Danbo

The broth was very tasty. I tried the broth without mixing in the sauce first and preferred it without the spicy sauce. Their noodles are perfectly cooked and the meat is soooo tendah (seriously, so good) Will go for thicker noodle and no spicy sauce next time!

Been there twice, first time was new and staff friendly, second time 5 staff all with English difficulty, need some more esl, gyoza was burnt first time with taste of charcoal, gave me a new order and this time uncooked, bill was $ 38.00 for lunch, they wanna take on ramen Japanese style they will need the token machine, no need to tip @any of these ramen places, there 0 service required, same as Japanese ramen shops.

3.5 Stars~
Visited Danbo in Kits. Ordered a classic ramen with standard noodles and broth.
Broth: Broth was flavorful, on the salty side for me.
Noodles: Their standard noodles were pretty fine, which I didn’t mind. Although I might try their thicker noodles next time, I hope it would work better with their broth.
Pork: Tender.
Topings: Green Onion… everything else is extra.
One thing to note is that their portion is relatively small.

I must say that Vancouver is thoroughly spoiled when it comes to the types of Asian cuisine that is available.
If you were to go to any small town in Canada or the US, you wouldn’t get this kinda food. You’d likely get some generic noodle with stirfried chunks of meat from a generic supermarket sauce in powdered form and it’s passed off to you as «authentic» Asian food. Pretty disgusting. Not so in Vancouver, unless you don’t know what you’re looking for.
Another ramen joint outside of ramen row aka, Denman and Robson.
Likes and dislikes:
Likes:
The broth. It’s BEAUTIFUL. Very flavourful, and customizable as others have noted.
Friendly service, which is typically usual for ramen joints.
Dislikes:
–Very small space, so be prepared to wait in line if it’s busy.
–Chasu pork was not as tender as I would have liked it. Possibly an off day.
–The noodle was disappointing to me, because I’m fussy. I would have preferred a fresher noodle. This looked like it was dried. It is cooked according to the firmness you order.
The OK:
Gyoza. Standard taste. Didn’t blow me away.
Overall, if you like a deep and flavourful broth, this is for you. Easily. If you’re picky about your noodle, you may be disappointed.
The broth is out of this world, so really, you have to try it for yourself.
P. S. They have Ikea plastic bowls and utensils for the little ones. Not sure if they have booster seats for infants and toddlers.

The menu is very simple but good. Basically one type of ramen but it’s quite customizable. The broth is really fantastic.
My only issue is I like a firmer noodle and their standard is a little soft for me. However, this is one of the things that you can ask for that is customizable!
It’s filling and tasty, I would come again for sure. I do wish they had more broth options.

I love danbo! So awesome! Customizable and always delicious! I can’t stop coming back.

Been to Danbo many times. Love the thin handmade fresh noodles and the fact that you can pick the strength, spiciness, and oiliness of the soup.
So why 1 star? I’d rather eat my arm than ever going back. We were at Danbo last night. The service was the most chaotic I’ve ever seen at a restaurant.
This small 20-​ish seat restaurant has 3 wait staff, which should be plenty. As patrons start to leave, tables are freed up — every time all 3 of the staff will wipe the table together (i.e. waste time). They will set up the tables… but NOT seat anybody. We were next in line for a table of 2. We ended up looking at that same empty table for 15 mins (nobody seated us, I approached the wait staff and she told me to «just wait a minute» — for what??). After 15 mins — they finally decide to seat us at that table. Ok??? So why make us wait outside in this cold weather? I would’ve been eating my ramen by now.
Other tables were freed up and again, they did not call people in to be seated. There were empty, set tables while there were 10+ people outside in the rain and cold. People outside begin to leave. The next party of 2 behind us was complaining as well (the freed up tables were for 2 tables of 2 — plus there were counter spots freed up for 2 people, yet they were not seated.)
Oh and this person by himself just budged the line and walked right into the restaurant, the robotic wait staff seated him — while there’s another guy (also party of 1) who waited for a table for 15 mins outside in cold weather!
Danbo, if your management reads this, please train your wait staff better. You’re on W4 Ave, tons of restaurants around you… we are willing to wait but you guys have to be reasonable. We won’t wait, outside, in the rain and the cold, when there are clearly empty tables inside! I asked the wait staff yesterday why did she NOT seat us when there is an empty table — she NEVER answered me! No matter how good your ramen is, this type of service is unacceptable.

Danbo is pretty great, they do thinner noodles than most ramen places and the noodles are the best I’ve had in Vancouver. Being able to choose broth richness and amount of lard is a huge plus and keeps it interesting — sometimes you want it superlight, sometimes you want a thick, salty, hearty ramen to warm you up.
I also love how they do eggs — it’s perfectly runny in the middle and works with ramen really well.
Char sui is alright, pretty thin, good radio of fat-​to-​meat. My mom likes the thin and delicate slices at Danbo over the thick fatty cuts at Santouka, but I honestly prefer them to be a little thicker.

I go here because the location is convenient for me. I don’t know if this place would survive downtown with the ramen competition, but it is as good as you’ll get on 4^th ave.
I don’t like their thinner noodles, which were the only ones available when they first opened. Reminded me of instant cup’o’noodles, but now that they offer thicker noodles as well I am happier. Pricey for a small bowl, so docking a star there.
I wouldn’t go out of my way to eat here, but it does fine if I happen to be near by already.

Traditional Japanese noodles!
I love the ambiance of this place. First off, very friendly staff and traditional when you enter and leave!
Parking in this are can be a pain.
The have a menu and you choose what you want into you ramen.
Hint — from what I understand, they don’t want you take home their ramen if you don’t finish it. So eat it as much as possible. I believe this is tradition.
Prices are mildly higher, but this is authentic and quality, so I dont mind paying.
I was full with their ramen and I loved the flavor.
Great spot. Very friendly staff.

Fuluoaka-​style Tonkotsu ramen lives and breathes on West 4^th Avenue in the form of a quaint looking, little Japanese noodle joint known as Ramen Danbo.
At Danbo, you choose and customize your level of ramen goodness from noodle thickness and firmness to broth richness, amount of lard, and spiciness as well as a selection of toppings.
To start, their pan-​fried yaki gyōza pork and scallion dumplings are fairly standard. While certainly nothing special, they do the trick as a nice complement to your noodles. The side of Yakibuta Chashu pork donburi (topped with Chashu braised pork belly) was a solid and satisfying rice bowl.
I was slightly underwhlemed but still pleased by the blazing hot Rekka ramen (with Ichimi Togarashi red pepper and a soft-​boiled egg) while I only had it the standard five times the spiciness of the classic (instead of ten, fifteen, or twenty times). I found it only the the mildest of spicy but flavourful and rich.
On a second visit, I was much more satisfied by the Yakibuta Chashu pork ramen (topped with six slices of Chashu braised pork belly and a soft-​boiled egg) and its warm and comforting flavour. Choosing to have it extra hot added a nice kick to the very tasty and rich broth. Highly recommended.
Ramen Danbo offers a nice selection of ramen varieties in a welcomed customizable menu for any diner to choose from and enjoy. It’s definitely a very appealing and welcoming diner environment full of Japanese details and character with a second location is already opened on the Vancouver ramen epicentre of Robson Street in the West End.

I have to say this is the best Ramen I have ever had. You get to pick how strong you would like your soup, how firm you noodle, how much lard, how spicy and if you want thin or thick noodle. I was so amazed at the flavor and how good it was I was shocked. I live in the hood and every time, I come by there is a long line up outside. Ok, now I know why.
So far this is the best Ramen I have ever had and I can’t find any other ramen place to compare to it. Its chashu was nice and tender and not dry. I have been to places where it is super dry. Price is reasonable. Little at the expensive side, compared to the portion. But for the taste… I think its worth it.
The place is small. Just a few table. Décor is nice and place is clean. I can see part of the inside of the kitchen and they have kept it very clean. Staff super friendly. Its fully ran by all Japanese so this is authentic ramen place.
Will come here often now.
Best Ramen!!!

One of the few ramen places in the city that you could customize your bowl in terms of noodles, soup and spiciness. Their classic ramen is super tasty, it’s the best broth I’ve had.
Another menu item to try, if you’re extra hungry is their pork belly with rice; it’s flavourful and perfectly fatty. (Pretend you’re not on a diet?)
If you go during dinner rush, be prepared to wait as their place is quite small and cozy.

Danbo… oh Danbo…
How you have changed ramen for me. About 5 years or so ago i remember going for ramen and thinking to myself «man, this is some boring food.» and I recently decided to give it another go at another place and thought «okay, this isn’t that bland and boring. In fact this is pretty damn good»
So i’ve been trying different places to get back into the ramen game and i came across Danbo. By far I think this is the best place i’ve been to so far and i come here at LEAST once a week cause yes, it’s that damn good.
The great thing about Dando is that you can pick your noodles from thick or thin. and the customizing only just starts there. You can also pick the firmness of you noodles, how strong you would like your both, how much lard, and the best part how spicy you would like it.
Out of all the places i’ve been I truly love the noodles and broth i get from here. Broth has a nice merky tint, and the noodles are just done perfectly. Another bonus to this place is that you can start a stamp card. So every bowl of ramen you get you get a stamp and at 5 stamps you can get a free order of Gyoza. Or you can get 10 stamps and get a free Classic Ramen.
One downside i’ve noticed in the last couple weeks is that they used to have the garlic paste on the tables which was great to add into the ramen but now they have taken away this loveliness. I do wish they would bring it back.
So get to if you can. Also prepare cause it’s a good possibility of a line up at peaks eating hours.
Until next time folks!

Came here for lunch on a Sunday. No line ups and was seated right away. I ordered the original and added a soft boiled egg (which was served cold and a bit overcooked).
I chose extra firm noodles, extra spicy, moderate lard and super flavorful soup. The size of the ramen is small compared to other places I’ve been to — maybe only half the size — but this is not reflected in the price. I wasn’t allowed to order more noodles when I was ordering my ramen but by the time I was done my noodles, my small bowl of soup only had a few sips left and was cold so I didn’t order another portion.
The soup was ok, I tasted the pork base, the noodles were thinner than other ramen places and the two pieces of pork I had was extremely fatty. The soup itself was not hot when it arrived at my table.
~Rated out of 10~
Ramen Texture: 5
Soup Flavour: 5
Chasu/​Meat Taste: 5
Condiments: 3 (only had green onion)
Egg Quality: 8
Portion Size: 4
Price: 5 (close to $ 12)
Parking: 5
Will I return? No.

To be fair, this regions style of ramen isn’t what I’m used to.
To be honest, I really like this place. You can order your soup in different forms from light to heavy.
Many options for those who are worried about getting too much fat in their soup.
What to order? You gotta try everything. Maybe not on your first try, but it’s a worthwhile place to come again and again.
Check out Sophia Z’s review and Chris E’s review for a good break down of what this place is like. Oh and don’t forget to read Nachiket P’s review. That’s important.
And remember, when you’re out dining, it’s always polite to take your hat off when entering.
Even in Japan eh?

Danbo is such a delightful place for dining, even in the sweltering temperature of 30 degrees Celsius. There was a waitress outside who was in charge of drawing in customers and she helped guide us into the rather tiny restaurant. The store itself is decked out in sleek black leather couches and red curtains; upon arrival the staff heartily yelled いらっしゃいませ (welcome), which is always so lovely to hear.
The menu offers customization for your ramen, including how firm you want your noodles to be and what toppings you would like on top. The toppings, however, cost extra, so it’s up to you to decide if a boiled egg is worth $ 1.50. The menu itself consists of the Kyushu Hakata style of ramen specific to Fukuoka; the charm points of this ramen are the ultra-​thin noodles, creamy soup base and sliced pork. Our orders arrived within minutes, and the steaming broth was wonderful to smell. The little dollop of tare sauce, a secret blend of red pepper powder and medicinal ingredients, was easy to separate and mix using chopsticks. The sauce was not overly spicy and it brought a bit of a zing to the soup.
I ordered the classic tonkotsu ramen, Danbo’s recommendation for first-​timers, and my only complaint is that this dish only has two slices of chashu pork! I wish they had more meat! Besides the kid-​sized portion of meat, everything else about the ramen was divine; the flavors were rather rich, so slow down and take a sip of water occasionally. My favorite part, however, is that while we were eating the waitresses were busy wiping down the couches and tables. The staff were very attentive and kept the small restaurant comfortably clean for the customers.
Personally I’m not a huge fan of ramen but the food in Danbo is admittedly delicious; the pork bone broth is a winner, and I love that Danbo works hard to have «high quality ingredients sourced locally and from Japan» (taken from their website). I would definitely come back again!

Another authentic Japanese ramen opened in the heart of Kitsilano! Danbo serves traditional Fukuoka-​style ramen in Vancouver.
I’m not a big of fans of ramen but I tried a lot of ramen shops in Vancouver, Hong Kong and Japan.
On their menu, it’s good to let you customize the noodle firmness, thickness of broth, amount of lard and spicy sauce.
I ordered Negi-​goma Tonkotsu Ramen that severed with fresh scallions and toasted sesame. It’s good but not great.
My mom had Yakibuta Chashu Pork Ramen — It’s mediocre coz the char sui too fattly and thin.
We had to order extra boiled egg, seaweed and cloud ear mushroom to share.
Honestly, the ramen and broth were not our in favourite.

My new favorite Ramen place in Vancouver when it comes to pork broth. Danbo specializes in Fukuoka-​style Tonkotsu ramen. You can customize everything (Noodle firmness, Broth thickness, Amount of lard and spice level). I went for the Balzing Hot Rekka Ramen. You can choose your spicy level for this one (5x, 10x, 15x & 20x). I went for the 15x and it had a very nice kick to it. I also ordered an extra topping of the soft boiled egg. The portions are small, but the broth was very rich. The noodles thin but firm. I like that they have the option of Kaedama (Ordering extra noodles), But they don’t have the option of ordering extra broth.
Food: Really good
Service: Great
Ambiance: Casual /​Cozy
Worth the price: Yes

The focus here is the traditional Tonkotsu ramen crafted in the Kyushu Hakata style (one of the top three styles, the other two are Tokyo and Sapporo)
The soup is indeed full-​bodied, creamy and flavorful and I love its viscosity. The base is made primarily with pork bones, which are cooked for a long time over extremely high heat. During such time, bone marrow is released into the soup to give its richness and I’m quite fond of its soup base.
You are able to customize your noodle not only of toppings but also: the firmness of the noodle, the richness of the soup, how much lard you like and how spicy you want.
I opted for the «firm» and «rich» options and when the noodle arrived, the «bite» of the noodle is appreciated but since I’m a slow eater, the noodle eventually softened towards the end.
The soft-​boiled egg I added is nice but it didn’t carry a hint of its marinate on the outside. And if you don’t order any customizations all you will get is two slices of chasu meat and chopped scallions.
This is a good addition to Kits for sure and I will be stopping by again to try other items.
Cheerio!