3.5/5 their ramen isn't the best, in my opinion. However, I really love this place for unknown reasons. I always come here for a quick lunch at Saturday afternoon. (they always have a couple of spots available, which is so nice). Please improve the flavour of broth, then you will become a even better place for people who love eating ramen.
I've been trying different ramen places around Vancouver the last bit and this place is now one of my favorites. The noodles and the broth were both quite good. I still prefer a couple places in Richmond but overall would definitely come here for the Miso again!
Okay, so this post is a bit late… about 10 months late. In that time, Benkie changed their menu a bit, closed down, and is finally gearing back up to reopen next week. Benkei Ramen is a busy little ramen shop on West Broadway, near the Cambie Skytrain Station. We were lucky that we arrived around 11:30am because diners quickly filled all of the seats by noon.
Benkei Ramen is located on West Broadway, which is 5 minutes away from the Broadway City Hall Skytrain Station. Noodles are my favorite. I love to try/eat different kinds of noodles. I’ve been to Benkei Ramen with my best friend around the lunch time. It was my first time having ramen noodles at this place. The ramen here was surprisingly delicious. The soup base had very strong flavor. The ramen noodles tasted very fresh and soft. The eggs in ramen soup were tasty. The portion was bigger than I expected. The combo also came with a small bowl of rice. It was tasty too. The service here was great. The server took the order fast and served hot drinks. The food came fast and fresh. There are lots of people here around lunch and dinner time, so I highly recommend people do not come to this place right on lunch and dinner time. You have to wait in line for a while. In summary, It was a great experience at Benkei Ramen. I love it.
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I visited Benkei after a nighttime meeting with some friends. First things first, I love the "homey" atmosphere you get as soon as you walk into the restaurant. The staff verbally welcomed us into the restaurant, which was nice. Although the restaurant is quite small, I find it quite cozy and not inconvenient at all!
Our food arrived at our table very fast; I ordered the Curry Ramen. I love curries, across different cuisines, no matter what it is, I know I'll like it. And this curry was no exception. The flavour of the soup was bold, yet balanced, with the perfect amount of heat to sort of be the factor that lets everything come together. The curry complemented the noodles perfectly, which were well cooked, and did not seem overly soft at all.
I also had the "honour" of mooching off my friends and trying the shoyu ramen. I've had shoyu ramen many times, and the shoyu ramen here isn't anything mind-blowing, but it definitely isn't bad at all. It was good, especially the broth. The bottom line is that there wasn't really anything different about it that made me love it.
Good ramen, good service, good atmosphere. What more can you ask for?
I was never a Ramen person, but I do like to try the different rice bowls in Ramen houses. The Kurogoma Kokumiso Ramen is surprisingly well done. The aroma of black sesame is very nice and the soup base is full of flavor. And the small curry beef rice is really good too.
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I came here for ramen a few years ago. I was not an elite at that time. I had a bad experience eating ramen here. That's why I didn't go back at all. Today my coworker asked me to come here for lunch. I didn't expect too much but just wanted to enjoy my time with the coworker and time off for lunch. To be honest, I worried if I would have another bad experience eating ramen here.
Surprisingly, I ordered their special tonkotsu. It was great! The restaurant had improved on the soup base, ingredients, and presentation. I enjoyed eating the ramen here today. The soup base was thick and had a strong flavour. There was a lot of soft and tendered chashu, spring sprouts, and noodles. I was surprised to have one full egg (** note: normally we get half of an egg for ramen at most of the ramen restaurants; or else we have to pay extra to add an egg). The portion was bigger than I expected. If you go to Santouka that is on the opposite side of West Broadway, Santouka has a smaller portion and their ramen prices a little bit more overall.
The service here was great. The servers seated us quickly, placed an order quickly, and delivered ramen to our table quickly. They acted fast on everything due to busy traffic at the restaurant. I plan to go back and try other dishes next time.
Benkei Ramen in Vancouver has always been innovating their ramen to cater to those who love authentic Japanese ramen as well as those with dietary restrictions. I was invited with a friend to try their new Peko Ramen as well as some other items off the menu. As my friend has a seafood allergy, they have a few vegan options.
Came here and tried the shio ramen and my husband got the akaoni ramen. We also ordered the gyoza as side dish. The price is very reasonable for the portion and the soup base has a good flavour and is tasty. My complaint is my bowl has only two piece of meat. The gyoza tastes good but only three pieces. Customer service is very friendly and very efficient. Overall, I do enjoy dine here and I'll come back to try different soup base.
I was tired. I cancelled on exercise, in exchange for a dinner date instead. The weather was chilly, I was in flannel, I just wanted to sit still and be warm. Looking for ramen, but out of downtown this is what pinged. We were a little worried about their overall three star “Yelp” review, but after reading a few four star ones, and visiting their online presence, we were convinced to give them a try.
This is by far my favorite ramen place. I tried their ramen at Richmond night market for the first time. Good customer service, noodles always taste great!!
Amazing customer service. Good quality tasty ramen. Their beef curry is also amazing. I eat here regularly and always have had a consistent, great experience. Only thing is that the "combos" aren't available for take out which I find is a bit odd.
I love coming here on my lunch hours. They work fast during lunch to make sure you get your dish quickly. I really like that there's a decent ramen place somewhere other than downtown. I find they are not very generous on the soup contents. I usually have to order a couple of veggies to add to it if just to give it a little colour and more variety. The broth is full-bodied and the noodles are consistently well-cooked. If you are not up to going downtown for the outstanding ramen spots, this is definitely a reasonable alternative.
I love it! I loooove this place so much! If I lived closer (New West :< ) I'd eat there every damn day! The shoyu is my #1 favourite, the noodles are heavenly, and the service is great. Actually, a few years ago I attended physiotherapy about 2 blocks away and even in the dead of summer I went for a bowl after every appointment! It's good for the soul. ;)
This place is awesome! I love coming here as it's the closest ramen place to me and I find their ramen to be quite delicious and so filling! I always get their specials because they are loaded with goodness, you definitely get what you're paying for over there! Not to mention the staff are always so friendly and speedy! I've never had a bad experience here and I highly recommend it!
I was feeling in the mood for some ramen so DC and I went to Benkei for lunch today. It’s on W Broadway and Cambie, very close to Broadway-City Hall Station. I’ve been here a few times, just haven’t gotten around to writing a review until now. They’re pretty consistent though. Every time I’ve gone, it’s been pretty good.
Love this place - I only get the Tori Shio Ramen, but it's definitely my favourite and I'm hooked on it.
The prices are reasonable for the amount you get. The noodles are a little chewy but always somehow retain the flavour of the amazing soup that I finish to the drop every time.
Definitely got my vote for Top Five in the City
Tiny shop. I recommend the Tonkotsu Ramen. Very flavorfoul, rich, and full-bodied broth, and not too salty.
The Akaoni Ramen is quite interesting too. It's a little bit spicy, with hints of peanuty taste. Delicious!
I'm so full after just one bowl of Ramen. Very satisfied. Would love to come back again.
Service was incredible. My only complaint was the chashu comes out cold. It heats up in the soup, but still prefer it grilled or pan fried hot when put in the soup. Amazing ramen noodles and great complex broth. Also it's a nice decor and speedy service. Will be back many times. I had the standard miso, will try spicy ramen next time.
I was really craving for some decent ramen and decided to meet up with my friends here for some catching up. I chose the miso ramen. It is my first time trying this. The other time, I had shio. And man was it good. The broth was so flavorful and not watered down at all. The noodles were soft and tender and the bean sprouts were crunchy and not soggy. It was really awesome. We also had gyoza which were juicy and good. The staff were friendly and kept their cool even when the place was gettin really busy. Quick tip, if you are planning to come in groups more than 4, I recommend you coming early or call before coming. The place don't have a lot of big tables. Well they don't have a lot of tables to begin with and they do get pretty busy.
Cheap, decent noodles. Benkei is an okay spot in the area. It's really cheap, with ramen averaging maybe $7 or $8 a bowl. It's a pretty tiny place but service is always really quick and friendly. I've seen some people in the reviews saying the noodles are on par with the best (or even the average) in Japan...let's just agree to disagree. I think it's not on par with some of the other ramen places in Vancouver (mostly down on Robson, like Santouka for example) but it's a cheap, filling, and reasonably tasty lunch.
Love Benkei. I think I am a pretty loyal customer of Benkei. They are not as heavy as other popular ramen restaurants and still tasty. I liked the other popular ones as it has strong taste at first but didn't make me want to go back as it was wayyyy to heavy. Benkei is just at the right taste that makes me come back all the time.
Varies. I work in the area and am a fan of noodles so I go pretty often. Their portion size is pretty filling for me; I usually can't finish it alone. I have tried the miso a few times. Although the broth is flavorful, it can be a little on the heavy/salty side. The chashu on the noodles varies. Some days it will be too tough and dry and other days it is perfect. The beef curry rice tastes like Glico from Safeway.
Decent ramen. Their miso ramen is not the best but it's very decent, I tried it twice already and tend to like it. Unfortunately, their pork gyoza sucks big time. But I like this place for ramen only.
Good Ramen, Good Price!. The service here is quick and friendly and more importantly, the ramen is delicious! The servings are large and very filling - perfect for a rainy day in Vancouver.
A friend ordered a side of egg and only 1/2 an egg came with her dish, which was disappointing. Overall, would recommend.
Quick stop for fast ramen!. Headed here since I was in the area, the atmosphere was nicely Japanese and my meal came quick as well.
Had the Miso Ramen which didn't really taste like Miso to me but still good broth regardless. Guess I'll try another kind next time I'm here.
Cold noodle special. I had the cold noodle summer special. I've had cold soba before and this was a little bit like that but with ramen instead of soba noodles. It was pretty tasty. The portion size was modest. I'd order it again on a hot summer day.
It's alright. Nothing special, but a welcome change from sushi. Lunch service is pretty fast.
Let's start with the broth. It is extremely flavorful and not watered down. You can definately taste the pork flavour and tell that the broth have been well prepared. As you can see, te original ramen comes with toppings including spring onions, bean sprout, bamboo shoots and cha shu. Of course,if you'd like more, you can order then as sides for additional cost. Onto the noodles. The noodles have to be mixed a little or all you'll get out of it is a clump of ramen. The ramen is andante and fresh. I definately enjoyed them with my friends. I do regret that I didn't order an extra side of cha shu but then again, I probably won't be able to finish it. The ramen itself got me very full.
I’m so sad to see all the other Benkei locations have closed and this is the only one left…I’d already seen Ezogiku disappear completely after opening more than one location. Ezogiku was the pioneers of bringing ramen into the Vancouver scene. In 1974, they were the first Ramen specialized restaurant in Hawaii. Then, in 1990, they established the first Ramen specialized restaurant in Vancouver. I still remember (though a bit foggy…since I was little) when they had their first small restaurant. It was super crammed (and a bit sketchy) and could only fit like 5-7 people. However, for our family that had just immigrated from Japan, it was the only place that had ramen in Vancouver. In fact, back then, there weren’t that many sushi places either. Hard to imagine right!? I still remember how my friends were grossed out at the nori (black seaweed). I wasn’t even eating raw fish. It was only kappa (cucumber). Since then, I never ate any sushi in front of non-Japanese people. Not
However, we were all very satisfied with our Ramen noodles. The waitress was also very nice.
The Verdict: Not the best ramen I’ve had, but very decent quality compared to what I had in Japan. I quite like their shoyu soup base and how light it actually was. The noodles were a good consistency. The gyozas were decent too, but I still prefer the ones at Santouka better. Would I come again? Of course! The interior reminds me of the cute little ramen shops in Japan and there are no super long line ups.
Gastrofork Dee De Los Santos
+4.5
Posted on January 19, 2014 by Dee — No Comments ↓ There are a lot of good places for ramen here in Vancouver, so much so that the bar is set high. One evening, Nat and I decided to grab Benkei Ramen near Cambie and Broadway. I’ve always wanted to try it out, but considering its been 6 months since my last ramen encounter (according to my Foursquare check ins)- ramen doesnt happen often. We walked in and they werent too busy, we sat at the ramen bar area. I ordered their Miso Ramen and Nathalie ordered Shoyu. They have specials including adding a drink or side for a couple dollars. I added nori and an egg to my Miso ramen (50 cents each). The egg was good, slightly more cooked than other ramen places I’ve been to but did its purpose to fill up the bowl. The broth is thick and fatty, but not as flavourful as other places. That being said, it wasnt bad, it was fine! The ramen noodles were good, not too overcooked and there was a decent amount. It’s not bad for what it is and it’s location
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Benkei is seriously popping up everywhere. I mean there are 2 just on Broadway, not to mention the original 2 in downtown.
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