Mensho Ramen

Food tasted great, service was excellent, ambience was nice. Went after 9pm so the wait was not too long. The pickled cucumbers were yummy & refreshing. The Spicey Toripaitan Ramen is what I ordered (very good) my daughter got the GKO ramen (I thought was delicious) someone at the table ordered the Signature Toripaitan liked it but didn't care for the juice at the end. I loved mine but it was salty I'll say that.

Truly a wonderful surprise to come across this place. My friend wanted ramen for his birthday. We had already been out for a few hours and all the places I had looked at were close to closing and we didn't want to be rude and go anywhere too late. I came across this place and saw it was open til 10 pm so we went! When I say I this may have been the most authentic Japanese restaurant I've ever been to, I really mean it! Turns out there's only 4 of these places in the USA and it's actually franchised from Japan! I was already admiring the establishment and the food and kitchen set up and how authentic it all was before the chef told us it's an actual Japanese restaurant! I want to go back. I'd love to try the whole menu. The service was awesome. The chef was awesome. I asked his name and it's been so many days now I forgot :( I want to think his name was David but now it's going to bug me that I can't remember.Quite an amazing experience. 10/10

What a disappointment! My family of four waited for 90 minutes only to be told to sit at a table for 3. They expected my daughter to sit with her legs criss crossed for the entire meal. We drove down an hour from Northern Peoria to have this awful experience. All the hostess could tell me is sorry we don't have a lot of space. Avoid this place at all costs! Who wants to eat in a hot and cramped space. Invest in some a/c as everyone around us was complaining about the temperature.Edit: The owner reached out and apologized for the experience. I am not changing my review, but I give her credit.

There's a lot of hype around Mensho right now, and I must say: it's well-deserved. This meal was a wonderful experience from start to finish!Sitting at the bar area alone is such a show. You'll smell the ramen broth wafting in the air and get to watch the staff operate with precision at each front station, all while greeting every new guest.We started off with the aji fries, which I highly recommend for any seafood lover. It comes with four delicately fried mackerel pieces that are crispy on the outside with absolutely no bones in the tender inside. Zest with the lemon and dip in the savory sauce, and it's quite a perfect appetizer!The Signature Toripaitan is a signature for a reason. It is so above and beyond other ramens in Phoenix, with nicely chewy, handmade noodles in a thick, truffled chicken-based broth. The jammy egg and meats are all smoked to perfection. I *savored* that wagyu piece and loved the duck. All the meats were so tender.We had a manageable 40-minute wait after checking in at 5:10pm on a Saturday. It was worth it. Time flew by after grabbing a drink from Xing Fu Tang using our 15% off discount for being on the Mensho wait list :)Keep in mind this isn't the best group spot since they only have about four tables for four, but it's fantastic for date nights or dinners with a friend.

Makes sure to come here early and reserve. (1.5H wait) We had a bigger party and did shopping before our table was ready. The interior is really nice and they took a big part of the space for the kitchen. They don't have seatings for more than 4 it seems. We were in a tight space and it is a bit warm also so dress light. The food! Let's get straight to what we came for. All the ramen is really good but if you ask me what's my favorite it has got to be the signature ramen; everything was perfect about it and the broth is so rich. I got the duck matcha ramen without the whip cream because I'm lactose, I wish they thought bout a non dairy option but overall it was still good; it did taste a lil gamey to me at first and the matcha isn't very strong. I don't think I was able to taste it but it looks very intriguing. Each egg is an additional 4$ and if you want spicy sauce it is 2$ each in a small dish. They marinate the egg for 2 days and it's super yummy! In my opinion the sides aren't very worth it but the ramen totally are! Would love to come back and try the other dishes !

Was SUPER excited to try this place. We came once before and were quoted a 2 1/2 hour wait so we left. This time, we came at 3:30 and were third in line. We waited inside until 4, heads up the inside is small, stuffy, and warm so dress light. I think we all got excited when we heard Michelin star experience but I don't think it was worth the original 2 1/2 hour time frame we were quoted the first time. The interior focuses are the center point of the kitchen. The music, style and decor does transport you a different place, I imagine many Japanese restaurant resemble this style. It is an intimate experience as the inside is very small. We opted to start with the edamame and takoyaki. When reading the description of the edamame, I thought it was tossed in a garlic sauce not topped with fried garlic chips. Lackluster at best. I can get steamed edamame anywhere. My bad for the misinterpretation. The takoyaki comes with 2pcs per order for 6$, not bad. It's dressed up but overall it tasted fine. Nothing spectacular but nothing bad. I have limited experience with takoyaki so from what I can compare too, it was similar. The filling was pleasant. For the ramen we opted to try the signature and the GKO. The signature gets a lot of love. I wanted to love it so bad, but ultimately left a little disappointed. The highlights are that it is a creamy, rich broth. The meat is so tender and flavorful, definitely seasoned beforehand. The egg is phenomenal, I wanted 10 more. Whoever thought of smoking an egg was genius. For me, I was expecting a little more depth of flavor and savoriness. I will say it was well balanced, but I definitely wanted a little spice or something. The GKO however was amazing. Rich, deep flavor. Not overwhelmingly garlicky and had a kick! If I'm being honest, I preferred that one. Definitely order it with the egg. The noodles had integrity and did not fall apart which was nice. They were on the gummier side and had a nice chew which I enjoyed. Ultimately, for 81$ (before tip), I wanted it to be more. I would like to go back and try the others, the duck matcha was especially intriguing, but this is my initial reaction. Try the Japanese lager if your looking for a good drink to wash it down with. I think I would forgo either of those appetizers again and opt for something different to start. Definitely worth a try though. We left at 5 and there was no line outside only inside. I think if you go on a weekday around 6:30-7 you could get in easy.

I visited Mensho yesterday after seeing that they opened on Saturdays for lunch. I got there with my friend at 11:30 to wait for the 12noon doors to open. We didn't wait long before a staff member got our phone number down to be notified when it would be our turn.Right at 12, we got the text that our table was ready. We walked right in and right past the huge and growing line. I'm glad that we arrived at 11:30am. Staff were friendly and got us ordered in no time. My friend and I chose the classic with spinach and egg added, the garlic knock out, karage chicken and enoki chips. Everything came out perfectly. We were a little underwhelmed with the egg but I think we were expecting marinated egg rather than smoked egg. I have to deduct a star for the very small seating space. I'm a smaller person but still felt quite confined into a tiny corner. We had to full push the table out into the tiny walkway in order for me to get in / out. Overall, I'll come back when their menu expands. Please add the cucumbers back on the menu :)

I was very excited for the chance to check out the new Mesa Riverview addition, Mensho. Beyond loving ramen, and a good Michelin inspired experience, the hype around it definitely got me excited! I decided my husband's birthday was a great opportunity to check them out. First and foremost, as people have mentioned they do not have a reservation system You must stop by in person to put your name down and wait on site or return. They do utilize toast so you can see your spot and line and how many parties are ahead of you. They also partner with the next door boba shop for a discount if you want to enjoy before dining. The waiting area is small and tasty, so more of a last option really. I got there a bit after they opened on a Tuesday, not totally sure what to expect and was quoted 45min - 55 min. I asked if it was possible to dine at a certain time or what the procedure was. I was told no and since I was timing my husband's work schedule, as told to return to our my name down again. The hostess ended up helping to accommodate the time a bit to work for us, but it would be nice if there was a fine without having to hope for the best on wait time. The sauce itself was so beautiful, all the wood and authentic touches. Once we were seated our server came and took our order, it felt a tad rushed and the food all came out in various orders, so I would hold off on ordering everything at once, personally. We opted for some of their waygu sushi, the Japanese carpaccio, the corn ribs, the GTO ( Garlic Knock Out) Ramen and Duck Matcha Ramen. The waygu was delicious. You only get two slices, but was great starter. The carpaccio is sliced scallop and though very good and topped with various caviar and a delicious truffle sauce, I wouldn't order again. The corn ribs were good, but also not a stand out for me. I loved my GKO ramen, so flavorful from the broth to the toppings. I did add a smoked egg, which definitely was a must! My husband got the duck ramen and though more subtle and earthier flavor, was till good. We are glad we tried it, but wouldn't go out of our way to try it again. Some of the apps came before our ramen then our ramen hit in the middle of enjoying our starters, with our last app coming towards the end. Timing was definitely off and I would not order everything at once again. I was bummed they didn't do anything for my husband's birthday, which kind of bummers me out, but cest la vie. The whole experience was about 45 minutes once seated. Food was tasty and though not the cheapest meal, great quality wnd we would return!

This place is worth the wait!We arrived at four, put our names down on the list and waited for 2 1/2 hours. I would recommend anybody who is interested to try this place, get there early, put your name on down. When they tell you, it's a 2 to 3 hours wait, it is not an exaggeration. The dining space is really small. I would say that it can only fit about 50 people. Therefore, the waitlist is alway long. I started with the A5 Wagyu with caviar. It was fresh. It was light. It was a great choice as an appetizer.I also ordered the Kurozu Karaage (fried chicken). It was fantastic. The chicken was tender, juicy, and it had a beautiful crunch on the outside. I loved it!I ordered the Signature Toripaitan and it was delicious. The broth was decadent, velvety. The noodle is crunchy, very al dente, just like the way I like it. The protein in there was spectacular. You can really taste the different methods that they cook the pork in. Five out of five! Before we can even get our checks, I knew this was a placeI would love to come back soon and try their other items. Highly highly recommend!!

So we finally came to try this place out and the ramen and wagyu sushi was delicious! Only reason I didn't give 4-5 stars was that the restaurant was so packed and the ac was not cold that the place was really stuffy. So it was hard to relax and enjoy the food. We wanted to eat and get out asap! My wife felt really claustrophobic in the beginning and I too had a hard time enjoying our first time here. Next time I guess I'll wear a tank top and shorts?!?!Overall I'll come back but i hope they read this and make a few changes to make the place more comfortable to eat.