Anju Noodle Bar

It’s all damn good. Highlights: their obsenely flavorful pork buns and specialty sauces.

My review will seem a bit strange because I did not find the food to my liking as I was unfamiliar with this style of cuisine and the food was far too flavorful for my personal pallet
But, The atmosphere is terrific, The crowd was fun and hip. The staff are funny and friendly and extremely efficient and I loved the music selection and the extensive wine and cocktail menu. I would come back again and again for all of the above.

Was so excited to finally get there! The atmosphere is hip, comfortable and cozy.
We had a great glass of Rose and Pork buns with delicious string beans for an appetizer. The shoyu ramen didn’t live up but my standard is Toto Ramen in NYC, so maybe my sites were set too high. The broth just wasn’t rich enough nor tasty. The park was dry. We also had the duck yakatori and again the meat was dry and honestly just so-​so overall. I’m looking for sparks and full flavor. I hope it was a bad night, I want these people to succeed. The place is really fun.

Excellent first time experience at Anju. There are several vegetarian items but the chef is also very accommodating in making satisfying veg versions of some of the other items on the menu. Great spice and heat! Nice beer, sake, and wine selection, too. Another great spot in KP!

My boyfriend could eat here every day! He had a place in Portland he adored and says this place is even better! The ramen bowls are absolutely delicious and we’ve had every one! I’ve had two different salads from here, equally as delicious. Crisp, fresh, and visually appealing as well. Pork buns are a must! And whenever they have razor clams as a special we want to order all of them! They have a couple of yummy craft brews and almost always a cider, which I get.
Check out MEat next door on your way out. Anju uses their quality meat and broths. all local and worth a stop!
Eat here!

Food was awesome. Went with five people, we all got different things and no one left disappointed. I loved the chicken wing wings! Nice cozy spot!

One of those places that the moment you see the menu you know it’s destiny for you is to be a new favorite.
Shoyu noodle dish had very rich and tasty flavors. Specialty tap beers were great and staff is really happy to be there. Awesome find and well worth the visit! Plus, check out the other stores in same building!

I had been dyingggg to go here after a friend recommended it. Many months later, I finally made it. My husband and I sat at the counter and got to watch the chefs in action, which was cool. The service was alright and the food was alright. Our waiter messed up two apps we ordered, which he said could be done dairy-​free for my husband, but he didn’t actually communicate with the chef… his basically admitted that he forgot and/​or told us false info. The shoyu ramen my husband got was nice… not extremely flavorful, but still hit the spot. The seafood yaki soba I got was good, but sooooo rich and buttery, I couldn’t finish it.
Overall, the things I took away from Anju were…
get the pork bun.
their kimchi is decent, but not thattt great.
we didn’t try the wings, but they seemed like THE thing to get. When we arrived, they were sold out, but later had made more.
this place is good for a casual, no frills bite to eat.

Hands down the best food on the planet. No joke. Better than anything you can in Japan itself!

Had a delicious lunch at Anju today. If you sit at the bar you also have great entertainment. We started with the fabulous Gochujang Wings. Ask for extra wet napkins! They are great by themselves, but the sauce with them is delicious too. Had the Duck Yakisoba on rice noodles which was full of flavor and wonderful too. We need to add this into our eating-​out rotation more often. They have lots of gluten free options.

Really good and really small.
Group of us went after the lunch rush. I had never been in here, because of one excuse or the other (no parking, too crowded, etc.). I had no idea I was missing out. It’s a really great place to dine, and a nice eating experience. Lunch menu is limited, 6 – 7 entrees (they didn’t have any pork chops when we were there), and 12 appetizers/​small plates.
There wasn’t a thing on that menu that I didn’t consider ordering. For someone who isn’t a cheese person, this place is heaven. The server was quick to us, and she was well versed on menu. Not the cursory «Oh, that’s my favorite…», but actually able to explain the food and what is in it. The water is even good, they let the citrus steep into it. I’d actually pay for it (not much, but I would). I ordered the duck confit yakisoba, while my co-​workers order the thai chicken soup.
You would have thought we had not been fed in days. We absolutely demolished these dishes. I can speak specifically to the duck yakisoba. Nicely cooked noodles, piled reasonably high, a good amount of duck interspersed, coated with ponzu. The cashews were a nice touch, but the restraint with the sauce is what got me. Some places just drench the entrée in a sauce, and it is hit or miss based on that. The sauce is a compliment in this dish, the duck is just divine.
Be advised, the place is a band box, 34 seats at best. But the kitchen is right in front of you if you sit at the bar, and you can see the magic that happens from a couple of hot plates and an oven. It is worth the visit, and you won’t be disappointed.

The chicken soup was one of the best things I have ever eaten, possibly THE best. Incredibly flavorful broth and chicken. The portion is HUGE, so its perfect to get wrapped up and take for lunch the next day. The servers were kind and knowledgeable. The atmosphere is charming and serene. Expect to pay $ 60 (including tip) for 2 craft beers, one app, and 2 entrees, which is reasonable to me.

Food was really good. I had the shrimp pâté toast that would have been awesome but it was a little salty. However I had the pork steam bun which was fabulous! For the entrée I the Shoyou Ramen which was pretty good and the pork was very flavorful and I ate it all up! To drink, I had a local brewed/​destilled sake that is made right here in Kittery, Maine… who would have thought! Enjoyed it here at Anju.

Great service and even better food. This was our first time at Anju and we’ll definitely be back. Very affordable for the quality of food and the atmosphere is the icing on the cake.

This place has amazing favors! I had the short rib rendang. This was braised short rib without the bone immersed in Indonesian beef stew sauce and layered in coconut faoro. The contrast of the sweet coconut and dried coconut strips and the mildly spiced beef and Indonesian beef stew was simply amazing. Each bite has the same contrast of sweet and salty.
Unfortunately since I was at then end of my trip it would be a while until I return
Check out the amazing menu!

Our last full day in New England was filled with 5 star eats and we definitely saved the best for last. Our first dinner on this trip was in Kittery and our last was as well.
Aside from the lobster rolls, Anju was the memorable meal of this trip that I have already been raving to all my East Coast friends and fam about it. We started with the Native strawberry and mango salad that also had sliced papaya and Maine blueberry to accompany the stars. Light and refreshing and a perfect start to the meal.
I continued my shellfish extravaganza and went with the brown buttered seared scallops over carrot harissa hummus so tasty I was wishing for more. The creatively presented ginger golden beats diced small enough, made to look like a creamy risotto kept this dish clean and me satisfied without feeling stuffed.
The flavors melded together beautifully and the open kitchen allows you to see first hand the flawless execution of the dishes.

So I was stuck between a 3* and 4* review. I’ll err on the side of generosity and go 4* but with reservations…
The restaurant is a really nice space, simple wooden tables, little counter at the window to people watch or space at the bar. We ate at noon on a Saturday and didn’t have to wait. Our waitress was prompt, helpful and friendly. Good selection of beers and wines and local cider.
The pork bun was good. Not historic but good. I saw other reviews saying it seemed pricey but I though the price was fair — I had a generous serving of tasty pork with sauce and delicious thinly slice pickled cucumbers. The underside of the pork bun was very soggy. Mr H ordered the seared tuna appetizer, it was super spicy hot (which he can’t deal with). The tuna was OK, not as tender as I would have liked it.
Entrée — he had the seared scallops which he said were excellent. I ordered the chicken ramen. I was super excited to get it but alas, it was kind of average, I felt like it was missing something — that almost unctuous richness that you get with really good ramen just wasn’t there. The chicken thigh was delicious and fell apart (in a good way).
We’ll maybe go back — if only so I can figure out if I should update to 3 or 4 stars ;) — but if I’m really craving good ramen I’ll head south to The Shops at Porter Sq, MA or north to Pai Men Miyake in Portland, ME.
If you go, make sure to stop by the MEat market next door for the best meat you can buy in the area!

Taste the fresh. We started with the mango strawberry salad… yummy highly recommended. I ordered the chicken noodle, wife ordered pork. Both of us were really happy, throw some hot sauce on it while you are at it.
Got a pancake to go, smells great, a quick bite indicated I was going to like it… excellent experience, friendly staff and sat at bar, got to chat with both the chefs… source local produce… highly recommended…

Superb food. {period}
My friends and I went for dinner on Friday. Parking was a little tough to come by. Got to the restaurant just after 6 and it was busy but not packed.
To start we had cucumber kimchi, pork buns, okonomiyaki, and rice balls. All of which were very tasty. To me, the winner was the rice balls though. They cover the rice balls with duck confit and veggies and set them in something called dragon sauce. I don’t know what’s in the dragon sauce, but I think I might eat someone’s old shoe if it was dragged through that sauce.
Our mains included two chicken ramens, a beef ramen, and a duck yaki-​soba. I really enjoyed the duck yaki-​soba. The duck was very tender and made me love duck after many years of fearing it. The beef broth was roasted and rich tasting without being fatty. The chicken broth was delightful and bright tasting.
My friends and I are definitely adding this place to our rotation of restaurants. It’s a touch expensive, but to be fair we did order a lot of food and had some alcohol on the tab also. Speaking of which, they do have quite a selection of alcohols to choose from and have a handful of taps that they appear to reserve for local brews and ciders.
The only thing that detracted from the place was how noisy it got as it filled up. There was background music and the place itself doesn’t have any sound dampening materials (wood floors, brick, etc) so everyone was talking over each other. Also, the A/​C was working it’s little heart out, but it was just barely tolerable to me. Neither of these things would stop me from returning though.
It sounds like their menu rotates periodically, make sure you check their Facebook page.

Finally went in for dinner with my friend Janat. The pork bun (one bun per serving for 6.00. The waitress cut it in half so we could share it) was so delicious. Very flavorful, crunchy and fresh. Loved it. But one little pork bun for 6.00? It shouldn’t be called an appetizer. One pork bun is a ‘side.’ If they made veggie buns and sold 2 for 6.00 they would still make money and everyone would be happier. Service was kind of slow. We inhaled the pork bun in 10 seconds and waited at least 10 minutes for the ramen bowls. The pork ramen soup was good. We wondered why the corn was in there but it was fine. It didn’t really add anything to the dish. The hot sauce was great. The egg was a little unappetizing but I ate it anyway. When in Rome …
The waitress wasn’t memorable. She was adequate. It seemed that the kitchen staff were overwhelmed and couldn’t keep up or something — even though the place was only half full. This is a trendy place — a few hipsters scattered about — swinging their heads toward the door whenever it opened. The ambience is very airy, clean and with lots of light. The pitchers of water with cilantro and lemon were a nice touch and the waitress kept ours filled. I didn’t love the place. It’s not a warm and cozy place to go to relax. I loved having dinner with my friend Janat and we had a good time but $ 46.00 (not including tip) for a pork bun, 2 bowls of soup and a glass of Chardonnay was a bit over the top. It’s a shame too because we were really looking forward to it. And from reading the other reviews, I see this noodle restaurant doesn’t even make their own noodles. Next time I want noodle soup I’ll go back to Saigon Tokyo for some Shrimp Phở. That’s another problem. The soup choices were lemongrass, pork or spicy eggplant. No chicken or shrimp.