Robata Maplewood

I am very disappointed Robata. This is a very small restaurant and it was packed when we went. They have a sushi menu and a ramen menu with appetizers. They have 3 pork based ramens and 3 or 4 chicken based ramens as well. We ordered the tonkatsu and the miso tonkatsu ramen with the pot sticker (gyoza).
The pot sticker was good, there wasn’t anything bad about it, the sauce it came with was good.
Unfortunately the ramen was extremely disappointing. The soup was luke-​warm (not hot) the taste was extremely not rich. The miso tonkatsu was extremely salty, and both tonkatsu (pork based ramen) was really weak in flavor. The amount of meat they give you is extremely disappointing (very small thin slices).
The only redeeming factor of this place is that the ramen is cheap. It is definitely cheapest out of the places I’ve been to around in St Louis, around 9 – 10 dollars a bowl without adding extra things.

If you’re in the mood for ramen, get it here. The ramen is amazing! Every ingredient was fresh and delicious, and the noodles were cooked to perfection. I highly recommend the corn miso broth. Also, I don’t eat pork, and they kindly substituted chicken free of charge. The portion was very large and cost less than $ 10!
The restaurant itself is very small, with enough room for roughly 30 people. I recommend calling ahead of your meal to get your name on the list.

The food was mediocre, the ambiance was bad, and the service was the worst.
Went there on a Monday and it was a surprisingly busy night. Ended up sitting outside in the patio area with a group of 4. Outside there was barely any light, just a couple of candles at the table. You can’t see anything which they definitely need to change. They also had a bunch of umbrellas just sitting haphazardly around the patio which the server awkwardly had to negotiate a few times. The outside patio also just reeked of a sulphur or eggy smell which tells me the area just stinks or their kitchen vents right by the patio which is a terrible idea.
To start we had ordered some yakitori, soft shell crab, sushi, and then we each ordered a ramen.
Overall all the food was mediocre at best, ramen was salty, yakitori had no char or flavor and softshell crab was mushy.
BUT the service was the worst!!! Reason we’ll never go back.
When we got our food, the server had no idea about any of the food and wasn’t even able to distinguish between the different types of ramen we got. when we asked her, she was super flippant and rude and just said she had no idea. We were clearly annoyed by this fact. We then continued to get rude service, the worst I’ve had in STL.
If you’re going to open up a ramen shop, hire people who actually care about the cuisine and not a bunch of rude ignorant servers.

We heard good things about Robata and tried carry out last weekend. It was the worst meal I’ve had in years. I’m not exaggerating folks. I NEVER throw food away but the drive thru carry out was a pile of bland spaghetti noodles and tasteless broth. We won’t return.

This is a nice little place, but it gets full quickly, so come ASAP! They have a DRIVE THRU! The food overall was really good and the prices were great! I got the Takoyaki, Pacific Rim Sushi Roll, and the Tonkotsu Ramen with pork. I will try more sushi next time, but this time it was just okay. I mainly came for the Ramen and the Takoyaki and they were delicious! Did I mention they have a DRIVE THRU!

I don’t know.
I really like the sushi as I’m able to get my fav vegetarian sushi options from Sekisui. The pricing is also really great. I just don’t like space. I walked in and had to walk back out as I couldn’t stop coughing as the kitchen is open and the ventilation is not good.
Went once when it was warm out and it was cramped but fine. Went again when it was cold out and the window condensation was literally dripping on me. Uhhhhh no. Then they kept opening up the side door to cool the place off so it was either stuffy or really cold.
I haven’t tried the ramen yet cause I just always want certain rolls. Also the miso was too salty for me and I think that is what they use as the base for the vegetarian ramen. The warm house sake was lovely. The fried garlic appetizer is literally a fried garlic bulb with nothing to put the garlic on so not recommended.
It is not a good place for groups but is cozy for two. Don’t talk about anything too intimate or racy as you can easily hear the table across the room.
Maybe I’ll just order to go next time.

Robata Ramen is the first of the series of excellent ramen houses in St. Louis. The Ramen is quite good, and the crowd has a trendy vibe. On both times we went though, the place was packed and we had to stand outside and wait for about 20 minutes. But overall, a legit choice if you are looking to get good ramen in STL.
Pros:
Very Good Ramen, Hip crowd, fast service
Cons:
Other offerings are not as good as the ramen, tricky parking, closed for lunch, décor is not the best, steamy and smoky inside (because of the yakitori)
Tip:
Try to go later in the evening when the crowd has already dissipated

Great bowl of ramen noodle soup for a cold winter night! The food was great, prices were reasonable, and service was excellent. They opened at 5:00 on the weeknight that we went and as soon as it opened there were a bunch of tables seated. It only got busier from there!
If you want to go, get there early or do the drive thru.
TIP: fried eggplant appetizer. Hands down, TASTY!

Robata is a new and hot (literally hot) noodle/​sushi shop in Maplewood. The location is very small and so it fits less than 50 people in the whole place. It can be a little bit of a wait during peak hours, but the turn over for tables is quick. Robata has a lot of options for sushi – I got a delicious fiesta role. But, I think a lot of people are really coming for the ramen bowls. There are (seemingly) infinite options for how to fix your ramen… from broths, noodles, meats, eggs, veggies to add and so on. I’ve also tried a few of their appetizers. I love the crispy spring rolls and veggie potstickers.
A couple negatives or hopefully future fixes… First, because the grill/​kitchen is open to the seating area, it gets kind of steamy and smoky in there. And you can count on leaving there with all of your clothes and hair smelling like grease. Second, because it is so small, it can kind of seem awkward talking to people with you because it seems like everyone can hear everyone else’s conversations. The other thing is that unless you come in to have just water and ramen (which is like $ 8/​person), it kind of seems a bit pricey for the whole experience and food.

On my quest to try all of the Japanese ramen places popping up in St. Louis, this was my most recent adventure. On a cold evening with my stomach yearning for some warmth, the first thing I noticed are the windows all steamed up beckoning me to enter the cozy little structure.
On entering, my senses were hit with the soothing smell of food, the sight of the frantic and energetic chefs buzzing around, and the sound of clattering pans and pots. This place is as intimate and close of a setting that you will get. You are literally part of every process of the meal preparation. Even if you don’t sit at the bar where you can directly see the food being prepared, hearing and smelling the food being prepared will make you closer to the experience once you actually get to fill your tummy with the food.
Now, the tiny size of a restaurant can also be a negative. You will be bumping elbows with strangers and listening in to some bits of conversations whether you like it our not.
When my girlfriend and I arrived, it was very busy. However, we were lucky to get seated fairly quickly and it was a relief because there is minimal room for standing around and waiting for a table, making for an awkward time hovering over strangers eating their food.
Their huge menu consists of a wide array of appetizers, sushi, sashimi, various skewers, as well as some other miscellaneous items. However, the star of their menu and what we came for was the ramen. Their ramen menu consists of your choice in the style of noodles, the type of ramen (broth), and then the optional add-​ons.
My girlfriend decided to get the Tonkotsu Ramen with traditional noodles and extra pork as an add-​on as we heard that the meat portions here aren’t adequate. I decided to mix it up and go for the Tonkotsu Miso Ramen with traditional noodles and cabbage as an add-​on (adventurous, I know). To our disappointment, the server came back and announced that they had run out of pork belly or «roast pork.» They gave us several options to substitute with such as chicken, ground pork, or pork gyoza. We decided to go with pork gyoza as the consolation. The server was nice enough to add extra gyoza free of charge.
My girlfriend seemed to enjoy her Tonkotsu Ramen, but she didn’t seem overly impressed with it, maybe she was tired from a long day. She didn’t like the strong ginger taste, so she ended up taking out the small ginger pieces spread out throughout the broth. I can’t say that I minded it as much, but I think it’s because my broth had a more defined flavor where I couldn’t taste the ginger as much. She also disliked the addition of bean sprouts to the ramen as they remained raw and crunchy. I actually enjoyed the contrast in texture. Tasting her broth, the broth flavor is not as defined and bold as I usually like and what I have tried at other ramen places. The noodles were perfectly cooked, but the egg was slightly overcooked.
I enjoyed the Tonkotsu Miso Ramen more than my girlfriend’s traditional Tonkotsu. It had a bolder broth taste with hints of miso throughout. I will say that it might be too salty for some people, but to me it was perfect. The added cabbage wasn’t worth the extra $ 1.50 in my opinion.
We also got the beef belly skewers and the Robata chicken wings which were both just okay, and probably not worth the money. The chicken wings were $ 6 for four very petite wings which were very salty.
Overall, the appetizers and other items on the menu aren’t worth it. Get the Miso Tonkotsu ramen instead of the regular Tonkotsu. Service here is very good. Don’t come here with a big group of people or if you’re claustrophobic.

The ramen craze has finally hit the STL area, and Robata doesn’t disappoint.
Food [3.5*]: Each time I’ve been here I’ve ordered the Tonkatsu Ramen, it’s a salty, flavorful, and creamy broth just how I enjoy my ramen. The portion is smaller than I’m used to back at home, and usually ordering an appetizer is needed in order to fill me up. Unfortunately the size of the appetizer and the price isn’t entirely worth it and I would recommend snacking at home instead. Another reason for the lowered star rating is the overcooked ramen noodles, which doesn’t provide the chewy texture of ramen I’m used to.
Atmosphere [2*]: I am not a fan of this location, the lack of parking and immense condensation on the windows it takes away from the experience. I understand they’re trying to give the ramen house style and feel but it shouldn’t have warranted squeezing as many people in as possible in a small space. It doesn’t make you want to stay and savor the food and the company, instead you’re wanting to rush in and out as quickly as possible. Knocking elbows with the person next to you is okay if they’re part of your party, but when they’re complete strangers and you’re already small, I can’t imagine how others must feel.
Overall, I’ll probably come here again since this is about the only ramen place in the STL area. If Robata can fix the overcooked ramen issue we have a winner.

This was my first «real» Ramen adventure. I was a little out of my comfort zone. Sherry was our waitress and was so friendly as well as knowledgeable about the menu. She explained what’s popular, how ingredients worked with your preferences, and what would be great additions.
I had miso corn ramen. Added the dumplings! Incredible. I’ll spend that $ 10 again soon. My friend had the Champon which was a seafood ramen. Also around $ 10. Then we split a crab Rangoon roll ($ 13) and it was the best piece of sushi we have ever had. Next time I am going to get more sushi. The food was super high quality. Very fresh.
Their secret weapon is the house made hot sauce. It was perfect. Really nice heat.
Only downfall was the size of the restaurant. 4 pm on a Saturday was a great time to go. Only time I’ve ever have not seen a line out door.

Yum! My husband and I have been here twice now and enjoyed it both times, especially last night when it was chilly out and the windows were all steamed up from the hot ramen broth.
The atmosphere is cozy. I like the low ceiling and small tables. Maybe not great for a large party. We were able to be seated very quickly when it was just the 2 of us instead of 3.
We love ramen. No complaints. We have left more than full on each visit. We ordered sushi rolls both times — the tempura asparagus rolls are super tasty (although the big pieces of asparagus sticking out at the ends make the end pieces difficult to eat). We also got the Yugi-​o roll. Only a single piece of eel on the top, but the roll itself was super tasty. Everything seemed very fresh.
Last night we both got the vegetarian ramen because we were in the mood for something light. The ramen was beautifully presented and served very quickly after we ordered. Lovely variety of fresh, cooked, and pickled veggies. It’s loaded up with fresh greens, corn, bean sprouts, ginger, and more. We were stuffed despite eating no meat in our soup. Broth was flavorful and hot. Noodles were perfect. I’m not sure yet if I prefer regular cut or the fresh rice noodles. I love that this is vegan — glad I can bring my vegan friends here for ramen.
On our first visit my husband and son ordered the miso tonkotsu ramen. We thought that a single piece of pork was a little sad, but everything tasted really good. We would probably order extra meat next time.
Service was fast and friendly, especially last night. They seem to have worked out some kinks since first opening.

Robata is quite incredible with their ramen selection, sushi, and other Japanese cuisine varities. I have had the pleasure of dining here as well as ordering some food to go.
Let me cover the drive-​thru situation first. Drive-​thru pick up was a breeze and the food was ready when I got there so there was no wait. They do accept cards in the drive-​thru as well which is very useful in case you are like myself and don’t carry cash 99% of the time. The only bad thing I noticed is the fact that it does exit right onto Manchester with very little room to maneuver around, especially if you need to turn left. If this is the case for you, you will be better off making a right turn and turning on some other streets. There is also a parking lot right next to the drive-​thru (for another business, perhaps?) which makes exiting a little bit of a pain. Other than that, everything went fairly smoothly during my to go pickup. I ordered the seafood yakisoba and some shrimp shumai. Unfortunately, they ran out of the shrimp shumai and had to add 2 pieces of the pork gyoza to fulfill my order. They did call me right after finding this out to ask me what I would like instead. I would also like to note that if you don’t feel like going through the drive-​thru, you can just pick up your order up front and park at the normal parking area.
Now to my dining experience. The place opens at 5pm so it would be beneficial if you arrive right when they open as this place is a popular spot and does fill up quickly. Additionally, the building is quite small and will not fit as many diners inside. During my visit, I ordered some kimchee and a ramen bowl: miso tonkatsu with steamed vegetables and pork gyoza. I had the regular cut noodles and the broth was quite delicious. I love savory things and this place does the trick for me. It was so good that I am craving a bowl of ramen right now while writing this review.
Service was wonderful, place was clean, and although the place is new, it seems to run fairly efficiently. I will definitely be back for more!

The quality of the fish in the sushi was good, and the service was very friendly… but maybe stay away from the overpriced and underwhelming specialty rolls. The plain rolls were reasonably priced for St. Louis, but for $ 9.95, the Firebird roll was just pathetic. It was barely as substantial as a regular roll but around $ 5 more expensive. It tasted okay but wasn’t anything amazing. While I’m here complaining, the spicy tuna did not have any detectable spice…
Maybe the ramen and yakitori are better. Anyway, three stars because the sushi tasted fine but didn’t seem worth the price.

Robata is a fantastic restaurant concept with an innovative and ambitious menu. We came around 8:45 pm on a Saturday night. The restaurant was packed (it was too cold to eat on the patio) but the wait ended up being only about 15 minutes.
We started with the beef belly (shiro) and negima chicken thigh (tare) yakitori. Both were flavorful and nicely cooked. Next time I come, I will definitely try a few other yakitori skewers (e.g., beef tongue, scallop) plus probably order the beef belly again.
For entrees we had the tonkotsu with regular noodles and seafood yakisoba. Again, we were really happy with both dishes. The tonkotsu broth and noodles were delicious but I would have liked more than 1 piece of roasted pork and for the egg to be less overcooked. Given that the soup is only $ 9 (another ramen place I recently tried charged $ 15 for a slightly smaller bowl), it might be worthwhile to pay to add a few extra pieces. The octopus in the yakisoba could have been more tender and the shrimp were a bit small and fishy but otherwise it was a nice dish.
We will definitely be back to try more items from their awesome and extensive menu.

Did my research on new ramen joints in stl and was excited to find Robata! The ramen was delicious, service was fast, and we are definitely coming back.
Robata is located in a former Church’s Chicken building (the one across from Acero/​Water Street Café/​Schlafly and the sketchy private parking lot where your car would get towed immediately… Yeah that one). Robata isn’t actually searchable by Google Maps yet so at first we were led astray when we searched for the address. You’ve been warned.
My bf and I were seated immediately when we got there at 7:30 on a Saturday night (Halloween!), though we snagged the last table. The space is cramped, but I liked it. There’s nothing better than being surrounded by steaming bowls of ramen, and it makes peeking at your neighbor’s food a lot easier too. It’s probably not the best for parties larger than 4 though, unless the weather is nice and you don’t mind sitting outside on the long tables.
Ramen is $ 9, and you can add other things for an additional price. It only comes with one slice of pork, and adding 2 more slices will cost you $ 4. We ordered the tonkotsu with extra pork and the miso corn (chicken broth base). Btw, shio = shoyu = soy. Miso will be less salty than soy. We both inhaled our noodle bowls — noodles were chewy, veggies were fresh, meat was soft and delicious, broth was good as well. The egg was… okay. The yolk was overcooked. I’m not complaining though, I’m just grateful for any kind of legit ramen at this point. Also, if you don’t know which broth to get, then try the regular tonkotsu first.
We also ordered the beef tongue (upon recommendation) and pork belly skewers, both of which were full of flavor. The yakitori are pricey, ranging from $ 2.50-$ 5 per skewer, but they’re worth getting once in a while. For the record, this was my first time eating tongue, and I was pleasantly surprised!
One note — our server didn’t ask us which cut of noodles we wanted with our ramen, or which seasoning we wanted with our skewers (tare aka teriyaki vs salt and pepper). If you want to try something that’s not the default, make sure you remember to say so because they won’t necessarily ask you about it.
Anyway, I can’t wait to go back!

went in with a party of four on a monday night. it was pretty busy considering. we sat outside and asked for the first available indoor seating but I think they forgot about it because they never moved us in or addressed it. there is a little bit of room for improvement on their outdoor space. we ordered four yakitoris, three different ramen, soft shell crab, some sushi rolls, eel over rice, and some small sides.
— in general, all the food we ordered was salty, the yakitoris were especially salty
— some of the items were overly priced i.e., kimchi, garlic
— the service was rude. we noted an error in the order and they were even more rude
— wait staff seemed immature
— hot sake was great
— ramen noodles were good consistency
— ramen soup was lukewarm
— the sushi rolls were pretty yummy. good fish to rice ratio
a major issue we had was with our ramen order. we ordered two miso tonkatsu and one tonkatsu and when she brought it out, it was super confusing which bowl was which. she didn’t know what was what and all she could say was «I’m so confused.» no apology, no figuring it out. we were just stuck with the bowls we got and that was that. two of us ordered additions to our bowls but all three of us had them… it was hard to differentiate whose bowls belonged to who.
my friend’s fried soft shell crab came out super late and apparently they lost her ticket. there’s clearly a flaw in their expediting service. but thanks for the honesty.
there were some pros but more cons. I really wanted to like it, I did. but I must say it was a disappointment. HOWEVER, I wouldn’t be opposed to giving it another try at some point in the future.

My brother-​in-​law took me out for dinner here and we had a wonderful meal. For some reason, I had low expectations for their ramen so I was pleasantly surprised that I enjoyed it so much. We both got the thick cut noodles with tonkatsu (pork broth). The noodles were perfect. Thick and chewy. The broth was flavorful and delicious. Robata does ramen well!
For starters, we ordered a salmon avocado roll as well as another one with avocado and crabmeat. Both were pretty good. Our food came out very quickly and the service was good.
As mentioned in previous reviews, it’s a small restaurant which used to be formerly occupied by Church’s Chicken. You can tell from the layout that it used to be a fast food restaurant. There is also outdoor seating, which the waitress said they plan to turn into a four season patio area so that they can use it throughout the year.

From the restaurant owners who brought you SekiSui South Grand comes Robata Maplewood! That’s right folks, they’re back and better than ever! Technically they’ll be back Monday 9÷28÷15, but they did a special seating Saturday night for Facebook fans. By the time I heard about it, 9 pm was the earliest opening for 2.
The menu has been expanded to include ramen and yakitori in addition to sushi and the standard dishes you remember from their former location. Also new is the menu itself, laminated so you can mark your choices with dry erase marker. We decided to try a little of each and ordered three yakitori, ramen and 2 sushi rolls. Washed down with cold sake for him and a white sangria for me.
First came the sushi, the Big Cheesy (a favorite of ours) and the Big Orange. They contrasted well. The Big Cheesy was tempura fried with cream cheese so it had a heavier decadent flavor whereas the Big Orange was lighter and fresher. Both delicious. Next came the huge bowl of piping hot ramen with two spoons. We ordered from a picture on the menu and got the Miso Tonkotsu with side of scallops and steamed vegetables. Really flavorful with great ginger taste in the broth. Egg and pork enhanced it well. Scallops cooked perfectly. While we were working on the ramen the yakitori came out. We got three skewers; Bacon Wrapped Scallops, Negima Chicken Thigh with Green Onion and Kushiyaki Marinade, and Buta-​Bara Pork Belly also with Kushiyaki Marinade. Some of the skewers come Tare (Kushiyaki Marinade) or Shiro (Salt and Pepper). All three were cooked perfectly but the standout favorite for me was the Pork Belly. That flavor will haunt my dreams! We chatted with the owner after our meal. He said they cook the skewers over an open flame and bring them out the moment they are done so they are as fresh and hot as possible.
The new space is beautiful but definitely smaller. You enter facing the bar with a view into the kitchen. Two TVs over the bar had football on when we arrived. There are bar height tables lining the front windows. The dining area probably had less than 30 seats. They do have some outdoor seating though at long picnic style tables. We asked if they’d be doing reservations and they don’t plan too. However they will make use of the former drive through window as a call ahead and pick up window. So I expect some nights it may be a little crowded but we can always get it to go. Glad they are back and better than ever!