Definitely one of the best ramens I have had and I have had ramen all over. I went with delivery because it's cold, but got the curry chicken ramen with extra noodles... SO GOOD You can tell the soup is made over time, as the flavor is rich but not too salty. The karaage was still crispy midway through me eating everything and the seasoning was on point. I am currently craving this again and will probably have it again tonight. They also package it well with a smaller container for the soup (with room to move some of the noodles to it) and a larger container for everything else For a Saturday night, delivery was relatively quick based on reading the reviews of how crowded this place gets. I will definitely be sending more noodz to myself soon! read more

Soooo disappointed. I was so looking forward to this as it has great reviews. The ramen was warm (temperature)...was told that's how it is. I've never had ramen that supposedly serve warm and not hot. read more

Toki Underground - Kimchi Ramen - Ramen Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

Overall, I would say this place is a place worth trying, I thought my ramen was really good, the apps were not bad but I thought the atmosphere was great. It actually really reminded me of noodle shops in Japan with the long narrow stairs and the layout of the stools, just a darker/rocker version with hip hop music. FYI the stairs going upstairs are dark as fuck at night, so bring a flash light. The food: Fried Chicken Steamed Buns- Karaage in sweet chili sauce with Japanese mayo, pickles, Thai Basil & cilantro. The chicken was great, I loved the crispiness and I loved the Japanese mayo addition as well as the homemade pickles with the Thai basil but the chicken does run oddly sweet. I also found it weird the chicken to bun ratio, there was so much chicken left over. https://www.yelp.com/user_local_photos?select=puxl9D44A-dFYgI8rYxM3w&userid=Y_iTTjKvV5hLy-880SZzlA Pork Dumplings- The pan fried pork dumplings were just good, I wish there was more of a crust on the dumpling since it was soft throughout. https://www.yelp.com/user_local_photos?select=JW6LFs6MbkpR6ks_7KXZZg&userid=Y_iTTjKvV5hLy-880SZzlA Toki Classic Ramen- Braised pork, greens, soft egg, pickled ginger with Berkshire Pork Belly addition. The ramen broth was excellent, it had such an amazing depth of flavor, the noodles had the perfect consistency and chew. I really enjoyed the braised pork that came with ramen since it was really tender and had good flavor, but the spinach was kind of a weird choice since it is not something I typically see in ramen, so not really sure if it helped anything. The Bershire Pork belly was nice and unctuous and really had a nice Peking duck flavor, it was a fatty piece of meat but something worth trying. The ramen was easily the best thing we had but the ramen does feel very salty at the end of the meal, I remember drinking a ton of water when I got home. Kimchi Ramen- kimchi infusion, braised pork, greens, soft egg, pickled ginger. The kimchi ramen was the shocker dish, the kimchi ramen was surprisingly good. The flavors come off very balanced but a tad muted since I always think kimchi ramen as very assertive and in your face. The one here, while good, wasn't as punch you in the face as I was expecting, it was kinda like a tamer version of what I would expect a kimchi ramen to be. https://www.yelp.com/user_local_photos?select=Ro5y5MtV0ZN_Xb_Xpm2rJQ&userid=Y_iTTjKvV5hLy-880SZzlA read more

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My coworker and I were in town for a conference. She's never had ramen before, which blew my mind. So, I decided to take her to Toki Underground. I love ramen and love to try it wherever I go. I'm from Los Angeles and let's just say this place competes with what I've ever had. Their flavors are unique. Not what I'm use to, but I loved every bite. To start I had the veggie dumplings. I've had many dumplings in my life, but never a veggie one. My goodness, so dame good. Dumpling was semi crispy on the outside and the veggies inside were so flavorful. As my mine dish I had the toki classic ramen. All the ingredients in this ramen fused well together. The braised pork was crispy and savory. I can honestly say I've never had pork like that in any of the ramen I've eaten. What separated this place from what I am a custom to was the broth and definitely that braised pork, which made this place unique to me. read more

Toki Underground - Toki Classic Ramen. Delicious - Ramen Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

You NEED a reservation here. I landed and headed straight here, thinking no one would be here on a Saturday night. WRONG - the wait was over 3 hours! I knew right then, I had to come back. Came back to have lunch and it was delicious. The most annoying part was our waitress - she gave me the opposite of customer service. All I wanted was to sub chicken for pork belly and she said you can do that but for an upcharge. It made no sense since pork belly is usually more expensive than chicken!! She wouldn't budge and I just sat there, appalled. I ended up ordering the Fried Chicken Noodles - it was divine. The flavor was almost too much and I was dying for more broth to dilute the flavor as much as possible. Overall, it was a good experience, seeing as how I've never had a noodle bowl like this own. A true hybrid of Ramen and Noodles. read more

Toki Underground - Ramen Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

This review is closer to 4.5 stars than 4 just so we're clear!! This place was rockinggggg. Where do I begin? So it's really small; so small that we had to wait in line to get in like we were going to the club but it was well worth the exclusive line wait. Once you enter the establishment you have to walk up a flight of stairs so be prepared. The seating is interesting, it's really intimate so everyone is up under everyone. I was apologizing to my neighbors a lot because I'm a spreader when I sit, so I was definitely spreading my arms/legs onto them unintentionally. I had to be conscious of that and sit really tight so that's what brought my review down. Ok let's get into this food! We had the charred Brussels sprouts and fried chicken buns for starters and both were fire. The buns definitely stole the show. They were so flavorful and I'm not even big on buns but these buns were the perfect bland dough compliment to the seasoned fried chicken n kimchi. I had the vegan Dan Dan as my entree, more fiya!!!!! It was so filling I had to take the rest to go which is unheard of for me. The service we received was wonderful I wish I could remember our servers name, but he was a gem. They had a great soundtrack playing in the background. I don't know how I felt about all the stickers on the wall, this is definitely personal preference here, but it reminded me of a dive bar which equates to gross for me. Overall cool spot can't wait to go back! read more

Toki Underground - Fried Chicken Steamed Buns and Brussels Sprouts - Ramen Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

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First time coming back to Toki since the pandemic started and was honestly a little underwhelmed. Got the Toki Classic with garlic confit & miso chili and thought it was good, but a few components of the dish were way off. The greens really weren't that good, and pork wasn't great either. Really enjoyed the broth and noodles, and the chicken thigh appetizer was decent. Still really enjoy Toki, and I think this is absolutely one of the better ramen places in the DC area. read more

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It can be hard to get a reservation here, as people know this is a hot ramen joint. The place is super small and they can only take so many people at a time. I walked in for a reservation and I was told it would be around an hour and 15 minutes. There was some confusion about our party size when we came back, which led to about another 15 minutes wait time. Eventually, we were seated at the bar-like area for dinner. Our food came out quickly after we ordered, which was great because I was starving! The ramen is A M A Z I N G!!! I had the red miso ramen. The broth was super rich, the noodles were just the right consistency, and and egg was cooked to perfection! I would highly recommend coming here to try the ramen. My friends and I also shared a sake, which was very smooth and fruity. Long story short, the food was worth the long wait. read more

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I love the vibe of this place. It reminds you of being in a tight, crowded japanese ramen bar. It's a little hard to find since the sign on the door is not super obvious. And contrary to what you might think based on the name of the restaurant, it's actually upstairs on the second floor rather than in the basement. It's definitely japanese food, but has a fusion twist. We started with the fried chicken steamed buns, and they were delicious. Perfectly cooked chicken with a crispy exterior. Japanese mayo and sweet chili sauce give the chicken an extra kick. I got the toki classic ramen. The broth is clean, and comes topped with a black garlic oil. I usually prefer my broths to be fattier, but this was a tasty, healthy alternative. Interestingly they are cut short to make it easier to eat, although isn't it bad luck to cut your noodles? The pulled pork that came with the ramen came in a generous portion and was delicious. The egg is cracked straight into the bowl, so it's poached by the broth. I usually prefer the marinated soft boiled egg, but this is good too. Overall its a bit different from a traditional ramen, but hey, it's still delicious. This unique joint has definitely gotten me intrigued, and I look forward to trying the rest of the menu soon. read more

Ok, this place is cool. Not very visible from the street level. Small and intimate space with the perfect Japanese Ramen interior design... Great hip-hop tunes playing with fun staff.. all make it a really cool place to go out and eat & drink. Price, well what you would expect, not too expensive but not cheap. Now food, read more

Super small inside, but the flavors and ambience make up for it. Highly recommend taking advantage of their reservation system.

I have eaten here before, both in the restaurant and dine out, and it was probably my favorite ramen in DC. I ordered ramen after work through an app called caviar, and received my ramen in to-go containers. I took a couple bites and noticed something was floating in the broth that didn't look like it should be there. When I pulled it out, it was some sort of DEAD BUG. I believe it was mixed in with the noodles/meat in the second container because it was not in the ramen broth container. Just like that, this has gone from my favorite ramen spot to somewhere I won't eat at again. Really hoping there haven't been any bugs that went unnoticed in my previous orders. read more

Toki Underground - DEAD BUG found in my ramen - Ramen Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

Food was incredible. Highly recommend on going on an empty stomach or with someone, so you can try many dishes! The service was incredible and our server was fast, quiet and was there on the exact moment we needed something. Ambiance is really cool and unique and the room is very small. So make sure to get there early or to snag a reservation!! Will be going again. read more

Toki Underground - Taipei curry Chicken Ramen - Ramen Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

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I read a lot of reviews about Toki Underground, so I thought the wait would be at least 1-2 hours. However, coming on a Monday night around 6:30pm, we found that there was luckily no wait for two people. The restaurant itself is extremely small. It's the second story of a building over a bar, and the space itself seems like a very small, hip, Japanese bar. The seating is like bar seating, but some around the exterior walls of the space, so it's kind of weird that the waiter is behind you when he is talking to you. I heard the drinks are good, but I am not a huge drinker, so I opted out of that. I am all for tasting the classic ramen, usually tonkotsu, to see how good a ramen restaurant is. If they can make a solid bowl of basic ramen, then everything else should be better with the added creativity and flare. My Food: Toki Classic Ramen - Basic bowl of tonkotsu (I think?) ramen with pulled pork, greens, soft egg, pickled ginger. The soft egg was different than normal, usually it's a nitamago, but this was a onsen egg, since it was soft-boiled. The noodles were pretty average, not my favorite, but the broth was pretty killer. I wasn't the biggest fan of the pulled pork since it wasn't as tender or as flavorful as the normal chashu in ramen. Interior inside was pretty cool and made for a good atmosphere. Menu had some pretty interesting stuff, if I went again I would try the Taipei Curry Ramen. Solid bowl of ramen for being the first ramen restaurant in DC, props to you Toki for starting a great trend here. read more

I was recommended to this place by a friend who saw the restaurant on the Diners Drive-ins and Dives show where they talk about specialty foods. I was thoroughly impressed by the service and the overall vibe of the place. The food was absolutely delicious and I will be paying them another visit very soon. Highly recommended. read more

Cool ramen place on H Street. I am on a bit of a DC ramen tour right now and had heard a lot about Toki Underground. It's situated close to the end of H Street and is a bit discreet AKA I got lost and couldn't find the actual restaurant but once I did, I was glad I was there! FYI, the restaurant is actually ABOVE ground and not underground, contrary to the name. We started with the chicken karaage buns, which were amazing. Pretty big portion and the buns were perfectly cooked. Loved the spicy mayo that came on the side. The Toki ramen was very solid. Probably not my favorite and I couldn't order half noodles like I do at other ramen spots but I enjoyed it nevertheless. read more

This place is dope af. Good luck finding it (there's no sign. Look for the samurai bunny stickers on the door). This place is a ramen/udon bar. And the offerings are incredible. Had the off menu salmon steamed buns and the fried chicken ramen w extra nori. The food is incredible. The atmosphere is awesome too. It smells like hibiscus and is dimly lit with pink neon signs, the walls decorated with old skateboards and stickers, and a chilled out hip hop playlist on in the background. It's perfectly rough, and is absolutely worth the adventure to find it. Love this read more

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Like the ambiance! In case your lost, the store is actually located above the pub with stairs inside a black door with a star pasted on it. You'll have something to look at! Talk about with friends. The seating was cramped but I like the aesthetics, there are newspapers and anime clippings protected by glass as the tables. Appetizers, are fresh and healthy by how we got the cold tofu and the prickled veggie dish. I preferred the classic (toki) ramen over the red miso one. Similar ingredients, but the red soup base came off as splashing hot oil into the classic one and not the best mix. Eat well! read more

Toki Underground - The appetizers! Simple & fresh. - Ramen Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

This was all no good - the food - the service and the ridiculous 18% surcharge. We are pretty easy going but this was by far the worst restaurant experience. And the one server they had was lost and always busy with other people. He did tey his best though! read more

Big fan of Toki Underground. I went on a Saturday around 11:30am, right after they opened so I had no issue getting a seat. What I did have a problem with was finding the business itself! I probably walked by it 3 times without realizing it! The entrance is a door on a strip, and you have to walk up a staircase to get to a host/hostess. Otherwise, the flavor profile was there. The miso soup was hot, warm, and inviting. I personally don't love sprouts so there was a little too much in there for me. The egg was nice and yolky and the pork wasn't tough - which is a major pet peeve for me. Overall really enjoyable experience! read more

Toki Underground - Red Miso Ramen - Ramen Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

Interesting take on the pork belly buns (very good buns, but small portions for the meat) with the mustard, and good dumplings (sauce was slightly spicy but very tasty.) Did not enjoy the ramen or honestly the weird pulled pork in there. I only got the ramen because of another review saying it was amazing. It wasn't and we both left it all. The flavors clashed and did not taste good to us. The egg was a sad gooey mess, and not the soy sauce infused eggs usually expected in ramen. The ramen noodles did not have enough chewiness, and the flavor was a big meh. We got two different bowls of ramen, but the labels were rubbed off by the oiliness of the broth that seeped out, and we couldn't differentiate which was which. One was supposed to be red miso, and the other, classic. I'm not sure if they gave the wrong soup, but they tasted similar. Shouldn't different ramens taste/look different? There was greens in there, which was appreciated, but the bowl tasted like someone just took random leftovers from the fridge, put it together, and called it ramen. Shady looking area/surroundings. They did not take reservations. They also did not take orders over the phone, but order could not go through online. Most of the things on the menu aren't on the takeout menu either. Disappointing experience, especially with so much hype. Too bad. read more

Toki Underground - Ramen Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

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This place is tiny. I've ordered delivery from this place. I love their toki classic and curry ramen. Their chicken karaage is also really good. read more

One word can only describe my food... MID! My friend and I were so excited because we read rave reviews on the food. I was disappointed :(. We tried the pork dumplings which were good but nothing new. Kind of tasted like the trader joes ones just jazzed up a bit. I got the curry ramen and it lacked flavor. I thought the broth being infused with curry would give that umami flavor I wanted but sadly... just tasted like a mix of cumin and slightly salted pork broth. The chicken in it has no flavor whatsoever and way too many greens. My friend got the red miso which he also thought lacked flavor. Love the bartender and waiters tho, please tip them well!! Also the vibe is top tier. So in all, go for drinks and aesthetics... pass on the food. Trust me!! read more

Not sure this is better than any other above average ramen spot, but it certainly is more expensive.

I'm visiting from Vegas for work, and wanted to find a good ramen spot, close by! I (thankfully) stumbled upon Toki Underground. The vibe of this place is very hip/trendy--quaint & intimate . The team working this evening was nothing but LOVELY. The bartender was very knowledgeable and I took their recommendation from beverage to meal, and it did nor disappoint. The Japanese beer was refreshing & crosy, the pork Gyoza was savory with all of the right flavor profiles, and The chicken (tasted like kaarage) ramen was absolutely delicious! The atmosphere is relaxing yet makes you feel as though you are "at your friends house for dinner". To top it off, when I they packaged my food to go, they removed and drained my spare noodles and accompaniments from the broth, and packaged them separately! A small detail that certainly went a long way. I'm so thankful for having had the opportunity to experience this place. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND IT. I can't wait to return! read more

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3.5/5 overall. We came on a weekday for lunch and there wasn't a wait :) I highly recommend making a reservation in advance, perhaps the day before. However, this place was a HUGE PAIN to find. We were close to going to sticky rice next door until someone asked if we were looking for Toki underground. It's this tiny door easy to miss, that has a blue and white symbol. Once you get upstairs, it's super hip and urban looking. My friends and I got different ramens and we tried each other's bowls. The egg was a joke.. Literally 0/5. All three of my friends ramens had a watery, undercooked, poached eggs. The white part was super runny and still almost clear. It wasn't poached right and I wanted to throw up from trying it. None of my friends wanted to even touch it.. However, I highly recommend the buns with fried chicken. The chicken was perfectly seasoned and crunchy that balances the light Sweet bun. You can add mayo, green onions, ginger, and pickled carrots. All four of us said this was the highlight of our meal. GET THIS. Classic ramen: bouncy ramen, good portion. Thick and Creamy soup. Shreds of green onion with pulled pork, spinach and ginger. The ramen was not bad but the pulled pork was a little salty for me considering ramen is already salty as is 4/5. Kimchi ramen: the soup tasted like Korean army stew Aka budae jjigae which literally takes on the sour, pungent flavor from Kimchi. I liked it but my friend who ordered it said it was too salty for her taste. She didn't eat anything except the noodles. I would rate it 4/5 personally but then again I didn't take an entire bowl of it. I like how authentic the Kimchi taste was though. Tsukemen was pretty bad. My friends shared it and none of us liked it. It was way too salty rather than flavorful. read more

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Toki Underground has legendary status as the pioneer of the DC ramen scene, but today it offers just solid bowls of ramen--don't expect to be blown away, especially if you don't want to wait or don't live close to NE DC. I have been twice to Toki with a party of two and we ordered the the Fried Chicken Drums, Toki Classic, Kimchi Ramen, and Red Miso. The fried chicken drums were excellent and had crispy skin with juicy meat on the inside. The yuzu and root beer glaze was very interesting and had the right amount of sweetness. For the ramen, each one had unique broth. If you're looking for a balanced salty broth, the Toki Classic is a good choice. The red miso is richer and a bit more salty. Finally, the kimchi broth offered a distinct sourness and tang. The amount of ingredients in the ramen was also very good and the pork was very tender and delicious. I definitely felt satisfied with ratio of price to quality and quantity. Drink selection is also great. They have some very popular Taiwanese soft drinks that I have barely seen in the US. Definitely try those! However, as DC's food scene has other choices for great ramen, Toki Underground doesn't stand out much. If you don't make make a reservation in the 5-7 PM window (they start doing first come first serve after 7 PM), you may be waiting a while as the restaurant is quite small. The vibe of the restaurant space itself is great. It is decorated in a street art style, which I feel complements the food very well. read more

Toki Underground - Red Miso - Ramen Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

My friend and I were in the mood for ramen. I never been to Toki underground but my friend has been many times. He told me that usually it is not easy to be seated so we called and they Sidney have reservations. We decided to walk in anyway and see what happens. The waitress was nice and told us it would take about 45 minutes. We decided to get a drink somewhere else and wait for the waitress to call us back. It took about 1 hour and 20 minutes and she didn't message us so we walked to the restaurant. This time she told us 10 to 15 minutes so we decided to wait. We waited around 40 minutes again and walked up again. This time we finally got two seats at the bar. The restaurant has a nice and authentic vibe but it appears that the service really is not the best. We ordered an item for appetizer that our server recommended. It was chicken cooked sous vide and then fried. I am not sure what was the name because it was hard to hear our server clearly. This item was delicious and highly recommended. Then we ordered the classic and curry ramen for eating in the restaurant and then two other ramen for to go. I also asked to replace the pork with chicken which they did but apparently they add the chicken as an add on and charge for it (this was a little surprising for me). After 20 minutes they brought our to go item but not our item to eat in the restaurant. We had to wait for another 30 minutes to get our food. The food was delicious. Not the best item but I would give it 4.5 out of 5. We finished our food and our waitress told us that she gave us discount because of the wait and mess up. Unfortunately there was no discount on the bill and they also charged 20% for tip for the party of two for a very bad service. The day after my friend also told me that his ramen didn't have any meat so they also messed that part up. All in all the food was good but I would probably never gonna try to walk in in Toki Underground. Either gonna go with reservation or getting take out. read more

Toki Underground - Toki Classic - Ramen Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

Toki Underground is an extremely popular restaurant in the vicinity. They do not take any reservation and its a tiny place so could be challenging to get a table right away. My friends and i were here on a Wednesday evening for an early dinner and we were told 45 mins wait. Luckily we were able to go across the street at other bar while we were waiting for our table. AMBIANCE: The restaurant is really tiny and difficult to spot. Its is located on a level above a bar with a small dingy set of stairs leading to the place. The vibe is very casual, they have loud music playing and its looks more like a bar than a proper restaurant. Counters are attached peripheral walls along with bar stools as the main seating area. the counter top is extremely small and there is barely any room for keeping anything except one or two plates. Hooks under the tables can be usedt o hang bags or purses since absolutely nothing can be placed on the table. They also have a bar where people can be seated while enjoying their drinks and food. Nothing too striking about the ambiance. We noticed that with the tight space I understand why they don't want to have sinks in the bathrooms, but the one sink outside isn't done well. Food: We ordered an order of the veggie dumplings, the Red Miso Ramen and the Toki Classic Ramen with tofu, scallions, soft egg, pickled ginger and kale. They were OK, nothing to brag about. I've had much better Ramen noodles with less wait in NYC. Overall, The place is really small and does not have AC. The service is slow, the dumplings are good and I'm glad I tried Toki Underground but I don't think I'd venture to H-street for their Ramen again. read more

Toki Underground - Menu - Ramen Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

I was a fan from the beginning but it has gone downhill. Ordered Togo and my broth came with the lid popped open resulting in a lot of spillage all over the bag. My cookies that I've had multiple times before, were burnt and hard AF. I got a bit weirded out bc I then wondered if maybe the delivery person opened it and did something to it? The restaurant should definitely staple the bag shut to ensure no tampering with food but I'm sure it was just a fail on the restaurant and delivery person. Wasn't gonna write a review really since I didn't dine in but woke up this morning and my belly hurts badly. Their food was the only thing I ate yesterday so judging by that, pretty sure something in there wasn't cooked right. Such a disappointment bc it was the best ramen place, IMO, in the city. read more

Hands down, the best ramen I've ever had! The broth is phenomenal, the ramen noodles are perfect, and the flavors are all amazing! I had the kimchi ramen. Tip: -make reservations read more

Best ramen in dc by far. My go to is the red miso. As guy fieri says, it's is a flavor bomb!!! I love the vibe here. It's divey, hip and cool. Plus you can put your name in, go downstairs to the pug, grab cheap drinks and bring them upstairs when the table is ready. I used to come here every Friday with friends and we would go to atlas arcade right next door and play games while we waited. To my disappointment apparently it's not there anymore or they're reconstructing it. Anyway, the apps here are great too. The chicken buns are fire. I tried the vegan one this time to try something new and I loved the cashew tofu and the fried shrooms. It's a lot of food and my body was puffy the next day from All the sodium. Just like it should be read more

Toki Underground - Ramen Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

This is my third time coming here over the years. I was promptly seated after arriving as it isn't crazy busy during lunch. However, if you're coming after 12pm, then I would make a reservation just in case. This time I ordered the kimchi ramen, though I usually get the red miso. The kimchi ramen was spicy but not too spicy and the pork was very tender. The broth is to die for. The only negative thing is that I felt like my noodles could've been cooked for a tad longer. Yes, I understand that the longer the noodles sit in the broth the soggier they'll get but even towards the end they were still on the firm side. read more

Toki Underground - Kimchi ramen - Ramen Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

To say I've been absolutely dying to try Toki Underground would be an understatement. Ramen is one of my top 5 favorite foods, and it's well documented in the ramen-obsessed circles that Erik Bruner-Young is a pioneer in bringing authentic ramen to the United States. A trip to DC wouldn't have been complete if I didn't stop by. I took an Uber over to the H Street corridor shortly before Toki opened for the evening. The place is notoriously tiny, and even though I was dining alone, I wasn't super confident I could easily get a spot. I found the entrance (which was weirdly still hard to find even after the Uber dropped me off because there was little signage) and made my way up to the second floor. As expected, the dining area only had three open seats. She was able to sit me immediately between two people elbows deep in their ramen. This restaurant is not for people that are claustrophobic - LIKE MYSELF. I spent the majority of my meal hitting every insecurity I've ever had. Am I annoying the guest to my left? If I move this seat over will I accidentally hit the person on my right? What if I get something on myself? They will see!!!! I kept my worries on the inside and my eye on the prize. I'm here for Michelin ramen y'all. I ended up starting with the pork dumplings, but the fried chicken buns were a strong contender. Both diners next to me ordered some and in addition to smelling delightful, I thought it was cool that all the items came separately and you could build it how you desired. However, I am a dumpling hoe (!?) and I had to go with my mainstay. It truly was the perfect starter to my ramen because it wasn't too big but it packed a flavor punch. Had I been sharing, I would have complained and ordered the fried chicken too because the dumplings were too good. Don't listen to your preschool teacher. Sharing is not always caring. Ramen time came shortly after. Because I am a sucker for heat-based punishments, I ordered the Taipei Curry Chicken ramen with added pork belly and miso-chili paste. The broth was flavorful and the paste ass the sinus-killing sensation so desperately needed in DC winter weather. The noodles were cooked perfectly and the right amount of bite was there. The only thing I wasn't insecure about was slurping my noodles as I rubbed elbows because it seemed to be something everyone was doing in unison. I actually ended up taking a good amount of ramen with me to eat later in the night, and the bartender was kind enough to wrap it up for me and pour the broth and toppings separately. I'm super happy that I was able to try Toki Underground. As amazing as the food was, I'm not sure I'd eat here again. People that don't mind being in close quarters will absolutely love Toki. Ramen's not something that should be eaten to go, and I won't be able to get pass the intimacy of the dining experience to eat here again. But I am pretty damn proud I knocked it off my bucket list! read more

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Went before, last year I think, and may have been too unfamiliar with ramen and how to order it. This time, I ordered the brussels sprouts as an appetizer and they were delicious! Ordered the Taipei Chicken Curry Ramen bowl with extra noodles. The bowl will be GINORMOUS so make sure you go on a very empty stomach. The bowl I ordered was AMAZING. The chicken pieces were freshly fried to perfection. Egg was perfect, the seaweed, the broth was heavenly, everything was great & well put together in the bowl (as you may see on my review). Wait time was okay. I waited for 10 minutes to dine for lunch. To dine, it is ideally best to come alone or as a date/1 other person. It is a lowkey location on H St and it is small, but it very much worth regular visits, especially in this cold weather. Highly recommend this place. One of the best ramen restaurants in DC. read more

Toki Underground - Taipei Chicken Curry Ramen - Ramen Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

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A quaint and lively spot serving delicious authentic ramen, small plates, sake, etc. It's been open for years and has always been difficult to get into for good reason, but once you manage to get a table or seat at the bar the service is friendly and quick. A local favorite. read more

First of all this place was actually above ground which was a bit of a letdown. Came here around lunchtime on a Saturday and had to wait about 10 minutes since it was fairly busy and the restaurant is only counter seating. I ordered the pork belly steamed buns and they were absolutely amazing. One of the best pork buns I have ever had. The bun was soft and airy but the true star of the dish was delicious pork belly. The pork belly was juicy and flavorful and had a nice slightly charred crispy crust. The accompanying mustard mayo, kimchi, and pickles all help balance the fattiness of the pork, keeping the dish light and wanting more. Would definitely recommend starting the meal with this appetizer. However, the abura tsukemen that I ordered as my entree was quite the letdown. I was looking for a fusion combining the elements of abura soba and tsukemen together, but the individual components of this dish fell short of providing a synergistic experience. For one, the tonkotsu dipping broth was not viscous enough and lacked the deep porky umami flavor that is supposed to cling onto the dipping noodles. The noodles themselves were mixed together with this oil-sauce that was way too sweet for some reason, which is a complete departure from traditional abura soba. All in all, I would recommend against ordering this particular dish. Overall, Toki Underground had a very interesting Japanese grungy bar aesthetic that I would recommend experiencing over dinner and drinks, but bear in mind that it is rather small and can get crowded. I would not go again for their noodles but their pork buns really saved the meal. read more

Toki Underground - Abura tsukemen - would not get again - Ramen Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

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Been wanting to try Toki out for a while and it was worth every minute I'd waited! The fried chicken curry ramen was like nothing I've ever had before, so yummy! The kimchi ramen had a nice amount of spice. Loved the perfectly cooked egg in both! Service was amazing, friendly and fast! read more

Toki Underground - Fried chicken curry ramen - Ramen Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

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The restaurant area is quite small, but not confiningly so. Service was good - attentive and helpful. Ramen is a little overpriced, but nothing unreasonable for the area. Our party of 2 ordered the Taipei curry chicken ramen ($19) and the shiitake & cashew dan dan noodles ($15.5). The broth was quite good, and the selection of toppings complemented the meal well. The fried chicken was alright - pieces were a little too large and not particularly crunchy, but flavorful. The dan dan noodles were good as well, although there were an unexpected amount of cashews included (see picture!). The payment system is entirely virtual (via ToastTab). Overall, a satisfying meal with interesting ambiance. Recommend if you're in the area! read more

Toki Underground - Taipei curry chicken ramen (left) and shiitake & cashew dan dan noodle (right). - Ramen Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

The first word that comes to mind is, tiny. I felt like I was seated in the middle seat on an airplane. The service was a little meh to me. We didn't seem to have one specific server so there were multiple people waiting on us including the host, bar tender, and actual waitress. While that may be nice to some, it became annoying when multiple people were asking if we were ready to order, when we had ordered already. It was also frustrating because they constantly interrupted us in the middle of conversation. The dining experience felt rushed, and like they were in a hurry to get you out of there. I went for a birthday dinner with my significant other and because he loves ramen we chose this location. I shouldn't have brought his gift because there was barely room for my purse let alone a gift bag. He's vegan and there were two options available for him. And then if you don't eat pork (like me) options are also limited. Overall, I'm sure persons could enjoy dining here if they came for the food and don't care about elbows or backs constantly touching a strangers. Perhaps takeout from here is the best bet. read more