Tanpopo Ramen and Sake Cafe

I really like this place. Of course, I’m a veggie so have only the vegetable ramen (extra mushrooms) and vegetable based apps but everything has been great. Always good service as well. Decent saki selection.

Great ramen spot I can’t wait to go back.
Duck Ramen is very savory and tasteful. If you’re not a fan of eating off of bones though beware. I don’t mind it however.
Vegetable Ramen is light and delicious and won’t weigh you down.
Everything is delicious on the menu but I think the spicy ramen takes the cake.

Tanpopo is delicious, and they’ve found a way to turn the old Miss Albany diner into a classy, asian-​y fun experience. I took away one star for the inconsistent service. Tehy’ve definitely forgotten things on me more than once, but their amazing pork belly bahn mi makes me forget that. I crave their beef stew ramen. I can’t talk about it without wanting to go get it. I wish they delivered, but generally, it is probably good for my wallet that they don’t. I feel like Tanpopo has joined a new class of stylish, delicious Albany restuarants that are bringing the city into the culinary revolution.

Tried this place yesterday for lunch. Not bad. I ordered the duck which was difficult for me to eat bc it had a lot of bones. My friends ordered the spicy ramen and enjoyed it.

The restaurant is not owned by Japanese ppl. Actually it is owned by Chinese ppl. Broth was good but I could tell they used Chinese spices which is not normal ;((especially chashu and egg) If you are not sensitive or haven’t tried authentic Japanese ramen, you would not notice. But still in capital region, this would be the best one.

My husband and I checked out Tanpopo for lunch one day last week and I was pleasantly surprised. We had passed up Tanpopo several times in the past in favor of Taiwan Noodle house because of their consistently good food and low prices.
We decided to check out Albany’s newest ramen place and enjoyed everything we ate!
We started with the pork belly bun which was some of the best I have ever had, and that’s saying a lot considering the number of times I’ve had Dim Sum in China Town. The bun was steamed with the most perfect and slightly chewy texture while the pork belly was crisp, tender and flavorfull. Garnished with green onions, it was the perfect starter.
I ordered the tonkatsu ramen and substituted an egg for the mushrooms. The best part of this ramen was the broth and noodles. The broth was incredibly flavorful without being too salty. The noodles were plentiful and cooked just right. After that, the boring fish cake, dry pork slices and overcooked hardboiled egg were a little disappointing. I would have much preferred the bok choy and chili paste at Taiwan noodle house.
My husband had the chicken teppanyaki which is basically chicken hibachi without the show — he seemed to like it but again, I thought it was a little boring.
So all in all, it was a nice lunch experience with a pleasant atmosphere and waitress. I took one star away for slight over-​priciness and boringness of some of the food and a somewhat long wait.
I plan to visit again, sticking with the pork buns and switching up my ramen choice a little!

Webster’s dictionary defines ‘flavor’ as the following: «the general quality of taste in a food». When I think Tanpopo, I think quality and taste. You can’t find a single dish in Albany with the flavor profile in a single bowl of ramen here.
If you want your tongue to discover a whole new level of flavor and taste, this place is gonna do it. I can’t believe how much flavor is packed into, let’s say the Bun for example. 3 ingredients: the bun, the pork, and seasoning. It takes like there’s 15 ingredients in it. It’s insane.
First visit MUSTS: Crab rangoon, pork belly bun, and fried dumpling. Any of the ramen dishes you’ll be happy with. I personally prefer the spicy one.
And a great draft list to boot! Alagash, Dog Fish Head (for the hipsters), Druthers, etc. Amazing flavor and amazing beer, how can you go wrong?!

I was a little skeptical about Tanpopo for few reasons. The first is that I loved the trailer pizza that this location was before Tanpopo and the second was I thought it looked expensive.
The restaurant had a similar set up other than it turned half of the front bar into double sided seating. You’ll know what I mean when you go in there. A few other things had changed and it felt warmer inside. I’ll have more to say about it ‘feeling warmer’ in a minute.
I didn’t even want to look at the drink menu bc I was there during work hours but I’ll certainly return for a few drinks some day.
The food. We heard that the pork buns were ‘a must try’ so we ordered them as an appetizer. It’s true. They are amazing and I recommend them to anyone going here for the first time.
I ordered a chicken rice dish. My wife enjoyed hearing me pronounce the name of it incorrectly a few times. Either way, there is only one chicken rice dish and it was very enjoyable.
My wife ordered the pork ramen. Although I don’t like to admit it, her meal was better… she ordered the better dish. The broth was a touch spicy and it was delicious.
All and all it was a good experience and we will be returning. Our total was $ 30 for the app and two meals. Not bad. The only reason I gave it ⁴⁄₅ stars is because mid-​lunch my wife looked over at me and point out that I was sweating. No Kidding! Between trying her hot ramen and the fact that we shared the underneath of our table with a huge heater, I was getting a little warm.
In all honesty I could have asked the waitress to turn the heat down, she was a sweet and pleasant girl and it’s my own fault for choosing that seat. I should have looked under each table for huge heaters. :)

I only know of one other place that can cater to my ramen needs in the area, so this ramen bar will satisfy my craving for a dense and flavor packed broth base and semi-​chewy noodles.
The space is small, and even slightly cramped with both booth tables and bar seating at the length of the diner car, as it still represents a shadow of its previous life. There are small signs at every booth indicative of booth seating minimum requirements on busy days… each booth must seat two guests minimum. It only makes sense because the place can get packed quick! It probably is not the best for groups either due to the nature of its size.
My friend and I were seated immediately at a booth and were offered drinks while we perused the menu. We decided on the pork belly buns to start with and then the spicy tonkotsu ramen plus egg (+$ 2) and the beef stew ramen plus egg. I would’ve added the corn or more chashu meat to the bowl but with all the additions, it could really mark up the bill. The pork belly buns were served warm on a long rectangular plate, sort of awkward being served on said plate as it doesn’t fill the space (2 buns for $ 7). The pork had a balanced ratio of lean and fatty areas and it even maintained a slight crunch at where the skin is. The buns were soft and pillowy, exactly what I look for in a good steamed bun. My spicy tonkotsu ramen had a depth of flavor from its spicy pork paste broth as it mingled gently with the black mushrooms, scallions, and chashu. Initially, the spice was kicking and I thought it would overpower the taste of its accompaniments, but I later realized that it was perfectly spicy for my taste. I used both my chopsticks and my soup spoon to slurp away this delicious bowl. The only disappointment was the egg, as it was a hard boiled egg sliced in half and not a soft and semi-​runny egg that many ramen places master. My friend seemed to enjoy her beef stew ramen and did not feel the need to make it spicy or add any sriracha sauce.
All in all, the umami flavors of authentic ramen may not have completely caught on at this ramen bar, but I really do think they have potential to capture it. If also the ramen offerings included a choice of one additional topping in it’s listed price or halving all the toppings price, I would be more gladly to return often. But for now, this is quite the satisfaction!

Roast Duck Ramen at Tanpopo
While I was in the warehouse district last weekend I finally had my thoughts together enough to try the ramen at Tanpopo. I have no street cred when it comes to ramen, and since ramen is made for zillions of people in the world every day I can’t easily use a single standard against which to judge what is on offer at Tanpopo. So we are going to use the LorreBob method to critique the bowl. The menu describes it this way: «Chicken broth served with seasoned greens and scallion». So there’s not a lot of pretense there. The waiter did not bother to ask me if I wanted the rice noodles or the ramen so I have to take a little off the star rating due to that lack of consideration.
I was just distracted enough by being in a new place and trying to take it all in to forget to specify the kind of noodles myself. The new business left the old booths of this classic diner in place and added a few high stools and higher counters and then added a few textures and colors to give it a more contemporary look. It’s very quirky and charming.
I would have chosen the rice noodles. So when this simple and large bowl of soup was set before me on the table, I took in the aroma of the rich broth, which was savory with a hint of five spice seasoning. I realized I was getting the ramen noodles, which were tucked below a nice big stack of duck and greens, with a generous garnish of slivered scallion. A bowl was brought for bones, ’cause this is duck that’s been roasted whole and chopped with a cleaver into pieces you can handle with chopsticks and a big spoon. The piquant fresh scallion garnish got dunked into the broth so it could do its magic. I went to town on the broth with the beautifully BIG spoon — more like a ladle, which is what we all secretly want. I also forgot all about rice noodles when I collected the chopsticks and loaded them with my first scoop of the beautifully tender yet slightly chewy ramen. Oh yeah. The greens were perfectly tender and complemented the rich, mellow savory duck. It wasn’t over salted, nor was it oily or fatty from the duck.
I don’t know what to call the star of the show. The duck was all that I could ask for in terms of having multi layers of flavor from the roasting, but without those beautiful noodles and greens and rich broth for support I’m not sure if it would have held up. So I have to give Tanpopo kudos for hitting on a well-​balanced bowl. I could drivel on about possible enhancements of this or that, but they’ve done good work. Since I was in a sort of bad mood when I entered the tiny place for a very late lunch, I must say my mood was significantly changed by this alternative to chicken soup, and I left in a warm and cheery mood.
The waiter didn’t mention any condiments such as hot sauce or hoisin sauce, but since he also didn’t mention any choice of noodles I don’t know if these are typically part of the ramen experience at Tanpopo. I enjoyed my bowl of noodles without them. I can’t wait to go back and find out, and I’ll know to be more organized when I place my order, and hope I get a little bit better service from the staff.

I’ve had Tanpopo on my list of places to check out for months, and finally got the opportunity when my boss asked me where I wanted to go to have a lunch meeting.
The place is cool. It’s in the warehouse district, and runs business out of the old trailer diner that used to be Miss Albany Diner. A word of warning — if you’re tall or long-​legged like me, go for the counter seating. The booth in which we sat felt like it was 20% smaller than it should have been. Not really a deal-​breaker, but it was just a little tight.
Anyway, I started with pork dumplings, which were fantastic, and after much deliberation, went with the beef stew ramen.
The soup was fantastic. The radish really added to the flavor of the broth, I thought, and the noodles were perfect. Service was good. The prices were a wee bit high, but I didn’t mind so much. Boss-​man picked up the tab.
Hope to go back soon to sample some of the other items on the menu.

Maybe I’m missing something, or maybe I came here on an ‘off’ day. My food earned only two stars, but I’m giving 3 because the menu is unique, they offer a few local beers on tap, and of course because of the diner car nostalgia. No, the diner vibe doesn’t really fit for this type of restaurant, but I still like it.
The husband has been here many times for lunch, and suggested we stop in on a day off. First impressions: Business was on the slow side that day, but it was during the holiday season. The menu was unique for this area, and intriguing. Service was friendly and attentive.
Sake intimidates me a little, and although they had several options, I went with a beer. We started off with the fried rangoons, which were very tasty. In hindsight, I should have ordered more apps and skipped the ramen. The ramen was… Meh. Although my husband said his was hot and tasty as usual (I didnt try his), mine was served lukewarm. And I suppose the lack of heat might be the reason that the noodles were way too firm. The broth was tasty, yes, but lukewarm soup with a lukewarm egg, lukewarm pork, and firm noodles didn’t make for a fantastic meal. And when I say «lukewarm», I mean that it was barely north of room temperature. I still ate it, and while I recognize that I could’ve asked the waitress to heat it up, I shouldn’t have to do that.
So, will I be back? If you’re buying, sure; I’d give it another shot. But I’d rather not spend $ 14 on lukewarm soup. I am hopeful, though, that this means more ramen restaurants in the Cap Region’s future.

It took me a long time to try this gem, but I’m trilled to have finally made it in and had a great experience.
There was some shame of feeling like I was cheating on my go to Taiwan Noodle, but that all was forgotten after my first round of buns. I tried one crispy duck and one pork belly bun. Both were outstanding, but the pork belly was the winner on this visit. Next up a round of pan fried dumplings. Great crisp on the outside and wonderful flavoring.
I went with the Tonkotsu Ramen with a couple of toppings, egg and corn. This was one outstanding bowl of joy. The flavors were excellent and balanced. Nothing was over or under cooked and the portion was generous.
I think I remember about 8 draft beer options and some Sake to choose from. I was being well behaved on a lunch break, but could see myself coming in on the weekend and making more of a go with apps and drinks before diving into some seriously delicious noodle soup. A person sitting next to me at the bar ordered shrimp rice dish that looked really good too, but I don’t think I could actually not order noodle soup here.
Service was outstanding here as well. I received guidance on the menu which was spot on and was never in need or want as my waitress was always a step ahead of my needs. Can’t wait to stop in again soon.

While the weather outside isn’t frightful (yet), Tanpopo is so delightful.
I hit them up on a Saturday night, and was surprised to see so many free tables. The menu was short and sweet: six kinds of ramen, about as many extra toppings, and a smattering of appetizers and other entrees.
The spring rolls were tasty, though much smaller than expected. We’re talking bite sized. The steamed dumplings were very good (and normal sized).
I got the roast duck ramen with wave noodles and egg. Now, I love me some duck, and I sure got a lot of it in my bowl. The skin was crispy and delicious, and the meat melted in my mouth. Unfortunately, I also got a lot of bones and cartilage that I had to work around. Is that typical? Despite the bones, I really enjoyed my meal. The broth, noodles, and egg were all perfection, and the portion size was just enough to fill me up without feeling overstuffed.
Aside from the spring rolls, I felt I got a lot for the price. Great food, great portions, fast service, nice atmosphere. Can’t wait to come back!

Enter into a dining car and you’ll see a bar area straight ahead of you, then booths nestled on either side. It makes for an odd setting to be served Japanese ramen, but then again, you’re here for the noodles and not the ambiance. The space is intimate, I’d say cozy even.
3.5 stars for the tanpopo spicy ramen. I came in with low expectations (better to be pleasantly surprised than terribly disappointed) but was very happy to find the wavy noodles with a slight bite and not overly soggy. The broth was hefty, by which I mean that it was dense, flavorful, and slightly greasy, but not too much so. I did find it to be too salty, which did not add to the taste of the soup base. There was a spoonful of spicy ground pork to give some heat to the bowl, as well as about 4 chashu pork slices (lean and fat meat). Other additions included sliced green onion, black mushroom, and fish cake.
The price per bowl is fairly steep given the amount of noodles and garnishes (meat, green onion, etc.) served. Lower prices and a less salted soup base, and it’s a good 4 stars.

Finally a real ramen place for Albany. With the same pricing structure as in New York City, the amount I get was about 20% less though. So I think it’s fair to say that it is a bit pricey. Please don’t compare with Ippudo which is really pricey and subpar in my opinion.
Anyway, the miso ramen I had taste the way I wanted. That’s what makes me want to go back and try something else.

Finally, a ramen place in Albany! It has been long-​overdue and long needed.
I missed their initial test trial last year to gauge their ramen quality, but I had the chance to celebrate a birthday supper here last night! The service is quite good, and the waiters/​waitresses are all very friendly. They were very enthusiastic and provided my non-​ramen-​expert friends with excellent advice on what to get and tailored to their preferences.
I got the spicy ramen, and it was less flavourful and less spicy than I had last time, but it was still quite decent. The ramen noodles were made very well, with the Q-​ness (chewiness) of the noodles perfect and not too soggy. The meat slices were tender and not too thick; I enjoyed the flavours and didn’t find the meats to detract from the soup flavour. Finally, the flavour of the soup was well made (though a little too salty). Unfortunately, it seemed like they used the same soup base for the Tonkatsu and spicy ramen (they just added a spoonful of spices in the spicy one, I think), and I had hoped they would have a separate recipe for the spicy soup. I appreciated that they had the option to add extra toppings in the ramen, and as a true Asian, I got an egg in my ramen. For the first ramen place in Albany, it’s pretty good!
The only thing I lament is the price of the noodles. For the price, I would have expected some extremely authentic and well-​marinated ramen. Unfortunately, for the price they charge, it makes me a little less of a fan. Look forward to more noodly fun at Tanpopo!

I’m no ramen expert. I’ve only eaten a few bowls of the stuff. It’s just not something that’s on my radar.
But I know what I like, and I liked my bowl of ramen – a lot. I thought it was very good.
I ordered the spicy ramen and though others have complained it’s not spicy enough, I thought it was. I’m no wimp when it comes to heat either. I can hang with the professionals. I love spicy food. Maybe they’ve upped the heat level after all the complaints. Mine was near perfectly spiced, with a nice background heat that complimented the dish without overpowering it.
The broth had tons of flavor. I loved it. I used the large asian spoon set in front of me to suck down every last drop. And though I’m no fan of chopsticks, I used them to slurp up every last noodle. The noodles were perfectly al dente.
I’d agree with others that the dish could’ve used more noodles. But having said that, I left Tanpopo full. I did not want for more food. And if I had ordered an appetizer, I would have left extra full.
Like I said, I don’t know much about ramen, but I do know that the bowl I had was delicious. I see myself coming back often, especially when the weather cools down, and I need to put something warm, filling, and comforting in my belly. I can even see myself craving a bowl when the weather is hot – that’s what air conditioning is for.

Never did I think I would go out for soup in the summer.
But there were plenty of people enjoying steaming hot bowls of ramen noodles and broth on an August Tuesday at 6:30pm. I sat at one of the counters with several of my Unilocal pals and enjoyed the heck out of their vegetarian ramen.
Vegetarian?
In my defense, for lunch I had just sampled four different burgers, one hot dog, french fries, onion rings, a concrete, and a milkshake. It was amazing I could eat at all. And all I wanted was something light and moderately healthful.
The vegetarian ramen filled the bill. I was pleasantly surprised by the body and depth of flavor in the broth. The bright bitter greens, and the deeply savory dried mushrooms were the other outstanding elements.
I knew enough that «the spicy» would mean pork paste, so I left that out. In reality, the broth didn’t need a burst of heat to be delicious. And despite some reviewers feeling slighted by the portion of noodles in their bowl, mine had more than enough. No double noodle order for me. But maybe that’s a feature of the vegetarian bowl? I’m not sure.
Regardless, this is a great place that’s absolutely going to kill it during winter. The only thing I’m not so crazy about are the prices. They feel just a couple dollars too high for what you get. A few small things could go far to change the value proposition like better chopsticks and linen napkins.
But it’s a keeper. With more reasonable prices, I would go there more often. But I have a feeling this place isn’t going to be hurting for business.

I was very excited that a true ramen shop was openning up in Albany. While in Japan, I had enjoyed ramen on an almost daily basis, and find that it makes for a great meal.
Showing up with my fiancé, we were greeted and seated by our waitress. We got our drinks, went over the menu, and decided on crab rangoon, duck ramen, and beef broth ramen. We were informed that it would take 45 minutes for the duck ramen, as the kitchen only opened an hour ago, and switched our order to miso ramen.
The crab rangoon was in fact the best that I’ve ever had; I would happily eat it in large quantities on a very regular basis. The beef broth ramen had delicious, tender cubes of beef, I splurged on the additional egg, and the the noodles were perfect al dente.
The miso ramen had pork and mushrooms, and was delicious as well. The service was good through the entire experience, and we both enjoyed our meals. The bill came to just a bit over $ 40 w/​tax + tip.
The reason that I rated it 4 stars instead of 5 is because there was something about their ramen that was slightly not as good as the stuff I had in Japan. I find that Sushi Tei’s ramen, which the only serve on Tuesdays, is much closer. In summary, if I’m craving ramen on any day other than a Tuesday, I’ll come her. On Tuesdays, you’ll find me at Sushi Tei. The other part of the four star rating is the price. In Tokyo, I could get twice the ramen for $ 15, including tax and tip, and that’s supposed to be one of the most expensive cities in the world. The prices are comparable to other eateries in the area, and it’s one of the best restaurants in the wharehouse district. I’m sure they’ll do quite well.