Blackbeard Ramen
Published November 28, 2020
It was an uncharacteristically warm November evening in New Jersey. My sister convinced me after a day of yardwork to visit her favorite ramen restaurant in Cliffside Park.
It was pitch dark as we parked down a residential side street and jaywalked downtown to get to Blackbeard Ramen.
My sister and her boyfriend said that the parking lot for ramen usually had tents for outdoor dining, that’s why we parked in the residential area.
There were no tents in the parking lot as we walked down the steep hill. We could’ve taken the first spot right outside the restaurant. The only outdoor seating I saw was under clear tents on the back deck of the building.
Blackbeard Ramen Interior
A register and table for take out greeted us on the right. We were the first customers to arrive for the evening, so we could sit in the few indoors tables, or outside. We stayed inside.
We selected the only table on the right-side of the room — a four-top table framed by two plastic panels. I sat next to a circular heater and looked out along the room. A brick wall accent wall faced me. Horizontal pictures of landscapes hung between black grid shelves of Funko POP! Figurines.
Two four-top tables sat across the room from us within their own plastic-panel walls. A spare table rested against the wall on the other side of my screen, but it didn’t appear to be in use. The only remaining seating was the five metal chairs, grouped in pairs, in bar-style seating. They faced the staff’s prep area, where a high barrier separated guests from staff.
It was around 5:30, and already another couple arrived and opted to sit outside, crossing through the small dining room and out a side door. Another couple in trendy jackets and winter hats sat directly across from us and placed their order.
Blackbeard Ramen Menu
The head waiter placed menus at each of our spots, while another man gave us large plastic cups of ice water. A metal basket on the far right-hand side of the table had napkins, so I didn’t have to bother anyone for those.
We already reviewed the menu before we arrived. Since my sister and her boyfriend ate at Blackbeard Ramen before, they already had their ramen picked out.
Mango Creamy Soda | $2.50
I usually drink water when I go out to eat. However, Blackbeard Ramen offered unique Japanese sodas that caught my eye. I was stuck between the White soda (was it like cream soda?) or the mango. In the end, I ordered the mango creamy soda as I browsed the menu.
The mango creamy soda arrived in a frigid metal bottle. Despite containing milk — which was interesting to me — the mango soda was clear, tasted like real mango, and wasn’t too sweet. I would order it again.
Pork Bun Appetizer | 1 piece $3.00
Blackbeard Ramen didn’t have as many appetizers as I expected. I wondered if this was a result of the Coronavirus and maintaining a limited menu, or — if in general, they focused on the ramen more than appetizers.
I saw that Blackbeard Ramen offered shumai as an appetizer, which is what I order when I get sushi from Circle Farms. That would’ve been good to share amongst the table, except most of y’all have probably had shumai before. I wanted a unique appetizer to review — such as the curry rice. However, my sister said the ramen bowls were so large that we really didn’t need an appetizer to fill us up.
In the end, we each ordered a pork bun.
The steamed buns are to die for. They’re fluffy and tender — the perfect vehicle for a variety of sauces and toppings. The pork buns include a decent amount of tender pork draped over shredded carrots and lettuce. On top were sesame seeds, spicy Japanese mayo and Blackbeard’s “housemade sauce” — which appeared to be some time of well-seasoned, BBQ-style sauce.
If you wanted to make a meal out of the pork buns, you could order two with a side of rice for dinner. I’m glad I only ordered one, so I had room for my ramen.
Blackbeard Ramen | $14.00+
Now, if you’ve read my other ramen reviews or my adventures at the garlic festival, then you can already guess which ramen I ordered.
I ordered a large bowl of the “Blackbeard Ramen” — which is a pork-vegetable broth with charred garlic oil and black sesame seeds. The ramen also includes the classic melt-in-your-mouth pork belly (chashu), scallions, marinated bamboo shoots (menma), wild ear mushrooms (kikurage), and nori (dried seaweed).
For an additional cost, you can ask for extra of the above ingredients, or add toppings such as a fish cake, the famous soft-boiled marinated egg, extra spice, or extra noodles.
The soft-boiled egg is my favorite, so I added that to my ramen. My sister and her boyfriends said they order extra noodles with their ramen, so I followed their lead and ordered that as well.
Just like Ramen Nagomi, the large ramen at Blackbeard is a deep bowl filled with rich broth and delicious toppings. My bowl had generous amounts of mushroom and two buttery slices of pork belly.
Tonkotsu Ramen | $12.50+
My sister and her boyfriend ordered the tonkotsu ramen, which I imagine is the same base broth as my Blackbeard ramen, except that it does not have the garlic oil on top.
You can see that my sister’s ramen was a lighter color than mine. I tried a spoonful of her broth and was shocked at how rich and developed the flavor was.
Though we had the same toppings, I think I preferred her broth more than mine. Though I always love garlic, I think the garlic oil hid some of the broth flavor since it is so rich. Next time, I think I’d get the tonkotsu ramen.
Extra Noodles
As you can see from my pictures, my ramen was a generous portion. I had tons of straight, thin noodles — cooked al dente throughout my bowl.
Not long into our ramen, our waiter came by and said that we still had our extra noodles on the way. I was confused, since I already had a ton of noodles in my bowl.
This was the normal portion? I wondered.
Sure enough — plates of plain noodles arrived at our table.
“That’s strange,” my sister commented. “Normally they put all of these noodles in the bowl. I thought the broth looked a little low.
“You eat all of these noodles?!” I looked at the serving I already had in my bowl. “I can’t eat all of this.”
My sister and her boyfriend added their noodles to their bowls. Personally, I prefer more broth to noodles, so I kept mine on the side. In the end, it was way too much food, so we took home my plate of noodles and some leftover broth.
In the past, I’ve found that ramen restaurants didn’t provide takeout containers. So you either finished your food or not. I’m glad that we could take home the extra noodles and remaining broth we ordered, so it didn’t go to waste.
My Recommendations
Overall, my first impression of Blackbeard Ramen in Cliffside Park, New Jersey is an 8/10 for the following:
Decor and Design
It’s hard to judge a restaurant’s brand and decor during a pandemic. Dining rooms are rearranged and plastic barriers have been installed for safety. I’m not sure if the plastic tables and metal chairs have always been a part of Blackbeard Ramen’s style, or if they’ve been installed for easier disinfecting between guests.
I have a reasonable impression of Blackbeard Ramen’s style from the brick accent wall. The Japanese landscapes and Funko figurines give me a better understanding of their style, which is playful.
I’d be curious to know the reason behind their name and know more about the owners of the restaurant. Usually restaurants with their own websites have areas where they explain their brand and business. Blackbeard only has an online menu available.
Service
Blackbeard Ramen is efficient with their timing and service. Having a few team members assist with serving drinks, clearing plates, and timing the courses keeps the restaurant running smoothly.
I didn’t know our waiter’s names, but I was glad that our water glasses were always filled (which y’all know I love). Plus, our plates were cleared soon after they were done. My only note is that you don’t have a ton of personal interaction or conversations. Again, whether that’s a result of pandemic dining or just Blackbeard’s efficiency, I will have to return to give an update about this.
Food
I was impressed with the portions and quality at Blackbeard Ramen. I can see why they’re so popular, even for takeout. There’s a large selection of ramen to choose from, plus some unique drinks. When I return, I’d love to try some of the rice appetizers and add some of the extra toppings to my ramen.
Have you been to the Blackbeard Ramen?
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