Harumama Noodles + Buns (Little Italy)

Super cute place. The signature buns were tasty and fun! The service was prompt, and the servers were very nice. The only minor flaw was that the cucumber salad had too much dressing, but other than that, I would highly recommend this restaurant.

My son found this spot (shout out Noah) because his boy Faze Rug recommended it. I tried the Me So Hot 🔥 I must say it was the greatest Tonkatsu I've tried by far. For sushi, I got the crunchy salmon yo massive Crunch & Flavor Flav! Loved the place so much. I had to buy some merch for the memories The entire staff was awesome, and it made us feel very welcome. Parking was a pain, but if you're patient enough, you'll get lucky. I will definitely be back soon. Even if I have to drive 5 hours again.

I’ve never had such an iconic bun in my life. Had a lovely time eating solo here. The staff were so friendly and welcoming when I arrived. I ordered the chicken character bun and the “me so hot!” ramen. Even though it’s labeled with 2 flames, the spice level was just enough to tingle the nose without lighting the sinuses on fire. In other words, about a level 5.5. I was excited to try a bun filled with chicken, onion, and mozzarella cheese, but the flavors inside were mostly just salty. I would recommend trying the beef or the pork if you want more of an Asian-style flavor. The ramen was very peanutty and creamy. I’ve never had crispy Brussels sprouts before, but they stole the show! The bun order came with two and along with the big bowl of ramen, I was stuffed halfway through. Luckily, my server offered me boxes and a bag for my food. I will be enjoying the leftovers later! There was both table and countertop seating to choose from which was nice as I was sitting alone and didn’t have to take up a whole table. The Little Italy scenery outside the restaurant was nice to view while enjoying the food at Harumama and a nice cool breeze through the open windows cooled me off as I slurped down my noodles. I will be back to try more items from the menu!

Got the ramen + sushi roll combo. The Philadelphia roll was great. Fresh salmon, decent size, and a ton of creme cheese (a little too much actually). The Haru (chicken) ramen was good, but had a weird taste that might be butane char from the roasted corn or chicken. The bamboo shoots were also very pungent (I like that bamboo taste, but others might think it's too overwhelming). Decent amount of seating spacing and the staff was friendly. Great amount of food for the price. Giving the sushi a 5 and the ramen a 3, which balances to my 4/5

really wanted something comforting and warm for our last night in san diego and this place was perfect!! friendly atmosphere, amazing menu, and lovely views from our table. the ramen was so different and great. i unfortunately wasn’t the biggest fan of the eggrolls honestly they were a bit wet, but everything else was incredible. my friends food was mistaken but they made up for it 🥰 we felt so taken care of.

My boyfriend and I recently visited and had a good overall experience. The Hangry Chicks buns were cute but the flavor was just okay. My boyfriend tried the High Noon and loved the chicken flavor, saying the ramen was also great. I opted for the Flying Pig, and it was delicious--especially the broth, which my boyfriend also really enjoyed. We also tried the kimchi, and it was tasty as well. The decor is adorable, with little chick characters adding a fun touch. We went around 5:30-6 PM on a Friday, so there was a short wait of about 5 minutes despite open tables, which made me wonder if they were short-staffed. The service was friendly and welcoming, and while the prices felt a little high, that's pretty typical for Little Italy. The menu has a lot of variety, so I'll definitely be back to try more dishes

Very nice, clean friendly place. Was busy but didn’t have a huge wait. Hostess was very friendly and spot on with wait time. They were short employees and hostess was upfront in telling us. Food was still delivered in good time. Waiter was working hard and continued to be positive and friendly as he covered all the tables. Great service and food was delicious!!! Definitely would go again.

I genuinely hate this restaurant so much. I have been hoping they would get shut down for 3 years now. I am writing this review at 4:17 AM as these morons have left their music playing ALL NIGHT LONG again. This is like the 7th or 8th time in 3 years I have had to endure their music blasting outside my apartment while I’m trying to sleep. Seriously the food isn’t even that good here, how is it still in business? Underbelly is mid at best and blows the doors off this place. Go literally anywhere else for ramen and do myself and all of my neighbors a favor but helping shut this place down so we can sleep.

Came in to San Diego for a day. Decided to stop into Harumama after the wait for Morning Glory was 2 hours. Tried their character buns, crispy chickie, cucumber noodle salad, and chicken kaarage. Friend ordered salmon which he said was cooked perfect and good. Character buns were good. The taro one was a bit sweet. Chicken kaarage was hot (temp) and dry. Chicken for the crispy chickie was cooked well. Moist and tasty. Green tea tastes like matcha. Worker said it's just green tea. Was disappointed there was no jasmine green tea option for the regular tea hot. Inside was nice and clean. Not noisy. Bathrooms also clean however no seat covers when I used. Parking seems to be pretty easy to fined. We parked in a public lot found parking despite the farmers market happening. Over all this place is good. Servers are friendly. The ramen is smack.

Food: The karaage chicken bao bun was flavorful, and the bun itself was soft and fluffy. The Marine Boy was good, especially if you love raw fish inside and on top. The flavors blended nicely. Service: Even though the place was packed, the service was efficient. The wait to get a table was pretty long, but once seated, everything moved smoothly. Ambiance: It's a small, clean spot with a dimly lit vibe, which adds to the atmosphere. However, sitting near the window wasn't ideal since cold air kept coming in but that's okay. Also, parking can be a hassle, especially on busier days so prepare for that!

Came for the buns #CharacterBuns were so cute and fun to eat Great as a late evening snack. Bunny bun filled with Nutella and Unicorn filled with ube. Service was quick once seated but there was a 30+ minute wait on a Sunday evening after we spent some time looking for parking There were tables available but not enough servers so we waited and was seated after a few people left. My friend ordered the #FlyingPig ramen and thought it was surprisingly good. Maybe I would have these again and try other items if entertaining visitors in Little Italy.

So good. I wouldn't change a thing. Their character buns are so good and cute. The pig bun was our favorite. Their high noon ramen was perfect. The chicken was tender, noodles were perfectly chewy, and the broth was flavorful and spicy. The katsu was so tender and flavorful. The windows were all open making a sunny and open atmosphere. The staff was really busy but friendly. There are so many things I want to try here, wish we had more time in town.

This spot was a super delightful find. The dumplings were so cute to look at but also tasted so great. The star of our meal was the ramen. The broth was flavorful but not heavy and all the ingredients blended together well. We also had a sweet server who was able to answer our questions and offer good suggestions.

Came here on a Sunday evening for dinner. Our group of 7 waited about 10 mins and we were able to be seated. Overall, the food was OKAY. Not bad, but not necessarily memorable either. I will note that the chicken had a yummy, sweet sauce to it. The timing was also off. We would get one or two dishes, then wait a substantial amount of time before the next main dish would arrive. Additionally, parts of our order were missed and we had to ask for it again. Ambience was trendy and a bit loud. Service was courteous enough. Prices are not bad, considering its location.

I feel like I fell victim to the aesthetic... After scrolling on Yelp for far too long, my friend and I decided on Harmama for dinner because of their cute buns and sushi offerings. When we arrived (a little past 8pm on a Saturday), there seemed to be plenty of seating open, but we were only given the option of sitting at a bar (since we were a party of only 2). To my displeasure, the counters were still sticky, but we pushed past that in search of the cute buns. We ordered the karaage, crunchy shrimp roll, hangry chickie buns, and cow buns. They serve items in the order that they're made, so the roll and karaage came out first, followed by the buns. The chicken was good; it was really crunchy but was mostly breading and little chicken. The hangry chickie buns were HOT (temperature wise), but they weren't at all spicy. I was expecting more of a kick. And the cow buns (beef, mushroom, and carrot) were just okay both sweet and savory. I left feeling very stuffed, but not super satisfied.

I've been very excited to try this place as I have seen it in on Instagram and loved how cute the buns were. I was finally able to try it this week and I'd say I had a decent experience. To begin with, as we arrived parking was a bit difficult. There was no street parking on a Saturday afternoon. After circling for a bit, we ended up finding a paid parking lot area. Getting into the place, there was a good amount of tables inside and it felt very spacious. We were greeted and seated immediately. Our server was nice but it seemed like she was the only server there, so when more people started to go in, it was a bit harder to get her attention, but we didn't mind it too much. My boyfriend and I ordered: Spam Bao, Cow Buns, Bunny Buns, Beef Bulgogi Udon, and the Drunken Noodles. We firsts got the Spam Baos which we loved. The spam was cooked well and the slaw inside tasted good. We then got the Cow Buns which was filled with ground beef. It looked really cute but the taste was just okay. It tasted really plain and there was not much of a "wow" factor to it besides it's cuteness. The Bunny Buns were filled with Nutella, which I enjoy, however, it was similar with the Cow Buns which was just cute really. For the noodles, I got the Beef Bulgogi Udon, which I enjoyed. The broth had a nice flavor to it but the beef itself didn't have much flavor to it. For the drunken noodles, they are not able to adjust the spiciness it but after trying it, the spiciness wasn't too bad I'd say. My boyfriend enjoyed it a lot and thought it was a really interesting version of drunken noodles he has had. Overall had a decent experience and glad I was finally able to try their cute buns!

Only came here to try out their character buns, and they're sooo cute. I got a sweet ube one, and the filling was a very straightforward ube custard. This place is more for their novelty than their taste, but I'm not complaining--it's adorable! Service could've been a bit better, but there seemed to be only two workers for the entire restaurant, so I understand. I'd be willing to come back and try a different one next time.

Very excited to try this place since so many people were recommending it for their food and bao buns! Their menu has a great selection of food! Got the Power Protein Poke bowl , really tasty and filling. It was so hard to pick which bao bun I wanted to try, recommending sharing if you are eating with someone one seems to be enough after eating something else. tried the Cow Bao Bun and Unicorn Bao bun both were really good! Not too salty and not overly sweet. Would want to try their seasonal bao buns next time, and other sweet ones. Service was great! Everything went smoothly and they were on top of everything. Recommend coming during lunch or the day if it's nice, sitting next to the window since it's has good natural lighting coming in. Restaurant was overall clean and didn't feel too crowded. Definitely one of the top places everyone should try to visit when in the area.

Cute cafe near the Little Italy area of town. Friendly staff and they sell some stickers and pins of the character art here. Food was okay. We got the following: Character buns(cow): 3/5 The buns are super cute but the best part about it is the bread. The bread itself tastes good but the inside was disappointing. It tasted a bit gamy. Pork Bao Bao Bun: 4/5 Tastes much better than the character bun but also nothing special. This was the best thing I ordered here Beef Teriyaki: 2/5 Tastes more like steak with teriyaki sauce on top rather than teriyaki.. If you rate it as steak rather than teriyaki it's good but I mean that's not what I ordered. Drunken Noodles: 1/5 It was too spicy that you couldn't taste the rest of the dish. Once we were able to it was kind of raw.. Strawberry Lychee Green Tea: 2.5/5 I forgot I ordered this until I saw I took a photo of it. It was just okay, nothing special. No strong tea flavor but definitely taste the strawberry and lychee.

Been here twice now one dining in and another to go. No parking lot and finding street parking is rough on Saturdays. Restaurant is pretty small and they had the large windows opened when we weee there in the evening and felt it a little chilly. They also have some communal style seatings they seat you at depending on party size and availability. Service was solid too! Character buns are cute and fun. Daughter and I didn't care for the chicken ones as they weren't as savory. It appears they do run out of the dessert ones often. Now the spam bao and the pork belly baos were good and the bao bun is so perfectly cooked. Feels a bit on the pricier side for casual dining so will continue to order from time to time as a treat.

Had a work luncheon here with a group of 8. Arrived at 11:30 with 1 other group table of 8 near us, and a couple of other patrons; filling only about a 1/4 of the restaurant. Our orders were brought ONE at a time, so each person was left to eat independently. Awkward. At 1:20, I was the last to receive my food, and they failed to bring one entree completely saying it was never prepared in our 2 hour wait. There was no communication, explanation or apology for the extended service. We were charged full price plus a group gratuity. (But besides that, the food was good.)

Ambiance was nice, a lot of natural light in the restaurant. Service was good. Food was great. I got the Harumama ramen and that was good. My friend got the bulgogi udon and that was super good. The cute animal buns were yummy. The pulled pork bun was good and my friend said the angry chick bun (the spicy chicken one) was good too. Definitely one of my favorite ramen places in little Italy. Would recommend and will come back for the cute buns!

CUTE BUNS is what gets people into the door. I found that the character buns were the best part of the experience and really enough to make up for how the other foods were a bit on the mediocre side. We got multiple savory and sweet buns and then Ramen. I wasn't in love with my Ramen dishes and I felt like the restaurant truly is investing their time into making cute character buns. So I would suggest coming for the buns and perhaps skipping the other dishes. Staff were nice, nothing bad or great stood out. Parking is hit or miss since you are in Little Italy.

Cho was our super nice waitress today and gave us v quick service! We started w the Spam bao which was delicious w the pickles and garlic aioli. We then got the Me So Hot ramen which was yummy too, and has a nice kick to it but not too spicy. We also had to get some character buns-which were so cute and delicious. And finally ended with their Valentine's Day special character buns filled with strawberry and white chocolate.

We visited this restaurant on a Sunday for a lunch with friends. It wasn't very busy, and the service was quick and friendly. We ordered a variety of dishes, but overall, the quality and taste were quite lacking. The chicken karaage was pretty good, and I enjoyed the sauce that came with it. I would rate it 5/5. I also tried the "Me So Hot" ramen. While it wasn't the best ramen I've ever had, it was pretty good with an interesting twist. However, I wished it was spicier, as it had three spice symbols but was hardly spicy. I would give it 4/5. We also ordered the drunken noodles, which were disappointing. They didn't taste like authentic drunken noodles and lacked the smoky flavor. Instead, they tasted more like Pad Thai or just stir-fried noodles. I would rate them 1/5. The buns were cute but had an odd, mushy texture inside. I feel like it would be better if there were more texture for the filling since the buns are already soft. Overall, this place was alright. I'm not sure if I would return.

I love this Harumama location! The ambiance is perfect for a date night. The employees are always friendly and kind. My favorite things to order are the bulgogi beef udon, crispy chicken ramen, and their character bao buns! Everything is so flavorful and fun. The prices are also pretty reasonable! I will definitely keep coming back here in the future.

A wonderful place to visit: we had ramen, steamed buns and a couple of other dishes and everything was delicious. Everyone was very friendly and kind. The waitress discussed the drink and menu with my kids very patiently, checked on us and made us feel entirely welcome. Everyone had a great time. When I'm back in San Diego, this place is definitely on the list

Found this place through TikTok. Food was really good and quick service. Would come back when I'm back in SD!

We were in town for a few days due to a convention that my wife was attending and made it a point to come check out Harumama. She had seen prior posts and videos and the cuteness of the buns was too much to ignore. First and foremost, chances are, unless you get really lucky or decide to pay for Valet, you're better off parking at one of the nearby paid lots or the hotel you're probably staying at, and just walking. Sitting right at the corner of Fir and Columbia Streets, it's far enough away from the foot traffic of India Street and Kettner Blvd, so you can enjoy a quiet, romantic evening. The lighting within enhances the experience even further. It was pretty late when we arrived, as the restaurant closes at 9PM, but the employees didn't try to rush us out the door, though they did advise us shortly after ordering that they were finishing up their last call pretty soon. One of the downsides of an establishment that offers such a lovable gimmick is that they run out of some items faster than others. We wanted to try the Ube buns, but alas, they were sold out....both days that we went. We ordered the Bulgogi Fries, and an order of the Chicken, Cow and Koala buns. (no ube, so no Unicorn). Our friends had an order of the Pig and Koala buns, alongside chicken teriyaki and a ribeye steak. The fries and the steak came out on a sizzling hot plate. We believe they forgot about the chicken teriyaki, as we had to remind them towards the end of our meal. The chicken was okay, definitely nothing to write home about. We had expected more of the steak, but I'm not seeing it on the menu and I don't know if it was part of some special only at the restaurant. The Bulgogi fries, as good as it smelled at first....was a little bit lacking. I found it very salty, after being covered by the fries and seared by the hot plate. I believe that the hot plate concentrated all the seasoning used for the meat after the sauce evaporated, making the bulgogi pieces very hard to separate from the plate and overwhelmingly salty. The buns....cute.... at about $9 for two buns (no mixing or matching), the flavor wasn't amazing and didn't stand out. While the Koala was supposed to be strawberry and cream flavored...it felt more like there was just a hint of strawberry. The taste was somewhat offputting. The beef had a slight barbecuey/char siu taste to it, and the pork tasted like the inside of a steam pork bun - not the char siu taste. The chicken felt stringy, but imho had slightly better taste. Our return visit, when we were heading out of town, consisted of a second try at the Beef, an order of the Pork, and we ordered the Bunny. Bunny - definitely nutella. A must go for the cuteness...but don't expect too much from the non-sushi food. We might try the sushi next time we're in town.

This place is such a cute unique location. When I was out in San Diego for vacation I knew I had to try it. We got the famous animal shaped buns and they were super cute. I will say that I wish they were more flavorful, but the aesthetic was worth it. Our server was wonderful and very attentive the hostess however was a bit rude. Between the pig and cow buns I would say the pig was superior. The vegetable potstickers were also okay. The star of the show was the poke bowl it was sooo delicious and would recommend. I would come back to try their noodles as that may be better. Also there is no parking besides paid lots so something to keep in mind.

Food, service and ambience is amazing! This place is very clean as well. All menu items are good! Win, Win, win

Asian Fusion? Yes pleaseeee! Harumama has a wide variety of selections which made it extremely difficult to order, especially when both sushi and ramen are on the menu. I ended up going with a crispy salmon roll and pork buns, both of which were pretty tasty. I could have done with a tad less sauce on the buns though. I also got a sake passionfruit cocktail, which was good but a little odd to me that it was served in a tall water glass (I personally think drinks taste better in cute little glassware). Next time I'd love to try their ramen and signature animal-shaped bao buns.

Bunny bun is my favorite! There used to be a wider variety of buns but not so much now

Harumama in downtown San Diego is a neat spot! The character buns are super cute and tasty, though a little on the pricey side--probably a fun once in a while experience, definitely date worthy. The sushi was incredibly fresh and flavorful, the udon was delicious, and the appetizers really hit the spot. Overall, a great place for a meal with a side of whimsy! Service was awesome and staff was very friendly and attentive.

Chiken ramen is delicious. Noodle is perfectly portioned and variety of toppings that are all delicious. Chicken is actually crispy, as long as you don't submerge in the soup. The sushi's are pretty solid too. We got the albacore delight roll (which has raw fish btw) & crunchy salmon roll. You can ask for the dessert buns to come out after you finish your meal. We got the nutella. Very soft and nice buns, but hope it's bigger and it's cheaper. They're like 5 bucks per tiny bun. Also, some would say they're too cute to eat! Very nice staff & very nice ambiance, if you're into bar/club-like atmosphere. Music is pretty loud.

Yes, yes, yes! I would recommend this place! The food is so tasty and fun. The server was nice and it was conveniently located in little Italy. The albacore sushi and the bao buns were amazing. The spicy tuna crispy rice was a nice take. The Nutella-filled bunny was delicious!

This place is located in a great place. The service is also great. I went around 4pm so it was a bit quieter. Their lunch menu special is until 3pm. When I went I was really looking forward to the character buns but they only had the koala ones left. The buns were great. I also really loved the Karage chicken nap buns. The highlight of my meal. The ramen was good. The chicken was cooked well. I was just a bit disappointed by the lack of flavor. It is definitely more of a creamy broth as opposed to a brothy one.

Ramen used to be great, went to the Carlsbad location for a one off, was all sesame oil, so figured we'd go back to ol' reliable in little Italy. But it seems either a chef changed or a recipe changed. High Noon (spiciest menu item) tastes overwhelmingly of sesame in broth/noodles/chicken, whatever changed, was for the worse across the ramen lineup. Service etc. still great, food is rapidly declining.

CUTEST BUNS! We got the nutella rabbit buns and the pork buns (pig). They were out of the other buns by the early afternoon so highly recommend going in the morning.

parking: street parking wait: my friends and I arrived on a Saturday night (7pm), and we didn't have to wait for a table what we ordered: we stopped by to check out their animal buns. two buns are $8. they were all flavorful, but the cow was our favorite! * chicken bun: chicken, mozzarella, caramelized onion * cow bun: ground beef, carrots, shiitake mushroom * pig bun: pulled pork main takeaway: the buns are cute! I appreciate the creativity. it definitely is more on the expensive side for two, small buns, but well worth it for the novelty.

GET YOUR BUNS HERE (Update) It's been years! Don't care for the ramen. But love the Character Buns! Ordered to go and they managed to keep steamed and warm as I sped through the streets with my two wheel moto. COW BUNS ($8.95/2pc) - ground bbq beef, carrots, shiitake. Needed something savory and this hit the spot. The flavor of the beef was lighter than I expected but still good. My favorite of the savory buns? Unsure. RECOMMEND KOALA BUNS ($8.95/2pc) - strawberries and cream. Had to offset the savory with something sweet and never tried this one before. Loved it! HIGHLY RECOMMEND DID YOU KNOW... this establishment works their employees on Holidays (ex: Christmas Day), does NOT pay Holiday pay - in CA it's not required but damn that's heartless, A-N-D doesn't even give the employees a free meal or anything on the Holiday they work. What kind of BULLSH!T is that? I ended up tipping 50% because I felt bad for the young adults working. HARUMAMA, you are a cheap and shady employer. I hope they find better jobs. Next....

Such a cute little shop located in Little Italy! My friends and I came to this place right after we got some Italian food at Barbusa as a late night snack. We saw that there were a ton of cute animal bao buns and that was enough to entice us. We just ordered a few things to go, but we got the bunny buns, chicken buns, and the koala buns. The bunny buns had nutella in it was so cute when it's warm and melty. The nutella was creamy. The koala buns had the strawberry cream in it, and it was alright. I think the bun was a tad bit hard so I wasn't too big of a fan of it. Even if I wanted to heat it up, idk if I wanted to eat a warm strawberry cream bun so I thought this was ok. The last one was the chicken bun that had really good savory chicken meat. This one was good too. Overall, definitely the cute aesthetics of the buns is one of the focal points here. The animal designs are super cute and sometimes I feel a little bad eating them. I didn't get to try the other foods out, but if I'm in San Diego again, I would revisit this spot another time.

One of the worst experiences I have had in a longtime and I go a lot of Asian restaurants that you forgive due to the food. I gave them 2 stars because the food was decent. I normally don't go to fusion/ gimmick places, but my daughter wanted to try it. The beginning was fine, had the poke which had really good flavor and the vegetarian noodles was okay. The highlight was the pickled cucumber and broccoli was not overcooked. The bao bun was light, but it took almost 30 min to get to us. We were done with our other dishes by then. The horrible part was when I was paying. Evidently their system was down and they told me they only were accepting cash. Unfortunately, I didn't have cash on me and the manager, John, told my server that there's a 7-11 atm that I could go to down the street. So I walk there which had a $4 service fee to come back to a working system. This was the first time I had ever been here and I certainly don't think it's worth going out of your way to be treated so poorly. I understand things happen, but John should have equipped his servers better for this type of experience. It definitely wasn't her fault and she was nice and seemed embarrassed about the whole thing.

I really liked the sushi here! I got the specialty salmon sashimi and the albacore delight roll. The sashimi was amazingggg - very unique flavors and delicious. The albacore delight roll was really good too but minus one star because there wasn't a lot of albacore on top of it. Still tasty though and I want to come back to try the non sushi items.

I was intrigued by those cute animal shaped buns and decided to come for lunch while staying in Little Italy. The restaurant was almost completely empty on a Wednesday at noon, which got me a little concerned. We got the chickie ramen (pork bone broth with chicken katsu), beef udon, seaweed salad, and cow bun (ground beef). The ramen broth and noodles were pretty tasty, but the chicken was a bit dry and some of the bamboo shoots in the ramen were very hard and not edible. The beef udon was very average - the broth just tasted like soy sauce, sugar, and water. There was very little beef and almost no veggies. It wasn't bad, but nothing special. The cow buns were definitely cute, but the bbq ground pork filling wasn't super flavorful. It's more a fun dish to try.

This is a nice place to stop when it's chilly outside! We were seated right away and they were quick to bring the food. The bao buns were amazing and soooo flavorful. The crispy chicken ramen was pretty good but needed more flavour and salt in my opinion. I love when ramen is really flavourful so I have had better. The service was great and our server was very nice. Overall this is a good ramen place in Little Italy and I would recommend giving it a try!!

Harumama is a fantastic spot for noodles and buns right off Little Italy's main street. We were sat right away and got to ordering. Our waitress was sweet and helped with any questions we had. For ramen we orderd the garden and crispy chickie. The broth on both was outstanding - so rich and creamy with a smooth and delicious flavor. The garden had silky tofu, and so much fresh green onion. The crispie chickie had a huge piece of super crispy and juicy chicken, a perfect egg, and again so much green onion that we loved. We ordered a pair of the pork belly bao buns - the buns were soft and fluffy, the meat tender, juicy, savory, and so good. The sauce was great and although I get that this is a "fusion" type restaurant, the lettuce and tomatoes were just not a good addition. The dynamite sushi was crispy and filled with imitation crab, fresh avocado and cucumber and topped with perfectly baked langoustine and sauces. The menu said mozzarella cheese but we were disappointed with how little there actually was. But the flavors were still tasty. And of course, we had to order the character buns so we chose the pig for pork and chicken for, well, chicken! The pig buns were amazing! Delicious pulled pork, sweet onions, meat so soft and bun so fluffy. The chicken however was greatly disappointing. Although the bun was also good like the pig, the chicken filling was kinda gross and had a weird, bitter after taste. The texture was like what a chicken nugget is before being shaped but it was just cooked like the mush it became. Overall, we had more good than bad food and the experience was great so I would definitely return.

This time I ordered the salmon teriyaki, and when I had an issue with my order they without complaint and immediately made me a new one. The spicy edamame, sushi rolls, wontons, and noodles were all delicious. Great calming lighting and music that's not too loud. Highly recommend

ramen in the city doesn't get better than this. Love the location, both walk and car friendly depending on what time you come. My go-to is the "flying pig" and you must get a side of the karaage. We also had the pork potstickers on this occasion. After your meal, take a walk down little italy to walk it off! When ordering to-go, you have your choice of noodles cooked or uncooked for a more fresher experience at home. I recommend ordering any ramen "deconstructed" so you can assemble at home and have it taste even yummier. The cartoon buns are fun too , but make sure to visit here for the ramen and karaage!

I love the open space and how spread out the tables were. I did not like that all of the windows were open because there were flies hovering around our table. Service was pretty good; the food came out very fast. Gavin wanted ramen so he opted for the crispy chickie ramen lunch combo. For the side we ordered the character bun (chicken). I don't believe Gavin has had a banh bao (bun), so he wanted to it. I ordered the power protein bowl and a side of the pig buns. I will say that it was weird biting into the character buns because I'm not used to eating savory things that is looking back at me. The gingerbread man cookie and the character cookies from Starbucks is different for some reason. Anyway. The skin was not doughy, it was warm and fluffy. The filling is not traditional, but it was flavorful, nonetheless. I tried Gavin's ramen. It was a bit over-seasoned per my taste, but Gavin really enjoyed it. He ate the chicken and the noodles but had some broth leftover for me to try. The poke bowl was delicious and so refreshing. I loved the chia seeds. The ahi tuna was fresh, quite generous portion as well. Thank you for our first meal in San Diego!

Fast service on new years eve!! We were seated right when we arrived and our server was lovely. Buns taste amazing and they have vegetarian and vegan menu items! Overall an amazing space to grav a quick bite and drinks with friends before heading down to gaslamp quarter.

I recently visited Harumama Noodles + Buns in Little Italy and had a fantastic experience. Finding street parking was convenient, and their location is accessible. I ordered the protein poke bowl, and it was delicious. The fresh ingredients and flavors made it a satisfying choice. The real highlight, though, was the character buns. They're a fun and unique addition to the menu, and I highly recommend trying them. Harumama Noodles + Buns is a must-visit for a delightful meal, especially if you're a fan of creative and tasty dishes like their character buns.

Harumama is an Asian fusion (Chinese, Japanese, and Korean influences) known for steamed buns filled with savory or sweet fillings, molded into cute, cartoony characters. Sure to please kids and adults alike. We had fond memories eating lunch at their Carlsbad location a few years ago. The San Diego Harumama is located in a quiet neighborhood of Little Italy, near residential condos. The decor and vibe were similar to Carlsbad, but the food overall was average, with a few bright spots. * Ube buns shaped like bunnies were good - hot, sweet, and smooth. The pork buns (made into piglets) were dry, but the meat was seasoned and flavorful at least. * Mango Lychee was refreshing for those warm, autumn days in San Diego, which seems like 80% of the time. * The Haru Ramen noodles were a bit soggy and the chicken on the dry side. My Bulgogi Udon had nice, chewy noodles but I did find the beef on the saltier side. Bulgogi beef ought to have more depth and sweetness I think.

This was my first visit to the Little Italy location. Overall, the decor and ambiance is nice and elegant, but the food was average. My Flying Pig ramen was good, but not as tasty and memorable as when I had it in the Carlsbad location. The pig bun was hot and fresh, but also did not taste as delicious as my other experiences. The service was good, too, and we didn't have to wait for a table being around 8pm on a weeknight. I was staying in Little Italy for work and was able to walk to the restaurant, but if you had to drive here, it would be difficult to find parking. In summary, I am glad I tried this location out, but I still like the one in Carlsbad better.

My family and I were looking for somewhere to eat for dinner. We were craving something Asian and saw this place had good reviews. So decided to give it a try. When we got there, it was pretty empty so we got seated right away. Since they're known for the character buns, we ordered the following: 2x chicken bun 2x cow (ground bbq beef) 1 each of their sweet buns: bunny (Nutella), koala (strawberry & cream), unicorn (Ube) and the black cat (pumpkin) was seasonal After trying each buns, we were a bit disappointed with the flavors. It was ok, nothing really special that stood out. It was cute but lacked the flavors. We also ordered the High Noon and Kimchi ramen and those were good. This was pretty much the highlight of all the foods. Wished the buns were better but would come back just for the ramen.

Im sorry to say, this choice was disappointing. Drove about 100 miles just to try this place and ordered these items: Pork Belly Bao, Karage, Cow bun, Pig bun and Chicken bun. One word to describe these is "Bland"! This hype was brought by TikTok and we wanted to see what it was all about. What it was about was not very much. Now, i have to say.... maybe the other food items taste better. I'm not sure..... but because the choice we made, it has not left a good taste on our buds to warrant a return visit.

Loved this ramen spot! Pros: - Cute and comfy indoor/outdoor seating - friendly staff - delicious ramen for a good price (under 16$) (better and cheaper than another ramen we tried in SD) - good drinks! They were 12$ each - loved that they bring out spices and chili oil to add. I like when it's spicy and loved being able to add a lot lol - I usually eat vegetarian dishes and prefer tofu but decided to get chicken today and this was actually the best chicken in ramen I have ever had! - super cute desserts! We didn't get one but you'll see people around you with them and want one! - bathrooms were gender neutral and very clean! Cons: - none !