Terakawa Ramen sits on the border of Philly’s Chinatown. The traditional ramen house serves piping hot ramen during Philly’s cold winter.
When I was in Philadelphia, Terakawa Ramen was a “maybe” on my list to eat but it became a “yes” after dining at Cheu Noodle Bar. Cheu Noodle Barwas an utter disappointment and I needed to satisfy my fix with an attempt at a more traditional take on ramen. Hence, Terakawa Ramen became a “yes” on my schedule.
The traditional ramen house was fairly packed when I arrived during lunch. The restaurant was run by Japanese staff and the patrons seemed to be all Japanese. The two main indicator whether a restaurant would turn out somewhat decent. I didn’t have high hopes for Terakawa Ramen as the wasted calories from Cheu Noodle Bar was still fresh on my palate.
Terakawa Ramen decor is very traditional Japanese in its setup and use of wood at the ramen bar. The peaceful colors of the wood calms you a bit while you impatiently wait for your hot bowl of ramen to be delivered. The wait staff were very efficient and prompt in everything they did from seating you to taking your order to delivering your food to bringing you your check. I was in and out of Terakawa Ramen and on my way to Nan Zhou in less than 25 minutes.
Now, the food. Terakawa Ramen has a number of different ramen but I always go with my favorite bowl, which is Spicy Miso Ramen. They didn’t have a spicy option but they gladly made my bowl spicy.
- Miso Ramen – The Miso Ramen came with chicken and pork miso broth. It was topped with bamboo shoots, charshu, bean sprouts, chopped scallions, kikurage mushroom and a seasoned boiled egg. The cooked bean sprouts had a slight crunch to it even though it was half cooked. The broth originated from Kumamoto, Japan, and cooked over two days. The care and preparation is showed through the oily rich yet bold broth flavor. The salty and fully developed broth complimented the fatty charshu and wavy yet chewy ramen noodles.
Miso Ramen - Japanese Sausages – The typical ramen side found practically at every ramen house in the United States. The Natural Heritage Berkshire pork sausage was pan fried then served with Japanese spicy mayo. The tender and decently cooked sausages had a good bite to them resemble a broiled Chicago Hot Dog. The good thing about the sausages was it wasn’t too salty yet had a robust flavor to them.
Japanese Sausages
Overall, Terakawa Ramen is your typical and traditional ramen house. It’s a solid ramen house serving a broth from Kumamoto, Japan. The chef takes great pride in the broth by cooking it over two days. Terakawa Ramen delivers when it comes to ramen. I love traditional ramen houses over any hipster noodle or hipster ramen houses. Hipsters ruin everything like Brooklyn’s Chuko.
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- Service - 7.5/107.5/10
- Presentation - 6/106/10
- Flavors - 8.5/108.5/10
- Decor - 7/107/10
- Ambiance - 7/107/10
Summary
The traditional ramen house serves piping hot ramen during Philly’s cold winter. Terakawa’s decor is very traditional Japanese in its setup and use of wood at the ramen bar. It’s a solid ramen house serving a broth from Kumamoto, Japan. The chef takes great pride in the broth by cooking it over two days.
