Samurai Noodle

The service was great. The gentleman behind the counter was polite and very engaging. The food was good and priced well. The portions are large. I chose to play it safe and got the Miso Shouyu chicken and the miso shouyu pork belly because I did not want anything spicy before getting on the plane.

10/10. Thomas gave the best experience. Today I got the passionfruit tea and spicy miso soup. One of the best ramen places I’ve been!! Had this tea that’s was so flavorful with love and then the ramen had the right amount of spicy and seasoning with savory love… no crumbs left behind

I paid 30 dollars for ramen and shrimp dumplings and found the ramen to be bad and dumplings tasteless. It appeared to me like instant noodles were used, the noodles have a horrible texture, the chicken tastes like carboard, and the broth and noodles were incredibly salty. We brought this up, and my company and I both got refunds for the ramen (we hardly touched it, the dumplings we paid for and decided to not request a refund for). Edited phrasing after owner's response, the substance is the same though

This is a true little gem. A very pleasant surprise to discover this place. The shrimp dumplings are perfection and could easily become addictive. Both the Vegan Ramen and the Pork Belly Ramen were delicious and packed with flavors. This is one of the better Ramens we've enjoyed in Houston in a long time. We will definitely return! Oh, and really friendly service too!

I like it didn’t love it. Ramen was good, only one piece of pork tho, noodle were very good unless you get the gluten free ones ( kinda sucked), the broth was normal, didn’t upload a picture of them but the dumplings were not all that, very low flavour but the presentation was okay. I would definitely recommend tho.

We had the spicy miso tonkotsu and the spicy garlic shouyu the portions are huge! We parked in the the garage and they gave us validated the parking for 2 hrs and they told us they do it even on event nights. Really tasty I’m glad I came

If you’ve been to the Durham location and miss this spot I promise it’s not that much farther and the parking is way better. The food is the same but you also have the option of picking up other snacks or drinks. Wonderful customer service. Atmosphere is also top tier. Very close to 713 music hall incase you wanna grab a bite before or after your event. If you havent given this new location a try, you’re definitely missing out.

Wonderful ramen soup! I had the spicy garlic bowl with a chicken and pork broth mix. I added in an egg and it was delicious! The other photo is of steamed shrimp dumplings. Those were really good too. Also, I had never been to one of these restaurants and the manager explained everything to us, what each of the ingredients were (because it was not in English or translated) and made recommendations. I can't wait to return and I would definitely recommend anyone trying it to go for the spicy garlic dish. Breakdown 1-5 with 5 being the best. Taste: 4 - the soup was rich in flavor with the chicken and pork broth mixed. It was a deep and almost creamy flavor. The stir fry bean sprouts were really good and everything was balanced. Two areas in which they could improve would be to reduce the saltiness (slightly) of the dish and the shredded chicken in the dish was overcooked. Service: 5 - small seating area and our server (the manager) was attentive without being overly present. Speed: 5 - the appetizer came about 6 minutes after ordering and the main entrees came out about 5 minutes after ordering. Accuracy: 5 - everything came as ordered. Price to Value: 4 - huge portion of soup for $13 a portion and the appetizer was $5. (Rounding costs)

Spent the morning sightseeing downtown Houston this morning, this ramen shop popped up on my radar in time for lunch. Been craving a nice bowl of ramen, so I ordered the spicy miso tonkatsu ramen and a side of shrimp shumai. The broth was so very flavorful and silky, I drank it from the bowl. I didn't need to any additional seasonings. I could have this ramen every day!

Ordered carryout. Packed badly. Vegan Miso Ramen was just salty water with barely any miso flavor. The wheat noodles tasted flat, didn't complement broth and were undercooked in some parts. Barely any veggies and tofu, tossed in raw. No amount of adding other condiments could fix the dish.

Way too expensive. One bowl tonkotsu, one bowl shouyu; we added some toppings, but 3.25 for bok choy???? The chicken tasted old, dry, and bland. We used to love this place when it was on Durham...

The service was extraordinary and very polite. The workers explained their options and selected the best fitting dish. This was very helpful due to me having a food allergy

Thomas Tang was floored the first time he had an authentic ramen made at Ryo-san's Samurai Noodle in Seattle. The exquisite and surprisingly satisfying experience inspired him to bring the joy of meticulously crafted bowls of ramen to Houston, not without hurdles and the strict approval standards of the founder. Today, I walked into a modernly designed, high-ceiling, open space that is Downtown's Lyrics Market. It's clean, sparkly, bright, and inviting. Thomas is already serving up hot bowls of enticing ramen to the lunch crowd. He's engaging and friendly to customers who walk up to the counter, displaying the same passion and pride since the first day I met him at Samurai Noodle Heights. For years, he insisted on not compromising on the spirit of making a delicious bowl of ramen. He invested time and money in making fresh ramen noodles in-house with ingredients and a machine imported from Japan. The chicken and pork broth are constantly boiling in gigantic pots, whereas others might simply order pre-made noodles and pre-packaged soup base. Every single bowl starts with the soul of ramen, the proprietary Tare (seasoning), and is constructed with the proper noodle that pairs with the corresponding broth, before finishing with an assortment of toppings. I respect the man, his principles, and his execution. Whether it is at his store in the Heights or the space at the Food Hall, this guy doesn't compromise on quality, doesn't cut corners, and doesn't just want to make a quick buck. I'm a boring, old-fashioned guy who always prefers the Shouyu broth made with chicken stock, the noodles cooked at least Kata (firm), and the toppings I would eat last after savoring just the soup and noodles. The high standard, flair, and authenticity of Samurai Ramen remain unbroken at the Lyrics Market. It's a food hall I would visit because of the convenience of free two-hour downtown parking and the fun activities one can enjoy in the heart of the Theatre District. I'm proud to have a friend like Thomas, who continues to dutifully serve a bowl of "simply good ramen, no hype!" Ramen Lyric Market

This is a downdown spinoff of the Heights location, and it's amazing. Same fantastic selection of broth, which includes the Shiro Tonkotsu. Easily the best ramen around. It's creamy Tonkotsu with a sweet aftertaste, apparently traditional in Northern Japan, but very unique in this area. Completely worth a try. Service is excellent, quick, and friendly. All my questions were answered, and I was even able to order extra broth like you can at the Heights location. Solid win. This place is tragically located inside one of those pretentious dining halls that's only got one bar and the restaurants can't serve alcohol due to some TABC BS. DEFINITELY pre-game before you get here, or hit up one of the nearby dive bars when you're done with the ramen. I'll definitely be back, but next time, I'll take more indirect route on foot. Preferably past a few bars. The ramen at Samurai is so, so good I'm still willing come here even with the alcohol situation.

I was looking forward to trying this place bf I caught the ballet. My daughter and I love ramen and the reviews looked good. Service was quick, good location, but neither of us liked our meal. We threw half of it out. So disappointed.

I went here to this location this afternoon for the first time since the one on Durham closed. I was very pleased with some of the red broth ramen I had there, but decided to get the basic Tonkotsu Ramen this time since my friend had it last time we were at the original and bc it looked great online here too. It was very bold, basic, well-balanced and very delicious. The broth was very good, kind of creamy, had a highly prominent bone broth flavor and a miso aroma in the mix. The meat slice was very tender, savory and tasty. The noodles were very good, soft, thin and paired very well with everything. The black mushrooms and green onions were nice additions to the meal. Great, fast n friendly service at this location. When it comes to ramen spots, Jinya and Samurai Noodle do it best imo. The quality is another noticeable food bonus compared to most ramen shops down here.

So rude. Never been in this area before didn't know what to order. We questioned things and he never looked at us.. he told us a certain kind of broth it is cooked in.. tonkotsu didn't know what it meant then he said pork .. we just chose pork because he was so damn rude.. if he didn't want to to be there then he should quit. Name is Thomas. Nice place would love to be informed on things. Like to try things new but when people are rude you want to avoid things. He told the people behind us he was busy to come back in 10 mins..

The worker was very rude! He should be fired ! I went to this place with my friends on Wednesday (April , 16 at 3pm) and as soon as we walked up to the place we were greeted with a sigh! He was not welcoming at all. He looked annoyed that we walked over and gave him business! Unless the worker is fired , I do not recommend this place!

Worst ramen ever! Smelled like animal feces... Couldn't even have a full spoon of the soup - it was really terrible and disgusting.

Delicious- keep coming back. Everything is put together perfectly. Also, service awesome from the one man show.