21 Taste House

Honestly, I was not expecting the most from this spot. Along Ocean Ave near the Whole Foods and the library, had passed this spot many times. Decided to order some takeout after visiting the vet.

Ordered the original Tonkatsu and the Hakata style to-go.

BOTH WERE

First for to-go prep, they kept soup and noodles separate, big plus. In addition, they likely quick, pre- al dente, cooked the noodles while placing the roasted pork on top with other toppings.

While I likely couldn't replicate their plating (bowling actually), the food was delicious just 10 min after pickup. Broth was flavorful and rich, and the pork was roasted and the marbled fat melted deliciously.

Will definitely need to try again dine-in

Food: 5*; a great neighborhood staple; a nourishing hot filling meal especially in this stormy cold weather; they don't skimp on the meat; i had the original lobster pork flavored tonkotsu ramen. It was delicious.

Hubby had the deep fried chicken Katsu with curry sauce. He said it was a tad spicy for him but he doesn't like spicy at all so overall he said it was fine.

Service: 5*fast and friendly

Ambiance:3* your average chinese small non-descriptive restaurant.

We would come again if in the mood for ramen or rice bowls.

Portions are generous, especially for the prices.

Definitely a no frills, hole in the wall place to stop by for a quick bite or take out. Good place to go if you're a broke college kid, so it's nice that it's by city college and SF state.

My favorite was the chashu bowl, which felt never ending. You can easily take it home and make some more rice to stretch it out.

A simple and affordable hole in the wall ramen shop my friend took me to. The dishes here are very affordable for SF ($13-$15) and taste great. While it's nothing fancy and there's better ramen in the city, this is a solid pick with good noodles and tender meat. It wasn't super busy on a Friday night and the waitress was very kind and served us fast.

Never heard of it. And frankly it was just happenstance that I walked into this somewhat nondescript ramen shop on Ocean Avenue. It was empty just after the lunch hour, which didn't surprise me since I would've missed it if I blinked. Imagine my surprise when I perused the menu and discovered fifteen different ramen bowls listed. They take ramen seriously.

There was a subsection devoted to their in-house specialty broth enhanced with lobster and other seafood. I decided to order the $13.95 Paiku-men Ramen which was topped with slow-cooked beef ribs left in the pot for eight hours. Truthfully, the ribs were on the verge of being rubbery, but the tonkotsu broth was rich and flavorful.

The noodles were appropriately al dente, and the hard- boiled egg was present and accounted for. Interestingly they put in mixed greens which actually worked and sprinkled fried onions as a garnish (photo: https://yelp.to/f3zjlZzl98). It definitely exceeded my expectations and left me intrigued enough to consider coming back for the lobster broth. Hopefully I won't be the only customer in here.

FOOD - 4 stars...aside from the overcooked meat, it was a fine bowl
AMBIANCE - 3 stars...a bit dark and rather lonely
SERVICE - 3.5 stars..,attentive to me
TOTAL - 4 stars...they deserve more attention for their ramen creations

RELATED - Exploring the Outer Mission? Here's a collection of places I've visited and reviewed: https://bit.ly/37B1acE

Ramen was tasty, but a bit soup was a bit salty. Crowded with students when we arrived and then cleared out suddenly...maybe they were all going to the same event? Karaage was good: fresh and hot.

Great service, fast, and huge portions. While I wasn't a fan of this variety of Tan Tan Noodle, I usually like their ramens and curry rice.

Pretty fast service, no frills interior. Good ramen, not great. Shared the spicy tonkotsu and miso broth ramens. Noodles were good, but nothing special. The broths and toppings were flavorful and well executed. The karaage however was not--overcooked and hard, the best thing about them was that you won't have to worry about getting salmonella.

21 Taste House is a small hole in the wall, but a solid ramen spot if you're in the neighborhood! The interior is pretty small/narrow and seating may be limited. We went on a weeknight for dinner, but it was really easy to get a table since we probably missed the typical dinner rush. Since the restaurant is located on a big street, parking can be tricky, but there is some street parking on the side if you're lucky!

I got the Lobster Black Garlic Tonkatsu Ramen and this dish was packed with flavor! It's a combination of pork plus a small portion of lobster, but I will say the pork stands out more in terms of flavor. The black garlic wasn't overpowering, but this is also coming from a garlic lover! I will say that the broth felt a little oily and the dish is overall a heavy one, so make sure to come in when you're feeling very hungry! The service here wasn't anything impressive and I oftentimes found myself trying to flag the server for assistance, but it wasn't anything too significant that warrants a complaint. I think it was just more noticeable this time considering how the restaurant was rather empty the entire time.

But overall, this was a solid ramen hole in the wall for those looking for a decadent bowl of ramen!

Wow! They really pack that meat. Order delivery from here and you won't regret it. I'm so glad I gave them another try and this time, it did not disappoint.

Ordered the spicy tonkatsu and a whole soft shell crab on the side so that I could add it into my ramen.

The meat they included was soooo tender and just melted in your mouth. Especially the kakuni.

I should've taken a picture of the ingredients before adding them into a bowl. It was quite a lot. I could barely finish the ramen. I guess I'll have to eat it for a second meal.

10/10 recommend!

Great neighborhood restaurant. Come hungry.