Toyako's Robot Ramen

This cute robot in a shabby Hongkou mall is making ramen, but it's not that good.
Last updated: 2016-01-19
First Bite is a SmartShanghai column profiling new restaurants, bars, and other new places we find interesting. Sometimes we stumble upon these places, and sometimes we are invited, but in both cases, we are never paid to write an opinion, rather, these are our honest first impressions, and not a formal review.
It seems like ramen robot technology hasn't changed much since the early 2000s. The two robots at Toyako Ramen, or robot arms, to be precise, don't seem so different from their ramen robot ancestors. There have been a few noticeable upgrades, however. These are next generation. Now, your ramen robots have two bright and shiny eyes, a thinner, sleeker body, and can 'speak' in Chinese.

Local and western dinning media platforms have given plenty of exposure to this newly opened Shanghai ramen shop in Hongkou, but the question remains: Is it actually good?

TELL EVERYONE