Just off Carrer Marina and steps from the verdant Carrer Wellington, Hana Ramen and Bowls is surprisingly busy for its slightly out of the way location. Sharing a wall with sister-restaurant Cafè Menssana, it also shares the international lunch crowd that flocks from the offices and agencies in the surrounding area, as well as students from the Universitat Pompeu Fabra Ciutadella campus. Officially dubbed ‘Hana: The Ramen & Bowls Place’ according to their minimalistic, black and white menu, the food is Japanese, just as you would expect.
Diners can choose from an assortment of reasonably priced starters—from grilled octopus with ancho chilli butter, cauliflower purée and miso to roasted chashu pork, garnished with pickled melon and dried bonito flakes—as well as the expected ramen and about 10 other main dishes.
Among the larger dishes, you will find the bowls; deep ceramic vessels filled with sticky, vinegar-spiked sushi rice and topped with cured salmon with grapefruit; grilled prawns with bamboo; chicken with kimchi, and more. The menu is best shared among a group in order to taste as many plates as possible. Every dish that I have tried—and I have tried many since the restaurant opened in 2017— was made with attention to detail, taste and presentation. Anyone looking for an informal, affordable and out of-the-ordinary Japanese meal is sure to leave Hana happy.