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Mon-Thu. 11:30 a.m. - 9:30 p.m.
Fri-Sat. 11:30 a.m. - 10:00 p.m.
Sun. 11:30 a.m. - 9:30 p.m.
"I've been coming here for more than a decade and there are many reasons why. The food is always fresh, prices are reasonable and service is…" read more »
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It was what people would say, "alright".
I ordered a Miso Ramen but it came out really sweet, realllllyy sweet. I might as well have ordered a bowl of sugar ..
Other than that, the service here is good!
Quick, cheap, and easy. Just how I like it.
I've been craving ramen noodles for a while, so when Jenny asked me where we should go, I screamed "ramen!!!"
This placed popped up on my yelp search and Jenny was here last weekend, so I knew it was legit.
The menu is straight forward: donburi, combos, ramen, udon, and more. There aren't a lot of sushi options, and the rolls are expensive.
I've been coming to Iroha for years for a good bowl of Japanese noodles. I think they make a great bowl of ramen or udon, and the lunch special combinations are a good bet.
Having lived in LA, trying some of the ramen houses there, Iroha's shoyu ramen is hard to live up to those expectations. However, it's a rich broth and I like the texture of the noodles. The chashu is nothing special though, and is rather lean.
The donburi rice bowls and teriyaki combinations are okay as well, but the noodles are the spotlight.
This japanese restaurant is average at best. Same items as you would get from every other place, but not as tasty, or creative. It's like they just want to get the food out as quickly as possible, not taking the time to make sure the customer has a nice experience. A very rushed feel to the food. Went back a couple times with friends, same result. Portions are small, overpriced, underwhelming. Never coming back.
I went here looking for some ramen when my regular place was closed.
I was not disappointed. My fave place still retains it's spot, but I'd come here again. Definitely interested in trying other things on the menu next time.
Stopped by for lunch and the place filled up relatively quickly. Good sign for a restaurant
just had my 18th here on saturday with the homies. the food was great, the $20+ was worth it. i dont even remember what i ate was cause i was too busy chowin down. the place looks nice too, get a window seat! btw i live in the east bay. i do not mind driving down 50 miles to eat here again.
We're craving for ramen; and this is one the place that we haven't tried. We ordered miso ramen with pork and some yakitori. I would say everything was just okay.., not crazy about it. Will I go back there? neee.ehhhh..I don't think so...the most important thing in ramen is the broth...is TASTELESS...they don't even put the chili oil on the table...duh...so I have to ask for it and one of the server didn't even have a clue about it. The other waiter knew it though...and the second cup of tea that we have...taste really flowery....not good at all....
If Mama bear came here, she would think that the noodles were a little clumpy and starchy enough to stick together. Not the perfection Goldilocks would find at Katana-ya. She would enjoy the spicy flavor of the Jajamen with the half boiled egg. Papa bear? He ordered the Miso Ramen and ate everything, but then, he always does.
Interesting to note that this restaurant does not serve the traditional hot Japanese tea, but a tea in a plastic bottle that had been heated. I have been told that this is common in Japan. I will stick to plain water, thanks.
When we come here, we feel like we are revisiting home.
My review may be a bit influenced by the memories of good times and dear friends long past gone.
I've been coming here for years.
This is The Place for Japanese noodles. Oodles and Oodles of Noodles. If Rice A Roni is the San Francisco treat, then Iroha is Nihon Machi's noodle treat. They have always made their own noodles and still do.
Udon and soba bowls galore. This is somewhat the Japanese counterpart to Vietnamese Pho. No they are not the same thing,
but across two different cultures there are some striking similarities between, or amongst Pho and Udon.
They also have non noodle dishes. The obligatory selection of popular sushi and skewered chicken and beef.
Part of what I like is that it is one of the few restaurants in J Town
with a second floor view.
Alright so basically, when I'm hungry I really have a hard time choosing between rice and noodles and when I come here, that choice is not any easier. I come in craving noodles but I'm like, "damn but the katsu curry is bomb...." and, yes it is. I can easily say, hands down, the BEST katsu curry in japan town (trust me, I've eaten a lot of katsu curry.) Not only is the portion huge (I usually leave with just enough room for a waffle ice cream cone from the store right across the street :0) there is the perfect curry to meat to rice ratio.
So when I do decide that I am set on noodles, I get the nabeyaki udon which comes with an egg that has been cooked by the heat of the soup, veggies, some chicken and a tempura shrimp. I like tempura but not a lot and I usually only eat the shrimp anyway so its perfect! The thick udon noodles are cooked to perfection, not too al dente and not over done, just perfect! All of that yummy goodness sitting in a bowl of steaming hot soup is perfect on a cold, foggy San Francisco night. If I'm feeling ambitious (meaning EXTREMELY hungry) I'll go for the gyoza as well because I've also eaten a lot of gyoza and Iroha knows how to do it right.
So, try it out! Cheers!
Oh Iroha.
This is one of the first (it might Be the first) Japanese restaurant I ate in in San Francisco. I'm happy it was.
Iroha's service is really homely, and rather prompt. My drinks and any needs are catered to asap.
The food is also very good here. I mean, the Tonkatsu curry...I LOVE that. I manage to ask for extra curry when I'm there because it is just SO SO SO good. add to that their always packed Donburi bowls...ahhh yum times two. Then theres their Udon Bowls that are pretty huge in my standard. They were all great. No complaining.
No wonder Iroha is my go to place when I'm in the city. Definitely worth going to and trying. It'll always be on my top Japanese restaurants in the Bay Area.
Good quality food.
Went here w/ my main squeeze the other night as he loves all things soup. Nestled on the 2nd floor of the building, was Iroha. It was beautifully decorated and felt "very Japanese" inside. The menu is very simple. We shared the gyoza to start. The gyoza was really good. Fried to perfection.
The Shoyu and Miso ramen was pretty good. Packed full of slices of pork and those crunchy radish things. Smaller portions than Suzu Restaurant across the street. The broth was very tasty and not bland. The noodles were pretty good. A little thick to my liking but still not too soft and not too hard.
Bill came out to about $30 for two bowls of ramen and 2 appies.
Family wanted to do Japanese in Japantown with the grandparents and I needed to use up of my http://Restaurant.com credits which resulted in dinner at Iroha. Neither the food nor service was spectacular but it's not bad either.
The place seems fairly authentic with the sushi, udons, sukiyaki, etc. I ordered the Yakitori skewers that came on top of a mini, open-flame grill, pretty cool. Although when they brought me my order, the waitress just brought me the flaming pit with no meat on it (like did she eat my dinner during the delivery?) but I think she just forgot and quickly got some more the skewers on there.
I came here by accident via random ramen roaming (where you just roam for ramen and you can almost taste it...)
I'd have to say it's pretty good overall, albeit sticky furnishing as others have mentioned. Last time I actually wished for more noodles, but I was super hungry.
pork ramen with soy sauce based soup. good.
The food was okay, but the service was terrible. After getting seated, our waitress vanished. They're all so busy running around that flagging someone down to order, get water, or ask for anything else is an ordeal. Bah!
I got the zaru zoba, and it was decent (I think it's pretty hard to mess up soba). I would recommend asking for extra radish and wasabi to put in the sauce for a better balance of flavors for your dip. And you should ask for it right when you get your food since the waitresses scurry off. :(
My friend ordered the chashu ramen, and she said it was pretty standard but nothing special. She's a ramen guru, so her bar is pretty high. I tried some of her broth, and I liked it. But she prefers more thick and oily ramen broths, and I like it when it's more clear. Up to you!
I had a hankering for some croquettes, but I didn't order them because they cost almost as much as a bowl of ramen! A lot of their appetizers are pretty pricey, and it's weird that the prices are comparable to the main dishes.
Note: Iroha is on the 2nd floor in the Japantown plaza. My friend and I wandered around for a while because we didn't see that it was tucked away.
Thanks Yelpers for turning me on to this place. I went for the first time this past weekend and had a great meal. Ended up sharing two items: the pork stuffed mushroom skewer (served over a table top griddle) and tempura combo and the gyoza ramen. Delicious!!!!!
2.5 stars...completely middle of the road for me.
There was really nothing spectacular about this place, other than it was on the 2nd floor of this other restaurant...the instant we sat down, I felt gross and sticky...and that was due the to floor feeling like a movie theater floor and the fact the table was stick as hell...the menu hella stuck to it.
I got some donburi that was underwhelming...there are plenty of other better places to go...like the one across the plaza hah
Iroha is one of Japan Town's older restaurants & hides in plain sight, nestled in the Buchanan Street Plaza. It's on the second floor.
The Iroha ( commonly translated as "ABC's"?) is a Japanese poem most likely written sometime during the Heian era (AD 794-1179). It is famous because it is a perfect pangram, containing each character of the Japanese syllabary exactly once.
Not that that has any impact on the food here. I go here for their yakitori teishoku, since I prefer chicken above other meats. For ramen, I usually go across the plaza to the Miyako Restaurant. But that's another review. :)
Food, service, & everything in general is very traditional. They don't even have a website.
I actually think Iroha is better than tanpopo. I came here for dinner tonight because it was windy and cold and we wanted some kind of soup dish..........so Ramen it was.
We started out with the california roll to share. 8 pieces. it was ok. Nothing really special.
I ordered the Shoyu ramen with pork and vegetables. The portion is a little small so thank God I ordered the cali roll to start. I really enjoyed their noodles here but the drawbacks are sticky tables, sticky pepper and soy sauce bottles, and I personally believe this is better than Tanpopo, the ramen restaurant downstairs. My friend had the tempura udon and he said it wasn't that good.
Overall it was an Ok. Service was quick and the food is pretty consistent. I would come here for their lunch specials versus dinner. They have these 10.99 specials that are pretty cool and is a great deal. No more dinner for me here.
I tried the tori ramen which is fried chicken with shoyu broth. The broth was salty, but the chicken was good (breaded with panko and fried). The broth lacked flavor and the things they put in the bowl weren't all that exciting: green onions, bamboo shoots, narutomaki.
Normally slow service doesn't bother me, but in this case it was a little annoyingly unorganized. A plus of this restaurant is that they are open between lunch and dinner, and lunch specials last till 5pm. It wasn't bad food, but nothing to write home about.
I think Iroha has some of the best ramen in Japantown. Chasyu ramen with miso broth, to be specific. Their donburi and tempura are just okay. The portions are on the small size except for the edamame which comes piping hot and is a very generous size. The service is quick, the beer is served cold, they have high chairs, and the booths are cozy. slurp, slurp.
The reviews are all over the place with Iroha but I still come here. The place is a little dirty, the tables a little sticky, the service a little slow, but hey....they have decent ramen and a few lunch combos with ramen and that's all I need.
Do I come here to expect 5-star service, fine dining and white linens? No....It's ramen. It's an old place, what can I expect?
The ramen is decent, the place is convenient, and J-town needs the business!
I've been coming here for a long time to satisfy my ramen and soba fix. But, as other folks mentioned, the soup base flavor has changed a bit since they changed ownership. I still enjoy coming here from time to time and usually order their california roll and chicken karaage to supplement the ramen.
Service is ok as it's challenging at times to get refills of water and tea.
Acceptable, like most places in J-town. I may come here again, simply because it's on the second floor and it's cheap. The decor is stripped down, but homey (again, like most J-town restaurants).
The food was perfectly fine - I got the oyako donburi and it was tasty and fresh, did the job. My friend got the lunch special combo of nigiri and cold buckwheat noodles; he liked both dishes.
The service was bad. There were two waitresses and only about three or four tables occupied, but they only came around to take the order, (long wait) give us the food, (long wait) then the bill. I don't like having to sit around for 20 minutes after I'm done eating, waiting for the bill and a re-fill on my water. They didn't even visit the other tables, thus nullifying any opportunity to flag them down.
Strangely, though, I think I'll give it a second try at some point, mostly because of its second floor location and cheapness.
I always make it a point to eat here when I'm in town. the food is really good, sushi or not. they have homemade ramen, udon, California rolls, etc. prices are a little high but not too bad. the only bad thing about this place is the service. its terrible. you're lucky to get at least one glass of water. they came to our table a total of two times. to take the order and to give us our food. they didn't even bring us the check.
other then that, super yummy!
Solid ramen & udon dishes, better than most in J-town. Flavorful broth that's not overly salty or sweet, which is surprisingly hard to come by and thus gets HUGE marks in my book. Firm & chewy noodles, reasonable prices...is pretty much all I need for an occasional cheap weeknight noodle fix. Their nabeyaki udon is hontoni oishi desu.
On the downside, is rather stale and dingy inside - their furnishings haven't been updated in at least 12 yrs, which is when I first came here!
I'm sorry Iroha, you are no longer 5 stars. The last few times I've been here to satisfy my ramen craving I have been sorely disappointed and walked out thirsty. Why? Why is your broth so much saltier now? Why don't you walk around and refill my cup of tea that I finish because your broth is just THAT salty? Why does your curry, though flavorful, seem as though it's instant? Just WHY?! You are just average to me m now. And that makes me sad.
I need to find a new ramen place in SF as you are no longer my go-to ramen place.
Iroha is hidden between some restaurants and up some stairs, so it amazes me every time to find it… Read more »
If I could give 0.5, I would give 3.5.
I just went to Iroha this weekend (July 12th, 2009) and it was a pleasant experience. The waiter and waitress at our tables are nice and the place was quiet to enjoy a lazy Sunday afternoon.
I had chashu ramen. It was nothing fancy, but was simple and good.
I would say this place is nothing really special compared to other Japanese restaurants I have been in the city. It is not bad at all, but is not amazing.
I've been coming here for years. This is down home, authentic, well made Japanese food. It is the kind of food that anyone growing up Japanese will recognize as something their mother or grandmother would have served them. Especially good are the udon dishes (dashi broth, not chicken, or God forbid, dashi and chicken mixed together), the unagi (eel) is always high quality. The sushi is basic, but it is made in the traditional Japanese style (except the California maki, of course). You will NOT find overly seasoned rock n roll maki here. But you do not come here for sushi. The only down side was the waitstaff. They used to have Japanese servers, but we had a Chinese server who clearly did not understand Japanese food. Udon is NOT a rice based noodle, and sushi is not pronounced 'soo sie'.
Gee, what happened to Iroha? They don't seem to be trying very hard these days. Like a lot of people, I tend to forget it's there since it's on top of Shabusen, the kinda-pricey shabu-shabu place my dad really likes. I think nostalgia drew me back. Oh, who am I kidding? I went because Tanpopo was full up on Saturday afternoon.
It was actually crowded, but for some odd reason, I was seated in one of the big window-side booths with no view. Nobu is right about the sticky tables. It's kinda like eating on a crusty BART seat ...on your knees. Not that I would know. But we all know why they're crusty and well...ewww. I do have to admit I never thought the Japanese-style booths were ever comfortable since I really need Naugahyde on my butt so I can slip my ample derriere in and out with ease.
But I digress. I went for one of their $9.30 lunch specials - the Shoyu Ramen and Califonia Rolls (see my photo). It was somewhere between meh and flogging. The ramen was bland and unforgivably skimpy on the pork slices. The noodles tasted strangely like an overcooked package of Sapporo Ichiban ...hmmm. The California rolls were unmemorable. I was in and out of there in half an hour, something worth knowing if you have a need, a need for speed. I'd write more...but honestly I am forgetting the experience already.
FOOD - 2 stars...between meh and flogging lies Obsession...no, wait, that's Calvin Klein cologne
AMBIANCE - 2 stars...really tired-looking, needs a face-lift if you ask me
SERVICE - 2.5 stars...well, they came by every once and a while to fill my tea cup
TOTAL - 2 stars...nostalgia ain't what it used to be
Pseudo Japanese restaurant own by Japanese.
WHATTHEFXXXwithThat?
Filthy interior. Sticky dirty tables by the window.
Well, many Asian restaurants don't even care to clean inside but HELL the place is sticky. I bet the place has Big Rats.
The menu says the Ramen noodle is home made.
I STRONGLY DOUBT IT.
It taste like one of those high end instant Ramen.
http://www.yelp.com/bi...
So as the curry.
It taste exactly like Japanese instant curry.
http://www.youtube.com...
And frozen Gyoza from Asian market.
Why don't I just go to Uoki, Nijiya or Super Mira to get the Japo-instant Ramen and Curry and go home and eat it, Huh?
I like to go to restaurants because the restaurant has something I can not make.
I'll get disappointed from the restaurant that gave me something I can make.
If you have the instant Ramen and Instant curry once, then you'll know what I mean.
Maybe because there is no chef, no cook, only kitchen helpers in the kitchen. That's why they had to use already made instant foods because most customers are tourists and they never have the Japanese instant food.
Japanese instant food are pretty good but not for restaurant use.
This place is really pathetic and I was very disgusted.
What a RIP OFF!
Iroha is a liar.
A BIG LIAR!
Shame on you Iroha!
Goto Hell Iroha!
SaYoNaRa MuzaFXXXer!
I won't be back.
I haven't been here for a long time.
It was a great place when Iroha opened middle of 80's.
I was…
Read more »
Iroha has a real homely feel to it. I like coming here for what I consider "Japanese comfort food". Located on the second floor, there is also a nice view. The menu is more geared towards lunch than dinner, IMHO. But nonetheless, a nice place to go to.
I had better expectations for this place but I agree with nobu k, this place isn't good and the food does seem like instant stuff.
The bf and I came here for a late lunch (approx 2pm more or less) and it wasn't like it was packed but it took a while for the waitress to even notice us and sit us down. Low and behold she sits us down near the window where the afternoon sun blinded our eyes so we took our own initiative to move somewhere else.
The decor was nice at a quick glace but after sitting in our booth, I noticed the chairs in the booth were pretty darn dirty. So we wait about 15 minutes before the waitress even notices us to take our order and by this time I was starving so we literally had to wave at her a few times for her to come by. She takes our order and then we wait for another 10 minutes or so for our food.
We ordered the Chicken Karage, Unagi Ramen Lunch Special, a Chicken Katsu Curry and a coke.
The Chicken Karage was actually decent and they used dark meat, probably one of the only things that we enjoyed about this restaurant.
The ramen and curry definitely tastes WORSE than what we make at home. In my chicken katsu curry, I only had a small piece of chicken cut in six pieces and after I finished I was still hungry. We never even got our coke.
Don't even get me started on our bill, we had to wave at the waitress who knows how many times before she stopped ignoring us and gave us our bill, it was pretty pricey and you guessed it, she charged for the coke too even though we never received it. She did adjust the bill after we told her though.
For the amount we paid to the quality of food and service we got was definitely NOT worth it. The only decent items were the chicken karage and the tea but if I were you, I'd take my money over to next door at Tanpopo's because at least you'd get better quality food for a lot cheaper. I am not going to visit this place again.
Good place. Just came here last night with a large group of friends. Everyone was in the mood for ramen but I wanted the donburi. Overall, the place is decent with decent prices. The ramen cost about $7-$8 and the donburi was $8-$9. This is acceptable considering the food is acceptable. I wouldn't say no to coming here but once again, not my first choice either. There are many great places to eat so why would I waste money coming here on any given night. Conclusion: there's probably a better way to spend about $10 for dinner and there are certainly worst places to spend $10. A-OK.
I'm beginning to think that most of J-Town's restaurants are just mediocre at best. I used to love Iroha, that was when I didn't know any better.
These were the stuff I tried at Iroha:
Ramen and udon - nah, meh... go somewhere else.
Katsu-don - too salty
yaki soba, unagi don combo - mediocre
cold soba with maguro - can't go wrong with that, taste like everywhere else
sashimi combo - overpriced, not the freshest
yakitori combo - probably the only thing I would order from there if I return again.
Yep. Go somewhere else. Wait, I guess there aren't that many choices to choose from....
Their chicken was RAW! Slow service aside, how the heck do you serve raw chicken?? And they didn't even comp us after we told them about it. I think she gave us like a stupid $2 discount or something and still had the nerve to ask if we wanted to box the RAW chicken.
C'mon people! RAW CHICKEN. I think that's all I need to say.
Iroha is a very average restaurant. Solid but unspectacular, nothing about this place blows you away. I've been here a few times over my life with my family...then just recently came about a month ago for the first time in years. For some reason, I remembered this place being better before. Not sure if it's just me or maybe things have gone downhill.
Do not be fooled by the cheap prices on the menu, including the combinations. The price may be little, but so are the portions. I don't know how others feel, but they are definitely not big enough to fill me up. The broth and the noodles from the ramen and udon I had were solid, but once again, not great. The service was so-so. While the server was polite, she did not come check up on us at all and I had to end up going up to the cashier to pay for the bill...because I got tired of waiting.
I would not recommend this restaurant, but I would not sway anyone away from going.
Upon being treated by a friend from New York who was out here on holiday, we had been searching for a place to eat., I suggested to Yoshi that we could try this one place Iroha. It was upstairs and quiet. I had therre lunch special, and I had no problem with it at all- I have to say that one of the waiters there is drop dead gorgeous! (but he's straight! Oh well!).
Now, I had gone back again to Iroha with another friend for dinner. Once again, the food was good, and I had talked to this waiter again.
But I did enjoy the place. My only comment is that as their place is upstairs from the street with a view, they really ought to clean their windows! It would make a difference and perhaps attract more clientelle. This is why I must refrain from giving it all five stars. Clean the windows and I shall give it the five! However, despite that, by all means, DO eat there!
Nice view. Nice food. Fish ok. Good tea. Clean restroom. Good price. Relaxing. Like home.
Sweetheart Deal for…
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Neighborhood: Pacific Heights
Category: Japanese
Neighborhood: Pacific Heights
Category: Japanese
Neighborhood: Pacific Heights
Category: Japanese
Neighborhood: Pacific Heights
Category: Japanese
Neighborhood: Pacific Heights
Category: Japanese
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