Love the homemade rayu on the veggie gyoza (interesting texture -- was that water chestnuts or bamboo shoots adding a little crunch?), and oxtail ramen was tasty with just the right amount of grease and a perfectly soft boiled tea (?) egg. The noodles were a bit too al dente for my taste. Delicious yuzu lemonade! My partner had the chicken corn ramen, with a broth so delicately sweet it complimented the chicken and corn perfectly. Thoughtful well branded visuals throughout! Will have to bring fundraiser dinners here. Private room and 20% proceeds goes back to your organization!! read more

Itani Ramen - Veggie gyoza. Oxtail ramen with Japanese sweet potato, spinach, sesame, in a dashi fish broth. - Ramen Near Me - Oakland, California

Nice people. Edible but not all that good ramen. Watery broth, like bouillon with some Miso. Probably won't be back.

After letting some time pass, I wanted to see if the reviews got better but it doesn't seem like that is the case. Order at the counter and have food brought to your table. They don't have a lot of options for ramen. A shoyu (soy based), Shio (sat based), cold version and a vegan option. All are pretty pricey for what is given. I opted for the Shio at $14.00 excluding tax so came out to $15.xx. The broth was fairly light in base and borderline bland. I was hoping for some more depth. Fairly small portions and not much broth given. They do give 1/2 an egg, most likely from so many ppl complaining of the extra charge for an egg. They just rolled the cost into the total. All in all, it was medicore. Pricey for amount given and lack of flavors with limited options. I tried a friend's Shoyu and it was salty. The decor is nice and hipster. But the food is lacking like many others have stated in their reviews. read more

Itani Ramen - Shio - Ramen Near Me - Oakland, California

I work in Uptown Oakland a few times a month and have eaten at most of the restaurants in the neighborhood. Itani Ramen is consistently the most delicious and has a super welcoming staff. I usually get the Miso Pork Ramen and Gyoza that they make in house. I usually just walk in as it's casual but just learn they now take reservations which is nice if you have business lunch or date planned. This is my first Yelp review which I was motivated to write after checking their hours and seeing they have some mixed review. Wanted to show them some love because I've had only awesome experiences. Give 'em a try! read more

Really good miso pork ramen. Very flavorful broth. Yuzu cocktail for only $7 was a good value cocktail considering the prices bars down the street charge for a nice cocktail! Lots of seating available at 7pm on a Wednesday. read more

Really enjoyed the food here. The prices are about what your expect for Bay Area downtown restaurants, but the menu items like oxtail ramen make it worthwhile. Great atmosphere and drinks as well. All in all a great food experience! Pictured is oxtail ramen and crispy pig ears. read more

Itani Ramen - Ramen Near Me - Oakland, California

There's a vending machine right by the door that contains pocky! But I digress. It was almost noon when we came for lunch, and it was not crowded at all. When you enter, you have to go to the counter to order. Then you get a number to bring with you to a seat. Prices for ramen are $10.50 to $14, depending on what type you get. I chose the Yadai ramen ($10.50), which contains summer corn, bean sprouts, and black garlic oil. The cashier lady said that was a popular choice among customers as well as the workers there. The restaurant is pretty spacious. The big tables are in the back. They have water at the counter that you pour for yourself. Our food came out fairly quickly. The broth was sweet, with a taste of miso. It was just okay, could have been better. The ramen noodles were good; there is a some chewiness to it, which I like. The egg that came with the ramen was cooked so perfectly and was the best part of the ramen for me. read more

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Way overpriced and the ramen was disappointing. Definitely not in my top 5 choices of ramen within Oakland/Berkeley area. Ambience is great but that doesn't justify over paying for ramen that results in less satisfactory than a cup of noodles. read more

Good ramen, but limited options. I wanted a spicy ramen and they said they offer spice on the side, which wasn't enough for me. They had spicy miso paste, but that only made my ramen even more salty. I did overall enjoy the ramen and broth and I loved the amount of spinach they gave me! I like that it's an over the counter bar service and the location is great. They also open early on Sundays which is a plus. I was trying to find a place that opened Sunday for lunch and I came across this little ramen one stop shop. Price 3/5 Ramen 4/5 Service 5/5 read more

Itani Ramen - Ramen Near Me - Oakland, California

Walked in and it reminded me of the Ramen shop. Not to say that this place is similar but it did remind me of the layout. If I could say one thing, the lighting seems more inviting than dark like the Ramen Shop. I do like the displays and enjoyed the furikake garlic waffle fries. The Miso Ramen could be better without the choice of spinach. Maybe the spinach was to enhance the flavor of the "miso" broth but I think its better without it. Chasu pork is delicious but could be a bit bigger then small. There are add in choices that go along with the ramen, I feel some of the choices could be free with smaller portion if not charged the $.50 cents. I would overall give it a 3 1/2 star for the Miso Ramen. Maybe give it another shot with another ramen choice and give another review. :) I need to go back and try the vending machine deserts it looked so delicious read more

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Meh. Veggie broth was pretty tasteless. I added my own garlic paste and Japanese chili spice to make it edible. Glad they have GF noodles but it arrived very mushy. Don't think so. Disappointed. read more

Best takeout sushi I've had. Well presented and each part was fresh even after I had to leave it in the fridge for an hour while I waited for the rest of the family. I'll be curious if they stay here after the quarantine. If so, I'd love to see what they make beyond the traditional. read more

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We hit up Itami Ramen after blazing through Hello Srranger. It's hard to know what's open and closed during this pandemic. We were seated immediately and I got chicken paiton rice bowl. It really hit the drunk spot that hadn't been hit in over a year. Also, because I was inebriated, I ordered a daiquiri and shots of Japanese whiskey. Iwai, which was also delicious but the star of the evening were those waffle fries. I still am thinking about them. It was our 2nd time dining in a restaurant but at this point, I was three sheets to the wind and so it felt like a regular date night. Eat here now. read more

We went during one of the pop-up weekends. The place was surprisingly fairly spacious, with quite a bit of seating. My friends and I shared the pork gyoza, and I ordered the shio ramen and added the egg. The server brought out the gyoza but failed to bring small plates. Upon request he brought it out with one sauce dish, which I thought was odd because why would we share one tiny sauce dish, if you think people might mix their own sauce to their tasting. But I chalked that one up to soft opening, so they can work out the kinks in service. The gyozas had a nice crisp bottom, and the filling was a mixture of pork and greens. I think my friend who doesn't like greens was disappointed it wasn't a pure pork gyoza. The ramen came out, which had a tasty broth. My friends both did not care for the ramen noodles, they thought it was a tad gummy, and then soggy. Sure, it was a little gummy, but the chasu in the ramen was a nice thick cut. Besides the noodle itself, everything was tasty in the bowl. My egg was just about perfect, although a tad broken looking. They mentioned that once they are fully open, expect a bigger and rotating menu. So, I'll probably be back again. I liked the vibe of the place, they played some old school hip hop, and the restaurant has a clean modern look. read more

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I was thoroughly impressed. I walked in before a show at the Fox Theater and Itani was packed! I asked if I could sit at the counter. They asked a couple people to move to get me a seat. So friendly! The bartender who was also my server was friendly, but seemed overwhelmed. On a Tuesday night they were packed by 6pm and had multiple people waiting for take out. The cocktail menu was surprising innovative and the drink menu was extensive. The cocktail I had was well prepared. The menu is simple, but has a good selection of appetizers, ramen, and rice bowls. I was in a hurry so I just ordered ramen, but the person got the waffle fries next to me and they looked amazing! My pork belly ramen was hearty, had a great tasting broth, and was full of goodies. They took the time to arrange all the items in the bowl. As mentioned it was a busy restaurant. The vibe was loud and energetic. Highly recommended! read more

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The staff and service has been always nice and quick at Itani. I appreciate their late night hours and the good location. However, last occasion I ate here, the smell of chlorine and Pine-Sol was over powering. Not sure why the cleaning couldn't wait until after restaurant closed. I couldn't really enjoy my food. I wanted to leave, but it was a late night and not much was open. The ramen was alright - even tough the noodle texture was on point, it was so damn much noodle and so little broth (at least for my taste). I don't love the space and the ambiance either (its always freezing cold and I have to wear a jacket while I m eating). But it is open late so that's that. Cant have it all. read more

What a great place to take your date! The ambience, the music and the perfect lightening to really set the mood to have a great night. Usually when we go out on dates, my partner and I like to share two different r plates and appetizers (depending on how hungry we are) together to get the best of both world without having to take home too many leftovers. Tonight, we just shared the Shoyu Chicken Ramen ($14) that had ground chicken, corn and daikon sprouts and we got the 10 piece gyoza ($13). For the gyoza, we had both the veggie gyoza (mushroom, garbanzo and ginger) and the pork gyoza (garlics chives, cabbage and miso)-- both really good! There's a gyoza guide on how to create your sauce, but we just asked our waitress and it was pretty good! We also had an "enhancement" which was a chicken katsu ($3) add on that came with an awesome sauce. We didn't get any drinks tonight, but there's lot of options to drink! To top it off, we had ice cream from the vending machine which was a nice topper! read more

Disappointing for ramen. Broth was pretty bland and spinach as a topping aint it. Noodles also were odd.

3.5/5. Ramen was decent, but nothing amazing. A great spot to visit if you are craving ramen but I wouldn't go out of my way to visit. Service was okay, myself and another coworker ordered at the same time (same thing too) I got my order significantly before here's, they served another patron something separate, then brought her food which was a miss. I would definitely go back here to try other options on the menu (such as the oxtail) This spot felt slightly over priced for the portion and the quality. read more

I ABSOLUTELY LOVE this place. Their miso pork ramen is spot on and always consistent. A bit pricey but that broth is worth it.

gyoza was delicious. tuna handrolls were very flavorful and good portion sizes. very pretty drinks. read more

Itani Ramen - Ramen Near Me - Oakland, California

Cue da slurp. Had a bomb bowl of ramen at Itani last weekend and will be singing their praises for some time to come. I'm not a big fan of order-at-our-counter-and-we'll-bring-it-'round-'er joints but Itani served me well and I'm gonna serve them a positive review in return. I will say their veggie broth was a lil' less lustrous than I've had elsewhere but... Insert nonchalant shrug here, because I still enjoyed that thang! The noodles were yummy, the nori was on point and the flavors were pretty thorough. (Although, next time I'm gonna add cabbage. I really should've taken full advantage when it crossed my mind. Follow your heart, y'all.) And don't even get me started on the amazing staff! The customer service was excelllllllllent and I have no shame in adding bonus points for killer fashion sense. Feel no shame, you will undoubtedly get some broth on your chin. It's only right. read more

Nikkei Sushi is operating from inside the Itani storefront and a bit of buzz is well-deserved. They are delivering fantastic sushi alongside the restaurant's other offerings. I haven't tried the ramen, but the potstickers are very highly recommended. I recently ordered a big order for delivery for a wedding reception and they were great. They made the presentation really beautiful and went the extra mile. Cav**r had an outage of some kind at the very time they were supposed to deliver my order and the staff at Itani came through for us. They called to offer sending one of their own to deliver and then were very patient when we were missing their calls and making them wait. read more

Itani Ramen - veggie and pork potstickers, the veggie especially are great and have mushroom in them - Ramen Near Me - Oakland, California

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Delicious ramen! Perfectly cooked noodles and the oxtail ramen was so yummy on a cold night. Pork Gyoza and scallop ceviche was on point! We shared all three items and it was perfect. We will definitely return to this spot soon. read more

The Cold Shivering Noodles, the Fried Pork Ear, and the Summer Special - Gindari Ramen with Black Cod, Corn, and Nori are my favorites. I brought my friends from New York and New Jersey and they insisted on coming twice while they were visiting me. Service is great and friendly. I have eaten here at least 10 times since it opened. My kid insists on eating the shoyu over and over. I think this is great addition to Downtown Oakland. read more

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I have definitely been looking for the "Ramen" flavor in Oakland .... Itani Ramen executed it , as a new Oakland Favorite. Lunch Time Visit: To my surprise I found a park on the ever so busy Telegraph . Walked in , placed my order , order was ready within 5 mins (piping hot) . I stayed traditional with the Miso Ramen .... Flavor alone stood out ... added the spices , which took it to another level. Wait staff was pleasant and efficient.... by the time I finished my lunch 8 other customers walked in . It's safe to say by 12pm , this place can be very busy to close by locals . It's always a plus to visit a place and be in and out within 30-45 minutes on lunch......They get a star for that , surely. I look forward to exploring the menu, and definitely recommend them . Thanks Itani! read more

Itani Ramen - Ramen Near Me - Oakland, California

salmon bowl good and good portion, the grilled salmon was the best.. wish it had more sashimi salmon. the ramen was ok! pretty mid, they call themselves ramen in their name but needs to work on it to be more flavorful and the broth could be more richer. service was nice, ambience was very very nice and perfect for pictures read more

Itani Ramen - Ramen Near Me - Oakland, California

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Hey Itani, I love your happy hour prices but your sushi rice needs to be seasoned. My rolls tasted like literal plain white rice. HUGE NO NO. This is not sushi. You need rice vinegar, sugar and salt. It will help so much to improve your sushi crowd. read more

This place has EXCELLENT ramen!!! Ended up here on someone's recommendation and do not regret it at all!! I don't know why anyone is giving anything less than 5 stars. The staff is friendly. Good prices. Great music! read more

2-3 stars for the ramen... but 4 stars for their katsu bowl! I decided to give them the 4 stars since the reviews are largely focused on the ramen and want to give them a chance. Came here for the restaurant week special: salad, gyoza, ramen, and a drink. The salad was a nice bonus - the greens were fresh and crisp, and I liked the sesame/miso dressing a lot. The gyoza was pretty good, although I was a little suspicious that it was undercooked. Basically, what the majority of the reviewers say about the ramen is right. The broth is quite bland. I ordered the scallop ramen and had to add vinegar and some chili oil to it. The plus is that the ramen comes with a pretty large amount of the tempura - though I really think they should serve it on the side because I immediately took mine out and the pieces that were in the broth were soggy and definitely not as good. The tempura is also pretty bland by itself and could be salted or served with some tempura sauce. There were a good amount of noodles which were ok. All in all a very filling but mediocre bowl of ramen. I didn't eat much of the chicken katsu bowl that my boyfriend ordered so I can't give quite as detailed of a review, but the few bites I had were excellent. The katsu was crispy, not too dry, and the sauce was good, typical katsu sauce. The bowl also had a huge portion of meat - I think there were two layers in the bowl. The restaurant is right by 19th St BART and has a really cool industrial, cozy Japanese vibe to it. I don't know how I feel about a ramen restaurant using instant ramen as decor, but it looked cute. All in all, I think this place would get better reviews if it put much less of an emphasis on its ramen because ramen lovers seeking it out will probably be disappointed. read more

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I really do not like ramen But I think I'm gonna have to try the one at this place Everybody everybody who I was with got it but II decided to get the Chicken Katsu Delicious But I think on a cold rainy day I would definitely come back to try the Remen Add the vegetable gyoza to start then the katsu Yummmm The soft cooked egg making wanna do the happy dance read more

Itani Ramen - Ramen Near Me - Oakland, California

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Got a plate of sloppy gyoza. Interesting taste, but were small and are something I'd only recommend as a first time thing fo I also ordered the miso pork ramen. My experience consisted of hard noodles that reminded me of thicker cup noodles, paired with dry chashu pork all in an overly salty broth. The only positive note I really had was the egg, which was surprisingly tasty. I ended up drinking all my water to contrast the salty broth, and was never given a refill of water after asking for one. Overall wouldn't come again or take anyone to it. read more

This review is specifically for those who don't usually get chicken ramen, who usually get pork chashu or any meat in the ramen that is not chicken. So basically this is for the skeptics... aka ... me :) and maybe now you because I usually get pork in my ramen, but one time I asked and took a chance that paid off. The chicken ramen here is so good and there is no skimming of any ingredients. The chicken is tasty plus they have great drinks (beer and cocktails). We had the mix of Gyoza last which are perfectly crispy on one side. Plus Itani is right near the Fox theater, near fun bars and usually open late. They play feel good music that is never to loud so you can still have a conversation. Hit it up and give the chicken ramen a chance. read more

Itani Ramen - Chicken Ramen (Soy Chicken Bonito Broth) - Ramen Near Me - Oakland, California

YES to this sweet spot anytime. Dope waiter Alex - friendly helpful made great recs from the menu. We sat down kinda late, he never rushed us or made us feel unwelcome near closing time. Food was ridiculous- karrage chx and waffle fries apps- had 3 sushi rolls- all excellent. Cocktails were strong and delicious. Huge variety of beverages to choose from. Fun spot for a date. We had a great time. Definitely would go back- also really like the unfinished walls and ceiling inside. Place has good vibes. Go! read more

Got takeout tonight. Husband got ramen; the stepkid and I got sushi. We shared an order of gyoza. I would say the gyoza was the best of our order. The California roll I ordered was excellent. The rainbow roll, less so. The husb said his ramen (veggie) was a little underwhelming, but he finished it. We will probably try again, as I'd like to try the oxtail. But I'll skip most of the sushi. It just wasn't that fresh read more

As I write this, I think Itani has around 3.5 stars. I would say this is about right. Great location, service, and ambiance, but regrettably, just okay food. It's the kinda place that will do just fine when you need a quick bite, but not when you want an amazing meal. This restaurant is trendy-looking with chic decor. I had noticed it quite a few times walking through Uptown and been meaning to try it. I finally wandered in and was immediately greeted by a friendly hostess. The rest of the staff throughout my visit followed her lead and were attentive, quick, and polite. They definitely impressed me. I had veggie ramen ($11) and added kimchi ($0.50). Neither one was super flavorful. I thought the kimchi would add some needed spice to the ramen, but it was probably the mildest kimchi I've ever had, plus there was barely any of it (like 3 bites worth). I hope this place ups its flavor game. It's got everything else going for it and I think it could be a real gem. read more

My daughter and I stopped here for dinner after a concert at the Fox Theater and we were pretty happy with our ramen! I picked the veggie miso ramen, and added tofu, my daughter had the chicken ramen. Aside from the cold tofu and some big stems of kale in my ramen, it was delicious! My daughter likes hers, too. Great service, always kept our water cups full, friendly servers, good music and vibe. We don't live in Oakland, but I'll always keep this place in mind when we're in the area. read more

Visited Itani Ramen on a cold and raining Friday evening with some friends. Located in busy streets of Oakland, street parking was quite difficult. We were seated immediately at 7pm in the private overflow area in the rear of the restaurant. Staff were friendly and helpful. Overall restaurant was spacious and comfortable. Ordered the Ox tail Ramen with katsu and extra egg. The broth reminded me of Chinese beef stew soup; too runny and not fatty enough. Did not have noodle chewy options.. but tasted just fine. The shoyu eggs were prepared well with runny yoke and good flavors. The katsu was a bit chewy, mainly due to the thickness of the cut. The ox tail tasted old and chewy, lacking character and personality.. it did remind me of more Chinese prepared ox tail. The highlight of the night came first; the potstickers, fried pork ears and furikake garlic fries were delicious with a cold Asahi beer. Overall, I was hoping for much better and more original flavors especially since it was recommended. read more

Itani Ramen - Ramen Near Me - Oakland, California

I love noodles, man. All kinds - macaroni and cheese, egg noodles in soup, fusilli with butter, pho, instant - it really doesn't matter. The only kind that I struggle to have an infatuation with are 'vegetable noodles' - I crave creativity, but that's just lying to yourself.  Anyway, my obsession is ramen. I've had terrible ramen, I've had amazing ramen, and I've had all kinds of ramen in-between. Itani is amazing ramen. Whether you're looking for a lunchtime staple or hangover heaven, Itani will serve you not just what you want, but what you need, even if you didn't know it.  I've eaten this restaurant's ramen in so many places, so many times, that no way will a single review do it justice. But, for context, here are a few places where I'm sure I've left traces of Itani ramen broth splatters:  - The inside of my car - The inside of your car - Their bar stools, their table tops, and definitely in front of their DESSERT VENDING MACHINE - Broadway avenue watching droves of warriors fans celebrate a championship - Neighboring restaurants, sorry Xolo - BART (no shame) - And many, many other places Itani ramen has even saved me from the deepest, darkest, coldest, wettest festival experience that I've ever braved. Second sidebar - immediately following noodles, I have a deep, deep obsession with music and festivals. If any you were at Treasure Island Music Festival in 2016, you know that torrential rains cancelled about 90% of the headliners while everyone froze into human popsicles - I was one of those people.  Second to O'Shea Jackson, or ICE CUBE himself, the surprise headliner of the weekend was warm, hearty, delicious bowls of Itani ramen. If I could go back in time, I'd spend the entirety of that wristband fee on bowls of Itani ramen. Lesson learned.  Looking forward to the next festival that I hope to be in attendance at, if I make it to Golden Gate Park for this year's Outside Lands Festival, you can probably guess which food vendor will be getting my money. I have dreams of seeing, smelling, tasting and experiencing Itani at OSL, whether it's miraculously warm, or expectedly chilly. If you've made it this far, you might as well finish. Here are some other quick notes on the restaurant:  EAT: Crispy Pig Ears, ALL the gyozas, Eggplant Kushi Katsu, any ramen you can get your hands on DRINK: Masumi Okuden Kantsukuri Sake - or just try the whole damn flight if you're a boss DO: DESSERT VENDING MACHINE! read more

Itani Ramen - Handrolls - a must try, and fun to make! - Ramen Near Me - Oakland, California

Disappointing. Decor is great and the whiskey menu looked good, but man.... Stopped by at lunch, got seated immediately. The cashier made me half a cup of tea because "they didn't have enough hot water." Said he'd bring another cup soon. He didn't. And the tea was *Stash*. Seriously, a cheap American tea you find at Safeway. For $2.50? Make some effort, people. Food (chicken shoyu) arrived quickly. Too quickly. The noodles weren't cooked. Not al dente, but almost raw. The broth crossed the line from *very* umami to Nuclear Salt Bomb. I couldn't finish it. So if you're set on ramen, try somewhere else. read more