Yummy appetizers, super friendly staff, and very cute spot. We loved the decor and diagonally hanging pictures!Vegetarian options: There is a vegan ramen option for two of their ramen bowls.Parking: There’s a parking lot right outside that is shared by the other stores in this strip mall.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Curry with Kara-Age Chicken, Kuro Truffle Ramen
P E.
The best Ramen in SD. Simple, uncomplicated menu with well prepared dishes- our family goes here at least 1x per month.
Calina N.
I had a lot of high hopes for this place I really did but I really did not like how close the bathroom was to our table. We were seated right next to it and I immediately smelt the funky smell when I sat down. When I actually went into the bathroom I noticed the door had a lot of gaps. I understand that space is limited but the least they could do is build the door that fully covers any gaps so any smells wouldn't seep into the restaurant. Honestly if I were to come again I would ask for a table the farthest away from it. It was really hard to enjoy my meal knowing there were people going in and out of it and everytime the door opened I would get a whiff of the inside. I was pretty disappointed and because of this I have to knock away 1 star. The food itself was not terrible but also not too memorable. I have worked in a ramen shop in convoy years ago and know that most of these restaurants get their ingredients from pretty much the same suppliers. Almost all restaurants use the same noodles, etc. The only thing I would say is unique about this place is the fact that they use chicken broth as the base not pork. So if you have any diet restrictions to eating pork this will perfect as long as you ask for no chasu toppings. To me it didn't really taste like chicken so they do a good job in that sense. It also didn't feel as heavy as a typical tonkotsu (pork) broth which was nice. Unfortunately, it hasn't made my list of favorite ramen shops but I wouldn't mind going back if a friend or so invites me. Also the price is pretty high so if I want to pay almost $20 for a bowl of ramen I rather go somewhere else.
Nancy H.
We have been on a tour of ramen places in San Diego. We had heard good things about Karami Ramen, but we just did not enjoy the food. Food: Karami Signature ($16.50): First off, none of the ramen have a pork base, only chicken broth base. There is a spicy section so our expectation for the Karami Signature was that it would not be spicy. Incorrect conclusion. The soup was drenched in a spicy oil (look at how red the broth is in my picture!) that kept burning the back of my throat and triggering cough. We admit to not being very tolerant of spice, so many of you may enjoy the heat of the broth. But we couldn't even finish drinking ours. Eggs were perfectly softboiled but super salty, so I couldn't even enjoy that. Also compared to many other places on my ramen tour, the dish was a bit small for the price. Chicken Karaage (+$8.80 to make it a combo): Very crunchy batter. But otherwise not particularly remarkable. There was free dried garlic as garnish, which was nice. I love garlic. Ambiance: Cute eatery, although it smelled like cleaning solution (we arrived at opening). Service was quick and attentive. Parking: Free lot parking
G A
The ramen I ordered was okay but I didn't like the noodles at all ? mine were stick together and on the crunchy side, like instant noodle or frozen type. Loved the eggs ?
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 3
Service: 5
Sebhat Yidelwo
beautiful hidden little ramen shop with great food and staff. as close as japan as you can get!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Curry Rice, Karami Ramen
Jiong Li
The worst bowl of ramen I had in San Diego. Stale chashu, stock broth, instant noodles, canned bamboo shoots with loads of chemicals. The only good thing about this place is service.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 4
Christina L.
Since my family and I were visiting Convoy Street to pick up some bento boxes from Nijiya Market, we were looking for some places to eat nearby since we were very hungry. We stumbled upon this ramen place in the same plaza. Upon coming here on Christmas Eve, we noticed it was quite empty to begin with. The place itself was quite small, with couch and bar-like seating available. I ordered the Tori Paitan Shoyu Ramen. To my surprise, it tasted pretty decent -- my bowl was filled with ramen noodles, bamboo shoots, ramen egg, and green onions. The only thing that tasted off was the chicken chashu. Most ramen places use pork so I wasn't used to that and also the chicken itself was quite bland. The broth was on the saltier end still but overall the ramen chewiness is a good consistency. I did notice that this place won the SD food competition for their Karami Signature dish. I probably wouldn't come here again but if I wanted something quick, this is a decent place to go for ramen. Nothing too special about it.
Serena M.
AMAZING! Absolutely delicious, the service was quick, a real treat and the venue feels so authentic to a ramen shop
Taylor L.
Really great ramen! Best I've had in a long time! My boyfriend said his food was super delicious 10/10 ! It was also super fast and not busy
They have asahi on draft!!! O and the ramen was good.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Paige K.
Best ramen in SD! Consistently delicious and flavorful. Love their paitan broth, and don't sleep on the fried rice!
Phillip T.
I lived in Japan for over 10 years and love ramen. I've tried most of the ramen restaurants in San Diego over the last five years and I can say unequivocally that Karami Ramen is much better than the others-- even those where you have to stand in line to get in. Many of the popular ramen places around here do not taste authentic. Both the broth and the noodles are always off somehow. Karami tastes like what I remember from my years in Japan. Their gyoza are excellent too -- pan fried and not deep fried. Skip the long lines and try this place! You won't regret it.
Hisae M.
This hidden ramen restaurant is very good. We ordered the lunch combo, Karami signature ramen+karaage, paitan ship ramen + gyoza, and they are very yummy. The noodle is perfectly cooked and the soup is light yet tasty. You should try!
Yummy appetizers, super friendly staff, and very cute spot. We loved the decor and diagonally hanging pictures!Vegetarian options: There is a vegan ramen option for two of their ramen bowls.Parking: There’s a parking lot right outside that is shared by the other stores in this strip mall.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Curry with Kara-Age Chicken, Kuro Truffle Ramen
The best Ramen in SD. Simple, uncomplicated menu with well prepared dishes- our family goes here at least 1x per month.
I had a lot of high hopes for this place I really did but I really did not like how close the bathroom was to our table. We were seated right next to it and I immediately smelt the funky smell when I sat down. When I actually went into the bathroom I noticed the door had a lot of gaps. I understand that space is limited but the least they could do is build the door that fully covers any gaps so any smells wouldn't seep into the restaurant. Honestly if I were to come again I would ask for a table the farthest away from it. It was really hard to enjoy my meal knowing there were people going in and out of it and everytime the door opened I would get a whiff of the inside. I was pretty disappointed and because of this I have to knock away 1 star. The food itself was not terrible but also not too memorable. I have worked in a ramen shop in convoy years ago and know that most of these restaurants get their ingredients from pretty much the same suppliers. Almost all restaurants use the same noodles, etc. The only thing I would say is unique about this place is the fact that they use chicken broth as the base not pork. So if you have any diet restrictions to eating pork this will perfect as long as you ask for no chasu toppings. To me it didn't really taste like chicken so they do a good job in that sense. It also didn't feel as heavy as a typical tonkotsu (pork) broth which was nice. Unfortunately, it hasn't made my list of favorite ramen shops but I wouldn't mind going back if a friend or so invites me. Also the price is pretty high so if I want to pay almost $20 for a bowl of ramen I rather go somewhere else.
We have been on a tour of ramen places in San Diego. We had heard good things about Karami Ramen, but we just did not enjoy the food. Food: Karami Signature ($16.50): First off, none of the ramen have a pork base, only chicken broth base. There is a spicy section so our expectation for the Karami Signature was that it would not be spicy. Incorrect conclusion. The soup was drenched in a spicy oil (look at how red the broth is in my picture!) that kept burning the back of my throat and triggering cough. We admit to not being very tolerant of spice, so many of you may enjoy the heat of the broth. But we couldn't even finish drinking ours. Eggs were perfectly softboiled but super salty, so I couldn't even enjoy that. Also compared to many other places on my ramen tour, the dish was a bit small for the price. Chicken Karaage (+$8.80 to make it a combo): Very crunchy batter. But otherwise not particularly remarkable. There was free dried garlic as garnish, which was nice. I love garlic. Ambiance: Cute eatery, although it smelled like cleaning solution (we arrived at opening). Service was quick and attentive. Parking: Free lot parking
The ramen I ordered was okay but I didn't like the noodles at all ? mine were stick together and on the crunchy side, like instant noodle or frozen type. Loved the eggs ?
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 3
Service: 5
beautiful hidden little ramen shop with great food and staff. as close as japan as you can get!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Curry Rice, Karami Ramen
The worst bowl of ramen I had in San Diego. Stale chashu, stock broth, instant noodles, canned bamboo shoots with loads of chemicals. The only good thing about this place is service.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 4
Since my family and I were visiting Convoy Street to pick up some bento boxes from Nijiya Market, we were looking for some places to eat nearby since we were very hungry. We stumbled upon this ramen place in the same plaza. Upon coming here on Christmas Eve, we noticed it was quite empty to begin with. The place itself was quite small, with couch and bar-like seating available. I ordered the Tori Paitan Shoyu Ramen. To my surprise, it tasted pretty decent -- my bowl was filled with ramen noodles, bamboo shoots, ramen egg, and green onions. The only thing that tasted off was the chicken chashu. Most ramen places use pork so I wasn't used to that and also the chicken itself was quite bland. The broth was on the saltier end still but overall the ramen chewiness is a good consistency. I did notice that this place won the SD food competition for their Karami Signature dish. I probably wouldn't come here again but if I wanted something quick, this is a decent place to go for ramen. Nothing too special about it.
AMAZING! Absolutely delicious, the service was quick, a real treat and the venue feels so authentic to a ramen shop
Really great ramen! Best I've had in a long time! My boyfriend said his food was super delicious 10/10 ! It was also super fast and not busy
Restaurantji Recommends
Delicious food and almost same taste liked
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 4
Recommended dishes: Karami Ramen
They have asahi on draft!!! O and the ramen was good.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Best ramen in SD! Consistently delicious and flavorful. Love their paitan broth, and don't sleep on the fried rice!
I lived in Japan for over 10 years and love ramen. I've tried most of the ramen restaurants in San Diego over the last five years and I can say unequivocally that Karami Ramen is much better than the others-- even those where you have to stand in line to get in. Many of the popular ramen places around here do not taste authentic. Both the broth and the noodles are always off somehow. Karami tastes like what I remember from my years in Japan. Their gyoza are excellent too -- pan fried and not deep fried. Skip the long lines and try this place! You won't regret it.
This hidden ramen restaurant is very good. We ordered the lunch combo, Karami signature ramen+karaage, paitan ship ramen + gyoza, and they are very yummy. The noodle is perfectly cooked and the soup is light yet tasty. You should try!