Futo Buta

We drove around the block a couple times before we figured out where to park and where it was, but it was worth it.
The place was packed when we got there but we got our name in and were able to walk around the area for 20 minutes until we had a table ready.
We started off with the pork belly buns which I’ve been dying to try. They were everything I hoped for! The pillowy soft buns were evenly textured and delightfully fluffy. The pork was full of flavor and juiciness, with burnt, crispy edges adding to the flavor and balancing it’s tenderness. Cabbage added a nice crunch and took off some of the heat from the sauce.
We split the Miso Hungry ramen (which is really not that easy to ‘split’ without making a mess). The broth was flavorful but not too strong, allowing flavors from the other ingredients to really shine through. I loved the sweet corn in there. Gotta say the pork belly in this one was pretty skimpy. In fact, I think all the additional ingredients were scant and wish there were more, but even when they are all gone the noodles are able to hold their own.
We finished with the soft serve, and got a twist of their two flavors of the night: Mango and Strawberry Banana. I loved the presentation in the small cup with wooden spoons — reminiscent of Momofuku Milk Bar’s soft serve! The soft serve was refreshing and light, but the flavors were very muted. Couldn’t really taste the banana, and the other flavors were also bland. I was hoping to try the green tea flavor, but it wasn’t available that day.
TLDR: Get any ramen dish and the pork belly buns and you will be pleased.

The atmosphere and location are perfect. The food presentation is incredible. The taste, ehh. underwhelming. The tonkotsu ramen broth was not very flavorful at all. It needed some salt, for sure! The pork buns were okay, the sushi roll was just mediocre and the crispy rice squares were the most seasoned item we ordered, the sushi rice is fried in squares and served with a spicy tuna poke on the side, that you dip in a wasabi soy dipping sauce. The prices here are high for the portion size. The only thing worth the hype here at Futo Buta is their soft serve ice cream! Green Tea with honey drizzled on top! Wooo! We also had the strawberry basil flavor but it was just… Meh. For $ 5 for a tiny cup of ice cream, get the green tea!

This ramen place is conveniently located right off of the Bland St. light rail station. The music was really loud inside the restaurant so my coworker and I decided to sit outside, which is a nice patio area.
Since this place is called Futo Buta («Fat Pig»), I thought I should try something with pork belly. We ended up ordering the tofu skewers to start and I had the miso ramen as my main dish. The presentation of the meal is good, and makes it look pretty authentic. I like the fact that they make their noodles here but wish that the noodles are a little more chewy. The broth was OK, like many other Unilocalers mentioned, the soup isn’t very salty, which I don’t mind so much, but it’s not very super flavorful overall and is definitely on the greasy side. The pork belly was good and looked appetizing, but also not as flavorful as chashu pork should be (it didn’t feel like the pork absorbed the flavors). I did enjoy the corn they added in the ramen, which was very sweet.
I think it’s unique that they do soft serve here (although a bit pricey, $ 5 for an order), but super awesome when it’s a hot sunny day. We ended up ordering each a soft serve and tried both the strawberry banana and yuzu mango flavors they had that day. I preferred the yuzu mango flavor because the yuzu gives it a nice uplifting citrus taste to the mango’s tropical flavors.
We had a very filling meal and the total came out be about ~$ 25 per person.

Fantastic food! I don’t know how «authentic» this ramen is, but it’s delicious. I’ve been twice now and had the Miso (Hungry), which seemed like a more traditional dish. My second time I had the Chizu, which was more like an Italian dish, but was just a delicious (also very salty, but I enjoy that). I will be back. Wonderful.

I have been there twice (so far) and both times have been great experiences. Excellent service from each and every staff member. Courtney in particular was great, very professional but also funny.
Appetizers are very interesting and are good sized portions, enough to share between 2 or 3 folks.
Miso servings are generous & very satisfying. Food has a light healthy taste to it, i had PLENTY to eat but didn’t leave feeling stuffed.

I absolutely love this place.
Let me start off and say that my husband has spent a lot of time in Japan (and had his fair share of Japanese Ramen dishes), and he also absolutely loves this place. The flavor of the Miso is very authentic (with the added bonus of the pork!) The pork buns are also amazing (small and pricey, but worth it for sure). I haven’t tried any other of their dishes (other than another ramen dish that was a special of the day), so I cannot comment on those, but I have heard good things about them.
There can be a wait (sign of good food!) at times, but if you go early enough, you should beat the crowd. Street parking is the best, and cheapest option, if you don’t live nearby. (there is no parking lot for it)
The portions are large (in my opinion), and make for great leftovers! It is a little bit $, but it is definitely worth it!

I am unsure why there would be a bad review
Written about this place. ESPECIALLY about 2 of my favorite Items I had while I was there. The tonkatsu was to.die.for. Amazing! My friends
Got a fried chicken appetizer which doesn’t sound like much but the batter and the sauce were out of this world. I will definitely be back. And as for the reviews saying the ramen was too salty, ramen is a dish that is generally salty, if you don’t like salty foods. Then maybe this isn’t for you.

So, turns out I’m old. We went out for a night on the town for The Husband’s birthday. We had some yummy drinks and hit a hardcore thumping nightspot. Then we decided to leave because it was too loud, getting late and we had to head home. As we walked back to the car and passed Futo Buta, one of our friends says, «Ooh! The Brussels sprouts!»
The Brussels sprouts are fried with an absolutely delicious mixture of soy sauce, sea salt, sesame and bonito. They’re truly perfection! There’s a nice smoky flavor on the back and the sweetness stays for just the perfect length of time. It doesn’t linger, but it’s not so quick that you miss it. The Tori Kara Age (Japanese fried chicken) is also a great choice. They break out the sea salt again, but with these you get some ginger, lime and mint as well. If you like mayo, there’s a chili version of it for a dip.
On the first visit, I got the Tonkotsu bowl with ground pork and it was amazing. I don’t typically like what my Jersey friend calls «dippy eggs,» but that’s the way they come in the bowls. I think it’s good, though. It definitely adds a level of creamy yum that would be missed.
Quick recap? We’re old. We left a bar and went to go get Brussels sprouts. But it was totally worth it. And I’d do it again. You can bet on it.

My husband and I were really interested in trying this place, as a friend lives right above it (lucky!)
We sat outside on a really lovely day and started our order with the sake sampler. It was great because each sake had a description card and fun fact about it. We also started with the dumplings, which I could’ve ate a bucket of.
We ordered the Tonkatsu and Miso Hungry.
It was very good Ramen, with a lot of flavor! They said the broth is cooked for a long time which helps make it a thicker more flavorful broth. I will definitely be back as there are so many things on the menu I want to try!
Love Love Love… at first Bite.

For Ramen this is as good as it gets in Charlotte.
Parking is available all over south end but not right at the restaurant. You can also take the light rail and walk. The restaurant is small but cozy. It’s well thought out with nice details for service (napkins, chopsticks are all upper end of the consumables scale)
They do a good job in their raw items, as they try to serve fresh uni and such when it’s available and do a relatively good job at it. Their rice bowl starters are pretty good but my favorite of all the starters is their spicy tuna rice crispy. As for the ramen itself, I’m a big fan of the Tonkotsu with an extra side of spicy pork. The ramen is rich in flavor and well executed.
Now, as for the reason I’m only giving them four stars and not five: value. The pricing is a little steep for what you are getting. There are plenty of other ramen places that serve as good or better ramen, but unfortunately they are not in Charlotte. I feel sometimes they skimp on product and you never want to feel that way in a restaurant. Nevertheless, the food is good and the pricing doesn’t bother me enough to not go because it’s the only place to get some good ramen around.

After delaying for over a year to give this place a shot, my wife and I finally pulled the trigger. Part of the delay in trying this CLT hotspot was because of the ever-​present consistently long line, and the other part was because I had the mentality of «I don’t want to pay $ 12-​$ 14 for a bowl of soup».
On Friday, it was chilly in the Queen City (a blamy 65 degrees, brr) so I decided soup sounded nice, so I walked on over to the Futo. It was as if the stars aligned for us, and there was NO WAIT… on a Friday … at 8pm. I knew right then that this was a marvelous occasion.
In honor of the stars aligning, we opted for an appetizer to kick off our meal. We saw a lot of people ordering the Rice Crispy Squares (many people said they’re amazing, so we’re definitely trying them next go-​round), but ended up with the steam buns. BONUS: they let you mix & match (2 for $ 10), so we got 1 duck confit & 1 smoked pork belly. Both delicious but, flavor wise, the pork belly was a clear winner with an awesome kick to it.
After perusing our handy Unilocal app, it seemed like the overwhelming consensus was favored towards the ‘Fire & Ice’ bowl. Because we always ‘split’ meals in order to maximize our tasting abilities, I decided my next best option would be the Miso (Hungry) bowl. And because, meat … I had to go with the recommendation of adding the spicy ground pork.
Both bowls came out to my surprise, my wife & I both said the Miso bowl was hands down the better bowl. So, much, flavor. Seriously, it was insane. I like it spicy, but not like «ughhh» spicy, and this was perfect. The waitress told me the spice all comes from that added pork, so do yourself a favor and make this your go-​to bowl.
Long story long — this place is a must try.

We started with the Tonkotsu noodle and fried chicken. And also some special sushi they had.
Ramen broth was too salty and no other depth in flavor. And the fried chicken are like nuggets that were not at all special; sauce left a lot to be desired. The sushi was overpriced, like everything else, and had way too much going on. Couldn’t taste the fish as they had so many other seasonings and flavors overpowering the fish — but then again that may not have been so bad, given the other flavors w the broth and fried chicken.
I wasn’t expecting NYC-​esque noodle house, but close since it stated they make their noodles in-​house.
Service was also slow. And it wasn’t even crowded. We went on a late Sunday afternoon.
Overpriced and salty is what I chalk this up to.

Finally got to try Futo Buto last night and it did not disappoint. We went around 8pm on a Friday and waited only 5 minutes for a seat-​however within 10 minutes there was a line out the door. We were seated at the bar. Keep in mind this place is pretty tiny, and you will usually be sharing a table with another party. However, they do have a nice sized patio with 2−4ppl tables.
We started with a mix and match of the pork belly and duck steam buns ($ 10). I’m not a fan of pork belly because I think it’s too «fatty» tasting, but I have to say the pork belly bun was my fav. It had a spicy bbq sauce on it and the pork belly was cooked to perfection! The buns were 2 – 3 bite sizes so for $ 10 I’m not sure if I would order them again. Everyone and their mother around us were ordering the rice squares that looked awesome! Will try that next time.
For our meals I got the fire and ice bowl ($ 13) and my husband got the miso hungry bowl and added the spicy pork to it ($ 12+$ 2pork). The fire and ice was awesome until I tried my husbands! Wow the miso stole my heart! It was so flavorful and the spicy pork REALLY made it spicy, but not too powerful. The miso also came with an egg on top that was cooked perfect. The flavors were awesomely paired together!
After our meals I learned you can get the miso and sub the pork belly with salmon. In addition you can ask for them to make your bowl spicy or ask for the spice on the side. I will definitely be back soon and be ready to spice things up!
Ps. If you’re watching your carbs you can get any bowl without ramen. I heard someone order that and instantly judged them inside my head LOL!!!
Word of the wise– get the noodles. yOLO!

Sooooooooooooo goooood! I had the Tonkotsu ramen and I slurped down the entire bowl. The broth is so creamy and full of flavor; the noodles are al dente; the pork belly is so sweet and has a nice crisp. I am in LOVE! Not to mention, the waitstaff was friendly and accommodating. Their text system for seating customers is perfect for such a small, intimate setting.
Bottom line: I’m going back. With my mama.

My hubby and I had an opportunity to eat there last night. It’s a small place but we’ll decorated. We didn’t have to wait long at all because it was just the two of us. Larger parties will have to wait longer during peak hours. The vibe, atmosphere, music all great! Staff super friendly and knowledgeable about the menu.
We tried the rice crispy treats. MUST TRY!!! Then we both got different kinds of Ramen! They were so good! We are def going back and trying everything on the menu! Hats off to the Chef!

This review is solely based on my two visits here (so maybe biased)
I was disappointed at the first time I came here with a colleague for the following reasons:
1. We waited for almost 45mins for our ramen a to arrive
2. Tonkotsu ramen’s broth was too greasy and bland for me. Not much flavor either.
The second time we were happy because we picked the right stuff:
1. Miso hungry ramen: adding miso and spice makes the bland broth much more flavorful. Even tho it’s still have some room for improvement, I was generally quite satisfied with this ramen. The spicy pork that I added was really good!
2. Ice and fire: much clear but still flavorful broth. Mint balanced out the grease in the broth.
3. Pork belly buns: I am a fan! You should get this no doubt!

So freaking good! Flavorful broth and fresh ingredients make this authentic ramen so delicious. This is not your college ramen. This is not «oodles and noodles.» This is yummy!

My husband and I finally had the change to check out Futo Buta this past weekend for a date night! We took an Über, so we didn’t have to deal with driving. Since Futo Buta is right on the Light Rail, there isn’t a lot of parking right beside it (basically street parking). We arrived around 6 and there wasn’t a wait (however, when we left, there definitely was people waiting outside). The space is fairly small but cutely (is that a word??) set up. They have a very long high top table as well.
We started with the Saki flight, as we don’t drink Saki a lot and thought this was a great way to taste a few. The flight was neat because they brought out little information cards on each of the sakes that came in the flight. Awesome idea if you don’t know what to drink off the bat!
We started with the pork belly buns and the rice crispy tuna. The buns were tasty and traditional soft dough buns. Two came with the appetizer and they were nice sized with a decent piece of pork belly inside. The Rice Crispy Tuna was so delish!!! I loved that some assembly was required, as it made it a bit more fun. The crispy rice was something I have never had before and so different. The tuna was super flavorful. We decided to split the Fire and Ice as a main. The mint and salmon combined so well in this delish. Definitely a winner!
Can’t wait to come back and try some of their sushi!

Futo Buta doesn’t take reservations, so expect a short wait if you have a larger party in the evenings (even on the weekdays, it seems). My colleagues and I (group of 5) waited around 15 minutes for a table on a Wednesday evening and eventually decided to squish into a 4-​person table rather than have to sit at the bar… awkward for conversation. If you’re lost, Futo Buta is located on the corner on the light rail side, making it easily accessible off the Bland light rail stop.
Atmosphere is similar to an izakaya, if you’ve ever been to one. Very casual and semi-​loud.
For a ramen joint in Charlotte, I wasn’t expecting much. Reigning from NYC, I’ve had my share of decent ramen. I was surprised that the ramen at Futo Buta is actually not bad at all — I prefer my places in NYC, but this will do while I’m traveling.
I ordered the tonkotsu ramen and added the chili to make it spicy (extra $ 1) — spicy it was. I order the same thing at every ramen place, thus being able to make somewhat of a comparison among the different ramens I’ve had. They serve the curly kind of ramen noodles here, versus the thinner kind, which I prefer. Regardless, the pork bone broth was flavorful and the spicy sauce added a huge kick — warning for those that might not like that high of a spice level. I was really impressed with the pork (char siu) here — it was just the right amount of fat-​to-​meat ratio and was marinated really well in a semi-​sweet sauce and charred to perfect. Probably some of the best meat I’ve had in ramen, actually! The ramen here also comes with a poached egg. At $ 14, the amount of food you get is reasonable.
In addition to the ramen, I also ordered the uni (sea urchin) nigiri (2 pieces, $ 7). The uni was decently fresh (I haven’t gotten sick) and I actually enjoyed this as an appetizer. The salted radish was crunchy and refreshing. I think this was supposed to come with some watermelon of some sort, but I don’t recall seeing it.
Service is decent.
Worth a shot if you’re in the area. I don’t know if there’s any other comparable restaurants that serve ramen nearby.

Futo Buta always leaves me craving more!
We have now been three times and each time it becomes more and more addictive! We love the Rice Crispy Squares, Tori Kara Age, and the Buns!
My go to Ramen is the Fire and Ice! The fresh mint absolutely sets it off!
Tip: Don’t park on South Blvd… there is a parking deck tucked back there for you. :)