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Santa Ramen - CLOSED
- Attire:
- Casual
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Price Range:
-
$
- Good for Groups:
- No
- Good for Kids:
- No
- Takes Reservations:
- No
- Delivery:
- No
- Take-out:
- No
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Good For:
- Lunch, Dinner
- Alcohol:
- Beer & Wine Only
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
415 reviews for Santa Ramen
415 reviews in English
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Review from iPunchfish -.
Campbell, CA
6/24/2008
People bitch about this place and nag about small inconsistencies. Sorry this isnt your Cup O Noodle style affair. This is the real deal.
Flavor for broths are the following: Miso, Pork, and Soy Sauce. Miso is absolute shit so please avoid. If you want lots of flavor, get Pork. If you are a bitch about salt, get Soy Sauce. If thats not enough... pour some salt in the soup. -
Review from Herra Chink y.
San Francisco, CA
4/15/2007
This review totally doesn't work unless you imagine me as a hot sultry blonde wearing a red and white fuzz bikini and a santa hat. You got it? Lovely mental image? Having trouble? Here, let me help...
*clicky*
http://static.px.yelp....
Got it? Alright, now that we're on the same page, I drip seXXXy, don't i?
Ok, now sing along with me (straight up Marilyn Monroe sex kitten style and shiet)...
Buh-bum buh-bum
Santa Ramen
Just slip some noodles under the tree
For me
I've been a really good boy
Santa Ramen
So hurry with the pork broth tonight...
Santa Ramen
Roasted pork and stewed pork loaded sweet
MSG
I've been a fatty all year
Santa Ramen
Feed me your homemade noodles tonight...
Santa Ramen
How do you get your broth so creamy thick with
Pork
I added extra noodles for a buck
Santa Ramen
Hurry into my belly tonight...
Santa Ramen
You're oh so cheap for the food you make
For me
I'll wait in line twice for you, dear
Santa Ramen
Your food is like crack in ramen form....
Your food is like crack in ramen form...
Meee-ow.Listed in: Ed to the M's Top 50…
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Review from Toro E.
San Francisco, CA
1/28/2007 5 photos
(Note: They will be closed late Nov, opening at the NEW location in beginning of Dec 2007.)
Serious ramen shop for serious ramen fans.
Solid ramen place. No one aspect (men, soup, topping) is exceptional, but when they put all the pieces together, the result is a bowl of nice quality authentic Japanese Ramen.
I applaud the owner for running such a Japanese style business in the U.S. It might be useful to know some ramen common sense (joushiki) before heading to this place. They won't scold you for not knowing, but it might help you better appreciate this place. Note that no one ever teaches you these things --- it's just the way it is.
1. Ramen shop is NOT a place to socialize. Don't mingle with friends and have a good time. Go to a REAL ramen shop in Tokyo and see if anyone is talking.
2. Bring cash; correct change preferred. They will put the bill on the table BEFORE you finish eating.
3. Drink water. Maybe tea. Never soda.
4. Don't ask for a menu. Just shout out the soup type and toppings you want.
5. Eat your ramen and leave as soon as you finish. Drink up the soup for extra points.
SOUP: Choices of Shoyu, Tonkotsu, and Miso. I am not a fan of ramen places that give you 3 choices; I like places that pride themselves on one soup. No matter which soup you choose, they'll use pork backbone base, with pieces of fat floating in the soup, which differentiates this place from other ramen places in the area. If you are not good with oily/fatty ramen, experiencing blood clot issues, or on a diet, you might want to reconsider eating at Santa. Hey, no one ever said ramen was healthy food!
MEN (noodle): Medium thickness. Not wavy. Slightly yellow. Solid!
TOPPINGS: 2 slices of roasted pork for regular ramen --- 4 slices for cha-shu ramen. Very nice lean roasted pork. No complaints here. For a $1 extra, you can get a boiled egg --- not the golden yellow Japanese egg. Menma was good. Negi (green onions) was sliced correctly.
OTHER THAN RAMEN: They have nothing else; which is the beauty of this place. They do offer mini-chicken kara-age don for additonal $1.50 with your ramen and pork kakuni as an appetizer, but no other entrees are available. No sushi or udon --- which is the case for most ramen shops in Japan.
PRICES(This note is for all ramen shops): When it comes to ramen, I am a weirdo in that I completely ignore pricing. It just doesn't matter to me if a bowl of ramen costs $6 or $10. Now, I am not some rich uppity loser who hands a hundred dollar bill to pay for a $8 ramen. In fact, I am conscious of 'value-for-the-dollar' when eating other cuisines, so price is a significantly in my other ratings. For some mystifying reason, a whiff of ramen scent disrupts a nerve in my brain that ties money and food. If ramen shops ever discover my secret, they would start charging $50 a bowl as soon as I walk in.
BEST RAMEN? Really depends on your preference. Santa is certainly better than any of the places in San Francisco, including Katana-ya (http://www.yelp.com/bi...). I personally find Tokushima Ramen in San Jose (http://www.yelp.com/bi...) to be much more interesting. I could confidently say that Santa Ramen is better than its neighbor Himawari (http://www.yelp.com/bi...) --- but benefits at Himawari are that they have a good lineup on non-Ramen items and you don't have to deal with Ramen 'joushiki'.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Notes:
9 --- Counter seats
4 --- Tables of four
2 --- Tables of twoListed in: Miso! Shoyu! tototototo…
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Review from Mary F.
Berkeley, CA
11/7/2007 ROTD 3/20/2008
Ever since my childhood ramen-induced trauma, I have never touched the stuff. (I'm not joking, see, this is my serious face) Whilst my mother traveled around, she left me in the very "capable" hands of a nanny. Ya-ya Emily couldn't read or write let alone cook, but she let me sleep on her chest until I was 3 and taught me how to weave vanilla blossoms. She also fed me sodium packed ramen. Every. Day. Until. I. Was. 4.
After while I was allergic to salt and became the only toddler with high blood pressure. More than a pinch of salt would send shooting pains up my legs and literally debilitate me for a few minutes. Beat that childhood memory.
So when my friend offered to take me ANYWHERE for our annual "Last Lunch in America", I decided to conquer my fear and eat ramen, but do it right this time. We got in line at 11:28 and by the looks of things, I thought we didn't make the seating cut. Lo and behold, we got the last seats in the house. The wait for our ramen was especially long because we were last to order, but it was worth the wait. His stewed pork was tender and noodles are by far my favorite food in the known universe.
Once I smelled the slightly creamy broth, I was over taken by involuntary memory. With every bite, I could remember how Emily would sing to me in the back yard under the coconut trees, how she kissed my ankles whenever she finished tying my shoes and how I used to bury my face in her hair whenever we rode the jeepney around town. It was good. So good that it made me miss the woman I thought was my mother for the first 5 years of my life so bad I almost cried. Wherever you are, I hope life is good to you. I have nothing to remember you by except noodles in a porcelain bowl, but sometimes even that is enough.
(FYI, they're moving to a bigger space at 1944 El Camino Real on the 1st of December)Listed in: ROTD aka fanning my own…
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Review from Nobu K.
San Francisco, CA
7/30/2007
Many people can NOT handle the truth.
Do you know what the Fxxx am I Talking about?
I am talking about what is the real taste when you come to authentic ethnic food.
Would you like authentic flavor or camouflage version?
Let me say this, I do like Indian Food very much.
I am still happy to go to the Naan-N- Curry on Irving even though it's like MacDonald for real Indians. I may not find difference between real authentic Indian and pseudo kind.
Ethnic Food is tough to judge.
And sometimes following the expert doen't get to the one you like.
Like the movie reviews on the Sunday paper. I don't know how manytimes I followed it and I dissapointed it.
So, If you still like and happy to eat the JIVE ASS ROLL, you gotto stay the level. Nothing wrong with that.
But,
You can not handle the real kind.
The real Sushi is TOO BIG FOR YOU!
What I am sayin' is that I have NO IDEA about Ton-Kotsu broth.
Ton-Kotsu is Fukuoka Prefecture Special Thing that I've never had the real kind. I had pseudo Ton-Kotsu in Osaka and they always said that real one in Fukuoka is a lot more oilly, greasy and smelly broth, Osaka-guys can not to handle.
To me, Ton-Kotsu-Ramen is like the Indian Food.
I don't know that I'll enjoy the real Ton-Kotsu.
So,
when I was order at Santa Ramen,
I was very afraid & didn't know what to order tell you the truth.
But I saw the Shoyu category, and I found the Se-Abura-Broth mixed with Shoyu!
Backbone Fat Broth mixed with Soy Sauce!
This is something I can relate.
Hmmmmm!
That was a parfect choice for me.
THIS WAS A GOOD SHIT!!!!
So,
This review is not a right one for Ton-Kotsu.
But, I see the reason why people wants this Ramen so badly because the great flavor and the DECENT PRICE.
I ate like a pig in dirt.
4.5 star.
Why not 5?
I like thin Cha-shu. It was a bit too thick for me.Listed in: Ramen Nazi, Cheap & Good Japanese!
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Review from kevo m.
East Bay, CA
9/16/2007
This little piggy went to market,
This little piggy stayed home.
This little piggy was roast pork.
This little piggy was FOBulous broth
And this little piggy went "Wee! Wee! Wee!" all the way home to MAH BELLY... -
Review from graceypoo m.
Boston, MA
9/14/2007
Another ramen place in San Francisco has completely ruined me, so when an impromptu opportunity to go to Santa Ramen came up, I took it... even though I was not craving ramen that day.
This place is definitely popular for their stewed pork and their creamy pork broth--which they ran out of when we got there... but because I'm Guacamolito, and I am my own rabbit's foot, I was able to snag the last 2 orders.
Stars of the evening:
STAR #1: pork broth--reminds me of chicken sopas broth... very comforting, creamy-like... splendiferous!
STAR #2: chicken karaage--flavorful breading and tasty white meat
STAR#3: stewed pork--tender, juicy, sweet and savory... i just want this thing to make love to my tongue. over, and over, and over again.
STAR #4: Kenny Rogers/Kenny Rogers Look-a-Like at the corner, enjoying his ramen. Yeah he's hot stuff, but not as hot as Hot Tub Kenny: http://static.px.yelp....
Of course, because I'm the 'Poo, this may have only been a once-in-a-lifetime moment. Our paths happened to cross that fateful day for some loving ramen.
I need to check out Santa Ramen when I am actually craving it. Other than that... 4 solid stars! -
Review from Chie J.
San Francisco, CA
11/7/2007 ROTD 12/31/2007
I miss my Ramen shoppes near my mama's home! (Such as Tantantei, Ho-pukenn, Bubuka, and Taisyoken: they are all Inogashira-train line). I miss them sooooo much for not only how their Ramen tasted but the experience of eating Ramen in Japan.
I was very agitated while I was at Santa Ramen today. Because...
1. A girl next to me at the counter had 2 cell phones... Then she answered and talked on the phone at least 3 times then put on a speaker phone! NO TALKING after receiving Ramen PLEASE!!! You came to eat noodle right? why you need to talk on the phone. Your mission is to eat the noodle ASAP before the noodle suck up all the broth. That means you need to eat all the noodles within 6 minutes maximum. Then, you finish the soup. Then you leave, Then you talk.
2. The girl asked a waitress for a straw for her soda. - Ok Soda doesn't go with Ramen... and you asked for a straw and complained when they said they don't have one? PLEASE I believe, water, cold light flavored unsweetened tea or cold beer are the only beverage choices to go with Ramen.
3. PLEASE no bitching and whining when some thing is sold out.
I think customers at Shinsengumi in Torrence, CA behave much better (at lunch time since they become more like Izakaya at night). I think the atmosphere of the restaurant and efficiency of the employees make the whole experience closer to the ones in Japan.
Why Santa takes over 20 minutes to bring out the Ramen? Ramen only takes 2 - 4 (very very thick one) to cook and Ramen shop usually have boiling broth already ready during their business hours. So why do they take over 20 minutes? That is why there is always a line outside... If they were in Tokyo with the high rent, they will not survive with that turn around rate. And please do not make Curry Ramen. That is wrong.
No I'm not PMSing.... Let me stop talking shit...
I actuary liked their Ramen because...
1. Noodle were cooked nicely. Not too soft like Tanpopo.
2. Toppings are "right" combination (most part).
3. The bowl and soup were very hot (the way they suppose to be).
4. Broth is flavorful (for the US) and right saltiness.
Yes I'll go back to Santa. But next time, I'll bring gang of well behaved friends with me to have a better surrounding. -
Review from M'ia K.
San Francisco, CA
12/11/2007
AHEM!
Attention all K-mart shoppers:
Santa Ramen did not close...... Well, this particular LOCATION did, but they simply MOVED to a new location, next to JoAnn Fabrics and xs the way from Nijiya (not Ninja) Market!
http://www.yelp.com/bi... -
Review from luis m.
Oakland, CA
5/3/2007
As can be evidenced by this thread, *clicky* http://www.yelp.com/to..., luis m doesn't typically put on his fancy pants when it comes to ramen. Seriously, a cup of Nissin noodles with chopped up spam and a few dashes of Tapatio hot sauce and I am in hog heaven.
I had heard the raves about Santa Ramen and read the reviews. I didn't read anything about spam or cheese whiz though so I wasn't too excited.
I finally had my chance to go there when we decided to take Ed there for his birthday not too long ago. Yes, I was exciteED. My hopes and expectations were very high. Of the three broths (Miso, Shoyu, or Porky) there was no question I had to have the porky. How the heck am I supposed to pass up pork broth? What better to accompany the pork broth than more pork right? I was going to go for the double pork combo of stewed pork and roasted pork but we opted to order a couple sides of the stewed pork so I only got the roasted. Bad move! The stewed pork was so good that I wouldn't have minded having extra in my bowl. I am seriously in love with the stewed pork and am resolved to try it in the other broths. A hard boiled egg is a nice touch to your ramen too so don't forget to add one to your order.
The deets that have been rehashed time and time again:
*get there early because a line forms and once they are out of broth it's closing time.
*think porky
*the place is definitely cramped but maybe their new location will be much more roomie
*If you are deathly allergic to MSG this is the perfect place and way to commit suicideListed in: Noodles
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Review from arnold g.
Fremont, CA
7/29/2007
My search for the perfect bowl of ramen in the Bay Area ended today at Santa Ramen. I've been on this quest for the last five or six years since the Katana-ya in downtown San Jose closed (the unrelated Katana-ya in SF is good, but not good enough).
Santa's pork broth is legendary among Bay Area ramen aficionados, and it's as deliciously porky as everyone says it is. I'm normally partial to miso ramen because I like the "creaminess" of the broth, but Santa's pork broth is a richer, creamier and more flavorful replacement for my old standard. The soy broth is also excellent and don't be alarmed by the little bits of fat in the broth...that's all flavor, baby! The roasted pork slices are delicious and thick, which I loved and definitely appreciated as some ramen houses cut their pork a little thin. Boiled egg is an extra dollar and a requirement.
In my book, ramen isn't complete without a side order of karaage (fried chicken), and Santa's is some of the best I've had. Juicy bits of dark meat are fried to perfection, and a squeeze of lemon is a final little flourish that puts it over the top.
There was a bit of a letdown when we arrived because they were out of stewed pork when we got there at around 6pm, but that just means we'll have to go back another time.Listed in: Noodle Time
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Review from tinna h.
9/16/2007
[Update on 9/30/07]
Got there early enough to try the Stewed Pork. WOW. It's just pork fat - YUM. Think I'll stick with my garlic one the next time.
[Update on 9/22/07 - Euge video!]
Ninniku tonkotsu ramen = I'm back in Yokohama at the Ramen Museum, enjoying a combination of my two favorite ramen - tonkotsu ramen and garlic ramen!
Upon first bite, I muttered, "I'm in love."
45 minute wait. Aye - totally worth it.
It was a momentous occasion. Santa Ramen devirginization and Euge L. sitting there QUIETLY eating his ramen. Devouring it, really. I've got proof! (http://youtube.com/wat...) Considering I always make it quite clear that I'm not a ramen fan, this place is awesome. It hits the spot because I'm not only starving by the time I'm seated, but it's a lot of delicious noodles in a soup base that's so YUMMY. There was ginger in my ramen, which I normally would pick out, but I just stirred and absorbed.
4.5 stars. -
Review from Bob H.
Los Angeles, CA
4/9/2006
The long wait is not because it's popular...there's such a long wait because it takes half an hour for each bowl of ramen to come out. I have no problem waiting in line at a popular restaurant, whether it's Sushi Sam's, House of Prime Rib, CPK, or any other chain or non-chain restaurant across the spectrum. My problem against Santa is that the long wait is due to their inefficient way to run a business.
I don't care how good the food is, but ramen is meant to be a convenient comfort food...quick and easy like a bowl of pho or wonton noodles. Waiting for a table because they have good business is one thing. Waiting another 45 minutes AFTER you order is unexcusable. Boil noodles, pour soup in from big stock pot, add fixins'. Any normal ramen place in Japan would have your order out in 10 minutes max. This restaurant's inefficiency is downright un-Japanese. A REAL JAPANESE business owner would be EMBARRASSED to keep their customers waiting like this.
For the amount of business they have, I don't hear any commotion from the kitchen hustling to crank food out. SINCE THE OWNER DOESN'T CARE ABOUT HOW TO RUN A BUSINESS, I WON'T GIVE THEM MINE. I LOVE ramen, but I'll take my business elsewhere where it doesn't put me in a bad mood before I even eat.
To all the ramen fanatics out there: Please explain why it is acceptable to take 30-45 minutes to make a bowl of noodles? What in the ramen cooking process am I not understanding? If someone can explain, I will gladly jump on the bandwagon. Until then, I still believe that I'm wiser than the masses. -
Review from Susy C.
San Francisco, CA
1/25/2007
ATTENTION VEGETARIANS:
SANTA RAMEN DOES NOT OFFER A VEGETARIAN RAMEN! ALL THE RAMEN HAS A PORK BROTH BASE!!
now that i've gotten that out of the way, I trekked here after getting out of lab. A classmate of mine decided to join me - he had heard good things and wanted to try. Unfortunately for him, he does not eat pork at all (religious reasons.) Santa Ramen DID try to accommodate him and offered him just hot water with curry powder + ramen. He said yes but somewhat regretted it. It was kind of gross and bland.
I have heard of the infamous lines here. Luckily, we got there at 5:45pm, 15 minutes after they reopened for dinner. We didn't have to wait. However, after we were seated a line that consisted of 10 people quickly formed. I felt sorry for them, it was cold outside.
I ordered the pork ramen with extra noodle and egg while we shared an order of agedashi tofu. The tofu was good, the outside was not too crispy. The sauce was perfect. The only thing I didn't like was all the ginger on it.
my classmate, we'll call him "H" for now
H: You sure you can finish that?
Susy C: *looks down at bowl* Oh yeah, it doesn't look like a lot, I can totally kill it. *takes a picture on cell and forwards pic to B*
B (on cell phone) : Wow, it looks exactly like in Naruto
Susy C: If I finish this bowl, i'm the freaking champ. I'll be like CHOJI dude..
--- HALFWAY THROUGH ------
Susy C: I have to finish this bowl...
H: It's okay if you don't finish it. Here, eat more tofu.
Susy C: NO! I have to finish..
10 minutes after I hit the halfway mark, I finally finished my bowl of pork ramen with extra noodle and egg. I thought my stomach was going to explode. My stomach got so bloated from being full that I looked 6 months pregnant.
The broth is heavy. It's very filling because it's fatty. The noodles are al dente and they do not taste instant at all.
I AM THE MOTHERFREAKING CHAMP YO!
------------
2/1/07
NEW UPDATE: I just went back for dinner again. I had kimchee and pork ramen with extra noodle. I killed it. Then I finished off about 3/4 of my friend's stewed pork ramen (she only ate 1/4).
I SERIOUSLY AM THE NARUTO RAMEN CHAMP!
and I did a little Kobayashi shake as I was scarfing up the 2nd bowl too ;] -
Review from Michael L.
San Mateo, CA
4/12/2007
I've been all over the bay area for many years(80s child)...
and the best Ramen places seem to rank like this 1-2-3.
1)Santa Ramen - San Mateo, CA
2)Ryowa Ramen House - Mountain View, CA
3)Himawari - San Mateo, CA
I've tried to reshuffle this over and over upon multiple visits to all 3..but the top 3 ramen places on the peninsula and quite possibly the entire bay area are as above.
Himawari has a better set up..roomier seating arrangements, stylish plating, and cute waitresses(well except the hound toothed one..did I say that? oops) than Santa Ramen.
Ryowa in MV has good soup and very good Karaage and is also roomier and better ambience then Santa Ramen.
So WHY put Santa Ramen #1?
Why rate it so high when people think it's so overrated and are so upset that some even lose the power of spelling/grammar? (see lower reviews..hehe)
IT'S THE NOODLES!
Simple as that.
The noodles at Santa Ramen are hand made. You can TASTE the difference. The texture and taste are more supple and do not taste "manufactured" as does Himawari, and Ryowa.
The soup also has a richer/creamier taste and feel(at least the miso (soy bean flavor)one does) more than the other places. You have to get the spicey flavored soup. It brings out the FULL FLAVOR.
The combination of soft hand made noodles, coupled with rich soup base makes the most satisfying taste experience.
You STILL don't think it's the best???
The large crowds of people don't lie.
Why would so many spikey haired azn yuppie boys double park their 40 thousand dollar BMWs and convince their over made up valley girl sounding, fendi bag toting azn girlfriends to sit it line for 15-45 minutes...in an overcrowded, stuffy, non-climate controlled room that seats barely 20..to bear waitresses who overly say "THANK YOU VERY MUCH" when you order, when you ask for water, when you ask for the bathroom..it's always "THANK YOU VERY MUCH"
... and have to be forced to overhear(because of the tiny room acoustics) the conversations of the azn yuppies and the VERY loud older azn people who are criticizing this hole in the wall restaurant for how it doesn't have 5 star service(I love when they do that..)
Why do you think I'd bother to write such a long RUN ON SENTENCE!!?? =)
Because the soup/noodles are THAT good.
Santa Ramen is the truth. Bar none.
If you really don't like it, and if you STILL think it's overrated..yada yada yada..
Step aside and let the real patrons through so we can get our seat that much faster...
..and don't have to listen to why your gf..REALLY just wants a guy for his drive to succeed (translation: earning potential). It's SO funny to hear them lie through their teeth while sipping on MSG riddled soup! =)
Santa Ramen is like a small custom master tailor of suits. You have to wait, it's not the cleanest looking place, but the tailor makes the best custom one-off suits around. Himawari is a Cavalli suit at a posh boutique in Sausalito, and Ryowa is the best off the rack Armani at Bloomingdales.
YOU DECIDE -
Review from Tak H.
San Francisco, CA
7/23/2007
Yes, Hands down the Best in the Bay.
Mentaiko tonkotsu ramen is a one way trip to ramen heaven.
All aboard! ... or are you all bored?
ride that choo choo. -
Review from Archie R.
1/3/2007
Grab a paper bag. Hold it to your mouth. Inhale and exhale deeply 10 times. Sit back. Get that feeling of euphoria, dizziness and being lightheaded? That's EXACTLY how you will feel after your first bite of the ramen here.
The wait here requires some tactical capabilities beyond the normal "let's grab some In-N-Out." Get there early, say around 11:15 (as you can see I take my job seriously so I have plenty of time to kill at lunch) and wait by the door. Chances are someone will show up at around 11:16 and 30 seconds and have a look of complete shock on their face that you have successfully beaten them at their own game. I call this victory "the appetizer." Do your little victory dance and wait for the beautiful sound of that rusty, creaky door opening. Order the pork flavored ramen with fried garlic, get the extra corn, the extra karaoge kicker and if you are a true fat bastard, get the extra noodles.
Send me a message after you eat here, I can recommend a good Automated External Defibrillator to restart your pork fat clogged heart. -
Review from Lolia S.
San Francisco, CA
9/2/2007
A bowl of Santa Ramen reminds me of why I love ramen as much as I do. I didn't even get the kind I wanted because after my long wait, they asked me what I wanted as soon as I sat down and I didn't have time to look over the menu. For some reason I just blurted out pork ramen which was the first thing I noticed up on the wall (where the menu is). I'd been waiting for 20 minutes and was just hungry by then. Watching other people enjoy big hot bowls of ramen didn't help. When you're waiting, you should stick your head into the restaurant to read the menu.
That pork ramen was remarkable: the deep, rich broth, the tender pork, the generous topping of scallions. The noodles were nice and chewy. One thing that bothered me (other than not getting what I really wanted) is that I could feel the MSG afterwards. MSG almost never affects me so they must have used dangerous amounts of it. On the other hand, I still crave another bowl of their ramen. -
Review from patrick o.
San Francisco, CA
7/15/2007
How can you have a restaurant with the word "Santa" in it and not have any Christmas Decorations! I don't care if its July and in the heat of summer. I was Pine! At least some lights! Perhaps a BB Gun so I can put my eye out with that thing.
I sure wish Santa left me a reservation at this place. The quarters inside are as cramped as a $1200 San Francisco apartment. For Christmas I guess they got what they wished for, which was a larger location. I waited about a half an hour for a table, which was fine because I expected it even though it was Saturday afternoon.
The menu is just on the wall, so don't expect to find an enormous selection if you don't like Ramen. I am sure glad they kept to the classic flavors like Pork or Soy Sauce and not the Top Ramen flavor of "Oriental". What the heck is Oriental flavor anyways? I was once told that they perhaps lick an asian person and try to replicate that with the right amount of MSG.
My Pork/Pork flavor was the 4 star reason, although I do think Ramen in LA is just as good and EVERYWHERE. Are we that starved for Ramen that this is best? I guess so. Oh well, I'll send Clause a wish for a much larger Santa Ramen when it moves shortly over 2 miles South. -
Review from ray l.
San Francisco, CA
11/3/2007
Of the numerous of times that i have visited this fine, fine establishment i was unable to try the infamous stewed pork because its sold out every time. I opted for the roasted pork which was very delightful. I also tried the chicken karaage bowl and that was splendid as well. Best $1.50 i spent in a while.
This place is great. the soups tasty and the noodles are done right.
i had a good chuckle when a couple tried to avoid the wait and stole two seats at the bar. then the waitress gave em the boot. hahaha. -
Review from Ari C.
Daly City, CA
4/9/2007 1 photo
I'm probably gonna get assassinated by other yelpers for giving santa ramen 3 stars. But I'm just not feeling it. I gave santa 3 chances and I still prefer himawari.
But of course, it's just me because santa's always busy with people lining out the door before it even opens. I think the owner should adopt the ticket vending machine system like the ramen place in japan that I went to. It'll get customers in and out much faster.
A little tip if you're planning to eat at santa, come before opening time to avoid the line. Order stewed pork early because it's the best thing on the menu and they always run out in the first couple hours.Listed in: International Dining: Expand…
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Review from jenn h.
Washington, DC
4/3/2006
I waited in the rain 15 minutes before they opened so that my family could be second on the waiting list for Round 2. I thought the ick weather and the time change might have deterred people, but no such luck. Insane! (I'll admit that it was mighty tasty and worth the wait.) When we were all done, my mom decided she wanted to take her leftover broth home.
me: Umma, I don't think you can do that.
mom: Why not? The soup is the best part. I can just make some noodles at home, and if I put that in, it'll be so good!
(I never thought that my mom was ghetto; but at that moment, I was trying to picture whether or not she'd look good with gold-capped teeth. Or teef.)
me: The noodles here are good too! Anyway, this is a small place which takes pride in serving good bowls of ramen. The orders take so long already, I'm pretty sure they don't have to-go containers.
She was not to be deterred.
mom: [to waitress] Do you have one of those soup boxes, so I can take this with me?
waitress: No, we only have Ziplock bags.
me: [in my head] Please don't take it. Please don't take it!
To be relief, my mom decided that the plastic baggie might not be ideal. Until my brother called. He wanted to see if we were still out to dinner, but I told him we were finishing up. He said it was cool, no biggie, and we hung up. But my mom heard. And a mother will do anything to feed her hungry young - even when that young takes form in a 27-year old son who can easily feed himself.
mom: Jimmy can eat this! [And then, to waitress] Can I have that Ziplock after all?
So we walked out of the restaurant with a broth-filled plastic bag in hand. Yup, ZIPLOCK. -
Review from Em-eye-gee P.
Sunnyvale, CA
2/12/2007
There is not much I can say that hasn't been said by other Yelpers already: best in California, you have to get there early, etc. So I will contribute these only marginally valid things to the Yelp body of knowledge about Santa Ramen:
1) I have a $50/month Santa Ramen habit, and that's during the off months. There are people who are far more hooked than that.
2) I'd sooner cut off my (ahem) with a rusty spoon than give up Santa Ramen. Period.
3) I think anyone giving Santa less than 5 stars is an idiot, but it does help to keep it off of the average turd's radar.
4) I asked them once that, if I got a tattoo of the ramen bowl illustration on the window, if they'd give me free ramen for life. The waitress just put her hand up to her mouth and giggled.
5) To you people who get there nice and early (like I do) but then have ten friends show up at 11:28am and jump in line with you: seriously, FUCK YOU. You are assholes, all 11 of you.
6) To you weekend families who do the same thing: you too can piss right off. Putting a folding chair out at the front of the line, and then going and sitting in your van with the heater running only to emerge at 11:28 with a bunch of family members, makes you an asshole. People like you should not be procreating. Nor causing me ramen delay grief. -
Review from Jonas T.
San Francisco, CA
4/5/2007
The most hyped-up ramen shop in the Bay Area, and I can see why. Dozens of ramen combinations on the menu as well as appetizers. The roast pork is to die for - and all that fat will probably kill you. My favorite so far is the kim chi ramen though - just the right amount of flavor.
A bit cramped inside. The shop opens at 5:30 for dinner and I had to line up at 5. By the time the restaurant opens, the line is pretty crazy, so get there early!
JONASAPPROVED! -
Review from Kapeli M.
San Francisco, CA
7/12/2007
Ok, you got me...I am yours. I will be more dedicated to get in here than a Postman delivering Christmas gifts to an orphanage...neither rain, nor sleet, nor snow.
If you go early and see someone who is first in line shaking like they are fighting off an addiciton, that will be me. -
Review from Gloria H.
6/19/2007
For ramen, this is the best in the Bay Area. You have to trust me on this because I'm a noodle fan and ramen is one of my absolute favorites AND I've been to many many places - anywhere they serve ramen, I will order hoping it's nearly as tasty as Santa.
If you are not a ramen fan or have no idea what good ramen tastes like, please don't go and leave nasty remarks. I've taken friends who claim other ramen places are better until they have tried Santa. I've eaten here many times and they have yet to disappoint me (OK, they have because they are always out of the stewed pork) so if you think Santa is not good, give up on ramen - PERIOD!
I prefer their pork flavor broth (oh, this tends to run out fast too) but the others are just as good...you just can't go wrong with anything ramen related. Their chicken gizzard, agedashi, pork cutlet w/ garlic and chicken wings are all good.
To my fellow ramen friends - cheers to Santa!Listed in: Ramen - a never ending…
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Review from Bryan K.
San Mateo, CA
9/15/2006
Update 10/14/2007:
Finally went back to Santa after about 5 months away. Is it just me or is their quality slipping? Part reason I moved to SM was because of the preponderance of Japanese food places, including Santa. But now its seems to have lost a bit of its allure. Sorry it pains me, but had to -1 star.
Oh, late breaking news.... the move to the new digs should be early Nov 2007 (need to include the year since this is a long delayed move). But I ran by the new place tonight and the signage is already up!
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Update 4/5/2007:
You heard it here first (okay, maybe 2nd). Santa Ramen is moving to a larger place around Summer time.
1944 S El Camino Real, right across from Nijiya Market just south of the 92 (where the current Ishin Japanese Cuisine restaurant is located).
Will the quality suffer? Can they keep up with the larger area? Time will tell.... you be the judge.
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Finally I moved to SM so finally I had lots of time to stand around waiting to get into this place... and it was worth the wait. 30 minutes on the dot.
The stewed pork with tonkotsu broth seems to be the overwhelming choice but they were out so I got the charsu.... I sucked down all the soup... the bowl was dry like it just came off the rack.
I'll be back. -
Review from Chris T.
San Francisco, CA
1/27/2007
Rather disappointed about this hole in the wall. I've heard so many times that it is the best ramen in the Bay Area. Not really. There are about 6 tables here and a counter for another 9 people. If your party is larger than 4, expect a tight squeeze and elbow bumping. This place likely started as a lil local shop for the dead SM downtown area. But word of mouth and rave reviews attracted the masses. And honestly, I don't think they can keep up with the constant crowd.
It is extremely informal here with no real menu. You just look at their hand written signs on one side of their bleak, undecorated wall. 3 broth flavors - Shoyu, Pork, and Miso. And then a very undescriptive subingredients underneath. Nappa Cabbage, seaweed, kimchi, roasted pork, etc. People must constantly ask, what else does it come with? Just noodles, broth and whatever 3rd ingredient I choose? And they took our order before we even got our table. They really want to keep up with the high turnover here. Understandable as there is a constant wait outside.
I got the miso and cha siu and it surprisingly came with bean sprouts, seaweed, and bamboo shoots. My mother's pork flavor and cha siu came with just that! I don't know why she wasn't given the extra bits that I had. See? It's hard to get the best value here. Luckily I had enough sprouts and bamboo to share. My miso was odd... I swear it had numerous bits of coagulated fat! I didn't want to let my imagine run wild so I just kept slurping the noodles. Good but not the best. I personally liked the pork flavored broth better... smoother and less MSG taste.
There are a few precautionary signs displayed. Vegetarians will likely not enjoy a meal here. A few items often run out. Plus, they say they will serve as many people as they can until their soup runs out. Er... what? Restaurants should be well stocked and prepared for these situations, no? If not overstocked! Prices are a little overpriced... maybe I have sticker shock from my usual 40cent ramen packages. -
Review from Irene S.
Castro Valley, CA
4/29/2007
One of the best ramen places in the Bay Area. San Mateo is so lucky to have both Santa and Himawari... It's a long drive for me but when the craving hits, I oblige. I love the broth -- and I always add a boiled egg ($1 extra), just the way I like it.
Update: My husband and I recently celebrated our six months of marriage here at Santa Ramen. We probably should have showed up earlier, because when we got there at 6:30pm, there was already a decent line out the front. We put our name on the list and waited in line, and luckily got seated at the table. Right before we got seated, the stewed pork sold out! The Agedashi Tofu is awesome and came with the nicest looking fish flakes on top.
We found out that Santa Ramen will be moving to a new location on El Camino in July. Hopefully, the new location will have bigger space.Listed in: Ramens! Noodles! Oh my!
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Review from Fong L.
2/26/2006
One word. TONKOTSU. A haiku for the best tonkotsu ramen, and BEST RAMEN in the bay:
Rich creamy white broth
curled chewy noodles swimming
kakuni fat melts
Worth the wait in line. Be careful, they often run out of tonkotsu soup later in the evening. I usually go here later to avoid the lines.... -
Review from Wilson L.
Daly City, CA
10/31/2006
About time I went to the "Ramen heaven of the world". My brother always rags about this place.
Bro: "Dude, its the best bloody ramen ever. You have to get the cha-sui ramen with pork soup. Man, I waited 1 hour just to eat ramen.. That's hardcore!"
Me: "Uhh.. where is it at?"
Bro: "Dude, Somewhere in DT San Mateo, you live so close there, go man"
Me: "Dude, alright"
Sure enough, last friday night, I surprised my fiance and said "Lets go eat ramen." We always discuss going to this place, but never got around to it, but it was Friday night, sure enough and we bought got off work at 5:30. When we got there at 6pm ish, we parked just a handful of steps from it and sure enough, NO LINE!
OMFG, are all you yelpers F-ing me with a line? We got in, and the open bar was 80% open, 2 open tables so we sat next to the one by the door. Okay... must be an off day or someone hijacked the soup receipe. Yeah, there were already people there eatting their ramens happily so we decided to order and try it just for the heck.
She got the Roasted Pork with Pork flavor ramen, (otherwise known as Cha-sui ramen to my brother) and I tried what I thought was skewed pork (which I later realized was stewed pork) with shoyu base (light rice + soy sauce base) and a side order of Grilled Chicken wings.
We can smell the goodness from the kitchen and thought our appetizer would come first. The ramen did, and was it delicious. The noodles texture was unimaginable. Its like eatting really really good noodles in a really good place.
The chicken wing was alright, 4 pieces with a wedge of lemon, but its the ramen you go here for.
I'd pay ten bucks for ramen everyday if they opened one up in SF!
Helllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllla gooood duuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuude!Listed in: The L33t List
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Review from Bekki J.
San Francisco, CA
3/19/2007
The tonkotsu broth is so strong and flavorful! It's definitely their best! I've had the shoyu, and it's also good. Haven't tried the miso broth since I've gone tonkotsu. I haven't been able to bring myself to get anything else! The noodles are cooked perfectly. I usually go for the spicy cod roe, which comes with bean sprouts and chashyu.
I have raved about this place to all my friends and family. My boyfriend's parents (Japanese lady and Persian guy who lived in Japan for many years) went there and said it was just OK and only as good as any regular ramen shop in Japan. Well, I suppose that may be the case, but this is the ramen is the best I've had in the Bay Area, for sure! The only place that compares so far is Hakata Ramen Shinsengumi in Gardena, CA. But I haven't tried the places in Mountain View yet. (I will soon!)
The chicken karaage is also very good. Deep fried and salty, yumm... If you eat there for dinner, you order it as a side dish you can share with friends. If you eat there for lunch, they only offer it as part of the lunch set, which is 2 or 3 pieces on top of a bowl of rice, and you have to order it with the ramen. I don't understand this! The ramen fills me up already and I want some chicken darnit! Not rice!!! And I want more than a few pieces!
It's a pretty small shop and it's very popular, so the wait is tough. If you're lucky, 20 minutes. If you're not, closer to an hour. They have a waitlist in front of the shop and people hover over that thing like vultures. It's scary.
I keep hearing about this mythical stewed pork, that's supposed to be incredible, but I have never personally seen it! Does it even exist?!! They're always out! It's a conspiracy...Listed in: Ramen-mania!
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Review from T G.
San Francisco, CA
5/3/2007
The ramen is great - my favorite is their stewed pork in pork flavored broth. I've also tried the chicken karaage (fried chicken), too - it's great as an appetizer or dunk it into the soup.
I would've given a full 5 stars if the service was better and more consistent. Sometimes the service is nice and friendly, and at other times I've had waitresses who gave attitude and treated us like cattle.
The food is worth the wait if you need to get your ramen-fix! -
Review from Peggy w.
11/9/2006
I came here for the first time last night with my boyfriend and friend and I'm the biggest ramen enthusiast out of the bunch. After hearing all the great things about Santa, I bugged them both to come to Santa with me. Yes the ramen is tasty but it doesn't warrant the entire 5 stars for me for the following reason: too much msg. This definitely takes off a solid star and a little more....so this place is more like 3 and 3/4s of a star. The msg bothered me that much. Ramen that tastes great without relying heavily on msg does indeed exist, but Santa's is not it. I had the tonkotsu ramen and the broth was indeed rich....and I know since it's pork bone/fat flavored it's going to be fatty...which is fine...but towards the end it just got a little too oily. So I think I'm going to stick to their shoyu/miso variety if I do go next time. Their noodles are indeed chewy and perfect.
Luckily, we hopped right over to Santa's on a Wednesday night right after work at 5:30 so they had just opened up and there werent that many people there....but it was about half filled...and this was at 5:40! By the time we left at 6:45 the restaurant was filled....but no line. My boyfriend prefers Himawari's stewed pork bc he says that the stewed pork here is too fatty. The tori-karaage here is better though. Big pieces of chicken fried to perfection with a nice lemon to boost. In summary.... this place was good, and I'll try something else next time, but not if I have to wait more than 15 min for a table bc it's really not worth it for me. I'd be just as happy with a champon from Oidon or Izakaya-mai. Service was very prompt and friendly, and food came out at a reasonable pace...but ramen came before appetizers, which is fine.
Overall and good ramen place above Himawari.Listed in: nihon ryori, Ramen ga daiiisuki
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Review from Carina N.
San Francisco, CA
7/6/2007
I see people start lining up by 7pm here. It's such an small and unattractive place but completely filled with Ramen addicts. Me, being one of them. You first glance under the "Today's Sold Out" sticker, and make sure that your favorite is still in. Keep in mind though, that for the last 2 times that I came here, the Stewed pork was sold out before 7pm.
Sometimes I wonder if it is the wait that makes you think their ramen taste better. I'd recommend their roasted pork rather than the stewed pork ramen. The roasted pork was less fatty and the makes the meat tender and juicy, but the Stewed Pork was still tastey but just completely disgusting. When I saw how much grease and large oil drops floating on top of my ramen, I frantically scoop out that layer to my tea cup. But the amount of oil didn't decrease because they're still constantly leaking out from that big fat layer of stewed pork.
The texture of the ramen noodle was excellent, extremely chewy and tasty! The broth was yummy but I can never finished it since it's always too salty. Oh.. and the grease kind of kills my desire to bottom up the broth as well.
Compare to Hiramari, Santa has much better ramen noodles. They both use lots of lard (in Himawari, it's their broth that has many floaty solid pork lard). As a picky and healthy-freak like me, I still rate the Champon Ramen in Izakaya Mai as my top choice. -
Review from maiko h.
El Cerrito, CA
2/3/2007
Hi, I'm flashing my ramen police badge. Can you see it? Actually, I belong to the special ops division of the ramen police. My mom's family is from Ebisu, one of the latter-day ramen meccas of Tokyo. I come from a family of ramen snobs and we have eaten our way through bazillion bowls of so-so ramen as well as some of the most sublime bowls of ramen in Japan and in the US. Ramen in Japan is like the pizza, burger, or hot dog here. It's cheap food for the ordinary citizen that can stir up the most heated debate, and it's really hard to find a perfect specimen. Santa is the closest to real Japanese ramen I've had in the Bay Area. To me, it was worth the one hour wait because it's so damn hard to find ramen that I find acceptable. I--being as much of a Tokyo girl as someone who grew up in Hawaii can be--will only order shoyu flavor ramen, so I can't comment on tonkotsu or miso.
The broth was snowy with pork back fat (se-abura); this was a good sign for me because it's how Kazuki, a legendary ramen place in Ebisu, does it. The fat doesn't make the soup greasy, but rich and velvety. It's what the Japanese refer to as "maroyaka" which roughly translates to "rounded"--a quality that I've noticed is rare in ramen from around here. The noodles were cooked a bit soft to my taste, so next time, I'll ask them to cook it more al dente. The charshu comes in squares cut from a large cut of pork, and it could use a smidge more flavor, but was pretty darn good. The basic charshu-men comes with noodles, charshu, green onion, menma, and nori. I asked for "oomori" (extra noodle) and extra charshu because I often find that I get hungry soon after I eat ramen.
People line up at least 30 minutes *before* opening for dinner; we arrived 10 minutes before opening and waited about an hour for the first seating to finish. There are a lot of signs in the window warning you that they only seat complete parties, there is no vegetarian ramen, when they run out of soup the shop is closed, etc. You need to sign up on the wait list, and the hostess will only let a certain number of people wait inside in a specific formation. All of this conjured up some Seinfeld allusions (you know which episode...), especially when an impatient dude was asked to go outside after bumrushing the door.
If you come here, I strongly suggest you read up a little on ramen and be prepared. I don't want to frighten anyone off, but ramen joints have their own code of conduct, just like sushi places. Ramen places are equivalent to fast food joints, so you order, slurp, and leave; it helps if you know your way around the ramen menu so you don't need to ask too many questions. Also, I saw on the wait list that someone wrote "JOHN" and then the name in wobbly katakana. That ain't gonna help at all. If you can write your name in katakana, you know what I'm sayin' when I tell you that's such a gaijin thing to do. (OK, I confess that I ordered in Japanese because it feels the most natural to me, but remember, I'm the ramen police!!)
There are two things that sucked about Santa. First is that we ordered gizzard yakitori and it was too dry. So stick to the ramen. Also, the restaurant is eerily quiet aside from everyone's slurping, which seems weird to me because most ramen joints in Japan have a really lively vibe. They don't do the usual "irasshaimaseeeeee!!" and "arigatougozaimashitaaaaaa!" greetings here, and the kitchen is in the back so you can't sit at the bar and watch the chefs fling pork fat into the bowls.
By the way, if you want the 100% A+++ perfect version of the shoyu ramen they serve at Santa, go to Kazuki in Ebisu, Tokyo: http://www.kazki.com/e... The front page says "Keanu Reeves came here!" but ignore that. I've been there many times, and I tell you, that's the best shoyu ramen with pork fat in the broth.Listed in: Magic Show
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Review from Brando Calrissian ..
Sunnyvale, CA
2/7/2007
Where did my review go? It was long and detailed. Oh well here goes again.
Many people rave over this place. I used to be a faithful Ryowa customer until I moved north. Santa is now only about 2 miles away from my house.
I enjoy Ramen. There have been many times that I've driven long distances to try a new ramen place. I can appreciate good food from a dirty hole in the wall. With that said:
Santa is not good in comparison to Ramen Club which is only 2.5 miles away. http://www.yelp.com/bi...
Here are my reasons for not liking what could be a great place.
__MSG__
I am one of those people that can detect MSG in food. I dont mind if its a small amount but every time I eat at Santa I am incredibly thirsty with a yuck headache.
Selection of dishes. Santa Ramen only offers a very small choice of items. There are many combinations of a small amount of ingredients. There is no vegetarian option. You cant order any other items like chicken karaage.
Crowded dining area with very few seats. The "bar" area is a waste of space considering nothing happens behind it. I didnt like how after you have already sat down they will ask you to switch seats.
No decoration. Not even an attempt. Beer posters would even help to liven the place up but I feel like Im eating in a closet. Not very welcoming.
Long wait times. There arent any businesses in the area that you can spend some time in. You are stuck standing outside on the sidewalk.
I know many of you will defend Santa because its your current favorite. All i ask is to have an open mind and consider Ramen club where the kitchen is open and is staffed by Japanese cooks. -
Review from Tomo S.
San Francisco, CA
8/2/2007
I grew up in socal, around large congregations of japanese people. Before I learned how to cook, instant ramen noodle bowls or instant nama ramen bought at mitsuwa were my meals once or twice a day. When I go to japan I eat ramen at least once a day. If you've seen naruto uzumaki eat ramen, you have to watch me eat good ramen. I am no noob to ramen.
Now when I compare santa's ramen to everywhere else I've eaten in california. Santa is by far ranked number 1 on my list. Daikokuya in LA doesnt have s*** on Santa. Out of all the places I've been to in california, the only place where I'd actually gladly finish every drip of their ramen soup is Santa. I'm talking about tonkotsu here.
Beware: stewed pork on average gets sold out by 40-50 orders. By 830 theyve been sold out of noodles! The trick is to show up before they open on the weekends, like say 1045 for lunch then u can be the first ones to sit. I've arrived at 11 before and there were 30 people already in line, max capacity at this place is 29.
BUT THEYRE MOVING TO A DIFFERENT LOCATION IN SAN MATEO on EL CAMINO soon!!! -
Review from Justin L.
Santa Clara, CA
5/11/2007
So I finally managed to visit Santa again before writing the review. I just so happened to get there promptly a little after 12 and to my surprise they were not packed yet. My friend arrived roughly about 10-15 mins later and we make our orders right away so for as far as I know it is all about timing when visiting here.
I opted for the miso stewed pork with extra roasted pork. My friend got the pork soup and the roasted pork. The soup is good though the pork soup is a little saltier and the miso was sweeter. YUM! For now the miso and the stewed pork is my best pick. The ramen (noodle) itself was good although I like kahoo's ramen better because of the firmness that I like.
Whatever you do try to avoid their roasted pork. It isn't anything special to be worth mentioning.
To this date so this is how I rate my ramen from the best to the least:
The Ramen: Ramen Halu, Kahoo Ramen, Santa, Ryowa, Maruichi
The Soup: Ramen Halu (I still love the rich flavor), Santa (miso), Kahoo (spicy miso), Ryowa, Maruichi
The Pork: Santa (stewed pork), Halu, Kahoo (their tiny stewed pork tasted like Santa), Maruichi, RyowaListed in: Did someone say RAMEN?…
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Review from Kevin S.
Seattle, WA
10/18/2007
This place is totally one of the better ramen places i've been to on the west coast. The broth was thick and extremely tasty and while I'm sure it took at least 30 minutes off my life due to sodium and fat issues... really it was sooo worth it.
The place itself is a typical hole in the wall ramen place, which apparently is going to be changing soon as they are scheduled to move locations in a month or so.... hopefully the new digs will mean more seats.
Anyway, would totally recommend this place as the line of non-english speaking asians says it all... this place is authentic and if you like you can even order in japanese - note I tried... and I think she understood me ;)
