Tomukun Noodle Bar

This is by far my favorite place to eat in Ann Arbor. I have had all of the ramen and phở on the menu and it’s all delicious. My personal favorite is the spicey seafood ramen. I feel with all of the dishes you definitely get your money’s worth, massive portions. The staff are all very friendly and the atmosphere is good. The music playlist is always on point as well. Bringing in groups larger then 4 during busy hours can be tricky and can result in a decent length. Whenever friends come to visit me I try to bring them here for food.

I am a huge fan of Asian Fusion cuisine, and Tomukun Bar does not disappoint with their simple, yet tasty food!
Their appetizers are tasty and reasonably priced– I get the Takoyaki and pork buns and although they’re small, it is so worth it.
I am not a big fan of their ramen, but their slow roasted spicy beef ramen is pretty good and the broth is rich in flavor.
I always get the Beef Chow Fun and it is better than anywhere else on campus! You can also get it with chicken and tofu.
The Pork Katsu comes with a side of rice and the sauce is very delicious and adds such good flavor. The huge portions leave you very satisfied!
The one downside is the small size of the restaurant. The layout of the tables are very close to each other, so you can often hear the conversation of the party next to you, which I find distracting.
But overall, the food is tasty and probably one of the better Asian restaurants in Ann Arbor.

I ordered spicy beef ramen. The beef is deep-​fried and over cooked, the whole bowl of noodle is ruined by its smoky smell as well as taste. Probably I’ll be back, however, I’ll never ever make he same wrong choice again. For noodle or ramen, I’ll eat at Turtle where a high price deserves. And for other dishes like bibimbop, I would highly recommend those family owned Korean restaurants on South U Ave. So, what, if any, makes Tomukun special?

Love it. Recommend… my duck ramen is awesome. Dumpling only $ 3.Great selection of sake and beer. Must try

Until I lived in Bangkok for most of 2012, I never would have guessed that there is such a large Japanese tourist and ex-​pat community there. As a result, I ate a *lot* of actual Japanese ramen in Thailand. The selection, depth of flavors, and perfection of execution were impressive and addictive.
Since returning to AA, I’ve searched far and wide for a bowl of ramen to match (or even rival) what I fell in love with in Asia. Tomukun approaches closer than anywhere else I’ve tried here. The creamy pork ramen is particularly nice — rich, complex, very satisfying. I agree with another reviewer here that their non-​noodle dishes are not their strength; don’t waste a meal here on them.
I’ll be returning soon!

Always need to wait for a seat.
Tomukun has good barbeque, however, the ramen does not meet my expectation except roasted duck ramen. No where to park for free, and street parking is always full. Since most customers are students, the price is not low.

Update mainly for new experiences. My new favorite bowl here is the slow roasted beef ramen. The beef is well marinated and tender. Very nice.
However, a star deduction for possibly the worst service I’ve received. During my last visit, I couldn’t decide if I wanted the tomukun ramen (which had pork belly I wanted) or the slow roasted beef (my favorite). I went with the slow roasted and asked for the pork belly as a side ($ 3). See the picture attached for my disappointment. The pork belly was probably 5 – 6 little bits of a strip of bacon. Definitely not worth $ 3, definitely not the pork belly I expected. Where’s the slice that you get in the tomukun? What makes matters worse, is the entire time, our server didn’t check in, didn’t fill glasses, and didn’t speak to us. She stopped by once to drop off the bill without saying anything and left. I didn’t even get a chance to ask what was going on with my pork belly. Disappointing.

***TOMUKUN: ONE STEP FORWARD FOR ASIAN FOOD IN A2***
Growing up in A2, there wasn’t a downtown/​well-​known noodle place in town, and I was a novice in the noodle/​ramen/​udon/​phở game. It looks like these guys are trying to shake up the A2 asian food scene with this moderately hip noodle house and a BBQ place next door. And that alone is really worth 3 stars, since as much as I loved pigging out at the chinese buffet that used to be in the shopping center near where Zingerman’s roadhouse is now or the hibachi at Champion House, neither was really noted for its cuisine.
Walked in, 2pm on a Tuesday afternoon, the place was packed, no space but at the bar. Expectations set.
Ordered the namesake Tomuken ramen and an order of Takoyaki.
Takoyaki (4 balls for $ 3): slightly overcooked and lacking in octopus; still presented well with a lattice of sauces waved over the plate. For the price/​relative novelty in A2, I can’t complain too much. Worth getting if you’ve never had takoyaki, probably the worst rendition I’ve had though (including trying to make it once…), which just proves bad takoyaki is an oxymoron.
Ramen ($ 12, Tomuken style)
Broth: had a nice flavor but was too diluted. My favorites for tonkotsu style are Akamaru Modern (Ippudo), Hakata (Hide-​Chan) or whatever they serve at Ichiran. Tomukun’s broth was too light and frankly there was more than I needed … I would have enjoyed it more if the broth was less watered-​down. Much easier said than done, but the flavor was quite good, so if they could accentuate/​strengthen it more, it would really improve the quality of the ramen, imo.
Pork: good but pieces were very small… greater serving needed. Very fatty.
Noodles: I don’t prefer my noodles al dente, but the noodles felt overwhelmingly soft/​flimsy.
Egg: Only ½ egg included, it tasted a bit off from the best renditions, like it hadn’t been cooked long enough or in the right way. I’m no expert in this, but again, would have preferred less broth and the other half of the egg or at least more effort/​prep put into the egg.
Setting: Service was good, interior skirted toward being somewhat casual-​trendy.
I’m really happy these guys are here, and are pushing asian food forward in A2. Hopefully next time I’m back they’ll have up’d their game. As they say in football, «if you’re not getting better, you’re getting worse,» — someone else will try their hand in town (i.e. Slurping Turtle; note: haven’t been there), since judging from the crowd when I came, the demand in Ann Arbor is there.
Ranking Scale of Tomukun based on hypothetical location:
1 star: Japan
2 stars: NYC/​LA
3 stars: A2
4 stars: Saline/​Adrian/​Tecumseh/​etc
5 stars: on the side of the road in the middle of the UP
FINAL VERDICT: Worth it if you’re in the mood. Not sure I would recommend to out-​of-​towners since you can get a better version of this elsewhere, but its a great start for Ann Arbor.

My first time having ramen and I am in LOVE. This place is worth the wait, and wait you will because the line was out of the door when we were there on a Tuesday.
We had the shrimp buns, which melted in your mouth. We ordered the tempura udon and the spicy chicken ramen, both of which were incredible and the portions are unbelievable. We both had leftovers to take home.
Service was quick considering number of people sitting. Am planning to make many, many more trips here.

Oh dear. This was not good. I ordered some kind of ramen in a bowl with an egg I think. It just did not taste good at all. This place is usually busy and I was excited to try it out, but I just totally struck out with what I ordered. I would come back and try the other half of their restaurant which is Korean BBQ, but this place was not for me.

A very trendy and warm ramen bar, perfect for:
1. cold Michigan nights
2. warm therapy
3. friendship
They have best throwback music.

I thought Tomukun had the coolest concept when I first moved to AA– save some money by splitting a big ass bowl of soup/​noodles with someone. But over time I’ve been disappointed with the food here. I ordered some sort of chicken curry and it was literally rice with a bunch of sauce and like two dry chunks of chicken. I’ve had the phở multiple times and it was not good, and the toppings they give you are like half of what you would get at other places that serve phở. Maybe it’s better if you stick to the udon dishes, even though last time I ordered the duck udon or ramen (don’t remember) I got a huge headache from all the salt in their broth. Oh and the service is snobby and flippant.

Was in Ann Arbor for a couple of days and stopped by Tomukun. Coming from New York I wasn’t sure what to expect from Michigan in terms of ramen, but I was impressed!
I ordered the Roast Beef Ramen and it was delicious! I asked for the broth to be mildly spicy and I really enjoyed the hint of tomato. The spiced carrot in the soup was really good. There wasn’t that much beef in the ramen (4 – 5 small pieces), but it was tender and delicious.
Overall a really a good meal and comparable to many New York ramen shops. Unfortunately, the prices are comparable too. But, would recommend.

I really wanted the bibimbap because I wasn’t in the mood for noodles and figured they couldn’t mess it up that badly but I was very disappointed. It was pretty but didn’t taste all that great. You’d be better off with the ramen (sub the ramen noodles for udon) or the green curry udon itself! Slow service, long wait, … I’m going to go back and order a noodle dish soon so hopefully that’ll be better.
UPDATE: Went back, got the slow-​cooked roast pork ramen, subbing the ramen for udon. Was alright — definitely better and bigger portions than the bibimbap but not all too great either (6.5÷10).

In Ann Arbor all the time and have wanted to try this place for awhile now and I am very glad I did. I had to give this place four stars because the service and the food were really on point.
The atmosphere was very relaxed and inviting, we went at 9:00 so it wasn’t very crowded. Being our first time at Tomukun it was nice that the server took the time to go over the menu and some of her favorites with us.
I started with the Summer rolls with shrimp, which I love, especially when they are not fried. I was thrilled to see them on the menu. They weren’t the best I’ve had though. A bit to much lettuce and not enough of everything else so they lacked in flavor. The dipping sauce was good but I prefer it not to be as thick. It made it hard to dip and I kept losing the filling. But I would still order them again so it’s not to big of a deal. For our main dishes we decided to split two. My husband had the Phở Deluxe, it was delicious. We both really enjoyed it. The broth was bright and refreshing and very comforting and the noodles were cooked well. We also had the Chow– Fun noodles. Besides the fact that most of them were stuck together it was also delicious. Only criticism I could find is personally I would have liked more vegetables so that there was more of a crunch factor and something more than just noodles. Both dishes were great and we will back soon as there are still many things I want to try like the Pork and Shrimp buns and the dumplings. Just not sure I’ll be able to get past these two dishes that have now become a favorite.

Since I’ve lived in Ann Arbor, Tomukun’s food has just been a regular staple for me. It’s hard to get the proper fill on decent contemporary-​ish Asian cuisine cravings, really– and Tomu always hits the spot for me!
My hubs gets the Okonomiyake to start every time, without fail. Delicious, consistent. We love to pretend we can’t pronounce it. The spicy beef ramen seems to be the best tasting in my opinion so far, as well as the butter corn ramen. Our go-​tos are the kara-​age, curry rice, katsu, and the mackerel. Pork buns are obvious, and my new shining star– their sweet & spicy wings! This is the closest you’re gonna find to real korean style fried chicken (sauce flavor and crunch!) in Ann Arbor. I know there’s an establishment that exists solely on this subject but Tomu wings beat them out, easy.
I could probably eat here every day.

While their menu offerings may not be the most original or unique, the food here is tasty and satisfying. For appetizers, I’m a huge fan of their pork buns. They’re pretty small and cost $ 3 per bun, but the roasted pork belly is delicious and I can never resist.
As for the ramen, I’ve tried a handful on the menu and will have to say the duck ramen is my favorite. While the duck ramen broth can be a bit too sweet at times, the duck adds a different flavor and shakes things up a bit. I like all their ramens, but I personally think the rest are pretty standard and doesn’t make for a memorable dining experience. Don’t get me wrong – the ramen is good, but just not anything special. The portions are huge, however. I always leave Tomokun feeling stuffed and ready for a wonderful, food-​coma induced nap.

I come to Tomokun Noodle Bar on average twice a week; I tried pretty much everything on the menu.
My favorite noodle dishes are: spicy chicken ramen and duck ramen.
My next favorites are: creamy pork ramen and phở ramen
(but they are really inconsistent with the phở)
The noodle dishes are savory but the quality of the noodles itself are not very high quality. I can tell that they do not make their noodles.
For appetizers, I recommend pork buns. They’re so savory!
DO NOT get any dishes that are not noodles. (ton katsu, seafood pancake, etc)
The non-​noodle dishes here taste HORRIBLE!
But this is my favorite noodle bar in town! The noodles really fill you up! It is cheap considering the ample portions.
The noise level is very high and the place is usually always crowded. The lighting is dark.
Also, Tomokun is WAY better than Slurping Turtle so if you are deciding between the two, come to tomokun.

[3.5 stars?] Let me preface this by saying that in my entire life ramen has meant a block of noodles dropped into a pot of boiling water and a flavor packet added. I’m not even a huge fan of ramen and I am by no means an expert judge. This was my first time having ramen.
We went on a Monday night at 8:30 p. m — the place was packed but we were lucky enough to get a table. I immediately loved the 90s and 00s old school R&B that was playing. The place a great ambience and atmosphere. Our waitress brought us water and was attentive.
I had pork ramen ($ 12). I ate until I was stuffed and took home leftovers! It was good too. Scallions, onions, spinach, pork, egg, broth. I enjoyed it. They even put my ramen in a container for me to bring home. All in all, even though the cuisine may not be my favorite — it is very good.

Came here for lunch on a random Thursday and it was PACKED! My group of 4 was able to snag the last open table but it was right next to the door. There was a line waiting for tables. So the people waiting were crowding behind me while I ate and every time the door opened, the gust of cold wind would go up my shirt. Definitely no the best seat in the house.
This place offers a wide selection of different kind of Asian noodles — ramen, phở, etc. They also have non-​noodle items like curry, pork buns, and rice platters. Also, every day, they have a special item that they have at a special price.
I got the Thursday special — crispy beef ramen. The broth was good abut the crispy beef tasted a bit stale and it was mostly fat and not much meat.
I tried a bit of my friend’s phở and it wasn’t too bad. I have high standards for phở since I am Viet so I rarely order phở at a restaurant. My other friend’s chicken katsu curry also came with shrimp and it looked really good.
This restaurant also has a KBBQ part next door. They also have a full bar
SPECIALS:
MONDAY: Tomukun Ramen
TUESDAY: Phở Basic
WEDNESDAY: Curry Rice
THURSDAY: Crispy Chicken or Beef Ramen
FRIDAY: Bibimbop