Some things are just too good to last. Sadly this place is one of them…read more **LOCATION & DECOR** The decor hasn't changed--wooden floors, brick walls, high ceilings, and sparse seating. It's always been minimal yet warm, but something felt off this time and the one before. The usual calming video of California waves was missing, replaced with a blank wall and '50s oldies music that completely clashed with the vibe. It felt disconnected from what usually made this place so special. **FOOD & DRINK** Ramen: Severely under-seasoned and watery. What used to be a flavorful, hearty bowl now feels lackluster and uninspired. Wakame Salad: The portion was noticeably smaller--20-30% less than usual. Not what I've come to expect from this place. PRICE: $$ I've always been willing to pay premium pricing for the quality, atmosphere, and service, but this time, it just didn't deliver. **SWAG/AMENITIES** - Cozy and unique decor (still a plus) - Menu variety for tea and ramen lovers - Used to have a calming atmosphere (not this time) **STAFF & EXPERIENCE** This is where things really fell apart. The service was slow from the start--30 minutes for drinks, 40+ minutes for ramen. The servers were dry, unpersonable, and barely engaged with us. They didn't introduce themselves or try to make any connection. It's hard not to miss Jenna, who was always warm, kind, and inviting. She had a way of making the experience unforgettable, and maybe even made the food taste better! **FINAL THOUGHTS** Mantra Tea House used to be my favorite spot in town. I came here regularly, twice a month, and never thought I'd feel this let down. The food, service, and atmosphere have all taken a dive, and it's just not the same place I fell in love with. Sadly, I think this was my last visit.

I loveddd the vibes in here with the brick wall and spacious feel. The service was nice as well…read more The food was a bit disappointing for the price... I ordered the shrimp ramen which I believe was $24!! came with 4 shrimps, head off and the broth was so watery and under seasoned I was really bummed!! Their crab cakes were pretty good but also expensive $23 I believe for appetizer, very small portion just one crab cake drinks were cheaper. I would come back here just to drink tea or sake but food was meh for the price. Wish they would make it $12 for the ramen or add some more toppings/seasonings if they want to keep the price.... It's Bay Area prices lacking the flavor

We stopped in for salads before our hike and we were so pleased with our dining experience! The…read moresalads were really good, healthy ingredients, and reasonably priced. They also came with a piece of homemade bread, which was super good! There's also an 'add on' menu to customize what you want with your meal. Staff were friendly and helpful. The place is in a cool, old building, and had a lot of plants and cool artwork on the walls. I would stop again when visiting the area.

It's difficult to write anything negative about this place, because we had a really nice meal here…read more The menu is small but has a good variety, we got two pizzas and a salad (two adults and a kid), two sodas and water. Everything tasted excellent, the service was good, the location feels vibrant and modern, and is very family friendly. But... how on earth do they charge $100 for a meal for two and a half people. A meal you order at the counter. Afterwards, you are expected to bus your own table. Even if it is good. $100 is just crazy!!!

Fukumi Ramen is one of our favorite places for authentic ramen. We ordered the Tantanmen, which had…read morejust the right amount of spice and came with delicious chashu pork. One thing I really like is that you can customize your bowl exactly how you want it by choosing different broths and your preferred noodle thickness. The karaage chicken appetizer is a must-order--crispy, juicy, and absolutely delicious. The service is always friendly, and the food comes out quickly. If you're looking for authentic ramen in the Roseville area, this is definitely a place I'd recommend.

I've been here probably 10 times over the past year, usually with my family of four. The food has…read morealways been great and the service is normally decent, which is why we keep coming back. Today we came to celebrate my son's birthday with a party of seven, and unfortunately the service was noticeably worse than any of our previous visits. It was slow to get our order taken, refills were rarely offered, and overall our server just seemed inattentive and uninterested. I had already decided I was going to leave a smaller tip because of the service, but when the bill arrived, I noticed that gratuity is automatically added for parties of six or more. That honestly made the experience even more frustrating. I really dislike automatic-gratuity policies like this because there's no longer much incentive for the server to provide great service, the tip is guaranteed regardless. Maybe that wasn't the reason for the poor service today, but it certainly felt that way. Great food as always, but for a birthday dinner with a larger party, the service was really disappointing.

So there I was... sitting on an oil rig in Alaska, talking to a sheriff's deputy with over 20 years…read moreon the job. He says, "My buddies keep telling me about this place called Pho King Good." Funny part? Even he had never been there. Well, that little story stuck with me. Fast forward a few weeks. My road trip partner, Koda, and I are heading home from Disneyland, cutting through Sacramento toward Grass Valley. We roll into Auburn and BOOM there it is. Pho King Good. Now let's just take a second to appreciate that name. If you're gonna swing for the fences with a name like Pho King Good, you've set the bar about as high as Mount Everest. You don't get to be "pretty decent." You'd better make me question every bowl of pho I've ever eaten. The sign? Absolutely iconic. It practically jumps out and hollers at you from the side of the road. Easy in, easy out. Road-tripper approved. Walking inside, though, I was expecting a little more "Pho King Palace" and a little less "we've been meaning to remodel since the Clinton administration." The marble counter looked nice enough, but the place just felt like it needed a little love. If I owned a restaurant with a name that good, I'd lean into it. Give me lanterns. Give me atmosphere. Make me feel like the King just walked in. Charge me another couple bucks if you have to I wouldn't mind if the experience matched the name. Then came the menu. It felt a little like Dysfunction Junction. They had everything listed, but it wasn't organized in a way that made ordering easy. Give me sections. House Pho. Beef Pho. Chicken Pho. Special Pho. Help a hungry traveler out. The food? Solid... right down the middle of the road. After hours in the car, a hot bowl of pho hits the spot no matter what. Koda really enjoyed his chicken dish, and our vegetable egg rolls with the peanut sauce were decent, although the wrapper was just a touch on the rubbery side. The owner was friendly, welcoming, and genuinely hospitable, which always counts for something. My only real disappointment was this: with a name like Pho King Good, I expected to leave saying, "That's the best pho I've ever had." Instead, I left saying, "That was... good." And then came the plot twist. Time to pay. Cash only. So now I'm walking out to the ATM like I'm making a withdrawal for a back-alley poker game or a dispensary run. I'm standing there thinking, "Well... this tip just took a hit because I wasn't planning on paying an ATM fee for my noodles." I still don't quite understand it. You're giving change, printing receipts, running a business... we're already 95% of the way to taking cards! Overall, this wasn't about whether the food was amazing or terrible. It was about the experience. Sometimes that's the story worth telling. Would I stop again on another road trip? Probably. Because sometimes a bowl of pho, your best buddy Koda riding shotgun, and a restaurant with the greatest pun in California are all you really need. And if they ever decide to polish the place up and make it live up to that legendary name... It might just become Pho King Great.

VEGAN SIGHTING!!! I…read moredon't even know where to start my fellow vegans. This quirky, Vietnamese restaurant in the city of Auburn, CA, has by far the best vegan Banh Mi sandwich. The tofu was prepared so it did not take up the whole sandwich. The pickled radish and carrots had the perfect and balanced of sour and sweet. Of course, can't leave out the herbs of cilantro and fresh jalapinjoes. The french bread was crispy outside but still soft and hearty as you take a bite. My earth was it a 2 thumbs up!!! Then their vegan pho with veggies and tofu did not disappoint. Their veggie broth was perfectly blended and made wonderfully that I was not even thinking this was vegan. The staff was kind and informative. They were attentive and friendly. Then comes the merch. If you like a play on the word Pho, then come and check out their shirts for sale. All I have to say is "Life is Pho king good." With this said, another gem in Auburn, CA.

Happy Mother's Day!!…read more Today for Mother's Day, we decided to celebrate with my neighbor and have the best sushi in town here at Jinme. Jinme is consistent. Delicious every single time... so tonight, we celebrated with my daughter. We sat right away and how gorgeous was it tonight!? Balloons, streamers, and Mother's Day table cloths. After a little bit, our server came over and we ordered sunomono and vegetable tempura. Their vegetable tempura was a mixture of the vegetables, in one. Like a birds nest. It came with 4 pieces and a dipping sauce. It was different, but very good. The sunomono (cucumber salad) was cut in half into thin slices without the seeds, and the dressing on it was delicate and went so good with the cucumbers. Quite a bit of time had passed and we were given some complimentary spring rolls to snack on. The sauce it came with was a little spicy & sweet. We ordered a Simba roll, Auburn City roll, 49ers Roll, the Ultimate Roll, and salmon sashimi. All looked fantastic! The sashimi came with miso (as an appetizer). We will ended up sharing everything with each other. I really like that baked salmon roll (Simba). It has a sweet mayo on top. The Salmon Sashimi is my favorite bc the salmon on top is made with high quality salmon belly. The freshness makes me crave this often. The 49ers roll was delicious. It was different from your regular sushi rolls with rice in the outside. it had an entire cucumber casing on the outside of it. The Auburn Roll has thick pieces of red rings and salmon throughout... what a dream... Lastly, we ordered moochi ice cream and deep fried strawberry ice cream... both were out of this world!! This was the first time I have ordered dessert here and it was phenomenal! Strawberry just gets me! Our service was great! The decorations were a cute touch, too. Jinme went above and beyond to make us feel special on Mother's Day!

Excellent, friendly service and delicious flavorful food. We had sushi and sashimi. Very refreshing…read morelunch on a hot day.

First of all, my husband is super picky when it comes to Asian food, so when I say he loved this…read moreplace, you know it's got to be really, really good. Everything we ordered was amazing! We had the ramen and the katsu, and both were sooo good. Even our kids were devouring it, and they're picky eaters too, which says a lot! The restaurant itself is also so cute with all the fun little trinkets and decor, it has such a cozy vibe. If you're in the Folsom area, definitely make a stop at Umami Ramen. We can't wait to come back!

Although we have been here a few times, we have always loved our dishes…read more I just want to let you know, if you are looking for a delicious ramen cuisine, this is where to go! We also realized that they also offer more than just ramen dishes - rice bowls and a variety of appetizers which are also great. Clean dining space, great service and friendly staff! This is on our "rotation" for sure. Today we enjoyed the spicy Tonkotsu ramen, Mazemen (no broth) Ramen, as well as the umami bun appetizer. They have a special in June where you get potstickers with every ramen order. We did not realize that until after the order. Score!! Those were delicious! Everything was fresh, flavorful and...worth it!

I honestly prefer this spot over almost any other Japanese spot in the area. We've only been here…read moretwice but have tried different things each time, and each time it's always amazing. The staff is incredibly friendly and attentive, and the restaurant has that old feel with new flare. Highly recommend.

This is one of my few 5 star ratings because this location is a gem and I can't believe that we…read morewaited almost 2 years to find it! Of note, we visited Japan earlier this year, so eating here reminded us of all the good food we'd had in Japan and brought back memories of so many amazing restaurants! First, since it is in the outdoor mall, parking is not an issue. When we entered, the staff was quick, courteous and seated us immediately. You have the options of table seating, picnic table style seating or counter seating but no views. We were seated at the picnic style table. We ordered the Asahi draft, premium sake flight (kikusui, yaegaki mu, demon slayer), kara-miso ramen and a pork katsu don. The service was the quickest we have had in a while! They also have an offer running right now - 50% off draft beers with the ramen/rice bowls/katsu sets. While each of the sake glasses (300 ml) was priced at $20-25, the premium flight was $14 and I got to taste the 3 top junmais they had - junmai, junmai ginjo, junmai daiginjo. That is an unbeatable deal because I'm pretty sure it came to 1.5 glasses of sake in total for 60% of the price. Food-wise, both portions were large and absolutely top notch! The donburi was mild and the katsu was made perfectly - light, crispy, pork shining through. The kara-miso ramen is their spicy option and it was definitely spicy! The noodles were great, as was the pork and the eggs in it. We couldn't finish everything so took some home. Pricing wise, it is reasonable - we paid $71 for everything and had the time of our foodie lives. The staff is so friendly! All in all, we were so happy to have found this place and will definitely come back to eat more :)

So, so good! Pretty much the only time I go out to eat is for sushi, and I have tried a bunch of…read moredifferent places around, but this is now my most favorite spot! The owners and staff are so nice! The food was amazing, and I love the uniqueness in their rolls.

Shared the seaweed salad. Ong so good! So well seasoned! Had…read morethe crispy tuna: delicious. Not the best ever but very good. Nigiri (though I wanted sashimi) 1. Wagyu A5 with truffle: pretty good. Again, not the best I've ever had 2. Hamachi: delicious 3. Chu-Toro: too fat to Next time imma get just the sashimi and make sure that the server knows that. Otherwise delicious ! Would be back

Pretty good ramen shop. I usually don't like ramen because of how heavy and creamy it can be, but…read morethe Amber ramen here was perfect for me. Toasty noodles, flavorful soup, and portioned just right. The poke bowl was just OK, and they forgot to put eggs in two out of three of our bowls. However, they were quick to remedy when asked so appreciated that. Service is just alright too. It took a minute for the staff to acknowledge and seat our group, and they didn't check on our table very much. Overall, I recommend this spot!

Had early dinner after skiing and the delicious broth def helped warm us up…read more Parking was easy, as it was about 4:40 pm and the shared lot was not full. The restaurant was not busy when we walked in (about 2-3 tables) but it got busier afterwards. Due to the restaurant not being super busy, they only had one employee waiting on us and the initial wait for our food was about 15-20 minutes. Later on, it appeared more staff came in and additional ordered items appeared faster. Items ordered: Green tea- great nutty flavor and perfect for fellow green tea lovers! Free refills Spicy cucumber - they used Persian cucumbers and this was a small dish. Taste was fine but I prefer the Northern Chinese style spicy cucumber over this one (if you compare these two dishes) Garnet Ramen - Good dish and delicious broth! Hubby enjoyed this. Pearl Ramen - I really enjoyed the clear broth and subtle but good mix of flavors. I preferred these noodles over the Garnet as these are thinner. Quartz Ramen - The creamy broth was my second favorite and the amount of chicken, fried onions, and broccolini were a nice touch. Kid's chicken karaage x2 - kids enjoyed this a lot Kids' Ramen- this came with just noodles, corn, and broth (your selection). Kiddo enjoyed the Quartz broth, so we selected Quartz. Even though tea had free refills, I had to ask our waiter for a refill. I know he was busy, so it wasn't a big deal.

The Food While planning for a Lake Tahoe trip, my wife and I…read morediscovered this niche stop along the way that is Moon's Korean Kitchen. We made a pit stop, and ordered their Kimchi Spam Rice Bowl, along with Pork Rib Soybean Paste Soup. The order also came with banchan, side dishes with cucumber, radish, and kimchi. The Kimchi Spam Rice Bowl had a good mix of ingredients and was delicious. The Pork Rib Soybean Paste Soup was flavorful and has a good kick to it. There are other dishes on the menu that look interesting, but perhaps next time. The Miscellaneous The Moon's Korean Kitchen is along US-50, about midway between Sacramento and South Lake Tahoe. You can miss it if you zoom through the highway. The restaurant is not super big per say, but there's a decent amount of seating for its size. During the time we went, it seemed like the owner was soloing the entire place. But the food came at a reasonable time. The restaurant doesn't have an extensive menu, but it's straightforward with variety. There are appetizers with barbeque, stews, noodles, amongst others. Though it is not a place one would visit often, they do have yummy food. Would recommend making the pit stop if you are around the area.

We just ate there last week. It's awesome! It's a husband and wife team. They're super kind and the…read morefood is absolutely delicious.