Daniela L.
Yelp
It's kind of difficult to tell from the outside, but Samurai Papa is a very tiny place. They specialize in ramen, but serve soba, bento, and rice bowls as well. However, since this is a self-described ramen bar, I already knew what I'd be getting. It's nice to see that Samurai Papa offers vegan ramen on their menu; while catering to alternative diets is becoming more common, finding explicitly vegan ramen is still a rarity, at least in my experience.
The restaurant was fairly busy for a weekday evening, but my friends and I had a reservation, so it wasn't a problem. We considered ordering an appetizer, but ultimately decided not to, which was a good call because there was plenty of ramen to go around - I barely managed to finish mine. The vegan ramen's stock contains onion, ginger, enoki mushroom, garlic, daikon radish, eggplant, butternut squash, grapeseed oil, and sesame oil. Toppings include avocado, mixed vegetables, kikurage mushroom, eggplant, and corn. The ramen was super flavorful, not too salty, and comforting on a chilly night. Even for those who aren't vegans or vegetarians, it's a fantastic option.
I'm definitely interested in going back for the tomato vegan ramen, which I've also read great things about.