I love Ippudo Ramen! Its really hard finding a great veggie ramen place and I think I finally found one. They even have 2 options. The greatest though is that they have a veggie bun! And it is absolutely fantastic. I gave 4 out of 5 stars because you can't reserve a table and the 30-45 min wait time is sometimes just not something I want to do or have the time for. I would eat here far more often if I could reserve a table in advance. I think it would make it a better experience as well since the waiting area is not very big and although you can drink and order appetizers at the bar it just feels uncomfortable and stressful. It also ads the feeling that you have to eat quickly because so many people are waiting outside. They changed the veggie bun :( it still tastes good but sadly not as good as it was before. read more

I fell in love with Ippudo in New York...I literally went there everyday during my visit. When I heard they were opening an Ippudo in SF, I was so excited...until I dined here. My order of the spicy Karaka Special at $20 a bowl, which comes with a boiled seasoned egg, extra pork belly chashu, nori seaweed with firm noodles was ok. It didn't make my heart sing... I felt maybe something was off with the broth, not as savory or spicy? I had to ask for the extra seasoning spice and oil to add to the bowl. The chicken bun was tastier and more filling the than the pork bun. The restaurant itself is spacious, clean & modern. It's worth checking out as it's a new ramen house. Just make sure to get there right before they open to avoid waiting in line. read more

Ippudo San Francisco - Spicy Karaka Special - Ramen Near Me - San Francisco, California

me: ::follows hostess through the curtain:: literally every ffffin staff in the place: "irassyaimaseeee!" me: "dang. aite! aite!" lol i never went to their other location(s) but this place is a trip before u even sit tf down. not for shysters. (^_^) Chicken Karaage please never change anything about this recipe i ffffn luvit yayfc "extra tasty crispy" outer, super tender meat, some skin, perfect (^_^) Ippudo Pork Buns tender meat. buns could be a tad softer nbd cleanazz decor, good service, music hint of cheese japanese salarymen from the gastrointestinal symposium(?!) if those muhfuhs like the food it *must* be good jk read more

The food is really good. Love the buns and ramen. The service is horrendous. Unbelievably bad. The worst part? We waited in line for 30 minutes even though there were 20+ empty seats inside the restaurant. They have no respect for their customers, so I won't be going back. read more

This place was really nice, and the food was delicious! Why 4 stars instead of 5? Well, because the line is formed outside, and it was freezing.. they can't control the weather, but I wish there was a heat lamp outside or the option to wait inside. Good thing we were getting hot ramen, it was really cold that day. There was a small mishap when our food finally came to our table, my order was wrong, but they apologized and fixed it quickly. The buns are a little pricey in my opinion for the amount you get, but the chicken buns were hands down my and my fiance's favorite. The ramen was delicious and filling, I even got a second portion of noodles :) I look forward to coming again soon and trying other items on the menu. read more

Pleasantly surprised to get in and out in approximately an hour on a Saturday night. We arrived less than 30 minutes after opening, which probably helped- there were only three parties in line ahead of us. You can order at the bar while waiting to be seated. On tap are the usual suspects- Kirin, Asahi and Sapporo, as well as Suntory. (!!) By the time we both ordered, SO's name was being called, so they brought our drinks over to us. He ordered the Shiromaru Tamago and I went with the Akamaru Modern. If you enjoy bold flavors, I recommend the Akamaru...the Shiromaru was almost bland in comparison! However, if you're extra sensitive to spice, the "umami dama" miso paste had a bit of a kick to it. While the ambiance was pleasant, and the food tasty, the service was definitely lacking. No offer to refill water glasses, our orders took longer to come out in comparison to the surrounding parties. However, the real kicker was when my boyfriend pointed out that other guests were being offered hand wipes when they sat down, while we had received none. The below-average service is what knocks this location down one star IMO. read more

This was the worst don I ever had. It was $25 for a very tiny portion of food. The rice was pretty old - you can see and taste the browning from the pot. Ippudo always disappoints, no matter what city I'm in it seems. Been to their London one as well - just as bad and mediocre at best. Attached is the extra rice I ordered hoping it'd be better. You can clearly see it's been made quite a while ago... far from fresh. read more

Ippudo San Francisco - Ramen Near Me - San Francisco, California

This lightning at this place was a tad darker for a lunch time place but this was the best bowl of ramen I had before the covid 19 pandemic lockdown happened and we cannot eat in other than takeout. The soup flavoring was just right and noodles was cooked just right. The only thing i did not like was the fatty charsui (pork loin). read more

Yasss! So my old roommate and I decided to catchup over a meal and settled on Ippudo. I arrived right after work and snagged a spot in line at around 4:30 once a line started to form. By the time my friend showed up, there was already a line of about 30-35 people! Starving when they were supposed to open, we had to wait not only for them to snap some photos of the food and staff, but the fire alarm went off and we had to wait for the fire department to clear the restaurant and shut off the alarm. A half hour later, they let us in and in usual Japanese fashion our entry was a whole production. We were greeted by the staff as each party entered, boxes were presented for us to put our bags in, and our server attended to us promptly. Ambiance: Modern, casual, though slightly dim lighting to set the mood. Service: Amazing. Very reminiscent of actually being in Japan. Food: I ordered the KARAKA Spicy and my friend ordered the AKAMARU MODERN. Both were really good. I enjoyed that you can select the firmness of your noodles. I got mine firm and it was perfect. We also got an order of 2 pork buns. These were amazing. The bun was so light and fluffy and the pork was flavorful. Drinks: We only got water, so I can't comment on this, but they had a decent drink list. Cost: Typical for downtown SF. Would I return? Sometimes the line is pretty ridiculous so I'm not sure how long I would be willing to wait, but I definitely enjoyed it and didn't mind waiting the 45 minutes from arrival to being seated because I was also using it as an excuse to catch up with my friend. read more

Okay. I've now been here twice - the first time was a on a weeknight around 6:30pm. We were a party of two and ended up waiting about 45 minutes. They make you stand outside until there's enough room for everyone to fit in the bar area. Once you enter, they take your name and you wait a little longer. Feel free to order a drink at the bar or continue to wait... I do think the hostess and team could be a little more efficient - they take each party one at a time. I was pretty shocked to see when we were seated that there were many open tables. Ordering was pretty easy - pork buns and ramen please! The food came quickly which was greta because we were rushing to a movie across the street. I ordered the pork ramen and it was BLAND. It was the blandest bowl of ramen I had ever had that I asked for garlic. Shockingly...they had none. Sigh. After this instance I was pretty disappointed as I had been to Ippudo in NY, Tokyo and Sydney and have had great bowls of ramen. I chalked it up to - "it's still pretty new." Round 2 - weeknight around 5:30pm. No queue outside - hostess said we would be sat right away. SUCCESS. Ended up waiting about 10 minutes as they still sit one party at a time. We ended up ordered the chicken wings and I ordered the more flavorful ramen, said garlic flavor. It had so much more flavor than the bowl mentioned above. Ippudo is good - is it the best? Probably not but I'm glad that there's an Ippudo in SF now. read more

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Ramen is really good but this time that I went the service was lacking We had to ask for water twice and we ordered a rice dish that never came read more

I was expecting the line here to be extra long for dinner (came around 7pm, waited ~25 mins), but it seems like the hype has died down. The queue starts outside, and the host/hostess will take down your name and party size with an iPad. Once you reach the entrance, there is another line in front of the bar. You can order drinks here while you wait, and it will be charged to your table when you finally sit down. Definitely order the karaage chicken - huge chunks (not morsels!) with fatty crispy skin. I ordered the shiromaru tamago since I didn't want to miss out on their soft-boiled egg, and was not disappointed. The egg yolk was perfectly ooey-gooey and not runny at all. The pork broth was silky smooth and flavorful - not salty at all. My only complaint is on the noodles. I do like how you are able to request the firmness of the noodles, but I wish they could be thicker. The ramen noodles here are very thin and stick together. read more

Pork buns not chewable. Akamaru modern lacks flavor. Daikon salad saved the day. Panna cotta missed the mark. Service was the only redeeming quality. My waiter agreed with all the above and he's dope. read more

Ippudo SF - Please do not continue to artificially create a line. It's just SAD. Sunday - arrived at 5pm. We were quoted a 15 minute wait. Stood in the cold for 35 minutes before letting us into the bar area. Waited an additional 15 minutes here. Total wait time: 50 minutes We were lead to the seating are where there were 6 tables open plus one communal table complete empty. Most of the tables stayed empty while we ate and people continued to wait outside in the cold. 4 stars for the ramen. If you've been to Ippudo NY or Ippudo Japan, you get the same consistency here. -1 star for misquoting wait time. -1 star for trying to create hype. read more

Decent decor, the ramen wasn't as nice though. Broth lacked flavour and the ramen noodles tasted like those pre packed instant noodles; that I never eat. I was super hungry and even then I didn't enjoy my meal. Is this even a authentic ramen place? They had bao baos with pork belly?? Lol I'll stick to my usual ramen place. read more

- Slow service - Mundane food - Overpriced not a fan. Food came out late, interior seats are weird, slow service when the restaurant is half filled. If there is a line, it is probably just tourists so don't be fooled by it. read more

I was expecting this ramen to taste like ramen in Japan since it's a chain from it. I was highly disappointed as one of the few authentic things about it was the staff greeting in Japanese. Not a fan and it's way too hyped up. Might give it one more try and go for spicy ramen to give the broth some flavor. read more

I've been to Ippudo in Berkeley and came in with the expectation that it would be a very similar experience, and it was! The decor is nicer than Berkeley, and having the bar and waiting area inside is better than having the outdoor line. But the food is the same. I had the Akamaru Modern. The umami dama miso paste adds a nice flavor to the broth but also adds quite a bit of grease. The bowl balances towards too much noodles compared to meat and veggies. Firm noodles are nicely firm. They gave me a spoon holder with the ramen, a bowl-like thing to put your spoon when it's at rest. I've never seen one before and it's kinda cool but why would you ever need it? My spoon stayed in the bowl since I was constantly using it. The pork bun was good as always and my favorite side at Ippudo. It's always a great soft texture and the pork is nicely balanced with the vegetables and yummy sauce. read more

I love this place so much. From the way that they greet you to the beautiful decor to the delicious ramen. Thank you for making such a lovely restaurant in SF! read more

The wait here is always so crazy. We decided to venture out and eat in DTSF. Food was good but not outstanding. Service was decent. Just not Japan at the end of the day where we first went. Worth checking if line is short as ramen is always awesome! read more

Great service but their food was disappointing. If this review was for service alone I would give 4 stars. I've eaten at various locations for Ippudo (in both Japan and NY) and I never thought I would not like the ramen at Ippudo at any location :( Even the pork bun meat to bun ratio was sad. There was so little pork that the bun and lettuce overpowered the dish. Hoping that the Santa Monica location will taste more like the others *fingers crossed* read more

Ippudo San Francisco - Sake time! - Ramen Near Me - San Francisco, California

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Overall, I would say this is a standard, nicer ramen place that's in a super convenient location. However, I do think there are better ramen places in SF. I wanted to comment that the service here is not very organized. Both times I came, servers were not synchronized. For example, one server came to deliver sharing plates, and a few minutes later, another server came to clear them out for us. Another example was we had already paid and the card was returned to us, and a server came to pick the card back up (the cardholder was in the restroom so we didn't touch it yet). I think it's great there are a lot of staff members, but I wonder if staff members were dedicated to certain tables would reduce the amount of confusion for both sides. read more

I go here sometimes with my girlfriend. She's Japanese so she doesn't really like the taste of American influenced ramen while I enjoy it. I've been having the same thing in New York and it doesn't disappoint. I actually like this place much more than other locations because it is not as popular. I hope people keep on giving it three stars so not as much people come. I'll just have to make my gf like American style ramen ;). Hahaha read more

Ippudo San Francisco - Ramen Near Me - San Francisco, California

Was nervous they wouldn't have a filling vegetarian option but even with just two pieces of tofu and the noodles I was so full I couldn't finish! I got corn to add to it which was so delicious. It was incredibly salty and that's saying a lot for me cause I love salt. BUT worth it. Even my boyfriend who hates soup style foods really enjoyed it! read more

Ippudo San Francisco - Top: shoyu Bottom: veggie / corn on side - Ramen Near Me - San Francisco, California

One of my personal favs for ramen in San Francisco. Of all the times I've went I only had an issue with the food once, which says a lot given I go here a lot. It's slightly more expensive than a lot of other places, but in San Francisco I'll pay for consistency, and that they have. My girl loves the prawns, I usually get the standard broth with corn and extra pork. They have great cocktails actually if you get a chance to try them, unlike many ramen places with mostly soju. Plus it's nice to get a drink while I wait for the table to be called. If the price was just a tad lower it would be perfect, keep up the good work. read more

The service here is just impeccable. Ramen was cooked just right and I could tell everything was made fresh! Will definitely be back read more

Ippudo San Francisco - Ramen Near Me - San Francisco, California

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My uncle really hyped up this place, and I was excited. Once I looked at the menu, I was actually kind of disappointed. Their menu is extremely small. I thought to myself, "Okay, if their menu is small, that means they are good at what they make." I thought it was cool that you can really customize everything from the broth to the noodle. I feel like this place was expensive though. The broth wasn't too bad, noodles were okay. I've had better ramen at a better price elsewhere. This was a cool place to try while we were in the city. read more

I always like coming here because you know it will be good. The tsukemen was quite good. The dipping broth was nice and hot, so the noodles will be hot after you dip them. You can really taste the dashi in the dipping broth. The noodles very nice and thick and chewy. Very satisfying. read more

Ippudo San Francisco - Shiromaru Classic Ramen and Hakata Tsukemen (Limited Time Offer) - Ramen Near Me - San Francisco, California

I really love ramen. I mean, really. And so I gravitate toward a ramen shop, despite the competing cuisine of a city. Ippudo does not disappoint. I love that you can select your noodle "doneness" - I had mine medium, and at the beginning they were firm and perfect, and while they softened during the meal, they were never mushy or soggy. I ordered the Spicy ramen and put the "special" Toppings on. Great heat - not too incendiary - egg cooked perfectly so the yolk melted into the broth - and the great textured mushrooms and beans sprouts really added to the flavors. My Yusuf highball was a great complement to the meal. A++! read more

The ramen here is one of the better ones that I've had in the city. The broth is flavorful and not too salty and there was a good amount of chashu pork slices. I got the modern noodle with extra bamboo shoots. I just wish they do the thicker wavy noodles instead of the thin noodles. All in all, pricy bowl of noodles but very good. read more

There's nothing nicer than having a piping hot of Ippudo ramen on a normal windy day in SF! The haters here are always making the comparison to Ippudo NY or Japan. They should just...go to NY or Japan. But here in SF I think Ippudo is one of the most legit ramen places. Anyone who's actually tried to make a pork bone broth themselves will know that it takes 12-18 hours to achieve the flavours and creaminess of a tonkotsu broth. Its a lot of time and effort, which is why I'll always pay up if a place does it well. For 14 - 15 bucks a bowl, take my money Ippudo.. The staff are always so nice and warm here. They do their best in managing the waits/lines, which is also another popular complaint from reviewers here. Hey, there's a long line cause the food is good. If you want to avoid the problem then just go at less busy times. I always go at 11-11:30am with no problem. Overall, good noods read more

The most amazing ramen I have ever had. 'Nuff said. The wait wasn't bad, and they have a bar area if you are waiting that you can order drinks. read more

Ippudo San Francisco - Ramen Near Me - San Francisco, California

3.5 Spoiled with Mensho and Marufuku in SF, but was excited to try Ippudo of New York fame. We went Monday 9:15pm right after a warriors game, got seated quickly. Service was excellent but food mediocre. Chicken karage didn't have much flavor. We got the karaka spicy extra egg and akamaru special (pork belly and seasoned egg added). Both broths were ok. Noodles (one soft and one medium, not too different). Now I wish I hadn't cheated on our favorite Mensho! read more

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Real bad experience with the guy that was seating everyone coming in who passed us over other parties. We are two brown guys that were there before two other parties of four that were written down on the waiting list and didn't have reservations. We needed a table for three and the guy just seated the other two parties and just walked by us like we weren't there. Got pretty angry but my colleague just said it ain't worth it and convinced me to leave and not question the host. They have the right to refuse service, but it was straight prejudice from my perspective. Never going there! read more

I got the basic tonkotsu ramen with a soft boiled egg and medium firm noodles. Just a tip: the medium noodles were a bit too firm so if you like more al dente noodles, maybe start with the soft one directly. The broth was super yummy! Perfect tonkotsu broth. The char siu was above average and the soft boiled egg was just average. Overall though, fulfilled my ramen cravings. However this is an expensive bowl of ramen with the boiled egg version costing 16$ and one with additional char siu costing 18$. I suppose it's a given due to Bay Area prices. They also announce your arrival and greet you en masse. I have experienced this in Japan, but due to the abnormality of it here, and the fact that I was eating by myself, it just made it a bit awkward for me. Another pro tip: come when they open for weekend lunch. No lines! read more

This is my favorite restaurant to eat during lunch when I volunteer at downtown!! As a poor college student I usually get their cheapest ramen with the refill for the noodles. Their staff are nicely trained about customer service. Because of where I came from, Taiwan, this place can be pricy since they are a lot cheaper overseas. However, I can see why they worth this price in america too. Totally recommend. read more

This place had good customer service and food was delicious and hot!

Came here because one of my friends kept raving about how much better this one was compared to the Berkeley location. On top of that, my coworkers also wanted to try Ippudo for the first time, so off we went! The wait was about 25 minutes on a Thursday and we got there around 12:10ish, on the same day that GDC (Game Developer's Conference) was being held nearby, so it was a miracle that the wait time wasn't longer. Be sure to note that it is a lot easier to get seating as individuals than as larger groups, as the seating arrangement is more akin to that of an artsy cafeteria. I got the Karaka Special (https://www.instagram.com/p/BguBIdFhOXM), which is the ramen with the spicy broth, several slices of chashu, seaweed, as well as an egg. My experience in SF with the Karaka Special tasted the same as my experience of it in Berkeley. I do want to add that there were a couple things better at this location than the Berkeley one. The first would be the space and ambience; the SF location has a lot more space and thus provided for a better ambiance. One downside to this is that there were limited "private" tables (1 or 2-seaters), so that means that you may have to sit down with other people who did not enter the restaurant with you. Another plus is that their egg at this location was actually a soft-boiled egg, something that I did not get at the Berkeley location, both times that I went. TL;DR - Food here was about the same as the Berkeley location, save the nice soft-boiled egg, as well as the overall restaurant ambiance. read more

Sadly, not as good at their NYC locations or their other locations :( Don't buy into the hype. My friend and I were fortunate to get in around a Saturday at 1 and only had a ten minute wait, so we decided to give it a try. I was a big fan of how large the space was - it's supposedly their largest West Coast location (though they only have 2 lol). But anyways, same basic ramen menu that you see across all their locations globally. I got the Hakata Classic and we also got the karaage to share. The Classic was okay, but not super tasty. I can't really explain why since it's a chain, but the broth just didn't taste as good as their actual locations, the noodles were just a little off... all in all, I came away feeling it wasn't particularly memorable or outstanding relative to some of the more standout options in SF today. I think to this day, Ippudo NYC is probably my favorite of their global locations. read more

Another one of those. Do not believe the hype! Or at least try not to have a big expectation coming in here and while waiting an hour in line. Like most of the ramen places that people rave about. *cough*cough*, menchu. And such as Ippudo, it's all hype and cannot deliver. Another thing that is annoying is how the wait at Ippudo SF is more than an hour but when you get in, there are a lot of empty seats. Also, there's a what they call a VIP room that is good for around 10pax with what my server said has a minimum spending limit of $400 semi private area. Pros: The people that work here are very friendly Cons: The wait (possibly will die down very soon) So-so's Chicken Karaage was greasy and lacked in taste Their spicy is very mild and non existent in my opinion Their noodles are on the form side, no matter the level of firmness you get. If you're used to a Aldente type of ramen noodle, I won't go as far as the medium one. I got the 2nd to the most firm and it was borderline raw in my opinion. read more