Mini San Francisco, CA Ramen Tour

I was recently in San Francisco, CA and here were the ramen spots I stopped at.

• Shiromaru Classic (Hakata Tonkotsu Ramen) at Ippudo (photo 1/6), rating 5/5. I mean it tastes the exact same as their shops in Japan. The perfect classic Hakata Tonkotsu Ramen. Creamy and perfectly seasoned broth. I love this new style chashu also (sous-vide pork chashu), which was delicate. Classic thin straight noodles. I've been bouncing around about where my favorite tonkotsu is in the USA, and yea… this is it. Only flaw was that this location u have to pay extra for ajitama.
• Bonnie Bonito Tsukemen at Ippudo ( photo 2/6), rating: 4.5/5. This is noodle heaven right here! When you see thick noodles with specks of dark grain, you're gaurenteed great slippery noodles with a great bite. The tsukemen broth was interesting. Its bonito forward, but not really fishy if that makes sense. It was smoky and tastes interestly like roasted tomatoes and carmelized onions, with a slight citrus. Really nice. The noodles were the highlight for me. And again… no ajitama.
• Spicy Miso Ramen at Hinodeya Union Square (photo 3/6), rating: 3/5. This was their "signature" ramen on the menu, and the waiter confirmed it was the go to. This bowl was decent. Your usual spicy miso flavor. Nice medium sized noodles. It was decent, but nothing mesmerizing imo. And the service was sort of ass (like they gave me the bowl without any chopsticks, and it took forever to try to wave someone down to ask for chopsticks… like literally 10-15 minutes).
• The Signature Tori Paitan at Mensho Tokyo SF (photo 4/6), rating: 5/5. This spot was my most anticipated spot to check out because Mensho is a sort of known team to bring quality ramen to the USA, and Ramen Beast always plug them. Tbh I havent had many tori paitans, and the tori paitans i have tried in the USA were like a more boring tonkotsu. This one changed my mind. This Tori Paitan was spectacular!!! The broth was thick and creamy, complex in flavors and umami, and perfectly seasoned. Words cant even describe it. The fried burdock root as a topping was my first time and it worked nicely, having its own subtle earthiness and sweetness, yet soaking the broth. The egg was perfect, with its perfect golden yolk. It had two kinds of chashu. Thinly sliced classic pork belly chashu, which was decent. And small slices of medium rare duck chashu. The duck chashu was something else… it had like an interesting flora aroma to it! Idk how they did that but it was nice and next level imo. The noodles were your medium size wavy noodles. Again, this bowl was next level for me. I wanted to order a second bowl, but had to save my stomach for the next spot.
• Tokusei Tsukemen at Taishoken (photo 5/6), rating: 4/5. Taishoken is well known as the originator of tsukemen. RIP to Kazuo Yamagishi. Although I know the spot is a chain now, I have to pay my respects, because people are technically still continuing his legacy. The noodles were thick and brown (no specks of dark grain like ippudo). It still was a nice slurp and bite. The broth was like a gravy soup of bonito also made of chicken and pork (slightly bonito forward but not really fishy if that makes sense lol), and subtle complexity with lemon zest, and slight flavor notes similar to charred onions and tomatoes, or French onion soup. Dont get me wrong, when I say that I dont mean they put those ingredients in, its just the flavor notes and best way for me to try to explain it. The chashu was again a more new age chashu – sous vide pork chashu, med rare – delicate and this one was interestingly more salty. I would say I am happy to know how the tsukemen to start it all tasted like. It was nice. It was solid. Personally tho, I liked the tsukemen at ippudo slightly better because I personally liked the noodles there better and the tsukemen broth there was slightly more strong and complex. But again, u cant go wrong here. And… taishoken gives you ajitama.
• Shoyu Ramen at Ryoko's Bar, rating: 2.5/5. This was actually my first ramen bowl in San Francisco. I came here more for hearing that it was a hole in a wall lively vibes Japanese spot. And it was. I saw shoyu ramen, so I had to get it. This one was the cheapest bowl of ramen on the list ($14). It was comforting and simple. Nice, classic, clean, and old school style Tokyo shoyu. It was simple, humble, and good. Straightforward. Would I come here specifically for the ramen? No. Come here for the vibes, the drinks, and the sushi. The ramen is a just a plus if ur in the mood for a more affordable and humble classic shoyu ramen.

If you've read it all… thanks! No lie tho… i get San Fran is a major city… but man this is the most money I've ever spent on ramen. Literally every bowl was over $20. 😂😂😂