my favorite ramen place in the bay. they have many options to appease everyone in the party. great flavor and worth every penny. my go-to is the deluxe shio.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Mayuresh Dani
It was raining and I felt like having ramen. I've had ramen at popular places such as Tai Shoken nearby and wanted to try something new.
Went to Himawari. The ambience is interesting. To me, it seems almost like an old world Italian restaurant with LPs on the wall and old pictures. They also had classical jazz music in the background.
We ordered a side of Chicken Karaage, Tan Tan Men DX, Shio Butter Corn Ramen. Karaage was decent and juicy. We got no sauce/mayonnaise. Tan Tan Men DX was spiced appropriately. However, it was not at all rich in taste. Moreever, the boiled egg was cold - simply put they assembl led all the components without giving enough time to simmer. I've had better. Might be back once to give Himawari another try.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 4
Vikas Kawadia
Top tier Ramen!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Matthew
This place serves noodles, not ramen.
Ordered a deluxe shio ramen. Bean sprouts? This ain’t a bowl of pho. Broth? Tastes like chinese chicken broth. Pork belly? Poor man’s hong shao pork.
Not sure how it has gotten away with claiming to sell ramen. This place ought to get pearl harbor’d.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 2
Service: 4
Hln Wrd
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Absolutely Amazing Gluten-Free Ramen!
I can’t believe it took me five years of living here to discover himawari! As someone with celiac disease, finding gluten-free ramen that actually tastes authentic has always felt impossible — until now. I was honestly skeptical when I saw they offered gluten-free noodles, but I was blown away by how delicious everything was. The flavor, texture, and richness were all incredible — you’d never guess it was gluten-free!
It’s rare to find a place that caters to gluten-free noddles without sacrificing taste, and himawari truly nailed it. I’ve officially found my new happy place! I’ll definitely be coming back again and again to try all the other flavors.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Gionna
I have mixed feelings about this restaurant. Some of the food was delicious and some of it was meh. There's a lot of hype about the Ramen, but I have had much better. Maybe it just wasn't for me. I also didn't care for the gyoza, we actually had them take it back after trying it. It was really bad, maybe a bad batch. I thought they would take it off the bill, but didn't. The shrimp and fried chicken were amazing and I recommend those. I will probably not return.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 3
Service: 4
Hoyman Hong, M.D.
Still a great place for ramen. So consistent!
Alex Ward
The ONLY ramen joint in SM with gluten-free noodles.
Marlon Evangelista
If you're not sure about what to get, and you don't mind a little spice, go for the Shiro Tan Tan Ramen. Just enough heat to feel warm without any burning sensation, and it's very hearty and savory too. If anything, there was a bit too much cilantro in mine, and I was expecting chewier noodles. Still good overall though.
Hana Estalilla
I ordered the Tan Tan Men and it was good! A decent price for what you get, but definitely not the best Tan Tan or spicy ramen I’ve had. What I appreciated the most about this restaurant was the theming and comfy atmosphere, and the fact that many menu items were accompanied by a drawing of the dish. It made sure you weren’t blind to what you were ordering, and that was certainly unique. A ramen place worth trying in downtown San Mateo. Overall, I might come again. 3/5.
Exceptional ramen with a cool, jazzy vibe...this is exactly the kind of joint you'd find in Tokyo, right here in San Mateo
Jason Xiahou
We liked the vibes, service, and noodles! I got the miso chashu men and it came out promptly, but I would say it was okay - but the noodles themself were good enough to warrant another try of the restaurant but I’ll go with a different order. Seating is pretty packed in so conversations bled together; I bet it would be fun to come during a jazz night.
USSD Burlingame
Been eating here for years .. love the ramen!
Chris
Food is mediocre. Its missing a balanced taste. Not full or round. You’ll find yourself wondering whats missing. One of our ramen noodles was overcooked.
Vibe is great though! Would come back for that and maybe just get an appetizer. The chicken looked good. Avoid the ramen though.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 3
Service: 4
Annie S.
Love this place. Good food, good vibes. Got ramen the first time, and pot stickers and sushi the second time. This restaurant is honestly much better than all the other restaurants I’ve tried in San Mateo, having lived here for a year.
my favorite ramen place in the bay. they have many options to appease everyone in the party. great flavor and worth every penny. my go-to is the deluxe shio.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
It was raining and I felt like having ramen. I've had ramen at popular places such as Tai Shoken nearby and wanted to try something new.
Went to Himawari. The ambience is interesting. To me, it seems almost like an old world Italian restaurant with LPs on the wall and old pictures. They also had classical jazz music in the background.
We ordered a side of Chicken Karaage, Tan Tan Men DX, Shio Butter Corn Ramen. Karaage was decent and juicy. We got no sauce/mayonnaise. Tan Tan Men DX was spiced appropriately. However, it was not at all rich in taste. Moreever, the boiled egg was cold - simply put they assembl led all the components without giving enough time to simmer. I've had better. Might be back once to give Himawari another try.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 4
Top tier Ramen!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
This place serves noodles, not ramen.
Ordered a deluxe shio ramen. Bean sprouts? This ain’t a bowl of pho. Broth? Tastes like chinese chicken broth. Pork belly? Poor man’s hong shao pork.
Not sure how it has gotten away with claiming to sell ramen. This place ought to get pearl harbor’d.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 2
Service: 4
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Absolutely Amazing Gluten-Free Ramen!
I can’t believe it took me five years of living here to discover himawari! As someone with celiac disease, finding gluten-free ramen that actually tastes authentic has always felt impossible — until now. I was honestly skeptical when I saw they offered gluten-free noodles, but I was blown away by how delicious everything was. The flavor, texture, and richness were all incredible — you’d never guess it was gluten-free!
It’s rare to find a place that caters to gluten-free noddles without sacrificing taste, and himawari truly nailed it. I’ve officially found my new happy place! I’ll definitely be coming back again and again to try all the other flavors.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
I have mixed feelings about this restaurant. Some of the food was delicious and some of it was meh. There's a lot of hype about the Ramen, but I have had much better. Maybe it just wasn't for me. I also didn't care for the gyoza, we actually had them take it back after trying it. It was really bad, maybe a bad batch. I thought they would take it off the bill, but didn't. The shrimp and fried chicken were amazing and I recommend those. I will probably not return.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 3
Service: 4
Still a great place for ramen. So consistent!
The ONLY ramen joint in SM with gluten-free noodles.
If you're not sure about what to get, and you don't mind a little spice, go for the Shiro Tan Tan Ramen. Just enough heat to feel warm without any burning sensation, and it's very hearty and savory too. If anything, there was a bit too much cilantro in mine, and I was expecting chewier noodles. Still good overall though.
I ordered the Tan Tan Men and it was good! A decent price for what you get, but definitely not the best Tan Tan or spicy ramen I’ve had. What I appreciated the most about this restaurant was the theming and comfy atmosphere, and the fact that many menu items were accompanied by a drawing of the dish. It made sure you weren’t blind to what you were ordering, and that was certainly unique. A ramen place worth trying in downtown San Mateo. Overall, I might come again. 3/5.
Restaurantji Recommends
Exceptional ramen with a cool, jazzy vibe...this is exactly the kind of joint you'd find in Tokyo, right here in San Mateo
We liked the vibes, service, and noodles! I got the miso chashu men and it came out promptly, but I would say it was okay - but the noodles themself were good enough to warrant another try of the restaurant but I’ll go with a different order. Seating is pretty packed in so conversations bled together; I bet it would be fun to come during a jazz night.
Been eating here for years .. love the ramen!
Food is mediocre. Its missing a balanced taste. Not full or round. You’ll find yourself wondering whats missing. One of our ramen noodles was overcooked.
Vibe is great though! Would come back for that and maybe just get an appetizer. The chicken looked good. Avoid the ramen though.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 3
Service: 4
Love this place. Good food, good vibes. Got ramen the first time, and pot stickers and sushi the second time. This restaurant is honestly much better than all the other restaurants I’ve tried in San Mateo, having lived here for a year.
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