WADAYA

Note: This review is part of a Yelp elite experience. Shoutout to Sarah and the yelp intern for organizing a fabulous event. The westside elites were a wonderful bunch, and its immensely gratifying when everyone shares the love of food. Wadaya is one of the top places to eat and you can see why. It was my first time experiencing the mazemen, which I had ignorantly ignored for the brothy ramen. However the manager mentioned that there was a dearth of good mazemen places, and the chef from Japan decided to fill that niche. Lucky for us, this is a great option for the noodle lovers amongst us (who isn't?). I was one of only 2 elites to opt for the vegan experience that included Vegan Tokyo Mazemen, Shishito peppers appetizer and a Yuzu-forward Lemonade. As with any good ramen, you need to mix in all the ingredients to coat the mazemen noodles with the sauce and all the accouterments. The vinegar table-side was a great addition to add in the umami, as if the brothless noodle experience needed any more umami. The yuzu lemonade was full of yuzu, light on the sugar (compared to so many other lemonades that are more sugarades) and had plenty of lemon (acid) to cut through the richness of the noodleicious dish. I liked the ratio of veggies to the noodles, although when I order takeout (which the manager said is a great idea since the dish holds well) I'd love a more veggies please option. Tip: This dish is garlic forward, so if you love garlic, you'll be in heaven. Just carry some mints :) Service was impeccable. The only feedback for the crew would be to jazz up the shisito peppers as they lacked a little flavor, but this may be because of the sequencing of dishes, when your flavor buds are saturated with the mazemen. However adding the vinegar gave it the right pep and it was a great complement to the main dish. Thank you to the yelp team for shining a light on a neighborhood gem that many of us passed by but had not noticed. Wadaya know, it's now a solid addition to all of our radars. Cheesy pun unintended, or was it? Tip: Plenty of 2 hour free parking in the neighborhood, since the lot is small and has only 3 spots for Wadaya.

Note: This review is part of a Yelp elite experience. Shoutout to Sarah and the yelp intern for organizing a fabulous event. The westside elites were a wonderful bunch, and its immensely gratifying when everyone shares the love of food. Wadaya is one of the top places to eat and you can see why. It was my first time experiencing the mazemen, which I had ignorantly ignored for the brothy ramen. However the manager mentioned that there was a dearth of good mazemen places, and the chef from Japan decided to fill that niche. Lucky for us, this is a great option for the noodle lovers amongst us (who isn't?). I was one of only 2 elites to opt for the vegan experience that included Vegan Tokyo Mazemen, Shishito peppers appetizer and a Yuzu-forward Lemonade. As with any good ramen, you need to mix in all the ingredients to coat the mazemen noodles with the sauce and all the accouterments. The vinegar table-side was a great addition to add in the umami, as if the brothless noodle experience needed any more umami. The yuzu lemonade was full of yuzu, light on the sugar (compared to so many other lemonades that are more sugarades) and had plenty of lemon (acid) to cut through the richness of the noodleicious dish. I liked the ratio of veggies to the noodles, although when I order takeout (which the manager said is a great idea since the dish holds well) I'd love a more veggies please option. Tip: This dish is garlic forward, so if you love garlic, you'll be in heaven. Just carry some mints :) Service was impeccable. The only feedback for the crew would be to jazz up the shisito peppers as they lacked a little flavor, but this may be because of the sequencing of dishes, when your flavor buds are saturated with the mazemen. However adding the vinegar gave it the right pep and it was a great complement to the main dish. Thank you to the yelp team for shining a light on a neighborhood gem that many of us passed by but had not noticed. Wadaya know, it's now a solid addition to all of our radars. Cheesy pun unintended, or was it? Tip: Plenty of 2 hour free parking in the neighborhood, since the lot is small and has only 3 spots for Wadaya.

This place is authentic Japanese noodle and super tasty. The noodles are perfectly chewy and bouncy, and the traditional Japanese mixing sauce is amazing. After you finish, they even give you a small bowl of rice so you can mix it with the leftover sauce and not waste any of that goodness. Also, if you spend over $50, the owner lets you do a gacha pull. Collect four pieces to redeem a free noodle dish. My friend got so lucky and won a free deluxe bowl right away!

This place is authentic Japanese noodle and super tasty. The noodles are perfectly chewy and bouncy, and the traditional Japanese mixing sauce is amazing. After you finish, they even give you a small bowl of rice so you can mix it with the leftover sauce and not waste any of that goodness. Also, if you spend over $50, the owner lets you do a gacha pull. Collect four pieces to redeem a free noodle dish. My friend got so lucky and won a free deluxe bowl right away!

Tried Mazemen for the first time. No broth, but full of flavor. I started with Mogu Buns, which came in two kind. Both were excellent. Then came the Deluxe Mazemen. The waiter suggested adding their homemade vinegar halfway through for extra umami. When the noodles were finished, I added rice to soak up the remaining umami at the bottom…so freakin’ good. Service was great. Expect a wait. I went on a Thursday night and waited about 15 minutes.