Gnar Bar

This place is a total foodies haven, serving up the best Ramen on the Mendocino coast! They have something for everyone on their mouthwatering menu! Whether you eat it there or take it to-go it always delicious!

Cozy comforting ramen on a cloudy day. Now who could resist that. I certainly couldn’t. We are vegetarians and were delighted to see there were options for us in all sections (rolls, ramen etc.). The restaurant itself was small and had limited seating perched to the walls for dine-in. We took a Veggie Roll and Veggie Ramen. While veggie roll was ordinary, the ramen was really really good. Refreshing broth with spinach noodles and fresh veggies. Couldn’t have a better meal!

Everything we ordered here was SO delicious. We got the Tonkotso ramen and it was incredible. We are huge ramen fans and are picky about what we like, and this absolutely met every standard of ours. We tried the Spam Muisibi, which was also a hit, and my kids were thrilled with the pot stickers. 10/10 recommend stopping by here!

A traveler visiting a local spot. It's a pain to find food on the road that has gluten free options available. Found this gem, checked out the reviews and decided to try it out at least once. My partner and I ordered our food and she informed the gentleman of wanting gluten free noodles instead of the usual noodles. He went above and beyond at double checking what specifically she was allergic to and what level of sensitivity. He was a sweetheart and made her safe with the decisions she made. My partner hasn't had ramen in 10 years and she loved the finished product❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️ thank you so much for an awesome dinner

Great vibes, great views from the window seating, food is amazing 😍 great service. Warm and cold food ready to eat for easy takeout, as well as order to go or dine in for a treat. Grab and go food and drinks as well

Always delicious. The tofu poke bowl is worth the trip from Oakland alone.

Gnar Bar always serves great fresh ingredients & is willing to accommodate my requests! Tonight they went above & beyond & provided excellent service. Highly recommend them for a variety of food choices!

Sleeper hit! Poke bowl was 10/10 (ahi, spicy), salmon roll very fresh. Great fast option.

I'm not kidding when I say I've had ramen in San Francisco, Oakland, and Berkeley at specialty ramen shops. But the two Gringos running this place made the best damn ramen I've ever had. The sweet and sticky teriyaki wings -- or whatever the official name is -- were crispy, sweet, and tangy. Hands down the best wings I've ever had, better than any chicken wing spot I've been to. The poke bowl was fire too. The ramen, wings, and bowl each had distinct flavors, but together they created a combination of tasty, savory, and earthy notes that worked perfectly. If you had told me that the best ramen spot was up in Mendocino -- a town usually known for underwhelming cuisine -- I would've called you a liar. But I'm not lying. Swing by and let me know what you think.

We were starving when we swung by after a morning activity in Mendocino! The restaurant was busy, but people ate quickly and go in/out. They had a ton of grab and go items, and quite an array of options on their menu. We ordered at the counter and sat down (bar counters and stools). We got the Tonkotsu Ramen + extra pork belly, Salmon Poke Bowl, and Tempera Rolls. The party enjoyed the poke bowl and the ramen hit the spot. But dare I say we thought the Tempera Rolls were the best we've had? Every ingredient from this roll tasted fresh - from the rice to the tempera shrimp! Efficient and tasty meal in the afternoon, after all the morning breakfast spots have closed. I don't remember this spot being here last year, but so glad it is!

Gnar Bar is a casual Japanese/Hawaiian spot if you want to grab a quick sit-down meal! This was our first meal as dinner in Mendocino after we checked into our B&B. We were tired from our drive up and ready for a tasty but fast meal. Saw the cute sign on the corner and had to drop in. I got the salmon teriyaki bowl and my husband got the combo (tuna + salmon) poke bowl. We're prioritizing eating all the seafood this weekend and this hit the spot! The fish was very fresh. My salmon teriyaki wasn't overcooked and very tender. I loved the tangy but not too sweet teriyaki sauce. Staff were very friendly and the food came out quickly. We may come back to grab some rolls or musubis to eat on the beach!

Expensive for what you get. Their ramen and NorCal roll was just ok. But everything in this area is expensive.

Tasty food for sure! Masubis are very good. Had the spicy chicken Sando. Yummy. Ramen was delicious.

We stopped in for a late afternoon lunch while visiting Mendocino. We ordered two sushi rolls and the Brussels sprouts. After ordering we were told they were out of something in one of the rolls and asked if they could just make us something - we were game And then we found out they were out of Brussels Sprouts so they ended up making something else for us that I didn't try because I was full, lol. The people were cool, the food was delicious, the town is adorable, and if we're ever back in Mendocino we will visit again.

Visiting the Mendocino coast for the first time, we had a craving for ramen since it was a little chilly. Henry took great care of us and we really enjoyed the vegan broth ramen and the tonkatsu ramen with chicken. Both delicious as it's hard to get a vegetarian ramen broth right. Henry gave us a list of great recommendations and we really enjoyed the whole experience. It's a small spot so, definitely grab a chair if possible or I'm sure a to go option to sit by the ocean wouldn't be a bad idea either. Thanks for your hospitality and we will be back!

Beautiful poke bowl, yummy spam musubi, and great service. Charming little place to grab a bite to eat. If you're hungry and in a hurry, grab the spam and go! Nice selection of hot sauces!

Phenomenal food! Quick grab and go, but so worth it if you like sushi and sushi type foods.

First spot we visited in Mendocino! It was the 4th of July, and this was one of the only food places open for the day. Wasn't expecting too much coming in, but the chicken was overcooked and the portion wasn't too big. Not really worth on a normal day, but think they might have increased pricing given they knew it was a holiday. There were standing tables near the window, so we got to catch the 4th of July parade happening on Main Street. There's no seating in the restaurant, but the staff were kind!

Over priced, slow slow slow service, sub par food, non of the workers are Asian! Very disappointing!

We took a day trip to Mendocino to celebrate my birthday, and Gnar Bar was our top pick for lunch--and it absolutely delivered! We ordered the Tonkatsu Ramen with pork, a salmon poke bowl, spicy sticky chicken wings, fried Brussels sprouts, and California rolls. The presentation was beautiful--everything was served in sleek black bowls that really made the dishes pop. The spicy chicken had just the right amount of heat, the poke bowl was incredibly fresh, and the portions were generous all around. My husband couldn't stop raving about the Tonkatsu Ramen! It's a small spot, but we were lucky to grab three counter seats. Shortly after we arrived, both locals and other visitors started to fill the place--clearly a popular stop. And yes, the food looks just like the photos you see on Yelp. Highly recommend if you're in the area!

We passed this place a couple times and I decided to go in and check it out. They have various drinks on the wall to purchase, their menu wasn't too overwhelming and seemed like they made everything fresh and first come first serve. I got these wrapped spam things and they were soo good and big and filling.

Food was fresh, but poke bowls lacked flavor. Needed more ginger and scallion in the sauce perhaps? Maybe just more sauce? My daughter is a ramen connoisseur and said the ramen wasn't very good. Wonderfully friendly service, but chefs were overwhelmed and food took a looong time - 40+ min. Not sure it was worth the money or wait.

We came on the parade day and I think there was a special menu. Their normal menu seems to look pretty good, but this rating is based off of the food we purchased on July 4th. Overall, service was nice and seamless. Nevertheless, for the price we paid, the amount and flavor of the meat was average, and the rice and macaroni salad were pretty standard.

This place is seriously so amazing and delicious! The sushi is on point every time. They are always rolled to perfection and while everything is always so good, I really must say the rice is always cooked perfectly! The selection of drinks is so fun and wide (everything from different teas to fruity flavored things) plus fun dessert snacks as well! I love that they have grab and go sushi available but also plenty of to order stuff and not just sushi! Chicken sandwiches? Spam musubi? Chicken wings! Poke bowls! Just all the yummy treats. So incredibly grateful to have this place in Mendocino. It's always clean and orderly as well and the staff are so sweet!

Very yummy hole in the wall place! not much seating available inside but they let you take the dishes to the park down the road to enjoy there :) had good vegetarian options and even threw in a free Veggie Roll for us - thank you!

The spam musubi was one of the best I've had. Unfortunately, I cannot say the same for the ramen. I got the pork / chicken broth tonkotsu ($18) and added charchu to it (+$6). It is probably the worst restaurant ramen I've had to date. The broth seems to lack a tare base and tastes like one combined chicken and pork broth off the shelf together. It's just plain broth without any weight to it. The noodles were overcooked and had no give to it at all. The charchu was tasty, but I don't think it justifies a $6 price. My wife got the JD roll, and she said the ingredients were like an everything bagel minus one or two ingredients and stated it was ok.

Grilled chicken teppanyaki is surprisingly very good. Well marinated and seasoned with some hint of acid and soy sauce. Reminded me of home cooked meal. My kids said their drinks are fire.

Needed a quick snack and energy boost after an afternoon of driving the Mendocino coast, and Gnar Bar hit the spot with tasty and unique offerings in Mendocino village. This corner spot has seen several businesses over the past two decades but Gnar Bar is offering something different this time. Think of some fast eats you might order to accompany your beer or soju at a sushi bar or Korean bbq and you get the picture of the food lineup here: chicken karaage, cheese corn, kimchi, noodles, seaweed salad, poke, rolls, ramen, and more. Several grab & go hot options are available as you walk in. I grabbed a SPAM musubi that was fresh, moist, with a tangy/sweet teriyaki glaze on the SPAM slices. The furikake on the rice was a nice finishing touch. I demolished the musubi while sitting on the sidewalk stool outside the shop. We also couldn't resist ordering the chicken karaage. About 10 minutes later we were diving into the karaage order and fork fighting over the three crunchy sections of rice flour or potato starch coated fried chicken thighs. The karaage coating was light, crispy, and flavorful. The chicken itself was moist and well seasoned. The order came with a few spears of steamed broccolini and a side of what we thought was honey mustard, but you absolutely don't need a dip for this. It's perfectly tasty as is. One think I noticed on the Gnar Bar website was some borderline Orientalism in referencing the Asian and Asian-inspired cuisine: "Our culinary maestros wield their chopsticks with the finesse of samurai, crafting edible masterpieces that'll have your taste buds doing a happy dance." Not knowing anything about the owners of Gnar Bar, I'm not sure whether it's cultural appreciation or appropriation. But it did raise my eyebrow. It might not be a bad thing to at least acknowledge the cultures from which the menu takes its inspiration? If you need take-out for the road, or just something to munch on while enjoying the sights of the North Coast, this is your spot. Looking forward to tasting more from Gnar Bar!

Without any hyperbole at all, this place served me the best spam musubi and ahi tuna poke bowl I have ever eaten in my life. In my experience, spam musubi goes wrong because the spam hunk is small, bland, or cold; the rice is meh; and/or the sauce is limp or missing. Gnar Bar's musubi had a generous piece of perfectly cooked and seasoned spam on a bed of rice prepared to the perfect consistency. Sandwiched between the rice and spam was an amazing sauce of I don't know what-all, but it was delicious. Kind of like a not so sweet teriyaki sauce, maybe. This is what every other spam musubi dreams of being. It was so good that at the end of my meal I bought another serving to go. I walked around town with it in my jacket's vest pocket (it was wrapped up!) and would smile every time I felt the warm lump against my chest. I seriously almost gave it a name. Ok that last sentence was hyperbole. Most poke bowls fail because the fish and/or rice is kind of meh, they go overboard on the veggies, or most commonly there's too much sauce and you get a big messy bowl of homogenous kind of slimy glop. First off, Gnar Bar's poke was beautiful (see pic) and obviously put together,like the musubi, by someone who really cares about their cooking. I appreciated that. The veggies were crisp and fresh and I enjoyed being able to eat them separately as well as mixed w the fish and rice. The fish was likewise fresh and the sauce was delicious and balanced the fish rice and veggies in taste and quantity. I ordered it on the spicy side and there was just enough heat to enhance the flavor and start a little sweat, but not enough to make me feel like I was being punished. The shop is clean and cozy and welcoming and the seating offers great views of the town and ocean. This was the first of many many trips to the Gnar Bar and I look forward to working my way through the rest of the menu.

Absolutely phenomenal food! This restaurant has definitely charm and an added bonus of good music as well! I would definitely come back all the time if I lived locally. The fried brussel sprouts are especially good as they mimic takoyaki.

I'm always skeptical about Japanese fusion restaurants in small towns. But we decided to give it go. The sticky wings were phenomenal! My poke bowl was drier than I would like, and some more microgreens would have been great. But it was fresh and had nice flavor. My husbands tempura roll was tasty. There was an issue with our son's ramen order and we had to take it back. They were very responsive to the issue and took great care to right the wrong. The grace they showed is the kind of thing that brings me back to a place after there's been an issue. Would love to see them stick around.

Super disappointed with our experience at GnarBar. Tonkotsu (meaning pork ramen) was $21 and they charged $8 EXTRA to have any pork at all--$30 total. My husband got the vegan ramen for $17 and adding tofu was $6. We did not get any drinks, just the two ramen bowls and brussel sprouts, and in total it cost us $60 before tip. This is frankly ridiculous for the quality of the food and level of service. We were the only customers and it took a while for our ramen to come out. Ramen was mediocre at best. Music was excessively loud.

Four stars for friendly fast service. Semi-affordable too. Not really a place to sit down. There are a few seats, but this is primarily takeaway. We got a spicy tuna roll (tasty - not Spicy), some sticky Chicken Wings -good but could have been crispier. Shu Mi also good, if a bit bland. And Spam Mushubi, which was filling. Basically a pastiche of Asian food. All somewhat successfully executed and good when you are hungry

If they maintain this quality, they will be unstoppable. I had the tuna pokey bowl and everything was super fresh

Delicious food and kind service! Just like stepping into Hawaii. Sushi was super fresh and ramen was very hearty.

Incredible poke bowl, tofu garlic noodles, my son inhaled the California and veggie rolls.

This place is a hole in the wall that you will want to visit. Looks like a quick grab and go sushi place but it has a full menu of entrees and ramen. Kids devoured the ramen with grilled chicken and potstickers. The spam musubi reminded me of home back in Hawaii. The katsu chicken was crispy and tasty. We ate all the food so fast I forgot to take pictures. The staff were polite and friendly and answered all our questions.

THE WINGS. I get spicy/sticky. I literally daydream about these. My kid digs musubi. Fresh and quick. Love these folks.

Visited Albion and decided to have lunch here. Ordered spam musubi, pork and shrimp shumai, ahi tuna poke and the chicken karaage. Every item was spot-on sans the chicken which was a tad salty but the lemon on the side handled that. The crew was quick with the orders. The chairs inside were too high for the counter height, making eating there a little awkward. But the most significant detail that made me type out a review was the poke bowl. It was plated beautifully and was pretty tasty. The crew actually respectfully declined my request to do specific sauces to use since they use their own for their creation. And im sure glad they did 'cause that dish was GREAT. If back in the area will surely drop by.

This place is great if you want to grab something casual or to-go and avoid paying $20-30+ for a seat down and dine experience. They offer a variety of Asian fusion warm bowls, sushi, and side dishes. You can order something off the menu and they'll prepare it on the spot for you, or you can grab premade dishes from the shelf and checkout. They are also flexible with creating customized bowls - for example, they made basil fried rice with tofu on demand for vegetarian customers.

Got to stop and try a fun new addition in Mendocino, the Gnar Bar. It's in a great location in town at a bustling intersection. You walk in and are greeted with drink choices an amazing selection, I chose the milk tea. Next you are greeted with a cold selection of ready made choices like seaweed salad, california rolls and more. Then comes the hot counter. I'm a corn fan and adored the cheese corn. The chicken sandwich was tasty too. They specially made the deep fried salmon roll for us, it was fresh and full flavored. The spam was fantastic, my son's first experience. Equally fun was people watching while we ate, always a good time. Great service too.

Top notch ramen ... so excited to have found such amazing ramen in such a small town. We come to Mendocino every year or two and definitely will be back to Gnar Bar. I'm guessing it's hard to survive the very small restaurant scene here....but man I hope Gnar Bar does.

So far so good! Clean little shoppe up front with some of their menu items already made to go. Had their Karrage chicken and tastes satisfying. Utensils and sauce to go. Has bar seating for those who want to eat there. Staff was friendly and inviting. Takes card. Will be back!

It was okay. So much seafood in this town, so we're expecting bigger flavor. But it was okay for a quick CA roll snack before dinner.

This place still absolutely slays! Great beats always playing! Kind operators, the poke bowl was a culinary masterpiece, and again their sticky wings are next level! These guys are pros! Top to bottom the GNar bar crushes!

A welcome addition to Mendocino's lunch options! Saw the menu and organized our day around getting back there for lunch. They nailed the SPAM musubi and kimchi. (Which you either get right or wrong.) Service was friendly and fast! Will definitely go back.

Love the food and all the neat weird drinks! Often times great music playing in the background, staff is super Duper nice and though somebody else said the Ramen wasn't good, I thought it was great

Such an unexpected delight on the Mendocino coast. Would have never expected to have found one of the best grab and go Asian places in the little town of Mendocino. (home to 9 Asian people according to the 2020 Census) Some highlights: The spam musubi was the best I've had. The combination of the "just right" amount of maillard browning on the spam + the furikake delivers an umami bomb. The kimchi fried rice was on point. With kimchi fried rice, the kimchi needs to toe a fine line. Many people don't know that the kimchi needs to be slightly old and sour, but not too sour so that it overpowers the dish. They did it perfectly. One note: The beef bulgogi was a bit non-traditional and probably healthier than average. First, the broccolini is a non-traditional pairing (normally bulgogi just has onions). I really liked how it was cooked and could really taste the wok hei. Second, the beef marinade wasn't as sweet as I've had it in Korean restaurants. Normally, there's a lot of sugar and pears in the marinade, which sometimes makes it even cloying (looking at you Costco). So is it completely traditional? No. Would it be something I'd feel more comfortable eating daily? Absolutely. Final surprises and delights: The rice was really good quality short grain rice. I know a lot of places that cheap out on the rice, so really glad to see they did this properly. It makes a big difference! They have a great selection of Asian drinks and snacks. Was so amazing to hear Thaissa explain what Hi-Chew was to a couple of locals. Will definitely come back next time we're in the area!

Ate here a couple of days ago with the wife, and was super disappointed. The only thing edible was the spam musubi which was decently good. The karaage was so dry and mostly breading... was under seasoned and the chicken tasted days old. The Korean bbq was an insult to Korean bbq. It tasted more of soy sauce than anything resembling Korean food. The flavors were off and the meat used was low quality making the meat taste really grainy and tough to chew. I don't recommend this place at all. So many better places to eat nearby.

Extremely slow service. No urgency on their part either. Make sure you have 45 minutes to kill for your California roll.

Cool little spot in downtown Mendo. If you're short on time, definitely would recommend ordering the already prepared food from their hot or cold case. I opted for the Karaage entree and it took an extra 20 min to prepare. Everybody was done eating by the time I got my food but the Karaage was definitely worth the wait.

Saw on NextDoor that a new sushi place had opened up so I ran over there asap. The sushi in this neck of the woods tends to be kinda bad so I was excited to check out the new joint. So far, so good. They got the rice right, which most places up here mess up. To be honest I didn't get to eat any actual sushi because my cats went nuts and begged them all off me. But that says a lot because these guys are sushi connoisseurs. They won't eat bad sushi. And they were begging so hard they didn't let me get a bite in. What I did eat was very good. The rice was right, the horseradish was tasty and the avocado was fresh. I also got some of the baked(?) brussel sprouts, which were very soft and smoky. And the kimchee, which was a nice complement to the other dishes. I can tell it was better quality because I didn't feel overly full afterward. For some reason, with cheap/bad sushi I feel unpleasantly full from a single roll. But with this food I felt nourished and satisfied. I'll have to go back again and maybe buy two of the sushi dishes - one for me and one for my cats :P

We've visited 4 times now and I've been meaning to leave a review since the first visit. What a welcome addition to Mendocino! The food is delicious, reasonably priced, a close walking distance to the beach and headlands, and the service is warm friendly. They have a great selection of grab and go takeaway- both hot and cold. Or you can order off the menu. We've tried the: kimchi, edamame, rainbow roll, basil friend rice, lemongrass chicken, chicken karage, sticky wings, and spam musubi- all delicious! I'd say the standouts were the sticky wings and lemongrass chicken, but nothing disappointed. All fresh and flavorful! Gnar Bar is now our family's go to spot. Even our more "discerning" teenagers' palates approve. Keep it up Gnar Bar! You guys have a good thing going.

The American dream is alive in Mendocino. This is a literal Mom and Pop shop, a two person show, run by power couple Thaissa and her husband Chris. Together they not only make everything from scratch and run the whole business but also did the renovation work themselves. There's a great selection of grab-and-go dishes, both hot and cold. You coukd take these straight to the beach or the park across the street for a picnic. Or there is good counter seating with a view of the town and even a little of the coast. I had the GENEROUS portion of Karage chicken and white rice with the best Spam misubi I've ever had. Since I'm staying in a B&B and don't want to be eating out for EVERY meal I grabbed some cold dishes (the spicy tuna and JB Rolls, as well as kimchi, wakame salad and spicy fermented cucumber) to stash in my room's mini-fridge, or take with me if I want to go exploring the coastline. Great couple, growing a great business on this corner. Come enjoy a bite :)

We were intrigued by the name of the quaint grab-and-go restaurant: The Gnar Bar. And once inside the doors, the music and happy bustle of the several employees proved the gnarly place was named appropriately. But it was the attention to detail that was shown by the owners, Tysa and Chris, that really blew us away. We are all vegan and were worried about a lack of selection for us but Tysa became enthused by the challenge and personally sautéed some tofu to go into a delicious poke bowl. Everything was super yummy and reasonably priced. Really fun experience all around.

A New Taste is in Town. This refreshingly casual venue served us up some sushi, pork dumplings, kimchee fried rice, (you know the type with spam)and a crispy tofu salad. The food was tasty and well prepared. We liked this comfort food so much that we did the "grab and go" for our hiking lunch tomorrow. The staff is friendly and knows food. We visit Mendocino annually so we were excited to try this new addition to the food scene. Congrats on providing a new taste and doing it so well!

The food was great. Staff were friendly helpful. Not a fan of the seating arrangements.