Zundo Ramen & Donburi2 min read

My belly is full, and I am so happy :) I love ethnic food so much and Japanese in particular. Today, by chance, I was right around the corner from Zundo Ramen & Donburi and decided to pop in and have a solo lunch. I love sitting at the bar in hopes that the bartender is nice, helpful and has conversation with me if not too busy. Well, I hit the trifecta with Mikey. He has been there since it opened in September, so he gave me all the scoop. I hope everyone knows by now that restaurants that specialize in ramen are not whipping up the cheap noodles in a bag that we lived off of in college.  These bowls are made with love and time. Behind the bar, you can see the huge pot boiling ( Zundo means “big pot”) with bones from a whole pig that, over 12-16 hours of boiling at extremely high heat, create an amazing broth that smells delightful as soon as you walk in the door. This is done everyday! Those flavorful ramen bowls are not all they are serving up, either. They have a great, creative menu with Donburi offering 10 different varieties. This is the curry-influenced items. Holy cow this  was a party in my mouth! They have chicken, fish and vegetarian dishes they even have a vegetarian broth for one ramen dish…something for everyone.

The atmosphere is a surprise. When you approach from the street it looks very unassuming, but the interior is actually so cool with a great bar and a cozy, cool dining area where you will find a special hidden table that seats up to 12.

The owner, Han Lin, is known for being the master chef with Mei Japanese Restaurant in Montgomery. As he explains it, ramen is a dish that is supposed to be eaten quickly while it’s hot and I agree… it takes you a few slurps of goodness and then you pretty much have no problem shoving it in.. I promise :) Manager, David Chao, explained to me how to make every bite a different experience. They have three options to spice things up: white pepper, something labeled S&B, and chili oil (if I could read Japanese, I could tell you specifics). Chao told me to, one by one, do a dash of pepper – stir and taste, then add a dash of S&B – stir and bite, then a dot/dot of the chili oil.. and he was exactly right– it changed over and over. How often does your meal do that?

Slurp away my friends!!

Most important they have a full bar with so many Sake options even..drum roll ….sake bombs!! YES

Things to Know:

•street parking or lots surrounding

•220 W 12^thSt. OTR

•Hours: Tuesday- Thursday 11:30am-2:30pm, 5pm-9:30pm, Friday 11:30-2:30, 5:30-11pm, Saturday 12-11pm, Sunday 12-9pm

•No Reservations but can eat at the bar and window seating