Gaijin Ramen Shop

I haven’t stopped talking about this place since I went with some friends last Sunday. We ordered three appetizers; the tots, the buns and the wings. All were amazing! The tots were out of this world good. There was no shame in scrapping the bowl in which they came from.
Our table had the spicy veggie, tonkotsu, spicy tonkotsu and the spicy miso ramen. We all tried each others and they were all flavorful. The noodles were perfect :) The portion sizes were filling and worth the price.
The staff was wonderful, friendly and accommodating. We even got to chat with the owner for a bit and you could feel the passion and love she has for the place :)
I cant wait to come back!

Most AMAZING food I have had since I could remember. I got the Spicy Vegetable Tofu and added corn and soft boiled egg. My broth had a slight creamy savory flavor and completely satisfied all my food needs! The noodles are handmade, in fact, everything is handmade and made in house. You can taste that the noddles were made from scratch. The atmosphere was awesome and they have great drink specials. I went with 3 other friends and their food also tastes amazing. I want to go back right now!!!

Decided to come here after hearing rave reviews from other Unilocalers. The appetizers were delicious. We tried the pork belly buns and tater tot takoyaki, which was actually pulled pork. The pork belly bun was soft, fluffy, the pork belly and cucumber in the center were delicious, sauced with a sweet sauce. The tater tot freshly fried, crunchy on the outside soft on the inside. The pulled pork topping was delicious and their house special sauce really tied the dish together. Yummy!
We shared a tonkatsu ramen with extra noodles, bamboo shoots, pork, pork belly, and egg. The noodles, were not as chewy and bouncy as I’d hope it to be. The broth was not as rich in flavor as I’d hope it to be as well. That said, the toppings were fantastic.
They have Sapporo on draft!!! Super awesome. Their large hot sake (sho chiku bai) for $ 15 comes in a HUGE carafe. We probably got 10 pours or more out of that!
I’d come back for their appetizers, drink their hot sake, and try another ramen some time. The service was great, the staff was friendly, well-​trained by management, and knowledgable.
One thing I would ask the waitstaff to change is to not ask people if they want the check. That should not be asked. When we are ready, we will ask. When you ask us, it could come off as you wanting to kick us out, and I know that was not the intention.
Parking was easy, street parking on a side street.
$ 1 off your ramen if you do your Unilocal check in! Overall, a 3.5 star place for me.

My review is base on experience and the knowledge I was given. Definitely will not be comparing this establishment with other places just because there’s not too many japanese ramen shops in the northern VA area. Keep in mind, there are different types of ramen in the area.
I’m glad I was able to enjoy Gaijin. Waited a long time for them to open. The service was so amazing and gave my bf and I so much information. I learned how their ramen is made from scratch. Not shipped. Made fresh on the spot kind of deal. And you can tell because of the chewiness of the noodles.
We first started out with Tattor Takoyaki, highly recommended by my boyfriend’s bff, Christopher G. and fellow Unilocalers. OMG– so good and definitely a must get! Think japanese street food. Once you get this, try not to get another appetizer because you’ll easily get full after your soup. Unless you got a big big appetite.
I decided to order the tonkatsu ramen. The pork was well done and soft. The pork broth was creamy, a bit on the bitter side (then again, my tongue isn’t into bitter tastings). My favorite and most important ingredient are the noodles. Yes. The noodles are on point. Finally a place with bomb-​diggity-​diggity noodles! It was chewy and soft with a slight sweetness. You can add more to the ramen for extra cost from $.50 to $ 2.
Happy hour is from Tuesday to Sunday, 4pm to 7pm. Luckily, we got the chance to enjoy some happy hour! My boyfriend thought the mango mojito wasn’t bad.
A little side note: They are closed on Mondays. The interior is out of this world! The graffiti, done by Mas Paz, really compliments Gaijin Ramen Shop.
Can’t wait to come back.

Saturday, 8:30 PM.
Quickie:
* Ramen quality
+ Hygiene
+ Customer service
— Turnaround
+ Menu variety (they have veggie broth!)
+ Laid back vibe
And then???
Gaijin has an interesting take on ramen (e.g., starchy noodles; avocado as a topping option). They’ve got a friendly staff and some variety. We’ll be back to try another bowl.
**********
Stuffed my face in:
1. Spicy miso ramen with veggie broth and extra noodles
* Noodles had a strong, starchy consistency.
— Extra noodles were not enough to satisfy this phatty.
2. Kimchi
— Needs more time to ferment.
Constructive comments:
*Source ingredients
*Do you compost?

High prices for meh ramen. Bowls range from $ 10 – 13 with add-​ons that cost $ 1-​$ 2. I ordered the spicy tonkotsu which did not include anything so I added on chasu and an egg (for a total of $ 15) while my friend had the spicy miso, and both were eh. «Eh» meaning, edible but not enjoyable. The broth was strange and was served lukewarm. The flavor that it did have was more of a saltiness rather than flavor. There was no broth complexity and the noodles were too chewy and bland. I probably finished half of my bowl, while my friend barely made a dent in his. This ramen shop borderlines being categorized with noodles & co., as it is very americanized and has no authenticity in flavor. Good try, and in a prime location, with average service, but I won’t be returning.

In short: okay but small ramen, high prices, weird service.
Gaijin Ramen Shop is a small-​ish ramen joint in Arlington. It’s not exactly fancy, but isn’t totally utilitarian — it’s hip in that aggressive Asian Fusion sort of way. The prices here are a bit nosebleed for the rather small portions of food. The service here was weird in my experience — the girl dropped a lot of proverbial spaghetti all over the place with every interaction — but no skin off my nose.
The ramen here is good, not great, and could use more volume and more effort. I got the spicy tonkatsu ramen which lacked any sort of real spice at all, was slightly lukewarm, and featured about the amount of noodles you’d get in a cheap 99 cent ramen packet. I asked for an added egg and pork shoulder — which cost money — and was rather unimpressed by the size of the pork shoulder and the price of the egg. I left feeling underwhelmed, hungry, and a like I had paid a bit too much. I’ve had plenty of authentic Japanese ramen in Japan — this is a far, far cry.
I wasn’t super impressed, and doubt I’ll be going back any time soon.

This is my second time coming back to this place. They are closed on Mondays in case you get a craving and end up disappointed.
The spicy chicken buns are by far the best buns I have ever had. I would really just come for those. I got the fried chicken ramen both times and it’s my favorite. It’s huge and I can never finish but that’s nothing a to-​go cup can’t fix. My boyfriend got the pork belly twice and the first time he got it he said it was really thick and tough but this last time he said it was cooked perfectly. So that’s something to mention. I don’t eat pork and we also got the pork buns — the boys did mention the chicken buns were way better (I could of told them that). The food is yummy and they have a good happy hour.
The staff is friendly and when it’s your first time there they walk you through the whole menu which could be confusing if you’ve never had ramen. That’s appreciated.
Enjoy :)

4.5 Stars
Is anyone else a creep on Unilocal?Wait. Is it considered creepy if you scroll through your Unilocaler friends profile to see which places they’ve been to or have recently bookmarked? Sounds less creepy in my head. Meanwhile, I was stalking Hannah H.‘s page when I noticed she’d checked in three or four times in a week, so it wasn’t surprising to be invited to a Tasting/​UYE by H.
7p sharp. I arrived to find that Gaijin was sooo much smaller than I anticipated. When I heard Hannah had invited 34 other people, I was almost alarmed. Nevertheless, we were all able to squeeze into seat and champion through three courses.
The wait staff… amazing. Catered to our every need. The owners, well no wonder why the waiters were on point! They were attentive and personable as they made their rounds about every table, «Is everything okay? You all like the food? Can I get you anything?» Yea, I likey.
The Food:
We’re Unilocalers, so of course we ordered just about every single appetizer on the menu. It was the only reasonable thing to do.
1. The Buns (Mini Bao): Yum. Order. Every. Single. One. The Pork belly was my favorite (I had two smh, which doesn’t sound so awful until you hear what else I ate).
2. The Loaded Tots (Tater Takoyaki): Here’s why I love being a Unilocaler: if you overlook something, your Unilocaler friends will correct your mistake. I didn’t notice them among the apps, would have never ordered, just based on the fact they’re tots. WRONG. ALL WRONG. Topped with shredded pork and sauce, these tots are what dreams are made of… I took them home with me after realizing I wouldn’t be able to eat the main course if I finished.
3. Tonkatsu Ramen (I’m not a ramen expert): with house made noodles, you’re bound to get a superior Ramen experience. Not as full bodied and fatty for a pork broth as I anticipated, but full of flavor nonetheless. The slices of pork belly didn’t disappoint as they were very tender and flavorful.
4. Soba Noodles: Hand made IN FRONT OF OUR EYES!!! Cut and passed through 35 hands, we all felt honored to experience Chef Suchi Kotani (hailed as the Ramen expert) navigated us through the process of making buckwheat noodles. And as expected, the noodles were delicious!
Tips:
a. Go now!
b. Order the tots x 2
c. Make it a casual date night
d. Note the difference between FRESH NOODLES and other noodles

First time trying this ramen place in Arlington. Surprisingly it has a small parking lot in the back, so check it out before finding parallel parking. I came during a weekday for dinner with a friend in Arlington, so it wasn’t crowded when we came. The service was good since we were the only customers there.
For some reasons, i didn’t like their ramen much as the flavor is so plain. The price is pricey, but what do you expect from a ramen restaurant right? They do have Happy Hour for appetizer though. My friend ordered the spicy ramen soup, and she said hers was good, I guess different people have different opinions on their soup flavor.

Man oh man. My sister and I came to the lovely Gaijin for dinner, and we had an excellent meal. We started out with the tater takoyaki which was absolutely divine. The tots were crispy perfection, and the pulled pork was a great complement. Even though my sister warned me that I should’ve fill up on the appetizer, I just couldn’t stop eating more tots!
I ordered the spicy miso ramen with extra spicy paste and an egg. The bowl was humungous, I couldn’t believe the size of it! The broth had a very nice flavor, and I dumped in the kimchi and extra spicy pace to kick it up a notch. My sister got their ramen special — turkey broth ramen with stuffing, just in time for Thanksgiving! It sounded like a strange combination but it was very tasty!
Even though I felt like my stomach couldn’t take any more food, I was too curious about the homemade flan to pass it up! It was delicious, although I think I would have loved it even more if it had been served warm.
The service was impeccable. From our server Michael who was so sweet and funny, to the lovely owner/​chef Tuvan — they really added to the whole experience. I would love to go back and try their tonkatsu ramen, and some of their other appetizers like the steamed buns or Osaka wings.

Ramen?! Yes… Tator tots with shredded meat and a variety of sauces on top?! Pork belly mini bao sandwiches?! What my stomach isn’t that big?! Noooooo!
Is this the best ramen I’ve tried in VA. Yes… Dc area? It’s a competitor… Ever? No… But it’s all about that I can get here ;)
Ok. So the traditional pork based ramen is all about the soup base. It should be fatty and stewed for a few days to cultivate the richness. It should be so rich that you don’t want to leave any of it behind. Verdict? It comes close but not heaven sent. They can work on this… More fattiness…
The ramen itself was housemade and very good. Just the right amount of crunch without melting in the soup. Good recipe. Good portion size too. The meat was of good quality and the veggies complimented the dish…
So the tots. Just get them. Unless you have some aversion of crispy tator tots topped with deliciously marinated pulled pork and slaughtered with creamy sauce… Well then this isn’t for you.
The pork belly buns. If I had to rate everything I got this would be at the bottom. And I still finished it off… Good sized piece of meat. Good sauce. The order comes with two…
And well… If you can eat all of that in one sitting… Then try the dessert. I didn’t make it to dessert… Maybe next time :)

I am a fan of Phở and Ramen. I don’t profess to be an expert but I really enjoy a good soup dish. Last week, we had an opportunity to dine at this new establishment. I had a chance to meet some new Unilocalers as well as folks that I ‘friend’ but have never met.
For this special event, we ordered several appetizers and cocktails from their variety of offerings. We also had a choice of ramen from their menu. Since I am a fan of ‘spicy’, I opted for the Spicy Miso Ramen. The flavor was outstanding and the portion was very generous. Before ramen, we sampled a generous portion of 3 appetizers from their menu. I really enjoyed the pulled pork buns. The order of 2 is priced at $ 8. I also tried their tator tots topped with pulled pork and spicy mayo. That was very good. I think the dish would stand out more if the tots were just a tad more crispy (cooked a bit longer). The cocktails we ordered were very tasty at a price point of $ 5.
We had the chance to watch a renowned chef make fresh soba noodles. I am not a noodle fan but the wife really enjoyed her sampling.
We are very grateful to visit this ramen shop and dine with fellow Unilocalers. I hope to come back soon now that the temperatures have dipped down in the 50’s.

We had a unique opportunity to dine at Gaijin Ramen Shop! We were excited to see that the shopping/​dining area near House of Steep was finally getting more cool places! This was the perfect time to enjoy hot and spicy ramen since the weather had dipped below 60 degrees.
Parking was a breeze on the streets surrounding the building off Lee Hwy. It’s an easy jump off 66 since we were coming from the deep suburbs of Burke. I could feel the cool vibe of happy ramen faces as we walked into the cute ramen shop. They have a small bar off to one corner and central to the shop is the ramen kitchen.
We were starving and excited to gorge on their nice selection of appetizers. They also had an unbelievable drink special menu posted on the front wall of the restaurant. Prices for their yummy drinks started at a bargain price of $ 5.
We selected a couple orders of their Oishii Oishii Steamed Buns (fried chicken and pulled pork), a bowl of Edamame, and their ‘famous Tater Takoyaki. The fried chicken buns were AH-​mazingly topped with a yummy spicy mayo. Hubby enjoyed the pulled pork buns. Both orders were over the top huge. The tots were just as huge and we enjoyed the unique blending of pulled pork, spicy mayo and tots. Once our ramen dishes arrived, we had to unbuckle the belt, and dive into our spicy selections of tonkatsu and miso ramen. These giant bowls of spicy goodness were more than we could devour in one sitting. They graciously provided us with some to-​go boxes. We enjoyed these the following day!
It’s nice to see a small business thrive in this part of town. The owners and staff were highly motivated to showcase everything they had to offer! There was definite passion in the way they introduced the many food options!
We look forward to another cold night to just sip on those savory ramen bowls!

I loved every moment of my visit to Gaijin Ramen. The tater takoyaki was a culinary masterpiece. Filled with crispy tater tots and topped with a delicious shredded pork. The mayonnaise based sauce was the crown in the jewel cap. I scarfed mine down as soon as they cooled off. Next, was the ramen tonkotsu. It was a rich creamy broth filled with fresh homemade noodles and an assortment of veggies. The tender slice of chasu pork melted in my mouth.
Then, the chef Shuichi kotani — Soba noodle Master taught us a class on the art of making soba noodles. He was kind, professional, and worked like a true artist. We also tasted the oishi oishi buns and freshly glazed chicken wings. Each thing we ordered turned out splendidly. Our server was funny and on point. The owners were down to earth and kind. I am reminded of the 4 Seasons hit Oh, what a night!

Now that I tried their ramen and other stuff for the second time tonight (after my first time only last night at Hannah H’s Special Event), I feel it’s right to write a review.
My bottom line for now is 3.8
Being a true Japanese, who naturally love Japanese style ramen, I was actually not very interested in coming here because of the restaurant name «Gaijin» = foreigner in Japanese = not Japanese.
But thanks to Hannah H’s wonderful coordination with the two owners of the restaurant, I was able not only to try their ramen but also to witness a wonderful demonstration of the Japanese traditional soba making by a real Japanese soba master Shuichi Kotani. Why soba at a ramen shop? Because they are planning to serve soba as well in the very near future, according to Mr. Kotani. I also had the pleasure of meeting the two very nice ladies Nicole and Tuvan who own this restaurant. That was a great event and I can’t thank enough to Hannah H., Nicole and Tuvan.
Now, speaking of the food, I tried Spicy Tonkotsu last night and plain Tonkotsu tonight along with Wakame Salad and Cucumber Salad. Oh BTW, fellow Unilocalers, please spell «Tonkotsu» correctly! So many of you spelled it «Tonkatsu», which means Pork Cutlet. «Tonkotsu» is Pork Bone, from which the ramen broth is made. Those who spelled it correctly, I’m so proud of you! ;)
Anyway, going back to the food, I actually liked both Spicy Tonkotsu and plain Tonkotsu, but I like the plain Tonkotsu slightly better just because I can enjoy the taste of broth more without the bother of spiciness. After all, I must have really liked the ramen because I finished the bowl very quickly both times even most of the broth.
The Pros and Cons:
To me, the strong points of Gaijin Ramen are the following:
1. Natural taste of the broth made from scratch without using pre-​made powdered seasonings or concentrated soup base. And it is never too salty.
No wonder I almost finished all the soup!
2. The fresh noodle with nice texture.
3. So many selections in the drink menu.
4. The two wonderful owners.
And the downside are:
* Broth is lacking umami or deepness in taste.
* Nitamago needs to look better when served in the bowl with egg white firmer and in tact and should be included in the base price.
* The Kakuni (simmered pork belly) should be cooked to fork tender but it was like a well-​done steak.
Our server tonight Lindsey was wonderful. She was very professional making sure everything was satisfactory for us, very polite and always kept smile on her face.
I would love to go back to try Soba and Donburi menus when they become available.

My husband and I were invited by Hannah to check out a private event here. Thank you again to Hannah and Gaijin for having us last night! We were given complimentary bowls of ramen and soba noodles. We also had the honor of being showed how to make soba noddles by the soba noodle master.
Upon entering it was a smaller intimate environment than I am use to but cozy at same time. My husband and I grabbed a drink before the event started. I had a lchyee martini and my husband grabbed a coconut mojito. Both excellent drink choices. The lychee martini was overly sweet and honestly one was more than I could handle for my sweet tooth.
My husband and I ordered the Tatar takoyaki as a starter. Anyone who is a Tatar tot fan will love this. Perfect to share with 1 – 2 people.
The ramen bowls for the main course were huge, filling and flavorful. My husband and I both ordered the spicy tonkotsu. Make sure you spell that name right, right Norri? Haha It must be noted that the noodles here are made in house along with all fresh ingredients.
The soba noodle master was what made the night. He was given a special visa to the US from Japan for his soba noodle making skills.
We were offered a small bowl of soba noodles served cold to end the evening. The soba noodles were unlike any soba noodles I ever had. I honestly never liked soba noodles until tonight. Yah for another food to be added into my edible list.

Big shout out to Hannah H (the one and only) and Gaijin Ramen Shop for bringing the DMV Unilocal Community together on a Saturday night with the WORLD renowned Master Kotani. We enjoyed watching Master Kotani make soba noodles from scratch. We also had the pleasure of meeting the owners of Gaijin and it was awesome.
Let me start with this: the staff were fantastic. The place was packed and all of the serving crew, especially Mike/​Michael, had a smile on their faces and kept the vibe so positive and vibrant. I was beyond impressed with that. It takes a pretty amazing managing crew to keep their team that great. Thank you to the crew for making the event so pleasant.
The food: we had the tater tots minus the pork. They were pretty good, I was surprised. I thought all tots were created equal but i was wrong. It is a large portion for two people so don’t fill up too much before your ramen.
We enjoyed complimentary bowls of Ramen. We ordered the vegetarian and the bbq chicken. They are HUGE portions. Appetizers + Ramen = Full Belly
The ramen was good. I have never had it before. The noodles were cooked well and the broth of both kinds i tried were delicious. Majority of people ordered the pork ramen but for those of you who are either vegan, vegetarians, or just avoid Pig all together, don’t worry because there are options for you too!
The restaurant is not huge but not tiny. There is a bar and then there are seated tables. The bathrooms were clean too.
What really sold it for me was the staff and management. They made every effort to make the event successful and it was. Many thanks to Master Chef Kotani and the Gaijin folks for opening our eyes to the world of Soba! But most importantly, many thanks to Hannah H for bringing us here!

5 Stars and a shout out to Hannah H. for arranging such an awesome UYE!
To all the Unilocalers I met for the first time — it was nice meeting you all! To all the Unilocalers I previously met — so good to see you again! I won’t name names because I worry that I will leave someone out.
We all got to try their ramen bowls. I had a miso ramen bowl and was the only one at my table to try it. Everybody else had the tonkatsu bowl. I must say that it is a very filling meal! Since we all were being fed at the same time, the choices were limited — but that was okay! For example, some of us got different veggies in our bowl but the staff was very attentive when it came to asking if anyone had allergies. Speaking of the staff — they are a great group — friendly, helpful, prompt and knowledgeable. The two owners warmly welcomed us all.
At my table, we all got to try some of their appetizers. Both the kimchi and wings had some kick to them but it was not ratcheted up so high as to leave your mouth on fire. The tater tots with pork were very tasty and unique.
I enjoyed my miso ramen bowl. The flavor was good, the amount of noodles and other stock was very generous. My bowl had broccolini in it plus some bean sprouts. My husband enjoyed his tonkatsu bowl which had the same veggies in it.
We got to see a soba noodle master make a batch from scratch while one of the owners explained what he was doing. There were samples for tasting although I didn’t partake as I was so full!
My husband had a Sapporo beer to drink while I tried a cherry mojito. This was a nice drink although the mint flavor was the one that predominated. I liked that it was garnished with a maraschino cherry.
All in all everybody had a great time. Thank you, Hannah H. for arranging everything. You did yourself proud! And, yes, we most certainly will return here!

I have absolutely NO idea why this place has such mixed ratings. Gaijin ramen shop is definitely one of the best ramen places I have been to, and I was actually pretty shocked to read some of the low rating reviews.
Jason C and I got a chance to eat at this fantastic restaurant thanks to our wonderful sweet friend Hannah H. This place definitely intrigued us because we had not seen Hannah H get this much excited about a restaurant in front of us. I mean, she has dined in at 2000+ restaurants in DMV area, so what is so special about this place to make her talk about it nonstop?
After eating here, I had to give it a 5 star because it is one of those very rare places that puts so much effort and love into food. Also, it is one of the very very few places where Jason C loved, which is extremely rare.
For starters and drinks, we ordered these:
— Tater Takoyaki
— Osaka Wings
— Sparkling Lemonade drink
— Housemade Avocado Bubble Smoothie with House made Whipped Cream
We LOVED tater takoyaki, which are tater tots fried to perfect crispiness, and covered in gooey sweet takoyaki sauce and pork meat. It was served hot, and we loved the texture of tater tots. It went surprisingly well with the sweet sauce, and we would definitely order it again.
Osaka wings were tiny bit too sweet for me, but they were still good. I was told that they use nonfrozen fresh wings only.
Drinks (non-​alcoholic) were also phenomenal. Sparkling lemonade drink was refreshing with fresh lemon juice and sparkling soda. The avocado smoothie was also delicious with creamy and smooth texture, and whipped cream was so perfectly sweet and soft that I could have eaten a whole jar of it.
For our main course, we of course ordered… ramen!
I ordered the original Tonkotsu ramen, and Jason C ordered Spicy Tonkotsu ramen.
(And I got to try out Hannah C’s spicy miso ramen)
Personally, our favorite was the original Tonkotsu ramen. We both thought that because the original Tonkotsu broth was so fantastic, mixing spicy paste into the broth (as it was done in spicy Tonkotsu ramen) actually ruined the broth slightly for us. I would definitely recommend adding boiled eggs and bamboo shoots for extra $ 1 or $ 2.
We were informed that there is no MSG in the soup, but instead, they use a ton of
vegetables, meats and bones to bring out the flavor of the soup. Tonkotsu ramen has been always my favorite, and Gaijin ramen’s broth was incredibly flavorful and delicious. It was so rich and flavorful, and fresh noodles were cooked to perfection that to me this was the best ramen I had in the DMV area. That’s right, we have finally found a place that is better than Toki underground, and we don’t have to wait for hours to eat here.
My only tiny suggestion is that I wish the chashu had some fatty parts. Although the chashu meat pieces were tender and yummy, it was lean and I missed having some fatty parts.
I want to thank Hannah H for introducing this restaurant to us, and we will definitely return.