Gu Ramen Taps & Tapas

First time here, awesome food! Tasty ramen, poke Diablo, crispy calamari and hibachi fried rice!

Friendly waitress, good food.

Couldn’t wait to review Gu so I’m writing this while stuffing my face with the most amazing bowl of vegetarian ramen!
Cute, modern décor, friendly staff, so much variety (even two vegetarian options!) the ability to customize your toppings AND spiciness and great prices!
I was super happy with my vegetarian tofu ramen in Umami broth, topped with a soft boiled egg, green onions and pickled ginger. So many great flavors!
The only pitfall is that they don’t have an LA location!

Ramen was delicious! I love the flavoring of the soup base, although I think it needs to lighten up on salt. Otherwise it’s really yummy! I tried the calamari appetizer and it was crunchy and the calamari itself was tender and soft. I would definitely come back again!

Noodles were cold and low quality.
Service is good but basic.
Not much to «brag» about. Expensive noodles for the quality but your in Laguna Beach so high price rent.
Not worth a second visit but for locals this may be a place just for convenience.

Best ramen I’ve had! Awesome tapas to go with the beer on tap, and they have a great Poki Salad if you’re watching calories and are crazy enough to skip the ramen.

The ramen is good here. I’m so glad we can get a decent bowl of noodle soup in Laguna ! The broth is flavorful and hearty. If you have the munchies their appetizer menu will aim to please with fried green beans, poke bowls, potstickers & way more. The beer selection is impressive too.
The ambiance is modern yet inviting. It’s a small space so fills up pretty fast at peak times. The bar runs the length of the restaurant so warning, with 2 flat screen TVs, the noise level rises fast.
I’ve been here several times and the food is consistently tasty. I’m giving it 4-​stars instead of 5 because of a few minor reasons, the sides that you add to the ramen (bean sprouts, spinach, bamboo, etc.) are skimpy, the tea is bagged and below par, and the service is decent but servers have been underwhelming. That said, I’ll definitely continue to come back. Good food is good food

I’m a regular here bat first I was obsessed as #iLoveNoodles but I still come here 1 – 2 times a week. Service is awesome and all employees rock here.

Off the chain! I ordered with mild broth and spicy pork, corn, beans sprouts and mayu (garlic oil). We’re from SD and on our way home thought we’d stop by this hole in the wall, so glad we did! Definitely be back!

I’m a stingy dude when it comes to 5 star ratings. I’ve never been to Japan so I’m not sure how Ramen should taste. I’m not a huge fan of the miso fishy flavored broth ones which tend to be traditional. But if it doesn’t taste like the Raman here, I think I’m not interested.
And therefore this has become the gold standard for me deserving 5 stars. I’m sure it’s Americanized to some degree. Riffed off an array of bubble hipster friendly flavors (bubble-​referring to OC being this homogeneous, vanilla utopia typically sanitized by fast food franchise experimental options; watered down with bright lucite furniture and massive groupons campaigns to entice the staunch strip mall gourmets out of their gated porticos to try some real «ethnic» food. Even if it is fusion. I say fused with flavor!
It was a very blustery night here in the OC my friends. Perfect night for A hot steaming bowl of ramen custom made to your specific palette. Any night in Laguna Beach is a pretty darn good one. But this night thanks to Unilocalers, we took a chance based on the awesome pictures and descriptions.
2 glasses of Merlot, 2 Stella’s and 2 steaming bowls of ramen later, we vowed to return again very soon… like tomorrow at lunch!
Cool vibe, like a bar but not a bar. two huge screens blaring music videos throughout but not too loud that your head hurts and you become horse trying to say anything audible to your neighbor.
Designer ramen! And I say that with the utmost affection and respect– order your Base add your other proteins, veg, and accoutrements, flavor bata bombs (my name for the little cups of flavor spices to add to the basic broth). but I did try without initially. it was fantastic. I got the Tom yum flavor. A flavor bomb of ginger, lemon grass and other spices.
Service was attentive but not indulgent. Crowd was diverse from families to couples to solo grabbing to go.
If you like ramen and find yourself in LB-​OC this is a must stop spot on your bucket list.

Let’s be real here, it’s Laguna Beach. You will not find a lot of ethnic foods here unless it’s trendy. Or if you do, they tend to be bastardized versions or fusion. Which is okay, but to expect true cuisine would be grossly naïve.
Gu Ramen is pretty delicious. And prices are on par with other ramen restaurants. The best part is their simple menu. There’s ramen, and then there are tapas. Nothing else.
A bowl of ramen, which is generously portioned, will run you about $ 10. It comes with your choice of meat (chasiu, spicy ground pork, or lollipop chicken). But if you’re looking for more sides included with the price, you won’t find that here. Other sides are a la carte, like spinach, bean sprouts, etc. The other nice aspect is the bar, where you can order draft or bottled beer.
I had the chasiu ramen, with spinach (I actually asked for bean sprouts, but oh well) and egg. Mildly spicy. My boyfriend had the lollipop chicken ramen with spinach. It hit the spot. It could have come out hotter in temperature, though. The chicken was good, but got soggy in the broth.
We also had the chasiu buns. Yum. One of my favorites and my bf was pretty surprised at how much he enjoyed it.
If you’re looking for a good ramen place, no frills, in LB close to the beach: this is the place.

Service is always awesome and what’s better than a ramen spot in laguna beach? Draft beers, wine, and their special pork belly slider things are the world. The ramen is very tasty too, of course :)

I really like the ramen here! It’s a pleasant surprise because I went in having no expectation, because it’s not in an asian area. I had the spicy ramen, and I have to say, it’s spicier than most spicy ramen I had from other ramen places. But I love spicy, so it works for me.
This is definitely not the most amazing ramen ever, but it satisfies my cravings (plus this is one of the very few ramen places around here)
About one third of the restaurant is a bar, and they have happy hour. It’s also located right next to the beach. Last time I went, I watched the sunset after I finished dinner, and it’s gorgeous (as usual).
Service is very slow, and there’s very limited space inside.

I decided to take the gf here for a lunch date while we visited Laguna Beach and Dana Point. Their décor is really clean, cool and modern and the food is delicious and flavorful. The bowls come with minimal ingredients but you can add additional items a la carte. I kept mine minimal and it was the bomb!!! They also have a special where you can add a side of fried rice for a minimal cost and you know damn well I added it to my order! Friendly service and great ramen earned them 5 stars. Prices slightly higher than other spots but I’ll go out on a limb and move them up to my #1 spot for Ramen in OC. Yes, that just happened.
Tip: Parking is available in the rear so skip the meter if possible. Take a stroll to the beach after to walk off the sodium. :D

The ONLY reason that they’re getting four stars instead of three is because of their location and lack of competition. Gu is obviously targeting the millennial demographic. 90’s music videos, reclaimed wood, chalk boards and «artsy» beers accompany a cheap menu (by Laguna Beach standards).
The food:
Started with a Chashu Bun — essentially a deconstructed bao kind of thing.
Pork belly was delicious and the sauce was also spot on. However i would only use about a fifth of the amount of pickled ginger and green onion.
It’s a waste to lose the savory, intense flavor of the pork belly to overuse of other ingredients.
The Ramen — I personally disliked the ground pork immensely. The chicken lollipop was the opposite in being incredibly bland. Like a blank canvas of meat, bread, and cartilage on a bone.
The pork belly was f**kin on point though. It soaks up the flavor of the broth excellently and even left some of its own flavor to be enjoyed.
Sadly, much like Chashu Bun, they use a cream in the broth that overpowers what could be a wonderful porky and sesame flavor. They also missed my girlfriends side order of fried rice but they’re new so I can deal.
I think this place will do well, mostly because there’s nothing similar to this anywhere in Laguna.
For me: I’d ask for a much lighter amount of cream if I did get the ramen again. I’d also be very interested in trying quite a bit more of their «tapas» menu.

Heard of a ramen place coming to south county and I was so excited!
My boyfriend and I stopped in around 7:30 on a Friday. The place was full, but not packed. We put our name down and waited about 10 minutes. The bar is open seating — so we grabbed a spot there.
We ordered two beers and the soft shell crab appetizer to start out. The appetizer was really good, but I think it would benefit more from a creamy sauce on the side than the soy-​like sauce it had, but maybe that’s just my fat kid talking.
We ordered the ramen. His — mild with pork belly and egg. Mine — spicy with spicy ground pork, egg, soy buta garlic butter. The ramen was FANTASTIC. Full of flavor, very filling and mine was deliciously spicy. I was sweating while eating it! The garlic butter added extra flavor, it’s definitely worth the $ 1.50. Took off one star because it’s a little pricy and the meat was slightly skimpy, but we still really enjoyed it and would recommend it.
The servers were very attentive, personable, and kind. Service was fast and accurate. They made sure to keep refilling our waters on a hot and humid night.
We are already looking forward to coming back. So glad this is here!

Best ramen I’ve had in OC. They’ve got a solid broth and their chashu is on point. I definitely recommend adding one of the add on flavors. I got the bata soy garlic but only needed to add about half to get it right where I liked it.
Definitely a spot I would go back to.

I’m always looking for a great tonkotsu ramen! The other day I did a search on Unilocal for any new ramen shops in the area, and this one appeared. Although it’s about half an hour away from me, it got 5 star reviews. How could I not check this place out?
They are located right next to the Thalia Surf Shop in Laguna Beach. You’ll need to find metered parking on the street. It’s a small-​ish place with booths and a bar. I got there a little after they opened, and there was only one other couple there.
I ordered the regular tonkotsu ramen with mild spicy (#2), chashu (pork belly) and extra mayu (garlic oil). When it first arrived, I saw slivers of garlic inside, which I thought was a little strange, but it added to the overall ramen.
First of all, the broth is to die for. It’s milky/​buttery and exactly the type of broth that I like. The noodles were soft and went well with the broth. I’m drooling just writing about this now! The mild spicy was a tad bit too spicy for me, but you’re talking to someone who doesn’t typically like much spice at all on any food. Next time I will get the «no spice» option. I don’t think I’d order the extra mayu (garlic oil) again, as it seemed that they just added more garlic slices instead of more black oil. I would’ve rather had more oil.
The service was friendly and prompt. They have a TV playing above the bar. Overall, it has a great taste and I will definitely come back here again!

YUM! This new restaurant is going to do very well :) we stopped in here because we were craving ramen, and Unilocal already had great reviews for only being open for 1 week! It’s a small little restaurant but it’s got a nice atmosphere and bar. We ordered the chasu buns, which I highly recommend! It comes in 2 and is paired with a dipping sauce. I got the ramen and added egg and corn to it! The broth is delicious and it comes with a healthy portion of ramen noodles. You can add a lot of different ingredients, make it spicy, and even add different flavorings! I wish we had ramen like this back in Ohio.
Only con: I wish the egg was soft boiled rather than hard boiled. It would have made it a million times better!

While on my run, I stumbled onto Gu Ramen. Continuing on my run I thought to myself I’d come back for dinner and try it. Coming in I was expecting a «watered down» experience for Laguna Beach consumption. The ramen is fantastic. A legitimate tonkotsu broth, that milky, rich, flavorful taste you expect.
I ordered my Ramen (Tonkotsu broth is the only option) with Chashu, level 3 spiciness, added ground pork, bamboo shoots, and sprouts. This came out to 13.45 before tax. Before anyone says anything about the price, this is about right for ramen. I would have expected an «ocean side» of PCH tax, and would have gladly paid.
After a day down at Thalia Street beach, coming up to the bar would be cool. They have a happy hour from 3 – 6 I believe with reduced prices on all the small plates and beer. (it’s a beer and wine place only)
The bar is set up pretty nicely with a pair of large TVs and should be awesome for having some beers watching a game, and trying their small plates. Which will be my next visit.
I’m glad I now have a walking distance alternative to the Costa Mesa spots like Kitakata dealing with that insane parking lot, and Yamadaya and the associated wait times.
Now if only I can get a legitimate PHO place to open in Laguna Beach, I may sell my car.
It’s on the corner of PCH and Thalia, next to the surf shop.