- Restaurants |
- Nightlife |
- Shopping |
- Movies |
- All
Ajisen Ramen
- Hours:
Mon-Thu 11 am - 11 pm
Fri-Sat 11 am - 12 am
Sun 11 am - 9 pm
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Attire:
- Casual
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Takes Reservations:
- No
- Delivery:
- No
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Wi-Fi:
- No
- Good For:
- Lunch, Dinner
- Alcohol:
- Beer & Wine Only
- Noise Level:
- Average
- Ambience:
- Casual
- Has TV:
- No
- Caters:
- No
127 reviews for Ajisen Ramen
Review Highlights
-
"And their volcano sauce is SO good." In 5 reviews -
"...been well cooked, and the broth was really nice, rich and..." In 19 reviews -
"The chicken karage was also good, and surprisingly, the kim..." In 2 reviews
Loading...
127 reviews in English
-
Review from Jaime C.
5/9/2012 5 Check-ins Here
The husband and I are still in a ramen kick - although, to be honest, my kick is slowing down.
Husband: "I want ramen."
Me: "That's nice. Have fun."
Whenever he has a bad day, I give in to his obsession and go to get ramen. We found Ajisen Ramen by driving down 3rd Ave in San Mateo, and he said, "That's new! Let's go!"
I should probably add that his version of ramen is Dojo, and mine is Yu-Raku. One offers a delightful spicy garlic pork broth, and the other offers a magnificent tantan bowl. You can't really have one with the other, so it's usually a fight to the proverbial death over where we end up going.
Ajisen Ramen has saved our marriage - they have both! A sweet corn pork broth ramen for Mr. I Can't Get Enough of This, and tantan ramen for me. He orders it with the volcano sauce, which is highly recommended. On my end, I'm not a fan of the bean sprouts they put in the tantan (so ask them to hold it if you aren't either), nor do I believe they put in enough tantan (order more if you're hungry).
It's nice because you don't have to wait for an hour outside in a line, he gets his sweet corn and pork broth, and I get my tantan. Plus, you don't feel like you have to shovel your ramen down like a goose getting foie gras-ed because you know what it's like to stand outside, looking in at all the 24 lucky bastards who arrived two minutes ahead of you. -
Review from Jason C.
San Francisco, CA
5/21/2012
Came here after a day of cycling in Woodside and was famished. We sat down in no time since the place was relatively empty on a Saturday afternoon. I ordered the Ajisen Ramen and gyoza combo. The gyozas were OK, nothing to jumo up and down about. But the ramen, was $10 worth of disappointment. It was mostly bland and laden in MSG. The BBQ meat and the egg were not too bad, but the broth and everything else was not as good as advertised. I left the place with an unquenchable thirst since due to all the MSG.
Additionally, the place was not busy and I had to ask for my water to be re-filled and I had to bring the check to them, since the wait staff just stood around chit chatting. Should I also bus my own table and wash the dishes for them next time? Maybe I could balance the restaurants books too and do their advertising for them too?
I gave them 2 stars because at least the place was very clean and the atmosphere was good. Anyway, with so many good ramen places in SF, I will not be wasting my time on an establishment like this again. -
Review from Shawn S.
San Francisco, CA
5/11/2012 1 Check-in Here
What do I say about Ajisen in San Mateo? - A-OK.
I really enjoy their noodles. The noodles are rather different than other ramen a hops and the consistency somehow reminds me of some ramen-ya in Japan where I once ate the most fulfilling bowl of ramen I've had in the last decade.
The thickness and firmness of the noodle is what ultimately a cents the soup and added condiments and maybe I just got a lucky bowl....but it was pretty darn good!
Their Karaage flavors are good and pack a tasty treat to match your ramen dreams. Do they top what I can make at home? Hell no, my own karaage are the bomb!
Enough chicken talk, lets get back into the noodles.
They have a pretty decent array of soup bases as well as choice of ramen to order from. You have your typical "extra" toppings to add to them.
Customer service? I'm teetering toward a 3 star because we were last left with the ditzy waitress forgetting to order "MY RAMEN" while she took one down for my guest. Could you be more "forgetful" to think that 2 grown guys are not going to share one bowl of ramen?
Thank you guys, my friend finished his bowl by the time I got mine. Just take this review with a grain of salt and try again. I'm sure it was a one-time fluke. They're service is okay....but they could've offered a discount for their mistake ;) -
Review from Alfred Y.
5/4/2012 1 Check-in Here
3.75, closer to 4!
As much as I love ramen, I don't believe anyone should wait 30 minutes to sit down and eat it. I'm LOOKING AT YOU RAMEN DOJO DOWN THE BLOCK. Actually, almost every ramen joint is guilty of this except for a handful of places.
So what do you do? You come here. There's always a seat. Also because they've got this new spicy ramen that wasn't there the last time I visited one of their chain stores. That broth itself is worth trying if you're ever there.
The stewed pork that I ordered as an extra side dish, however, was a rather disappointment compared to the broth. It veered far away from what I call "fresh" and came separate from the actual broth.
I didn't think this place was worth trying. But the group of Japanese business men sitting in the corner made me a believer.
Oh and one last thing, their chicken karage, as generic as it was; was pretty awesome. -
Review from Ju D.
Bay Area
5/9/2012 1 Check-in Here
The most popular pork ramen was delicious! no msg, since i drank most of the soup and didnt feel a thirst afterwards. Even the hubby loved the barbeque pork and soup base. He had the kimchi ramen, which I found to be a bit too spicy to drink, but very tasteful.
Clean and helpful service. Only dislike is the fact that I finished my last slurp of noodles and immediately the waitress walked by and dropped off the bill at our table w/out asking if we needed anything else. There was no line, I guess her efficiency gave me a sense of being rushed.
Very roomy restaurant, great for kids or strollers/families. Decent pricing. Bathroom also clean. Staff greets upon entry and exit. All ++++ -
Review from Lois B.
Redwood City, CA
5/4/2012
More like 3 1/2 stars. The ramen was decent. Noodles were al dente and chewy (the way I like it) and the broth was good (not fabulous like Santa, but good enough). My tonkotsu was very salty, which took away from the flavor in the broth. The sliced pork was OK- texture was OK, not as tender as I'd expect, but flavor was good. Egg was a seasoned hard-boiled egg.
Service was very pleasant, although they got my order wrong the first time. This surprised me because it wasn't busy at all (only two other tables of people besides us). -
Review from Michael K.
Saratoga, CA
4/24/2012 1 Check-in Here
I got their Tan Tan Men and was impressed by the broth. They had a good amount of bean sprouts, but not enough bok choi :/ The broth was thick and a little spicy which is how it's supposed to be.
I was quite disappointed by the noodles..... This is a Ramen house isn't it? Why do they have thin, straight noodles? When I go for good ramen, the noodles should be the medium-thick, wavy noodles (like normal ramen noodles..). No wonder this place wasn't rated higher. The quality of noodles was a dealbreaker :( -
Review from Benny H.
San Mateo, CA
5/1/2012 1 Check-in Here
From what I know Ajisen is a chain of ramen houses from Japan and China. Their ramen here is much better than the one in China.
I'm a frequent visitor of this place with my co-workers and we always have a good time. The food comes fast, tastes good, and has a good variety. If you don't like noodles, you can get rice.
Their "Piku" noodle soup is great. I am a fan of their spicy pork (but beware if you don't have a spicy palette). -
Review from Christine S.
San Mateo, CA
5/5/2012
I came here on a weekend because of their flexible hours as opposed to other nice ramen places that close around 2-2:30. It was slightly awkward going in because Ajisen's door is adjacent to next door's new restaurant, 2 (chili pepper?) 3 bistro, and the people at the counter gave me this regret-inducing stare as I opened the other door.
I had the Umi Ramen ($8.95), which comes with bbq pork, half a hard boiled egg, bamboo shoots, aka standard ramen I think. The ramen itself had a delightfully salty/garlic-y broth and a substantial amount of decent but slightly thin noodles.
My only quip is that the ramen came with ONE skinny slice of bbq pork. Granted, the bbq pork tasted fantastic - they grilled it before serving so it's slightly crispy and has a great fatty texture to it. Since the pork was so good, I decided to order more. For an additional $1.50, they give you... one measly slice of bbq pork. It can't be that hard to slice and grill a piece of pork. Even Starbucks would find that a bit overpriced!
That said I would come back in the future to get the BBQ Pork Ramen, which seems to come with a more substantial portion of pork. -
Review from Michelle G.
San Mateo, CA
5/21/2012
The food is ok, but not really filling. I eat like a bird and I still left hungry. There is not much on the menu, so I settled for the miso ramen. Also really bad service.
-
Review from Stephen D.
San Bruno, CA
I saw Ajisen packed to capacity in both Hong Kong and downtown San Francisco, so when I saw the famous logo as I walked down 3rd I had to see what all the hype was about. The ramen at Ajisen is so much better than the sad, 40-cent packs of ramen you may be familiar with, that you may have subsisted on throughout your years as a college student. (I know I did!)
http://s3-media3.ak.ye... (Picture of their specialty)
When I went in I ordered their most popular ramen which is pork with a little bowl of rice and -more- pork for $1.50 extra. I didn't need to add on that additional helping of meat and carbs as the noodle bowl itself was a fairly large serving. What I really enjoyed about the ramen was the garlic flavor that it had, as the only ramen I'm really used to is of the lazy-student-variety that I mentioned before.
MONEY SAVING TIP FOR NON-GERMAPHOBES: If you and a friend are going to get the same thing, I'd recommend getting one bowl and getting 2x the noodles for just a $1.50 more. (I think it was that amount, although I'm certain it wasn't over $3.) Reason being is that they give lots of broth, veggies, and meat, and the servings here are pretty big.
With the flavor being unique, portions generous, service quick, and prices fair, I left this place feeling more than content and am confident that a good... 70% of people who go here will end up feeling the same way! -
Review from Iris L.
San Francisco, CA
5/13/2012
Very inconsistent restaurant. Sends appetizers almost 10 minutes after giving us the ramen. Then checks and says "Oh, yeah they got it already" .... Did you guys forget?
**I BET YOU THE VOLCANO SAUCE IS PART SRIRACHA**
We came in and it was half empty. We had a table of three and asked to sit in the booth. The waiter said it was a table for 5-6 people only. Alright, understandable. After a while, I noticed that there were TWO people seated at the booth, with two tables close to me empty. Inconsistent. We confronted the waiter and he claimed it was busy. Like hell it was busy.
Usually we don't snap fingers at waiters, I've done waitressing before, so I have respect. But at this point, me and my guests were fed up with their attitude. No one looked at us, so we had to snap our fingers to get their attention.
While we were paying, the male asian waiter started talking trash in Chinese to the other female asian waitress. Hey buddy, we could hear you LOUD and clear. Surprisingly, restaurants are loud due to customers talking. For SOME REASON, the employees spoke louder than us. WE COULD HEAR YOU, MALE ASIAN WAITER. WE UNDERSTAND CHINESE.
Me and my guests decide to leave no tip. We received NO SERVICE what so ever. We might've left something, but after that trash talking, you deserve none.
If the management sees this, please see who was working May 12, 2012 around 8:30pm-9:00pm. Your team was unprofessional and inconsistent. Do something about it. You have nearby Ramen shops who do WAY better than you, service and quality wise. We only came by to try you out. Horrible. -
Review from H K.
San Francisco, CA
4/11/2012 1 Check-in Here
I've been meaning to coming to this restaurant, either this locaton or the one at the Westfield Center in San Francisco which I also bookmarked. I wanted to see if this is part of the Ajisen chain that I was introduced to during my last trip to Hong Kong by my friend here. Indeed, it is, same Chinese and Japanese name, and same girl logo.
The decor inside is quite nice. The menu were designed similar to the one in Hong Kong that I visited (which was inside the APM Shopping Center by the Kwun Tong MTR station on the Kowloon side). There were many choices for ramen. I ordered one with corn, which was more than decent. For menu gave you the option of getting a side item also for $1.50 to make it a set meal special, but for me the choices didn't seem to make it worthwhile to spend extra.
I guess for me, any place that reminds me of trips to Hong Kong in good ways deserves positive rating. I look forward to visiting the one in downtown San Francisco to check out the difference. -
Review from Kelly N.
San Jose, CA
5/14/2012
Oh what can I say? I wish I could give it 0 if I could. This place is terrible.
Came here with my bf and his friends cuz Dojo has a long line and we were hungry. I got Tan tan men, my bf and his friends got the Ajisen ramen and agedashi tofu.
Now for my ramen, it's nothing close to my favorite Himawari and it's from the other side of the earth compare to Dojo.
My bf didn't have more than 2 spoon for his Ajisen Ramen. Now you can tell how terrible it was.
My bf's friend ordered ramen and somehow the waitress got mess up with curry chick (hmm). Ok now is the worst part of my meal, she gave us a bitchy attitude cuz he said he want to change it to ramen. Once she went back to the kitchen (only couple steps way from our table). She started speaking chinese to the cooks which is i'm pretty sure SHE WAS TALKING SHIT ABOUT US. Oh excuse me lady you're not the only one in this world that speack Chinese so maybe you should just STFU about it and do your job since it was your mistake.
So yep this place is just another hopeless restaurant. -
Review from Hoang N.
San Mateo, CA
4/20/2012
A place I constantly crave for.
My roommates and I live off 3rd a bit in San Mateo and like to try new places around here. I'm a big Ramen fan and when Ajisen moved into town we had to give it a go.
I usually get my Ramen fix at Tanpopo in Japan town but the trek into the city to grab ramen just seem too ridiculous now that we've relocated into San Mateo. Ajisen is perfect quick service and ramen is nothing like the top ramen packs you can pick up from your local grocer. The food is good and the price is fair.
If you're into spicy food I suggest you try the Spica Ramen, it's one of those soups that the spice creeps up on you as you continue to eat! Awesome place will continue to come here. -
Review from Patrick C.
San Francisco, CA
3/29/2012 1 Check-in Here
I remembered the first time I ate at Ajisen Ramen...it was at the Hong Kong airport and I loved every bit of it. I always wondered when they are going to spread their chain over to the States. Well...now they did!
Coming here, I expected the quality I had tried previously overseas. Must I say that I wasn't too disappointed but I was not at the AR in HK Airport for sure. The ramen was OK...nothing for me to rave about. -
Review from Indy N.
Oakland, CA
5/9/2012 1 Check-in Here
This is probably one of the best Top Ramen places in San Mateo. I say Top Ramen cuz it aint the real thing...gotta hit up Japan and stuff for that! Anyways...only order the Spicy Pork one...wait...is it pork? whatever its good...
-
Review from Lolia S.
San Francisco, CA
2/27/2012 2 photos
They've joined the limited edition ramen trend and I was intrigued by their limited edition kokumaru ramen.
* Kokumaru ramen ($8.95) http://s3-media3.ak.ye...: came with thin, straight, firm, chewy ramen noodles, very porky cloudy creamy broth, 1 thin slice of handmade roast pork (tender, fatty, almost melts in your mouth), green onion, kikurage (crunchy fungus) and a soy soft-boiled egg. The rich broth really impressed me, so much flavor and yet not salty at all (surprisingly so for ramen). The noodles were fine but I prefer thicker noodles. The egg and pork were really good. But what's with just one thin slice of pork?
Ajisen has quite a few ramen varieties to choose from ($6.95 and up), including miso, sweet corn, BBQ pork and tan tan. You can add toppings and extra noodles to customize your bowl of ramen. The menu also includes rice sets, appetizers (karaage chicken), sake and beer. -
Review from Nokie N.
San Francisco, CA
3/9/2012 1 Check-in Here
Ramen was NOT good & service sucks!
We happened to be around the area and thought ramen would be a good idea for a cold night. I went on Yelp & a few people recommended Spicy Pork. So, I got that & my fiancé got the same thing but he ordered a side of this thing called Volcano sauce. They claimed it to be so hot but really? It was NOT!
The ramen soup was so salty I had to pour half of my ice water in there to dilute the saltiness. It tasted like a load of MSG. Gross! They gave so little noodles & meat, I was still hungry! They also gave us the not so spicy Volcano sauce. It's just another HOT SAUCE!! If you go to any restaurant and ask for hot sauce, they will give it to you for FREE. But this place will charge you $1.50 for changing their name from hot sauce to volcano sauce. Lame...
The waiter goes around and refilled other people's water and skipped our table! So, when I drank from my fiancé water so one of the waitresses can see I NEED WATER because I was still hungry! I just wanted the bill and go.
Once I pulled out my credit card, they were fast getting it... Really??? You're slow with service but really fast getting your money! I will NOT go back. -
Review from Marilyn W.
San Francisco, CA
4/20/2012 1 Check-in Here
I originally wanted to eat at Ramen Dojo, but I knew they would be packed so decided to try this place out instead. This was my first meal of the day, so I was excited to eat! I came here around 7pm on a Saturday, and it was surprisingly empty. Uh oh, this place must not be good I thought, but I just went with it because I was starving. I don't really remember the number or the name of the ramen I got. I think it was like corn ramen or something??? You don't get to choose what kind of broth you want, and most of them do not specify what kind of broth is used. My ramen was okay... There was not much flavor going on, and I didn't even finish it! (Remember I was starving). Service was crap, but I can't really expect much from an Asian chain. I won't be back. Deuces!
-
Review from nn X.
Union City, CA
4/17/2012
Not a review for the food, but the service. I ordered a to-go order there. Terrible customer service, bad tone when speaking to customers. After I paid for the to-go order and placed my handbag on the corner of an empty table, the server asked me to wait outside. The occupancy is only 40% with plenty of empty seats everywhere. Never had a restaurant where I experienced such an awful experience.
-
Review from Josh B.
San Francisco, CA
3/1/2012
I'm surprised a spot like this can survive. There are at least 15 ramen spots within 1 square mile that do it just as well, and at least 4 that are on a whole other level.
Could it be the chicken nuggets? That does set them apart from the rest, and perhaps the novelty gets people in there...but that's some low-quality meat, even for chicken nuggets.
On top of the overall mediocre food, the service has been super crappy every time I've given them a shot. There are some basics (seating you, refilling water, dropping and picking up the check) that are simply ignored by the staff I have encountered.
In all fairness, this could probably be a 3-star spot. However given the superior local alternatives and my intense dislike for shitty, inattentive service, it's one of my least favorite places in San Mateo. -
Review from raquel m.
San Mateo, CA
3/14/2012
I love this place! The ramen is so delicious and every appetizer I have had there has been great. The service is good and its a great dive place if you're downtown.
I usually get the pork ramen, the menu is so cute too :) -
Review from Emily R.
2/4/2012 2 Check-ins Here
My boyfriend loves this place. But I've had some of the best ramen ever and this is only meh. Satiates the ramen craving and fills my belly. It's good/okay. Not great. I prefer their spicier ramens because I generally prefer my food spicy and they don't have hot sauce. Only the normal ramen seasoning which has some chili powder but isn't spicy, the oil which isn't spicy, and the volcano sauce which you have to order and isn't that spicy.
Regarding the volcano sauce: The volcano sauce cost $1.50 which is... ingenious/ridiculous. It's just normal asian sauce you can buy at any grocery store. I don't think you even have to hit up the asian ones- try Ralphs/Safeway. I'm impressed because apparently it's a rather popular item and these rave reviews make it appear to be something super awesome. In reality they just bought some asian sauce that's not very spicy, gave it a cool name, and sold it at a very inflated price. -
Review from Jamie C.
Dojo and Parlor were closed last night so we came here.
I ordered the number 1, with the most pork slices, and their volcano sauce, which is pretty much the same spicy paste/sauce they give you at chinese dim sum spots (sort of)
Kind of mediocre without the spiciness to beef up the flavor. Overall, wasn't satisfied since I came all the way from south bay to hit up Dojo :(
Noodles were lacking, soup base was lacking, and 1 slice of skinny meat per person, not enough for growing adults like us. We also tried their chicken karaage, not my favorite at all- was hoping to redeem the lack of pork with this chicken, but meh, can't win 'em all. I'd recommend this if you want edible but not amazing ramen. It's hard since the surrounding spots are just that popular. -
Review from Cary W.
San Francisco, CA
4/13/2012
Went for a weekend lunch. Quick service, not that crowded.
These past few years, as the really horrid ramen joints went out of business (horribly run clones that also served sushi and/or shabushabu), there have risen a cluster of serviceable ramenyas. They satisfy the craving, but neither do they pump out the gelatinous, fatty broth of Santouka or Santa, nor do they offer unique renditions like Halu's seasonal lobster ramen.
It is within this big cluster, that Ajisen Ramen falls. Solid (for the Bay Area at least). Maybe a step up from the dependable but mediocre Ramen Club.
Eat here if you want, but Himawari isn't far away... -
Review from Jennifer C P.
San Francisco, CA
Quick Tip: Order #2 - get the volcano sauce add on and wash it down with a Sapporo.
I do not like pork. Pork is pretty much the primary offering here, so I decided to be open minded. I loved it! Both the broth and the ribs were flavorful and not gamey, which is the thing I dislike most about pork.
We had the appetizer combo. Skip this, it is not worth the money and it tastes like average stuff. However, the fried smelt appetizer was delicious! It came to the table still sizzling from the fryer. It was tender, hot, and had nice flavor. This went well with the Sapporo Beer.
The noodles are thin - perfect for happy slurping! I got the #2 - pork broth with pork ribs (including gelatinous collagen/fat). The menu says #2 has lots of collagen for good health. You know I immediately thought how awesome that is because you know I eat a lot of chicken wings for collagen. . . thinking when was the last time I plumped up my lips. . . I digress, the ramen comes with an egg, green onions, fungus, and cabbage.
They do hot have as large a selection of add-ons as other places, but they do have a lot to offer. GET THE VOLCANO SAUCE!! It's delicious! I ordered Extra Kim Chee, which I realized after tasting the volcano sauce in the broth - was totally not necessary.
My Yelp friends reviewed this place and shared it was a chain. I think that for this place specifically is a benefit in that I believe it made it efficient. This was one of the most organized ramen places I have ever been to. The service was OUTSTANDING!! We had a pitcher of ice water on the table, condiments at the ready, two ladies tag teaming our table were not only very friendly and helpful - they were really pretty with sweet smiles.
I will definitely return!Listed in: Dress Down Eats!, Makin' My Mom Proud!
-
Review from Ashley C.
San Mateo, CA
2/4/2012
First time eating here and actually the food and service wasn't bad at all! had a late night dinner on 1/31 around 850pm with a buddy of mine and my daughter.
Ordered the tan tan style ramen with a side of chicken. The broth had a lot of flavor and the noodles were fresh, they didn't seem like they've been stored in a box for two days before they are served.
My buddy ordered the deep fried squid with his ramen. The squid was a bit on the rubbery side but it was quite tasty as well.
People that were eating there all seemed to be enjoying their meals and the staff was pretty attentive to the customers.
It's a nice option to have more places to eat at for late night dinners. Would I come back....yes....and I would like to try something different when I do! -
Review from RACHELLE T.
San Bruno, CA
2/27/2012
Loved it here!
I ordered Tan Tan Ramen! The tan tan meat was yummy! If you're really hungry order extra noodles. Try their atomic chicken too! (Can you tell I like spicy food?) I like the al dente texture of the noodles!!!
Service was good. Atmosphere was nice. Go early as it can get crowded. -
Review from Re-pley Z.
San Francisco, CA
2/24/2012
Based on other yelp reviews, I was expecting the worst. When compared to Santa, Dojo, and Ramen Parlor , this place does suffer in comparison. However, the food is decent and would be one of the better ramen places if it were located in San Francisco or East Bay.
Place was packed for weekday lunch. Ramen was tasty and consistent with other Ajisen restaurants (Westfield, Fremont) but the menu is a little smaller (missing the seafood ramen and drink menu). Staff was attentive and patrons seemed to be repeat customers. The restaurant is modern and relatively clean. Admittedly, I probably won't go to this place that often because there are so many other restaurants in the area that are favorites of my family (Santa, Dojo, Parlor, and Old Town Sushi) that serve similar kinds of food. I would consider it to be part of the San Mateo rotation and they should consider opening a location in the South San Francisco/San Bruno area which doesn't have much of this kind of cuisine (except Ramen Club). -
Review from Julianna M.
South San Francisco, CA
1/22/2012
3 LETTERS: MSG.
Save yourself from the stomach cramps, migraine, nausea, and all the other nasty stuff. Save money, money that'll need to be spent on imodium & pepcid after eating here. Save your mouth from the horrible flavor of pork fat. If you really want to try this place, go to the one in San Francisco. Much cleaner, nicer people, the food taste better. It's a dissapointment though, I liked the volcano sauce... -
Review from Mona W.
Having ate at Ajisen numerous times in Asia, I know exactly what I am getting into. This is really just for completeness's sake and I was not expecting some great ramen. Still, I can't helped to be slightly disappointed. I was hoping, deep down inside, that things would have changed for this shiny new branch.
Ajisen is still exactly as I remembered. Very mediocre bowl of noodle. The broth is nothing like the real thing. It tasted too sweet and lacked richness. However, you got to give them credit for the generous toppings. Instead of charging you an arm and a leg for some so called 'premium' topping (*cough* Santa Ramen), you can get a bowl with some decent pork neck meat or tender pork ribs for less than ten bucks. Much less than what you would have spent at other ramen joints in the area.
It was still a very fulfilling meal. In quantity but not entirely in quality. If I am hungry and just want a bowl of noodle to fill me up, I would eat here.Listed in: Silicon Valley Ramen Roundup
-
Review from Cindy C.
1/18/2012 2 Check-ins Here
I am really not sure what to say here. Downtown San Mateo has some really amazing ramen shops, so, it's always exciting when another joins in the mix, since you would think, they know that in order to survive the fierce competition, and be successful, they would need to be at a quality at least as good, if not better, than what is already well established around them...
Disappointedly, this was not the case with Ajisen. I mean, the food here is not bad. In fact, I think if it were in a location where there were not already some stars like Dojo, Santa, and Himawari, they'd do quite well. But, alas, they are in the midst of some tough competition, and given that their prices aren't any less, I don't really see why I would choose this over my other almost-walking-distance options. -
Review from Michael L.
San Mateo, CA
Updated - 1/12/2012 2 Check-ins Here
If San Mateo ramen was the 2011-2012 NFL Football Season then:
-Ramen Dojo are the Green Bay Packers. Impeccable. Their noodles go yard. Their toppings go yard. Their broth goes yard (get the garlic pork broth... sooooo good). Their only fumble is their small restaurant, so you have to wait FOR....E....VER (imagine The Sandlot voice). That small ass building is pretty much the KC Chiefs... giving them a garbage loss. MOVE OUT TO A BIGGER SPOT!
-Ramen Parlor are the San Francisco 49ers with their D being their lobster oil and that oh so juicy piece of shrimp in the soup. Mmmm...
-Santa Ramen are the Cincinnati Bengals. Almost there but not quite. Their Jerome Simpson back flip into the end zone would have to be their large restaurant. You don't have to wait in ridiculous Disneyland lines like at Ramen Dojo.
-Himawari are the New Orleans Saints because they have a wide selection of go-to players/menu items (compliment your ramen with sushi or how about the agedashi tofu or how about the karaage, etc.) and their oh so awesome roasted garlic on the table (which is free and not extra $$$)
-Ajisen are the Indianapolis Colts... better Luck next year (see what I did there?). Their noodles are weak. Soup sucks. The only thing they have going for them AKA their Peyton Manning is their "Premium Pork" (Combo #1). But it doesn't really mean anything because everything else in the combo #1 sucks from the cabbage to the soup to the noodles. That bowl gets 2 wins for those 2 pieces of pork. OOOOH! So surprising... the Colts only had 2 wins this year too. They're definitely the Indianapolis Colts. Suck for Luck. Their karaage isn't even good, and they advertise it like it's Tim Tebow.2 Previous Reviews: Show all »
-
11/4/2011
So, it rained last night and I felt like something spicy with soup. That lead me to decide between… Read more »
-
-
Review from Owen M.
Pacifica, CA
We stopped at Ajisen in the afternoon on 12/31 for a quick bite and ordered two apps & two bowls of ramen:
PRELIMINARIES:
Menu item #46 ONION CREAM CROQUETTES ($4.95) http://www.yelp.com/bi...
Menu item #45 DEEP FRIED SQUID ($4.75) http://www.yelp.com/bi...
I wouldn't re-order either of the apps. While my wife enjoyed the CROQUETTES, I thought they were OK but bland. The SQUID was tough, rubbery & under-seasoned. If you're going to charge five bucks for a few tentacles, you need to execute better than that.
MAIN EVENT:
Menu item #1 HAND MADE PREMIUM PORK RAMEN ($9.95)
http://www.yelp.com/bi...
Menu item #10 TAN TAN RAMEN ($8.95)
http://www.yelp.com/bi...
Ajisen was founded in Kumamoto on the island of Kyushu, and that's serious tonkotsu country. So I played it straight and ordered their premium, but simply garnished, tonkotsu ramen.
Reading Yelp reviews before my visit, I was surprised at how badly Ajisen was getting slammed on the peninsula and in SF. I didn't try Ajisen while I was living in Japan so I can't be sure, but given that it's a chain striving for consistency I have to believe that the tonkotsu base served here is pretty close to what's served back in Japan. I mean, HQ must send the reduced bases to each outpost for ease and uniformity. So you'd think that the heavy lifting's already been done.
In other words, the base must be pretty "authentic," right? Local cooks might screw up the noodles (which they did in my case by overcooking them) or the pork (mine was fine) and other garnishes, but how far off can the base be?
So, assuming this stuff is the same as what Ajisen serves at home, what does it say about those of us who aren't cozying up to Ajisen's tonkotsu ramen?
Does it mean we don't know real tonkotsu ramen here in the Bay? Is the stuff we like (take your pick from Orenchi, Santa, Himawari, Tanpopo or wherever) more American than Japanese? Are we the oblivious, ramen-eating equivalent of the spicy-mayo-roll "sushi" loving hordes who get lambasted on Yelp every day?
Or might there be something else at work here?
Is it maybe that Ajisen, true Japanese company or not, just doesn't serve the best tonkotsu ramen? I mean, can it be authentic but not terrific? Or could it be that Ajisen, as is possible with any chain restaurant, has altered its own product over the years in an effort to make more money by pleasing the maximum number of palates (but not necessarily the most discriminating ones) worldwide?
I don't know the answer to *any* of those questions, but the fact that I didn't love Ajisen's ramen makes me curious nonetheless.
Given its birthplace, I expected a much richer base. In all honesty, I don't think it was all that much richer than the bowl I had at Santouka, and the latter is a Hokkaido restaurant chain (as far from Kyushu as you can get, staying within the main islands). Similarly, Kumamoto is famous for mayu, that intense, purposefully-burned garlic 'n sesame oil concoction that'll make even an Italian spouse run for cover if you dive in for a kiss within 24 hours of downing a bowl. But Ajisen's base was relatively tame on the garlic front.
I should mention that my wife's Tan Tan Ramen was significantly more spicy than Himawari's Tan Tan Men, which is very mild. To me, it was on the same overall quality level as the my bowl.
I didn't hate our ramen, but - huge Japanese food fan that I am - it pains me to say that I didn't think it was distinguished either. Maybe I take ramen a little too seriously.
We'd go back if we wanted ramen and didn't want to plan our lives around being at some other popular ramen-ya precisely 15 minutes or whatever before the door opens.Listed in: Did U Say Japanese Food?!
-
Review from Erica A.
San Francisco, CA
1/9/2012
I've been here with my boyfriend a couple times. I don't know much about ramen, but I love the texture of the noodles here! I love the premium pork ramen. I think it's number one.
The service is kind of whatever, but I'm not expecting much from a ramen place :p -
Review from Rachel H.
1/9/2012 1 Check-in Here
I'm no expert on ramen, this was the first time I'd eaten it when it didn't emerge from a plastic package, but it was dang tasty.
We came in a little late on a weekday and our waiter said something about being out of rice (a few of our party preferred rice to noodles) but then later came back to say that yes, they did indeed have rice, so that was good.
My broth seemed a tad bland, so I added some extra fixins, like the chili oil and some soy. The pork was reeeeallly good though. -
Review from Mark K.
Burlingame, CA
1/12/2012 1 Check-in Here
Does NOT have the delicious California roll that the Downtown SF version has. Boo!
Way better in the Westfield mall and the Hong Kong airport.
Why do they think that every white guy wants to eat with a fork and want Orange Chicken! -
Review from Francesca M.
South San Francisco, CA
1/7/2012
I am a fan.
I had the handmade premium pork ramen. ($9.95) with extra noodle ($1.50). SO freakin good. The pork tasted like slow roasted pork belly. I usually hate the fat on any meat but I gobbled the pork like there was no tomorrow.
The noodles were a bit different than the ramen I'm used to but still good. Nice and chewy. I hate super soggy noodles. Also had the negoya karage ($4.98). Sweet and garlicky but kind of salty. I felt like I should have ordered a side order of rice.
Customer service is really attentive.. sometimes a little too attentive. I had 3 waiters ask our table if we were ready. The waiters are friendly and wait time for the food isn't too long. It's really dead here during lunch and dinner on a weekday but the weekends are really busy as with every other ramen place.
Price - Great
Food - I'm a fan
Customer service - Good
Wait time - Depends on what day -
Review from Ken K.
Updated - 12/17/2011
It is a little better now here, phew.
Set your expectations accordingly. If you are one of those extreme ramen bandwagon hopper types that live eat breathe and crap ramen on a frequent basis leveling that of the fervor of a crackhead, you might just be in for withdrawls.
But if you are a huge fan of the Nagasaki chanpon at Izakaya Mai, there may be a mild familiarity in the soup stock, although it is not as crisp and clean tasting.
The point is, treat this place as only a means to cure hunger pains, and it can be mildly satisfying.
After a disasterous first experience with #1...the #2 was actually more satisfying. Not talking about bathroom potty numbers here....but the menu. #1 being the house special "pork cheek" ramen....#2 is pork ribs and dang does that thing have a feckload of tendons in it. It's like jello. Good chit.1 Previous Review: Show all »
-
9/21/2011
One of Hong Kong's top bloggers was asked a few months ago, "dooooood, have you eaten at Butao Ramen… Read more »
-
