Ramen Danbo

Ordered the original tonkotsu base ramen and a char siu don for my 2 year old. Loved the soup base but especially loved the size of the bowl… unlike most ramen place, the size of the bowl reflected the quantity of the content in it. Totally looking forward to going back so I can customize my next bowl of ramen… will select thicker noodle for sure and perhaps add more ramen!
Fabulous service and loved that they had a sign advising ppl to come in, write down name then wait outside, so not to clog the entrance/​exit.
Great ramen place, but won’t go with a group larger than 4 ppl. Heads up, there was only one high chair.

Reminds me of the ramen I had on the streets of Osaka. Simple, not overdone with too much going on, but delicious

went here on a whim, and I would say this is like a hidden gem almost! They had customizable ramen noodles with different firmness and thickness, soup thickness, etc! Way professional than some other ramen places I’ve been to. The ramen is very authentic tasting and the employees were Japanese and so was the chef!
The employees were super enthusiastic and friendly so the service is definitely a 5 star. You have the option to add extra noodles if are still hungry for a charge of 1 – 2 dollars depending on how much extra you want.
I did feel that the soup is a little bit too salty for my liking, perhaps next time I could ask for less salt. But it’s not a huge issue. The broth is creamy and very tasty. Definitely satisfied that ramen craving ！

Ramen Danbo seems like a nice enough spot, neat and clean. Service is a little disorganized but polite.
Here’s the important bit, what about the food:
I ordered the spicy ramen option, and the standard options for noodle, fat and broth. The serving was snack-​sized but nice enough.
Given all the other good ramen options just in the West End, Ramen Danbo wouldn’t be one I’d bother to return to. It was okay overall, but a small bowl of «okay» ramen for $ 13 tax-​in, feels like a ripoff especially with all the better ramen houses in Vancouver.
Rating would be a 2.5, but 2 or 3 are the only options.

The beauty of this place is that they’ve simplified the usual selections of ramen (i.e. miso, shoyu and shio) to specialize in tonkotsu and shio, but give many options to customize your ramen into your own unique dish. I went with the middle-​of-​the-​road standard in most respects, except for opting for «thick» noodles — which are actually about the thickness of spaghetti, as opposed to the «thin» type, which are something akin to angel hair in size — and getting them slightly firm.
And I was extremely satisfied with what I got. This was another one of those amazing times when I actually finished all the broth in my bowl, so tasty and rich and creamy it was. (Danbo certainly represents a BIG improvement in quality from the previous ramen shop in this location, Maruko.) It is crowded, the way a good ramen shop should be, but don’t worry, this is Vancouver, you’re not expected to talk to the people you’re sitting next to at the shared table or bar. Only to be conscious of the line growing at the door and not be a slug when the slurping is done.
Danbo (I keep typing Dando, as in Evan, I guess) is a highly respectable contender for the ramen stakes in Vancouver, and I like that it isn’t too far from downtown. Perfect for a post-​shopping refuel.

My new favorite place for ramen! Authentic Japanese ramen… I love it!
I’ve never seen a place in Vancouver where you can customize your ramen order. This is nice since you can adjust to your taste. If you are confused just go with all «standard», I go for this option most of the time and find it just perfect. I love that you can order extra noodles (added charge of $ 1 for half or $ 2 for full), when I am really hungry I order half an order and I’m left feeling extremely satisfied :)
The place is pretty small and every time I have gone I have waited at least 10 minutes, that’s ok though it’s worth it.

It was my first time to try Ramen Danbo on Robson Street. It was about 9:30−10pm on New Year’s Eve. This place was packed and people kept lining up at the door. Obviously this ramen place was good!
We ordered Classic Tonkotsu Ramen and Classic Tonkotsu Ramen with Shio. We could choose the noodle thickness and firmness, thickness of broth, amount of lard and amount of spicy sauce. The soup base was great. Chashu was very soft and tender that could melt in our mouth. We ordered thick noodles and everything else standard. It was an awesome late night snacks. We added a dish of Gyoza that was delicious, crispy and juicy.
The service was above average. Although this ramen place was busy, the servers could still take a good care of the customers. They were very efficient and kept checking on the new and existing customers.
The prices of their dishes were average. It was not too expensive. The portion was just a bit small comparing to other ramen places. But I wouldn’t mind to come back here to eat their ramen again.

Very good ramen. Puts any of our establishments in Seattle to shame. Spot on service and very loud and enthusiastic greeting upon entry.
My wife and i enjoyed our lunch here last week (xmas eve) and were very impressed. I added a soft boiled egg and wood ear mushroom to mine and requested the noodles on the firmer side. Perfectly executed.
Very much looking forward to my next visit!

The noodles and soup are good. The meat was good this time too. Soft, tender chashu. The bowl feels a bit small compared to Kintaro but it is filling. It’s probably about the same size at Santouka.
The gyoza is pretty crappy. I feel like they bought a bag of dumplings from H-​mart and then grilled them. The grilled skin is crispy and good, but the interior filling is bland and tasteless.
The lineups and wait times are getting ridiculous. Probably hitting 30 – 40 minutes plus at dinner time sometimes. I guess people don’t want to walk another block down to all the other ramen places.

The taste of the broth is good. But there’s very little stuff in the ramen. Therefore the price for the ramen is too high for that amount of food.
When I asked for hot water, I got a plastic glass of warm water.
Kinda disappointed me. But the taste is good though.

I like the noodle, broth, lard & spicy options. Broth though was a little too salty and not as flavorful as other places. Wish they had corn as an add on or garlic. Bowls were small. Gyoza was basic but good. 3.5 stars. Nice staff. Clean room.

We went to this place for lunch on a Sunday afternoon. This location of the restaurant is better than the Broadway location with more space and better décor. We order the Yakibuta Chashu Pork Noodle and the Negi-​goma Tonkotsu Ramen. Both noodle was great with the perfect spice level that we chose. The Pork meat were tender but a little fatty for me. Overall, my experience was great but I would go to other places for better value.

The search for my perfect ramen in Vancouver continues! This place does a lot of things right, like the option to customize your ramen (noodle thickness, noodle firmness, broth savoury-​ness, fat content, and spice level) but there are still a few minor tweaks I would’ve liked to have made this my perfect ramen spot.
I ordered the Yakibuta Chashu Pork Ramen ($ 11.95). A breakdown of the components:
Broth: 5
The best Tonkotsu ramen broth I’ve had in Vancouver so far! I went with a «standard» broth and a «slightly above» spice level to it and it was very flavourful.
Noodles: 3.5
They are the spaghetti shaped round noodles (I like the flatter, wider type of ramen noodles). The thicker noodles had more texture and flavour to them. We found that the thin noodles were just a bit too thin for our preferences.
Cha Siu: 5
Tender, fatty, and delicious!
Extras: 0
Very disappointed that there wasn’t any complimentary seaweed, bamboo or egg included. Everything is extra ($ 1-​$ 1.50 for each topping) which will really add up to $ 15 a bowl quite quickly!
Portion: 3
Not enough noodles, we had to each get a half portion of extra noodles ($ 1 each) to be satisfied.
Overall, I loved the cha siu, broth, and the option to customize your bowl of ramen. BUT! Rooms for improvement include including those little complimentary extras and increasing the portion of noodles just a wee bit.
To each their own.
Service is great!

Even though I’m going to the Danbo location on Kits on Sunday, I couldn’t wait to try it, and came here for lunch on a Thursday afternoon. We arrived around 12:30 pm and there were still some seats available. The restaurant is quite warm — I would have preferred it to be cooler, especially when I was going to be having a hot soup soon!
I ordered their classic tonkotsu ramen ($ 9.45). I chose the classic thin noodle, standard firmness, strong broth, standard lard, and very spicy. The broth was very good. Unfortunately, for toppings, you only get 2 slices of pork and some green onions. No egg or seaweed comes with the tonkotsu ramen.
So I found that this was not a really filling meal for lunch — and I wasn’t even that hungry at the beginning of my meal. Maybe portions are smaller for lunch? I guess I could have gotten kaedama (extra noodles), but normally at other ramen places, their initial serving is enough to fill me up. Also, I think I will get firm noodles next time.
For my next visit I will try another ramen. They have a stamp card as well — after 5 stamps you get gyoza, after 10 I think it’s free ramen. Service is quick and attentive here. Although the ramen could have been bigger and the restaurant cooler, the flavours are there. I’ll be back.

Came here for lunch yesterday. Seems small from the outside, but the «bar» extends quite a bit further down. That’s where I sat. You can also put your jackets into the cube seats.
Ordered the «Yakibuta Chashu Pork Ramen» because it comes with 6 slices of pork. The pork was a bit fattier than I like, but still delicious. The broth I ordered standard, but still had a hint of spice. I felt it’s a bit different than the ramen than I’m used to eating. Not in a good or bad way. The gyozas are okay, I could probably do without.
Service is very prompt and friendly, definitely well above average. Food came out quickly. All in all, a good experience. I wouldn’t mind coming back.

Yet another ramen shop joins the crowded downtown ramen scene!
I’m a big fan of ramen in general, so I really enjoy trying out new ramen places.
I was particularly intrigued by this place when I heard that you could customize your ramen in a bunch of different ways. The customization here includes options for thickness & firmness of noodle, thickness of broth, amount of lard, and amount of spicy sauce.
I ordered the Classic Tonkotsu Ramen & did the ‘A’ Special lunch set: ramen + 3 pieces of pan-​fried Yaki Gyoza + 1 of 4 ramen toppings (I chose the soft-​boiled egg).
For the customization, since it was my first time here, I stuck with all the «Standard» options, with the exception of: thick noodles, and having no lard.
For just $ 2 (full order) /​$ 1 (half order) extra, you are also able to get extra noodles («kaedama») to go with your remaining broth, should you feel like you need more noodles when your original serving runs out! Since I had gotten the lunch set with the side of gyozas, I was more than stuffed, so I passed on the «kaedama».
Taste-​wise, the broth, ramen noodles, and cha-​shu meat were pretty average. The soft-​boiled egg was good (and you get a whole egg, not just ½ an egg like most other ramen places). What I didn’t really like was that the cut of the cha-​shu meat was mostly fat — not much actual meat. The pan-​fried gyoza was literally dripping with oil. tasty, but way too greasy.
Service was friendly & prompt, food taste was average. But with so many other ramen options in downtown, I don’t think I’ll be coming back here again anytime soon.

Not really sure what the hype is about this place.
The soup stock is tasty but seems to me to be one dimensional — I only taste pork stock. Char siu pork is is different — you can’t separate out the fat if you don’t want to eat it.
I like the way you can customize your ramen and soup and I would recommend standard on your first visit. Both the thin and thick ramen is a little unusual, but I prefer the thick noodle.
Price is a bit high for ramen. Gyozas are average.
Make sure to get your customer appreciation stamp card. Free ramen after 10 stamps.

Beautiful little ramen shop along Robson. Reminds me quite a bit of the Benkei chain.
Parking is available on the side streets, or free along Robson after 2200, which is a good thing since this place closes at 2300.
The inside is brightly lit, and the theme is of the traditional Japanese style with dark wood. One nice touch is that the wooden stools are actually storage bins with removable lids, so one can store purses or jackets while eating.
They advertise their food as Fukuoka (Kyushu) style, but I wouldn’t know any better. Kyushu, Hokkaido, same thing when it comes to ramen in my books. This place also lets one choose the noodle thickness and firmness, as well as the soup thickness, amount of lard, and spiciness.
Gyoza — 5pieces. Nice and firm. Decent.
Blazing Hot Rekka Ramen — no idea what «rekka» is since Google didn’t turn up anything. I ordered a «4 out of 5» spiciness, and it was easily tolerable. The soft boiled eggs delivered (not the softest I’ve ever had, but still very decent), and the «standard firmness» noodle were decent. There was something special about them. I couldn’t put my finger on it, but this is easily one of the better bowls of ramen I’ve had in recent memory.
I also had an order of kaedama (extra noodles), with thick noodles and «very firm». I was expecting something like linguine, but it looked like a slightly thicker version of what I had originally. The extra firmness was also a lot more subtle than I had expected. Guess I’ve been eating at Chinese noodle places too much in the past.
I will definitely be back. This place is near the top of my chart. Recommended.

I heard of this place in kits that had a really good review so my friend and I went in with a high expectation (plus the sweet lady that was passing out coupons outside in the cold somehow convinced us) the service, similar to all the authentic Japanese ramen places, was energetic, prompt and friendly.
The restaurant gave off a warm, welcoming atmosphere and the seats were adorable wooden chairs. :) I want to try to sit at the bar next time!
Everything was explained on the menu. You can customize the saltiness, amount of fat, and the firmness of your noodles. I ordered the shio ramen and my friend ordered the classic. I ordered firm noodles with a light broth. When it came I was quite surprised by the size. I have to say the portion is a lot smaller than the average ramen. Therefore as the fatass as I am, I’m glad I ordered the mentaiko rice. Anyhow, the broth was quite good. Nice and light so you won’t feel like an axx after the meal. What got to me was the noodles. My friend ordered regular noodles, but they were exactly the same to my «very firm» noodles. It was even on the soft side with no bite to it.
Mentaiko rice was decent. Didn’t expect much from it. Salty and delightful, tastes even better when you add ramen soup in it. :) Gyoza was a bit tasteless. I had to add quite a bit of sauce to enhance the flavor.
Overall the experience was good. If you’re looking for heavier broths and a filling meal, I would say there are better options in downtown. If you’re just craving then this would work. Would try to visit again and give the noodles another chance!

More ramen on Robson! Simple, uncomplicated ramen. Even though it’s only been open for 4 days it’s already super popular. Since it’s their 2^nd location they seem to know what to do. Service was superb, prices reasonable and slurpulous ramen. Not a big place so go before meal rush or you’ll be waiting.
One complaint tho and it is pet peeve of mine. You can only get complimentary tap water, you have to pay for tea.