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Mon-Thu. 11:00 a.m. - 10:30 p.m.
Fri. 11:00 a.m. - 11:00 p.m.
Sat. 11:30 a.m. - 11:00 p.m.
Sun. 11:30 a.m. - 9:00 p.m.
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Just came back from here and ordered some Ryowa noodles with Wontons. This sesame flavor noodles was different from the ramen I normally eat and especially having the option of adding wontons. And they have a pot of Kim Chee on the table take makes the flavor of the noodles taste even better.
I noticed a lot of the people today were order the Gyoza so I missed out on that. And when I flipped the menu over I really liked their M-F lunch specials, too bad today was a Sunday.
I just didn't like how people were coming in from the front and the back. I didn't know there was a clip board in the middle area so gave up a lot of spaces to people whom we were actually ahead of.
Based on 15 years of ramen-eating, I'm giving FOUR stars - I'm a fan and will go back again.
My wife and I ordered a Ryowa and Corn Butter ramens, and both broths are perfectly seasoned, meaning not too salty. The Ryowa broth was rich and tasty, and spiced just right. The noodles were al dente, and plenty of it came so my toddler got lots of it from my and wife's bowls. We also got some pot-stickers in case the toddler didn't want ramen (how wrong we were), and those were likewise freshly made with good ingredients; again, not too heavy.
We went at 11:45 on Saturday, and the crowd was just piling in. There were only two servers, but both were efficient, polite, and thoughtful.
This is the best ramen spot that I know of in the South Bay.
Just visited this place during lunch. The food is great! Loved the lunch special as I got a nice soy bean paste ramen soup with pork and veggies! The broth was very good and the ramen soup was accompanied by a couple of pot stickers and rice.
The price was reasonable at $8.00-8.50. There wasn't too long of a wait today as the weather was nice. However, I bet this place gets busy as there isn't too much sitting room available.
Go try this place! It's great! Recommend as it's right off Castro Street in Mountain View!!
Definitely want to come back. So good. I was most impressed with the noodles. (And I'm totally a broth person.) Al dente and delicious. I ordered the vegetarian ramen and everything about it (broth, vegetables, and of course noodles) was scrumptious. Out of town friends enjoyed Ryowa as well. My friend tasted my broth and said she liked it the most out of all of ours. Service was fast and efficient. The turn-around time is fast simply because this place is so popular they need to scoot people out quickly after finishing.
Mmmmm Ramen, possibly one of my favorite foods for any chilly or raining night. It's a great comfort food that hits the spot. One of my friends has been telling me to check out Ramen House Ryowa (http://static.px.yelp....) for a while now. Finally two weeks ago we were able to go and I was able to try the ramen here. As usual I did my research and was eager to check out their butter corn ramen, as it's seems to be one of the most popular and most often mentioned in the reviews.
That night I ended up ordering:
-Butter Corn Ramen (http://static.px.yelp....)
-Pork Potstickers (6 pieces)
The Butter Corn Ramen (3.75 Stars) is very unique that I haven't seen at any other ramen house. It's a bit on the salty side (though not as much as the shoyu) that has a piece of butter dumped into the savory broth which helps make it even more scrumptious. This masterpiece comes with thin slices of pork on top of the ramen, sweet corn, wakame seaweed, bean sprouts, and half an egg. The pork was tender and the corn made a great addition to the overall taste.
Pork Pot stickers (4.5 Stars) are really good! The inside is so juicy and full of flavor. I've never had potstickers this juicy and delicious. These are highly recommended!
Bonus: Credit cards accepted!
Summary (4 Stars): Reasonably priced and quickly served comfort food! Ramen House Ryowa is a great ramen house located in the Mountain View area.
MMMMM - Ramen!
I have two friends that have been raving about the best ramen in the bay for quite some time. I had to give it a shot. (I do work like 5 minutes away anyways)
After probing yelp for the perfect ramen to try, I decided to go with the Butter Corn. Maybe its the whiteboy boy in me but how can you go wrong with adding butter to anything?
The flavor was really good. The corn (from the can - its really obvious, LOL) gave the ramen just a little extra sweetness and the butter balanced it out. The pork was tender. The noodles weren't too hard but also weren't too mushy. What is left to go wrong? OH! The broth... yeah, mine was LUKE WARM. For me that pretty much a deal breaker BUT just know that I like my food piping hot!
I would try Ryowa again because I'm sure the temp. thing was a fluke.
this place ain't bad. it's a nice stand-by when you're not in the mood for waiting in ridiculously long lines at santa.
My fiancee and I came here after meeting with a wedding photographer and he recommended this place. I honestly would have missed this spot existed since it's off Castro and Castro is where most of the other good places to eat is located.
The layout of the restaurant was like how some ramen restaurants are in Japan. Mostly bar counters that line the floorplan of the restaurant with two tables on the side for two.
I got the Stewed Pork ramen and it was good stuff! I've become fond of the stewed pork and of course, the fattier the better! The broth wasn't too salty and the noodles itself was perfect. Not overcooked, but nicely firm. The price is average for ramen at around $8 to $10 per bowl.
I like this a lot since it has some feel of Japan in it. Interesting to find some Japanese literature on the side for anyone to read.
This place is not bad. It hits the spot for a ramen craving, but nothing ridiculously good or worth waiting for. The shape of the restaurant is kinda funky - get ready to look at other people eat and other people watching you eat. Some of their broth is a bit on the salty side. The sides are good that go with the ramen. Worth coming to to hit a ramen craving.
This is still my default favorite meal. What's not to like about a big bowl of steaming soup noodles? I used to be partial to the shoyu, but my new discovery is the tonkotsu ramen. I believe the broth is made by stewing pork bones. It comes with a dollup of fish roe (eew), bean sprouts, half an egg, slices of tonkotsu and a sprinkling of green onions and sesame seeds. It also comes with a side of pickled ginger. All of this is delicious when consumed with a side of fried rice.
Lunch time lunch specials come with a smaller bowl of ramen, but fried/steamed white rice and three gyoza. Not bad for $8.50.
The rice barley tea seems odd when consumed by itself, but is deliciously refreshing with the soup!
ramennnnnnnn.......I am quite a frequent customer to this place.....
Ryowa and Mru Ichi (down the street of Castro) are the only ramen places I go to in bay area....I respect/like both places equally. I like ryowa best for their appetizers......
1)the crispy fried chicken, served with japanese mayo! !
2)the steaming hot gyoza, served with spicy gyoza sauce!!
As for ramen... I always get the shoyu ramen....the soup is good, the noodles are firm, and the meat is tender...After reading all the reviews, I will like to try the buttern corn ramen next time
oh ya, they also provide you freee kim chee and free teeeeeaa!
I love ramen and decided to try this place. The wait was pretty long and it was crowded. Good sign right??? Ended up ordering the butter corn ramen and boy it was a total disappointment. The broth wasn't too hot and it tasted so bland. There's nothing to like about it, ended up just taking a bite of it and just sat their drinking tea....
A hidden little ramen noodle house just off Castro on Villa St. There are no signs on the outside so I ended up walking by it several times.
It's a small restaurant and is primarily bar style (very traditional Japanese). We did have to wait a little bit before we were seated at the bar. There's two bookshelves of manga books to read while you wait. In addition, they have a TV in the corner that plays all the funny Japanese game shows!
They offer rice barley tea - my favorite! The food comes out fast and the soup spoons are not your typical asian soup spoons. They are wooden with a long handle - imagine a ladle. I happened to be wearing glasses that night and kept bumping into the spoon.
Between this place and Maru Ichi, I think I prefer the other one. They definitely offer a larger variety. But they take credit card here whereas, the other place doesn't. Here the atmosphere is much more laid back. Both are worth a try for yourself!
I have been coming here for many years, and I would more often if I did not move down to South San Jose. My usual order is the shoyu ramen with rice and gyoza. The broth is very flavorful and even better when adding pepper and hot sesame oil. The gyoza is better than other ramen-ya places. The kimchee and mugicha are bonus!
Place gets packed, standing room only, so come earlier or later.
I'm not a huge fan of ramen but Ryowa is a popular place to go for many when people get the craving. I usually order the fried chicken and fried rice since I'm not into ramen but it's only served during dinner :(. BTW the line gets longgggggggg so prepare to sign your name on a little clipboard which hangs on one of the bookcases. I find many ramens too salty but the buttercorn ramen is my favorite out of all the choices. I even found myself slurping the soup out of my soup spoon (a sign of enjoyment in Chinese culture).
The self-serve kimchi and the room temperature barley tea is a nice compliment to the dishes :). I've tried the gyozas and they are okay...the fried chicken is my favorite especially when eaten with a piece of kimchi and a bite of fried rice (which is somewhat greasy).
They accept credit card which makes it convenient. Ramen and fried chicken are about $8 per entree.
This place gets busy if you come here during the busy hours, but it is worth it. Seating is along a bar with only 2 tables in the restaurant so don't come here with a big group and expect to be seated together. I used to hate sitting at the bar because there was a shelf where my knees would always hit while eating, but they have fixed that issue.
The food is very good. I like my noodles cooked al dente. Nothing is worse than eating soggy noodles and Ryowa doesn't disappoint as their noodles are thicker than those used at Maru Ichi. I usually go with the Ryowa ramen which hits the spot. Don't miss the fried chicken appetizer either (it's worth the extra calories).
The debate Ryowa Ramen vs Maru Ichi always come up. But the truth of the matter is, if you are a true ramen head... You would respect both these ramen stores all the same, because they are simply different. Ryowa got the signature Ryowa ramen and Maru Ichi got the Kuro. Two of which I cannot live without...
I have been coming here since I was a kid, before my taste buds were fully developed. I used to always order the sweet butter corn ramen, but as I grew older I found myself craving for more zest. The Ryowa ramen was my answer. This is their signature ramen, might be a little spicy for some, but if you are daring... it does the trick every single time. The real hidden treasure about this place though is the fried chicken, usually only offered at night. The chicken is very tender, plated on veggie and comes with the delicious Japanese mayo. I also really enjoy their barley tea that comes standard with refills like the kimchi. The fried rice is also very flavorful without being greasy at the same time, tea egg is delicious as well.
To add more noodles just add $1, also include a new slice of pork. Do not do this more than 3 times. They used to be more lenient until my friends and I decided to do a food eating contest during highschool. Always feel somewhat hurried to finish my ramen because the place is always packed with people, but I guess it gives the somewhat "authentic" Japanese feel to it along with the comic book rack and the Japanese comedy channel...
p.s. The girls that work in Ryowa used to be way hotter. I almost thought they were hired based on looks...
I'm moving to the east coast later this month, and Ramen House Ryowa is the thing I'll miss most in all of Mountain VIew. The menu is small, the place is small, but the food is always phenomenal. I recommend the miso lunch combo (with extra vegetables) with friend rice and pot stickers, just be warned there might be a line at peak hours.
This place isn't for everyone. If you don't like salty asian soup, there's not much for you to eat here. But for those who can appreciate such things, the food here is tremendous and at a fair price.
Like this place. Cheap and tasty. Ryowa ramen, miso ramen, corn butter, and some others are all lovely. Servers are also very good. I guess small Asahi is slightly cheaper per volume than the big one.
I've come to this place many times throughout the years but not necessarily because I liked Ryowa's ramen but because friends always wanted to come and it was the easy no-fuss choice when in Downtown Mountain View.
That being said, this place has gotten better since because of the addition of the Tonkotsu Ramen (broth from pork bones). The broth is flavorful and I always love that they give free tubs of kimchee within reach - even though I don't really eat it with the ramen but more as an appetizer. I've tried the Ryowa, Shoyu, Miso, and Butter Corn and never really liked any of them but if I had to choose one out of the four, I'd probably pick Butter Corn.
They have some good lunch deals that come with (fried) rice and gyoza but the bowl of ramen is seriously enough. The fried rice isn't memorable or that flavorful. Gyoza are handmade, I believe, but I don't think it tastes good. I'm biased though, I'm super picky about gyoza; I've tried so many different restaurants and I still think the best you can ever get is from the frozen section of an Asian supermarket (Ajinomoto).
Ryowa's Shrimp Gyoza, however, are actually really good. They are steamed instead so you get the delusion of being a bit healthier. It's accompanied by a delicious sauce that tastes similar to the creamy Japanese salad dressing but just diluted.
Get their sesame based one to spice up your life. Ppl play it too safe by getting the buttercorn or miso, but either way all of them are pretty good on a chilly night. Be prepared for a long wait especially on the weekends, I like coming here with my Stanford buddies to wind down an intense week of schooling. =)
With Ryowa being less than 3 minutes away from my place the bf and I come here very often.
The bf always gets Shoyu Ramen. I used to get the butter corn ramen but prefer the shoyu now too. The broth for the butter corn ramen just doesn't have as much flavor and I love the bamboo shoots.
The service is fast, they always re-fill the barley tea and are very attentive to cleaning your plates. The food comes out really fast too -- you can sit down, eat, and get out in 15 minutes if you wanted to.
I prefer to eat here for lunch because of their combos. During lunch, you get a bowl of fried rice (my favorite!) and gyoza. During dinner, you have to order the fried rice and gyoza separately. I also enjoy their Karrage chicken. I wouldn't recommend ordering all of them at the same time though -- too much food lol. Oh, the noodles don't get soggy in the soup.
Minus 1 star for the long wait during rush periods. Minus 1/2 a star for lack of choice in alcohol! I wish they served sake here. Conclusion: 3.5 stars.
My cousin lives near here and after hanging out and bbq'ing, my cousin said you have to try this ramen house. I just ate and I am full I said. My sister in law goes..........when has that ever stopped you? I said you are right!!! So..........off to Ryowa we go. It is literally half a block away from his house.
This place reminds me of the Ramen houses in Hawaii. All counter seatings and the service was pretty quick. It's probably not good for larger parties. This place was packed at 9pm on a Saturday night, but then again, what else is there to do in Mountain View at 9pm right?
The price per bowl of noodles ranges anywhere from 7 to 9 dollars. Fairly reasonable.
The broth was great
The noodles are exactly how I like them
The Cha siu was not good. I think if ramen houses started to use fresher, made to order cha siu, they would definitely get an edge over the other ramen houses. I know......... traditionally this is how it is supposed to be done but I personally would prefer it non traditional.
They also have a metal container of free kim chee in front of you.
Overall, a great ramen place in the Mountain View area!!!
Wow... not too bad. Shockingly, I have finally found a place semi-close by that has a bowl of ramen that I won't turn my nose up at. This gives me hope for the future. I had the miso ramen and found it fine, the noodles were the best I've had in my SJ-and-surrounding-area search for good ramen. They have seating like some restaurants in Japan, where there is a central area where the servers come and go that's surrounded by a bar (for easier access by the servers to all the patrons).
I'd like to come back here and try the tonkotsu ramen as that is my favorite type of broth. Unfortunately the lunch set did not offer the tonkotsu choice when I went there last month.
"3.5 starts based on 540+ reviews. this place has to be good!"
that's the thought i had in my mind and that's exactly what i told my date walking to the ramen joint.
i opened the door and 2 ppl were behind me, silly us, me and my date just stood there waiting for the waitress to sit us. the guys behind us just cut us off and sign their names in BEFORE us. "Oh, damn it, we gotta sign in"
if u haven't been here before, the menu can be confusing.....
all most ramen comes with pork (except for the wonton one.) although it doesn't say so.
definitely decent portion for the regular sized bowl.
i had the miso soup based noodles and my date had the butter corn.
"tastes bland, doesn't it" she nodded.
"im sorry....."
yes, it's bland.....compared to santouka on Saratoga Ave.
the soup isn't as flavorful and the noodle's missing the egg flavor....
and what's with the big spoon lol it's such a gimmick!
moral of the story dont take ur date to a new place u haven't been to!
Ahhhh my favorite ramen place...home of the delicious Ryowa (sesame) Ramen and juicy homemade gyoza.
The broth is a bit spicier and thicker than at the Ryowa location in Berkeley, so I couldn't actually drink it all up. The bowl was chock full of fresh, chewy noodles though, and such tender meat! It came with half an egg, bean sprouts, and a piece of spicy, crunchy, seaweed.
Seats here interesting...kinda like at a teppanyaki place where you sit around a square area. The TV was playing the cutest Japanese gameshow ever, with tiny puppies and an adorable little anteater that clung to its mother!
Perfect ramen and cute animals...can it get any better than that?
Ryowa IS Japanese fast food - the ramen, the karaage chicken and the fried rice all come within minutes of your order, and they disappear just as quickly too.
The ramen is quite good, better than Maru Ichi but not as good as Santa Ramen. The ramen noodles have a nice chewiness to them. The broth comes out hot and is very savory. Depending on which ramen you order, you may get seaweed, corn, butter, shoyu, rice cake or slabs of pork in your soup. The blend of noodles, broth and fixings blend together for a satisfying meal for one.
The karaage chicken is hot, crunchy and savory, perfect with the side of Japanese mayo.
I suspect the only thing remotely healthy served at Ryowa is the cold tea. This refreshing libation helps take away the grease and the salt you get from every bowl of ramen or fried rice.
This is my go-to ramen place in Mountain View. I come here at least twice a month.
Food: In general, it is really consistent and noodles are perfectly firm.
-Butter corn ramen - This is my absolute fave. It is salty, buttery deliciousness with all the usual fixings (egg, seaweed, bamboo shoots, green onions, etc.) I usually order the extra veggies for an extra $1 to get bean sprouts and spinach.
-Fried chicken - Crispy and juicy chicken served with Japanese mayo. Yum!
-Barley tea & Kimchee - Great because it is FREE!
Atmosphere: This place is ALWAYS crowded so be prepared to wait and you probably don't want to go with a group of more than 4. There are 2 u-shaped counters and 2 small tables so the whole place probably seats 30 people at most.
Service: Attentive, fast and efficient.
With the cooler temperatures hitting the South Bay during the height of summer, it was time to find some belly-warming food.
Primarily in the form of Ramen.
So a few friends and I headed to Ryowa in search of warmth.
It was recommended by a friend (who was craving for it like mad). I ordered a bowl of their sesame flavored ramen aka the Ryowa noodle and some gyoza. Said friend also ordered the fried chicken.
The restaurant is a tiny one, with the bar being U-shaped to offer quick service to more people. It does remind me of the small ramen shops I used to go to in Tokyo, with a few bookcases filled with manga. As we waited, I had a great spot to watch the TV which was showing an episode of Tokyo Friends Park 2 with EXILE as their special. That's the new supergroup EXILE (merged with J Soul Brothers).....but I digress.
My ramen came out within minutes and my, it was Tasty! It definitely hit my craving for salty foods and with the fried chicken being perfectly crisp and its dipping sauce being yummy. The gyoza was fried nicely and still steaming hot as I bit into it.
For about 10 minutes, my friends and i were wordless. We were too busy slurping up the noodles!
It's a small spot off of Castro but definitely busy. The wait isn't too long and it's great if you are craving ramen. After writing up this review, I'm totally craving ramen! Time to head back to try more food!
I am really not a ramen craving type of person. That being, I've always thought they were basically Instant Lunch ramen with just lots of veggies/meat sliced up into the bowl and never really understood others craving this stuff.
My first time giving a ramen house a try was in HI about 2.5 weeks ago and ever since then, the hubs have been craving ramen. So on yelp we go and we came across RH Ryowa. It had pretty good feedback from 500+ reviews, so why not?
Upon arrival we see the line spilling out from the little ramen house. From what it looked like, we thought we were going to wait 30+ minutes but rather we got seats in about 7. Probably b/c there were only the two of us and everyone else had kids or family with them.
Service was quick, ramen was not oily and heavy and another PLUS was my newly washed hair and my clothes did NOT reek of ramen when we left the establishment. =)
I'll be back and next time I want to try the butter corn ramen.
This place is awesome and a steal for lunch. Their lunch special includes a huge bowl of noodle (you have 4 different soup bases to choose from), a bowl of white rice of fried rice ( $0.50 more), and 3 good size gyoza. When mine came, I couldn't decide which to eat first and had to take turns. There's also all you can eat kimchi and a good number of spices for you to choose from to add to your soup or to dip your gyoza in. Oh, and ALL this for $8.50!
I ordered the butter corn soup base and it was yummy. There was so much food I simply couldn't finish. When we left at roughly 2:30, there was still a line out the door. Crazy isn't it? I think that says a lot and for a small little shop, I was definitely pleasantly surprised to find out that they accept credit cards.
Ryowa, what will I do without your butter corn ramen? It's the best comfort food. I love how my esophagus and stomach warm up upon the first sip. The butter corn IS flavorful, not sure why some people said it isn't. I guess I just can't stand foods that are too salty. Their fried chickens are really good too. The Japanese seating style where everybody is cluttered around the space in the middle is very cute. Their TV always offers cute shows on animals. They also have a great variety of Japanese fashion magazines (though outdated) to indulge my fobby and feminine side. Sometimes I think their food comes too fast that I don't have enough time to even open the magazine. Minus one star because the gyoza were very salty one time. Also, the Mexican cooks like to stare at me and talk among themselves, and then laugh. What the heck? Made me so uncomfortable =_="
i wasn't going to review this place. didn't want to taint it. then i see 521 other people have already reviewed it, so there goes my theory that this is just a little hidden gem off castro street.
i've only been here on weekdays for lunch, and they're pretty busy with customers from downtown and the local yokels, the google crowd. it kinda looks like they have a different menu for dinner time, more choices, and will definitely come to try that. i want some right now... damn, 1am, they're not open.
this place has:
uber yummy gyoza
delicious ramen
craving-inducing fried rice (want some right now)
butter corn ramen... god damn i want some of that too
good barley tea stuff i don't know the name of
cute little tables/bar seating
a television that appears to only show JAPANESE ANIMAL SHOWS !!!! like i got to see a chimp riding a segway and a shiba inu that laughs and smiles. best tv program ever.
OMG this is the only ramen place i go to when i'm in mountain view. lunch specials are affordable and very filling! i love the sesame and butter corn ramen, soup base is just so flavorful and makes me warm and fuzzy. the meal also comes with gyoza and fried rice, which are also good as well~
warning, this place gets packed during noon so i liked to go around 1 to avoid waiting and getting back to work on time. hehe
I can think of two ramen places in the bay that I've been to, that are better than ryowa: halu in San Jose and katana-ya in SF (I've heard santa ramen is amazing, but i haven't been there yet).
However, if Ryowa and Maru ichi do battle, Ryowa definitely wins, because Maru ichi does not listen to requests (aka they never omit the green onion from my ramen even though I ask them to). I also like Ryowa's ambiance. It's kind of nice to sit communally. I wouldn't feel awkward if I came here alone, for instance.
I've tried every single ramen on Ryowa's menu and personally like shoyu and buttercorn the best. The miso ramen isn't spicy enough for my taste. the fried rice and gyoza here are also very tasty.
nomnomnom!
shoyu ramen with extra cha siu
not bad, sometimes tastes a bit salty
noodles are fine, i like the slightly wavy kind
not a top of the list broth but decent
Been here about a dozen times over the years. (I use to work close by) Its pretty good, but nothing to drive out of the way for. Can any ramen be that good??? Anyways, if you like ramen.. try this place.. its not the best one around, but it worth trying. Who knows yo may like this place more than I do.
I came here for lunch around 11:30 AM to beat the crowd. I don't have a lot of experience eating ramen and after reading reviews about their butter corn, I was brave enough to eat ramen 'Paula Dean' style. I ordered the special, which came with fried rice and gyoza. Both were very good and the ramen definitely hit the spot. The butter corn doesn't have a whole lot of flavor, and I'm used to eating large bowls of pho, so the portions weren't enough to fill me up. I need to come back to try their other bowls.
Had the miso ramen. A bit salty, but really really good. This shop is now my top rainy-day winter soup place.
They have been around for a long time and for good reasons. The ramen here is great and the people are friendly. You might have to wait a little while if you go there during the peak lunch hours, but definitely worth the wait.
Mountain View, CA
Category: Japanese
Mountain View, CA
Category: Japanese
San Jose, CA
Category: Japanese
Mountain View, CA
Category: Japanese
San Jose, CA
Category: Japanese
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