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Benkei Noodle Shop
Category: Restaurants Japanese Japanese [Edit]
545 W BroadwayVancouver, BC V5Z 0B4
Neighbourhood: Fairview Slopes
- Price Range:
-
$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- No
- Take Away:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Wi-Fi:
- No
- Noise Level:
- Average
- Ambience:
- Casual
- Has TV:
- No
- Caters:
- No
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
23 reviews for Benkei Noodle Shop
Review Highlights
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"Miso ramen: my fave so far - hearty without the cloying..." In 5 reviews -
"The broth was flavorful and the noodles were good." In 6 reviews -
"comfort in a bowl." In 5 reviews
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23 reviews in English
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Review from Rebecca J.
Vancouver, BC
5/13/2012
This is my number one Japanese ramen place which I highly recommended.
My favorite is Shoyo ramen, with an excellent soup base. The soup base has a well balance of flavor & salty taste, which is made of rich pork broth. The portion is fair & they don't use any MSG, which makes me feel much better after each dining experience.
They normally turn around the delivery quite fast, except last time (it took them 20 mins to get me a bowl of ramen). Hope they will improve on this next time. Otherwise, their service was good.
I also ordered curried chicken rice as well, it was ok. It was fine, but the portion was too small for an average adult I think. -
Review from Sally C.
Hastings-Sunrise, Vancouver, BC
5/10/2012
The weather was quite deceiving today (clear sunny skies with crazy cold gusts of wind) so my friend and I were extremely underdressed. Decided on this place because we were so cold and wanted to warm up, fast!
The ramen here did the trick. I got the shio ramen and added 3 pieces of pork gyozas for only $2.50! Good deal :) But I wasn't a big fan of the broth. Tasted kind of funny. My friend, who also got the shio ramen, agreed. Also, like other reviewers said, there was a shortage of meat (which I thought was quite tender).
Overall, great service, nice interior and bathrooms, reasonable price, no MSG. The gyozas were also pretty awesome. However, what should be the main focus (i.e., the broth) was not good at all. May just be a good alternative to oily fast food. But again, I really liked the gyozas. Wonder if those can be ordered a la carte... -
Review from Brian D.
Vancouver, BC
5/8/2012
4 reasons for 4 stars:
1. Sumo size your ramen with extra noodles for only 50 cents.
2. The soup is so good you'll sip a ton of it, maybe the whole thing.
3. Love the decor. Nice and clean.
4. You can steal wireless from the Mcdonalds next door.
One reason why one star was lost:
1. Only two pieces of meat in each bowl. -
Review from Taylor K.
Yum yum. I love ramen noodle. A great comfort on those cold, rainy days and nights and they are big enough to fill your belly.
I've been to benkei at their other location on westend and every time I have been there I left happy but not amazed at the taste.
This time it was different. I tried their spicy akaoni and it was delicious. A definite game changer when it comes to benkei. I am definitely more likely to come here more often to taste it again. It was spicy bit not overly spicy. I used to be able to eat lots of spicy food but with this ulcer my stomach can't handle like it used to.
The noodle was cooked right and I love the chili bean oil they have.
I also like the space. The U shaped table in the middle is cool and there seems to be enough space to push a stroller in as well( I saw a couple with a stroller leaving) so this is a big plus for me since I've got my own toddler.
Obviously I won't try to come here on a busy meal time but I would definitely try coming with my little toddler at a non peak time.
Overall, I was quite happy with my meal and can't wait to go back. -
Review from Joshua N.
2/11/2012
Good ramen. Good value, good flavour, good service. On the negative side, some of the seats aren't that comfortable, and there's not a lot of meat in the soup. But again, if you want a decent, quick, and affordable meal, this is the place to go. Extra noodles only 50¢.
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Review from Mark H.
11/5/2011 1 Check-in Here
I've never been a huge ramen fan. It just reminds me of the millions of packets of Mr. Noodles I consumed as a kid. The only places that I enjoy use hand-made noodles and a wicked broth.
I had the vegetable shoyu as I had a week of meat overdose. Broth was a marginal step up from plain water, veggies added little fun.
For a Japanese-owned place, I was disappointed. Give me some flavour sensei! I was hungry so I ate it, but wouldn't recommend it.
Want real good stuff? Try the oxtail ramen @ Suika. -
Review from Catherine W.
New Westminster, BC
6/27/2011 1 Check-in Here
Came here the other day as I was hungry before a doctor's appointment. I have never been to a Noodle house but I have had Ramen before at other Japanese restaurants.
What I liked about the place was that it was small (quaint), clean, everyone was greeted going in and out, and water was served as soon as i was seated without asking for it.
I have the "Spicy" Ramen which for most people probably isn't that spicy. I liked it because it had a kick but not a tears in your eyes kind of spicy. I really enjoyed it. There was a lot there and I was full for the rest of the day. I will definitely go back when in the area. -
Review from Jimmy J.
Vancouver, BC
2/13/2012
I had the spicy akaoni bowl and was thoroughly impressed. For ten bucks it's great value. Decent amount of meat in it and very tasty. Attentive staff and clean dining room. There are a lot of little grubby places serving Asian style cuisine on broadway but this place is solid.
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Review from Beck C.
4/12/2011 3 photos
I'm a fan.
Now, I'm not saying it stands at the top of the heap in the Great Ramen Turf War of the 604...but hear me out.
I've eaten through a good chunk of their menu (working @ Crossroads does that to a girl):
Shoyu ramen: thin broth, one-note flavour left my taste buds a bit wanting
Shio ramen: rich, heavy, not for the fat-adverse. comfort in a bowl
Miso ramen: my fave so far - hearty without the cloying heaviness of shio Beef curry: the shocker. fall apart meat, generous portions & DELISH
Room for improvement, noodle-wise. They're a tad thick for my liking.
Food comes out quick, service is friendly (handbag AND coat? yes pls!).
Perfect for an in&out work lunch.
Next up: akaoni & curry ramen! -
Review from Ellen W.
Vancouver, BC
2/26/2012
I don't know why this restaurant is so busy. I have been to the one downtown and the one here and they are both below standards. The service is poor. They would not refill you tea unless you ask them. The soup base is too oily. The bowls are big but the portions are so small. I bet the noodle they put in per bowl is only one hand full. They only give you two slices of meat per bowl and very little amount of vegetables which is the smallest portions of food I have seen among the ramen restaurants in Vancouver. They charge $7.95 for such a small portion of food is way too expensive.
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Review from Bryn H.
Vancouver, BC
12/13/2010 1 Check-in Here
Can't say I have any complaints! The pork gyozas are terrific, definitely try them out. No idea what the other reviewers were complaining about - I got a great ramen bowl in an area that's otherwise devoid of ramen.
If you have a ramen craving and you're at Cambie and Broadway check it out! -
Review from Lawrence T.
Vancouver, BC
1/27/2011
Met a friend here today for a quick bite before the hockey game. I was a little late getting to the area so I was worried that the place was busy and we'd be late for the opening faceoff. Arrived at 6pm and was promptly seated. Evening going well so far.
My friend ordered the curry ramen and I had the miso ramen with the noodles sumo-sized for an extra $0.50. The broth was flavorful and the noodles were good. We were finished and out of there by 6:40pm. Things are still on the up and up.
Disaster strikes during the first intermission. I'm starting to get hungry and it's only about an hour since we ate. This never happens when I go to Kintaro. Did I really get extra noodles? I didn't compare the two bowls, so there's no way to know for sure. I didn't do anything out of the ordinary to warrant extra consumption of food today. This bears further investigation... -
Review from Misty S.
3/8/2011
This place was pretty packed even for late lunch, but we were able to get seated right away. There are about 5 different types of noodle soups (with additional toppings you can add for extra $) to choose from and 1 beef curry rice dish. I had the basic Shoyu (This traditional Tokyo Ramen served with bamboo-shoots, spinach and BBQ pork) which is on par with the taste of packaged noodle soup I might make at home. The broth was nothing to speak of, but it was good enough to fill the stomach for lunch.
For about $8 (plus tip), I feel like I was better off with a bowl of Pho. A place like this I don't think this restaurant really need waitresses and might speed things along if it was converted to fast food style. Place your order (I mean, there are only 6 dishes to choose from) and then wait for the soup. The service was decent, except they forgot the complimentary green tea I ordered. No big deal since I had a glass of ice water to quench my thirst.
They have a frequent visitor card that will give you a free ramen for every 10 that you buy. I wonder who I can give mine to... -
Review from Jeff F.
11/1/2011 2 Check-ins Here
Hmm... what to say... Benkei seems to be almost everywhere now (well... everywhere I walk). I've been to about 3 different locations, and this is now the closest one to where I live... but service wise, it's about the worst too. The food was as good as it always is... not the greatest ramen, not the worst... comfortably in the A-OK range. You know you'll get a good filling bowl of ramen when you come here. You won't be blown away by it... but it'll do the job.
Service here was a little... hmm... how to say it... disorganized. Other locations have a huge turnover and they know how to push people in and out as quick as possible. This one left us waiting to place an order... after the order was taken, things picked up speed again... until it came time to pay, and then things slowed down again. The people sitting to one side of us got the usual Benkei speed.... on the other side... they got some of the slowest service I've seen in any kind of restaurant. Eventually, they gave up after about 30min of waiting for their noodles.
Will it get better as they get some more practice... I hope so... or the McDonalds two doors over might get the business, and I really don't want that to happen. -
Review from Cara P.
10/30/2010
Thought I'd try this newest location of Benkei Noodle Shop since I'd heard good reviews from some friends, and that they served a delicious akaori (spicy miso ramen).
No where near as good as it was built up to be.
Not very spicy, smelled and tasted a bit like foot (a common complaint about Benkei from reviews I've read) and just nothing like the delicious ramen I've had elsewhere. They are a chain restaurant though so expectations should have been lower.
The shrimp gyoza were pretty good though.
I live in the West End, aka ramen central, so will likely not go back to Benkei any time soon.Listed in: Vancouver Ramen Tour
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Review from Andrea L.
Vancouver, BC
11/23/2011
not bad not bad...
its not too shabby on flavor (I ordered the only spicy one available). With a side of gyoza, which are very reasonably priced.
I wish they had a bit more selection, but a pro side to having a smaller menu is they really get to focus in on each one and bring out the best of the best to the table.
I REALLY appreciate how it is not too freakishly oily and it does have a home made taste to it because they don't add MSG. For the price of it on this cold day, grab one of these instead of a TIm Hortons or Mc Donalds.
Save yourself a fun trip to the loo or a clogged artery. :] -
Review from Sarah O.
9/18/2011
I've tried the Benkei at the Robson location and didn't enjoy it. This particular location seemed to do a better job and the food tasted better. The soup was rich and flavorful and the noodles were chewier. Vegetable gyoza was soggy and pastey- not really sure why they can't make this right. It doesn't seem very hard to do. One thing ramen has going for itself is the speedy service. I was starving and there were no lines on a Saturday night and my order came up in no time. I can't complain.
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Review from Alison S.
12/29/2010
I've been to the Benkei on Robson@Denman and I think that one probably had a bit more of the "Ramen shop" atmosphere, although this one was also nicely decorated and cozy.
The Boy chose to have the shio ramen, with added kimchi, and i had the akaoni spicy miso ramen with added spinach (I need more veggies in my diet). I didn't find the spicy ramen TOO spicy, it was more comfortably spicy which I liked. It was a little to spicy to drink all the soup though; but that's probably better since it was fairly salty and I probably would have had to drink litres of water afterwards. The Shio ramen broth was more porky flavoured.
They have an option where you can add all the toppings imaginable to your ramen. I was tempted but then that would have driven up my lunch cost to $13.50 which is a little steep for a bowl of noodles.
Would return :) -
Review from Vanessa C.
Vancouver, BC
9/12/2011
Benkei prides itself on their "no MSG" policy, by cooking their soups from scratch and using natural ingredients. They filter the soup several times to take out the fat, but leave in the rich taste of chicken or pork. I ordered the Akaoni, which was the only dish labeled as "spicy" on the whole menu. It wasn't too spicy, although it made me thirsty afterwards. I like the texture of the minced pork with the soup in the noodles; and because the ground pork was pan-fried beforehand, it's more flavourful than just boiling the ground meat.
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Review from L K.
Vancouver, BC
12/11/2010
I also had the spicy miso ramen and was not happy with it. I agree with Cara that it did have a smell that was not Miso nor spicy. It was unfortunate because we were excited to try a new Noodle shop along Broadway. Thus, we have decided to go back to our Q Ramen place off Broadway near Granville as we felt that the ramen tasted better there.
I do not forsee any of us going back to Benkei noodle shop again. -
Review from Cezary K.
Vancouver, BC
This place has become a favorite of mine very quickly. I come here at least once a week. The food is quick, clean and cheap. It's never super busy. If you're not a fan of Japanese food, get the beef curry rice. Sooo good.
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Review from mimi p.
5/20/2011 1 Check-in Here
Shoyo Tokyo Ramen with pork, bamboo, spinach ~~ you can also add more stuff for an additional cost if you'd like.... perfect for the rainy weather. The broth was okay, and the noodles were fresh. The beef fried rice was good too!! Service was okay, they didn't really speak much English, so good thing the menu had pictures.
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Review from Hilda H.
Vancouver, BC
12/18/2010
After trying the Benkei downtown and really enjoying it, I figured I'd go for the one on Broadway, too! The types of ramen they had were pretty typical like Shoyu, Shio, Miso.... just like every other ramen place, so to get me coming back they usually need to serve some good ramen. But the only 'out of the ordinary' thing was the one 'Akaoni' ramen they had, which I didn't have since I was a bit afraid it'd be too spicy for me. The shoyu ramen was decent, but nothing special. Pork gyoza was also okay... I guess in the end, it was filling, it was decent, and by the time I went next door to Marble Slab Creamery for ice cream I forgot I had ramen.
