Benkei Ramen on West Broadway Vancouver

Benkei Ramen is one of the older ramen restaurants in Vancouver. Their first location was on Robson downtown. The West Broadway store is their second location and it has been here for at least 6 years. We like to come here when the weather gets cold and let a bowl of hearty ramen warm us up. Benkei Ramen is located on West Broadway near Cambie Street in Vancouver.

Strength: Located conveniently near a skytrain station

Weakness: The broth is a little too thick that makes you very thirsty

Other Ramen places

• Ramen Gaoh (2.5 Stars)
• Hokkaido Raman Santouka (4.5 Stars)
• Kamamarui Ramen and Don (3 Stars)

Storefront facing West Broadway

Benkei Ramen faces West Broadway in the crossroad building. There is a very wide sidewalk in front. Even though Benkei Ramen is the last restaurant in this block, they still get a lot of exposure from the foot traffic.

Wood and bamboo finishes

The interior space uses lots of wood and bamboo. Customers sit on black leather seats without backing. The focal point of the store is the bar, where you would be placed if you come here by yourself.

Typical table set up

Benkei Ramen made things simple by putting chopsticks and napkins right at the table. Customers can grab the napkins as they need to without asking for the server. The condiments include a sesame seed grinder to maximize the sesame taste. Each customer gets one glass of water and the spoons arrive with the ramen because not everyone orders something that requires a ramen spoon.

Spicy akaoni $10.95

The spicy akaoni is spicy ramen with ground pork bits. Akaoni is Japanese that translates to “Red Demon” to paint a spicy picture for you. I think this is a similar strategy to Ramen Gaoh‘s scorpion ramen. The soup base has a lot of flavour. I think the majority of it comes from minced garlic. You won’t be able to pick up the ground beef as you enjoy your ramen. Eventually, the ground pork soaked up enough of the soup base to become very flavourful.

Miso ramen $10.50

Miso ramen is one of the basics of ramen flavours and it is the one I order most often. Shio ramen is a classic, but I find it a little too boring. Also, I have had a bad experience with a poorly cooked Shoyu ramen that was a little bitter. My miso ramen’s soup base was a little thick and quite salty. The staff said it has been boiled for over 12 hours. I think it’s a little too much.

604 Food Critic Assessment

Benkei Ramen is a seasoned ramen joint that’s been around for a while. Their price went up a little but remained in the same range throughout the years. That is why it is still a ramen place a lot of people default to. I personally think their ramen is too soft and feels a little overcooked. Their special dish is the curry ramen, with the soup similar to the miso ramen that is too thick to drink. Benkei Ramen is an okay ramen joint with a very competitive price of $13 per person. Because of that, there’s always going to be customers willing to come here instead of Raman Santouka across the street.

Menu

How to get in touch

• Phone: (604) 568-6178
• Address: 545 W Broadway, Vancouver
• Hours: 11:00 am – 10:45 pm Everyday