Restaurant Review: Menya Ramen House

Does anything else hit the spot as much as a steaming bowl of ramen on a cold, wintry day? I’m not talking about the $1 packets you get at the grocery store, but a long-simmered pork bone broth accompanied with fresh fixings. Lucky for us, a new joint opened in the Metuchen / Edison area called Menya Ramen House.

About Menya Ramen House

They had their soft opening in November and have been frequently selling out their ramen since. We had the pleasure of getting takeout from Menya twice so far, after we randomly found the restaurant while scrolling through Facebook. The owner Ryan personally called Luis after our first meal, since he thought there was a mistake with our order and wanted to offer us another free meal to compensate. Luis assured him that the order was indeed correct, but Ryan insisted to still extend the free replacement. We ecstatically accepted and the second time was just as good, if not even better than the first.

The verdict

The quality is exceptional. Menya is on par with other ramen restaurants in the tri-state area, such as Ippudo and Terakawa ramen. Our broth preference is tonkotsu, which is pork bone based, and Menya does a superb job with theirs. The soup is deep and rich, without feeling too heavy. My absolute favorite type of ramen noodles is thin, straight, and al dente, while Luis likes the slightly thicker and wavy ones.

What we ordered

The menu is light, which we appreciate. To us, that suggests a restaurant is able to focus and perfect their limited dishes. The two we keep ordering are the tonkotsu and spicy miso tonkotsu ramen, as well as ajitama on the side.

Tonkotsu: Pork bone broth with sea salt tare, thin straight noodles, roasted marinated pork, scallion, wood ear mushrooms, ginger, and black garlic oil

Spicy Miso Tonkotsu: Pork bone broth with miso paste, wavy thick noodles, roasted marinated pork, scallion, onion, charred corn, and homemade spicy oil

Ajitama: Soft-boiled seasoned ramen egg

I don’t have pictures of the seasoned egg cut open since I’ve quickly devoured it every time, but trust me that it’s AMAZING. Sweet on the outside, perfectly runny on the inside. If you like soft-boiled ramen eggs, you must get it. The chashu has changed too from the first time we tried Menya Ramen House. The first time was leaner, but it’s now a nicely balanced amount of fat and lean pork. Both versions are delicious, but I personally like my chashu fattier, so I love the updated version of the charred braised pork. Don’t mind the bite already taken out from the top chashu below. 🙂

What we also love about Menya Ramen House is that it’s pandemic-friendly. To support local restaurants, and since we’re not 100% comfortable dining out again yet, we’ve been trying new restaurants via takeout. Some package their takeout meals better than others; Menya being one of them. A few months ago, we tried another well-known ramen house and were very disappointed. We ate immediately in the car, yet the broth was lukewarm and the noodles were sitting in the soup. Menya, on the other hand, separates their noodles and toppings from the broth. This prevents soggy noodles and allows you to easily heat the broth up separately if you don’t plan to eat the ramen until you get home. It’s really a genius move.

If you’re in central New Jersey, definitely check out Menya Ramen House! You won’t be disappointed.

Pro Tips:

• You can easily order online!
• We haven’t encountered this yet, but they sometimes sell out. Order earlier just in case.

Restaurant Info:

• Address & Directions: 399 Main Street, Metuchen, NJ