Service: 5/5 Selection: 5/5 Food: 3/5 The only reason for the lower rating, is the broth. I'll give them the benefit of the doubt that on a quiet Sunday, you're not going to cook up a large expensive batch of slow cooked broth. I will come here on a different day of the week to give it another shot, but we're not as dialed in as Kizuki when I stopped by. The broth needed some assistance from some soy sauce and hot oil to punch the flavor up a bit. Upside: if you need a lower sodium option, I would recommend giving them a try. Ramen is sometimes dangerously salty. The noodles are cooked correctly, perfectly a little chewy. The accoutrement of vegetables, eggs, and meat were also well cooked. The chicken karaage though visually not as traditional, tasted great, as did the calamari. However, you can't avoid it when the broth - the star of the show for any Ramen - doesn't shine. It takes time to cultivate a good formula and again, might not be practical on slow days. Can't wait to try them again. The girl who served us was spot on with her soft energy and timely service. Given they're the closest spot to us, it is guaranteed we will be back.

3.5 rounded to 4 Stopped by for a quick lunch and ordered the katsudon and takoyaki. The katsudon was flavorful and came out in a good sized portion. The takoyaki was just ok and seemed to be something premade that the restaurant microwaved. The restaurant is in a strip mall so there's plenty of parking. Small casual restaurant with bathroom inside.

TLDR: Surprisingly good Ramen. Best value in the area? Saturday 5/5/24 ~1:05 pm, seating available, 5 min 40 sec order-to-bowl $13.21 (before tip) ~~~~~~~~~ Shoyu Tonkotsu Ramen (Kids Size)~~~~~~~~~ Final Score: 7.12/10 (8.2/10) Noodles: Thick, wavy, eggy noodles with a great texture and bite. A surprising top-tier noodle selection by Akane. They likely don't make these noodles fresh / in-house, but whatever vendor they are using is doing a great job. The noodles were cooked perfectly (not mushy) and paired well with the slightly oily broth. On their own, the noodles had a slight eggy flavor (as expected) that didn't conflict with the Tonkotsu broth. I wasn't expecting noodles that are this enjoyable from a franchised shop. (7.1/10) Broth: Slightly oily, rich, and thick Tonkotsu broth. The Shoyu tare was a little understated, I'm not sure if you could tell the difference between the Shoyu and Shio bowls given how much the Tonkotsu base dominates. Very well seasoned. Not overly salty for my tastes. It's not the most pork-forward broth - it's hard to tell how long the broth was simmered, or if it's even made in house. But, the end result is satisfying and done better than most other ramen shops. (6.8/10) Egg: Above average ramen egg. The yolk was slightly overcooked, with some curdling around the yolk edges. The center-yolk was just jammy enough to satisfy. Great marinade color throughout the egg white - indicating a long soak. The marinade flavor was much sweeter than most ramen eggs, but was strong enough to have an opinion. Above average. A perfectly jammy yolk would easily put it in the 7.0+ range. (7.2/10) Meat: A single thick, large, slice of chashu pork belly. This slice of chashu had a great charing / dark marinade color around the edges, with a flavor to match. The flavor profile was as standard shoyu / sweet - teriyaki adjacent sauce - that was stronger than your average chashu. Good fat / meat ratio with good fat distribution. The meaty parts were tender. Well executed. Nothing to complain about. (5.0/10) Misc Toppings: A standard topping selection; wood ear mushrooms, bamboo shoots, spinach, bean sprouts. A safe, mostly filler topping selection. Other than the added textures, these toppings don't do too much. No extra prep put into the mushrooms or the bamboo. Safe. Fine. (7.3/10) Other: A surprising find in Woodinville. The bowls don't try to do anything adventurous, they just execute the fundamentals well. Good noodles, strong broth, a well marinated egg, fatty / tender chashu. This location does it well. Nice. The Kids bowl was the perfect size and a great value prop compared to other bowls. ~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~ *Weighted Scoring Formula: Noodles (25%), Broth (25%), Egg (15%), Meat (15%), Misc Top. (10%), Other (10%) Parking: Large shared downtown Woodinville parking lots. Service: Nice, fast, efficient. Order at the counter. Bowl brought to you when ready. Dining room is run by a single server. Other: N/A

Stopped in here with my mom and son and when we walked in at 11:30 we had to wait a sec to have somebody come out but the service was quick and responsive once they knew we were there. The spicy Ramen was good. I really don't have anything to complain about at all it is a, typical hole in the wall place and the service was quick. I would go back to try more items.

Akane Ramen is my favorite spicy ramen in the Puget Sound. I have tried many ramen places, and this one has the best flavor. We got the Tonkotsu Shoyu Ramen, Spicy Tan Tan Ramen, and deep-fried Gyoza. The Tonkotsu Shoyu Ramen was delicious, but other options in the Puget Sound are better or just as good. Like I said earlier, the Spicy Tan Tan Ramen was the best I ever had! Finally, the Gyoza was crispy and good, but it is hard to mess it up. Overall, the service was excellent. The restaurant is tiny and suitable for a cheap night out; it is not fine dining. The food was yummy, and I would go again.