Rai Rai Ramen

Came in on a Saturday night for my first ramen visit in Jersey and was not disappointed! This place came highly recommended by a friend and we can’t wait to go back.
The restaurant sits in a small strip mall with an unappealing front. But don’t let that fool you, the inside is packed and full of busy servers and hungry eaters. Also, it’s BYOB! It was packed when we arrived and we had 5 groups of diners before us and only waited 20 mins for a table! Table turnovers are fast here.
We ordered (one of my fave dishes) shumai as a starter. Gave it 3 stars as I’ve had better but this still satisfied my shumai craving.
We then ordered a butter corn ramen (added an egg) and a curry chicken katsu ramen both in low sodium broth as recommended by other reviewers. The chasui (pork) together with the corn, green onions, and seaweed was amazing!!! I only wished there was more chasui in my ramen! The chicken katsu was perfectly crispy and we both added some hot oil paste from the table to our bowls. Food was fantastic!
Left with our bellies full and a happy goodbye greeting from the servers. All in all, a great experience for our first ramen spot. Can’t wait to come back!

I guess they had a fire and renovated the place. It’s a very Asian inspired dining hall. Almost cafeteria like. But that’s what brings an interesting experience to this place. Plus the ramen… delicious!
I went with a friend and had the seafood ramen. I asked for low sodium. They give complimentary tea which was very nice.
My seafood ramen was perfect. I ate the entire thing. If you love ramen, Asian cuisine and culture, you must come to this place. I’ll be returning soon.

After some fire accident, the restaurant is now reopened. It is better than before I think. The remodeling really improve the atmosphere that adds to the already good food that I used to enjoy.
Now it is getting popular and getting a table is becoming increasingly difficult. Try their Pop Corn Chicken… good stuff.

I haven’t been here in a while since just before three closed for renovations. The décor has definitely improved the look of the inside. The ramen is pretty decent and pretty large portions. The pork bun is a must try. The mini ramen set are a good size of you are hungry but not starving. The flavors of the ramen are pretty unique and different kinds of toppings.

This place is all hype, read the reviews and decided to try this place out and was very disappointed. I saw the pictures and I was already skeptical, but I had to try it out myself.
I ordered the very popular mochiko chicken, and that was good, fried nicely and the sauce was good. But that was the only thing good at this place.
I asked the waiter to recommend me a ramen and he said the Mayo ramen was good, so I went with it. When it came out it looked alright, but I then tried the soup, it was bland, flavorless, and bland! The heart and soul of ramen is the aoup it self, so when the soup is not good, the whole experience isnt either!
If this place is going to be a ramen place, then they have to work on authenticity, and taste. I would have to say I fell into the trap as what good ramen place also serves taiwanese food? Does that make sense?

This place is fantastic. I’d give it 5 stars if they made their own noodles, because I’m picky like that, but it’s definitely the best ramen I’ve found in the area! (Okay, yes, there aren’t many in the area, but this place could hold its own in NYC, too.)
The broth is fantastic, and I love that they have a low-​salt option (which is still plenty flavorful, and still salty). The ramen is consistent and tasty, and the menu is varied enough to keep lots of different people happy, so it’s a great place to head with a group — though they do get busy, so it’s a good idea to call ahead!

When it’s frigid outside and you need something that hits the spot, check out Rai Rai Ramen. Right away, you’re greeted with friendly staff and a cozy interior that makes you feel right at home. It was my first time there, thanks to my friend for recommending it. I ordered curry chasiu ramen and Japanese pork buns. My oh my, it was delish! For the ramen soup, you can choose regular or low sodium… took the latter and was delish! For the Japanese pork buns, it was a unique spin where it was on a bao with lettuce and sliced pork belly. The marinade is just right and two will fill you good along with the ramen. All in all, I’ll gladly come back! :)

I am not a ramen person. My wife begged me to try this place out. I had zero expectations. I have to give a positive review. The ramen had good flavor. Not too salty. Not too bland. I also ordered a chicken curry katsi which hit the spot. The prices was very good for the serving size. We also ordered some chicken on the appetizer menu and that alone made me full. It came with a good sesame ginger dipping sauce. The outside plaza looks old but when you walk in, place looks modern. Very good place.

I don’t really want to be a downer, but I don’t get the great reviews? I ordered take out this time and my eating partner in crime concluded we don’t need to drive all the way to Franklin Park to get ramen that doesn’t satisfy our cravings.
I took some pics to show you how much food you get compared to dine in. I ordered the Ox tail specialty ramen, the Shio Ramen, and Japanese fried rice. The positives with this experience was the friendly customer service, separation of noodle from soup, and the large amount of fried rice they packed in the take out container. The not so positive (not necessarily horrible)? I’m just not a fan of the noodles, ie texture and flavor. Not a fan of the Charsui which was in the Shio ramen and fried rice. I’ve had better pork belly. The soup for both the Shio and Oxtail ramen were too salty, which overwhelm the soup flavor. They did ask me if I wanted the low sodium version, which I should have taken them up on.
The oxtail was ok it was on the tougher side. They gave only 3 small pieces. The soup base was a beef broth with ginger flavor. The fried rice was great in quantity, but not to die for as it is comparable to chinese take out. There’s tough bits of Charsui, fish cake, scallions, onion, egg and rice.
The food isn’t horrible but I don’t need to try those dishes again. I understand that this is their take on Ramen as this is a Chinese/​Taiwanese establishment. They have other dishes I would try, but I have a feeling it’s more of the same. I would come back with friends, but it wouldn’t be my first choice.

I’ve had better ramen. The flavor was pretty bland.
Added soy sauce and my own hot sauce for more of a kick.
Probably would look elsewhere for better in the future.

I LOVE this place. There might be a wait depending what time you go, but it’s worth it! The service here is pretty good and they have a super friendly staff. If you’re new to the place, the waiters will give you their honest and helpful opinions on the menu if you ask for it. I’ve tried the House, Gomoku, and Buttercorn ramen here. The Gomoku so far is my favorite! If you’re into savory foods, opt for the buttercorn ramen. Also try their Mochi Ko Chicken for the appetizer! One of the best fried chicken I have ever tasted! If you’re a ramen lover, give this place a try.

There’s absolutely nothing about this place that I don’t love! I love LOVE everything about them! The food, the service, the people … They’re all to die for! Although it didn’t stop me from coming in, I wasn’t too fond of their décor before. I was bumped when they had a fire and had to close down for couple months. But now they’re back and they’re pumping it up all to the best! Love their décor now, feels brighter and more spacious. And they add more friendly and super nice staff as well.
I’ve tried almost everything on their ramen section, and love all of it! I’m super hooked on their 2^nd generation of hakata. Rich, creamy and super satisfying broth! Also love their Japanese fried rice, and chicken katsu. Generous portions and reasonable prices ranging from $ 9 — $ 13. There’s the one man (i think he’s one of the owners) who is always there whenever I stopped by, he’s really friendly, sincere and nice. Everyone there is just so great! Just excellent! SUPERB!!!
Some saving tips, pay with cash, and they’ll give you 5% discount! Who doesn’t love that?! So Unilocalers, if you haven’t join the ramen wagon … Checkout this place and be prepare to get hooked!

Upon our arrival around 6:30 pm, we were immediately seated.
We tried the Gomoku and wonton ramen noodle bowls with low sodium.
Out of the two, the wonton ramen noodle bowl was our favorite. You will get about six delicious wontons in a pork broth with wavy ramen noddles. The size portion was fair.
You can order extra-​noodle for around $ 3.65.
It was easy and free to park on their private parking lot free of debris.

There aren’t …almost any… ramen places in the area. For the lack of competition this place does do a pretty good job at the ramen. They re-​opened after some serious construction and opened its doors to an entirely new look. I was impressed by the new space and design it looked very modern and clean.
Since it was a first time in re-​opening the wait for a table was crazy. People were packing in the front reception desk area. When we finally got a table I think the waiters were backed up and took at least 15 minutes for someone to bring us tea and then another 5 – 10 to take our order. Of course this is to be expected opening weekend you really cant fault them too much on this. The service was NOT like that before the construction. Im sure things will pan out as time goes on.
We ordered ramen of course but I don believe they offered my favorite kind which is the pork broth kind. This was disappointing as I feel this is a staple broth for ramen houses (I suppose depending on region of Japan they are from, but still.). I had to compromise with getting a different one that was good but lacked the depth of flavor a traditional pork broth would normally give you. The soy sauce eggs were great as well as the minced pork over rice. Would definitely recommend these as well.
In any other area I would give a 3.5 rating but since Jersey doesn’t have many ramen houses I’ll splurge for the 4 star review.

**UPDATE**
Rai rai is back to its four star self. They have more servers working and have updated their ordering system. Efficient. Delicious. Just the way I love my rai rai.
I really hate to do this because I LOVE rai rai, but the service tonight was so slow, they have to be called on it. They are definitely understaffed, especially for just having reopened after a lengthy hiatus. Bill was the only one taking orders. The other girl working was limited to bringing water and tea to the table and clearing dirty dishes as people finished.
The ramen itself (I got the mayo with extra noodles) was just as wonderful as I had remembered. However, the fact that we had to wait 25 minutes to have our order taken was not so wonderful. They desperately need another server working, as customers can only be expected to have so much patience. I felt bad for the mob of people waiting to be seated as we were leaving because I’m sure that their whole experience would be a minimum of a two hour ordeal. Thankfully we went on the early side.
Rai rai, hire extra servers before you turn too many people off!

This place got super busy after they made the rennovations. The service and food isn’t as good as I remembered it to be, but the restaurant looks nicer inside.
My bf and I came here and we ordered the miso ramen and the charsiu miso ramen. Less than 5 minutes later, the server came out with the shoyu ramen for him, which we did not order. I thought the order came out wayyyy too quick? They probably gave us someone else’s ramen. We couldn’t complain though. The broth for the shoyu ramen was A LOT more flavorful and more dense than the miso ramen. The noodles were a little overcooked in my opinion. I like my noodles cooked al dente but these noodles were cooked longer and it was less chewy.
For appetizers, we ordered the roti canai. I’m used to the roti canai that I order at thai restaurants so this dish was not what I had expected. I really liked the bread they served, it was thicker and chewier than the bread I’m used to eating at thai restaurants. The curry they served was not the kind that I’m used to either. It was too spicy and strong, but if you like japanese curry you would like this. The presentation was poor– they literally just poured a little spoonful of curry in a plastic cup and served it with the bread. It looked like it was packed for takeout. We also got the appetizer when we were almost done with our noodles.
Prices are reasonable. This place does not exceed my expectations, but it’s much better than the other ramen shops around.

I agree with fellow Unilocalers… the food here is great-​it tastes good, the servings are generous and it looks healthy!
Was crowded on a Saturday even at 9:30 PM in the night. so they are definitely doing things right here. The good thing is that the turnaround is quick and we got a table in 15 mins.
The small little downside is the service .you have to ask for things rather than they coming to you .be it water or small plates but then that isn’t that big of a deal. Must try and we are definitely heading back for more soon!

So it was my brother’s & my first time ever to this place for my early birthday dinner. Therefore we had no clue about how it ever looked even before renovations. To be completely honest, I was not expecting much of this place. Literally from the outside, you would have thought this place to be a bit small. But once we came inside, this place looks soooo super nice. Like retro but modern.
I guess me and my brother were in luck because our service was less than 10 minutes. The host that sat me and my brother, was super nice and he was so helpful. He even suggested something special for me because since it was out first time, and I didn’t know what to order. I had the special but unfortunately I don’t know the name. My brother had one of the regulars with shrimp.
We also ordered Roti Canai which was so good. I still wouldn’t compare it to Penang’s Roti Canai but it is still in the same ballpark. My brother and I will definitely be back there. Thank Rai Rai!

Crowded but worth the wait I would say (25 min wait on Friday night). The décor is mediocre, basically looks like everything is furnished by IKEA.
The pork bun was meh but the house ramen was BOMB. This place is low key one of the best ramen places I’ve been to. So filling and came with egg, pork, oyster, seaweed. The restaurant was super busy and the staff did their best to accommodate all the people coming in and out. Definitely should check this place out!

Vegetarians have lots of options to choose from! Spicy and non-​spicy. I had the veggie curry ramen dish — very good. I think I’ll Add fried tofu next time :)
–Chicken katsu was very good as well! Hubby really enjoyed it on a cold day.
I personally really liked roti canai. It was different then most places severed with a herbed paratha and a creamed curry chicken sauce. Can’t wait to go back !!