Taishoken San Francisco

"Esteemed ramen chef Masayasu Sakaguchi deemed San Mateo worthy of his first ramen outpost in the United States. Then in spring 2022, the restaurateur decided the former Mau space on Valencia Street was right for a second location. Nakano-style tsukemen, cold ramen noodles that are dipped into hot broth, remain the main draw." - Dianne de Guzman, Eater Staff

"Taishoken specializes in tsukemen, a dipping ramen you won’t find at most ramen spots in SF. Their version is one you should clear your schedule for and get to immediately. The broth is rich with an intense pork-y flavor, the noodles have an ideal chew to them, and the sous-vide chashu basically falls apart when you poke it with a chopstick. Other dishes, like spicy cucumber salad and chicken karaage, and the spicy ramen with thinner noodles are also deserving of your time. Add shochu cocktails, plum wines, and a swanky dining room into the mix, and you have a spot that’s great for quick date nights and group hangs in the middle of the week. " - julia chen 1, lani conway, ricky rodriguez

"When: Daily, Open-6pm The good news is that Mission tsukemen standby Taishoken offers Happy Hour every day of the week. The bad news is that the flawless tsukemen (and its excellent salty-sweet broth) isn’t part of the Happy Hour deal. But you can get discounted fried cauliflower and loaded fries, $6 yuzu and lychee mimosas, and a sake flight for $12. But when you come here, you'll still want to make sure the tsukemen is on the table (for the perfectly chewy noodles alone). " - julia chen 1, lani conway, ricky rodriguez

"Mau is a great spot for a casual weeknight dinner, but if it’s raining and years of Campbell’s advertising has conditioned you to want soup for lunch, this is where you should go. Their pho ga is the chicken soup you’ll wish you had as a kid home sick from school, but the real thing to get is the vegetarian bun bo hue, with spicy vegetable broth, mushrooms, tofu, pineapple, and thick noodles. If you want something small to snack on while you wait, get the five spice quail or bi chon chay with mushrooms and roasted rice." - taylor abrams, jess basser sanders, will kamensky

"Soup: Tokusei Tsukemen Dip ramen is the specialty at this swanky Japanese spot in the Mission—thick noodles are served in a broth with the consistency of gravy. Do everything in your power, short of running here in flip flops, to get a bowl—the soup has so much flavor that your brain will need a few seconds to comprehend its seismic power. When you’re done wolfing down the noodles, someone will pour dashi into the leftover soup so you can enjoy every last bit right out of the bowl. " - julia chen 1, lani conway, ricky rodriguez