Otaku Ramen

Made a special trip to Nashville for this and was terribly disappointed. The place is adorable. It definitely has noodle shop vibes and bar style seating so you get to hang and make new friends with strangers. The service was good. The cashier was super friendly and helpful and brought our food out to us. Tonkatsu ramen, we tried both the shio (salt) and the shoyu (soy sauce) based broths. They were... okay. There was entirely too much black pepper (it formed a wide ring around the top); and if there was mayu, all it did was make it oily because you didn't get any of the flavors. The pork confit shredded pork formed into a patty and had the texture of canned tuna. The wood ear mushroom was crunchy, but cold. The egg (plain, boiled, half) was cooked properly. The noodles was the good kind of noodles and had good texture. I love Tonkatsu broth, and I am sad that this was a place the broth wasn't good enough to finish. Pork bun, the bun was chilled (and the part touching the plate was... you know that kind of soggy things get from being refrigerated? It was like that. The pork was warmer and had good texture but was light on flavor. We had looked at reviews for this place but thought it was low because of takeout/delivery problems. We're still going to go give the Otaku in the Factory a try, it had looked more promising and we're hoping they do better. I definitely won't be coming back to this location again, especially since there are so many other great options nearby.

Wanted a very light and quick meal. I ordered on door dash. My service was excellent. Food packing was also great. My food was very bland. Chicken needed some seasoning. No sauce was included. So it was very dry. My teas was good hence the three starts. However the bowl needed something more.

Stopped by on our way through Tennessee, to say that I was impressed is an understatement: The service is phenomenal. The staff are genuine, kind and well educated on their menu. The service seems personable and friendly, which if you eat at other restaurants you know that’s a rare commodity. The food is flavorful, the “melt in your mouth” kind of flavorful. It’s warm, filling and divine. I’ve had ramen at other places but this was top notch. The atmosphere is quiet… this location is in a tiny little strip mall but that’s perfect for someone like me who doesn’t want to sit next to a big blabber mouth. It’s tranquil, relaxing and really lets you enjoy your food. If you’re ever driving through town, make sure to stop by Otaku Ramen 🙌💕

I really enjoyed this restaurant, and the food was great. As we all know, it can be pretty hard to find good ramen—most places tend to miss the mark. That said, I might be a bit spoiled when it comes to ramen after experiencing some of the best during my trip to Japan.

I'm not familiar with the average cost of ramen in a restaurant, but in this tight budget time, I felt the sting of the high prices. I also wish they took cash, as I resent that pop up to tip every time you dine out and use a card. I used to wait tables, work fastfood, bartend, etc. I get it. Tips are good, but sometimes I want to just leave a few bucks...not 15-25% on a $50 tab for me and two kids (only ramen and water to drink). I don't know what they make per hour, but man... it's a dilemma every time. You order at the counter and bring it to you, just like Chick-fil-A. We bussed our own table. I digress. Anyway, the ramen was delicious. We had three different styles. My teenage son finished his. My daughter and I had to get to-go bowls. We all three enjoyed ours and sampled each other's. I'm a bit sensitive to salt, so it took me a few bites to adjust to the expected saltiness of ramen in general. Delicious! Great space too. Bathroom was nice and overall atmosphere was fun. Music was a bit loud for a few in my group, but we still were able to converse comfortably. Next time I go, I'll be sure

First real Ramen experience and I was not disappointed! Food was absolutely amazing, prices are great for all the food you get and the atmosphere was pretty awesome. Also offer Boba Tea, again it was another first and was fantastic!! Definitely have a fan for life! Can't wait to come back!!

While it has great service and a fun atmosphere, the Shoyu Tonkatsu Ramen broth was heavily peppery in flavor and slightly oily. The pork was not your typical pork slices. The pork bun was cold and broke apart when being handled.

Sarah and the Otaku team always make the perfect bowl of ramen! The West Nashville location is perfect when you’re wanting to beat the crowd.

If you are looking for decent ramen at a convenient location this place is for you. Parking is available in the lot right by the entrance, 2 hours are free. I ordered a to go bowl of ramen, it was solid, basic ramen, nothing special. The girl that took my order was super nice and the food was all packed up and ready to go in just a few minutes! They pack it up in cardboard and wrap the bag tight so I wasn't worried about it spilling. They had chop sticks and napkins already in the bag for me too. It was $20 for just a single order which seems a bit pricy but I was having a craving and this hit the spot. I'm sure I'll be back!

The ramen is good but not the best ramen I've had. Obviously very Americanized and chain-like. But that's not the reason for the poor star review. The service is where they are lacking... When we came in there were 2 other girls waiting for their food. By no means was this ramen restaurant busy, especially when compared to Black Dynasty Ramen across the street. But the gal behind the counter seemed frazzled while taking our order and then handing out orders. I ordered the spicy miso and subbed the ground pork for pork belly and added an egg. On the same tab, my cousin ordered the tonkatsu with pork belly and extra spice. Our bill was $57.91 for our two bowls of ramen and 1 green tea! This was outrageous. Come to find out, instead of charging me $1.50 for an egg, she charged me $3 for additional noodles (and this later became a problem, read further). After looking at the receipt I noticed multiple things were rung up incorrectly. It didn't take too long for us to get our food but when it came out it was all wrong. My ramen didn't have an egg in it and instead, she gave me extra noodles. My cousins ramen was fine, aside from the extra spice. My friend ordered separately but we don't think her order was right at all but she didn't get a receipt and she was too hungry to argue. Lol when I was trying to explain the issues to the gal who took our order and served our food, she made it more difficult than it was. I heard her go back to the kitchen and tried to explain what was going on and essentially they began arguing. It was awkward too because the restaurant is so small, there's no noise beside the customers and there's a thin like window blocking the kitchen from the front end so there's really no hiding. The egg took over 10 mins to get to me and when it did it was cold. L O L. While I was waiting for the egg, I figured I'd start eating and the ramen was barely luke warm. The flavor was good but not authentic, not worth the poor service and not worth $20+. Our service experience wasn't a one off either. The party after us was being served incorrect food too. I'm not sure what's going on here but it is chaotic and I wouldn't recommend. Black dynasty may seem more expensive, but its really not and you'll probably get better service. Go across the street instead.

I remember years ago when Otaku was the only ramen player in town by the way of POP. It was a big deal to me because I grew up on the Korean version (ramyun). I remember the days when my mom would doctor up pots of instant ramen/ramyun with various ingredients in the fridge: eggs, kimchi, various leftover meat entrees from meals prior, vegetables, etc. I still continue this tradition and sometimes go all out and boil meat bones myself, but it's a lot of work and sometimes it's easier just to slap your credit card down and have someone else do it. Otaku has grown and now there are numerous locations. There are other players in town now that can give Otaku a run for its money but Otaku edges them out, but not by much. Otaku's broths are the best I've had. Silky, savory, salty with just the right amount of fat where it sticks to your lips like lip balm. Their broth is like no other. Where I feel it falls short is the garnishes. The tonkotsu shio that I ordered only has 3 "add-ons" for $17. The price is already high (not as high as Black Dynasty) and if you want more, you pay anywhere from $1-$5. That's insane. The delicious broth can only get you so far though. My meal consisted of the aforementioned tonkotsu shio, chicken gyoza, and a fountain drink for a price tag of $32.78. The chicken gyoza was fabulous. Perfectly seared with a delicious meat filling. The ponzu was that perfect balance of salty citrus. I love Otaku but I don't visit nearly as much as I want simply because it's not a cheap meal. For 32$, I left kinda hungry that night. I still recommend this place though for anyone that loves ramen.

Great service and we love the two different vegetarian options for ramen. We have never been disappointed!

I dined at Otaku Ramen on Sunday, February 18, 2024 at 2 pm. I've been to the other Otaku Ramen location about 2 years ago and recalled a much more positive experience. This location was more of a fast casual environment where you order at the register and sit down instead of sit down and have someone come to your table to take your order. I didn't mind this, but thought it was worth noting. The service was friendly and the food came out in reasonable time, as the establishment had only one other diner at the time I was there. I had the spicy miso ramen and it was one of the worst ramen bowls I've had because of its imbalanced flavors and super oily broth. I'm not sure if it's just an inconsistency in quality with this location or the standards have gone down since I last had Otaku. The soup had the perfect spice level for my taste, but it just tasted flat and one-dimensional like a normal homemade ramen. A good ramen broth should be prepared over several hours so you can taste the broth's flavor developing. But this broth tasted like it was made at home after boiling water with some quick seasoning. Also just looking at the bowl, there was a thick layer of oil at the top, which is not desirable in a good bowl of ramen, let alone any soup for that matter. Spicy ramen doesn't have to be oily for it to be spicy. Some oil is okay, but this was way too much. Lastly, I feel like the marinated egg should be standard for every ramen bowl, which I had to order extra. Overall, it's definitely overpriced for the quality I got. I left disappointed and will be looking elsewhere for a good ramen bowl.

I went here yesterday with friends and it was good! I have had amazing ramen but also horrible ramen (especially being vegetarian) but we got 2 vegetarian ramens and I liked them both!

Not substantial enough, this is where a college kid goes to eat and finds there are charging triple if they bought it in a supermarket

Came here based on my love of the one downtown, it doesn't quite match up. The Tonkatsu Ramen was still delicious though. Parking was easy and free. I did to-go which might have been part of it, but the brief interaction with employees was meh, the portion size seemed smaller, and it could have been packaged better to cause less mess inside the bag. Not sure I'd recommend to-go but I do recommend Otaku's Tonkatsu Ramen in general or going to the downtown location.

Have been here so many times and can confidently say that it's been a hit or a miss almost every other time! I usually get the shoyu, and most of the time it's delicious and umami. But for some reason, every so often it is over salted and not as palatable. I guess chef dependent? Portion size is generous, always leaving me very full. Seating is also cozy with close access to water and utensils. A tad pricey (16-18 per bowl of ramen), but not the worst. A good place to satisfy a craving, but not always reliable for taste!

One of the best ramens I've had. I also had their mini hot chicken bun which I highly recommend. The ramen had the right amount of spice ! The service was great and there is alot of places to sit & lots of ramen. Definitely will keep this place in mind if I'm craving ramen again.

I will admit I was a little disappointed! The service was very ok, and we waited a long time for our food. When it did come out it was very basic and the broth wasn't very flavorful like typical ramen broth, I definitely wouldn't say it was worth the price. I did like that they have a little covered patio area and overall is in a good location in the Gulch with cute decor. I may give it another try one day but definitely wouldn't consider it to be one of my favorite spots or even ramen spots in Nashville.

I visited Otaku Ramen for the first time in December and I was very impressed! Although this is a quick service restaurant where you place your order at the counter, the service was outstanding! The person who took my order was so helpful and friendly. My experience would not have been the same without their helpful suggestions! I ordered the Szechuan Miso Special, which was spicy but not too much that it distracted from the flavorful dish! I would definitely recommend others to try this ramen because it was amazing. The food came out hot and was perfectly prepared. The inside of the restaurant was quiet and the perfect place to enjoy a bowl of ramen on a cold winter day. If you're in the area, I would recommend you check out Otaku!

Terrible and over priced. Made with zero love. Don't waste your money. Go to to 2ten or black dynasty where they serve real food.

Food was delicious! Loved the miso and the teriyaki fried chicken. The taro milk tea was a little grainy but still had good taste.

This place is so much bigger than I had realized, the outdoor patio especially is gorgeous. There was a lot of heat lamps outside so its perfect regardless of the weather outside. This location was also centrally located in the middle of downtown so it's perfect to walk around after work! I got the vegetarian ramen and veggie dumplings. Both has this amazing aroma and sauce - strongly recommend getting the chili oil with your ramen for extra spice kick!

Hole in the wall ramen shop with lots of dietary options and boba. This location in West Nashville is itty bitty with very limited seating and mostly a doorway for takeaway. The employee that took our order was nice and we were quickly set to wait for our order. It was a very busy spot. People did not stop coming to pick up to go orders the entire time we were there. It took a little while for our food to come out, but they were crazy busy so it was fine. I got the shoyu ramen and after dropping in the broth and let it steep a bit while mixing, I was then able to enjoy the most delicious ramen I've ever had. The poached egg and pork belly were great, but the noodles themselves were just absolutely fantastic. The broth also was just a great flavor, but if you need a bit more, you can add flavor bombs for a fee. It's a tad bit pricey for ramen. $16/bowl just seems steep, but to be fair, I'd never had ramen like this. I'll definitely be back! I wish they had more seating but I might try a different location next time.

Got the number 3 with noodles and scallions. Nice workers and good customer service. Just cold enough so you can trust you won't get sick. Very welcoming ambiance and just enough seating indoor and outdoor.

Best ramen ever. I always get this when I'm hungover hahah. Always quick to get to my house and packaged well.

We ordered the Tantamen ramen and Tonkotsu Shio. They were both decent, but overpriced - sit down restaurant prices for basically a fast food experience. For the tantamen, the noodles seemed underdone and the tofu + cauliflower were minced beyond recognition. The Tonkotsu lacked flavor in comparison to ramen I've had in the past. I also wish they had advertised the spring special on their menu when you order because it sounds good! We ordered the strawberry & cream boba as dessert which was solid. The positives of this place include free 2-hour parking, the knowledgeable cashier who gave us recommendations, and the banging music playlist. Nothing like devouring a bowl of ramen while enjoying the sweet vocals of Carole King and Billy Joel

I ordered chicken ramen and they allowed substitutions which was nice. Service was fast and food was fresh. Great first time ramen experience, will be back for more!

Came here on Valentine's Day 2024 to pick up Raman soup as a treat from my entire family who was sick. Had a big order with a generous tip but when I got to the restaurant they looked at me like I was crazy and told me oh, we already sent that out. They do not check who comes and grabs the bags. They just let any order go out with anyone, and then forced me and my family to wait while they remade our order in the midst of a bunch of other orders. I ended up getting my order. 30 minutes later than was scheduled got harm later to a family that was already sick and all in all had a miserable Valentine's Day - thank you Otaku!

When people say its a hit or miss they mean always a miss Out of multiple times I have come by I believe only once has my order been correct. The main waiter guy with the wicked mustache is really nice but everyone else seems to be cranky, in a bad mood and dislike doing their job. Their food is so good though I have tried so many ramen places in Nash and the flavor and texture of the broth and noodles at otaku win 100% but its just very upsetting that my order is very rarely right. If you're ordering to go - double and triple check it and if you're ordering in- you will probably have to send it back. honestly though, the service and it being wrong 99% of the time will probably not stop me from going. The broth is so rich and always makes me feel better if i'm feeling sick. Its so filling too I really feel its worth the splurge (little pricey here in comparison to their service) If they fixed these issues i would probably be here all of the time. and more likely to suggest it to friends and groups but i do not think this place can handle a lot of people at once let alone a group of 3 or just myself when its dead!

Ordered to-go spicy miso and classic shoyu. Food was ready right on time and did not disappoint. The spice will catch you off guard though so proceed with caution. Damn good stuff.

There is a nice patio outside and the employee taking the order was friendly. Unfortunately our food was a different matter. We ordered three different bowls, all were overly salty but one was inedible. Noodles on two were overcooked while one was undercooked. The corn in one of the orders was burnt while the egg we ordered was cold. Whoever was cooking didn't seem to care/know what they were doing. Overall I have no idea how they can stay in business with a kitchen serving this. It was a pricey option given bowls are almost $20 out the door and there are far better options nearby.

This place is good but expensive. They have very limited hours (mainly just evenings) and the indoor seating is very limited. It is mainly bar seating which isn't very convenient for groups. I ordered the tantanmen bowl which came in two to-go cups. One cup had all the goods (noodles, egg, tofu, etc) and the other bowl had the broth. It was a good amount of food and very filling but ramen isn't really one of those foods that is leftover friendly and spending almost $20 on one meal hurt me a little when there are so many good & cheap eats in the area. Glad I tried it but don't know if it's worth coming again.

Best location period!! Pop up shop, with a small bar to snack at, but so friendly!! Best service out of any location!!

Update: I went back and had the vegetarian miso broth and the veggie dumplings and they were both excellent so I am upgrading from four stars to five stars. My only suggestion would be to allow for more modifications online to use either the miso broth or the chicken broth.

Wow. Outstanding boba and outstanding ramen. I got the tonkotsu shoyu and the taro boba and enjoyed myself immensely. A real treat. Service was fab and ambiance was lively and welcoming. Come here!!!!

Quickly become my daughter and I's go-to place for ramen. Amazing food! Great staff!

The ramen I ordered was super good! I choose the miso chicken which was delicious and my plate had some type of butter on the broth that was WAO delicious

One of my favorite places in Nashville. Delicious ramen, great service, and I love the option for quick pickup.

The reviews were mediocre but all my buddies and I were excited to try it. We visited the Charolette Ave location. We got the Tennessee Tonkatsu, the Shoyu, and the chicken Gyoza. It was all fabulous. A few reviews on here said it was served to them cold, our ramen was PIPING hot. The noodles were cooked perfectly, the eggs all done beautifully. The gyoza was hot with great flavors! We will be returning to go through the menu!

Only went here because the better ramen place 500ft away was closed. Significantly over priced. Couldn't believe they would charge an extra $1.50 for a little chili oil after paying over $40 for two bowls of soup. The tonkotsu was bland and lacked depth. Do yourself a favor and go elsewhere.

I'm surprised to see the reviews as low as they are! I've lived in SF and NYC and been to Japan many times, so I've eaten plenty of ramen in my day, and this is good ramen. Easy and well packaged take out. I had the tonkatsu and it was rich and flavorful, and noodles had a good texture.

Have been wanting to come here after seeing Instagram and there page but wow what a disappointment! Not only did I wait over 30 mins (wasn't even busy) my ramen came out...COLD!!! There is nothing worse when it is 30 degrees out and all you wanted was a hot bowl of Ramen. Also WAYYY over priced! Don't believe the hype of Instagram or the "pretty" picture

Just delicious. I had the Tennessee Tonkatsu. The broth had so much flavor and was packed with umami from all the high quality ingredients. I also got a few extra soy eggs for later (a smart decision!). I'll be back soon. So excited to have legit ramen on the West Side.

Went for dinner after work, it was practical and fast. Parking lot was important for me and there was empty spaces to park so i was glad, i had chicken gyozas which were perfect i would just prefer to be able to have gyozas as main meal too.. thank you Otaku Ramen, for your time and effort..

I keep giving otaku chances and they keep failing me. Quality has been steadily declining while prices have been rising. Today the KFC was a soggy small mess and they didn't even include sauces. On top of that they didn't package the ramen broth properly and it spilled inside my bag. At this point I'm done and imagine otaku is only surviving off tourists who read articles from 5 years ago when it was good.

Consistently great. Best veggie ramen in town and the Dill Tofu is enough reason to keep coming back! Service is prompt and friendly and the prices are very good for the quality. I've eaten ramen and dumplings here a dozen times and have never been disappointed.

To give them the benefit of the doubt, I must preference this by saying I had just returned from Charlotte, NC and I am basing my opinion off of the two. The Ramen was good, but not almost $20.00 good. In Charlotte I paid for a whole bowl of Ramen and a sandwich and still paid under $20.00 and I felt that place had much more flavor then the dish I had at Otaku. I strongly encourage trying it out for yourself. Some opinions may differ.

I used to work in the gulch and would go sit in and order at that location a lot. Finally I got tired of the lukewarm broth. I stopped going for years. Yesterday I got pick up from this location, I live 2 minutes away. When I opened up my ramen....*sigh* "this is why I don't order here", I thought. Five pieces on ground pork, 8 pieces of corn, no peppers that I paid extra for. Broth was incredibly salty. I didn't even finish my $25 ramen. This place disappoints every time and it's too pricey to disappoint. There are other ramen places in the area that cost maybe a dollar more and the difference is astounding.

We were here in mid April 2023 specifically for their spring special (mushroom udon) which was sold out. We settled for another option. However, our order was given to another couple in error. We had to ask multiple times before the issue was corrected and we got our order. On 5/07/2023, we attempted to give this place another chance. This time we ordered the mushroom udon again. One of us got our bowl, but my partner's was again given to another patron by mistake. We stopped and spoke to two different employees who quickly dismissed us and quickly responded that they were still working on our order and it would be out shortly. Come to find out they never communicated with each other and never started remaking this order. After waiting near 45 minutes, we requested a refund. At that point the manager was made aware of the situation. A refund was given, but there was zero effort made to offer my partner some else to eat. We had to leave and find dinner for my hungry partner elsewhere. The food served was delicious but the service remains consistently problematic. We will never visit this establishment again.

Oh my goodness! Absolutely delicious. Every bite. Perfectly prepared. Perfectly packaged for take away. Don't forget to order the chili crisps on the side. And the hibiscus strawberry boba. Oh, and the TFC. And the hot chicken bao buns. Basically, everything! We can't wait to order again. Pretty pricey, but worth it!

Had lunch at the Charlotte Pike location on Friday October 14. Was really looking forward to eating some good Ramen and was very disappointed. I had the spicy ramen and the noodles were undercooked and the broth was lukewarm. My friend had the miso and the broth was too salty to consume and she likes salty but not like that. Made the mistake of ordering red wine in a can and it was plain awful. I was really wanting to like Otaku but the whole experience was a big failure. Perhaps the other locations have better food, but the Charlotte location needs major improvement. Oh, yes, turn down the a/c. It was so windy so we wanted to eat inside but the air was artic and I rarely get cold. Had to eat outside and hold on to our napkins that kept blowing away.

I had eaten at a few of the pop ups around town and loved the food. I work near the Sylvan location and had been waiting for a day when the parking lot wasn't completely full and I would have time to order and eat there. Today was the day. The soup is so good and the service was quick. The food was hot and the server polite, but 'my oh my' the price is unbelievable! A bowl of noodles and a canned soda $22 and change. I'm sorry that's crazy. And then they charge you $1.00 for a tiny cup of hot sauce. Great food but not affordable on a regular basis.

Heard the hype on social media so had to check it out. Didn't want to run the risk of paying to park so we didn't go to the gulch location. There was no wait when it came to us ordering and receiving our food. My boyfriend didn't like the green tea but the lady at the register let him switch to a coffee which he enjoyed. The broth was SO GOOD!! The noodles were well cooked as well. Everything came together when it came to flavor. I didn't like that it got really busy to the point you really couldn't enjoy dining inside the restaurant. Also it can be pricey but it's worth it and we would try it again.

Literally my favorite go to place in town. You can never go wrong with ramen! It is only available for pickup, but it's packaged perfectly with everything you need. We go multiple times a month and a favorite is the Tennessee Tonkatsu and Maz and Cheese! Splurge and get a boba tea too! The Godiva matcha and pumpkin are our favorites!

Slightly above average quality for ramen. Considerably overpriced. Worth a one time visit.

The ramen is good, but they just got my takeout order wrong AGAIN. This is the third time. I add mushrooms and bean sprouts to the spicy ramen, but they always forget one of the ingredients. Last time they forgot the egg that is always supposed to come with it. This time the mushrooms are missing and there's also celery in it? That's never been there before. Pretty disappointing since this is the closest location to my house! I am hoping Nashville will get more ramen options soon!