The only reason I found this super hole-in-the-wall ramen joint is because my boyfriend and his friends hyped it up for me. They grew up and went to high school in the area, so this was apparently their go-to when they were younger. I'd only heard of Yojimbo from them as if it were a myth. The faraway place on the other side of the bridge, with epic portions and unbelievable style ;) It was the place they headed to as soon as the first of them got a car, the celebratory eatery when they started getting college acceptances, the final meal together after graduation, knowing said colleges would be sending them separate ways. I didn't know my boyfriend at that time in his life, but it's comforting to know his childhood favorite is still here and standing, and that at least when it comes to ramen, I don't have to miss out on what I did 10 years ago.
I wouldn't imagine getting anything other than ramen as my main entree from here. The chicken teriyaki pics on Yelp seem intimidating. If I was still a student, I'd probably order it to get my money's worth in protein.
Our wait time was only about 10 minutes--much shorter than I had feared and expected based on my experience with other East Bay ramen restaurants. They let us order while we were waiting. More places should adopt this policy!!
The menu is streamlined. You can choose your protein (plain (no topping), chicken, pork, beef, veggies, seafood--I opted for tempura) and your broth (pork, miso, spicy miso, shoyu, etc.--I opted for spicy pork). This seems great for vegetarians because you can customize exactly what to get. My boyfriend is a vegetarian and he always gets the veggie ramen which is topped with asparagus from what I could tell, with Spicy Miso broth. Apparently before my time, there was only one size option for the ramen, and it was Large with a capital L. But now their default size is a small, and you can upgrade to a Large for additional cost. We all ordered smalls and were super full by the end of our meal. I feel like the portion still yet could have been smaller and I would have been perfectly okay with that.
There's also a pretty lengthy selection of sushi rolls and other things like rice bowls. Our group ordered a Dragon roll to share (avocado, eel, crab, shrimp tempura). My boyfriend got the Oshinko maki (small pickled radish roll).
Taste-wise: The ramen was pretty freakin' delicious. The noodles perfect and chewy, the broth savory and salty, but not too salty. The flavors were quite balanced. The spiciness of the spicy pork borth wasn't too much to handle for me, but it did kind of remind me of Korean instant ramen (like Samyang or Shin ramyeon) in taste. In the future, I might try the regular pork broth or the shoyu broth just so I have a frame of reference. My only gripe was that, and this is really a small one because I kind of liked it, there was a SHIT TON of shredded cabbage on top of my ramen. Yes, I could have taken some of it off. I initially commented that I liked how much green onion, bean sprouts, and cabbage there was to top my bowl, but I was getting a distinct crunch from the raw cabbage in every bite. It got annoying after a bit; I wanted ramen, not a salad!
I can't write a review without mentioning the egg... ahhh nothing more contentious than a ramen egg. Firstly, let me say that it's super generous of them to include an egg in every bowl at no extra charge. That being said, it was just a hard-boiled egg. It was NOT a ramen egg. I didn't care either way. An egg is an egg. I would never complain about receiving an egg. It wasn't overcooked, but it wasn't soft-boiled or marinated like some ramen purists might argue. Some Yelpers are complaining about it like they found a spider inside the egg something. If the egg not being authentic is a deal-breaker for you, bring your own egg I guess?
The dragon roll was just okay. I've had better for cheaper. The main issue was that the tempura was soggy by the time we ate it. A dragon roll's trademark is that oily crunch of the breading when you bite into it, in combination with the soft, fatty avocado and eel on top. I didn't get that. But the flavors weren't bad and I didn't get food poisoning. I wouldn't necessarily order a dragon roll from Yojimbo again and certainly wouldn't order their sushi in lieu of the ramen.
The portions were huge even though we all got small ramens. The price was pretty good for how much quantity you get. I can't even begin to imagine how hungry or high I'd have to be to finish a Large.
All that being said, I've never felt more confident in writing a 4-star review. To me, Yojimbo is squarely deserving of 4 stars based on the food quality and service we received, if I'm not being biased. If I am being biased, because let's be honest, I would come back here over and over again just on principle that my boyfriend has holy thoughts about it, then I'd say 4.5 stars. Still, even my biased self isn't too far off. I've never been one to be dramatic. read more