Shinjuku Sushi and Ramen

I had never heard of this place since it just opened but stopped by while driving by on Lamar. Everything I tried including the Tofu, Sushi, and Calamari was delicious. I was most impressed with the Ramen noodles. I have been to Tokyo a number of times and this is very authentic Ramen. The staff was friendly and helpful as well.

Easy parking and no wait for your ramen fix! YES. Decent sushi. Service is a bit sluggish, particularly with water refills. Nothing special in terms of décor and the food is filling, but not spectacular. Nothing to dream about. Perfunctory.

Came in because of the reviews, but was disappointed. Got there a little after they opened so there were no customers yet. The restaurant is clean and the service was good. We had the ramen and gyoza. Everything came out pretty quickly. The gyoza looked like it just came off the pan but it wasn’t even warm. First off, when the ramen was brought to us… it didn’t look appealing. It looked like a bowl of ramen I could have made at home. The ramen tasted OK, not much flavor, not enough toppings and was a bit small for its price.
Over heard the hostess, manager and sushi chef (?) talking and they were speaking chinese and Vietnamese so I’m guessing its not actually Japanese owned?
We wouldn’t come back because its not worth the drive and price.

We tried both the tonkotsu and miso ramen here today and it was horrible. We love ramen and are regulars at both Michi and Ramen Tatusya. There is no comparison. Egg was hardboiled and salty, noodles seemed like the instant kind, the meat was tough and soup was bland. It didn’t even look appetizing. It looks like a bowl of instant ramen with stuff thrown in. I can’t imagine anyone thinking this is even on the same level as the other two places.

I really don’t understand why this restaurant has 4 stars. It was not 4-​star quality, especially for how much everything was priced.
The redeeming quality was the soup that came with the «lunch box» — it had mushrooms! I love mushrooms! The kind you eat… not the other kind… The salad was meh.
We ordered two appetizers to share.
Tempura veggies. The tempura was kinda bad… the veggies were okay. When I bit into what I thought was a bell pepper, I got a dull looking green spicy pepper. Parts of it were kind of brown and dull green.
The Philly roll… very underwhelming. I couldn’t taste the salmon. The cream cheese was overpowering the entire roll, and it wasn’t even good cream cheese.
My friend got ramen — he couldn’t finish it. My other friend got udon, she couldn’t finish it. It wasn’t because of the amount either. I got the salmon dinner box. It was okay. Nothing to rave about. Teriyaki is really hard to mess up. The fried rice was kind of bad. I can definitely make better. I just have high standards for fried rice, but it wasn’t oily, so I’ll give them that. The gyoza was decent.
The service was good. Our waitress was nice. I had somewhat high expectations because of the pictures and reviews. We originally were looking for Le Soleil. Didn’t know they renamed to Shinjuku. Sorry but going from a Vietnamese restaurant, to a Japanese restaurant… Not smart. Stick with what you know.
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To add to my review, I REALLY appreciate the restaurant reaching out to make sure they can do whatever it takes to make their food better. This is a good sign for a restaurant because it shows they really want to improve. For that, I really hope you guys continue to take suggestions to improve.
Thank you for clarifying my concerns. I wish you guys the best.
Philadelphia cream cheese is my favorite, so as long as it hasn’t been sitting out for hours, that should be fine. There was something off about it which made me question it. But it was definitely overwhelming and I think balancing it more will improve it significantly.
I’m glad that you guys buy fresh veggies daily from HEB, but sometimes even HEB doesn’t get it right. Sometimes fruits and veggies can be a bit bruised (avocado is one of those things that you have to actually feel the fruit to know if it’s ripe or not). Honest mistake to overlook that, especially if you’re grabbing a large amount at a time.
I will try to come back in a few months time and re-​evaluate. Thank you again so much for addressing my concerns.

Um… what.
Don’t even bother with the ramen here. I had the shoyu ramen and it tasted like instant noodles. I wish I was kidding. I might as well have stayed at home and made it myself for ¹⁄₁₀^th of the price. I also tried two sushi rolls. Nothing special, and unfortunately I can’t see myself making a special trip here for it.
Our waitress was nice enough but I had a really hard time understanding her English. Sorry, just being honest. :/​
From what I’ve read in other reviews, it seems that the owners of Le Soliel partnered up to become Shinjuku. This place would have been better off if it had continued serving Vietnamese food as Le Soliel and just renovated the interior, in my opinion.
Edited to add: I also wanted to mention that my friend had the miso ramen, which I tried. It was more interesting than my shoyu ramen, but it still wouldn’t even compare to the likes of Ramen Tatsuya or Michi. Nope nope nope.

Shinjuku Sushi and Ramen is a nice restaurant with lots of Asian choices in the seediest strip mall in North Austin. The second time my nice server came around to apologize for the delay in my tonkotsu, I started to think ramen is not their specialty here, and probably shouldn’t be in their name. Whatevs.
I didn’t think it was a bad bowl of ramen, I just think there are better ones around. The three choices are all pork-​based, and each comes with a standard array of toppings, no a la carte here, and I didn’t finish most of them. My noodles were firm and chewy, which works for me. I was surprised by the diner-​like soup/​salad bowl my ramen was served in, I would have gone up the street to MT and brought back a decent Phở bowl, just to feel a connection. Whatevs.
The only thing I’m personally sensitive to at Asian places is the aftermath from a tad too much MSG, and I spent the rest of the afternoon from here popping ibuprofen like Viagra at a senior social. But everyone handles this differently, and it may not be an issue for you. Cool beans, I’m totes jealz.
At a Wednesday lunch service, I was the only person doing ramen, everyone else in the place was doing Bento boxes and sushi rolls, which looked amazing. If you were a fan of the former Le Soleil, you can still order their specialties here, and I’ll give them props for that. But if you come to Shinjuku expecting them to be the new Ramen Killer in town, I think you’ll be disappointed — there are just too many other choices right now.

I don’t often Unilocal,but when I do, it’s sometimes because I’ve read too many suspicious 4/​5-​star entries from people with only 1 or two reviews and spell «tonkotsu» (pork bone) as «tonkatsu» (pork cutlet) or «momofuku» as «mama fuko» (@ Joe S. — dude, that’s not even close). Also, Sophia Q., it’s hard to believe that someone has gone multiple times to Ramen Tatsu-​ya, spent all that time waiting, and can walk away thinking it’s called Katsuya.
We ordered the tonkotsu and the shoyu ramen (seriously, as a «ramen» restaurant, stop spelling it «tonkatsu» on your menu). The tonkotsu broth was similar to, but not as good as Kome’s, which is already not very good. The flavor was weak, and complexity was low. It doesn’t have to be both, but it should be at least one or the other. The noodles in my bowl were soft and soggy, with no bounce nor chew. The perfectly-​cooked hard-​boiled egg was… what it was, and not the classic soft-​boiled egg. The toppings used are also cheaper than what are found at Shinjuku’s ramen counterparts around town. If I sound harsh, I don’t mean to be — I don’t think it’s bad; I just don’t think it’s any good.
Service was friendly. Décor was whatever. Pricing was fine.
Someone said the shoyu broth reminded them of a good wonton soup (albeit, without the wontons). I’d come back to try that, but maybe sneak in some wontons to slip into the soup.

After eating at Shinjuku, I have a hard time believing some of the previous reviews were submitted by real customers.
The service was so-​so. We waited at least 15 minutes for the waitress to take our order even though the restaurant was pretty empty, but the service did improve after that.
We ordered agedashi tofu, some sushi, tonkotsu ramen and spicy ramen, and all of our food was kind of half-​assed. The maki had way too much rice (at least 2x more rice than fish). They did a good job frying the tofu, but the broth/​dipping sauce tasted bottled instead of homemade, and the only garnish was bonito flakes. It’d be much improved if they added grated daikon, grated ginger, and green onions like it’s usually served.
As far as the ramen goes, Ramen Tatsu-​Ya is a million times more rich, complex, and superior than Shinjuku. Shinjuku’s spicy ramen had thin broth that tasted like it was instant. Their tonkotsu broth was richer and better than the spicy broth but still isn’t half as good as Ramen Tatsu-​Ya or even Michi. The tonkotsu’s toppings included naruto maki, wakame, plain bamboo, overcooked pork belly and half of a plain hard boiled egg.
…Aaand the icing on the cake: While the restaurant appeared to be clean in other aspects, there was a cockroach climbing on inside of the window above our table when the waitress ran our credit card. Just sayin.

Finally !!! I found somewhere to go for my ramen fix. I like Shoyu Ramen. It’s the only ramen I eat. I’m just not into the creamy tonkatsu broth. Anyways. went to Shinjuku based on the Unilocal reviews. I ordered the gyoza to start which was good, though I like my dipping sauce on the spicy side. My shoyu ramen came out and it was awesome. Nice pieces of pork, half egg, bamboo shoots, spinach, nori and fishcake. The noodles were excellent as was the broth. I got a order of chicken fried rice to go and tried some at home. Excellent fried rice. This place reminds me of Japan when I was stationed there a long time ago. Brings back nice memories. Check this place out.

If you’re ever wondering what happened to the much-​famed breakup of Sunflower and Ls Soleil, it’s looking like Sunflower has won. I’d not even noticed that Le Soleil had closed until I pulled into the shopping center today on my way to trying this new sushi and ramen place.
The interior looks a bit fancied-​up, but that fancy feeling went away as we were approached by a young entrepreneur who wanted to sell us some fashionable perfume. Fortunately, he was asked to leave not long after.
The menu is quite large with many choices. I’d hoped for a ramen that I could consume, but alas even their shoyu ramen has pork in it. Heck, I’d settle for chicken or seafood ramen. Why does everyone insist on only pork in this new ramen-​crazed town?
Anyway, we opted for sushi. $ 65 later (without tip), we’d had our fill of 3 rolls, some sashimi, and a nip of sake.
The sushi was darn tasty. It was beautiful to look at and tasted great, with many different textures throughout. The main issue was that whoever rolled them seemed more interested in stuffing them with filling rather than creating a roll that would stay together. Sadly, each roll had this minor flaw.
The giant fried fish and bowls of ramen that we saw passing us by looked amazing. I’ll have to try some of their other dishes next time. It’s hard to justify this kind of expense for lunch in a strip mall just a block north of Rundberg, but hopefully this place will survive, as it would be nice to have a sushi place that’s close by.

Definitely need to try out this place if you’re in the area. Totally unexpected find for sure. Husband had the miso ramen and I had the tonkatsu ramen. Very nice broth. Reminds of a little of Japan’s ramen vendors near the subway. If you want a comparison w/​Katsuya in Austin, I think this broth isn’t as salty or as oily, but the noodles are (slightly) better at Katsuya. Plus, you can order fresh sushi and other items… and the best part. NO LINES. We ordered 2 pieces of the fatty tuna, spicy scallops, and spider roll and let me just say it was pretty good. The location isn’t in the best spot… but give it a try. Definitely would come back here vs. waiting 30 – 45 mins in line at Katsuya.
P. S. I don’t dislike Katsuya… there are some inconsistencies with the broth sometimes and the line is too ridiculous.

Went there for the first time yesterday! One of the best Japanese food I’ve had in a long time! Definitely worth trying out! Usually not a big Ramen fan but this ramen I had was really different, the meat wasn’t all soft and disintegrated, instead it was still really firm and chewy! The sushi rolls were good too! All the favors just bursts in your mouth. Every bite was worth savoring!
Great décor, not too bright nor too dark! Great service too. Food got to me within 5 minutes. Server was very kind and helpful!
Overall, definitely go check it out… makes you feel like you’re in Shinjuku! Lol

Ramen to the face. You get ramen to the face. The ninjas in here do not lie when they scream «RAMEN TO THE FACE». I did in fact get ramen to the face.
Let me preface by saying that I love taking ramen in the face and have taken it most everywhere possible in this city of the voilet crown, this velvet coffin of a city, especially with the flavor of the month hype around ramen shops right about now, some falling WAY short in my book… this is definitely not the case with this establishment.
The broth, the broth, the broth in the night trickling ever so lightly down my neck as i get RAMEN TO THE FACE. When i walked in, dripping in diamonds, blizzard up on my neck, hurricane up on my wrists, Gucci erraythang (not really, i came from work, i am wearing penny loafers with no pennies in them) the first ninja happily asked me if i’d ever had ramen and told me the story of Ben the chef who has been making ramen for 30 years (i am pretty sure i might have got the first bowl of ramen ever served in this dojo at 11:30am on grand opening day).
Sidebar: i once went to the strange Asian bakery next door and got a 6pack of mini hotdog filled donuts all connected together like a squareshaped hotdog centipede. That ‘pede haunts me to this day… wait, i’m getting sidetracked again…
Their tonkotsu broth was opaque and clouded with alabaster whippings of supremely well balanced marrow and the fat of preciously treated swine. A great thickness and amount of rendered swine to salt, the broth left nothing to be desired and sang a symphony into the air. The noodles were trammeled with a spot of toasted garlic leaving flavor even after they sank to the bottom of the milky pork ocean waiting quietly in my bowl.
The intense saltiness of the hanjuku egg with the starch of the noodles and ocean zest of the seaweed left room for the pork witch (the halloween kind) was done simply adding a game to the dish that could be overlooked by most people who haven’t sat in a tree for 13 hours with only a Rambo hunting knife waiting to fall on a 200lb ferrel pig with one swift deathblow… alas i digress.
There isn’t graffiti in the bathroom, minimalist décor, not an ipad in sight, certainly no beer foam or mention of bacon, but what they do have is a ramen dish that replicates a breathing ecosystem held in perfect homeostasis by a broth that apparently only 30 years of experience can provide.
I was wearing women’s deodorant at the time.
And orange halloween socks that i bought for $ 1.99 at CVS with black owls and a witch on them. (Maybe there is a black cat on them too, i’ll have to check and see)
Update: no cats.

In this case, it was like finding a rare jewel in a totally unexpected place. I tried the tonkotsu ramen for the first time… outstanding! Simply the best. Upon recommendation from the waiter, he introduced me to get Shinjuku’s signature rolls Ben#1, Ben #2, And Ben#3.(i guess Ben is the main chef who created the rolls) So i did… and went for Ben#1 and Ben#3 rolls. Nom, nom, nom… the rolls are so delicious and addictive almost like a crack. I will definitely give a 5 stars for this local joint. From what I heard, this restaurant has just opened for 4 days… and nobody knows such an outstanding restaurant exist in a stip mall on North Lamar. Hopefully, they will keep up with their good standard and I will be definitely coming back with more friends to try different stuffs I have not tried. 2 thumbs up for Shinjuku Sushi Bar and Ramen!
Updated…another good restaurant R.I.P! The restaurant was empty. Looks like someone had wiped out the whole restaurant.