Maru Ramen Bar

I've been here several times and always recommend this place to anyone looking for delicious ramen. This spot is unlike any other ramen I've had before, their broth is so flavorful, packed with layers of umami goodness!! This place is consistent in both its quality of food and service. #1 RAMEN SPOT in Sacramento/ Elk Grove!My order is always the same: akamaru ramen with creamy chicken bone broth, no egg, no pork, extra corn. I've also tried their bulgogi fries which they smother with tasty bulgoigu, creamy sauce, green onions, and a perfectly fried egg. Absolutely divine. Their shrimp tempura is good also! They have a bunch of different items on their menu, including lots of vegetarian options. They always serve water in silver cups and their chopsticks are heavy and good quality, a really nice detail that I never forget.The seating is really good too, I've sat in every corner of this restaurant before. They have a really cool seating area around a cute tree! The servers are always super attentive to your needs and check up on you constantly.

Friend wanted to try ramen in Elk Grove. One of the better ones I recommended. So came here. I had the Tori paitan. This was delicious. Next time I'll ask for extra spice. Bulgogi fries. This was always delicious. I have one critique that I hope is fixed. So close to a 5 star. - please train or tell your staff to work on their customer service. There was maybe 3 tables (including mine) So it was not busy Saturday night. And yet the gentlemen and the lady could not be bothered to walk around and check in on customers or ask if we needed water. They stood behind the counter. I had to waive or grab their attention. It's ramen. It's salty. We need water. This is not the first time. The last time I came here it was similar. They greet you. Give you water. Take order. Deliver food. And then you never see them again. I will give grace if it was busy but it's not. Improve this and it'll be an easy 5 star.

Delicious, decently portioned and priced ramen served in slow cooked broth (20 hours!) with vegetarian options available. Maru Ramen Bar was quite an interesting find and while it's located in a dense little mall surrounded by a variety of Asian establishments for the savory and sweet, it certainly stands out as a solid ramen joint. Parking can be competitive during peak times but it wasn't too bad compared to some spots in the Bay Area. Thanks to Yelp and a few recommendations from friends and family, we decided to grab dinner here and we were quite satisfied with our experience.As you walk in, your eyes will gravitate to the square dining bar decorated by what seems to be faux flowers and vegetation. The well lit dining space is refreshing and the giant "RAMEN" sign certainly gets you in the mood for some noodles! They have a few small tables to accommodate small to medium sized parties so larger parties may need to plan ahead to either split or come early to snag neighboring tables.Their menu is quite straightforward when it comes to their offerings. They have a few specialty ramens which can all be made spicy (you may need to request it unless you order the akamaru - we only learned about this after ordering), vegetarian ramen (with vegetable broth), chicken wings, sides, and garlic noodles. Also apparently, you can request vegetable broth for any of the ramen (even if the ramen itself is not made vegetarian) - this was not clearly communicated to us so there was a slight mixup in the order. Fortunately, the staff was pretty understanding and was able to correct the order.We ordered the tonkotsu black and maru and they were both delicious. The broth was rich and flavorful - not too thick or runny, just right! The chashu (pork belly) was so succulent and tasty - my eyes wanted more but I know my belly couldn't have handled another slice of that thick juiciness. Their ramen eggs are cooked to perfection but they aren't sliced like other ramen shops I've been to (i.e., it's the whole egg you bite into). I also appreciated all the toppings that came with it as standard; it was quite a filling bowl of noodles!The price point is what it is nowadays - a bit higher than I'd like to pay but it was still a pretty decent value relative to other spots. The staff were generally pretty good in resolving issues but I think the communications could have been a bit more proactive and clearer at the beginning service.Overall, Maru Ramen Bar satisfies the ramen and soup craving on those chilly days and nights while also being conveniently located among other snack and dessert places to complete your outing. There are a few ramen options in downtown and in the outskirts but you need not look any further for Maru Ramen has got the goods!

After a great time celebrating my son's birthday at King's Skate Country (please reference my review if interested), my family was ready to replenish the calories burned! My son, a lover of Asian cuisines, wanted to his birthday dinner to consist of ramen. Doing a quick Yelp search led us to Maru Ramen Bar, a restaurant located six minutes away from our home.Upon arrival, we were greeted by an employee who instructed us to seat ourselves. Since the restaurant was fairly busy (there were two large parties on both sides of the establishment, we seated ourselves at the bar seating located at the front. A server quickly provided us with menus and filled our glasses with water. My son opted for the Tonkotsu Ramen and Wonton Dumplings; while I selected the bulgogi fries and potstickers.My son, who is generally very talkative, rarely spoke a word as he devoured his ramen. His dumplings (which he ended up taking home to eat later) reheated well and were very delicious the following day (something about letting them marinate in sauce overnight! I found the bulgogi fries to be underwhelming; they had minimal sauce and rib eye meat. The highlight of my order was the potstickers, which are very hard to mess up.Regarding the customer service, it felt very disengaged. I'm used to seeing staff making their way from table to table engaging with patrons regarding their meals, confirming if they would like to order additional items, etc. I observed staff delivering food to tables, filling waters, and then retreating behind the counter to chat amongst themselves. Not sure if this is typical protocol, but it made me wonder if this is the everyday standard for customer service. Although my son enjoyed his orders, I'm not quite sure if I can honestly say that I will make a return visit. However, this is not to say that you shouldn't experience it for yourself.

So I will say I have waited to post this review because I enjoy consistency. We have been to Maru ramen bar now five times. The fifth time was this past Wednesday for our first New years Day dinner out. No joke every single time we have gone the consistency of the flavors, the texture of the noodles, and the quality of service has always been superb. Even at it's busiest times, you will always have someone greeting you that lets you know what are your options on where to sit and they always greet you with a smile as you enter the restaurant. I really enjoy this restaurant not only because of the amazing food which I'll talk about in a little bit, it is also the Ambiance that's there. Don't get me wrong we are not talking about super elaborate decorations it's just simple items within the restaurant like the tree in the middle that has bar seating around it, the signs and banners that are above the cash register slash cooking area that because they are simple doesn't take away from what is really meant to have your focus on which is the food. So speaking of the food like I said I love love a flavorful Ramen broth and again we've been here five times and we've tried different ramens and each one has such a wonderful umami flavor. And I really enjoyed that you can customize it a little bit more with the different options you can add on for an additional cost of course. Seriously though you do not have to add anything else flavor-wise because again these broths hold up so well on their own. Also we get the wonton dumplings every single time we go because they are perfection. The chili oil that they have them in is the perfect amount of spicy with a little bit of that oil. We usually take a few bites of our ramen and then have the dumpling because we like the two flavors combined So again if you want to try out a wonderful consistent Ramen place please check out Maru Ramen Bar.

Maru Ramen Bar is located in a shopping center on Elk Grove Blvd (near Emerald Oak Drive). They have a nice looking dining area and large communal table. Service is quick and staff are friendly.The ramen noodles and broth are on par with some of the best ramen places in the greater Sacramento area. Their Spicy Ramen bowl with tonkotsu broth is fantastic! On a recent visit, we also tried the Ribe Eye Garlic Noodles - which comes with a fried egg and cheese. It was interesting but a bit too rich for our taste.

Great hearty ramen spot especially on a cold day! The broth is really rich and flavorful, while the noodles are firm and chewy. The Maru Ramen has a little bit of everything and it didn't disappoint! The pork cheek and chashu were both tender and flavorful, egg was soft boiled and seasoned to perfection, and I liked the crunch topping on the top. If you like buttery and heavy broth with ramen, this is your spot!

Food 4.5 starsService 3.75Ambience 4Price 3.5 starsI have been coming to Maru more and more lately, especially because they have spinach noodles which convinces me in times of weakness that succumbing to my carb temptations are pretty acceptable. Whether that succumbing has been good or bad on my waistline is still to be determined. One thing is for sure is I've had ramen a few different places now and I still think this place has the most richest pork tonkatsu broth so far in the area.Located near other decent meal spots like Crest Cafe, MooMoo and Thai Chili, I love how there's a variety of stuff to eat nearby. But when I can convince myself to splurge on all that rich noodley carby goodness, Maru it is. I super love the seafood ramen. It has the 2 scallops and 2 shrimps (which thankfully turns out tender), a soft boiled egg with a slightly gooey center, the option of spinach noodles, a special oil, bamboo shoots and the option of chicken or pork tonkatsu broth. For me, I love adding the crunchy fried burdock root for about $1.50, another egg if I'm super splurging that cost a whopping $3 per egg, and sometimes I'll add the dark rich garlic oil for $1. The seafood ramen itself is around $20, so by the end, my ramen can cost up to $25 if I'm splurging. Luckily for me this is about 2 meals because I can't usually finish it and it turns out to be an extra meal at home. I've had the chicken broth with the seafood bowl too which is pretty good. However I prefer the darker robust taste of the pork tonkatsu broth. Hubby likes the Maru ramen bowl which a little spicy, has the fatty pork meat and other multicolored goodies that sticks out of it. I've had the chicken wings, both times a dry rub, I think it's a salt & pepper, and it's not too impressive. I'd definitely skip this one. It's hard to mess up wings, so not sure what they aren't doing, but after 2x I don't order these any more.The ling lings come in a yummy sauce that's like a dark sweet soy sauce and a little green onion and it's so sultry and little spicy but sooo delicious. I have to force myself to not order these. I've had the fries that come with all the goodies on top. It is super delicious but it'll also kill my mid life waistline so I don't ever order that. But I may grab a fry when others order it. This place's specialty is really the ramen, maybe that's why they taste so good. They have a wide selection of ramen, even a vegetarian one, and the option for a whole bunch of various toppings ranging from $1-$3 or $4. The only reason for not a 5 star review is I think it can get pretty pricey for add on toppings. The fried burdock root for over a $1 is reasonable but a single egg for $3 is price gouging. I can a dozen eggs at Costco for $3, just saying. Also, they don't give a lot of broth and can be a little kuriput when I ask for more. Their hours start at 5pm on some days, others at 11am. Their service is okay, nothing spectacular but no rudeness either. Tables can seat 2-6 at its max. There's a tree in the middle with chairs around it, that is like a bar area sort of. There's a table that has barstools as well. I love the yummy gelatinous leftovers. It warms up well. I typically eat it at home with seasoned nori. It's a decent place to satiate a warm bowl of ramen craving in EG for sure.

Not a bad ramen shop in Elk Grove. My review would be more 3.5 stars, but yelp doesn't allow for that.Service is great and attentive, with a very unique interior. I like the designs and seating arrangments at Maru.I got the Akamaru, which is one of their spicy options on their menu. Food came out fast!I would say the pros of the ramen was that the pork chashu was smokey and tender. Nice balance of fatty and lean pieces of pork. The egg was done very well. Soft boiled to where it had a creamy texture.The noodles on the other hand felt like the weaker portion in the dish. It wasn't as bouncy or retained the broth as I anticipated. Also, the spicy portion felt like it took over the pork flavor.Overall, Maru offers a great selection of ramen bowl choices. I think I'll try their other options to see the differences in texture and flavor. :)

Food: Ordered Toroniku (Pork Cheek) Ramen. Broth was butter forward in its flavor (unexpected.. was so-so on that). Noodles were nice. Pork cheek quality was quite good and a delight. Bowl was a bit more conical than other ramen bowls I've had. The bowl also looks nothing like its website bowl. I still ate it. Bulgogi fries were nice. Fries were nicely fried. Bulgogi and egg was also a delight to mix in was good. Service: Friendly staff. Service was quick. Waters to the table. Food turned around quickly. Staff didn't do a food check while we were eating. Ambiance: Clean. Bright. Decor is ok. Gives that live, laugh, love vibe for me.