The veggie ramen was EXTREMELY salty. Couldn't finish it because it was so salty. First time I haven't taken my leftovers from a place.Vegetarian options: Veggie Ramen, tofu steam buns
Richard Crawford
Never had authentic Ramen before so we had to try it. Heard about this place and several others but since this place sold Ramen exclusively we figured it must be good and were not disappointed! We got the Gyoza (or dumplings) to start and they were delicious! Then I ordered the Tonkotsu with a side of extra noodles thinking I might need or want more noodles but it definitely comes with a hearty portion to begin with but the extra does soak up all the wonderous incredibly savory sweet juice in this dish and just made me want to not stop eating. All those anime of characters going to town on a bowl of Ramen, well I completely understood now because I had this bowl inches from my face doing the same thing without realizing it! My friend ordered the spicy Ramen and though he enjoyed it as well he said mine tasted better as far as the meat. The pork was so tender with this nice crispy edge you would find at a smokehouse or off the BBQ but went so well with the dish and gave it another texture that was delightful! Also not to leave out how wonderful the staff was and loved seeing the chefs enjoying themselves and what they were doing. Everyone there was friendly and inviting and the atmosphere was fantastic. Definitely on my tops to visit again and loved everything about it!
kidrobot36
Have visited several times and enjoyed but 100% not the place to enjoy a meal with friends. Every time I visit Gainesville, I attempt to eat here with my friends and without fail we are denied seating. Either you have to wait an 1 hour+ or be refused seating altogether. We understand the restaurant is very small in size and popular but to not offer the option for reservations? Wish they would offer a reservation option to fix this issue. Needless to say, my friends and I have officially given up on trying to eat here.
Erickukin 에릭국인 (ahuskerinkorea)
First time eating out in DT Gainesville and I was very excited for a good ramen place. However, the food was quite disappointing. I ordered tonkotsu ramen with no extras.The broth was overall under seasoned and lacked depth. It tasted like it needed a few more hours of boiling with the bones (either that or it was from a concentrate) to obtain the correct depth. Using some of the white pepper at the table the flavor improved but the lack of salt was still an issue.The chashu seasoning was quite good! And it was skillfully braised. However, the cut was too thick by about 25%. Also the meat was way too dry (perhaps, like the broth, needed a few more hours in the marinade before braising?) While that means they do give a generous portion of meat, I would rather have less meat but cooked correctly.The marinaded egg with cooked perfectly...but alas also needed another day or two in the marinade to achieve the right flavor and set.The noodles were flavorful and cooked to a nice texture.Overall, although the location and decor are fantastic, the food experience was overwhelmingly underwhelming. I accepted the stamp in their "reward but 10 get 1 free" program" knowing that I would not be coming there again for ramen. Such a shame, because they have so much potential, a fantastic location and a monopoly on ramen restaurants in the city... But, like many of the individual ingredients in the ramen, perhaps the restaurant needs a bit more time to "marinade" their recipes.
Jesus R Escalona P
I had a bad experience last weekend as they served me completely raw pork dumplings (Gyoza)… I ate them raw … when I realized I threw them up.I asked the cook if he knew the pork was raw and with a poker face he said “yes”, the manager did not apologized for it they didn’t care, just the waitress said “I’m sorry” a few times.The ramen (Tonkotsu) was average nothing impressive. In my opinion not recommended place the have a dinner.
bornbythebeach
My best friend and I go here at least once a month. We both always get the Shio bowl. We've tried the pork belly steamers and those are just as good. They use to have a drink called the Fox and the Bear. It was delicious. However they no longer make it. Wish they would bring it back. Besides that the staff is great and the food amazing. Highly recommend
Morgan Rose W.
I paid $18 for a bowl of ramen and one of my favorite things about ramen is the soy egg. I got the shoyu bowl (which is supposed to have a soy egg) and it wasn't in there. Im sad rip
Victoria K.
Man let me tell you, it hurts to give Crane 2 stars. Do I think my experience warrants it? Definitely. I went mid-week for late lunch at 2:15 on a Thursday a few months ago now. I never got around to posting this review but I'm definitely still sour about it as you can tell. As I got there, it started to rain pretty hard. Yes they close at 3 for lunch but it was just me, table for one, wanting the special for that day which was a Thai seafood Pho style ramen bowl. $17 and it was bland without chili oil or added seasoning. For sure, not the flavors I remember. I do love their happy hour and their steamed buns, their pickled vegetables, their homemade hot sauce, and their drink specials. I'm more than willing to pay full price for all of those. What I'm expressively annoyed with and the reason I probably won't return unless going with friends who want to eat here, is the service. As I mentioned, I went during the middle of the week nearly an hour before they close. It was raining outside. They had multiple orders that they were still taking on the phone for pick up before they closed at 3 and opened again at 5 PM. When I asked if I can sign in I was told that I needed to take it to go. Obviously it was pouring outside so there was no way to get in and out quickly. The server was just absolutely annoyed with me that I wanted to sit inside and they were going to close in 45 minutes. Honestly on a rainy day after a long week I was just looking for a good for something warm and comforting and I left annoyed. I spent $23 with a tip on a lunch that I did not really want the leftovers of because the flavors were just OK and the service was lackluster especially with the bad attitude.
Hailey D.
I've always been a fan of this place-- they have great ramen and good deals on Tuesdays. My partner and I always order the Paitan chicken ramen because it's a perfect dish. The last time we went we ordered a Paitan and there were meatballs instead of chicken. My partner was confused thinking it was the wrong item so we double checked the menu and asked the waiter about it. The server got defensive and told us they changed the chicken to meatballs. We asked where it said that on the menu and he told us "it said so in Japanese"..? The menu is in English... I totally understand if they run out of items or the menu changes but not explaining that ahead of time and arguing/ refusing to make it right doesn't seem on brand for Crane (or any decent restaurant). Pretty bummed about this experience
Natalie
This was my first time here and I was very pleased. The decor of the restaurant is really nice and I like the open kitchen concept. It was cool to see the chefs working hard to make the food so delicious.We started with the pork buns and I was really happy with them. The meat was tender and I really liked the spicy sauce. Not sure what it was but I liked it. The greens gave a nice little crunch and fresh flavor and the buns had a nice chewy texture with a slight sweetness to them. I loved them.I ordered the shoyu ramen and my boyfriend had the tonkotsu ramen. I got two massive pieces of pork in my bowl and I was not disappointed at all. The meat was so tender and you definitely get your moneys worth with all of what you get in a bowl. We were both very pleased with our choices. There was enough for me to take home and I enjoyed it the next day.Overall would recommend and am interested in coming back to try some other stuff on the menu.
I’ve reviewed them before on other websites, but I needed to put one in for my experience tonight.My partner and daughter’s shoyu came out spicy- it’s not, normally- and they offered to remake it. They also discounted it for the mixup. The second bowls come out- also spicy. Now, this is where Crane differs from most anywhere else for me: at no point did any of the staff shrug it off, or have any sort of attitude, or anything like that. They were /super/ understanding, even going so far as to find out what had happened in the back of house (just a general oversight in the kitchen that led to a hefty batch of spicy shoyu), took those meals off of the check, and apologized for the mistake.Honestly, even though half of our party was unable to eat there tonight- just seeing the process that the staff went through to rectify a situation that was probably stressful for all involved, that will make me continue to support them and rave about Crane Ramen to friends from out of town!(Plus, tonight’s special was amazing.)
Annie H.
Did not have a good experience, me and my boyfriend came here for a date and they were super busy, and that's okay. About an hour pass and the table next to us who came in with us about the same time already have their food. That's okay, we waited for a little longer, then we see the table across from us with about 8 people all munching on their food, and we saw them come in about half of an HOUR LATER than us. I go politely ask the waiter what's going on, and she tells me that the kitchen had a mismatch????????? it's been two hours at this point, and the waiter never once came up and asked us about our order, pour us water once which was appreciated, but never asked us about our food or even realize how long we have been sitting there. We decide to leave since it's been way too long. After two hours of waiting and not receiving food, they still charged us for the appetizer, which came out to be $17, and the dumplings was awful. At this point the least they can do was to not charge us for the appetizer, after two hours, they lost two customers forever, and all my my friends. Me and my mom also went a long time back, also had a super long wait time for food. The ramen we had was okay, but will never go back
Jason Burchfield
Food is wonderful and the staff is fantastic. Get the gyoza.
David R.
I definitely loved the pork belly steamed buns. The buns were soft and saucy. I didn't particularly enjoy the karaage chicken. It looked dark and I didn't taste much flavor in my opinion. I also order some gyoza which were good old gyoza, crispy and melt in mouth taste. The ramen is probably the best in Gainesville. I got the tonkutsu. My favorite part of the dish was the egg. It was salty and delicious. I didn't necessarily enjoy the pork belly. I felt it didn't have much flavor but it was still overall an enjoyable dish if you're craving for ramen. The staff are pretty attentive and great people!
stevelake4
$15 for a bowl of broth with a noodle floating in it. What a joke this place is. I can't believe anybody goes here. I can't believe anyone would give them more than a one-star rating.
The veggie ramen was EXTREMELY salty. Couldn't finish it because it was so salty. First time I haven't taken my leftovers from a place.Vegetarian options: Veggie Ramen, tofu steam buns
Never had authentic Ramen before so we had to try it. Heard about this place and several others but since this place sold Ramen exclusively we figured it must be good and were not disappointed! We got the Gyoza (or dumplings) to start and they were delicious! Then I ordered the Tonkotsu with a side of extra noodles thinking I might need or want more noodles but it definitely comes with a hearty portion to begin with but the extra does soak up all the wonderous incredibly savory sweet juice in this dish and just made me want to not stop eating. All those anime of characters going to town on a bowl of Ramen, well I completely understood now because I had this bowl inches from my face doing the same thing without realizing it! My friend ordered the spicy Ramen and though he enjoyed it as well he said mine tasted better as far as the meat. The pork was so tender with this nice crispy edge you would find at a smokehouse or off the BBQ but went so well with the dish and gave it another texture that was delightful! Also not to leave out how wonderful the staff was and loved seeing the chefs enjoying themselves and what they were doing. Everyone there was friendly and inviting and the atmosphere was fantastic. Definitely on my tops to visit again and loved everything about it!
Have visited several times and enjoyed but 100% not the place to enjoy a meal with friends. Every time I visit Gainesville, I attempt to eat here with my friends and without fail we are denied seating. Either you have to wait an 1 hour+ or be refused seating altogether. We understand the restaurant is very small in size and popular but to not offer the option for reservations? Wish they would offer a reservation option to fix this issue. Needless to say, my friends and I have officially given up on trying to eat here.
First time eating out in DT Gainesville and I was very excited for a good ramen place. However, the food was quite disappointing. I ordered tonkotsu ramen with no extras.The broth was overall under seasoned and lacked depth. It tasted like it needed a few more hours of boiling with the bones (either that or it was from a concentrate) to obtain the correct depth. Using some of the white pepper at the table the flavor improved but the lack of salt was still an issue.The chashu seasoning was quite good! And it was skillfully braised. However, the cut was too thick by about 25%. Also the meat was way too dry (perhaps, like the broth, needed a few more hours in the marinade before braising?) While that means they do give a generous portion of meat, I would rather have less meat but cooked correctly.The marinaded egg with cooked perfectly...but alas also needed another day or two in the marinade to achieve the right flavor and set.The noodles were flavorful and cooked to a nice texture.Overall, although the location and decor are fantastic, the food experience was overwhelmingly underwhelming. I accepted the stamp in their "reward but 10 get 1 free" program" knowing that I would not be coming there again for ramen. Such a shame, because they have so much potential, a fantastic location and a monopoly on ramen restaurants in the city... But, like many of the individual ingredients in the ramen, perhaps the restaurant needs a bit more time to "marinade" their recipes.
I had a bad experience last weekend as they served me completely raw pork dumplings (Gyoza)… I ate them raw … when I realized I threw them up.I asked the cook if he knew the pork was raw and with a poker face he said “yes”, the manager did not apologized for it they didn’t care, just the waitress said “I’m sorry” a few times.The ramen (Tonkotsu) was average nothing impressive. In my opinion not recommended place the have a dinner.
My best friend and I go here at least once a month. We both always get the Shio bowl. We've tried the pork belly steamers and those are just as good. They use to have a drink called the Fox and the Bear. It was delicious. However they no longer make it. Wish they would bring it back. Besides that the staff is great and the food amazing. Highly recommend
I paid $18 for a bowl of ramen and one of my favorite things about ramen is the soy egg. I got the shoyu bowl (which is supposed to have a soy egg) and it wasn't in there. Im sad rip
Man let me tell you, it hurts to give Crane 2 stars. Do I think my experience warrants it? Definitely. I went mid-week for late lunch at 2:15 on a Thursday a few months ago now. I never got around to posting this review but I'm definitely still sour about it as you can tell. As I got there, it started to rain pretty hard. Yes they close at 3 for lunch but it was just me, table for one, wanting the special for that day which was a Thai seafood Pho style ramen bowl. $17 and it was bland without chili oil or added seasoning. For sure, not the flavors I remember. I do love their happy hour and their steamed buns, their pickled vegetables, their homemade hot sauce, and their drink specials. I'm more than willing to pay full price for all of those. What I'm expressively annoyed with and the reason I probably won't return unless going with friends who want to eat here, is the service. As I mentioned, I went during the middle of the week nearly an hour before they close. It was raining outside. They had multiple orders that they were still taking on the phone for pick up before they closed at 3 and opened again at 5 PM. When I asked if I can sign in I was told that I needed to take it to go. Obviously it was pouring outside so there was no way to get in and out quickly. The server was just absolutely annoyed with me that I wanted to sit inside and they were going to close in 45 minutes. Honestly on a rainy day after a long week I was just looking for a good for something warm and comforting and I left annoyed. I spent $23 with a tip on a lunch that I did not really want the leftovers of because the flavors were just OK and the service was lackluster especially with the bad attitude.
I've always been a fan of this place-- they have great ramen and good deals on Tuesdays. My partner and I always order the Paitan chicken ramen because it's a perfect dish. The last time we went we ordered a Paitan and there were meatballs instead of chicken. My partner was confused thinking it was the wrong item so we double checked the menu and asked the waiter about it. The server got defensive and told us they changed the chicken to meatballs. We asked where it said that on the menu and he told us "it said so in Japanese"..? The menu is in English... I totally understand if they run out of items or the menu changes but not explaining that ahead of time and arguing/ refusing to make it right doesn't seem on brand for Crane (or any decent restaurant). Pretty bummed about this experience
This was my first time here and I was very pleased. The decor of the restaurant is really nice and I like the open kitchen concept. It was cool to see the chefs working hard to make the food so delicious.We started with the pork buns and I was really happy with them. The meat was tender and I really liked the spicy sauce. Not sure what it was but I liked it. The greens gave a nice little crunch and fresh flavor and the buns had a nice chewy texture with a slight sweetness to them. I loved them.I ordered the shoyu ramen and my boyfriend had the tonkotsu ramen. I got two massive pieces of pork in my bowl and I was not disappointed at all. The meat was so tender and you definitely get your moneys worth with all of what you get in a bowl. We were both very pleased with our choices. There was enough for me to take home and I enjoyed it the next day.Overall would recommend and am interested in coming back to try some other stuff on the menu.
Restaurantji Recommends
I’ve reviewed them before on other websites, but I needed to put one in for my experience tonight.My partner and daughter’s shoyu came out spicy- it’s not, normally- and they offered to remake it. They also discounted it for the mixup. The second bowls come out- also spicy. Now, this is where Crane differs from most anywhere else for me: at no point did any of the staff shrug it off, or have any sort of attitude, or anything like that. They were /super/ understanding, even going so far as to find out what had happened in the back of house (just a general oversight in the kitchen that led to a hefty batch of spicy shoyu), took those meals off of the check, and apologized for the mistake.Honestly, even though half of our party was unable to eat there tonight- just seeing the process that the staff went through to rectify a situation that was probably stressful for all involved, that will make me continue to support them and rave about Crane Ramen to friends from out of town!(Plus, tonight’s special was amazing.)
Did not have a good experience, me and my boyfriend came here for a date and they were super busy, and that's okay. About an hour pass and the table next to us who came in with us about the same time already have their food. That's okay, we waited for a little longer, then we see the table across from us with about 8 people all munching on their food, and we saw them come in about half of an HOUR LATER than us. I go politely ask the waiter what's going on, and she tells me that the kitchen had a mismatch????????? it's been two hours at this point, and the waiter never once came up and asked us about our order, pour us water once which was appreciated, but never asked us about our food or even realize how long we have been sitting there. We decide to leave since it's been way too long. After two hours of waiting and not receiving food, they still charged us for the appetizer, which came out to be $17, and the dumplings was awful. At this point the least they can do was to not charge us for the appetizer, after two hours, they lost two customers forever, and all my my friends. Me and my mom also went a long time back, also had a super long wait time for food. The ramen we had was okay, but will never go back
Food is wonderful and the staff is fantastic. Get the gyoza.
I definitely loved the pork belly steamed buns. The buns were soft and saucy. I didn't particularly enjoy the karaage chicken. It looked dark and I didn't taste much flavor in my opinion. I also order some gyoza which were good old gyoza, crispy and melt in mouth taste. The ramen is probably the best in Gainesville. I got the tonkutsu. My favorite part of the dish was the egg. It was salty and delicious. I didn't necessarily enjoy the pork belly. I felt it didn't have much flavor but it was still overall an enjoyable dish if you're craving for ramen. The staff are pretty attentive and great people!
$15 for a bowl of broth with a noodle floating in it. What a joke this place is. I can't believe anybody goes here. I can't believe anyone would give them more than a one-star rating.