We moved to Loveland in 2003, and for a handful of years, I could keep up with new things. Whether it was a new store, new brewery, or new restaurant, I knew about it. However, as Northern Colorado’s population exploded, my superpower waned.
This restaurant, Kujira Ramen off of Harmony Ave. in Fort Collins, opened in February 2021. That is one year ago, and it only came to my attention yesterday. I was browsing google maps for a potential taco or pho place I had missed and up pops Kujira Ramen.
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I previously decided that I will venture away from writing only about tacos and pho on this blog. I do not think ramen, however, is that far of a stretch. Ramen is broth, noodles, veggies, and meat, and pho is broth noodles, veggies and meat. Ramen is Japanese while pho is Vietnamese. Both are excellent on a snow day.
Snow fell as I entered Kujira Ramen on a Wednesday. As I was leaving, it was falling in earnest—a typical Colorado winter day.
The restaurant features an open kitchen, lots of windows, and a fairly strong Japanese restaurant vibe with some Colorado pine thrown in. I ordered the Spicy Beef Ramen in a sesame broth with beef brisket, scallions, bean sprouts, and a soft egg ($13.99).
I am not a noodle professional, far from it, but I’ve been saying that I prefer pho noodles over ramen noodles—these might have changed my mind. These noodles had just the right amount of spring and were so flavorful.
This ramen was delicious. The beef was so tender it fell apart at the touch of a chopstick and the broth, well, I could take a bath in that broth. No, not literally, but I could drink it for breakfast, lunch, and dinner on every snowy Colorado day.
I will point out that the soft egg was unlike any I have had in ramen before. It wasn’t soft-boiled, even the whites were soft, and this would turn off some people. I just mixed it in and ate it. Yummy.
I really liked Kujira Ramen. From the fast, friendly service to the open kitchen (which I love) to those noodles (swoon), I will definitely return.
Kujira Ramen, 2909 E. Harmony Rd. #200, Fort Collins, Colorado 80528
Now go get some springy noodles in your face!