Grace Noodle

I love this place! we stop by every time we are in Richmond. Great casual atmosphere and helpful staff. If you love noodles you’ve got to stop by… Its even kid friendly!

I wanted a quick ramen fix while I was in Richmond and decided to try this place out. The restaurant is quite small with only a few tables placed. I decided to try the dumplings, they were decent but definitely not worth a dollar each. I tried the tan tan ramen: portion size was big but overall the ramen was average, there was nothing spectacular about the dish. I think there are many places with better ramen but if you want to satisfy your ramen craving you could try this place.

The service still needs improvement but it’s more of a 3.5 stars now. I tried another soup this time around. The tan tan ramen is definitely worth testing if you love spicy noodles. I added the side of kimchi once again and I think just like every other place it can be a hit or miss each time. This time the kimchi definitely had more flavor though, more sour and added a nice twist with the spicy ramen. Like I’ve said previously, for $ 1 and the portion amount of kimchi it’s worth getting to taste it.

This was probably the most disappointing ramen I have eaten. The noodles were not ramen noodles (could they have been regular spaghetti noodles?!?) and the broth was bland, bland, and bland.
I got the shoyu ramen, which had no taste so I dumped half a bottle of sriracha for some flavor. One piece of pork and sprinkles of seaweed — all in all, disappointing. I ended up eating less than half of it because I could not justify the empty calorie I was consuming. My husband’s miso ramen was just salty. Salty, salty, salty. And beyond it being salty, no taste.
I would not recommend anyone going here and I will definitely not return. I honestly don’t understand these outstanding reviews people have written.

Grace Noodle. What can I say? It’s a small place, I’d say maybe 10 tables or so. There’s a bathroom and kitchen in the back, a check out counter to the left. Hardwood floors, Christian music playing on the speakers (this surprised me, but it was really nice). Not much decoration but it’s perfect for a date. There’s nothing to distract you from 1) the FOOD and 2) your date. Actually, there was another couple there when my friend and I entered and they were chewing and chatting and having a good time in their little corner. I wouldn’t consider this place a hole-​in-​the-​wall, really. Maybe between that and a more formal restaurant.
BUT WHO CARES ABOUT ANY OF THAT OH MY GOODNESS GUYS THE RAMEN! Full disclosure: this was my first experience at a ramen restaurant. Having said that, I love food, I love flavor, I love to eat out – I’m a foodie. And the food. Was. Good (and very affordable).
First of all, we started with the turkey bacon roll. I had no idea what to expect with this, but it’s basically a mini wrap (warm pita) with turkey bacon, lettuce, cucumber and green onion. It comes with a dipping sauce and it’s quite nice. I love turkey bacon and it shines in this wrap.
I ordered the wonton ramen and my friend ordered the shoyu ramen. Much to our delight, the portion was large! (I love huge bowls of food, although I’m not a big fan of cereal. Odd, I know.) The ratio of broth, noodle, chicken, wontons, bamboo shoots, and seaweed was impressive, I must say. There were only 2 pieces of chicken in that huge bowl, but somehow that was the perfect amount. There were several wontons and the bamboo shoots didn’t overpower anything (I’m not a fan of bamboo shoots). There was only half a soft-​boiled egg but that was just the right amount as well. I wonder who the person was who decided a whole egg would be overdoing it? Whoever she is, she was spot on.
The flavors… I don’t really know what to say. Somehow I could taste all the flavors separately, and they also all melded together so they were almost indistinguishable.
This place made me want to come home (I’m from TN) and immediately look for a ramen restaurant in my area (no luck yet).
I tip my hat to you, Grace Noodle. Good work.

Overall this place seems like a ‘fake’ Japanese resturaunt suited more for those not used to ramen tastes.
I ordered a Tonkatsu Ramen and the soup base was impressively bland and overly peppered at the same time. In fact most of their dishes seem to have too much pepper.
My brother ordered a Stamina Don — described as a rice dish with leeks and ground beef on the side — was also overly peppered, lacking leeks, and had an overall gooey consistency. The dish also came with an equally overpeppered chicken soup on this side. I’m not sure why they didn’t serve miso soup considering this is a Japanese resturaunt?

Went for the first time yesterday and tried the Tan Tan Ramen with chicken. The broth had the prefect blend of elements and spicyness. I like my food spicy, so if you have a softer pallet, I would chose one of the other options. I thought the spicyness level was perfect for my taste! Definitely a good choice during the cold weather and you want something comforting and filling. It was a generous portion and I was unable to finish all the noodles. Also tried the Sauce Yaki Soba with chicken. It was really flavorful. I enjoyed both my dishes and cannot wait to go back once I’m in Richmond again.

One of the best Ramen place in DMV area. Having lived in LA and NYC, I am a snob when it comes to Asian food. I went to Couple other places in DC, And Richmond and was so disappointed. This place is a gem. I got Tan Tan ramen, medium spicy and was delicious! Will go back again!

Authentic dishes, delicious savory broth, comfortable /​clean establishment, large selection of ramen. Recommend: Dumplings with broth, Tonkatsu pork ramen.

This place is so yummy! I’ve been here a few times and have gotten the vegetarian ramen (Yattsi Ramen – and ask for the vegetarian broth) each time. It is the ultimate pick-​me-​up for a crummy or cold day. I lived in Tokyo for six years when I was younger and this stuff is the real thing – the sweet Japanese cook even came out for a bit and spoke Japanese with my dad (very kind of her to humor him)!
Keep in mind: the place does not have alcohol, so don’t plan on having any Asahi Super Dry with your ramen. My family highly approved of their Shoyu Ramen, Miso Ramen, dumplings, and I even had the turkey bacon roll (made vegan). Everything is exceptional.

We came in thinking it’s a real Japanese ramen place but it was not. Kimchi ramen was tasty but the noodles were far away from authentic Japanese ramen; it’s Chinese pulled noodles. It shouldn’t be called Japanese ramen.
My dad had Mapo-​tofu which was not bad. If you decide to come here I highly recommend eating rice-​based dishes, not their ramen.
FYI: 3 stars only bc of a very friendly staff.

3.5 from what I had. I liked the food but nothing that was spectacular
«tan tan» noodles — I was looking for hot greasy delicious noodles with meat, but got a much more toned down version. It was still pretty tasty but the noodles were like those out of a pack of instant ramen
also had the fried octopus appetizer — this was really strange. Not quite fried, more like some filling inside of a mushy ball of dough. With some bbq style sauce on top. Wouldn’t order again
May come back to try the ramen

I’ve been obsessed with Ramen lately & I’ve been to Shoryuken Ramen which I LOVED & I recently checked out the new Spiral Noodle which I won’t be returning too, so I decided to give Grace Noodle a try.
I do like that they have plenty of ramen to chose from & I order the Shio Ramen which had salt, pork or chicken, (I chose pork) green onion, bamboo shoot, naruto, seaweed & half a boiled egg. The servers are very nice even though they speak limited English & the food came out promptly. The soup was tasty but not as flavorful as Shoryuken.
Also I only had 1 piece of pork. I asked why I only had 1 piece & they said you only get 1 piece for a bowl… well the bowl is huge so it doesn’t make sense to just get 1 piece of meat so I had to pay $ 1 extra to add more pieces. Really disappointed in that. The pork was DELICIOUS & it melts in your mouth, just wish it was more of it. The noodles were were a little soft but it didn’t bother me as much compared to other Unilocal reviewers.
Overall the ramen was delicious but it just needed something extra & I didn’t like you only got 1 piece of meat, so I probably won’t go here as much as I would go to Shoryuken Ramen, but I will probably come back eventually.
So I just got my check & they charge me $ 2 instead of $ 1 like they said for giving me the extra pork, so im going to have to drop this to 3 stars instead of 4!

I’m not sure why this place has so many good ratings but this was one time wish I didn’t rely on Unilocal reviews.
To start off, the service was nice, the interior was quaint and my group were the only ones in the store. Felt a bit odd, my opinion due to prior experience: if the food is great, it’d be packed.
We ordered the gyoza, as recommended by Unilocalers. My group mates LOVED it, it was fried perfectly, so nice and crispy with a nice soy, sesame sauce to go along. It was tasty but nothing special, since you can actually just buy a bag of pot-​stickers (it tastes the same) at the local Asian supermarket and fry it yourself at much more affordable price and larger quantity.
Our whole group ordered ramen and were disappointed. The tonkotsu ramen had no flavor at all — ALL the soups had no flavor to be honest, noodles were too soft and soggy. I’ve eaten plenty of ramen at Japanese restaurants and this by far, is the worst I’ve ever eaten. Even a cup noodle has more flavor than what I ate.

Ramen shops seem to be popping up everywhere in Rochmond these days, and the ramen at Grace Noodle is very good. If you’re in the area around lunch it is well worth the visit.
My go to is the Stamina Ramen — ramen with ground pork, onions and chili oil in the broth. The result is a thicker than usual soup with a load of flavor and a little bit of a spicy kick. The noodles here are my favorite in town. They are thicker than I’ve seen elsewhere, and they hold the broth well.
This is a reasonably priced lunch spot — expect to pay 8 – 10 for your ramen and 1 for a cup of hot jasmine tea or a soda, if you’re so inclined. Its a good sized portion, so you get your money’s worth.
The service has always been quick and polite, but the ambiance holds Grace Noodle as a lunch time stop for me. It is a big space with a lot of bare walls and pretty quiet. A great spot to get some work done while enjoying some ramen, but I’d go elsewhere if I were in search of a lively dinner with friends.

I can’t believe RVA has a dedicated ramen shop considering DC only has three.
I had reservations about this place given that including myself there are like ten Asian people in Richmond. But this place is actually pretty tasty and not just Richmond good, but anytime anywhere good.
What I really like about this place is that it delivers solid ramen without the bullshit of your typical hoity toity ramen shops. You know, hour plus wait, 10 seats, 15 bucks, cash only, etc. The menu is varied, the food is hot, fresh, and reasonably priced. Parking is a cinch. The staff is super helpful and friendly.
This isn’t momofuku though, hence the four stars. The soft boiled egg isn’t seasoned and always overdone. The charshu pork is a bit tough. Though endearing, the homemade noodles aren’t chewy and lack the proper elasticity. Maybe the most annoying part is the Christian rock playing in the background.
Despite this criticisms, and maybe because I’m a ramen snob, the RVAs ramen game is tight and better than cities triple its size.

I decided to come here for lunch on Saturday since I was unable to drive out with all the street closures due to the Richmond marathon. I walked two blocks and arrived! A warm bowl of ramen was perfect given the cold weather anyway.
I had driven by a few times and have been meaning to try the restaurant that replaced the African restaurant (Goree) that I also adored. As soon as I walked in, I saw the plain tables and chairs with the sauce condiments on the table and was immediately reminded of many an Asian restaurant back in Southern California. When they brought me my water in that typical clear plastic cup, it only added to my nostalgia. While the restaurant is very simply decorated, it is truly reminiscent of the restaurants where the food is awesome but the décor is so-​so.
My waitress was friendly and helpful throughout my entire meal, and another employee (potentially a member of the operating family) also checked on me a couple of times.
I ended up ordering the tonkotsu ramen and kimchi fried rice. I wanted to try two dishes at once! =) Since the portions were decent, I couldn’t finish everything and had some leftovers.
While the ramen noodles were fresh and not bad, I will echo other Unilocalers’ comments that the noodles are not quite as egg-​y and chewy as I expect ramen to be. Nonetheless, the broth was excellent (I love a good bone broth) and the bowl was fairly large. The kimchi fried rice was pretty good as well, although I might have liked the meat cut up into smaller pieces.
Prices aren’t cheap, but they aren’t outrageous either, and given the portion size, still a decent value. Definitely worth a visit for some authentic food that is a little less flashy and fusion-​y than Foo Dog.

Another Ramen place in Richmond? Yes please!
– Food: I was going to get my normal choice of ramen in either Shio or Shoyu, but I noticed that they had a Tantanmen, which I had to try. Tantanmen is the Japanese equivalent of the Sichuan dish of Dan Dan noodles. The dish is similar to a ramen dish except the broth /​sauce is a spicy broth made with Sichuan peppers, chili oil, minced pork, and preserved vegetables.
I used to have the real thing weekly when I lived in Japan, so I have an idea on what it is supposed to taste like. The taste of the actual broth is pretty good. the toppings were good and plentiful. The one I was accustomed to eating was more fatty as the traditional one has actual pork fat, but health wise I shouldn’t be complaining. Not quite like the real thing, but it was nice and spicy and was a pleasing dish as a whole.
My main complaint was with the noodles. To me, a good bowl of ramen isn’t about how flavorful the broth is, what kind of ingredients are in there, or how it looks, but rather the consistency of the noodle. Perhaps they cooked my noodles a little too long, but they were a bit on the soft side. Almost like spaghetti. Ramen should be a little firm, and I was a little disappointed it wasn’t, because otherwise the noodles have a pretty good taste. It’s possible that they overcooked them, or it’s possible that the base noodle just isn’t a good traditional ramen noodle. But yeah, good taste, soft texture.
My fiancée had the shio which she liked. Our current semi-​local favorite is Daikaya in DC, and compared to that, Grace just wasn’t quite as good. Things like softer noodles and some of the contents (like having bamboo shoots and not bean sprouts, although admittedly bamboo shoots are more of the norm) were a couple things she didn’t like as much. She did say that she enjoyed the broth though and overall liked it.
– Cost: Each of their bowls are approximately $ 9, which is a fair price in my opinion. There were plenty of noodles and broth, and adequate toppings.
– Atmosphere: The place has a relatively small interior, but on an uncrowded off-​hour Sunday, it felt spacious. The interior was pretty bare (brick wall), but it was comfortable.
– Service: The staff was nice and attentive. Food came at a reasonably fast rate, but not as quick as some of the other types of noodle places around the area (granted none of them are ramen, but ramen can be served more quickly). It wasn’t slow service, but I don’t believe 30 minutes would be long enough to wait and eat at during lunch, unless their lunch is more streamlined.
– Overall: We both enjoyed Grace’s and will definitely be back. I’m gonna go with half stars and go 3.5 as the noodles were soft and to me that’s a big offense. The rest of it tasted good though, so rounding up seems fair. I’m going to try one of the more traditional bowls like Shio or Shoyu and see how that fairs against the non traditional tantanmen and hope that perhaps the noodles are a little more firm.
I say if you like ramen or at least noodle dishes and want to try out another place, give Grace’s a go!

If you’re looking for a ramen fix in Shockoe Bottom, this is THE place. Located along Main Street, this understated Japanese restaurant is a great drop-​in for some quick noodles. The portions are definitely large enough to fill your belly and the ramen is one of the best I’ve tasted in Richmond. Service is prompt and food arrival is timely. The interior is quite minamilistic but functional nonetheless.
Must try:
Kimichi Ramen ($ 9.50) — large bowl with plenty of chewy noodles, perfect spice to taste ratio, and just overall delicious
Unfortunately, the area is street parking only and may require a few U-​turns here and there to find a spot. Otherwise, I’ll be back when the ramen craving hits again.

My favorite ramen experience in Richmond thus far. Went with my Japanese friend and he approves. He mentioned that because the noodles are on the soggy side (a downside of fresh noodles), he wishes that some of the other ingredients would be prepared differently to have more textures such as letting the seaweed stay dry and crunchy. The pork is very good but portion size soo tiny! Please give a bigger or thicker piece.
We tried the tonkatsu and the shoyu broths, both of us seemed to like the salty shoyu more.
Fair price especially if you only get the ramen, but you may be hungry afterwards. Not quite phở restaurant cheap.
Restaurant is not very big and has basic but clean décor. There was only one server and with almost every table taken, it took a little while to get the check. Not world class but very good! Hopefully will be back again soon.