Shae and I had a lot of things on our list of potential places to visit while staying in Rapid City. Some of those were must-dos like Mount Rushmore, Custer State Park, Badlands National Park, etc. Another was eating at Bokujo Ramen.
What’s so special about Bokujo Ramen? Well, a few months into our road trip back in 2018 we stayed with some friends who were Food Network fans. They got us turned on to Beat Bobby Flay and Chopped, but we subsequently really got into Guy’s Grocery Games. One of the frequent judges on there is Justin Warner, plus more recently he’s also been on Tournament of Champions which features celebrity chefs competing against each other (he’s one of the commentators rather than a competitor though).
Justin Warner’s restaurant is Bokujo Ramen in Rapid City which is why we wanted to check it out, so on one of our final nights there we headed downtown for dinner.
The decoration outside gives a hint as to what’s inside. Unsurprisingly given it’s a ramen restaurant, there’s a strong Japanese theme inside.
There were even a couple of Justin Warner action figures that were kind of funny to see.
There was also a plaque on the wall next to the kitchen referencing Tournament of Champions.
Anyway, although the decor was fun, we were there for the food. Bokujo Ramen doesn’t have an extensive menu, but they do have a number of options to fit different tastes and dietary requirements.
We started off by ordering drinks. I got a beer, while Shae ordered the Hakutsuru Nigori. This is a type of sake which has a cherry blossom taste and came with a little sipping cup. It was a fun difference to what Shae would normally order to drink and she enjoyed it.
Despite not having a huge menu, there were several things we wanted to try. We therefore both ordered appetizers; Shae got the edamame which she liked…
…while I ordered the oxtail gyoza with cabbage, garlic and house dipping sauce. I used to enjoy oxtail soup as a kid, so eating oxtail now didn’t creep me out. These were delicious; Shae tried one too and thought it was great, particularly the sauce.
Shae likes miso soup and so she went for their spicy miso ramen and added some bison brisket to try it out. She liked her ramen, although it wasn’t as spicy as she’d been expecting.
All of the meat-based ramen options sounded great to me, so it was hard to pick which to get. I figured that bison isn’t something you’re likely to get at ramen places elsewhere, so I ordered the bison bone ramen. It was a little unusual having sunflower seeds in it, but it added texture. The broth was very good, the bison brisket was nice and meaty and the soft boiled egg was cooked perfectly.
Despite being full by the end of it, we wanted to order the mochi ice cream for dessert as we’d never had that before. You get to choose three pieces of mochi ice cream at Bokujo Ramen; they can be all the same or you can choose different ones. I went for the mango, while Shae got a couple of pieces of chocolate mochi.
Seeing as this was our first time eating mochi, we didn’t have any frame of reference for what it should be like. Ultimately, I wasn’t a big fan of its texture; mochi is made out of glutinous rice, so it has a very gummy texture.
Although I wasn’t a fan of the mochi ice cream and we didn’t get to meet Justin Warner (he wasn’t working that night), we had a great meal there and would definitely return for more ramen if we’re ever back in Rapid City.
Address
Bokujo Ramen, 518 Mt Rushmore Rd, Rapid City, SD 57701
[…] He sadly wasn’t working that night, but the food was tasty and Shae and I had a great time. Check out our full review here. […]