Cool and rainy day called for Ramen! This got knocked up to 5 stars because the atmosphere was terrific. Cassandra, who works there was hustling and was very welcoming. Cool urban setting without being snooty. I went double meat. The oxtail dumplings were very very tender. The short rib was almost dry, but I'd rather that than fatty. It was not chewy and had good flavor. I sat at one of the fold-open front window stools, and it was great people watching while I enjoyed my meal. read more

Underbelly - Belly of the Beast Ramen. I went double meat. - Bars Near Me - San Diego, California

One of the best ramen shops so worth the wait, the waiter gave us a free drink on the house and the ramen was so good

Underbelly Ramen is one of my regular spots and it never disappoints. The food is consistently solid, and it always hits the spot when I'm craving ramen. Service is friendly and reliable, which keeps me coming back. Definitely recommend checking it out if you want something tasty. read more

Best bowl of ramen I've had in a while. I got to try the Farmer's Market (vegetarian) bowl and it was mouthwatering. It had so many veggies (cauliflower, broccoli, and everything listed - like sprouts). The broth was like no other vegetarian broth I've had - so flavorful. I wish I would've ordered it with a couple of eggs. It's a lot of food and it's SO good for the price. The sip of broth from the other bowl was creamy and rich. The staff were so sweet and friendly! The music was a vibe and we got to sit upstairs (fun view). Lots of seating, especially outside. Wish I took more pictures. Check it out! read more

Underbelly - Farmers market and underbelly - Bars Near Me - San Diego, California

Ambiance is super cool. Feels like a neon bar from Tokyo. Food was good, very filling but broth is okay. read more

Underbelly - Ramen with ox tail dumplings. Extra ramen on the side - Bars Near Me - San Diego, California

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Walked in on a Saturday evening and only shortly had to wait. Love their system. They had us wait in the hall and called one party up at a tome to preorder while waiting for the table. I got the Underbelly and it was so delicious. Vibes are immaculate and music was fire. Cool, trendy place to try out and the food's great. Also have a Japanese toilet/heated bidet in the bathroom. 10/10, lol. read more

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Service- 5/5 Very friendly and patient explaining menu and making recommendations Ambiance - 5/5 Came here for lunch on a Friday in December but it was nice and sunny and warm. Didn't see heaters so it's probably very cold (open air concept) some days... sat at a bar seat facing towards Roman wolves so I could people watch and get some sunlight Food- 4/5 Got the belly of the beast ramen. Oxtail dumplings (2) were good but a bit rich/fatty. Broth was good but again super rich. The short rib (3 pieces) were a bit dry for my taste. Texture of the noodles was good- chewy and al dente. Definitely liked the ambiance and service and food was decent especially if you want a break from all the Italian food. read more

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Had a layover in San Diego for 9 long hours so I didn't want to go too far off the airport and we were in need of comforting food after a flight. Underbelly was the best thing that day. Located in a cool spot called Little Italy. Food was great, service was great and ambiance was great. read more

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Descent ramen and good music/service. Little turned off by the red lighting and unable to see what we were eating as we were tucked away far side of bar by the restrooms. Also a bit turned off by small restaurant allowing a customer with a large dog while we are eating in the restaurant. Trying to be open minded as San Diego is much different than where we are from (Las Vegas). Also not a huge fan of paying for food and tip before actually dining in. Might try again in the daytime as I did like my Farmers ramen with spicy sauce. read more

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Under Belly (Little Italy) What can we say?? The food and the vibes at Under Belly are understated! The outside looks like a futuristic noodle shop out of Shibuya and those same vibes bleed into the interior where you're met with FRESH smells, sights, and sounds! Underbelly Ramen and the Bao Buns were standouts for us! We'll definitely be back to try the Belly of the Beast Ramen! Thanks again! Appetites & Origins read more

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JUN2024 3.5 I'd say. Swung by since we needed the broth after a good night out. Seating can be a bit rough, and the area up top can get pretty warm. Service was helpful at the counter but nonexistent once the food drops. Water refills non existent. We had gotten the karaage and some orders of the baos for sharing. I had ordered the farmers market since I needed some fiber in my life for the drinking to come. The karaage was decent. Temp was good, crunch not so much. Inconsistent across pieces as well. The baos I liked the veggies in it but it needed more sauce, or something on the side to gel it. The eggplant ones suffered in the same way the karaage did unfortunately. The farmers market had a simple clean broth. I'd want the broth to be hotter and more flavorful to counter balance everything, but it did have a really good amount of veggies which was great. Good for what it was at the time, but would check out other options in a pinch. read more

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Excellent restaurant with a trendy setting located in a hip and active part of Little Italy. I stopped in for a bite and was met with an uncomplicated menu featuring Ramen, Bento boxes a Bao sandwiches as well a a full drink selection and a couple of Japanese sodas. I ordered the Belly of the Beast Ramen, which has short rib, oxtail dumplings, beef and a soft boiled egg. Very hearty and filling, three meats were tasty but the dumplings were an especially pleasant surprise bursting with flavor. I added a side of cucumber salad, which was refreshing and well-seasoned. A mango cream soda round out my meal. Excellent food and atmosphere, quick and friendly service once you're seated. I'll be sure to visit again and try a Bento box. read more

Underbelly - Belly of the Beast Ramen with a cucumber salad on the side. - Bars Near Me - San Diego, California

First time here. Ordered a chicken teriyaki bowl. While it was tasty, it was also salty. Perhaps they need to cut back on the teriyaki sauce. It was decently priced for lunch. I ordered through the Toast app and picked up in 10 minutes. read more

Underbelly - Bars Near Me - San Diego, California

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My favorite ramen in SD!!!! Chicken confit is the best option also the eggplant and pork belly bao buns are a must I loveeeeee read more

Underbelly - Chicken ramen is superior - Bars Near Me - San Diego, California

Place is pretty good, the tonkatsu was not very traditional I think the beef instead of Chahshu pork was an interesting touch. Think it goes better with pork. Overall great little spot for a date night in little Italy. read more

Came here on a Thursday evening after flying in and checking into our hotel. Weather was a little chilly so my friend and I wanted something comforting and within walking distance to our hotel. Underbelly was one of the only places that opened late. When we got there, it wasn't too busy. The host/bartender wasn't that welcoming. We placed our order and paid with her before sitting at the counter. We ordered belly of the beast, chicken confit, and pork belly bao. Our order came out fairly quick. The server that brought out our food was friendly and explained to us the sauces since it was our first time. Food was delicious and comforting. Overall, would come back again if I'm in the area. Definitely worth the try. Pictures of food has bad lighting due to the neon signs but the neon signs looked great and gave "Tokyo city" vibes. read more

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Cool corner location and a beautiful designed interior. Broth was a bit salty for my liking and I prefer my noodles a bit more al dente. The server was friendly and nice about explaining the menu. Food also came out quick which is nice! Parking for a weekend obviously in little Italy is pricey so this may also affect your decision to eat in the area. Would love to try the other items on the next visit. Also there are great options to customize and add onto your soup! read more

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What the heck just happened? WHATTHEHECKINHECK OF ALL HECKS?! After telling my daughter there was no way I needed to go to Ramen after eating Ramen in Japan, and Los Angeles, Japantown, she brings me here. I'm not even a noodle fan maybe a fresh pasta, but not a noodle, fan but I am now! This is the most delicious Ramen I've had in the US. I am going to fly my son out who is a foodie to try this Ramen. The atmosphere was fun, the music was fun, sitting outside was not as scary as I thought it was going to be in this area. The guys who took our order and brought the Ramen were cool. I've come to appreciate how fast this dish could be brought out , but honestly, I wasn't even that hungry so I didn't need it to come out fast I was thinking, as I was sitting there waiting for the Ramen that I didn't even need to eat at that point in time. But upon first taste of that broth, I was a total convert. My daughter tells me that it's has been her hangover meal this past year as she lived in little Italy, I don't drink that much anymore but I could imagine how it would really hit the spot. I devoured it with a clear mind and I'm glad I did read more

Underbelly - Pork with spicy miso and garlic butter - Bars Near Me - San Diego, California

Truly one of my favorite places! We have come here many times and have never been disappointed. The menu has something for everyone, the staff is very kind and patient, and the place is stunning. Very modern, simple, and yet classy. I love trying a different dish each time I stop by. The food truly has been consistently delicious. read more

Underbelly - Farmers Market - Bars Near Me - San Diego, California

I have been here several times but have not been here in a long time. There thing used to be that the broth was so flavorful that they do not serve it with a spoon because they want you to drink the broth. So back in the old days, the servers brought you the food with gloves on so the broth stays "clean" from fingers. Anyways, fast forward to know, looking at my pictures 8 years ago... and after eating at so many ramen places... the broth was not as flavorful as I expected it to be. Still very good but not as rich of a broth as other places, but it definitely hits the spot. They do have soup spoons now! This is a very casual place. Order your food, pay, sit down and they bring the food to you. We had a large group of 9 and I was very happy to see that they have a lot more seating now! We were able to sit outside on the patio where they could accommodate all of us. Inside, there is bar seating with ambiant lighting. I however, prefer to sit on the outside seating. The prices here are pretty reasonable. The underbelly ramen was $14 and even though the bowl looked smaller, it was super filling. The underbelly ramen was tonkotsu broth, an entire soft boiled egg (not half like many places), chashu belly, and adobo pulled pork. It came out hot and I am so glad they have soup spoons now! They also have veggie ramen or chicken if you are not a fan of pork. Would I come back? I would. The food is nicely priced and I do like the casual atmosphere. We ate here on a Saturday night with our big group and we were able to find parking and seating right away and the food came out fast too! Service here was great! They are also open pretty late so that was perfect for us! read more

Underbelly - Underbelly ramen $14 Wings $12 - Bars Near Me - San Diego, California

We really liked this place! Had "Belly of the Beast" ramen and "Sweet n Spicy" wings. Both were well flavored and served quickly. Reasonable prices and nice portions. Sometimes they have a line here but worth it! Good beverage variety if you're a drinker. I'm not but was super happy they had Cock & Bull Ginger Beer on the menu which I haven't seen in a while. My one nitpick is that we're used to getting the ramen broth boiling hot so, which we like. The noodles were super hot still though. Good experience, and my wife and I recommend it if you're in Little Italy. Plus, great walking district and people watching if you get a good seat . read more

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AMAZING!! the food and drinks were bomb! highly recommend! I also like the restaurant vibes and the sitting area read more

Underbelly - Bars Near Me - San Diego, California

I give the ramen 2.5 stars since the pork broth did not have depth and was a bit salty. The noodle came with clumps and was slightly mushy. The service was great and friendly. read more

Delicious ramen, great service and a great ambiance. Lots of competition in the area yet this place still stands out.

The ramen was the most flavorful I've had out of all the places I've been to before, coming from the IE at least. The pork melted in each bite and the eggs were soft boiled perfectly! I will say if you're not good with heat then upstairs might be too warm, but I'm someone who gets cold easy so it was very comfortable. read more

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We have seen this spot passing by quite a few times, LOVING the ambiance & decor and finally decided to give it a try. What a spot!! The staff were all so nice & friendly. I like the self service where you find your own seat, go up to the counter to order, pay, and then get your meal brought to you. I ordered the belly of the beast ramen with spicy miso (extra $1) and it was really yummy. I am pretty picky in terms of wanting a loot of flavor, so I could've used a bit more oomph. It came with oxtail dumplings which were the BEST part... I'd want to get those on their own with the broth I think that they also could've had a little more meat, even one more dumpling in there (only two small) and even some chili oil or something spicier as a condiment/option. All this would've brought it to five stars for me :) read more

Underbelly - Belly of the Beast - Bars Near Me - San Diego, California

The ramen was delicious and the place had a cool ambiance. The staff were super friendly and made the whole experience even better read more

Underbelly - Bars Near Me - San Diego, California

I went to Underbelly for the first time on a date. I was surprised that the location was close to other places I had been before. We went in and read the menu. They ask you to order first then you will be seated. It was a nice day so we sat outside. Be weary of this though as some of the seating is under a tree and the leaves from the tree can fall right into your food. I ordered the Tonkatsu and it was pretty good! I think I would order a different one next time though just to try something new. I would say the only thing that could have been better was the service but not in such a strong way. We needed things throughout the meal and I'm thinking if we sat inside, we probably would have been addressed more frequently. I acknowledge that a lot of places are understaffed in these times so that might have been the case here too. read more

Underbelly - Tonkotsu - Bars Near Me - San Diego, California

My favorite ramen spot in San Diego! Service is fast and friendly. I always get the belly of the beast because it has oxtail dumplings. The beef gyoza are also delicious ! read more

Underbelly - Bars Near Me - San Diego, California

Fantastic little place in San Diego. I'm not a big ramen fan, so when my husband suggested going here, I wasn't planning on eating too much. But once he ordered and I tried his food, I wished I had ordered my own. He got a chicken ramen bowl and it was AMAZING!!!! So flavorful and a huge portion. We also got their wings on the side, and they may have been the hes wings I ever had. The ambience was also really cool here. You go up to the counter, place your order, then find a spot to sit. There were so many different little nooks and crannies to eat at (indoor/outdoor/bar seating/upstairs/downstairs). It was awesome! Food came out very fast and the service was 10/10. read more

Underbelly - Bars Near Me - San Diego, California

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Discovered this multi-level ramen bar during a work trip, and it quickly became a memorable dining experience. The Underbelly Ramen delivered rich, crave-worthy flavors, though the unmarinated egg was a slight miss. Standout Features: Flavor-Packed Broths - Consistently delicious across visits Creative Drink Menu - The plum wine cocktail was intriguing if not perfect Cool Atmosphere - Neon accents and spiral staircase add flair Why 4 Stars? * Gets crowded (arrive early for preferred seating) * Cocktail portions could be more generous read more

Underbelly - Bars Near Me - San Diego, California

Casual ramen spot in downtown San Diego. Parking was super hard as expected since it's right by Little Italy. The decor is really nice inside. The place is small but they do a good job with maximizing the space with bar and table seating. Our food came out in less than 5 mins, but the food didn't come out super hot. In terms of appetizers, I would get the spicy garlic edamame and pot stickers again. Solid appetizers with good flavor. I would skip out on the chicken karaage. The pieces were bigger than expected and it wasn't very crunchy. Unfortunately, the main course was disappointing. The tonkatsu ramen flavor was lacking and I thought the pork was dry. My friend got the underbelly ramen and her noodles were over cooked. The noodles were so soft and starchy. They gave her a new batch of noodles but we were thinking she would just get a new bowl of ramen. My friend had to pour her soup into the new bowl of noodles which did not go smoothly. My friends were saying the other location was better so maybe try that location if you can. Better ramen is around the convoy area in my opinion. read more

Underbelly - Tonkatsu ramen (bottom and top right) , underbelly ramen (top left), chicken karage, potstickers, and spicy garlic edamame - Bars Near Me - San Diego, California

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Loved this spot, definitely a vibe. Seating arrangement and music are key. You order before taking a seat, there is typically a line but it moves fairly quickly and the food comes out fast. There is seating along the outside and some tables are partially in/out the restaurant or upstairs. Menu is simple, ramen was good portion. We tried the Nashville chicken bao bun which was also really good. read more

We were fortunate to go as they were opening so it wasn't to packed and got there before the crowd. The service was okay and is a chill spot for people watching while you eat. We ordered the Ramen: underbelly & chicken confit ramen, Small Plates: crispy chicken wings/ beef gyoza, Baos: pork belly/ Eggplant/ short Rib, with Mexican Coke. Strongly think the ramen is overrated and they're are for sure better places for ramen, we weren't crazy about it. The crispy chicken wings for the small plates part of the menu were good! The pork belly and short rib baos were also good. Glad I knocked this spot off the bucket list and would maybe come back but this place is one of those places you go for the hype and experience to try it once and can now check it off the bucket list of places to try out. read more

Pretty good place for this kind of Ramen resto,well good service with a lot mixed of jap menu etccc,,,,recommended

service is good but food was not at all impressive. the tonkatsu ramen was okay. underbelly was extra salty. curry was nothing like curry ramen. we drove all the way here to try it out cz of the ambiance. guess we did get what we went there for lol. i don't recommend it for ramen but as a hang out with friends i'd probably go back there with drinks and all. read more

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Great takeout. Everything came packaged so well. The Ramen is delicious, the cuts of pork were so tender. Service was great. About five of us from the office ordered dinner... everything was ready to go as our volunteered "gofer" arrived. read more

This ramen spot has an incredible, vibey atmosphere! From the striking neon lighting to the spiral staircase leading to loft seating, and the open-concept layout with partially indoor, partially outdoor tables, every detail adds to the cool, urban nightlife vibe of the space. The setup is super convenient--you order at the register as soon as you walk in, pick where you want to sit, and they bring the food right to your table. The ramen itself was also very tasty! If you are looking for a laid-back spot with great energy and good ramen in Little Italy, Underbelly is your spot! read more

Underbelly - Upstairs - Bars Near Me - San Diego, California

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One star for good service. And another for the ambiance. No stars for the ramen. The ramen broth isn't great. If this was made in Japan, it'd probably get thrown out. A bit too salty. Pork chasu was alright. Noodles looked microwaved. Only reason I went here was because it's open, close to work, and it was cold. Sad. Ramen was $13. Tasted like 13 Yen. read more

Underbelly - Tonkotsu Ramen. Stupid basic. - Bars Near Me - San Diego, California

Came for the ramen and it did not disappoint!! Delicious noodles and the right amount of meat. Portions are generous and the atmosphere is fun. You order at the bar and your food is brought to your table. Minimal interactions with staff but would definitely return. read more

Underbelly - Tonkatsu Ramen and Spicy garlic edamame - Bars Near Me - San Diego, California