Santa Ramen
- Hours:
Mon, Wed-Sun 11:30 a.m.-2:00 p.m.
Mon, Wed-Sat 5:30 p.m.-9:30 p.m.
Sun 5:30 p.m.-9:00 p.m. - Price Range: $$
- Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
- Parking: Private Lot
- Attire: Casual
- Good for Groups: No
- Good for Kids: Yes
- Takes Reservations: No
- Delivers: No
- Take-out: No
- Waiter Service: Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
- Outdoor Seating: No
- Good for: Lunch
- Alcohol: Beer & Wine Only
102 reviews
San Mateo, CA
"I have such a good time strolling through this store. I keep discovering new and interesting imported items from Japan, and the prices are…" read more »
222 Reviews for Santa Ramen
I believed the hype, and was unfortunately a bit disappointed.
We came here for a girls lunch (me and 4 female coworkers). Luckily we came at off hours, so there was no wait.
I had soy sauce flavor and didn't add any add-ins because they seemed ridiculously expensive. A pinch of something costs more than a dollar?
Anyway, it was filling, and reasonably tasty, but it did not blow me away, as I expected based on past reviews.
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I'm sorry, I must give Santa Ramen three stars. I came here when they were still at their old location, and we had to wait about 15-20 minutes which wasn't that bad. We were only a party of two, and there was a group of five behind us in line. We got seated around the same time, but we had ordered before them. I got the corn ramen, and the boyfriend got some kind of pork ramen. The group of five ordered after us, and two of them got the SAME THING as us. Tell me why they got all of their food before us?! WHY?!?! WHY?!?! That made NO sense to me. I know.. "so what??" right? Well, I hate when things like that happen!!
Despite the service, the ramen is probably the best around the Peninsula. I tried to come back twice after they moved to their new location. Both times - no luck. The first time they were closed until the next week, and the second time, the line was out the door. So if you come here, I suggest you come early.
I know I shouldn't give a bad review until after I've gone there at least twice, but I don't think I'll be returning.
I got the shoyu ramen with "spicy" add on (1.50 extra), egg ($1), pork ($4.5). I got the agedashi tofu and a small ebisu beer. My friend got miso ramen with the pork as well.
The pork was tough. Tough like I had to gnaw it a bit to get it loose for a bite and ended up with bits stuck in my teeth tough. This pork is supposed to be so soft and tender it falls off an sits happily in the bowl waiting to be devoured. These suckers were stingy and stringy and didn't want to be eaten. They were also fatty which is why I thought my soup was very oily. But my friend had order the same pork in his ramen and his wasn't oily at all. So adding this "spicy" feature apparently means adding spicy oil to your ramen (assuming the normal shoyu ramen isn't oily). The boiled egg wasn't even sliced into two pieces. The noodles were gummy and not that tasty.
Agedashi was OK. It certainly wasn't the best (gombei is still king in this category). I wouldn't get it again.
Here's the kicker. The small beer, is half a regular bottle of beer! For 5.50? Seriously?
Total bill was about 55 buck after tax and tip. Seriously?? Not worth it. Waste of gas and waste of money. Don't make the trip.
PS: I too woke up to major thirst the next day. booo.
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So my friend Michael and I have been wanting to go to this place for a while. It's nearby work so it was an easy drive. We got there at a good time, because apparently lines usually form outside of the door.
We were immediately seated and I liked the decor. Clean, and the setup was pretty efficient. Although I would have wished to have the traditional clear kitchen display to see the ramen being made, but alas that didn't happen.
So when we got the menu, my friend(who has been here before) already noticed it had changed; the setup and the prices were a bit more expensive.
I mean, you get the basic soup and then if you add corn, its $1 more? The additions were a little steep, including the special stewed pork(which is 2 pieces for $4.50????).
So, what did I like? Well typically ramen to me around the bay area has been too salty for my tastes SO, i was delighted with the clean portions with well-balanced soup base. I drank it all up!
It's a cool place for a quick meal, and definitely lives up to its name. However, the prices knock down this rating a bit but overall a great experience.
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if i were around the area and had a burning desire and immediate need to consume japanese ramen, i would come here. otherwise, i wouldn't. their ramen is a little on fatty side. chicken karaage was as hard as a rock, with no dipping sauce. no kimchi on the side.
This place is always packed during lunch! Get there early or go there after the lunch hours. If you have to wait in line, they take your order right there so you won't have to wait longer after you get seated. This is not a big-group-friendly place during lunch. It will take forever to get seated if you're with a big group. Go with just a few people. There's also bar seats.
It's a nice and clean restaurant, and the ramen is good. Why? Because they use MSG. Mmmm, sodium. It's a bit pricey too. The extra items are ridiculously overpriced, and they're probably not worth it.
Many of my friends call me crazy for rating this place so low. I am not a huge fan of Santa Ramen. You want a better place? Go to Maru Ichi in Moutain View or Ramen Club in Burlingame. Santa Ramen is overpriced, gives skimpy portions, and makes me feel sick after I eat this greasebath. The noodles are pretty good, but the soup is so damn greasy, that I get an instant sore throat. INSTANT!!
And another thing, when I go there I feel like I'm in line to ride the Matterhorn or something. Everybody lines up like cattle and waits... the waitress asks what we want before we can sit down! I feel stupid waiting in line for a subpar bowl of grease noodles.
I don't care what my friends think. Maru Ichi is the best, followed by Ramen Club, followed by Oidon, then finally.... Santa Ramen..
If you were smart, you'd listen to me...
After my disappointing visit to Ramen Club in Palo Alto (see review one prior), I had an intense craving for "real" ramen. Knowing this craving would only be satisfied by one thing, I decided to head out early to San Mateo and Santa Ramen. Though I had been to the old location multiple times, this was actually my first visit to their new location.
We arrived shortly before their opening time at 5:30 pm and just like old times, there was already a person in line. Unlike the old location, it's now in a strip mall with quite a few other stores around, including a Men's Warehouse, Shoe Pavilion, and a Japanese grocery store. At the very least, good places to kill time as you wait in line or for the place to open.
Once we made our way inside, I was pretty impressed with how nice it was compared to their old digs. It's significantly larger and the place is much fancier. A part of me misses the old, more crowded, perhaps more authentic location, but I surely didn't miss the longer wait (nor them always running out of popular items).
I already knew what I wanted to order upon sitting and did notice that the prices were significantly higher now. A basic pork or miso ramen order was $7.95 each, but much fewer items were included. We added extra toppings of corn ($1), bean sprouts ($0.50), and stewed pork ($4.50). Almost $15 for a bowl of ramen!!! A side order of chicken karaage was $5.50.
Everything was out in minutes and I think Santa can relax in it's position as the best ramen house in Northern California. even with their new location. The broth was milky and tasty, and the noodles were vibrant and plentiful. The stewed pork tasted delicious as well and were a necessary, if quite pricey, add-on.
So why not 5 stars? Well, for one, I agree with many reviewers that I don't think the broth was quite as tasty or as good as I remember from the original location. Whether that's just dementia or wishful remembrance I can't be sure, but it's a difference I can definitely tell. Other small things were off too. I found the stewed pork delicious, but a bit cold, and had to submerge it in my broth for several minutes. This was the first time that's ever happened. The boiled egg was hard boiled (ie: like a Chinese tea egg) whereas I remember it before being soft boiled.
Finally, given the price increases and the need to add more toppings to what was included before, I just can't give 5 stars to Santa. My simple meal for two was an astounding $45.
Nonetheless, Santa Ramen is clearly the best ramen house in the Bay Area. Now I need to go to Daikokuya in LA again cause I think it may have just moved to #1 overall with the slight slip that Santa has made.
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2nd time here, same location:
- ramen sucks
- stewed pork not so special
- miso soup is fancy and I like it, quite japanese indeed
- service is gd
- but a bit expensive
- I hate that I never tried the one before relocation after hearing so many gd feedbacks
- anyway, loss the incentive to go for third times...
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It's back. Thank the Lord Almighty Santa Ramen is back! I used to love Santa but its popularity became its downfall and the quality went down a few years ago. I stayed away for years, but word of a grand opening in a larger place and good reviews had me and The Girl coming back.
The menu is different, the place feels weird. Gone are the long lines out the door in a place that only holds 20. Gone are the simple hand-written menu on the wall. But the old quality remains. Rich almost creamy broth with heaps of chewy, delicious noodles. Yeah you have to add a dollar here and there for extras like corn or fresh seaweed, but a single extra is often all you really need.
OK people aren't kidding, the waitresses are pretty cute (but obviously not as cute as The Girl). The funny thing was, I didn't see a male worker there at all, and there was this 14-year old (or something) Caucasian waitress that spoke near-perfect Japanese! The Girl heard her speak behind her and never would have guessed she was white.
Santa is located in an odd place, near a Sprint store, Fresh Choice, Men's Wearhouse, and Joann's. At least there is a Nijiya across the strip mall.
The girl had Tonkotsu ramen (real tonkotsu not like Ramen Club) with fresh seaweed and I had Shoyu ramen with extra corn. We slurped up almost every last drop of noodles and broth to cleanse our palates of the bilge that was Ramen Club from a week prior. We added an order of chicken kara-age but couldn't finish it.
So yes, Santa is back! In its prime, it was the best Ramen place in the Bay Area. It's close to taking the top spot again, but I think Kahoo just barely beats it out. The broth and Santa is fantastic, maybe a tinge salty. The noodles are excellent and the pork is delicious and tender. They're just barely edged out in quality by Kahoo.
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My husband and I were anxious to try this place. It seemed whenever we took a drive to San Mateo's Nijiya, Santa Ramen would have a line of folks out the door.
We finally caught a quiet opening during lunch one afternoon and were giddy to find ourselves seated in a few minutes.
Definitely the best Ramen house I've been to in the Bay Area. The miso base soup was super fresh and tasty. The noodles didn't have that disappointing air of the Maruchan freeze-dried process--in fact, some of the freshest Ramen I've had.
1 star for the prettiest waitress i have ever seen in years
1 star for the chewy noodle, which makes me think whether they are hand made...though in reality, it is probably not...
1 star for the tasty pork broth...
-1 star for the price...basic ramen does not really come with anything...but extra toppings and appetizers add up quickly...
-100 stars for waking up in the middle of a night with a dying thirst...even a chinese restaurant won't use that much MSG!
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I actualy didn't have to wait when I came here, even though there was a line, because I'm a loner and came alone...hehe. I thought the service was fast and attentive and good timing. They were experienced and appeared to have their service down to a tee. They also were happy and nice. I'm in love with this one waitress there...she was pretty. She even talked to me a little bit and I had the perception she was checking me out..hehe. Anyways, as far as the food....I kept hearing all the hype and hoopla and about how this is the best ramen place and people wait in line for an hour...lol. I had the stewed pork ramen, and it's overrated. It's good but not worth a wait any more than 20 minutes. OK granted I've waited at lame restaurants like Mimi's cafe for 1 hour before, but that's because I was in a big group. The ramen was different, but I actually didn't think it was anything special..it seemed thinner than most ramen. Stewed pork....bah...nothing memorable. My mom makes 10 times better beef stew. I just love the waitress! She's hecka cute!
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oh how i miss japan. ever since my last visit, i have yet to come across good ramen and/or udon. in hopes of finding a decent restaurant, i came upon this place w/ high expectations. 4 stars w/ over 200 plus reviews? well... overall the noodles were good but i doubt they're 'hand-made'. the soup itself was very tasty and was not salty at all, meaning i didn't have to drink 5 gallons of water afterwards. i do have to say the pork was very tender. but the entrees weren't very big, especially for the price you pay. i ended up having to eat at another restaurant a couple hours afterawards. i don't think i would go out of my way to eat at this place. but if i were in the neighborhood, i might grab a quick light meal...
After hearing about all the good reviews about this place of course I had to try it! I'm personally not a ramen fan but people make it sound so good that it makes me want to try it.
At first stepping in here I was really excited because HELLO! I'm at the infamous Santa Ramen! BUT the service was poo. The five of us stood about 5-10 minutes near the doorway waiting to be seated. There were about 4 workers in the shop and only one was taking orders from customers that were already seated. Like HELLO! Seat us already! And may I add I was pretty pissy about the wait because I really needed to use the restroom. Finally got seated and used the restroom THEN I was ready to try ramen with a better mood. (The waitresses weren't bad afterall.)
For $7.95 I got the shoyu ramen. It came with 1 piece of seaweed, bamboo shoots, green onions, and 2 slices of roast pork. I customized mine and added bean sprouts for an additional .50 cents which was worth it since it made the texture better. After trying it, it was actually a good experience cuz now I can finally say " yeah i've been to santa ramen before" but yet i'm still not a ramen fan. yeahh go udon!
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This is how ramen should taste like! Too bad we had to wait for SOMEONE who took forever getting down there. ;P We just made it 15mins before they were closing since they wouldn't seat us until all our parties were present.
Since it was close to closing time, they ran out of some of the ingredients and the only broth they had left was Pork. BOOO!! So, that was all we had. Either way, the menu is very limited. So, I ended up ordering the Ramen with Pork broth & Kimchee. Boy, it was soooooo tasty!! mmmm....*drool* The kimchee was at least spicy enough and went well with everything.
There wasn't a long line by the time we arrived, but people kept flocking into the restaurant, which made us feel like fat people running on treadmills getting teased by others eating delicious ramen!! Service was quick and we ended up staying way after chatting without anyone kicking us out. I will definitely be back to try more!!
3.8...because I originally wanted the Miso broth, but I'm glad I got the pork broth instead!
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1st off - minus 1 star for the Ramen-Nazi style of service.... it' doesn't work for me. Part of the -1 is that the chicken karage would taste even better if they fried it for 30 seconds less. Onto all the good stuff!
Hard to believe - but it was my first time......eating Santa ramen. And after Santa Ramen - there really isn't reason to eat anyone elses ramen because this is how it should taste. Went in a party of 3 (FYI..dont expect to sit down if your entire party isn't all there)...but only my sis and I showed up when we sat down --we just asked for a bigger table and tried to hold off ordering as long as possible...until the waitress came back for the 8th time.....so we felt pressured! We orderd agadashi tofu, chicken karage and 1 pork soup ramen...add bamboo..add egg....and extra pork. She ended up bring 2 bowls of pork ramen ...which was 1 more than we wanted. By that time, the 3rd person showed up just in time so we had it all "ready" for our friend anyways.
Soup good. Ramen good. Pork - HELLA GOOD. Kim Chee - reallllllly goood. Agadashi Tofu - HELLA GOOD. All of it together - I'm not going anywhere else for ramen.
Sidenote: go before 8pm and the wait isnt too bad. Don't plan on staying too long either - the older waitress will give you looks to leave and open up the table for the next guests.
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If I could give it six stars, I would. I'm obsessed with this place.
I've always been a ramen fan, but Santa just blows away everything else I've had. Doesn't matter what type of broth you order, it's just phenomenal. If only I lived closer...
Oh: It's closed Tuesdays! Don't forget!!
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I finally tried out the new location after giving them a few months to settle into the new space. Since I knew how the old place worked where you pre-order your meal while you are standing in line, it didn't seem odd to me to do so. But if you are a newbie, it will seem very weird to you so study up on the menu before eating here cause that's just what they do.
I don't really know why the hype on this restaurant but maybe because i am not really all that fond of ramen. I think that it is loaded with MSG that's why it comes out really tasty. But wait until the next day, I woke up with this terrible "MSG hang-over feeling."
We arrived at almost closing time, so there was no long line there which I often see whenever I pass by this small strip mall along El Camino. They run out of everything else except for the pork broth. They come out in big portions so I had half left to take home. Maybe as I said I am not really a ramen person, ramen ws just okay and I probably won't be back.
This is my 2nd review of Santa Ramen. The first was at the old location (where I gave it glowing reviews and 5 stars.)
This is for the new one.
Okay...WHAT exactly happened????
IS it me.(come on you regulars..I KNOW You can tell)...
or does the soup taste DIFFERENT than it used to be..
There's just not the same full FLAVOR that it used to have..
I usually order the spicey miso and it is no longer spicey nor as flavorful anymore...
Did they cut corners somewhere??? What gives?
It couldn't be because of lack of funds because they've increased their prices.
before..the ramen came in package deals w/things like eggs, sprouts all included for about 6-7 dollars.
NOW...every little ramen extra is a dollar extra here and there. All of a sudden your ramen is a 8-9 even 10 dollar meal! That may not seem like much to everyone but keep in mind the flavor is not the same!
Now Santa Ramen is nickle and diming it's most loyal customers?
In the beginning there were HUGE waits at the new location...
NOW the lines have been dwindling...
I wonder if most of the original regulars are thinking the same thing.
The FLAVOR just isn't right.
It's still better than most places around..but I can't emphatically
say it's THE BEST around anymore..
AND WARNING TO THOSE WHO WANT TO BE SEATED.
They have one chinese waitress(most of the waitresses are japanese, japanese mixed(that one cute mixed white one)..and two nice latin ladies.
But the one chinese waitress is starting to get on my nerves.
we showed up as two people and there was an open four person
table...
She said "I can't seat you there because that's for 4 people"
me.."umm..all the other 4 seat tables have 2 people in them"
her.."yes..but we're saving this for when there are 4 people".
me "yes..but there's NO ONE behind us"
She finally reluctantly lamented and gave us the table.
Does that make ANY SENSE?
For the sake of trying to be efficient..you're going to foresake the customers who are there for customers who are not even there yet???
I'm going to keep an eye on that one...she's some trouble...
I dunno if Santa Ramen is cutting corners,
but I'm losing confidence in their service and also in their
watering down of their soup.
BRING IT BACK TO THE WAY IT WAS!!!
and try to do something about that chinese waitress!
Some argue that the reduction in quality is worth the new location's spaciousness. I COMPLETELY DISAGREE. I NEVER had seating issues at the old place(just had to know the secret system..if you don't know..then you couldn't get seated).
Still works here...but not worth the effort somedays...
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This place is totally overrated!
After someone had recommended this place, I tried the ramen and some appetizers at the old location. First of all, I can not understand why there is a line out the door.
I ordered the stewed pork ramen and grilled chicken wings. The soup is artery clogging and loaded with MSG and salt. What good are chewy noodles if they are sitting in salty fat? The grilled chicken wings were charcoaled. It was so overcooked that it dried out the meat and tasted like bad chicken jerky.
In all fairness, I decided to give them another chance after the new location opened. As the saying goes, "fool me once shame on you, fool me twice shame on me". Even with the healthier sounding order of napa cabbage ramen, the ramen was also swimming in greasy lard.
Maybe the die hard customers see a line and flock to it thinking it must be good if we have to wait 30 minutes to get seated.
This is excellent ramen but read its not authentic... regardless its very good. The soups are thick, heavy and a bit on the salty side which is why I gave it 4 stars but in terms of flavor its the best. Noodles are fresh and chewy but you need to roll over and take a nap after this meal.
Decent ramen, quick service, and good prices. This is not the kind of place you go for a nice fancy japanese meal. It's local, casual, and cheap. I personally like the Shoyu Ramen with Kim Chi. One thing to note, the special desserts they make daily are absolutely to die for. If you love panna cotta, you have to try their desserts! The last time I came here, they were making a black sesame panna cotta which was INCREDIBLE. The second time I came here, they were serving a red bean pudding which I wasn't able to try but looked delicious. Give this place a try if you are in the neighborhood or have a ramen craving.
I will make the longass 1 hour trip from Vallejo to San Mateo, just for the pork broth and stewed pork & roasted pork!
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The new location is better in terms of parking and ambiance, but with the new change comes a new experience. Sometimes change is good. Usually it is, but in this restaurant's case, change is BAD. Don't get me wrong, I still love this place and will drive down from SF just for a bowl of ramen, but I was greatly disappointed when I was seated and handed an old-fashioned menu.
MENU?!?! Are you out of your mind?! I wanted to stare at the wall for the five minutes debating whether I should go for the Miso soup base or the Soy Sauce soup base with my stewed pork. Now I have to actually look down at this two-paged plastic handout and engage in a pseudo-meaningful conversation with my fellow dinner-mates sitting across my table? No way. Gone are my fantasies of anticipating if the chicken karrage that's posted on the wall will be available tonight, because darn near everything on the "menu" is now in stock and available.
Good food, tasty ramen, but the soup base became less savory than I last remembered. I guess that went out the door, along with the whole hole-in-the-wall restaurant feel.
I miss you, Santa Ramen.
it doesn't taste the same anymore!! boooooo.....
I used to LOVE this place, I would crave for their ramen, make plans with friends and drive all the way to san mateo and stand in line forever for bowl of hot and tasty ramen.
Now that they've moved everything tastes different. Their service sucks. Confused with the seating. WHERE IS THE DARN SIGN UP SHEET?!
If I ever drive by there, I just might stop by for a bite. But I wouldn't go out of my way for it anymore. =(
My boyfriend and I were on our way to a nearby chinese restaurant when we saw a line coming from this restaurant. It was intriguing, so we finally made the trip back a couple of weeks later to see what it was all about. I've eaten ramen before and wasn't really a fan until I ate here.
We had to wait in line for about 45 minutes on a Saturday afternoon. But it was worth the wait. I thought the service was rather quick, but still full of quality. Their waitresses were polite and nice. I tried the miso soup and I loved it. The soup and the noodles were truly tasty indeed. My bf and I even switched since he had the pork flavor, and I couldn't stop eating his either. Definitely recommended if you don't mind the wait during high traffic.
If I had joined Yelp before they got their new location it would've been 5 stars. Yes, I miss their old location because:
1.) It was cheaper
2.) the quality was better
3.) the staff was nicer
I usually order the pork flavor with stewed pork but I felt like getting the miso flavor tonight. OMFG, why is their miso broth spicy now? why is it so salty? and the WORST part of all....why did my stewed pork come out like a topping on my ramen and it was freakin COLD!!! Yes, you read right, it was muthereffin COLD! Cold like it JUST came out from the fridge. When I asked the lady why it was cold, here's how the convo went...
me: excuse me, why is my stewed pork cold?!?!
lady: it's a topping, so its suppose to be cold
me: no its not, this is not my first time here, I've never got it cold like this before
lady: well i have a microwave here *points to microwave*, do you want to microwave it?
me: *rolls eyes with a disgusted look* no forget it
WTF...stewed pork is NOT suppose to be cold, its NOT suppose to be a topping, its NOT suppose to be hard. I was soooo disappointed. I hate how i cannot neglect them forever because I still love their spicy cod roe.
I will be back Santa Ramen only because theres no better ramen place, but no more stewed pork for me EVAR!
p.s. DO NOT order the chicken gizzard...its not worth your money. $3.50 gets you 2 skewers of rabbit poo sized gizzards that are overly grilled so it tasted like charcoal. BLAH!
How do you run out of soy sauce?
8:00 PM at night and you're out of 2/3 flavors of your ramen? How is that good business? I thought when they moved locations, they were looking to make more money ... expand their business ... You start by not running out of stuff!!
Still, I ate what they had and it was delicious.
Me thinks they really only have just 1 flavor a day and it's their ploy to get you to keep going back.
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I come here knowing very well I will get sick and eventually die. Ramen has never tasted so good until you realize it will silently kill you... I have issues with pork and pork products, and the magic that is Santa Ramen comes only in a delicious, and deadly to me, pork broth soup.
The last time I was here, my friend's girl friend asked me to please stop eating the ramen because i was losing color in my skin and looking very ill... I didn't listen to her because this ramen is soooo good. I paid for it alright later that night... it was the worse feeling I have had in a long time, but man was it worth it. I seriously have dreams of this ramen... and I know it will hurt me.. hurt me so good.
I am hungry for some delicious hurting.
I'm going tomorrow night!
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I'm going to have to be a dissenting opinion here. I remember my last meal at Santa was at their old location and it was a solid four-star experience. With that in mind, I finally made it out to the new location.
I like the color scheme of the new environs, beech wood paneling on beige wallpaper, contrasting with the dark (maple?) tables and seats. And while I think that Santa's broths are very flavorful, i do have to gripe about about the somewhat limited offerings with their basic ramen - at most 4 ingredients. Sure, there are lots of options that you can tack on but all that is for extra cost.
Also I don't appreciate how they tend to run out certain items (typically the stewed pork but also particular broths at times); I understand how making stuff a limited commodity can increase it's demand and popularity but not everyone can make it there at the opening bell. Also, the lack of a clipboard kind of irks me, but that's probably just me. I do have to give them props for their efficiency - we ordered while waiting in line and our food arrived within five minutes of being seated. However, I can easily imagine it being rather overwhelming for a ramen neophyte.
Overall, a solid ramen-ya with ramen that's easily in the 4-star range, though with enough detractions to drop them a full star.
I've been coming here for several years - for those of you who are new you have to understand what it used to be like to really appreciate the changes and limitations. I would argue that the small decrease in quality is more than offset by the ease at getting seated at the new place.
My favorite is still the tonkatsu with the stewed pork (if you can get it). The broth here is better than any other place I've tried in the bay area although some places have better noodles. The prices seems to have gone up - adding a few options really can add up but if you keep it simple there are few comparable alternatives in the San Mateo area.
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Noodles were tasty, broth was delicious. I took my dad here, who is a ramen fanatic and he liked the ramen. Only problem is how ridiculously long the line was. We arrived about 20 min before the restaurant even opened on a Saturday and the line nearly wrapped around the Shoe Pavilion. Fortunately we got the last table for the first seating. The staff really makes sure that every single seat is filled, if you have a group of 3, they will not give you a table for 4 if the counter seats are still open. We had to wait quite a bit for our noodles, I guess that's because they took a massive order of food once the doors opened. I can't justify waiting in a long line for food I consider Japanese fast food, but I'd definitely go again if the wait wasn't long.
The tonkotsu broth is surprisingly light considering it's supposed to be fatty soup. I didn't like the miso broth as much, it was a bit overpowering, but the shoyu and tonkotsu were very good.
Was a 5 but inconsitencies make it a 4.
I love this place. the ramen is top notch and it is definitely worth the wait. in its new location wait is not as long but still 30 mins.
At its best the ramen is the best thing i have ever eaten. soup is so good and flavorful and the fixings are tasty.
now that ive said all the goods, what happened to the kara-age lunch? those were the best. and some times the soup can be a bit greasy. otherwise no complaints.
Do not underestimate the potential for the wait at Santa Ramen. At 5:45pm on a Sunday night, the line curled around the inside waiting area and stretched out the door. It moves fairly quickly but know you will stand there waiting no matter when you come. If you are willing to sit at the bar you'll get seated a little quicker.
We had a nice pot of green tea with our ramen. I had the shoyu (soy sauce flavor) ramen with extra roasted seaweed and corn- great choices! The ramen comes with bamboo shoots, green onions, 1 piece of roasted seaweed, and 2 pieces of pork (which I nixed). Corn was awesome! Ray had the miso flavored ramen with extra noodles. He said he should have skipped the extra, it was way too much and he couldn't finish it. He liked the miso broth and the pork; I gave him some of my corn and seaweed. I liked both broths but definitely preferred my own. I couldn't help thinking it was definitely the most fattening ramen I've ever had- that broth has a good amount of fat which is why it's so flavorful.
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Santa Ramen has been satisfying my Japanese Ramen cravings for quite a while now. I've been going to the old location for awhile until they shut down. This is the first time I've been to Santa Ramen since it's new opening on El Camino.
Let me say, that this place is A LOT bigger then its old location, which is great because there won't be a long line like the old location where you would have to wait nearly an hourly just to get a seat. Ventilation is much better, you won't be sweating like a pig when you're eating, and this place is a lot brighter as well.... i love the new location.
Now to the ramen, they still have the same great ramen. When i go, i always order the miso flavor ramen, because it comes with great toppings, and comes with 2 pieces of pork. One thing i noticed that was different was the pork, they are thin slices or pork, instead of the huge pieces of pork that they use to serve.. what happen!? Getting cheap or what? I was totally upset! The broth has the same great flavor, and it was a nice thick broth as well. PERFECT! Make sure you order the ramen noodles harder... much chewier and a lot better texture to the noodles.
Still same great ramen, but at a new great location!
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I can't add much to the others' reviews except that the last time I ate here with my friend Tomo, I found out that the Japanese lady with salt and pepper hair who works during lunchtime isn't the owner. The owner, a Mr. Takahashi, is one of the chefs and works in the back -- and sometimes his wife waitresses.
If you can't justify spending $10 on a bowl of ramen, head over to Nijiya for Myojo Chukazanmai. For the dry kind it's usually $1.29 but you can find it on sale at Marina Market for $.99 sometimes. Also, if you want to get fancy, they have the refrigerated ramen in tonkotsu flavor for about $3.99 or $4.99. While it's not the same as tonkotsu from Santa, you won't have to wait in a line for over 20 minutes and you can add whatever toppings you like.
Ramen toppings:
chashiu - they have fresh chashiu at Suruki
moyashi (mung bean sprouts)
menma (bamboo shoots)
beni shoga (red ginger)
yude tamago (hard boiled egg)
Oh, and canned corn.
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I didn't really hear much hype about this place. A few friends were interested in trying it because they went to Japan and missed eating good ramen I guess. So I went with them to see what it's like and I had a decent dining experience.
Let's see, I waited about 20 minutes on a Saturday night. They ran out of pretty much everything; soy sauce and miso flavor, only had pork flavor left. I ordered the pork flavor by default with the addition of garlic and to drink; large hot sake. The hot sake came first. It was very good hot sake, not too hot to the touch or lips and very smooth. I think after I finished the sake it was about 7-8 shots. For $5.50 it's a great deal. The food was served promptly and hot; everyone's food pretty much arrived at the same time. I was expecting freeze dried noodles but it came with what looked like hand made noodles which is confusing but it tasted pretty good. The soup was flavorful especially with the fried garlic and green onions, but I did add some pepper and red pepper flakes. The red pepper flakes were disappointing as I thought it would've kicked the soup up a notch and gave it some more character but all it did was just season the soup a little bit. The two slices of pork was pretty basic.
For what I got I would say this is pretty expensive. It cost me a whopping $9 with the addition of garlic not including tax and tip. The portions could be bigger like at a vietnamese pho noodle house. It doesn't fill you up. In fact an hour later, all of us ended up at Bj's Brewhouse ordering some appetizers. Although the service is excellent and the food is pretty decent, I would probably not go out of my way to go to Santa Ramen. I would just save the drive and add hot water to my cup noodles in the comfort of my own home.
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