Few food items took the eating world by storm as much as the Ramen Burger did a couple of years ago. Rivalled only by the Cronut in cult status, people lined up for the original, and all its copycats in cities during pop-up events all around the globe. But there’s one place in Vancouver with a Ramen Burger on their permanent menu.
Ramen Koika in Davie Village in the West End has been open just shy of a year, and while they have an extensive menu of ramen (from seafood to veggie to tsukemen and even extra spicy), they are also serving up the ultimate novelty item: Ramen Burgers.
A ramen burger is a burger patty sandwiched between two ramen noodle “buns.” The noodles are actually the tastiest and most fun part of the Ramen Koika Ramen Burger; they have a pleasant chewy bite, and seem to pull apart in a well-timed manner in the face of the burger’s oozing secret sauce.
This burger comes in a couple of versions: The standard one is an Angus beef patty with lettuce, cabbage, sauce, and cheese (optional). The Spicy Ramen Burger includes the expected spicy sauce, and the Cha Shu Ramen Burger swaps the patty for pork belly, and the house sauce for teriyaki.
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The Koika Ramen Burger is a major napkin-soaker, and not exactly “fast” food, since it seemed to take a while for the order to be ready. Take the night market/street fest experience indoors and get a Tornado Potato Stick to munch on while you’re waiting–those things are damn addicting. Sadly, it’s also not as pretty as the pictures suggest.
The Ramen Burger isn’t destined for any “best burger” list, but it’s worth checking out for the sheer whacky factor of this exact kind of pop culture dining.
Ramen Koika
Address: 1231 Davie Street, West End
Phone: 604-336-2779
Website: ramenkoika.com
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