Sapporo Ramen provides casual, delicious eatery for noodle connoisseurs

Porter Square gets little love from the Tufts Medford-Somerville community, but if ever there were a reason to fall for Porter, it would have to be Sapporo Ramen. Nestled in a narrow hole-in-the-wall, Sapporo is located a two-minute walk from the Porter Square T stop. The restaurant's line perennially stretches out of the hallway into the main throughway of the commercial space in which it is located, but most of the traffic in the building seems destined for this tiny ramen shop anyway.

Diners at neighboring restaurants judge the line with an air of superiority -- more than a couple gestured toward the line before laughing and returning to consuming their own food -- yet fail to observe the efficiency of Sapporo’s operation. The roughly fifteen-minute wait from when one turns the corner into the hallway and catches sight of the red and gold sign above Sapporo is epic but worth it.

While there are still several tables waiting to be seated, a server takes note of how many are in each party and passes around menus; at this point, one is firmly in Sapporo’s gravitational pull and past the point of no return. Pictures on the oversized laminated sheets give an idea of the gastronomic delights to come, showing the eyes what the nose has known all along. The menu is relatively sparse, offering several appetizers and styles of ramen, for the most part allowing Sapporo to stay true to its ramen mission statement by not diluting its offerings.

Ramen even gets its own side of the menu. Sapporo offers a decent amount of customization in choosing ramen, from the type of broth to the amount of noodles and the fixings that go into it. By far the most outlandish option is the “butter cube,” just the idea of which is enough to make the heart seize for a few beats; the broth is already so delicious and rich that one should seriously consider preemptively scheduling bypass surgery before ordering The Cube. Other, more traditional, options include extra meat, seaweed and tofu.

The spicy miso ramen with spicy ground pork, corn and seaweed looks decadent but tastes sharp. The reddish broth barks harder than it bites, so anyone with a penchant for spice should make liberal use of the various chili concoctions lying about on the tables. That said, patrons will definitely want to make liberal use of the napkin pile on the tables; this is not a meal for white clothes or anything with sentimental value.

The extra noodles are also a great addition, and, at a dollar more, they are hardly going to break the bank. That is not to say that the servings are stingy. In fact, the opposite is true. The portions are monumental in size, and so the extra noodles are merely for adjusting the ratio of noodle to broth.

Surprisingly, Sapporo's atmosphere is lively and energetic, but not rushed. Food lands on the table not long after a visitors are seated, though the process of consuming the meal is a long and social one. Service is very friendly, annoyingly stingy with the water. Though, most likely this is also a part of Sapporo's genius: The sheer efficiency of the operation, as there are just two servers to manage all of the tables and the line. All in all, Sapporo more than justifies the trek off campus.

Sapporo is open daily from 11:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. and from 5:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. (except for Sundays, when it closes at 8:00 p.m.) and is located at 1815 Massachusetts Ave., Cambridge, MA 02140.