AFURI ramen + dumpling Cupertino

This place is not good. The meat tasted like it was frozen then thawed. No flavor in soup. Tsukemen wasn’t even tasty. Ordering is strange, you gotta do it at a Kiosk. The drinks (shizo soda) tasted like syrup and sprite.

You order your food using the kiosk machine and find your own table. Food is ok, ramen has thick broth. I gave 3 stars because the overall environment is just okay, they seem under staff. Only two people, one cooking and another serving.

The food was alright; the most interesting aspect was the yuzu broth. However the experience overall was poor due to the logistics. You order and pay at two kiosks at the corner. Unfortunately a table number is required to complete the orders, and you have to find a table number column at one of the vacant tables (I think the staff was too busy to collect them). We moved the dirty dishes out of the way and wiped down the table. There were no more water cups available. Food came out sporadically and took about a full hour for all items to be brought to the table (including the soda). It didn't help that there was relatively small staff for a fairly large restaurant including the outdoor patio. I think mostly this is an issue rooted in an attempt to make things more efficient, but the results were the opposite. If they can fix the logistical issues it would be a much better experience.

Stated it was open till 8 PM, arrived at 3 PM but was closed. Probably won’t come back to give it a try.

My friends and I went to grab a bowl of ramen around 3pm on Sunday. It was not crowded at all. There were plenty of parking spaces. The order machine was easy to use (when the machine asks you about your table number, it means the number on a black block you grab right next to the machine to show your order number to a waiter). I ordered Yuzu soy sauce ramen. The aroma was soooooo good and appetizing! The soup was really good! The noodles had a unique texture but I liked it very much. Their cha-siu was not flavorful, unfortunately. The flavored egg was a bit too sweet to match the soup. I tried their fried gyoza. I liked it, but my friend wanted it to be crisper. So it depends on how particular you are about your gyoza, I guess.

Yuzu broth is refreshing and flavorful. The tables were a bit sticky and the ground was dirty. Have come back multiple times, this is our regular ramen restaurant.

[Updated review] The quality has gone down so much that I couldn't even finish my bowl today. I was so happy when Afuri first opened its doors in Cupertino. I rated 5 stars 2 years ago and now it's down to 2 stars. The chashu was dry, fat and chewy. The broth 2 years ago was rich with yuzu as an accent, but now I only tasted plain broth with yuzu. Hope they can bring the quality back. Pictures were from 2 years ago.

I always get the chicken paitan ramen when coming here. The broth is creamy and goes well with the added sesame seeds and bok choy, yet it is not overly oily. The limeade is also a must try but is only available when you order in the store.