05-02-2025
Bite Club: Mensho's GKO ramen is a delicious garlic bomb
Believe the hype when it comes to Mensho, a Tokyo-based ramen chain that's spreading through the Phoenix area.
State of play: The restaurant opened its first Arizona location last summer in Mesa, followed by its second Valley restaurant a few weeks ago in central Phoenix.
Catch up quick: Founded in Tokyo in 2005, Mensho is a Michelin-starred restaurant with a global presence that's expanded significantly in the last decade.
Mensho opened its first U.S. location in San Francisco in 2016 and now has eight shops in California, Arizona and Texas, with four more planned later this year for California, Hawaii and Utah.
Zoom in: Mensho's menu is full of creative choices.
The Signature Toripaitan is a meat-lover's dream bowl with wagyu beef, pork, chicken and duck chashu.
There's a wagyu truffle cheese ramen and another with wagyu and lobster.
Pro tip: Bring your big bucks and big appetites, since each of those options runs $48.
Best bites: I got the Garlic Knock Out, with creamy chicken broth, chili powder and flakes, chicken chashu, gobo — a potato-like root vegetable — and five different garlic preparations.
The name says it all. GKO is a garlic bomb with a spicy kick.
The broth is creamy and savory, and the ingredients bring an incredible blend of flavors and textures.
I added an egg at my server's suggestion. It was a good call.
The bottom line: Mensho's ramen is as good as I've ever had, and the GKO was a unique dish unlike anything I've tasted.
