Nami Ramen

Rolled up in here with my boy. Veggie Raman came out and we was like huh? Is this a joke? Fuck these spoons. Spoon game weak. Get some sporks up in here. Raman: ok. Spoons: Nope

My wife and I moved to St. Louis five years ago from NYC. While St. Louis has an underrated food scene, it has sorely lacked good ramen, which I crave constantly. Every time I travel anywhere (NYC, London, Chicago, etc.), I will hit up one of the top ramen places. Needless to say, when the hype on Nami began, I was very excited, albeit skeptical of the Clayton location.
Overall, the ramen wasn’t very good because the tonkatsu broth was mediocre at best. Either they don’t know how to make it properly or it is being intentionally watered down with the misguided idea that the local clientele would want a lighter/​healthier broth. I’m hoping that the answer is the latter so that the broth can be quickly fixed. When it comes down to it, the broth lacks depth of flavor and just isn’t nearly porky/​fatty enough to make it legit.
In terms of price, décor, service, I really don’t care. All I care about is taste, and If they could serve a top notch bowl of ramen (i.e. Hide-​Chan, Ivan, or Ippudo in NYC; Shoryu or Bone Daddies in London) I would happily pay $ 40/​bowl.

The broth is very good. I ordered tonkotsu thinking it was tonkATsu (pork cutlet), so I ended up ordering two ramens. They generously refunded the wrong order. Very courteous and the broth was very good.
Karaage chicken was very good. Cripsy and perfectly spiced and the sauce went very well with the chicken. The price was a little bit high, but still very tasty.

After coming here twice previously but being turned away due to new restaurant growing pains (running out of food), I was excited to finally try Nami.
Located in downtown Clayton, Nami is located in the prime business lunch location. Luckily, it wasn’t crowded the day I went.
The design of the restaurant is modern from the décor to the group seating (which I can’t say I’m a huge fan of). There are only a few small tables to take advantage of and the rest of the seating consists of huge tables that can probably seat more than 20 people each. I was actually pleasantly surprised that Nami isn’t designed as a standard sit-​down restaurant.
More importantly, as far as the ramen and food are concerned, Nami Ramen is disappointingly mediocre, especially given my eager anticipation and expectations. That’s not to say the ramen wasn’t good, it was okay, and being just okay is good too.
I got the Black Garlic Tonkotsu and the Pork Belly Bao, but also tried the Karaage Chicken.
The pork belly bun was flavored well but it didn’t have that classic pork belly texture that I like in the pork belly used in buns. It looked like it was braised so while juicy, it lacked the crispy outer layer that I personally enjoy. Also, even though the description says that there should be cucumbers, it was barely noticeable and really an afterthought. It’s rather unfortunate because I enjoy the fresh contrast that a cucumber provides in the other pork belly buns I’ve tried.
The Black Garlic Tonkotsu had its positives and negatives. The meat portion was just right and it was well cooked. The egg was perfectly cooked too, and delicious (I’m a sucker for soft boiled eggs). Unfortunately, the broth was just okay. There wasn’t as much flavor development that I would expect from a great Tonkotsu. Maybe the black garlic oil overpowered it but the lack of any creaminess to the broth would suggest that it could have used more time to develop. I also thought the noodles were a little too raw for my liking.
The Karaage chicken was actually my favorite dish that I got at Nami. The chicken itself had enough flavor by itself but the addition of the sauce and the spicy kick put it over the top. However, $ 8 for a tiny chicken appetizer seems too much.
Overall, while Nami wouldn’t be my first choice when craving ramen, it brings an acceptable option in the developing ramen craze in St. Louis.

Yes, it’s a little expensive for ramen but the flavors are well worth it. Our table got roasted black garlic Tonkotsu, seafood Ramen and Jigoku Ramen. Everyone said they enjoyed their meal. I got the seafood ramen and it was scrumptious. I have to come back to try the other flavors soon. The interiors are trendy, their beer/​sake/​wine selection is decent, the service is good, I got no complaints :)

So my wife and I have been craving Ramen for some time now. Nothing in STL that has even made use give a 1 out of 5 rating. The Italian Ramen at Pasteria has been the best we could find so far and that is «Italian» Ramen.
We saw Nami in a STL food magazine. We read the reviews on Unilocal… which have not been good. But we said, they have only been open for 2 weeks. So let me start with my ratings:
Starter:
Boa — pork shoulder –VERY DRY
Boa — Tempura shrimp –really good
**The Boa bun is spot on.
Ramen:
Roasted Black Garlic Tonkotsu — Here is thing, i love garlic, but this was strong. Not to say i didn’t like it. They did miss putting ingredients in the Ramen, for this bowl it was sprouts. The meet that is put in ramen was almost uneatable as it was 97% fat. With all the goods and bads, I thought it was overall 3.5 out 5.
Sho Me, Shoyou Ramen — Now this broth was on point for sure. I have been to many great ramen shops in Tokyo and this hit it. Unfortunately the ramen was in a square like it came out of a 15 cent top ramen pack. That said, I still liked the noodles. Again the meet was uneatable. And lastly they forgot to put ingredients in the ramen again (corn and sprouts).
The complete unfortunate part about this review is that when the very nice server asked me how everything was and I told him of the missing ingredients… not that I want anything because I was satisfied… He went and told Jason the owner and nothing… not even a look up… In so many ways it showed me how treats his clientele and that is unfortunate.
So to Jason… I give you a 1…
To your soup… overall I give you a 3.5

I’ll start with the food: it was pretty good. The broth was a bit oiler, but it was all fairly tasty. I got the veggie ramen to go and was missing half of the veggies. Also, it would be nice if the brussel sprouts were cut in half or something. The to go assembly was also a little weird. I was very hesitant about getting it because I haven’t heard the greatest reviews.
Now for the actual restaurant. It took over 20 minutes for my food to be ready and about 10 more minutes for them to actually give me my food. The staff was also bickering with each other and there seemed to be a general feeling of confusion. I felt uncomfortable as I sat listening to them and waiting for the ramen to be done. I think they need more staff and I hope they can figure out how to work as a team.
All in all, I’m glad I’ve had it but I don’t know if I’ll return. It’s a pretty expensive bowl of ramen and didn’t have everything in it.

Nami ramen is a restaurant that was hyped to epic proportions. The one ramen joint to rule them all (at least until the one on Cherokee St. opens). Unfortunately, despite the insanely trendy décor, friendly service, and hip location, Nami Ramen fails to impress and is a seriously poor value for the money.
Founder Jason Jan (of the Froyo franchise fortune) wowed everyone with his popup last year in Clayton and I think a lot of people who bought into the hype then are now pissed and disappointed at the final product. I ordered the black garlic tonkotsu (their «signature» tonkotsu is almost inedible, but more on that later) and it was serviceable, with a generous dollop of black garlic oil to lend a sweet garlicky undertone to the heavy broth. I really liked Nami’s approach to toppings– the hard boiled egg was of perfect consistency and their chashu topping was rich and meaty, unlike the paltry shavings you’d get at Robata in Maplewood. The noodles are good, but that is about it in terms of positives of their product.
What makes or breaks the ramen is the broth, and good god is it bad at Nami. My dining companion’s tonkotsu was sour– and not in a good way. She could not finish her portion and left somewhat rageful given the high cost of the product. While I enjoyed the black garlic tonkotsu, I also wondered how much of my enjoyment came from the fact that black garlic oil is pretty potent and can mask any weird tastes that might lurk in the broth.
If this was a $ 8 bowl in a LA strip mall I would be more understanding, but since this is not momofuku noodle bar in NYC it’s almost extortionate to charge momofuku prices.
I really wanted to like Nami. It’s clear that a few weeks in they still have some issues that need to be sorted out. St. Louis deserves better, and while i believe that establishments like ramen tei and robata are just there to cash in on a fad, Nami has potential that it isn’t living up towards. This is one restaurant that I hope can step their game up in the future.

I might be going in a couple of different directions here so bare with me.
One of my friends Li Pan wrote a 1 star review on this place and I was like, «What! she has to be out of her mind for slamming this place,» it is only the second legit Ramen place to open up in the ³¹⁴⁄₆₃₆ in forever and whoever is making a play for legit Ramen has to be getting it right, right?
She wasn’t though and after my experience I can see why this place is getting 2 or less stars if not none. I will be focusing on the food because service was good and the ambiance was legit. I like the family style seating and the stools to tall tables, it gives a very modern feel to the restaurant.
I also want to say to you other Unilocalers, stop comparing this place to Japan or NY style ramen, yes we know Nippon is legit in New York but this is St. Louis. Factor in the culture and diversity before putting any ramen joint in St. Louis on a pedestal. I know Robata opened and by far their broth is so much better, not the best ramen in the world, but not the worst.
And yes I will be updating my review because I will come back to try other ramens to see if they are better than the one I had.
First the ramen is overpriced. People say it because it is located in the heart of a Clayton, but Chipotle has the same price in Clayton as it does in the county. I can get past the overpriced ramen. We don’t have ramen spot in St Louis so I am willing to pay a little extra for something I can’t get unless I travel to Chicago.
Second, to whoever owns this place, read your reviews! The biggest thing that is hurting you is your broth. It sucks, it is bland and has no flavor. Granted the pork or eggs or vegetables might have given it a extra hint of something, the broth is what makes your ramen, RAMEN!
Almost every other review on Nami is about your broth lacking flavor. I shouldn’t need to add siracha or more pepper or salt to any ramen dish. A perfect ramen comes out flavorful. I got the ROASTED BLACK GARLIC TONKOTSU and I barely tasted any garlic. Garlic is suppose to be the main theme of the dish but honestly the eggs were. The pork was excellently cooked but it lack balance with the bland broth. Fix the broth. You had like 7 people on the line. Even Munsok, the owner of Drunken Fish was there with one of his executive cooks while I was eating, hopefully giving you tips on how to spice up your broth!
Third, I tried the BAO, braised pork belly and braised pulled pork. The buns were not fluffy and the braised pork was horrible. It is like you were trying to upset me on purpose by giving me that can pieced of meat. Nothing braised of flavorful about the pork. The pork belly, decent but not executed to perfection due to the lack of fluff in the bun.
Damn, I felt like I wrote a story but I am willing to change this review on my second of third times around at Nami.
Also don’t take this as an attack to whoever owns this place. I want you to succeed and be the best spot in town to go get ramen. I want to tell all my people that we have an official ramen spot in town for them to go to,
I know you are a new spot and because of that you will get business but as the months go by people will realize how crappy your broth and bao are and you can’t have legit ramen without the broth.
dp

I really wanted to like this place more. I liked the atmosphere, the long tables and the presentation. We met and chatted with some new people sharing our table.
But there were a lot of cons. I can get Ramen, salad and a little side for 10 dollars in Chicago. And in other places a decent bowl of good Ramen is under 10, especially given the meat portion. Here the one bowl was 13. Broth was okay on the signature, a little too much oil, which left a film on your tongue. If I were to go back, I’d try the garlic.
They also need to shake out some operational kinks. No carbonation in the soda and no toilet paper were a little inconvientant.
Overall, we’ll likely keep searching for good Ramen.

So I came here before I saw the average reviews, before I was biased against this place, and I’m really glad that’s how things worked out. I love soups and ramen. I came here with really high expectations and I wasn’t disappointed.
My friend and I walked here from University City because we wanted to work up and appetite. Upon arriving, I immediately loved the communal feel of the place. You were forced to sit by people you didn’t know and as an extrovert, I enjoyed it very much.
On your table you will find a sesame dispenser, a small jar of salty pickled ginger, and some chili powder spice mix. All of them are fantastic with the food.
My friend and I each got a pork belly bun. Really good — rich, juicy, melty, meaty. And we shared two ramens: the black garlic and the regular. Both broths had that perfect richness one would expect from ramen — you know, the kind that leaves your mouth a tiny bit sticky and greasy. The garlic one had this wonderful mellow and warm garlic flavor. I liked the garlic one slightly more… but my super power is being able to ward off vampires with my breath alone… so i’m biased.
Things that annoyed me and I hope this place works on: I didn’t find bamboo in one of the bowls even though it was on the list, the ginger was SO good we ate most of what was at the table and there was only 1 jar instead of 2 for a LARGE table, we only had 1 slice of meat even though some photos showed 2. That’s really about it.
Do i recommend this place? YES! Do I think you should come here with high expectations? SURE!

A friend and I came here for dinner on a Wednesday night, so the restaurant wasn’t super busy or crazy packed. We ordered our ramen at the counter and found seats right away (we sat next to another group of 2 at a 4 person table). I ordered the shredded curry chicken bao and the Jigoku Ramen. I really liked the curry chicken bao and my friend enjoyed the pork belly bao. I agree with some of the other reviewers who think the ramen broth is a bit bland. The broth could definitely use more seasoning/​spice.
If Ippudo NY was a 5/​5, I would give this place ³⁄₅ stars right now. However, I believe Nami Ramen has the potential to become a really good ramen place in Saint Louis.

What a nice establishment… We visited Nami for lunch. It’s exciting to put Ramen on the map in St. Louis. It’s about time! Service, 5 stars! There was an issue with my Ramen, and they made me a new one right away, fixing the issue.
For appetizers, we had braised pork belly, and braised pulled pork bao. They were very, very good.
I had ROASTED BLACK GARLIC TONKOTSU $ 14.10, and BUTTER MISO RAMEN $ 13.80.
Granted that I grew up eating and LOVING Ramen in Japan, my assessment of any Ramen shops out side of Japan would not be fair, but I really could tell that this business was putting lots of efforts to this bawl of goodness. I appreciate what they are trying to do.
Here is my break down:
Men (Noodle) — Totally authentic Japanese Ramen noodle! Perfect texture, has perfect curls, and color (yes, I am still talking about noodle:).
Tare (Sauce base) — Solid «Tare» for both Roasted Black Garlic and Miso. I appreciated that Roasted Black Garlic was really roasted. So Good! I’d like to know if they put tare in the bawl and pour Dashi over it, or the other way around… that would make a huge difference.
Dashi — (Soup base) — They use pork base (tonkotsu). This is where I think they can improve in flavor. I accidentally got to try it as is (without sauce base) and it was a very clean taste but there was something missing… I wish if I can pin point, but sorry…
Gu (Topping) — braised pork, perfectly cooked eggs, and onion, and corn. Ours were missing Menma. Again, I could tell the care that went into making this braised pork. It can up a flavor just a bit more.
When you put together all components above, the end product was, well lets say, very elegant Ramen. We liked it. Didn’t love it, but liked it very much.
To me, Ramen is something you crave after a night of heavy drinking. You need that «one, two and punch», in order to bring your customer back to the door again and again. Nami’s Ramen was nice. They had good components. I wish that they can find that «punch», then I would love it!
I have faith that this business will continue to strive to create Ramen that would bring people to their restaurant again and again.
I would love to give it a try in few month.
Thank you for your great service! Good luck Nami Ramen!

Why so many children? Why cafeteria/​German style seating? Terrible atmosphere, food tasted great, but WAY overpriced. Might just be Clayton though.
Something must have been bad. Had a really awful evening on the toilet.

I’m all for new cuisine in STL, but I can’t say I’m impress.
Price: they must pay crazy rent to be in Clayton… Or why else would they charge 2x more than ramen house in LA?
Atomsphere: cool hip decore, but its really loud with the high ceilings. Large tables, so if you don’t want to sit shoulder to shoulder with strangers, this is not the place for you. As for the parents who brought their children under age of 5… might want to consider take out next time. The society is just not ready for your adorable ones. Just think of the poor waitress who will have to hose down the area around the table after your child throw pieces of noodles every where. No amount of tip is going to make up for THAT mess.
Food: once you get pass the highway robbery prices and the wait, the food is decent. Good flavor broth. Then again, I might just be really hungry at this point… I was a bit bitter about the tiny piece of pork shoulder I got with my ramen until i saw the couple pieces of bacon the guy across the table from me got. Upside? The soft boil egg was delicious.
Service: the wait staff probably are nicest people ever… Having to handle the crazy crowd, squeezing between the tables to get the good to you.
So unless I win the 1.5 billion powerball jackpot, I’m going to stick to dressing up my $ 0.60 ramen.
Side note: both my fiancée and I ended up having diarrhea. Mine was mild. Him… Not so much. Who knows if it was something else he ate.

3.5 stars, really. I wanted to wait till Nami worked out its kinks but my friends are so crazy about ramen that they dragged me here within a week of it opening. The reviews seem incredibly unfair – bbq restaurants run out of meat all the time, it totally makes sense that this place would run out of noodles, especially given the lack of ramen shops in the city and the anticipation over its opening. Also, the crew seems to still be figuring out how to work together, which makes sense, it’s so early!
We picked Sunday because it was 19 degrees out and who doesn’t love a hot bowl of rich, creamy broth in freezing weather?!
The black garlic ramen was amazing. Our entire table got either black garlic or the signature and we were all satisfied with all of it. The noodles are perfectly made with the right, chewy consistency. The broth is divine, and the two giant slices of pork in each bowl is great for the price. I also like the extra seasoning options at the table.
The downside? The consistency is way off. One of my friends got no bean sprouts, and I don’t like that the eggs arrived cold, on the side. Not sure if that’s supposed to be authentic but I’d prefer them warm and IN my soup.
My friend got a beer but unfortunately, it was warm. And the pork belly buns were definitely not worth the price. For $ 3 we were expecting a decent amount of pork and for it to be juicy and tasty. My husband and I each got a bun with ONE slice of pork belly in it, and NO sauce. I asked for hoisin sauce and they didn’t have any. I could barely eat it, it was so dry.
What was even worse was when our friends got their buns, they had a whopping FOUR pieces of pork belly in each bun. That is way off! We did tell the manager and hopefully they will make sure they are consistent every time. Everyone should be getting a sizable amount for $ 3 on such a small little bun, them’s New York prices.
It’s just so exciting to see a place in St Louis that has nothing but ramen on their menu, I don’t mind paying as long as it’s delicious, which it was. This place will be doing real well until the rest of the three slated ramen shops open up this year! Hopefully they can handle the rush and work out their little issues, because I definitely want to come back.

Came for lunch with coworkers– not terribly crowded at 11:30, but really blew up after that.
I got the black garlic ramen and its was absolutely delicious. I highly recommend it! I do wish there were a few more ingredients, like mushrooms or something in it, but the portion was definitely big for lunch.
The food came pretty quickly, and we were able to get in and out in less than an hour. I appreciated that. The price was a little high for lunch in Clayton — over $ 15 for soup is a little high.

Went there last night to check it out, and was underwhelmed. Granted, they’ve only been open for 6 days, but I expected a little more for the price. I met up with a friend at 4:30 and we basically had the place to ourselves — yet it took almost 30 minutes for our food to arrive (including our pork bun appetizers).
The pork buns were cold — not sure if they were supposed to be that way or just got cold because they were waiting for the ramen to be done.
I ordered the traditional Ramen, and it was just ok. The pork belly seemed fattier than usual, and the broth was pretty bland. I’ve had ramen in Los Angeles and New York that had more flavor and cost less. This place wasn’t even table service (walk up to order and pay) and I still paid $ 18 for 1 pork bun, ramen and a glass of ice water.
The décor was nice, the staff was friendly, but I don’t see myself going back. Between the meter parking, the cramped community tables, the overall tininess of the restaurant, the price, and the lackluster flavor, I’m not in love. There are a few other ramen spots popping up, and I’ll likely be checking those out.

3.5 stars due to tonkotsu-​ness/​flavor vs price/​value.
Perfecting ramen can take a lifetime. Creating a ramen identity that is unique to a personal brand is even harder. I get it and I appreciate what Nami is trying to do here in STL.
Onto my meal. I stopped in for lunch on the second day of opening. I ordered the black garlic oil tontoksu; my husband ordered the tsukemen. Our ramen arrived 13 minutes later, which was more swift than expected. Staff was working hard and very friendly. We didn’t experience any hiccups that others encountered. My mayu tonkotsu was pretty good — I’m most impressed by the toothiness and firm chew of the noodles — exactly the way I like it. The broth was somewhat lacking in tonkotsu flavor, but it was still tasty. It lacked the extra richness and milkiness of tontoksu broths, so I quickly ran out of broth before I could finish my noodles. This was rare as it is usually opposite for me as ramen broths are usually so rich that I wouldn’t be able to finish. The black garlic oil was already mixed into the broth, instead of it spooned on the side of the bowl, so I wasn’t able to see just how much as added in. But I definitely tasted the black garlic oil, and it helped elevate the broth. The chashu pork was flavorful and soft, and the egg was very well cooked (yokes were perfect). Overall, I was happy with my ramen, and I see potential for an even better tasting bowl in the future. At $ 14+ a bowl, I couldn’t help to be extra critical, given a less than expected richness to the broth. To be blunt, it just did not taste like a $ 14 bowl of ramen. One of my fav ramen joints in the NYC/​Japan, Ippudo, charges the same price for a life changing bowl of ramen. It was hard to not directly compare the value differential given the same price levels.
My husband’s tsukemen, unfortunately, was a disappointment. Tsukemen is his favorite ramen style, which is served with thick noodles on its own, and dipped into a separate bowl of broth, then slurped. The broth did not go well with the noodles at all. The tsukemen broth should’ve been even richer and thicker to their standard broth, and neither was the case. The toppings were good but that was all he could compliment on regarding his tsukemen. Tsukemen is a completely different animal in the ramen world and should be treated with the same reverence as the standard styles, and not just be added to the end of the menu board for the heck of it. Maybe this needs to be taken off the menu until the recipe improves significantly?
I appreciate what Nami is trying to do here and we get it, it’ll take time and effort to perfect. Overall, I applaud the efforts put into this long awaited opening. Nami is a good addition here in Stl, as long as it addresses its fixable shortcomings.

One word: DISAPPOINTED!
We went to eat for dinner & on walking in someone working there said «sorry guys there’s no more noodles» (odd for a place that mainly sells ramen), but they still had other items on the menu.
So we walked up to the counter to order & while waiting for 5 minutes for the people in front of us to order, the person at the cash register said «sorry guys but we’re not serving anyone else. The people in front here are the last.» We then walked out hungry & upset.
I was really looking forward to this place since it’s a new ramen Resturant (something I’ve been waiting for St. Louis to have for ages).