Oooh, colorful~! So wait, the rating is out of 10 right?

10 per category. 30 max in the bowl. this one was… so good it made me cry ;;

Hmm, shame that the bowl of ramen above resembles what it should be. Yet it tastes like absolute sh!te. British punters who’ve never had proper ramen in the Land Of The Sinking Sun (TM) are truly missing out. That wagamama place reminds me of this sushi joint called ‘Katsu’ or something in Brentwood, SoCal.

mwahahahaaa… thank God i’m going home tomorrow! what ONE place should i go to to get my ramen fix??

Pret A manger has made it’s way to NYC, although reception was a little chilly when they first started. Not sure if it’s still the case.

i fuckin hate this place and yo sushi and all the other terrible trendy garbage including nobu london…

I use Wagammama regularly and I find that the majority of the time, they are well situated for a filling and speedy meal. They also undoubtedly provide much healthier meals than most outlets who serve food in a similar fimeframe!
All in all, I give them a high score.

From experience I think wagamama is great. I guess you will be real disappointed they have done so well in the 2 Boston restaurants that they have now signed for another 4 sites, not bad since launching in USA in April. Not everyone feels the same way as you.

if you like it, more power to you! it doesn’t quite do it for me, though. i merely wish there were more alternatives in the UK.

I went in there last Sunday and there was not one East Asian face in there out of over 200 people—except in the kitchen, and only one or two there. Nuff said?

I ate at the new Wagamama in Harvard Square (in Cambridge, MA) a few days ago and it was horrible. First of all the ambiance was loud with no privacy and reminded me more of a high school dining hall than a restaurant. The minimalist design didn’t allow for any sound-absorbing material and the bench seating meant I was overwhelmed by the food (and BO) of the man sitting next to me. The food was mediocre, which normally I’d excuse, except it was ridiculously priced. $11.00 for katsu chicken? I could get the same thing for half the price down the street at the Japanese cafes in the Porter Exchange. There really isn’t anything special about Wagamama. They are simply taking Japanese fast food: ramen, udon, nabemono, etc. and giving it a hipster-spin in order to charge exorbitant prices. Their “gimmicks” such as no appetizers, only “side dishes” (I’m sorry, edamame and gyoza are appetizers, I don’t care whether you serve it with the meal or not), food being delivered as it’s made (so the rest of your party can sit and stare at their food while you wait for your dish to arrive), and bench seating are more annoying than they are helpful. No thanks.

Being from LA it is far and few between that I get to eat the chicken ramen at Wagamamas, but I crave it every week. I totally disagree with the review, but maybe I just don’t know what a good ramen is. I am OBSESSED with Wagamama.

Perhaps the fact escape you whilst writing your review that wagamama is not intended to be a restaurant of any kind but more of a fast food outlet. The pricing is perfectly acceptable for the food provided and the quality far surpasses say, Chinese take away food that you could buy for a similar price.

If you did some research you would learn that the founder of wagamama, Alan Yau owns two high-class Chinese restaurants, Hakkasan and Yauatcha in London. Both of which have won Michelin stars.

In my opinion it is unfair to compare wagamama with authentic Japanese food and instead it should be compared with fast food outlets such as McDonalds or KFC. Meals are similarly priced (wagamama is understandably slightly more expensive) and the ambience, quality, nutrition and general healthiness of the food far surpasses your average American export, hamburger and fries.

How about next time you are in London reviewing a REAL restaurant such as Hakkasan or Yauatcha instead of talking about, what is in effect, a fast food joint.

Um, perhaps the fact escapes you that I review RAMEN shops on this site, not Chinese restaurants, starred or not. That is all. I could care less if Yau was behind El Bulli, can turn bangers and mash into a lollipop, and has six stars from a tire company to his name; if his noodles blow, I’m going to call him out on it.

That Wagamama serve a relatively healthy and nutritious meal is great, but that’s not exactly my focus. Ramen, especially in Japan, is considered to be “fast food,” so that the Wag sucks (at whatever price point) is really no excuse.  As such, I fail to see how a comparison can be made to American corporate chains; it would be highly unfair, especially to KFC, which has great hot wings!

Wagamama is priced higher than McDonalds and KFC (at least in London) and there is no reason why it should be—the ingredients are dirt cheap and there’s nothing painstaking about the way they’re prepared. Added to which the place has all the atmosphere and style of an IKEA cafeteria.

I´m in Copenhagen, Denmark right now.  There´s a Wagamama at Tivoli, near my hotel.  I´m somewhat morbidly curious to try it.  But I think I won´t.  I´ll try one of the many other horrible faux-Japanese restaurants instead.