Shalala Ramen

This place to me is in fact a 3 star ramen place. I came here Saturday afternoon after work craving some ramen. My boyfriend and I ordered the Kuro ramen and black pepper karaage. It was a cold day and ramen obviously is a great cure for the winter blues so we decided to go here.
For the food: I must mention this but the egg that came with our ramen was so cold… I felt like they cook a bunch of eggs at once and just toss them into the ramen because it wasn’t the same temperature as our ramen and it was so cold I didn’t even want to eat it. The ramen itself was ok. Nothing that stood out to me. For the sampler that we got which was the black pepper karaage it came with 5 pieces that were huge!!! I honestly would have liked this dish if it wasn’t so big that I didn’t even know where to start eating. Also all I could bite into was the fried skin of the chicken… Which made me feel like I could get a heart attack from this meal at anytime (not in a good way get a heart attack more like its so oily and fried plus super big)
Overall: I honestly don’t know much good ramen places in Japan town sadly even though Japan town should have a bunch of them… But this is an ok place to go to grab a bite. A little small and the food is just okay as well but the servers are really nice and it’s sill decent ok ramen!

Finally writing a review for this place *wheew*
Ok first the ambiance, i always go for dinner after walking around J-​town so i feel like the lighting is dim i wish they put more lights
Food, first time i went i got the karaage and shiro chashu ramen. The second time i got yaki-​onigiri and kuro negi ramen. The karaage was divine, battered differently than most japanese restaurants that serve it. Its a good different it was crispy outside and nice and juicy inside. The yaki-​onigiri was wayy crispy and hard on the outside like it was deep fried. Reminded me of crispy rice snacks. I expected onigiri with a brush of soysauce on both sides and slightly grilled not deep fried. It was ok but not my favorite or what i expected. The ramen, i am very very critical with ramen so excuse me lol. The broth was nice and thick, it is tonkatsu ramen afterall. Not super salty like most broths, it was very close to what i expect tonkatsu ramen should taste like. The noodles, thick and chewy ramen noodles. This might be house-​made im not sure. You can also choose to get thin noodles that is just slightly thinner. It was a little too chewy for me, i constantly had to bite it and not slurp it all in like i usually do. The egg is a marinated soy egg (u get a whole egg woo!) Like a onsen tamago, the yolk still soft and almost translucent. Very tasty and not salty! Next the chashu, very very thinly sliced. Like paper thin. I wish it was just a little bit thicker. Good fat and meat ratio. It was good.
The service, this is why i gave this 4 stars not 5 stars. We were constantly bombarded by staff because there were people waiting outside for tables. Im sorry if people are waiting but we were not done with our food! Atleast wait a bit? It was very rude. I almost said something but my best friend and boyfriend was with me so i wanted to keep my temper low.
Overall i would go here definately for the tonkatsu ramen maybe in a slower day. The price is very reasonable too!

Our go-​to ramen takeout spot. Very tasty broth with depth. It gets crowded here, and we’ve actually heard them turn people away who wanted to order takeout in person, so call for takeout over the phone.
I usually go for the Kuro ramen ($ 10.5), which is the standard version with cha siu (bbq pork), a soft boiled soy sauce egg, mushrooms, fresh ramen, and green onions. Very flavorful and decadent. The takeout box for this one is a small paper one which the ramen sticks to, so be sure to tell them to use a different box.
The All Star Ramen ($ 15) is my hubby’s go-​to, and has all the above, plus bean sprouts, and more pieces of cha siu.
Since Ramen Yamadaya upstairs is now in the bottom 5% of local health scores… Shalala is now our preferred ramen spot.

I’ve tried to give this place a chance, and have been here 2 – 3 times, but the ramen is simply not flavorful, satisfying, or memorable. The service, portion size, and price are fine, but if you are looking for a decent ramen and not just something to eat in general when you are hungry and everything else has a long wait, this is probably not the right place for you. I prefer Tanpopo across the street if you are in the area.

I really wanted to like them. I’ve been here in the past and it was solid ramen. Not sure what happened but the soup was just super salty but not much of any other flavor. We ordered spicy for additional cost and frankly it just didn’t add much heat. The saltiness overpowered any other flavor of the soup and it made our stomach pretty upset afterwards.
The only positive was that we were greeted promptly and service was good.

Well, the piping hot trend of ramen places opening in the City these days coincide well with the unseasonably cold weather we’ve been having.
On a recent rainy weekday afternoon, we happened to stop here before shopping trip to Super Mira. The rain was coming down so this was a closest ramen shop from my parking space. What better way to solve those hunger pangs than slurping on hot soup and noodles?!
The dining room was about half full, mostly single diners or tables of two. Chashu ramen, Kuro broth add spicy (
); add $ 0.50 for the spicy which meant a dollop of red chili sauce; the noodles had a nice bite but the broth really didn’t stand out. We also shared a side of chicken karaage (
) which probably was the highlight of the meal and an order of gyoza (
).
My ramen was okay, but my friend’s veggie ramen (
) was excruciatingly salty; sad when her only compliment was about the half egg.
Service was quick and efficient, but a bit cold.
Given the amount of competition in the area, I’m not sure whether I’d venture here again as, so far, the Post Street one is my first choice.
If Shalala can step up their game, there’s no reason why they can’t enjoy customer lines like their competition.

Located across from the Japantown Center near the middle of a cobblestoned plaza sits Shalala Ramen.
We ordered a couple of apps to start; Waffle Pork fries and Black Pepper Karaage. I think we could have done without the Waffle Pork fries… but when your fiancée loves fries… you gotta order the fries. They started to fill me up before the ramen arrived. C’est la vie.
The black pepper karaage is definitely a treat. Sweet n savory crispiness to the skin and moist tender meat underneath… The fries filled me up too much to eat anymore than one. Wish we had not ordered the fries.
The broth has deep flavors and is very savory. Unfortunately, I think I ruined it by asking for spicy broth, in which they place a dollop of chili paste on top of your ramen. While I don’t think it was much spicy, it did make the broth too salty and took away from the flavors. The egg was gooey in the center. perfect!

Located in the heart of Japantown, right next to 50 other ramen shops, Shalala is the epitome of A-​OK. Nothing special, nothing crazy, nothing bad though. You can get a good bowl of ramen that will satisfy your hunger and taste buds but it won’t be memorable. I just didn’t taste the tender love and care in the broth or noodles (that I do at places like Shin Sen Gumi in SoCal or Ramen Shop in Oakland, or the countless random places I stumbled into in Japan). I think I would rather go to Tanpopo across the way, but honestly they’re about the same as far as everything (taste, vibe, flavor).

Decided to stop by and give this a try. I know I’ve tried Sha la la in Santa Clara before but wanted to see if there was a difference between the two locations. In short, there really wasn’t much of a difference.
Ramen is pretty solid but the soup base is just too salty for my taste. This was the same in both locations. It’s worth a try if you’re into the stronger taste but I think I’d prefer something less salty.
The service here was pretty exceptional though. They checked on our table multiple times and were friendly throughout.
I probably wouldn’t mind coming back for a quick bite because of their awesome service and decent ramen but it wouldn’t be my first choice.

The broth isn’t super salty and the flavor is good. It’s a little skimpy on toppings so if you are superhangry make sure you order additional toppings. I didn’t like the karage, it was greasy and fatty, I had to spit out a huge chunk of schmaltz I bit into. The egg in my ramen was soft boiled, which would’ve been OK if it wasn’t so cold. Cold runny yolk is gross. Service is perfunctory, nothing great, nothing bad. It’s convenient and okay, and on a cold SF day a bowl of ramen hits the spot.

Deck the halls with boughs of ramen
Sha La La sha laa
la Sha laa laaah…
YUSSS at last. made it to the beloved dtMV noodle haunt’s S.F. location. And yea boiii, it’s woith it! Nihon-machi’s Shalala is in the cobble-​stoned Buchanan Mall, practically just across from Ramen Yamadaya. Because like the baby Buddha Jesus says, there’s always room for another oiishii ramen-​ya. Yea he tol’ me to tell ya.
On a weekend afternoon, all tables were occupied, two workers hustling hard to cover the entire room. Wait was maybe ten minutes. Menu’s more limited, intriguing and almost radically different than the original shop. Still, Sha La La’s food and service stand out.
A Japanese restaurant that cannot cook proper karaage. simply fails in my book. ShaLaLa executes perfectly. Five golden brown, huge glorious burn-​your-​mouff sizzly-​hot poultry pieces were an entrée by itself. Kewpie mayo, check. lemon wedge, check. SoDummbGOOD!
But wait, there’s more.
For ramen, the choice is between Kuro or Shiro (black or white). I prefer to taste the essence of the tonkotsu without enhancement by shoyu, bonito, sake, so Shiro it is. Simple, subtle, with great rich deep flavour. Kurobuta pork is mandolined, deliciously fatty as well as meaty. Five or six of those cha-​shu slices line the bowl. Noodles for shiro are the thick curlier tooth-​some style that complement a stock like shiro tonkotsu. Richer than the toripaitan in Mountain View’s shop but equally satisfying. The marinated egg is absolutely text-​book: creamy intense yolk, shoyu-​tinged egg white. My one minor nit-​pick? Mo’-to ramen kudasai. I want a meal not a snack so for the price, please give me more noodles.
Chu Hai is a sho-​chu beverage offered in various fruity flavours. The fun girlie drink is minimally alcoholic and arrives in an ice-​filled glass mug– essentially a buzz-​y soda. White Peach is my go-​to, but I’d also enjoy the lychee or yuzu.
So, to my grouchy long-​time nihon-​jin pals here who deem Sha La La average or barely passable: Da’-me! You’re dead wrong. Missing out on slurping legitimate ramen in your city is your loss. It’s okay though; more for the rest of us.
Sha la la Sha LA, la Sha Laa LAAAAA!

This is the first time here, food’s here superised me alot I ordered LIGHT KURO negi ramen, I extrimely love chasho here, it tastes so good!
我点的是清淡的黑的葱拉面，面条比regular的细，是我最喜欢的一种这里的叉烧看上去没有什么味道，可是配着豚骨汤底吃简直是棒棒哒！你要是很能吃，建议点叉烧拉面，肉很多哦！

Definitely a good place if you’re craving ramen. The broth is super rich and flavorful with chewy noodles, soft egg, and tender pork. My only complaint is the soup is much saltier than I would have liked.
The wait was a little long since they were packed on a weekend for dinner. Service was understaffed but very friendly.
My boyfriend got the Kuro (soy sauce) and I tried the Shiro (sea salt) ramen. I actually preferred the sea salt broth a lot more. Serving size was just enough to fill me and the price was reasonable at about $ 10.50 each bowl. Overall solid ramen restaurant.

My favorite ramen place to-​date; but this is in comparison to Davis, Oakland, Sacramento, San Mateo, and San Francisco, so no flames please!
My friend and I discovered this place around 9pm on a Friday. We had wanted to go to Yamadaya, but the wait was too long for our starving selves. Lo and behold, we stumbled across Shalala! There wasn’t a wait at this hour, though it was also quite full in the restaurant. I loved how clean, spacious, and cozy it was. The interior has a Japanese-​mixed-​with-​hipster vibe. Service was attentive enough, though I do wish they had told us each cup of hot tea would be $ 1. I wouldn’t have minded paying regardless, but I thought they should have mentioned it anyhow.
I ordered the chashu ramen with Kuro (soy sauce) base. I loved the broth! The pork bone broth was thick and flavorful just the way I like it. The 4 pieces of chashu were juicy and filling, even though they are sliced thinly. The noodles are thicker, which I prefer. The best part was the egg. There are not many ramen places that don’t require an extra $ 1 for the egg, but on top of that, the yolk was runny. What a rare find! Absolutely delicious overall! I was hesitant to hype this place up, since it looks fairly new, since I love it so much and would hate to have to wait when I want to dine here. However, I wouldn’t be a true Unilocal Elite if I didn’t share this place with the community. :p

Decided to come here after the wait at other ramen places in the area had really long waits. When we arrived, we were immediately seated! This place is fairly large compared to other places and maybe that’s why it was not too crowded.
For 2, we decided to order the fresh corn tempura, garlic edamame, and 2 veggie ramen. Let me tell you, this was wayyy too much food for 2 people even though we were starving.
One thing that really stood out to me was the service. These places aren’t known to have great service but this place was awesome! They first brought out plain edamame and we didn’t correct them to say that we had ordered the garlic flavored ones because we were too hungry. A couple of minutes later, they realized their mistake and brought out the garlic ones of their own. They let us keep both and said it was their bad. So awesome! (even though this was wayy too much edamame for 2 people)
The green tea sea salt in the corn tempura was delicious and tasted great with the tempura pieces. Both edamame came out warm and they tasted extremely fresh! The garlic one was a little too garlicy, but I still enjoyed it! Finally, the veggie ramen had the perfect mixture of veggies. I really don’t like places that put large vegetables into the ramen, but this one just came with corn, mushrooms, bamboo shoots and just a few others. The broth was a little bland in my opinion, but with some of the spicy oil, it tasted better.
Overall, decent vegetarian ramen place in Japantown, although I did enjoy the appetizers more than the ramen! 3 stars for the food, +1 star for the service!

Legit ramen choice in Japantown.
My bowl of Kuro sported a savory thick tonkotsu broth, and had the right amount of bite in its noodles ($ 10.25; credit accepted). Of course I got the spicy version (50 cents extra). It wasn’t life-​changing, but hit the spot after a long flight.
On the side we shared an order of their black pepper karaage. It was tasty, and pretty much what I’ve experienced at other places.
There’s space for a group, and barely a wait, unlike nearby places. Top that with friendly service, and no doubt I’ll be back.

Knocking off a star for their random hours! Twice I’ve tried to come here and they were closed, despite the sign at the front showing their hours.
Please update your hours or stay open when you’re supposed to be open!

I enjoyed the $ 15 All-​star ramen with the kuro soup base which is soy-​based with good rich flavor and was the perfect saltiness. I should’ve got spicy … regrets, unfortunately the waitress didn’t ask me if I wanted spicy or not and they don’t really mention it on the menu too so I forgot about that. Besides that the cha siu was good quality, it was really soft and tender and tasted delicious with my ramen. I felt there was too much bean sprouts to noodle portions even though I still mixed it up.
The portion for my dish was pretty good, other ones such as the vegetable and cha siu ramen seemed a lot smaller. Which makes sense since the all-​star ramen is suppose to come with everything. My ramen was plated pretty nicely, compared other places around the area that don’t make it look that appealing.
The service was average, kind of slow in bringing the water.
I would give 3.5 stars, but unfortunately Unilocal doesn’t allow me to — so I’ll settle for a 3 star because it wasn’t like amazing, but it deserves credit for being above average.

We didn’t have expectations, just trying to accommodate our large party of 9, on a Saturday afternoon. Shalala being across the street from the main J-​town center mall was less busy and had a long table in the back, perfect for our party.
I really enjoyed the tonkotsu ramen, broth was rich, flavorful without being salty. Noodles done perfectly, not overcooked, seemed fresh. Toppings were adequate, pork belly a tad thin, but 4 slices was plenty for the bowl.
Nice to know there are now several ramen options in J-​town, if not trying other ramen options, we will be back.

I finally had the opportunity to try Shalala after several failed attempts. Due to the fact they open a half an hour later than their neighbor competitor during the evening, I’ve always took a pass. Time is money!
Kuro Ramen was just the right serving size. Noodles are thick and chewy. The temperature was lacking and do wish they were consistent in this area. In comparison to two visits, the ramen was served hot and the other closer to warm. I prefer my Ramen served hot. On one occasion my carnivorous appetite took over and ordered the Chasu Mauro Ramen that successfully fulfilled the void
Both the standard chicken and black pepper karaage are great choices. If you are more into crispy chicken I advise selecting standard. The black pepper karaage is drenched in sauce which may or may not affect the texture if not eaten right away.
The staff are attentive and friendly. This includes both staff in the kitchen as well as those out on the floor. I do predict another visit for another ramen fix sometime in the future.