Nozaru Ramen Bar

This place was highly recommended to us and they did not disappoint! We ordered the spicy garlic edamame and Adam’s fries to start. The edamame was hot and soft but didn’t really have much of a garlic flavor. The Adam’s fries were amazing with tons of flavor and a generous amount of pork belly. We also ordered the ramen burrito (it was recommended to us) and while it was flavorful, having ramen and fries in a burrito was a bit much for me. We ordered the Black Heights ramen bowl and we really enjoyed it. The broth was savory and rich and there was a lot of meat, corn, and fungi on the side. We also ordered the Seared Salmon Shrimp sushi roll and it was amazing. Definitely would come back here and would try more of the items on their side dishes menu.

It’s been about 6-7 years since I’ve last been to Nozaru Ramen. I remember I had a great experience then, and I wanted to revisit. This time around I wasn’t as happy with the experience. I had the ramen combo which includes fried gyoza and chicken karaage. My wife ordered the Donkey Kong ramen bowl. The ramen I ordered was pretty much the same as the tonkatsu. I enjoyed this one. However, my wife’s Donkey Kong ramen was very salty. Keep in mind we enjoy salty foods, but this was pretty extreme. When we arrived, there was only one other party there. They already had their food. It took at least 20 minutes for our ramen to come out. However, the food came out separately because they were behind. I don’t understand this part because they just opened 10 minutes before we arrived. How can you be behind already? Before we left, they were at full capacity. They get very busy on Sundays. Anyhow, overall it was a good experience, not a great one.

I had the Tokyo chicken ramen which was excellent. The broth was hearty, the meat was tender and filling, the egg was cooked to perfection, and the noodles were delicious. It’s a great spot on a cloudy/rainy day, and it was uncrowded for an early dinner before 5 p.m. (my personal favorite time to go out). The service was fast and friendly. They also serve a mean seaweed salad! I sampled the Donkey Kong as well which had a beautiful array of flavors and textures, but it’s a bit rich for me. My biggest complaint is that the music playing is incredibly loud. Maybe this suits a more lively dinner crowd, but it was pretty distracting being the only people in the restaurant.

Delicious and so reasonably priced! The spicy Reese roll was so tasty, and the salmon poke bowl was fresh and filling. The service was top notch- both guys working were friendly and helpful. The atmosphere was casual and relaxed. Perfect for a nice little Sunday meal. Highly recommend!

Loved the Friday lunch special here — chicken ramen, gyoza & chicken karaage 🙌 also love the avocado roll 🥑

Nozaru is fantastic! We ordered the Tonkotsu ramen through DoorDash, and it was flavorful and satisfying even as delivery. The dumplings were also a hit—perfectly cooked and delicious. Highly recommend giving this place a try! I want to go dine in as well

One of the better ramen spots in the area I would say. Prices were fairly reasonable. Service was really good. Food overall tasted really good. Got a few chuy hais, was thinking they were like the strongs in Japan but no cigar. I did like that I was able to choose the spice level for my ramen. I do however wish the bowl had came with more protein though and a full egg rather than half. Looking forward to returning.

Started with the Spicy Heights with the volcano heat level. It was the perfect spice temperature where I am about to break a sweat. Restaurants need to commit to catering to an authentic high spice level, and this place delivered! Also, ordered the Crunchy Roll. It is shrimp with eel sauce and I loved it. Great service and the best AC unit in San Diego. Check it out!

Amazing service, friendly staff, the food was delicious, too! I may be a bit biased though, due to the gluten free friendly options my wife was able to choose from. Music and Ambiance was a vibe to experience. Thank you for the memories!

Small shop in Normal Heights with kind of a surf-shack vibe. Came on Friday for lunch (they only do lunch Fri-Sun I think). Got my standard order of Karaage and got the Black Heights ramen. The chicken was perfectly serviceable, but nothing memorable. The ramen was the same. Their menu is a bit of everything (sushi, small plates, ramen). Their ramen is definitely original. Riffs on traditional stuff but certainly not traditional. I found the broth to be too salty. The tare kind of overpowered the flavor of the soup. Noodles were not memorable, egg was fine, chashu also just fine. The bowl came with bacon bits as a topping which seems to be an offering on a few of the bowls here. I wonder if that contributed to the saltiness? I enjoyed the vibe and the service was friendly. The food was just okay. If I was in the area and really craving ramen I'd consider it, but I wouldn't go out of my way for it. Also the prices are slightly higher than average for ramen in the city. Another ramen spot to try checked off the list.

Before coming to Nozaru, I had never heard of a ramen burrito... I was hesitant to order bc it sounds strange. However it did not disappoint. Think sweet and savory, noodles and fries. Sounds weird right? Surprisingly delicious! 10/10 recommend I wish I knew the name of these ramen dishes bc they were delicious. Made with love. Service was also great

If you're looking for an authentic ramen experience, this ain't it. If you want a spot for fusion ramen, poke bowls, burritos, etc - this could be your spot. Love that they've got a special on most weekdays. Gives the sense of community for sure. Personally, not a spot I'd be rushing to go to for ramen again. However, if I were already in the area (conveniently parked) and wanted a fun spot for an appetizer/beer, I might stop by again.

We live around the corner and come often for takeout and occasionally dine in. The restaurant interior is bold and beautiful - i love the design, art, and style in there. There's also a little outdoor seating on the curb, so technically pups can join you for dinner / join in on the fun! Conveniently Nozaru offers both ramen and sushi. We've tried their apps too, not bad. Owner is from Japan. I highly recommend dining in over taking to-go because i think the ramen is much better when freshly enjoyed hot straight outta the kitchen.m. I like the Tokyo Chicken bc it's a solid predictably clean-tasting, savory ramen, without being too heavy. That soy egg is like simply wow so i like to add an extra one to my order. Service is always friendly and ambiance is intimately quaint and warm. If you're looking for a comforting bowl of ramen or jidori wings paired with a cold glass of beer, they also have happy hours i believe on...Wednesdays i may be wrong so don't quote me

My first time having ramen was a blast thanks to Nozaru. The guest service was through the roof! While it may look small from the outside, there's plenty of room once you walk in. And as soon as you walk in you're greeted with big smiles and a lovely welcome. Out of the many restaurants San Diego has to offer I highly recommend you stop by this place and if you have a craving for spicy food (like myself) you should try the volcano paste they add to the soup. 10/10 for me. Ps. They also have bomb sushi!!!!

GF Options-for sensitivities/intolerance, Dairy Free, Vegetarian Options So happy to have found a spot offering GF tonkatsu ramen with a jammy egg and chashu! I don't think I'd recommend this place to celiacs though. I did get mild brain fog after my meal which tells me there was slight cross contamination, but I was happy to actually have ramen for the first time in a long time. Servers were super friendly, communicative, and attentive. The restaurant allows you to seat yourself and they bring the menus to you! They have a small outdoor seating area perfect for dogs.

The food was really good. The broth and the ramen was really flavorful. The sushi roll was on point. It took us about 10 to 15 minutes to get seated. Service was good. Thank you for taking care of us I will be back again

I was interested in trying this restaurant since the decor on the outside and inside look super cool. It kind of have this punk Japanese vibe to it. Immediately stepping into the restaurant, I knew it wasn't going to be a traditional bowl of Ramen, which is fine! I'm down to try different fusions and flavors of dishes, as long as it's yummy. I knew that if I ordered the tonkotsu ramen, I would compare it to all the other delicious ramens I have had in LA and Japan, I opted for something more out of the normal. So I ordered the donkey Kong ramen. I was surprised with the flavor of the tonkotsu broth -- it was yummy! The noodles themselves were a bit undercooked. It felt like they were al dente which I think the best ramen noodles are cooked just beyond that. Unfortunately the egg was not a soft boiled egg so I felt it was over cooked. The meat in the ramen was pretty good. The service was standard and the food came out relatively quickly so no complaints there! Overall, I would say if you are craving ramen, it may satisfy but I think there are several tastier options.

Pretty solid ramen! I had the Tonkotsu ramen and added an extra egg. I liked the chicken option- healthier than chashu but tender and flavorful. The eggs were great. I also really enjoyed the rich broth with added flavor bomb. I didn't care too much for the bamboo shoots and seaweed once it "melted." Next time I'd just ask for neither and there are tons of ways to customize.

My favorite ramen spot, I spent a few weeks in Hawaii last year searching for ramen to compare, and I still think Nozaru is #1. The White Rabbit is incredible.

Some friends and I went here last week for some late night sushi and ramen. Our time here was good and the service was great. The interior decor and atmosphere was beautiful. It was a cool mix of what you may find in a more traditional ramen place and a modern restaurant. The food was good; the ramen better than the sushi. We had the Spicy Ramen, Tokyo Chicken Ramen, Chronic Roll, Spicy Reese Roll, Spicy Tuna Roll, and Garlic Edamame. I thought the ramen had a lot of great qualities and the portions were large. The sushi I felt was below average and kept a price of an above average roll. There just wasn't anything special about it and the quality of the salmon wasn't the best. It was a really cool spot in Normal Heights and would recommend checking it out and getting their ramen. There is a chance I would go back but would rather try out some different places in the area first.

Got the spicy heights a couple of times. Really good. Have always done takeout as the dining area is fairly small.

Tried the chicken tonkatsu curry and the original ramen. The chicken tonkatsu was very delicious and not so salty ,highly recommended.the waitress was super nice and let us try the curry before we order.

Got the black garlic oil ramen and it was way too salt and the pork belly was tough and fatty, not to mention it was expensive.

Not my cup of tea. We ordered tonkatsu ramen with pork, gluten free tonkatsu ramen with chicken, katsu chicken rice bowl, and the crunchy sushi roll. It was all okay, but honestly I wouldn't order it again. Some things that kind of undermined each dish for me were a lot of very chewy mushrooms and seaweed in the ramen, overcooked and tough quail eggs with the katsu chicken, a strong citrus taste in the crunchy roll that kind of overpowered everything else. Nothing was bad, just not a place I'd choose again. One positive is that they have gluten free options. We got it delivered on door dash so maybe it suffered from the transport.

I am sorry to say that I got sick after my meal here. The people were friendly and service was good. I'll have to think twice before going here again though.

Nozaru is a quaint ramen shop with a street-style feel. The walls are filled with graffiti/mural and meme-able posters. It's the perfect spot for a solid, affordable bowl of ramen. Although it's always been busy when I've come, we've always managed to get a table and quick service. The staff are extremely friendly and accommodating. My friend was able to get 100% gluten free ramen there and was the one to suggest since she's never tried ramen before!

Best service, food so fresh and yummy...Spicey garlic edamame so perfect. Pork gyoza, yummmm..I had the spicy heights ramen, yummmmmmm. Small, cute, and friendly. A must

Really great ramen spot, it's in a great walkable area of cool shops. The ramen here is really good and the restaurant is super cute.

It's a hit or miss with this one. My first time here was great; they had the best ramen..best I've had in SD actually! The broth was very very flavorful! The second visit (a month later) was sadly not the same experience; I ordered the same ramen and the broth was very bland and quite oily. Other than that, good customer service. Still probably worth a try if you catch them on a good day.

I absolutely love this place. The ramen burrito is what dreams are made of! Really affordable and delicious, the only weird thing is their hours. I feel like they change them often like sometimes they are open for lunch and other times they are only open for dinner

I love myself a great spicy ramen bowl on a cold rainy day! After moving to San Diego, I was on the hunt to find my rainy day ramen place. I have ordered from Nozaru plenty of times through Ubereats and it comes well packaged and still warm! I love how the broth is in a separate container from the noodles so nothing spills or gets spoiled. I always order the spicy heights ramen with a hot spicy level. I always added extra veggies and an egg to mine! I have also ordered the Spicy Reese sushi roll- spicy tuna, avocado inside topped with salmon, sesame seeds and original poke sauce. The Sassy Lela sushi roll is my favorite: spicy tuna topped with yellowtail, cilantro, sesame seeds and original poke sauce. The spicy edamame is always a must. This place is always great and the food is delicious!

It was too busy inside the restaurant to eat but for how long it took to prepare my to-go order there were some tables that freed up. Was a little ticked about that aspect and headed home. Food was impressively delicious, I got those brown rice noodles instead of the regular ones and very pleased with the texture. The pork broth was silky smooth awesome and really enjoyed it. Also loved the karaage and salmon sushi roll. Next time I will come in a less busy time to eat indoors.

LET ME TELL YOU. The service here is absolutely amazing and the ambiance is so cute! I loved the decal/art on the wall. 3 of my best friends and I came in for dinner and to catch up after not seeing each other in MONTHS. We were having a heartfelt conversation before putting our order in and our server said, "sorry I would've came sooner but it looked like you were having a good conversation!" I really appreciated that. I took a while to figure out what to order because the whole menu looked sounded so good - I was debating between sushi or ramen and opted for sushi and it did not disappoint. Luckily, our waitress was so patient with my indecisive self. What we ordered: -adams fries -spicy garlic edamame -White peach sake 10/10 so good, it tasted like juice -chronic town & John adams sushi roll(s) Plus, our server gave us a free ramen!!! She told us she put in an order wrong so they had an extra ramen and she knew we were thinking of ordering ramen. So so sweet of her! My best friends and I all enjoyed our mini split portion of the ramen, which was the cherry on top. Towards the end of our dinner, we decided to take some selfies. One of the waiters offered to take a group picture of us all. I'm telling you, the service here is top notch and so friendly! Thank you to our servers (I didn't get a chance to get their names) for making our dinner date worthwhile. We will definitely be coming back for more!

If you don't eat meat this place isn't for you. They put meat in my bowl after staying multiple times I don't want meat. They still had bacon in my bowl to go and never answered there phone after calling 8+ times. My $20 bowl went to waste and they couldn't even follow simple instructions.

The first thought I had leaving here is that the service was excellent! There were 2 ladies working and they were super attentive and friendly. Our server was very knowledgeable about the menu and helped us choose what ramen to order. One thing to note is they have happy hour from 5-6! We chose the pork gyoza, which had the perfect crunch and flavor and came out fresh and hot. We also got the california roll, which tasted like your normal california roll. I love that it came with 8 pieces and was perfect to split between the 2 of us. It was pretty big for the price so that was awesome. Lastly we both got the black heights ramen (my friend got it with chicken and i got it with pork). It was okayy we werent a big fan of the bacon bits, never had that in ramen before and it is already salty so this just made it even saltier. Next time we will definitely omit the bacon. But overall we had a really nice experience!

I hate to put 1 star. But, I ordered the Red Gorilla. I'm sorry for a harsh review ...But, I was disappointed. I had 2 trips to the bathroom as it did make my stomach ache, that just might be how my body is taking it in. This is a bit Blunt, & I really hate to be the one to let you know this. But, when I opened the container, it gave a stench of urine/ wet- rag smell . ;0 :((( Ok, I know that sounds bad. But, imagine my reaction when I smelt it, the customer. I tried the soup and I could Not finish it. ... I'm Sorry for the bluntness, but? That was my instinct Reaction, (I think the heat of the broth/pork inside the container made it smelly.... ) Idk.... I did read a (-) review and hoped it wasn't true about this spot.. as I wanted to try out a New ramen place. I also ordered the Island Cali, and you're better off ordering a crunchy roll. Although I loved the crunch of the tempura.... I didn't realize I ordered a roll that only had imitation crab in it w just tempura...in it. If it makes any difference, I did appreciate the Japanese guy's customer service... And, I liked the set up of the place as the stools looked like Authentic Japanese Ramen shop. But, unfortunately, I don't think I will be coming back.

My fave local Ramen spot. Love everything on the menu, gyoza and edamame are great. Love the staff and vibe!

Love this place! Stumbled upon it while I was in the area with my friend. Went on a Saturday during lunch(2ish) and there was a lunch set for I think 16 dollars about. You get a bowl of ramen, 3 fried gyozas, and couple pieces of big chicken. I think the ramen tasted amazing as well as the chicken and gyoza. Awesome place and food was for such an amazing value and experience. Would definitely go again!!!

Very good food, great for the price, good ambience, right on Adams Avenue. Great service

Had dinner with some friends last night here. It was my first time. Our server was Anthony who was great; friendly and funny! I got the black heights ramen with pork belly and it was good. It has black mushrooms and corn and the broth was creamy. The space is a cute small spot in normal heights. Prices are decent. Would recommend and will be back again sometime!

Obsessed with this place. Ramen is bomb and love the little atmosphere. Good range of choices too on the menu

We enjoyed our first time here yesterday! I really liked their tonkotsu heights ramen. The noodles itself & broth were very tasty. The vegetable croquettes are very yummy too. Would come back.

This spot has great ramen. I really like their pork chashu and my go to ramen is their spicy heights. Their noodles are good too. Great texture. I would stay away from their sushi though. It's not that great.

Ordered delivery of sushi and the Red Gorilla ramen. Sushi was fresh and tasty, and this ramen. Yo. Slightly spicy red broth, perfectly crispy katsu chicken, thick noodles - deeply satisfying, with a flavor complex enough to stand up to my cravings while watching old episodes of Top Chef!!

Dope ramen and cool atmosphere. Didn't feel rushed and had plenty of time to talk with friends. Good service as well.

This is the only place I ever eat. They have achieved the superlative culinary experience. Have you ever had ramen? Good, right? Have you ever had a burrito? I know, I know. Have you guessed where they're going with this yet? THEY. TURNED. RAMEN. INTO. A. BURRITO! Given that this exists, what possibly could be the point of going to any other restaurant?I'm asking honestly.

My favorite Ramen place! But please being back the chicken broth. I cannot have the pork broth and the veggie broth is not as creamy. But otherwise, love this place! All the waiters are very nice and very attentive! Love the decorations inside too!

I ordered the Spicy Heights ramen and spicy tuna sushi roll. I would say both was okay. I liked the ramen better than the sushi (ofc) but the ramen was just alright to me. Nothing stood out really and I wish the portion was a little bigger considering the price. However, customer service was amazing and the workers were really nice!

Service really good. Food quite the opposite. Breakdown of "Black Heights" Tastes like I'm drinking butter, if you want barbecue soup this one is for you. Gg go next zzz

I ordered this on Uber Eats so I cant say anything about the service or restaurant atmosphere. The food was amazing though! I love me some spicy ramen and the flavor of the broth alone was great! I wish they gave a little more protein then 2 pieces but I guess that is somewhat normal when getting ramen. The spinach noodles were wonderful and those garlic chips and oil are a must. Make sure to try the shishito peppers too! I will definitely order from here again!

10/10 sushi was delicious and fresh and the vegan ramen was awesome! Finished the whole bowl!

Best ramen south of the 8 freeway in a quaint walkable neighborhood. Love the decor in here is what I'll say first. Ramen is balanced and not overly salty or fatty. It's just right. Hours are limited and parking is limited so plan accordingly. I ate here the first time and then walked around the neighborhood looking at the unique and cute houses in the area. A great date night imo. If walking isn't your thing, then there are plenty of bars nearby.

I will give the food 5 stars if this was only based on food. I ordered the spicy ramen it was very delicious I really love the garlic chips, I added katsu as my protein. I wish I had photos but immediately when it came out I dived right in. Ramen 10 out of 10. Now let's get into th service. It's only waiters so it can get a little hectic and you may have to flag them down in order for them to see you. They rarely checked on us and we didn't get any water refills the whole time we were there. The ambiance is nice I love the flowers in the ceiling and the graphics on the wall.

I surprised myself how much I enjoyed this place. Like, I looked at the menu online and thought this might be a bit americanized, felt sorry about sushi in their menu because that means they opened their ramen restaurant and customers came in asking for sushi. It sad, when you try to specialize in 1 kind of Japanese food but also have to serve sushi because dumb customers expect sushi in a Japanese restaurant. I assume that's what happens when you target white people as potential customers. Anyway. The ramen I ordered was the donkey Kong one. And the soup was great. I been to some disappointing ramen restaurant so that was a refreshing experience. A very fulfilling ramen soup indeed. And although the topping on it was far from traditional realm, the stir fried meat pieces and kimchi was actually quite enjoyable. Bacon on a ramen was new to me. But weirdly, it matched the ramen. Overall, I was impressed, and I would definitely like to come back again.

We hadn't been here in a while but went recently. Their menu hasn't changed but their style and broth had. There were flies everywhere which was really distracting. The server seemed uninterested in her job and really flat with customers. I used to really like this place pre-pandemic but a lot has changed. Probably won't be coming back here for ramen anytime soon.

My boyfriend & I have our favorite ramen spot, we were curious to see if we were missing out. Not sure if we came during an off day, but we were highly disappointed. The gyozas themselves tasted unflavorful, but the soy sauce was extremely salty. We got the angry ape ramen, and boy after the first sip of the broth we were disappointed and wanted to go somewhere else. The broth was thicker than many other ramen broths that I've had and I've been to mannnyy ramen spots! The egg was cooked perfectly and the pork chasu was thick, however it didn't save the rest of the bowl. Overall, it just wasn't good for us. The food was not worth the $40 we spent here.

Great price, cool ambiance, the best music, friendly service and.... amazing food. I will be back!

Ramen burritos are apparently reviews need to be more than 85 words. That's a lot, is yelp paying me for this? Definitely not so I'll just say that the tamer burritos are fire and the staff is always nice. Thank you for coming to my review