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Matsudai Ramen
Matsudai Ramen: Slurp-worthy ramen and Japanese flavors in Cardiff
3.6
Ramen
$$
Matsudai Ramen: Slurp-worthy ramen and Japanese flavors in Cardiff
Matsudai Ramen is a Cardiff ramen and Japanese restaurant at 183-185 Clare Rd, CF11 6QS. The menu features ramen staples like tonkotsu and other Japanese dishes, with diners praising the broth, chewy noodles, and a starter such as yuzu-cured gurnard; reviewers also note vegan-friendly tweaks. Reviews are mixed: some praise friendly service and flavorful meals, while others mention an outdated ambience and variable pacing.
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Enjoy our rich and flavorful ramen, including Tonkotsu and Iekei-inspired options, with perfectly chewy noodles and tender chashu.
Start your meal with fresh dishes like yuzu-cured gurnard sashimi or crispy chicken karaage with curry mayo sauce.
We offer customized ramen and dishes to accommodate vegetarian and vegan diets, with chef-tweaked recipes for all preferences.
End your meal with authentic Japanese sweets, such as matcha crème brûlée, featuring deep, balanced flavors.
Experience fast and friendly service in our Cardiff location, with seating available for walk-ins and bookings.
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Overall rating
Benjamin Yumol
A Well Recommended Ramen House in Cardiff. My son has a bad egg allergies but did tolerated their noodles. It was tasty and really good! We enjoyed our family meal out. Services were good too. Definitely we will go back. Only comment is with the ambience, it looks sad and outdated…
Chalisa Chow
I’ve been craving a good ramen for a while now but couldn’t find a proper Japanese ramen spot in Cardiff. Saw a lot of recommendations of this place on TikTok, and i’ve been wanting to visit this place for months. Finally made it today as i finished work early and decided to stop by for dinner. Not sure if it was because its Halloween and they had limited menu, but luckily the Tonkotsu ramen was still available- exactly what I was craving. For the starter, I ordered the yuzu-cured gurnard, not really knowing what to it is. It came out sashimi-style and honestly? It was so good — delicate, fresh, and perfectly balanced with the citrus flavour. Then came the Sunset Tokotsu Ramen — and wow. The broth was rich, packed with umami, and not bland at all. The noodles were cooked perfectly — nice and chewy, not soggy, which I really appreciate since they tend to soften quickly in hot broth. There was only one dessert on the menu, the matcha crème brûlée, and at first I thought of skipping it to get dessert elsewhere. But i’m so glad I stayed — it had a deep, authentic matcha flavour, not too sweet, and a beautiful finish to the meal. The total came to about £36, which honestly made sense considering I had a full meal - starter, main, and dessert. For the quality, and flavour, I left the restaurant satisfied. Overall, everything was excellent — the food, the service, and the pace. I went alone without a booking, was seated quickly, and my food came out fast and hot. Had the perfect dinner — comforting, flavourful, and exactly what I needed. Definitely coming back again 😋🍜
Saskia S
We were recommended this place and we’re definitely not disappointed - delicious food and friendly service. Also lots of great veggie and vegan options - the chef was even so kind as to tweak one of the dishes to make it vegan friendly. Highly rate!
Forest
I lived in Japan for 2 years and visited so many ramen restaurant but I never seen this short ramen noodle. I asked the manager that the noodle size is ok or not. He said it is standard but the other staff member told me it is not. The manager was super rude and ramen was horrible. I can say this ramen is not authentic, specially you cannot find this kind of noodle in Japan.
keon !
Below mediocre; we’re unsure as to how it has maintained such a high rating. Would avoid. The countertop was sticky and the service was somewhat slow despite the relative lack of customers (it was late in the evening). The pacing of dishes was good. The chicken karaage was the highlight of the meal, and perhaps the only recommendable dish. The chicken was juicy, crispy, tender — everything you’d expect — and paired nicely with the curry mayo sauce. The mini chashu don was underwhelming for £6. The rice was barely seasoned and the grains didn’t stick to each other, unlike traditional Japanese rice. The chashu itself had a nice smoky flavor but it wasn’t particularly seasoned either, meaning the overall dish was bland. The iekei-inspired ramen was average. Although the broth was too salty, it still had the depth expected of pork bone broth, and the chashu was tender (albeit very thinly sliced). Unfortunately, the shoyu ramen had no redeeming factors. The noodles were slightly undercooked, nearly crunchy, and the broth was exceptionally salty yet somehow simultaneously flavorless. Both dishes were lukewarm when they arrived, likely because they had been waiting for a while on the countertop before a member of staff finally delivered them to the table. We couldn’t finish either bowl. Nothing is more heartbreaking than spending a decent amount of money on disappointing food and service, and this place is expensive. To add insult to injury, one member of staff held out the tip machine, turning it so that he could also see our choice, and watched judgmentally as we pressed No Tip (having been put off by the entire dining experience and the additional 20% VAT). Do look elsewhere if you’re searching for a satisfying meal.