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The Tufts Daily
Where you read it first | Thursday, March 28, 2024

Davis Square's Snappy Ramen finds its groove

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Originally known as Snappy Sushi, one of Davis Square's claims to Japanese cuisine revamped their menu and blossomed into a new restaurant: Snappy Ramen. Located on 420 Highland Street, Snappy Ramen is practically unavoidable for anybody who has either walked farther than the Joey stop in Davis Square or frequented the Bank of America not twenty yards away from the establishment.

The point is this: anybody who's been to Davis Square has probably seen this restaurant. And what a sight it is now. Snappy Ramen has attempted to break away from its slightly stodgier predecessor, Snappy Sushi. In the process, it has taken on an improvised aesthetic. A curious blend of Japanese calligraphy done in large lettering swooshes over the front windows below the sign where the word "sushi" has been unceremoniously blotted out in dark grey spray paint. There is also a notice on the front door with "NO SUSHI" printed in red sharpie. The overall effect is striking (though perhaps not in the best way) — but the effort to refurbish the restaurant is admirable, especially considering ramen is the simple kind of soul food that Davis Square could really use.

Snappy Ramen is relatively small with a pleasantly modern and welcoming interior. The restaurant fits around 20 people, but the seating arrangement is a bit odd; other than a few seats at the bar and a table off to the side, there is one place to sit: a large table in the center of the restaurant meant to encourage more communal dining. The idea is interesting — certainly if there is any setting where eating food becomes a concerted social effort it is in the acrid confines of a ramen restaurant. But it would be easy to see this as off-putting for groups of people who want to eat with a degree of intimacy. Just attempting to eat with one or two other friends can feel a little taxing in this sort of environment. The play towards communal eating also seems limiting for a restaurant that is awkwardly navigating the space between fine and affordable dining.

The menu is simple and offers a nice variety of options. For vegetarian diners, Snappy Ramen offers vegetable-based ramen, which they demarcate prominently on the menu. The restaurant features mostly ramen dishes with thicker broth bases, and of these, Kyoto Kotteri ramen is the most representative of the thick-broth style — or at least the most dramatic. Snappy's Kyoto Kotteri ramen certainly lives up to expectations. The broth is almost like gravy in its consistency, complex and very heavy. Ramen broth is slightly thick to begin with, but if the average ramen broth is something like fish fat, Snappy's Kyoto Kotteri ramen is more akin to whale blubber — dense, hardy, capable of fueling a marine vessel's lanterns for a solid week and a half. Depending on what a patron is looking for, this can be good or bad — in any case, it's certainly filling, and it has its own appeal. This is also how Kotteri ramen should be, so to Snappy's credit the dish is spot-on. The noodles, however, are nothing to write home about; they function more as a means to the end, letting the broth take the center stage of the meal.

Snappy Ramen is a respectable restaurant finding its niche within the Davis Square dining scene. Though it has a few kinks to work out, it offers satisfying, well-executed food and a pleasant environment. It could easily become an appetizing detour on the way to the bank.