Kirimachi Ramen

OPENING MONDAY November 24, 2015
Looks as though this is reopening in Embarcadero III
The spot where Phở Hoa used to be

I’m so sad this place has closed. :(
It used to be a fairly decent ramen place within walking distance of a Bart station. They made the best eggs, creamy and yolky, even though I usually prefer over-​hard.

Surprisingly good!
Definitely not easy to get to without a car or taking a bus (we walked all the way from Market).
Relatively empty when we came in. Was served quickly. Ordered the Tonkotsu ramen. It was surprisingly good. Broth was on the money. Chashu was sliced pretty thinly, I normally prefer it to have more a bite-​able thickness to it.

Not a bad ramen place, but nothing fantastic either.
The pork broth was quite average and somewhat cold. The noodles were cooked well but it was nothing memorable. The pork was also very average, not having been roasted and charred sufficiently. The egg was cooked decently, still slightly undercooked inside.
The service was humble but not sufficiently attentive. I think the guy was just overwhelmed.
Would I go back, not really. But would I tell people not to go? Definitely not — the food was not too bad.

The first time the bf and I tried to come here, we could not find it. Pacing back and forth there was no sandwich board or Kirimachi sign at all even though it was supposedly open according to Unilocal.We were convinced the business was closed. Months later while I’m on the bus to work I spot it (this time with a sandwich board and sign). So strange. They might have been closed temporarily, but there was no notice anywhere.
Anyway — we finally get to try the place and it’s not bad at all. Although the broth in my Shoyu was lacking slightly in a bolder flavor, the noodles and pork were very good. BF and friend really enjoyed their bowls. Sad that they will close this location in a few days 9÷27÷13 I believe? But we will find out where they will move to on FB I suppose!

I believe this place is closing down on Sept 27.
It was kinda of a surprise to find a little ramen shop down a street full of strip clubs and bars. Like a lot of places in the North Beach, Chinatown and Financial District. parking is very hard to come by. Best to try avoid driving out here. Also, this place is also CASH only. Remember to bring cash!
They have around 6 – 7 different ramen, all $ 10 except for their special spicy miso ramen, and their dipping ramen. I got the kanto tonkotsu ramen and I can’t exactly say it was the best bowl of ramen I ever had. It is indeed, worth a try though. Definitely better than a lot of ramen places in San Francisco.
If you can (and want to) try this place before it closes!

Strange location next to strip clubs and bars on broadway. Difficult to park. Cash only.
First Tsukemen ramen I have been able to find in SF, very tasty. Tonkotsu ramen was also delicious. Small place, very quiet not many people.
Would come again because I don’t know of any other place that sells tsukemen!

I had a hankering for some ramen today so I pulled up my trusty Unilocal site and found Kirimachi Ramen. It’s somewhat odd to find a ramen place in the midst of the Broadway corridor surrounded by strip joints but it was close enough to pop by to try it.
How much effort would you make to eat ramen? Today, there was massive sidewalk repair work on the north side where Kirimachi is located. As I tried to walk in the road outside of the barricades from the east side, a construction worker said, «Hey miss, sorry but you’ll have to cross to the other side of the street. It’s probably safest to cross at the light too.» Well, yessiree, I did as I was told and crossed with the light at the intersection and then like any good San Franciscan, walked a half block down on that southern side and jay-​walked back towards the cyclone fencing approaching the restaurant from the west.
Several late lunchers were leaving the restaurant as I approached, otherwise, it was deserted inside except for one couple. What’s surprising about the space is the sight of the massive Telegraph Hill cliffs that are just outside of the backroom windows. The solid craggy rocks seem pressingly close. The décor is a mix of retro diner with black and white checked tile flooring and Chinese red décor.
After reading many Unilocal reviews, I opted to try the Kuro Tonkotsu Ramen ($ 10) of the three ramen choices available. When the bowl was delivered, I peered down at it and thought, «Mmm, interesting.» The dark specks I saw were the blackened or burnt garlic strewn across the creamy-​looking broth. Could have been flecks of ash for all I knew if I hadn’t read the description. Two slices of warm chasu (pork) lie on one side with some sauteed bean sprouts and a few green onion strands.
The three bears would have been happy with the broth here. Not too hot, not too cold. Just right. The temperature of the soup made it easy to eat so you didn’t burn your tongue or feel any disappointment from getting cold soup. There definitely is a subtle flavor with the blackened garlic and a medium thickness to the broth. All the other ingredients melded very well together. The ramen noodles were al dente with that slight bit of elasticity that gives each mouthful a good bite.
Now, I’m not a big eater and this bowl of ramen was just the right amount for me. I think I had seen a sign up front saying they had double sized bowls but I might be wrong. Someone with a bigger appetite might want to inquire about that.
All in all a good experience. Very nice service and a tasty bowl of ramen. It’s not going to blow your mind but it will hit the right spot in your tummy.

Went here after thinking about how hot it was in SF… and how sweating it out would feel so good. lol. The restaurant was empty. So awesome. We questioned if it were truly a 4-​star average place since it was such a ghost town. When we ate, we knew, ahhhh yes. Try the tonkotsu! It’s only $ 9! Ahhh yes.
I liked that they offered canned UCC green tea. It tasted so refreshing on that hot day.

Kuro Tonkotsu Ramen is good and close to the one you get in Japan.
Nice size Chashu (simmered pork) and good soup stock.

Oh I need to stop whining. I should just be happy that any ramen house exists in this part of town since it’s mostly about spaghetti and strip clubs otherwise. North Beach brings to mind a whole other kind of noodle than what they serve here, but Kirimachi has taken a foothold on a stretch of Broadway that doesn’t offer that many Asian dining options. I applaud the owners for bringing a bit more diversity than you would expect in this neighborhood, but I also have to admit I think the ramen served here is a bit on the lackluster side.
Jamie W. and I had been debating between coming here and going to HRD Smokin’ Grill which we already knew was great. My constant need to try something new got the best of us this time. The place is relatively small (photo:
) and the menu even smaller. There are about eight different ramen bowls to choose from as well as a donburi bowl and a stew (photo:
). We started easy with a shared $ 5 plate of Gyoza, a half-​dozen of them that were on the small side but pretty good (photo:
). Jamie decided on the $ 10 Kuro Tonkotsu Ramen which was steeped in a black pork broth.
In his bowl were pork slices, bean sprouts, a soft-​boiled egg, green onions and charred garlic (photo:
). It was decent enough, but the broth was a bit on the watery side. Mine was marginally better, the $ 12 Tori Paitan Ramen, one of their limited selection bowls with a creamy chicken broth as its base (photo:
). The same ingredients were in mine, including the semi-​al dente noodles, but it was more satisfying since the broth had more depth of flavor. On my personal ramen scale, I think this one is in the middle of the pack, but the service is attentive and its uniqueness in North Beach should give it some legs.
FOOD — 3 stars… middling ramen is decent enough for a quick non-​Italian noodle fix
AMBIANCE — 3.5 stars… smallish, manageable, and away from the unsavory elements on Broadway
SERVICE — 4 stars… a nice young couple appear to run things and were very open to feedback
TOTAL — 3 stars… a North Beach ramen house is a rare thing indeed

Alright, I’m a fan. I’ve been there a couple of times now and it seems like there are more ramen joints in San Francisco now.
The first time I came here I ordered the regular tonkotsu broth ramen and it came out pretty good. Nothing spectacular and nothing disappointing either. It was just A-​OK. My other friends ordered the kuro tonkotsu broth and it looked amazing. I was kicking myself for not ordering it. I tasted a sample of the broth and instantly knew this is what I would be ordering.
On the second visit, I went straight for the kuro broth knowing how good it would be. It was absolutely amazing! If asked far I would be willing to go for good ramen, it’s pretty damn far! Kirimachi Ramen is great because it stacks up to Ramen Dojo without all the wait and the drive to San Mateo. You’ll be in love with the broth once you taste it. Oh they were so righteous with the soft boiled egg, tender slices of pork, and the broth! Yes, the love is in the broth. I also ordered it with a side of kimchi too. It was fresh and spicy enough!
I’m willing to keep the place a secret so there would not be a swarm of hungry people lining up for this delicious ramen and get in my way. Alas that is probably not going to happen since people will soon learn about how good this place is.
CASH ONLY!

Pretty decent Ramen!
I came here later in the day with a friend, but that was an ordeal in itself. Oi.
I got the spicy ramen, which was good — but not spicy enough for me. It was perfect for my friend, as she does not do spicy well. But I loaded it up with their spicy powder, and it was fine. The spicy came with corn, mung beans, and meats. Is yummy.
My friend had the tonkatsu ramen, which I had a bit of the broth. It was yummy.
So I liked it overall, but it wasn’t quite the best ramen I’ve ever had (damn you LA with your delicious foods!). By itself, the broth with the texture of the ramen was good. However… together, I thought the ramen was a little bland. It was weird. When I taste each separately, its good.
The service is more than excellent. Our waitress refilled our waters frequently, and even during the rush time, she’s very attentive. There IS a line during lunch, but you just wait in line and the waitress will come to you. I saw some people push ahead to ask about the line… when it was clear you just wait in line. o. O She’ll come by to write your name down and such. Yeesh. Impatient much?

Took my boyfriend here from Davis on Valentine’s day this year as a surprise. We both love authentic Japanese ramen, but I’m going to have to admit that he’s an even bigger fan of ramen. It was our first time here — the ramen was really good (broth was flavorful and the noodles were cooked well), the service was really good too. I would definitely go back again. This place didn’t disappoint! (:

I think I found a new ramen love in SF!
Although the hours suck, (12 – 2 & 6 – 9), you cant beat good eats!
Yes it is on the same strip as all the strip clubs, but after you pass the nasty crap on the street, the smoke-​filled clubs and creepers, Kirimachi isn’t so bad and inside is quite cozy!
The lady who works there is sweet and was very catering. She constantly refilled our water and even showed my friend how to eat the cold ramen AND she bought extra spice seasoning for me in case i wanted more spicy for my ramen without me asking!
I order the shoyu ramen and they used Marin Sun Farms chicken to make the broth (i dont know what is Marin Sun Farm but i know their stuff is organic and good cause we used it for our catering company lol, thank god i dont cook) The broth is sooooo delicious!!! its the perfect saltiness for me and its really packs in the taste factor without the greasy oil feeling. THE BEST PART?! THE BAMBOO SHOOTS! i love it when the bamboo shoots are crunchy but still soft, not like dried out or uncooked and it is like marinated or something cause its so delicious!!!
The downfall? there wasnt any chasu! and no chasu means like… not real ramen! jk, i can manage without the chasu cuz the broth is so good… i didnt even miss it or realize it until i looked at the picture again after i finished and my friend who had the cold noodle (which did have chasu) was eating it in front of me the whole time! The ramen as well, to me, wasnt anything too special so.
I’ll definitely come back! DONT FORGET — CASH ONLY! but everything on the menu is tax included, so thats kinda nice =)

Your typical cold, foggy San Francisco night + a piping hot bowl of GOOD ramen?
Perfect remedy.
Nestled on the seedy side of Broadway (but closer to Coi) in a funky semi art deco type of restaurant lies Kirimachi. Honestly, the space is too big. Back when I worked in the food industry, my boss was looking to buy this space. Its layout is quite odd, and has multiple stories. Kind of glad he didn’t get it and that I left the food industry so that Kirimachi has this space.
The menu is very limited (as I feel good ramen spots should be) and they charge additional toppings. (btw, ca$h only!)
I went with the spicy tonkotsu which comes with pork, a soft boiled egg, kikurage mushroom, bean sprouts, fish cake and Chinese chives. ($ 10) Although that’s plenty of toppings for me, I still had to have some menma (bamboo shoots) for an additional dollar. This bowl of ramen is now at $ 11. Normally, I would consider that a bit on the pricey side HOWEVER, Kirimachi’s broth lived up to my expectations. Rich yet light, salty but not TOO salty, chewy noodles. The only thing I did not like was the pork. It looked like pulled pork. I’d rather have it sliced.
Kirimachi does the soft boiled egg extremely well. A beautiful creamy runny yolk that covers your tongue in a sweet velvet blanket as you sip some savory broth. MmMMmMM total food boner.

Yes! Another ramen place for me to try. #31 Ramen review on Ramen Sheriff’s list. And I thought it was pretty good!
Tonkatsu ramen:
I’m surprised there’s only 78 reviews for this place. I was also surprised that there was only one table eating when we walked in. And then I realized why — PARKING SUCKS! It’s on Broadway which is almost 99% IMPOSSIBLE to find street parking. You have to find a garage to park. They’re usually around $ 2 every half hour, somewhere along those lines. But Broadway and that North Beach/​Telegraph Hill area is just terrible in parking.
Anywho, if you DO find parking, this is a pretty good ramen spot. I ordered tonkatsu and my friend ordered miso. I liked tonkatsu way better, esp making it mild spicy and adding the spices for more flavor. MMM the broth was flavorful, noodles were good, egg was soft boiled!
The only thing was it was shredded pork, and not that great. I’d rather have the traditional tender chashu pork that they put in most tonkatsu bowls. But it wasn’t bad either.
It was my friend’s first time having ramen, and said he would give it 5 stars. For me, having tried countless bowls, I can’t give it a 5. But a 4 is pretty darn good. Just gotta find parking dengit haha

For quite some time, I’ve wanted to check out Kirimachi. A small, little ramen shop out in North Beach? The ramen lover in me would scream «Hell yeah!», but the driver in me would reply with a «Hell no!». In the end, the latter always won. After all, parking around North Beach isn’t exactly the most joyous of endeavors. I guess that’s why finding them at OTG felt that much sweeter!
On this particular night, the only ramen they had came with their Tokotsu broth… which just happened to be the one I wanted to try. Considering it was coming off a stand, the ramen wasn’t bad. The noodles were cooked well (I feared they would be gummy) and the various condiments (corn, cabbage, green onion, fish cake, and bamboo) added both flavor and texture. While it would have been better with slices of chasu (like at their restaurant), the shredded pork wasn’t a terrible substitute. The broth needed help though — not as rich, milky, or flavorful as I would have preferred.
Since the pictures of their ramen bowls look better than what I had, I imagine the food at their restaurant probably tastes better in comparison. Using what I had as a guide though, I feel like other ramen joints in the city can offer better without the hassle of circling repeatedly for parking in North Beach. On a cold night at Off The Grid though? It may not be exciting, but Kirimachi is good enough.

Good ramen in North Beach, good ramen in North Beach, great ramen in North Beach! I love ramen and I’m so excited for a new spot very close to my house! This place is somewhat hard to spot but the red lantern out front helps.
We came at around 8 pm on a weeknight and ordered a bowl of veggie ramen to share. It included lots of veggie goodness as any good ramen should. They were out of the pickled cucumber which I definitely want to try and the seaweed I ordered wasn’t really worth $ 1 since it was just like the Trader Joe’s seaweed packs that come with lots more seaweed in them.
The service was simple and sweet and the space is cool too — it’s partly built into a hill and it’s cool to see the rocks through one of the little windows. After all, this is the hill that holds up my house!
I really hope Kirimachi sticks around so please go and try it if you like ramen or think you might like ramen!

New lunch spot for the FiDi crowd, just one block away from the Naked Lunch sandwich shop.
2 vendors share one spot: ramen and creole/​cajun food.
The dining area has a TV in the back.
Get water, utensils and napkins from the self service area.
Only 2 ramen choices ($ 10): tonkotsu or Sapporo-​style miso. Additional toppings are $ 1, and extra chasu pork for $ 2.
There’s also a daily special, yesterday was pork curry over rice ($ 8), todays it’s unagi donburi.
The ramen vendor is a super friendly husband and wife team: Leo and Febry G. She told me that their chasu and broths are made with organic meat from Marin Sun Farms.
I got the tonkotsu ramen.
Every bowl has chasu pork, chives, kikurage, sliced fish cake, bean sprouts, and a soft boiled egg.
The broth has good flavor (like homemade soup, not Santouka-​style), and it’s not too fatty. It was a very satisfying meal for a chilly day.
The creole/​cajun vendor’s menu changes daily. He always has vegetarian and vegan options. I’ve tried the red beans and rice before, it was delicious. This time I got a takeout order of turkey, shrimp and Andouille sausage gumbo, and the B+B — a li’l spicy vegetarian dish of buttered corn, black beans, with onions and cheese over rice.
All orders include 2 slices of buttered and spiced bread.
Hours:
Mon-​Thu noon-2:30pm, 6−9pm.
(creole/​cajun vendor is lunch time only, M-​F)
**Update: starting March 2012, Fridays at OTG Fort Mason 5−10pm.
Only tonkotsu ramen for $ 8, without egg.