Robata Ramen and Yakitori Bar
2116 Madison Ave, Memphis, TN, 38104
Robata Ramen and Yakitori Bar Menu
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Address :
2116 Madison Ave
Memphis, TN, 38104 - Phone (901) 410-8290
- Website https://robatamemphis.com/
- Click To Get Directions
Opening Hours
- Mon :5:00 pm - 12:00pm
Specialities
- Takes Reservations : No
Delivery : No
Take-out : Yes
Accepts Credit Cards : Yes
Good For : Dinner
Parking : Garage
Bike Parking : Yes
Good for Kids : Yes
Good for Groups : Yes
Attire : Casual
Ambience : Casual
Noise Level : Average
Alcohol : Full Bar
Outdoor Seating : Yes
Wi-Fi : No
Has TV : Yes
Waiter Service : Yes
Caters : No
WE SERVE THE FOLLOWING STATES
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Cristina H.
I will not make this review based off my food bc I am honestly not a fan of ramen. From the moment I walked into this place I really loved it. I have a sweet spot for houses redesigned into restaurants and other awesome things. The only setback is normally they have terrible AC. This one flaw is what may hurt Robata bc it can get really steamy in there after hours of juicy marinated chicken thighs being grilled. The first dish I had there was really good. It was a rice dish with beef and onions. The second time we went we brought the little man with us. I think he may have enjoyed a few of my ramen noodles more than me. My husband loved all of his food. "Solid Ramen" he says. Now while I wasn't a big fan of the ramen, the yakitoris were all DELISH!! The bacon wrapped asparagus was good even though the bacon doesn't fully cook on the sides. My favorite is the chicken thigh. I honestly wish I could just eat a big piece of that with some rice and grilled asparagus. Let me make that meal, please!! Will I be back? Maybe, maybe not. But that doesn't mean it isn't a great place. That just means I personally don't like ramen. You can't knock it if you haven't tried it, right? I really just want to swing outside and imagine the place as my cute, little, yellow house in Overton Square. The servers and host were all so sweet to me and the little man. I feel like we could all be in the midtown moms club or something bc we just kept sharing baby stories. Oh and thanks for the freezing food ring tip. It works amazing!!!
(4)Melissa W.
First time at Robata and it was perfect for this cold weather! Service was great and the food was even better! I ordered the miso tonkotsu with vegetables and the pork belly yakitori. Both exceeded my expectations. We also tried the beef, chicken, and bacon wrapped asparagus yakitori plus the shrimp and veggie dumplings. Everyone left very pleased. Space is limited but definitely a welcomed addition to the square and I will be back!
(4)Mandy W.
Been here 5 times. Love it! If you're unfamiliar with this style of food, ask the staff for help with making a choice. I'm glad I did. The food, service and atmosphere are great. They were happy to modify the meals to avoid pork, so let them know if you have any dietary restrictions.
(5)Chris M.
Hmm. Well I was super excited about this place and will come back but it sorta missed the mark a bit. Skewers were pretty good, sushi roll was ok but nothing exceptional. The biggest miss was he ramen. Very little meat and the pork was mostly fat and the little bit of meat was chewy like shoe leather. The broth was good but was way way too salty. We sat at the bar and the service was good. I will go again but won't be in a rush.
(3)Nica C.
Both the age-dashi tofu and shrimp dumpling apps are so good! The tofu was extra tasty. You must try the tonkatsu ramen!!! So so delicious. For extras, definitely go for extra BBQ pork or hard boiled eggs - you'll be sad you only have one of each! Overall, great addition to Overton Square!
(5)Liz H.
Even before they opened, I was so excited to visit. Their yellow roof is cute and atmosphere is nice. They do not have many different sakes as I want, but decent menu. I ordered the yaki udon which contained quite a lot of seafood which I loved. The table next to me said the ramen had no taste at all which I was glad I didnt order. Yakitori is good but they are very pricy for that portion and I didn't like how the tables were so close to each other but I will def return for yaki udon!
(3)Tracy D.
I was really excited when this place finally open, but I have been twice, and I am not very impressed. The main problem is that I'm a vegetarian, and currently Robata is not vegetarian friendly at all. Both times I have eaten there, they did not have the soy ramen that is on the menu. Most of their vegetable skewers come covered in bonito fish flakes, which is not mentioned on the menu. The service is very slow so don't plan on having dinner before a movie or play unless you give yourself plenty of time. The service on my second visit was especially bad. I'm usually very patient about poor service because I know I would make a horrible waitress, but one person at our table had to wait a good 30 minutes before the server brought his beer. I might give this place another shot if they ever get the veggie ramen option in, but right now it is a definite NO.
(2)May L.
1. Food The food was okay. I had miso tonkotsu ramen, karaage and a couple of skewers. You can never go wrong with skewers. I thoroughly enjoyed. Karaage however came out so cold and it was too tough and not crispy at all. It was not money well spent. Ramen? It was just standard so-so level of ramen. Not excellent but not bad either. 2. Service It took terribly long time for each and every service I received. I was seated one of those outdoor tables. My waitress looked so busy (although she was attending only few tables) and she could only attend to my party once in every 15-25 minutes. We didn't get our silverwares (or chopsticks) even after our appetizers were out. It seemed like she didn't even notice it so we didn't bother to ask. Of course, Japanese people won't eat their karaage(fried chicken) with their bare hands but I decided to approach it like an American by using my hands. But even after she brought my ramen she didn't get us any chopsticks. Who eats ramen with their bare hands? I eventually had to ask for it. Water was out and it took about 20 minutes to get a refill. I honestly don't know how many tables she got assigned to take care of but the service was too bad. The check took forever to come. Well... actually it never came so one of my party members had to go inside and ask for it. This place needs a serious improvement on their service. 3. Overall I don't plan to come back here for a long time. Even if I do, I would like to call them first and then take it to go.
(2)Louie K.
My girlfriend was really excited about this place opening so we checked it out. Very intimate spaced venue. The first thing that bothered me was the shaky floors, I don't like to feel others people's footsteps when I'm having a non casual meal, but they were playing a nfl game on the tv so I didn't get as bothered as I would. Kate or Katie was our waitress, having spent years waiting tables myself I can tell she was fairly new to working as a waitress. She kept a smile and never smelled like cigarettes during the course of our meals but she was incredibly slow. They had a back wait staff so there shouldn't have been long waits between our appetizer and meal. I digress a little, when we asked about a food item of ours she would check on the status of it and it would magically be ready, we had a feeling it was ready the entire time considering the temp it came out at. Also it took her a very long time to return with my credit card. Ok now on to the food. The eggplant tuna appetizer is to die for! I could order that as a carry out lunch meal any day of the week, perfect flavor, texture, and portion. Our entrees were satisfying. The ramen is good but nothing spectacular, if this is your first ramen bar just know that there are better ones in the world of course. The wine selection is decent, we enjoyed a bottle of plum wine. All in all would I return? Just for the tuna eggplant appetizer as a take out. :)
(3)Christina N.
I'm happy this place is open and is now a food choice for Memphis. I am however not as impressed/in love with it as I wanted to be. I've eaten at a lot of California ramen shops, sometimes only once and have felt more excitement than I did for Robata on my visit. I hope they continue to improve and eventually win my heart. Service - service was kind of slow. The waitress came by several times to help nearby tables and did not stop to check on my table. Food - My ramen was good - thankfully I took notes from other reviewers to see what they seemed to be doing well. It wasn't great though. I wasn't blown away by it. I hope they expand options of what they have for customers to add into the ramen. I also got some chicken skwers, which were ok. The yellowtail sashimi I ordered was the highlight! I wanted to order some mochi for desert, however the waitress shared that it was shipped in from somewhere which made it less desirable. I hope they consider making their onw mochi on site - I'd visit often and pay twice as much!! Atmosphere - They've done a great job on the decor and maximizing the space. Love how the seating extends to the outdoor lawn. Hopefully as the weather cools they keep this space and add outdoor heaters. I'll visit again at some point, I'm still hoping they eventually blow my mind.
(3)Adam C.
I love this place. Seriously. I love it. But, it only gets 4 stars, due to inconsistency. On a good day, the ramen is fantastic. You can't go wrong and the price isn't bad. The egg, on good days, is so delicious. However, on bad days its pretty mediocre. The yakitori is great. I tried them all. Try the beef tongue and pork belly. Price is great too. Be careful when you go during the warmer months, it can get pretty hot in there. They're open late which is also nice.
(4)Daniel M.
Amazing takoyaki. Incredible and mostly-identical-to-Japanese ramen, and their miso stock was incredible. Pork belly yakitori was on point. Our server Kat was extraordinarily attentive, and made the experience superb. Will be returning next time we're in the neighborhood.
(5)Momo B.
OPEN LATE SATURDAY NIGHT Two delays in and out of Midway and our bookmarked choices for dinner dramatically dwindled down to a fairly new ramen noodle shop in Overton Square Entertainment District. Even after finishing our noodle dinner which was past 11:30 pm, the districts' public parking lots remained very full. It just seems so odd that our first dinner in Memphis comes down to ramen. Not complaining about our meal. In fact we were pleasantly surprised with the menu options. The "regular" ramen was slightly more aldente than accustomed while the amount served was most adequate. For a few dollars more, extra noodle will take care of the sumo appetite. Slice of pork was uniquely thicker attributing to a chewier experience. Both miso and soy broths were fully seasoned accompanied by a half portion boiled tea egg, minced green onion, red ginger, kikurage, julian bamboo shoot, and cooked bean sprouts. Counter seating seemed most popular amongst the diners. Service was with a sincere smile, confidence and consistency. We included Karage Don (fried chicken with seasoned rice) which could be a filling snack in itself. Yaki-Mesh is a very tasty bowl of fried rice with diced fish cake, hint of bbq pork, egg and minced green onion that went well together with the broth. As usual, we ordered too much food. Next time we will try their "thin" ramen and the yakatori.
(4)Thuy N.
This ramen restaurant is the best I tried in Memphis so far. It's located in Overton Square, which is a great area to walk around after such a filling meal. Food: I ordered the regular tonkatsu ramen with thin noodles a couple of times, and I find the saltiness level to be just right, but everyone has a different taste palette, so some people may think its too salty. I also like to order yakitori when I am here but it does get expensive real fast when ordering those items. A few of my favorite yakitori items are the beef tongue, shio pork belly, and tomato bacon, but be cautious on the beef tongue because sometimes they cook it just right and other times its over cooked and gets super tough. For those who are not ramen fans, you have other options to order from as well. I ordered the una don (fresh water eel with eel sauce over rice) and it was very delicious. I would definitely order this again. You also have fried chicken over rice, salmon over rice, bbq pork over rice, or some fried noodles if you don't want soup noodles. Service: The service here is great. Each time we have been here our waiter is friendly and attentive. They check up on you frequently and refill your water/drinks when needed. Parking: Parking is a little difficult on a Friday/Saturday, but you can always pay $3 and park in the structure. Overall, this place will be on my rotation list while I am in Memphis. It has a casual atmosphere and I really like the Overton Square area. They have live music playing sometimes which is a real treat.
(4)Sarah J.
It was good ramen (I had the rice noodles) how ever it can get pricy when you add extra veggies or scallops. I feel as tho there are better roman places out there. I would come here again because of the skewers. You can get full on skewers for very little cost. Deep fried garlic I wouldn't get again.
(4)Simon H.
I've been waiting ages for Memphis to open a legit Ramen shop, so when I heard that there's going to be a ramen shop opening in Overton square I got really excited. I ordered the traditional Tonkotsu Ramen with added tofu and boiled egg. The first time I went the soup was perfect but next few times it got a bit salty. The location was used to be the home of Leighnora Griffin, much of the outside still intact. The space is a bit limited, but all the time I've been here the service was great. So if you a noodle lover definitely give this place a try!
(4)Nic H.
First timer, my miso tonkotsu was wonderful. The portion was large, felt like I didn't even put a dent in it. It was enough to bring home for leftovers. Not somewhere to go if you're super hungry, but definitely a great place.
(5)Mike J.
This is one time where Poopsie and I have differing opinions. I liked it. Her, not so much. This was our first time here. The menu is not as straight forward as a traditional restaurant. There are appetizers, skewers, and ramen. Our waitress explained the concept to us and we proceeded to order. We all ordered appetizers and shared them across the table. The chicken ones stood out. They were in a teriyaki type coating or glaze. We all enjoyed that. The beef was good too. Then we all had our individual skewers. I think we all enjoyed those too. I did find one skinny smelt on a stick to be a pretty small serving. I would have expected three maybe. Then we proceeded to the ramen. Our waitress had suggested we share and we did try. It was hard to split up a soup with ramen noodles. The noodles themselves are difficult to move around and to get them from one bowl to another in a non-messy manner was hard. Also, they did not give us any serving style utensils that might have made that task a littler easier. The ramen itself was good, but I can't say it was exceptional. I think we would have been better off not trying to split it. The service was good and the atmosphere was nice. I found the table size was more suited to Japanese size patrons rather than American size patrons. In a table for six, the person at the end was kind of pushed off the end of the table, especially once a lot of dishes started arriving.
(4)Carlos B.
Thank god for the sauce whtat came with the shrimp dumplings. The pork sausage was my favoirte. The pork belly was too koren style (mostly fat) The scallops were so disappionting that I wanted to cry. My dream was to order a bunch of different foods on a stick and figured that i would enjoy most of them. I did not.
(2)Tara K.
The food was awesome. Loved the flavors, ingredient selection, and portion sizes. The ramen comes with a lot of delicious and fresh flavors. My Caucasus husband and I (Korean who grew up on packaged Korean and Japanese ramen noodles) absolutely loved everything! We also loved all the add-on options. We both added kimchee (I love spicy ramen) and tofu to ours. The prices were reasonable, and the atmosphere and decor was electric. Thank goodness they leave you with a large jug of ice water because the noodle bowls will hear you up! We wish we could clone this restaurant in Nashville and Jacksonville, other places we have lived. The staff was also cool and friendly. We will definitely return here!
(5)Brittney H.
Very interesting place!! We went Friday night with some friends. We all tried several different menu items, but the ramen noodle bowls were excellent! I do suggest ordering extra broth if you like it more soupy! Also, you MUST try their hot sauce! It's to die for!! Great staff, too!
(4)Steven L.
So after 4 months I've finally made it back to Robata. Business looks like it's been steady as i see it always packed when passing by. This time I got to sit inside on a cold November night. I had arrived with a friend around 7ish and the place was pretty packed while there was a wait. The hostess suggested we could sit at the bar and we did. It was a good night to have something warm and brothy and we decided to start off with some appetizers. Fried eggplant, chicken meatball and pork belly skewers. The fried eggplant was pretty good with diced tuna on top with eel sauce, seaweed and green onions. A nice sushi type appetizer minus the rice. As for the skewers the pork belly skewer was on point and the chicken meatball skewer was very tender. Onto the main course. My friend had the soy tonkotsu ramen with her own customized fixings while I had the Nagasaki champon. My champon was a little thicker cut noodle than the ramen and it had a bunch of different types of seafood in there from scallops, mussels, shrimp and squid. Pretty good noodle soup other than the ramen that's usually served. Robata has come a long way and I see why they stay consistently busy especially during this time of the year. Sitting by the bar you can actually have a sneak peak on how your meal is prepped. From the chef making your broth to your customization to the chef grilling the skewers of meat.
(4)Raymond B.
A solid place for ramen, yakitori, and more authentic Japanese cuisine than you can get anywhere else in Memphis. They've greatly improved since they opened by fixing the ventilation and air conditioning. That was a massive fail in their opening weeks, and probably cost them a significant amount of money from potential returning customers who simply did not want to suffer through heat and smoke while eating. They better not have that issue rear its head again next summer. The ramen is excellent, and is pretty well authentic to Japan. The yakitori is okay, as it sometimes comes out not quite hot, and that's no fun, but generally is solid. They have some other fun dishes that are pretty well authentic cuisine, so it's fun to be there. Frankly, we need more restaurants like this... a speciality cuisine, done well. The service is okay, and typical for Memphis, so don't get too excited or let down by them. Give it a try, you'll enjoy it.
(4)Mary H.
We had an early dinner here last Saturday, it was nice out so we were seeking a Patio. We had several of the yakitori skewers thinking we could not go wrong with that. We were disappointed to say the least. The meat ones we had were dried out and chewy. Our waitress apologized but offered no consolation at all. We will not be returning. It's too bad it is a great location in the middle of Overton Square.
(2)Tempting B.
This is the BEST noodle place by far I EVER had!!
(5)Christine L.
Solid Ramen. Some notes: I got the miso soup ramen with pork. It was pretty good ramen. They let you choose which types of noodles you want: thin, thick, etc etc. This was probably the highlight of my meal. It's not authentic japanese ramen like the kind you get in LA/NYC, but it's probably the best ramen in Memphis! The skewers are aites. the meat portions pretty small though. The price listed on the menu is for 1 stick only!!!! The picture on the menu is deceptive! I had the pork belly and the beef. The beef was a little bit tough, the pork belly was good. I got a side pork dish for $3.50. It was good. The ambience is nice. They have indoor and outdoor seating. The one thing I will warn people about is the water cups. I understand the artistic side of having these small water cups, but I'm a big water drinker and I dont like bothering waiters with refilling my water every 5 seconds! But the servers were nice. Albeit, this was the first night so I'm willing to let them work out their kinks. I will definitely be back for more ramen though!
(4)Gayle S.
Not even sure where to begin on how amazing our experience was. From the moment we stepped up to the quaint building, to walking through the door to all the smiles and incredible smells, to sitting down and enjoying one of the best meals I have had in Memphis. Our waiter was incredibly knowledgeable of the menu and town which made for great recommendations and conversation. I can not say enough about how my family enjoyed this one of a kind place. We will definitely be back the next time we are in town!
(5)Craig W.
I went here with a friend. The atmosphere is nice. We were able to talk and not be interrupted by anything. It is a little warm inside, so layer up. We were presented with a brunch menu. Apparently, this means you can't get any yakitori? oh well. I ordered the soy tonkotsu with ground pork and the mini karage don set. It was all very tasty. I enjoyed it. of course it was a little messy as expected from ramen noodles. I will return to this spot.
(4)Addison H.
Heard very mixed reviews for months. Finally tried it on a Friday night. The wait was about 30 minutes due to not taking reservations. I wish I had branched out more with what I ordered but I stuck with my tried and true fried chicken and rice. And let me tell you - as a southern girl who loves her chicken - this was some of the best fried chicken I've had in town! I seriously dreamed about it for days after wishing I had leftovers. Cost was about $10 with tax. Perfect little meal when I wasn't feeling too hungry but needed just a little something.
(4)Jared K.
Awesome!! Possibly because we came right when they opened (giggity), but this place was on point. Best ramen I've had here. Not too salty as mentioned in OP, so maybe they tweaked it. No wait at 5:00pm. Small place, but adds to ambiance. Small beer selection, but a few local brews on tap and Rouge Morimoto bottle. Also, wait staff was very nice. Highly suggest the place.
(5)Lily V.
Hmm. Good, not great, for Memphis. So after finding out that there was a ramen place near my North MS home, I was excited to finally indulge my legit asian cravings... But it sort of missed the mark. Sortof. Growing up on the west coast, I really knew my ramen. And I'm not talking 59 cent ramen in bags from Walmart. I'm talking, tiny asian woman over a big pot with fresh homemade noodles and fresh veggies type of ramen. Unfortunately, this spot really didn't hit it for me. Although the ramen was decent, the noodles weren't that great. Not sure if its freshly made or packaged, but it certainly tasted packaged. However, the broth was good. (Almost made up for it!) One of the appetizers we ordered was the Hawaiian Tuna Poke. I'm from Hawaii. My family is in the tuna business. I know my poke. This was NOT hawaiian poke. The waitress informed me that the tuna was fresh (Not sure if I can vouch for that). There was a peculiar taste that I'm not sure that I loved. It was mixed with almonds, giving it a familiar peanut butter-type taste. VERY unlike hawaiian poke. However, it worked. Just false advertising... Not exactly Hawaiian Poke It's just one of those places that I would eat if I was in the area, but I wouldn't drive 1 hour for.
(3)Lena E.
I'm a big ramen eater, and lived in Japanese. This place has a lot of options and variety which is a definite plus. But it missed the mark on true Japanese taste by over salting everything. Japanese food emphasis is on the quality of the ingredients and simplification - let the quality of the food stand on it own. I don't live in the area, and I'm from the NE (where there is great Japanese places), but noticed everything in the South is very, very salty. So this place probably caters to the Southern tastes. Worth a try, but don't go in the mindset of true Japanese taste.
(3)Laney S.
Ramen bowls were really good! They have only one vegetarian broth, but you can customize it enough that it feels like you have plenty of options if you don't eat meat. The ramen bowls are generous portions, and they don't skimp on the veggies. Spices were excellent. Plus, they have fried garlic. So. What's not to like? Service was very good and attentive. I'm glad to have them in overton.
(4)Lauren O.
Robata exceeded my expectations! We came for brunch which meant no yakitori. While the ramen was fantastic, the stars of the show were the appetizers. We had the crispy eggplant with spicy tuna and the tuna pokē--both fantastic and flavorful. There were several more I wanted to try. The "Step Four" options we chose were fantastic, although we weren't able to finish them after the appetizers and ramen. Signature mimosa didn't seem all that different from a regular mimosa but was very tasty. Some criticize the small restaurant size but I felt the size of the restaurant played a large role in the service we received.
(5)Tiffanie F.
Amazing!!!!! The entire experience was delightful and worth while. We ordered the Mune Tare, Portobello veggie skewer, and Shio Corn with thin noodles- it was killer!!! I would recommend this place to anyone who loves noodles and those who love ramen especially! The Mune Tare is seasoned so well, I could eat skewer after skewer! All in all- a wonderful experience that I am looking forward to having again! Yummmm
(5)Daniel C.
I have to write a haiku for my first bowl of ramen here: All I taste is salt Please stop adding too much salt Salt salt salt salt salt My friends and I had different bowls of ramen: a miso tonkotsu, soy tonkotsu, and miso corn. The tonkotsu's are pork broth while the miso corn is a broth that requires 8 hours of brewing to get that rich white bone broth out. BTW, for guys who doesn't understand Japanese, Shoyu = Soy and Sio/shio = salt. Every bowl was incredibly salty. So salty that my the skin of my mouth hurts. The Soy Tonkotsu was the least salty of the three. Traditionally, the broth should be very lightly salted, with a very natural broth taste. Salt is a flavor that you would request. And like salt, miso and soy are the other traditional flavors. I don't know what went wrong here. Was the miso or the soy overly salted, was the miso or the soy overly added, was the broth already overly salted, or was the overly salted miso or soy added to an already overly salted broth? The second time I went there, I kind of wanted to get to the bottom of it, so I tried the regular tonkotsu ramen. What I got I would call SALT flavored pork ramen, which is what I would typically order at an authentic ramen joint. And it's REALLY good. I could actually taste everything; the salt was not overpowering! If I didn't know any better, I would say that this is a wonderful bowl of ramen, but I shiver to think what would happen if they add miso or soy sauce to it in the miso or soy tonkotsu. Maybe it is salt flavored broth, just unspoken/unwritten on the menu, and they just don't serve the natural tasting broth. Unfortunately, as I didn't have that stomach to try a second bowl of ramen, I don't know if the miso or soy would make the saltiness ridiculous. I'll probably stick to a "regular tonkotsu" until I hear overwise. If you're looking for a natural broth, I don't know if it's possible here. Update Note: I recall seeing Jason C outside when I left. According to his review, he had the miso ramen and it's overly salted... So stick to the regular tonkotsu! My yakitoris both times came out perfectly. I read early reviews from folks who said theirs came out overcooked. Maybe both times I was the first to order yakitori both days, the grill hasn't gotten so hot that it would be harder for the chef to not overcook or that the cook got better at controlling the temperature. My tare (sauced) momo (chicken thigh), buta bara (pork belly aka bacon), saikoro (beef) were grilled perfectly with just enough marinade without over powering the flavors. A shio (salted) saikoro, gyu-tan (beef tongue), and tsukune (chicken meatballs) were also great. For service, my waiter Hillary was great the first time, and she was also great the second time without actually being my waiter. Ashley, who was actually my waiter the second time, was also great. Being in such a tight little shop, everyone is all nice and friendly. I really want to love this place. If not for the extreme saltiness of it the first time I was there, this place would easily be a 5 STARS Yelp review for my standard of unique and tasty restaurant. The second time, the yakitoris were excellent again, but tonkotsu is still salty but not overbearing. 4 Stars for uniqueness in the area, good service, and good yakitori. A BIG minus 1 for overly salted flavors and tiny water glasses especially when it's so salty. Here's to hoping for more improvements for a 5 STARS review! I'll definitely be back for more! And I hope to write a brand new haiku!
(4)Amber C.
My BFF and I went opening night and were blown away. We got a variety of skewers, apps, and rice bowls. The scallops (divine), the shrimp, the bacon wrapped asparagus (so good we added another order), the chicken thigh and green onion (a bit overcooked but still incredible flavor), the beef and onion rice bowl (so so so good, and HUGE), and the cold beef appetizer, along with the vegetable pot stickers (no that's not the name, but I'll get to that). Cute little place that WILL fill up quickly, Very bouncy floors, but it's an historical house, so no issues there. Our waitress was a little too attentive, but our waters were always full and she was super sweet. The tables are very close together, and if the people next to you are awful, like the people next to us were, you'll know (seriously, they were the most unhappy people ever I think), but the food is so good, even if that's an issue you probably won't notice. Here is my only problem. I had no idea what anything was. Yes, I get that they're trying to be very authentic, and I love that. But it's like watching a foreign film without subtitles because it's more authentic that way. Problem? You don't speak the language. I definitely would have branched out more if I had been able to see pictures or had more detailed descriptions. I know that makes me sound like an ignorant American, but really I'm just not someone who is familiar with Asian food, but who would like to learn. Very reasonable prices. We were beyond stuffed for way under $30 each. Not so stuffed that we didn't go spend a ton of money at Sweet Noshings, but full enough that we couldn't even think about trying on clothes at The Attic and I changed into comfy pants as soon as I got home.
(4)Jason C.
Keeping in mind that this restaurant is just getting off its feet, this place is actually not half bad. However, I went on a Saturday night with some friends and I was not impressed. Here's a breakdown. Wait time: They told us it would be a 30 minute wait, but we ended up waiting closer to 45 minutes to an hour out in the heat. Atmosphere: The restaurant itself is tiny with a few tables outside. On the inside, the air conditioning was broken, and the lights in one part of the restaurant kept flickering on and off every few seconds. Sweated more here than I do working out. Service: It took us around another 45 minutes to an hour to get our ramen, and then they mixed up our orders. When we got our separate checks, the waitress completely mixed up who ordered what. However, I understand our waitress was inexperienced yet did her best to keep us satisfied. Food: a) TOO MUCH SALT. The ramen was great, however, the broth that was served with it was slightly too salty. b) All the menu items were slightly overpriced. Nearly $10 for the amount of ramen served was pushing it. Also, the skewers were great, but one small skewer for $3 is not worth it. Overall experience: 2/5 As this place is new, it was overly crowded. I have no doubt this could easily be a solid 3-4 star experience. There is potential but I think a few adjustments are needed before this restaurant really takes off.
(2)Colleen W.
I was curious about this place even before it opened, and it has been on my list for a while now and I decided to have a go tonight. Got there around 10:45 and immediately noticed how great the atmosphere was. I'm already liking this place. I sat at the bar since I was by myself. Also noticed that the price of the ramen drops after 10, not bad at all. Ordered a beer and picked the regular cut noodles in soy tonkotsu broth and some ebi gyoza to go along with it. It didn't take them long. The gyoza came out first and it was awesome! The ramen came out shortly after. OH MY GOODNESS!!! I can't even put it into words how amazing it was. I will definitely be back. With my friends. They have skewers, too and I want to give them a shot.
(5)Amanda G.
I like the location! The service is decent and charming, but the food is not my cup of tea. Generous portion though.
(4)Nikki C.
We started with the garlic edamame, which was delicious. The pan seared shrimp dumplings were just okay. I've made better myself. I was disappointed in the ramen, as it was very bland. However, the main reason for this review is not about the food. It is about the abundance of black gnats flying around us during our entire meal. We were literally swatting then away and covering our glasses after one landed in our water. I believe they were coming from the hanging ferns. We killed a couple and they were filled with blood and there were a couple of blood spots on the wall behind us where it looked liked someone previously had killed some. And to top it off, I woke up the next morning with tiny bug bites all over my forearm. Coincidence? I'll let you decide. Needless to say, we won't be going back.
(2)Justin B.
I love Robata. Really, I do. There are areas it needs to improve on, but this is about as authentic as Japanese food gets in Memphis, unfortunately for us. First off, I have been to Japan, Nagoya in particular, and I also have also been speaking a decent amount of Japanese for half my life. I have had Ramen in Japan (not California, which is undoubtedly different than ramen in Japan I'm sure, since even ramen in Japan varies greatly; it is a bit like BBQ in America. Everyone thinks they have the best but makes it differently, and there's all kinds of regional variances and small ramen shops everywhere. Also like sushi; sushi in Japan bears little resemblance to sushi in America, and in fact we probably consume way more sushi and way more varieties than Japanese people). That being said, I don't think Robata's strong suite is the ramen. Yes, it's good and way more authentic than pretty much anything else in Memphis, but it could be quite a bit better. I have only been once (although I am itching to go back), and I got the tonkotsu ramen. However, it left a little to be desired. Where I feel Robata does better is the yakitori and other Japanese items they offer, like takoyaki and tofu. These are not items you will find at your average Japanese restaurant here, but yet they are more "Japanese" than most "Japanese" food you are probably familiar with. The yakitori here I don't think even has competition in Memphis, and if you think it does, please let me know who. The kara-age chicken was good, the tofu also good, served with bonito flakes and soy sauce. The takoyaki was great; I have not had any since I went to a local festival in Japan. It was pretty close. Now, my wife has been a few times (she has been all over Japan herself) and sometimes she has said they used American mayo on the takoyaki and not Japanese mayo. Ew. That was not the case when I went, but that would be to their shame if it is true. There IS a big difference, and I don't think I'd be able to eat it in that case. The atmosphere was very crowded and I seem to recall it being smoky but I could be wrong. The service was on the slow side. We waited outside for some time late on a Saturday night and I actually had to go in and remind the wait staff that we were there, upon which they realized they had a table waiting for us! However, once we got our waiter everything was fine. We spent quite a while there and ordered a ton of food, and he was 100% on top of his game the whole time and so friendly, patience and accommodating. It was just the time that was a little lengthy. Not his fault, he was a pro. Is it like getting Japanese food in Japan? No, but it comes pretty close, and I don't think I know anywhere else in Memphis that gets closer. Let's hope places like Robata have a hand in changing that and bringing in more authentic experiences.
(4)Thao X N.
Tonkotsu on a chilly night =heaven on earth! Next time I'll be sure to ask for less ginger with my ramen though.. Or maybe none. Other than that, great meal and reasonably priced!
(4)Adam Y.
This was my first visit and I have to say it wasn't the best first impression. First off the A/C didn't seem to be working very well and neither were hoods. It was warm, humid and smoky in the dining room. Add to that the mosquitoes (inside, not on the patio) that were dining on our legs as we dined on our squid, baby eels and ramen. At least the food was decent. The variety of their appetizers is nice and a welcome change to the standard Japanese fair. Their squid legs were delicious. The fried baby eels, were good, but could be better with more seasoning/spice. Finally we come to the ramen. I hope you came ready for some noodles, because they will give you plenty. The broth is very nice and the pork cutlet is tender and delicious. The only let down was the fully cooked hard boiled egg. As a fanatic of runny yolks, this hit me hard and was gravely disappointing. I would've let the faulty a/c slide. I could've said the smoky dining room added ambiance. Hell, I would've even let the mosquitoes have a whole pint of my 30 year vintage B positive had they just served proper eggs with their ramen. I may return one day, but it probably won't be for their ramen.
(2)Mike D.
We decided to give this place a shot while walking down Madison, and we're glad we did. The food here is really good. The wait wasn't too bad when we got there, about 30 minutes. We were able to get a beer from the bar and sit outside on the patio while waiting for our table. We ordered the Ebi Gyoza (Shrimp Dumplings) and the Fried Garlic for an appetizer. The dumplings were good, and the shrimp flavor was very prominent which I liked. The garlic was interesting. It was served as two deep fried bulbs of garlic. It wasn't bad, but I probably wouldn't get it again as it was a pain to open and eat. We all got bowls of ramen. The ramen was excellent and was very flavorful. The marinated egg was especially good, and may order an extra one next time I go here. I highly recommend asking for the house hot sauce if you like spicy food, as that really livened up the dish. The portions are great, and were quite filling. The only real downside here is the heat. There is basically no air conditioning inside. It was actually cooler outside on the patio than it was by the bar. Overall I would come back, and would recommend it to others. They are a welcome addition to the Madison square area.
(4)Jason P.
Has been one of my "go to's" for a guaranteed great Japanese meal. The ramen simply rocks along with the yakatori. Add this place to your regular visit list.
(4)daniel m.
Definitely worth a try as we loved it and keep coming back at least once a week! Delicious food great staff and awesome patio! Great option for a hangover cure as well ha. My favorite ramen is the tonkatsu, I'm not big on the veggies and egg in the soul so I get it meat broth and noodle. All of the yakitori is awesome. I always start with the kara age
(5)Led D.
Right now I am contemplating wether I should give this place a 3 or 4 star. I asked the matre-d if we could get a table inside not the outside. Her response was that the air conditioner is really weak and it will not be fix till Monday. So we sat outside, which reminded me of being in an outside bar anywhere in Singapore or Thailand. It was hot with very little air blowing and the only thing missing is popping the plastic off a frozen towel to get a little bit of relief from the humidity. Enough of the condition and let's talk about the service. We had a gentleman serving us, he was extremely enthusiastic of what his restaurant is serving from the menu. He took ownership of what is being serve and gave great ideas the chef specialties; very good experience. The food were great and very authentic. The ramen: noodles tasted fresh, outstanding job on the boiled eggs which are perfectly marinated, the broth were thick and very fulfilling, and the roast pork were thick and satisfying. The yakitoris' were great. I had the beef tounge, chicken wing, pork belly, and chicken thigh, it was all very tasty and tasted like the street of Ginza in Tokyo, Japan. Speaking street food, the "takoyaki" (octopus round ball in pancake mix) it was legit. I did not like the gyoza, it was not cooked right. It was supposed to have some kind seared on one side while the rest were steamed cooked. The sauce were oily. But that was the only item we did not like. My son loved the Gyodon. So he bought another one "To go" . The ambiance is so-so. Like I said earlier the a/c was not working properly. It was uncomfortable for me. I sweated like a melting ice. Overall it was great, pretty good food. It was also great on our wallet.
(4)Dan B.
in the category of unique and interesting Memphis food - 5 stars!!! service was great!! friendly and helpful waitresses (coupl of former sekisui waitresses, which helped) food was also very very good water glass size was authentic and not annoying, it's just Japanese!! pretty good descriptions on the menu, little help from the waitress and we had it figured out. my son and i had two different kinds of ramen - one chicken broth with spinach, sorn and mustard greens, (shoyu spinach) my son had the pork broth with pork bamboo shoots, miso broth (miso tonkotsu) both very delicious and UNLIKE anything you can get in memphis. what a wonderful addition to our ethnic food scene!! it's very casual and only beer for now, but will def rock the place once they get rolling. I would not hesitate to go, much of the negatives below are form opening wrinkles.....mr ishii and team WILL figure this out!!
(4)Mindy C.
The tuna poke was the best I ever had! The ramen was delicious (must add the kimchi and and extra egg!) and the service was wonderful! I highly recommend eating here!
(5)F G.
The yakitori was great. Next time will try the ramen! Nice atmosphere.
(3)Rob B.
Tried Robata tonight. I was very disappointed. We tried a wide variety of items from the menu and none stood out. The meal itself was lackluster. The restaurant space becomes far to smoky from the grills and uncomfortably warm. A positive, the wait staff and service were great.
(2)Nick R.
Oh wow guys! I took a good friend 2 weeks ago and was so enamored with the food and the service. The ramen broth, although I'm talking about broth. Was amazing !!! The different skewers they have on menu are to die for! I had the scallops! It was brilliant, It was a little pricey, but kids a places like this is a rarity and thankfully they know what their doing!!! I hope you all get a chance to check up on it! Expand your mind and your pallet your dreams may come true ;)
(4)Tiffany Z.
i think this is the first ramen store in Memphis, I'm Asian, so of course I'm exciting about that. The food is ok. For me, the ramen soup is too salted, noodle is ok. And skewer look so lonely. The takoyaki, octopus ball, has too much flour. This is only my personal opinion. I'll say it still worth to try.
(3)Kristen R.
Robata is a lovely, cozy little spot. Prior to dining here I associated ramen with the cheap instant noodles poor college kids in California survive on. Well, that notion has forever been blown out of the water by the experience my husband and I had here. I had the shoyu spinach ramen which had a chicken broth base, and he had the soy tonkotsu that had a pork broth. We also tried the harami skewer and the oysters. I was impressed by how flavorful the ramen was. Also the service was excellent. Gracious, knowledgeable and very attentive. When we told our server it was our first visit as well as first time trying ramen, he explained the whole menu and gave his personal recommendations. I learned several years ago that servers really know the best menu items and it's always best to go with a recommendation when in unfamiliar territory. This was definitely one of those times when it paid off. We both loved our choices. I really enjoyed the atmosphere too. Very pleasant interior, perfect lighting. Smallish but comfortable. Not too quiet or too loud. Everything about the experience was great. We will definitely be returning.
(5)Alex N.
This is some seriously amazing food! Delicious! I ordered the pork broth base with soy sauce and had thin noodles. It was beyond words delicious!
(5)Karen C.
Truly enjoyed our dinner at Robata tonight. They are still working out the kinks, but other than a bit of a wait for a table even though there were seats available, we had an excellent dining experience. Our waitress kindly explained the dishes we were unsure of. The ramen was delicious, as were the skewers we ordered and the fried rice dish.
(4)Claire R.
This was my first time at Robata, and I was impressed with the food but not totally impressed with the rest of the experience. I tasted the Robata wings, which were really good, but expensive for only 2. I myself ordered the ramen with scallops added for extra $$. When the ramen came and I bit into the first scallop... it was totally raw on the inside and cold like it had barely been cooked. The second one was fine, so I ate that, and when the waitress came over and I asked if I could just not pay for the raw scallop, she made a big deal out of finding out if I had eaten the second one so she could remove HALF of the charge on my bill. I was more than willing to pay for that one scallop I ate-- but if you go right across the street to Babalu, also a new restaurant, a server would be bending over backwards to make sure you weren't unhappy with what you received, and I would have gotten that meal free had I found something uncooked there. In a neighborhood with tons of new, popular restaurants, you have to be better than that to keep customers. The lack of (or broken?) A/C inside and the rude hostess that was there when I went didn't help the situation. I'm not sure if I'd go back, because I've had more enjoyable experiences at most of the other places in Overton Square, but if I'm ever craving ramen I would definitely stop by, and hopefully by then they will have worked out some of the new-restaurant-kinks that they're dealing with now.
(3)Cori W.
Despite the pictures and options on the menu, it is really good. As I sat and looked at the menu, I thought to myself how disgusting the food was gonna be. Fortunately I was dead wrong. The Ramen was outstanding and I tried the yakisoba. Both very delicious. We did have to wait 30 min. That was the only displeasing event. Overall the resturant will be receiving another visit from me
(4)Olivia F.
Bam! Tataki salad. Ramen. Edamame. As long as we get there before 6ish we are generally seated immediately which is typical of the area and an inconvenience to which we have made our peace.
(4)Elizabeth S.
This is awesome. Everything was great! Didn't have enough room for desert :( good beer selection, and the nonalcohic Barritts ginger beer is yummy. Be back soon!
(5)Elizabeth D.
After 30 minutes of talking my 9 year old autistic son into going to Rabatos...we get there at 6:50 pm on a Sunday night and ask to sit outside. The tell us they are not seating anyone...I assumed they meant outside, so I indicated we would sit inside instead. The waitress then said we are not seating anyone for 30 minutes because the waiters are tired because there are only two of them. The restaurant was half empty. There was no apology or anything... We are midtowners and frequent the area restaurants...not sure I will go back there...
(1)Ben K.
Absolutely love this place. The ramen is great and I can eat about 90 yakitori of all kinds. Service has always been excellent and the music is outstanding.
(5)Stephen K.
I have been to Robata twice since they opened last week. The first time, my wife and I went on the opening night. Opening nights at restaurants are tough - and we recognized that. The food service was slow and the wait staff was doing their best - so kudos to them. The inside space is nice - tight - but pleasantly decorated with lots of light (old houses = large windows). They really, really need to power up their vent-a-hood - the grilling leaves way too much smoke inside the restaurant. The ramen was very good - slightly overpriced - but very good. Like most of the new restaurants in Overton Square, it's really nice on the outside and inside. Went again last night with my two kids and brother in law. We sat outside - still way too smoky inside - and it was very pleasant. Good people watching in Overton Square on Saturday night. I can imagine that when the Schweinhouse opens and the beer garden is in full swing it will be quite a scene for dinner. Anyway, the ramen was good again - but slow to come out. The servers were nice and attentive. I had the chicken based ramen this time (pork last time) and it was also very good. Still think that a base price of $10 is a little steep for a bowl of noodle soup - but there is pretty much a minimum you are going to pay for dinner - noodles or not. An enjoyable evening and a nice addition to Overton Square.
(4)Fara C.
We had take out last night beef skewers, mushroom skewers, seaweed salad and edamame. worst stomach ache of my life. strike two- I wont be returning- as awesome as the idea is for the cusine style. that was not worth it.
(1)John M.
New Look on same-o Noodle.. Love what they have done with the place atmosphere is on point (Suggest outdoor pest control) As for the food... well if the stock was reduced as long as they claim they might want to add something to the water they were reducing. I cook for a living, and mastering Single Stage cooking is a must. Unfortunately they haven't mastered it! I'm sorry to say Ramen wise I wasn't impressed. Thank god for the Chili sauce! Where's the love of the food, and the desire to share your skills and abilities with the customer? It kills me to experience something so simple as Ramen done half arsed! My SOAPBOX with certain dining establishments is the price point they set. My experience has been the successful establishments are the ones that don't try to recoup their start up in the first year. (2times a week customers top the once every other week customers) 2beers, Tea, Garlic Edamame and 2 Ramen with a couple extras added on almost $70.00? WTH??? Maybe I'm upset because I know food cost, and I'm sure we all know the cost of Grocery store Ramen. Had the flavors been there like the noodle bar's I've grabbed late/early morning bowls in other cities I might not be so upset. Will I return? Maybe to make a run at the grill. Noodle wise I'd pass if I were you. Unless your trying to impress a certain female with how much you will over pay for Ramen If not I'd suggest going to an Asian market before the evenings festivities begin and swing by the gas station and snag some FREE hot water from the coffee dispenser for a tenth of the cost. Confucius says, He who will not economize will have to agonize. Besides who wants to be remember as the Bad Noodle Date! Best of Luck with your food experience Dining out is a Gamble "YO ELEVEN"
(2)Frank Y.
Rating system: 5 stars - Must try. You're really missing out if you don't. I'm a regular here 4 stars - Highly recommended, but may have minor things that keep me from being a regular 3 stars - Good most of the time but not great. Will only eat here if I have a particular craving, or am unable to eat at my 4 or 5 star choices 2 stars - Do not really like it but will only eat here if I have to (e.g. forced by friends) 1 star - Avoid. Save your money, time, and stomach At long last, Memphis finally has its very own ramen shop. Tonight was Robata Ramen of Jimmy Ishii fame's soft opening night. Having had ramen at other places in Memphis, and also being a ramen fiend whenever I visit family in LA, I had high hopes. Long story short, this is the best ramen in Memphis, but it still needs some tweaking before it can meet the standards of the larger cities. I typically like to reserve a review until multiple trips but being that this was opening night, and that I really want this restaurant to succeed, I am hoping this review may lead to some improvements. I started off sampling a couple of items from the yakitori menu (grilled meat on a skewer). I tried the beef and the pork belly (they were out of my favorite cow tongue) and another member of the party had the chicken thigh. You can get the yakitori either tare (marinated) or just salt/peppered. The comment on the chicken was that it was "very juicy". The flavor of the pork belly and beef were good but I felt they were overcooked and could have been more moist/tender. My main comparison is with yakitori restaurants overseas where the meat is very flavorful and very tender and juicy. If the meat was cooked for a shorter time, it would have made a world of difference. Another thing that would make the yakitori more appealing, is if they gave more than one skewer for the same price. I feel that they were a bit overpriced for the amount of meat you get. I do, however, look forward to trying the other items in the yakitori menu, as well as some of their other appetizers such as the poke, tofu dishes, etc. Now that that's out of the way, lets move on to the star of the show, the ramen. They offer ramen with variations of the three standard soup bases (tonkotsu, miso, and shoyu). I tried the tonkotsu, which is a pork broth made by boiling pork bones (neck, shoulder, etc.) until the collagen and marrow is released, resulting in a milky soup. Tonkotsu, requiring the longest amount of time to prep compared to the other soup bases, is typically the standard by which I judge ramen. If you can do this well, you can do the others well. The broth was good, but could be improved upon. It is a solid broth no doubt, but if the flavors were more concentrated (ie, allowing more water to evaporate during the boiling process), add in fresh crushed garlic near or at the end, and adding in black garlic oil or a little more sesame oil, this would get me to crave for seconds and thirds. The noodles (available in thin, regular, wide, and rice) were acceptable. I prefer mine to be a little chewier, but they were acceptable and almost every ramen shop will use different noodles, so I am not particularly picky about that. The toppings were solid. In addition to pickled ginger, kukurage (woodear-like fungus), green onions, bamboo shoots, and bean sprouts, you get charsiu and preserved egg. The preserved egg (preserved in salt water and then boiled in a soy sauce-like mixture) is a very nice touch that I liked a lot. It wasn't oversalted or overcooked, so I appreciated that. The charsiu (BBQ pork) is different from other places in that it wasn't as firm. However I like Robata's version much more, as it is very tender and falls apart in your mouth. I think the best thing in the ramen was the charsiu, so keep it up. In addition to the ramen, you can also get other side items to basically make it a combo. The ramen is actually a pretty good portion, so this isn't absolutely necessary for getting full. I opted to get the sake donburi (rice bowl with salmon) and I also tried the BBQ pork donburi. Both the salmon and the pork were overcooked. The pork more so, as it was quite dry and was very unappetizing. I would have also liked to see more sauce of some sort (even just regular sweetened soy sauce would suffice) to give more flavor to the rice since the dry meat didn't lend well to adding flavor. All in all, this is a solid 3-star restaurant and I would go back if I have a ramen craving and also to try some more of the menu. I do hope improvements will be made so that this little ramen shop can be a permanent Memphis fixture.
(3)Catherine T.
I have been to robata twice since their opening. The first time, I felt the broths and rice dishes were extremely salty. There's been some adjustment. The broth is much better, not as salty. The salmon rice was good. The fried rice was very bland today. Overall, the food is good. I was annoyed by the 3 fruit flies flying around my table. Would be great if they could be taken care of.
(4)Henry F.
I went tonight around 7pm. There was a 45 minute wait quoted by the hostess. The wait was to be seated in the restaurant. The front lawn was open to whoever hovered around and snagged a table. The front lawn had servers tending to them. However the porch was just a waiting area. People on the porch had to go inside to the bar to get beer. I felt bad crowding in at the bar to get beers for my party. The restaurant is just too small. The grill they cook yakatori on is too small and they run out of things quickly,,,,even on a Tuesday. Once we were finally seated the service was very pleasant. The server was very informative and attentive. And then the place started to fill with smoke from the tiny grill. Even the pots cooking the ramen and spewing steam were next to the bar adding to the heat. The severs propped open the front door allowing the cooled air to escape but it was better to breathe. I enjoyed the ramen but did not enjoy paying 3.95 extra for 3 medium small shrimp. I also stupidly added 3 tiny dumplings for another 3.95. Overall, I will never go back. The other local Vietnamese - pho Saigon - and Japanese restaurants - red koi and Sakura - have better ramen and a more pleasant ambiance. The only reason I will go back to the Overton square area will be for iris, second line, and the soon to be open german beer garden. I have such high hopes for the beer garden.
(2)L W.
A friend praised this place. We went and I have to say it is soooo small. Our soup was luke warm and I paid over $3 extra for shrimp and there was only 2 shrimp in the bowl. Will not be returning..
(2)Juice K.
So good. I can only think any negative review is due to them being brand spanking new. We came on a Sunday night at 7:30. Had a party of 8. They sat us in 25 minutes. Nothing we ordered disappointed. We got the beef belly skewers, the mushroom appetizer, the fried garlic, chicken thigh skewers with green onion, yellowtail cheek and split a bowl of ramen. Everything tasted delicious. Highly recommend the cheek, but like I said... Everything was top notch. And our waiter was well informed and patient with our large party. The only complaints I had were the air conditioning, which they are working on, and the small water glasses which is an easy fix. Kudos! Can't wait to try more!
(4)Sam K.
We were traveling through Memphis and stopped at Robata for some ramen and yakitori. There was a wait for a table inside, so we opted to site outside. We ordered the pork belly, beef, scallop, and mackerel yakitori and 2 ramens (miso and soy). The yakitori was great and tasty, and wished we had ordered some more. The ramens were tasty as well, a little too salty but tasty. However, our problem was with the service at this restaurant. We ordered 2 ramens, but only one (soy) was delivered with our meal. When I asked about the second one our server told us it was coming out and she went back into the building. She did not return to our table for a good 10 minutes, when she came out to check on another table we asked again about the ramen and she said the same thing "oh, its on its way out" and went back in. a few minutes later another server comes out holding a bowl and asked if we ordered the soy ramen we told her no but we are waiting for a miso one, this server then went back inside. By this time the first ramen had already gotten cold and the noodles have become mushy. When our server comes out again we asked about our ramen and she asks if a server brought it out, we told her it was the wrong one. We finally received our ramen after 20 minutes since we received the first one. I can understand if the order is forgotten or misplaced, just tell the customer and dont make excuses. My biggest gripe is the server not taking responsibility and making excuses instead of trying to solve the issue.
(2)Colleen W.
I was curious about this place even before it opened, and it has been on my list for a while now and I decided to have a go tonight. Got there around 10:45 and immediately noticed how great the atmosphere was. I'm already liking this place. I sat at the bar since I was by myself. Also noticed that the price of the ramen drops after 10, not bad at all. Ordered a beer and picked the regular cut noodles in soy tonkotsu broth and some ebi gyoza to go along with it. It didn't take them long. The gyoza came out first and it was awesome! The ramen came out shortly after. OH MY GOODNESS!!! I can't even put it into words how amazing it was. I will definitely be back. With my friends. They have skewers, too and I want to give them a shot.
(5)Amanda G.
I like the location! The service is decent and charming, but the food is not my cup of tea. Generous portion though.
(4)Mike J.
This is one time where Poopsie and I have differing opinions. I liked it. Her, not so much. This was our first time here. The menu is not as straight forward as a traditional restaurant. There are appetizers, skewers, and ramen. Our waitress explained the concept to us and we proceeded to order. We all ordered appetizers and shared them across the table. The chicken ones stood out. They were in a teriyaki type coating or glaze. We all enjoyed that. The beef was good too. Then we all had our individual skewers. I think we all enjoyed those too. I did find one skinny smelt on a stick to be a pretty small serving. I would have expected three maybe. Then we proceeded to the ramen. Our waitress had suggested we share and we did try. It was hard to split up a soup with ramen noodles. The noodles themselves are difficult to move around and to get them from one bowl to another in a non-messy manner was hard. Also, they did not give us any serving style utensils that might have made that task a littler easier. The ramen itself was good, but I can't say it was exceptional. I think we would have been better off not trying to split it. The service was good and the atmosphere was nice. I found the table size was more suited to Japanese size patrons rather than American size patrons. In a table for six, the person at the end was kind of pushed off the end of the table, especially once a lot of dishes started arriving.
(4)Carlos B.
Thank god for the sauce whtat came with the shrimp dumplings. The pork sausage was my favoirte. The pork belly was too koren style (mostly fat) The scallops were so disappionting that I wanted to cry. My dream was to order a bunch of different foods on a stick and figured that i would enjoy most of them. I did not.
(2)May L.
1. Food The food was okay. I had miso tonkotsu ramen, karaage and a couple of skewers. You can never go wrong with skewers. I thoroughly enjoyed. Karaage however came out so cold and it was too tough and not crispy at all. It was not money well spent. Ramen? It was just standard so-so level of ramen. Not excellent but not bad either. 2. Service It took terribly long time for each and every service I received. I was seated one of those outdoor tables. My waitress looked so busy (although she was attending only few tables) and she could only attend to my party once in every 15-25 minutes. We didn't get our silverwares (or chopsticks) even after our appetizers were out. It seemed like she didn't even notice it so we didn't bother to ask. Of course, Japanese people won't eat their karaage(fried chicken) with their bare hands but I decided to approach it like an American by using my hands. But even after she brought my ramen she didn't get us any chopsticks. Who eats ramen with their bare hands? I eventually had to ask for it. Water was out and it took about 20 minutes to get a refill. I honestly don't know how many tables she got assigned to take care of but the service was too bad. The check took forever to come. Well... actually it never came so one of my party members had to go inside and ask for it. This place needs a serious improvement on their service. 3. Overall I don't plan to come back here for a long time. Even if I do, I would like to call them first and then take it to go.
(2)Daniel C.
I have to write a haiku for my first bowl of ramen here: All I taste is salt Please stop adding too much salt Salt salt salt salt salt My friends and I had different bowls of ramen: a miso tonkotsu, soy tonkotsu, and miso corn. The tonkotsu's are pork broth while the miso corn is a broth that requires 8 hours of brewing to get that rich white bone broth out. BTW, for guys who doesn't understand Japanese, Shoyu = Soy and Sio/shio = salt. Every bowl was incredibly salty. So salty that my the skin of my mouth hurts. The Soy Tonkotsu was the least salty of the three. Traditionally, the broth should be very lightly salted, with a very natural broth taste. Salt is a flavor that you would request. And like salt, miso and soy are the other traditional flavors. I don't know what went wrong here. Was the miso or the soy overly salted, was the miso or the soy overly added, was the broth already overly salted, or was the overly salted miso or soy added to an already overly salted broth? The second time I went there, I kind of wanted to get to the bottom of it, so I tried the regular tonkotsu ramen. What I got I would call SALT flavored pork ramen, which is what I would typically order at an authentic ramen joint. And it's REALLY good. I could actually taste everything; the salt was not overpowering! If I didn't know any better, I would say that this is a wonderful bowl of ramen, but I shiver to think what would happen if they add miso or soy sauce to it in the miso or soy tonkotsu. Maybe it is salt flavored broth, just unspoken/unwritten on the menu, and they just don't serve the natural tasting broth. Unfortunately, as I didn't have that stomach to try a second bowl of ramen, I don't know if the miso or soy would make the saltiness ridiculous. I'll probably stick to a "regular tonkotsu" until I hear overwise. If you're looking for a natural broth, I don't know if it's possible here. Update Note: I recall seeing Jason C outside when I left. According to his review, he had the miso ramen and it's overly salted... So stick to the regular tonkotsu! My yakitoris both times came out perfectly. I read early reviews from folks who said theirs came out overcooked. Maybe both times I was the first to order yakitori both days, the grill hasn't gotten so hot that it would be harder for the chef to not overcook or that the cook got better at controlling the temperature. My tare (sauced) momo (chicken thigh), buta bara (pork belly aka bacon), saikoro (beef) were grilled perfectly with just enough marinade without over powering the flavors. A shio (salted) saikoro, gyu-tan (beef tongue), and tsukune (chicken meatballs) were also great. For service, my waiter Hillary was great the first time, and she was also great the second time without actually being my waiter. Ashley, who was actually my waiter the second time, was also great. Being in such a tight little shop, everyone is all nice and friendly. I really want to love this place. If not for the extreme saltiness of it the first time I was there, this place would easily be a 5 STARS Yelp review for my standard of unique and tasty restaurant. The second time, the yakitoris were excellent again, but tonkotsu is still salty but not overbearing. 4 Stars for uniqueness in the area, good service, and good yakitori. A BIG minus 1 for overly salted flavors and tiny water glasses especially when it's so salty. Here's to hoping for more improvements for a 5 STARS review! I'll definitely be back for more! And I hope to write a brand new haiku!
(4)Laney S.
Ramen bowls were really good! They have only one vegetarian broth, but you can customize it enough that it feels like you have plenty of options if you don't eat meat. The ramen bowls are generous portions, and they don't skimp on the veggies. Spices were excellent. Plus, they have fried garlic. So. What's not to like? Service was very good and attentive. I'm glad to have them in overton.
(4)Tiffanie F.
Amazing!!!!! The entire experience was delightful and worth while. We ordered the Mune Tare, Portobello veggie skewer, and Shio Corn with thin noodles- it was killer!!! I would recommend this place to anyone who loves noodles and those who love ramen especially! The Mune Tare is seasoned so well, I could eat skewer after skewer! All in all- a wonderful experience that I am looking forward to having again! Yummmm
(5)Simon H.
I've been waiting ages for Memphis to open a legit Ramen shop, so when I heard that there's going to be a ramen shop opening in Overton square I got really excited. I ordered the traditional Tonkotsu Ramen with added tofu and boiled egg. The first time I went the soup was perfect but next few times it got a bit salty. The location was used to be the home of Leighnora Griffin, much of the outside still intact. The space is a bit limited, but all the time I've been here the service was great. So if you a noodle lover definitely give this place a try!
(4)Nic H.
First timer, my miso tonkotsu was wonderful. The portion was large, felt like I didn't even put a dent in it. It was enough to bring home for leftovers. Not somewhere to go if you're super hungry, but definitely a great place.
(5)Brittney H.
Very interesting place!! We went Friday night with some friends. We all tried several different menu items, but the ramen noodle bowls were excellent! I do suggest ordering extra broth if you like it more soupy! Also, you MUST try their hot sauce! It's to die for!! Great staff, too!
(4)Steven L.
So after 4 months I've finally made it back to Robata. Business looks like it's been steady as i see it always packed when passing by. This time I got to sit inside on a cold November night. I had arrived with a friend around 7ish and the place was pretty packed while there was a wait. The hostess suggested we could sit at the bar and we did. It was a good night to have something warm and brothy and we decided to start off with some appetizers. Fried eggplant, chicken meatball and pork belly skewers. The fried eggplant was pretty good with diced tuna on top with eel sauce, seaweed and green onions. A nice sushi type appetizer minus the rice. As for the skewers the pork belly skewer was on point and the chicken meatball skewer was very tender. Onto the main course. My friend had the soy tonkotsu ramen with her own customized fixings while I had the Nagasaki champon. My champon was a little thicker cut noodle than the ramen and it had a bunch of different types of seafood in there from scallops, mussels, shrimp and squid. Pretty good noodle soup other than the ramen that's usually served. Robata has come a long way and I see why they stay consistently busy especially during this time of the year. Sitting by the bar you can actually have a sneak peak on how your meal is prepped. From the chef making your broth to your customization to the chef grilling the skewers of meat.
(4)Raymond B.
A solid place for ramen, yakitori, and more authentic Japanese cuisine than you can get anywhere else in Memphis. They've greatly improved since they opened by fixing the ventilation and air conditioning. That was a massive fail in their opening weeks, and probably cost them a significant amount of money from potential returning customers who simply did not want to suffer through heat and smoke while eating. They better not have that issue rear its head again next summer. The ramen is excellent, and is pretty well authentic to Japan. The yakitori is okay, as it sometimes comes out not quite hot, and that's no fun, but generally is solid. They have some other fun dishes that are pretty well authentic cuisine, so it's fun to be there. Frankly, we need more restaurants like this... a speciality cuisine, done well. The service is okay, and typical for Memphis, so don't get too excited or let down by them. Give it a try, you'll enjoy it.
(4)Lena E.
I'm a big ramen eater, and lived in Japanese. This place has a lot of options and variety which is a definite plus. But it missed the mark on true Japanese taste by over salting everything. Japanese food emphasis is on the quality of the ingredients and simplification - let the quality of the food stand on it own. I don't live in the area, and I'm from the NE (where there is great Japanese places), but noticed everything in the South is very, very salty. So this place probably caters to the Southern tastes. Worth a try, but don't go in the mindset of true Japanese taste.
(3)Adam C.
I love this place. Seriously. I love it. But, it only gets 4 stars, due to inconsistency. On a good day, the ramen is fantastic. You can't go wrong and the price isn't bad. The egg, on good days, is so delicious. However, on bad days its pretty mediocre. The yakitori is great. I tried them all. Try the beef tongue and pork belly. Price is great too. Be careful when you go during the warmer months, it can get pretty hot in there. They're open late which is also nice.
(4)Daniel M.
Amazing takoyaki. Incredible and mostly-identical-to-Japanese ramen, and their miso stock was incredible. Pork belly yakitori was on point. Our server Kat was extraordinarily attentive, and made the experience superb. Will be returning next time we're in the neighborhood.
(5)Sarah J.
It was good ramen (I had the rice noodles) how ever it can get pricy when you add extra veggies or scallops. I feel as tho there are better roman places out there. I would come here again because of the skewers. You can get full on skewers for very little cost. Deep fried garlic I wouldn't get again.
(4)Tara K.
The food was awesome. Loved the flavors, ingredient selection, and portion sizes. The ramen comes with a lot of delicious and fresh flavors. My Caucasus husband and I (Korean who grew up on packaged Korean and Japanese ramen noodles) absolutely loved everything! We also loved all the add-on options. We both added kimchee (I love spicy ramen) and tofu to ours. The prices were reasonable, and the atmosphere and decor was electric. Thank goodness they leave you with a large jug of ice water because the noodle bowls will hear you up! We wish we could clone this restaurant in Nashville and Jacksonville, other places we have lived. The staff was also cool and friendly. We will definitely return here!
(5)Elizabeth D.
After 30 minutes of talking my 9 year old autistic son into going to Rabatos...we get there at 6:50 pm on a Sunday night and ask to sit outside. The tell us they are not seating anyone...I assumed they meant outside, so I indicated we would sit inside instead. The waitress then said we are not seating anyone for 30 minutes because the waiters are tired because there are only two of them. The restaurant was half empty. There was no apology or anything... We are midtowners and frequent the area restaurants...not sure I will go back there...
(1)Ben K.
Absolutely love this place. The ramen is great and I can eat about 90 yakitori of all kinds. Service has always been excellent and the music is outstanding.
(5)Mindy C.
The tuna poke was the best I ever had! The ramen was delicious (must add the kimchi and and extra egg!) and the service was wonderful! I highly recommend eating here!
(5)F G.
The yakitori was great. Next time will try the ramen! Nice atmosphere.
(3)Mary H.
We had an early dinner here last Saturday, it was nice out so we were seeking a Patio. We had several of the yakitori skewers thinking we could not go wrong with that. We were disappointed to say the least. The meat ones we had were dried out and chewy. Our waitress apologized but offered no consolation at all. We will not be returning. It's too bad it is a great location in the middle of Overton Square.
(2)Tempting B.
This is the BEST noodle place by far I EVER had!!
(5)Christine L.
Solid Ramen. Some notes: I got the miso soup ramen with pork. It was pretty good ramen. They let you choose which types of noodles you want: thin, thick, etc etc. This was probably the highlight of my meal. It's not authentic japanese ramen like the kind you get in LA/NYC, but it's probably the best ramen in Memphis! The skewers are aites. the meat portions pretty small though. The price listed on the menu is for 1 stick only!!!! The picture on the menu is deceptive! I had the pork belly and the beef. The beef was a little bit tough, the pork belly was good. I got a side pork dish for $3.50. It was good. The ambience is nice. They have indoor and outdoor seating. The one thing I will warn people about is the water cups. I understand the artistic side of having these small water cups, but I'm a big water drinker and I dont like bothering waiters with refilling my water every 5 seconds! But the servers were nice. Albeit, this was the first night so I'm willing to let them work out their kinks. I will definitely be back for more ramen though!
(4)Gayle S.
Not even sure where to begin on how amazing our experience was. From the moment we stepped up to the quaint building, to walking through the door to all the smiles and incredible smells, to sitting down and enjoying one of the best meals I have had in Memphis. Our waiter was incredibly knowledgeable of the menu and town which made for great recommendations and conversation. I can not say enough about how my family enjoyed this one of a kind place. We will definitely be back the next time we are in town!
(5)Craig W.
I went here with a friend. The atmosphere is nice. We were able to talk and not be interrupted by anything. It is a little warm inside, so layer up. We were presented with a brunch menu. Apparently, this means you can't get any yakitori? oh well. I ordered the soy tonkotsu with ground pork and the mini karage don set. It was all very tasty. I enjoyed it. of course it was a little messy as expected from ramen noodles. I will return to this spot.
(4)Addison H.
Heard very mixed reviews for months. Finally tried it on a Friday night. The wait was about 30 minutes due to not taking reservations. I wish I had branched out more with what I ordered but I stuck with my tried and true fried chicken and rice. And let me tell you - as a southern girl who loves her chicken - this was some of the best fried chicken I've had in town! I seriously dreamed about it for days after wishing I had leftovers. Cost was about $10 with tax. Perfect little meal when I wasn't feeling too hungry but needed just a little something.
(4)Nick R.
Oh wow guys! I took a good friend 2 weeks ago and was so enamored with the food and the service. The ramen broth, although I'm talking about broth. Was amazing !!! The different skewers they have on menu are to die for! I had the scallops! It was brilliant, It was a little pricey, but kids a places like this is a rarity and thankfully they know what their doing!!! I hope you all get a chance to check up on it! Expand your mind and your pallet your dreams may come true ;)
(4)Momo B.
OPEN LATE SATURDAY NIGHT Two delays in and out of Midway and our bookmarked choices for dinner dramatically dwindled down to a fairly new ramen noodle shop in Overton Square Entertainment District. Even after finishing our noodle dinner which was past 11:30 pm, the districts' public parking lots remained very full. It just seems so odd that our first dinner in Memphis comes down to ramen. Not complaining about our meal. In fact we were pleasantly surprised with the menu options. The "regular" ramen was slightly more aldente than accustomed while the amount served was most adequate. For a few dollars more, extra noodle will take care of the sumo appetite. Slice of pork was uniquely thicker attributing to a chewier experience. Both miso and soy broths were fully seasoned accompanied by a half portion boiled tea egg, minced green onion, red ginger, kikurage, julian bamboo shoot, and cooked bean sprouts. Counter seating seemed most popular amongst the diners. Service was with a sincere smile, confidence and consistency. We included Karage Don (fried chicken with seasoned rice) which could be a filling snack in itself. Yaki-Mesh is a very tasty bowl of fried rice with diced fish cake, hint of bbq pork, egg and minced green onion that went well together with the broth. As usual, we ordered too much food. Next time we will try their "thin" ramen and the yakatori.
(4)Thuy N.
This ramen restaurant is the best I tried in Memphis so far. It's located in Overton Square, which is a great area to walk around after such a filling meal. Food: I ordered the regular tonkatsu ramen with thin noodles a couple of times, and I find the saltiness level to be just right, but everyone has a different taste palette, so some people may think its too salty. I also like to order yakitori when I am here but it does get expensive real fast when ordering those items. A few of my favorite yakitori items are the beef tongue, shio pork belly, and tomato bacon, but be cautious on the beef tongue because sometimes they cook it just right and other times its over cooked and gets super tough. For those who are not ramen fans, you have other options to order from as well. I ordered the una don (fresh water eel with eel sauce over rice) and it was very delicious. I would definitely order this again. You also have fried chicken over rice, salmon over rice, bbq pork over rice, or some fried noodles if you don't want soup noodles. Service: The service here is great. Each time we have been here our waiter is friendly and attentive. They check up on you frequently and refill your water/drinks when needed. Parking: Parking is a little difficult on a Friday/Saturday, but you can always pay $3 and park in the structure. Overall, this place will be on my rotation list while I am in Memphis. It has a casual atmosphere and I really like the Overton Square area. They have live music playing sometimes which is a real treat.
(4)Lauren O.
Robata exceeded my expectations! We came for brunch which meant no yakitori. While the ramen was fantastic, the stars of the show were the appetizers. We had the crispy eggplant with spicy tuna and the tuna pokē--both fantastic and flavorful. There were several more I wanted to try. The "Step Four" options we chose were fantastic, although we weren't able to finish them after the appetizers and ramen. Signature mimosa didn't seem all that different from a regular mimosa but was very tasty. Some criticize the small restaurant size but I felt the size of the restaurant played a large role in the service we received.
(5)Lily V.
Hmm. Good, not great, for Memphis. So after finding out that there was a ramen place near my North MS home, I was excited to finally indulge my legit asian cravings... But it sort of missed the mark. Sortof. Growing up on the west coast, I really knew my ramen. And I'm not talking 59 cent ramen in bags from Walmart. I'm talking, tiny asian woman over a big pot with fresh homemade noodles and fresh veggies type of ramen. Unfortunately, this spot really didn't hit it for me. Although the ramen was decent, the noodles weren't that great. Not sure if its freshly made or packaged, but it certainly tasted packaged. However, the broth was good. (Almost made up for it!) One of the appetizers we ordered was the Hawaiian Tuna Poke. I'm from Hawaii. My family is in the tuna business. I know my poke. This was NOT hawaiian poke. The waitress informed me that the tuna was fresh (Not sure if I can vouch for that). There was a peculiar taste that I'm not sure that I loved. It was mixed with almonds, giving it a familiar peanut butter-type taste. VERY unlike hawaiian poke. However, it worked. Just false advertising... Not exactly Hawaiian Poke It's just one of those places that I would eat if I was in the area, but I wouldn't drive 1 hour for.
(3)Amber C.
My BFF and I went opening night and were blown away. We got a variety of skewers, apps, and rice bowls. The scallops (divine), the shrimp, the bacon wrapped asparagus (so good we added another order), the chicken thigh and green onion (a bit overcooked but still incredible flavor), the beef and onion rice bowl (so so so good, and HUGE), and the cold beef appetizer, along with the vegetable pot stickers (no that's not the name, but I'll get to that). Cute little place that WILL fill up quickly, Very bouncy floors, but it's an historical house, so no issues there. Our waitress was a little too attentive, but our waters were always full and she was super sweet. The tables are very close together, and if the people next to you are awful, like the people next to us were, you'll know (seriously, they were the most unhappy people ever I think), but the food is so good, even if that's an issue you probably won't notice. Here is my only problem. I had no idea what anything was. Yes, I get that they're trying to be very authentic, and I love that. But it's like watching a foreign film without subtitles because it's more authentic that way. Problem? You don't speak the language. I definitely would have branched out more if I had been able to see pictures or had more detailed descriptions. I know that makes me sound like an ignorant American, but really I'm just not someone who is familiar with Asian food, but who would like to learn. Very reasonable prices. We were beyond stuffed for way under $30 each. Not so stuffed that we didn't go spend a ton of money at Sweet Noshings, but full enough that we couldn't even think about trying on clothes at The Attic and I changed into comfy pants as soon as I got home.
(4)Jason C.
Keeping in mind that this restaurant is just getting off its feet, this place is actually not half bad. However, I went on a Saturday night with some friends and I was not impressed. Here's a breakdown. Wait time: They told us it would be a 30 minute wait, but we ended up waiting closer to 45 minutes to an hour out in the heat. Atmosphere: The restaurant itself is tiny with a few tables outside. On the inside, the air conditioning was broken, and the lights in one part of the restaurant kept flickering on and off every few seconds. Sweated more here than I do working out. Service: It took us around another 45 minutes to an hour to get our ramen, and then they mixed up our orders. When we got our separate checks, the waitress completely mixed up who ordered what. However, I understand our waitress was inexperienced yet did her best to keep us satisfied. Food: a) TOO MUCH SALT. The ramen was great, however, the broth that was served with it was slightly too salty. b) All the menu items were slightly overpriced. Nearly $10 for the amount of ramen served was pushing it. Also, the skewers were great, but one small skewer for $3 is not worth it. Overall experience: 2/5 As this place is new, it was overly crowded. I have no doubt this could easily be a solid 3-4 star experience. There is potential but I think a few adjustments are needed before this restaurant really takes off.
(2)Christina N.
I'm happy this place is open and is now a food choice for Memphis. I am however not as impressed/in love with it as I wanted to be. I've eaten at a lot of California ramen shops, sometimes only once and have felt more excitement than I did for Robata on my visit. I hope they continue to improve and eventually win my heart. Service - service was kind of slow. The waitress came by several times to help nearby tables and did not stop to check on my table. Food - My ramen was good - thankfully I took notes from other reviewers to see what they seemed to be doing well. It wasn't great though. I wasn't blown away by it. I hope they expand options of what they have for customers to add into the ramen. I also got some chicken skwers, which were ok. The yellowtail sashimi I ordered was the highlight! I wanted to order some mochi for desert, however the waitress shared that it was shipped in from somewhere which made it less desirable. I hope they consider making their onw mochi on site - I'd visit often and pay twice as much!! Atmosphere - They've done a great job on the decor and maximizing the space. Love how the seating extends to the outdoor lawn. Hopefully as the weather cools they keep this space and add outdoor heaters. I'll visit again at some point, I'm still hoping they eventually blow my mind.
(3)Jared K.
Awesome!! Possibly because we came right when they opened (giggity), but this place was on point. Best ramen I've had here. Not too salty as mentioned in OP, so maybe they tweaked it. No wait at 5:00pm. Small place, but adds to ambiance. Small beer selection, but a few local brews on tap and Rouge Morimoto bottle. Also, wait staff was very nice. Highly suggest the place.
(5)Liz H.
Even before they opened, I was so excited to visit. Their yellow roof is cute and atmosphere is nice. They do not have many different sakes as I want, but decent menu. I ordered the yaki udon which contained quite a lot of seafood which I loved. The table next to me said the ramen had no taste at all which I was glad I didnt order. Yakitori is good but they are very pricy for that portion and I didn't like how the tables were so close to each other but I will def return for yaki udon!
(3)Cristina H.
I will not make this review based off my food bc I am honestly not a fan of ramen. From the moment I walked into this place I really loved it. I have a sweet spot for houses redesigned into restaurants and other awesome things. The only setback is normally they have terrible AC. This one flaw is what may hurt Robata bc it can get really steamy in there after hours of juicy marinated chicken thighs being grilled. The first dish I had there was really good. It was a rice dish with beef and onions. The second time we went we brought the little man with us. I think he may have enjoyed a few of my ramen noodles more than me. My husband loved all of his food. "Solid Ramen" he says. Now while I wasn't a big fan of the ramen, the yakitoris were all DELISH!! The bacon wrapped asparagus was good even though the bacon doesn't fully cook on the sides. My favorite is the chicken thigh. I honestly wish I could just eat a big piece of that with some rice and grilled asparagus. Let me make that meal, please!! Will I be back? Maybe, maybe not. But that doesn't mean it isn't a great place. That just means I personally don't like ramen. You can't knock it if you haven't tried it, right? I really just want to swing outside and imagine the place as my cute, little, yellow house in Overton Square. The servers and host were all so sweet to me and the little man. I feel like we could all be in the midtown moms club or something bc we just kept sharing baby stories. Oh and thanks for the freezing food ring tip. It works amazing!!!
(4)Melissa W.
First time at Robata and it was perfect for this cold weather! Service was great and the food was even better! I ordered the miso tonkotsu with vegetables and the pork belly yakitori. Both exceeded my expectations. We also tried the beef, chicken, and bacon wrapped asparagus yakitori plus the shrimp and veggie dumplings. Everyone left very pleased. Space is limited but definitely a welcomed addition to the square and I will be back!
(4)Mandy W.
Been here 5 times. Love it! If you're unfamiliar with this style of food, ask the staff for help with making a choice. I'm glad I did. The food, service and atmosphere are great. They were happy to modify the meals to avoid pork, so let them know if you have any dietary restrictions.
(5)Chris M.
Hmm. Well I was super excited about this place and will come back but it sorta missed the mark a bit. Skewers were pretty good, sushi roll was ok but nothing exceptional. The biggest miss was he ramen. Very little meat and the pork was mostly fat and the little bit of meat was chewy like shoe leather. The broth was good but was way way too salty. We sat at the bar and the service was good. I will go again but won't be in a rush.
(3)Nica C.
Both the age-dashi tofu and shrimp dumpling apps are so good! The tofu was extra tasty. You must try the tonkatsu ramen!!! So so delicious. For extras, definitely go for extra BBQ pork or hard boiled eggs - you'll be sad you only have one of each! Overall, great addition to Overton Square!
(5)Nikki C.
We started with the garlic edamame, which was delicious. The pan seared shrimp dumplings were just okay. I've made better myself. I was disappointed in the ramen, as it was very bland. However, the main reason for this review is not about the food. It is about the abundance of black gnats flying around us during our entire meal. We were literally swatting then away and covering our glasses after one landed in our water. I believe they were coming from the hanging ferns. We killed a couple and they were filled with blood and there were a couple of blood spots on the wall behind us where it looked liked someone previously had killed some. And to top it off, I woke up the next morning with tiny bug bites all over my forearm. Coincidence? I'll let you decide. Needless to say, we won't be going back.
(2)Justin B.
I love Robata. Really, I do. There are areas it needs to improve on, but this is about as authentic as Japanese food gets in Memphis, unfortunately for us. First off, I have been to Japan, Nagoya in particular, and I also have also been speaking a decent amount of Japanese for half my life. I have had Ramen in Japan (not California, which is undoubtedly different than ramen in Japan I'm sure, since even ramen in Japan varies greatly; it is a bit like BBQ in America. Everyone thinks they have the best but makes it differently, and there's all kinds of regional variances and small ramen shops everywhere. Also like sushi; sushi in Japan bears little resemblance to sushi in America, and in fact we probably consume way more sushi and way more varieties than Japanese people). That being said, I don't think Robata's strong suite is the ramen. Yes, it's good and way more authentic than pretty much anything else in Memphis, but it could be quite a bit better. I have only been once (although I am itching to go back), and I got the tonkotsu ramen. However, it left a little to be desired. Where I feel Robata does better is the yakitori and other Japanese items they offer, like takoyaki and tofu. These are not items you will find at your average Japanese restaurant here, but yet they are more "Japanese" than most "Japanese" food you are probably familiar with. The yakitori here I don't think even has competition in Memphis, and if you think it does, please let me know who. The kara-age chicken was good, the tofu also good, served with bonito flakes and soy sauce. The takoyaki was great; I have not had any since I went to a local festival in Japan. It was pretty close. Now, my wife has been a few times (she has been all over Japan herself) and sometimes she has said they used American mayo on the takoyaki and not Japanese mayo. Ew. That was not the case when I went, but that would be to their shame if it is true. There IS a big difference, and I don't think I'd be able to eat it in that case. The atmosphere was very crowded and I seem to recall it being smoky but I could be wrong. The service was on the slow side. We waited outside for some time late on a Saturday night and I actually had to go in and remind the wait staff that we were there, upon which they realized they had a table waiting for us! However, once we got our waiter everything was fine. We spent quite a while there and ordered a ton of food, and he was 100% on top of his game the whole time and so friendly, patience and accommodating. It was just the time that was a little lengthy. Not his fault, he was a pro. Is it like getting Japanese food in Japan? No, but it comes pretty close, and I don't think I know anywhere else in Memphis that gets closer. Let's hope places like Robata have a hand in changing that and bringing in more authentic experiences.
(4)Alex N.
This is some seriously amazing food! Delicious! I ordered the pork broth base with soy sauce and had thin noodles. It was beyond words delicious!
(5)Louie K.
My girlfriend was really excited about this place opening so we checked it out. Very intimate spaced venue. The first thing that bothered me was the shaky floors, I don't like to feel others people's footsteps when I'm having a non casual meal, but they were playing a nfl game on the tv so I didn't get as bothered as I would. Kate or Katie was our waitress, having spent years waiting tables myself I can tell she was fairly new to working as a waitress. She kept a smile and never smelled like cigarettes during the course of our meals but she was incredibly slow. They had a back wait staff so there shouldn't have been long waits between our appetizer and meal. I digress a little, when we asked about a food item of ours she would check on the status of it and it would magically be ready, we had a feeling it was ready the entire time considering the temp it came out at. Also it took her a very long time to return with my credit card. Ok now on to the food. The eggplant tuna appetizer is to die for! I could order that as a carry out lunch meal any day of the week, perfect flavor, texture, and portion. Our entrees were satisfying. The ramen is good but nothing spectacular, if this is your first ramen bar just know that there are better ones in the world of course. The wine selection is decent, we enjoyed a bottle of plum wine. All in all would I return? Just for the tuna eggplant appetizer as a take out. :)
(3)Thao X N.
Tonkotsu on a chilly night =heaven on earth! Next time I'll be sure to ask for less ginger with my ramen though.. Or maybe none. Other than that, great meal and reasonably priced!
(4)Tracy D.
I was really excited when this place finally open, but I have been twice, and I am not very impressed. The main problem is that I'm a vegetarian, and currently Robata is not vegetarian friendly at all. Both times I have eaten there, they did not have the soy ramen that is on the menu. Most of their vegetable skewers come covered in bonito fish flakes, which is not mentioned on the menu. The service is very slow so don't plan on having dinner before a movie or play unless you give yourself plenty of time. The service on my second visit was especially bad. I'm usually very patient about poor service because I know I would make a horrible waitress, but one person at our table had to wait a good 30 minutes before the server brought his beer. I might give this place another shot if they ever get the veggie ramen option in, but right now it is a definite NO.
(2)Adam Y.
This was my first visit and I have to say it wasn't the best first impression. First off the A/C didn't seem to be working very well and neither were hoods. It was warm, humid and smoky in the dining room. Add to that the mosquitoes (inside, not on the patio) that were dining on our legs as we dined on our squid, baby eels and ramen. At least the food was decent. The variety of their appetizers is nice and a welcome change to the standard Japanese fair. Their squid legs were delicious. The fried baby eels, were good, but could be better with more seasoning/spice. Finally we come to the ramen. I hope you came ready for some noodles, because they will give you plenty. The broth is very nice and the pork cutlet is tender and delicious. The only let down was the fully cooked hard boiled egg. As a fanatic of runny yolks, this hit me hard and was gravely disappointing. I would've let the faulty a/c slide. I could've said the smoky dining room added ambiance. Hell, I would've even let the mosquitoes have a whole pint of my 30 year vintage B positive had they just served proper eggs with their ramen. I may return one day, but it probably won't be for their ramen.
(2)Mike D.
We decided to give this place a shot while walking down Madison, and we're glad we did. The food here is really good. The wait wasn't too bad when we got there, about 30 minutes. We were able to get a beer from the bar and sit outside on the patio while waiting for our table. We ordered the Ebi Gyoza (Shrimp Dumplings) and the Fried Garlic for an appetizer. The dumplings were good, and the shrimp flavor was very prominent which I liked. The garlic was interesting. It was served as two deep fried bulbs of garlic. It wasn't bad, but I probably wouldn't get it again as it was a pain to open and eat. We all got bowls of ramen. The ramen was excellent and was very flavorful. The marinated egg was especially good, and may order an extra one next time I go here. I highly recommend asking for the house hot sauce if you like spicy food, as that really livened up the dish. The portions are great, and were quite filling. The only real downside here is the heat. There is basically no air conditioning inside. It was actually cooler outside on the patio than it was by the bar. Overall I would come back, and would recommend it to others. They are a welcome addition to the Madison square area.
(4)Jason P.
Has been one of my "go to's" for a guaranteed great Japanese meal. The ramen simply rocks along with the yakatori. Add this place to your regular visit list.
(4)Tiffany Z.
i think this is the first ramen store in Memphis, I'm Asian, so of course I'm exciting about that. The food is ok. For me, the ramen soup is too salted, noodle is ok. And skewer look so lonely. The takoyaki, octopus ball, has too much flour. This is only my personal opinion. I'll say it still worth to try.
(3)Kristen R.
Robata is a lovely, cozy little spot. Prior to dining here I associated ramen with the cheap instant noodles poor college kids in California survive on. Well, that notion has forever been blown out of the water by the experience my husband and I had here. I had the shoyu spinach ramen which had a chicken broth base, and he had the soy tonkotsu that had a pork broth. We also tried the harami skewer and the oysters. I was impressed by how flavorful the ramen was. Also the service was excellent. Gracious, knowledgeable and very attentive. When we told our server it was our first visit as well as first time trying ramen, he explained the whole menu and gave his personal recommendations. I learned several years ago that servers really know the best menu items and it's always best to go with a recommendation when in unfamiliar territory. This was definitely one of those times when it paid off. We both loved our choices. I really enjoyed the atmosphere too. Very pleasant interior, perfect lighting. Smallish but comfortable. Not too quiet or too loud. Everything about the experience was great. We will definitely be returning.
(5)Led D.
Right now I am contemplating wether I should give this place a 3 or 4 star. I asked the matre-d if we could get a table inside not the outside. Her response was that the air conditioner is really weak and it will not be fix till Monday. So we sat outside, which reminded me of being in an outside bar anywhere in Singapore or Thailand. It was hot with very little air blowing and the only thing missing is popping the plastic off a frozen towel to get a little bit of relief from the humidity. Enough of the condition and let's talk about the service. We had a gentleman serving us, he was extremely enthusiastic of what his restaurant is serving from the menu. He took ownership of what is being serve and gave great ideas the chef specialties; very good experience. The food were great and very authentic. The ramen: noodles tasted fresh, outstanding job on the boiled eggs which are perfectly marinated, the broth were thick and very fulfilling, and the roast pork were thick and satisfying. The yakitoris' were great. I had the beef tounge, chicken wing, pork belly, and chicken thigh, it was all very tasty and tasted like the street of Ginza in Tokyo, Japan. Speaking street food, the "takoyaki" (octopus round ball in pancake mix) it was legit. I did not like the gyoza, it was not cooked right. It was supposed to have some kind seared on one side while the rest were steamed cooked. The sauce were oily. But that was the only item we did not like. My son loved the Gyodon. So he bought another one "To go" . The ambiance is so-so. Like I said earlier the a/c was not working properly. It was uncomfortable for me. I sweated like a melting ice. Overall it was great, pretty good food. It was also great on our wallet.
(4)Dan B.
in the category of unique and interesting Memphis food - 5 stars!!! service was great!! friendly and helpful waitresses (coupl of former sekisui waitresses, which helped) food was also very very good water glass size was authentic and not annoying, it's just Japanese!! pretty good descriptions on the menu, little help from the waitress and we had it figured out. my son and i had two different kinds of ramen - one chicken broth with spinach, sorn and mustard greens, (shoyu spinach) my son had the pork broth with pork bamboo shoots, miso broth (miso tonkotsu) both very delicious and UNLIKE anything you can get in memphis. what a wonderful addition to our ethnic food scene!! it's very casual and only beer for now, but will def rock the place once they get rolling. I would not hesitate to go, much of the negatives below are form opening wrinkles.....mr ishii and team WILL figure this out!!
(4)Claire R.
This was my first time at Robata, and I was impressed with the food but not totally impressed with the rest of the experience. I tasted the Robata wings, which were really good, but expensive for only 2. I myself ordered the ramen with scallops added for extra $$. When the ramen came and I bit into the first scallop... it was totally raw on the inside and cold like it had barely been cooked. The second one was fine, so I ate that, and when the waitress came over and I asked if I could just not pay for the raw scallop, she made a big deal out of finding out if I had eaten the second one so she could remove HALF of the charge on my bill. I was more than willing to pay for that one scallop I ate-- but if you go right across the street to Babalu, also a new restaurant, a server would be bending over backwards to make sure you weren't unhappy with what you received, and I would have gotten that meal free had I found something uncooked there. In a neighborhood with tons of new, popular restaurants, you have to be better than that to keep customers. The lack of (or broken?) A/C inside and the rude hostess that was there when I went didn't help the situation. I'm not sure if I'd go back, because I've had more enjoyable experiences at most of the other places in Overton Square, but if I'm ever craving ramen I would definitely stop by, and hopefully by then they will have worked out some of the new-restaurant-kinks that they're dealing with now.
(3)Cori W.
Despite the pictures and options on the menu, it is really good. As I sat and looked at the menu, I thought to myself how disgusting the food was gonna be. Fortunately I was dead wrong. The Ramen was outstanding and I tried the yakisoba. Both very delicious. We did have to wait 30 min. That was the only displeasing event. Overall the resturant will be receiving another visit from me
(4)Olivia F.
Bam! Tataki salad. Ramen. Edamame. As long as we get there before 6ish we are generally seated immediately which is typical of the area and an inconvenience to which we have made our peace.
(4)Elizabeth S.
This is awesome. Everything was great! Didn't have enough room for desert :( good beer selection, and the nonalcohic Barritts ginger beer is yummy. Be back soon!
(5)Stephen K.
I have been to Robata twice since they opened last week. The first time, my wife and I went on the opening night. Opening nights at restaurants are tough - and we recognized that. The food service was slow and the wait staff was doing their best - so kudos to them. The inside space is nice - tight - but pleasantly decorated with lots of light (old houses = large windows). They really, really need to power up their vent-a-hood - the grilling leaves way too much smoke inside the restaurant. The ramen was very good - slightly overpriced - but very good. Like most of the new restaurants in Overton Square, it's really nice on the outside and inside. Went again last night with my two kids and brother in law. We sat outside - still way too smoky inside - and it was very pleasant. Good people watching in Overton Square on Saturday night. I can imagine that when the Schweinhouse opens and the beer garden is in full swing it will be quite a scene for dinner. Anyway, the ramen was good again - but slow to come out. The servers were nice and attentive. I had the chicken based ramen this time (pork last time) and it was also very good. Still think that a base price of $10 is a little steep for a bowl of noodle soup - but there is pretty much a minimum you are going to pay for dinner - noodles or not. An enjoyable evening and a nice addition to Overton Square.
(4)Fara C.
We had take out last night beef skewers, mushroom skewers, seaweed salad and edamame. worst stomach ache of my life. strike two- I wont be returning- as awesome as the idea is for the cusine style. that was not worth it.
(1)John M.
New Look on same-o Noodle.. Love what they have done with the place atmosphere is on point (Suggest outdoor pest control) As for the food... well if the stock was reduced as long as they claim they might want to add something to the water they were reducing. I cook for a living, and mastering Single Stage cooking is a must. Unfortunately they haven't mastered it! I'm sorry to say Ramen wise I wasn't impressed. Thank god for the Chili sauce! Where's the love of the food, and the desire to share your skills and abilities with the customer? It kills me to experience something so simple as Ramen done half arsed! My SOAPBOX with certain dining establishments is the price point they set. My experience has been the successful establishments are the ones that don't try to recoup their start up in the first year. (2times a week customers top the once every other week customers) 2beers, Tea, Garlic Edamame and 2 Ramen with a couple extras added on almost $70.00? WTH??? Maybe I'm upset because I know food cost, and I'm sure we all know the cost of Grocery store Ramen. Had the flavors been there like the noodle bar's I've grabbed late/early morning bowls in other cities I might not be so upset. Will I return? Maybe to make a run at the grill. Noodle wise I'd pass if I were you. Unless your trying to impress a certain female with how much you will over pay for Ramen If not I'd suggest going to an Asian market before the evenings festivities begin and swing by the gas station and snag some FREE hot water from the coffee dispenser for a tenth of the cost. Confucius says, He who will not economize will have to agonize. Besides who wants to be remember as the Bad Noodle Date! Best of Luck with your food experience Dining out is a Gamble "YO ELEVEN"
(2)Frank Y.
Rating system: 5 stars - Must try. You're really missing out if you don't. I'm a regular here 4 stars - Highly recommended, but may have minor things that keep me from being a regular 3 stars - Good most of the time but not great. Will only eat here if I have a particular craving, or am unable to eat at my 4 or 5 star choices 2 stars - Do not really like it but will only eat here if I have to (e.g. forced by friends) 1 star - Avoid. Save your money, time, and stomach At long last, Memphis finally has its very own ramen shop. Tonight was Robata Ramen of Jimmy Ishii fame's soft opening night. Having had ramen at other places in Memphis, and also being a ramen fiend whenever I visit family in LA, I had high hopes. Long story short, this is the best ramen in Memphis, but it still needs some tweaking before it can meet the standards of the larger cities. I typically like to reserve a review until multiple trips but being that this was opening night, and that I really want this restaurant to succeed, I am hoping this review may lead to some improvements. I started off sampling a couple of items from the yakitori menu (grilled meat on a skewer). I tried the beef and the pork belly (they were out of my favorite cow tongue) and another member of the party had the chicken thigh. You can get the yakitori either tare (marinated) or just salt/peppered. The comment on the chicken was that it was "very juicy". The flavor of the pork belly and beef were good but I felt they were overcooked and could have been more moist/tender. My main comparison is with yakitori restaurants overseas where the meat is very flavorful and very tender and juicy. If the meat was cooked for a shorter time, it would have made a world of difference. Another thing that would make the yakitori more appealing, is if they gave more than one skewer for the same price. I feel that they were a bit overpriced for the amount of meat you get. I do, however, look forward to trying the other items in the yakitori menu, as well as some of their other appetizers such as the poke, tofu dishes, etc. Now that that's out of the way, lets move on to the star of the show, the ramen. They offer ramen with variations of the three standard soup bases (tonkotsu, miso, and shoyu). I tried the tonkotsu, which is a pork broth made by boiling pork bones (neck, shoulder, etc.) until the collagen and marrow is released, resulting in a milky soup. Tonkotsu, requiring the longest amount of time to prep compared to the other soup bases, is typically the standard by which I judge ramen. If you can do this well, you can do the others well. The broth was good, but could be improved upon. It is a solid broth no doubt, but if the flavors were more concentrated (ie, allowing more water to evaporate during the boiling process), add in fresh crushed garlic near or at the end, and adding in black garlic oil or a little more sesame oil, this would get me to crave for seconds and thirds. The noodles (available in thin, regular, wide, and rice) were acceptable. I prefer mine to be a little chewier, but they were acceptable and almost every ramen shop will use different noodles, so I am not particularly picky about that. The toppings were solid. In addition to pickled ginger, kukurage (woodear-like fungus), green onions, bamboo shoots, and bean sprouts, you get charsiu and preserved egg. The preserved egg (preserved in salt water and then boiled in a soy sauce-like mixture) is a very nice touch that I liked a lot. It wasn't oversalted or overcooked, so I appreciated that. The charsiu (BBQ pork) is different from other places in that it wasn't as firm. However I like Robata's version much more, as it is very tender and falls apart in your mouth. I think the best thing in the ramen was the charsiu, so keep it up. In addition to the ramen, you can also get other side items to basically make it a combo. The ramen is actually a pretty good portion, so this isn't absolutely necessary for getting full. I opted to get the sake donburi (rice bowl with salmon) and I also tried the BBQ pork donburi. Both the salmon and the pork were overcooked. The pork more so, as it was quite dry and was very unappetizing. I would have also liked to see more sauce of some sort (even just regular sweetened soy sauce would suffice) to give more flavor to the rice since the dry meat didn't lend well to adding flavor. All in all, this is a solid 3-star restaurant and I would go back if I have a ramen craving and also to try some more of the menu. I do hope improvements will be made so that this little ramen shop can be a permanent Memphis fixture.
(3)Rob B.
Tried Robata tonight. I was very disappointed. We tried a wide variety of items from the menu and none stood out. The meal itself was lackluster. The restaurant space becomes far to smoky from the grills and uncomfortably warm. A positive, the wait staff and service were great.
(2)daniel m.
Definitely worth a try as we loved it and keep coming back at least once a week! Delicious food great staff and awesome patio! Great option for a hangover cure as well ha. My favorite ramen is the tonkatsu, I'm not big on the veggies and egg in the soul so I get it meat broth and noodle. All of the yakitori is awesome. I always start with the kara age
(5)Karen C.
Truly enjoyed our dinner at Robata tonight. They are still working out the kinks, but other than a bit of a wait for a table even though there were seats available, we had an excellent dining experience. Our waitress kindly explained the dishes we were unsure of. The ramen was delicious, as were the skewers we ordered and the fried rice dish.
(4)Catherine T.
I have been to robata twice since their opening. The first time, I felt the broths and rice dishes were extremely salty. There's been some adjustment. The broth is much better, not as salty. The salmon rice was good. The fried rice was very bland today. Overall, the food is good. I was annoyed by the 3 fruit flies flying around my table. Would be great if they could be taken care of.
(4)Henry F.
I went tonight around 7pm. There was a 45 minute wait quoted by the hostess. The wait was to be seated in the restaurant. The front lawn was open to whoever hovered around and snagged a table. The front lawn had servers tending to them. However the porch was just a waiting area. People on the porch had to go inside to the bar to get beer. I felt bad crowding in at the bar to get beers for my party. The restaurant is just too small. The grill they cook yakatori on is too small and they run out of things quickly,,,,even on a Tuesday. Once we were finally seated the service was very pleasant. The server was very informative and attentive. And then the place started to fill with smoke from the tiny grill. Even the pots cooking the ramen and spewing steam were next to the bar adding to the heat. The severs propped open the front door allowing the cooled air to escape but it was better to breathe. I enjoyed the ramen but did not enjoy paying 3.95 extra for 3 medium small shrimp. I also stupidly added 3 tiny dumplings for another 3.95. Overall, I will never go back. The other local Vietnamese - pho Saigon - and Japanese restaurants - red koi and Sakura - have better ramen and a more pleasant ambiance. The only reason I will go back to the Overton square area will be for iris, second line, and the soon to be open german beer garden. I have such high hopes for the beer garden.
(2)L W.
A friend praised this place. We went and I have to say it is soooo small. Our soup was luke warm and I paid over $3 extra for shrimp and there was only 2 shrimp in the bowl. Will not be returning..
(2)Juice K.
So good. I can only think any negative review is due to them being brand spanking new. We came on a Sunday night at 7:30. Had a party of 8. They sat us in 25 minutes. Nothing we ordered disappointed. We got the beef belly skewers, the mushroom appetizer, the fried garlic, chicken thigh skewers with green onion, yellowtail cheek and split a bowl of ramen. Everything tasted delicious. Highly recommend the cheek, but like I said... Everything was top notch. And our waiter was well informed and patient with our large party. The only complaints I had were the air conditioning, which they are working on, and the small water glasses which is an easy fix. Kudos! Can't wait to try more!
(4)Sam K.
We were traveling through Memphis and stopped at Robata for some ramen and yakitori. There was a wait for a table inside, so we opted to site outside. We ordered the pork belly, beef, scallop, and mackerel yakitori and 2 ramens (miso and soy). The yakitori was great and tasty, and wished we had ordered some more. The ramens were tasty as well, a little too salty but tasty. However, our problem was with the service at this restaurant. We ordered 2 ramens, but only one (soy) was delivered with our meal. When I asked about the second one our server told us it was coming out and she went back into the building. She did not return to our table for a good 10 minutes, when she came out to check on another table we asked again about the ramen and she said the same thing "oh, its on its way out" and went back in. a few minutes later another server comes out holding a bowl and asked if we ordered the soy ramen we told her no but we are waiting for a miso one, this server then went back inside. By this time the first ramen had already gotten cold and the noodles have become mushy. When our server comes out again we asked about our ramen and she asks if a server brought it out, we told her it was the wrong one. We finally received our ramen after 20 minutes since we received the first one. I can understand if the order is forgotten or misplaced, just tell the customer and dont make excuses. My biggest gripe is the server not taking responsibility and making excuses instead of trying to solve the issue.
(2)