Gagana Ramen is a franchise from Tokyo and a hidden gem totally worth checking out! ??I've been here once probably 7 years ago and had the Tsukemen dipping ramen. I loved it but I never got a chance to go back again.We decided to check them out recently and I regret not going back sooner!!Featuring:- Tonkotsu Ramen- GyozaThe ramen was so rich in flavor and the chashu pork was super tender (they cook it for 12 hours!). I could tell that they use high quality ingredients to make their broth.The ramen chef trains in Japan to make their special ramen. It takes 17 hours to make a big pot of broth! They also use special egg noodles which have a very bouncy texture.Because it takes a lot of time to make their ramen, they only serve about 20 bowls (or whenever they sell out) at lunch time.I was also very impressed with their gyoza. It was the bounciest gyoza I've ever had and so juicy! I highly recommend getting gyoza with your choice of ramen.They are located inside Mike's Family Billiards, which is quite random. If you don't see the sign for Gagana outside, that means they sold out for the day.The ramen chef told us that he is thinking of retiring in 2 years so make sure you check them out before they close!
Tried the spicy miso and loved it. Will definitely go back.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Spicy Miso
Matthew Ziriada
Best dipping ramen (tsukemen) in Calgary! Fast service and love those chewy noodles! Staple in my ramen diet. Pictures is spicy miso and regular tsukemen, can’t wait to come back. Dine in the give dashi broth for the leftover broth, good stuff!
Excellent service. My favorite ramen and karaage in the city.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Spicy Miso Ramen, Pork Gyoza
Erika Goaldway
It was a happy surprise to find this ramen store inside of a billiard place!It may be a bit tricky to find this place, if you see the sign for Mike’s family billiard, go inside, you’ll find Gagana ramen.The ramen was really tasty, we tried shrimp shoyu and spicy miso. They are both tasty, shrimp one was light but a lot of umami. The spicy miso was a bit spicy and flavorful. Noodle was thin but chewy, Chashiu was charred and delicious.The owner explained to us that Gagana is a franchise of ramen shops in Japan. I looked up the Gagana in Japan, menu was a bit different but the shop was highly rated. It’s nice to be able to try a Japanese ramen in Calgary! We also tried their chicken. They normally have wings but today they substituted with tulip chicken and it was really good.Price and reasonable and the owner was very kind.There were about 20 billiard tables and it was quite busy on Sun afternoon. They charge by min or hour, they serve snacks and drinks including alcohol, looked like.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 5
Service: 5
Kalvin Lau
It was a surprising good ramen shop located within a billiard. The best ramen I had in Calgary, and among the top ten even included Hong Kong and Japan.
Raeleen Martinez
This place was fantastic!! Don't be deceived by the appearance of the building, after all, you're going for some tasty ramen!The staff are pleasant and kind. We ordered the tonkatsu and the spicy miso ramen. The broth was fragrant and flavourful. Great portion size. We left with our bellies full and satisfied. Definitely a place we'll be visiting again. Thank you for the wonderful meal.
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Spicy Miso Ramen
Michael Crosby
I never would have thought that I'd find my favorite bowl of ramen in a pool hall, but here we are. Absolutely worth a visit.
Really amazing food; the spicy miso ramen was tied for the best ramen I’ve ever had, very similar to ramen you can get in Japan. It is a hole in the wall but I wish it wasn’t; for the food quality, it deserves a lot of customers.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Spicy Miso Ramen
Rey Hume
You probably wouldn't expect a place like this inside the Billiards hall, but this place is genuine. The ramen here is probably the closest that I've tasted to the ones I've had in Japan. Makes sense considering that according to the owner this place is a spinoff of the Gagana Ramen stores in Tokyo and he was also trained in Tokyo. The broth here is delicious and full of flavor. The noodles are big and somewhat chewy. The char siu and other toppings are good. Portion size is reasonable. Would definitely recommend. The non-spicy miso and tonkotsu are great.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 5
Service: 5
kate k
Easily the best ramen in the city. Hole in the wall, yes. But the food is fresh and delicious!
Kyler Shelvey
Phenomenal ramen joint even if the setting is a bit unorthodox. I have tried many ramen joints across the province but I keep coming back for the spicy miso ramen, if the full offering of spice is too much for your palate, you can get half spicy instead or another delicious item on the menu. The noodles are a perfect texture, and the broth is always delicious. Cannot recommend this place enough.
Calvin Maceachern
Call it a hole in the wall. The gentleman is amazingly kind and the Ramen is Hands down top notch. Sure the location isn't what you'd expect but doesn't it doesn't reflect the quality of food and service. I hope they get their restaurant back up and running but we are fortunate he has a place to serve us such amazing food. Thank you
Gagana Ramen is a franchise from Tokyo and a hidden gem totally worth checking out! ??I've been here once probably 7 years ago and had the Tsukemen dipping ramen. I loved it but I never got a chance to go back again.We decided to check them out recently and I regret not going back sooner!!Featuring:- Tonkotsu Ramen- GyozaThe ramen was so rich in flavor and the chashu pork was super tender (they cook it for 12 hours!). I could tell that they use high quality ingredients to make their broth.The ramen chef trains in Japan to make their special ramen. It takes 17 hours to make a big pot of broth! They also use special egg noodles which have a very bouncy texture.Because it takes a lot of time to make their ramen, they only serve about 20 bowls (or whenever they sell out) at lunch time.I was also very impressed with their gyoza. It was the bounciest gyoza I've ever had and so juicy! I highly recommend getting gyoza with your choice of ramen.They are located inside Mike's Family Billiards, which is quite random. If you don't see the sign for Gagana outside, that means they sold out for the day.The ramen chef told us that he is thinking of retiring in 2 years so make sure you check them out before they close!
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 4
Recommended dishes: Tonkotsu Ramen, Tsukemen Dipping Ramen
Tried the spicy miso and loved it. Will definitely go back.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Spicy Miso
Best dipping ramen (tsukemen) in Calgary! Fast service and love those chewy noodles! Staple in my ramen diet. Pictures is spicy miso and regular tsukemen, can’t wait to come back. Dine in the give dashi broth for the leftover broth, good stuff!
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Spicy Miso Ramen, Tsukemen Dipping Ramen
nice service!
good service!
Excellent service. My favorite ramen and karaage in the city.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Spicy Miso Ramen, Pork Gyoza
It was a happy surprise to find this ramen store inside of a billiard place!It may be a bit tricky to find this place, if you see the sign for Mike’s family billiard, go inside, you’ll find Gagana ramen.The ramen was really tasty, we tried shrimp shoyu and spicy miso. They are both tasty, shrimp one was light but a lot of umami. The spicy miso was a bit spicy and flavorful. Noodle was thin but chewy, Chashiu was charred and delicious.The owner explained to us that Gagana is a franchise of ramen shops in Japan. I looked up the Gagana in Japan, menu was a bit different but the shop was highly rated. It’s nice to be able to try a Japanese ramen in Calgary! We also tried their chicken. They normally have wings but today they substituted with tulip chicken and it was really good.Price and reasonable and the owner was very kind.There were about 20 billiard tables and it was quite busy on Sun afternoon. They charge by min or hour, they serve snacks and drinks including alcohol, looked like.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 5
Service: 5
It was a surprising good ramen shop located within a billiard. The best ramen I had in Calgary, and among the top ten even included Hong Kong and Japan.
This place was fantastic!! Don't be deceived by the appearance of the building, after all, you're going for some tasty ramen!The staff are pleasant and kind. We ordered the tonkatsu and the spicy miso ramen. The broth was fragrant and flavourful. Great portion size. We left with our bellies full and satisfied. Definitely a place we'll be visiting again. Thank you for the wonderful meal.
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Spicy Miso Ramen
I never would have thought that I'd find my favorite bowl of ramen in a pool hall, but here we are. Absolutely worth a visit.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Spicy Miso Ramen
Restaurantji Recommends
Really amazing food; the spicy miso ramen was tied for the best ramen I’ve ever had, very similar to ramen you can get in Japan. It is a hole in the wall but I wish it wasn’t; for the food quality, it deserves a lot of customers.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Spicy Miso Ramen
You probably wouldn't expect a place like this inside the Billiards hall, but this place is genuine. The ramen here is probably the closest that I've tasted to the ones I've had in Japan. Makes sense considering that according to the owner this place is a spinoff of the Gagana Ramen stores in Tokyo and he was also trained in Tokyo. The broth here is delicious and full of flavor. The noodles are big and somewhat chewy. The char siu and other toppings are good. Portion size is reasonable. Would definitely recommend. The non-spicy miso and tonkotsu are great.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 5
Service: 5
Easily the best ramen in the city. Hole in the wall, yes. But the food is fresh and delicious!
Phenomenal ramen joint even if the setting is a bit unorthodox. I have tried many ramen joints across the province but I keep coming back for the spicy miso ramen, if the full offering of spice is too much for your palate, you can get half spicy instead or another delicious item on the menu. The noodles are a perfect texture, and the broth is always delicious. Cannot recommend this place enough.
Call it a hole in the wall. The gentleman is amazingly kind and the Ramen is Hands down top notch. Sure the location isn't what you'd expect but doesn't it doesn't reflect the quality of food and service. I hope they get their restaurant back up and running but we are fortunate he has a place to serve us such amazing food. Thank you