When my wife and I got back home from a glorious 2 week trip to Japan, we were hunting for a good bowl of ramen for a good price somewhere in the city. We have a couple of favorite ramen spots in the South Bay, but we could never find a decent ramen place near home. Every place we saw or tried was overpriced, skimping on toppings, or the broth gave us a sodium headache. We almost gave up until we ducked into Saiwaii Ramen on a cold night, and we were so glad we did! Starting with the broth (spicy garlic tonkatsu), it had a nice, porky flavor to it, and was the perfect bath for all of the ingredients to soak in during the meal. We lean towards thicker ramen noodles because they hold more of the broth and flavors more, and these noodles did not disappoint. Cooked perfectly, right amount of bounce and chew. It's not traditional, but I actually like that the ramen comes with some spinach in it so you can get some veggies. I LOVE that there are nice slices of fried garlic in the broth, and they get even more flavorful when soaking up the broth. The pork slices were cooked to perfection with just the right amount of char on them. Be sure to get the chicken karaage! Juicy meat inside, so crispy and crunchy on the outside, and when you dip it in the sauce as well, it is perfection and satisfaction on a plate. Insert chef's kiss here. It's cozy inside, and the lady that's there is always kind and remembers things about me, no matter how long it's been since the last time I stepped in, so it feels like you're having a meal at a family member's house. I can't help it, I always tip a little extra because my spirits are lifted the moment I walk in the door to the moment I walk out and the lady says bye to me. No other ramen place in the city has the same family feel vibe. Thank you for always making me feel so welcome!!! In Japan, ramen is considered fast food, so it's supposed to be satisfying and on the cheaper end in terms of meals. Here in the Sunset, Saiwaii Ramen is the closest thing to that, and I'm already looking forward to the next time that I'm going to eat here again. Your search is over! Come here for a taste of Japan!
Matt W.
Very good ramen. Not too salty and flavorful broth. Had the tonkotsu and spicy garlic ramen. Good amount of noodles. The chicken karage and takoyaki sides were also great. I will come again.
James B.
The ramen was really quite good--soft boiled egg done nicely, and they gave a surprisingly large amount of meat, all nice fatty (but not overly fatty) cuts and much appreciated. The broth was very rich and flavorful too. The karaage was cheaper because I got it as an add on to the ramen, and by itself had basically no seasoning on it. However, the slightly spicy / vinegary / salty sauce that came with it was very yummy -- I typically don't enjoy the sauces that come with karaage (often some sort of mayo) so this was a pleasant touch and helped to cut through the oil a bit. I would prefer if they seasoned the chicken itself with salt first though, and then made the sauce less salty. I also felt that the rice (and amount) with the karaage was excessive and kind of a waste -- would've preferred to just get the chicken, though I suspect it's a tactic to make it seem like more food and value for your buck. Anyway, altogether a good experience and I will likely return when in the area.
Sahana B.
Pretty good spicy vegetarian ramen. I got the Vegetarian Spicy Garlic Miso Ramen and thought the spice level was perfect and actually spicy! The flavor could have been a little more there, but overall felt good to eat this on a cold SF day. Packed with tons of noodles and veggies too.
Pat Koehn
Absolutely delicious Raman!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Sapph Nor
Clean restaurant with excellent customer service. Just wish that the food matched up. The restaurant serves Japanese food with a huge Chinese twist. If you have had authentic Japanese food before, you would be deeply disappointed.The menu apparently changed a lot over time. There are no more sushi dishes. The menu items are mainly noodles, donburi, deep fried food, salad, and drinks. Many of the dishes are spicy.I like that the donburi comes in two sizes--the large one would be filling enough for a big person, although the taste was mediocre. Thumbs up for the Agedashi Tofu. Thumbs down for the deep fried dishes--all were over fried. For example, the squid legs were half burnt. I would not recommend ordering anything deep fried from here.I don't think I will be returning.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 2
Service: 5
Alexander Hernandez
A yummy neighborhood restaurant serving some of the best Ramen in the Sunset. Sushi and other dishes are pretty good too.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Lawrence Leung
Ok place for ramen. The wait list was disorganized and the hosts almost skipped over my party multiple times. The ramen itself was ok, got the spicy garlic miso and seafood. The meat for the spicy garlic was tender, and the shrimp for the seafood was sweet. However, the spice was lacking even at regular spice.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 3
Service: 3
Recommended dishes: Spicy Garlic Miso, Seafood
호프
Delicious..! I ate it with the spiciest flavor, and it was spicy and delicious. If you want regular tonkotsu, I recommend not choosing the spiciness at all.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Joshua Cerniglia
Fairly spicy (if you order extra spicy) and generous portions. Like I ordered it with extra noodles and I had a second meal later. Also, the house sake is insanely cheap. The large was enough to share and it is was cheaper than an induvial drink at most restaurants.
Nice place and delicious food!I tried "spicy MALA ramen" good
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Kyle Underseth
Amazing ramen, must try!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Tonkotsu Ramen
Lacie Underseth
Best ramen in the city! Loved the bacon wrapped mochi as well!
Nathan Tyler
I drive over the bridge to eat here. There’s never a line and the ramen is delicious. The family who runs saiwaii are great. I love this place!!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Tonkotsu
Andy M.
The food was good but not what it used to be, but over all still a good choice to go to. It's a neighborhood family restaurant. Service is nice and when ordering they are fast.
When my wife and I got back home from a glorious 2 week trip to Japan, we were hunting for a good bowl of ramen for a good price somewhere in the city. We have a couple of favorite ramen spots in the South Bay, but we could never find a decent ramen place near home. Every place we saw or tried was overpriced, skimping on toppings, or the broth gave us a sodium headache. We almost gave up until we ducked into Saiwaii Ramen on a cold night, and we were so glad we did! Starting with the broth (spicy garlic tonkatsu), it had a nice, porky flavor to it, and was the perfect bath for all of the ingredients to soak in during the meal. We lean towards thicker ramen noodles because they hold more of the broth and flavors more, and these noodles did not disappoint. Cooked perfectly, right amount of bounce and chew. It's not traditional, but I actually like that the ramen comes with some spinach in it so you can get some veggies. I LOVE that there are nice slices of fried garlic in the broth, and they get even more flavorful when soaking up the broth. The pork slices were cooked to perfection with just the right amount of char on them. Be sure to get the chicken karaage! Juicy meat inside, so crispy and crunchy on the outside, and when you dip it in the sauce as well, it is perfection and satisfaction on a plate. Insert chef's kiss here. It's cozy inside, and the lady that's there is always kind and remembers things about me, no matter how long it's been since the last time I stepped in, so it feels like you're having a meal at a family member's house. I can't help it, I always tip a little extra because my spirits are lifted the moment I walk in the door to the moment I walk out and the lady says bye to me. No other ramen place in the city has the same family feel vibe. Thank you for always making me feel so welcome!!! In Japan, ramen is considered fast food, so it's supposed to be satisfying and on the cheaper end in terms of meals. Here in the Sunset, Saiwaii Ramen is the closest thing to that, and I'm already looking forward to the next time that I'm going to eat here again. Your search is over! Come here for a taste of Japan!
Very good ramen. Not too salty and flavorful broth. Had the tonkotsu and spicy garlic ramen. Good amount of noodles. The chicken karage and takoyaki sides were also great. I will come again.
The ramen was really quite good--soft boiled egg done nicely, and they gave a surprisingly large amount of meat, all nice fatty (but not overly fatty) cuts and much appreciated. The broth was very rich and flavorful too. The karaage was cheaper because I got it as an add on to the ramen, and by itself had basically no seasoning on it. However, the slightly spicy / vinegary / salty sauce that came with it was very yummy -- I typically don't enjoy the sauces that come with karaage (often some sort of mayo) so this was a pleasant touch and helped to cut through the oil a bit. I would prefer if they seasoned the chicken itself with salt first though, and then made the sauce less salty. I also felt that the rice (and amount) with the karaage was excessive and kind of a waste -- would've preferred to just get the chicken, though I suspect it's a tactic to make it seem like more food and value for your buck. Anyway, altogether a good experience and I will likely return when in the area.
Pretty good spicy vegetarian ramen. I got the Vegetarian Spicy Garlic Miso Ramen and thought the spice level was perfect and actually spicy! The flavor could have been a little more there, but overall felt good to eat this on a cold SF day. Packed with tons of noodles and veggies too.
Absolutely delicious Raman!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Clean restaurant with excellent customer service. Just wish that the food matched up. The restaurant serves Japanese food with a huge Chinese twist. If you have had authentic Japanese food before, you would be deeply disappointed.The menu apparently changed a lot over time. There are no more sushi dishes. The menu items are mainly noodles, donburi, deep fried food, salad, and drinks. Many of the dishes are spicy.I like that the donburi comes in two sizes--the large one would be filling enough for a big person, although the taste was mediocre. Thumbs up for the Agedashi Tofu. Thumbs down for the deep fried dishes--all were over fried. For example, the squid legs were half burnt. I would not recommend ordering anything deep fried from here.I don't think I will be returning.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 2
Service: 5
A yummy neighborhood restaurant serving some of the best Ramen in the Sunset. Sushi and other dishes are pretty good too.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Ok place for ramen. The wait list was disorganized and the hosts almost skipped over my party multiple times. The ramen itself was ok, got the spicy garlic miso and seafood. The meat for the spicy garlic was tender, and the shrimp for the seafood was sweet. However, the spice was lacking even at regular spice.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 3
Service: 3
Recommended dishes: Spicy Garlic Miso, Seafood
Delicious..! I ate it with the spiciest flavor, and it was spicy and delicious. If you want regular tonkotsu, I recommend not choosing the spiciness at all.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Fairly spicy (if you order extra spicy) and generous portions. Like I ordered it with extra noodles and I had a second meal later. Also, the house sake is insanely cheap. The large was enough to share and it is was cheaper than an induvial drink at most restaurants.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Spicy Garlic Miso
Restaurantji Recommends
Nice place and delicious food!I tried "spicy MALA ramen" good
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Amazing ramen, must try!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Tonkotsu Ramen
Best ramen in the city! Loved the bacon wrapped mochi as well!
I drive over the bridge to eat here. There’s never a line and the ramen is delicious. The family who runs saiwaii are great. I love this place!!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Tonkotsu
The food was good but not what it used to be, but over all still a good choice to go to. It's a neighborhood family restaurant. Service is nice and when ordering they are fast.