Who doesn't love a good Fried Chicken Karaage & a refreshing Sapporo to wash it down? Had spent the day moving while waiting 3 hours for my internet service to arrive (they never came due to a main line issue elsewhere). By the time I got here, I had worked up an appetite and a lesson in patience :) There was a long line ahead of me; The older guy in front of me gave up after he sat at the community table for a few min. I learned this was a soft opening- the place had only been open for ~3 days. After my long day, I wanted to sit down somewhere and enjoy a good meal- even if on the slower side of things. The waiter was also the host and the bus boy and wearing many hats. As someone who has also worked in food service, I understand how hard it is to open a new place & hit the ground running. This includes trying to hire enough staff while balancing customer needs. I could tell he was running around trying to attend to everyone the best he could. You can never go wrong w/ a Tokyo Shoyu Ramen. I got it shortly after I was midway thru my appetizer & wished they had spaced out the timing a bit better (another kink to work out when doing a soft opening). The chefs came by to some of us who got our food on the later side and offered complimentary beef gyoza. I thought that was a kind gesture and very good for business. I like supporting local spots and people who take great care in both food preparation and presentation. They have a nice patio that is dog friendly with lots of dining seating inside- from the bar area to a community table to regular booths. I hope this place sticks around as they grow their customer base. Many businesses have rotated thru this small shopping area. As more people discover this eatery, they will need additional servers/staff to keep up w/ the orders. The existing staff works very hard. Overall: Beautiful ambience w/ the bamboo and slanted wooden panels in the entrance, coupled w/ a nice hot meal- for those craving Japanese ramen & cuisine. read more

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I've had many bowls of ramen, including ones in Tokyo that only sell 50 bowls a day. This place is definitely a treasure. The ramen has chicken broth that's refreshing, and the highlight is its pork, tender and juicy. I think this place is a hidden gem, much better than Ramen Nagi, Marafuku, and Menya Ultra, but rarely has a wait. Both service and decor are good too. Highly recommend! read more

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Ujin primarily serves ramen, so I may come back to update my review once I've tried it, but we tried almost everything else they served on the menu. Interior is gorgeous and very clean. There is a massive, ostentatious golden statue of what looks like an oni (I am not a Japanese folklore buff) that will stand guard while you eat. Our waitress took our orders and served things in a timely manner, but they don't seem to have most of the sakes on their menu in stock at the moment. She was also fairly annoyed with the other waitress, which made me feel sorry for the girl since she was not being kind. The prices are egregious, though to their credit it does seem like they slice their A5 wagyu in house and it's so rich that it flavors the bowl of rice entirely. I am not sure that it warrants $17, but this was my favorite dish of the night. The bao appetizers were almost inedibly salty. The pork belly within was flavorful, but for some reason they blowtorch their meat with something that leaves fake-ish grill marks on it. The thin slice of zucchini/squash inside should also be swapped with suan cai or some other pickled vegetable to cut the fattiness of the meat, and the salt in the marinade should be reduced. Do not get their chicken anything. These seemed like sous vide Sysco chicken breasts. You know when you slice some meat on the bias and it's so overcooked and dry that it looks like a perfect, pale slab of marble because you can no longer see the striations in the meat? This was that. Gyoza was nothing to write home about, but the karaage chicken was the star of the show. It is not really so much traditional karaage, but oh my goooood was it juicy and flavorful and crispy. read more

First time eating authentic ramen in SD. I usually enjoy the thick noodles but these slim size noodles were perfect. The broth had such a great taste and made fresh to the customer. The chicken was thick and not rubbery. When we arrived we were told to sit anywhere and we sat outside, why not. The decorations of this building were appealing to the eye, unless you get scared easily. It was a bit hard to find but I am glad I found it. read more

Ujin - Can't go wrong with the classic! - Ramen Near Me - San Diego, California

Creamiest tonkotsu ramen broth I've had in San Diego. I was a huge fan of all the toppings, which included white and green onion, nori, chicken, and a soft boiled egg. The noodles are made in house, and you can definitely tell. The gyoza is also made fresh - great appetizer. Just be prepared for service that's a little on the slower side if they're busy. Otherwise, very cute place and I'd definitely return for more of that tonkotsu. read more

My first impression of the ramen place was great--the interior had a high-end feel that I really liked. But how was the food? The worst chicken karaage I've ever had in my life. Karaage is usually known for its crispy outside and juicy inside, but this one was soaked in oil inside and out, and it was so salty it was hard to eat. As for the ramen, I couldn't really tell what flavor it was supposed to be. The noodles just tasted like plain noodles, and the broth was overwhelmingly salty with no memorable flavor. The other ingredients in the bowl didn't come together well either. read more

Went to grab dinner following a friend's recommendation. Upon entering, atmosphere had a pleasant Japanese fusion vibe and a good layout, giving customers a view of whats going on in the kitchen, which I love. Got the chicken karaage appetizer and the Shio Ramen with chicken. The chicken karaage was almost perfect. Good breading, not too oily, and the chicken was really moist and tender. BUT, they need to cut back on the sweet soy sauce. The sweetness overpowers a lot of the chicken flavors and hits you hard. Honestly, they could do without the sauce and the appetizer would've still been great. For the ramen, it was good. Definitely warmed me up on the rainy day i was there. Pork in this dish was VERY tender and delicious. I wasn't too fond of the yuzu lemon pieces in my ramen and the noodles were a bit too soft for my tastes but man, the meat you get from this dish is a good value. read more

Ujin - Ramen Near Me - San Diego, California

Came here on a weekday and we got seated quickly. The wagyu shio ramen was delicious, you can taste the char/smokiness of the waygu. The yuzu in the both complimented the waygu and shio broth. The shoyu ramen broth was very light. The chicken karaage was delicious, the meat was crispy and juicy. The sauce was sweet and salty, it went well with the karaage. read more

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An excellent spot and option for the area. The edamame and gyoza are some of the best we have had. They were well prepared and presented. Appetizer quality sometimes gets forgotten and just tossed on a plate, not here which was appreciated. The ramen was great as well, service friendly and a nice selection of wine and beer. Comfortable spot with a nice selection of food and drinks, ambience, and friendly service. read more

Ujin - Ramen Near Me - San Diego, California

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The chicken in the ramen was pretty bland. I would recommend trying something over at UTC instead

My boyfriend and came here for the first time and first impressions, the restaurant is pretty and modern on the inside. We got sat quickly. We offered the shio ramen with beef belly, tonkatsu with beef belly and karaage. The bowl was decent but nothing that blew my mind. The server although nice, took the water jug off an unbussed table next to us to refill our glasses and set it down on our table. I looked at her to make sure she was confident in her choice and she simply smiled and walked away. Now we both have diarrhea. Not going back ever. read more

Our favorite ramen shop in town. The fresh noodles have excellent texture, the broth not too salty like most other ramen restaurants and all the proteins are made to perfection. read more

Pork buns: The ingredients were really yummy and balanced! The bun was soft and fluffy. Karage: We really enjoyed it! Soft and crispy at the same time. Nice added sweetness. Spicy mushroom pork ramen: Delicious! The spice was on the milder side. The noodles are thicker and pair well with the mushroom. Shio ramen with wagyu: I thought the combination of dashi + yuzu was so yummy! Lighter broth that pairs well with the thinner noodles. The ambiance was nice! The place was very clean and staff was friendly. We would definitely come back to try the rest of the dishes :-) read more

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Really delicious, very cool spot for a date night , not packed, not a long wait for food. Cucumbers and gyoza were delicious. Ramen was amazing, this is my new fav ramen spot. The deep flavors are not distracted by over the top toppings like some other spots have. Simple, super high quality. The truffle topping was so so good . Highly recommend. read more

The interior was nice however the service was quite awful. Visited Ujin on 1/4/26 around 12pm. They served us water cups with gunk floating around and we asked for new water. The server offered to bring us bottled water and brought out plastic cups with ice water. There was a fly in our gyoza sauce so I tried to get the servers attention by waving my hand as they were far away in the kitchen area and one server made eye contact with me and he seemed to let another server know I need help, but no one came. Finally the waitress came over after we tried to catch their attention many times. The classic shio ramen broth was over powered by truffle. The chasu was delicious. The Gyoza was okay, a bit dry. read more

one of the best ramen spots in san diego. i would definitely recommend if you are into lighter broths, as they do not offer tonkatsu ramen here. i got the tokyo shoyu and shio ramen. --the shoyu ramen was more simple. the broth was light and tasty, allowing the umami flavor to shine through and the flavors of the meat to be the star of the show. the chashu and chicken were cooked perfectly; tender, juicy and flavorful. my egg was also perfectly soft boiled. --the shio ramen was also amazing. this bowl transported me back to japan. what stood out to me the most was the broth, the yuzu in the broth was very apparent but i really enjoyed the complexity of the broth. i don't know if i would enjoy eating the whole bowl as the yuzu can be overpowering. but i do appreciate that you can pick your meat; however the beef was on the sweeter side and i noticed that it made the broth more sweet toward the end. still recommend this bowl if you love yuzu! --the karaage was absolutely delicious!! so crispy yet tender and flavorful. they drizzle a sweet sauce on top, kinda reminds me of eel sauce. i really loved this i will be coming back to Ujin. loved this place and would recommend to ramen lovers! read more

Ujin - shoyu ramen - Ramen Near Me - San Diego, California

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I haven't had a great shoyu ramen in years. For those who aren't usually fans of shoyu, and for sure those who are, I highly recommend their Classic Tokyo Shoyu Ramen. The taste is light and very flavorful. My husband mentioned how in other places, they'd use so much truffle it would sometimes punch you in the face, but how Ujin uses it better harmonizes with the other flavors in the broth. They don't include truffle as a gimmick. I also recommend their pork bun. Love the marinade, pork was tender. Gyoza was yummy too, but we ate all of it before remembering to take a picture haha! Interior is modern, parts of it eclectic, the statue inside is cool. The night we came, they were short staffed, so service was slower than what people are used to here in San Diego. But it has nothing to do with the work ethic or the kindness or the quality of customer service of each person who worked there can deliver. We felt valued as customers whenever we spoke with anyone who worked there. My husband and I were in no rush to head anywhere, so we enjoyed our dinner regardless, but I get how frustrating that can be for people who may be in a rush. If you happen to come when they are short staffed, take this moment of your day to order a drink, relax, and enjoy the vibes with whoever you may be with. The food is worth the wait. There is no ramen like this anywhere else in San Diego. read more

Ujin - Shoyu - Ramen Near Me - San Diego, California

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Might take a break from Yelp for awhile since Yelp Elite broke up with me and won't tell me why... that's the worst kind of break up, is it not? In any case I might take a short break from reviews for awhile but not forever, with this bit of info for the community... Get the ramen... get the first one on the menu... even get it to go... that's what I did... and I returned with 4 other people a day later and we all enjoyed sitting at the bar watching the ramen. I got the one with wagyu that time but likely will get the classic... the first one on the menu. The taste of the broth is clean, the meat is tender. The noodles are good. Not many vegetable but it's fine sometimes too not get veggies I guess. Really nice service. They have a weird statue but they saw it's their guardian... read more

My favorite bowl of Shoyu Ramen in SD. Broth is light, but also has a lot of umami and rich soy sauce flavor. Karaage is also really good read more

Ujin - Ramen Near Me - San Diego, California

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I had the classic Tokyo shoyu ramen and it was great! It had a rich broth which worked wonders on my sore throat, tender chashu pork and chicken, and I could really taste the truffles in the broth. I definitely prefer the classic Tokyo shoyu over the Ujin classic shio ramen. The ujin had more of a bbq flavor to it whereas the Tokyo was a more clean yet flavorful broth. The noodles were a nice consistency as well. I liked the ambiance too, they did a bunch of renovations in the restaurant, it looks very modern and clean. The service was quick and simple. This definitely makes my list on one of my favorite places to get ramen! read more

On entry it looks very promising with bar seating and watching the ramen get prepped open kitchen view, polite staff. If you're expecting a classic Ramen this is not the joint. The noodles were very good but the broth was something else TBH. I was looking for a chashu ramen , maybe miso base broth....not a thing there. I ordered spiced pork ramen, it's ground pork (wish I had known) wife ordered Shio ramen w/ wagyu. Again noodles were very good, the soup was just not what we were looking for. It's a different experience and I give them credit for trying a twist to a classic. The most off outing thing was the ladle spoon.... It's just awkward to use frankly. Maybe if there was a small side bowl to use it to ladle the broth and such into and then sip from the small bowl. Worth a try, just not our jam. GL to the business tho. read more

First time here! Cute spot in the corner of this shopping center. Very welcoming vibes. Service was good. We sat in front of where the ramen was prepared. They were very attentive to the detail for each bowl which I appreciated. They prepared the protein fresh for each bowl. They charred the wagyu, grilled the Char Siu so perfectly. The Char Siu was crisp, meaty and so tender. The char gave it a great texture and complimented the bowl of ramen so well. Their broth was delicious, not fatty and it did not leave a greasy after taste like some other spots. I would definitely come back here to try the other options. read more

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I tried this ramen place yesterday. Nice sitting, very spacious and clean! The classic shio ramen was good! Light, not greasy or salty. The chicken karage was tender and juicy. The cucumber salad is very refreshing, though needs a little bit more sauce. The service was good, but the wait time for the food to come is longer than what a ramen place typically takes (there was only 1 server). Overall, it is a good place to try. read more

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Staff was very friendlly. Since it's fairly new, it's not as loud as other places. The broth isn't your typical ramen, it's not creamy, very light and flavorful. It reminds me of the chicken broth ramen I had in Ikebukoro, Japan. The ramen that I got was the Ujin Classic Shio Ramen with Wagyu. The broth has a hint of Yuzu, which I loved. My boyfriend got the Classic Shio Ramen & he enjoyed as well! Overall, would come again when we're not in the mood for creamy ramen. read more

Ujin - Ujin Classic Shio Ramen with Wagyu - Ramen Near Me - San Diego, California

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The ramen was excellent. Usually ramens are way too salty for me and cause stomach upset. This one is very similar to authentic Okinawan ramen especially the pork flavor. They were very generous with portion I had so much noodles I put half of it in a box and enjoyed it later at home. The egg was soft boiled. This was the classic it comes with chicken and pork. The waitress was nice and food came out so fast it surprised us. Although it was only us and one other couple cause we came for early dinner. By time we left it was packed so I guess this new place has some regulars already. We live in apartments nearby so glad to have a ramen place in walking distance. Ambiance is comfortable modern. read more

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Food still delicious! Service has gotten worse instead of better! It's no longer a "soft opening". Seems they're hiring completely inexperienced servers so can't explain anything about the menu and or sake. Servers also seem unfriendly and unwilling to find more info. read more

Ujin - Truffle oil in ramen was a delicious favor! - Ramen Near Me - San Diego, California

Excellent! I did not know ramen was this good from eating it out of the packets. Would definitely come again if in the area and order the same thing. read more

We enjoyed the ambiance and setting of this new ramen house! We tried the shoyu ramen as well as the ship ramen! Both broths were delightful in flavor! Can't wait till they release the tsukemen! read more

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Originally was going to Ramen Nagi, but took a detour and came here instead, on soft recommendation from friends. Very clean modern look inside, good sized table for a large party if needed, and bar seating is also available. Ordered two appetizers, cucumber salad and karaage. Cucumbers were not fully marinated, but that might be Japanese style. Karaage was pleasantly seasoned; I was at first disappointed there was no lemon or side of dipping sauce, but none was needed. Ordered the spicy mushroom pork ramen with seasoned egg. Noodles were on point, good bounce/texture, and held on to the broth when eating. It's half an egg, for $2. Just FYI. And, there were porcini and morels. Not a complaint, but when one is expecting authentic/traditional fare it was a surprise to see them. Overall it reminded me of the spicy sesame ramen at Tajima. Portions were a little smaller than Ramen Nagi/Kitakata Ramen, for basically the same price. Buyer beware. Also, a humorous note to our visit, the patrons at the next table over from us, tried asking for salt in Japanese, when the server was not Japanese, but Chinese. She didn't understand his Japanese, and after she left they discussed if it was his accent or he was "speaking too fast". It was neither, she didn't understand Japanese. Understand it's a fusion ramen place, and you won't be disappointed if you adjust your expectations. It was a good overall experience, much better than Menya Ultra. But if I had a choice, it would be Ramen Nagi. read more

Love the classic tokyo shio ramen and the soup is really good Good choice to have dinner with friend here read more

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Shio. It was alright, a good effort. I think they make their own noodles, but they were overcooked. Broth wasn't hot enough. The katsuo topping didn't make much sense. Chashu was good by itself, but destroyed the balance of the bowl. read more

Ujin - Ramen Near Me - San Diego, California

This ramen restaurant is opposite the UTC mall. The interior decoration is very unique, similar to the luxurious KTV layout. Many details in the restaurant are well done. The bowls, chopsticks and other utensils are very exquisite. I ordered the chicken and fish soup wagyu noodles. They tasted great. The beef was also particularly delicious. There was a lot of noodles. The fried chicken was also very tasty. After eating, I felt very full. In short, I highly recommend it! read more

First of all the interior and overall vibe was very nice and modern. We ordered the Shoyu and Shio ramen and both were very delicious. The Shoyu was light, but had a nice flavor from the truffle. While the Shio, was a little saltier, but the yuzu made it a nice balance. We also ordered the pork bun, which was so tender and juicy. Highly recommend. Overall, its nice to have a lighter ramen option nearby! read more

Definitely a nice surprise. First time in SD a ramen had high marks in all broth, chashu, and noodles. Had the shoyu, and it was incredible. Service was great and the inside was beautiful. read more

This is easily a quiet gem in a quiet neighborhood. They use premium ingredients. Their noodles are great. Their broth is super clean as ramen should be. I'd highly recommend it. The only complaint is the small menu, but everything so far is great. I'd easily recommend the wagyu. read more

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Authentic Japanese Ramen spot with great service! Ordered the Tokyo Shoyu Ramen which even came with bonito flakes! The price point of thia casual establishment is great and we loved the decor. This is more authentic japanese so there are less creamy broths than what you would expect at other ramen spots! Also the karage was really good. I wish it came with more dipping sauces. Had to ask! That's my only gripe. Overall a great experience. read more

A quite impressive restaurant! It's a newly opened spot with a clean environment, and the food tastes fresh. It will be my top choice for ramen around this area. read more

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This restaurant offers my all-time favorite teriyaki bowl, perfect but I find I need to add a side of white rice to fill it out. I have not tried anything else on the menu because I keep going back for the teriyaki. It's craving food! I hope they are able to relocate when the Regal Plaza is torn down for condos. read more

Soft opening but taste was not soft. One of the best ramen and exceptionally good. Many non- pork broth options. Clean soup base by fish, mushroom and seaweed. Portion might be little small and price is little more than others. Service is kind and nice but they need to speed up. Clean and tasteful interior. High-quality and new version of ramens, if you are looking for, this is the place. read more

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I've been waiting outside for five or six minutes with no one coming. After handing over the menu, they didn't ask what I wanted to order.