NoNoo Ramen

This is a pretty relaxed laid back type place, not at all formal … The food reflects the vibe (it’s tries, but not that hard) … I will probably only come back if i’m in the area and have a craving for noodles or Asian food.

tried to go next door to Europa, needed a reservation. This place looked interesting so we tried it. nice atmosphere and décor, but the food was below average. You get to watch the chef do his thing. problem was he didn’t do his thing very good.

It’s a shame to write a critical review of a restaurant that brings diversity and novelty to Elmwood. Alas, the food here is terrible. The Korean tacos were bland but edible. What was not edible was the Yakisoba noodle dish. The menu lists the noodles in a «savory sauce,» which to me tasted like BBQ sauce. It was horrible. Not only did the sauce taste gross with the noodles, but the sauce was way too thick to accompany the noodles. Yuck. I made myself eat more than I wanted to make the waitress not feel bad about the food. Never again.

Stopped here for dinner while exploring buffalo for the day and I must say the Ramen with the pork belly was very good! This was my first time eating «real» Japanese ramen and I was impressed.
I also tried the kimchi and was also satisfied. Not sure if it is made by the chef but I am always looking for kimchi that lives up to kimchi I’ve had in Korea and this sure measures up; whether its from the store or not.
Overall I was impressed and surprised to find a ramen bar in Buffalo!!! The only thing I would recommend is an update in décor to match the culinary experience.

we ate here last night and absolutely LOVED it! i had the peanut noodle with chicken, my fiancé had the yakisoba, and we shared the crab rangoon roll. the food was delicious and the service was fantastic. it took about all of 30 minutes from the moment we sat down to getting the check, and we weren’t even in a rush. they opened about 3 months ago and are doing fairly well. they’re waiting on their liquor license and are hopeful things will pick up even more. go support this new local restaurant… you’ll be glad you did!

Had been wanting to try this place for a long time. Went with a couple girlfriends. No alcoholic drinks available, so that spoiled the dinner party a little bit, but no matter. Tried one of the Ramen bowls with broth and pork. I’m not a Ramen expert by any means, but I was somewhat disappointed. It was good, but a bit oily for my tastes. Dumpling appetizer was GREAT! I suppose I am more accustomed to Phở, like that of Phở 99 which is a bit lighter. Great place to try, but not somewhere I’ll be frequenting.

I’m always interested in trying new foods, and while ramen may not be «exotic» it is still new to this area. Having not yet had the opportunity to travel to Japan, I was excited to try it. My wife and I went for dinner at 5:30pm on a Sunday and we were able to walk right in and get seated. We started with two appetizers — the gyoza (pork and vegetable dumplings) and the tsukemono, which consisted of three different individually picked items — kimchi, celery, and cucumbers. All were delicious. There was plenty of the pickled items to eat all during the meal.
Then came the ramen. I opted for the Yakisoba (pork with stir fried ramen noodles) and my wife chose the Tom kha gai ramen in a coconut milk and chicken broth. My pork was similar to an Asian barbeque stirfry and we both enjoyed it, but the broth of the tom kha gai was the real winner. The sweetness of the coconut milk was perfect. It was the single most memorable dish I’ve had in a long time.
Really looking forward to going back!

I went to NoNoo for the second time Friday night with my sister and brother. I noticed a significant improvement since they first opened and the food was delicious! The octopus fritters were my favorite and we were treated to a complimentary dish by the chef.
I will definitely be going back!

Once again I’m bucking the rest of the reviewers and I am giving HIGH PRAISE to NoNoo Ramen as a WELCOME addition to the Elmwood Village! I think Chef/​Owner Chris Van Every hit a home run with this restaurant and it is certainly filling a HUGE culinary gap in the Western New York dining scene.
I didn’t realize it until I went into the restaurant, but I used to dine with Chef Van Every fairly often when he was under the tutelage of Buffalo Superchef Mike Andrzejewski at SeaBar on Main Street in Williamsville. I would regularly sit at the bar and chat with Mike and Chris waiting to see what wonderful new take on sushi they came up with that week. (See my SeaBar review) They would brag to me about trips they took together to Hawaii and Toronto meeting with fish mongers and expanding their ethnocuisinistic (is that even a word?) taste buds. Eventually, I heard that Van Every moved to Hawaii and I thought we lost him for good until I happened upon NoNoo Ramen. Lets just hope that this is a continuing trend of talented people (of any profession) moving back to Buffalo.
As for the menu and the dinner I loved it! Just the fact that Takoyaki (octopus fritters) was on the menu was an automatic win for me. I haven’t had Takoyaki since I was in Osaka many years back at a small restaurant with a giant cute animé octopod greeting customers as they entered. My girlfriend and I found the Takoyaki here was made with a bit too much kewpie mayo, but I still enjoyed it. It was garnished with nori and katsuobushi (shaved dried Bonito) and this was the finest and highest quality katsuobushi I have had since I have been in Japan. It was smoky and fishy and even eerily waved with the heat like it was supposed to. I can’t think of one other Japanese restaurant in town that uses katsuobushi that actually waves. Trust me it makes all the difference as opposed to those sawdust dry varieties used in sushi restaurants.
Since I was dining with my ladyfriend, and if you have read any of my other restaurant reviews you will realize that if there are spring rolls on a menu they MUST be sampled… or else! The spring rolls here were quite different, filled with very fresh vegetables but an untraditional wrapping (not as crispy or greasy). They were very good, but I did not think they paired very well with the avocado relish (guacamole by any other name), instead I utilized the takoyaki sauce which worked quite well.
When I walked in I really wanted Ramen. I missed quality Ramen and I have not had any in quite some time. Then I saw Yakisoba on the menu and I couldn’t pass it up. This is Japanese style chow mien and it is basically comfort food at its best. The Ramen noodles were mixed with the sweet yakisoba sauce, mayo, bits of roasted pork, cabbage and chilis. It was some of the best Yakisoba I have EVER had!
In the other Unilocal reviews many people complained about the noodles being too think, doughy and tasteless. I could not disagree more. I believe the noodles were made in house (I’m not sure) and they had a perfect bite to them (or as I’d like to refer to it ‘that tooth feel’). This is the kind of bite that David Chang brags about with his alkaline noodles. Noodles do not have to be thin to be in Ramen. Throughout Japan there are a variety of high quality Ramen restaurants that offer noodles of various thickness or waviness.
Other reviews also complained about the bland pork and once again I could not disagree more. The pork was slowly roasted, contained a nice amount of fat, and had an amazing flavor! I absolutely loved this dish and would recommend it to anyone.
My girlfriend ordered the Chef’s Tom Kha soup which was not as good as I had hoped. While the chicken in the soup was curried and quite tasty, I found the broth to be a bit too buttery. It was very good with his signature noodles, but not my favorite dish. While the chef may have skills with Japanese cuisine, the Thai cuisine may need a bit of tweaking.
With that said, this meal was very enjoyable and I can not wait to go back and try the Ramen. It is so nice to have a Ramen restaurant in town and it is great to see a truly talented soul make his way back to the Queen City… Welcome Back…
«Your dreams were your ticket out.
Welcome back,
To that same old place that you laughed about.
Well the names have all changed since you hung around,
But those dreams have remained and they’re turned around.
Who’d have thought they’d lead ya (Who’d have thought they’d lead ya)
Here where we need ya (Here where we need ya)
Yeah we tease him a lot cause we’ve hot him on the spot, welcome back,
Welcome back, welcome back, welcome back.»

Even though there were mixed reviews, I decided to take the chance and give NoNoo a try anyway. While I wouldn’t call it a complete mistake, I know I definitely won’t be going back. While the ideas and menu was quite intriguing, I felt that the execution was quite poor.
Appetizers:
My friends and I got the Korean chicken wings and tako yaki (fried octopus balls). The chicken wings were quite flavorful and portion was good for the price, you had like 12 giant wings for $ 9. It was a teriyaki flavor with sesame and had a slight kick to it. I think that was the best dish all night.
The tako yaki was a big disappointment. Anyone who knows how tako yaki should be– essentially a delicately fried ball with octopus and a creamy filling, will find NoNoo’s to fall very short. There was very little to no octopus, and it was mainly all filler– found some green onion, corn, and maybe peas? NoNoo’s tako yaki was more like a fritter.
My friends got the tonkotsu ramen while I got the yakisoba. All of us decided one main issue we had with the ramen is that they served it al dente, if not slightly undercooked. Ramen is not supposed to be al dente. Even more so, I am convinced that if only they let the ramen simmer in the broth they use, it would be more flavorful. Instead, you had a ramen that had very little flavor or taste, and a rather mediocre broth. The yakisoba was way too salty and I could not taste much beyond the puddle sauce they slathered on.
This might be a rant, but we requested for hot green tea and was served black tea. I found it rather amusing but insulting at the same time– being Chinese, we know our tea. And yet, it seems NoNoo did not even know what they were serving us. Definitely not worth the price they charge. Be warned!

Just had lunch at Nonoo and I thought it quite good. Ordered the Tonkotsu ramen (recommended by the chef himself) and was very satisfied.
To those who complain that the noodles are «too wide» or «strange in texture» or «weird flavored,» you should know that there are a wide variety of noodles used for ramen. The ones Nonoo uses are traditional alkaline, wheat flour-​based noodles that are meant to be curly, wide, and somewhat doughy. The tonkatsu broth likewise is meant to be thick and incredibly flavorful.
I was very happy with my experience at Nonoo. The broth was lovely, the sliced roasted pork was damn good, the yolk from the poached egg gave it a really nice mouthfeel, and the accompaniments added great variety of textures and flavors. Mix in a few spoonfuls of the chili oil and you’ve got yourself a hell of a meal. It may not be Momofuku-​level but I believe it’s a great intro to true Japanese ramen for Buffalo.

Enjoyed what could very well be among the best lunches in Buffalo. The NoNoo ramen was hearty, with great, fresh ingredients and loads of flavor. The chile sauce and ginger condiment were great accompaniments.

Just want to preface this with saying how excited I’ve been for NoNoo’s opening for the last several months. I’ve been a ramen fanatic for the last few years having scoured SoCal, NorCal, and NYC for the finest. I had waited a while to finally come here b/​c 1) wanted to give them some time to get through some growing pains and 2) no one wanted to go w/​me after hearing all the criticisms. So going in with already rock-​bottom expectations, NoNoo still managed to disappoint me and it hurts to speak about it :(
First off, service has major issues. 1 teapot and 1 cup for 2 ppl? Sounds like a recipe for a viral video but even though I hadn’t arrived yet, kinda surprising that I had to ask for a teacup. Then, waitress didn’t know if the special was meant to be an entrée or an appetizer (probably b/​c no one dared to order it). And then giving me change with mostly big bills making it terribly difficult for me to tip unless she thought she was expecting a hefty upgrade…
Second, the food is a long away from being edible. The crab rangoon roll was 90% rice, 5% imitation crab, 5% cream cheese. The tempura-​fry on it was probably the best thing all night. Then as I was eating my NoNoo ramen, all I could think about was FLOUR from ProudPelican’s review. I think these noodles are made in-​house because even pre-​packaged ramen texture is way better (not to mention 30x cheaper). I have no idea how they got the noodles to taste this strange and doughy but this definitely needs to be fixed. The bok choy was completely wilted. The broth, which is usually the star of a bowl of ramen, and the fatty pork were completely bland. I felt like I was sick from the way there was absolutely no flavor in anything I was eating. My taste buds were screaming noooooonoooooooooooo (yup, I went there). I’m always one to finish a meal (and eat everyone else’s too) but this was so bad, I wasn’t even interested in finishing it.
BUT despite all of this, NoNoo has tremendous potential. Bringing a cuisine that has not been tested in Buffalo is definitely ballsy. They’re in a prime location and ramen (like phở) is a perfect cold weather food. They got a huge fan base and a ton of ppl rooting for them, me included. So I can only hope that they work the kinks and that a few months from now, they improve to the point where I can bury this one-​star review b/​c they can only go up from here.

I’d sooner get f*cked by a giant Sea Lion than eat at this place again. What a travesty! What an honest-​to-​goodness travesty this place is! I can’t, for the life of me (and i’ve lived quite a life, indeed, you can bet your bonnet) understand where this place gets the gall to charge 11 plus dollars for meals that taste like licking an elephant’s nibblets. How, pray thee, tell me, can ramen taste so bad? Rest assured, friend, that this is a horrible noodle indeed! A most foul noodle! A noodle not of kings, but of knaves!
I often tittle to my comrades and confidants that I eat a sack of a flour on occasion to save a few pence. Times are tough, you know, and flour, my son tells me, is full of nourishment. But really, flour?! Who eats flour?!? Enter fucking NoNoo Ramen. I suspect the owner is a flour enthusiast as every piece of sh*t item on the menu tastes like uncooked, pasty flour. I’ve yet to get the taste out of my cake hole; it is still there, dear friend! I can still taste this sickening aroma! Oh, to think of it! How horrible! Imagine a noodle so terrible that it, somehow, alters the chemical components of your saliva. As I sit here, sipping my morning nectar, I can still, at the very back of my throat, feel the sickening, pasty sensation of flour adorning my uvula. Since eating at No Noo, I confess that I am afraid to neck my dear wife, as I fear my once magnificent saliva will now leave a starchy paste on her soft, supple skin. Penelope, oh Penelope, how I yearn for you!
You, reader, agree with this review; you too find no comfort in this adoration and abundance of flour! You, reader, are a friend – a friend very much worth having!

Ruh-​ROH! I hope I don’t get in trouble for this one, but I must be honest.
I definitely was expecting more. I mean, I’ve had Ramen in Little Tokyo in Los Angeles, so it’s hard to surpass that unless we’re really in Japan.
Buffalo, I love your effort at bringing Ramen, I hope it gets better.
I did try the vegetarian option without tofu. I do have to say; the gyoza was delicious! The curried broth in the ramen lacked flavor which was surprising (because it’s curry?). The result of which was that I had to add a bunch of garlic and chili sauce to pep it up a bit.
I intend on going back and trying the traditional Ramen bowl, I’m hoping for better results.
Not to mention, the décor is lacking but they did just open so let me get back to you on a more comprehensive review…

I was so excited to see a ramen place opening on Elmwood, but was ultimately disappointed. The service was good and the hostess was super sweet, but that didn’t make up for the lackluster food.
To start, we had the crab rangoon roll that everyone was raving about and the okonomiyaki (Japanese pancake). The crab rangoon is a sushi-​style roll that is fried. It was ok, but kind of heavy. The okonomiyaki was an interesting combination of flavors but nothing to write home about.
For the main meal we had Tonkotsu ramen and the NoNoo ramen. The noodles, the stars of the dish, were a little too pasty and floury tasting. The broth was ok, but I I had to add a lot of condiments to jazz it up. The pork was a little too thick and chewy. On the upside, I really liked the bok choy and the poached egg in the NoNoo ramen.
I’m not usually hung up on décor, but the fluorescent lighting inside is pretty harsh. The atmosphere would be much improved with some softer light.
I’m glad we checked it out, and I’m hoping that they will iron out the kinks over time. I would probably try it again in a few months.

Only in Buffalo can a place like this dare to open. The ramen was doughy and floury and left a really strange aftertaste. The broth was tasteless. The salt and pepper chicken was worse than something you can find at china king. The okonomiyaki was soggy and doughy. The chicken katsu curry was watered down and bland. The cha siu was not cha siu. It was a piece of pork. Overall, beyond disappointing.

A nice little ramen joint on Elmwood that, while pretty good out the gate, has room to get better.
We sampled two kinds of ramen: the bacon chicken ramen with scallions and the miso with poached egg, both with excellent noodles. The preparation of both left a little something to be desired — the bacon broth was weirdly tangy, while the miso was a bit bland. But NoNoo’s on the right track with their interesting flavor profiles and just-​right portions. (Attn veggies: they also have a vegetarian option!)
I’m obsessed with kimchi, so we ordered two side plates of it. For $ 3, we received two tiny portions of what turned out to be white kimchi: pickled cabbage without the fiery paste. As such, it was nice and refreshing and still fairly spicy (but I wanna see some more heat in the future!). One for the table for now is plenty.
The one surprisingly unequivocal hit of the night was the trashy-​but-​tasty Crab Rangoon Roll, a deep-​fried guilty pleasure that came out slightly warm and oozing cream cheese. Yum!
Other aspects of the restaurant we liked: the casual atmosphere (we’d been moving some furniture, so came in sneakers and hoodies), the friendly service, and the fact that you can eat solo while facing the kitchen, or come with a big group and slide into a booth.
Not so great: the draft that blows across the whole small joint when the door is opened, and the lack of a credit card machine or reservation system. Other folks have mentioned the fact that there’s no takeout option right now either.
So, if you’re planning a trip, plan to wait a bit and sit down to eat (as far from the door as you can), bring cash, and go for the Crab Rangoon Roll!

I can tell that Nonoo is going to be a big hit on the Elmwood strip. My boyfriend and I went on Thursday night after their grand opening and were not at all surprised to find a full restaurant after following the opening on Facebook. The place is fairly small, we were put on a list and gave the hostess a cell phone number to call when our table was ready. After a half hour, we were seated and taken care of quickly. We ordered the bacon ramen, the miso ramen with pork and a crunchy salad. Each dish was delivered promptly and did not disappoint. Portion sizes were plenty and prices are certainly reasonable. They don’t have their liquor license yet so go grab a drink next door while you wait! It’s also cash only right now. Try it out soon because I’m predicting this place will have a huge following in no time!

NoNoo Ramen had a train wreck of an opening. They don’t take credit, don’t do take out, havent updated their website since opening and have no phone.
The restaurant itself looks like an eighties pizza joint and the staff stand around like clumsy fanboys wearing branded t-​shirts and giving the whole place a cramped tense feeling.
The ramen itself is a poor imitation that aims at but doesn’t nearly reach the sublimity of Japanese ramen. To add insult to injury they are going for a higher end feel with very small portions and high prices. We ordered three dishes for two people, paid fourty bucks and were so hungry after we stopped by Cantina Loco on the drive home.
The ramen itself isn’t terrible, it just isn’t good enough to be the focus of the restaurant. The onsen tamago was undercooked and the superior broth was weak. The pork broth was almost pungent. Neither were substantial.
Half the gyoza were burned and the other undercooked.
Maybe if NoNoo rebranded itself as an izakaya it would seem like less of a let down.
We had been waiting to try NoNoo for months — ever since we read about it on Buffalo Rising and are sadder than anyone that it’s not worth going back for.
I’m sure that the initial buzz with be positive. Buffalo has enough desperate foodies to make any non-​pizza newcomer think he’s struck gold.
I suggest the owner revisit his inspiration or check out Ren’s Ramen in Bethesda for some advice.
Sadly, there is no new ramen in Buffalo worth eating.