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Mon-Fri. 11:30 a.m. - 2:30 p.m.
Mon-Fri. 5:30 p.m. - 10:30 p.m.
Sat-Sun. 11:30 a.m. - 10:30 p.m.
Looking for spicy ramen? Look no further!
Diner B and I have long been searching for good spicy asian soup to replace Super Bowl, our long lost neighborhood noodle house back in Seattle. In Tanpopo we may have found a worthy substitute. It's nestled deep in the heart of Japantown, so it's a bit of a trip from the Sunset, but it's worth the commute.
For the spicy experience, be sure to order the kamamiso. For the meat averse among us, the kamamiso base can be ordered with any of their normal ramens, like the seafood one, but it's unclear if the kamamiso itself is vegi-friendly... probably not. But really, the broth just can't be beat. Deep flavors and amazing spices make it so totally worth gobbling up. Just as a point of reference, I enjoy my pho as much as the next dude, but I almost always leave broth behind because it's just too much to eat. With the kamamiso, I drained the bowl dry.
By default the kamamiso comes with pork, which I ordered. Sadly you only get one piece of this delicious, tender explosion. But, fear not, for you can order the kamamiso with EXTRA pork, and you can bet your fifth star that I'm getting the extra pork next time. I broke off little pieces and savored each one, such was the total enjoyment of the pork.
Diner B went the seafood route, and his bowl was heaped with crab, shrimp, and squid... though he certainly paid for the portions. My pork bowl was more reasonably priced at only $8. And as I said before, the spice was excellent. I could certainly have gone for a couple more notches of spice, but near the bottom of the bowl, where the peanuts had soaked up a lot of the spicy oil, the heat was truly outstanding.
No question I'll be back for more.
You know, I used to love this place. Good ramen, Chaa Hun (Japanese style fried rice), reasonable prices.
I went there the other day to fulfill my craving for Chaa Hun. They had the most authentic Japanese style fried rice in San Francisco.
Then what happened? I order chaa hun without even looking at the menu. They served authentic soup for chaa hun. Nice. That's the way to go.
I was already happy about how the dinner went so far. When I got the chaa hun, I could believe what I saw. "Are those seaweed?"
"Whhhhhhhhhhy?!"
I wanted to scream like Charlie Brown.
What I saw were shreds of green and brown seaweed in my fried rice. It looked gross. Well, since that was my decision, I tasted.
Gross!!
Whose the hell's idea to put seaweed in to fried rice? Whoever the idea was, must be insane!!
I love fried rice in general. Especially, authentic Japanese style chaa hun. I think I had fried rice in, at least, 2-300 different places in Japan, United States, and some other Asian countries(well, I'm not young that's why but). That was THE most disgusting fried rice I ever eaten in my life.
I don't wanna go back under any circumstances. There's some other places for ramen for me anyway. I'll be in the quest of good authentic Chaa hun from now on......
This is our new favorite cheap eats dinner spot! We went on a Wednesday night at around 7 pm and walked right in. The place was packed and the service very friendly.
We both had the salt broth, I had pork the husband had chicken. I think the vote was that the pork was the best. We also started with their gyoza platter, hot, small and awesome!
I would highly recommend this place for an inexpensive dinner. They have Saporro on tap for $2! I wasn't here for a long line night, and I'm not sure we would have stayed if that was happening. But, on a cold night this place is a go-to for sure. For two big bowls of soup, gyoza and two draft beers we left for $35 including tip!
Ok, so I met 2 of my friends here for dinner last night. The line was out the door and they don't take reservations but let me tell you it was worth the wait.
I had the Spicy Miso Ramen with Charshu. It was soooo good the broth was awesome. We also had Yakisoba, Kim Chee with Pork (wasn't as spicy as I though it was going to be but still delicious) as well as Tonkatsu and Curry it tasted just like my grandmother used to make (tear. . .). We had the blue $13 bottle of sake. Can't remember the name but it was smooth.
I told my boo, we're going to have to make a trip out to Japan Town so I can take him there. I'll definitely be back and bring the fam, can't wait to try the rest of their dishes.
Great prices!
Yay, I finally gave Tanpopo a visit!
This was after looking for Tanpopo inside the mall and tripping on the stairs only to find that Tanpopo is not in the building. It was my boyfriend's fault.
I really wanted ramen and also really wanted the ikafry.. and my boyfriend also wanted ramen. So we ordered 2 ramen lunch specials and one ikafry. It wasn't like how I thought fried squid would be.. they were more like mozzarella sticks with squid instead of cheese.
I had the chasu ramen in the salt broth, while my boyfriend had the katsu chicken in salt broth. Both were very good.. but I did not dare to drink any of that broth. There was so much fat, and it was solidifying during my meal into white globs.
Two guys came in while we were eating, and apparently one guy had already eaten prior to coming here. The waitress informed them that each person must order a minimum of $5. The non-hungry guy actually left his friend to eat by himself. And the waitress let him leave. I think it's a stupid rule.
Overall, the food was good, but I don't think I would come back because of the extremely fattening broth. I know that there are other places with ramen just as good with a broth less oily.
This is one of my favorite ramen places, love it! very cheap, service isn't the greatest.. but the food is the best. got the softshell crab as an appetizer, SOO GOOD.
Went back for my sister-in-law's b-day. The yakisoba was THEE BEST I've ever had. It was nicely seasoned and nicely cooked. I wasn't very hungry when we went but I couldn't get enough of the yakisoba.
But... what I don't understand is why:
1. They don't serve complimentary tea.
2. When they serve tea, it's in a plastic bottle that has been boiled.
3. Their ice water comes from those plastic dispenser bottles.
*shrug*
So I can't give it a full blown 5 as I've had ramen only a couple times before having had some at… Read more »
RAMEN:
Good quality, big portions, very tasty,
I'd say its one of the best places for ramen here in the city.. The shoyu chasu ramen is what i like to order. Plenty of noodles and roasted pork all in a delicious savory broth. You can even go big, if you are super hungry and get the large bowl, but a normal bowl is plenty for your average person.
Sometimes the service is a bit slow, so if you are in a rush, you may be taking a chance.
If you looking for a good bowl of "ramen" you can't go wrong here. There is plenty of different types of ramen on the menu.
Also they have a lunch special you can add a bowl of fried rice with your ramen for like $2 bucks or something like that, its a good deal.
Cravings! Cravings!
I don't know why I sometimes crave for ramen so much when there are tons of fine dishes around me! This is like a alcoholic without alcohol or a smoker without a cigarette.
This is my usual ramen place.
Ramens at this place are very comforting.
It is not "super delicious!" but simply "good" !
Shoyu ramen is simple but good with fried rice and gyoza.
And the prices are right.
I always wish this restaurant were on the first floor of my apartment.
My favorite ramen place in SF to date.
They have a bunch of ramens to choose from, and are very accommodating with special requests. Most notably their soy based broth rocks! Besides ramen they also do a bunch of other noodle dishes and appetizers. While they have beer on tap and a bunch of Sake too don't miss out on the ice cold Budweiser for $2.
For a filling and comforting meal on a budget this place is hard to beat. I also love the feel inside; it's like a neighborhood Japanese diner, bar stools and all.
This was my first Ramen house restaurant...So i honestly don't have something to compare it too. All of my friends mentioned it was one of the better places in the city and since we were just right down the street at New People, we decided to eat here. This place was very packed when I walked in! I was very surprised! We ended up squeezing one more person into our table due to the crowd but it was okay for us.. The closer, the more body heat for me :) Fast service. One bathroom in the back for all.
I got the Chashu Ramen with extra Chashu.. It was actually pretty good with the egg and other ingredients. the broth itself is where you can't make at home.. I've always thought why go to a ramen house? I can just make a ramen pack at home! But after some alcohol consumption, it definitely is worth it. It is another alternative to Pho! Around $8 for a bowl/dish.
I am definitely interesting in trying out other ramen places now to see what the differences may be! We'll see!
I came here with my bf & friend on a blistery cold Saturday afternoon & yes I made the mistake of only bringing flip flops, so I was hankering for something hot to warm me up! Prior to planning the day out, I was looking up restaurants that were cheap in/near J-Town & came across Tanpopo...I remembered the name of the restaurant that day because it reminds me of tampon or Tampax...I swear, heey we were taught at a young age to associate words to help us understand definitions & spellings!
I ordered the moyashi ramen, which has a soy based broth and came with garlic, bean sprouts & cha shu. It also came with the standard "freebies" a fish cake, half hard boiled egg and some seaweed, even though I passed the fish cake and hard boiled egg to my friend & bf, no me gusta, nope nope!
The wait for food wasn't too long, maybe like 10 minutes or so. The soup was served piping hot and wasn't too salty, yay! Overall it was just okay. The price was a decent $8. I was surprised though that it came with only a slice of pork. I get three at Himawari in San Mateo. They both got the wonton ramen. I asked my friend how it compares to Chinese wonton, and she said there's nearly not enough filling as with wonton in Chinese restaurants.
The restaurant isn't as nice as other ramen restaurants I've been too, no catchy decor or lights or ambiance. Service was fine & I think they serve bottled water in glasses lieu of tap. I may go back if I'm hungry and looking for lunch/dinner at J-Town, maybe I'll pass on the ramen though & another type of noodle dish & they do have an extensive menu, which I appreciate; they also have lunch specials even on weekends. And, I didn't see reviews of the bathroom til after I went, maybe I came on a good day because it didn't look scary to me, thankfully!
I've been craving Ramen ever since my trip to Sydney, where I had the best Ramen. I was hopeful that Tanpopo would have Ramen similar to Sydney... Unfortunately, it didn't even come close.
I've never been crazy about Ramen prior to my trip to Sydney. To me, Ramen was rather basic, plain & boring with too little meat and vegetables. Ryo in Sydney (in Crows Nest Neighborhood) changed my view on Ramen forever! The broth was different from the basic soy or miso base. It was so rich in flavor, I could drink 5 bowls of broth alone. The pork was moist, tender with just the right amount of fat. The egg was so different, I could hardly believe it was a hard boiled egg (still don't know what they did to it). The noodles were cooked just right, slightly chewy. It was simply one of the best things I've ever had! Was that really Ramen?
Now back to Tanpopo.... I ordered the Kyushu Ramen (pork broth). It wasn't extraordinary and was very much like every other ramen I've had in my life. There was only one thinly sliced, somewhat dry pork. One typical hard boiled egg. A small amount of Japanese pickled vegetable and bean sprouts. The broth was plain. The ramen was $8 plus tax.
I've heard Santa Ramen is the place to go for Ramen in the Bay area. I'm hoping Santa will be more like my experience in Sydney. My search continues....
Oh, and here's a review on Ryo's in Crows Nest in case anyone is going to Sydney in the near future.... http://grabyourfork.bl...
HANDS DOWN !!! This place has the best japanese ramen in the Bay Area, i'm telling you !!! A friend of mine recently came back from Japan and he said it's as good as Japan !!! TAKE THAT !! ahahha I know what i'm talking about XP
Service is great. All the waitress who work here are very friendly and fast. You can even reserve table(s) ahead of time because they do get really packed from time to time, especially during lunch hours. The ramen here is at a reasonable price, roughly $7-11 per person. Their plum wine per glass is only $5 for the orginal and $6 for their house.
I've tried their :
- Shoyu Ramen with Chashu
soy sauce soup base ( My favorite !!! )
- Karamiso Ramen with Chashu
spicy miso soup base
- Miso Ramen with Chashu
miso soup base
- Curry with Katsu
rice with japanse curry & katsu
ALL PHOTOS POSTED !!! CHECK THEM OUT ~!!! (^___^ ) v
This place knows its noodles!
Tanpopo's menu is huge and consists primarily of soup and noodle entrees and ONLY one appetizer item, gyozas.
We came here for lunch last Friday to escape the 90-degree heat wave that was hitting Japantown only to find that they did not have air conditioning. The servers were all super friendly, efficient, and cordial as they continued to refill our glasses with ice water. The Ja Ja Men (dry noodles with spicy pork gravy and cucumbers) was savory yet still light in texture. One of the $7 lunch specials, stir fried beef & vegetables, came with a clear soup and rice was excellent! The veggies were crisp and fresh and the meat tender and juicy.
I had high hopes for the appetizer since it IS the only item offered. The 7 pieces of gyoza we ordered arrived to the table looking absolutely nothing like the nice photo that a fellow Yelper had posted for this place :0(
The ones that we were served were burnt black on the bottom and came out as one huge glob all stuck together, rather than in 7 individual pieces. As we tried to separate the bulging leviathan dumpling with chopsticks, the whole gyoza blob burst wide open and it's contents spurted out...Aliens!!!
Nah, perhaps it was an off day for this dish? It was a super hot day, after all.
Bottom line is would I try this place again? Oh Yeah, in cooler weather though!
I'd give 2.5, but can't.
Out of all the times I've been there to eat, I've never had an uncomfortable experience until this last time. We got the seats next to the door and and the place was packed. The wind was blasting constantly with the amount of people coming in and out of the door. There was a line that was waiting for a tables, that crammed right up against my seat.
But that's just the seating. The spicy miso chashu ramen was lackluster compared to other ramen restaurants I've been to. There wasn't a whole lotta extra pork nor was there anything else that really made this dish robust. It had a whole lotta noodles and nothing else. I should have ordered extra pork or something.
What did taste great though, was the soup base and the noodles. It would have been cream of the crop if there was a hint of corn, extra pork, etc... or am I just spoiled?
I don't get it. Why would anybody spend $10+ on a bowl of ramen that you can easily make for yourself. I came here with my mom and boyfriend. We each ordered a bowl of ramen. The bill came out to be like $30+. None of us were full from it. And to think that for $30, we could've bought packages of ramen, meat, eggs and seaweed from a japanese supermarket and made it ourselves and would've been damn full from it.
Not worth the money. Isn't even that great. Can do it at home.
I've been here...like three times? Only had the spicy karamiso ramen. It tastes pretty decent. Spicy, mind you, and I'm Korean, so I know what spicy means. Be prepared to sniff a couple of times due to the spiciness. The chashu pieces are kinda hit or miss. Some times good, some times small and too thick.
When I went there.. for dinner, there weren't that many people in front of us and I think we could sit down within 15 minutes.
It was funny though how they don't try to hide their lack of authenticity when it comes to green tea. When my friend ordered green tea for 3 dollars! (0_o;;) the owner brought a cup and a bottle of tea...my friend was really flustered haha
does anyone know if this place just recently changed ownership? I came here yesterday and was kinda disappointed with the meal. First of all, our bowls of ramen (Shoyu Ramen with chashu) came out almost 15 minutes after ordering. The 2 tables next to us sat down and ordered after us actually got their food before us. (** That's really the biggest pet peeve at a restaurant!!!) I can't imagine why it would take over 15 mins for a bowl of soup noodle - I mean, everything should already been prepared! All they need to do is really just pour the soup into the bowl. The waitress didn't even apologize for the delay.
The ramen was lumpy and there were globs sitting together. The soy sauce-based soup was soooo salty we couldn't even drink any of it. Really disappointed.
this used to be one of my favorite places for Ramen. It's authentic and service is very good. But this time around, our waitress who was there who didn't speak Japanese, didn't offer us any good service at all and wasn't apologetic. She wasn't in an uniform so that's leading me to believe that she may be now one of the owners... did they really change ownership?
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Review #125
Yurp Just like the movie... Same name, same concept. Ramen...
Thats all there is to say cuz thats what they do best. They also serve the regular Japanese country cuisine like curry katsu and grilled fatty mackerel, but its the ramen that stands out the most. The rocken steamy hot broth is filled with fatty meat bits that float to the top, green onion, bamboo shoots, thick slices of fatty pork, 1/2 a hard boiled egg, and perfectly cooked house made noodles. The noodles are soft yet chewy and full of flavor. It comes in 3 flavors as always miso, soy, and my favorite SALT. The spicy one also looks good and seemed to be the big hit, however I am a purist so I get the original. You can get all the ramen with extra pork, reg size or large. But keep in mind portions are pretty large already. But a must have side is the small cup of fried rice served with pickles. Its really good with the broth!
Order the mackerel!! That thing was delicious! Came served sizzling on the side with a seperate bowl of rice. Cant say how good the ramen was, but lets face it, ramen is ramen. Fish can go wrong in so many ways, but this place did it right!
Been here a few times. Good choice of ramen and good size portions. Very consistent so far, always good noodles and good service. Price isn't bad for the area, Jtown. Lots of people who work in the area eat here.
If you like ramen noodle soup, then this is the place to go! They have a plethora of ramen soup varieties with steak and other delicious meats. Our food came out very quickly! Did I mention the portions are quite generous and the prices are quite amazing? Oh, did I also mention that they have beer on tap?
A traditional Japanese noodle house. Need I say more?
Much has already been said about this popular ramen joint in japantown. I will just my little two cents in .. the portions are NOT as big as some of the other places in the City or the Bay Area, but their broth is among the most tastiest and authentic around. I've been to Japan many times, and this place has it down ya'll. Order the Kyushu ramen and you will be very happy.
That is all. Thank you and good night.
I like this place! This restaurant isn't big but it's good enough for a small group of friends with good appetites. When I walked inside the restaurant, the place clean and well-kept. Our server spoke both Japanese and English as I overheard her taking orders for a couple next to us in Japanese. Pretty fluent too! I guess this would be an ideal place for Japanese tourists.
We ordered two beef karamiso ramen, one vegetable karamiso ramen, and fried udon with vegetables along with a few bottles of hot green tea. One star off for the fried udon due to its excessive oil on the plate! I would recommend you are better off ordering their ramen cause I took a few bites of it and it is delicious! It comes in a big bowl also for all you hungry eaters out there :)
Everyone's always telling me mixed stories about this place. Looks like it usually is hit or miss. But then again, to me, ramen is a dish that will never be consistent (unless you are Daikokuya) and never be interpreted the same. Considering that Japan has over a dozen different types of ramen depending on what region of the country you are in, it's no surprise that everyone has their own interpretation. In one sense, it seems like everyone will always have their own favorite ramen place that their palates are accustomed to, and then use that as a reference point to compare everything else. But I digress.
I ordered the Kyushu Chashu ramen, which is just the Kyushu ramen with additional Chashu and the gf ordered the miso ramen, her usual staple. We also ordered gyoza.
Both ramen came out at the same time, hot, but not piping hot. My broth was the milky broth, which one expects after hours and hours of simmering pork bones and meat. It wasn't rich like Himawari's, and didn't have the small bits of fat floating on the top. That was a nice surprise but I was afraid that the lack of fat would have produced a less intense flavor. But I was wrong, it was almost as good as Himawari's, just lack a bit more of a kick. It was meaty and had flavor, but just not enough to make me go "Wow!" Thankfully that ramen pepper was there and it lifted everything back. The noodles were average. They didn't really have the bite or chewiness that you get at Himawari (if you haven't noticed already, my Bay Area reference point is Himawari) and can't even come close to Daikokuya. The egg was disappointing. Hard boiled, powdery yolk and rubbery white. I tossed the yolk. Chashu was good, not a lot of excess fat and tender.
Her miso ramen was also different. Usually, the miso ramen comes kind of cloudy or at least it doesn't look clear. Hers tasted good, tasted like miso, but there simply wasn't enough. A little more would have made it better. But all together, we both agreed that it was decent, nothing more.
Gyoza were nothing really to write home about. Didn't even really taste homemade either.
All in all, I guess I can say that I've found a place that I can go to without having to drive all the way to San Mateo (or LA for the matter) for a bowl of ramen. It's decent, and I'll be back to try the other kinds of ramen they offer, but if I'm really craving a good bowl of ramen, I'll be making the longer drive to the Peninsula.
Came here for dinner with my friend Thursday night. This place was packed!
I ordered the Miso Chicken Ramen (with Karrage chicken) and the Adashi tofu. The ramen was good, I'd say a bit on the salty side but the noodles and deep fried chicken was a nice combination. The tofu was also not bad.
Prices here are mostly $10 and under and portions were just right.
Service here was friendly although our waiter did not refill our water glasses til the very end but he was very energetic and welcoming.
Wouldn't mind returning but I think I still prefer Suzu or Katana-Ya
I enjoy coming to Tanpopo on occasion. What I enjoy about their menu is the wide variety of soup choices for ramen: miso, shoyu, salt, spicy miso. I am a big fan of the miso ramen, which comes with half an egg, onions, ground pork, a piece of chashu and the yummy bamboo shoots. Tonite I had dinner here with my friend Celia (hey Celia!), and we also ordered the geso shiokye (grilled squid legs) - which was yummy.
This restaurant really should be 3.5 stars. What don't I like? That they don't serve hot tea. How can a Japanese restaurant not serve hot green tea by default? What they serve instead is bottled cold green tea for $3.00. I usually end up with a glass of ice water. But everytime I come in here, I can always here the comment "how can there be no hot tea here?" That alone is worth half a star being docked off. ( I don't give 5 stars away that easily)
Beware, the restaurant is a small one room only, with few tables. There is also a counter with stools. The ramen is good, but the lacking hot tea gets to me every time.
Found this while walking around looking for Nijiya Market.
Nice spot. Looked nice inside; service was fine.
Mom ordered the shoyu ramen, I ordered the ja ja men. She really liked the soup base of her ramen and the quality of the noodles. I never had ja ja men before, but thought it was okay. At first bite, it was almost too spicy for me, but the combination of the spicy ground pork with the cold noodles and cucumber balanced out the spiciness.
Portions were pretty big and we enjoyed our meal.
Traditional ramen is more about the quality of the broth and noodles, not so much the quantity of pork....but since this is not Japan, guess the taste preference is different...
For those who prefer the authentic ramen style, the Kyuchu ramen is THE one to try! The broth is so incredibly flavorful! You may cry a little toward the bottom of the bowl if you ever get there. Portion is large. I've tried the dry ramen with spicy minced meat too, good flavor, spicy with a hint of sweetness. All the side dishes are good too, grilled octopus, mackerel...mmmmhm!
What a City we live in! Apparently, we have two different restaurants in San Francisco: one called Tanpopo and one - Tampopo. Most cities would kill for just one of those, but we have both. This review is for Tanpopo, a nice noodle place in Japantown.
My friend and I were looking for a casual and inexpensive dinner option last Friday night, and she suggested Tanpopo. She claimed that the ramen here "tastes exactly like in Japan," and who was I to argue? I haven't had ramen since college, and I haven't been to Japan yet. Japan is on my list of places to visit, since my "Baseball is Life" list won't be complete without a couple of reviews of Japanese ballparks.
We parked on Post St and arrived at Tanpopo around 5:20, only to learn that the place didn't open until 5:30. We sat outside for a few minutes watching them empty buckets of water onto the sidewalk, vacuum the carpet and finish setting the tables.
At 5:30 on the dot, the place came alive. I am not sure where all those people came from, but by 5:35, the place was almost full. We almost got yelled at for trying to sit at a bigger table, so we quietly complied and picked a smaller table for two. This is NOT the place to be seen, unless you are interested in mingling with a 55+ Asian crowd. I actually felt as though I was in Japan.
Our waitress, who is most likely the owner of the place, was extremely efficient. She was a little hard to understand, but she was very nice and tried to make us feel welcome by smiling and making small talk. My friend order spicy ramen with pork, and I quickly ordered the same thing. Since my noodle experience is limited to pho, which I love, by the way, I was pleasantly surprised by this ramen dish. It was hot, spicy and sharp - not for sissies. Bring a tissue, because it will clear your sinuses right up, I promise. If Tanpopo were an Italian restaurant, I'd claim that the noodles were cooked "Al Dente," i.e. not too soft, not too hard. I wish we got more pork; it was delicious.
I asked for some hot tea, but the waitress told me that they didn't serve free tea, but there was an alternative. I couldn't understand exactly what she said, but when she asked me "Do you still want it?" I kind of gathered that I had to pay for it. I didn't argue, and a few moments later she brought me a warm sealed plastic bottle with Japanese tea. The tea was good, but it would have been a lot better if it had been hot, not tepid. The fried tofu we ordered as an appetizer was very bland, and the congealed crust did not look appealing. It was also pretty expensive for 3 cubes of tofu.
If I came here again, I would skip the appetizer and just order a bowl of noodles with extra pork. Yum.
So I've been on a ramen binge lately and I've been here once before (very drunk) so we came back to try it again.
This time we all had the Kyushu Chausu Ramen. The bowl came with 1 piece of chausu, bean sprouts, ginger, 1/2 egg, 1 piece of fish cake, 1 piece of fish cake and some bamboo shoots. It felt a little skimp for my taste on the pork and fixings in the soup, at other places it seems like they give you a little more. You can get the Kyushu Chausu Ramen + Chausu for an extra dollar. I thought the ramen was just okay. I have had better ramen in Mtn. View for sure.
Also they do not serve hot tea. They offer a wide variety of bottled teas and drinks.
OMG! I finally found a good place to try out ramen in SF. This place rocks. You should try the ankake chashu ramen with kara miso soup base, your taste buds will thank you for it. The price is reasonable and the location ideal. They have Kirin and Sapporo on tap and they come in these nicely frosted mugs. Their appetizers are also delish. The only thing that throws me off is that they don't serve you tea. A Japanese place that doesn't serve tea? :/ Seating is also limited, and it is quite popular.
Food here is pretty good. Ramen in general is good. The ChaSu one is among my favorite, although I've recently had the Ankeke and it was really yummy too (Choosing the ramen with the most words so I can try the most variety. haaa).
I haven't really had anything else here other than Ramen. What little I have ventured out to try is pretty good. The Ramen is REALLY good on a cold day, which is just about every other day in San Francisco.
The space is really small and its easy to bump into people. I've only really sat in booth space, and I'd HATE to sit in the middle area. There's all types of bumping that I don't want with my meal. Despite this, I've been here with groups up to 7, because they DO have a booth space that allows for moving around. It just might take a while before you get that particular booth.
During busy times, the service is really lacking. Usually, they're pretty good with serving. During their happy hours, they have 1/2 off drinks ($2 Sapporo? Hell yea!).
Used to liked this place a lot but not anymore. I got old BBQ pork in my ramen 3 times in a row!
I love spicy miso ramen, and Tanpopo makes the best spicy miso ramen in San Francisco. With a side of grilled whole squid, it's the perfect meal. I had tried Suzu and Katana, but theirs just don't measure up. On a busy day, which is almost everyday, service can be a bit slow. Also keep in mind that hot tea does not come free. There are better ramen places in the peninsula, but if you are in San Francisco and craving for ramen, then go to Tanpopo.
This is my all time favorite Japanese ramen place in the city so far. Karamiso is the one to go for anyone who is really into spicy noodle soup. (Even if you are having Seafood Ramen, which does not come with karamiso soup base usually, you can still choose different soup base if you'd like to with a dollar more.)
It's a good choice to have Gyoza or Mamena Garlic as well, if feeling need to be fed with more than a big bowl of ramen!!
It was still rather busy at 2.15pm on a Sunday afternoon, but fortunately, it's one of those places where people are pretty efficient with their meal, and the staff is quick to get to you. They give you a seat, you place your order and get your noodles within 10 minutes.
They had some lunch specials for $7 - which sounds like pretty good value but we were in the mood for ramen.
I ordered the Karamiso Ramen = miso based soup with boiled sprouts, chashu, half a boiled egg and fishcake. It was disappointing. The portion of noodles was good, but the broth was a little too salty. And I found out why there's always another item on the menu that's basically what you're ordering + more chasu for $1 more. The basic version will give you a 1/3 portion of chasu you'll get with a regular bowl of ramen elsewhere. It was half the size of a regular piece, and was too sweet. The noodles were nothing to write home about - nice texture, but it doesn't have that "house made" taste.
The better half ordered the champon ramen - which had veggies (not bean sprouts), squid, minced pork, half a boiled egg and chasu. He also received the same tiny piece of chasu, but was satisfied with the rest of his portion. bleah.
I've had better for $20 (two bowls of the regular ramen, no drinks + tax + tip). Too bad. Was really hoping to find a good ramen place in the city, but it seems like southbay is the place to go.
Drunk and stumbling after Cherry Blossom Festival.....want....ramen.....
I went to the Cherry Blossom Festival on the first Sunday and the following Saturday, and both days, I ended up at Tanpopo for ramen. Its just that good...especially when you're drunk!
I kept hearing about the yummy ramen here, and I finally got to try it! I got the Kyushu Ramen( http://static.px.yelp.... ). My friends either got that or the Karamiso Chashu Ramen( http://static.px.yelp.... ). The Kyushu broth was yummmmy! It was nice and creamy and very tasty. The noodles were nice and chewy and I liked the crunch of the bean sprouts. I tasted the Karamiso broth and it was pretty good...and then the spicy oil kicked in. It was good, but I couldn't eat a whole bowl of the spicy broth.
The service was a bit slow my first night, but it was understandable. All of the Cherry Blossom crowd seemed to have drifted into Tanpopo. The waitresses are very nice and always smiling even though they're running around like crazy. I'll definitely be back for their yummy ramen....*sluuuuuurp*
The first time I ordered ramen and it was pretty good.. The second time I ordered yakisoba---definitely not as good. The noodles tasted old and they were really really chewy.
The waiter was a little on the rude side... He had a really gruff attitude with us and he was a lot more friendly to the japanese-speaking couple next to us. I should have busted out my really bad japanese to get better service but I probably would have offended him.
Happy Hour Draft Beer $1.75!
Neighborhood: Nob Hill
99 cents beer & hot sake
Neighborhood: Excelsior
Neighborhood: Pacific Heights
Category: Japanese
Neighborhood: Pacific Heights
Category: Japanese
Neighborhood: Pacific Heights
Category: Japanese
Neighborhood: Pacific Heights
Category: Japanese
Neighborhood: Pacific Heights
Category: Japanese
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