Summer of Lunch: Too Many Noodles at Ren's Ramen

Although I’ve lived in Wheaton for a year, I’ve fallen back into familiar eating patterns and haven’t scratched the surface of the wide world of food options in town. This summer, at lunchtime, I’ll be seeking out a place that I haven’t stepped into at all, and trying their signature items.

Readers of this site are, if nothing else, very interested in information about Ren’s Ramen - a Bethesda staple that . As there’s no way Ren’s could have entered my lunchtime rotation any sooner, I put it on the list for Summer of Lunch with the following rationale: I love noodles, I love bowls of steaming soup garnished with onion-like vegetables; I should really enjoy Ren’s.

The decoration at the new Ren's is minimalist but inviting. Although to enter, I had to push away the hanging canvas sign painted with Japanese calligraphy draped right inside the door, the rest of the seating area is almost entirely unadorned and has plenty of seats.

The menu is simple: three types of noodles, add-ons, and a few side dishes. I went with the Miso Ramen, knowing I’d enjoyed similar broth bases before and added in the special of the day - pork bellies - with no idea if I’d like them or not. 

For lunch hours that are shorter than an hour, Ren’s is both good and bad - the food came out very quick, but I was taken aback by the size. The bowl was huge and the broth was steaming hot. I waited five minutes for the temperature to come down to less than scalding, while strategizing how I would finish what appeared to be a liter’s worth of broth plus noodles and meat.

Ren’s claim to fame is their high-quality, authentically-made noodles, and I was certainly not disappointed there. The broth (when cooler) was flavorful and not too salty.

The pork bellies tasted, not surprisingly, like pork. The fattier parts were delicious, while the meatier parts were a little tough and strangely not that flavorful. Because it was an add-on, there were only four thin slices of the pork bellies. But the entirely of the meal was so filling that I had to call in the leftover containers.

The total for the Miso Ramen, the pork belly add-ons and a can of soda came to $14.05. A little expensive for a quick lunch by myself, but I did get another meal out of the leftovers.

Given the size of the ramen, and a desire to truly enjoy it, perhaps a dinner with friends at Ren’s would be more appropriate.

Previously in the Summer of Lunch: