Sakuramen: Ramen coming to Adams Morgan

[hamster]

My gosh, the restaurant openings just don't stop. Ramen coming to Adams Morgan, opening next Tuesday:

http://www.thrillist.com/food/washing...

[mdpilam]

We tried Sakuramen yesterday for a quick lunch (my gf loves ramen, I don't really like ramen or pho or soups in general). She ordered the spicy ramen (a heat level 5 was requested, though he seemed to wait for our spice card - "We eat ghost peppers") and I had the spicy pork buns and bulgogi buns. The buns were good, though they would get soggy since they were a bit "saucy". My gf really liked the ramen, and I (still being hungry) finished it off for her. I was very impressed with the ramen, esp. the pork belly, it was very good for ramen. Most of the meat you get with ramen/pho tends to be poor quality and tough. This was tender and porky. The broth was very well spiced too - nothing had to be added to bring it up to a good spice level. Noodles were also cooked very well.

I am sold on this place. We both thought it was clearly better than Toki Underground (which we ate at only once and shortly after it opened FWIW).

[wineo1957]

Agreed pretty much all around. We liked it a lot but thought that the "spicy" was not all that spicy. I think we liked the buns a little more, maybe because they didn't sit around long enough to get soggy. Nice feel as well.

[hamster]

Tried this place last weekend. Good go-to in Adams Morgan. The ramen is good though not amazing. I think I was slightly more impressed by People's Noodle Bar. And I thought the portion was a little small....

More importantly, they serve bao. We tried the barbecued pork and it really was delicious, though the rice cake part was a bit soggy. Perhaps a little sloppy on the execution, but the quality of the components was very good. Very much worth a return visit. They had 3 types of bao: one vegetarian, one pork, and one...bulgogi IIRC?

The decor is really nice and the servers were lovely.

[woodleyparkhound]

Very exciting news! Thanks for sharing! I'd love good ramen closer than Wheaton!

http://www.sakuramen.net/

[hamster]

Have you tried the People's Noodle Bar in the old Peruvian chicken place on Park Road? I finally tried it about 2 weeks ago and was quite impressed. The pork was tremendous and they were very proud of the sourcing. Really solid. I have not tried the new Ren's in Wheaton, but I was not that impressed by my one visit to their Bethesda spot.

[woodleyparkhound]

No, I haven't, and I must. What are the hours, do you know? Is it still Sat. evening only? Is it on Park Rd. or 14th St.?

I love Ren's. I used to go often to Bethesda, and I've made it twice to Wheaton.

[hamster]

No, it's daily now, he's totally taken over the space. Not open on Sundays. Not sure of the exact hours. It's on Park Road just west of 14th, in the former "Senor Pollo" space IIRC.

[mdpilam]

I believe their hours are 5:30-9pm. I was pretty unimpressed with their ramen, but I don't really care for ramen (or soups in general), so take that with a grain of salt.