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

I love Ippudo. I also love ramen. I've been to Ippudo in NYC, and assumed that the SF location would be just as good, and I wasn't disappointed. The food was great, the inside decor was eclectic and fun, and the staff was on point. Given that it was just opening when I went, they are still working out the kinks on how to have people wait at the bar and grab a drink before their table is ready. I asked a few times if that was something I could do, and even though it was fairly empty, I was told I needed to wait. Regardless, I had a great experience. I was a little surprised there wasn't more seating inside given how much space they have and how many people were in line, but I think that also adds to the ambiance of the restaurant to have the space available. Anyway, definitely recommend this location! Check it out! read more

It takes forever for our order arrives. The table behind us was seated later than us and ordered later than us, but they got their noodles way early than us. Even situation informed but still another 20+ mins for mine to arrive. No wonder such low rating. Not comparable with other locations. Nobody came to check our table during the entire one hour. We needed to raise hand and flag. Plus, Another wait for the bill to come. May we leave without pay...:( read more

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

Broth is rich and is not too salty like almost all other Japanese ramen. With a location so convenient, will definitely come back.

This place, so much pretenses. I really wanted to like this place but it fell pretty flat. Full disclaimer: I've been spoiled. I've had some of the best ramen in places like Japan, LA, NY, and Boston. That coupled with the fact that I know the quality of food this city has to offer, I wouldn't feel right giving any benefit of doubt. It's been quite a long time since I've been this pumped up to try a new restaurant. Ippudo sits on prime real estate, dead center of downtown. First impressions: Authentic Japanese greeting? Well not really...some of the staff decided to go English, but I'll count the effort! Beautiful interior and plenty of seating. The open kitchen is an absolute must for an 'authentic' ramen feel, so there's another check mark. Down to the nitty gritty, the ramen! I went for the miso ramen. The bowl itself is beautifully plated, a hearty portion size, the toppings are fine. Where the dish falls short are with two of the most important ingredients, the noodles and the broth. The noodles are too thin, and offer not much chew even when I selected hard for the strength of the noodle. It just doesn't taste hand made. And the broth? A little flat - a good broth offers depth of flavor. Price point: Over $23 for a bowl of ramen??! Woah. Side note: shout out to the friendly, efficient and helpful staff. The wait is not too bad during lunch hour on a Monday. read more

This place was decent but I wasn't really impressed. I remember trying the original restaurant in NY and it left an impression but this one was just not doing it. And for the cost (~$20, tax included), I'm going to pass. read more

Ippudo San Francisco - Karaka Spicy Ramen - $16 - Ramen Near Me - San Francisco, California

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Came here a few times already, and for sure I'm loving the decor. Plus one star for having Boxes by our feet to place all of our belongings in.... welcome to the 21st century, other restaurants need to catch onto this! The bar is also so beautiful, i have to snap it everytime I'm there. It's also great because you can order a drink and an appetizer before you get in. But they need places to sit and chill to wait until they get called in. It gets a bit too crowded at the bar at times. Everytime I come here, I order the pork buns. They have the most amazing pork buns anyone can ever make. The buns are beautiful and perfect, the sauce included is so flavorful, the pork itself is so fatty and melts in your mouth. 5/5 for this dish!! I tried the shishito pepers, but I wasnt a fan and wont be ordering it again. As for the ramen, I always get the karaka Special...which is $20 bucks. yes 20 dang bucks for a bowl of ramen. It's a taaaaaaaaaad too high, considering that they dont even include a pork belly in your ramen. I think that is what it's missing! The egg is also never cut in half for you to see how beautiful the yolk is...but it tastes AMAZING. prob the best egg ever cooked for ramen. Overall, i can't stay away from this place. I just think 20 bucks for the karaka is excessive. read more

SO SO GOOD. I don't get how they only have a 3.5 stars on yelp because they deserve so much more than that!!! Just see pics of the before and after of my meal last night By the way, get the pork bun. You won't be disappointed. It's the MVP!!! read more

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

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Long line but good Ramen. It was worth it to try out, but not sure if it was worth the 45 minute wait outside in the cold. This restaurant is typical of what you expect from a new SF restaurant. It's really trendy. Bay Area peeps are very much into trends. They are like sheep. Just follow everything. read more

Very nice place to get ramen. Very good service. Definitely recommend to try if your a ramen lover. read more

One of the handful authentic ramen outside Japan town. Expect lines around lunch time, but I think it's well worth it.

Alright, let's talk about the 3 things I like to grade ramen on: broth, noodles and everything else. Broth: probably one of the best I've tried. Super soft to the taste, not oily at all, but still with a ton of flavor in there. Really amazing overall. Noodles: A bit meh, but decent. I like that they let you order how you want them cooked. I tend to dislike very cooked noodles, so it's a nice touch. Even then, and although the overall flavor is decent, they are slightly too thin to my taste. Everything else: this is the main issue IMO. The chashu is too thin, a bit more wouldn't hurt. The poached egg was decent but a bit too undercooked (most of the white still liquid). There could also be a few more mushrooms. Taste-wise however, everything was solid. read more

Came here the first time during the soft opening and was less than impressed with the regular broth. We convinced ourselves that we ordered the wrong broth(why would their be a wrong broth on the menu?) and courageously came for another shot at the second broth on the menu. I'm not very critical when it comes to ramen (because how can ramen be bad?) but when you give the option to choose the firmness of the noodles, at least get that right.. The broth was beyond plain and really lacked the layers of taste you find in most good ramen places. The service was good and you can request minced garlic, sesame on the side but that didn't do much help. read more

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

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The food is pretty good, there is no denying it's some of the best ramen you can get in SF (daresay I've tried most of them). We looooved the juicy chicken karaage - the pieces are a bit too big to eat gracefully, but it makes for a nice chicken-to-breading ratio. We did have to fight over the one pepper and one cherry tomato that came with it. One thing i felt was missing from the ramen was a green veggie of some kind - other than the nori we ordered on the side, the only green element was the onions. You are able to specify your noodle firmness! The soft boiled egg ("seasoned" the menu says, but it didn't seem to really be) was cooked perfectly. Broth rich and flavorful but not too salty (our bowls were literally dry by the end). Melt-in-your-mouth pork. Generous portions of delicious ice cream were served - we both loved the lychee with real fruit bits in it, but the matcha ice cream lacked any real sweetness so if you like sugar in your ice cream, maybe don't go for that one. If you like whiskey drinks, definitely try the Suntory whiskey soda thingy on tap, it's quite refreshing, and stronger than it looks. We wanted to try more of the food, but they disclose up front that you cannot take leftovers with you, thus we ordered sparingly to avoid wastage. The dining area is carefully and beautifully decorated; you feel like you're dining in a modern art museum of sorts. Bins next to your table to hold your stuff is a huge plus in my book. The restrooms are also really nice and modern, with full sized doors on the stalls (the womens' at least, always appreciated). All staff we encountered were truly pleasant. My real problem with our visit was the arbitrary-seeming line control. You would think that with such hype and an occupancy of only 86, they'd want to speed things along, but they really seem to be in no hurry. We arrived at 5:15, 15 minutes after they opened for dinner. There is just one hostess who must personally escort each party through the curtains to their table. The moments she is away from the front door to complete this duty result in confused patrons entering and jamming up the lobby, only to be told upon her return they must wait outside in the cold. Thankfully we arrived early enough to be granted a waiting spot inside the bar. Escorted in after 30 minutes, i was *surprised* to see so many empty seats still, considering the number of people being made to wait outside. No one was in a hurry to take our order, though the ramen did arrive quickly after we ordered. No one was in a hurry to offer us dessert, or our bill, as we lazily digested while perusing our e-mails. This was perfectly fine with us; i don't appreciate being rushed anyway, but i figured there must not be people still waiting outside, given the number of empty chairs visible (i counted at least 20 empty chairs including one table fit for 4 people and another for 8). Leaving to make our 8pm movie, i was in fact shocked to see at least 10 people waiting out in the lobby and another 20 (at least) waiting in line out in the frigid weather, in a Disneyland-style line contraption. I surmised that perhaps the small kitchen could not keep up with the food preparation; my husband thinks they do it on purpose to keep a line outside for advertising purposes. The food is delicious but how long are you willing to wait??? Choose your arrival time carefully. read more

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Not nearly as good as Ippudo NY but satisfying enough. Shiromaru classic ramen was ok; broth needed more flavor and a bit more salt. I wish they had soft boiled eggs. Pork bun was tasty. I love the communal tables. I came on a Saturday around noon time and there was only a 5 minute wait! Glad the hype has died down. read more

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

We waited in line before Ippudo opened to hear what the hype was all about. The internal decor was pretty cool - open spaces, an interesting steel folded tree that felt very modern, yet on brand for the restaurant. The appetizers were my favorite part - loved the chicken karaage and the baked peppers. The ramen itself didn't blow me away. It was tasty for sure (I got the shoyu base pork ramen) - but I didn't really get why there was a line for it - it felt like I could have gotten something cheaper and quicker and been equally satisfied. If there wasn't a line, I'd probably come back. read more

allergic not friendly. we brought in chipotle since our son allergic to soy and wheat the 24 year old manager enya recommend edamame with no garlic and soy sauce. what part did the manager not understand. clearly she never even stepped foot in the kitchen. we spend $210 and no apology at all. done! read more

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I have to update my review and remove 1 Star. We showed up today, and waited an hour for a table. This was only because we were skipped on the list. We know this because there were people several parties behind us that were seated before. When this was brought to the hosts attention, he ran quickly in the other direction without finishing his sentence, talked to another person, and the other person came over and said they were "waiting for a specific table to pay" and then we would be seated. Terrible customer service. Now I'm considering whether I'll return. I'm disappointed. read more

All my life I have been searching for ramen noodles that have texture as firm as instant noodles but without the preservatives and proletarian connotations. Suffice to say, the Very Firm thin noodles that came with my Akamaru tamago satisfied my cravings. However, the pork was thoroughly disappointing; it was flavorless and too tough to the bite. The broth was not too salty but also lacked flavor... this helps to bring out the wheat flavor of the noodles. The tamago was delicious and cooked to perfection... as are all soft boiled eggs from all ramen places. read more

Just left the place. My gf brought me here for date night. At first I had super low expectation Bc I had ramen 5 times at other places and they weren't that great. Got the spicy ramen. It was really cool to add more noodles at the end for $2 The broth was super good. Doesn't leave you feeling bloated. Would def come back again. read more

3.5 stars Keeping it simple...Pork bun was amazing and much better than the Momofuku one. It was meaty and well seasoned Ramen - noodles are true to order but keep in mind when ordering extra noodles as they will be stiffer than expected because the broth helps to cook it a smidge more Broth - a rich, thick broth with just the right balance of porky goodness Overall Thoughts For the price point and wait time it makes it hard to justify but on off hours it makes the trip worth wild read more

I eat Ippudo in Japan， it amazing I can find Ippudo in San Francisco！！！ so yummy，Highly recommended tonkotsu ramen！！！ The soup is thick and the noodles are handmade！！！ read more

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

Just like the NY location - love it! Expect a line but also expect it to be worth the wait. Service is fast and they are Always polite. Great experience at this location! read more

I had the Karaka spicy noodles, IT WAS SOOOOO AMAZING! I'd definitely recommend tossing an egg on it. Wasn't to spicy, I was afraid it was going to be. I'll be back!! Very soon. read more

Never been to Japan, but hoping to go within the next two years. But for now, this is one of the best ramen I've had, and probably one of the best in the city. Tried the Berkeley location last year, and if there's wasn't a bridge in the way then I'd go there instead of this location only because I love the energy at their Berkeley location! Wait time: 20-30 minutes when I went close to 2pm on a Saturday. They just happen to be in Yerba Buena Ln where it's always slightly windy, and extra windy when it's windy so dress warm! When you get close to the door they'll take your name down and give you the option to wait inside at the bar, but you have to order one drink per person. Alcoholic and nonalcoholic, and they'll transfer the tab to your table and bring the drinks over too. Food: Akamaru special with bari kata noodles: Ippudo's version of miso ramen with soft boiled egg, extra chasu, and dried seaweed. Tastes exactly the same at both SF and Berkeley so that makes me super happy! The only downside was that my bari kata noodles were not extra firm, and tasted somewhat firm. Karaka special broth: spicy version of their tonkotsu broth. The boyfriends favorite. Comes with soft boiled egg, extra chasu, and dried seaweed. Not the biggest fan of tonkatsu broth but put spice in it and I'll eat it! Kara-age: so crispy but so moist and tender on the inside!! There's no dipping sauce, and you won't need it! But if you get the Kara-age over rice it comes with a spicy garlic sauce over it that tastes delicious. Asked if they could put the sauce over the Kara-age and they said no...but that's okay! Shishito peppers: might be too salty for some, but it kind of grew on me. Some of the peppers weren't grilled all the way, but it was still nice to have something to munch on while eating my ramen Drinks: Coedo Beniaka: sweet potato amber ale. Been wanting to try this one out for awhile and it was perfect with all the food! It had a slight sweetness that reminded me of Korean roasted potatoes that you get from street vendors in Korea. read more

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I'm NOT a fan. Granted, I came to the soft launch. Service was fine, but the food wasn't on par on what I expect from an Ippudo, or rather a specialized ramen shop. I've only been to the Ipuddo locations in Singapore, Hong Kong, and London. Not the ones in Japan yet, but I've been to tons of ramen shops throughout Japan and Japanese owned ramen shops in Asia, specifically ones that specializes in tonkatsu ramen, like Ippudo. The ramen at this location was so-so. Nothing compares to the tonkatsu ones I've had in Asia. However, with that said, the bao bao and char siu don were delicious! The karaage (fried chicken) was also great! So order those if you come here. Oh yea, those and sake. Would I give this place another go? Well, yes. I did speak to the manager and he said they're still adjusting the taste here to our 'American' palate. I was a bit taken back since the best Japanese food are the most authentic ones. But, sure, let's see what you can do in a few months/years down the road. I'll see you then! read more

Came on a Saturday night around 6 PM, right before the line started to get long. You put your name down at the desk when you enter & then wait near the bar section until your name is called. For 2, we waited about 15 mins which was not bad. When you enter, you're surprised by the whole environment. On the side, there's people cooking the ramen, you're greeted by all the workers saying hello in Japanese, & the whole ambiance/set up of the place is really nice! You then order and wait for your food for about 10-15 mins. The food was overall good however, it just tasted like basic ramen that you could've paid a couple bucks cheaper & gotten more for what you paid for somewhere else tbh. They only give you 2 small pieces of meat & you pay extra for most of the sides that would be included in the basic ramen. They serve it in bowls that are pretty big, giving you the perception that you got a lot of food but you end up finishes your soup within 10-15 mins. People usually spend 30 mins here because the food is eaten pretty quickly due to the size of serving. I personally love ramen & have tried other ramen places around the world so I know about taste & getting your money's worth in terms of serving. Overall, you're kind of just paying for the experience. It has a very fancy ambiance making it understandable to why people want to try/like it. It's just basic ramen with small serving for a more expensive price. I understand what they're doing and it's pretty smart for tourists to want to try out bc of where they're located but as a local, I'd rather go somewhere else. It's still worth trying for curiosity! read more

As with Ippudo NY this place really misses the mark. Given the horrendous wait times I'd heard around opening I thought waiting 25 minutes, albeit for just myself, was no big deal as I grabbed a beer at the attached bar area. Lo and behold when I get called and seated there were probably 20 empty seats inside so that just left me wondering why people were waiting. You can tell this is designed to just cram as many people in as it's a huge space but for whatever reason there are 2 communal tables where you could easily fit many more tables but instead they cram as many people into these tables as possible, uncomfortably so (I was literally elbow to elbow with people on each side and had to constantly rearrange stuff if you had anything more than just ramen). I got the shiromaru special, which is their house tonkotsu broth with extra chashu and tamago and it was just okay. While the individual components like the chashu, tamago and kata noodles were all prepared well, the broth was really lacking any depth of flavor and so the bowl never really comes together as a cohesive dish. Once my ramen came I never saw a waiter again and even when I was clearly done (and multiple servers came by to take orders and clear plates from people on either side of me) no one cleared my plates or asked if I was done. I had to flag one down (and there are a lot of them so again not sure what's up with the service) and again with paying the bill. I wanted to try this place after some of the hype had died down and it's confirmed that it's about the same as it's NY counterpart so likely won't be back. You're much better off going to Marafuku, Hinodeya, Iza or if you've got some time Dojo down in San Mateo for ramen that's a class above. read more

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

I'm so thrilled that Ippudo now has a SF location. I have been here twice so far, both on the weekend. First time around 6:30pm and the second time around 5:30pm. There was virtually no wait the second time I went, but during dinner peak (like my first time), you'd have to wait for about 30-40 minutes. They are not super stringent about you must remain in the line, but if you do decide to leave and come back later, make sure you have talked to the host/hostess in front. Alternatively, you can also wait at the bar inside, though you must purchase 1 drink minimum per person. I have had the Karaka spicy and Akamaru ramen here. They are both delicious but personally I prefer spicy :D Also, I would strong suggest trying out "extra firm" noodles, you can thank me later. The only complaint I have is perhaps the service. The wait staffs are very attentive but make a lot of errors regarding the order. In both times, we have had occurrences of orders being incorrect, items forgotten, etc. Overall I would still recommend this ramen spot and I'm sure I will be back very soon. read more

Great dining experience for sure. My best friend and I came here to celebrate and got a bottle of limited edition sake created by the band Phoenix. It was so good and so worth the $50 or so we paid for it. Ramen was pretty good. I got the Akamaru Modern. Broth was delicious, flavorful and the charsu was tender. Overall it was good but not the best I ever tasted. I still hold a flame for Menya Ultra in San Diego. I'd eat here again and would be curious to see if the NY location differs at all. read more

Delicious ramen! Fast service. Quick serving. And they even have different cooking options for the noodles.

The entrance is a bit confusing as you walk in and see a bar and a table where a host/hostess should be standing.. no one was there when we visited so we walked behind this curtain (putting us in the dining room) and immediately we got told to go back and someone would be with us shortly. We waited a good 15 min before anyone came out to seat us. The place was fairly busy and the dining room has a neat ambience slightly resembling a cafeteria. I had never tried ramen before but this place was very good. I recommend ordering the pork buns as you wait. The ramen was delicious (and now I'm secretly obsessed with it). It's a bit pricey for what it is, but they have options other ramen places lack like allowing the customer to choose the firmness of the noodles. read more

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Starting 11/6/22, ippudo has raised there prices drastically. Spicy veggie ramen is now $21. Be sure to take out a loan from your local bank before visiting this now overpriced, oily mediocre ramen spot. read more

Came here with a coworker for lunch middle of the week. Surprisingly only 15 minutes wait at 1230pm (peak lunch) despite the place just opened few weeks ago at the time. The host quickly took us to our seat. The waitress was attentive and nice. I tried their signature red broth and was super underwhelmed. The broth wasn't that salty or even flavorful in general - felt like I was drinking plain fat soup. Good thing their tonkotsu soup isn't too fatty otherwise I would've gotten sick. I didn't really like the texture of the noodles either - not as silky, chewy or eggy as most ramen noodles I've had. For a ~$18 ramen it was honestly pretty horrendous and pricey - wouldn't recommend to anyone especially if there's a long wait. In fact Mixt greens next door had a longer wait so I guess most people rather eat salad than at Ippudo. read more

First off, the space itself is nice and spacious. Very clean and tables aren't too close together so you can have a conversation easily. The ramen noodles themselves were seriously on point. I just went to Japan a few months ago, and this reminded me of some of the best noodles I had. The broth was good but not great. Could've been much more flavorful but I did like how it wasn't too oily. We also tried the buns which were also good, but not a must have. Overall, I'd definitely come back. It tastes different from the Ippudo I'm used to in NYC, but honestly, in a good way. -1 star for price. 20 dollars for a bowl of ramen is slightly offensive. read more

Had a private tour by attending a conference with their partner. This place was awesome has its own unique touches loved ever bit of it, the ramen was hot and full of flavor next time I'm in town the wait will be well worth it! read more

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There was quite a bit of buzz about Ippudo, but I was honestly underwhelmed. It is pretty pricey for ramen (even for SF). While the size was decent, I felt that the broth wasn't especially memorable or delicious. I got their standard ramen with an egg, but it was mediocre at best. Interior was surprisingly spacious and actually had cool decorations. Overall, it's not a bad lunch/dinner spot, but I wouldn't wait in line for it - especially because other restaurants in that area are great. read more

Got here on an off time so had no wait. Obviously because of the location it's a bit spendy but the fluid was pretty good. The restaurant is new so it's very clean and had a classy open design. Service was initially good but as things picked up there were delays. This is first restaurant I've been were they allow customization of noodle firmness. Pretty interesting concept and when you think of it makes lots of sense. They also recommend you try broth and seasoning before moving your ramen to assess whether you like the flavor. I ordered the Karaka special which was supposed to be the spicy ramen. It was flavorful but not super spicy at all ( to my disappointment) read more

Ippudo San Francisco - Karaka Special Ramen. Great choice - Ramen Near Me - San Francisco, California

Delicious! A bit of a wait (~30 minutes), but probably the best ramen I have had outside of Japan. Great service. Has that Japanese crisp attention to detail. read more

Ippudo San Francisco - Great food, clean interior. - Ramen Near Me - San Francisco, California