying this at home. The ramen were infused with the broth and so tasty no extra ingredients were even needed - but hey ho we ate it all. Washed down with some cold Hakutsaru Draft, we left and staggered over to Zeitaku Foot Massage and promptly settled into oblivion while dreaming of the next Ramen egg. We returned for the lunch the following week and enjoyed some conversation with Justin, an extremely polite, interesting and curious person. His love for Japan is clear. He is definitely in the top 5 most photographed "must see" in South Dakota, with only Presidents and Buffalo ahead of him. He patiently posed and smiled enthusiastically with everyone. A classy individual indeed clearly grateful for what he has. He has trained his chefs and the food is flawless even when Chef is not present. A top notch local eatery with zero attitude, the grand master has taught his students well.

I consider myself a bit of a ramen snob. After living in Japan for 6 years I had the chance to try many ramens. Little old Rapid City has a secret. The Bokujo ramen house is spectacular ramen. Great service, has the Tokyo feel for decoration. If you like ramen. Go. Now.

Stopped in here to check out the Rapid City ramen scene and were pleasantly surprised. Definitely a locally influenced menu with their bison bone ramen. It was delicious. As was the classic ramen. Wife asked if they could make the chilled veggie shoyu ramen hot instead, and they were happy to do that. Did not realize Guy Fieri of DDD had been there and also loved the bison bone ramen. By the way, there's actually no bone in the ramen. Just some very tender bison meat.

cute place! it was a little crowded so we had to wait about 15 minutes for our table which we didn't mind because they had a seating area and gave us menus to look at while we waited. the hostess was nice! once seated, we waited about 8 minutes for our server. she was nice and helpful when we had a lot of questions. while we were here, they had oxtail potstickers. my parents enjoyed them but they weren't super great in my opinion. they did come with a yummy sauce. edamame was good but a little salty. our food came out pretty fast. i got the beef bone ramen. had good flavor and i thought it was really good! my family enjoyed theirs. the beef itself had good flavor and was not too tender but no too tough. egg was delicious!! my family had pork belly and bison. they loved it all! it was all average priced and i thought this was a great spot! i would definitely come back.

Bokujo Ramen is great! I keep telling everyone that my ramen here was the best meal I had on my South Dakota adventure. This hip and cool place is hidden in plain sight in downtown Rapid City. There is a large parking lot across the street from the restaurant and plenty of street parking in the area. The inside of the shop is like a teenage Japanese anime dream. There is a lot of swag on the walls, and it looks like church pews were used for some of the seating. The effect is pretty cool and makes the experience even nicer. I sat down and looked over the menu. They have a curated menu with just a few options for food and drink. I chose the bison ramen and a local beer for my dinner. That's right. Bison ramen. I think this may be their signature dish. The ingredients are all local including seeds and greens. The dish includes a generous portion of grilled bison brisket which is just damn good. The broth is bison bone too with a great flavor. The portions are perfect after a long day of exploring the area. My beer was also refreshing and a good compliment to the food. Staff were great and clearly loved their work. This place deserves the respect it receives on Yelp, and if you are reading this review you should head over soon. Bokujo Ramen was my best meal in a week in Rapid City and it may be yours too.

I'm always happy when I eat here. It has both traditional ramen and some unique twists. Service is good and the wait is typical. Love all the comics and memorabilia in the walls. Looking for good ramen. You've found it.

I've had Ramen in a lot of cities, including east, and West Coast - this is some of the best I've ever had. The simplicity of the menu coagulation of ingredients, and the reasonable prices, all make this a wonderful place to stop if you're in Rapid - an unusual place to get Ramen I'm sure you're thinking. Got the oxtail Gyoza, which were OK but still over recommended try as it is a different taste. Would recommend the Yokohama pork belly Ramen over the original given the noodles and broth flavoring.

Everytime I've been there they've always had great service, they have amazing food that's a great proportion for it s price, and the great environment and uniqueness makes them really stand out

Good ramen for the area, very satisfied, good customer service, nice ambience, interesting decor from Japan

The mushroom ramen was delicious, the service was great, and the prices were reasonable. One of my favorite places in Rapids.

A bit hard to find but worth the search. Ordered take out. The food was great the staff friendly. Good all around experience

They have a nice place to eat at but I usually pack a bit farther so I can get free parking. The food is amazing but I try to order my food without garlic cause it cause me indigestion.

Celebrity chef Justin Warner has graced us with an eclectic, fun and delicious ramen shop not to be missed. The place is a totally fun and interesting restaurant that is a visual adventure. The ramen is second to none and quite delicious. Love Radid City and what a great addition to the downtown area. You wont be disappointed, a must visit to flavortown.

Visiting Rapid city we were looking for some dinner. We were reluctant to drop by because of the very few reviews, all 5 stars, but very few. The place is small but nicely decorated, the menu is small and lacks a few items that a true ramen restaurant needs. We started by asking for hot tea, none in the menu, pretty strange for a Japanese restaurant, so we only drank water. The ramen, we had bison, pork and veggie ramens, all were good but not exactly something that would blow you off your seat, but keep on working at it. My issue with the pork bone ramen was that it had very little pork belly.

Good- cute place from lots of travels to Japan. Very nice. Service was good, restrooms clean Unfortunately they were out if their bison ramen Which should never happen as their signature dish- it wasn't busy (Stores & a Instapot could fix that- or order correctly) The shoyu & pork ramen we had were so blah. Darn. We wanted to like it. And cabbage in veggie ramen I thought was odd. No homemade bamboo shoots? We took half of each home. Hard to even make better. Sorry

Belated review-To be fair, I was on a lot of pain killers pre-back surgery. So my taste buds were a bit dulled. I remember walking in late, which seems to be a trend with me, on the front end of a very serious blizzard at the beginning of the week. And what I got was amazingly kind service, no complaints from the staff. And I walked out full, content with my meal and thinking I'd go back.