Delicious ramen, great service and a great ambiance. Lots of competition in the area yet this place still stands out.

Delicious ramen, great service and a great ambiance. Lots of competition in the area yet this place still stands out.

Delicious ramen, great service and a great ambiance. Lots of competition in the area yet this place still stands out.

Delicious ramen, great service and a great ambiance. Lots of competition in the area yet this place still stands out.

Loved this spot, definitely a vibe. Seating arrangement and music are key. You order before taking a seat, there is typically a line but it moves fairly quickly and the food comes out fast. There i…

AMAZING!! the food and drinks were bomb! highly recommend! I also like the restaurant vibes and the sitting area

My favorite ramen in SD!!!! Chicken confit is the best option also the eggplant and pork belly bao buns are a must I loveeeeee

My favorite ramen in SD!!!! chicken confit is the best option also the eggplant and pork belly bao buns are a must I loveeeeee

As soon as I stepped inside, the lights brought me back to Tokyo. Cute ambiance. Small setting, esp upstairs. \nFood was good. I had ordered the Tonkatsu ramen, & the crispy chicken Bao bun as an…

The ramen was the most flavorful I've had out of all the places I've been to before, coming from the IE at least. The pork melted in each bite and the eggs were soft boiled perfectly! I will say if…

Had a great lunch experience with my daughter. We shared the Underbelly Ramen and the Japanese fried chicken small plate. Would definitely recommend the food, I'd like to go back some time to exp…

David Nhan

What a great trendy spot! Has good music, great spot to take a date. Parking wasn’t that bad but depends on when you’re coming. You order the food and sit down and wait. Which is cool. The issue I had was that there was line, host said wait somewhere while people would walk inside and try to cut others off. So made no sense to wait. I got the bento box which was good, but the kimchi was just ok. They gave me a bottle of water and the beer was great.

Aaron E.J O'brien

Delicious ramen! The interior space is slightly small, but the food is excellent and the staff are kind.

+2

Rick R

I was drawn in by the interesting interior and restaurant space walking by but the ramen was only decent. You order walking in at the front and grab your own seat which can be tight on the main floor. Didn’t get to see upstairs though.

Conner Jolly

We went with the ramen but probably should have gone with the bento box. The ramen felt fresh and simple which is probably perfect for some people. I tend to lean towards the ramens that are richer and more complex but I can see why people would like it. The bento box on the other hand had a good variety of items that were each pretty good. The eggplant covered tofu in particular was marinated well. The seating was pretty much only for two people at a time so it was a bit akward to fit 3+ in but there might have been bigger spots upstairs that would have worked. The bar columns were cool since they are mechanical so the entire shelf moves down when they need it to. Overall I can see the appeal but I would probably get something else if I go back.

Jennifer P

Very unique atmosphere, enjoyed the outdoor eating. The tonkatsu ramen had good flavor, meat combinations were great. The noodles were a bit overcooked, almost as if the noodles were precooked and flash boiled. However, it was still tasty. Gyozas were the star of the meal, they were very crispy, cooked perfectly. The cold Asahi went perfectly with the meal.

J B

I liked the ramen here! The reviews seem polarized one way or another but it hit the spot for me when I wanted ramen on a work trip out there. To give you a sense of my preferences, I typically like tonkotsu ramen. Ichiran in NY (first had in Japan) is currently my favorite. I like the basic ramens, but in this case I upgraded to short rib at the suggestion of the server and I really enjoyed it. The atmosphere is cool, relaxed, interesting layout.

shelreece ross

We ordered the Underbelly Ramen and the Beast Ramen (can’t remember the full name). The Underbelly Ramen was okay—my son really enjoyed the soup! Personally, I would’ve liked a bit more spice or seasoning, but since I was sharing with my son, it worked out. My husband had the Beast Ramen and said it was probably one of the best ramen bowls he’s tried so far—definitely a 10/10 for that one! The place is small and busy, but we didn’t have to wait long for a table, which was great. We sat upstairs and kind of regretted it because it was super hot up there. I asked if they could turn the air down, but apparently, they couldn’t, and it was reading 80 degrees. Overall, despite the heat upstairs, it’s a cute spot located in the downtown Little Italy area. Worth checking out, especially for the Beast Ramen!

Ambiance is super cool. Feels like a neon bar from Tokyo. Food was good, very filling but broth is okay.

ambiance is super cool. Feels like a neon bar from Tokyo. Food was good, very filling but broth is okay.

Ambiance is super cool. Feels like a neon bar from Tokyo. food was good, very filling but broth is okay.

Pretty good place for this kind of Ramen resto,well good service with a lot mixed of jap menu etccc,,,,recommended

Underbelly is one of my favorite ramen spots. They have really good quality food. Their drinks are good too. This location is very cute and definitely has a nice vibe. I went as soon as they opened…

The broth tasted like they used bad tap water. Poor service, they have an unnecessary complicated ordering system. Ambiance was ok.

Jeran Cox

I really wanted to give this four stars but a few things held it back. The ambiance is pretty cool. They are clearly aiming for a retro futuristic Neo-Tokyo / Blade Runner vibe. That's awesome. But there is a difference between grity and just plain dirty. This one is the latter. Went for the standard tonkotsu ramen as a baseline. It looks great. But each of the flavors was just a bit off. The soup base was solid. 9/10 The egg was not jammy enough. 8/10 The noodles were overcooked and soggy, and they used instant noodles instead of real ramen egg noodles. 4/10 Chashu pork, overcooked and flavorless. Color is wrong. 5/10 Missing a few normal items like nori, burdock, corn, etc. Sigh. Oh well. Very much a self serve vibe. Staff seemed rushed and uninterested. A big faux paux for any Japanese restaurant even in the US. Ultimately this place is fine if you just have to scratch a ramen itch, but don't get your hopes up.

Rui Ming Lim

I ordered the Belly of the Beast ramen. For me, the ramen was okay it didn’t quite meet my expectations, but it was still decent. The dumplings were a bit mild in flavor and could use a bit more seasoning. I personally didn’t find it to have a very authentic ramen taste, but the prices are affordable, which is a plus. If you’re looking for a truly authentic ramen experience, this might not be the spot, but it could still be worth a try for its value.

I give the ramen 2.5 stars since the pork broth did not have depth and was a bit salty. The noodle came with clumps and was slightly mushy. The service was great and friendly.

I give the ramen 2.5 stars since the pork broth did not have depth and was a bit salty. The noodle came with clumps and was slightly mushy. The service was great and friendly.

I give the ramen 2.5 stars since the pork broth did not have depth and was a bit salty. The noodle came with clumps and was slightly mushy. The service was great and friendly.

I give the ramen 2.5 stars since the pork broth did not have depth and was a bit salty. The noodle came with clumps and was slightly mushy. The service was great and friendly.

I give the ramen 2.5 stars since the pork broth did not have depth and was a bit salty. The noodle came with clumps and was slightly mushy. The service was great and friendly.

Don’t go here for ramen. Service and atmosphere is great. Bao was good. Chicken wings good. Ramen is 1 star. Unfortunately there was nothing good about the ramen. The broth was super plain. Egg was unseasoned. Noodles were too soft. The dumpling in the belly of the beast straight up tasted like a soggy ravioli lol. The filling of the dumpling was mush. Don’t know how this place got a 4.5 stars.

Chelsea Chole Red

A very cool spot to sit at and the staff is friendly but they have the worst ramen. The noodles are a bad consistency and do not pair up with the broth. The broth lacked flavor and life. It felt as though the noodles were made separate from the broth instead of cooked in it. I do not recommend this place if you are hungry for ramen. It seems like its costumer base is mostly SDSU studens who are looking to impress others with "authentic" Japanese ramen but really want a 12 dollar cocktail. 0/10 bland and gumny ramen, but 10/10 trendy San Diego vibe.

Tommy On

Ordered the Belly of the Beast ramen. Broth was pretty rich and the best part of the ramen. But the broth was already warm (not hot) by the time it got to my seat and became room temp by the time I finished the bowl. The short ribs were really tough to chew and the oxtail dumplings were super soggy and the texture did not resemble oxtail at all. The noodles were on the softer side (a plus for me since I like them softer). The chopsticks were also cheap and had lot of splinters on 1st break. There is outside and inside seating, and the atmosphere is nice. The drink menu has lots of mixed drinks and they are served full to the glass brim. Maybe the other dishes are decent, but avoid the ramen.

Place is great I would rate it a 4, but my impression on it changed to 1 star when I got ramen to-go. Apparently the option of tipping is an illusion when the worker slipped a unauthorized $9.26 ti…

I ordered belly of the beast ramen and spice JFC chicken. The ramen noodles over cook, the soup is not hot enough and the soup broth tastes no good. The soup tastes like the one you can buy at Korean market the beef broth package. I love all kinds of ramen but this is 1/10 no good. And the chicken OMG not fresh made, chicken is cold and looks like made long time ago very dry and taste not good at all.

Emily Olivos

Place is great, but my impression on it changed when I got Ramen to-go. Apparently the option of tipping is an illusion when the worker slipped a unauthorized $9.26 tip into my order. Make sure to check your receipts. I was a fool as I didn't catch it at the time, definitely won't happen again. Hopefully this is a helpful review to other customers.

Jo Jo

TLDR long wait, food is bleh and not made to order, cool vibe, nice staff. The place has a cool vibe but had a long wait even with only a few people ahead and open tables. Staff seemed to be running behind, not their fault but seems understaffed. The bartender/hostess was very nice but having to handle too many things at once. The food came out suspiciously fast and everything was luke warm. It was all clearly not made to order. The gyoza were meh, nothing about the ramen was great and like everything else tasted like it had been sitting around for a while. Food made to order is kinda the bare minimum, with all the restaurants in the area I see no reason to ever eat here. It's a shame because it has a cool vibe, they should just be a bar and drop the food.