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Ramen Kameko

4.5 (65 reviews)
ModerateRamen
Closed 11:30 am - 8:00 pm

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RAMEN KAMEKO ATMOSPHERE

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Recommended Reviews - Ramen Kameko

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Inside
Lizzie S.

My mom and I were going to spend the afternoon at a museum in Golden Gate Park (we hadn't decided yet which one) and I was tasked with picking a lunch place. We both love ramen, not waiting in lines, and trying new things. Ramen Kameko fit the bill! We walked in around 1:30pm and it was pretty busy! You could order at the kiosk or via their staff. They have a lunch special which is only really a good deal if you get a drink, so we forewent it and ordered individual ramen dishes. We were pleased that the hot tea was free, too, and I really enjoyed its flavor! I liked my Ninniku tonkotsu ramen and my mom enjoyed her miso ramen. Both broths are yummy and not as rich as most ramen broths we've had in San Francisco. To be frank, most upset my stomach and this one did not, so that is a plus! The pork belly was flavorful, but there weren't many pieces. Noodles were the right firmness and chewiness. Egg is extra. Portions are slightly smaller. Usually we take food to-go, but here, we both cleared our dishes. We contemplated the free noodle refill, but decided against it because we would just take it home with us and would feel bad. Service was delightful. We also loved the decor--it felt like Japan! There was good art and decorations. The wall had hangers--we wondered if anyone hung their jackets there (maybe in the rain.) Overall, the interior is very clean (they are new.) Great new ramen spot in the Richmond--would recommend!

Menu
Joanna S.

The food was good, not great. Service was very good, attentive and the sever offered tea, which was complimentary. The tea had a lovely floral fragrance. We tried the Niniku and Miso broths. My first spoonful of miso broth held promise, but I felt it was just Ok by the time I had a few bites of ramen. The broths lacked the depth we are accustomed to with ramen broth, but on a positive note, they were not greasy. The amount of chashu was quite small and fatty. Good on a cold day if you are in the Richmond.

Viki N.

This may be the best bang for buck ramen I've found in SF so far! I got the Tonkotsu Ramen for $15.95 and it even comes with one free refill of noodles. The broth flavor was excellent. I do have one minor complaint that the noodles were a tad too overcooked for my liking. The refill noodles were much more firm and bouncy, but that also doesn't taste as flavorful as the first batch of noodles that were cooked directly in the broth. So overall, I'd rate the restaurant at more of a 4.5*, but I'll round up to 5* for the great value!

Delicious Ramen, and the best family time. Glad we discovered this wonderful restaurant. Locals, come out!
Maria E.

Our recent visit was the first time my family has explored the Richmond area and I have to say, we'll definitely be back since it's filled with many interesting small business shops I'd love to examine more in depth. One of our discoveries is this delightful Ramen restaurant. Service is helpful and friendly. They have delicious Ramen and if you're eating meatless, the tomato broth based Ramen I had was delicious (obviously, you have to like tomato). It inspires me to attempt to make something similar to it at home--I feel like that's a solid compliment. Eat up the noodles and save the broth because they do offer another serving of noodles for free. Slurp, so good. Truly and enjoyed this place. Thank you from us visiting Southern Californians.

Daniel L.

Dattebayo! Ramen Kameko is my new favorite spot outside of Ichiraku! The moment I sat down, I could feel the warmth and energy of the place, like chakra filling the air. The broth was so rich and powerful, it felt like it could give me enough strength to take on a whole army of shadow clones. The noodles had the perfect bounce, almost like they were trained by a ninja master themselves. Every topping was a surprise attack of flavor--soft eggs, tender pork, and fresh veggies all coming together in perfect harmony. Even the sides, like the gyoza, hit harder than a Rasengan to the taste buds. If you love ramen as much as I do, you've GOT to try Ramen Kameko. Believe it!

Tonkotsu ramen with pork
Vicki A.

I always love a place that serves one thing really well, and this ramen house did not disappoint. I always get a miso ramen but also came back to try the tonkotsu. Easy to order through the kiosk inside. Cute interiors just like you would see in a ramen house in Tokyo. Noodles were perfectly firm, broth was rice and flavorful, and even the chicken karaage was delicious. They give you additional noodles too, if you ask! A new favorite.

The worst ramen i've ever had. bland and no depth
Akari Y.

I was very very disappointed. I was craving ramen and this definitely was the worst ramen i've ever gad. I have tried all the ramen spots in the bay area and heard hype about this spot and wow it lacked so much flavor. The smell and presentation was ok but i am so sad it. lacked soooo much. Service was fine but the food genuinely had to be good to make this work.

Black garlic tonkatsu ramen
Chris R.

We walked in around 3 pm on a Saturday and got seated right away. The inside is clean and there's interesting decor on the ceiling of the restaurant. The waiter was really nice. He gave us water and pointed out where the self serve water and tea station is. I got the black garlic tonkatsu and my wife for their chicken paiten. The ramen was good. Nothing crazy special, but it was good. Note that it doesn't come with an egg and you'll need buy one as an add on. We opted to not add an egg. We did get chicken karaage and that was good. The tonkatsu was rich with a tinge of sweetness which helped cut through the salt level. The noodles were good too. They were the thin ramen noodles and were firm and chewy. Overall a good ramen spot.

Black garlic ramen
Alisa P.

I loved this tiny ramen spot specifically for the service. They were knowledgeable about all the components and the way their dishes are cooked which helped a lot to pick the right ones for each of us. They also were so patient and nice to our toddler daughter that kept throwing things on the floor - that means a lot to me! As for the food - we liked everything. My black garlic ramen's broth was full of flavor, gyoza were delicious. Definitely planning on coming back!

Wayne H.

Kameko is a cute little ramen shop on Clement. They have a self-service kiosk for ordering, but it is a bit confusing - more on this later. We stopped in early and there was no line and we practically had the place to ourselves. Service here was fantastic! Their self-service kiosk could use some improvements for usability. For example, when you order ramen, the only options available are the spicy paste for $1.50. They confusingly have a completely separate section for "toppings" - so it is impossible to specify which toppings go with which bowl of ramen, unless you order each individual bowl separately. This literally makes no sense. The add-ons, things like the ramen egg, for example, should be options on each bowl of ramen and associated with that item. Just as an example, we ordered one order of nori sheets, which were intended for my bowl. One order of nori comes with 3 small sheets, so they put one in each bowl, plus brought out the extra sheet separately. This is a huge problem, especially if you have allergies so I recommend placing your ramen order separately if that's the case otherwise you may end up with random toppings. ALSO, if you order the spicy paste from the toppings menu, it's somehow only $1 so I felt a little ripped off because we both paid $1.50 as options on the ramen itself. Overall, the ramen was just okay. We tried the tonkotsu and tori paitan. Both broths were good, but we've had much better elsewhere. For my taste, the broth lacked salt so this could be an issue with the tare. The pork chashu was delicious - tender, and a little smoky, however the chicken chashu was pretty plain and devoid of flavor. The ramen egg (which is a +$3 option(!)) was perfectly cooked. The noodles seem to be Hakata-style thin noodles, but they were cooked to absolute perfection based on your preference while ordering. Avoid the karaage - that was simply awful. The chewiest chicken I've ever had and not very crispy. For two bowls of ramen + toppings + spicy paste and karaage, this was close to a $70 meal, which IMO, given the quality, is absolutely not worth it.

Priscilla L.

I finally ate here for the this new Japanese restaurant that reminds me of being at Japan with the small hole in the wall and option to pay first like Japan because they have the kiosk there. The server said you can also pay at table like American style. There free complementary tea and nice lemon water at the front. From outside window you can see the kitchen cooking and as you enter it's an open kitchen and in back of hall entrance is the seating area. This place just recently opened up and nice bright, quiet, relaxing setting and easy to carry on a conversation. Appetizers were small, tasty and enough to share between 2 people. We were impressed with how tender the Tori Karaage fried chicken was excellent tender the meat was. It came with a small dish of spicy mayo and I enjoyed both dipping it or just eat it plain. Yummy. Great job. The appetizers would be enough for a single diner. If you have a group bigger than 3, you may want to order double if you are a big eater. I enjoyed both appetizers. For main course and I added the egg of course called Ninniku Tonkotsu Ramen with black garlic oil, roasted garlic creamy tonkotsu broth. The noodles are on the thinner side and garlic flavor is mild. But I enjoyed my dish and both my friend and I would return to eat here again. Yummy in my tummy! What's unique is that I took photos of free noodle refills sign by the table. I didn't take advantage of it because I didn't want to stuff myself as I was going to get some dessert at another nearby establishment on Clement Street. Oh restroom single stall had nice wall decorations which I was impressed with. Clement has a lot of good restaurants now and nice variety. I don't come out this way, but recently with all these new place opening up like this place and Sewa, I'll be coming out to this neighborhood more often, but catching the bus since we all know finding parking in Richmond district is always hard.

Spicy Miso Ramen - Classic Miso Ramen with Added Ball of Spice, Chashu, Kikurage Mushrooms, Nori (Seaweed), and Negi (Green Onions)
Mike L.

Despite how this particular stretch of Clement Street has always had a wide range of Asian (and non-Asian) cuisines to offer it's odd that it has never really had any ramen restaurants to offer. You could easily find Japanese, Chinese, Thai, Burmese, German, French, Italian, Malaysian, Mexican, and Turkish options, yet no ramen. Even nearby, there used to be Genki Ramen on Geary, but there hasn't historically been a lot of options in the Inner Richmond. So, needless to say, between my love of ramen and how much time I spend out here, it was pretty exciting to see Ramen Kameko open up in the neighborhood! Located between Y & Y and Keeva (their signage isn't very large), the outside of Ramen Kameko looks somewhat nondescript. As soon as you walk in, you can see the workers preparing the various orders of ramen and that the restaurant is bigger/deeper than it seems (they have some longer tables for larger groups). What's more, the decor is great - banners are strong along the ceiling and the walls are adorn with a variety of pictures and posters. Similarly, the menu feels a bit simple, but it has a decent mix of things to offer, including a half dozen or so appetizers and a slate of ramen featuring tonkotsu, miso, and a vegan tomato broths. -- TORI KARAAGE - Japanese Style Fried Chicken, Miso Dressing, Spicy Mayo...$8.95 Although the presentation wasn't much to look at (they used a paper tray), this was great! The batter is crispy, lightly seasoned, and not too thick while the chicken itself was quite juicy. Plus, I like how the strips of green onion added a nice bit of freshness and flavor. -- TAKOYAKI - Octopus Balls with Tangy Sauce and Kewpie Mayo...$5.50 (4 pcs) More solid than spectacular, but no complaints either. Although the outside of the takoyaki wasn't as crispy as I would've preferred, I liked that the inside was really soft and the size of the octopus in each one was pretty decent. Plus, it wasn't drowning in suace/mayo either! -- NINNIKU TONKOTSU RAMEN with Black Garlic Oil, Roasted Garlic, Creamy Tonkotsu Broth, Chashu, Kikurage Mushrooms, Negi (Green Onions), and Nori (Seaweed)...$16.95 Honestly, I wasn't sure what to expect, but this was so good! The broth was creamy, rich, and flavorful while the black garlic didn't overpower the rest of the bowl. What's more, the chashu was meaty with just a touch of fattiness while the noodles had a really nice bite. So good! -- SPICY MISO RAMEN - Classic Miso Ramen with Added Ball of Spice, Chashu, Kikurage Mushrooms, Nori (Seaweed), and Negi (Green Onion)...$16.95 Ehh...not bad, but definitely not as good as the Ninniku Tonkotsu Ramen. The dollop of spice/peppers had a nice hit of spice to it, but the broth didn't have a strong taste of miso to it. That being said, both the ramen and the chashu were still just as good. Despite how good the food is for the most part, what I like most about this place are the workers. Both times I've been here, the servers have been amazing - super friendly, responsive, and helpful. However, the female server I had the second time I came here was especially awesome. She even went out of her way to clear another table to "make" me move, since the one I originally sat down at was so wobbly ("I'm really nervous your ramen is going to spill on you!"). If I were to base this on food alone, I'd probably round down from FOUR AND A HALF STARS, as they're closer to a four star, rather than a five star, type of spot. At the very least, I still prefer the likes of Nojo Ramen Tavern and Marufuku Ramen in SF. After factoring in the free kaedama/ramen refill (not sure if it's only for their soft launch), the awesome service, and the selfish fact that I would love to see a ramen place stick around out here, I'm okay with (somewhat) generously rounding up!

Spicy Tonkatsu Ramen (amount of paste pictured is medium spicy)
Elaine Y.

Came to Ramen Kameko because we like trying new things and hey, it's new in the neighborhood! Upon walking in, you're greeted by the kitchen first. Tables in the back. There was a kiosk but we were sat traditionally. The kiosk idea is kind of cool because it does remind me of the ticket machines in Japan. The decor inside is also quite an homage to Japan. I decided to go it's the tonkatsu as my baseline and was pleasantly surprised by the richness of the broth. It was flavorful without being a complete salt bomb. I also tried the garlic broth and the miso broth too and both were also tasty! All ramens come with two thinly sliced pieces of char siu which was buttery and just a bit smoky, woodear mushrooms, and thinly sliced scallions. If you wish, there's togarashi, roasted sesame seeds, and marinated bean sprouts on the table if you wish to add. Overall, the ramen was good but I will say that I thought the noodles were a little overcooked given that they were on the thin side. The extra serving of noodles I had had a bit more bite which I actually much preferred. Given this, I wish you got to specify the texture. For a side, we also added the gyoza which was delicate but well seasoned. The pan fried bottom was golden and was just enough to provide a little textural difference. The dipping sauce was a ginger infused vinegar which was also very tasty. Overall, I could definitely see myself coming back!

Inside /soft opening 15% off

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Ask the Community - Ramen Kameko

Do they have broth that doesn't have fish in it?

Their broth does not contain any fish or seafood ingredients.

Hello, when I look at the menu, the price is kinda like just for the ramen and need to pay for each topping. If I don't add any topping, I'll be serviced with just ramen?

All of the ramen dishes come with toppings including protein (like chashu, chicken, or tofu), seaweed, woodear mushrooms, and green onions. For the tomato vegan option, there are specialty toppings like fried shallots.

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4.1(3.4k reviews)
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I saw many were able to park right outside of the restaurant and it is walkable from Union Square…read more If you are walking and first time SF, the area may feel a little sketchy especially after sundown. I was by myself and wanted to have a quick eat. This place has unique ramen so I decided to come again (also SF/bay area only in the US). Since I was alone, I got to skip the line and only waited 15 minutes. The ramen was great. I would love to come again and try new one. Their duck chashu is SO GOOD. A little salty but works great as a whole. I respect the kitchen and servers because it's so busy and they are very efficient.

We visited Mensho Tokyo SF for our Mother's Day celebration after hearing so many great things…read moreabout the ramen, and we were genuinely excited to try it for the first time. We were a large group of 15, including several kids, and we completely understand that the restaurant is small and accommodating a group our size can be challenging. We waited in line for almost an hour with around 6 children. During the wait, a staff member named Sue came outside, asked how many people were in our group, and handed us menus. Since it was our first visit, we were naturally asking questions and trying to understand the menu. Unfortunately, throughout the interaction, her body language and expressions felt impatient and unwelcoming. There was visible frustration and eye-rolling, which made us feel uncomfortable rather than welcomed. Even after we were seated, the experience continued to feel tense. One of the toddlers in our group started crying briefly -- something fairly common with young children -- and we were told to "keep it low out of respect." While we absolutely respect other diners, the way it was communicated felt lacking in empathy, especially on a busy Mother's Day with families dining out. A small gesture of kindness or understanding could have gone a long way. Instead, my friend felt compelled to take the child outside, which was disappointing. Additionally, after being seated, we had to remind the staff multiple times to come take our orders. What makes this especially unfortunate is that the ramen itself was truly delicious and lived up to the hype. The food was excellent, which is why this experience was so disappointing overall. I hope management takes this feedback seriously because customer service and hospitality matter just as much as the food experience. Unfortunately, this was not the ideal way to end our Mother's Day celebration.

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Taishoken San Francisco

Taishoken San Francisco

4.5(608 reviews)
3.0 miMission
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Happy hour specials
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This guy brought a ramen style his grandfather invented in Japan over 60 years ago to San…read moreFrancisco. Taishoken is named after the original Tokyo shop his grandfather opened back in 1951. Their specialty is tsukemen, aka dipping ramen, and it was actually invented by accident when staff started dipping leftover cold noodles into hot broth on summer days. Here in SF, the broth simmers for two full days and the noodles are made fresh in-house daily. The noodles are super chewy and bouncy, and the broth is packed with umami. You dip the noodles into the hot broth before every bite, and honestly it's so satisfying. And when you're almost done, have them pour dashi broth into your remaining dipping sauce so you can drink it like a soup at the end.

My friend and I found this place on TikTok and decided to give it a try! We started with the miso…read morecucumber and spicy hand roll as appetizers, and both were really tasty. The cucumbers were super fresh and crunchy, and the miso flavor wasn't overpowering. The hand roll was delicious too -- honestly, if we had a bigger appetite, we probably would've ordered a few more. For mains, we ordered the two most popular dishes: the tsukemen and the mazesoba. The tsukemen noodles were thick and tasty, and the broth was rich and flavorful, but I definitely found myself wishing there were more toppings or flavors to switch things up with each bite. After about halfway through the bowl, it started to feel repetitive just dipping the same noodles into the same savory broth over and over. My friend felt similarly about the mazesoba. It was flavorful at first, but once everything was mixed together, it became a bit heavy toward the end. That said, if you've never tried either dish before, I'd still recommend checking this place out! The restaurant was clean, the service was friendly, and I liked that you could join the waitlist ahead of time. Just be prepared -- parking in the area can be tough. We probably wouldn't come back since the noodle dishes weren't totally our personal preference, but I'm definitely glad we tried it.

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HINODEYA Ramen Japantown - Spicy Miso Ramen jt

HINODEYA Ramen Japantown

4.2(2.3k reviews)
2.1 miJapantown, Lower Pacific Heights
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Always love the ramen here! It's so rich with flavor. The chashu was a nice, thick cut of pork and…read morenoodles were perfect. Unfortunately, I felt my soup was slightly too salty that day. Otherwise, they're usually consistent with their ramen. Got lucky with no wait time for Sunday lunch. Quick, friendly service.

UPDATE: The owner reached out to us shortly after our visit and handled the situation very…read moreprofessionally. They not only refunded the ramen with the issue but generously refunded the entire meal for our party. I truly appreciate the follow-up, accountability, and care--it made a big difference. I came to Hinodeya Ramen today with my partner, and this visit was really disappointing, especially considering I've been coming here for years. On a positive note, my Tokyo Duck ramen was actually very good, great portion and rich, flavorful broth. We also had gyoza and hot sake, which were enjoyable. Ambiance was a bit noisy. However, my partner ordered the beef sukiyaki ramen, and when it came out, there was a thick, short, wavy hair in the bowl, clearly not something that should ever be in food. This is a serious contamination issue. We tried to get our server's attention, and I understand it was busy, but being busy is not an excuse when it comes to food safety. Eventually, another server came over. We showed him the issue, expecting at least a proper apology or some explanation of what happened. Instead, he just took the bowl away and said a quick "I'm sorry" no explanation, no reassurance, nothing. They brought out a new bowl of ramen, but at that point, the experience was already ruined. It's hard to continue eating normally after something like that, it honestly just stays in your mind. What makes this more frustrating is that I've been here many times before with friends, family, and coworkers, and when everything goes right, it's great. But when something goes wrong, the response is just a simple "sorry" with no accountability or communication. Even on my last visit a few months ago, the broth was bland and the response was the same just "I'm sorry." At a minimum, for an issue this serious, there should be clear communication, reassurance about food safety, and a more professional response. Because of both past and current experiences, I don't think I'll be coming back. I really hope they improve their service and train staff to handle serious situations like this more appropriately.

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Ippudo San Francisco - Karaka Spicy Ramen, 9/10! So much flavor and minced tofu on top

Ippudo San Francisco

3.8(1.6k reviews)
3.5 miUnion Square, SoMa, Financial District
$$

Came here after a long day at the Super Bowl experience. We…read moredid a walk-in for four. The wait for a table was 20 mins or we can share a large table with random people and be seated immediately. We were hungry. We went with the large shared table. Pleasantly, there was more than enough room. There were at least 1-2 seats in between the three groups on each side that were there- a solo diner, a small family of 3, and my group of 4. I ordered the Karaka Spicy, my bf ordered Akamaru Modern, his sister ordered Miso, and I don't remember what her friend got- I think it was also Karaka spicy. My bf and I ordered the Treasure plate on the side to share and a side of spicy paste because I know Japanese spicy is barely spicy (from someone who grew up eating SEA spicy). Karaka Spicy had a nicely balance tonkotsu mouth feel and pork flavor. Broth was a little salty. I was correct to assume that it wasn't spicy because I used half of the side of spicy paste and I still didn't think it was spicy enough. Chashu was cooked fine. Notes: - I wished I would've asked if they could swap the thin noodles for the thick ones. I love the chew thicker noodles provide. - Noodles were cooked al dente. Akamaru Modern tasted very similar to Karaka spicy without the spicy. My bf used the other half of the spicy paste as dip for his toppings. He enjoyed it. Miso was a lighter broth (obvi) with a good umami flavor and was not watered down. Solid. She loved it. I have never seen her finish a whole bowl of ramen before. There was a server in training that took our order with the help of the trainer- he did great. Staff was attentive with our waters. Bussers were also quick to notice and remove empty plates and bowls regularly making for an easy clean up after we leave and kept the shared table clutter free. Interior was modern, but casual. They had an expansive menu with vegetarian choices, sushi, buns, karage, etc. and a surprisingly large array of alcohol. I would def like to be back to try some drinks.

We were in the city for the NFL Experience the day before the Super Bowl and were excited to grab a…read moregood bowl of ramen. Unfortunately, IPPUDO didn't live up to expectations. The ramen is served in large bowls, which looks impressive at first, but the actual portion of noodles and toppings felt underwhelming for the price. At that price point, I expected more both in quantity and flavor. We ordered the Dragon Tantan ramen, which the menu describes as spicy. It wasn't spicy at all. We asked our waiter if we could have a little more heat, and he nodded and brought over a tiny dipping-bowl-sized portion of some red paste with no explanation. There was no mention that it would cost extra. After finishing our meal, we were surprised to see a $5 charge on the bill for the "extra spice." We genuinely thought it was complimentary, and if it wasn't, that absolutely should have been communicated before serving it. The lack of transparency was disappointing and unnecessary. Overall: mid food, mid service, and not worth the price -- especially during such an exciting weekend in the city. Unfortunately, we won't be coming back.

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French fries

Taniku Izakaya - Spicy beef ramen

Taniku Izakaya

4.6(342 reviews)
2.7 miTenderloin
$$

Came here at around 6 PM on a Tuesday and got seated immediately! It got busier about 10 mins…read moreafter. Super cute & decorated inside, and staff was so nice! Okonomoyaki tater tots - 8.5/10 from a potato lover!! This does have some sort of cheese on it so beware if you don't eat it Hamachi Hand Roll - 9/10 SO GOOD. I think the rice is mixed in with soy sauce. It was super flavorful which I wasn't expecting Scallop Hand Roll - 8/10, the yuzu on top was absolutely delicious & scallop was very soft. Kobe Skewer - 7/10, it was good but nothing extraordinary. It'll hit the spot if you like meat skewers Yuzu Tori Skewer - 7/10, same as the kobe skewer, but the yuzu on top was delicious Niku Ramen - 8/10, good portion & very very flavorful. I'm glad that they gave a lot of meat in this. I shared this & they provided an extra bowl without me asking :) It's also not super spicy. Hokkaido Milk Pudding - 8/10, the pudding itself was so good but the sauce was a little too sweet for me. However, my partner has a sweet tooth and loved it :) Will totally come again, everything was so yummy and so glad to have tried it!

I had no idea how popular this restaurant was when I made the reservation. I was just craving…read moreJapanese food and wanted to try somewhere new with friends. When we arrived, there was already a long line out front, which set the tone. The place is small and intimate. The food was out of this world. I got the pork belly skewers, mushrooms in truffle sauce, a unagi hand roll, and a shrimp tempura hand roll. All of it was excellent, but the mushrooms and pork belly truly stood out. Every dish felt like it was made with deep care and intention. Our server was attentive throughout. We had a fantastic time. Definitely make a reservation before you go!​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

Photos
Taniku Izakaya - Interior

Interior

Taniku Izakaya - Scallop corn chowder - FIRE !

Scallop corn chowder - FIRE !

Taniku Izakaya - Calamari

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Calamari

HINODEYA Ramen Union Square - Chicken and silver noodles awaiting the broth

HINODEYA Ramen Union Square

4.1(543 reviews)
3.3 miUnion Square
$$

Stumbled upon this place as I was walking in the neighborhood and decided to stop by for lunch. I…read morewas seated right away and was given water and a menu within the minute. I ordered the spicy edamame and the yu-Lin-chi. The edamame definitely has a kick to them and the chicken was great. Nicely coated.

Ive eaten my fair share of Japanese ramen and know my ramen pretty well. Yelp and Google both had…read moreHinodeya higher rated than Ippudo (I wasn't in the mood to battle whatever mob scene might be happening at Mensho), and this place was literally right across the street from my hotel, so I made a mad dash for this place as it was friggin' cold in SF on a late Spring day. If you try to come here around 6-7pm, there is a long line waiting to get seated, but it moves fast. I kept peeking out of my hotel window and by 7:30pm, line was almost non existent, so that's when I went down to get dinner. When I arrived, I was immediately shown a seat inside. You can sit outside too as lots of tables right on the street but it was way too cold for me. Service was quick and I ordered a Yuzu Zen (vegan) ramen. I wanted to try something different than their signature ramen. This ramen was cooked in the traditional Japanese Buddhist temple way, which was a bonus for me. I am a practicing Buddhist and have meditated at various different temple organizations and I enjoy temple cooking as its usually lighter but still very soul nourishing. The broth is lighter and its a vegan dashi broth and comes with zest of yuzu (its like a Japanese lemon), bamboo shoots, crispy kale and sweet fried tofu. I enjoyed this bowl of noodles with soup and the broth was hot, so it warmed me up. I was not really a fan of the inari (sweet fried tofu) as it was just too sweet for me. Service was a little slow towards the end as I was itching to pay and go for an evening stroll, but otherwise, a good experience. I'd come back again when nearby.

Photos
HINODEYA Ramen Union Square - Inside

Inside

HINODEYA Ramen Union Square - Crispy Chicken Karaage

Crispy Chicken Karaage

HINODEYA Ramen Union Square - Warm or cold sake at Hinodeya

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Warm or cold sake at Hinodeya

Ramen Kameko - ramen - Updated May 2026

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