Sapporo Rai Rai Ramen

I spend a lot of time in Japan so my tastebuds for ramen is pretty picky. Returning home from a 3 week east coast tour I was jonesing for ramen. While in Kailua i decided to google Ramen-​Kailua and /​RaiRai popped up. I loved it ! Had shoyu ramen, with one order gyoza ONO ONO ONO ONO !!!
Ill be back RaiRai! Now you have to say IRASHAIMASE when I walk in and the experience will be complete. Arigatou gozaimasu!!! Mata né!
Sincerely,
Happy Hawaiian Lady

3.5 stars
Got the Hakata Style Ramen, it was really tasty, the noodles were perfectly aldente with just the right amount of chew. It came with some veggies, and super tender, melt in your mouth char siu. Not the kind you find in the chinese store hanging next to the duck and roasted pork but the Japanese kind where they use pork belly thats made into a roll then braised for hours. The few slices that you get melt like butter on your tongue and leave you wanting more.
I also tried the miso ramen broth which was also good and on par with other places around.
What’s the deal with people commenting that it’s not real ramen cause its run by Chinese? Don’t you know that Ramen, although very popular in Japan, IS Chinese noodles and that ramen originated in China? The broth, wakame, Japanese style Char siu, and noodles were all delicious to me! Is spicy tuna not REAL sushi cause it originated in the US? Maybe not, but either way it still taste good and thats what really matters.
People are sheep, you see someone who is not Japanese making your food then you think, this doesn’t taste authentic. When in fact it should be the other way around. Next time you go to a «Japanese Ramen» shop, take a look at the word «Ramen», it will be written in Katakana, which are characters used for words of NON JAPANESE ORIGIN.
BTW Gomatei is also run by Chinese, but no one says anything about that!
Food Fact for the Day:
Udon and Soba are Japanese noodles. Ramen IS Chinese, although the Japanese seem to have perfected it and made it their own with their many regional broths.

Opted for the Shoyu ramen and chicken katsu. They give a pretty good portion of chicken katsu to go along with the bowl of ramen. The katsu was crispy, tender and not fatty; the batter was done right and practically melted in your mouth! The noodles were good, not soggy, but the texture and color lead me to believe it is not the same variety you’d find in other Japanese style ramen restaurants. That being said, the noodles were fantastic.
The menu is extensive and is on par with other local ramen places.
Good service, water levels checked, and no problems here. The establishment is small though and street parking can be an issue. They only accept cash.
4 stars for the excellent food, good service, and great prices.

This is one of my favorite places for ramen, the noodles and broth are amazing, and the prices are really reasonable. I’m also a big fan of the Kailua branch (not sure if they’re by the same owner?). I always get the shoyu ramen which boasts terrific broth, super tender pork slices, and springy noodles.

We came here because I was STARVING and Ono’s had a wait and this pregnant woman can only be starving for a limited amount of time before going insane.
After seeing the wait to Ono’s I just went into the closest open restaurant with a Unilocal sticker.
Interestingly enough, this place is owned by Chinese people and I would venture to say they’re from Hong Kong. It’s a family owned joint where you have kids giving you boxes and the check and counting change from the register.
I ordered the chow mein because ramen didn’t really appeal to me at the time. I don’t know if it’s because I was dying of starvation or what but i LOVED it. It came out piping hot with chicken and it was slightly saucy and really flavorful.
Hubby ordered miso ramen. Although it wasn’t as creamy as we typically eat at home, he really liked it. I think the chasiu at Goma-​tei was better, but he said he liked it better here.
Would I come back? I don’t know because there’s plenty of ramen selection here on Oahu, but i would certainly say that this place is pretty good.

This is so far my one of two favorite ramen restaurant, EVER!
Fried Rice is the BOMB, better than any fried rice ever.
Seafood Ramen melts my mouth and call me insane or not, I always order the same plate or almost 2 years! I cannot resist this delicious plate.
The people who works there, are genuine and thoughtful. I have seen a couple family who are disabled, they made sure they are taken care of like they are their own family. And myself, I am deaf, they make sure I am taken care of as well. Since I visited there for two years, they are familiar with my favorite plate and I feel special :)

One of my favorite ramen places. They have some of the best charsiu I’ve ever had. My fave is the shoyu charsiu ramen but the miso and shio are really good too. They also have super ono chicken katsu curry rice.
Awesome ramen and katsu curry in the same place? Talk about a triple threat! Granted, that’s only 2 things but whatever. Screw off countie! No one wants to sit here and listen to you add one plus one all day!
Just check them out. Good stuff.

I’ve finally made my boyfriend sick of Tenkaippin (garlic-​infused Emma is not his favorite version of me), so we tried Sapporo Rai Rai Ramen to sate my weekend ramen needs. The family-​style feel is a nice change of pace from the usually manic scarf-​your-​noodles-​now-​faster-​okay atmosphere. And at tables! No elbowing strangers whilst noodle scarfing. The food is good too at a decent price (cash only), and our server didn’t freak out when my boyfriend ran to the ATM — as, ahem, some other establishments have done.
My sole piece of (arguably useful) advice is this: be clear when ordering soft drinks. In said running-to-ATM-boyfriend’s absence, I ordered him a coke or pepsi, and received both. Maybe she just couldn’t choose?

If you love the savory cloudy broth style of Ramen then look no further than Rai Rai Ramen. One of my favorite ramen eateries in Hawaii, they offer the perfect portions, combinations and prices to go along with the quality and flavor of their food.
The gyoza is plump and juicy and the fried rice is also something to smile about. But the ramen, oh the ramen you can’t go wrong here. The flavor of the soup will have you finishing the entire bowl down to the last drop. The noodles are al dente so it’s not too mushy either. It’s the perfect combination of soup, noodles, garlic chips and green onions. You’ll leave here feeling better about humanity and the world. Bad day at the office? Let a little Rai Rai help put a smile back on your face.
The parking here sucks though, you either need to park on the street or pay for some in the lot behind the building. But don’t let that discourage you from hitting this place up. So next time you’re Kapahulu, ignore and keep driving by Tenkaippin and head straight for Rai Rai Ramen!

Love, love, love this place!
For starters, anyone who loves Ramen knows that there are different types of Ramen. If you’re looking for authentic Japanese style Ramen, this probably isn’t the place for you. I would head over to the Yataimura in Shirokiya since they bring in the peeps direct from Japan and the different prefectures to showcase their hometown Ramens. You have to know what you are getting yourself into and over time, you learn to go to certain places when you’re craving a certain style of Ramen. And, depending on the prefecture of the Ramen shop’s cook or establishment, different soup bases and toppings will be used.
Another thing, Ramen really isn’t native to Japan. It actually originated in China hence if you notice, Ramen is spelled using katakana characters. As a result, a lot of Chinese open up Ramen shops here in Hawaii. The Chinese cooks fuse together their Chinese customs of making Ramen with Japanese styles. As a result, you get this fusion style of Hawaii Ramen.
There’s a lot of Chinese/​Japanese fusion Ramen shops on the island. Sumo Ramen, Ramen Ya, Hokkaido Ramen, and Rai Rai Ramen. Rai Rai Ramen is hands down, the BEST Chinese/​Japanese Ramen fusion joint on the island.
So if you’re okay with a Chinese/​Japanese fusion style of Ramen that is a great price, Rai Rai Ramen is the place for you.
For starters, they’ve got great prices. Their set menus are awesomely priced going for $ 8.95. For $ 0.25 more you can upgrade to Miso Ramen base. Let me tell you. Skip the Shoyu Ramen and get the Miso Ramen base. That is the winners!
My only gripe is that the set menu doesn’t come with gyoza. But this place has the most reasonably priced gyoza I’ve ever come across.
I got the Won Ton Ramen with Miso base and it was soooooooo good. Again, I paid the $ 0.25 extra and also asked for extra noodles. The Miso based soup has so much flavor and a hint of garlic and ginger. It’s not like any other Miso based soup I’ve ever had.
I also really enjoyed the family atmosphere here. The family running this place is super friendly. They came by to our table and played with our two girls. They also helped us to open and close the door as we left.
All in all, great experience dining here. We are for sure coming back here.

*Overall, 3.5 stars… but Tennkaipin, you’re still our go-​to Kapahulu ramen shop choice!
We tried Rai Rai a few weeks ago, on a cold and rainy evening. The rain ruined our Kapiolani park walking plans, so maybe that made us irritated from the get-​go.
Anyway, parking is all street around here, so we cheated and parked at Safeway, got a coffee from Starbucks, and walked over, shivering and trying to both fit under a tiny umbrella.
I took an instant liking to the nice little grandpa who was serving us. He gets his own 5 star rating for being so cute and sweet. Plus he reminded me of my grandpa. Didn’t matter that he understood little to no english. He brought me an extra plate when I needed one, and we communicated through hand gestures and pointing.
My friend got the katsu curry rice… I snuck a bite.
I’d prefer L&L or even Sumo Ramen’s curry. Not spectacular at all.
She wasn’t thrilled either… ended up eating most of my fried rice instead.
I got the mini combo which the lady was nice enough to let me sub in a mini miso ramen for (I think usually this comes with shio ramen). This came with a mini fried rice, and I ordered a side order of gyoza (4 pieces). Gyoza is pretty much the same to me at all these ramen joints. Other Unilocalers were saying how good their fried rice was, and it was ok, but just ok. Kinda oily… I let my friend devour most of it. I did enjoy my mini ramen though… it was perfect for the rainy weather.
I guess I wouldn’t mind coming back… their ramen was good, but only if the wait at Tennkaipin is ever too long…

Why oh why can’t we have a place like this near us? Is it really asking too much?
A friend recommended we come to Rai Rai to get some good ramen while we were in Honolulu, and boy was she right! This stuff was amazing, and it deserves a lot more than 64 reviews! The standout here for me was the Shio Char Siu; a huge bowl of thick ramen noodles in a delicious basic pork/​chicken broth, with a pretty generous helping of roasted pork. The Miso Char Siu was also good, but personally I prefer the basic broth to the miso. The Soya broth was the best soy broth I’ve had, mostly because they have a lighter hand with the soy so it didn’t taste like I was drinking straight from a bottle of Kikoman, but with enough to give it that soy flavor.
The fried rice was above average; lighter on the oil than a typical chinese takeout, but well cooked and flavored. I gave the curry ramen a shot as well, and it was a nice change from the char siu, but if you only have room in your stomach for one meal, I’d go for the Shio Char Siu! If you’re in Honolulu and like asian noodle soups (ramen, phở, etc), don’t miss Rai Rai, it’s worth it.

This place is now my 2^nd favorite Ramen Shop! Yotteko-​Ya is my number 1 but they also seem to run out of food –_​– so this is my new backup. It’s located in Kapahulu maybe about a block over from the Safeway. You can even park in Safeway and walk over if you can’t find any street parking. On to the food…
Shoyu Ramen — The broth is just amazing! I’m not a ginger fan and it does have a strong ginger flavor but I still love it. This is one of the few places that i’ll drink up all the broth at.
Chicken Katsu — They make a great Katsu here. Nice and crispy. You can’t lose getting that Katsu Shoyu Ramen combo, I think it’s about $ 9 and it’s the Shoyu Ramen with Katsu on the side.
Bonus: If you spend more than $ 25 they give you a free 4 piece gyoza. It’s the perfect deal if you have 3 people.

Unilocal Challenge 365 # ⁹⁶⁄₃₆₅
I’ve been on a quest for ramen ever since my brother’s visit. My brother is a noodle freak and it sort of rubbed off on me… Today, I decided on Sapporo Rai Rai Ramen. But wait– what about parking? Kapahulu Ave? Yikes!!! ell, today was my lucky day as I found street parking in front of Rai Rai.
Looking at the menu, I am surprised at the number of ways one can prepare ramen. That said, you can guess I have very limited imagination :(
I order vegetable ramen and my co worker orders a mini ramen combo (mini miso ramen and fried rice). Wait! can we try the chicken katsu (side order please), oh and a 4 pc gyoza… «No! No! the waiteress says the gyoza will come free because your order is over $ 20 with the chicken katsu. Do you want more than 4 pc ramen?»
My ramen order was huge!!! and the broth was excellent. It looked white-​ish, so I guessed it was a pork broth (pork boiled and boiled to get a broth to perfection). And vegetables galore!
The mini ramen combo while mini was huge too. And the fried rice? It had to be at least 2 cups of rice, stir fried to perfection and a very light taste.
My ramen order filled me up. That and 1 pc gyoza and 1 pc chicken katsu was more than a lunch meal… (time for a nap)
Packed up the remaining gyoza and katsu. Also took the left over vegetable and broth. I can add noodles and make it my dinner for tonight!
Great job Rai Rai! I will be back

If you’re looking for a tasty bowl of ramen, check out Rai Rai. I ordered the Oxtail Ramen — plenty of oxtail pieces in a beef phở-​like broth. The ramen itself wasn’t as chewy as most ramen I’ve had and actually got a bit too soft afterwards. The oxtail ramen is served with ginger paste which I thought complimented the beef broth very nicely.
There are different types of ramen bowls offered, some with tempura, katsu, gyoza, etc. Service here is friendly, funny and entertaining (if the cute little kid who I think is the son of the owners is hanging out in the restaurant, you’ll know what I mean by entertaining). There’s metered and residential parking available. I believe there is also a parking lot behind the restaurant but you do have to pay.

I came straight over here from picking up a long time family friend from the airport. She use to live on date st. right around the corner. When she used to live on date st. their family had tried every restaurant up and down Kapahulu. One of her favorites was Rai Rai. Since I already had this one bookmarked from reading Avis E.‘s review, I was on it and heading straight over there from the airport. We were fortunate that there was a meter parking right out in front… it was meant to be. We walkin and there was nobody there. We were greeted by a man, that smiled and pointed us to the table.
I am sure he is used to people making fast decisions because he came with pencil and paper in hand pretty fast. I asked him where the bathroom was and he made motions up and to the right and got me the key. I feel like I can understand broken english pretty good but playing charades in a restaurant may prove to be a little difficult for me. I got back and we placed our order. Without doing any sign language, I did ask a few questions but I just got a blank stare. The main thing is that he can take our order. :)
Per Avis E’s OMFG! recommendation we ordered the miso ramen with char siu. I am no ramen expert but I do know delicious when I tasted it. and this was good! It was packed with veggies, a heap of noodles, 5 piece of char siu topped off with some garlic. This was a great dish, the broth was good, the char siu was melt in your mouth fabulous! or as they say in japanese «totemo oishkatta» I really did not want to give it up because that was my friends dish.
My order was the katsu curry udon. My perfectly cooked heap of udon noodles was swimming around in the rich and flavorful curry. In contrast to my katsu on the other hand was over cooked and on the verge of burnt. I normally would have sent the katsu back but did not because I figured there would too much sign language involved and figured I would just soak my semi burnt katsu in the flavorful curry to soften it up. That actually worked for me but I would not be so quick to
let this go next time :)… Yes I would come back because I will be dreaming of that char siu bathing in the sio ramen next time and this time It will all be mine!

After a friend of mine was telling me of this place, and being that I LOVE ramen I know I needed to check it out! So last night after trying to decide with my ex where to have dinner, I finally suggested this place (and because it was all cold and windy).
It’s funny how that place is such a whole in a wall, that as much times as I drive in Kapahulu I always seem to pass by not noticing it… after we found the place we luckily lucked out on parking which already said it was meant to be because Kapahulu is the worst when it comes to street parking!
The place is so tiny with only a few tables to sit on, luckily when we came around 8pm there where only 2 other couples eating so we had the option of sitting anywhere we wanted.
The menu is huge! Lots of selections of ramens, but I’m sad they only had the kim chee ramen for their spicy ramen. The kim chee was well blended and the noodles was soft and the bigger yellow noodles… I like the meat that they used also, it wasn’t that char sui meat most ramens are usually with. My ex had the curry ramen which he said was tasty and good but he liked my ramen a lot more. The gyoza was pan fried and it was full of meat!
I would have to agree with everyone about the parking because if you don’t luck out you’ll be circling Kapahulu looking for a stall! Another thing about this place is that the owners doesn’t talk to much English so don’t bother asking about the specials or most popular because she would just look at you (as she did with us)…but she is super sweet! And everything is CASH only! So if you’re a card user, like me… bring cash otherwise Bank of Hawaii ATM is right across =)

One of my fave ramen places! My bf recommended this place one day so we went together. I had the mabo tofu ramen, he had oxtail soup, side of gyoza and an order of kimchee fried rice (we were super hungry). It came pretty fast, loved it!
The only downside is the parking, and that its cash only. Sometimes I just don’t carry that much cash on me so its a pain to make an extra stop to an ATM. Despite this, the food is great and I’d definitely go again!

Now, I don’t claim to be a ramen aficionado, but I do eat a lot of it and I am Japanese so that does give me some street credence right? Well Rai Rai was pretty darn good all around and worth of the «People Like us on Unilocal» sticker that I saw on the door as I entered.
After perusing the menu, which features just about every type of ramen you could ever want, I decided to stick my first time staple and ordered the Miso Ramen. At $ 8, I figured I couldn’t go wrong… Boy was it delicious! The noodles were flavorful and absorbed the shoyu and miso broth which was rich in flavor that brought a tingle to my taste buds.
The service was good and very attentive. My water glass certainly didn’t go empty which is a good indicator in my book. Also, the wait for our food wasn’t very much.
We all know that street parking along Kapahulu can be a big pain in the butt, but Rai Rai has parking in the back of the building. OH… it’s cash only by the way!

1 Char Siu Shoyu Ramen please. 4 piece gyoza. Thanks.
Thick ramen noodles, almost saimin sized. Uh oh. Red flags. This looks chewy. I hate chewy noodles. Give me harder noodles all the way. Yup it’s chewy. Get ready for a crap review Rai Rai. Maybe you should take down the Unilocal sign in your window. 20+ reviews with an average of 4 stars is wrong. Wrong I say!
After my first bite, I thought I was never going to come back again. Ever. Definitely over the noodles already. Then I had some of the soup.
Cue Keanu Reeves: «Woah».
I should’ve taken an after meal picture. There was nothing left in the bowl. No soup. No nothing. I tend to measure my ramen favorites by how much soup I leave behind. I know I’ve found a winner if I can’t stop myself from drinking all of the soup. All manners go out the window. I don’t care. I’ll pick up the bowl with my hands if I have to.
And that’s what Rai Rai has become. One of my favorite ramen places to go to. Rai rai doesn’t have your regular run of the mill thin, mild shoyu ramen. I had a full, thick, flavorful shoyu-​based broth. By the end, I came to love the thick noodles because of the how well it tasted with the broth. Even the little things like the roasted garlic added to the ramen. The char siu siu was large and tasty. There was a nice balance of pork and fat. Not that 90% fat char siu like you find at Goma Tei.
The gyoza was cooked nicely. Cripsy on the outside and moist and meaty on the inside. Great with my ramen.
At $ 10, the char siu ramen seemed to be a bit steep, but it’s actually quite a bit for food. The bowl is deceiving. The noodle portions are generous and it came with 3 large pieces of char siu. Check out the pictures for details.
The shop is small, with 6 tables or so. I can see this place being busy around dinner time. It would be crazy if this place wasn’t busy at dinner. or lunch. or anytime it’s open.