Waited in line for about an hour. Went by relatively quickly. Ordered a few appetizers. Got the…read moreenoki mushroom chips and wagyu sushi. My absolute favorite was the enoki mushroom chips they were perfectly salty and crunchy. The wagyu sushi was okay but not my favorite. Tried a variety of ramens. I got the miso corn butter ramen which was delicious, next time I think adding spice would be better as it was lacking a bit of kick. The lamb miso ramen was delicious I loved the spice added and the broth was unique with the cumin flavor. The shoyu ramen was a classic and very good flavor. Would definitely come by again if you're willing to wait a bit in line.

Got the GKO and spicy signature with extra pork chasu. First time here and was expecting to be…read morewowed but both ramen were ok. GKO broth was ok, a little salty maybe because of the other elements on it. Spicy signature broth was a little better. Both meat and egg were tender and good. Also got the enoki chips, salty and was ok. Had a similar taste to salty chipotle tortilla chips. Got here by 3:20pm and had two people ahead of us. Line got long super quick. Staff were attentive and quick with the work flow. Place has limited seating. Bathroom was clean.

Took young adult kids to dinner at Taishoken (I had a sore throat so ramen sounded good). Used Yelp…read morewaitlist to make a "reservation" and were seated within ten minutes of arrival. Cute restaurant, great service, seemed like very authentic Japanese decor. We did not find it hard to hold conversation among the four of us seated in the middle of the restaurant. Chicken karaage, 5 pieces - 5/5, large pieces of fried chicken yum! with dipping sauce Agedashi Tofu - 5/5, lightly fried tofu (says deep fried but there's hardly a crust on the silky soft tofu), came with a generous amount of shiitake and shimeiji mushrooms, in a light broth. It came out after our ramen so unfortunately I did not taste it without having already tried the spicy miso broth Tonkotsu Spicy Miso Ramen - 5/5, excellent broth, noodles (straight white thin noodles) perfectly cooked, came with two generous thick slices of tasty roast pork chashu, a warm soft boiled egg (sometimes ramen places give you a cold egg, I don't like that!), green onion, bamboo shoots. I opted for no red onion because that just seemed weird to me. Just the right level of spice and made my throat feel great! I look forward to going back next time I'm visiting the kids in the Mission!

came back again before i left the city-- so sad to go. we loved it just as much as the first time…read more still would absolutely recommend going to anyone who enjoys a good, hearty bowl of ramen. this time i tried the ginger lime cocktail with shochu. loved it. thank you taishoken for another great experience.

We are writing to express our strong appreciation for the exceptional Umami Creamy Tan-Tan-Men soup…read moreand to respectfully request its permanent return to the menu. This dish stands out as one of the most memorable and flavorful offerings we have experienced. The rich, creamy broth delivers a perfectly balanced umami depth, harmoniously combined with subtle heat and aromatic spices that create an indulgent yet refined dining experience. Both my partner and I were thoroughly impressed by its complexity and comforting warmth, and we have continued to crave it long after the winter season. The Umami Creamy Tan-Tan-Men soup represents a true highlight of your culinary repertoire. We believe it deserves a lasting place on the regular menu, where it can be enjoyed year-round by loyal patrons and new guests alike. Its removal has left a noticeable gap, and we are confident that reinstating it as a signature item would be met with great enthusiasm. Thank you for creating such an outstanding dish. We eagerly await its return and look forward to ordering it on our next visit.

How did SF go from having basically no good ramen options 10 years ago to having all of them,…read moreeverywhere, in multiple styles? While it is somehow still not as concentrated as San Mateo (in terms of ramen shops within walking distance), I do appreciate that there is an abundance of them such that you don't have to desperately line up for 1 hour just for a bowl of soup. Hinodeya is a mainstay at this point. It's likely not even exciting to the locals, and nobody makes a special trip for them. There are multiple locations all over the city, and the Japantown one is one of the nicer locations with outside seating that isn't super crammed. They have a lot of different broth options here, but the shop is mainly known for their dashi (light seafood based) broth, and it is actually quite good with a lot of umami and freshness. Whenever I'm hungry but have no patience, I tend to wander into Hinodeya knowing that the ramen would hit the spot. Is it the best ramen? That's up to you, but it is definitely one of the most available in the city, and much better than the average in this nation.

Unexpected find, small place with accommodating staff, amazing food quality…read more Not super cheap but most restaurants in SF are not and most. For the quality the prices are reasonable. The flavor of the egg in the ramen was out of this world good, the meat was so tasty and high quality also.

Came here on a Friday night. It's a small shop with limited seating so as a party of 4 it took some…read moretime to get seated. It's also only one person serving and hostess-ing and we could tell she was trying her best. We were sitting at the outside facing bar seats at first and appreciate the hostess for re-seating us at a table where we could actually talk to each other. It was my first time and I decided to try the hiyashi chuka as ramen is usually a bit too heavy and salty for me. The classic hiyashi chuka sauce is refreshing and sesame based. I thought it would be the classic sauce, but whatever they had tasted basically like soy sauce and water. I was not a fan, and wish they called it something else so I would not have confused it with the classic hiyashi chuka flavor. We also got the mushroom tempura to share. These were super good!! Stick to the classics! Hope to be back to try their better stuff.

The chicken ramen is really good. Broth is viscous and gelatinous in the best way, without feeling…read moreheavy. Noodles are quite special - they taste so fresh, bouncy with the perfect bite. Salmon hand roll is in taco format - not cheap but very delicious and tender fish, and plenty of ikura.

It's all about the chicken in these ramen bowls…read more My friend suggested this place for Friday lunch. We were able to find parking on Franklin and there was no wait to be seated around 12.45 pm. At her recommendation, I ordered the tan tan spicy miso paitan ramen. The bowl comes w/a heap of fresh cilantro and shredded green onion on top of al dente noodles, a perfectly cooked and seasoned ramen egg and a delicious (though really not that spicy) and creamy broth. The one thing that was missing was the ground chicken. I think there was probably about a tablespoon of chicken in my bowl and for the price ($21) I do expect to find one of the described ingredients in an adequate amount in my bowl. That was my only beef w/this joint. Otherwise, service was prompt, attentive and friendly.

Crispy mushrooms like no other! They are served piping hot, with a perfectly light crisp batter and…read morejust enough seasoning to make them addictive! Our go to is the traditional paitan ramen with a side of bone marrow plus the black garlic oil. The owner was so nice to give us an extra bone marrow cause he thought the original one they made wasn't big enough. Both were generous portions. Best bone marrow I've had in sooo long! We also had the roasted beef filet starter which was perfectly rare and tender and served with a dipping sauce.

Appreciate this small cozy joint in otherwise super busy Irving and 9th area and their dedication…read moreto a small and focused menu. Ramen is quite subjective though, but here's my thoughts: Noodles: 2/5. Nothing super bad but not my type of noodles. A bit too thick and lack texture Broth: 3/5. A bit less thick than I was expecting based on the look, and a little lighter than I'd prefer given the noodles Meat: 5/5. Nice and tender cuts, easily the best part of the meal when combined with the broth Nice place to swing by if you're in the area and feeling like some beef based ramen, but unfortunately not the top ramen spot in town

The ramen shop we visited on this trip was so cold, that I knew that I wanted something warm to…read moreeat, and that ended up being the greatest decision ever made. A tonkotsu broth is a great choice because it is such a rich and delicious broth; and with the addition of the soft boiled egg was ramen heaven! The pork was incredible, and was just as firm as the noodles; I wish I could eat more of it! The dumplings I got on the side were so fresh, crispy and such a nice color brown; and were a great addition to my meal. The speed with which the food came was just astoundingly quick, considering it was lunch hour; and I can't wait to return!

Food: this place made me love ramen! Every dish was delicious and that is rare in a restaurant…read more Service: wonderful service Ambiance: felt like I was in a lux space.

Decided to try the Happy hour at this Japanese place and was blown away…read more Its a small place, maybe 8 tables tops squeezed into this narrow space but it was fantastic. Gretted when we entered, we slid into one the few open tables. The decor was charming, and we were quickly gretted by our server with menus and water. My sister and I split some appetizer items so we could try various items, and every single dish was a taste sensation. The gyoza was crisp on the outside while packed with a savory meat, drizzled with sauce. The Karaage was tender chicken encased in a light fried pankostyle casing, also drizzled with a sauce, and the flavor, each bite was satisfying without being too filling. The Kabocha Kor, were panko fried pumpkin patties with a tonkatsu style sauce that brought the taste buds to a more earthier place . The Tokoyaki, were tender fried octopus balls in a sauce that I would have been happy to hunker down with a large bowl of and just crush, easily my favorite bite, which is saying something as no bute was bad . We closed with an order of Hotate, which was a grilled scallop skewer. Somewhere between sea and bay scallops in size, they were an awesome cap to the dining experience. With a this, I washed it down with a peach-weizen beer which was the perfect accompaniment to the meal. Every dish was fantastic in flavor, sauces, and texture. On top of all this, the service was excellent, and the happy hour prices very much in reason.

I went here for dinner around 6:30pm and a line started forming right after we arrived, becoming…read moreabout 10 people deep. We only waited about 10 min. We started off with the Mekyabetsu (Brussels sprouts), Ba-Ra (pork belly), and Kobe (beef). The Brussels sprouts were my fav starter, and the sauce paired so well with it. The Ba-Ra was pretty good, but nothing amazing, and same for the Kobe, which I found to be a bit bland. We also split the Hokkaido Miso ramen. The broth had a great flavor, and the pork chashu was possibly the best I've ever had(!) as it was soooo tender and flavorful, and not very fatty. I did think the cauliflower left room to be desired, and kinda took away from the ramen overall. We finished our meal off with the matcha Panna cotta - this was a great dessert and wasn't too sweet ;) This place definitely seems to be pretty good at a lot of dishes, but not amazing at any single one. The vibe is great, service was great, and prices are a biiiiti steep but not unreasonable.