Ani Ramen is absolutely spectacular. I have tried most of the non-pork small plates/specials and all have been amazing. I absolutely love this place. My go to menu items these days are shrimp buns & Miso ramen, made without meat and substituting vegetables. I am getting hungry just thinking about it. Also, the service is generally pretty good.
Jeffrey A.
Tu valoración: 3 West Orange, NJ
Decided to try this place for dinner last night. Small place, with probably 15 tables total and a small high top bar for people to sit at(not an alcohol serving bar). We were seated quickly because we were there early in the evening on a Friday night and there were only a few other people in the restaurant. The menu is small, however there seemed to be some really good options. My girlfriend got the Shoyu(#1) and i got a special brothless ramen bowl with brisket. Both dishes were really good and had a lot of flavor. The service, however, was not as good. It took a while for all of our food to come out, which was confusing since there were so few people in the restaurant. There were maybe 6 people working in the restaurant, and yet the service was still subpar. We asked one of the many servers to get two of our beers for us from the cooler, and then he just didn’t do it, so we had to ask another server. Food 5 Stars. Service 2 Stars.
Bianca B.
Tu valoración: 5 Maplewood, NJ
The ramen and pork buns were delicious! The place could user some source of air conditioning though, it was super hot inside!
Joanna S.
Tu valoración: 4 Clifton, NJ
Decided to give this place another try as first time was pretty disappointed. Ani Ramen is one of the first ramen restaurants in this area. Bf and I were very excited to try bc it meant we didn’t have to drive all the way to the city anymore. Unfortunately first time there the ramen came out lukewarm and the noodles were way overcooked. Like mush. I was so mad I ranted all the way home. Tonight bf convinced me to give them another shot. I’m glad I did. We started with the pork buns which are awesome. We also tried a special, pulled pork bbq buns. They were good but needed more sauce. Pork was a little dry. Next we had the Ani ramen. It should be noted I requested the broth to be very hot in temp and the noodles firm. Not sure whether he relayed the message or if it’s just how they normally do the ramen but it came out hot! And noodles firm! Hallelujah! Ani does a great job of noodle to broth ratio. Their broth is well developed but just a tad salty. They provide a large amount of pork in the ramen. Service is quick and attentive. I don’t mind the community tables and love that it’s BYOB so I can bring my Asahi. It’s always busy for a reason. City grade ramen in Montclair. Can you beat that? Ps they have a ramen lover card, with 10 purchases you get a bowl on them!
Monika D.
Tu valoración: 4 Newark, NJ
line, always a line but those buns, tho
Sherin J.
Tu valoración: 5 Livingston, NJ
Came here for the first time this past week. I heard from a couple of friends that this place was really good so I had to check it out for myself. I had the pork buns and Ramen and it was incredible! I never expected to find a place that does Ramen this good outside of NYC. Our waitress Joy was absolutely amazing! She was nice and funny and didn’t even mess up our complicated when we changed our mind a hundred times! if you are looking for a Ramen place and you don’t want to go all the way to NYC, I highly suggest this cute little spot in Montclair.
Tasheda B.
Tu valoración: 5 East Orange, NJ
The best Ramen, delicious finger licking Edamame I’ve ever laid my pallet on. Don’t get me started on how yummy the pork buns are.
Chris W.
Tu valoración: 1 Cranford, NJ
Really want to try it, but it’s a small place, takes no reservations, no call ahead seating and no place to stand during your wait, which was quoted as over an hour last night on a rainy Friday. I called ahead with a party of six and was told I needed a part of 8 if they were going to help me. Tough to say I’d ever drive a half hour again for that experience. May be time to work with Open Table. When your place is surrounded by other restaurants, no real reason to wait more than 20 minutes.
Michelle O.
Tu valoración: 3 Jersey City, NJ
I got the short rib ramen, which is on their specials menu hung somewhat hidden next to the restroom. This ramen is $ 16 and is not on their everyday menu. The 4 pieces of short ribs were tender and flavourful, the noodles were firm, but the broth disappoints. It was a clear type of broth and it tasted bland. Next time, I will try their Ani Ramen, which I hope is made of a more flavourful tonkatsu broth. The coleslaw on the pork buns gives it a refreshing crunch and creaminess. However, the pork belly was a little stringy and tough. I was expecting a nice bite of fatty belly, but instead got a mostly lean pork meat. Their edamames were really good — its char grilled on the skin and very well seasoned. Street parking was a little hard to find on Thursday lunch time.
Natalia R.
Tu valoración: 5 Garfield, NJ
Ramen was top notch. This place has its own quirks, with the drawings on the walls and their way of presenting their receipt to you, and I love it! Definitely don’t have to drive so far now to like Fort Lee for some good ramen. I really appreciated how quickly the kitchen made my dish, I had Ani ramen, and how freaking good it was. I will be back for more. Check out my drawings in the receipt book! I like to draw. :)
Dee R.
Tu valoración: 5 Belleville, NJ
This little treasure in Montclair, NJ is amazing! The wait time is absolutely WORTHIT. If you arrive before 7 the wait can be around 10 – 20 min. Anything after 7 it’s over an hour. Did I mentions it’s worth it?!! Anything ending with the word BUN *AMAZING* my favorite as of now is the Japanese Sausage Bun! The Pork Buns and Shrimp Buns are also exceptional! The chicken wings two ways — finger licking good. The edamame is a perfect starter, it’s served hot, with a fantastic seasoning. The ribs are absolutely amazing and falls right off the bone. I usually just go for all of their amazing appetizers! The Ramen itself is very tasty. Since I love miso soup I always get the Spicy Miso which comes with pork. It comes in a hearty bowl. You cannot wrap anything up but I never have anything left over! You can bring your own booze as well(pretty cool huh!) Please try this place out, and come with patience, It’s always packed but with good reason!
Brendalynne F.
Tu valoración: 4 Lodi, NJ
Came back on a Thursday night around 7:30 pm, and it was still a 30-minute wait for 2 at a communal table. Guess this place is poppin’ all week long. I got the steamed pork buns again, and they were even more delicious as the first time I tried them because I had the whole appetizer to myself this time! hahah when I come back, there’s a huge chance that I’ll get 2 orders of the pork buns, order nothing else, and still be 300% satisfied and full. I tried the Mazeman(brothless bowl, chasu chicken, chashu pork, kakuni, ajitama, tsukemono and scallions) this time because I thought their broth is too salty. This brothless bowl tasted MUCH better. Sauce is served on the ramen so it doesn’t feel dry at all, and they gave me a very generous portion of meat. Eating the Mazeman boosted my 3-star rating to a 4-star. I’m still not giving it a full 5 stars because of the wait and because our food took forever to come out.
Stephanie S.
Tu valoración: 3 Clifton, NJ
This place is always packed! The service is pretty slow too. The Ramen is delish, however they nickle and dime you for everything. I have to pay for an egg. I feel like that is something that should just always be included. They also charge a buck for seasoned oils — c’mon. I do enjoy their Ramen though — it’s tasty and filling.
Joelle H.
Tu valoración: 5 Bergen County, NJ
This place gets better every time I go. I’ve now been here at least 3 times and they knock it out of the park every time. Delicious ramen. I’ve had the Shoyu which is incredible and I’ve had the brothless ramen(mazeman), which is also killer. Also be sure to get the shrimp buns. Just go already.
Janice F.
Tu valoración: 3 Manhattan, NY
After having had lots of authentic ramen in NYC, Ani Ramen wasn’t really up to par with what I had expected. I didn’t really feel like it was authentic, but that didn’t make it not delicious. It really hits the spot post-hangover and is on the lovely Bloomfield Avenue in Montclair with cute coffee shops and shopping areas, which is great post-lunch. Upon arriving on Saturday afternoon, we were told we’d have to wait 15 – 20 minutes or be immediately seated at the bar. We chose the bar because we were super hungry. I think this was mostly as many other people have said, they don’t seat two people in a four people table, which they had some available but the people in front of us were mostly couples. We ordered Miso ramen($ 12) + a side of kimchi($ 2). It tasted pretty good, lots of good toppings but it didn’t really have much except pork chashu, bean sprouts, scallion, and spinach. There was no nori, bamboo shoots, half an egg, etc. which I expect typical with ramen. The broth was also kinda spicy, so I can only imagine what the spicy miso must taste like. There was a lot of kimchi for $ 2, which was good. Service was pretty good, a little slow but understandable as they have a huge lunch rush.
Sampad D.
Tu valoración: 4 Jersey City, NJ
Small but superb place. They have a long waiting, we waited for around 40 – 50 mins before we got the table. But it was worth it. We ordered Spicy Miso, Mazeman(Minus the pork) and Crispy shrimp buns. Everything was just awesome. Loved the buns and the ramen. We had asked for bit spicy and it tasted just awesome. The prices are around $ 12 for the ramen but the portions are quite generous. Note: They dont box leftovers, so make sure to bring your own boxes.
Fransisca M.
Tu valoración: 4 Elmwood Park, NJ
The most solid ramen spot I’ve found so far in the northern part of NJ, located in downtown Montclair just across from wellmont theater. I came here around 6:30pm on a Saturday and boy, they got a packed house. It was a 30 – 45 wait for me, but it was all worthwhile. I ordered the buns for appetizer, gotta love the spicy mayo! And when my spicy miso came around, what a perfection in a big bowl! Very fresh ingredients and flavorful broth. The service is pretty quick too for a packed house like that. Parking situation is a bit complicated. I parked about a block or two away behind to avoid the meter and get some exercise :)
Jennifer H.
Tu valoración: 4 Jersey City, NJ
We were seated here right away since there was space at the counter by the window. It’s not a very large place so the tables fill up fast, be prepared to wait as it was a weeknight and busy! The ramen is very good, I like the spicy miso which isn’t super spicy, just right. Delicious broth. The pork buns are great too! Decent service.
Jennifer T.
Tu valoración: 3 Clifton, NJ
3.5 stars *pork bun(not bad; the meat would have been juicier; the spicy miso sauce was pretty on point and gave this bun the moisture it needed) *Mazeman(brothless bowl; not bad; there’s plenty of meat in this dish so don’t worry about that; not too spicy and the texture of the ramen was pretty standard) *spicy miso(I liked the broth for this! definitely on the spicier end so beware if you are sensitive; once again, the broth bowls have plenty of meat in them so order extra sides if necessary) This place is tiny so be prepared to wait on a busy evening. The seating arrangement is interesting but not unlike normal casual Asian places. There’s individual tables, the counter or a large connected table in the middle where you’re sitting next to strangers. Space is limited but they made due with what they have. Food is decent, but I wouldn’t say spectacular. Regardless, it’s a nice spot to have in Montclair and in this area in general because there are no places like this here.
Juliet Z.
Tu valoración: 3 Belleville, NJ
I was looking forward to trying out Ani ever since I pass by it every time I go to Cuban Pete’s right across the street from it… Finally got the chance to go, and my first impression was WOW I like this place is fresh cool and modern. … Very unique different restaurants… Anyway started off with the brisket buns… Uhhhh delicious it was so good I would come to this place just for the buns so good… As an entrée and the reason why I came to Ani was for the soup… After such a delicious appetizer I literally couldn’t wait for the soup oooh the disappointment… I order the miso soup which consisted of pork, scallions, bean sprouts, etc… What was wrong??? The soup was bland, barely had noodles, and it had more oil than broth for $ 12 a bowl I expected a gourmet bowl of soup… I left the broth and just ate the noodles and pork… Ehhhh The pork was tasty tho… Will I come back… Yes but unfortunately not for the soup but for the buns and other appetizers…