Some of the best ramen there is. Always good. always consistent. In the Mitsuwa food court in Costa
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
chile
The food court environment makes this seem like it wouldn't be that good but I love the Ramen here. It's also a big plus that they re-did the seating in the food court area... Used to be almost impossible to get seating on a weekend.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Tonkatsu Ramen
JOeY
Noodles
Christian Cho
I think shio (salt) ramen at Ramen Santoka is the best ramen I've ever had!Due to the nature of the food, if the pork bones are not properly boiled, it is difficult to eat because of the unpleasant smell of pork, but so far, all ramens I’ve had at Ramen Santoka didn’t have bad smell.And ramen broth is not greasy. It boasts a clean taste.The mentaiko gohan eaten with shio ramen is an unstoppable taste as the scrambled egg on top of steamed white rice and the salty mentaiko combine well.
This place is delicious! My father and I drive here from Buena Park to eat here during lunch hours. Only takes 25 mins to get here but it’s so worth the drive. Best ramen ever!!!!!! Low price and their tonkatsu base is so delicious!They have a combo where they give you ikura eggs/salmon/tamago donburi with your ramen . So gooooood :pIt’s inside the Japanese market. Give it a try you prob won’t regret
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
XIAOLE HE
In Japanese supermarkets, they are very delicious, cheap and good quality. Authentic Hokkaido ramen, recommended. There is also pearl milk tea on the side
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Brian's opinions
Great quality supermarket food court ramen! I’m half way kidding because I know Santouka is a renowned ramen place in Japan. Shio ramen is pretty damn good. Broth is nice and rich with the perfect saltiness accompanied with nice bouncy noodles and quality toppings. I always like to pay extra for the Toroniku cha-shu but the regular chashu tastes just fine.In the picture is the new spicy Shio ramen. Broth was great but I wasn’t digging the cilantro topping…I’ll just get the normal one or ask them to leave the cilantro out.Again, it’s not your average mediocre food court food. It’s restaurant quality!
Laurent L.
To date, this is my favorite ramen place in Southern California. I've been to ramen places all throughout California, and Santouka always hits different. It's due to the delicious broth. I have been coming here for years, and the broth is just always so delicious. However for the first time, we also got take out from them. And sadly the broth coagulates, which means, like everything delicious in life, it's probably pretty fattening and unhealthy. Go for the salt broth; that's their most popular. I remember getting it since college days and even then, the recommendations at that time was for the salt broth. You can also choose miso and soy, which are both a bit more mild in flavor. I love that you can choose combo plates and have your ramen come with something else on the side. Usually I'm here with family, so they love getting additional bowls like the salmon and salmon roe bowl, natto bean bowl, extra chashu, etc. I don't care for the bowls here, but I love the ramen. The noodles are cooked to perfect consistency, the broth never fails you, and the chashu is good. All in all, probably not good to eat on the daily, but it's a nice treat.
Terrence Y.
This is my go-to ramen spot in Costa Mesa. There are several ramen places in the area, and I've tried most of them, yet this small chain location is still my favorite for both the taste and the many options.Although there's usually a line, it moves quickly and the service is fast. The just renovated the dining area so it's more spacious and easy to find seating.
Matthew Brickley
One of the better ramen spots I’ve been to in Orange County. Have had ramen all over, including Japan.
3.5/5 - Located in the Mitsuwa food court. Food came out quickly. North and noodles were yummy, but I wasn't a fan of the pork chashu in there. Was very fatty and did protein to carb ratio was way off.
Ky N.
This brought back memories from way back. I used to go to this place all the time back in college and it really is the same as before. Their ramen is tasty. Portion of meat is excellent and broth has a nice flavor. There are many options to choose from and combos.
Mo T.
I still love this place. BUT.... Not sure if there's better ramen in many places now or if the quality here has come down?! It's still good. But it isn't cheap. And sometimes the soup seems really salty. More than before. It's close to what it used to be but maybe it's getting a little bit sloppy and inconsistent. Not sure. This was my go to ramen spot but nowadays it's where I go if I happen to be at Mitsuwa and I happen to be hungry and I happen to be with my kids. Perhaps it's so busy there that it's harder to make the food as consistent as before. Still love it though.
Wilson L.
Parking: Santouka is located in the food court of Mitsuwa. The parking lot is relatively big but it might be difficult to find parking depending on the time.Interior: There are plenty of tables in the food court area and it can get very crowded.Service: Food comes out pretty quickly even when it is crowded.Food: The ramen comes in 3 sizes. They have a couple of combinations of ramen and broth. There is also an option to add a side as a combo. The chasu is usually cooked so that it is tender and juicy. Overall, Santouka is a pretty solid ramen spot.
h h
我来自顺德. 2nd time trying Ramen cooked by Japanese? Tried the signature “salt only” Ramen. It’s tasty first couple sips, then it became too salty while finishing that whole thing. Good Only for occasional ramen treat, definitely NOT healthy eating this every day.
Some of the best ramen there is. Always good. always consistent. In the Mitsuwa food court in Costa
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
The food court environment makes this seem like it wouldn't be that good but I love the Ramen here. It's also a big plus that they re-did the seating in the food court area... Used to be almost impossible to get seating on a weekend.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Tonkatsu Ramen
Noodles
I think shio (salt) ramen at Ramen Santoka is the best ramen I've ever had!Due to the nature of the food, if the pork bones are not properly boiled, it is difficult to eat because of the unpleasant smell of pork, but so far, all ramens I’ve had at Ramen Santoka didn’t have bad smell.And ramen broth is not greasy. It boasts a clean taste.The mentaiko gohan eaten with shio ramen is an unstoppable taste as the scrambled egg on top of steamed white rice and the salty mentaiko combine well.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Regular Ramen, Salt Ramen, Mentaiko Rice Bowl, Spicy Miso Ramen
This place is delicious! My father and I drive here from Buena Park to eat here during lunch hours. Only takes 25 mins to get here but it’s so worth the drive. Best ramen ever!!!!!! Low price and their tonkatsu base is so delicious!They have a combo where they give you ikura eggs/salmon/tamago donburi with your ramen . So gooooood :pIt’s inside the Japanese market. Give it a try you prob won’t regret
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
In Japanese supermarkets, they are very delicious, cheap and good quality. Authentic Hokkaido ramen, recommended. There is also pearl milk tea on the side
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Great quality supermarket food court ramen! I’m half way kidding because I know Santouka is a renowned ramen place in Japan. Shio ramen is pretty damn good. Broth is nice and rich with the perfect saltiness accompanied with nice bouncy noodles and quality toppings. I always like to pay extra for the Toroniku cha-shu but the regular chashu tastes just fine.In the picture is the new spicy Shio ramen. Broth was great but I wasn’t digging the cilantro topping…I’ll just get the normal one or ask them to leave the cilantro out.Again, it’s not your average mediocre food court food. It’s restaurant quality!
To date, this is my favorite ramen place in Southern California. I've been to ramen places all throughout California, and Santouka always hits different. It's due to the delicious broth. I have been coming here for years, and the broth is just always so delicious. However for the first time, we also got take out from them. And sadly the broth coagulates, which means, like everything delicious in life, it's probably pretty fattening and unhealthy. Go for the salt broth; that's their most popular. I remember getting it since college days and even then, the recommendations at that time was for the salt broth. You can also choose miso and soy, which are both a bit more mild in flavor. I love that you can choose combo plates and have your ramen come with something else on the side. Usually I'm here with family, so they love getting additional bowls like the salmon and salmon roe bowl, natto bean bowl, extra chashu, etc. I don't care for the bowls here, but I love the ramen. The noodles are cooked to perfect consistency, the broth never fails you, and the chashu is good. All in all, probably not good to eat on the daily, but it's a nice treat.
This is my go-to ramen spot in Costa Mesa. There are several ramen places in the area, and I've tried most of them, yet this small chain location is still my favorite for both the taste and the many options.Although there's usually a line, it moves quickly and the service is fast. The just renovated the dining area so it's more spacious and easy to find seating.
One of the better ramen spots I’ve been to in Orange County. Have had ramen all over, including Japan.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Regular Ramen, Salt Ramen
Restaurantji Recommends
3.5/5 - Located in the Mitsuwa food court. Food came out quickly. North and noodles were yummy, but I wasn't a fan of the pork chashu in there. Was very fatty and did protein to carb ratio was way off.
This brought back memories from way back. I used to go to this place all the time back in college and it really is the same as before. Their ramen is tasty. Portion of meat is excellent and broth has a nice flavor. There are many options to choose from and combos.
I still love this place. BUT.... Not sure if there's better ramen in many places now or if the quality here has come down?! It's still good. But it isn't cheap. And sometimes the soup seems really salty. More than before. It's close to what it used to be but maybe it's getting a little bit sloppy and inconsistent. Not sure. This was my go to ramen spot but nowadays it's where I go if I happen to be at Mitsuwa and I happen to be hungry and I happen to be with my kids. Perhaps it's so busy there that it's harder to make the food as consistent as before. Still love it though.
Parking: Santouka is located in the food court of Mitsuwa. The parking lot is relatively big but it might be difficult to find parking depending on the time.Interior: There are plenty of tables in the food court area and it can get very crowded.Service: Food comes out pretty quickly even when it is crowded.Food: The ramen comes in 3 sizes. They have a couple of combinations of ramen and broth. There is also an option to add a side as a combo. The chasu is usually cooked so that it is tender and juicy. Overall, Santouka is a pretty solid ramen spot.
我来自顺德. 2nd time trying Ramen cooked by Japanese? Tried the signature “salt only” Ramen. It’s tasty first couple sips, then it became too salty while finishing that whole thing. Good Only for occasional ramen treat, definitely NOT healthy eating this every day.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 2
Service: 3