Gaza Ramen and Sushi
Saw a sign for this place next to Wine Country. Very excited about a ramen spot in town. Anyone have any more info?
Sycamore
Luca Was told they would be open sometime in January, the owner is usually there during the week as construction is underway
Bhavik Wine Country Woohoo! Excited for some ramen. There's a great place in North Brunswick my wife and I used to go to, but that's way too far. Nice to know we'll have one down the block soon.
Dancicus Fighticus 
pumpkin43 
GC Hello everyone! Glad to hear everyone is excited for Gaza Ramen and Sushi, we're just as excited to get things roll-ing (pun intended)! More details of our grand opening will be coming shortly, in the meantime, is there anything in particular you all are stoked for or would love to see on the menu? Would love to hear your feedback/recommendations! Thank you!
GazaRamen&Sushi Great to hear! If you're taking suggestions, kimchi ramen is a favorite of mine. My wife loves chicken katsu ramen.
Maybe some interesting combinations that diverge from the typical (California roll, cucumber roll) sushi offering?
I'd like to see some nice yakisoba, particularly with ginger chili. Thick udon is nice too.
We are looking forward to your opening! Will you be serving Inari rolls? One of our faves!
Rmmjs 
iJay Ramen in a beef or chicken broth with some delicious pork, chicken. A few seasonings and just something simple.
FredFinger I'd like to see a variety of broths - beef, chicken, pork, veggie. Something along a hot and sour broth would be nice too. Most places I've seen only have a miso/soy/pork based broth.
emaxxman I'd like to see free meals for anyone named btownguy!
But in all seriousness, some nutritional information on the menu or available would be appreciated!
btownguy Was at the one in Boston. Good atmosphere and presentation. Quality was good, not great. The corporate cafeteria did better at a major Japanese corporation I used to work at; the reason was it was so damn good because they always had Japanese executives here on rotation. If Gaza can keep the quality high, prices reasonable, clean and organized, and handle the volume, they will be successful.
REAL Japanese Ramen would be great. NOT Americanized, or as some of the posters are asking for, Chinese/Koreanized Ramen.
You can get that anywhere!
Sapphirebluz4u Second on the nutritional information, especially the sodium. And maybe a flight offering or sampler for people who haven't tried some of the varieties before? Can't wait to try it!
hktownie 
Independence Farmer I lived in Japan for 3 years and my wife is a Japanese expat. We also trekked to Rai Rai Ramen in North Brunswick to get tasty ramen. It would be great to stay home in Hackettstown to get quality ramen. Anything traditional would be fantastic. Miso, shoyu, shio, tonkatsu, etc. I was always a big fan of tantan-men and anything with a generous portion of chashu. We're looking forward to visiting when you open!
CHRUKA CHRUKA, my wife and i used to go to Rai Rai when we lived in North Brunswick. Miss that place. Hoping Gaza can fill the void!
Wow! Thank you for the recommendations! We will take all of this into consideration, more information on the menu and opening day soon to come! Stay tuned
Will you or can you serve a variety of dim sum? I love ramen and sushi and live right down the road so my family and I will be frequent guest to start. Add dim sum and I will set up camp in front. Lol. We are so excited for your opening!
Gail Wheres wine country at? Is this going where the block buster and pietros used to be by target?
Soccermom12 No Soccermom12 - Wine Country is in the plaza up from M&M's on 517 where Sonny's Pizza and Bamboo Kitchen are. Gaza is going into what used to be "Niles Steak House".
Hello everyone, sorry for such a delay! We've been working out some logistical kinks on our end but we are slowly getting back into a rhythm. Hopefully, if no other obstacles arise, we will be opening by mid to late February! Stay tuned!
laura 
JRT Nope, they were doing construction today though, and look to be close most like a week or 2
I love mango Incorporated into my rolls, but rarely see it! Would love to find a place close by that has some yummy sweet/savory rolls!
Actually, as much as I love sushi, and buy it, I can tell you it is terribly overpriced. I actually make my own sushi and can tell you it is very easy to make, and the cost of the nori is very cheap. I know we are paying for the service of making it --- but it takes no time at all and is very easy to make. For the volume of food, it would be like charging $30 or $40 for a sandwich.
Counterpoint- my wife and I attended a professional sushi making class.
We both agreed- as did pretty much all the other people at the class that it was better to go buy it.
Our rolls looked horrible, our fingers were sticky, we made a huge mess. :)
And that was just the rolls- if you are doing actual sushi and need to know how to cut the fish properly- ugh. Then consider proper rice prep.
I'll happily pay to have it done right. Morimoto's is my favorite that I have been to.
Josh Also, you can't rationalize on how much your single dish cost- you are paying for everyone to have the availability and choice of many different kinds of fish, crab, lobster, eel, etc even if you yourself don't order it.
The cost for wasted goods naturally has to go somewhere. Not counting the cost of the retail space, workers, insurance, chop sticks, napkins, cleaning supplies, etc.
happiest girl - do you make homemade sushi with raw fish? Where do you buy your fish from? Shoprite is terrible IMO. I've never gotten anything without a fishy odor from there.
Costco has very good salmon but I'm not sure if I'd trust them (and I love that place.)
I'd like to find a good place for consistently fresh tuna that I could make medium rare on the grill.
emaxxman, i wouldn't worry about med-rare tuna. Bacteria works from the outside in. Any pathogens will be taken out during the searing process.
But if you want the best, Metro Seafood on 22 in Lebanon has hon himachi grade and sushi grade ahi... but be prepared to pay top dollar.
ianimal Kyla, i love mango too in my rolls. I add avocado and mango together and it is yummy. It is easy to make the sushi rice and put it on the nori sheets. I can roll the nori with the rice and fillings inside but need to perfect having the rice outside and the nori and fillings inside. HAPPY SUSHI MAKING.
Mansfield mama Looks like this is at least 3rd restaurant in Hackettstown area that will be offering sushi. Not counting ShopRite.
Lena Lena -- aside from it being popular, I believe the reason is the huge profit margin.
To answer someone's question, I do not use raw fish when I make sushi.
mansfield mama -- to make it inside out, after putting the rice on the nori, put plastic wrap on top and then flip it. Proceed from there.
Josh -- were your fingers sticky because you spread the rice by hand? Because there is no need to do it that way. I put it on with a spoon and spread it with a knife.
Kyla,
Little tokyo offers a samurai roll with mango and fujiyama has a few with mango as well.
Just have to read through the designer roll huge menus.
creativemuffin The new Gaza & Wasbi places together with Little Tokyo and Fujiyama make four. Plus Red Lantern in Long Valley and what ever the new name is for Asian Bistro in Budd Lake are short drives for many in Hackettstown. There are others short distances as well. Even at high margins, that's a lot of competition.
Tracy GC -- not really, as long as sushi remains trendy. Take as an example pizza stores --- literally one store on top of another. Also a huge profit margin --- and all the pizza stores are doing well.
happiest girl - Even if they survive, it doesn't mean there isn't even more competition among pizza places. Competition is a matter of the supply regardless of the demand. As for the demand, even if sushi is supposed to be trendy, the demand for sushi isn't even close to the demand for pizza.
I suppose the demand remains to be seen. But look at how much sushi Shoprite sells every day. They have 2 people behind the counter making it. And the restaurants mentioned sell other things besides sushi.
There's also the "wasabi" place opening in the mall on Stiger Street. Good location, and also walkable for college students.
When is projected opening date? Will you offer Delivery? We are in Green, and Sonnys delivers here a the time?
Eve Will you have Take Out Delivery? We are in Green, Sonnys delivers here all the time. Would really expand customers base and exposure.
Hello Everyone!
Finally, the day has come! We are officially opening on Tuesday, April 4th at 11:30 AM. Come get your Ramen and Sushi craving satisfied!
LittleRascal 
Jono It is opening today at 1130am!!! Please stop by and review it. I want to hear about it. Hope to stop in when I get back up North.
We went there tonight. We had a House Salad, Edamame, a "Crunchy Munchy" roll, a "Firecracker" roll, and Nabeyaki Udon. Also got California roll for take out.
The Cruchy Munchy roll was the best. My future step-son said the California Roll was the best he's had, and he eats those a lot from all the other places. All of the other food was good as well, and they are very nice there.
There are some kinks they have to work out, but they are brand new, and they said that their Point-of-Sale computer system hadn't come in yet, so that made it harder for them. Due to some of the issues they had (mainly with timing) they voluntarily took money off the bill, which was very nice of them.
I have high hopes for them and hope they succeed.
Rich we were there last night, too, rich! we were at the back end w/the toddler twins who were getting a little bit unruly ;) the food was very good, and plentiful. the people were very nice. i agree, they need to work out the newbie kinks. as far as it being their 2nd day, and without the pos computer, i think they did rather well! it took a very long time from sitting down to paying the check, but understandably so. we will def go back! thanks gaza! yum!! :)
liz 
4catmom They are closed today from what I was told, working on the pos system so they can get orders in and make paying easier
The Owners should post on here that they are closed and renovating quickly. WRNJ !!! Something !! Not good communication with customers!!
"Not good communication with customers!!"
A business should not be primarily concerned with keeping online social media outlets current. That is a mentality only of the present time, and most young- I want everything and I want it now- generation.
I'm sure if you called them, you could get some sort of a msg.
+100000 Josh.
LittleRascal, you need to calm yourself down. Enjoy National Beer Day!
positive The Official Grand Opening will be tomorrow, Tuesday, April 11th at 11:30 am!! Be sure to stop in for Lunch or Dinner, Order Take Out and don't forget we are a BYOB establishment conveniently located next to Wine and Whiskey Country! (They also have an excellent Saki Collection!) See you soon!!
Sushi Tried 2 rolls the other night & they were delish! They have a page up on Facebook now with some pics. They do need to get their menu up online. Enjoy!
Anom We went here on Monday and it was OUTSTANDING. My grandma was visiting from NY and wanted sushi for her 85th birthday lunch and we couldn't have gone to a better place. They treated Gram like a queen. The food was delicious, fresh, and inexpensive, the service was great, and the owner was sweet as could be. We'll definitely be back.... Soon!!
No vegetarian ramen?? I certainly hope they revisit that decision. And yes, I did call to put in my request. :)
Hickory Dog Hickory --
Let us know if they do this. There are alot of vegetarians in this area.
happiest girl - My daughter has already converted to vegetarian food, lost a lot of weight, and she is trying to talk me into the same diet. The problem is, I need high protein plus low carbs to bulk up, having lost a lot of weight due to diabetes. Any ideas? Thanks.
DannyC Went there today for lunch with my bf. Foos was amazing. Got two Bento boxes. Delicious and friendly service. It's our spot now. Good luck!!!!
DannyC ---- I'm not a nutritionist but I can tell you vegetarian foods like all kinds of nuts & seeds and nut butters (peanut butter, almond butter, cashew butter, etc) are high in protein and low in carbs. Also eggs, tempeh, tofu, cottage cheese. Also eat healthy fats like avocados & olive oil.
The owner is VERY welcoming, and very accommodating and SO sweet!. The food is great, however... She does not have a good waiter staff at all. It was very heartbreaking going on a busy busy Friday to see both her waiters standing around doing nothing, not taking any orders,not bringing drinks, not serving food. It was like the twilight zone. She although, was running around like a lunatic trying to make everyone happy. Giving 10% off everyone's bills, bringing out free apps. If you've gone on a night like this, definitely give it another shot on a night that isn't so busy until she is able to get a good, experienced waiter staff!! I will definitely be back for the food during the week days!
Anna Marie We went a couple of nights ago. The food was amazing, and the owner very sweet and welcoming. We really enjoyed our meals, and the complementary heart attack roll she gave our table was delicious. I do agree with the last post regarding the wait staff. When we went there was one other table seated (week night), but a great deal of take out orders! However, our waiter was hard to find and not very attentive. The owner seemed to notice and was coming to our table a lot. Looking forward to going back again!
Like any business- management can make or break it.
Sometimes- just like with kids, pets, spouses- there needs to be some tough love.
Sounds like somebody needs to lay the smack down- shape up or ship out. :)
Htown Started getting food from here a lot. They are exceptional! The sushi is very good and fresh, and the ramen is the best, on par with some of my favorites from NYC. DEFINITELY worth checking out. Got to know the owner, and she is very dedicated to bringing the healthiest food to the table. You will not find any bullion flavoring in the ramen!
El John I went here a few days ago- the food was excellent.
We ordered sushi this time- and for reference, I've been to a LOT of sushi places in many different states.
The fish, preparation, and presentation here was far better than Fujiyama, better than little toyoko, better than Wasabi in Washington. Better than the place in Clinton, the place in Somerville, Morristown, the place on Rt 10 that we used to go to weekly even though I forget the name..
Morimoto is still king- at a much greater drive and price.
There was (still is?) a place my wife and I found by chance in Allentown that was awesome and authentic- (my wife spent time in Japan)...steamed dumpling baskets for example.
Anyway- the food is great here. The owner is awesome and really cares to do her best. The sushi chef is a master at his craft. She was telling us how particular he is about what he serves- and it shows in the presentation of his work. Suggestion- quality sushi takes time to prepare- so order some quicker apps while he works.
As for the earlier comments on the wait staff- I spoke with them- the young man had just started, and is new to both restaurant work and Japanese / Korean food- so he has a steep learning curve. Cut him some slack. He bent over backward during our stay, admitted his faults, acknowledged the comments they saw on here- and genuinely tried to give us great service. No complaints.
Speaking of 'on here'- while my wife and I was there, we had not just 1, but 2 other couples dine there during our time- both of who mentioned Hackettstown life to the owner during conversation. Social media is a bigger influence for a restaurant than many establishments realize I think. We would have never known of it, nor tried it- if it wasn't for you guys & girls.
The woman (from here) that sat next to me ordered what appeared to be a beef Korean dish and another plate of some sort of noodle- they both looked GREAT! I would love to know what they were so I could order them next time...
The owner is aware that the interior is a work in progress- for example the lights over the bar seating are very harsh- waay too blue (easy to fix- track lights, twist and change). They need some warmer lights. I joked with my wife that we should have a HL chip in for some simple track lights from Lowes and I'll go swap em out for them.
2 thumbs up!!
This place is trash! I was so excited to try it and to have a ramen place in town (TOPO is #1 hands down) but it was absolutely horrible....ramen broth is listed on the menu 3 different types of broth but then server informed me no it's only chicken...I ordered a ramen dish that was listed to have tons of toppings and be topped with barbecue pork. What came out was an almost clear flavorless liquid with nothing but a few low-quality vegetables ... I said to the server immediately after placing it down uhhh is this what I ordered he says hold on runs back to kitchen comes out with two measely thin (also flavorless) pork slices thrown onto said bowl of crappy dishwater broth. I was disgusted and totally turned off by it....still waiting for my appetizer that I put in initially when we ordered our drinks. I actually told the server just forget the appetizer we just want the check...brings appetizer anyway (still on the bill though so no favors done here) but hey the tuna tataki appetizer from the sushi bar was excellent when I finally enjoyed it as more of a dessert because I was starving....owner or manager was frantically running around trying to help and asked me if I wanted a to go container for my full bowl of "Ramen" I said no honestly I don't want to take it thank you. So she says oh no you don't like it you don't like it okay I'll take it off....disappears with my soup and never returns to our table again...we were so frustrated I yelled to the server PLEASE just give us our check. Nothing taken off. Paid for every penny with no problem because I absolutely needed to get out of that place. Final detail being that atleast 3 times throughout our "meal" servers were coming up saying here did you order this??? and walking to each table with plates shouting who ordered this!! Awful awful if you are claiming to be a ramen joint your shining star dish should be the friggin ramen
justwantedramen justwantedramen I'm glad to see your post, I thought it was just me and my husband. We both love Ramen and would frequently drive down to Ramen Nagomi in New Brunswick to get our "ramen fix." We were SO happy to have a local place so we could skip the 45+ minute drive.
We have tried Gaza twice (wanted to give it a fair chance) and YUCK! I don't know about the other dishes on the menu, they might be good, but the ramen is horrible. The first time we went, I was given what looked like a bowl of dishwater that tasted like plain salted water with very scant amount of practically raw vegetables and what appeared to be a slab of fat floating on top. My husband couldn't even eat his as it was so salty. We thought it only fair to give them a second try (the first was right after they opened, so we were giving them the benefit of the doubt...). We again ordered the ramen and it was just as horrible as our first try.
The second time we tried it, we left there and drove down to New Brunswick and had the most delicious bowls of ramen! We really wish it was good because we would much prefer to support a local business and save ourselves the gas and time to drive that far.
Heidi Hello justwantedramen and Heidi,
We always appreciate any feedback for the future of our business and we thank you for your honest opinion. We apologize for the experience at our restaurant and we will work on re-training our staff to make sure the service runs more smoothly for our customers and to try to make it a more enjoyable time. Our ramen broth does taste a little bit on the lighter side, our intention being to make a cleaner chicken broth without using any msg or added artificial flavoring. We debated for a while on using a rich, thicker broth base but Instead of using pork belly fat we decided to use chicken broth as our base to make it a healthier option, one that we would feed to our own children. We use chicken broth as our base and add in other broth flavorings for our Miso, Korean spicy, and Sho-Yu ramens. Because we work in a small community, we aimed for a less greasy, fatty option that would serve the belly well but we can see that it does not always produce a rich taste. We will take in these considerations and work on improving the flavors of our food.We care about our customer's concerns and we will definitely see where we can make improvements. We apologize again for the experience and we will take in these comments to make GAZA an enjoyable place.
Thank you!
My husband and I are willing to give it a third shot. Sometimes 3 is the charm! I would sincerely LOVE to have a local place so we can skip the drive to New Brunswick and support a local restaurant. Thank you for your kind reply. We will try something else (besides the Ramen) on the menu as well, as other's have said there are some good items.
Did anyone mention the great dessert? Omg! Guys! Try the fried ice cream and do yourselves a favor and go for the green tea instead of plain ole vanilla! Unbelievably great! I have to say this is a new place still working out their work staff kinks. But the owner or manager is so attentive and hands on. This place cares and it shows. We tried some sushi options and shared the special which was the Gobdol bi bim bab. The sushi was great. The special was good with a great red sauce the manager mixed for us herself and said was made with barley, crushed peppers , and other Korean flavors. I would give my experience 3 out of 5 stars and if I was honest on just the food only ... I think 4 or 4.5. My husband thinks the recipes and exicution are just fab but servers could be more informed and there are kinks to be worked out. By the end tho they won us over and we were both singing their praises and lovin that dessert!
Jeanette/Etch Our family absolutely loves this place! I understand what some are saying about the flavor or the Raman being light, but I think it tastes just great and not heavy and greasy. The last time I went, I noticed there was much more pork in the Sho-Yu Raman, so the owners are certainly taking people's feedback into consideration, which is admirable. Perhaps they'd do better to have their healthier options on the menu as well as some others to please a wide variety of tastes? We LOVE the crystal roll; yum! Both of my kids enjoy this place and the owner is so nice and warm. She gave my kids free fried ice cream the last time we were there. I agree there are kinks to be worked out, but I have every faith they will be.
This place is beyond horrible. Appetizer resulted in nothing more than frozen wantons that can be found at Costco. The Korean spicy soup was appalling, horrid stale stinky smell, worst cuts of chicken imaginable. Then the icing on the cake, freeze dried ramen noodles??? Guests around us equally disappointing with their meals, we all laughed and said we'd never go back. Par for Hackettstown
Mickey Then a black eye for independence Twp. I feel better now, but still wouldn't go back.
Went a few weeks ago and was really not happy with the place. The broth tasted like dishwater. Had a sushi roll on the side which was good, but there are much better places in the area for sushi. I'm really disappointed as I was looking forward to a great ramen place.
honestyseasy My husband is a picky eater and he enjoyed the ramen we had a few nights ago.
I truly honestly think Gaza has the best sushi in town. I don't know how much else is on the menu because I love the sushi so much and always get it. But I do highly recommend going there and trying to sushi. It's more reasonably priced than fuijiyama (their specialty rolls more specifically) and is SO FRESH. Give it a try!
Went to Gaza for my birthday last week and the food and service were superb. I had a Korean dish that had raw fish and veggies in it and my spouse had bibimbap. I also had a sushi roll. It was my first time there and I loved the vibe.
I couldn't get over how attentive the service was. Every member of the staff we interacted with was very focused on making sure we were enjoying ourselves. I went to Wasabi the next night (still celebrating my birthday) and although the sushi was exceptional, the service was definitely not and at times, bordered on rudeness (which I have not experienced when picking up takeout there).
I'm glad we have two new sushi places in town. For sit-down dining, I will be sticking with Gaza. I'm still trying to decide whose sushi I like more for takeout.
SquirrelGirl Just went last night for the first time. Atmosphere is great; service was excellent; the food was outstanding; prices are very reasonable. If you have not tried this place, you should go. You will not be disappointed.
GazaRocks We went today. It was my first time but not my last time. I loved everything that was brought to our table. The Sushi is the best I've had in a long time. I also had a Korean Beef dish that I could eat every day. The place is nice and cozy. The staff were great and attentive. The prices were good. I will be a regular for sure!
Walking Girl Has anyone been to Gaza very recently? Was walking out of Wine Country & saw a neon sign saying they now deliver & under new management.
Yes, we love Gaza and get delivery pretty frequently! You can even order online.
Their sushi is very good. I would say almost as good as Fujiyama, but it’s never served cold enough for me. Chilled sushi is always more appealing bc it seems much fresher. Theirs is always room temp. (Although still fresh!) That would be my only complaint.
Hi Wsd - That's great that they deliver! However, the room temperature sushi has been my issue with Gaza - hence the reason I haven't been back in several months - I can't eat room temperature sushi - it's a turn off for me. My husband loved the Korean food that he tried there. I want the place to do well as it's close to PV for me. I was curious if anything had changed such as the temperature of the sushi. I guess when they prepare it, they leave it on the counter (which I have seen in the past) & it doesn't stay cold that way.
Sashimi should be served cool as well as most fish on top of the sushi (the rice). The sushi itself (the rice) should be room temperature.
In any event I very much enjoy Gaza and have been there a few times recently.
Greg @luca My buddy is a sushi chef. Sushi is not supposed to be COLD. The rice and fish should be room temp or a bit warm. If sushi is left out for more than a few minutes then the flavor changes and the rice dries out so it's very obvious. For this reason, we avoid take out sushi but it works for some.
The fish on the sushi is not meant to be room temperature or warm other than a few varieties like eel for example. The sushi (rice) should be room temperature.
"Sushi refers to seasoned rice which is served with fish or other ingredients. Sushi is normally served at room temperature as cooling the rice destroys the proper texture and flavor.
The fish on top of sushi can be served various temperatures depending on the type. Typically raw fish is cold, but some types of fish - eel for example - are heated before served.
Sashimi refers to raw fish without the rice and is generally all cold."
All I can say is that the only place where the sushi is served warmer than normal is Gaza.
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