Shinjuku

Esteban and I finally got a chance to hang last week, so we went to the new ramen spot in his neighborhood. I’m a huge fan of ramen… I mean, not the kind we used to devour in college.

Shinjuku is a great spot, for sure. The vibe is just right and it’s the perfect combination of high-ish end dining blended with the fun of a communal shared dining experience. The place is packed with long tables and bench style seating. I was skeptical at first, but it was great.

The ordering is a fun surprise, too. Just like the traditional hole-in-the-wall noodle spots in Tokyo, you’ll find an old school vending machine in the corner (cleverly adapted to take Apple Pay because who carries cash, let alone coins, these days). There’s a selection of photos of various meals, all numbered, you just mash the buttons, tap your phone and you get a little slip of paper with the number on it. We walked our tickets over to the counter and handed them to the guy who immediately started dumping ingredients into bowls and passing them back to us with a stoic nod.

We settled into a spot at one of the tables and had some pretty great ramen. The best I’ve ever had? No. But I’d say it’s a solid B+, which isn’t a bad night in my book.

So… the food was fine, but what about the ever so important “behind the scenes” situation? Well, I’ve got a mixed bag for you.

The restrooms were in the back around a corner and, to be perfectly honest, I was surprised to see how far they took the whole shared experience thing. I’ve got no problems with unisex bathrooms, but I’ve never been able to get past the whole multi-seater unisex bathroom experience. I know I’ve got my own private closet-like situation, and maybe it’s just a societal thing, but I get real nervous washing my hands next to a woman I don’t know in a bathroom situation. I feel like I’m over-washing to compensate and it just throws me off.

All that aside, the restroom was pretty nice. I feel like you can get away with a sloppy Men’s room, but from everything I hear, that’s not gonna fly on the ladies side of things. So this felt, to me, like a pretty happy medium. Was it amazing? Almost. Was it gross? Definitely not. The washing station felt like it was definitely well used… which I guess is pretty good. The stalls had seen their share of visitors, too. It felt like they were trying to bring some nice details into the finishing, but just didn’t quite get it over the finish line. The cement sink wasn’t quite as slick as it could’v been and the tiling in the stalls just felt a little off for the rest of the room.

While I didn’t do any extensive research in any of the other stalls, I was fortunate enough to have a cute little spot of graffiti in my stall that led me to an interesting conclusion. While the food was pretty good, and the whole restroom situation was just mediocre, the kind of people that patronize this establishment are kinda, caring people who, apparently, love me. So that kinda turned the whole thing around for me.

All things considered, it was a middle of the road experience. The graffiti was what pushed this over the top for me, so I’m giving it a solid ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating. Worth it for sure, but go with a friend.