My boy Hussein is the best host ! If you are looking for the best hookah spot in the city please come here ! Great music great ambiance great customer service ! Always super knowledgeable about best hookah flavors just overall an amazing experience! Please please if you have a chance and need a hookah spot to go to this place is an absolute MUST ! read more

I've been by this location a few times recently only to find a locked door. Goes without saying that I'm more than fairly certain this business has permanently closed. read more

I normally book Lava for Private dinners. KEN IS AWESOME. I cane with my team around Xmas. And you can usually find me here meeting my mentees. read more

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Can not recommend this place enough. The lava ramen in spicy level Fuji is my go to. It never disappoints. The broth is so good, you could put it in a cup and I would drink it like starbucks! Update I love this place more every time I come it's the bomb!! The people here are super nice! read more

Lava Lounge - Lava ramen Fuji level spicy - Lounges Near Me - San Francisco, California

I'm wavering between 3-4 stars, but Carol, the nice bartender with a great smile, made our night. She was fast with our drinks and always ready when we needed her. Love the private area towards the back, comfy leather seats against the wall and the lit up bar. Hate that the two bathrooms are both unisex! Don't they know boys have cooties?!? ;p read more

Lava Lounge - Tanqueray and Tonic on the lit up bar! - Lounges Near Me - San Francisco, California

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Great venue for private parties! Yesterday my friend had her birthday celebration here. There was a back room which was catered by the restaurant and served us delicious food. Since it was an early dinner, no one was really there except the staff and a few friends of the birthday girl. Very intimate and enough room for about 25 people. We were able to sit anywhere which was a plus. They allowed her to bring wine and her own cake as well. They had a buffet table of Cesar salad, Steamed veggies, Beef short ribs, Fried chicken and Garlic noodles. YUM!! When it hit about 10p the place started to get crowded and Lava lounge turned into a club. The place is small but a cool spot to hang out at. Good music, good vibes! read more

Lava Lounge is definitely a hidden gem for me. Located on Bryant st, you would never guess there was a bar here-and a nice one too! There are no other bars or restaurants surrounding it, and it is a very quiet street. But once you walk in, the dim glowing red lights perk your eyes to the Asian-inspired decor and colors. Take a seat at the bar, or a table in the back. Lava Lounge features their own menu of cocktails, including Lychee Martinis! They are pretty sweet, but a fun take on classic cocktails. They also have a decent food menu-featuring many different kinds of Ramen. They have a vegetable ramen, made with a vegetarian/vegan-friendly broth, which is really filling and super delicious. Packed with noodles, two different kinds of mushrooms, corn, tofu, and scallions, this bowl is not lacking without the meat. Ramen always hits the spot, especially on cold San Francisco nights. Pair it with the Fried Truffle Tofu fries, this is a great meal I share with Kyle H. I noticed a few other vegetarian items on the menu, such as vegetable spring rolls and curry samosas. Not completely sure if they are 100% vegan-friendly or not, but maybe I'll ask the next time I come in. This place is usually pretty empty, and I'd love to see them get more traffic. It's waking distance to AT&T Park as well as other spots in SOMA. read more

This past week, I've been here three times to watch the World Series. I like that it's not overly crowded and the atmosphere is super chill. The bartenders are great as well. They have happy hour every Monday thru Friday from 5pm to 7pm. 20% off all drinks and appetizers. I haven't tried any of their HH cocktails as I've just been drinking scotch or beer, but I've tried a bunch of apps. Vegetable curry samosa: deep fried pastries stuff with crisp veggies in a savory curry sauce (served with chili aioli) $8 Lighter than normal samosas since they have more of an egg roll type of wrapper. Good curry flavor. Chicken karaage bites: tender chicken morsels lightly battered and fried (served with sweet chili & ginger sauce) $8 Batter wasn't as crispy as I like. And the flavor of the batter had a slight sweetness to it which I didn't care for. Chicken gyoza: pan-fried steamed dumplings stuffed with chicken and vegetables (served with chili-soy) $8 Pretty good. I really liked the chili-soy dipping sauce. Wagyu beef sliders: char-grilled ground wagyu beef marinated with hoisin sauce, thai basil and American cheese ($9) A little too sweet for me. But the beef was super tender. Crispy calamari: lightly battered calamari fried with five spices (served with chili aioli) $8 Probably my favorite app. The calamari was crispy and the dipping sauce complemented it well. Truffle tofu fries: lightly battered tofu tossed in truffle oil (served with lemon-soy dipping sauce) $7 Not much truffle smell or flavor. Nicely battered and fried. "Fritz" (Fries): fries tossed in garlic ($6) Lots of garlic aroma. But the few fries I had didn't have much garlic flavor. They also serve ramen and other noodles, but I haven't tried any of those yet. I will definitely be back to try some more items. Lava Lounge is a great place to chill, grab some drinks and snacks and of course watch the game! read more

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I recently moved to SoMa and was craving ramen one evening... And a simple Yelp search took me to Lava Lounge. We arrived at around 6:45pm on a Tuesday and the place was almost completely empty. The atmosphere was dark and intimate, with two main spaces -- one with more of a bar-esque feel (high stools, small circular tables) and an inner room with more lounge/restaurant furniture. During my visit, they were playing primarily mainstream EDM, although I'm not sure if that changes from day to day. The cocktails were yummy and mildly creative. I am a huge fan of pomegranate, so I enjoyed seeing pomegranate mojitos and margaritas on the menu. The food itself was definitely above average. For the Surf N Turf ramen, make sure you eat the tempura shrimp before it gets soggy. I ate the crispy first one early on in my meal, and was sadly disappointed by the soggy second. The noodles and broth were decent, and the soft-boiled egg was cooked perfectly and melted in my mouth. Extra points for having an astounding FOUR levels of spicy -- medium, spicy, extra spicy, and lava spicy. I ordered an extra spicy and it was perfect for me. If you'd like an idea of how spicy I like my food, I was eating a pulled pork sandwich earlier that day and squeezed a good helping of Sriracha on every other bite. The customer service here was absolutely stellar. The waitress checked up on us plenty of times, but not enough to be annoying. When I was making my order, she was incredibly friendly and provided a lot of great advice on what options went well with each dish. My only negative point about this place is that there's only one bathroom, and it's unisex. It wasn't too bad during dinner since there weren't too many other customers at the time, but I could see it becoming a problem later in the night when more drinks are being consumed. ;-) **TIP**: Happy hour is from 4pm-7pm -- 20% off food and drink! read more

Lava Lounge - Surf N Turf Ramen (extra spicy) + Pomegranate Mojito - Lounges Near Me - San Francisco, California

Thank you so much for catering my Uncle's Celebration of Life. Everyone thought it was perfect and the food was really good!! We were extremely pleased and we are not easy to please. read more

It's a cute spot but there aren't a lot of people during the week so the place may seem kind of dead, but the food is decent here.

We were looking for a quick lunch in the area and decided to try Lava Lounge's ramen. Lava Lounge is a bar/night club that has a very upscale atmosphere to it with a flashy full bar behind the counter. However they also serve ramen both hot and cold with a number of toppings, and almost no other dishes. While this seems incredibly random to me, I'll go with it. We are huge ramen fans, so for this place to get our approval requires something special as we are not the most lenient critics on our favorite dish. To start with, it had its problems. The most noticeable area being that the noodles were aweful. They clumped and were overly firm and were just in general not very good. However, it had a few redeeming qualities. There were good broth options with varying levels of spiciness. The topping selection was where they really shined. They had standard things like shoyu egg, extra char siu, kamaboko, etc. But they also had some great unique toppings which were all good. Things like tempura shrimp, tempura bacon, fried egg and buttered corn were fun and tasty. Also, their kurobuta was fantastic. We will likely be coming back here for more in the future. Hopefully the noodle quality improves. I can't fault these guys too much though, they do a lot of things right and you can't expect perfect ramen from everyone. If I wanted that I would make the trip down to dojo. read more

Lava Lounge - Lounges Near Me - San Francisco, California

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Three stars because it's an average of my experience and my colleagues' experience. Came here for lunch. Service was great--prompt and attentive. Ordered cold soba noodles with seared tuna. It came with two small pieces of tuna. TWO. I included a photo with this review, but don't be fooled by the photo--they were much smaller than they appear in the picture. Probably a total of 1.5 ounces for those two slices. So, with tax and tip, I paid $13 for a pile of noodles (which were fine, but not mind-blowing) and two tiny pieces of tuna, which were tasty, so there's that, I guess. Two stars. I went back to the office and ate two boiled eggs so I could feel full. Colleagues ordered the ramen, which this place is admittedly known for, and they loved it. Five stars. Hence the three-star average. read more

Lava Lounge - This was prob about 1.5 ounces. - Lounges Near Me - San Francisco, California

Went here for a work lunch... I would've been really disappointed if I had to pay for my meal. That being said, I ordered the spicy seafood ramen... It was the most basic thing I've ever had. Broth was way too salty, noodles we're overcooked, had four slices of fish cakes, 4 overcooked scallops, and 2 fried shrimp pieces that were so soggy as they were sitting in the broth. I legit thought it would be sauteed or steamed, def didn't think fried. If you want good ramen, this ain't it. read more

Lava Lounge - Spicy seafood ramen. Wasn't good. - Lounges Near Me - San Francisco, California

Celebrated my husbands 30th birthday this past Saturday and we had an amazing time! Our bartender Mel was amazing, professional and really made sure we were comfortable and having fun. We were able to play our own music and get the back decorated with balloons and a dessert table. We ordered the chicken and shrimp and it was really good. We had so much fun that it even got a bit messy with cake but the owner/manager completely understood and was so kind, gracious and helpful. I recommend this place for any event, we really loved it! read more

Lava Lounge - They allowed me to set this up in the back room - Lounges Near Me - San Francisco, California

Went here for lunch and had the chicken and kale ramen. You get to choose your heat level which I like. The ramen is beautifully presented, the chicken kale ramen has green noodles which are really yummy. The broth is full of flavor. I have only been here for lunch and the service was quick. Love this place and plan to return! read more

Love The Lava Lounge! There is a mixture of seating options, as well as the bar. The kitchen is good! Love the ramen! Ken is cool. A real credit to the neighborhood. read more

I threw my Xmas party here last night and they did an unbelievable job here. Chocolate fountain fondue, a sushi chef, a beautiful ice sculpture, great dj, and the bartenders did a super job. It was a fantastic night! I was very happy with the outcome. Thanks for coming Norm Y., phil w., brian p, diana p. It's always great to have a few of you yelpers come by. As for ken chow, the owner of Lava Lounge ............ Absolutely brilliant!!! As for my hangover............Absolutely terrible!!! read more

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Because sometimes you need a "chill" weekend... Unless it's for HH, I'm not really a bar/lounge type of gal b/c after a few drinks I can't sit still and always end up dancing on the couches. However, lack of sleep and pure exhaustion had left me wanting to stay home on a Saturday night, but the "itch" came on and Lava was where my friends and I ended up this past Sat, 7.3.10. LINE/COVER: No party was being held, so there was no line and no cover. DRINKS: $9 for top shelf cocktails and shots. HH Special: 20% off Apps and drinks on Mon-Fri. 5 PM - 7 PM STAFF: Everyone was incredibly nice esp the bartenders. All the bartenders (three of them) were very personable and attentive. CROWD: Lava prolly had 20-25 people there that night (about 1/3 capacity), 95% of which were Asians in their late 20s to early 30s. But, I'm sure the crowd is more diverse during HH on the weekdays and during game nights since it's near AT &T park. MUSIC: Top 40s, Hip Hop and Pop mix. Although the mix was really good, they played the same one every hour which got very annoying. Although I love "Meet Me Halfway", hearing it 4x was enough to last me the weekend. AMBIANCE/DÉCOR: Lava is TINY and I would call it more of a bar than a "lounge". You walk in and everything is pretty much right there; the bar and a private back room for about 10-12 people (sitting). The décor is very modern and sleek; black walls, lighted bar counter tops, and dark burgundy suede drapes at the back private room(s). There's only one unisex bathroom which is negative esp when there's drunktards. PARKING: Street parking which is pretty easy esp on a non game night. If you're looking for a chill night to have some drinks and chit chat, Lava is the perfect place to go. read more

Lava Lounge is a bar/lounge that serves Asian fusion food. It has a loungy interior, with lighted counters and cushy chairs. I only really know it as a lunch place. The big thing here is ramen. They have a few different kinds with different toppings, but the special thing here is the adjustable spice level. It's not just chili oil or powder either, they seem to integrate some sort of chili sauce or butter into the broth. The regular is pretty spicy already so if you can't take a lot of spices just take it easy. The actual ramen itself is just ok. The noodles were over cooked (perhaps sitting in broth too long as they didn't account for lunch service rushes), and I couldn't taste the soup much due to the spices. The toppings were decent and pretty much what you'd expect at every other average ramen places. This part of the city doesn't have much in the way of East Asian comfort food. I suppose this will do once in a while! read more

Went during their lunch hours because I needed something to cure my hangover and tried their Lava Ramen... OH MY GOD spiciest thing ever!!!! The broth is red. Just pure red. After a few minutes, I was dying so I was forced to eat the thing super slowly. My mouth was on fire. After surpassing her limit of seeing us suffer, the waitress offered to bring out non-spicy broth to mix in and hopefully dilute the spiciness. It helped a little but still, I think my mouth went numb. Admittedly, I'd do it again though... read more

Lava Lounge - Lava Ramen...spiciest ramen ever! - Lounges Near Me - San Francisco, California

Whether is stopping by here to say HELLO to the bartenders or jumping up and down like crazy with all the SF Giants fans during the home games.....I'll say 9 times out of 10 i have tons of fun here. How many times have I passed out in my car outside on the street...and to wake up 5-6am to go home from a rough night of drinking. I'll say this...if it weren't for the lovely bartenders (Panda and Karen)...I would not have as much fun as I have so far. Thanks ladies! Let's not make anymore stupid bets here.....*shaking head* read more

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Not impressed by this bar. Location and parking sucks. The only cool thing about this place is the girl bartenders - really nice and friendly. Might be a good spot to throw a private party cuz you'll have that place all to yourself. read more

I'll have to come in for their ramen, but for now...in terms of their lounge space, it's very limited. There are a fair amount of small tables and benches/small stools...but you'll spend a good amount of time shimmying and shuffling from point A to point B. The space is decorated nicely and is fairly modern though. Bartenders seem knowledgeable of their drinks, but should definitely pull the plug on the debauchery before it gets out of hand. Many of my coworkers got completely trashed during our Christmas party and only after they threw up did the bartender say "no more"....nice. You have to pay for parking through the night though even with metered parking. read more

Solid lunch for under $15 Good selection of drinks for HH Actually friendly staff after dark We've hosted some company HH here, as well as private events and the staff has always been extremely easy to work with and very attentive throughout. I recently realized that they also have pretty good lunch options, especially in the food wasteland that is SOMA. Definitely fusion dishes, which make them quite unique and interesting. On a darkness/lounginess scale, you can see better than in Local Edition, but a little worse than Bar Basic. Now back to more spicy ramen.. read more

Lava Lounge - Miso ramen with corn - Lounges Near Me - San Francisco, California

It is a fine, fine day when one discovers a decent ramen place in the city. Co-workers and I finally checked out Lava Lounge. Atmosphere was typical Soma-swanky. Friendly staff. Ramen was delicious! Had the Lava signature (the spiciest they have). The included shoyu egg was good. Noodles and broth were also on point. They have a decent selection of ramen (including a build-your-own) and extras. Oh, they have other dishes too, but I came strictly for the ramen. read more

This place is casual and easy to get to and in and out of. Someone was having a 30th birthday disco party with costumes, decorations and photo booth and all. Most of the people here are older, in their thirties. Plenty of seating at the bar and the bartenders are efficient. Prices are a bit steep for the venue but the music is good. The shared bathroom is stinky. Good place to stop in between venues. read more

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The Lava Lounge literally just opened in the old Eagle Drift -In space in SoMa. I loved the Eagle for several reasons. One, you could smoke, two, it was pitch black in there during the day and three, it seemed like a relic of the "old SoMa'. Well, all that is gone and in its place is a slick new bar with nice hardwood floors flat screen TV's behind the bar and the promise of a dinner menu that will serve prime rib as its featured meal. Since I work above the bar, we stopped in on their first real night of being open and had a few cocktails. I liked the ambiance, although it was a little sparse and could use some more visual stimulants. The staff was very friendly and the drinks were tasty and very reasonably priced. That said, I look forward to seeing how this place evolves. Give it a shot... read more

Lava Lounge - Lounges Near Me - San Francisco, California

Fair to middling. Biggest disappointment was the noodles which tasted obviously dry packaged and boiled. Also I was persuaded by the server away from 4-star heat to 3-star as 4-star is "very very hot." Well, the 3 star was barely spicy at all, so that was also disappointing. They ambiance with the lighted blue bar and swanky decor is interesting but feels a bit like this place doesn't know yet what it wants to be. Is it a ramen restaurant with a bar or a cocktail bar that serves ramen? Currently seems to be missing on both, it would do well to decide and then go all in. read more

Was craving ramen/noodles on a cooler day in the city for lunch and ventured down with a couple coworkers on a Wednesday. The restaurant itself is very nice--well decorated, furnished, and you're welcomed by their full bar and friendly staff. There was a lunch rush but not too bad. We got seated right away. The menu was exactly what we were looking for, was decently priced, and even had some items that was out of the box. Food: You can select from their variety of ramen bowls or make your own. I opted for their curry ramen. It is soup-less as it mentioned but it's literally curry with noodles (no complaints!). The curry was perfectly cooked and the right amount of richness, not TOO heavy. Added an egg and boom! Did have to wait a little for our food but as to be expected with a lunch rush. The food was SO GOOD! Will be coming back read more

I drowsily trailed a small entourage of people here post a wedding. We came here at the behest of my cousin's cousin, who was only in town for a mere 40 hours. He was looking for maximum fun in small time frame. Sooo it was kind of hilarious when he slumped over on the couch, beer barely touched, and drifted into semi-sleepyland. I certainly was fairly beat myself, so also wisely pushed my mostly untouched cocktail onto one of the locals accompanying us. As other Yelpers have mentioned, this is quite the limited space. It wasn't too late yet, so not too unbearably crowded (although per the other reviews, doesn't seem like this places gets much crowded anymore?). Additionally the people we met up with were celebrating a birthday - so they had taken it upon themselves to reserve a rather large area. It was loud, from what I remember, but I could still converse with my party without straining my vocal cords. The crowd seemed young-ish - early to mid-twenties. There was this one random fifty year old creeper dude seemingly there by myself, hovering over the bar, eye-raping the heck out of some of the women. That provided me with a few minutes of amusement . . . I don't know if this place necessarily felt "lounge-y" enough to be classified as such. It was definitely a nicer bar, no sloppily dressed patrons, but it didn't feel dressy enough to be a "lounge" in my not-so-expert opinion. read more

Not sure if I am coming back. We will be in the neighborhood more often now for events, stopped by here for a glass of wine and ramen. While the ramen is notable of thick broth and good tempura, I am not sure if we are back again for the service. The bartenders are okay but the Asian owner/ manager wasn't friendly at all. Barely acknowledged our presence and not at all communicative. When the owner/manager are not friendly it is hard to have a pleasant experience. A unique encounter made us realize this today. So torn... After all service is key. it is all about feeling welcome and valued as customers. Lava Lounge = trendy on the right track, mood = need a serious boost. read more

pretty fair ramen. Came there during lunch time. Service is quick, total dining time is around 30 min. Once ramen came up, U will find out all the ramen are premade before. Then they poured the broth into it. So ramen is stuck at the button of the bowl. Tried lava ramen w/ medium spice level. Pretty ok. It could be the best ramen place around South Park area! read more

Lava Lounge - Lava ramen w/ medium spice - Lounges Near Me - San Francisco, California

I've been here for lunch maybe six times and I'll keep coming back. lunchtime can be really crowded and the staff always seems kind of harried. but be patient because the ramen is worth the wait. they'll ask if you like it spicy and even though they warn you on the menu that spicy means really spicey, it's not that bad. usually I get the Lava Ramen which has pork and lots of corn. and it's only $10. free edamame for the table too which is a nice touch I came once at night and sat at the bar with two friends for drinks and dinner and it wasn't a great experience. the bartender was kinda gruff, almost rude, even though there was hardly anyone else there except us. but don't let that dissuade you from coming here for lunch read more

Holy crap! Worst service. I call to make a to-go order and was denied because they were "too busy" Who says that?? If anything, those are the best orders because you don't have to serve them!! I've never been denied for trying to order take out. read more

Fun lunch spot for ramen. Broth was more soupy. Noodles were okay. Would have liked my hard boiled egg to be softer. Good ramen for the area. Nice bar too. read more

Lava Lounge - Lounges Near Me - San Francisco, California

We wanted to place a to-go order and when my co-worker called on the phone and asked, "Can I place an order to-go?" They just said, "No." (No explanation off the bat.) When she asked, "Why?" They said that they are too busy. SO weird, as wouldn't they prefer getting to-go orders, because it means they wouldn't have to serve the customer in the restaurant (dishes, etc.)? I see that this has happened to a few other people, so I guess it's not unique for them, but we found it strange and extremely off-putting. Good-bye to the $250+ order we were going to place (as it was going to be an order for eight people for a goodbye lunch, but we never even got to mention that!) read more

Lava ramen was good, reasonably priced. The broth was good so was the noodle. However, it would have been much better with some green onions and sprouts like other Ramen. Rosted pork tasted wrong. read more

If you work in South Park, you'll probably agree that the lunch options run a little thin after awhile. There's Darwin (awesome), American Grilled Cheese kitchen (yummy), the new kid on the block Garaje (thank you, Lord) and now we've discovered a place that serves Ramen during lunch and we are very happy about that! (yes, there is a mouse in my pocket). The Ramen is good. Not mind-blowing (think Maruichi in Mountain View), but definitely satisfies the need for a comforting food hug during the day. Their signature broth is a garlic porky one and you can also go with a miso one if that is more your speed. Their spice levels go from barely nudging your tongue to a full on blazing 4-alarm fire. Sooooo, proceed with caution. You can also build your own ramen bowl and add things like roasted pork belly, a fried egg, shrimp tempura, buttered corn and about 10 other things. Oh and the noodle to broth ratio is well-balanced. All in all, it's not a place I would hit every day since hello, salty bowls of food lead to super tight waistbands, but for a craving satisfier when the ramen bug hits, this place passes my test of cool. Give it a go, it sure as hell beats that scary looking Pho place just up the street on 3rd. Yeeks. read more

I can't believe I haven't given Lava Lounge some Yelp love yet! It's a pretty chill place to grab drinks after work and I've never had any issues with getting a spot. If you're there for HH, I highly recommend also giving their tofu fries a try! Even though Lava Lounge is first and foremost a bar, I usually come for their delicious ramen. Yep, you heard that right-- Lava Lounge has some solid ramen. It's no Orenchi or Mensho, but their signature broth is actually pretty bomb. I love their shrimp tempura and usually go for the seafood ramen with dumplings added, but you can totally build your own bowl too. I'm a total wimp when it comes to eating spicy food, so I only go for the mild version of the broth. I will most likely keep it that way since I've heard about and witnessed the horror of stronger spice levels! Lava Lounge is a great lunch option in the soma area and their prices are pretty reasonable too! read more