Katie Laskowska

The bento boxes are amazing! I got the katsu bento with ramen. It had edamame, rice, spring roll, egg and even a shishito pepper. The ramen was rich in flavor. The katsu was the real star though. So insanely crispy and fresh, while cooked just right inside. We also got the spicy miso ramen. It was full of flavor and delicious. It wasn’t nearly as spicy as we were expecting but that’s fine. The green gyoza is also definitely worth trying. I’d for sure come here again and can’t wait to try some of the other dishes.

+1

Audrey Yang

Came as a solo diner, sat at the bar and had a great meal while reading a book. Perfectly done house ramen with delicious broth, great noodle texture and I’m not usually a fan of menma but this was the best menma I’ve ever tasted. As a bonus, the kind hostess refilled my water so I could stay and read a bit longer even after I’d finished my food. Highly recommend :)

kapil khatri

HINODEYA Ramen 🍜 is one of the best franchise restaurant in San Francisco , this is my second time eating Japanese food, and I love it , My friends try first time Japanese food, and they also like it, the staff was very friendly, Manager also very nice and kind person, Food is fantastic. I highly recommend this restaurant. I’m going to visit this restaurant soon 🥰❤️ it . I visited again today love this place .

+10

René Andreasi-Bassi

Great food, great vibe. Helpful staff. They sounded a gong when we entered 😀Definitely recommend if you’re into ramen.

Jayasimha Nuggehalli

Visited here for dinner, ordered chicken karage ramen bento and veg gyoza and ramen bento with creamy sauce. This combination is good value for the price. Food was very tasty and also service was excellent. Restaurant decor is very pleasing, specially in the back.

SAMED

Delicious food and great service. All the staff was very welcoming. Much better service and experience than O'Farrell location. Would definitely come again

Sabrina

Hinodeya Ramen Bar & Chestnut – A perfect mix of comfort food, calming vibes, and thoughtful touches We had the Spicy Miso Ramen with chicken and a starter of Chicken Karaage — both were absolutely delicious. The ramen had a deep, flavorful broth with the right amount of heat, and the karaage was perfectly crispy and juicy. What really sets this place apart is the ambience. There’s a beautiful tree right in the center of the restaurant, creating a calm, Zen-inspired atmosphere that instantly transports you to Japan. The décor and vibe are thoughtfully done, making it a great place to relax and enjoy your meal. In addition to ramen, there are bento box options and a wide variety of Japanese-inspired desserts and drinks, both alcoholic and non-alcoholic. It’s a great spot whether you’re here for a full meal or just a drink and a sweet treat. The staff were incredibly warm and friendly, making us feel welcome from the moment we stepped in. At the end of the meal, they even gave us free Kyoto candies, which was such a sweet surprise. And don’t forget — if you enjoyed your experience, you can bang the drum near the door as a fun way to say you loved it! Highly recommend this spot for anyone looking for great food, peaceful vibes, and a little touch of Japan right here.

Kelly Pierce

Everything about our meal was spectacular. I ordered the Ultimate Scallop Ramen with Fried Spring Rolls and Edamame and my coworker chose the Spicy Ramen. Both were spectacular. Tasty and hot the spot. I ate every bite if that tells you anything. Highly recommended!!!!

Came here cuz a nearby restaurant had a really long wait and there was no wait here. The staff was super helpful and quick. Ordered a mango nectar drink which was delicious. The ramen I had was Kinuki(?) and it was only okay. The ambiance of this place is nice and can seat a lot of people, very clean.

We had to get ramen while we were in Japantown. The ramen here was delicious. I got the Spicy Ramen with medium on the spice level. I wanted to play it safe since my friends make fun of me that I can only handle “white boy spicy.” The broth was super flavorful and complex. My friend got the Wantan Ramen since he’s a sucker for chicken-dashi broth. He loved it! It wasn’t busy since we were here on a Thursday night. They are centrally located in Japantown and I recommend coming by to satisfy your ramen cravings while you’re here. 🍜

Friendly staff, clean store and only thing I am not satisfied is rice taste not right for Japanese food, a bit dry.

Amy Tam

Slow service throughout our experience from check-in to ordering. The food did come quickly after that. The noodles were cooked very well today and I actually really enjoyed my Spicy Miso ($19). It is barely spicy which was fine because I also ordered shishito pepper ($9). I really liked the peppers, they're not too spicy and I like the soy sesame sauce. The meat gyozas $8 (5 pc) were also pretty good. For anyone wondering, the only difference for the butter corn version of Spicy Miso $21 is that it has butter and corn.

jack lichtensztejn

The setting is wonderful. Service was quick. It was the little things. Chop sticks missing and asking for water 2 times that made it hard to enjoy the ramen right away. Lastly the pork was really dry. Which throw me off at the begging. Maybe it was too lean. Broth was good to make up for the dry pork.

The restaurant was pretty average. The small plates and dishes they gave us weren’t very clean, which was a bit off-putting. The ramen was decent—not great, but not terrible either. The staff were really friendly and attentive, which was nice. The atmosphere was okay, but I personally didn’t like the lingering old smell. There was no lid for the water they provided. The hygiene could be improved.

To be honest, the ramen here is not very special and you can make it at home. Ordered the Yamadaya ramen $18.50 , the noodles are thin, but the texture is not very good, you can even taste the raw noodles. The soup base may have fish flavor, I was thirsty 30 minutes after eating so I think the soup base should mixed from condensed soup base . For topping , here is the pork belly instead Chashu . Service is average , they did their job , that’s all !

Went here because it's my son's favorite Ramen house, but I found just ok. Located in the heart of J town, I'd imagine it gets a lot of traffic. My son ordered gluten free noodles, but they messed it up and he had to wait until it was resolved. I thought my bowl was extra tasty and sadly I was right for the wrong reason. After we finished and I was driving away, I got hit with an MSG rush starting in my lower spine up my back into my head. Leaving a headache for about an hour. Warning.... if you're sensitive to MSG, order something without the broth or just don't drink it : )

Susan H

Littleneck clam ramen and Hinodeya house ramen very good. Noodles tasted homemade and broth was excellent. Service was not good at lunch today- very slow and our server was hard to get attention and forgot to bring chopsticks and napkins; nearby tables weren’t cleared after diners left so eating area felt neglected. Overall experience not up to level of prices.

Alex

I had the creamy vegan ramen with rice noodles— it was waaay overpriced for the limited ingredients. The dish mainly consisted of noodles and deep-fried kale. The other toppings included two pieces of mushroom, three pieces of tofu, and a small slice of red bell pepper. The sauce was enjoyable initially, but it quickly became too oily and creamy to eat. Despite the food, they did have nice outdoor dog friendly seating!

Oleksandr M.

Ramen and chicken karaage were average, nothing special. The ramen broth was not flavorful at all. They also forgot about my wife’s order and brought her food 15 minutes after mine. Won’t visit again unfortunately, not worth it. Ramen: 3⭐️ Chicken karaage: 3⭐️ Service: 2⭐️ Interior: 4⭐️

Been visiting this joint for years for good ramen near Japantown. To be fair, I have not tried the other ramen houses within the japantown complex itself but this place compares favorably with similar eateries on the peninsula. On my most recent visit in Dec 2023 the quality of the food seemed to have gone down a little from years before. Nevertheless the ramen broth is flavorful, the chashu and stewed pork are soft and flavorful and the egg well done (firm outside and soft inside). The ramen texture is not great. Appetizers are fine - portions are big but the quality is so-so. We had the fries with cheese, geso karaage and house salad. Extensive menu beyond ramen. Sep 2025 update - not sure what happened but the food quality has plummeted since we ate here a year ago, and definitely nothing compared to what it was years ago. The tonkutsu broth is tasteless, the noodle texture was off and the tsukemen was terrible. Will not be returning.

Tourist Trap. Go somewhere that values your hard earned money. Do not get the coconut curry. They randomly tossed in a lemon and carrots in it. It wasn’t even listed in the ingredients. Broth was diluted and watery. Service is average, nothing that sticks out. Ambiance is dark and dingy. No music and smells of cheap commercial chemicals like Fabuloso.

Came at the end of the lunch rush nearing 2pm. The place felt convoluted and people didn’t receive their full orders having some people start before others. The broth in my Yamada Ramen was bland and the egg upon biting it was cold, it felt like I was eating it raw. Granted I will not be coming back.

We were out checking out the Blossom Festival and ended up in line at this spot—mostly because everything else was packed and this seemed like the best of the options. Big mistake. What followed was one of the worst dining experiences we’ve had in a long time. You know that feeling when a good meal brings people joy? Yeah, this place doesn’t deliver that. Every dish we tried was off. The gyoza tasted like it came straight out of a Costco freezer bag—bland, rubbery, and weirdly artificial. Ever had something so oddly “pipe-flavored” that you start questioning not just the plumbing, but your life choices? That was us. I ordered udon and my partner got the spicy ramen. Both were terrible—easily the worst ramen I’ve ever had. And trust me, I’ve had instant ramen that puts this to shame. Honestly, second place in the “worst food” category goes to Dumpling Time in San Jose—just to give you a sense of how low the bar is here. The shishito peppers were a whole other offense. They should be grilled—smoky, blistered, and tender. These? Crunchy like they were trying and failing to be bell peppers. And serving them with a side of mayo? That’s not just wrong—it’s a betrayal of everything good and holy about Japanese small plates. Service? Painfully slow. We waited forever to be helped, and you could just feel the awkward energy around the room—people nodding like they were all in the same boat of disappointment. The water was lukewarm, no ice, and tasted like it had been sitting in jugs all day. Not a great first impression. To top it off, the waiter basically tossed the receipt at us and clearly didn’t know how to handle our complaints. Thankfully, another staff member came by and comped our ramen and noodles, which we appreciated. Moral of the story: if you’re in San Francisco and craving ramen, do your homework . Don’t be fooled by the reviews—this place is not it. I’ve had better ramen at gas stations.

This is by far the worse ramen I'd ever had. Firstly, the service I received was terrible, server had a massive attitude and was borderline throwing our food at us. But surely it's fine because the food is good right? Wrong. Out of the 4 ramens that we've order, I only would've willing eaten one. They put looks over taste. None of the broths were creamy and was served like it was heated up. On top of all of that the broth is for some reason bitter. I'm sorry but this is just one gigantic tourist spot. If you want some good ramen just go to Marufuku 2 blocks away cheaper and better.

Edited 7-6-24: hate to say it, but a lot of what I used to love about this spot in no longer present. I understand that inflation is brutal right now…. But….Portions have gotten cut in half despite the price being the same. I’m not being dramatic here…. My bowl was 50% full when dropped off at the table. Not to mention that the ramen had the chintzy’est portion of pork…. it was laughable. The chicken karrage is still awesome with its different style options…. But as a whole it’s evident they’re trying to save money downsizing. Its was so obvious that I’m stuck with ‘voting with my wallet’ and not coming back. Que Serra Serra…. Change is the only constant. This place does Ramen right. The Black Garlic is the heavy hitter on the menu. Service is good but can be a bit hectic around dinner rush. It is also quite loud in the main dinning room. I know this is a chain but the quality and service is outstanding and easily in the top 5 of ramen spots in the city worth checking out. The ‘experimental ramen’ section of the menu has some really interesting options as well

I gave it a one star because I can't put down a zero star. I am a lover of Asian cuisine and let me tell you, this place is a tourist trap. It's terrible and a waist of your $$$$$. We love ramen soup but it was watered down, no flavor or taste. There's no way it took 20 hours to make the broth. My braised pork rice bowl was 99% rice that tasted old, 5 very small thin pieces of very dried up pork and a table spoon of shredded cabbage with some mayo. There's no sauce what so ever on the meat or rice. My recommendation, don't go.

The Korean chicken karage I ordered was undercooked and gave me food poisoning. The other food was crisp but had such a weird consistency in the inside. On top of this our server forgot to give me our melon soda until I asked at the end. Would not recommend.

Everything tasted left out and reheated. Waxy and chewy karage, waxy bao buns, soggy tempura left sitting in the seafood ramen, over cooked noodles and barely warm broth and very little seafood. We specifically asked for the sea food ramen to be boiling hot, and was told that “all our broths are boiling” nothing was even close to hot. House ramen lacked flavor, bland broth and overcooked noodles with very little meat and bamboo and cold egg. We did not finish the ramen. Wanted to give them the benefit of doubt after reading the reviews and waiting a while. We asked more than once for napkins, water cups and chopsticks. There were a few groups of 4 but by no means were they slammed! $87 down the drain. Unfortunate because it’s the perfect weather for ramen. Let’s hope things improve and maybe today was just an off day.

LianeL

My partner and I came here for dinner based on the high reviews and love for ramen. The menu was extensive and pictures were helpful. But then the food came and it didn't live up to expectations. My partner is somewhat a connoisseur of unagi, but was very disappointed with his $33 unagi Don. The unagi was tough, chewy and lacked flavor. Despite adding some sweet chili sauce from my bento box, it still didn't help. I ordered the ramen and tempura box. Shrimp tempura was hot but it was basic like from the freezer. I ordered it with a spicy miso mini ramen but there was no spice and umami flavor was not there. Took a while to get the attention of the many servers to give us our check - even though it wasn't busy. Sadly it was an overpriced mid dinner.

Rana

The ramen was not good, lacking flavor and spice ordered the spicy corn miso. This was severely lacking in depth of flavor, even the egg was like it was aged not fresh. If you're looking for good ramen this is not the place.