Shiki Menya

Best ramen ever!
They have a relatively small menu, focusing on a few dishes. But these few dishes are perfect. The broth is made from scratch, all ingredients seem to be of high quality and mainly local.
The chili ramen is my favorite so far. If you prefer the miso ramen but want to spice it up a bit, ask for some chili oil, it makes a big difference. Portions are big, you will be pretty full after. The noodles are also made fresh daily and in house, so tasty! Different from the usual rise noodles, in a good way.
Apparently I am not the only one who thinks this is a great place to grab a bite. They open at 11am. When I first visited this place I showed up at 11am, as this was the only time that my friend could make it, thinking this place will be pretty much empty at this time. Who has lunch at 11am? BUT, when I arrived shortly before 11am (on a weekday) there was a long lineup! We got some of the last seats. They also have a waiting list outside, every day!!! Mind you, the place is only open from 11 am until they run out of ramen, which is usually in the (early) afternoon, serving about 150 bowls each day. They will post it on twitter when they run out of ramen: @shikimenya
Closed for dinner and on Sundays, but open on holidays.
The restaurant is not too big, I’d say about 35 seats. You can’t make any reservations, hence it’s hard to accommodate larger groups. Some free street parking is available right in front, but usually taken. Go into the residential area on the north side of the main road and you will find more free parking, on the south side it seems to be paid parking.
They don’t offer take out, as ramen should be eaten right away, otherwise the noodles get too soggy. Highly recommand going there, although I don’t want this place to get even busier, but I also don’t want you to miss out on having a mouthgasm.

I gave 5 stars but I have to note that I would deduct half a point for the one time the hostess gave our table for 4 away because a family with a baby simply swooped in and literally stole out seats and weren’t asked to move. We were left with shrugs from the host and «well we DO have a child» from their rude ass parents. I assure you, table stealers, your baby gives way less of a fu*k about ramen and will tip less than I do. Most people would be way more angry and give a one star for that reason alone. The fact remains, however, that if you want to eat here you’re going to wait possibly an hour for any group of more than two. Parents who don’t use their kid as an excuse to do asshole things, I salute you with a chopstick.
I like the atmosphere here. Cool tunes and the staff have always been great. My go to is the Chili Goma with Char Sui added. Broth is creamy and seasoned just enough with chili. I hate when I get a soup dish that burns my lips so bad that I can’t finish my meal or enjoy the taste. I can handle really spicy foods and enjoyed the balance. The apps are great too, whatever the dumplings are called are delish but come out as hot as a spent uranium rod.
I get that people can find it pretentious to require your whole party to be available for seating. Only serving 150 bowls a day. No reservations and a long wait. Cant split the bill. Be prepared for these facts and you’ll enjoy the hell out of this place. Luckily there are others options for people looking for ramen. Personally, I really do not care about such things and will continue to be their patron.

Way too long of a wait to be seated. Took me about an hour after arrival and sign in to get in to the place. Food was okay– nothing special about it, though. The bowl is huge, has a lot of soup, but not enough noodles. Not to mention, this place was very, very, loud. I had to shout to a friend sitting no less than two feet in front of me to get any words across.
Something I found odd, they seemed to serve what looked like soft tacos. A bit strange, considering it’s supposed to be a ramen place.
Shiki Menya seems like a place for. hipsters? If you want ramen that’s worth the price, I recommend Muku. The bowls are cheaper, and it’s nothing fancy. Just good ol’ ramen without the hour long wait, and a much quieter noise level (however, there is a wait of about 10 – 25 minutes).

Where has this place been all my life! I attempted to come here once a while back but the line up was crazy (on like Thursday??) so I decided to go else where. But today was the day I’d give it another go. And OH MY GOD I am so happy that day has finally come. We came there just after noon and we did have to wait a bit as the place was full. It’s not an overly large place, so I can see it getting full and busy really quick. I did some Unilocaling beforehand to see what other people picked off the menu and to take a look at the photos. The kara garlic miso instantly grabbed my attention.
I like garlic, I like miso, I like chili oil, it was an obvious choice of what I would pick. Those three flavours married one another and had a beautiful ramen baby. The noodles were on the thicker side, which is something I’m not usuaully crazy over, but you can just tell that they were fresh and made that day, which just made it all the more better. The char siu (aka pork) was incredibly flavourful and tender. You can tell the other toppings were also of quality. If you don’t get particularly my dish and you’re looking to kick up the flavour a bit with some spice, get the garlic chili oil on the side to mix in, which is something my friend did with the tonkostu classic. It honestly just makes a world of a difference.
I love just overall the general vibe of the place. The staff are mostly young, hipster lookin guys who I think just give the place a really cool feel. They have an open concept kitchen which I like because you can watch your food being prepared and watch all the staff busy at work. Great place! Get their a little early, because they make their noodles fresh everyday, they close once they sell out!

If there was a six outa 5 I would give it.
I have been to Japan 3 times and this is the closest thing to ramen from the motherland of my favourite soup. An amazballz Tonkotsu done in the proper method. This place is the place to beat.

Dining at Shiki Menya is like the DragonBall Z arc where Goku powered up the spirit bomb for like 10 episodes to defeat the evil Frieza (spoiler alert: Frieza lives). The wait is STUPIDLY long and the meal barely satisfies. The gimmicky hype of a limited noodle supply and so-​so food has deterred me from going back since I tried them on their opening week in 2013… until 2 days ago.
At the time, I suspected the broth was watered down to meet unexpected high demand. It was bland. Fast forward 3 years later, it is now creamy and rich, but, sadly, very salty. Their homemade noodles are fresh and tasty.
What was most disappointing is the char siu tacos are now filled with a saucy pulled pork concoction most likely to cut costs since the cut of meat is cheaper. They were once filled with slices of grilled char siu, the same stuff on their ramen. The smokey, charred flavors worked well with the sweet pineapple salsa. The current recipe doesn’t remotely live up to it’s predecessor.
I’m glad they’ve improved, but the fact that the wait for a table was longer than my only-​ok meal won’t help Shiki Menya get to Super Saiyan mode anytime soon. Keep training, Shiki-​chan.

Finally got the chance to eat at the most popular ramen place in town. We looked at the lineup with people waiting on the sidewalk: it reminded me of Vancouver. We put our name on the waiting list: it reminded me of Vancouver. We waited for an hour on a Saturday: it reminded me of Vancouver. We shared a table with other customers in this cozy restaurant: it reminded me of Vancouver.
I ordered the Kara Miso Garlic with extra ramen which was a pretty spicy dish. The good kind of spice that is also flavorful. The housemade noodles were cooked al dente which is typical in any good ramen shops. They were a little thicker than other ramen shops that I’ve tried in the past. The broth was slightly thick but also slightly more salty than I liked it to be. Still very good though. I really liked the pork (char siu) which I think was charbroiled. The meat was tender and it had some char taste to it, which fits my personal preference.
I’ve been to 2 of the big 3 ramen shops on Robson in Vancouver and while I prefer them over Shiki Menya, the food here was still very good. The broth was very tasty but not as flavorful as the ones on Robson. I also prefer the noodles in the other 2 places as well. I haven’t tried many ramen places in Calgary but it’s likely that Shiki Menya is the best in the city based on what I’m hearing. Definitely a place worth going back.

Oh man! First experience here (came with experienced friends) and had the best ramen of my life!!!
I’m so happy with everything from service to the meal itself. Great portion and great quality. Just the best SO MUCH YUM

If you enjoy amazing ramen at a reasonable price, try this place out. I tell everyone I know to come here.
Things that you may not like:
–Sometimes a long line and a list you must sign your name on to get in while waiting outside.
–Not many seats, slightly cramped area.
–They only sell 150 bowls a day.
–Not the greatest service because they are usually busy.
–Parking (get over it, it’s bridgeland…)
–Loud rap music.
–No splitting bills, only cash or debit.
What makes up for those things:
–The Ramen!
–The prices
–The Ramen!
Don’t worry about the rap music, you will not need to talk because you are too busy eating!

Hip vibrant millennial place that is rockin when they open the doors for lunch. At the advice of my hipster nephew and wanting an urge for comfort food, I arrived around 11:20 am for lunch knowing from Unilocalsters that this place fills up fast and one should be prepared for a wait.
Fortunately, I arrived and was able to take the last seat at the eight seat exhibition counter and ordered with their classic Tonkatsu ramen. Since it was my first time, I asked about the quantity and portion size of the pork and was told it was two pieces of average size. Wanting to be on the cautious side since my belly was aching for food, I ordered two additional pieces of pork which was a smart move! Upon arrival, the creamy pork broth was not oily and ingredients blended well together. My wish is that this particular dish would have ingredients that would add more color to the presentation. In terms of food handling (food safety), this place is above par from other ramen parlors that I have visited so kudos for that.
Overall, not the best that I have but definitely solid ramen for Calgary.

Great noodles, great soup broths, and a nice relaxed environment. However, because they only make enough noodles for 150 bowls per day, they have very limited hours and people will line up all day to get in. Expect to wait 30 – 50 minutes, even before they open at 11am. I wish they had an app similar to what OEB has, so that you can get a spot in the queue and they notify your phone when your table is ready.

This small little shop is a great place for ramen. They only serve a limited number of bowls per day so you will need to get there early or risk not getting in.
The food here is amazing. They take the time and effort to make their broth. No matter which bowl you order, the broth is bursting with umami flavour. The noodles are made fresh in house and have a great texture. I had the tonkatsu black which is loaded with garlic and a touch of squid ink. The pork belly in the soup was so tender.
Another favourite of mine is the chili goma. Less broth but very flavourful. It’s got a hint of spice with the amazing flavour of peanuts and cashews.
You do need to try the char siu tacos (pork belly). They are very tender and an amazing take on Mexican-​Japanese fusion.
If your only experience with ramen is ichiban, try this out and you will never look at instant ramen the same again!

My bf never had Japanese ramen before and he absolutely loved this place. The best Japanese ramen place in Calgary I’d say. Staffs are super friendly and I visited after 6 months of time and all the staff were still there! I think that really means something.

Still craving chili goma and not sure when I’ll get to go back! For all the hype and fuss, this place delivers.
The broth is nutty, creamy and will have you spooning every last bit into your mouth. The pork is ground but perfectly salty and so flavorful.
The fresh mustard green cuts through the richness of everything else and the black sesame seeds adds a nice crunch.
The wait was minor and the service efficient and pleasant. Whenever I’m back in the neighborhood and not fighting against the clock, I can’t wait to come back and enjoy this sinfully perfect ramen.

One star for OK ramen, otherwise this was maybe the worst service I’ve ever received at a restaurant.
Where to start? I really wanted to have a good experience here, as I’ve been a frequent customer at Shikiji for years, which is owned by the same family (ish) as Shiki Menya. I have a deep love for Shikiji and the people who work there, so I thought I’d try the new offering.
I’ll start with the fact that when we got there and put our names down on the coveted «list», we went into the vestibule and hostess/​server nearest to the door didn’t greet us, buy merely barked that there was a list outside for us to put our names down.
The restaurant wasn’t too busy, so we didn’t have to wait long. We were shown to our table and waited for a while before our server came by and threw a couple menus down and walked away. We decided quickly what we wanted, but it took us around 10 minutes to wave down our server who had seemingly disappeared.
We started with the tacos, which were actually delicious, except they came with a sad-​looking tiny lime wedge that may as well have been a decoration, since we couldn’t get a single drop out of it. I waited for our server to come back to check on us to ask for adult-​sized limes, but gave up after waiting long enough.
The ramen bowls came quickly, which was nice. The food was good, but didn’t quite measure up to Shikiji’s. I couldn’t finish my bowl, and asked to have the rest to go… except our server let us know that Shiki Menya doesn’t «do» to go. The reasoning was because apparently people waiting for a bowl and who get turned away outside after quantities run out complained about this in the past. So the logic is to get rid of «to go»? It’s not like you’re returning people’s leftovers to the cauldron in the kitchen (I hope).
So if this wasn’t enough, when we received our bill we asked to split it 50/​50, something we do at River Café and Notable, but apparently this lowly peasant request isn’t up to par at Shiki Menya. The server explained that splitting bills lags the restaurant during busy hours. As I looked around to see a couple empty tables and zero people in line outside, it became clear to me that our server, like many of his counterparts, gave absolutely zero sh*ts and was too lazy to attempt the impossible task of dividing a bill in half.
In a nutshell, Shiki Menya is Shikiji’s hipster and ever pretentious little brother.

Gangsta music? Check. Ramen? Check. Home made noodles and only 150 bowls served per day? Check and check.
I’m pretty sure you already know about Shiki Menya if your a ramen fanboy/​girl. I’ve been craviiiing a good bowl of ramen so rather than waste time and drop my bags off, I headed straight to Shiki Menya for an early Friday afternoon lunch.
I may have got there a tad earlier than anticipated (that’s why their sign says «sold out» but they just weren’t open yet) so I staked it out with a few other people that were lined up before their 11am opening. I didn’t realize that Black Pig Bistro is located right beside them! Will have to try them next time I’m in town. Calgary has too many good eats!
Anyways, my buddy arrived at the perfect time and we were able to walk in with the rest of the early ramen waiting peeps (about 15 – 20 people were in line by then). We each ordered our own bowl and did not have to wait very long for:
— Tonkatsu black ($ 14) — comes with negi, soft tamago, menma, char siu, corn, black garlic oil, and squid ink garlic. Broth was good but a bit understated. Nothing really outstanding pops back into my mind when I try to recall the broth, I was hoping for more I guess with the additions of squid ink and garlic oil.
— Goma mazemen ($ 14) — negi, poached tamago, char siu, spring greens, dried chili, and sesame peanut tare. My friend said it was decent but it looked like a really small portion.
I really like the chill vibe and gangsta music. I will have to come back to try their chili goma ramen and then place my final judgement on Shiki Menya. Right now, I’m on the fence — it’s good but is it overhyped? I like that they make their noodles fresh and that they only offer 150 bowls per day. That’s legit. New school is cool but maybe old school is best ramen wise, we’ll see.

Food was a four star. Ramen is the perfect trifecta between soup, noodles, and cha siu. Pretty good, broth was flavourful, noodles are home made and the right texture, toppings were nice and egg was cooked perfectly. Too bad the pork was only alright, flavor and texture just off from a trifecta!
Is it just me or this place seems a little pretentious… Oh we only serve lunch, no dinner. We only do 150 bowls a day… Here are all the rules at the front door. Your whole party has to be here, you have to buy at least one bowl, you can’t split the bill, you can’t wait in the lobby because the restaurant next door is going to open except it never did Saturday morning? –1 star.

I got in just after it opened today, and grabbed the last table. Like other reviewers have stated, they make enough noodles for 150 bowls of Ramen. They close after the noodles are done. The flavour was good, not over stated. I also had the pork tacos and gyoza. My only complaint about this restaurant, is the size and arrangement of tables.
Shiki Menya is definitely a place to try Ramen.
If your in the area, around the lunch hour get their early or be prepared to wait in a lineup.

Shiki Menya is one of Calgary’s newest ramen shops, although not a stranger to the city. The owners who brought us Shikiji have opened the Japanese noodle eatery, serving up only 150 ramen bowls a day. Then they close up shop (~3pm or so), leaving unlucky ramen-​goers waiting for the next day’s batch. I saw how the lines were when I visited Black Pig Bistro for lunch so on our last day in Calgary for the May long weekend, Joe and I were right at those glorious doors at 11:15am. We weren’t the only ones! Alongside four other parties, we anxiously waited for Shiki Menya’s doors to open.
Seating thirty-​or-​so, the interior is modern, trendy, and very refreshing with lots of natural light streaming through floor to ceiling windows. Love it! It’s no hole-​in-​the-​wall place that’s for sure, but the food would suggest otherwise.
Unlike their sister restaurant, Shiki Menya offers a variety of broths and toppings. I am so SO thankful that they think a soft tamago (soft-​boiled egg) is a ramen essential. Because it is in my world. No egg = not ramen! They offer your classic bowls: tonkotsu, miso, chili goma, and veggie; and a new school bowls for the first three classics: tonkotsu black, kara miso garlic, and goma mazemen. It’s surprising that they don’t have a shio or shoyu bowl but with the selection of 7 different bowls and a limited supply each day, it’s understandable.
Before we got to the good stuff, the gyoza came out first. At a dollar a piece, it’s a pretty good deal. Crispy on the outside, juicy on the inside, with a spicy chili
Our big bowls came out in no time and served super hot! Nothing like a hot bowl of ramen for lunch. I ordered the kara miso garlic, knowing that a broth with added garlic chili oil is right up my alley. The broth is simmered for at least 16 hours, giving it a rich depth of flavor. The chili oil? Wooooo, garlic-​ky! Definitely different from all the other ramen bowls I’ve ever had. All other components were outstanding as well: a fatty cut of char siu (I despise lean char siu, like what the heck…), perfectly cooked egg (yolk needs to be barely set!), and fresh hand cut noodles! Chewy with a bit of a bite but perfect.
The miso bowls come with a thicker noodle, as with the mazeman, whereas all other bowls come with a thinner noodle. I don’t even know how much thinner you can get. If you look closely, you’ll see tiny specks inside the noodle. That’s kombu, a type of seaweed, popular in the Hokkaido region of Japan, giving it an additional layer of umami flavor. It’s amazing how much love Shiki Menya puts into their noodles and broths!
Joe got the classic miso and added garlic «ra-​yu» chili oil to it to make it spicy. Essentially, he made it almost into my new school bowl but without corn. His broth wasn’t as garlic-​ky as mine though even with the addition of the chili oil. Same base though and same noodles. Portions aren’t enormous, I nearly finished a bowl myself. For the price ($ 12 – 14), some might say it’s the portion isn’t enough but honestly, the labor it takes to make the broth and noodles are worth every penny.
Awesome space and fantastic ramen! I couldn’t ask for more. Maybe I would if I had been to Japan but that’s for another time. Somebody needs to bring this over to Edmonton ASAP. We’re missing a really good ramen joint here up north! Service was excellent with plenty of staff around. The space filled up within minutes of opening at 11am, so I suggest that if you want to be guaranteed a bowl of 150 that day, come early. Bowls come out quick, we were in and out within the hour. And I love the décor and attention to little details, like the textured edges of their chopsticks to pick up slippery noodles to the bigger, wider bowls for those with thicker noodles. Great touch. If you’re in the Bridgeland area, check out Shiki Menya! I most definitely will be back on my next trip into Calgary.

Like most small restaurants in Japan, this joint does one thing and does it right… ramen noodle soup. The noodles have just the right amount chew, and the chili goma flavours were in perfect balance with the spice, the nuttiness, the pork, and the earthy mushroom+bamboo all evident without any one overpowering. The right amount of fat was present to provide a satisfying mouth feel. A bowl is $ 14, but that’s reasonable considering how delicious it is, and that it almost breaks my rule of not eating something larger than my head.
Besides ramen, a small number of appetizers are available. A small place with about 8 chairs at the bar (where you can watch the food being prepared), and about 12 tables, they do not take reservations. If there gets to be a line, wait. It’s worth it.