Nishiki Ramen

Nishiki Ramen in Hillcrest absolutely delivered on both flavor and fun! We kicked things off with the Russian Roulette Takoyaki, one of them is secretly stuffed with wasabi, and of course, my girlfriend was the one who got it. Her face was priceless, and it totally set the tone for a playful, memorable meal. For our mains, we ordered the Nishiki Ramen and the Spicy Chicken Ramen, both of which were excellent. The broths were rich and savory, the noodles had great texture. The only thing I could say is the atmosphere/environment could have a bit more decorations or even a dimmer/warmer light. But between the great food, fun atmosphere, and friendly service, Nishiki Ramen has definitely earned a spot in our regular rotation.

Hands down one of the best Ramen spots in town, Smoke Bomb Black Signature ramen is something! best combination of creamy/smoky and garlicky flavors.Karage chicken is delicious as well!

The food was ok. It was a real basic setting for my taste. Nothing to make it pop out. Food was decent. Would I do again? Idk, the service was quick though.

The food here was just okay. Nothing memorable, but not terrible either. Like many ramen spots I’ve tried, the broth leaned too bitter for my taste, and the pork lacked that fresh quality I look for. The restaurant itself was clean and fairly empty during my visit, which made for a calm dining experience. Service was friendly, and the food came out in a reasonable amount of time. Overall, there’s nothing wrong with Nishiki Ramen, but there’s also nothing that really sets it apart. If you’re in the area and need a quick ramen fix, it’ll do. But if you’re chasing quality and depth of flavor, there are better options in San Diego. Personally, I won’t be coming back.

I'll start with the pros, There teas are amazing and location wasn't too busy. There slow cooked eggs slapped! Really yummy. The bamboo shoots had a hint of somthing but i couldn't figure out what it was. The portions where nicely sized but expected them to be based on the price. The flavors where all there. Pretty delicious. They are quite expensive when adding extras and parking was a pain to find. They where a bit heavy on the ginger. Overall if your a college student or someone that money doesn't come as easy, i would recomend finding an other spot. Not much bang for you buck here. And with covid some tables felt a little too tight, as in they have shields that box you in and its like kinda claustrophobic in a way. I understand they do this to protect others. They do have patio seating but make sure to bring a jacket. 3.7 overall score.

I loved this place and I came twice in a row. I ordered their special slow cooked pork belly ramen and it was so delicious. They have lots of great vegan options as well. Friendly staff, good food, clean, nice, conveniently located spot!

This is hands down my favorite spot for ramen in San Diego! I always go for the Smoke Bomb Black and add Akuma’s hot sauce – the combo is unbeatable, with the perfect balance of flavors. Their chicken karaage is incredible too, super juicy and full of flavor. I’ve brought so many friends here, and every single one of them has loved it. Highly recommend if you’re in the area!

It's OK Ramen. The pork broth was very creamy. The overall flavor was OK. The meat portions are very skimp. Nothing to go home and brag about. Prices are average too. They add 15% to your total as a tip, for my convenience... according to the post signage.

flavor was really good, fast service!! the place it's a little bit small, but comfortable

I usually order the GGG, the broth is delicious and adding just a little death sauce is a must if you like spiciness. Service is always super friendly!

Pretty delicious place never have I waited more than 20 mins honestly staff are kind and clean would recommend 10/10 ramen it's a chef kiss

This is my favorite ramen spot in SD. The Nishiki Ramen (#2) is SO good. The tonkotsu broth is creamy and so delicious. The Nishiki Fries are really good too, I definitely recommend them. It was a little much to get both the fries and ramen, but so worth it. The staff was friendly and the service was fast. We ate here on a Friday around 5:30 and didn't have to wait for a table.

Poor service. Terrible health standards. Mediocre food. High prices. I went with my mom and boyfriend at around 7p on a Thursday. We got 2 number 7s and a takoyaki. The takoyaki was obviously premade and deep fried. It did not have the proper sauce nor ingredients to make it even close to actual takoyaki, especially at that price. The ramen was just bad. The broth was oily and had a strangely plastic flavor. Noodles and toppings were only okay. I'm 99% sure toppings were microwaved (mostly because I could see the people cooking popping things into a microwave every couple minutes). Maybe if we just got tonkotsu it would have been better. You see, I WOULD forgive bad food if the service was good. I'd come back and try something else if it were all my fault for ordering the worst thing on the menu... BUT, the service was horrible. We waited a bit for our table, and the waitress only came to the hostess booth when a couple behind us came in, and she only addressed them, even though we were there first. The couple even pointed us out, saying we came first. Then the waitress just grabbed menus and walked to a corner table. We were both confused because she just walked off without telling us which group she was sitting. She didn't even make sure we were following. She just dropped the menus and walked away. Turns out it was for us, so we went to sit. The couple behind us is sat nearby and they immediately get their water and were able to order in a timely manner. We had a different waitress walk by 10 minutes later, drop water, say "can I take your order", and walk away. Never to be seen again. We eventually get our food, and you know how that went. By then, I wanted to get out of there, and waited to get a waitress's attention for 20 minutes. While doing so, I noted some disturbing behaviors, I wouldn't have caught if I were enjoying my meal. First, the waitresses touch their mouth/nose/eyes and touch bowls/cups/etc. They also help with takeout orders. I saw one waitress rub her eye, grab a sauce container, and toss it right into a package. Second, People are coming in that are obviously sick, and have runny noses. There is no wiping the menus. The menus go right back into circulation. I watched a menu go from "guy blowing nose" to the next table. Third, one of the waitress was eating a meal while serving. I get the struggle, but that just seems unsanitary. When I finally get fed up and walk to the front, there is no apology for the wait. I just pay and get the heck out of there. Overall, $20 per person, the mid food, and the high chance of disease will keep me away for a long time.

This was my first time at Nishiki Ramen and I came here with friends for lunch. Seating was quick and they had several spots open. It seems they used to have outdoor seating but not anymore. I like that they handed us 2 different color cups (blue and teal). This helps to ensure the cups don't get mixed up! Menu is small, but I think it still has great variety. The prices for the drinks were good as well (under $5!). I went with the No. 2 aka Nishiki, which is named a popular favorite. It is a creamy tonkotsu ramen and tonkotsu (pork) broth with corn, slow egg, and pork belly chashu. I asked for no green onions, no Naruto (fish cake), and no ginger. The ramen is made fresh everyday and is unlike any ramen I've had. They were perfectly cooked and they give you a large amount! The slow egg is a half boiled egg, with a jammy runny center. I loved how light the broth was and 'creamy' as well. It went super well with the corn and the chashu was nicely torched. Another recommendation is the No. 1 which is called Smoke Bomb Black. It is roasted black garlic sauce, pork broth, pork belly chashu, slow egg, corn, onion, ginger, and Naruto (fish cake). My friend always orders this when coming here so it must be good and it's a number one favorite on the menu! This would be a great spot to come with your vegan friends since they (imo) had a large amount of vegan options!

Nishiki in the Hillcrest area of San Diego offers vegan ramen options and outdoor seating and free parking in the lot behind caught my interest. This ramen restaurant is located at 'the HUB' a slightly better and more developed part of Hillcrest. As I approached the restaurant I noticed a hugh patio area but didn't have any tables or chairs. Once inside, I was greeted and the restaurant had only 2 tables occupied with diners, so I decided to sit indoors counter facing outside but I noticed the entire surface of the counter looked dusty dirty with small food particles, obviously had been neglected and desperately needed cleaning. Instead sat at a table far from others, as I had my service pup. From the menu, I ordered: edamame, takoyaki and vegan tofu curry ramen. Edamame in sea salt was ok, because it's not hard to mess that up, but it was too salty you can even see the sal crystals on top. Takoyaki was also offered in Russian Roulette style; which means one of the balls is filled with pure wasabi to wake up your sinus lol. I wasn't going for sinus suicide...hence the Russian roulette aspect...so I got all the balls filled with the tiny piece of octopus aka tako, which was tasty and this was the only thing I would order again. BTW, I only ordered takoyaki because the top five fav foods of Shohei Ohtani and I wanted to good vibes for him and the Dodgers :) The vegan tofu curry ramen was presented in a cool bowl. The broth was flavorful, had depth, was creamy but too salty. The noodles cooked Al dente plus, enough chew and good. There were two female staffers; one was attentive, the other not. The one who brought out my food on 3 separate trips was nice and she even offered a bowl of H20 for Fendi. Fendi is trained not to drink or eat anything while outside so she politely declined. We appreciated the gesture. Service from the other female staffer was lacking from the moment we stepped inside. When I wanted to sit at the counter and when I commented on the dirty surface, she should have been proactive and cleaned it asap...sadly proactiveness was a no. The staffer took my order and never bothered to check back with me to see if everything was satisfactory. After taking pics and tasting the food I tried to make the best of it and wanted to order some steamed baby bok choy but there was no follow up and the staffers seemed to have disappeared. When some new diners walked inside, the staffers reappeared and took there orders, I then flagged them for the check. Couldn't eat most and boxed it to later give to hungry homeless steps outside. I'm not happy with the over salted food, lack of attention/service and the dirty surfaces. Then the check included an automatic 15% service charge?? I usually tip at least 20% or more but isn't tipping and gratuity subjective to the degree of service? With the added cash tip I left on the table they got their 20% but it was meritless. Nishiki Ramen has the potential to hit a home run and be better: have outdoor seating available, clean surfaces, don't over salt the food, staff to follow up with diners... Will conclude hesitatingly with a generous 3 star rating, because it's really NOT ok.

Yum! Just as good as the first time over 5 years ago (at the other location). The black garlic ramen is their most popular and with good reason! Absolutely full of flavor, just over $20 with their 15% gratuity added, and filling. The broth is like buttery and so rich with the garlic, it's amazing!!!

Good ramen but service was a little slow. They are located in a business area that has a parking lot, which really helps! It was quite busy when we got there but they had a couple of tables free. We ordered the Akima and the Special Spicy chicken ramen. They looked similar but had very different tastes. The Akima was a tonkotsu based broth with a slight kick. The spicy chicken was more garlicky. Both were very good. Generous portions too. Pricing wise, it is a little on the higher side (18-21$ per ramen bowl), but flavor wise, they are on target. Just FYI, because I love curry based ramen - their only curry ramen options are all vegetarian/vegan.

This ramen was just average, unfortunately. The broth was nothing special and a little oily and there was too much noodle to broth ratio. They also forgot the hot sauce which was a major bummer. The eggs were cooked perfectly though. Also tried the dumplings, again they were average. Very fried. The dipping sauce was also very dense which was good but not my preferred sauce.

nishiki ramen might be my favorite ramen in san diego! i ordered #2, the nishiki ramen. the broth is creamy but still light. the noodles are wonderfully chewy and have great texture - perfectly cooked. there is one whole soft boiled jammy ramen egg and 2 pieces of chashu. the nishiki ramen also came with corn, pickled ginger, and green onions. the service is relatively quick and friendly. i came after peak dinner hours but during popular times, i can imagine this place getting super packed. the ambiance is very unassuming and not very decorated. that's not a bad thing at all, just don't expect a cute interior. overall, the nishiki ramen was amazing and can't wait to come back. highly recommend!

The food is always fresh and delicious. The service is impeccable and they always remember my partner and me, and what we order, which is the same every time - lunches and the smoke bomb ramen. It's a gathering place for all kinds of people and can be loud at times. The food makes it well worth it.

Summary: painfully long wait for okay food We were visiting the area and picked Nishiki for dinner. We went on a Saturday night around 6pm, but got lucky to sit at the bar which was almost empty. After ordering, we waited nearly 60 minutes for our bowls without being checked on. We had to reach out and check in with our waitress to see if the food was even coming. When it finally arrived, the ramen was decent -- the broth was okay but fairly oily, and the noodles lacked the perfect chew. Toppings like the egg and pork were fine but didn't stand out. Also, not a fault of the staff, but the tap did also malfunction causing beer to spray uncontrollably onto our table, but thankfully not on us. Average flavors didn't make it worth the hassle. It's an okay spot if you're not in a rush, but there are better ramen places out there.

I have been coming here for at least 4-5 years now and YUM. My favorite thing here is Miso Ramen. I probably get it every single time I can't remember trying anything else yet because it's just too yummy. theres indoor and outdoor seating which is nice for those who bring their pets with them. Staff is super chill here as well and always giving good energy. Nishiki is in the heart of Hillcrest across the street from the bars and coffee shops, as well as in the same plaza where Trader Joe's is! so why not get a grocery run in or some coffee and head over for Ramen especially when it's gloomy outside. Definitely try this spot out

Service was excellent and food was delicious Nice ambiance as well Definitely will be coming back

Came in during a time where it was slow, so was immediately seated. Place was pretty easy to find and felt very clean. Their menu does have a great variety of ramen to choose from, picked the smoke bomb ramen for the black garlic oil. It was very good and tasteful only thing I wish was it was less noodles and more broth. A great place to get some lunch or get your ramen fix. This place does automatically charge a 15% auto gratuity to your bill which I didn't mind but it's worth mentioning.

Straightforward and simple: the food is delicious and the service is friendly and courteous. Neighborhood vibe with mix of locals and visitors eating and enjoying.

The first time I had Nishiki was in Kearny Mesa, I always order their Carnivores Dream soup which contains a lot of meat, especially with Beef Rib Chashu. When they remove Carnivores Dream in their menu I stop going. Then I saw this Nishiki again at University Ave and I tried them one more time. I came with my family and we had 3 kinds of Soups, I do not remember what the other soups were called because they were just not that good. But the Smoke Black bomb was the only one I remembered because it's also the only one that stands out among the 3 soups we got. The smoked Black bomb has delicious meats, good ramen and is very garlicky, it has that roasted black garlic sauce that makes this Ramen Soup so good. This location has a small space inside but it has a big outdoor seating area.

Nishiki is one of our favorite restaurants in Hillcrest. We got the karaage fried chicken, and the Nishiki ramen (#2 with tonkotsu broth, an egg, corn, and a char siu roast pork slice) and our friend got the chicken ramen. I love that they have the hot chili oil! The service is great and friendly. The ambiance is chill and casual. They used to have a robot bring out the soups but seems like it isn't a thing anymore? They also include 15% gratuity into the total, so don't worry about adding tip. We love this place!

My husband and I absolutely love Nishiki! It is one of our favorite date spots. The atmosphere is amazing, staff is friendly. The black garlic oil ramen is my absolute favorite!

Always amazing I'll never get sick of the Akuma bowl hints towards spicy note without being overwhelming 10/10 would recommend!!

Take this review with a grain of salt (I'm from Phoenix), but this was the best ramen I've had! We were looking for ramen that had a patio for my puppy. I noticed there was a patio, but no tables set up. I called and asked and they set up a table for us and even provided a water bowl for Teddy. The menu has pictures of the bowls of ramen with a description. Prices ranged from $16- 25. I ordered the Akuma ($16), which is a spicy tonkotsu. Fiancé had the Japanese Pork Curry Rice with egg ($16). Our table split the sriracha salt edamame ($6) and gyoza ($7). The edamame and gyoza were fine but nothing to write home about. The sriracha salt edamame was really just minced garlic edamame. The spicy tonkotsu broth in the Akuma was rich and hearty, with a slight spicy aftertaste. The ramen noodles were just the right amount of cooked. Chashu was great and not rubbery; it melted in my mouth. Fiancé's Pork Curry could have done with more pork. The pork was rich and fatty and paired well with the curry. I look forward to coming back!

Delicious! Great menu! Great service! I really enjoyed the new Ramen Spicy Chicken special.

Good food, great service . Will definitely come again and again. Great soup. Service is quick even when busy

Pretty good ramen with deep flavors. I didn't like the meat as much since it was pretty fatty, but everything else is good. Service was great too

Mishima ramen was delicious, full of flavor and hit the right spots! Slow cooked egg with pork belly smacked harder than a bus. Left that plate clean!

This place has the worse customer services. Horrible food.. soon as I walked in I don't feel welcome at all. Let my waitress know it's my 1st time here she careless to explain the menu or even acknowledge I was new .. then she brought the menu to me & left me sitting there no water or nothing. I was trying to figure out why I couldn't order online so I stoped another waitress & she was annoyed with me asking why did they just find me a menu like I was suppose to scan barcode so I can order. She said she doesn't know why that was given to me. She asked rudely what did I want to order . I showed her the picture so she took the order but the order she brought didn't have the egg in it but I was so irritated with her services I don't even feel comfortable to let her know my order was wrong. To top it all off she brought my food & set it by my side & walked off didn't even bring me water. She's very rude & I notice they make us tip them. I want to know what for? They need to ck their cameras & make sure their guests are getting treated with good customer services first... Do not spend your hard earned money with this place.

Smoke bomb black ramen: 9/5. Incredible broth that's not too salty or heavy but still full body and depth of flavor. Chashu and other toppings were delicious. Pineapple sake: 4/5. Fun concept but didn't really taste the sake or feel much of the alcohol. service was good. I was seated right away a bit after 6 p.m. on a Sunday. only problem was it took about 40 minutes to get my ramen. it shouldn't take long to get ramen served, especially as a solo diner. I eventually overheard that they were down a cook that evening, which probably explained the wait, but it still wasn't a great experience. ambiance was ok. spacious and simple, reminds me of a college town vibe. I'd be willing to come back if I'm in the area again and hope they have a full kitchen crew.

Service fast and attentive and food was delicious . Ambiance was good. We were seated right away.

Love the ramen and the service was amazing. I would love to come back to here for the ramen.

Usually this place is legit. Feels like the passion is not there. I've had some amazing fried chicken here. The ramen is on point usually. I guess it depends on who's on the cooking staff. Do not but a $4 can of soda. Get the water, save you some money. Fountain drinks in the future maybe!!! Hint hint

Scarlet the server was very presentable and her service was great. The place was loud. Not intimate at all. The food on the other hand was a bit shite. Idk how else to put it. The broth for the ramens was too creamy and the 2 different broths seemed to be almost the same. Quality just didn't seem top tier. My GF seemed to LOVE it so maybe my tastes are a bit bougie.

i literally love this place i go here all the time with my friends and it's always consistent in the food quality

Great service food was fire had the big Kakuni the number 1 smoke black bam and the number 2

Came in here as a previous local, this place turned me onto ramen. They had a coupon promo on every table promoting 10% off your next order in 15 seconds.... i went through apps and loops and the manager had to come over 20 minutes latr to explain it's not for the "next" order but it's for the next next order. 1 star for having false advertising on every table.

Best ramen spot I found so far i recently moved from Japan to San Diego this is only the best ramen I had coming back from the states the staff are amazing I love the ambiance highly recommend they also add a gratuity on the bill which I'm ok with

Good food, good service, but very loud environment. We were seated in a few minutes at the bar, and my first impression at the bar was that it wasn't clean or kept in a way a restaurant should have their bar: clean, empty of clutter, especially employees' personal items. I'm not sure if they have a designated for all their stuff in the back of the restaurant, but it was a sore sight to see jackets, their water containers, and bags across places where food should be handled/kept. The beer dispenser was next to some personal employee stuff, as well as their ingredients for the matcha tea. Ramen came out fast, decent for the area, karaage was okay as well. The smoke bomb black ramen I ordered was pretty good. The broth was at the right temperature that it wasn't too cold nor scorching hot. I was able to eat the whole bowl with ease. The chicken karaage was okay, but it looked like it was frozen and deep fried and not homemade upon cutting into it. Overall, a convenient ramen place in the area with good service. However I do not like the fact they have a 15% service fee. I would rather have the option of leaving a tip or not instead of a default amount because I want to make sure the servers deserve the tip or not. This is something I feel should change for the restaurant.

I was craving ramen one day and I decided to stop by Nishiki. They had a special ramen going on that had a 1pound pork with their Tonkotsu ramen broth. It came with a full egg, green onion, corn and ginger and a piece of naruto. I added akuma sauce to make it a bit spicy but I didn't take a picture of their house hot sauce. The service was really good everyone greeted me and took my order promptly. The ambiance of the place is intimate it's not too big and they have bar and table seating. I always loved their ramen from their Kearny Mesa location. I would highly recommend you guys trying them.

Giving nishiki Ramen their flowers. The broth is so complex and full of flavor. We are a party of 8 and have been here two times in the last 5 days. Service was stellar and our drinks stayed full. Highly recommend the smoke bomb, It's what I get EVERY TIME !!

My fave every time I come foods always great and service :) The chashu and eggs here are the best and I love the black garlic as well

This place never disappoints. Great service and great food. The atmosphere is always vibing.

Quite a nice big restaurant, with some outdoor seating, ample parking in the big shared lot, plenty of folks working and tending to the customers. The ramen was quite good; still can't overtake my favorite, Orochon in Los Angeles, but it's a lot better than a lot of places I've tried. The Spicy Chicken Ramen they had as a special was really nice. Clean and organized, if conventional, aesthetic. My friend, a vegetarian, ordered the vegan karaage for us, and insisted I tried it... and it was really good. Surprised how much I liked it, to be honest. Overall, a solid four stars. They did a lot of things really well.

Ramen and rainy days go hand-in-hand for me, and this place was the perfect comfort on one of the drizzle spells we've had in the past few months. We sat at the counter, which I usually don't do but realized it gave more room than a table for two. Those bowls are big, so you need some space! On recommendation, I got the Smoke Bomb Black ramen which is their most popular. Give me all the roasted black garlic, please. I was a fan of the pork belly but really loved the fish cake and slow-cooked egg best. I think I could just eat a bowl of ramen with those ingredients and be happy. They add a 15% automatic fee versus tipping, so take note of that. And depending on the time of day, parking should be fairly easy either in the parking lot behind or on the street. It's a good casual spot to hang out or even if you want to slurp solo. We were in and out pretty quickly and on our way.

Very fast, food was great delicious, would recommend it Wish they were fast with the drinks but I still recommend it

Had to come back to this restaurant during my visit to San Diego, their ramen is so good! We went on a Monday so there wasn't any wait (for once). We were greeted and seated right away. For appetizers we ordered the chicken karaage and the Russian Roulette Takoyaki without the "surprise" cause we were too hungry. My husband and I ordered the black garlic ramen and it was as good as we remembered!

Amazing ramen place! I found this walking around and I have to say, it's hands down one of the best ramen in the area!

Mid ramen, over priced and forces you to pay a 15% tip regardless. Wouldn't recommend this place. Go to tajima instead

I had the pleasure of dining at this ramen restaurant last Sunday during our Memorial Day long weekend trip to San Diego, and I must say, it exceeded all my expectations! Firstly, the broth is incredible. It's packed with flavor and has a wonderfully creamy texture that is simply irresistible. The ramen noodles themselves are very chewy and bouncy, exactly the way I like them. One of the standout dishes for me was the special spicy chicken ramen. It was particularly delightful and added a unique twist that sets this place apart from other ramen restaurants. The flavors were spot on and truly exceptional! What makes this restaurant different from others is the overall taste and quality. Each bowl of ramen is a masterpiece, bursting with flavors that are both rich and well-balanced. I strongly recommend this restaurant to anyone visiting San Diego. If you get the chance, you must try it! I really hope they consider opening a location in LA soon.

I've tried a lot of ramen places and Nishiki is pretty good!! I saw that the Smoke Bomb Black was #1 on the list and wanted to try it as it looked very interesting. The broth was flavorful and rhe meat soft. The pink ginger definitely gave it an interesting kick! Will be back to try the other ramen :) Service was great, the waitress assisting me was very nice and quick.