Ushi Taro Ramen

How can anyone say no to a soft opening of a new ramen shop with a killer sign out front? It's hard to keep track of the shops that have come and gone around here, but I sure hope Ushi Taro is here to stay!

I'd love if someone could help me translate the name, all I'm getting so far on google is "cow bath" and if that's right, I kind of dig it. The menu contains small to mid-size appetizers on the left, ramen options on the right, and some extras on the bottom. Back to the cow bath, this place differs from others in their use of beef instead of the usual pork!

For tonight's soft opening, I tried their mushroom tempura, edamame, original ramen, and tsukemen. The fried mushrooms were fantastic, the edamame shells were a bit tough (no, I didn't try to eat them), and the ramen was something new to me. The ramen dishes came out with some toppings that differed from the menu but I was hungry and ate it all up--except for the truffles, that was too much! The original came with an onsen egg (this was SO GOOD), rare-ish peppered beef, king oyster mushroom, and some green onions. My tsukemen was basically the original minus broth plus a thick tomato beef stew. The noodles had just the right bounce and flavor for me, I usually hate on most ramen noodles! I honestly love tomatoes so this worked out today, but it's definitely an interesting take on tsukemen (reminded me of spaghetti).

To close this up, I really appreciated that someone from the kitchen came out to ask us about the dishes as we finished up. He noticed that I had some noodles left but was out of "broth," something to be adjusted for next time. Apparently the gyoza is amazing, maybe I'll try it next time!

It's a small place and they don't serve any alcohol. But, despite these factors, everything is so delicious that you wouldn't be bothered by it anyway. Service is friendly and fast even when there is a waitlist, the waitress/host isn't rushing you out to leave.

The menu is simple compared to many other ramen joints I've been to, but that's the beauty of it. There's nothing to overcomplicate. The whole table got some spicy broth; it was the first time I almost finished it! My boyfriend isn't the biggest fan of ramen and he even finished his bowl and tried to get some of mine!

The crispy mushrooms app was yummy, but it could have been accompanied by some dipping sauce to add more dynamic flavor.

Definitely would come here again!

Small ramen restaurant on 9th Avenue with a limited menu - that's a good thing because they do everything well.

Seating is limited with large shareable tables and bench seating facing the wall or looking out the front window onto 9th Avenue traffic.

We had the addictive Crispy Mushrooms, the Traditional Paitan Ramen, and the Original Shio Ramen. Both ramens were very good with tasty, not too oily broths, and chewy noodles.

I'd recommend this ramen place if you're in the area.

The soup came with beef instead of tonkatsu and it was super, super good! I got the Spicy and it was tasty. There's a hint of beef but it was pretty similar to spicy tonkotsu. My friend got the Shoyu and that broth tasted amazing! Also got the beef Karaage which was interesting but too chewy for me.

Restaurant itself is small but really cute! I love the aesthetic. Went at 1pm on Sunday and there was no wait!

I came here on a weekday night a little before closing and I was shocked to see that it was still crowded and people were still coming in. Immediately, my expectations for this spot were high and luckily, it ended up meeting these expectations.

I ordered the spicy ramen and thought this was the perfect comfort meal! The beef broth was delicious and the beef fillet in it was *chefs kiss*. The combination of flavors in it were really good and complemented each other well.

The restaurant itself is really tight and you'll be sharing tables with other parties and sharing elbow space with them. Service is friendly but there was only one waitress there when I went, and I was able to tell she was really busy running around helping everyone. I came as a party of 2 and there was no wait for us to be seated, surprisingly, but the bigger parties that came before us did have a wait.

Overall, if you're looking for delicious ramen, come here!! But if you're looking for ambiance, this might not be your spot.

I had such a difficult time w the parking. Rip Good luck with street parking or pay for a parking spot.

I enjoyed the taste and the tender meat. It would be great if I can adjust the sodium of the ramen to fit my palette better. The place is quite small. We didn't have to wait in line.

This place surprised me - it's an unassuming little shop in the inner Sunset, but don't let it fool you. This place offers a solid bowl of ramen with savory soup, noodles with good chew, and it's all topped with really nice tender slices of beef. I will say the spicy broth could be spicier, but the flavor is still quite good. The service is fast, and the place is nice and clean. It can get busy fast though, so try to get there a little earlier if you're trying for lunch/dinner! Overall: 4.5/5

Very cute interior and great for lunch! I got the spicy ramen which wasn't too spicy and had tender beef slices with truffle soup. Definitely felt lighter than pork based ramens and is worth a try!

S E R V I C E:

Parking was easy to find on the street and we were seated right away, even though they were pretty busy. We were lucky we came right when they opened because when we left, there was a line outside. It's small inside, so be prepared for that. Also, they don't have restrooms.

F O O D:

I ordered their vegan ramen and the flavor was SO good. I added an extra egg, the noodles were al dente, and the arugula on top added the perfect little kick. My taste buds were very happy with the different flavors, and they all came together very well. We also shared garlic edamame, beef karaage, and Fried Mushrooms. The fried mushrooms were very light and crispy and the edamame had a good amount of garlic.

O V E R A L L:

I can't wait to come back! One of my favorite ramen places to date!

Ushi Taro looked like a really good restaurant to try from social media and pictures, but I ended up being a little disappointed.

The location itself is fairly small, and on a cold day, we were constantly affected by wind. The servers were nice and accommodating, but the food itself was not the best.

Although the ramen was cooked well, all of the dishes were overly salty. This made them all taste very similar, and not that appealing.

This place is sooo delicious! I came with my partner on a late Sunday afternoon to grab dinner. I'm so glad we decided on this spot.

I ordered the traditional paitan ramen w/ garlic oil on the side, while my partner ordered the oxtail tomato ramen. We also ordered bone marrow! Both of our broths were so good and flavorful. I love the chewiness of the ramen, egg was perfectly jammy, and it was a pretty good portion of food.

This is my first time trying bone marrow. I'd have to say, I was obsessed. It was seasoned so well. I was trying to savor each bite.

There was no wait when we arrived (we came before the dinner rush). Sat at the window bar table. Service was good. Restaurant is a bit small, but decently spacious enough from other tables.

I'm excited to come back again!