Modan Artisanal Ramen

I’ve been here several times and everything I’ve had is pretty great and reasonably priced. The ramen is excellent – almost as good as the stuff from jtown but conveniently located in south pas.
The modan ramen is a rich and milky tonkotsu broth, but the noodles can be a tad doughy for my taste. The spicy modan is my favorite, but the level of spice seems to vary each time I visit from mild to scorching so it’s a bit of a gamble.
Apart from the ramen, the chashu bowl is amazing as well and so are the spicy tuna crunchy rice appetizers.
If you love ramen, definitely check it out!

SERVICE
+ Good.
AMBIANCE
+ Cute and Small
FOOD
+ Brussels Sprouts /​/​Good
+ Chicken Wings /​/​Good
+ Spicy Ramen /​/​Good
+ Black Ramen /​/​Okay.
NOTE
+ Located in the Bristol Farms plaza.
+ Broth a bit too oily but very flavorful and thick.
+ Good Portion
+ Noodle just okay. Nothing special.

Great Brussels sprouts. Very pleasant place for lunch
Soup tasted good too. I have a small cold and the ‘soup hit the spot
Love the mason jars with handles for water glasses

This is one of the best ramen places I’ve been too! The broth has a lot of flavor! I ordered the modan ramen with a combination of pork belly and rice. It was very good! Must get! It looks like they charbroiled the pork first which made it was flavorful. I also recommend the brussel sprouts, spicy tuna on rice cake, and the chicken wings. I will definitely come here again. Parking is in the Bristol market area. However, no bathrooms, FYI. Staff was attentive and great!

I’d been craving Japanese ramen for almost a week. You know — the really hearty ones that leave you feeling really satisfied but also oily? Mr. Hangry suggested Modan since we were in the Pasadena area. We ordered the chicken wings, pork belly rice bowl, and Modan ramen.
We were there around 6:30 pm on a Sunday and when we signed up (sign in sheet wait system), there were four groups of 2 to 3 people ahead of us. The wait was reasonable — I explored the bakery section at Bristol Farms. There’s plenty of parking. No restroom. There was a group of eight they were able to accommodate despite the limited space.
The chicken was overseasoned, salty, and overfried with too much crisp and not enough meat. Based on photos of Modan’s older menu and other photo captions, the dish used to be called «karaage wings.» They don’t advertise it as karaage anymore, and they’re right to not do so. The garlic aioli sauce was tasty but I think it just masked the saltyness.
The pork belly rice bowl was the best dish. Mr. Hangry has had the dish about five times and said the meat portion has been inconsistent. Today, the portion was smaller than he’s had before (meat to rice proportion was about 1:2 today). The pork was delicious. Mix the meat in thoroughly, and I think you can enjoy the meat till the end.
The ramen was disappointing. It looked like the classic ramen I was craving but tasted nothing like it. The broth was okay. The noodles had a chalky or flour-​y consistency and a weird flavor that detracted from the overall dish. The garnishes were fine — half egg, green onion, wood mushroom, chashu, and nori, but there was nothing about the dish that was memorable or that would bring me back for more.
Food: 3
Service: 4
Ambiance: 3
I probably will not return.

Came here with some friends and decided to get the spicy ramen. It was SO GOOD and they have such a hearty portion that I was unable to finish it. The meat was half lard and half meat but each slice was pretty big. The ramen is perfect and even the broth was very tasty. The reason for my 4 stars instead of 5 is because the ramen was pretty salty and I ended up needing to drink ALOT of water.
Parking was easy. It is located across from Bristol Farms and shares the same parking lot.

The ramen is very different here. Different good? Well it really depends on taste preference. Most people do, but in my case, no. We had and shared the regular Modan Ramen with added bamboo shoots and also the Black Ramen with a side of Brussel Sprouts.
The Brussel Sprouts were a great appetizer addition, and the ramen, I can definitely see the appeal. It’s unique especially the Black Ramen, with the crispy kale topping, which was a genius add. Even the chashu is different, more charred than tender — but yummy. Presentation is good, service was great, and the portion size was tremendous. They have so many things going for them, but for me, I couldn’t like the broth of either types. The broth was too oily and greasy, that by the end of the meal, I felt extremely heavy. It was flavorful, but felt buttery. I took it to-​go and I came to the conclusion that it would actually taste much better as a tsukemen. Bamboo shoots were an unwise topping add, and I didn’t like the noodles too much.

I’m usually a purist who thought that adding hipster healthy crap like kale on a bowl of ramen would be considered an abomination, but it actually works well on this place. Their broth is quite flavorful and the rice bowl was good size and they were really good.
The modern décor was nice, presentation of the meals were pleasant on the eyes, and parking was plentiful in the area. I went here about a few weeks ago and the only thing that was meh to me was the waiter was a little bit too attentive that it’s a bit bothering us a little too often, when we just wanna chat and enjoyed our meal sometimes.

Wowwwwww.
I’m impressed with this place. Normally, whenever I come around here I steer myself over to Bristol Farms, the couple times I’ve went to here… WORTH IT!
My favorite thing here is the fried chicken wings, they are so tasty. Also, the crunchy tuna roll is like heaven. No exaggeration made.
One of the best ramen places around. Will be back.

The ramen broth here is on point, but two things — I feel like the corn should be included, but most of all, the ramen has changed. Previously the noodles were of higher quality, now its more like a spaghetti… :(
Food: 3.5÷5
Service: ⁴⁄₅
Ambiance: ³⁄₅

This is a super delicious spot. Though small in seating area, the service is great & the food is delicious.
My favorite is the shoyou w/​o pork sizzling & spicy.
There is no public restroom so you have to go to Bristol Farms if needed.
Certainly worthy of 5 stars!!!

I came here looking to be impressed. The word «artisanal» is in the title of the restaurant, after all! I live in the valley and decided to make this a little adventure out to Pasadena for the evening.
This restaurant is right next to a grocery store, so plenty of parking and around 6pm on a Sunday, I was seated right away. Menu is small and easy to get through, service is meh. Food was ready within 10 minutes of ordering.
I had the brussel sprouts — delicious, including the mustard aioli. It was a great touch to have a little sauce here, but the sprouts are delicious on their own.
Next up, the Spicy Ramen. YES, it is spicy. I was thinking maybe a little kick at the end, but NO, you taste the spice from the first bite. I had to take a few breaks. The texture of the noodles was not to my taste, a little too «al dente» for me. The braised pork was the true star of this ramen, it was exceptional. Soft boiled egg, was actually a hard boiled egg and cold in the center. The broth was tasty, but a little too spicy to enjoy on its own.
I guess at the end of the day, I feel like it was very difficult to get that perfect bite. While the ingredients were all tasty individually, I don’t think it tasted cohesive. I’ve had better ramen and while I was choking on my spicy ramen, no one came back to ask me if I wanted any more water or how my dish tasted so I had to take off one star for neglect. In a bind, this spot would do… but I won’t be going out of my way any time soon.

I am a ramen lover and their ramen is so good! Or I was just really hungry, or both. Either way the pork was hands-​down one of the best I ever tried! I got the modon noodle. The broth was flavorful and not too salty. Portion size is passable but it’s probably why they offer so many appetizers so you can get your pre-​fill and then fill up with good ol tasty ramen.
This place is tiny and it can get pretty busy. The wait staff is nice.
The appetizers came out really fast; I didn’t think it would. My friend got the pork belly tacos so I didn’t get to try it :/​but presentation looked great and delicious! Plus it’s such a fun take on tacos (I need to get out more).
Parking is easier than other ramen places because this one is in a plaza but the wait can be insane because you got the other stores. But there’s no bathroom for customers.
Overall I would recommend this place for ramen lovers to come out and try. The pork is definitely very tasty that I would go back for it as well as try their other appetizers and entrees.

My boyfriend and I came here for lunch after having to go to the nearby AT&T to get his phone activated. We were seated immediately and dove straight into the menu.
We knew we had to have the curry fries we saw advertised on Unilocal.We both ordered the Spicy Ramen, and didn’t wait very long for our food to arrive. The curry fries were as amazing as we thought they would be and the ramen was tasty as well.
Usually when I go to ramen places, they give very little pieces of meat where you’d had to take little bites so you could keep a proper portions of meat to noodles. However at Modan Artisanal Ramen, they give a good amount of large pieces of chashu pork, which greatly satisfied us. The flavor of the soup was great, and the noodles were cooked to perfection.
The service is nice and the décor makes the atmosphere of the restaurant very calm. The noise level isn’t very high, so having conversations with your party is not a pain.
I would definitely recommend this place to anyone who enjoys a good bowl of ramen. I also definitely, one-​hundred percent recommend the curry fries!

I’ve had Modan bookmarked for 2 years now so was glad to finally cross it off my long list here on Unilocal.It is located in the Bristol Farms parking lot for those who may have gotten lost like me. The place is tiny with similar seating arrangement to Benten Ramen.
My friend got a combo with his ramen for an additional $ 4.25 and he chose a pork bowl and side salad. Both looked and tasted great and came out right away– the former was flavorful.
I got the Black Ramen, which had a bold broth. I loved the kale chips sprinkled on top– that was different. The charsiu was tasty and fatty but some parts were grilled black so I would watch out for that since they initially look similar to kale chips. The noodles were alright– I prefer them firmer but just went for regular texture to get a feel for this place. I will order them firmer next time as it seems that I am able to do that.
Great place for special variations of ramen, but I like sticking to my usual spots a bit more for that deep rich broth.

The approach here is to throw in maximum amount of flavor into everything.
It’s a bold taste. Especially the pork rice bowl — lots of sweet, salty, savory. A bit of sensory overload rather than a subtle or refined approach.
Same goes for the black ramen with truffle oil, fried shallots, black garlic. The chashu pork was fatty and double cooked for flavor… braised as usual, then chargrilled on top.
The bamboo was a bit bland though. The base tonkotsu and shoyu broth tasted fine.

Very cool place, and a big plus for the convenience of being located outside of Old Town Pas. Now I have a great restaurant to go to without having to deal with the hassle of parking. The interior is decorated quite interestingly with some trendy wall items like a giant frame of chopsticks. The tables are packed pretty intimately; meaning you’re going to be hearing the whole conversation of the awkward date next to you. And as some have mentioned previously, there is no restroom here, so plan accordingly.
As for the food… I got the Modan Ramen and it was amazing! The tonkatsu broth did not taste like any other broth I’ve had before and had a nice char taste to it, probably from the charred pork. I was conflicted about the al dente noodles, but have since decided that I like them. Better to have the noodles slightly harder than too soft. The bowl only came with half an egg, which was a bummer. I need my cholesterol!
The part that gets the major ding is the chicken karaage wings. I don’t understand how people could like this. It doesn’t taste like the traditional karaage chicken, and was overly blackened and charred to the point of needing to dip it in a bunch of sauce to overcome that taste.
Next time I come, I’ll probably stick with the Modan Ramen and choose a different side (s). The broth is good enough to make up for any other shortcomings on the menu.

These guys are serving up some very solid ramen in the South Pasadena area, and it seems that the word is out. The space is clean and modern but moderately small, so you will likely encounter a bit of a crowd. I ordered the spicy tonkotsu sizzling and found the broth to be deep and flavorful, with a pleasant amount of oil and a respectable level of spiciness. The ‘sizzling’ topping adds garlic, jalapenos, and onions, which complimented the spicy broth quite well. The pork was tender and on point.
Like I always say, there’s no point in trying to find a meaningful consensus on ramen places. Because everyone has their own preference, but mostly because everyone with a Unilocal account these days has suddenly become a ramen expert. I found the broth to be rich, flavorful and spicy enough, without overpowering the flavor. So if that’s the type of ramen you like, I can’t see why you won’t enjoy this place. They also offer some interesting sides that a lot of other places don’t. So if I’m ever back in the area, I would definitely return to satisfy a ramen craving.

Me and my 7.5 year old daughter visited the place one cold evening. And oh boy, we did enjoy our bowls and the bar was the best spot as always.
The tonkotsu ramen will always be the holy grail right? So we had this and another specialty ramen called black ramen. Broth was thick and creamy and that’s all what I needed to look for. Absolutely amazing richness and flavor! Just don’t think of the amount of grease you’re eating because it’s all about it.
Next time I will try their Brussels Sprouts because it’s the talk of the town.
Guy servers were not only friendly but attentive with special treatment to my pumpkin. We didn’t have to wait during this visit because we love the bar area. Price was average.
Would love to go back again. Location and parking were not difficult. Next to Bristol Farms!

Hello my Unilocalies,
First time at this Ramen place (Yes Ramen again for the 3^rd time this week lol), thanks to the boyfriend who introduced it to me. Parking here is fairly easy, they have a pretty decent size parking lot right in front of the restaurant which is shared by other little stores and a market.
We came on a Monday night around 9pm, we waited for about 10 – 15 minutes which wasn’t too bad of a wait. The whole restaurant have a very homey feeling, i love how they decorated the whole place, beautiful paintings, nice lightings and great atmosphere. They also have a little bar perfect for one person to grab a quick bite of ramen.
I order the Spicy Ramen ($ 9.95) because that is pretty much what I always get when I go to a ramen places. They also have a choice of making it a combo with just $ 4, so if you have a big appetite I definitely suggest getting that. I’ve got to say their ramen was definitely way better than I expected. The soup base was perfect, not too salty and not too blend. A lot of ramen places I go to are always way too salty and have very little soup. But this place definitely have the best soup base I’ve ever tried with the perfect portion of soup, even better than Shin-​Sen-​Gumi.
Their portion is pretty big for me but maybe it is because I don’t really eat that much but as for my boyfriend he order extra noodle ($ 1.50) and they pretty much give you another portion, which is pretty worth it for $ 1.50. Unfortunately I was too full to try their sides but I heard their pan fried brussel sprout with the mustard sauce is very good, I definitely want to try that next time.
Their service was above and beyond, everyone was extremely friendly and willing to explain to details about their food. One little thing that surprised me was when I order the hot tea and I thought it was for free but unfortunately it was $ 2 per cup, so next time I’ll definitely just order water instead.
Overall, 5 stars for service, 4 stars for food, 4 stars for decorations, and 5 stars for atmosphere. I will definitely come back again in the near future to try out their Don (Rice).