Santa Ramen

Reviews

• David L.

  star star star star star_border 2 July 2026

  This place has gotten too $$$ for what it has to offer sadly. It had been a couple of years since I last came here. I came on a Saturday morning just before they open at 11.30am and I was very surprised to see only one party ahead of me in line as I was used to seeing a long line at this place especially on weekends. After looking at the menu prices I realized why that was the case. The price for a bowl of ramen had gone up like $4-$5 since I last came. That's too much for ramen that ok but not great tasting. The service is very nice and friendly. By the time I left the place was still less than half full. This is what my wife and I ordered:
  
  - Takoyaki balls
  - Pork cheek with soy sauce broth (pork cheek was cold and fatty)
  - Fried soft shell crab in pork broth
  
  I probably won't be back in awhile.

• Jess C.

  star star star_border star_border star_border 1 July 2026

  Huge portions no line!
  
  But the noodles weren't chewy.
  The broth had no depth.
  Karaage was ok.
  
  Would not return.

• Jacky C.

  star star star_border star_border star_border 22 June 2026

  Came here on a Monday for lunch.  the restaurant was decently crowded, but there as space on the bar, which is convenient if you are dining solo and don't want to wait for a table.
  
  I ordered their pork cheek ramen with tonkotsu base, medium spicy.  I was really not impressed.  The broth was way too salty to finish.  I finished my glass of water pretty quickly while consuming my meal, and it took forever for the staff to help refill it. So it was a struggle to finish my ramen.  The meat in the ramen was decent, but everything else was just average.  
  
  This is one of the only ramen places I know that serve spinach as the veggie, which isn't bad, but not what I feel is standard for ramen.
  
  The egg of option for some of the ramens was a hard boiled egg, which was kind of off putting to me.  I am used to having ramen served with a softboiled egg.  I tend to judge a good ramen place on how well they cook their egg, and a hard boiled is just not good.
  
  Overall, I am not impressed with the ramen here.  It is pricy like most ramen in the Bay Area, but there are many other good options not too far away.

• Stephy H.

  star star star star_border star_border 21 June 2026

  This is probably one of the oldest ramen places in San Mateo and I haven't gotten a chance to try it until today. My friend and I came here on a Friday night and got seated right away. Restaurant was crowded but not completely full.
  
  I ordered the soft shell crab ramen with garlic pork flavor broth, medium spicy. Let's start with the broth - it's good, but it's lacking something. It didn't wow me but it wasn't bland either. I guess you can say it's mediocre. Noodles had a good chewy texture but way too much bean sprouts. The ratio was almost 50/50. The egg, omg it was hard boiled! Minus one star for that. I guess my fav part of the ramen is the soft shell crab, which was sooo delicious. They give you an entire crab! Yummm.
  
  I don't think the price I paid was worth it for me to come back, unless I was desperate for some ramen.

• Teeds K.

  star star star star star_border 5 June 2026

  This is the ramen go to spot for me and my bf when we are in San Mateo. There's plenty of noodles. Nice savory broth and the pieces of pork belly are always sooooo good. I always get my ramen with an addition of corn added. It makes the ramen that much better. I control my own spice level with the spice on hand on the table. The noodles are chewy and plentiful. I can never finish the entire bowl.  
  
  We always order the chicken karrage as it come with big pieces for us to share. Quite a nice appetizer to share before the ramen gets to the table.