This was the first ramen spot I came to as a teenager and it is still my favorite. Simple but just good. Lots of parking, sometimes a bit of a wait. read more

I was seriously hankerin for some delish ramen ... the broth was excellent, the deep fried shrimps were crispy & fresh! Love the soft shell crab & all the extra toppings u can add. I love going when they first open...plenty of seating & it's nice & quiet. Winter is coming read more

Santa Ramen - Delish lunch - Ramen Near Me - San Mateo, California

Place is solid. Slightly above average. I ordered a bento box with chicken. Shrimp. Salad, and rice. The shrimp was great. Wanted more. These days it's all about value for the cost. It met my expectations. My companion had ramen and they were very happy. Service is pleasant. Unlike other noodle places this wasn't a cattle call. Seems like they removed sone seating since my last visit a few years ago. Ambiance is non existent. Lots is families dining Sunday late lunch. Will probably return. read more

Best ramen in the Bay Area. Was introduced to Santa ramen ages ago and look forward to each time I can come back since we live in Marin. Wish we had a Santa closer to where I live :) read more

So, I lied not coming back! Always give anyone a chance with a good heart! This is my forth time coming back here since after the pandemic. All 4 times is a positive good aromatic ramen. Last weekend ordered a pork cheek with garlic pork flavor and extra noodles. It was very good, better than anywhere else. read more

Santa Ramen - Yummy dish - Ramen Near Me - San Mateo, California

SERVICE: -------- Wait time for two at 6:30 on a Saturday was around 15m. Another party of three put their name down while we were waiting and got seated immediately before we did. While that seems great to the reader, that bothered me. Granted there was a table for us too so harm no foul. We were also only given one menu but I knew what I wanted so it's fine. I tried to indicate we were ready to order but our waitress made several trips back and forth without eye contact. She could have checked in between dropping off orders to other tables. Again, the party that came in after us got their order immediately before us. When I made my order she went to the kitchen, came back and indicated that they JUST ran out of the pork belly ramen. There's a reason why there's a system. It should be followed without prejudice and it made me feel mistreated. FOOD: ------ The Chicken Karage had some generous pieces and was quite juicy. The skin was very crispy, retained its heat, and benefitted from the tangy sauce mixture that it came with it. I sometimes pair that with my ramen for extra protein and flavor. The ramen itself was just ok. The broth was lacking in umami and seemed a bit too oily. I opted for the regular tonkatsu broth as the black garlic flavor is even oilier. I also got pork cheek, which was tasty, but I still would have preferred the pork belly instead. The noodles had a nice firmness but seemed like they were cut in half for more manageable bites. Some may appreciate that but its all about the slurp. On another note, if you have a high spice tolerance then the extra spicy will seem somewhat mild. read more

Santa Ramen - Chicken Karage - Ramen Near Me - San Mateo, California

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Wasn't sure what to expect since this place is called santa, but it was pretty good! The broth was flavorful and i liked that you could choose from 5-6 options for each type of ramen. The menu was simple (4 main offerings for ramen, and other appetizers/small plates/drinks). You also choose your level of spice. The noodles had a nice bite and there was plenty, though you can't tell from the photo, but i assure you it's below the soup! Docked a star for the egg not being soft boiled and the meat was really fatty. Not too hard to find a parking spot since there's a parking lot. I would come again to try the other types of ramen! read more

Man oh man, this place lives in my dreams. Best ramen in the Bay Area, maybe the best ramen place I've been to--and that's saying a lot. Anyone else grow up in a don't-drink-all-the-broth-it's-not-good-for-you household? Just me, okay. Anyway, this is a place that I'll gladly eat the whole bowl whenever I have the stomach space for it. The garlic pork broth is rich, flavourful, garlicky with real pieces of garlic inside, and a perfect compliment to the chewy, almost "qq" noodle texture. Each piece of pork is distinctly marinated and salty but even with just a bowl of noodles and broth I'd be just as satisfied. They run a happy hour from 5-6pm, which we just missed by a bit. Parking can get a little tight especially as the night goes on, and by 7pm on a Friday the place was PACKED. Usually we go during the off-peak times, either the start of the lunch hours or start of the dinner hours, and are seated immediately. With two waitresses only, it was understandable that we would have a 10-15 minute wait. Still not the end of the world. No frills, but I'd like to see you try to find a better bowl of ramen in the Bay. read more

Santa Ramen - Pork belly ramen with garlic pork broth - Ramen Near Me - San Mateo, California

The ramen is great and the portions are hefty on the meat portions relative to other ramen shops in the area. Service isn't the fastest and it gets a little busy so expect a slight wait if your coming during dinner time. read more

This Wonderful place is Perfection. The Wait Staff are amazing. The Ramen (I get the miso medium spice.). Is so excellent. I am addicted to it. Whenever anyone in my family said where should we go for lunch, they already know what I will say. read more

My bf and friend took me here for dinner, they really like it but I thought it was just ok. We wrote our name down on a Saturday night at 7:20~ and there were two parties ahead of us (party of 6 and party of 2). When it was about our turn, a different party of 2 got sat (father and daughter), the father mumbled to us "they skipped us" and walked past us to the table. We checked the list but didn't see anyone else who was still active on the waitlist that wasn't the two parties in front of us and thought it was weird. I would've appreciated if the waiter told us as a courtesy if they truly were skipped because it just seems like they cut us (not to mention they weren't even in the waiting area when we were there the entire time). I got the tonkatsu santa ramen and the pork was quite fatty (if you like that but I'm not a fan of super fatty pork). I can't exactly describe the soup, it was hearty but also felt lacking/grainy at the same time? It wasn't bad but I personally wouldn't come back here. I've had better ramen places in the area. The chicken karage pieces were pretty big and tasted good, prob enjoyed that more than the ramen. read more

Santa Ramen - a bowl of ramen on a table - Ramen Near Me - San Mateo, California

If you want Ramen, this is the place to go. It's not a big place and the waiters are on top of it all the time. I'll be back read more

The best tonkotsu ramen still here in California i will keep on coming back to u guys! Irreplaceable!!!Satisfied Customer. read more

Santa Ramen - My all time favorite TONKOTSU RAMEN here in California, the broth the noodles - Ramen Near Me - San Mateo, California

The best ramen in the Bay Area so far! I've been coming here since I was maybe 8 years old. It's been my favorite ever since. Tonkotsu broth is rich and flavorful (my favorite) and the pork belly and cheek is always cooked to perfection. My favorite things to order are the soft shell crab ramen or the pork cheek ramen with katsu on the side to dip in the broth. I always order karaage to go and eat it as a midnight or tv snack. It's the best! read more

Santa Ramen - Soft shell crab ramen and pork cheek ramen with tonkotsu broth - Ramen Near Me - San Mateo, California

Have always loved this place and even when it change owners the food (didn't stay exactly the same) stayed good. The only thing I miss is the lightly fried tofu (agedashi) dish. read more

What a great hidden gem. We actually stumbled upon this place by word-of-mouth from a man we met in Japan who lived in Berkeley, CA back when he was a student. We thought it must be some good ramen for him to remember the name of the restaurant so fondly almost 2 decades ago since he last came to the states. We came on a rainy Saturday for late lunch. The perfect weather for some good ramen. When we arrived all tables were full, but luckily we didn't wait long to be seated. The service was very kind and friendly. The ambiance was relaxed as everyone came to fill their bellies with hot soup. It's all simple and straight forward. The pork broth was rich and delicious with hints of black garlic oil. The pork belly was so tender and generous. The ramen noodles were nicely coated with the broth, which made each slurp so full of umami. The hard boiled egg was cooked to perfection and not overcooked. The corn, bamboo shoots and spinach were also tasty, as expected. Santa does not disappoint. read more

Santa Ramen - Pork Belly Ramen - Ramen Near Me - San Mateo, California

The food is bussin and the service is great most of all The stuff is good good price.

TLDR: A remarkably average bowl of ramen. Saturday 5/27/23 ~12:50pm, $18.35 after tip 13 min 18 sec from order-to-bowl ~~~~~~~~~ Santa Ramen - Soy Base - No Spice ~~~~~~~~~ Final Score: 4.72/10 (6.1/10) Noodles: The strongest component of the bowl. Average-thickness yellow egg noodles. Standard quality for a ramen shop; definitely better than the frozen-grocery-store section. The noodles were cooked well, and had a good bite/mouth feel. Definitely not made in-house, but nothing to complain about. (5.2/10) Broth: Run-of-the-mill shoyu (soy) based broth. The shoyu flavor came through with the exact amount of saltiness you'd expect. Light, not too oily. There isn't much more too it... Shoyu is one of the safe broth choices (high floor, low ceiling) so there's a limited amount of room to make an impression. It got the job done. Likely from a pre-mixed/pre-made soy broth mix. I'd try out the Tonkotsu broth if you want a more opinionated flavor. (1.5/10) Egg: The weakest component of the bowl. Sad. You hate to see it. A hard boiled, completely unseasoned egg. Just a hard-boiled egg cut in half. The hard-boiled-egg-yolk flavor is always odd in a bowl of ramen; minus the standard sugar/shoyu marinade, its just a huge miss. (4.8/10) Meat: A relatively thick piece of chashu pork belly. Nice piece of meat. Good fat/meat ratio. Slight charring along the edges along with visible grill marks - Not too much flame-grilled flavor though. The meat was well seasoned but there wasn't a distinct marinade flavor, just salted pork belly. Not terrible by any means. Nothing to write home about. (5.0./0) Misc Toppings: Seaweed, spinach, corn, lots of garlic bits, and bamboo shoots straight out of the can. The bamboo shoots still had the odd, syrupy, from-the-can flavor. Everything else was pretty standard. Nothing offensive. Safe choices. (4.5/10) Other: The bowl wasn't bad by any means. The only huge miss was the unseasoned ramen egg. If you really want ramen before or after shopping at Nijiya, this will meet expectations. Though, there's lots of tough ramen competition in San Mateo: Kakijen, Ramen Dojo, Ramen Parlor, and Taishoken are less than 2 miles away and offer superior bowls. *Weighted Scoring Formula: Noodles (25%), Broth (25%), Egg (15%), Meat (15%), Misc Top. (10%), Other (10%) Other: Parking: Strip mall parking, shared with Nijiya, Joanes, etc Service. 2 Busy servers. Nothing to complain about. Got busy around 1:00pm read more

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Yaaas Santa ramen I applaud you!! The egg yolk is now more of a medium boiled, which is a huge improvement! read more

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Last time I was around 10 yrs ago-- CRAZY! Overall, I think the quality and flavor has withstood the test of time. Arrived on a Saturday for a late lunch for 2, waited ~30 minutes. The ambiance is very pleasant, with well spaced tables and soft jazz playing over the speakers. I ordered the Pork Belly Ramen with Yokohama Base (Miso + Tonkotsu) and my S.O. ordered the same with the Black Garlic base. The Yokohama base was SALTY! It had a great first-sip flavor but you will need water the more sips you take. In my opinion, the pork belly was worth ordering. YUM! One nit-picky thing, I wish the hard boiled eggs were either tea eggs or had a runny yolk. Good service, but they did short staffed for a Saturday. I feel that Santa Ramen has become a staple to the area over the years. There might be better options close by but I still think this is a strong choice. I would come back if I was in the area! read more

Santa Ramen - Pork Belly Ramen - Ramen Near Me - San Mateo, California

I know this has been around for years, but I finally made the trek up here to try it. Glad I finally made it. Stewed Pork Belly Ramen with Black Garlic broth. (4/5) Nice, rich, broth. Santa Ramen Original with Tokyo Tonkotsu broth. (4/5) Rich and flavorful broth. Noodles were a good thickness and chewiness. Chicken Karaage (5/5) - crispy, golden, deep fried boneless chicken thigh. If you don't like spicy for the ramen, you have to tell them when ordering. The mild could be spicy for some. The egg is fully cooked, not the delicious poached runny yolk other restaurants serve. read more

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I was invited by some friends who said Santa Ramen was their favorite local ramen spot, so I was super excited to try. First off, this was on a Saturday night, so we did have to wait about 25-30 minutes for a table, so keep that in mind. But it was well worth the wait! On to the food! By recommendation from my friends, I had the stewed pork belly ramen. It was AMAZING!!! Wow, so much flavor! And the pork belly so tender! I went to Japan in 2017, and I have to say this bowl of ramen was the second best, if not the best bowl of ramen I've had since then! It was that good! And for appetizers, we split some chicken karaage and gyoza. Both were great! As far as service goes, it was great as well. I know our server was swamped as it was a busy night, but she was def doing her best! I'll definitely be back in the future! read more

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Had lunch @ Santa Ramen & thus would a 4th time here in 2023. Being a San Matean, I've tried a few locals along the way. To say the least, excellent service & the tasty karaage, along with the Ramen is a 5. read more

Santa Ramen - Ramen - Ramen Near Me - San Mateo, California

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Service was bad and inexperienced staff. Broth is a bit too salty. Not worth the wait.

Definitely recommend if you're in the mood for ramen noodles. Everyone is pleasant and the service is great. read more

Santa Ramen - Spicy tan tan noodles - Ramen Near Me - San Mateo, California

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The ramen here is incredible. I ordered the original Santa Ramen, which was great. The broth was creamy and full of flavor, and the noodles were thick and delicious. I will definitely come here again! read more

1/5 I would give zero stars if I could. I was seated for over an hour and never got my food, while multiple tables that arrived after me were served quickly--with way more food than my table. It was beyond frustrating watching other people enjoy their meals while we sat there with nothing. Absolutely unacceptable service. I won't be coming back. read more

Santa is the OG of ramen shops. Used to be a tiny spot near Talbots with a few tables and a counter. Santa doesn't disappoint with their non fancy ramens. It's all simple and straightforward. Hubs got the Santa ramen and I got the Stewed Pork Belly with the garlic pork broth. Both porks were melt in your mouth worthy and the broth was nice and hot! They are not your fancy shop with quail eggs or soft boiled eggs but ramen that still satisfies your soul. Truthfully a 4.5 cuz I wish they made their eggs soft boiled but it's my go to ramen shop so I gave it a 5. Hubs got the medium spice level for the extra kick. I got the mild so that I could still taste the flavor and umami of the broth. Santa is always a reliable spot to go to. read more

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This place would've gotten 5 stars but there were a coupe issues with the karate appetizer and service. The ramen was fantastic!! I highly recommend the pork cheek with garlic pork broth. The ramen takes awhile considering ramen is just broth and noodles with toppings (shouldn't take that long). The chicken karaage came well after we got our ramen so it wasn't much of an appetizer. Then the chicken had no flavor, sadly. You definitely need to eat it with the sauce. But the chicken was super crispy, juicy and tender. They are giant pieces. Wouldn't order again until I know they start seasoning the breading and brining the chicken. They're clearly short staffed, you don't get much service due to it. The vibe is very boring, they should add a few entertainment or music, definitely need more staff so there's a more hustle and bustle kind of energy. read more

Santa Ramen - Ramen Near Me - San Mateo, California

In A Nutshell: -Santa Ramen has been around for a very long time. -It was one of the very first Japanese ramen restaurants in the Bay Area before they exploded in popularity & now you find them all over the place (just like how sushi started out in the 80's, poke & boba in the 2000's, etc...) -I am so glad that their timeless broth hasn't changed. -$13.50 for a bowl isn't too crazy either especially in inflated 2022. -They did have a soft shell crab version for under $20, which sounds interesting. Overall, if you are looking for an authentic, belly quenching bowl of hot noodley ramen, you need to grab a seat here at Santa Ramen. read more

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I admit I've been paranoid about venturing out during Covid and never even put a thought into dining outdoors at a restaurant when they were able to reopen so this was my first outdoor dining experience and i felt safe as I had a great meal while bathing in the warmth of the sun as it made its way to set for the day. The tables were spread far apart and everyone was wearing gloves and face masks. The servers were awesome. It's been a long while since I've come here and it was nice not to have to wait to be seated like it was pre-Covid days. I'd definitely come back read more

Santa Ramen - Ramen Near Me - San Mateo, California

I had a tomato chicken Ramen, it taste delicious, chicken meat is soft enough and fresh, service is fast and friendly, highly recommend this place read more

Decided to try Santa Ramen (again) had not been in awhile... I remember when we first went there... the broth was so rich and creamy it made your lips stick together! This time not so much and the hard boiled egg was very hardboiled... not at all jammy the way you would expect.. also I seem to remember that there were a bit more toppings (included) such as Green Onions, etc ...maybe because there are so many more Ramen places around Santa Ramen is not keeping up...I would hope that they improve instead of gradually just becoming okay.. read more

Delicious pork cheek meat ramen!! The portion is big and filling with great flavors. The broth is rich and the ramen noodles are perfectly cooked. It is so good with the giant piece of pork cheek and sliced pork. The pork is flavorful and tender. A really great experience all in a bowl. I also love the kind service and vibe of the restaurant. read more

Santa Ramen - pork cheek meat ramen - Ramen Near Me - San Mateo, California

Delicious! Came here for lunch and was pleasantly surprised how delicious everything was. Ordered: Edamame Karaage (fried chicken) Gyoza Yokohama Stewed Pork Ramen (non-spicy) The rest of the party ordered the other ramen choices and they looked just as good. read more

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Where have you been, Santa Ramen? The Dynamite Ramen is my Go to Ramen. It has little kick with all fixings. The Yokohama broth had a great consistency. Chicken karage 6 pieces(no bones) was perfectly lightly fried with the right amount of seasoning. I will definitely come back. read more

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Good, consistent, and satisfying meal! I've tried all soup bases and I can't decide which one to go to each time I come to this place. Noddles have good "bounce" and accompanying add ins taste "fresh". Service is good given how busy it can get, but the food comes out quick. Prices are aligned with other good ramen places in the area. I've been coming since they were at the original location off B....Parlor and Dojo are good places as well! read more

In my opinion, I think Santa Ramen has the best ramen in San Mateo (sorry Ramen Dojo). However I was still a bit disappointed in the ramen here because I felt it lacked quality toppings. I ordered the Pork Cheek Ramen (pork flavor broth). It had a really rich, creamy broth that had a great depth of flavor. The thicker noodles were perfectly al dente. ...And the praise stops here. The pork on top was not very tender and somewhat chewy. I ordered pork cheek because I wanted that "melt-in-your-mouth" taste and I did not get that. The egg is a small quail egg instead of a regular egg and it was somewhat overcooked, not runny at all when opened. I wish you could choose your own toppings instead of going with the menu combinations (what if I want bamboo shoots with my pork broth instead of the mushroom?) I also ordered the chicken karaage which had good crunch and flavor, but was more breading than chicken. In my opinion, the karaage at Himawari is better. As much as I'm hating on the toppings, I do think that Santa Ramen serves a good bowl of ramen that tastes like it was made with a lot of love. The flavors are really rich and I look forward to coming back and trying some of their other ramen options. read more

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I came here many times and always have very good ramen and sake ! love the dynamite ramen, spicy and taste delicious !

We stopped by to eat ramen again. The 4 pieces of chicken kaarage was crispy, moist with the soy, ginger, sesame dipping sauce. Hubby ordered his usual pork belly ramen. I tried pork cheek with garlic oil this time. Both were delish and the meats were tender and tasty. They're not serving hot tea during the pandemic only cold water. There is a bit of wait at lunch time and with the 2 bowls of ramen and kaarage, it was over $50. Can't wait to come back again read more

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