AFURI

I would not recommend and do not plan to return to Afuri. I stumbled upon the restaurant after going to a gallery in the Arts District. There was no wait and it was next to my car. I ordered the yuzu ratan ramen, the cucumber salad, and a draft Kirin. The salad was unmixed, which was aesthetically fine, but made it hard to mix without making a mess. The “sous-vide chicken” was tasteless. It was nice to try a yuz based ramen broth, but the ramen as a whole wasn’t something I would need to eat again. Everything in it was a noticeably different temperature: the broth was perfect, the noodles were uncomfortably hot, and the egg and meat were room temperature. The ramen egg didn’t have the flavor of a usual ramen egg - or anything other than just egg flavor, the noodles didn’t have a great chew

We came here 3 years ago and now we are back! Their menu has changed quite a bit and I love the new items on their (new to us 🙃). ➖➖➖ This is what we ordered: ⭐️Yuzu Shio Edamame $8 - loved this appetizer so much! It was my first time eating it with yuzu shio flavor and it made the edamame taste really refreshing! Also love the black pepper and garlic chips on top :) ⭐️Tsukune $18 - This is their pork meatball with shishito. I wasn’t a huge fan of this, it tasted like a meat filling from a dumpling and then fried it. ⭐️Spicy Pork Tacos $11 - This was pretty good! Love the crispy gyoza shell. Went so well with the pork, lime, cucumber, onions and the other toppings it came with. Perfect little bite~ ⭐️Kara Tsuyu $21 - Yummy ramen with their kakuni pork! It comes with a side of spicy dip

Several of the ramens have a unique yuzu flavor to them in a lighter broth. Making it hearty yet not too heavy. Simple but elegant sushi bowl options. The only drawback is the price. All lunch entrees are essentially $20+ before tip. I don’t think that a lunch Ramen should cost $25, but it is tasty. Expect to pay about $75 for a lunch for 2 people.

On our second visit, I learned more about AFURI. I didn’t realize they were known for yuzu ramen, and trying it for the first time was a surprise — the citrus adds a brightness I’d never had in ramen before. This time, the kiosks were gone, replaced with a physical menu stacked with new offerings. We went for the Yuzu Shoyu Ramen, Buta Gyoza, Crispy Bok Choy, and a Yuzu Limeade. The ramen broth was refreshing, though I prefer a squishier style of noodle. The gyoza had good flavor but lacked that crispy layer. The bok choy sounded fun since I’d never seen it before, but the crunch didn’t add much. The limeade was the perfect cooldown, and I spotted a solid lineup of bar drinks I’d come back for. Overall, AFURI shines for what makes it different: yuzu ramen and refreshing drinks. The side

We ordered ramen and don the food is very delicious. Victor served us and the service is excellent. Very authentic taste.