Tucked away in a charmingly modest space, this lively Japanese spot serves up flavorful ramen and hearty toppings that make for a delightful dining experience.
"HiroNori may have made its way across California, but this original location is where it all started six years ago. The restaurant’s specialty of tonkotsu ramen comes served with hand-crafted noodles and prepared with pork bone broth simmered for over 24 hours. Notably, this bowl of noodles does not skimp out on the toppings, which include bean sprouts, green onion, spinach, egg, seaweed, wood ear mushrooms, and chashu pork. The vegan ramen is also a hit for its umami sesame miso broth." - Cathy Park
"This eatery is located in a quiet complex, just steps away from an office park-dense area of Irvine. The diminutive gray interior is accented with wood slats, a vertical garden and plate-glass windows that overlook the gathering crowds waiting for your seat. Everyone is here for the deliciously concise menu, offering rice bowls, and of course, their signature noodles. Those three types of ramen arrive in a choice of shoyu or vegan broth made with sesame and miso. Specialties include the tonkotsu, which showcases a bowl of wonderfully flavorful pork bone broth so rich that it seems almost milky, stocked with thin, flat noodles made by the chefs. This is finished with slabs of char siu and perhaps a dollop of zesty chili-garlic sauce." - Michelin Inspector
"HiroNori Craft Ramen arrives in Hillcrest today, adding San Diego to its collection of eateries in Orange County; an outpost recently opened in Santa Clara and there are existing locations in Irvine and Long Beach. Co-founders Hiromichi Igarashi and Tadanori Akasakao channeled their collective experience as ramen chefs at restaurants in Japan and the U.S. into creating HiroNori Craft Ramen. A factory in the Los Angeles area makes its special recipe for noodles, available in thin or thick styles, and most of its ramen bases including a 24-hour simmered pork tonkotsu broth. Besides tonkotsu, the eatery also offers a shoyu ramen made with two-year barrel-aged soy sauce and a vegan sesame miso ramen packed with vegetables, soy meat, and tofu. The menu is rounded out with pork, chicken, or seafood-topped rice bowls and appetizers such as pork belly buns, cucumber crab salad, and garlic-soy fried chicken. The 1,101-square-foot, 30-seat Fifth Avenue shop will be open from 11:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and from 11:30 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday; the eatery also working on adding beer and sake. As is common practice in Japan, a 15% service charged is tacked onto your bill in lieu of tipping." - Candice Woo
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