Pai Men Miyake

To all the New Yorkers claiming this ramen doesn’t meet their superior «New York» expectations … Get over yourself. The food is great and cheap by New York standards. We weren’t disappointed in the slightest. We had the chicken and the beef and they were both incredibly flavorful and not too salty.
The pork gyoza was to die for and the beer list is full of great local beers. Go already. Just go.

Middle of the road, all things considered. $ 9 for shrimp gyoza gave me four little dumplings about as big as my thumb. The toasted almonds on the tuna roll were a fun touch, but otherwise it wasn’t that special. My partner’s kimchee beef ramen was good: substantial noodles and yummy broth, with a perfectly yolky egg cooked in. My yuzu porter was pretty small, but tasty.
It wasn’t a bad experience, but we will try one of the many other ramen/​noodle house offerings in Portland on our next visit.

Miyake’s ramen ranks among some of the best ramen I’ve ever had. Their broths are so rich and delicious and they all taste different (a big problem with many ramen shops is that all their broths taste the same). Their classic miso and paitan ramen were delicious. The beef-​kimchi ramen was delicious and such an interesting flavor. Loved all three that I tasted!
My only complaint was that the pickled ginger in the paitan ramen had a bad soap flavor (I think just because it was hot from the broth) that I would have preferred to not have.

Service was good with a friendly and inviting atmosphere. I went for lunch and the prices were reasonable with the option of mixing dishes. The portion sizes were good, especially with the ramen (I only finished half of my bowl!)
However, the food was just okay. Nothing great, but may be worth it if you stay away from the ramen and go during lunchtime when the prices are cheaper. Overall, nothing stood out to me but the service and atmosphere is what made me put 3 stars rather than 2.

Based on the reviews of this place, I was expecting some pretty great stuff here, however I was a bit disappointed. I definitely don’t know everything about ramen but I have had my fair share of amazing ramen (see reviews on Ippudo and toto in NYC). Anyways this was no where near as good as some of the best ramen, but I assume this is pretty good for Maine (no offense). The pork bun was thick and they just used pork belly which had little flavor. This was the same pork belly that was used in the ramen. Although the the pork belly was tender, the dishes would have tasted so much better if they used some real good char siu pork. A positive of this place was definitely the fast and friendly service.

After roaming around Portland we stumbled upon this place which came well recommended. Unfortunately we never got a chance to try the food because the miserable hostess doesn’t know how to manage a restaurant or maintain a wait list. She said the wait would be an hour and a half and the multiple empty tables were «accounted for» although no one was anywhere to be found. The lady was completely miserable and her life appeared to be in complete shambles. Next up was Big Red… While proceeding to the bar to grab a drink he suggested that we try to get a beer at a place nearby and not their establishment because we would be a «bottleneck» as if the place couldn’t accommodate 2 extra couples. What a bunch of miserable people working here, it is almost as if they hate having to work or working when it is busy. Lastly while an older couple and their children were walking out we asked if it was worth the wait and they simply said «the food was less than mediocre and they would not recommend waiting» Good luck to this place it definitely won’t be around long. The place smelled horrible also

Simply the best. Never have had a bad experience here. Truly a master at his craft. Sure would be great if he opened other places around the state not just in Portland.

Let me start off with the food. I thought it was very good, but not the kind of place where you would go considerably out of your way to make it a must stop. I tried a couple small plates and a ramen. The hamayaki was good, a little too salty for my liking, but once it was mixed with the sushi rice, it cut down on the sharpness, and made it a very pleasant dish. Good crab and scallop with the kick of the pepper and smoothness of the kewpie mayo with truffle oil. For the sushi roll I picked the maine crab. This was definitely my favorite of the dishes. Big portions. Crisp, fresh flavors and exceptionally good crab. The last thing I selected was the shoyu ramen. Simple, straightforward, nothing that stood out. The chicken/​soy broth was good, but a little too much soy, gave it more of the appearance and flavor of a beef broth. The pork was good quality. Thin sliced and worked well with the thinner ramen noodles. Could have used a little more wakame to contrast, but what wakame was included was tasty.
But the reason that compelled me to write this review, wasn’t the food. The service was exceptional. I got there during a rush last Friday and found a seat at the counter, not realizing the protocol. The hostess Marty was supremely diplomatic in letting me know that the counter was still part of the seating process, and apologized to me (the idiot who bucked the process) stating that she would most likely be able to get me back in the same seat in just a couple minutes. Great, great bedside manner in making sure that even when the customer is wrong, he/​she doesn’t feel embarrassed and feels welcome. The server Jaime further prompted me to draft this review. She was in a word, fantastic. Super friendly, super attentive, even when it was clear that she was juggling a lot of tables that night. Totally made me feel at home. So thanks Pai Men, but especially Jaime and Marty!

Many reviewers have knocked this place as not being as great as NYC ramen. But as a self proclaimed ramen junkie i say it definitely holds up. The ramen is most excellent and I’m a huge fan of the chicken-​y both in the Paitan dish. Love, love their pork belly in everything (ramen, pork buns, etc.) Also, I highly recommend the lunch special. Their salads are so fresh and tasty plus the large portion could make in a meal in and of itself.
Highly recommend!

I give this place a perfect rating just for their lunch special and the Tokyo Abura. The indoors are Brooklyn-​like, very industrial and the crowd is pretty hipster too. I have been to various ramen places in NYC but this for me beats them in flavor hands down, even with no broth. The texture is perfect and add ons are great. My friends who have tried the other ramens are in absolute love for their pick too.
Did I tell you about their lunch special — a ramen and a side for about 14 bucks. Its a lot of food for a person so decide how you wanna share, let me warn you it wont be an easy decision. Their gyoza is great and so are their rolls. The brussel sprouts are not crispy and the best I have had. Go ahead and choose your pick with a side of the chili garlic paste to rub it in ! I will definitely stop by here when in the city.

Food: Walked in here after exploring the downtown area. Definitely a white washed version of a ramen place. So hipster. The broth was good but it was such a turn off to have these thick noodles. They would’ve been better fried than boiled as lo mein. Definitely need a thinner one or maybe even an udon option. I was disappointed but I shouldn’t expect much more than this on the east coast. Didn’t finish the noodles or eat the pork.
The baos (tofu buns) were good. The buns needed a better steam. Tofu was spot on, fried well and I loved the sauce they used. I did appreciate the lunch combo. Sushi was fresh.
Service: It was slow paced, waiter came around twice, and wasn’t quick or attentive enough to get us our bill. We ended up walking over to check out.

I didn’t hate this place but I also didn’t love it. The pork buns were out of this world good. However, ramen seems to be their thing and I was not impressed. I ordered the kimchee beef ramen. The broth and the beef were bland. The beef was tender but no flavor whatsoever. The restaurant was small but comfortable. I enjoyed the atmosphere and the staff was very nice as well.

This is one of my absolute favorite places to go when I’m visiting my parents up in Maine. Lots has already been written about the food scene in Portland – it’s honestly amazing when you think about what a small town it is – and Pai Men Miyake is just one of the many great additions to the dining options.
Both the entrees and appetizers are phenomenal here – definitely try the pork buns and the dumplings, and the ramen is not to be missed. The Tokyo Abura is my favorite – it has just enough of a kick to it – though it’s unlikely that you could go wrong with any of the other varieties. While I have yet to try anything from the cocktail menu, I’m sure that it also has a lot to offer. Overall, highly recommended!

In three days in Portland this was my favorite meal. I arrived on a chilly night to a bustling restaurant with a long counter and found a seat along the bar. The energy in the restaurant was positively contagious, from the boisterous cooks on the line to the buzzing diners packed in. The selection of ales and wine was divine, and the food was out of this world. Reminded me of a fun restaurant in Tokyo, which is my favorite food city in the world, and which I consider high praise.
If you like ramen and sushi you will love this place. The pork bun and the Brussels sprouts were a superb start — I could have dined on them alone. The next time I am back in Portland THIS is the restaurant I will return to for sure. Soooo good. You can’t miss this amazing place.

Hit Pai Men alone on a business trip shortly after being spoiled by ramen in NYC. I had a bowl of the Paitan Ramen which was very good. Probably would have given 4 stars prior to my most authentic 5 star ramen experience in NYC. The noodles had great flavor and chew, cooked perfectly and on the thicker side. The broth is where this bowl of ramen lost a star in my opinion. The broth was pretty good, very rich and left that bit of fat on your lips as a good ramen broth should. It was however a bit bland for me and lacked that deep flavor. Additions were good: fresh scallions, nori, soy egg which had a nice molten yolk, pork belly and pickled ginger. There was too much ginger for my taste. By the time I ordered kaedama, all I could taste was the ginger.
Overall a good bowl of ramen and I would definitely go back to try other items on the menu.

A cute little place in Portland away from the busy tourist areas. When you walk in you’ll be blasted with overwhelming delicious smells that my friend appropriately described as the smell of deep fried food and Brussel sprouts. What a way to wake up those taste buds! The atmosphere is casual, trendy, great for smaller groups.
We started with the pork buns, Brussel sprouts, and gyozas. Pork buns were great, and came with a delicious chili garlic sauce.
For ramen, we had the Paitan (pork broth with pork belly), shoyu, and shojin. The Paitan was unfortunately lacking seasoning, and the broth was too thick for my taste. It was also lacking more accompaniments, compared to ramen in Asia. That said, I didn’t expect this place to be authentically Asian. The shojin was incredibly savory and had a subtle ginger flavor. The tofu was well seasoned and the umami burst from the shiitake was very well appreciated. The noodles had a great chew — not too soggy or stiff.
All in all, for a trendy place with great small plates and ramen, this is worth a visit. From my experience today this is not the best ramen, and certainly different from more authentic places. That said, if you go with the shoyu ramen, I think this is a solid visit and the small plates are worth it.

To preface, my mother is Japanese, so I am «allowed» to be a snob.
Cocktails, eh, not great. Probably more of a personal problem, but I generally find it better to stick to something pure and on the rocks. At the table one of the drinks was far too tart to drink.
Food? Edamame, good. Gyoza, good. Ramen, good but not great. It was a little heavy/​dense, even the broth. Alas, it was all worth it to witness the chopstick skills of my peer. You dont really know someone until you’ve slurped with them.
I was surprised at how busy it was for a Monday evening. Anyway, good spot, hip atmosphere. I will return to try additional menu items. Maybe the pork buns. Who doesn’t love nice buns?

I’ve been here before and enjoyed it, but my dinner last Friday was so awful that I feel the need to lower my rating for this place. We arrived around 8 as a party of eight, and the only large table was taken. We were fine with waiting, as the host assured us that the people at the table had finished eating and would be leaving soon. 20 minutes later, we peek in, and they are just getting their food. Hmm, so the host was either mistaken or lied to us about the wait. At this point, we are hungry and annoyed, and no one was bothering to help. We spotted a couple dining in-​between two four-​tops, so we asked them politely whether they would mind moving over so we could seat our party. The couple was fine with it, and quickly moved over, but we got the feeling that we pissed off the host by doing this, since he shot our table dirty looks for the rest of the night.
After finally being seated, we ordered our food and waited… and waited… and waited. 30 minutes in, we were wondering whether they forgot our orders or whether the host called out a hit on our food. Finally, after 50 minutes, our food arrived. I have no idea why it took so long, since ramen is easy to assemble with pre-​made ingredients, the restaurant is tiny, and we didn’t even order any appetizers. In addition, we barely saw our waitress, who was shooting the breeze at a different table, and was seemingly oblivious to how long we had been waiting. Aside from taking our drink/​food orders and delivering our bill, we never saw her.
The ramen itself was disappointing. I got the Paitan, like I did during my last visit, and it was just alright. I noticed this time that the broth had a noticeably large layer of clear liquid fat on top of it that wasn’t there last time. It was as if the broth had been sitting in the bowl for too long and had separated. It felt uncomfortably rich, and I suspect this is their way to fill you up, considering the amount of toppings they give (one small piece of pork belly and half a soy egg) is meager compared to ramen restaurants in NYC. I feel like this restaurant wouldn’t succeed in a bigger city, where there’s more than one ramen place in town. Lesson learned – don’t come here in a big group and don’t come here if you’re hungry, since it might be an eternity before you get your food. I don’t think I’ll be back.

Great lunch set! We ordered the Pai Men ramen (fatty, chicken broth with a tender slice of pork belly to die for!) Definitely the star. We could’ve done without the pork and shrimp gyozas (barely edible) but will opt for the sushi set next time. I ordered the shio ramen but ate most of my husband’s yummy and I mean, YUMMY pai men! Great drinks, nice outdoor sitting area. We had just gone for a long bike ride so we felt a little casual but def can’t wait to eat here again next summer!

I came here expecting sushi, but quickly learned that ramen is the house specialty. Pleasant surprise! (Note: Miyaki, the sister reataurant to Pai Men Miyake, specializes in sushi.) I realy enjoyed the ambiance of this restaurant. It is the hippest raman house I’ve been to. I felt as if I was being ushered into a fine-​dining experience.
My friend and I shared the shrimp gyoza for an appetizer, and it was yummy. It is small enough to be an appetizer for one to two people because you get four little dumplings. The man next to us at the bar had a mushroom salad topped with a poached egg that looked like it will be my appetizer next time I come.
Next we had drinks. I do not remember how to spell the name of my drink, but it started with a K (I know, sorry). It was really refreshing with notes of cucumber and ginger. My friend had the Miyake Mule whish was a Japanese spin on the Moscow Mule and she enjoyed that.
I had the house favorite Paitan Ramen for dinner. It was really good. I’m used to ramen noodles having more meat and more vegetables than this particular entrée, so it was a little bit of a different experience. Despite the slight difference, I would get it again. My friend had the spicy tuna roll (which I hear isn’t too spicy), and the crunch of the almonds was a special twist she enjoyed.
Sitting at the bar is the best because you get to see the excitement happening in the kitchen. The cooks are fun to watch.
The only reason I didn’t give this place 5 stars is that by the end of my meal, my eyes were becoming more and more irritated. Perhaps next time I come I should request to be seated away from the kitchen action.