Mike R

This place is a bit smaller than most ramen joints. I went at noon and the place was already full. Their tonkatsu ramen is a must try. It has a rich and creamy broth and has amazing flavors. The pork belly was made to perfection! The cucumber crab salad was also delicious. I also had their fried chicken/karaage. The place get filled very quickly, and they do not take reservations. Parking can be a bit challenging, depending on what time of day you arrive.

Teena Malicsi

This is an overdue review. HiroNori Craft Ramen Restaurant is my favorite ramen place, even though I drive for almost an hour. I always order the Tonkotsu Ramen with extra ramen. The broth was rich and creamy, packed with depth and flavors that made every slurp absolutely satisfying. The noodles were perfectly cooked—firm yet tender—and they soaked up the delicious broth beautifully. My favorite appetizer is the Crispy Chicken, a perfect complement to the ramen. The chicken was beautifully seasoned and fried to perfection, with a crispy exterior that gave way to juicy, flavorful meat inside. It paired wonderfully with the ramen and added a delightful crunch. The staff is friendly and attentive. If you’re a ramen lover or just looking for a great meal, I highly recommend HiroNori Craft Ramen—the best ramen in San Diego.

+2

Sydney Goldrick

HiroNori is hands down one of the best ramen spots in Hillcrest. There’s usually a wait, but it’s absolutely worth it. I got the tonkotsu ramen with karama (extra noodles), and my husband got the same but as a combo, which comes with a salad and pork chashu bowl. The broth is rich, packed with flavor, and the homemade spicy sauce takes it to another level. On top of the amazing food, the service was just as great. Celeste checked us out, but she was on top of the entire restaurant. She was super attentive, making sure every table was taken care of, and had the biggest smile on her face the whole time. Even when the place was slammed, she kept everything running smoothly and was great with the other employees too. Can’t wait to be back again!

Matthew Garcia

Wow! Not much to say, must be one of the top spots in San Diego. Great concept, clearly passionate about what they do. Only a few tables to keep it cozy and intimate. Friendly folks, fresh food, fun experience.

+2

Kylie Ozols

I finally got to try the infamous HiroNori that everyone talks about. I’ve tried visiting other times in the past, but the wait is always too long (over an hour). Additionally, parking is difficult in this area. Anyway, my husband and I tried their Vegan Gyoza, Shoyu Ramen and the Vegan Ramen. Everything was very good and full of flavor. However, I will say I enjoy the pork chatshu much better at Tajima. I will note, the broth in both ramens were exceptional. I will definitely eat here again! Apologies for my ugly photos, it was takeout. Trust me that the photos don’t do the food justice.

David Vaknin

How can ramen be so good!! The chicken broth was incredibly tasty, and the noodles added a perfect chewy texture that soaked up all the flavors. The toppings were generous and fresh, with tender slices of pork, a perfectly soft-boiled egg, and crunchy vegetables that balanced each bite. The seasoning was spot-on—not too salty, but full of depth. It’s clear they put a lot of care into crafting each bowl, and it made for such a comforting and satisfying meal. I’ll definitely be coming back for more!

Lorri Dana

I would give this place 10 stars if I could. It’s the best ramen on the planet. Hands down. Delicious. The crispy chicken knocks your socks off as well as the pork buns. So. Damn. Delicious. Place is really small and seems like it’s always on a wait. Trendy little neighborhood in San Diego. It’s clean and service is good. Food comes promptly and HOT. They add the tip on the check automatically.

Pelumi Olaleye

First time visiting. The space is very cozy and a lot of people enjoy coming here based on the amount of people present when I came. I was immediately seated and water was brought up for me. Definitely 5 stars for wonderful customer service. I had the pork buns and the tonkotsu ramen. Both pork based dishes are the first for me and I felt the pork buns had too much fat and the ramen was too creamy for me. Next time I will get non pork based dishes. Overall a good first time experience and I recommend especially if you’re looking a simple menu and easy going vibe restaurant. They also accept military discount!

+3

Alex Nguyen

The fried chicken was really good!! And the service was great. I was a bit let down from the buns and ramen. The buns were soggy when and the ramen lacked the rich umami flavor I was looking for. The pork was really delicious just the broth was lacking excellence that day. I write this review so the owners may see and perhaps make some micro corrections. I will still come back just order something different.

A J

Tasty! Really thick savoury delicious broth~! I prefer with small/thin noodle, pork chasiu is real good too.. Serves fast. Limited seat though, be prepared to wait on busy/meal hours. Parking is inconvenient nearby.

Robert E

Good ramen. Apparently this place used to be in the Michelin guide a couple of years ago. At any rate, the price is Michelin level at $18 for a bowl of ramen. I sampled the Tonkotsu ramen and the Spicy Cold Dipping Noodles. To their credit, the tonkotsu was deliciously rich and buttery. Definitely in the top 3 tonkotsu broths I’ve had. The toppings were excellent as well, especially the pork. The dipping noodles were less impressive. The flavor was ok, but it wasn’t as complex as the tonkotsu and got boring over time. Service was ok. Since they don’t have too many seats in the restaurant, expect to have to go on the waitlist.

Veselin Tripkovic

This place have an amazing meat and real tender taste. You can't reserve the table so you probably will wait in lane, as this place have really a small size inside, not a lot of seats. Not my cup of tea but main corse was worth it! Our service was quick but other than that not on spot for so many little things. We wanted to have a little tiny to go chilli oil, just a side. Where our server came back to us and said "We are sorry ,we need to charge you for this 0.25$" we were laughing at first and we were thinking it's a joke. But no. It was a manager decision. So not coming back ,I don't care what rules you guys in your business having ,but WE ARE CUSTOMERS and I think you should care more about us then charging people ridiculous things.

We arrive here at 8, we order ramen beer and sake, the server was nice and attentive, but we didn’t even hit the 45 minutes when they keep coming back and asking if we need something else, at yeh point that they remove my plate, we still have beer and they told us that they were giving us a 5 minute warning, the main page mentioned 90 minutes table, so I don’t understand why they kee pressure us to leave even before the 45 minute time. Good ramen, but not recommended if you want to have a little conversation and more than one drink. So skipped it.

Mia Bian

If you need to wait for more than 15min, don’t waste your time! The food here is okay but definitely not worthing waiting so long. Waiters here are slow. Can’t believe such a small place needs 5 waiters but still can’t provide effective service! Also, they label themselves not expecting tips but they charge 17% service fee! Do remember to cancel!