Review: Maruchan Yakisoba Teriyaki Flavor Microwave “Bowl”
Since I have today off, I decided to get some instant ramen at Target to eat while my wife is at work. For $.99, I purchased a Maruchan Yakisoba Teriyaki Flavor microwave bowl. It cooks in the microwave for 4 minutes and then sits for 1 and was extremely easy to make. The seasoning goes in last, and as I poured it, I smelled the overwhelming smell of cinnamon! This was quite unexpected, but oddly, it doesn’t taste like cinnamon (or much like teriyaki either). There is no meat in this bowl, and the quantity is enough to be part of a meal, but probably not a full one.
My overall feeling is that these are quality noodles, but I find the seasoning to be quite an odd flavor. I will finish what I have, but will probably try the other flavors (I’ve seen chicken flavor, but there may be more) next time!
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January 15th, 2007 at 2:08 pm
There’s another brand Chow Mein from Nissin that is similar. They have many more flavors. I’ve tried their Chinese Chicken and Beef Teriyaki. The noodles have a nice texture and the flavors are quite tasty. I saw they had other stuff like Kung Pao and Thai.
January 15th, 2007 at 9:20 pm
For a minute, I thought I left the previous comment but I don’t eat chicken or beef LOL. I tried this product too and noticed the flavor and smell you are talking about. It’s OK, it’s just a tad sweet for my taste.
January 19th, 2007 at 10:37 pm
I know that flavor you’re talking about. Traditional Japanese Yakisoba is made with sosou (a Japanese-style worstechire sauce) and topped with powdered seaweed.
It’s the sosou that gives it that flavor. A popular Japanese condiment, usually, it’s made from a variety of ingredients including fruits, vegetables, sugar, and spices. I think it tastes like a cross between Worcestershire sauce and A1 Steak Sauce.
Whatever it is, I have really never liked Ramen-style yakisoba.
February 3rd, 2007 at 10:03 pm
I actually really enjoy the teriyaki flavor. It’s quite spicy. And the dried vegetable cook up well.
February 27th, 2007 at 12:18 pm
I love the teriyaki flavor… and have gone so far as to add more vegetables… slicing up fresh cabbage and mushrooms. This is my new fav meal.
February 27th, 2007 at 5:37 pm
I’ve actually developed a taste for the Chicken flavored Yakisoba. As a college student, I’m always looking for cheap easy to make tasty eats as there is only one small kitchenette in my dorm and it’s a hassle to cook your own meals every night as well as story groceries in a tiny fridge. The convenience store in my dining hall sells these and I bought it on a whim. I really like the chicken flavored one- it’s supposed to taste like curry but lasts the authentic taste- it still has a good flavor- way better than the chicken cup noodles. I find the teriyaki flavor a little weird- ramen never seems to get the teriyaki right.
May 27th, 2007 at 1:28 pm
I love the Teriyaki flavored noodles. I bought some for 88cents and now I regret not buying more. I can’t find them anywhere. I love the spicy taste to it. I like to add Bob Evans hot and zesty sausage to my ramen noodles to give it that spicy taste. Adding that to the teriyaki ones is so much better.
June 1st, 2007 at 10:26 pm
Me and my husband enjoys the Yakiosba it is very good for a quite meal .
I could eat them all the time because they are very good ,thank you for making them.
July 9th, 2007 at 1:02 pm
WalMart had been selling this product, but seems to have discontinued in the past three weeks. I like both flavors. Good “office” food…
Steve
July 20th, 2007 at 12:35 pm
I LOVE IT.. I HAVE BEEN EATING THE TERIYAKI FLAVOR FOR 2 WEEKS NOW FOR LUNCH.
I LOVE IT.. THEY SELL THEM AT MY GROCER IN VIRGINIA CALLED SHOPPERS. THEY ARE ALWAYS 10 FOR 10 OR AT BJ’S FOR 7.99
August 1st, 2007 at 3:09 pm
I was buying the chicken and terriyaki flavors and really liked them but they have changed the flavor (on the chicken for sure) and now they are watery tasting and closer to regular Ramen. I have been buying up all the old style (pakages are slightly different) and found that in Target they have 2 additional flavors-Tomato /Basil and Roast Chicken.I used to buy them at Walmart for 88 cents. Target charges 99 but my local supermarkets are at $1.44.I won’t be buying the new style chiken anymore I found it to be bland.
August 2nd, 2007 at 8:56 pm
The teriyaki noodles have a flavor quite similar to the Beef Yakisoba I used to eat at the Mom and Pop Japanese places in California. After I moved back to Pennsylvania, I really missed the Japanese food. Sure there are the pricey Habachi style restaurants here, but they do not replace the little joints in CA.
On their own, the noodles are quite good, but I jazz it up alittle. I pan fry onions and cut up chip steak (the type of beef in philly cheese steaks), and mix it with the finished package, add a little additional teriyaki sauce and I have a great meal for about $2.50.
If you can’t get real PA chip steak where you live, I guess Steak-Ums will do.
August 5th, 2007 at 3:14 pm
the only time i ever ate them, they made my stomach upset(maybe the oil pkg), but i like the flavor.
August 29th, 2007 at 11:51 am
Love the teriyaki flavor. $0.88 at walmart. I also noticed a new flavor, cheddar cheese. same price (like the chicken as well).
September 16th, 2007 at 7:45 am
The Chicken is nasty. The Teriyaki ones are sooooooo good, but I can’t find them anywhere anymore. I haven’t been able to find them since about January of 2007.
October 9th, 2007 at 1:11 pm
Love the Teriyaki flovor. It’s a little misleading though. The sause is VERY sweet, sweeter than typical Teriyaki, but that’s tempered by the slight spiciness. Very tasty for a quick meal.
October 16th, 2007 at 4:52 pm
I like the ball flavor taste like 2 balls in my mouth
October 27th, 2007 at 4:59 pm
ME:
ADD A HOT DOG TO IT AND YOU’VE GOT A MANLY MEAL FOR YOURSELF.
November 27th, 2007 at 10:56 am
I CRAVE these instant yakisoba I usually buy them all up as soon as walmart restocks them. i know its nothing like real yakisoba but the brown sugar-like flavor is sooo soothing and i love anything with cabbage. I wish i could re create the flavor packet, it would be soo good as just a cabbage soup w/o the noodles. im going to look for that sosou sauce but im a mainland Ohioan so im sure I wont find it.
May 28th, 2008 at 10:27 am
I LOVE yakisoba but I was weary of the teriyaki flavor. So what I did was I boiled the noodles then drained them. Than I heated oil in a pan, added the noodles to the pan, then added the flavoring packet, soy sauce and/or worcestire sauce. I added cooked bacon ( I didn’t allow it to get crispy) and voila. I had yakisoba that tasted similar to the real thing.
August 17th, 2008 at 9:17 am
I love eating the Maruchan Yakisoba Teriyaki. My favorite brand of noddles XD! I like to buy the whole case of that flavor from Walmart when I can.
September 23rd, 2008 at 10:54 am
[...] Review from The Official Ramen Homepage (who knew?) Yakisoba on Wikipedia (info on the actual dish this is derived from, along with it’s “instant” cousins.) [...]
October 20th, 2008 at 11:06 am
so far i’ve seen teriyaki, chicken, roasted chicken, cheddar, 4 cheese, spicy vegetable(most likely kimchi flavor), and savory soy sauce, in the maruchan yakisoba noodles
November 3rd, 2008 at 5:37 am
I just had the nissin chow mein. I bought the chinese vegetable chowmein. I wasn’t sure If I was going to like their meat flavors. anyways, It was really good. flavor was not too strong. I didn’t get alot of that instant chemical taste. the smell was appetizing. I haven’t tried the Maruchan Yakisoba. but from what I’ve read on all of the comments, the teriyaki flavor is the top seller. I will try it maruchan tommorow and see if I like it. thanks for all of your comments.
November 3rd, 2008 at 5:38 am
I just had the nissin chow mein. I bought the chinese vegetable chowmein. I wasn’t sure If I was going to like their meat flavors. anyways, It was really good. flavor was not too strong. I didn’t get alot of that instant chemical taste. the smell was appetizing. I haven’t tried the Maruchan Yakisoba. but from what I’ve read on all of the comments, the teriyaki flavor is the top seller. I will try it maruchan tommorow and see if I like it. thanks for all of your comments.
November 6th, 2008 at 1:12 am
I tried both the chicken and the teriyaki flavors. I liked the chicken, but when I tried the teriyaki…ew. It had a weird sour flavor. Bluh.
One cool trick I just learned to make these noodles a little tastier: follow the directions, but instead of putting the flavor packet in with the water, drain ALL the water (trust me on this) and then put the flavor packet in with a big scoop of butter. Although, I wouldn’t recommend this with the teriyaki flavor, unless you REALLY like the flavor. It gets kinda strong.
November 15th, 2008 at 7:08 am
I’m so glad I’m not alone in my outstanding ramen experience with the Maruchan Teriaki ramen bowl.
First off, I’ve been a vegetarian for over 12 years, so finding an instant oriental noodle package that contains no meat products, especially in the seasoning packet, is awesome news.
Before I went vegetarian, I preferred the Maruchan ramen noodles over the other major ramen brand, Nissin. They seemed to be more substantial and lacking the flimsy texture of Nissin instant noodles.
However, realizing that Maruchan uses beef powder and other meat derivatives in their soup base, even in their “oriental” flavor, prompted me to switch to my second choice: Nissin brand oriental flavor ramen–even though I always preferred the Maruchan noodles to those of Nissin.
However, the recent (?) introduction of the Maruchan Yakisoba Terikai Bowl has caused me to take another look at Maruchan, and some of the other, slightly more expensive (i.e. a dollar a package), premium ramen products, such as the Samyang “Chacharoni” which contains soybean paste (miso?), and textured vegetable protien in addition to other delicious vegetables. Definitely worth a try, especially for you vegetarians.
The Maruchan Yakisoba Terikai Bowl is a fantastic product: it is vegetarian, comes in its own microwave bowl, and the vegetable pack rehydrates into vegetables that seem amazing vegetable-like.
Sorry about the ramble, I just had to share about my new favorite instant noodle!
December 7th, 2008 at 11:18 am
Tastes like dirty gym shorts to me.
January 16th, 2009 at 2:30 pm
Teriyaki is the only flavour that my son eats and I can’t find it anywhere.
Please help.
February 14th, 2009 at 1:37 am
I too was so disappointed to see WalMart discontinue the Maruchan Yakisoba bowls. However, I recently found that my local (Iowa) Cub Foods carries it. Those without a Cub’s might be able to find them at SuperValu, since I believe it is Cub’s parent company. I think the flavor of the Maruchan Teriyaki blows the Nissin equivalent right out of the water.
March 4th, 2009 at 2:28 am
I can never get the water amounts quite right with the Nissin yakisoba, and every time, my noodles turn out soggy and mushy. Nor do I like the flavor. Its too simple and MSG-packed for my tastes. I’d rather pay a bit more for the japanese-made UFO or Ippeichan yakisobas.
April 20th, 2009 at 2:48 pm
Stop going to walmart peoples! For terriyaki go to KMART! or SuperK!
April 21st, 2009 at 9:35 pm
My son loves these noodles and they are hard to find in my area. I get him another brand I think the Chow Mein, and he states that Yakisoba are the best! I’ll take his word for it.
April 23rd, 2009 at 7:30 am
i’ve been dying for some IPPEI CHAN YOMISE NO YAKISOBA!!
but louisiana sucks.. i’ve been here 2 weeks! and cant find them or anything else i enjoyed, in japan.
i’ve come down to the fact that i need to order online. which sucks cause i want them now.
but since everyone is giving such splendid reviews about this teriyaki flavor maruchan i will go buy and try it myself.
i will be sure to post my own review here tomorrow, to let you know how well the taste compares to that of real yakisoba :] or yakisoba cup noodles!
July 11th, 2009 at 2:37 pm
I’ve tried chicken/teriyaki flavors of both Chow Mein and Yakisoba. The Yakisoba basically tastes like ramen (same bad dry seasoning, delicious dry vegetables, noodles are low quality). Chow Mein is vastly better–delicious potent liquid seasoning, delicious dry vegetables, tasty noodles.
September 23rd, 2009 at 5:26 pm
I write having just finished the Yakisoba shrip, interesting considering I notice you have a review of the Nissin Chow Mein shrimp, with both having the same general idea in what the meal should be. I have to say I greatly enjoyed the shrimp one I just ate, but perhaps that’s because I love garlic and shrimp.
In any case, seeing these chow mein and yakisoba bowls at the super market has been, well, one of the greatest things ever. As long as I’ve eaten ramen I’ve always made, and loved it, dry. When I bought the yakisoba noodles I wasn’t totally sure if they were meant to be a dry noodle. I thought maybe they would just have less broth than what I’m used to with ramen. Imagine how overjoyed I was when I opened the package, and noticed how low the fill line was.
Many a pot has been scorched in my attempts doing things like making two packages of bargain ramen in one cup of water, add a packet, and have the last of the liquid boil off in the bowl. XD This of course meant that I could only get my noodles the way I liked with the packets, as you just can’t do the bowls and cups right with just minimum broth. I like them well enough, but they’re just not the same. Now that I’m seeing these wonderful bowls that seem to be made to make my noodles the way I like having them makes me want to do a little happy dance.
I see Maruchan mentions they have a teriyaki beef flavor, perhaps I will need to find it, as beef flavor (Yes I know, plain old beef.) has usually been my favorite flavor in instant ramen.
November 20th, 2009 at 9:45 am
I tried Yakisoba for the first time last week, I was really surprised. My concern is the sodium, most ramen type pkgs are high in sodium. I tried the Shrimp, Chicken and Roasted Chicken, all 3 were very tasty. I’ve also tried the Nissan Chow Mein too, both aren’t bad. They are convenient for quick lunches, I will pre cook frozen veggies to add when I am at home. I will add a 1/2 cup of peas, mixed veggies or corn, this stretches out the meal. Can’t beat spending $.99 for lunch or dinner, quick..easy..and no cleaning of dishes or pots and pans.
December 18th, 2009 at 10:49 pm
the chicken one is the best roasted chicken is up there with it but the teriyaki is kinda weird smell riminds me of bubble gum in a way and it is too sweet ill eat it if its there but put less of the powder mix and some soy sauce
January 10th, 2010 at 12:57 pm
The noodle texture was good. but the sauce tastes bad that I never had that kind of taste in Japan. 240 ml water was too much it turned out like half soup noodle. I’ll never gonna buy this again. terrible sauce! not even close to authentic Japanese Yakisoba taste…. booooo
February 2nd, 2010 at 7:30 am
i turned my sister, neighbor, family, and friends on to the teriyaki noodles and we LOVE them. The correct way to eat them is to let it cool and let the sauce thicken, yummm! They seem to be replacing it with the teriyaki beef which is not as good as the teriyaki. We are all dissapointed and will not buy any other flavor. When will companies learn not to mess with a good thing?