Zao Stamina Ramen

This place is the closest thing you will find to authentic Shoyu ramen in the DMV. The Tonkotsu is great as well but there are better options in the DMV.

Still some of the best ramen in the DMV imo. Got the gekikara and yea it's very spicy. Do it at your own risk. I wish they still had the spice bottles to help urself with on the table. Service was fast and friendly. They assisted with setting up a table fast for our large family. Also don't forget to ask for a stamp card, which they will stamp for ur full price bowls. They won't stamp for stamina Mondays.

We really enjoyed both of our ramens! My husband got the Stamina Ramen and I got the soup-less ramen. It was my first time trying a soup-less ramen, and I may enjoy it more than regular ramen! We brought our 1.5-year old on a Friday night, and it was easy to get seated and the service was excellent (they got her a kiddie bowl and fork, which was very considerate). Will come again!

One unique thing about Zao is that they are one of the only ramen shops in the area that can offer you a wide array of ramen! It's really great for anyone that wants to try something different. And unlike Menya Hosaki, they have more reasonable open times. From their monthly specials calendar, I ordered their Kombusui Tsukemen, which was only being offered for two days. When the food arrived, a staff member explained the process of how to eat everything (salt dip to noodles and then broth), and then was willing to repeat it all when I asked!The whole wheat noodles were cooked to the softness of my liking. The kombu (kelp) broth and the chicken and dashi soup on their own were so good and unlike any ramen broth I've had. It's delicious with the noodles and meat mixed in. In the end, my stomach was full and I was hoping to avoid another food coma but still felt it a little this time. This special was $25 before tip, so remember it's a bit more than the regular bowls of ramen. Can't wait to come back for another special!

This place has a lot of the standard ramen shop things going on but I want to highlight it specifically because of what it can offer vegetarians. Usually veggy broth for ramen is... not good. The Vegan ramen here, where meat is absent from the entire process including the broth, is actually pretty good. In a landscape that often treats those options as an afterthought that makes this restaurant worth having on your reference sheet. Complimented by helpful and friendly service and the type of ambiance everyone likes having in a local shop.

Love this spot. Homemade noodles are unbelievable and unique. The tonkatsu is killer. The gekikara spicy is insane, be careful. Try the karaage as well. The tantanmen is a great texture and has a peanut buttery miso flavor. Good service, low frills, excellent in every way.

A friend highly recommended ZAO Stamina in Bethesda, and since it's so close to Rockville I had to check it out . Their branding and social media is definitely on point, plus they offer some unique weekend specialty ramen as well ! Zao prides itself with their handmade inhouse ramen noodles, skinny and curly varieties, and their authentic broths with modern spins.For the appetizers /drinks we got:Tori Kara-Age Mini Chashu Don Umeshu Japanese Plum Wine For the ramen we got:Gekikara Tonkotsu Old School Shoyu Mazesoba The Tori Kara-Age was some nice tender bites, and the chashu don rice bowl was savory and sweet ! The Gekikara Tonkotsu was the SECOND most spiciest ramen on the menu, and it was pretty intense , tasty broth but it had a BOLD spicy KICK . The Ramen broth in general is more on the oilier side, which if that's your preferred style, then it works well! My Old School Shoyu was tasty, but I think the broth could've had a bit more flavor/saltiness to it. Besides the basic toppings listed in the description, you can add extra toppings from their menu for additional costs, but this can make your ramen end up being pretty pricey. Definitely want to come back and check out their weekend specials, as well as their skinny ramen noodles.

Came here with a group of 5 on the way back from skiing up in Pennsylvania one Saturday. The store front confused us at first but were able to find it after circling back. The inside had a pretty cool classic ramen shop feel. You order at the stand up front via the machines and take a number to your table.We got a variety of noodles and what helped was a day of skiing and the fact that it was like 28 degrees outside so a bowl of ramen really helped hit the spot. That being said, while the broth was good, I wished there were more things in the ramen and the meat selection was a bit different. The thin slices for some of the bowls did not feel very substantial for the price.Overall it was good in terms of flavor but not somewhere I would go out of my way for. If I lived closer wouldn't be against going when I was craving a bowl but there are better places closer to the downtown DC area that I would choose over this place.

Zao Stamina really has a vibe of its own.Their ramen is not traditional and very unique, but their execution on creating their ramen USES traditional techniques. If they wanted to make traditional ramen; they could easily achieve this because their skills and attention to detail really shines. I loved my ramen. Broth had so many notes and layers to it. Right balanced of light and thick. I drank my whole bowl. Noodles were springy and meat was tender - just knocked it out the park.Zao Stamina is truly a gem in Bethesda, Maryland.

Not impressed. Nowhere near authentic Japanese ramen. Order kiosk and open seating. Would not come back.