Jea Kim
Google
Solid spot for ramen located inside Super 88 grocery store.
Visited this place a few times while I was in Allston. Unlike other food court counters in the supermarket, Isshindo has its own separate space, so it offered a better dining experience than I initially expected. Tried several items on the menu, and while I really liked their ramen, the other dishes weren’t so great.
The tonkatsu broth on their signature Isshindo Ramen was silky smooth as advertised, with a perfect level of creaminess, though its savory depth was just average. The ramen noodles, however, were truly some of the best I’ve had in the area. Instead of the usual thick noodles, they used thin and wavy ones, which had a fantastic chewy texture. During my past few visits, I’ve also noticed a few Japanese students dining here, which is probably a good sign that their ramen is top-notch.
However, the other items on the menu were just okay. Compared to other affordable Japanese restaurants in the city, dishes like takoyaki, shrimp tempura, and fried chicken weren’t very impressive. They were enjoyable but not good enough for me to order again. Even the Sukiyaki beef curry plate was a bit disappointing—the curry was too watery, and the high-fat portions of the sukiyaki beef didn’t pair well with the mild sauce.
Would definitely come back for their ramen, but probably wouldn’t go beyond that on the menu.