Published by Angie. Last Updated on February 9, 2024.
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Ramen Bar is a casual spot in Squirrel Hill serving up solid takes on traditional Japanese ramen in addition to rice bowls and noodle dishes. In a neighborhood with a high turnover of Asian restaurants, Ramen Bar has stood the test of time for more than a decade with comforting noodle soups that hit the spot in chilly Pittsburgh winters.
Although we lived in Squirrel Hill when Ramen Bar opened more than ten years ago, we somehow have never made it in. But on a blustery winter day, we found ourselves shopping at Cuvee (a great bottle shop by the folks behind Independent Brewing Company and Hidden Harbor) and in the mood for a hardy meal. Ramen sounded like it would hit the spot, so we walked the few doors over to Ramen Bar, ready to cozy up to some steaming hot bowls of soup.
The space is informal and on the smaller end, and it's nearly always bustling. Although we didn't have a reservation, we were lucky to snag a table and started perusing the menu.
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A Huge Ramen Menu at Ramen Bar
Appetizers skew to Japanese options, mainly gyoza with different fillings, takoyaki, edamame, and chicken karage. We opted for the pork gyoza, which were well-seasoned and perfectly delicious.
Although ramen makes up the bulk of the menu, there are a few dry noodle and rice dishes on offer. We'll have to return to try these dishes like Japanese curry noodles and spicy Jaja Men stir fried ramen noodles.
The ramen menu includes a basic section with different protein and veggie additions, each with your choice of shoyu or miso base broth, and the option to make it spicy. There is also a specialty ramen section with premium and other non-traditional options, like Tan Tan seafood ramen bursting with scallops, mussels, squid, and shrimp; Tom Yum ramen; Japanese curry ramen; and more. There is also an extensive list of veggies and proteins that you can add to any of the ramen dishes.
We opted to keep things simple on our first visit and tried the Kimchi Udon and the Negi Ramen. The Kimchi Udon came with udon noodles in a spicy kimchi soup with shiitake mushrooms, onions, carrots, and our choice of protein (we opted for pork). This one was a little spicy and a little tangy, with a massive helping of noodles and veggies.
We also tried the Negi Ramen from the traditional ramen menu, with spicy marinated green onions, seaweed, pork, and ramen noodles. We chose the miso base but wish we would have gone for the spicy miso-base to amp up the flavor even more- anything with heat and miso is a winner for us.
Overall, the broth flavors were good, but we do think the broth could have increased its intensity of richness and umami flavors to pack an even stronger punch.
But the portions here are huge, and for the price point, you really can't go wrong with Ramen Bar. We would gladly stop in for a quick lunch or dinner in the future if we were in the neighborhood.
Ramen Bar is located at 5860 Forbes Avenue in Squirrel Hill.
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