Rakiraki Ramen & Tsukemen

I was pretty impressed with this place. So many different types of good restaurants to choose from in this area (off convoy st.) it’s hard to pick.
This place offers potentially a slightly better experience then the average Ramen place. The broth on my spicy Ramen bowl was above average although I thought the meat inside was on the smaller portion size.
Their sesame ahi poke salad with kale was very good, bigger and better than I expected.
The sushi was average maybe even below average in my opinion, I won’t be going back for that.
All in all though I’d have to say this is a pretty good solid 4 star option to check out. The décor is nice, the place is happening, the music is loud.
Expect a relatively pact place, lots of hustle and bustle. Service was quick, and served with a smile.
I may be back to try some more ramen with extra meat along with that poke salad it’s legit.
Check them out and maybe I’ll see you there!
Happy eating!

Food:
1) Ramen (not sure the flavor): it was delicious! The ramen tasted really fresh and the broth was amazing! Loved how all the flavors played together. It’s a really rich broth though, so you should probably share or prepare to be really full after you are done
2) Ox Tail: really delicious! Meat is fall off the bone! It’s really simple and no frills. It’s all about the original flavor of the oxtail, no added spices.
3) Poke salad: SO good! I loved this salad! It’s really big portions too! I shared it between the 4 of us. I thought it was going to be small personal salad, but I guess I was wrong. I loved the dressing, really rich, but absolutely worth it!
4) Fried chicken (there’s a Japanese name for this dish… I forgot): I know this is their signature dish here, but it wasn’t that special to me. It was just regular fried chicken. It was breaded pretty well. I probably didn’t appreciate it as much because it got overshadowed by the other dishes we ordered.
Service:
The food came out pretty fast and the turn around on the tables is fast too. They came around to fill up our water at appropriate times, it was pretty good service.
Ambiance:
Really hipster, young and trendy type vibe. You can tell it’s the happening place for all the college kids.
Price:
EXPENSIVE! So I do admit that we ordered a lot, but this casual lunch meal ended up costing us $ 75 (tip and tax included) but that’s CRAZY! The ramens in general are a bit pricier than other ramen places.
Overall:
I think this place is worth trying but I don’t know if I can justify always coming back given how expensive it is. The wait is also ridiculous if you don’t come right when they open. I think this is going to be a «special occasion,» «wait 1 hour to be seated,» «feeling trendy/​hipster» type of dining joints.

Lunch combos are a fantastic deal. Amazing price for what we ordered. For the kids, I ordered the traditional ramen with aburi chiasu (pork) and for myself the black ramen. Initially I liked the simplicity of the kids ramen better — cleaner, and easier to wolf down. The black ramen was a little creamy and heavy. The hard boiled egg added to the richness. It wasn’t specially flavored like the menu describes for some of the other ramen dishes. There was hardly any bamboo in our bowls, but the amount of pork was good. The size of the bowl was perfect for lunch, especially because the sides that came with them were HUGE. I ordered the soft-​shell crab roll –delicious! Beautiful with green fish roe on the outside. The kids had the chicken karaage –which was ok, but not as amazing as I expected. I love fried chicken and I hunt it down, which is why I have no idea why the walls are plastered with top 20 lists for fried chicken that include this place near the top. Rate it for ramen for god’s sake, not CHICKEN! As for the black ramen, I just couldn’t eat it all for lunch so I took it home, and actually it was even better the second time around. The noodles surprisingly held up well and didn’t swell from absorbing moisture. What I found instead when I took the leftovers out of the fridge, was a congealed gelatin which demonstrates how much protein is in the broth! I really enjoyed the consistency of the noodles both originally and re-​heated. The texture was so much nicer than anything I can remember from anywhere else I’ve ordered ramen. I’d even say it was better than
Next time I go, it’s adults only and I’m going to try the red (with the soft shell crab roll again.)
Tip: arrive early and look for street parking or try the lot next door. Also they opened a special lot about a half block away just for this and one other restaurant. The wait can be long but on Friday for lunch, the 3 of us only waited about 15 minutes.

The food here is amazing. It’s my favorite ramen spot to go to! The parking lot kind of sucks sometimes but it’s so worth it.
A must try is their chicken karaage! It’s what they’re known for. I always ask for an extra side of spicy mayo because it makes it that much better. Another must try is their rakiraki roll, a new twist on a classic California that is to die for. As for ramen, I love getting the Red edition, Super premium shoyu, or the dipping ramen! My boyfriend doesn’t really enjoy ramen but he loves coming here and it’s the reason why he likes ramen now.
The service is also great! The staff is super friendly. It gets kind of busy so things can get hectic but they’re all super nice.
The ambiance is very casual and relaxing but also trendy and urban at the same time. Great for lunch, dinner with the family, or even a date!

This is my new favorite ramen spot! This place is so gooooood! I’m from NorCal and in NorCal, orenchi is considered one of the best places to eat ramen but honestly, after coming here, this place beats orenchi! If only they opened a rakiraki up in NorCal…
Anyway, my first time was last weekend and I’ve probably gone three times already. I always plan on getting something new but I end up getting the black oil garlic one. Something about the black oil jus always gets me.
The only bad thing about this place is the parking. If you want to eat at a certain time, make sure to head out at least an hour earlier. There’s always parking outside the plaza too.

Parking sucks balls, honestly would suggest street parking instead of attempting to find a spot in this crowded parking lot. I came on a Monday night around 8pm still had to wait around 30 minutes to get seated. It was pretty chilly outside, so I asked them to turn on the heat lamp, but they were so busy that nobody turned it on till we were able to get seated.
The interior of the restaurant is very well designed, I really liked the lightings and the tables. Service was kind of slow, they were obviously understaffed. I kinda felt bad that all the servers looked so swamped! We were seated near the entrance so we had good service throughout the meal, but I could see some people getting pretty mad near the back of the restaurant…
I got the Hakata Tonkotsu Ramen Black Edition, it’s very similar to Yamadaya and Jinya. The broth has more flavors than Yamadaya thanks to those dried garlic chips, and the broth isn’t as fatty and thick as Jinya. The downsides were that the egg wasn’t soft-​boiled and the chasiu was like cardboards. But I really liked the bampoo shoots and their ramen noodle, it was cooked perfectly!
They also have a great variety of things on the menu, will be back to try more!

So I’ve been wanting to come to Rairaki ever since I drove by it (going home from Jasmine) and noticed that they have Tsukemen. I, being a (former) David Chang enthusiast after mindlessly watching and drooling over his episodes of Mind of a Chef, have been wanting to try Tsukemen for some time now.
Today felt like the appropriate time, so I grabbed a friend of mine and we journeyed from Chula Vista to grab some.
Was it worth it?
Hell yes.
I ordered the original Tsukemen with X.O. underbelly (charred pork belly). It came with cold, triple thick noodles, and a delicious tangy broth. If Tsukemen broth wasn’t so concentrated, I’d have downed the entire thing in one go. I washed it all down with a frozen Kirin Ichiban.
So, now for a more simple review:
–Great ambiance, although it was quite loud. We were seated almost immediately during a very busy time.
–Delicious, well-​priced food, with so many things to choose from.
–Excellent, efficient service.
Definitely looking forward to coming back.

Trendy spot with excellent quality Ramen. Parking is awful and the restaurant is small, so it might take you a while to find a parking spot and then once you finally get into the restaurant you might have to wait a while for a seat. However, once you get your food, you will not be disappointed. Everything here is delicious. They even have a cool «frozen» asahi beer machine!
The music was a little loud while we were eating, but that isn’t a big deal. Maybe I’m getting old and think all music’s too loud.

Tonsoku ramen premium is so creamy and seasoned well.
Better come during down time so wait time is minimal
Service n staff are pros.
casual atmosphere and place has energy!

Some of the best ramen I’ve had and probably the most unique ramen choices in San Diego. I can see now why they’ve won so many awards. I was definitely skeptical of how good Rakiraki was since it seemed to have some mixed reviews on Unilocal.My fiancé and I have drove by here many times and thought the long line was just all hype. The wait here is definitely a little ridiculous and parking can be difficult. We waited about 1 – 1.5 hrs on a Sunday night at 10pm. We decided to try Rakiraki out because we were craving ramen and they were the only ramen restaurant around Convoy that we could find that was open until midnight.
Ambiance: cozy Japanese tavern vibe. There is a bar with seats and you can see the chefs cooking in the open kitchen.
What we ordered: I ordered the tsukemen oxtail tonskotsu (about $ 15) and my fiancé ordered the red ramen with pork slices. It was my first time trying tsukemen and boy was it work especially with the oxtail. The oxtail was pretty tender and flavorful. It was quite firmly attached to the bone and I couldn’t get all the meat off with my chopstix and had to use my hands to pull the meat off or bite the meat. The broth was flavorful and the noodles were nice and chewy. My fiancé ordered the red ramen ($ 11 – 12) and he enjoyed it. I had a couple bites and the broth was also pretty solid and quite spicy.
Prices: Definitely on the pricier side, but I think it’s worth the price. A lot of the ramens here are a little more complex. I like how you can choose between chasiu pork, organic chicken, or underbelly for most of the ramens.
The biggest con here is the wait. We came at 10pm, so I’d hate to see what the wait is like on a Friday or Saturday or peak hours. The bathroom also seems to needs a lot more attention here. There was no soap or toilet paper when I came in to use it.
Despite the cons, the ramen is still super solid. If we can make a visit to Rakiraki at a reasonable time we’ll definitely be back to try more things on the menu.

Ramen here was pretty darn good! I have only ever gotten ramen at tajima before, and I have to day that I much prefer raki. The original ramen was very pleasant, though plain compared to others. The oxtail ramen was quite good and rich. Crunchy garlic was interesting, and the karuge was great!
Nothing to really complain about other than parking and perhaps a lack of attention from the servers.

«The 19 Hottest Ramen Shops Across America Right Now» — Eater National
«The 10 Hottest Restaurants in San Diego» — Zagat
«10 Hidden Hotspots in San Diego» — USA Today
You get the point — the dining atmosphere is pretty hip and even the water you drink here is alkaline water (Kangen water). Now parking is absolutely awful even though I came here for weekday lunch … I had to secretly park at a different plaza just a block away and slowly maneuvered my way to the ramen shop.
Weekday lunch special is only available on Mon to Fri from 11 AM to 3 PM. In case you are wondering, the special does NOT include tsukemen (dipping ramen).
***
Weekday lunch special (premium soup + egg + chicken karaage, $ 9.95 base price + $ 2.25): Holy cow extra egg costed additional $ 2.25? Anyhow I only got 4 pieces (supposedly 5 pieces) of dry chicken, but both ponzu sauce and mayo gave a nice kick of flavor. Slices of torched beef tasted slightly sweet, but each piece was more like beef brisket than kakuni type of chashu. Noodle was thin and broth was light & milky (I believe I had chicken broth) with a hint of roasted garlic flavor. Now how do I determine how heavy or light the broth is? If you are able to finish the entire broth without feeling too salty or greasy, then that’s light broth for me. The broth also reminded me a bit of Shin-Sen-Gumi’s broth. (4.25÷5)
***
Chicken karaage was slightly over-​hyped because I liked dipping sauces way better than chicken, but overall their ramen can compete against other great ramen shops in Los Angeles. Personally I don’t have a preference between Tajima Ramen House and Rakiraki Ramen & Tsukemen (maybe a slight edge to Tajima for their kakuni) — both restaurants serve pretty good ramen.

I would have to say this place is one of the better ramen spots in SD and is apparent by the long wait every night. We waited over 30 minutes on a Thursday night so I can’t imagine what a weekend wait would be…
Neither of us had ever had dipping noodles so we wanted to try the tsukemen: I got the ox tail tsukemen and she ordered the spicy charsiu tsukemen. We also ordered the spicy tuna with crispy rice sushi to share. I was hesitent at $ 15+ per ramen bowl but in the end was satisfied with my bowl. The noodles were cooked just right — not too soft but not overtly chewy. The soup was rich and flavorful. The ox tail was super tender and surprisingly plentiful! Both my friend and I finished our bowls happy and content. I’ve never had the spicy tuna with crispy rice but it was also pretty good; I really enjoyed the balance of spice and textures. I would definitely come back just for the ox tail ramen though!
A word of warning: the plaza it’s located in has crappy parking so expect to drive around in circles for awhile or just park on the street.

Really does live up to the hype and worth the wait.
We came on a Wednesday around 7:15pm and the wait for 3 people was about 20 minutes.
Really extensive menu and plenty of ramen choices.
We ordered the garlic edamame and a sushi roll to share for appetizers.
I ordered the «Black Edition» ramen with charcoal garlic oil, with chicken instead of pork. It was so delicious. Chicken slices were tender and fatty. I expected the garlic flavor to be overwhelming but it was actually quite subtle. My ramen was very smooth and decadent, without being heavy. My friend’s regular miso ramen was way more salty and sodium-​saturated.
Noodles are al dente, nice and chewy and flavorful. Even the pieces of seaweed were delightfully thin, fresh, slurpable.
Service is attentive and friendly, in genuine Japanese hospitality fashion!
The hipster, modern Japan-​meets-​industrial California style was a nice touch.
Love the ramen bar where you can witness the chefs put in work!

This place is pretty authentic when it comes to Japanese food. Don’t get me wrong here. Coming from Japan after living there for 3 years, I would know. But unfortunately, I’m just not a fan for 2 reasons:
1. The Gyoza. It tastes EXACTLY like you would order in Yokohama, to a T! There was just one small problem… the stuffing inside was minute, if not almost non-​existent. It was mostly breading. That’s extremely disappointing. It would have been so enjoyable if properly prepared, I want to cry.
2. Pork Spicy Miso (medium heat). I don’t know what they put in that Spicy Miso broth. It was much too rich, even though it tasted good. After a time, consuming the broth became a chore. That’s NOT supposed to happen. Drinking the broth is supposed to be a grand finale (at least for me). The real deal in Japan doesn’t give any reason not to drink the broth, no matter how full you are.
Off the the rest of the review.
Dining room and service: Not bad for a busy, popular restaurant on a Saturday at 3pm, but definitely not great. Our waitresses switched up a few times and all were helpful and nice. The service was very slow however. It took them about 10 minutes to start serving us after we took our seats. Dining area was clean and cute. Loved the mason jars for water cups.
The rest of the food:
–Chicken Karaage. Everyone raves about it, so we tried it. It’s not as good as I thought it would be. They are enormous, so there is no way 2 people could finish it (we brought the rest home) and the meat is dark… Just pointing it out.
— Curry Ramen. My husband loved it. It is a specialty Ramen, so it isn’t typical of ramen places in Japan. We had never had it prior to this place. We would recommend it.
Overall, I give 3 stars. The place is good and I may change my review should I visit here again and try other things.
For first timers of ramen:
–DON’T try a specialty Ramen
–DO try a staple ramen

Love love this place! My BF & I go to when we have a craving for ramen. Their poke roll is to die for as well.
There is always a wait prior to be seated. About 15 – 20 minutes. Parking sucks. But food is excellent, service is really good and price is very reasonable. The waitress forgot my BF’s beer and she gave it to us on the house.

This was my first time trying Ramen!
A group of my friends all wanted to get together for dinner since our friend from Texas was visiting us– someone decided Raki Raki–
Parking– horrible! Small lot– so don’t even try going in there or else you’ll get stuck for about 20 mins and not even find a spot. You’ll have to park on the side streets.
Ambiance– very cool place! Not that big but they have a huge communicate table which is great for big parties. They’ve got great hip hop music playing, and cool Edison light bulb fixture pendants hanging. It gets pretty busy so expect to wait a bit.
Food– I didn’t know what to expect so I asked my Ramen Expert Luke and he knew exactly what I should order. To start we got garlic and regular edamame. The garlic edamame was delicious! We also got some fried chicken thing (don’t know the name) and it had two different types of sauce and a mayo dip– they were both great! I just got the original ramen bowl with chicken mild spice. It was really good! I was surprised with how much I enjoyed it. There could be a few more pieces of chicken, the broth was great, and the noodles were yummy! I got to try a few different types and I think I’ll definitely go with the miso based one next time.
Overall it was good! Service was decent, as well! They even took our group picture after :)

Gratifying Japanese Ramen Experience
I’ve been looking forward to coming here for a few months. I was enticed by a photo of the frozen beer posted by a fellow Unilocaler.
Food was delicious. I was beyond delighted with my beer so worth the wait. My bf and I passed our bowls of ramen back and forth trying to determine who had the better ramen. In the end we agreed they were both excellent having different qualities. I ordered the best selling pork ramen and he had the chicken spicy curry ramen. Both had delicious flavors. For appetizers we tried garlic edamame, veggie tofu gyoza along with chicken karaange. All were very tasty and each had delicious dipping sauces.
You have to arrive early to beat the crowd and avoid the line. Parking is a bit hazardous — try to stay calm.
If you have to wait, it is well worth the experience. I must concur with the rumors that this place is one of the best ramen restaurants in San Diego.
The atmosphere is very comfortable with an energetic staff. Décor is minamalist with a down to earth vibe.

So I decided to give this place another try because I haven’t came in over a year and I was hoping it would have improved.
Being the ramen queen that I am, I’m always looking for the best place in San Diego.
I got the original Tonkotsu ramen. The red ginger just tastes really bad. I usually love seaweed but the one here is just slimy and the texture disgusts me. *slight gag* The broth was simple like how I like it but it was just missing more flavor. For a $ 11 bowl it was just too plain. I’m picky on how I like my boiled egg and the one here was just too hard for me. I usually think a good bowl of ramen consists of an egg with the yolk still somewhat runny.
Also costs $ 1.75 to make it spicy
My boyfriend ordered one of the ramens with a picture. It was suppose to be super spicy and it wasn’t spicy at all. Couldn’t even find my server all night to ask if we could make it spicier. She somehow upgraded us to the oxtail without our knowledge as well. $ 14
We also ordered gyoza but deep fried instead. I love gyoza!!! But the one here left a bad taste in my mouth. The ponzu sauce that comes with it rates very sour too. Don’t try it.
The service here absolutely sucks. No server checked up on us all night. We had to flag our server for straws and it nearly took 10 minutes. No one cared about whether I was doing okay or if my food was good. It wasn’t even busy.
It breaks my heart to write another bad review for what’s suppose to be a good ramen joint. But I could get better ramen at Chopstix, Tajima or Hinotez for better quality, better service and better prices. Don’t let this place rob you of a good lunch/​dinner.

2^nd time here and it did not disappoint. Everything was on point from the service to the ramen. Our server was very welcoming and made sure my party was taken care of.
The black garlic ramen was unique and very flavorful. Loved the taste of the broth. I got it with underbelly and would definitely recommend to any other garlic lover.
Poke roll, fried rice, and chicken karekage were also great.
This place gets understandably busy and I can definitely understand why. Parking is a little tough but there’s parking on adjacent streets. Lovely dessert place next door for crepes afterward

We have been here before and not happy with the service. Our sons lunch came 25 minutes after ours. The young waitress charged us 50 cents for 2 small lime wedges.
Probably will not come back here.

The ramen was only 3 stars because it was pretty middle of the road. Nothing super distinctive or exceptional.
The chicken karage, on the other hand, lived up to the hype. Crispy, juicy and super piping hot. I’ll be back for the chicken, hold the ramen.

This place is pretty close to Tajima, but after eating here I don’t know why you would ever choose between the two of them. The ramen is definitely better quality and the menu selection is very diverse. The sides are all really good, first timers should try the Chicken Karaage. The atmosphere is fun and it’s connected to a crêpe spot as well. Come early though, there’s usually a long line.

I came here with my parents for dinner after a grueling 7 am to 5 pm orientation that I had to attend. By the end of the day all we wanted was a good, somewhat fast dinner so we could all go back to the hotel and get some rest. Unfortunately, RakiRaki made this fairly impossible to accomplish.
We were initially attracted by the modern décor of the exterior of the restaurant and when we noticed several families waiting outside in line we assumed it was a place worth checking out.
Upon entering, we wrote our names on the waiting list and noticed there were five or so families in front of us. Looking around the restaurant, I noticed three or four empty tables which immediately heightened my enthusiasm. There would practically be no wait!
Nope. Wrong. It literally took them half an hour to fill those tables with people who were each becoming increasingly impatient. Then, for some reason they skipped the family in front of us and seated us first (in hindsight I should’ve said something but an empty stomach really clouds your judgement) and we were finally led to a table!
Unfortunately, this meant forty five more minutes of waiting. We waited so long that the waitress/​waiter had circled the restaurant many times and had asked if we wanted a menu three separate times because our table bare– apart from the water cups they still had not filled. At that point I was so exhausted, and not to mention hungry that I ended up power napping on the table. Meanwhile, the family that had been skipped was finally being led to a table of their own. The man was so excited that he offered the waitress help clearing it. She laughed but no, come on, he was serious.
When we finally got our food, (I got the premium mild ramen), I was desperate to get food into my system. The ramen was mediocre, at best. Definitely not worth an hour and a half wait though.
All I can say is, if you LOVE waiting this is definitely the place for you! And heck, if you want to take a nap you go do that. Their tables are of good quality and the waiters definitely won’t come around enough to bother you. So have a star for that.

Very similar in layout to Yakitori Yakudori up the street, but with brighter lighting, less traditional décor, and the same move-‘em-in-and-out attitude towards service. The tables were uncomfortably close together, but maybe I was just feeling self-​conscious having just come off a six hour flight and feeling bleary eyed next to all these college students who thought nothing of such a late night mid-​week dinner. Their presence could indicate a delicious and/​or cheap find, but I didn’t think Raki Raki was either. HG’s large ramen wasn’t chock full enough to warrant the $ 11 price, the award-​winning chicken karaage is cut in bigger, flatter pieces than most, but wasn’t the most flavorful I’ve had, and I’m pretty sure I’ll never be interested in trying a ramen burger. No American Express.

OMG! I cannot believe that this past Tuesday was my first time here! It is so amazingly good! My boyfriend & I came around lunch & it was busy but we were seated within 15 minutes. Fast service!
The lunch menu is where it is at! Monday-​Friday from 11a-​3p. Come during this time!
Lunch combo
Small Ramen = Tonkotsu for extra $ — Pretty great, yummy broth! They are very generous with their meat & the pork is thick & without fat.
Small Sesame Tofu Don = Tofu marinated in 5 spiced sesame sauce over soboro bedding. — This rice bowl is to die for! The seasoning is mouthwatering & is the perfect example of a mouthgasm. A must order you will not regret!
Chicken Karrage — Nicely breaded & flavorful. However, it is served in huge pieces. I would rather have it cut into smaller strips because one strip is too much to enjoy as an appetizer.
The parking lot, of course, is insane so plan accordingly or park on the side streets.

I’ve been here twice already and am still not very impressed. The first time I had the Tsukemen and there wasn’t much to rave about. Noodles were a bit over cooked. Second time, I got the Bold Tonkotsu and the noodles were still on the overcooked side (maybe that’s just how they make it). The egg was way over cooked as well. The only thing I liked was the chasui pieces are on the thicker side here.
It’s always fairly busy here and service was definitely on the slower side. It took about 30 mins from the time we sat down, ordered, and the food arrived. Another table got their table right before us and they already had their food before we even got to order.

my favorite place to get ramen in San Diego! I crave their tonkatsu with underbelly ramen literally once a month. Broth is thick and amazing. one thing i really like about them is that their ramen is at perfect temperature when being served. awesome job chefs!
Personally i prefer here rather than tajima across the street. Here you can see how they’re cooking it and the portion is bigger.

Came to this ramen place while visiting some family in San Diego. The wait was decent but because we had a party of 6, it took us about 40 mins before we were seated. By the time we sat down, waitress was pushing us to order, saying that they are closing the kitchen. We thought a little warning when seated would have been nice but she did not mention about the kitchen closing till a few minutes after seating while rushing through our order. Half way in the order, waitress can tell we were a bit aggravated as we have not even get look through the menu at all. You can tell that she thinks we are regulars here.
Although we were annoyed by her tone and action, we managed to all order the Oxtail Tsukemen ramen since they were advertising it with a picture up front. It was really delicious. The soup was perfectly seasoned, thick and garlicky just how I imagined it. The great part of it was the noodles came out separately, with the Oxtail on the side. It was very interesting but it was perfect because you add the oxtail to your noodles when you are ready, which tells me that each are seasoned separately. For whatever reason why they did it that way, it works! Loved it! Would definitely come back the next time we’re in town.

I went here with my family (5 adults with 4 children under 3!). There is quite a line here, but the food was great. I highly recommend the chicken karage. I love karage and Rakiraki’s version is really tasty.
On to the staff. THE STAFF WAS GREAT. They really went out of their way and were super sweet to all of the kids.

Visiting San Diego and my friend recommended me to try Raki Raki for ramen. I can say i’m a little bit of an expert in ramen from Daikokuya & Shin-​Sen-​Gumi in Los Angeles, Jinya, Monta, and Sora Ramen in Las Vegas, to Orenchi Ramen in Northern California.
The first thing I noticed is that they did have Kangen (Alkaline) water which was a good touch to my meal, although I did have a difficult time opening the top of the glass without any help. I’m more of a fan of upbeat music rather than slow vocal music but it makes sense since i’d assume they are sticking to the traditional Japanese atmosphere.
We started off with their famous karaage which was dry on the outside but very tender in the inside which I really liked. It came with a sweet soy sauce and spicy mayo dip which really complimented this appetizer.
We also decided to try the popcorn shrimp roll which was honestly one of the best rolls i’ve ever had. The gigantic popcorn shrimp on top really made the roll itself amazing.
The second roll we ordered was a poke roll. Knowing how hyped poke has been lately we decided to give it a try and it was pretty good! The raw onion bits on top was surprisingly not overpowering and it gave it a little crunch.
For ramen I decided to try their special Hakata Tonkotsu Ramen (Black Edition) with organic garlic oil roasted with natural charcoal for 18 hours. It sounded very different and honestly when I had a taste of that I was really amazed how rich and flavorful the broth was! This is definitely one of the top ramens I have had. We got a side of the spicy ball to add a kick to it but make sure you don’t put too much cause it can get pretty hot! 9.5÷10
The server we had was very friendly and the service was definitely more than expected. When i’m in town this will be the place I will be taking my friends to! Thank you

Came here with a bunch of friends after a climbing competition and I am pretty impressed. The wait was 30 minutes, but when there’s a wait time it usually means it’s popular and good and goes up to its standard.
Food (⁴⁄₅): they are absolutely known for their ramen, duh. They have a wide variety of ramen, ramen burgers, sushi rolls, curry and other yummy choices. The only reason I gave this category 4 stars is that there’s no veggie or seafood ramen for myself because I am pescatarian, so I just got the black bean vegetarian ramen burger with the sweet potato fries. Honestly the fries were seasoned much better than the burger. Burger was a bit disappointing because the flavor was lacking, the fries were the BEST SWEET POTATO FRIES I EVER HAD. Also their side sauces of ketchup and spicy mayo was perfect.
Service (⁵⁄₅): pretty good service overall. They are apologetic for the wait time even though it is out of their control. They are pretty fast despite that the entire restaurant is crowded.
Ambience (⁵⁄₅): love the interior of this place with their hanging light bulbs and giant Japanese lanterns in geometric frames. Love the wooden tables and the mason jars and glass bottles of water as well.
Overall really impressed and all my friends got ramen and loved it. Really glad we came here after the climbing comp, good food, good vibes and I wish we had a good ramen place out in the Inland Empire.

It was my first time eating Ramen in San Diego. I heard this was a spot that you «must try». I definitely understand why after tonight.
We arrived around 7 and was seated about 15 – 20 minutes. It was a popular place. I like how they are open till midnight. The waiting area was outside only, but it wasn’t too bad with firepoles to keep you warm.
I had decided to order the super deluxe Tonkotsu ramen with their famous sweet potato fries. Everything arrived within 5 – 10 minutes. The ramen portion was enough to fill my stomach, however, the sweet potato fries were too good to not order them to at least try. The fries came with dipping sauce that I didn’t try. It was great plain since it was powdered. The soup portion of the ramen was a perfect amount with my thick noodles. The soup base wasn’t too strong or heavy. It had bamboo, seaweed, sesame seeds, ginger, and meat. You get to pick your choice of meat. I love how they had a good balance of meat and extras in the noodles, so it wasn’t just noodle and soup like most places I have tried.
The check came immediately when we asked for it. They cleaned up very quickly too. You were more than welcome to stay and chat still. We were at the bar seating area. The pricing was about 10 bucks.
Aki was our waitress. She came to check on us pretty often like twice. She was the best and sweetest. She would actually have conversations with us too. I hope if you do come here, you have her as your waitress. I recommend this spot, no doubt!

AMAZING!
I just moved here from San Jose and where I’m from, there are a few restaurants that serve ramen, but this restaurant in particular was quite different from the ones up north.
I had never been to this restaurant before, and I went there to have dinner with a friend. After parking and walking to the restaurant, I noticed there were a few people waiting outside. But luckily for them, there was a waiting area outside with heaters. I signed my name on the list, and patiently waited, warmly for my name to be called. My first impression was, «Wow! This place must be really crackin’!» Having a waitlist must mean that people really must enjoy dining here.
Once my name was called and we entered the building, the associates all greeted us, welcoming my friend and me into their establishment. Once we were seated, I was able to check out the scenery and the overall feel of the restaurant. Right off the bat, I felt of sense of fun and enjoyment in the atmosphere. Then and there, I was ready to look at the menu.
The menu was a large metal book filled with food and drink options. The overall aesthetics of the menu were fun and easy to read. Not only were there descriptions of the food and drinks, but there were pictures that actually made me want to order exactly what I was looking at. The font and the framing of words on the menu definitely made it easier for me to decide on what to eat.
This visit, I decided not to order any ramen, and instead ordered the other dinner options listed on the menu. Again, the detailed pictures and the easy to read menu made my decision on what to eat quick and smooth. My friend and I ordered their award winning «chicken karaage.» We also ordered the «RakiRaki roll», a «poke Roll», and a «caterpillar roll». The wait time for the food was just right, giving me and my friend just enough time to converse and talk amongst ourselves.
The food was spectacular. The «chicken karaage» was great. Huge pieces of chicken that went well with mayo and spicy mayo. The sushi rolls that were served were fresh and had just enough pieces to satisfy the both of us. Though we did not order any ramen, we were truly satisfied at the end of our meal.
Do I recommend coming to this restaurant again? That is a definite «YES!!!» This place is fun, a great place to dine with friends, and has great food that could satisfy any hunger.

Came here for a friend’s birthday dinner on a Monday night. The place was a lot smaller than I expected and was pretty crowded. We came as a party of 8 at 8:30 pm, which was a huge mistake since we ended up getting seated around 9:45pm.
The birthday boy really wanted to go here for their renown karage (fried chicken) and fatty broth. I will say the original tonkotsu ramen broth was extremely fatty, to the point that I stopped eating halfway through my meal. My friend who ordered the same bowl felt the same as well. We all shared 2 orders of karage, and as the birthday boy put it, «felt like a fresh order of fried chicken from Tapioca Express at UCSD».
With the plethora of ramen on Convoy, I feel there are way better alternatives than this place, such as Tajima.

I found this place though an Instagram post and instantly wanted to try it. I had been telling my boyfriend for weeks all about the frozen beer foam and dipping ramen trying to get him excited. I was able to convince him on a day off from work on NYE and we weren’t disappointed.
We had been starving and the wait was about 35 minutes around 1PM. They were accurate at telling us a wait time because we risked it and went across the street to Dumpling Inn for a beer and when we got back we were next to be seated.
We started with the chicken karaage and it was yum, along with frozen beers. I had the Blackened Hakata Tonkotsu Ramen with pork belly and he had the spicy dipping ramen with pork. Both were delicious.
Next time I go, I want to get the dipping ramen because I loved the super thick noodles. This place is definitely worth the wait if you love ramen and you want some that is delicious.

Get here early if possible! I arrived 5 minutes after opening for dinner on a weekday, and the restaurant was already over half full.
Food: I had the Rikimaru miso tsukemen with the underbelly and the much raved about chicken karaage. My boyfriend gave the miso broth flavor 5 stars. I don’t think the miso is for everyone, though, as I wished we had ordered the tonkotsu instead. I was disappointed with the underbelly as it was pretty dry and tough rather than soft, juicy, and fatty. Chicken karaage lived up to reputation — outside was golden and crispy while inside was juicy and flavorful. Spicy mayo sauce and ponzu sauce added great flavor.
Atmosphere: not my favorite — feels a little cramped as you’re pretty close to the tables next to you. There also seems to be an overabundance of staff, which makes the restaurant feel busier than it is.
Service: A little slow. The waitress took a while to take our order, and the tsukemen was slow to arrive.

I really wanted to like this place since there’s so much hype and so many of my friends like it… but I just can’t do it.
I ordered the Super Deluxe Hakata Tonkotsu Ramen with underbelly, which is supposedly one of their most popular dishes. It was way too oily and way too starchy. The broth was an uncomfortable thickness that it felt a little slimy. It seems like thats how all of their broths are since the rest of my group ordered different kinds of ramen, but they all agreed that the broth was too oily and too stachy. Eventually it got too much for me and I couldn’t finish the bowl because the taste and texture wasn’t satisfying to me. Also, their «mild» is actually pretty spicy. Last time I had it we had to keep reaching for our waters. However, it costs extra to add spiciness so it’s better for them to give you more spiciness than for them to give you less spiciness and seem like they’re overcharging for it.
Their Karaage Chicken is also one of their most popular dishes. I would say it’s pretty good, I just wish that they cut the pieces up a little smaller. The sauces that they paired with the chicken was okay too. I just thought that there was a little too much mayonnaise in it to go with the chicken.
Their Sweet Potato Fries were decent. It’s a little on the thinner, crunchier side of fries. But, they give you a lot of it. There’s nothing really bad about it. Their Farmers’ Market Fresh Cucumber And Tomatoes were also pretty good. It’s just refreshing to have some vegetables after eating all the starches and protein they have here. It’s seasoned with some sesame oil and chili oil but neither oils really overpower them.
Service is nice though, they constantly fill your water jug and they check back around to see if you need anything. Everything also comes pretty fast so that you’re not too hungry for long.
It seems that a lot of people like this place but I guess I’m one of the few who doesn’t. It’s way too overpriced for mediocre ramen, and I’d rather go somewhere else for cheaper, better tasting ramen that’s about the same size.

We were running errands in Kearny Mesa and decided to toil through the typical clusterf*** parking situation just for some deep-​fried and noodley goodness at Rakiraki. The place was busy, but we snagged the last two counter seats.
We split and shared a few different items: chicken karaage, tonkatsu curry, and a tsukuna katsu ramen burger with a side of sweet potato fries. This was more than enough food for two.
The real superstar was the karaage — crisp on the outside, juicy on the inside, and packed with flavor. I could munch on that karaage all day.
Unfortunately, the other dishes weren’t nearly as impressive. The tonkatsu curry had decent flavor, but it also had an unpleasantly mealy texture from the curry sauce mixing with the breading of the katsu.
The ramen burger was even worse. It was a pitiful little sandwich that had the texture of rubber tires and the flavor of wet cardboard. (At least the sweet potato fries on the side were good.)
Service was good though. The place had lots of servers running around frantically, but the food came out promptly despite the chaos. But until the food starts tasting better, I won’t be in a huge hurry to return.

3.5
Their ramen is good… definitely not the best in I’ve had in San Diego, but comparable to ramen in L.A. I enjoyed the spicy original broth and their noodles are served slightly al dente if you’re into that. I like it, but others don’t prefer it. Moreover, their service isn’t the best in town which is the main reason my visits are limited.
The star of their menu? Not their ramen sadly. It’s their chicken karaage… best karaage I’ve ever had. Good sized pieces and perfectly crispy.