On a daily trip to Charlotte this was a great stop.
So what did this ramen gem offer us?
1) The staff was extremely friendly. They explained anything we asked and gave us ample warnings about cold ramen bowls. They even helped us match add ins for the flavor we were looking for.
2) The bathrooms were clean. This is very important.
3) The appetizers we had were very good. We ordered the rice crispy and fried chicken. I will warn you it is a lot of food so for two people I recommend you order one. The crispy rice cake comes with raw spicy tuna. Not your thing? The fried chicken is a yummy option. The lime really brought out the spicy flavor of the dipping sauce.
4) The ramen was fantastic. For 14 months I have been looking for a place that got the ramen close to what I had in Taiwan. I was looking for a spicy pork ramen. If that is what you crave come here. Order the Tonkatsu and add spicy ground pork and you get close to a spicy ramen you would find in Taiwan.
The Fire and Ice is what my boyfriend ordered. His broth was sweeter than mine by a lot. If you are looking for a fish based ramen, order the Fire and Ice.
The noodles in both bowls were cooked right. They had a pleasant chewiness to them, without being mush. The noodle to broth ratio was nice as well. Some places you go to the ratio is off and it will show. Here at Futo Buta that ratio is right.
5) The alcohol selection is nice. You have lots of choices between beer and sake. This is good because a lot of places only offer one or the other.
6) The environment is also welcoming. There is not a kids menu but they are welcome here. No one in this ramen place judged many be for the way they looked or who they were with. Why am I including this? Because lately in some places I have seen this happening. I would like to thank Futo Buta for not judging anyone.