Ramen Halu
Ste M
San Jose, CA 95129 (408) 246-3933
- Hours:
Mon-Sun 5:30 p.m.-9:00 p.m.
Thu-Sun 11:30 a.m.-2:00 p.m. - Price Range: $$
- Parking: Private Lot
- Attire: Casual
- Good for Groups: No
- Good for Kids: No
- Take-out: No
- Waiter Service: Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
- Outdoor Seating: No
- Good for: Lunch
- Alcohol: Beer & Wine Only
101 reviews
San Jose, CA
"I'm bacccckkkk! It's sooo good to be back home! After being in DC for a few months, I've missed out on asian food altogether. So the minute…" read more »
213 Reviews for Ramen Halu
i was told their business is so good that people usually have to wait to get a table. we went saturday night around 7pm and waited for about 20 minutes for a table. cash only.
i ordered halu ramen - it's pretty good. my only complaint: there is only one slice of meat in the ramen. -_-
For starters, go into the restaurant with an open mind and realize that you are entering a Ramen house that serves their dishes in a style from a different region of Japan. Only then can you not be disappointed with comparisons to Santa Ramen.
I've eaten at Halu Ramen enough to know that I appreciate the different way they approach Ramen. Their seafood/pork combination broth is hearty, earthy and FATTY (in the best possible way). I always order the large Halo special served just the way they traditionally make it. Their emphasis is not on the noodles, although they are always thick and chewy and perfectly cooked. Yes, they tend to skimp on meat, so be prepared to order extra Cha-Su if you need the satisfy additional carnivorous urges.
The atmosphere is cool with their Halu surfboards, surfing pictures, and newspaper clippings strewn about. They never fail to have an interesting selection of Japanese music playing in the background. Their service is typically courteous, knowledgeable and extremely helpful.
I guess I don't get the hype.
The noodles are chewy and the perfect consistency...but the broth wasn't all that good.
I got the "Spring Special" Miso Ramen (limited to 20 "large-size-only" servings per lunch period). I was pretty excited, but thought it was sort of mediocre in the end. $10.50+$1 for an egg.
This place must make a TON of profit--enough to open a bigger, better restaurant to accommodate more than 25 (give or take) people at a time.
The service was very friendly though, so that's a definite plus!
Come here if you have more than an hour to spare (long wait), and don't mind paying around $10 for a bowl.
Basically, don't come super hungry (or without cash--it's all they accept, which is a little fishy).
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This place is delicious. Ever since I left Sacramento and Shoki Ramen House, the only kind of ramen I like is Shio. Ramen Halu has it, and it's GREAT!
In fact it almost tastes the same as at Shoki. Understandable given that the Shoki chef once worked at Halu.
Some people find Shio ramen bland, but for me it's the gold standard. You really get to enjoy the essence of the broth and the noodles. Oh, make sure you ask for garlic and chili paste. Then add the garlic halfway through, and chili later on. Then, as Shoki's literature happily explains, you get to try three different soups!
The thin chewy noodles here are spot-on, not enough ramen places serve thin noodle.
Service is good here too, both waiters and waitresses are friendly.
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Okay I tried it once because I was so hungry. Wasn't too bad...then tried it again when I was normal. Very dissapointed. The bowl was $10 and 1/2 the soup, noodles what I expect for a typical authentic ramen. Top it off I had to ask for extra pork! Only had two thin slices of pork! What is that? Will definitely never come here again..hint the best ramen in norcal is 'Santa Ramen in san mateo'..just as good as the ramen i get in niigata-ken and in tokyo train stations.
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Annoyingly Mediocre
Eh, I'm super picky when it comes to soups/broths, and I have to say I'm just not a fan of Ramen Halu's signature ramen! Sorry! Nor do I see what's so special tasting about their noodles from Japan. Quite frankly, I am bored out of my mind with their ramen.
I also find it unnecessarily arrogant and annoying that their lunch menu is the same price as their dinner menu. At $8 for a bowl of ramen, I expect to get more and for it to taste better. For example, at Rwoya's in Mountain View, I crave for their butter corn ramen it's so good! Not to mention, they have a great lunch deal where their ramen is served with equally as delicious gyoza and fried rice. There are no lunch values at Halu whatsoever, and they really don't give you that much meat and vegetables either in your ramen.
As I said, Halu was just "eh" for me. Not terrible tasting, not great, but just annoyingly mediocre.
Food - 6.5 out of 10
Service - 6 out of 10
Value - 6 out of 10
Decor - 6 out of 10
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Yes, this is my favorite Ramen noodle place in the Bay Area.
The broth is not salty so I don't feel three months preggers after a meal.
The noodle is chewy which is my preferred texture.
Staff was friendly and the ambiance is small but comfortable.
Will come again for my next hangover.
Cash only, biatches, so go to the ATM.
Mmm, ramen!
This is my friend's favorite ramen place, and I've also heard rave reviews from other people. I attempted to come here once, but left when I found out it was cash only and I unfortunately did not have any cash on hand then. I still didn't today (I know, I know, I just never carry cash!) but my friend spotted me and it was all groovy.
I tried the halu ramen today. Thick, chewy noodles in a rich, savory broth that was hearty and totally stuffs you to the brim. I got the regular size, which is/was larger than I thought it would be (mental note, get the small next time). My ramen came with spinach (delicious!), some ear mushrooms, a bit of bamboo, finely diced green onion, chasu, and for extras, I ordered corn and an egg. The corn was a great addition, and the egg was not fully hard boiled as I've come to expect at other places. The egg yolk was slightly solidified but mostly runny.
My friend's shoyu ramen had a delicious light but meaty broth, and thinner noodles. Her broth tasted really good, I think i will have to try her dish the next time I go!
I'm not giving this place four stars because I don't think it's as good as Santa Ramen in San Mateo, which I gave four stars to.
I really like the noodles here. I think they are the best I've found at any ramen restaurant around the Bay. The thick noodles found in their Halu ramen are chewy, fresh, and exactly how I like my Japanese ramen noodles to be. Apparently they are purchased from a noodle manufacturer in San Jose (hmmm...I always thought they were homemade). I also can't get enough of the garlic paste they offer as a condiment for your noodle soup. As for their rich tonkatsu broth in the Halu ramen, though, I was really turned off the by the chunks of pork fat that were floating in my bowl. I had heard so many great things about this place, and was excited to dig my entire face into my ramen. But I couldn't, because I was busy fishing out the pieces of lard with my chopsticks!
I will definitely give Halu another try, but will most likely steer away from their tonkatsu broth.
I really like this place. Probably my favorite one out of all the ramen shops I've had in the Bay Area. Not quite as good as this ramen shop that I went to in Tokyo, but it seemed pretty close.
You have to make sure you go early as this place is tiny. Probably not much larger than my living room, which can maybe squeeze about 20 people and the place is usually packed. So much so that it's possible they'll run out of ingredients to serve people, which I've seen happen once (fortunately, not to me).
When I go here, I usually get their Double Protein Ramen Halu (actual name escapes me) where they put double the meat, which equals double the pleasure. But before we go there, the noodles are perfection. A bit chewy and the texture just feels smooth and right as its completely homemade. The toppings, they put the usual ramen stuff: seaweed, bamboo, ear mushrooms, green onions, spinach, egg... not sure if I'm missing anything else, but it's a good amount of stuff as long as you order from their speciality ramen section. You can configure it any way you want, but I like it with everything. And the best part about it, is that the toppings compliment the whole soup and noodles awesomely. Their slices of pork is a very generous amount, too, and doing double cha-shu really piles it on but awesome when I'm starvin like marvin.
The soup broth can be a mixed bag to some people. I've actually haven't had much problems with it, but some say its too salty. But if you're really worried about that, they even give you the option to reduce or add more salt and even reduce or add more fat.... mmmmmm... fat. But I really wouldn't recommend adding for both areas unless you want a coronary bypass. So I'm cautioning whoever that goes there that if you're really sensitive to salt, then ask for reduced salt in the soup. I, personally, always just get it regular.
On Halloween night, they always serve their Halloween seasonal special which their noodle is made with pumpkin and their soup base is a bit thicker and has a cheesy taste to it. I'd rather get their normal ramen, but it's definitely interesting if you want to check it out some time.
If there was a complaint about this place, then it would be that it's rather expensive. The Double Cha-Shu ramen that I get is like $13-14 a bowl and their normal ramen Halu special starts at about $9. But for great ramen such as this, it's quite worth it.
They have many options for ramen. I like that there isn't just shoyu ramen on the menu. I thought it was quite good.
They have the best noodles and soup here. We always get the Halu ramen. The noodles are thick and chewy. They are not kidding about the fat in the soup here. Even if you order the soup with less salt and less fat, there are still pieces of fat floating at the top, but the soup is really flavorful and hits the spot on a cold day. Their appetizers are also really tasty. Be prepared for at least a 15 minutes wait no matter when you go because the place isn't very big.
I honestly did not like their signature ramen dish. It started out great. The noodles itself were fantastic, the spinach was yummy. About halfway through I thought the broth was too heavy and salty for my taste. I prefer a lighter broth and what was up with those pieces of fat suddenly appearing at the surface of my bowl? That turned me off. Seriously it really did.
I must say that their agedashi nasu was delicious. Decor was somewhat cool with the surfboards hung up and the handpainted fishes on the ceitling.
If you want to takeout ramen it's a no go here. They don't even suggest you do it simply because it ruins the taste of your soup and the noodles expand and get all soggy. You'd think they would at least put the noodles and broth in separate containers like how pho is packaged when you get it to-go. The waitress said if I really wanted it to-go she suggested I bring my own container? WTH?
I really like the noodles here, a bit pricey for the add ons for your noodles though +$1 for each item. The noodles are nice and chewy, i had the Halu Ramen. My friends tried the Miso Ramen and said it was delicious as well.
Service was a bit on the slow side however, and they didn't come check on us at all after we got our food, didn't take away our used dishes from our appetizers. =(
I would go back for the casual atmosphere and yummy noodles though.
After a hangover! Ramen is best! I love Halu. Fat noodles just the right amount. Nice tender pieces of pork! Seaweed! Bamboozles! Spinach! and the cold seasoned egg is awesome. I (heart) Ramen.. but I super (heart) Ramen Halu. Their Egg plant appetizer is the bomb dizzle for shizzle. Go get some! Super Delicious.
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I eat here when im in the area, but i havent historically gone out of my way to eat here. With that said, theres no reason not to eat here when in the area ^^. All the noodles here are damn near perfect, which leaves the broth types to their own personality.
Shio Ramen: This is quite simply as bare as it gets. Ramen without the added shoyu brings more attention to the chicken broth and the noodles, as there is a lack of saltiness that would normally accompany shoyu ramen. Thin non-wrinkled noodles (and a lot of it) can really get you into a slurping frenzy. I didnt stop eating except for when my guest kept poking her head into my bowl. There is a long aftertaste of broth that eventually subsides into seasame flavor. The menma (bamboo) is pretty much the center piece of the shio ramen. Here it is soft, but has a strong flavor of seasame, probably having been pickled in it. The rest of the bowl is like the garnish around the menma, allowing it to sit on the bed of noodles and soak in the broth. Spinach leaves floating on the side make for good color and texture. The thin piece of chashu isnt worth mentioning since you will eat it and forget it was even there.
Halu Ramen: This ramen is pretty much how rich tonkatsu ramen should be (although it suffers from the thin chashu as well). The broth is cloudy, almost milky in texture as you stir it around. The noodles are thicker than the shio noodles, and together with the broth offer damn near perfect harmony between both ingredients. You can eat the noodles alone, slurp it with broth, or drink broth alone. So many ways to stuff your face.
Tsuke Men: Thick wrinkled buck wheat noodles on a large plate, accompanied with a very hearty tonkatsu (pork flavor) broth. The proticol is to dip the noodles and toppings into the broth yourself, so it doesnt sit and get soggy (although theres no reason for it to haha). The noodles offer more in texture than they do in flavor, which is quickly balanced for by the richness of the broth. There is more in this broth than there is in the Halu broth, bits of orange and red and green, evidence of deeper attention to its making. It is not "more" heaty than the Halu, simply as hearty in a different flavor. Treat yourself to something different.
The staff is REALLY energetic, and they yell and smile and scream alot, something i truely miss. Not only do you get good ramen, but a good side order of flavor and culture as well. For those looking for something a little different, Halu also offers black seasame ice cream, if youve never had it. Black seasame soft serve (frozen yogurt) is INFINITELY better in both flavor and texture, but ice cream gives you a taste of what you are missing. When the ice cream melts away inside your mouth, you will taste the "real" flavor for about 5 seconds before it melts away into oblivion...just keep scooping. Order the ice cream after you are done eating, or else you will get it halfway thru your ramen hahaha.
One saturday, they almost ran out of everything that wasnt ramen, so if you get there later in the evening, prepare for a bare pantry. This is a good sign however, that the house only carries enough for the day, so that everything is fresh, if you can get there early enuff to enjoy it hahaha. Not far from Mitsuwa, the local japanese supermarket, Halu really is the best of all the alternatives in the area.
I've never ate traditional ramen other than the instant kind at home. this place beats any kind of homemade ramen. the traditional japanese soup base is very unique and fairly tasty. the noodles and all the fixings (especially their unique egg) are really delicious. a great change from the ordinary noodle restaurants.
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this is probably the best ramen place in this area since Do-Henkotsu closed down. my favorite is their signature halu ramen. the thick noodles are yummy and the soup is salty and savory. i ordered the chicken salad as an appetizer once and was surprised at how small it was. but it was soooo good i'd definitely get it again. the jasmine iced tea they give is refreshing and goes great with the flavorful soups. the price is a bit high for a bowl of ramen and if you want extra's it's a rip off.
the service IS really slow. it seems like they always have someone new who doesn't know quite what to do. but the place is so casual and comfortable it doesn't feel weird to go get extra napkins and refill your iced tea. the servers may be slow but you can tell they are trying their best.
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What better way to cap off a late night of drinking and partying than with a nice bowl of hot ramen?? Mmmmmmm...
Ok...so maybe it wasn't really that late (~ 9 pm) and maybe the partying was at an early Yelp Elite event with tons of free food and booze (4-6 pm), but, hey, I'm not as young as I used to be and ramen will still always hit the spot.
I really wanted to like Ramen Halu more. It's in a nice hidden location inside a nondescript strip mall across from Bay 101. It has a detailed ramen making process that emphasizes their soup base and noodle texture that you can read about in their menu. And, finally, it has what appears to be a faithful Japanese clientele that gives the establishment an air of authenticity and quality.
However, for one reason or another, Ramen Halu fell short for me and Santa Ramen (San Mateo, CA) is still the king by a long shot.
I started off with a side order and chicken and sesame sauce over lettuce salad. It was a nice appetizer and at $1.50 was a bargain.
Next up came the large bowl of ramen noodle and soup. I ordered low sodium and less fat, in a weak attempt to be healthier. Ramen Halu is unique in that they sell the soup and noodles at a base price ($5.50) and have you order all toppings separately. I decided on the Works ($6.00) which comes out on a large plate (all the others are in the soup) and includes an assortment of vegetables, cha siu, and a hard boiled egg.
The quantity size were fair, despite the somewhat high price (~$12.00) and by presenting the items on the plate, the toppings appeared quite fresh. I was quite happy with the amount of spinach, bamboo shoots, and corn and happily mixed the whole concoction together.
The real weak part in the whole formula for me is the soup, which despite my calls for less sodium, was quite salty and not in a flavorful way. It wasn't horrible, but I just thought it average.
The noodles, on the other hand, were thick and quite bouncy, an excellent representation of what I like in ramen noodles. Ramen Halu also offers two other noodle types for those that like different textures.
In the end, like most ramen places, it's all about the soup. And for that, Ramen Halu falls short. The worst part came a few hours later as I found myself incredibly parch and with a headache. I hate to say it, but I think the soup broth may be heavily MSG-laced because that's my reaction to MSG. Definite minus points for that.
BTW Ramen Halu is cash-only, so no American Express or other credit cards.
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I wish there were more of these types of places around. Simple joint with one purpose - serve great authentic ramen. Sad that they're only open like Thurs and Fri for lunch tho.
I've been here many many times for lunch and dinner. Mostly lunch.
I typically enjoy their Shio ramen or Shoyu ramen with an egg. ALWAYS get the egg. It is SO GOOD with your ramen. In Japan, the quality of the egg in the ramen is really important... and Halu's egg... when it's good, it's sooo good. One time they ran out and I was really sad.
The small size is enough for lunch. Never got the large but it's huge. Love the cold Jasmine tea that comes with the service.
Make sure you get there right when they open for lunch at 1130 or you'll be waiting in line for a while.
Their potato salad is yummy... I don't think it's on the menu, but I saw it once on their white board with special appetizers and never forgot it.
Yes, it's cash only. There's parking in the back behind this little strip mall so quit whining, people.
Oh, and the staff are super nice and friendly and speedy. This month they have a special Miso ramen. Haven't tried it yet but I will... and soon! ;D
--------UPDATE/EDIT--------
Got the Miso ramen and wow! So different from all other Miso ramen I've ever ordered (ahem Ryowa). They pile on fresh shredded cabbage which really adds a nice texture. It's also refreshing since the miso broth is pretty darn flavorful. The noodles are thicker than the shio and shoyu ramen noodles but still great and chewy.
I recommend trying it once just to taste the difference. It's certainly special.
Don't you guys think ramen in bay area are over-rated because too much Americans just treat this as some sort of foreign exotic food? Naruto sure did a great job on influencing americans.
Noodles are chewy and tender, but the soup is horrible. What is the point eating good noodles in lame-ass soup?
Service is nice. The place is small but there is always a waiting line. Normally I would believe if a place has a line is a good resturant... I guess I'm wrong this time.
Cheap spoons bothers me a little but it's nothing compares to the quality of the broth. The Halu ramen like what most of the people mentioned, it's thick broth with a lot fats flowing on top of the bowl where you can probably tell the ratio of the broth and the fat oil on top is nearly 1/10. The shoyo ramen (not sure how u spell it) broth taste like soy sauce + water. But if you have to go here because your friends nag you, take the shoyo ramen it's at least bearable.
Wel, at least the price is cheap so you can afford to try once, hate it and never come back again.
P.S. If they ever offers you an egg in your noodles, make sure that you kno that the egg will be charged $1 to your bill.
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I have always loved Halu Ramen. My favorite is their okara soy salad with fried garlic shave and I am glad they finally added that to their dinner menu. I am a big fan of their Halu ramen The Works. The veges are always fresh, their noodles are chewy and tender like ramen should be, and there's a lot of food! They have less sodium and less fat option suitable for those who are health conscious. However, their ramen is loaded with mucho MSG that my body partially shut down half way into my meal. I am very sensitive to MSG so I felt dry, fatigue and eventually developed headache.
Regardless, their soup base is deep and flavorful and their noodle is bouncy to the teeth. It's not cheap ($12 for Halu ramen The Works) but the portion is huge. I would definitely go back with MSG antidote.
+4 Stars for the food, freshness, and portion size.
-1 Star for the fully loaded MSG
=3 Stars
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Pretty nice place for a bowl of ramen as I liked it better than Maru Ichi, but not a star better than that place. For the price you pay for the bowl of ramen, I can get a nice combo in So Cal with fried rice, sides, drinks, and gyoza. The soup broth was a bit salty for my tastes, but the egg was cooked perfectly.
I'd definitely come back as it's probably the best ramen I've had in Nor Cal, but it pales in comparison to the ramen joints in LA.
I liked the menu because it had a description of what the different types of ramen was. I had the Shio Ramen, which was supposedly more of a sea salt ramen. The noodles were so so, broth was so so, veggies, so so. Everything so so. There wasn't much veggies or meat. The service was good. Waitress explained a litte bout the food. Both the waitress and waiter were friendly and nice.
I had some reasonable expectations for Ramen Halu based on the mostly kind words of my fellow Yelp-ers and they hype they built up in their menu.
I had a large Halu ramen with extra cha-shu. The broth was actually pretty decent. I think it's on par with Himawari in San Mateo which means it's in solid two star territory for ramen (i.e. near the bottom).
The pork slices were a bit fatty compared to some places and there were actually little blobs of fat floating around in my broth despite having ordered it less fat, less salt. They did a decent job on salt, it didn't taste that salty.
The rest of the ingredients were boring. Mine was delivered without scallions even though it is supposed to come with them; my wife's did. This is a small detail, but worth noting, as all they serve is ramen and they can't even do that without screwing it up.
Their noodles are al dente for sure, with quite a bit of bite to them. I thought they were ok.
All in all, Ramen Halu is completely forgettable. It's not worth driving to if you live more than a few miles away unless you actually have to try every ramen spot for yourself. With ramen like that, it might be appropriate for Ramen Halu to consider writing a death poem [1] in case they have to commit seppuku [2].
[1] - http://en.wikipedia.or...
[2] - http://en.wikipedia.or...
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I just don't get all the hubbub, bub.
Let's start at the beginning. Decor is just kinda crappy. I have deep respective for places with little decoration which hasn't changed in years, but this place looks like it just doesn't give a shit. Its not configured especially well for noodle eaters with a dinky counter for four the hard way and a few of the tables separated by partitions.
Menu was confusing. Nothing looked familiar - that's why. Instead of the usual shoyu, miso and tonkotsu, they had Halu (which I guess is a sort of tonkotsu), shoyu and shio. As many before me said it was too salty, I stayed away from the shio (salt) one. Explanations for each were long and drawn out -- just get to the point, man!
Went with the shoyu agi ramen. I guess it was okay. It didn't bowl me over but the broth was rather good (almost good to the last drop drinkable) and the topings decent. Having black pepper, shichimi (red pepper powder) and grated garlic gave me the extra umph I was looking for.
Good, but not worth going out of my way to go back again.
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Definitely not the best around. The decor is cool and makes me want to go surfing, but the food is rather.... Meh. This place was the first place I went to when I decided I wanted to find the best ramen in the area, and I wasn't too impressed. The sizes are adequate, and the quality is there, but the taste wasn't to my liking. It may have just been me, but the soup tasted pretty damn fishy. I'd still come here from time to time to see if the times I've gone were just a fluke, but I still prefer Maruichi.
I woke up on Sunday with a huge craving for ramen and was recommended to check out Halu. We braved the 45min drive to Halu, thinking that we could head over to Hakone Springs afterwards to check out cherry blossoms afterwards.
We both decided to try out 'Halu Ramen' since it was named after the store. I thought that was a no brainer. Unfortunately, that noodle soup was just not my style. Having tidbits of mushy pork fat floating around my thick soup started to have a disturbing mental effect on me as if those pork fats were gonna transfer instantly to my body if I continue to devour this ramen.
Needless to say, I didn't finish my ramen...
I didn't really like this place. I guess I was used to the Tokishima style ramen noodles that I was getting from the little place around the corner from the Mitsuwa and Baskin Robbins. It wasn't all bad, just not really for me. People rave about this place and when I tried it with my family it just wasn't the same. The portions are huge, and the price was pretty regular for any noodle place. I think that it might have been too salty for me and the noodles weren't quite what I was expecting. The atmosphere was cool , and the owner was a surfer in Japan so.. That earned the place some points.
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My rating would be 3.5, but that Gen pushed it to 4. Our waitress was a very sweet and softspoken woman, so I got a total kick when Gen came out with our food. He announced each dish in his boisterous silly voice, and I couldn't help but to crack up!
Anyway, the food was not too shabby. I like the fact that their ramen is available in 3 sizes. This gave me a chance to try out both their halu and shoyu ramen in small (Hey...don't judge me...I didn't finish both:P) The halu broth was a bit richer and creamier which is what I tend to like, and the noodles were thick. The shoyu was just the opposite in a lighter clearer broth with thin noodles. The noodles were slightly chewy and I was impressed with their quality. I ordered the halu egg which is right up my alley. A special hardboiled egg over easy!
Small detail, but the complimentary ice tea that they give you is flavored with a faint passionfruit flavor. Mmm...and watch out if you hate green onions, because their ramen and rice dishes come out with a huge heaping of it.
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This used to be my favorite Ramen place in the bay. Second would probably be Santa in San Mateo.
Unfortunately though, I haven't been here for several months now. And I'm reading all these reviews about the quality now and the change in management. I plan to revisit this place soon and I hope that they haven't strayed too far from their previous glory...but as said in a review below, it's all about the broth and if they get that wrong now, it's all over with...
From my previous (not very recent) visits:
Likes - thick, slightly chewy noodles. Large portions. Excellent Halu broth. Minced garlic table-side. A few nice appetizers. Fast service. Pretty good pork slices. Fermented bamboo shoots. Good toppings.
Dislikes - SMALL shop. SMALL parking lot. hard to leave the SMALL parking lot. CASH ONLY (wtf). Gets really busy (due to small shop). Sometimes runs out of materials before closing time (wth?!?).
The ramen here is decent. I don't care for the noodles too much. The first few slurps are great, but then I feel a little ramened out after that. I do like the fact that they have a good variety of Ramune sodas.
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Eh. I woke up sick yesterday, so a friend and I went here for some ramen and I have to say, I wasn't blown away...the Halu Ramen, their special is a bit too salty for my taste, although I did enjoy the consistency of the soup. I like that they sell different flavors of ramune there! I wouldn't mind trying this place again but I like Maruichi Ramen in Mtn. View a lot more...
I really try to like this place. All the ingredients are fresh and well made, the egg is always cooked right, the pork is tasty, but it just misses on the broth. The portions are good but not great, you have to spend extra money to get enough to satisfy yourself if you are a big eater. It's a little outrageous to have to spend $10+ on a bowl of ramen. Get the broth right, and I'd eat here all the time though.
love the ramen. definitely have to ask for less fat and less salt...
another plus that i like is the ice green tea...have to warn your companions if they are newbies to the place...one of my dining companions had this weird look on his face at first sip...you can imagine what he thought it was...
we tried their spring special, miso ramen...pretty tasty...think it was better than the halu ramen...our waiter said it was only going to be around for 2 weeks more...better go back and get another bowl soon...:)
the only downside is that this place is small and if you don't get there early you'll have a long wait...
Aside from their amazing soup and delicious ramen, the best thing about this place is that they let you customize your dish -- less sodium, go easy on the fat, but pile on the seaweed? Sure! The interior is also quaint and homey with surf boards and childrens' drawings hanging from the walls. The wait is annoying on weekends so be sure to get there early if you'd like to avoid sitting outside while your stomach slowly eats itself.
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really good ramen noodles. they know their stuff, unlike some other places
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Delicious ramen to be had here. Now only if the wait isn't such a brain melt. You'd want to time this one correctly ... either be the first twenty in line or come fashionably late. The place seats about 15-20 so space for you and your buddy is scarce, just like the real estate market in the bay.
Texas. Let's all move to Texas.
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Finally got a chance to check this place out with my ramen buddy
Sheryl. This place is at the top of most people's "best ramen in the bay" list..
right there up with Santa Ramen so I was expecting something really
special...did they deliver? Read on..
Got there at 11:30am. There was a handful of people there already.
Store opened a few minutes late. Got seated right away. Was expecting a longer line but I guess the weather scared everyone away.
Cool interior..place is larger then Ryowa, much larger then Kahoo and the same size as Maru Ichi. Small area in the back with bar style seating and 8 or so tables seating 4 each. Table side goodies consisted of just chili powder.
Sheryl was impressed with how their menu described what each of their 4 kind of ramen is made of. We both ordered regular sized Halu ramen (think it was $7.50) after hearing great things about it. Wait was longer then Kahoo, Maru Ichi and Ryowa, but I didnt really mind because I was expecting a bowl of ramen fit for gods (Thanks yelp for getting my expectations so high!).
Ramen arrived...is it me or is their regular sized ramen much smaller then the regular sized ramen at other joints? Took a few sips of the broth and lingered on the taste. I like tonkotsu-ish broths..but I was expecting more then what I got...much too salty....I liked the heavy complex Halu broth..complex because it had more underlying flavors then a tonkotsu...I detected some soy, but Sheryl said she tasted seafood-ish flavors (Based on what I've read about the Halu broth I know shes correct)., but it wasn't SPECIAL....it didn't live up to its hype...it was good don't take me wrong...but not GREAT. Some reviewers complained that there was too much fat in their Halu...that didn't bother me..its the salt that kills this otherwise good bowl of ramen.
Sheryl liked the noodles. I liked the thickness, but it was a lil too chewy for me personally.I understand that most people like it that chewy so I'm not considering that to be a negative... I just like Kahoo's noodles better (the thick noodles in the spicy sesame ramen).
Since I'm trying to be fair with my ratings, I didn't order anything extra in my ramen. Sadly this meant no ni-tamago (half boiled egg) and since thats included in the regular sized serving of ramen at every other ramen joint in the san jose/mountain view area thats a negative against this place. Yeah I know I can add it to my ramen for a dollar, but come on its HALF an egg...regardless of how skilled the chef it only costs a few cents to include ni-tamago and its a staple at every other place so why not here?
The chashu (pork) was fatty like I like it, but the two slices were small compared to Ryowa and Maru Ichi. Sheryl reminded me of how good the pork was at Kahoo and yup this was a far cry from that.
Lets see what else...besides the chashu and noodles there wasn't much else included. Everything is an extra dollar. If this ramen was out of this world I'd understand, but since its on the same level as some other san jose/mountain view joints its a negative against this place.
I'll try this place again, but this time order the halu with less salt. Will update my rating accordingly. For now I'm rating this place on the same level as Kahoo and below Ryowa.
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wow - why doesn't this place get AT LEAST a four star rating?
this place is such an integral part of the rotation that i come here about once/wk, sometimes more.
personally i find the halu ramen too heavy. i much prefer the shio, my fave. the ramen is thinner and the soup lighter.
and the bamboo shoots ("menma") - it's so good that we usually order an extra side of it to dunk into the broth. tasty tasty.
and for those with a big appetite, you can also ask for more noodles in your soup too. ramen halu rocks!
oh, and for those that complain that "oh no! it's too fatty!" or "oh my goodness - it's too salty!"
you. have. the. option. of . lesssalt. or. lessfat. make use of that. please!
thankyou.comeagain.