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Asuka Ramen - CLOSED
Category: Restaurants Japanese Japanese [Edit]
883 Bush St(between Mason St & Taylor St)
San Francisco, CA 94108
Neighborhood: Union Square
(415) 567-3153
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- No
- Price Range:
-
$
- 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
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
About This Business:
As a family, we've been in the restaurant industry for over 20 years. Hotei and its sister restaurant, Ebisu, have been consistently rated among the top… read more »
166 reviews for Asuka Ramen
Review Highlights
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"The Agedashi Tofu was amazing." In 9 reviews -
"the broth is SO flavorful and milky." In 54 reviews -
"I had the tantanmen and I gotta say, it was heaven." In 17 reviews
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166 reviews in English
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Review from Joher K.
San Francisco, CA
2/12/2012
This was THE best ramen place in SF, IMO. Especially since I'm Muslim and don't eat Pork. Most ramen places are heavily pork based but this place had great chicken and miso options. The ramen noodles were on point, vegetables great, chicken as a meat option!, and a boiled egg. I've been to a few ramen places and, with my limitations, this place was def the best.
I never tired any of the other food so I am unable to speak about anything but the ramen. YOU WILL BE MISSED! -
Review from D H.
San Francisco, CA
9/9/2011
We were so disappointed to learn tonight that this place closed as of 8/31. A sign on the door said something about the building being purchased by new mgmt.
The food was basic and good enough for an affordable hot meal in the neighborhood and we will miss them.
The wait staff were so friendly and nice...I wish them well if they are reading this!
Need to find another nearby place that serves chicken katsu curry. -
Review from Chelsea A.
San Francisco, CA
Long live Asuka!
Asuka was my boyfriend's favorite restaurant that we'd come every week; maybe it was a bit extreme, but it was decent for what it was. The waitress, Mary, and waiter, Kevin, were always so friendly, nice, and treated us well. They were wonderful. Since we were regulars we'd get either edamame, gyoza, and/or agedashi tofu on the house.
The food was decent but inconsistent. Dishes often tasted different the next week, and then it tasted the same the first time you tried it, and different the next time, but it was still good for what it was. Sometimes they would give you salad and soup, other times they did not.
I loved their golden garlic noodles, tenzaru, and shoyu ramen--they were comfort food to me. I can tell you that Asuka's ramen tasted more authentic than Ajisen with their weird broths and psuedo ramen noodles, but possibly not as authentic as you'd want it to be.
You will be missed, Asuka, along with your ever-so-friendly waitresses and waiters! :)
BTW, the owners were Japanese. Mary told my boyfriend and I directly they were from Japan, and are going back, hence the reason they are closing. Yes, Asuka had a lot of Chinese-based dishes, and yes, the cooks spoke Chinese, but it didn't mean they were Chinese. Unless they were Chinese living in Japan? Either way--who cares? -
Review from Ed U.
Another one for the "meh" pile and a damn shame since I have been hankering for a hidden ramen house that would surprise me with massive Momofuku-level delights. No such luck to be found at Asuka Ramen for sure. It's decent and serviceable enough but hardly the stuff of tampopo legend. It's a glorified Japanese luncheonette for the locals since the diners who came in definitely looked like regulars who didn't bother looking at their menus.
Jamie W. and I ordered a lot of food for a Saturday morning, but the main objective was ramen. I tried the $10 Ramen-Gyoza Set, a one-two punch that I tried to meat up with an extra "slice" of pork for $1.50 (see photos). The shoyu broth was not too salty, and the noodles were fresh, I think, but they were a tad on the rubbery side. And the pork slices looked strangely processed - disk-shaped with grill marks but not really tasting grilled if you know what I mean. The gyoza tasted pretty standard. Jamie's was the $6.50 bowl of the Miso Ramen with the regulation one slice of pork (see photo). He got more of the other ingredients you'd expect from a ramen bowl, and it was arguably more satisfying as a result.
Jamie went further and ordered the $8 Gomoku Yakisoba, which had the benefit of an appetizing photo in the window. In reality, it was like a sloppy chow mein with brown sauce (see photo). I like mine a lot crispier and slightly blackened, but it did come with a couple of shrimp, pork, chicken and bok choy. Amazingly, we had to pay for our Edamame ($3), a normal freebie but this time an overboiled, skin-falling-away version that made popping the beans out a major chore (see photo). Ugh, we ate too much. I hate when that happens with a middling meal and now we have to walk down Nob Hill without rolling over.
FOOD - 3 stars...kinda like the food my aunt would make after I came home from school and then I would sneak out for super tacos at Jack in the Box
AMBIANCE - 2.5 stars...very J-Townie generic
SERVICE - 3.5 stars...attentive for sure
TOTAL - 3 stars...ok but probably not worth the trudge up Nob Hill if you don't live thereListed in: In Memoriam...I Need a Kleenex
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Review from Stephani C.
San Francisco, CA
6/26/2011
This is the cutest little place. My friend Andy, who took this trip to get me to try new things, loves it for their ramen. I tried his, but decided on tekka rolls [I'm a sucker for raw fish].
So I had a spicy tuna roll which was *incredibly* spicy but in all the right ways. And I had a honey walnut shrimp that was a special and it was perfectly crispy and sweet.
Service was great - complimentary hot tea too! It's a small place, but not too small. I can see why Andy likes it. :) -
Review from Kitty O.
San Francisco, CA
8/30/2011
I ordered Tendon again, I haven't been there in a year or more and I remembered it was good... but the sauce was wrong, it was TONKATSU sauce, AND most appalling of all, there were 4 pieces of broccoli in there!!!! What?????? Why?????
Usually there is that one piece of horrible tempura broccoli that American establishments insist on inserting into tendon (to my knowledge Japanese don't make tempura broccoli...)... but this bowl had FOUR PIECES.
I think this place used to be descent but it's starting to go downhill... at least the hostess noticed I wasn't eating and she canceled my tempura order... so no complaints about the waiters here. -
Review from Miwako W.
Fremont, CA
6/27/2011
I actually really like this place. I used live a block away so I would go here with by hubby (back when we were just dating) all the time. We used to go so often that the waitresses knew us even when we bumped into them on the streets. Thus the kick-ass friendly service we received whenever we went there.
I'll be honest, their food isn't exceptional, but neither does it fall short and flat on its face. The ramen is good and so is the broth. The prices are decent and the servings are generous.
Over all, I recommend this place if you are near by and looking for good affordable ramen. With that said, their ramen isn't one you'd trek across san francisco for. -
Review from Yingjue C.
San Francisco, CA
6/10/2011
Asuka is my favorite cheap afterwork dinner place, friendly service, good food, tuna poke for 6.50, just great little spot. Also very generous, I've gotten some apps on the house.
Love the eggplant and hot dishes, but don't expect wide variety of sushi. -
Review from Mei C.
San Francisco, CA
3/19/2011
Ordered a Salt Ramen, Miso Ramen, Tekka Roll and Plum Wine. The Plum wine was interesting, it came in a tiny bottle with a sweet plum inside. No buzz though, darn.
I preferred the Miso Ramen soup over the Salt ramen. The piece of pork was delicious and fatty. The ramen itself was OK...not that great.
The service is good! Very polite. A little bright in terms of lighting, but overall the surrounding was cozy! Especially with the awful rain outside :/Listed in: Japanesey
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Review from mey s.
Oakland, CA
7/29/2011 1 Check-in Here
The ramen here isn't my favorite nor is it the best I've had, however it'll suffice for the time being when I'm craving for some warm noodle soup.
I got the tantanmen (??) and it was good, but a bit greasy and it had a sour taste to it. I believe most of their ramen comes with ground pork, but a slice of roast pork could be added for 1.50. My boyfriend got the mongolian beef ramen and it wasn't that great as it was nearly flavorless.
The servers were attentive and friendly, but I would only come back again if I was in the area. Oh yea, parking is a bitch. -
Review from Laura C.
San Francisco, CA
7/27/2011
Sometimes when I feel like being a bad vegetarian I come to Asuka. They use chicken broth as the base to all of their ramen. Anywho, I'd never had "real" ramen before and I often pass by this place because I live in the area. One day I decided to stop in for some take out on one of those blustery SF days and it was such a good idea.
I have no clue whether their ramen is authentic, I just know that it makes me happy. I usually get the Shio or Shoyu ramen topped with vegetables and it just hits the spot when I have my soup cravings. Portion sizes are good, and it's relatively inexpensive. They take credit/debit cards too, which is always a plus. -
Review from Matt G.
12/27/2010 2 photos
I'll say it again...I'm definitely not a Ramen-guy!
I was driving around and saw a "huge" sign having a "Happy Hour" Ramen special from 5pm-6pm in front of this tiny restaurant. I can even read the huge writings on the board on the sidewalk: even without my contact lenses. http://www.yelp.com/bi...
And being at 5:30pm, I ordered one of the specials: the Tonkatsu Ramen. Regularly cost $7.50 but $5.00 during the happy hour special, the bowl of soup contains a slice of grilled pork, a slice of hard-boiled egg, sliced kamaboko and thick ramen noodle in a thick slowly cooked white broth.
For a guy who rarely eats ramen, I actually like the tasty broth combine with the thick noodle to make a very hearty meal. The slice of pork was grilled nicely with the spice of the meat add more flavor.
My ramen: http://www.yelp.com/bi...
One of the very few times, I don't need to spend much $$$ on a meal. I might come here again and try other foods from here! -
Review from Yang Q.
1/31/2011
Decent ramen, cheap prices.
Between our table we ordered the miso ramen, shoyu ramen, tonkatsu ramen, katsu, poke salad, and vegetarian curry. Everyone liked their food but nothing stood out. The tonkatsu ramen could have a richer broth, but the noodles were good. And hey, if you're paying over $1000 on rent, a cheap $6.50 bowl of ramen helps your wallet out a little!
Attentive service and very nice about splitting the check--you can go up to the front and tell them what items to charge on each card pho restaurant style. -
Review from Madeline N.
Cambridge, MA
3/23/2011
A rainy day calls for ramen - so I went.
Small, clean, no crazy line like at Katana-ya. You get a nice chunk of roast pork with your order and everything is clean and lovely. Not much character but free flowing tea, $6.50 bowls of ramen ($10.00 if you want gyoza on the side), and friendly staff make up for it! -
Review from Winnie C.
San Mateo, CA
6/30/2011 1 Check-in Here
3.5 stars
Clean cute little place. While it's a ramen joint, it's not strictly ramen OR Japanese.
Prices are VERY good.
Food-wise, not bad. Not even close to being one of the best that I've had (Ramen-wise) ... but I've been to some REALLY good places.
Broth was creamy and has decent flavor not rich like some others. Wish they have some veggie options to go in the soup or maybe even a handful of seaweed or something. The grilled pork chop (boneless) in the Tonkasu ramen was an interesting adaptation. -
Review from Nick S.
3/8/2011
I don't think the type of ramen noodle here is the most authentic, but the noodle soups here are delicious. They are flavorful, affordable, and are exactly what you want on a gloomy San Francisco day.
The agedashi tofu is really good here. Even though it is only an appetizer, it is tasty and large enough to have as a dish over rice.
Great service and the food always arrives hot.
Overall, there are no serious complaints here. If you are in the mood for a hot bowl of noodles and you're in the neighborhood, come to Asuka.Listed in: My Neighborhood
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Review from Lily L.
San Francisco, CA
2/12/2011
After reading the comments yelpers have for this place, i decided to give it a try. Today is a sunny day and things are going nice. I went with my friend today for a late lunch. The place was very clean and well organize, except that the tables are too low and the chairs are too high, humm, wonder why.... my friend is quite tall so she didnt like it too much.
The lady was nice. We didnt order till we talked for like 10 minutes, but she was still very patient with us. We looked at the first thing on the menu and went like"wWHAT?" The ramen is only $6.50. Nowayyy!!
So we order 2 ramen and made one large, adding a dollar. When the order came, even the smaller bowl is larger than normal. The noodle is not soggy or too soft.
I just want to recommend this place to everyone! -
Review from Kevin Y.
San Francisco, CA
8/30/2011 50 photos
Asuka Ramen is my favorite Japanese restaurant in San Francisco! The shoyu ramen is my favorite dish here, but I also often enjoy the yakibuta chahan and beef curry! The yakisoba and gyoza are also very tasty! My girlfriend usually prefers the golden garlic noodles and tenzaru soba! The unlimited cups of hot tea are always appreciated! Prices are very reasonable. Interior is bright and clean. Service is always welcoming, friendly, and attentive. Mahalo to Asuka Ramen for their years of excellent service in the neighborhood! You will be missed. =(
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Review from Christopher D.
Westminster, CA
3/23/2011
Tonkoatsu ramen for $6.50. $5.00 at Happy Hour (an unmatchable deal).
It came in a whitish, brown broth: hot and delicious, filled with grilled pork, noodles, bamboo shoots, scallions, and naruto.
The grilled pork was my main complaint, I did not think it was especially good and I would have preferred the more traditional chasu instead.
The egg was included at no EXTRA cost, so yummy :D
The noodles were soft, but not too soft.
The bamboo shoots, scallions, and naruto, all standard and yummy.
The broth, however, is the fourth star. It was full of good flavor to begin with but once I added white pepper and a bit of chili pepper it tasted so much better! It absorbed those flavors perfectly and the intensity of its deliciousness only improved.
So, overall, I think that this place is definitely good and worth a try for everyone because it's so cheap, filling, and yummy. And even if you're not a fan of Tonkotsu, it's definitely worth a try ;]
The GF ordered the Shoyu Ramen and she says:
"Pretty standard shoyu broth with nice flavor balanced flavor, not at all overpowering. Some broths are strong and good in the first bite but the flavor overwhelms your palette, but for this it was just the right strength for the long haul. I wanted more bamboo shoots though." -
Review from Crystal O.
San Francisco, CA
1/5/2011
This place is not authentic, but the cheap prices save it from being a total failure for a quick easy meal. After living in New York, I'm surprised it can even call itself a ramen joint (with 3.5 stars on Yelp no less) but perhaps SF is lacking a density of good ramen. Genki in Inner sunset is much better and I'll try Katanaya next time.
We got the tantan ramen, a medley of spicy ground pork (almost mapo tofu style) and greasy broth that was overly heavy on the sesame oil. I was not a fan but it was palatable to my friend. The tonkatsu ramen broth had a strange after-taste, and the pork chop was OK but fatty, and not in the good way. The agedashi tofu was alright, although if you wait a few minutes the sauce will coagulate into a gel-like coating. Service was friendly but overall, I left feeling rather disappointed with the food and will not come back. -
Review from David W.
4/15/2011 2 Check-ins Here
DISGUSTING!
I strongly warn anyone from not eating here unless you enjoy reused broth, micro-waved gyozas, and all made cheaply with poor ingredients. Now I rarely give 1 star reviews, this being only my second one ever, but this place was awful. I usually cut places that try and offer food and cheap and reasonable prices some slack but this was really unacceptable.
I showed up at 11:30am hoping to grab some lunch and the sign said 11:45am. Fair enough I thought as Yelp doesn't offer a quarter to or after option when adding business hours -- which I find peculiar. Also surprising was the vacant interior of the restaurant; lights off, no cooks, no staff whatsoever. Anyone with a general knowledge of restaurants knows that freshly made soups that are meat based require at least an hour or longer to be prepared properly.
Unless you opt to reuse day old soup broths that then gain that for lack of a better description, plastic taste as the oils and fats as they undergo a 'physical change' from a solid to a liquid but usually get slightly burnt in the reheating process.
I digress in the story of my experience. I returned at 11:50am to find the first cook arriving to open the door. Very reluctantly he let me sit down inside. I explained I was willing to wait until they were ready to take orders and I would rather wait inside than stand outside. The rest of the staff arrived around 12:10pm at which I was told to move from my window seat to a two person seat in the middle of the restaurant. I assumed the place would be packed in moments and obliged.
My order was taken by a very apologetic Chinese women. Listening to the banter inside I noticed the entire staff was Chinese. Now many purists have big problems with this but as evident in Vancouver this does not always mean poor ramen. Sadly this place gives the purists some very strong credibility.
I ordered the Miso Ramen with a side order of gyozas. I was expecting my soup to arrive in another 20 minutes, which would be cutting it on close side, but would have allowed for fresh preparation. Literally five minutes later my soup arrived in front of me. Semi-warm and obviously previously refrigerated it had clumps of oil and fat that were still congealed. Unless this place had a remarkable ventilation system I didn't smell any aroma of food being prepared. Moments later I heard a ding which ultimately signaled my micro-waved gyozas were to arrive. They were doughy, flavourless, and had nearly no fillings.
Clearly I should have showed up at happy hour and been wasted to suppress my urges to vomit. If I'd wanted reused oil I would have gone to a seedy burger joint in the Tenderloin. Unless San Francisco business people don't eat lunch at noon being served this extremely disgusting whatever they put in front of me was disgraceful. To top it all off one other person had shown up in this time, obviously a regular as he was on a first name basis with the staff, but remarkably with the same congealed and recycled ramen broth from the previous day -- I hope only one day old but I frankly wouldn't be surprised that the savings in cheap ramen had put them in a situation where the ramen would remain as long as it was there and replaced only when it had been consumed.
I ended up having to meet someone here the following day, but upon arriving urged them to find another place. I'd paid once for a meal I didn't eat and wasn't prepared to do it again even if it was for business. -
Review from Nancy O.
San Francisco, CA
6/13/2011
It's not Ramen Dojo, but Asuka serves an okay tonkotsu ramen. The noodles were also just okay, but the whole was better than the sum of its parts. I requested my ramen spicy, and they readily complied. For $6.50 it's a great deal!
The restaurant is VERY clean, although I do have to say the hostess wears a bit too much perfume for my liking...but then I'm not a fan of strong odors (other than food) in a restaurant. -
Review from jane d.
New York, NY
10/7/2010
It's neither authentic nor particularly delicious, but on a cool night after a six hour, food-free flight from NYC, Asuka ramen didn't seem like such a bad spot to duck into for a late dinner. We got in there around 9:25 p.m., five minutes before closing, but the really nice folks who ran the restaurant sat us down and fed us anyway. Unfortunately, the food wasn't very good.
We had the tonkatsu ramen (with boneless pork chop, one hard boiled egg, kelp and one slice of pink and white swirl fish "cake"), tantan men (spicy chili miso flavored noodle soup with ground pork, bean sprout) and beef curry. The beef curry was the best of the bunch, with potatoes and onions melted into the curry by dint of long cooking. The curry had too much corn starch as thickener, so beef flavors were diluted. But it was likable and reminded me of the curries my dad used to make for me when I was a kid... except with a bit more water and corn starch added.
The ramen dishes, on the other hand, tasted irredeemably washed out. (I'm not sure if part of this was because we'd come so late in the evening that they had to water down the broth to extend it, or whether it is watered down all the time.) Tonkatsu broth was slightly better than the other, but it was still a far cry from the thick, rich broth that distinguishes a bowl of truly good ramen from the Top Ramen packets you can buy at Rite Aid. The tantan men was hardly edible and tasted of spice, salt and grease, but little else. You could see bits of ground meat in the bowl, but you couldn't actually taste it.
On the bright side, the pork chop in the tonkatsu was nice and tender and the noodles in both ramens were cooked just the way I like it for ramen: a little bit softer than what Italians call al dente, but not to the point of mushiness.
The service was very nice, which always makes it hard to give two stars. But sadly, that's all the food really merits. -
Review from Cnn F.
San Francisco, CA
1/6/2011
I really enjoy this place. Everything I get is pretty yummy!! And its really cheap. They have Happy Hour with $5 ramen bowls. I do have one complaint, their miso soup was pretty salty. I had the chicken katsu curry, and the portion was very generous. Also the miso ramen was scrumptious as well.
4 STARS for the restaurant: pretty big, i've never had trouble with seating
4 STARS for the food: defn recommend this place!! -
Review from Chris E.
San Francisco, CA
3/5/2011
Never mind "authentic" or being a snob along those lines. The food here is pretty darn average and I've tried many of their offerings over a decent period of time now. I can't believe those who have lived in Japan making comparisons to this place. Quality and taste comparisons are a non-starter and there's absolutely nothing Japanese about this place.
I'd give them 5 stars for service though -- always been really accommodating and generous, even during really busy periods. With babies, larger groups, odd requests, and so on. In a pinch (i.e. no reservations, no planning, etc.), I always feel comfortable going here to fuel up, relax and chat.
Prices are nice and low given the volume of food you receive, and some nice deals during the equivalent of Happy Hour. -
Review from Pearl L.
San Francisco, CA
4/24/2011
Despite the name, this place does not serve classic ramen, i.e. rich, savory broth and tender, chewy noodles.
What you do get is reasonably priced, satisfying Japanese food. The ramen tastes like noodles in broth. Noodles in broth is a dish that I find very satisfying and comforting. It is not, however, stunning or delicious.
My friend and I had ramen (mine was in soup, hers was dry), sesame spinach, gyoza and a large beer. The total was only $15, $18 w/ tip. We also sat there for almost 2 hours without feeling rushed out.
If you want a culinary adventure, don't come here. But if you just want a filling meal downtown that will keep you warm and where the people won't hassle you, eat here. -
Review from Lauren C.
San Francisco, CA
Updated - 9/22/2008 1 Check-in Here
Tonight I gorged myself on pork katsu while absentmindedly taking gulps of the miso that came with my combo. Before each sip I'd quickly stir the soup with my chopsticks, observing how the soup didn't get as "layer-y" as most miso does. Between mouthfuls of fried pork, I began to notice that it was also pretty mild for miso. It was only when my katsu was gone and I was concentrating solely on my soup that I realized that it wasn't miso at all but rather chicken soup in my cup. Maybe I shouldn't wolf my food down while surfing Facebook and watching tv.
In my first review, I speculated that perhaps Asuka staffed the place with expensive imported virgins. The food was overpriced and unskillful. Well those virgins have been practicing, if you know what I mean. Wink wink nudge nudge. Tonight's meal was a delicious surprise.
Obviously, I had the katsu combo. I already admitted in my first review to being a noodle ignoramus. Now I'll confess that I'm equally ignorant of katsu. But I thought mine was awesome. Even though it was carry-out the breading got home crunchy and not at all greasy. The katsu sauce was a little harsh for me so (here's where it gets really ignorant) I got out my Claim Jumper BBQ sauce to eat it with.
Boyfriend, the manorexic, had the spicy string bean appetizer and a side of steamed rice. And he gave me half his string beans. But I'd have taken them anyways. They were crazy good. The sauce was the perfect combination of savory, tart, and piquant. I'm a total salt-fiend, so the salinity of everything was fine with me. But I can see how others can't hang. Wusses.
About the price- I get it. Virgins (even the "gently-used" ones) are pricey. Maybe the cruel economics of life will benefit the cost-conscious curry lover- In a couple of years those virgins will be on the receiving end of a couple of pay cuts and you and I will get to enjoy some reasonably-priced ramen.
Update to the update: I just noticed that behind the hostess stand there is a list with a protocol for the waitresses. It includes instructions on everything from what to say to when to smile. Priceless.Listed in: TENDERnob, Ugh... FAIL!
1 Previous Review: Show all »
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8/6/2008
Ramen costs $0.25. Asuka ramen costs $7-$8. I know I'm outing myself as a Japanese noodle… Read more »
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Review from Wilhelm Y.
San Francisco, CA
10/14/2009 1 photo
I decided to make the long trek from my work to Asuka for lunch. The restaurant wasn't very busy shortly before 1 PM when I arrived. I was greeted as soon as I walked in, and I took a seat at the small table next to the door. The table top which looked clean had a sticky feel on its surface.
I concentrated only on the ramen dishes on the menu. There are some faded and discolored photos of various menu items displayed inside to help you with your selection. The ice water was brought automatically, and I ordered a Coke to quench my thirst and a Miso Ramen. The wait for the ramen seemed a bit longer here than what I'm used to, but it was a slow day at my work and I wasn't in much of a hurry.
I dug right in when the ramen arrived. The soup while nicely seasoned lacked any significant miso flavor. The portion of thin wiry noodles was generous and cooked to a perfect texture. Bamboo shoots, napa cabbage, two slices of fish cake, two halves of a hard boiled egg and a single slice of roast pork sat on top of the noodles. You can order additional pork for $1.50, but I was glad I didn't. The pork was overly salted, dry and chewy. When I bit into the first egg half I found it to be just lukewarm in the middle. Other than that though I enjoyed the rest of the ramen bowl.Listed in: My Asian Noodle Fix
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Review from Genevieve Y.
San Francisco, CA
10/11/2008
Date & Time: Saturday October 11, 2008 @ 7pm
Rating: 3.5 Stars
Company: Mommy & Michael. The Family Loves Ramen
Crowd: Just Us & A lot of Take-Out Orders for Well-Heeled Couples
Vibe: Super Casual
Decor: Bare-Bones. Pale Green Walls. Tables for Quatre
Service: Fast & Friendly
Devour: Miso, Spicy Miso, Tonkatsu Ramen. 3 Large Orders. Great Noodles!
Total: $28.75 -
Review from May T.
San Francisco, CA
12/11/2008
Actually, after reading through some of the reviews, I think this place has finally worked through some of their opening issues.
The chefs are Japanese, and they don't do very traditional ramen, but I'm actually not going to give them hell for it. I looked over their menu, decided on some Tan Tan Men, which is a Chinese inspired noodle soup.
The al dente noodles came in a good base, not too salty, and not bland in the least. The spicy ground pork mixture had a very tasty chili-sesame seed component, with some spinach and scallions.
They don't make their own noodles, but it's not at a loss for them as their noodle supplier is superb. The ramen broth base is made every morning, and it tastes pretty decent by the evening.
I am impressed. It's too bad there wasn't much more business in the restaurant when I arrived at 7pm.
This is not the best place for traditional ramen in the city, you'll need to to go to Katana-ya for that, but it does justice to the pan-Asian style noodle soup. Asuka is a great place to stop for a quick bite to eat. -
Review from seth s.
San Francisco, CA
10/20/2010
Let me get this out of the way. San Francisco (Yay Area) is lacking in the ramen department. Honestly.
That being said, I live down the block and when the fog rolls in and I am hungry, I go here.
9.50 Ramen and Gyoza special- hell yes.
Ice Cold Asahi- double up.
Bottomless cup of Oolong Cha. What!? What!?
My go to is the Tonkotsu, which while not overwhelmingly potent in flavour ( craig mack, one thousand degrees http://www.youtube.com...) will melt the bone chill and chill you out. The gyoza is good too. I really don't venture outside the ramen and gyoza, and by really, I mean never, so I can't comment on anything else.
The complaint, the Cha-shu tastes more like Chinese roast pork than Cha-shu should, but comes in a pretty thick slab so that works.
I know my friend who schooled me in the Art of Ramen would be shaking his head saying "warui", but the staff is nice, the soup is hot and the beer is cold; so in the end, what else really matters? -
Review from Grace K.
San Francisco, CA
7/31/2008
I don't walk around my neighborhood a lot.
Or truthfully, at ALL, except to perhaps run across the street to the market. That's about it though.
So it took me a month and a half, apparently, to realize that diagonally across the street from me, a BRAND NEW Ramen house opened up. To say I was overjoyed when I spotted it would be an understatement.
I mean, can you imagine being any happier than being able to eat ramen without having to worry about parking? Can one really ask to be any happier than to get a craving for ramen only 3 minutes before closing, be able to run across the street and satisfy that craving?
Today, I finally tried Asuka Ramen.
I'm so STINKIN' underwhelmed right now.
I love ramen. I grew up in Japan on this stuff. Food for royalty, I tell you.
That's also why I cook a freakin' MEAN ramen - because I love it so much that I've practiced and practiced and practiced (the instant variety, of course, but you'd be shocked what I can do with a package of deep fried noodles and powder). So yeah, it is generally harder to impress me w/ ramen, but it's happened from time to time.
Ain't nothin' like a kicka$$ bowl of hot ramen with the perfect ramen noodles.
I write this review fully acknowledging that sometime in the next 6 months, I will try this place again when they figure out what they are going to be about.
Some of the other reviews state that it was too salty.
Well - they apparently read your review and now they don't use salt AT ALL.
Shoyu Ramen is the staple of a ramen place, and though my favorite is a miso ramen, I will always order Shoyu Ramen if I am unsure about a place. Well, this soy-sauce based ramen was completely bland. The soup finally came to life after 1/4 of a bottle of salt.
Let's break it down:
Soup: bland but once the salt was added, it was a decent soup, though it was too late to help the blandness of the noodles. The soup is very "clean" without any floating fat or oil, came with one egg, a couple slices of pork, and scallions. I can appreciate a clean-tasting soup, but not at the cost of "FLAVOR". Use more soy sauce, use more salt - - kick it up a notch - BAM!
Noodles: Asuka did a pretty good job with the noodles. Cooked exactly to the point it should be, it was "al dente" for lack of a better word to describe what I mean, and more importantly, it maintained that state to the last bite. Had this noodle been put into a perfectly salted broth - - it would have been very, very good.
We ordered a miso ramen in addition to this, as well as a Meat/Seafood Yakisoba. I didn't like the miso ramen - - it wasn't miso-ey enough, and the Yakisoba was all wrong. It was like chow mein, nothing like real Yakisoba - with the only identifiable seafood being shrimp. Oh, and I requested the kimchi for $2.50 also.... ok, totally raw, not fermented at ALL and apparently out of a jar from some store somewhere... if you like kimchi with your ramen, don't bother. BYOK.
I, unlike other reviewers, found nothing wrong with the service. They greeted you happily, told you to sit wherever you'd like, and waited around while we scanned the menu. Once we looked ready, they took our order and got it right. Furthermore, I never wanted for hot tea (which is a great tea, by the way) or iced water. When I was done, they promptly cleared my tray, and offered to pack up the leftovers. It's a ramen place, I am not sure what more you can ask for than that.
The place is clean and bright - - but it is also brand new.
Having said that - - - this place is Chinese-run. Neither the waitstaff nor the cooks are Japanese.
Like I said, I am just so underwhelmed.
It wasn't horrible, but I'd much rather drive 30-40 minutes for ramen that hits the spot, or even cook one at home that I know I will love. Perhaps I got a little too excited at Asuka's proximity to my place, and so hoped it'd be a kick in Santa Ramen's a$$ or something.... how wonderful that would have been (I'm getting dreamy at the thought of it).
They offer curry (let's not even get into how picky I am about Japanese Curry), katsu-don, teriyaki meats amongst quite an array of other items. They even offer "Ja Jiang Myun" - - a variety of it anyhow, though the picture on the wall did not look appetizing.
For the 3 entrees and 1 bowl of kimchi we had, the total came to $28.81 or something. With a $4 tip, it was a near $33 meal. While that is not a super expensive lunch - - I don't feel that it was worthwhile.
I will go back one day to see where they chose to settle, but for the time being, they do need help in finding the right balance to the broth. Hire a Japanese man who knows ramen to come and fix that broth - and you have the makings of what could be a great Ramen joint!
Sidenote: They have SHOCHU as well as SOJU, in addition to Sake and beer - AND they take credit cards (it looked like only VISA / MC but I'm not sure). Cool.Listed in: Japanese Joints
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Review from Sean Y.
9/17/2008
Dammit...you sons a bitches...crack an egg on your tendon!
Because I was 'ono for some donburi, I pretty much walked about 3 miles around the city looking for this one specific Japanese joint where I had eaten before. After a long fruitless search and one last hike up a really steep bitch of a hill, I found this joint. I walked in a hot mess.
I was so friggin hungry that I didn't even bitch that there was no egg in it, but I was pretty bummed the whole time. At least they put plenny tempura shrimp and veggies on it. Washed it down with a Sapporo. Kinda pricy, like others said, but ok.
If I ever come back, I'll try the ramen I guess...oh yeah, and take a cab.Listed in: Japo-licious
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Review from Hannah C.
I've been here a handful of times. The ramen is really good and they come in huge bowls of warm comfort. This time I tried the gyoza and Asuka salad, and had my usual Agedashi tofu.
The salad is nothing special, just shredded red cabbage mixed with cilantro and chopped walnuts. The salad comes with a wasabi-yuzu vinaigrette, much like a miso dressing that my friend swears it can be bought at Costco or any Asian grocery store. (http://www.yelp.com/bi...)
The gyozas were typical served with soy-vinegar sauce. They appear to be smaller than the ones I've seen and eaten elsewhere.
However, my favorite item to have at Asuka Ramen is the Agedashi Tofu. (http://www.yelp.com/bi...) If you like tofu, you'll like Agedashi tofu at Asuka. I love that they use the soft tofu quickly fried to make these lovely hot rectangles of yumminess. The tofu rectangles, soft on the inside but has a thin crispy layer on the outside, were bathing in a hot broth, topped with bonito shavings and chopped green onions.
I always eat the entire bowl by myself. YUMMY!!! -
Review from Amy S.
9/23/2009
I had noodles for breakfast so i didnt order ramen for lunch :( that was my first mistake--the ramen looked hella delish! I want to go back and try next time..
I had their lunch special bento box, it came with a cali roll, chicken katsu, tempura, rice, soup and salad. It was good, there was a lot of food but seemed plain with everyone eating warm ramen around me! doh..Ohwell next time! -
Review from Sarah C.
7/29/2009
I ordered the Shoyu Ramen while my friend ordered the Miso Ramen. For some reason he had more stuff in his. Both of ours were $6.50. I wish they gave more ramen but I guess it was enough.
The guy who worked there seemed really hard working but was slightly annoying. He sat this lady next to us. My friend and I were sitting at a 4 person table. There were like 4 other tables available and he sat her next to us. ????
When we asked for the check he placed the check by my friend, who is a guy. That was highly assumptive. What makes him think my friend is going to pay for lunch? Just because he is a guy and I am a girl?
Katana-ya is probably a better place for ramen but they are more pricy and has a longer wait. The service overall is better here. -
Review from Jessica K.
Roseville, CA
Updated - 3/10/2010 3 photos
I see the naysayers reviews and yes it's a matter of opinion but I ask you this: Have you tried the tantanmen yet? The most flavorful, aromatic, guilt ridden bowl of pork fat, sesame oil, chili and noodles ever thought up by the Japanese. I came in tonight after weeks of dreaming and scheming ways to find my way up here. I usually start work before they open and leave work after they close so on my day off I jumped at the chance to finally get my fix on.
Once again, I had to trudge up the hill but this time it was like I was on a stairmaster and on a mission. I came prepared this time and even got a running start once the hills starting getting ugly. The thought of the delicious hot fatty soup was enough to get me going like a freight train. I am no super model and like I said, I'm a curvy little girl from the Midwest but even at 9 p.m. that bowl of pork gelatin was calling out to me. It's worth killing any diet.
I brought my sister this time to try out the ramen and she ended up going with the chicken kasu curry instead which is fine 'cause once she saw the hunks of fat shaped like a small hill in the center of the bowl, I could see she made the right choice for her. I enjoy my ramen nice and spicy which is exactly how they made it for me. The noodles are never too chewy or mushy and the intense flavor the miso broth always blows me away.
I wish I could eat this everyday and not gain a single ounce but alas, I'm nowhere near as lucky as I should be. At least I can come often enough to consider this a treat.1 Previous Review: Show all »
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6/3/2009
My poor legs will never be the same again. I'm a girl from the low flatlands of the Midwest and… Read more »
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Review from Annie S.
San Francisco, CA
5/15/2009
This place ROCKS!
I want to eat here everyday, but thank god, common sense takes over!
The Gyoza is perfection, the dough is paper thin, not the doughy overload you mostly get. The filling is really, really good. The first time we went there, we split an order, but quickly got another. We now order our own!! No sharing on that one!
I had the tantanmen and I gotta say, it was heaven! I couldn't eat it all so I took home the leftover and it was just as good the next day.
Friend got the Yakisoba both times, so I guess he really liked that too!
I love that it's a small neighborhood restaurant and it seems to be doing really well, and I hope they continue to do well! -
Review from stephanie i.
San Francisco, CA
6/27/2008
Asuka's just opened. And my Ramen lovin' soul has sought out this new place - thanks to our fellow yelpers.
OK so, it's was day 2 of their soft opening. And like any other restaurant, they are ironing out their operations. I can respect that. As others have mentioned they had a limited menu options - but in tandem with that the prices were discounted: $5 for Ramen, $3 for gyoza etc. (Wouldn't expect that to last for long)
The food:
The ramen was good. It'll do in a pinch. I enjoyed the Shoyu Ramen and I especially liked the way they grilled the pork a little before putting it in the soup. The Shio Ramen wasn't quite as flavorful. And one thing is for sure - their soup base doesn't feel as rich as the broth over at Katana-ya or Santa's. It was definitely lighter. So if you're into that , you'll enjoy it.
Gyoza: I was diggin' it.
Chahan: was very tasty. Be sure to ask for a side of kimchee
The restaurant:
Ample table seating here (say 6 tables of 4) plus bar seating. Though navigating through the tables can be a little tight. (What isn't in SF)
Clean operations.
If you have kids, it's easy enough to get in and out of. -
Review from Justin C.
1/24/2009
I rarely give out low reviews. Check out my bar graphs. In fact, I usually only rate and review businesses that I really like.
My experience at Asuka Ramen, however, was so terrible that I couldn't keep it in anymore.
First of all, the food is low quality AND a rip off. The ramen wasn't any different than any of the cheap stuff you can find at any corner store. You might even do better buying packaged ramen, boiling water at home, slicing up some veggies and or meat and DIY.
Second of all, the owner or manager or whoever she was, was an absolute bitch. She had no warmth of personality whatsoever and didn't give a flying fuck if I thought the service was bad.
I've had good ramen in Japan and other parts of Asia. I don't expect it to be magnificent. After all, it's food you can buy from the street vendors. However, those street vendors had some pride in their establishments.
This Asuka place does NOT hold up in comparison to any other ramen place I've been to. They just don't give a fuck. And neither should you.
Fuck 'em.
NEXT! :-)Listed in: Avoid at all costs
