Review Shiki Menya - Calgary

It has been many many years since I visited this ramen shop. The soup base was too thick for my taste many years ago, and I did not return. The new location was interesting so I tried it again. We ordered three different ramen bowls and we were surprised to see Shiki Menya used three different types of noodles. The firmness of the noodle was just right for us (on the firmer side). We also ordered the ice green tea and it was strong in tea taste, a right balance to the soup which was on the saltier side ( 2 out of 3 anyways). The price of the ramen was above the Calgary average. The charsiu was definitely among the top tier in Calgary, to my disappointment the egg was not seasoned with soy sauce. Despite the soup's strong taste, it did not make up for the non-seasoned egg. The music was not my taste and I would stop there as it was supposed to be the 'buzzy Japanese ramen' stop', some may go there for that reason. I will definitely return there one more time with all my family members. Line started to form around 15 minutes to noon, so it is definitely a popular place.

My husband and I wanted to try Shiki Menya after all the hype we had heard about it. We decided to go on a Saturday, around noon. It is incredibly busy in the Bridgeland area, so we had to do a few laps before finding a parking spot on a nearby block. When we arrived, there were two couples in front of us waiting for a table, but it was a relatively short wait - about 10 minutes. The restaurant is very clean and modern, with a large outdoor patio area. There is lots of table and bar seating options throughout - it was actually a lot more spacious than I was expecting. They were very busy inside, and it took quite awhile for a server to come to our table. We wanted to order tea, but they did not have any hot tea options - only cold - which I found very unusual for a ramen house. We started with the chili goma flavour fried chicken karaage. All I can say is WOW - it was absolutely outstanding! For $9, we received a generous portion of delectable fried chicken - very similar to boneless wings - in a delicious sweet and spicy sauce with an incredible, smooth, creamy dipping sauce on the side. The dish had a perfect degree of spiciness and was a great start to the meal. I would absolutely go back just for this dish. Now onto the ramen - I ordered the hazy chicken shoyu and my husband ordered the tonkotsu nu-classic. We were expecting a lot from this ramen based on what we'd heard, but unfortunately it really fell short. For the positives, both ramens had very good noodles, which seemed to be made with whole wheat flour and were definitely fresh and perfectly cooked. The broths were tasty, but not at all spicy, nor was there any sriracha available. I was disappointed in the chicken broth, as I found it lacked body.. it was a well developed flavour, but felt a bit thin and was not what I was expecting/craving from a ramen broth. Both ramens were very thin on toppings - each had only half a (very liquidy) egg; the chicken ramen had only one extremely thin slice of beef; and the tonkotsu had only two slices of pork. While the appetizer was outstanding, it missed the mark for the feature dish - ramen. While still decent, the ramen was way overpriced for what you get. Overall, it was way over hyped, and I would only return to have the chicken karaage.

I was excited to try this ramen place. So I visited and I got very disappointed by the quality of the food. We had three of their dishes, one being very expensive bowl of ramen ($25). Broth was salty and that was it. No balance of different flavours what so ever. Egg was still cold inside and not well seasoned nor well cooked. The Wagyu had the well known fatty flavour which I liked but the thinnest two pieces of it was not enough to provide memorable taste. Noodle was okay. The musbee($8) was also very bad quality for its price. Plain rice, not enough sauce, meat was dry and lacking flavour. Fair price for it imo is $4. Food was edible but I wouldn't go back.

2021-12-23 This ramen shop is unusually good at what they do. Before getting in, one has to to line up, get Covid passport and photo ID checked, as per the current rules. This may sound obvious but many restaurants still don't do that full verification. I ordered Gyosa and an order of "Chili Goma" ramen soup, which also happened to be our server's favorite dish. The store-made gyosa were spectacular. They had a fresh, thin, fried but tender skin, filled with perfectly spiced mix of pork meat and vegetable filling. A perfect appetizer. The sauce that came with it was also very good, even if I could not name the components within. The ramen soup lived up to the time we spent in the lineup on a cold, snowy day: The chili oil and roasted sesame seeds provided some depth, spicy notes and complexity to a rich and creamy broth. The noodles were firm and had just the right amount of bounce and firmness. The fried pork bits within remained crunchy until the end despite being immersed in the soup. This dish is a comfortable, above average helping. Good value. I ate every drop of the soup and towards the end, the ingredients that had sunk to the bottom of the bowl added extra taste to every spoonful. The lineup outside to get in remained just as long from the time we got in to the time we left. About 40 minutes. In my opinion, at time of writing, this is the best ramen & Gyosa combo in Calgary. Well done!

Very delicious ramen, generous portions, decent prices. I loved my takoyaki! It's quite a challenge to wait outside on a cold winter day, but as people say it is indeed worth doing it once in a while. There are many parking spots in the area that give you a 2h free of charge ticket, just don't forget to get it in the closest Parking meter. Bon appetit!

Been wanting to try out Shiki for almost three years now but never had the power to wait in line for too long. Fortunately, we got up early morning on a holiday morning and decided to just go and try it out. We still waited outside but just for a brief couple of minutes. I think it’s best to go here with just one companion so you can go skip the line and head out to their bar counter table. Most big groups had to wait for too long for what I observed. I like the ambience of the restaurant with their up to date hip-hop tunes and funky-Tokyo interior design. Of course we had to wait for another 45minutes to get our hot bowls of ramen but we didn’t mind as we are so excited to finally try it. I got the MISO GARLIC RAMEN and it was just Okay. Charsiu pork was charbroiled and taste really good. Noodles are firm and not too much in quantity. The soup was okay with a little hint of spice and garlic flavour. There’s not much in my bowl and I’d say the servings weren’t that generous. I felt betrayed with all those hype years when I always see the place jam-packed with folks and good reviews from our friends. My partner’s bowl was TONKOTSU BLACK and it wasn’t that good to be honest. Soup taste bland and the sea weed flavour enveloped the whole experience. My partner didn’t like it and so am I. While sitting on the bar and watching the kitchen and front of the house crew, they were all moving fast and really precise with all the customers’ orders. We noticed that they only have 2 people by the kitchen doing the bowls and there were a lot of tables inside including the patio area. So I guess that’s ratio of the kitchen crew to tables weren’t that suitable to serve a fast-paced ramen place, hence the long wait for both outside and inside. I’m not saying you shouldn’t go here and try out their food. I’d say it’s pretty much delicious and there are more choices in their menu. Plus I really like the vibe of the resto and the quality service of all the crew members. And that’s why I’m still giving them 4 stars. I’d be back next time to try out their premium ramen bowls👌

I feel that this restaurant is overhyped. I had several friends that recommended it and because I heard that they only sold a limited quantity a day, I was excited to finally try this place. Turns out, the ramen was pretty average. The noodles were cooked properly and decent, but the char sui was over cooked and not the right texture. The soup was flavourful, so the food was not bad overall, but I don’t think it’s worth the price or that it was especially better than some other ramen places in Calgary. My overall experience here wasn’t great either because they were blasting rap music the whole time and I don’t know if that’s the norm or I just went in on a day where that was the case, but I could barely hear my friend from across the table unless we raised our voices. And keep in mind that this was at 11am in the morning, who wants to listen to that kind of music while we’re trying to talk to someone as we wait 45mins for our food to get cooked? It felt like I was in a club ready to get drunk and dance… I asked them nicely to turn down the volume a little, not even to change the music, but that request was denied. As well as my request to substitute the char sui in my dish for a thin piece of pork. I did not make a fuss about anything, but I wouldn’t visit here again. The music was honestly too off putting for my experience to be enjoyable, considering the fact that I had to sit there for almost an hour waiting for the food.

*** MUST EAT - BEST SPECIALIZED RAMEN IN CALGARY *** the last time I was here was when they first opened at the old location across the street from this location, however moving locations didn't stop them from making amazing creative ramen!! this place isn't your typical Japanese ramen place, no not at all, as someone who has tried Michelin star ramen places in japan and many creative ramen across North america this place is a niche of its own! you really can't go wrong with any ramen here, bowls are huge, broths are tastetul, noodles are plenty and you end up filled! my family and I also got tacos, which were also delicious! PROS • tons of creative ramen options to cater to your pallatte • friendly staff as always • interior design is laid back and chill,.but clean • any ramen you get is to die for! CONS • no reservations allowed - why? because it's first come first serve, they only make a set number of bowls and once they sell out they sell out. • no parking lot, have to park on side streets which is difficult to do in this area. must go here, whether a traveler or local, this is calgary's best ramen staple!

I went out with a good firend on Monday to a) give him an info dump on what to do in Tokyo for three days, and b) enjoy the excessively awesome ramen at Shiki Menya in Bridgeland! Run by the son of the owners of the nearby Shikiji noodle place on Center Street, this lunch-only joint serves a mere 150 bowls of soup a day, making it an extra-delicacy of excellence. I had the double-black tonkatsu, which adds squid ink to the broth AND features a darkened version of their house-made noodles. This compounds one novelty atop another for a double dose of post-hipster ramen awesomeness. ANY good ramen has to balance its portions of savory, sweet, and even bitter sensations while giving just the right portion size, and Shiki Menya automatically earns a higher-up place on the local ramen ladder for succeeding on all fronts. I've had ramen many times in Canada AND in Japan, and this is definitely a must-eat. Recommended, if you can make it before they run out of noodles!

This restaurant is my favorite place to eat. Best ramen, chat siu, soft tamago, and sexy broth. In the menu: "Classic Tonkotsu" is the most of my fave. I know there's a waiting line, crowded, small place, but it's worth it. I brought my friends and family to try that, they LOVE it! I ❤️ Shiki Menya! Oxox

Hot dayyum that was a delicious bowl! Had the chili goma: silky, chewy noodles, beautiful texture.. each bite with pork was like a flavour bomb going off in my mouth. The broth was delectable and umami-ful. My only complaint is that my body is not large enough to contain that much sustenance and sadly, I had to leave some mouthfuls to the ramen gods. Thank you for a most memorable bowl. Please come to Edmonton.

Hands down the coolest place to eat ramen I'm calgary. They never disappoint and we just love this place.

This fun, laidback Ramen joint is the best Calgary has to offer. The open kitchen brings you into the chill kitchen line. These guys are efficient. Despite a 20 hour cooking time, pork flavors are under extracted and the broth has poor mouth feel due to a lack of gelatin. The noodles have a good bite and smoothness but lack spring and chew. As you chew, it gets worse instead of better. The Char Sui lacks flavor, saved only by a quick seer. Avoid the menma, it isn't seasoned right and has a funky smell and taste.

Good as always. Tried the classic ramen this time. Usually have the chilli goma, which never fails. Wish they had take out containers though. Music is good but is a bit too loud for my liking, especially while I’m eating and trying to converse.

Have not been disappointed, food is consistent, and delicious. Sometimes the music can be a tad loud, but at least I can hear myself slurp the homemade noodles! Serving staff are pretty quick and friendly, I recommend their Ramen to my friends and family.

Love the hipster/fun vibe - from the hilarity on the menu, to the hip hop gangster rap, to the laid back chill vibe the staff brings, it makes me feel right at ease. The food itself was epic! Best ramen in Calgary for sure. No complaints from this guy.. Top notch food, service and overall experience 👌🏻

The vibe from this restaurant was great, a nice urban feel with the lighting, design, music, and staff. Location was nice, not too crazy, very healthy scenery. The food was super tasty, full of flavour and texture. It was very unique, quite aesthetic and the price was very reasonable, so far best Ramen place I've been to, will definitely come back.

Most Delicious and fragrant Ramen noodle soup, a delightful lunch served by some awesome staff. Highly recommend and definitely will be back! Thanks

The BEST ramen in YYC by far. So tasty, i am still drooling just thinking abt it. And the music def legit too. To the point! Lol

We got up early, got in line, and made the last table of the first seating. And omg. This meal was amazing! So tasty, like once in a year do I get a meal This amazing!

Amazing! Great food, great vibes. Highly recommend the Kara miso garlic!

I have tried many Ramen restaurants and have yet to find a better place. Its the best!!! Also make sure you try the tacos and other appys they are just as excellent. I have been there over 10 times now so I know ;)

I love love love this place!! Took my 12 year old son there yesterday for end of school. His comments "these are the best noodles I have ever tasted"!! Keep up the great work, open another location in the SW?? ☺️

Everything about this place is amazing! The ramen bowls are flavourful and very large. I'm going to try the tacos next time

Delish! Great staff, atmosphere, and eats. Can't wait to return and try more things off the menu!

BEST NOODLES EVER. I waited in line for 45 minutes but I could smell it wafting out the door and I it made me want to stay. My patience was worth it because I had never quite eaten anything so flavourful in Calgary to date. A MUST GO.

Best ramen ever, in my experience. Was def worth the trip and waitinglist.