Minato Noodles

Pretty middle of the road, not authentic, but pretty good flavor. They just moved to South Virginia next to their sushi restaurant so they are offering 10% off your bill until the 6÷31÷16. It’s not a lot of savings but it is nice since you can expect that with a location change they might not be to their normal standard. We had a shoyu ramen, tonkatsu ramen and some tempura veggies, all just okay but we were stuffed when we left and only spent $ 25 with included a 25% tip, which is super cheap in my book for two people.
All in all just okay, but I’d like to try it again to see if I can find something I love.

Terrible experience.
I saw they were moving based on a strangely worded Facebook post but wasn’t sure if they had finished moving yet. I called ahead of time and asked if they were still at Smithridge and was told yes. I asked twice to make sure.
Drive over there and the doors are locked. Called back and the employee basically just spoke gibberish at me. I can speak Japanese (if this employee was Japanese; who knows?) but shouldn’t have to when talking to an American business. The difference between «yes» and «no» should be pretty clear, regardless.
I have limited time on my lunch break, and if they’d just said they weren’t there, I would’ve gone another day.
Never going there now.

I lived on Kyushu for a couple years, and ate tonkotsu ramen at least once a week for those two years. I’ve also traveled the country and had ramen in Hokkaido, Tokyo, and Kansai. If you’ve done the same, and know what authentic ramen is, and what it isn’t, then you’ll most likely be disappointed coming here.
Ramen should NOT include cabbage or snow peas. This restaurant does. The eggs were hardboiled, not softboiled, and the chashu was not very tender. The place seems to be run by Koreans, so they may not be familiar with what authentic ramen is. The noodles and broth were fine. But there was no garlic or white pepper to add to my ramen on the table.
I also had karaage. The chicken itself was fine, but the sauce that was included seemed to be just straight soy sauce with some green onion and sesame seeds.
I paid close $ 20 just for the food. It wasn’t worth it to me, and if you know what real ramen is supposed to be like, you probably won’t like it much either.

Minato Noodles is the place that I usually go to with friends whenever we’re done with work, or choir practice. The staff is very nice and the food is good too. The interior is gives out a Japanese feel more than a Korean feel. I heard that it was originally just a sushi place so that gave out why the Japanese interior is present. I’m not complaining really. It’s pretty nice, so I really can’t complain.
As far as food goes, the ramen is pretty good. I ordered the tonkatsu ramen and I quite enjoyed it. It’s not the best, best, but it was enjoyable. Like what one of the Unilocalers mentioned, the ramen isn’t authentic, but again it’s still good even if it’s not authentic ramen noodles. The appetizers are amazing. I personally like the takoyaki, but if you’re not into fish, then I would say the kara-​age. since it’s chicken.
The prices are under $ 15(?), which is good for a college student like myself or for those who are on a budget that still wants to take their date out or just a casual hangout with friends, or with yourself. Overall, my experience in this place is good so far. I’ve only went there 3 times and the service is always nice and welcoming. I would definitely come back again.

I have been to minato noodles for a few times now.
They now offer $ 5.99 lunch special of either udon or ramen and if you pay in cash you get a free drink.
I usually get the spicy sesame ramen which is really good and full of flavor if you like spicy food.
The donkatsu (pork cutlets) is also a good option if you prefer something nonspicy.
Service is good and fast.

Their Seafood Udon is awesome! Never tasted anything better than this so far!
Also tried their Ramen. Not bad and good flavor. I like their house salad and the dressing.
I have to return and try their other Ramen bowls.

The place is awsome! No joking!!! the best noodle in town!!!
I will definetly come back!!!

We started with appetizers Takoyaki and Karage. The Takoyaki was good, but the Karage was fried with tempura batter instead of breaded that didn’t work for me.
The shoyu broth of the Donkatsu Udon served in a nabayaki pot was tasty, as was the Tonkatsu Ramen pork broth. Adding some chili oil hit the spot for me. My wife ordered the Spicy Sesame Ramen which was super spicy, but was the broth was super delicious — just keep that cup of water filled! The noodles were by default on the soft side; my preference for Ramen noodle is on the al dente side, so next time I’ll ask for firm noodles.

Overall I liked it. The service was fast and friendly. The atmosphere was nice and quaint. Most of all the udon was good. I was expecting a traditional curry udon that would be more watery in texture, but received a thicker consistency that stuck more to the noodles. I’m not complaining since I did like it, I’m just more used to a more traditional type. The appetizers were all $ 3 which is surprisingly affordable. I tried the takoyaki, which I feel was too doughy.

Wanted to try some reno ramen and came upon this place which was really close to our resort. If you are expecting Japanese style ramen this wont cut it. The ramen is more of a korean style ramyun. I ordered the tonkatsu ramen and my party ordered the yakitori and korean spicy ramen.
My broth was light and not overly flavorful, but not bland. Their chasu is just pork belly, but their pork belly was cooked to perfection. Their noodles was nicely cooked and retained its chewiness. Their egg is a regular boiled egg and not a japanese ramen style egg which was disappointing. The korean style ramen level 3 spiciness was surprisingly really hot! But, not flavorful hot it was just hot. This style ramen is kind of like nong shim shin ramen. Their yakitori was okay, but nothing to write home about.
The staff was great and super friendly and efficient.

A nice spot for some decent, inexpensive, unpretentious ramen in Reno in a tastefully casual atmosphere.
I’ve dined in and had takeout here, usually getting the Spicy Sesame bowl. They’ll vary the spice level for you based on your preference; if you like pretty spicy stuff, go for the medium. The spicy one is deliciously fiery but it’s a bit challenging to eat a huge bowl of. The toppings are well done and pretty traditional, and the microgreens on top are a really nice, fresh touch. The eggs are cooked a bit more than I prefer my ramen eggs, but they’re nice and soft. Broth was very nice. This isn’t OMG WRITE HOME ABOUT IT ramen but it’s a great standby.
There is now a traditional menu distributed at the table in addition to the cute chalkboards on the walls.
I was impressed with the takeout packaging… Nice and neat, with appropriately sequestered noodles and broth. I particularly liked that the broth was in a large paper container rather than the more traditional plastic ones, because don’t we all have enough of those floating around our kitchens already?
Minato Noodles is in the same shopping center as Trader Joes, so I’ve found it quite convenient to call in a to-​go order while I’m grocery shopping and swing by to pick it up on the way out.

hi-​ya!
I really enjoyed this eatery because it was clean, food was good and service was on point. It has a traditional ramen on the menu, but also includes Korean and some fusion foods. I ordered the chicken donburi and calamari rings. All good – they are fairly generous with the proportions, the food is NOT over-​salted and the atmosphere is chill.
What’s was funny is all the K-​pop videos playing on three different TVs… I am not a fan, but found myself zoning out of our conversation and watching TV while I ate. Overall 4 stars for the quality of food and service.

I recently came here with the BF, his brother and the fiancé (she was the one craving Ramen). This place isn’t an authentic Japanese Ramen place just in case you’re wondering (it’s Korean owned), not that I’m saying it’s a bad thing it’s just something to keep in mind if you’re looking for «real authentic», to which you’re coming to the wrong place.
Anyways, We all ordered different things: Uni Pasta, tonkatsu, spicy sesame and kara-​age. Also, we all came here with very, very low expectations (coming from the bay area) and sure enough the craving was satisfied and we were a bit surprised. The broth from both the tonkatsu and spicy sesame was good, very well seasoned, though the spicy sesame in my opinion could’ve been a little spicier, it’s still pretty good. The texture of the Ramen itself was cooked perfectly, which is another huge factor to making it or breaking it type of deal. The uni pasta/​udon was very creamy and though I didn’t find any evidence of uni in there, but just got the uni essence, it wasn’t a bad meal. The kara-​age on the other hand was the least enjoyed item that we ordered. I mean wasn’t like anything we had, it was more like tempura chicken than actual kara-​age.
I will be back when I start to crave Ramen, though it may not be like what it is at home in the bay, it’ll sure do just fine.

Minato Noodles was the dinner of choice on a recent evening where I didn’t feel like cooking but didn’t want to go out to any place to fancy. Fellow Unilocaler’s reviews and photos pretty much made up my mind on what I was ordering before I even got there.
When we walked in, there was no one to greet us and not one at the counter. So, we just grabbed a couple menus and sat ourselves. It seemed like only one person was working the front of the restaurant — she was taking orders, bringing food and drinks and busing tables. But somehow she managed to do all of it without making anyone wait very long.
We started with calamari and edamame. The calamari was really lightly fried, almost to the point that the batter wasn’t even browed. The sauce that it is severed with was really good and we ended up dipping our edamame in it too.
I decided on the Dankatsu udon (udon noodles with breaded pork, egg, and a bunch of other toppings) and the boyfriend got the tonkotsu ramen (ramen noodles in a pork broth. All ramen dishes come with pork, egg, and sprouts.)
My udon was good, but needed just a little something more. I added a few dashes of chili oil and that seemed to help. Obviously, the breaded pork gets a little soggy towards the end, but I kind of expected that to happen.
The ramen was crazy good — I wish I had ordered it instead actually. The broth was so flavorful that it didn’t need anything else. The only complaint about that dish is that they are really light on the pork, whereas in the udon dish it was a hefty portion. You can pay $ 2 more for extra toppings but I’m guessing that gives you more of everything, not just the pork.
They don’t serve alcohol here, but that really helps keep the bill down. It was a quick, filling, satisfying, and inexpensive meal. I will be back and next time I’m ordering ramen!

I’m upgrading because I came back and ordered an udon soup, the crispy pork one, donkatsu to be exact. This is much more what I prefer than the too spicy for me ramen. Again, I ordered the octopus balls (teehee) and again, they were delicious. Random: I watched a video on how those are made and had no idea how complex they are.
Really this isn’t a terrible value for lunch, and to add on a quick appetizer for $ 3 is great too (remember all of them are just $ 3). Had left overs both visits and without tip its about $ 11-​$ 13 (with the appetizer). That reminds me though, I would prefer different containers, maybe the paper/​wax ones, because the lids just don’t provide a seal with the to-​go bowls, and I always end up with leakage in the car, on my desk at work, in the fridge etc.
Its easy enough for me to get to for work, and still would like to try other dishes like the seafood udon and the creamy udon. I was hesitant to get the udon at first because past experiences made me think the udon was too ‘noodle-​y’ or starchy. The udon here is not too heavy and has a great firm gelatinous texture, but also sucks up all the flavor of the broth. I still think I’ll stay away from the ramen for a while, while I explore other dishes.

I’ve said it once, and I’ll say it again, I’m pretty sure I was supposed to be Asian (Japanese, Chinese, Vietnamese, and Korean). When I’m feeling down or the weather dictates comfort cuisine, I crave the food of these cultures above all else.
So on the first crisp and cold day after a big ol’ snow storm, what some might call the first real day of winter in Reno, naturally I decided it was time to check in at Minato Noodles.
Walking through the double doors into the space that was once Sushi Minato was a somewhat surreal experience. I’d allowed some time to pass before visiting this new restaurant partially to allow enough time to mourn my beloved Sushi Minato and also to give them ample time to make everything perfect.
Id read reviews but still didn’t really know what to expect here. I had a few ideas and recommendations to go off of, but I found the menu far more expansive than Id anticipated. Udon, Korean noodle soups, ramen, Donburi, and a selection of appetizers ($ 3) are all available, with something for everyone.
We started with the takoyaki, Japanese style octopus fritters, and the chicken karage, Japanese style fried chicken. The takoyaki are light and fluffy, with a crispy exterior and slightly gooey interior studded with small pieces of octopus. Be warned… These are molten hot on the inside and while bite size, you’ll pay the price popping them in your mouth without letting them cool. The karage was a bit of a let down for me, as I’m used to large chunks of juicy chicken thigh in a crunchier batter. This seemed to be small pieces of breast meat in a light tempura batter. Id still probably order it again though because it’s a nice contrast to the silky soup and noodles.
Onto the main course! I ordered the Donkatsu Udon, a crispy breaded pork cutlet served stop katsuoboshi (bonito) broth with udon noodles, mushrooms and other garnishes. The broth was light but complex and delicious to the last drop, and the noodles were perfectly chewy! The pork was a bit bland, but the addition of a little togarashi fixed it right up. It sat in the broth making the breading on the bottom soggy, but every once in a while you’d get a bite of the crispy top that hadn’t reached the liquid offering nice contrast.
There’s so much more on the menu here to try and I’m really excited to go back!

When I was a young girl, my favorite thing to eat at my grandmother’s house was what I called «grandma noodles.» What I assumed was a matronly delicacy turned out to be a 10 for a dollar packet of chicken-​flavored top ramen. While the name is the same, my grandmother wouldn’t recognize what they are serving at Minato.
The hubs and I returned from Tokyo two weeks ago and we’ve had ramen on the brain ever since. While we’ve made our own, it’s decidedly easier (and includes less kitchen cleanup) to have Minato go ahead and make it for you. It’s definitely close to what we experienced in ramen’s natural habitat, and will do as a stand-​in until we manage to make it back there.
I ordered the Spicy Sesame Ramen, while the hubs chose the Tonkatsu. Mine was delicious, with just the right amount of spice, salt, and savory flavors. Where it falls a little short of its Japanese counterparts are the egg and noodles. Typically Japanese ramen is served with a medium-​boiled egg, and this egg was just hard boiled. The creaminess of the yolk was definitely missed. The noodles are right, but I think they should be cooked in water with a little more salt to increase their flavor. The char siu (roast pork) included lacked a whole lot of meat and instead was just gristle, but there was enough flavor in the ramen that I didn’t really miss the meat aspect.
Unfortunately, the tonkatsu ramen was really lacking in flavor. After adding quite a bit of soy sauce and sriracha, it still seemed a little flat. This caused you to really miss the smokey, meaty flavor of the char siu.
While I’ll definitely be back for the sesame ramen, I don’t feel the same way about the tonkatsu.

I was so excited to try this place cause the sushi restaurant is so good (they have since moved down the street).
Environment: poor. The tables are awkwardly set up and there is no sort of ambiance at all. None.
Service: also not good. The waitress was slow and honestly, just not well trained at her job.
Food: the one redeeming quality. The ramen was pretty good; not too authentic (not that I know very much about ramen), but definitely very tasty. Lots of mushrooms, cabbage, other greens, and 2 teeeeny pieces of meat. The serving is huge and could feed 2.
Next time I’ll get it to go.

It’s nice to know that Reno has a new ramen place. So today we went there for the first time.
When we walked in, there was none eating there yet.
Instead of printed menu on paper, Their menu written on chalkboard on the wall.
They gave us a complimentary house salad and we loved it. Love the dressing. It was sprinkle with black sesame seeds. The veggies was fresh & crispy.
For appetizer, of course I’ve to try the takoyaki. We ate it while it was still hot. Hmm it was a good takoyaki. Very delicious. The octopus wasn’t chewy like rubber at all. Nice and tasty flavor. The flour batter was perfect not too much of flour.
I ordered the Tonkatsu ramen and my husband ordered the spicy sesame ramen.
When the food arrived and we saw the bowl with full of broth just like ramen it supposed to be. It came with an egg, some veggies, negi /​welsh onion and a slice of seaweed on top of the noodles. Very pretty presentation.
The broth was so good, very rich. Noodles cooked perfect, wasn’t mushy at all. The meat was perfect. Veggies were fresh.
My husband’s spicy sesame ramen was so yummy too. It came with an egg and veggies and some meat!!! He loved the entire ramen experience.
We are pretty much satisfied with the food. The portion is huge for the price, and everything such seaweed, egg and some meats and veggies are included in a bowl without any additional price, but if you want some extra so you have to pay for the extra cost just like normal ramen shops.
Service was awesome, very friendly and nice. Chit chat with the girl for a bit.
I’ve one suggestion for the egg, because the egg just a hard boiled egg, not a marinated boiled eggs. It’d be nice if the egg will be marinated and the egg yolks will be more dark yellow and soft. Just my two cents.
We’ll definetely be back here to try another menu.
Once again me personally pretty happy to found this new ramen place Yeaaayy!!!

The plan…
Get a bowl of ramen and then go on with our date day.
The execution.
We got two apps and a bowl and got full. But we still went on with our date day.
The details…
Apps were chicken and Octopus Ball.
Both were good. Both were different than anything I have had in Reno.
Tonkatsu was the bowl of ramen. It was good. I didn’t get an egg in it. But I think it normally does come with one. The broth was so good I wanted to drink it all. I resisted, mostly. I didn’t notice any real meat in it though. That could have been my mistake in not ordering correctly? Maybe?
The experience…
The people were really cool and nice. Very attentive. But it wasn’t super busy when we went in. They were on the spot with any request. The place is of course nice and clean because they just moved all the sushi stuff out and made more space. It’s nicer than a fast food asian joint, but not upscale enough for a nice date. If you have been to Minato when it was sushi… just imagine the sushi bar gone.
The result…
The food was good solid fare. The service was better than expected. The prices weren’t too bad. I look forward to returning and trying more of the menu. Especially those apps for $ 3!