Best Ramen near the Con?

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Lincolne
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Best Ramen near the Con?

Post by Lincolne »

What would you say is the best Ramen that is in walking distance from Anime Boston?
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Re: Best Ramen near the Con?

Post by Sayoria »

Lincolne wrote:What would you say is the best Ramen that is in walking distance from Anime Boston?

I don't eat Ramen, but there's Wagamama, which is right in the Prudential Center. It's a fan favorite.
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Re: Best Ramen near the Con?

Post by LittleShadowPC »

I've had the Beef Miso Ramen several times at Wagamama and it was delicious! I usually make a point to go there when I go to AB (at least the last few years); they have types as well and my friends have gotten them, saying they are just as yummy!

I haven't had it anywhere else near the convention though!!
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Re: Best Ramen near the Con?

Post by princessai »

Definitely wagamama!
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Re: Best Ramen near the Con?

Post by MomoMiraculous »

Walking distance from the con? Wagamama. Best ramen in Boston...a whole different story.
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Re: Best Ramen near the Con?

Post by Sayoria »

Yeah, to be honest, the ONLY OTHER ramen shop I know in Boston at all is accessible by the red line, which is located in Porter Square. There is a little asian food market place a 3 minute walk from the subway there that has an asian bakery, restaurant, and inclusive there, a ramen restaurant. Never had though.
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Re: Best Ramen near the Con?

Post by Ugly Bob »

As great as Wagamama is, I've always wanted to check out Sapporo in Porter Square. I've heard nothing but good things about them.

We should organize a group and do a meetup and journey to there. I suggest on Friday.
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Re: Best Ramen near the Con?

Post by Sayoria »

A couple of years ago, there WAS a group that did that exact thing. It was hosted by someone I haven't seen on here in a while.... Chouji-san I think it was. Not sure how successful that was though. Not sure if he is still around. Not sure if he still does it.
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Re: Best Ramen near the Con?

Post by Lincolne »

I have a few friends coming to Anime Boston for the first time. I usually Just stick with the food court. But they want ramen. I heard that Wagamama was not that good. Heard It was Ok Ramen but nothing to write home about. So i was checking what everyone would say they like the best.
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Re: Best Ramen near the Con?

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Well, IMO, the best places to eat are the non-chain restaurants.... like maybe, though I am not local to Boston so easily, Finale for example, or some of the places in Quincy Market for example. A few of those places aren't chains, and I see them usually better than the chains, which Wagamama is. Since Wagamama is a chain, they usually have to meet their own protocol to the rest of the other restaurants, but stand-alone places can always make their food to their personal expectations... if that makes sense. More chances to make their own pizza sauce, or home-recipes and stuff. I usually end up wanting to go back to these kind of places.

So, I can see why Wagamama probably wouldn't be too too ideal, but hey, tastes vary, and I know some chain restaurants are actually pretty good, like Texas Roadhouse, which I absolutely love, and iHop.
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Re: Best Ramen near the Con?

Post by MomoMiraculous »

Ugly Bob wrote:As great as Wagamama is, I've always wanted to check out Sapporo in Porter Square. I've heard nothing but good things about them.

We should organize a group and do a meetup and journey to there. I suggest on Friday.
I've been. There and Tanpopo are both excellent. I try and eat at Tanpopo everytime I'm in Boston.
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Re: Best Ramen near the Con?

Post by winterwing3000 »

I recommend Mentei. It is tucked in a side street about 2 minutes outside of the Hynes Convention Center. It's really small but I do enjoy their ramen. They do serve other food as well.
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Re: Best Ramen near the Con?

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winterwing3000 wrote:I recommend Mentei. It is tucked in a side street about 2 minutes outside of the Hynes Convention Center. It's really small but I do enjoy their ramen. They do serve other food as well.
66 Hereford St, Boston, MA 02115

Go out the Boylston St entrance of the Hynes, cross Boylston, and then down Hereford. You will see a blue awning with Japanese writing on it. If you reach Newbury St, you have passed it.

UPDATE: Mentei closed in fall of 2014. So now, only ramen close to AB is Wagamama OR the instant stuff at Shaw's.
Last edited by Fetch on Sun Mar 22, 2015 2:36 pm, edited 2 times in total.
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Re: Best Ramen near the Con?

Post by Maxymas »

Mentei is great! I recommend them as well. And they're a short walk from the con, too!
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Re: Best Ramen near the Con?

Post by athainesegirl »

It's great to see a thread on ramen in Boston. I'm actually going there for the first time and even though I'm staying with my cousins (which is a major bonus 'cause I don't see them except for family events and saves a ton of money on hotel) I've never explored the city so I'd like to experience as much as I can during my first AB weekend. =)
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Re: Best Ramen near the Con?

Post by Ugly Bob »

Not to necro this post, but I was ready to check out Mentei, but it looks like it is closed now. Too bad, as I know that Pitahki (sp?) in Allston and Sapparo in Porter Square are a ways more away.

Is there any other close options, other than Wagamama, for great ramen?
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Re: Best Ramen near the Con?

Post by Elli21486 »

Well, it appears they closed at the end of September 2014. Found a picture regarding the place on Foursquare.

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Re: Best Ramen near the Con?

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Fetch wrote:
winterwing3000 wrote:I recommend Mentei. It is tucked in a side street about 2 minutes outside of the Hynes Convention Center. It's really small but I do enjoy their ramen. They do serve other food as well.
66 Hereford St, Boston, MA 02115

Go out the Boylston St entrance of the Hynes, cross Boylston, and then down Hereford. You will see a blue awning with Japanese writing on it. If you reach Newbury St, you have passed it.
is that the one that's the fusion? if so it's really good i was just talking about that one last night there's a little stair well, so becareful, you can miss it if your not looking for it.
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Re: Best Ramen near the Con?

Post by Elli21486 »

Spirit_Girl01 wrote:
Fetch wrote:
winterwing3000 wrote:I recommend Mentei. It is tucked in a side street about 2 minutes outside of the Hynes Convention Center. It's really small but I do enjoy their ramen. They do serve other food as well.
66 Hereford St, Boston, MA 02115

Go out the Boylston St entrance of the Hynes, cross Boylston, and then down Hereford. You will see a blue awning with Japanese writing on it. If you reach Newbury St, you have passed it.
is that the one that's the fusion? if so it's really good i was just talking about that one last night there's a little stair well, so becareful, you can miss it if your not looking for it.
There is a whole new thread based on the closing of Mentei. I didn't realize the date when I posted but this is from 2014, pre-Anime Boston 2014.
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Re: Best Ramen near the Con?

Post by azaznator »

Why would anyone pick Wagamama for ramen when there are legit ramen places like Santouka and Yume wo Katare?

Or rather, why would anyone pick Wagamama for anything at all besides convenient location?
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Re: Best Ramen near the Con?

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azaznator wrote:Why would anyone pick Wagamama for ramen when there are legit ramen places like Santouka and Yume wo Katare?

Or rather, why would anyone pick Wagamama for anything at all besides convenient location?
...Because some people actually like the food?

I'm getting annoyed with my fellow congoers constantly bashing Wagamama both here and on social media just because they personally don't care for it. It's not MY go-to place but it's definitely much better than Sarku Japan and Panda Express. If you are looking for authentic Japanese dishes cooked to order made with fresh incredients, you will get it at Wagamama.

The ramen is pretty good and they have various options. If you want it prepared a certain way, just ask. That includes after it's been served to you amd at no additional cost. I usually request mine with Miso Broth for example. Those with a more diverse palette for Ramen don't need to eat there but it's definitely better than nothing and the $9-$13 price range isn't bad at all. When it first opened in the PRU, the ramen was Wagamama's signature dish. Yes they made Ramen bowls mainstream but I consider that a good thing compared to just 14 years ago. They DID sponsor a Ramen bowl eating contest for Congoers a few years back as well.
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Re: Best Ramen near the Con?

Post by azaznator »

Aurabolt wrote:
azaznator wrote:Why would anyone pick Wagamama for ramen when there are legit ramen places like Santouka and Yume wo Katare?

Or rather, why would anyone pick Wagamama for anything at all besides convenient location?
...Because some people actually like the food?

I'm getting annoyed with my fellow congoers constantly bashing Wagamama both here and on social media just because they personally don't care for it. It's not MY go-to place but it's definitely much better than Sarku Japan and Panda Express. If you are looking for authentic Japanese dishes cooked to order made with fresh incredients, you will get it at Wagamama.

The ramen is pretty good and they have various options. If you want it prepared a certain way, just ask. That includes after it's been served to you amd at no additional cost. I usually request mine with Miso Broth for example. Those with a more diverse palette for Ramen don't need to eat there but it's definitely better than nothing and the $9-$13 price range isn't bad at all. When it first opened in the PRU, the ramen was Wagamama's signature dish. Yes they made Ramen bowls mainstream but I consider that a good thing compared to just 14 years ago. They DID sponsor a Ramen bowl eating contest for Congoers a few years back as well.
You can totally like their food. But Wagamama is simply not authentic Japanese food, and that is widely regarded. Just do a cursory Google search "Wagamama authentic." I ordered a chicken katsu curry there before. IT CAME IN INDIAN CURRY. I've also had their ramen. Just look at the pictures of the ramen on their menu. It's Americanized ramen, and there's no excuse for being ignorant of what real ramen is when Boston actually has legit ramen restaurants (and I'm not trying to brag, but I'm pretty sure I know what authentic ramen is as I've been to Japan many times to snowboard and tour and have had everything from random ramen on the side of the street for a quick meal to famous stores vetted by Japanese netizens). Comparing it with Sarku Japan and Panda Express as proof that it's authentic is ridiculous. That's like saying PF Chang's is authentic Chinese food when you compare it to Panda Express. Better than nothing, sure, but you live in Boston and there's much more than nothing - you're shooting yourself in the foot for going to Wagamama in lieu of the wealth of authentic ramen that Boston has to offer.

If you want some random good Asian fusion food, sure, go eat at Wagamama. But if you have the opportunity to eat amazing authentic Japanese ramen at a lot of places like Yume wo Katare, Santouka, and Snappy Ramen, why would you forgo that in favor of Wagamama?
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Re: Best Ramen near the Con?

Post by striker923 »

Hey Azaznator, let's chill out a little bit here. OP wanted to know where the best place to get ramen was, not where to get the best authentic ramen. Wagamama is a valid suggestion, regardless of its authenticity or not.

Agree to disagree, ok?
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Re: Best Ramen near the Con?

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striker923 wrote:Hey Azaznator, let's chill out a little bit here. OP wanted to know where the best place to get ramen was, not where to get the best authentic ramen. Wagamama is a valid suggestion, regardless of its authenticity or not.

Agree to disagree, ok?
Fair enough. I skimmed the thread so I didn't realize that the OP was back in 2014, before the wave of authentic ramen restaurants, and that OP was asking for restaurants near the convention. But I don't want other readers to be misinformed or not made aware of their options, including fantastic, authentic ramen restaurants that Boston has to offer, and would like them to consider taking an hour or two to eat at those restaurants.
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Re: Best Ramen near the Con?

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azaznator wrote: Fair enough. I skimmed the thread so I didn't realize that the OP was back in 2014, before the wave of authentic ramen restaurants, and that OP was asking for restaurants near the convention. But I don't want other readers to be misinformed or not made aware of their options, including fantastic, authentic ramen restaurants that Boston has to offer, and would like them to consider taking an hour or two to eat at those restaurants.
Most definitely, and you are more than welcome to make people aware of other suggestions, I would just ask that in the future it is down in a more constructive way, that's all. :) Thank you so much for your cooperation!
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