Over the past three years, one of the more popular new restaurant offerings have been focused around Japanese ramen and small plates. And while I usually do enjoy a good bowl of ramen, the proliferation of a particular type of restaurant usually ends with a real mix in terms of quality. So I was a bit curious about the new Gen Ramen off of Wake Forest Road. Was it any good? Would it disappoint? Well, the only way to find out is to give it a try, here’s what I found at this new noodle joint in Raleigh!
Gen Ramen, Raleigh – Location, Decor
If you’re familiar with the Wake Forest Road corridor, the McNeill Pointe plaza sits perched atop a hill, next to the Mami Nora’s chicken. It’s a busy spot, with multiple small businesses and eateries wrapped arond on Bale Street. The new Gen Ramen sits in a spot that used to be Hightop Burgers and then Bendito (Puerto Rican) so it’s had a bit of a history. Parking in this plaza can be a bit tight with a busy lunchtime crowd so be aware. Inside Gen Ramen you’ll find a long space with black metal chairs, smallish 2-tops, and hints of Japanese-themed decor in the dining room. It’s not particularly fancy or complicated, a hint of the more casual menu and service to expect when dining. A bar at the very back looks into the kitchen, you can watch the action but it’s all pretty discrete.
Gen Ramen, Raleigh – Menu, Food
Glancing at the menu (2-sided laminated sheet) here at Gen Ramen, you’ll spy most of your favorites that you would find at a casual Japanese eatery. Small plates izakaya style, bao bun, rice bowls, sushi, and of course, ramen! All the main dishes/entrees are under $18 so I’d say that Gen Ramen is pretty affordable. I’d like to see them offer newer, cleaner menus here but what can you do?
Start your meal off with the tasty tempura appetizer featuring perfectly fried shrimp with a great dipping sauce, delicious! The pork belly bao is another solid appetizer here offering a thick, luscious slice of fatty pork in between a fluffy bun.
But on to the mains, Gen Ramen offers the usual ramen, donburi (rice bowls) along with sushi. Probably my preferred ramen bowl is the tonkotsu which is simmered for 12 hours here at Gen Ramen. And what you’ll find here is that the bowls are small and deep, not a huge bowl but well-packed with thick slices of seared pork belly, corn, two deep yellow pieces of marinated egg (ajitsuke tamago), along with scallions, bok choy, and mushroom.
The creamy chicken ramen is solid, layered with chicken breast, bok choy, and bamboo shoots. A nice alternative to the meatier, traditional ramen broths. Overall Gen Ramen offers smaller portions of ramen but they get the little things right in the noodles, broth, and toppings without overloading the bowl.
Gen Ramen, Raleigh – Service, Conclusion
Service at Gen Ramen has been solid during my visits if not maybe a little inexperienced. You can definitely get in and out for a meal in under an hour if it’s not busy. If you’re a fan of ramen that gets the basics right, I think you’ll like Gen Ramen. They do a very good job with the basic broth and chewy, toothsome noodles which are the most important parts of a ramen bowl to me!
But with the recent additions of Miso Ramen and Iza Iza Ramen in Raleigh, the bar has been raised higher in the category of Japanese noodles! So while Gen Ramen may be a bit humble it’s still quite good. If you’re in the Wake Forest Road corridor, stop on by for a satisfying bowl of ramen.
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