Tengu

Service was great, people were attentive and friendly, but the food wasn’t very good at all. The eggplant we had was way undercooked and didn’t have the miso flavor it was supposed to, and the rice with it was overcooked.
The chicken ramen was ok, but the broth was pretty bland. They didn’t have Shichimi Togarashi, so I flavored my soup with Sri Racha instead, which was kind of strange. One of the ramens we ordered had so much bonito in it that we couldn’t taste anything else. And finally, the ma po tofu wasn’t spicy at all.
I ordered two different drinks as well, and the first one tasted only like vermouth, and the second tasted like a lip balm I used when I was 9.
I really, really wanted to like Tengu. I’ve been looking for a great ramen place in Denver, but haven’t found any that top Izakaya /​Sushi Den. Uncle and Tengu both fall short.

This place is awesome… I hate to use such a generic word. I walked in here one night before an event for a small bite and a drink and posted up at the almost zig-​zag shaped bar (which created slightly awkward seating). The two bartenders, Adam and Kevin, were super sweet and really helpful. I have no problem taking myself out to dinner… no fear of sitting alone, but for someone who might be less comfortable rolling solo, the both of them make you feel very welcome! The décor is fun and industrial, the music was a nice mix of pop and 80s. They have both a full bar as well as a ton of microbrews. The tenders know their booze too!
Their menu boasts a section of arepas, which honestly, I had no clue what that meant. They were explained to me, and while they sounded delightful, I opted for the chorizo sliders. 3 (maybe 4…) of this little perfect patties with a tangy and slightly spicy (perfectly flavored) avocado salsa spread. I wish I had ordered the fries… instead I opted for a side salad, which was great, but it’s a side salad. I will go back, since there are at least 5 or 6 other things I want to taste on their menu. The pricing was very reasonable as well… 2 top shelf drinks and an order of sliders was only 24 $ (and I don’t think it was HH). I highly recommend. I’d give 5 stars, but I need to go back to really try a few more things out before just tossing stars out there. :)

I’m sad to say that this place is no longer our go to spot for ramen. We first visited Tengu right after it opened and we were regulars for months. We love the atmosphere and the simple menu. But after a couple months of being away, we came back to a completely changed menu. And they were not good changes. The veggie ramen, in my opinion, is no longer edible. The broth was so salty that I could only take a few bites before feeling sick.
My fiancé had one of the meat based ramen and he said it was edible, but not good. This used to be our favorite ramen in town. They have sadly changed the broths and the noodles and the result has not been good. Though we love the atmosphere, this spot is off our list of Denver ramen spots.

Hiden ramen and sake gem in the Rino district. They recently updated their Fall 2015 menu. We tried the rice cakes (delish! A bit spicy but the texture is chewy and so savory), the spicy mazemen (surprising flavors! Very good), and the Tengu ramen (a bit of a let down; too much onion and the noodles were overcooked).
Check out the downstairs bar area if you’re there on a weekend. Nice lounge space.
Took away a star due to parking and finding location (see my tip and pic about locating the unmarked door). When parking– there’s a smaller, free dirt lot adjacent to the building and a paid lot next to that.

Delicious, intimate, and simple. A steamy main communal space and a sleek bar area upstairs, with a funky speakeasy kinda’ thing happening in the basement. Friendly and unpretentious.
People complain about parking and signage; the benefit is that once you find it, the types dissuaded by that have already given up. You win! Bring your friends back and enjoy some delicious ramen.
We’ve been in multiple times, even just for drinks, and can say the service is consistently friendly and the ramen is consistently delicious. The menu is small but with sides of various add-​on sauce, the possibilities are endless. The depth of flavor is demonstrated when each bite tastes just a little different, as the ingredients in your bowl develop while you eat. SO GOOD.
Don’t be that guy who can’t deal with an industrial neighborhood and lack of a neon sign. Try a little harder — you’ll be glad you did.

Great little ramen shop around the corner from my office! I feel like a regular already and have only been three times.
This stuff is like Phở, but more flavorful, in my opinion. With a small, specialized menu like this, I don’t think you can go wrong. Great portions for $ 10.
Cool little restaurant space that is very discreet and lacks signage/​marketing… It’s my guess that they’re slowly creating a demand and establishing a loyal customer base.
Will continue to eat here regularly!

I went here a couple months ago because some friends from out of state were in town and one of my friends wanted to have lunch with everyone here.
First of all, if you have never been here, good luck finding the location. Something Tengu does really well is stay completely out of the radar — there’s no signage in front or anything aside from a TINY black square on the side of the door that has «sake + ramen» etched in it so it is still hard to read and the parking situation is terrible and confusing.
The décor is modern/​industrial and overall pretty cool. The service was good. The waitress was attentive and patient even though we were waiting a while for the rest of our party to show up so we took a while to order. She split up the checks without giving us attitude and she was very nice and funny. No complaints about her, so Tengu gets an extra star.
But the food… ugh. I ordered the curry ramen (#5) because nothing else really looked appetizing to me. When I got the bowl, I was excited. It looked nice. But after I took a nice picture and started eating, I was so disappointed.
The pork was overcooked and dry — I would have bagged it and given it to my dog but even he deserves better. The noodles were an okay consistency — not the best, not the worst. There was an alarming amount of jalapenos and carrots in the bowl that didn’t really add to the ramen at all. The broth was pretty bad. Greasy, had an indistinguishable curry flavor, super salty, and not appetizing. I don’t consider myself the pickiest of eaters, but this was pretty gross. I would rather save the $ 10 and eat instant ramen.
I was actually hungry and I didn’t even finish the bowl (which was not big by any means) because I lost my appetite.

Wow, what a massive disappointment! We went in thinking it was going to be this amazing experience… And holy WOW were we wrong! The broth was solo bland it actually made me nauseous, and it was just not good. At. All. I’m so disappointed in this place. Not only is it a pain is the ass to find but not even worth it after you search 10+ mins in an awful neighborhood. Our server, Jada, was nice but aside from that. Yuck yuck yuck!

I was really craving Ramen while visiting Denver last August! I love getting Ramen whenever I am out of town because where I am from we have a killer Ramen house that I go to at least once a week.
A friend recommended Tengu and said she has not tried it but heard it was really good things.
We decided to give it a go for our last lunch in Denver.
The place was easy to find until you parked. We had a really hard time finding the enterance, there was a very small sign located next to the the door that stated ramen and sake but we almost left because we thought we were in the wrong place. When I walked up to the door I saw the sign and it was about a one foot by one foot sign. I know they are trying to be different now that I dined in the restaurant, but they might be loosing business because the visibility of the sign.
When we went inside we loved the décor! It was fun, minimalistic, sweet art and great music.
Our server was very helpful and friendly!
I ordered the Pork gyoza and Ramen! I can’t remember which Ramen bowl I ordered but I wanted to try it because it had bamboo shoots in it! The gyoza was phenomenal but the Ramen missed the mark. The noodles didn’t taste like they were made in house the pork that was used in the Ramen was way too chewy and the bamboo shoots were raw which was fine but way too many of them! I had to pick a lot of them out.
The ambiance in this place is killer but unfortunately I think they need to probably work on getting there Ramen up to par. I hope this review helps. This place seems like it has the potential to be a pretty fun place to dine in if the food game gets upped a bit.

If you’re lacking sodium in your diet, Tengu will fix that for you. The only discernible flavor in the ramen broth is an overwhelming saltiness that succeeds in masking any saving grace that the fillers in the bowl might have offered. I honestly can’t tell you if the noodles had the right amount of chew or if the pork belly was prepared well because I was so engrossed in how subpar the broth was. I might be a harsher critic due to the abundance of excellent ramen in my hometown, but I don’t think that I should have to settle for lesser quality just because of the geographical location of the ramen shop. The prices weren’t ridiculous for ramen, but I definitely wouldn’t pay it again for the quality. Sorry Tengu, but you’ll have to try harder.
Also, I wasn’t a fan of the gimmicky Japanese phrases that the mostly Caucasian waitstaff threw out when I walked in/​out of the restaurant. Maybe that’s my own bias overshadowing what was an innocent attempt at authenticity, but it came off as kitschy and off-​putting.

Small modern sitting tucked away in the nw corner of the Industry building. Was told they don’t advertise and much of it is by word of mouth. My review is based on a couple visits, friday evening to be exact. Open seating, more community style as if you were in a beer hall. Menu is small but detailed. About 5 options of ramen with various degrees of meats, broths, veggies, and spices. Basically a menu that covers all angles and something for everyone. Drink menu consists of different sake, Japanese beers, green tea (highly suggested), green tea cream sodas, and an amazing liquor menu with An impressive lineup of Japanese whiskey’s (Yamizaki).
Staff is friendly, courteous, and on top of their game. Have never had a snobby waitress. Jaime is two thumbs up. I must admit I’ve brought my 1 & 10 year old on both occasions and we have always been treated fairly and they both had a great time. Music is perfect, good mix of underground hip hop.
Ramen has great tasting broths, I found there was more noodles in these bowls than some other ramen joints. Ingredients are fresh. All ramen bowls are about the same size. The nice thing is that you can add extra ingredients like country miso pork, sesame spice mixture, and other things you can throw into the bowl to change it up.
I didn’t notice a dessert menu. All in all I think this place ranks highly. Maybe not a top tier joint but the staff, atmosphere, and food are all two thumbs up.

Not a noodle/​ramen connoisseur, so I don’t bring that baggage to a Unilocal.
In fact, they don’t even have gluten free noodles, but their curry is so slammin’ I’m happily envisioning myself goin’ back and back and not mindin’ ordering the same thing e’er time.
More importantly, the experience is legit. Every single person workin’ there was authentic and helpful. They know the difference between banal chit chat, an’ actually listening to your answer when they ask you how you’re doing, as well as responding with some real anecdotes when making orders and asking them suggestions.
Outside of that, the minimalism of the joint is way on point. Stools, table, cooks, go.
If you don’ know about Japanese whiskey, you better axe somebody.
I can’t even believe I’m sayin’ it, but I don’t even mind the common sink located outside the restrooms between the men’s and women’s room. I got no problem scrubbin’ paws next to the ladies (she-​beaux and I enjoy his-n’-hers sinks in our new crib), but I had to open the bathroom door to leave without a paper towel to protect me from them germs, yo.
I mean, I saw it goin’ in and handled it like a man (if I do say so myself), but seriously, yo– ew (said like a man, man).
I’ll be gettin’ at this joint on the regs.

Pork Gyoza. They are so delicate and perfectly half crispy half doughy. Eat them without the sauce to appreciate the subtle spicy beef finish. Eat them with the sauce for extra zing, but don’t overdo the sauce.
Service is great!
Ramen? Go try all of them. You will enjoy every time.

I’ve never actually dined AT Tengu, but I have ordered takeout twice and their ramen is super delicious. I have had the ramen with the pork belly and egg both times and it is wonderful (hence why that’s the only thing I order). The broth is flavorful and soothing, while the ingredient additions are lovely. The pork has been tender and delicious both times around and the other ingredients are fresh.
The first time I ordered takeout, the amount of broth they gave me was insufficient and not enough for the rest of the ingredients (noodles, pork, etc.). The next time I around, I ordered extra broth for $ 2 and it was well worth it! For only $ 12, I got a huge dinner meal that both cured my feeling of sickness and put me right to sleep :)
I would like to dine here sometime in the near future and maybe try a different dish!

In the middle of Denver’s industrial hub that is RiNo, the simplicity of Tengu is a breath of fresh air, especially since the quality of the restaurant isn’t compromised.
The entrance is a large metal door, with only hours of operation indicating that it is a restaurant. There is a hallway that you walk down but opens up to the bar on the left and the dining area on the right. Although there isn’t much décor, the feel is still very classic. I enjoyed that the kitchen is also open to the dining area, since you really get to see the chef at work.
The menu is limited to ramen and sake, with some appetizers (edamame and gyoza being the well-​known items) and a curry dish. Personally I like restaurants with small menus because they can really focus on mastering those dishes. Ramen #1, consisting of pork and chicken, was tasty. The portion was perfect for lunch and the noodles were fresh and had the perfect consistency. The chicken and pork pieces were tender and added good flavor to the dish. The broth was flavorful, but a bit more spice and salt would have knocked it out of the park.
I love the decent prices, at just $ 10 a bowl, but hope to see a little bit more kick in the broth to have me absolutely raving about this place. Certainly a good stop for lunch with friends if you don’t want to break the bank!

This is my new favorite ramen spot in Denver. I liked it so much the first time that I came here a couple days later with more friends to eat it again. I’ve tried #1 (chicken/​pork broth, pork) and the #2 (pork broth, chicken). They really hit the spot, but my favorite is #2. The noodles were cooked just right, the addition of nori made it very tasty, and the broth was savory. We also tried the pork and veggie gyoza and the chicken yaki. All were super delicious and enough to share with a group of 6. I especially liked the crisp coming off the gyoza. Someone also tried the Japanese curry (rice dish) and loved it. It disappeared into his belly before I could even try it.
The staff was super friendly and I liked the communal feel to the restaurant. The tables, chairs, and wall décor were very simple and modern. Knowing that it was a ramen restaurant fit with the look and feel of the restaurant. They even have a sake bar downstairs that’s only open during happy hour (4 – 6). We got a chance to check it out after our meal. It’s a large space… probably larger than the actual dining area upstairs. We’ll have to check it out another time.
The reason why I didn’t give this place 5-​stars is because of the parking situation and how it could be tricky finding the restaurant the first time you come here. First, there’s no sign outside saying that it’s Tengu. There’s only a wooden door handle with a plaque that says sake + ramen. You just have to know the address and notice the address number to know where to go. Secondly, there’s not a whole lot of parking in the very front of the restaurant. There’s a parking lot, but you can only enter it from the street parallel to Brighton Blvd. So you either have to turn into the street where it says Industry Welcome Back and then turn right at the end of that street to find the lot or if you’re coming from Brighton, you have to enter through the gas station to cut through to the other side. It’s very strange.
However, that doesn’t keep me back from coming again. Once you know how to get here and try the food, you’ll keep coming back for more.

I just got back from a multi week trip to Asia. While in Japan I had ramen at least 5 times. I have become obsessed.
So why 5 stars while everyone else is going 2 – 3? Well I didn’t have the regular ramen. my friend did and I tried a bit of it and I would agree it is only ok/​good. I had the curry ramen and it was fantastic! I wouldn’t call it authentic though since I didn’t see curry ramen at any of the places I went to in Japan. but who cares because its DAMN good. We also had some gyoza and a sake sampler. The gyoza was good. I liked the slightly crisp/​char it had. The sake selection is great. I especially liked the milky white sake (name escapes me).
Service was awesome. Didn’t wait long for anything, they were knowledgeable and very nice. The space is great too! Very simple Japanese style. especially in the sake bar downstairs. Its gorgeous.
Considering I live within a block I will be back again, and often for that curry ramen!

I’m so glad this is in my hood! The space is cool, with simple décor. It reminds me of Japanese restaurants in LA’s Little Tokyo or SF’s Japantown.
My husband loved his curry ramen and sake. I had the same issues as other reviews – so much so that I was startled at the similarities. I ordered a soup that was chicken-​based and had egg, according to the menu. When it arrived, it seemed more like pork broth (which I like – just not what I ordered). There was no egg, either. I ate it anyway – didn’t want them to just toss it – and was a bit bothered that they didn’t break up the ramen brick or use hotter brother before serving. But the broth didn’t have the richness I have come to expect from ramen, and the noodles weren’t quite ready. I’d have let it sit, but the broth didn’t seem hot enough to continue cooking them as it sat.
I will give them another try since it’s so close to home and wasn’t too expensive. I’m going to give them the benefit of the doubt that they are working things out as a new restaurant.

It’s nice that this place is located in Industry so people working can just walk over for lunch. This is one of two restaurants currently in the building.
The ramen was mediocre. I’ve had worse but I’ve also had better. I’m from Hawaii moved to Seattle moved to Denver, and I’m starting to realize that the quality of ramen decreases the more east you go.
Their pork broth wasn’t as savory as I’d hope. I even paid for the extra $ 1.50 garlic paste and I used the entire plate of it and it still tasted the same. They shouldn’t be charging for garlic paste. I think they definitely need to alter their broth recipe. It definitely didn’t taste like traditional ramen I’ve had, and I’ve had it pretty frequently growing up in Hawaii for 18 years.
They should also start keeping soy sauce bottles at each place setting like a normal ramen house would and maybe even a bottle of togarashi.
The size of the ramen bowl is big which is nice, but this place is expensive for what it is. I spent $ 18 for a bowl of ramen, garlic paste and Gyoza.
Their Gyoza is very different looking and isn’t very firm. Their sauce is very good though.
Pretty sure I’ll be back often out of convenience.
Came back here in October 2015 and the menu has changed. The ramen is not much better than the last time. The gyozas came out in one large pancake. I have never seen anything like it in my life.
Came back here in December 2015, the menu has changed for the third time. Ramen is a bit more tastier now but I’d say it’s almost too salty now. Gyozas are also back to normal and the sauce tastes much better than before. Ramen is now $ 12 and Gyoza is now $ 8. Most expensive lunch ever (for ramen and gyoza!).

Eh. It was alright. I’d come back but at the same time I probably wouldn’t rush to come back for the Ramen. I feel like the broth could use some rework. There’s a lot of chicken stock and salt but not much else.
The pork gyoza also weren’t anything above mediocre as well.
Came with a group of 4 (first time here for all of us) and no one was terribly impressed. That being said, it was fairly busy during lunch time — so it seems like they’re catering to some people.