Horin Ramen: Tonkatsu ramen in new Burnaby location

Horin Ramen recently opened their new second location near Metrotown at Crystal Mall 🎊. They are known for a tonkatsu broth ramen, which is broth made from pork bones, mixed with their housemade original red chili sauce for an additional kick. As an avid ramen lover, I was excited to try it and I have not visited their downtown location before.

This review is based off of 2 experiences – 1 lunch and 1 dinner service.

Horin Ramen Metrotown
4500 Kingsway #1687, Burnaby, BC V5H 2A9

The vibe

Even though Horin Ramen already has an existing location downtown, in both times I came to the Burnaby location, there was a line 😣. For lunch we waited around 20 minutes on a Tuesday afternoon, and for dinner service on a Saturday we waited close to 40 minutes. The lineup kind of sucks because you have to wait outside in the cold, but they do give out warm teas, which is nice.

The inside of the restaurant is on the smaller side, but there are a reasonable number of tables. Most seating is for 2-4 people.

I do like the aesthetics of the restaurant and all the seating is comfortable.

Food review

Basically, you can choose from 3 different ramens – the tonkatsu ramen, tan tan ramen, or the black garlic ramen.

I have only tried the tonkatsu ramen, but most of the menu consists of this tonkatsu ramen with a different combination of toppings. You can also choose how firm you want the noodles to be, how spicy, how you want the chasu (aburi seared or sous vide), how fatty the broth, etc.

Hangry Loewe but the service made up for it

So my first experience here was for lunch and after waiting 20 minutes to enter, we waited another 20-30 minutes for food. I was getting pretty hangry and noticed that tables around us who came in after us, had already gotten their food and left 😠.

I was about to flag a server over to complain, but one server came up to us before I did that and told us that she realized our order didn’t go through with the machine and that is why we didn’t get our food yet. She assured us that our order is now rushed and will be coming soon 😒.

So yeah it still sucked that our order never went through and we waited extra long, but I was satisfied that the server was able to notice an unhappy customer and reach a solution before a complaint was made. Our food did arrive shortly after and we were also gifted a free dessert as an apology, but in the end we still spent over 1.5 hours here for lunch, which is far longer than we expected to stay. I also noticed a difference in food quality when we came back a second time.

Gyoza ($6-8)

A popular side dish on the menu is their gyozas/dumplings. You can order a side order of 6 pieces for $8 or if you do their combo +$6 with any ramen, it comes with 4 pieces and some pickled veggies.

The first time we ordered these, we were pretty disappointed because the gyozas were kind of soggy and weren’t crispy enough, even with the skirt 😕. I think this was because our lunch order was rushed to make up for missing our order. The second time we came, we ordered the gyozas again and they were much better.

The one ($19) + Ajitama ($15)

I like how many options there are for the tonkatsu ramen because my husband and I have different capacities when it comes to eating. For all the tonkatsu ramens, you can choose between a regular sized portion or a small portion (slightly cheaper).

My husband ordered the signature The One regular size, which comes with 4 slices of chasu meat and more noodles. I ordered the ajitama small size, which only has 2 slices of chasu and less noodles. We both had a full ramen egg and green onions. I felt my small portion was absolutely perfect for me.

Now for the taste – I really liked the tonkatsu broth. I went with the chef’s recommendations for all the customizations on the ramen, and I found the broth to be very hearty and savoury. The restaurant also boasts that they cook the broth for over 20 hours 😮. The chili sauce also gives it a kick at the end without being too spicy for me (you can choose more spicy if you want!). I also think the chili sauce makes this broth more addicting and interesting.

I have always preferred thin noodles over thicker ramen noodles, so I was happy that they serve it with thinner noodles here. The chasu was also very yummy – has a great smokiness to it and it falls apart as you pick it up 👍.

Matcha tiramisu ($7)

The matcha tiramisu dessert that was gifted to us is usually $7 but you can also choose this to be your side order in the combo for $6 + pickled veggies. The size is good to share between 2 people.

I like my tiramisu with more mascarpone than cake, and this one fits my preference perfectly 👍. It is so creamy and light – delicious! I am not a big fan of the gooseberry or goji berry they place in the middle, but it’s not a big deal.

Final thoughts

Loewe’s rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Aside from the order mishap in our first experience and the quality of the gyozas, I found the ramen to be delicious both times we visited. Horin Ramen is quickly climbing my ranks for ramen in Burnaby and it is a top contender for a tonkatsu broth. The chasu and the chili sauce is what makes Horin Ramen stand out against its competitors.

Service was excellent, especially as noted with my first experience where our order never went through. I do dislike lining up outside though, so I am hoping with time the hype will die down and I can just walk in or have a shorter line.

Sincerely, Loewe