I'm not a fair judge of Republic Ramen. \n\nI have had amazing ramen too many times now and when I go to a shop specializing in ramen, if it's not pretty great, then I can't help but hate it. They have \"tonkotsu ramen\" on the menu too so that alone sets expectations.\n\nI ordered the \"tonkotsu ramen\" and hated it. Broth was weak with no depth of flavor. Noodles had no chew. As much as I hoped to love it, I was completely let down.\n\nTo be fair, I don't believe there is any decent tonkotsu ramen in Arizona. \n\nI just don't see why this shouldn't be a concept that can be executed adequately here. For me, with the ramen I've had and love, it definitely wasn't.\n\nAgain, I'm not a fair judge of ramen. I'm mean and nasty about it. It's like sushi or uni. Once you elevate your expectations by having the stellar stuff, the mediocre doesn't cut it anymore. \n\nAnd where I can eat American style sushi when I adjust my expectations (happy for crunch rolls and California rolls), can't do it for ramen.\n\nIf you're not passionate about ramen though, it's fine to ignore me. If you don't have amazing authentic ramen to hold it up to, it's probably fine.