Santa Ramen

I’d heard good things about this place from friends. I wouldn’t say it’s a must-try, but it definitely isn’t bad either, overall, I’d call it decent. The flavors were solid, and the noodles were cooked perfectly. One funny thing was that this was the first ramen spot I’ve been to that served a hard-boiled egg, which felt a little unusual, but I guess it’s a new twist worth trying. All in all, it’s a reliable spot if you’re in the mood for ramen.

The ramen here is solid. Probably in the top 5 on the peninsula. The broth is super rich and creamy and packed with umami. The noodles are firm and al dente, just slightly undercooked. The pork belly is meaty and flavorful. Our biggest complaint is that the last couple times we've come here, the kitchen was suuuuper slow. The food took forever to come. In our most recent visit, we waited nearly an hour for our food to arrive. This seems pretty ridiculous. One of the staff is incredible - super warm and attentive. The other staff seem like they'd rather be somewhere else.

Order Kirin beer, kim chi, chicken karaage, and pork belly with garlic pork flavor.

I haven't eaten ramen here for a long time. Today I stopped by to eat while shopping at nijiya supermarket. The noodles were cooked to the right texture and the soup was rich, but the pork was too soft and greasy. Service is friendly 💗

Portions are huge! The tonkatsu is pretty rich and the Yokohama (tonkatsu + miso) is even more filling, so you won't go home hungry. The chicken karaage was way bigger than I expected too, in a pleasant way, as we got a full-size dinner plate full of chicken. The staff was accommodating of our kiddos, bringing extra bowls for sharing and a high chair. And there was no wait on Sunday evening at 6pm!

Wonderful ramen in the most flavorful broth. Note that they close on Tuesdays and has limited hours. Very busy for great reasons 😊

One of the more established ramen restaurants in the Bay Area, Santa Ramen started serving their authentic ramen soup well before it became trendy. Their garlic pork ramen has been consistently good for the past two decades, and the service has always been friendly and efficient. Parking lot is shared with several other shops and restaurants in the strip mall, so it can get crowded especially during peak meal hours.

One star for the miscommunication of the restaurant schedule. Got there at around 1:30 and one of the workers said that’s fine then one from the back comes forward and says that’s no we cannot take you. Please adjust the business hours if that’s the case. I’ve been coming to this location for many years and never had this happened to me. Went there today 12/14/25. Good and service usually is amazing just fyi. Work on the training part please.

Been a patron for over a decade now. Just the perfect bowl of soup for the kind of weather these days. My usual is the Santa Ramen Garlic Pork, medium spicy. The broth is just an explosion of flavor in your mouth and the noodles are pretty good. The service is friendly and the place can get quite busy in the evenings.

Santa Ramen just isn't what it used to be. I remember years ago this place had lines out the door and you'd be waiting for awhile to get seated. This time I ordered the soft shell crab ramen, mild spicy with garlic broth. It was fine, nothing amazing. They use a regular hard boiled egg, which is kind of weird to me because most ramen spots have those really good marinated eggs. And they only give you half an egg. We came on a Friday around 6pm and walked right in. Only a handful of tables were taken. After we finished eating, we sat and talked for about 30-45 minutes and no one ever came by to clear the table. I'm hoping they can bring back some of that old quality because this place used to be great.

I enjoyed my food here today; had the special mackerel. It's breaded and deep fried golden colour. Comes with a nice spring salad, dressing and a small scoop of macaroni salad. You get 3 pieces of deep fried breaded fish, 2 pieces of deep fried shrimp and a bowl of plump, warm tasty rice. The fish was perfectly fried and tender. Not fishy at all. The shrimps were good as well. In fact, everything was fresh tasting. $16.99 before taxes and tip. Good value for quality food. Parking: ok Customer service: very good. My water was never below 1/4 empty.

The Tonkotsu Ramen is rich and flavorful, with a deeply satisfying pork broth that's silky and hearty. The Chicken Karaage is a crispy, golden delight. The outer coating is wonderfully crunchy, while the inside is juicy and tender. The atmosphere at Santa Ramen is cozy and inviting. The restaurant has a modern yet comfortable vibe The staff is friendly, attentive, and knowledgeable about the menu. Santa Ramen is an excellent spot for those craving rich, flavorful ramen and crisp, tender fried dishes. The combination of great food, inviting ambiance, and attentive service makes it a must-visit for ramen lovers.

The food is bussin and the service is great most of all The stuff is good good price.

The OG ramen spot I finally made it to lol. Better late than never? Anywho, showed up at 530 on a Saturday, 20 minutes later every table is filled with a line out the door. We ordered the karaage (4-piece) appetizer. You can choose from 2, 4, or 6 pieces. I love the options. The pieces are huge so def could've gone with the 2 piece... Especially since we ordered two additional appetizers on top of this. It was perfectly cooked though. Great crunch to the skin. Not greasy. The fried oysters were yummy too but the breading was a tad thick for my preference. I don't know why I keep ordering the takoyaki though. It was perfectly cooked, had good flavor, but I just hate how saucy they are and their lack of textures. Anyways, nothing wrong done on their end I just keep ordering it when I don't like it that much. I think I keep hoping I will tho. As for the ramen, both got the garlic soy broth, I got the softshell crab, husband got the pork belly. Perfectly cooked proteins but no spice to either dish. He got mild and I got medium. Nada heat. Sad. Otherwise noodles were perfectly cooked but their egg was hard boiled - which it's advertised as such- but I'm a soft boiled fan.

Came here with the family of four, and wow -- it did not disappoint! It's been a while since our last visit, but the ramen is still as amazing as we remembered. The broth is deep, rich, and full of flavor, and that spice? Total killer (in the best way). Every slurp was pure happiness

The ramen here is solid. Probably in the top 5 on the peninsula. The broth is super rich and creamy and packed with umami. The noodles are firm and al dente, just slightly undercooked. The pork belly is meaty and flavorful. Our biggest complaint is that the last couple times we've come here, the kitchen was suuuuper slow. The food took forever to come. In our most recent visit, we waited nearly an hour for our food to arrive. This seems pretty ridiculous. One of the staff is incredible - super warm and attentive. The other staff seem like they'd rather be somewhere else.

I was in the area to watch a play, and this was recommended by a friend. There were tables available but there was only 1 server so I got seated in 5 minutes. Of all the ramen choices, I ordered the Santa Ramen with a Yokohama style broth of miso and tonkotsu. The broth was wonderful, the pork was tender, the noodles perfectly to the bite. I liked you could choose your broth choice. It would have been perfect if the egg was runny instead of hard boiled. Also, the bowls are smaller than you would expect in other ramen restaurants with the same price points. My son tried the pork tonkatsu bento which came with salad and edamame. Instead of being served in a bento box it was served on a big plate. Food was good and authentic. The restaurant soon filled up and those who came in later added their name to a waitlist. Giving it 4 stars because service was slow to to limited waitstaff.

-santa ramen garlic pork (mild spicy) we visited on a weekend in the afternoon and the wait time wasn't too busy. the service was pretty fast and efficient. ramen broth was rich and flavorful, but the broth was a bit saltier than the previous times we've had it.

Absolutely delicious! I'm surprise by the ratings, it should be much higher! I came in on a Wednesday around 1, it was still pretty busy. They say me quickly and got me a menu and water fast. Ordered the dynamite ramen, absolutely delicious, it's definitely spicy, but just enough to have you breathing hard but wanting more!! The broth was amazing! The service was great too!

A well earned four stars. Good price, good taste, pretty quick service. This place has been around forever, I'm glad I finally bothered to try it. The egg wasn't very good and the portion could have been slightly better but it's not like it was skimpy. I'll be back to try more menu items. Don't get this "dynamite ramen" option if your stomach is a bit off. It was yummy but I should not have gone with something so spicy with my stomach not in totally prime condition

I've been coming here since I was in high school, but without bias, this place is very very good. The ambiance is very cozy, in its smaller setting. There usually will be a wait at the door. (I would suggest grabbing a newspaper out front.) They do have a waiting area in front which helps while people finish their meals. We typically order the pork tonkotsu ramen. The pork slices, the broth, and the noodle firmness are some of the reasons we keep coming back! We prefer the saltiness and the toppings provided. We will be back, time and time again!

The ramen was delicious and so fresh. We also got the Japanese fried chicken for the appetizer which was delicious. Service was great & super fast! And they were even pretty busy on a Sunday evening & managed to get our food out quickly. The decor was cute I loved the artwork they had on the walls.

Man oh man, this place lives in my dreams. Best ramen in the Bay Area, maybe the best ramen place I've been to--and that's saying a lot. Anyone else grow up in a don't-drink-all-the-broth-it's-not-good-for-you household? Just me, okay. Anyway, this is a place that I'll gladly eat the whole bowl whenever I have the stomach space for it. The garlic pork broth is rich, flavourful, garlicky with real pieces of garlic inside, and a perfect compliment to the chewy, almost "qq" noodle texture. Each piece of pork is distinctly marinated and salty but even with just a bowl of noodles and broth I'd be just as satisfied. They run a happy hour from 5-6pm, which we just missed by a bit. Parking can get a little tight especially as the night goes on, and by 7pm on a Friday the place was PACKED. Usually we go during the off-peak times, either the start of the lunch hours or start of the dinner hours, and are seated immediately. With two waitresses only, it was understandable that we would have a 10-15 minute wait. Still not the end of the world. No frills, but I'd like to see you try to find a better bowl of ramen in the Bay.

This place is a very cozy place to have fresh ramen on a cold rainy day or any other kind of day. The Dynamite Ramen was so so good. The spices did not over power the flavor of the garlic pork broth that we had at all. The Softshell Crab Ramen was another good one that I would go back for. The service was very attentive and great to see servers that smiles when they are talking to you. Overall very very good

I loooove Santa Ramen. I was looking for spicy and hearty, and I had the Dynamite Ramen with Garlic Pork broth. It sure hit the spot!!! The spice was exactly what I looking for -- flavorful, well-integrated, and has a satisfying kick. Sometimes spicy ramen is just a disappointing chili oil weakly dripped on top, but this was super satisfying. I came alone 5 min before opening time on a Saturday Night and I was seated and served within 12 min. The staff is super friendly. It's a comfortable family restaurant vibe with a homey and Japanese inspired aesthetic. The restroom is clean too (which matters to me a lot). Santa Ramen stays in my Top 5 Ramen places of all time for consistent deliciousness!

Santa Ramen certainly has a lot of competition in San Mateo, but I found their Yokohama-style ramen to be nice and comforting. Their Yokohama broth wasn't overly salty and didn't go insane on the miso flavor. Nice balance! I also appreciated how many toppings they give you; normally, things like spinach and corn tend to be add-ons for extra cost. While egg wasn't boiled to the point where the yolk stayed jammy, I still enjoyed it since the yolk was still fairly soft. And the pork! It practically melted in my mouth. Staff were very nice and gave us our check right a few moments after we finished. I'd definitely come here again. :)

This place was just okay. It's not what it used to be. I remember when this place used to have a line out the door but we were able to get seated quickly on a Friday evening. I ordered the garlic pork broth and it lacked flavor. The karaage was delicious and crispy. The egg is just a regular hard boiled egg. Soft shell crab also lacked flavor.

I love Santa Ramen! My boyfriend brought me here as it's his favorite ramen in the Bay Area, and the only one he says is similar to the ones in Japan. His mom is Japanese and grew up in Japan, and has a stamp approval for this restaurant as well. It's very clean and has a warm environment. They're super consistent with their yummy broth and service. The servers always checked to make sure we had water, and service has always been quick. We went around 5 PM and the restaurant was already trickling in people! Straightforward process, no frills and just good ramen. I will say I wish the egg was soft-boiled, but it was still yummy and I didn't miss the usual soft-boiled egg. Highly recommend!

I was in the mood for ramen and saw that Santa Ramen has a spicy ramen called Dynamite. I knew I had to check it out and let me say that I was NOT disappointed. It definitely has a kick. Once you get through the spice, you can taste the savory broth with the perfectly roasted pork and noodz. Not only was the food tasty, the service was great too! Super friendly and quick service. With an abundance of ramen joints to choose from in San Mateo, Santa Ramen is pretty decent and is located outside of the downtown area so you don't have to look for or pay for parking.

really solid ramen place in san mateo! vibes are super casual here. both dishes which i tried were both very good. in my opinion, the broths were both a bit salty, and the pork could have been softer/more melt-in-your-mouth. but the soft shell crab was very tasty and unique! the aji tamago i got in addition to the santa ramen was perfectly prepared, delightfully gooey inside. service was very friendly. would recommend and come back to try some bento boxes too!

What a great hidden gem. We actually stumbled upon this place by word-of-mouth from a man we met in Japan who lived in Berkeley, CA back when he was a student. We thought it must be some good ramen for him to remember the name of the restaurant so fondly almost 2 decades ago since he last came to the states. We came on a rainy Saturday for late lunch. The perfect weather for some good ramen. When we arrived all tables were full, but luckily we didn't wait long to be seated. The service was very kind and friendly. The ambiance was relaxed as everyone came to fill their bellies with hot soup. It's all simple and straight forward. The pork broth was rich and delicious with hints of black garlic oil. The pork belly was so tender and generous. The ramen noodles were nicely coated with the broth, which made each slurp so full of umami. The hard boiled egg was cooked to perfection and not overcooked. The corn, bamboo shoots and spinach were also tasty, as expected. Santa does not disappoint.

I hadn't been to Santa Ramen in years. Partially because it's so far out of the way. Partially because when we've been near, we didn't have time to wait for a table. Today, my mom and I were close, and it was just after opening so we thought we might be able to get in relatively quickly. Well, we got in anyway. The restaurant was full and there were two tables ahead of us. We had to wait about ten minutes and were then seated at a two-top. The menu is small so the ordering process is simple. I placed the order for us. Two bowls of Santa Ramen with Yokohama Soup (blend of Pork & Miso). One order of Deep Fried Oysters. A very simple lunch. Service was very efficient. There only appeared to be two servers working the dining room. Watching them work was like watching a well synchronized dance. No motions were wasted. Every time they delivered an order to a table, on the return, they took something back to the kitchen, whether it be a new order or dishes cleared from a table. Deep Fried Oysters - 5 - The Oysters are small, but they were beautifully battered and fried. They were accompanied by a small salad, a smudge of hot mustard, lemon wedge and dipping sauce. Santa Ramen - 5 - A small, simple bowl of ramen with all the necessary parts. One thick slice of the most delectable pork, 1/2 a boiled egg, oh, just look at the menu. Then go order yourself a bowl and enjoy life!

Every dish was very good. DH really liked the chicken teriyaki bento. Service is still the weak point. Seems like they forgot our order. People who ordered after us were served long before us. DH finally complained.

Food was delicious. Service was ok. I gave 2 stars because what I actual order didn't came out. They gave me something else without telling me. I paid for it too

Good local ramen place. It got pretty busy at lunchtime. I had the pork Santa ramen everything was fresh and tasty. Large portions of meat. I would definitely go back.

Had lunch here yesterday. In years past I would be booted out from the car to go stand in line when they opened. Sadly, not the case now. I really did pull up ready to foot boot my passenger to stand in line. There wasn't one. I comfortably parked and we walked into an empty restaurant. I'm pretty sure that the influx of Ramen eateries in the vicinity have taken away patrons. I stand firmly in stating that our experience was extraordinary. Our server was friendly and welcoming. Our soup was delicious and still on point!! I personally don't eat noodles for health reasons, but, was completely satisfied with all of my toppings and spooned the soup bowl dry. Thank you!

I was seriously hankerin for some delish ramen ... the broth was excellent, the deep fried shrimps were crispy & fresh! Love the soft shell crab & all the extra toppings u can add. I love going when they first open...plenty of seating & it's nice & quiet. Winter is coming

Best ramen in the Bay Area. Was introduced to Santa ramen ages ago and look forward to each time I can come back since we live in Marin. Wish we had a Santa closer to where I live :)

It's been a really long time we visited Santa Ramen. Went there with hubby last Friday around 1pm. There was a short line waiting for the table. We waited about 10 mins before we were seated. After we placed our order, we have to wait another 30 mins before we got our ramen. It is obvious they prepare their ramen one bowl at a time. We both enjoyed our ramen. But, Ramen Dojo remains my number 1 ramen joint.

Santa Ramen was my staple ramen shop growing up. Our family would visit almost every other week when they were in their first location in that tiny corner shop and we'd wait patiently for over 30 minutes every time just to eat their noodles. Over the years, Santa has truly been through a lot of evolution and made major tweaks to their menu. Their base is always the same: soy sauce, garlic, or miso. However, the toppings and taste of the ramen has reached it's highest of highs and also a pretty big low just a few years ago, which is when I stopped coming (in addition to COVID of course). But I finally made my way back after hearing they really upgraded their menu options in recent times. We stopped by about a half hour before closing on a Sunday and were seated immediately. The shop looked the same and there were a few tables still occupied along with a couple seats at the bar. The menu is much more extensive than I remembered and I was excited to see some fun additions. I ended up going for my usual miso base and picked the soft shell crab ramen. We also ordered some kaarage (which you can pick how many pieces you want) for the table along with the cold tofu appetizer. Our food came out within minutes, with the kaarage and ramen piping hot. I will say, this new and improved style of Santa really impressed me. The ramen was delicious and the soft shell crab was definitely the star of the show. It was so crispy and juicy and paired so well with the broth. The ramen noodles itself were chewy yet firm. I only wished the portions were bigger and that they added more of the various toppings. The tofu and kaarage were both really great pairings to the meal and I definitely left more than satisfied after polishing off everything on my plate. I am so happy they found their rhythm again after my last visit several years ago (think ground chicken and a fat wad of boiled spinach as your main toppings in ramen....). This experience was so much better and the food tasted really good. It reminded me of their glory days almost 2 decades ago and I am here for it!

So, I lied not coming back! Always give anyone a chance with a good heart! This is my forth time coming back here since after the pandemic. All 4 times is a positive good aromatic ramen. Last weekend ordered a pork cheek with garlic pork flavor and extra noodles. It was very good, better than anywhere else.

If you want Ramen, this is the place to go. It's not a big place and the waiters are on top of it all the time. I'll be back

Quick take: Don't order chicken teriyaki bento I was shopping at Nijiya and the kids wanted ramen. I wasn't in the mood for ramen so I veered off course and ordered the teriyaki chicken bento. I recommend sticking with the ramen if you end up here. Kiddos liked the Tonkatsu ramen (no spicy) ramen bowls. They also have a vegetarian option.

The best tonkotsu ramen still here in California i will keep on coming back to u guys! Irreplaceable!!!Satisfied Customer.

Have always loved this place and even when it change owners the food (didn't stay exactly the same) stayed good. The only thing I miss is the lightly fried tofu (agedashi) dish.

Service was bad and inexperienced staff. Broth is a bit too salty. Not worth the wait.

This was the first ramen spot I came to as a teenager and it is still my favorite. Simple but just good. Lots of parking, sometimes a bit of a wait.

Came in during the lunch hour and there was steady traffic the entire time. Staff was quick to accommodate and did not ignore any of us clients. 2 people working the dining area and they were both on it! So much so that before finishing, they were already dropping off the checks before we could ask for it. Spacious and clean restaurant, indoor seating only. For my meal, I ordered the Santa Ramen (house option) Yokohama style soup base (pork and miso). The base was creamy, I asked for medium spicy and there wasn't really a kick like other ramen spots typically have. The grilled pork was good, small portion like the rest of the toppings. I wasn't too impressed with my specific dish but I would recommend this place if you're in the area and craving something warm. Menu was small but definitely would be willing to try more plates. 3.5 stars for me for my first visit.

Wasn't sure what to expect since this place is called santa, but it was pretty good! The broth was flavorful and i liked that you could choose from 5-6 options for each type of ramen. The menu was simple (4 main offerings for ramen, and other appetizers/small plates/drinks). You also choose your level of spice. The noodles had a nice bite and there was plenty, though you can't tell from the photo, but i assure you it's below the soup! Docked a star for the egg not being soft boiled and the meat was really fatty. Not too hard to find a parking spot since there's a parking lot. I would come again to try the other types of ramen!

SERVICE: -------- Wait time for two at 6:30 on a Saturday was around 15m. Another party of three put their name down while we were waiting and got seated immediately before we did. While that seems great to the reader, that bothered me. Granted there was a table for us too so harm no foul. We were also only given one menu but I knew what I wanted so it's fine. I tried to indicate we were ready to order but our waitress made several trips back and forth without eye contact. She could have checked in between dropping off orders to other tables. Again, the party that came in after us got their order immediately before us. When I made my order she went to the kitchen, came back and indicated that they JUST ran out of the pork belly ramen. There's a reason why there's a system. It should be followed without prejudice and it made me feel mistreated. FOOD: ------ The Chicken Karage had some generous pieces and was quite juicy. The skin was very crispy, retained its heat, and benefitted from the tangy sauce mixture that it came with it. I sometimes pair that with my ramen for extra protein and flavor. The ramen itself was just ok. The broth was lacking in umami and seemed a bit too oily. I opted for the regular tonkatsu broth as the black garlic flavor is even oilier. I also got pork cheek, which was tasty, but I still would have preferred the pork belly instead. The noodles had a nice firmness but seemed like they were cut in half for more manageable bites. Some may appreciate that but its all about the slurp. On another note, if you have a high spice tolerance then the extra spicy will seem somewhat mild.

The best ramen in the Bay Area so far! I've been coming here since I was maybe 8 years old. It's been my favorite ever since. Tonkotsu broth is rich and flavorful (my favorite) and the pork belly and cheek is always cooked to perfection. My favorite things to order are the soft shell crab ramen or the pork cheek ramen with katsu on the side to dip in the broth. I always order karaage to go and eat it as a midnight or tv snack. It's the best!

The ramen is great and the portions are hefty on the meat portions relative to other ramen shops in the area. Service isn't the fastest and it gets a little busy so expect a slight wait if your coming during dinner time.

My bf and friend took me here for dinner, they really like it but I thought it was just ok. We wrote our name down on a Saturday night at 7:20~ and there were two parties ahead of us (party of 6 and party of 2). When it was about our turn, a different party of 2 got sat (father and daughter), the father mumbled to us "they skipped us" and walked past us to the table. We checked the list but didn't see anyone else who was still active on the waitlist that wasn't the two parties in front of us and thought it was weird. I would've appreciated if the waiter told us as a courtesy if they truly were skipped because it just seems like they cut us (not to mention they weren't even in the waiting area when we were there the entire time). I got the tonkatsu santa ramen and the pork was quite fatty (if you like that but I'm not a fan of super fatty pork). I can't exactly describe the soup, it was hearty but also felt lacking/grainy at the same time? It wasn't bad but I personally wouldn't come back here. I've had better ramen places in the area. The chicken karage pieces were pretty big and tasted good, prob enjoyed that more than the ramen.

The ramen here is incredible. I ordered the original Santa Ramen, which was great. The broth was creamy and full of flavor, and the noodles were thick and delicious. I will definitely come here again!

Place is solid. Slightly above average. I ordered a bento box with chicken. Shrimp. Salad, and rice. The shrimp was great. Wanted more. These days it's all about value for the cost. It met my expectations. My companion had ramen and they were very happy. Service is pleasant. Unlike other noodle places this wasn't a cattle call. Seems like they removed sone seating since my last visit a few years ago. Ambiance is non existent. Lots is families dining Sunday late lunch. Will probably return.

1/5 I would give zero stars if I could. I was seated for over an hour and never got my food, while multiple tables that arrived after me were served quickly--with way more food than my table. It was beyond frustrating watching other people enjoy their meals while we sat there with nothing. Absolutely unacceptable service. I won't be coming back.

TLDR: A remarkably average bowl of ramen. Saturday 5/27/23 ~12:50pm, $18.35 after tip 13 min 18 sec from order-to-bowl ~~~~~~~~~ Santa Ramen - Soy Base - No Spice ~~~~~~~~~ Final Score: 4.72/10 (6.1/10) Noodles: The strongest component of the bowl. Average-thickness yellow egg noodles. Standard quality for a ramen shop; definitely better than the frozen-grocery-store section. The noodles were cooked well, and had a good bite/mouth feel. Definitely not made in-house, but nothing to complain about. (5.2/10) Broth: Run-of-the-mill shoyu (soy) based broth. The shoyu flavor came through with the exact amount of saltiness you'd expect. Light, not too oily. There isn't much more too it... Shoyu is one of the safe broth choices (high floor, low ceiling) so there's a limited amount of room to make an impression. It got the job done. Likely from a pre-mixed/pre-made soy broth mix. I'd try out the Tonkotsu broth if you want a more opinionated flavor. (1.5/10) Egg: The weakest component of the bowl. Sad. You hate to see it. A hard boiled, completely unseasoned egg. Just a hard-boiled egg cut in half. The hard-boiled-egg-yolk flavor is always odd in a bowl of ramen; minus the standard sugar/shoyu marinade, its just a huge miss. (4.8/10) Meat: A relatively thick piece of chashu pork belly. Nice piece of meat. Good fat/meat ratio. Slight charring along the edges along with visible grill marks - Not too much flame-grilled flavor though. The meat was well seasoned but there wasn't a distinct marinade flavor, just salted pork belly. Not terrible by any means. Nothing to write home about. (5.0./0) Misc Toppings: Seaweed, spinach, corn, lots of garlic bits, and bamboo shoots straight out of the can. The bamboo shoots still had the odd, syrupy, from-the-can flavor. Everything else was pretty standard. Nothing offensive. Safe choices. (4.5/10) Other: The bowl wasn't bad by any means. The only huge miss was the unseasoned ramen egg. If you really want ramen before or after shopping at Nijiya, this will meet expectations. Though, there's lots of tough ramen competition in San Mateo: Kakijen, Ramen Dojo, Ramen Parlor, and Taishoken are less than 2 miles away and offer superior bowls. *Weighted Scoring Formula: Noodles (25%), Broth (25%), Egg (15%), Meat (15%), Misc Top. (10%), Other (10%) Other: Parking: Strip mall parking, shared with Nijiya, Joanes, etc Service. 2 Busy servers. Nothing to complain about. Got busy around 1:00pm