Menya Rui Takeaway. The best ramen I've ever had. I climbed a personal Everest and made it to Menya Rui. An inverse dining experience, you wait outside for 45 minutes to an hour chatting and then get in and eat in under twenty. Spectacular broth with melt-in-your-mouth ground ramen. Splurge the extra $1 for the soft-boiled egg, bringing it to $16 / bowl. Karaage was yummy, but just save stomach space for ramen.
Very high-energy vibes make you feel alive. Inside, it holds maybe twenty people. There are small tables and bars. They expect you to get in and get out quickly. You order and pay from an electronic menu tied to your seat, so bring a phone. Come in small groups. Expect to wait an hour in line outside. There is plenty of parking.
Menya Rui Experience Summary
Ever since hearing about Menya Rui on Yelp's Best of 2023 list, I've been trying to find an excuse to head over.
Well, my excuse ended up being a birthday present from my wife. She got me tickets to see Bill Burr at the Fox with a friend, so we stopped by Menya Rui before the show.
I knew there would be a line, so we got there at 5:05 pm. It took us 45 minutes to get in, but the line was about the same length as we left at 6:15 pm. If it's just around the corner of the building, expect it to take about 45 minutes.
I got the karaage for $7 to start and followed it up with the tantanmen ramen with a soft-boiled egg for $16. The karaage was yummy, but I would save space for the ramen next time. The tantanmen ramen was the best I've ever had. My ramen history is somewhat limited to maybe ten different places around the country, but if you combine it with all Asian soups like pho, I'm pushing about 30 different places.
Menya Rui would top my list of any of them.
Once inside, it's got a great high-energy vibe, with people eagerly slurping up their soup.
They quickly seat you at a table or bar. You order from a QR code uniquely tied to each seat. After you pay from your phone, get up and grab water from the water station. They serve the food to you in under ten minutes.
Slurp up and get out so the next round of people can get in and enjoy.
The Food At Menya Rui
You come to Menya Rui for the ramen. Pick your favorite from the three available choices:
Everything about the ramen is delicious. From the moment you set eyes on the soft-boiled egg to when you tip the bowl up to drink the last of the broth, your taste buds will be thanking you.
The broth is creamy, salty, and sweet, with a light hint of spice. The noodles are chewy and delicious, while the pork is fatty and flavorful. Every bite excites the part of your brain that responds to the best things in life.
I don't want to overdo the adjectives, but the 45-minute wait is definitely worth it.
I still like the overall meal at Cate Zone better, but this ranks up there as one of the best Asian food meals I've had. That includes all the Asian food I've had in San Francisco, Los Angeles, and New York/New Jersey.
It still blows my mind how the top places in St. Louis compete with some of the best places I've had on the coasts.
As a tag-along to my meal, I also had the karaage. It was delicious fried chicken--breaded and flavored well, with perfectly cooked chicken in the middle. It came with kewpie mayo, which tasted like an aioli with spicy pepper.
Smaller bites than Katsuya, the karaage had a deeper-fried feel and taste to it.
My buddy got the chicken shoyu, which looked phenomenal. He's a sprinter, not a marathoner like me, and he finished the whole bowl in half my time.
Pro tip: Add more spicy pepper for a kick in each bite.
Menya Rui Atmosphere And Miscellaneous
The owners of Menya Rui want you to treat it like a typical Japanese ramen house. That means you're expected to come in a small group, eat your food, and leave. It's not unusual to eat alone at a ramen shop like this.
I loved the vibe and the energy. I was nearly jumping up and down I was so excited to be there.
To keep that intense ramen house feel, there's very limited seating. As a result, the line backs up outside as soon as it opens at 5 pm. You should expect to wait at least 45 minutes unless you arrive at 4:45 or earlier.
Think of the line as the time you'd normally spend talking to your buddy or a date at the table while you waited for food. It's an inverse dining experience where you hang out and then eat. It's fine for a group of up to four people where you can split into two groups when it's your turn to enter.
Once inside, they will seat you and tell you to order from the QR code at the bar or table. The QR code brings up a square menu tied to your unique table in the restaurant. That means you need a smartphone to order.
You pay via the website, they bring the food to you in about ten minutes.
In the meantime, you can grab water from the water table and some napkins.
Parking At Menya Rui
You have several parking options at Menya Rui. The dedicated lot in front of the building was full when I arrived, so I ended up parking a two or three-minute walk down the street.
The opposite side of the building also has additional parking.
Menya Rui Receipt
