Sanpachi Japanese Noodle & Bar

I had a piece of flavourful hair in my ramen and got $ 1 off haha
Maybe it shut down because of health reasons?

Soooo it’s not sanpachi anymore. It was bought out and now the menu has four ramens to choose from, a whole section dedicated to extra toppings and a small section dedicated to combos.
We had a coupon for 2 for 1 lunch at sanpachi so off we went, only To be told we couldn’t use it. All good, the portions looked huge so we figured we would share something anyway. The menu is pretty confusing — as in it doesn’t tell you what actually comes in 3 of the 4 ramen bowls other than «pork broth, ramen noodles».
Anyway we ordered the gyo-​za combo. (Yes there was a dash). Which is basically any ramen you want plus an order of gyoza for $ 12.50. The ramen was the house special one, which was a spicy pork ramen with cabbage. It was pretty delicious, though not lots of toppings like other places I’ve been to. The gyoza were unreal! So fresh, and so delicious. I demolished them.
The service was pretty average and the music… I thought I should be at an underground rave wearing white gloves and throwing an imaginary ball. So odd. It honestly kind of ruined the whole ambiance, but ah well.
The restaurant definitely needs some work — chairs were ripped to shreds, and the place seemed a bit run down.
But the food was delish, one portion was more than enough for both my husband and myself and it only came to $ 12.66 after tax.
Definitely the perfect rainy day cheap lunch.

this was the best ramen around for quite some time.
I bring a Japanese girl there, and she cried «samishii»
(like a memory of home)
Now occupied by Ootori, which I haven’t tried yet, but a cook I know (Koji, or KJ) used to work at Kintaro, Motomachi, Sanpachi and now at Black& Blue, also works Ootori.
So, I MUST come in someday…
Wherever Koji san is working, gohan ga oishii desu.
I’m thinking that he should have his own blog…
edit: Ootori will close Feb. 15^th.
KJ is working at Kamei baru.

I enjoyed this. We ordered one bowl each, I had pork and hubby had veggie. Tasty, big and quick. We were in an hr lunch break and we were sat and eating within 10mins. I’ll try it again. Also has sushi and rice bowls on menu. Conveniently located off Robson on Bute. Next door to Steamrollers.
**updated Apr 2014** Sadly, this place has closed down.

The ramen here was alright. The soups tasted very strongly of their namesake. Shoyu tastes like shoyu and miso is like miso — nothing more, nothing less. By the time we went (2pm) they were out of tonkatsu broth but I imagine it must taste a lot like little piggies.
I got the dipping noodles and it didn’t seem much different than the other noodles, just a stronger broth and it came with a marinated egg (yum!).
The mini chasyu bowl was good. Real pork over a bed of fluffy rice drizzled with mayo. The salmon roll that comes as an option with the meal combo uses third tier salmon — the fish looked tomato red. The chirashi bowl seemed alright. It had a decent variety of sashimi on a bed of seasoned sushi rice.

Nothing hits the spot more than a hot bowl of soupy substance when it rains here in Vancouver. We just said goodbye to October and November hits us with cooler, wetter temperatures. Of course, being a Vancourite we must have a thing or two of Arc’teryx to protect us from precipitations. Anyways, while picking up my tickets from Jeweliette Jewellery for the Crème de la Crème Grand Wedding show, we ended here at Ramen Sanpachi. Closer to the shopping center, Ramen Sanpachi was a good alternative to Motomachi Shokudo 元町食堂 and Guu Kobachi
Tonkotsu ramen $ 8.95: a rich, dense flavored broth with a lot of pork bone and seaweed flavor. Although very tasty, it seemed to miss a certain complexity. Three thinly sliced chashu were given and the noodles were not nearly enough compared to Motomachi Shokudo. I’ve been hearing that your better option is Hokkaido Ramen Santouka up the street. But honestly, we find the portions just as petite.
Spicy Ramen $ 8.95: A mild spicy version of a spicy ramen. I probably wouldn’t go as far to say it was even spicy. The broth was rich and very dense and had a lot of good herbs and spice flavoring. Perhaps I would bring my own chili oil or a jalapeño in it for good measures.
We recommend the window bar seats as compared to the low-​top tables in the back. You get a little more leg room and some people watching action going!

My first experience of ramen in Vancoyver was a big disappointment. First off when we walked in they told us to sit down anywhere so we down at a both with four chairs then one if the waitress comes over telling us that table is reserved. So we’re like ok that’s fine we’ll move. we sat at a cramped table between two groups of people. talk about no breathing space.
As we decided to order our ramen I asked the waitress if I can add corn. She said in her broken English «We can’t add corn because we don’t have enough» I’m clustered, so I ask «what do you mean you don’t have enough, it’s either u have it or you don’t» she said she needs to save the corn for the ramen corn. Wtf. At this point I was pretty irritated And i didn’t want to waste my time arguing I just I let it go. It took forever to get our ramen and it was so watered down and bland I couldn’t even finish it. One of the worst ramen I’ve ever had, I make better ramen out of those 25cent packages…
As we left I still noticed the table we originally say down was still empty, she claims the table was reserved, but in reality realized she was just saving it for groups of 3 or more. I didn’t even see anyone come in the hour we were there. Meh I DO NOT recommended this shady place at all. Oh and also there were nats/​flies all over the place gross.

On the whole, I really like Sanpachi, even if its ramen doesn’t quite measure up to the competition. Pluses: doesn’t require trekking all the way over to the West End, seldom a line-​up, and lovely servers. As a bonus, I like sitting on the stools by the big window and watching people. The ramen does the job, but if you’ve tried a few of the more popular spots, you may notice that the broth just doesn’t have the same richness of flavour (for the record, I’ve tried shio, yatai, and spicy).
Since I usually would have to go downtown to get any decent ramen at all in the Lower Mainland, I might venture a little further down the Robson, but sometimes Sanpachi is just good enough to fill the craving for noodles and pork, and a side of gyoza.

I was visiting Vancouver for a day and decided to try this place after passing by it before leaving for Seattle.
I wasn’t expecting much but it turned out to be delicious!
Most of the ramen items were sold out so I ordered the miso ramen.
I was pleasantly surprised by how flavorful and tasty the broth was!
It came with lots of meat, corn, and bean sprouts.
It’s comparable to the ramen places I go back home in Orange County.
Our waitress was extremely nice!
Since most of us are not in Canada often except 1 person that lives in Seattle, she let him draw out of the raffle 5 times for each of us and he got vouchers for free items on his next visit!

Service was good. My companion (s) and I were greeted very kindly by a nice lady when we entered and were soon seated.
I got my usual, Shoyu Ramen which was tasty but not the best. I’ve had better. I can’t remember the pricing too clearly but it was either $ 7 – 8
One reason as to why I can’t give this Japanese Noodle Restaurant a 5 star is because once, me and my siblings had decided to get take out on some wings to give to our other sibling. Once we had arrived to our other siblings home and she had opened the box to see the wings, it turns out there was a lot of bone on it and hardly any meat to it.

One word: Diarrhea.
The restaurant was pretty empty when we came for dinner. Not a good sign. In contrast, Santouka and Kintaro have lines stretching several meters out the door with waits approaching an hour or more.
I ordered the Tsukemen. It was pretty delicious actually, so I ignored the off taste of the soft-​boiled eggs. Big mistake a few hours later while I sat on the porcelain throne. Soft-​boiled eggs have to be kept cold, otherwise they will go bad very quickly. When I ate it, the egg felt room temperature, and there was a fishy smell from the egg white. Sigh. I regret eating it so much.
Waitresses kept coming over to ask how we were doing, since there was maybe just one other customer in the whole place. I think if I had ordered something else, I probably would’ve been ok, or if I had just not eaten the egg.

I live with a noodlehead, and although I am a fan of starch, I find that I am constantly being dragged to noodle houses and being force fed to the point of gluttony. Ok, maybe I overeat just a tad, and then sit there amongst all the other patrons being that creep that has to unzip their pants and rub their belly in front of everyone while groaning.
I had the only veggie ramen they had, which was filled with corn, spinach, carrots and other assorted veggies. The broth was actually pretty flavourful for a veggie soup, but I added some hot sauce to liven it up a bit. The service was great, they kept checking up on us cuz we were drinking water like dehydrated sponges, and the music in this place sounded like a cross between Japanese Sesame Street and the mini-​pops with a hint of karaōke bar.
I’ll probably be back since its in the hood, and its decent, but I might bring my ipod and crank out some of my own tunes while I slurp up the soup.

So, this was a last minute dinner decision based on the number of people that didn’t pass out from drinking like a fish. Haha. So, out of 7, 3 of us were able to find food… and Ramen was the word of the evening. I looked up a few places and this place was the closest to our hotel, but I really wanted to try some other ones closer to Stanely Park. Since it was late and the farther places were cash only… and I wasn’t sure how long the wait time would be, we decided that we would go here.
FOOD = 5 Stars: We actually came here twice during our trip because we liked it so much and wanted everyone else to enjoy it too! I ordered the spicy miso ramen, which really good and actually spicy. The second time we went I had a regular ramen bowl with some chicken karaage and rice. Needless to say, everyone basically finished their ramen bowls. I think the overall consensus with people was that the spicy ramen was the best.
ATMOSPHERE = 4 Stars: This place is nothing spectacular and is by no means run down or anything. It’s your average place where you can go get ramen and enjoy your food. I really enjoy places where I can go get food and I know there are native people (in this case native Japanese people) enjoying the food as well. If it wasn’t good, then they wouldn’t be there either.
SERVICE = 4 Stars: The Japanese wait staff was very attentive to our needs and they were quick with our orders. They checked on us and made sure we had everything we needed.
RECOMMENDATION: I have to be honest because the previous reviews made me really hesitant to try this place out, but I really really liked the ramen here. I’m guessing that they have made improvements and it shows in everything they do. I recommend that people try to this place out… not to mention they take credit and cash, which for me is a big thing since we were traveling and I didn’t have time to stop by a bank… not that I know the area too well. Also, as I mentioned before, if other Japanese people are frequenting this place, then it must be good. See you again Sanpachi!

Went to Sanpachi with my stunning Angelina Jolie lookalike girlfriend during Pride Parade… and I think there are much better ramen options in downtown.
I ordered the Miso Ramen and it tasted like instant noodles. The broth was extremely salty and it made me soo thirsty. The chicken Karaage tasted like it was heated in the microwave. The condiments did not taste too fresh.
Also, 1) The waitress waited after we got our food to clear the bill and take the tips from the previous people, it took about 20 minutes to clear.
2) Ordered 2 beers, and they completely forgot about it
3) Messed up the bill and almost charged me for an extra ramen! So Bad!

Typical ramen joint.
The ramen noodles were cooked right, the soup was additive, service was great until it got really busy and boss lady with a sour face came around asking if we would like to settle the bill. My favorite thing was the tasty egg, it’s $ 1.00 to add it to your ramen. Go for it!
I’m bloated from my meal, but can’t stop drinking water. Damn you MSG!

This

Sanpachi is one of the more spacious ramen places that I’ve been to. There’s lots of bar type seating right by the window (great for people watching), and tables for larger groups.
I got their Yatai ramen, which on the menu only describes it as «the traditional style» ramen. I thought I’d give it a try, and I was quite impressed.
The soup stock was flavourful and simple, not too oily, not to salty. Noodles were perfectly chewy, just the way I like them. It came with some bamboo shoots, seaweed, chopped green onion, and a couple pieces of pork, which weren’t fatty as well. I wished it also came with an egg though.
A thoroughly enjoyable quick meal, will be back to try out other choices!

Stepped off the beaten path for some ramen goodness. This one is a bit out of the way from the competition (Robson and Denman).
Parking here can be had after 1800 on some side streets, but your best bet is to walk here.
The restaurant is L-​shaped, with a main dining area and a narrow strip that doubles as the foyer and kitchen pick-​up zone. The staff were Japanese, with authentic accents. There was a TV in the back playing a lot of commercials. There is a narrow «patio» out front, but I’m not sure if it’s actually used for seating. Look way too narrow.
I had the Yatai ramen, while my friend had the Tsuke-​men ramen. We also shared a Nori-​mayo.
Yatai — oh wow the soup was fatty. A skin formed on the surface before I could take a photo of my food. I scooped it away, and another skin formed. The bamboo made the noodles nice and stinky. The noodles were nice and somewhat springy, but my heart longed for Benkei. The pork slices were something special. They were so tender that they broke into pieces when picked up with chopsticks. The soup wasn’t too heavy on the MSG, which is always a plus.
Tsuke-​men — served as a bowl of ramen and toppings, with the soup in a separate bowl. My friend poured the soup into the noodles only to discover there was a ton of ground beef in the bottom of the soup. There was a lot of awkward scooping afterwards. The dish came with 2 halves of a «tasty egg» (soft-​boiled and probably buried in the ground somewhere).
Nori-​mayo — 3 seaweed (nori) wraps filled with rice and shredded pork in a creamy sauce. Reminds me of food you can buy at a deli in Yaohan Centre. Yum.
One side note: this place does cost more than the competition. The ramen bowls were $ 9 – 11. But the value is decent.

I went several times in their first month, and liked their Shio, Yatai, and Tonkotsu.
But this was the first time in a while. Maybe thing went quickly downhill after my first good experiences, or maybe today was a bad day… a really bad day…
I had gyoza for the first time today. The stuffing was pasty. No texture. Gross. That’s normal commercial grade — the reason I don’t buy frozen gyoza. I was hoping not to encounter that at a restaurant.
The side Shio ramen tasted OK, I think, but I couldn’t really tell, because I was overwhelmed by a burnt smell. I couldn’t figure out if they managed to burn clear soup, if it was the roasted sesame (which I would have declined, had I been asked), or if something plastic was melting…
Notes:
— There are no signs of the teishoku kind of things (teriyaki chicken, etc.) that had been shown as «coming soon».
— They have desserts: Anmitsu and something like Banana/​Ice Cream Tempura.
— They have an Izakaya-​type Sanpachi on West Broadway toward UBC (just saw a sign here, so I don’t know the details).

I’m a Tonkotsu Fan and was less than amused when I went over most of the Menus near the West-​end/​Robson Ramen-​ya to find most offering Shio, Shoyu, Miso or a variation of the above. I was quite excited to find Tonkotsu on the Menu at Sanpachi…
Excitement quietly vanished as I heard a few Staff speak Mandarin Chinese. I removed that fact from my memory once the nice older Gentleman brought my Tonkotsu Ramen ($ 8.00+). Btw, they had more elders working here than other Ramen-​ya and all where quite Friendly.
Maybe I ordered one of their least special items as I took a SIP of the Broth and it just wasn’t what I expected from the usual Tonkotsu Broth. The flavour for some reason had this umami taste almost like Shitake Mushrooms were used but no matter, it just wasn’t what I wanted.
Secondly, the Broth got Salty quite quickly which was quick unfortunate as the Ramen Noodles were one of the best FUN slurpable varieties I’ve had to date. They where slightly thicker than the ones from Kintaro or Santouka so I brought out some Flour taste from some bites.
I guess I’ll stick with Tonkotsu Ramen from Toronto for now.