BeShock Ramen & Sake Bar
| Address: | 1288 Market St, San Diego, CA 92101, USA |
| Phone: | +1 619-501-9612 |
| Site: | beshockrestaurantsandiego.com |
| Rating: | 4.7 |
| Working: | 11:30AM–9:30PM 11:30AM–9:30PM 11:30AM–9:30PM 11:30AM–9:30PM 11:30AM–10:30PM 11:30AM–10:30PM 11:30AM–9:30PM |
Location
Photos 100
Reviews 6
WI
Wing Lam
I try out ramen restaurants whenever I travel, from the street stalls of Fukuoka to fusion ramen of Zurich, I slurp shamelessly whenever I can. Most of the time, I just want a sense of satisfaction, but occasionally, you find some exceptional joint that you just remember your experience forever. BeShock is one of them. I visited BeShock multiple times during my short stay in SD. The atmosphere was relaxed, with a trendy and casual vibe. I found a spot at the bar among other friendly regulars and was quickly greeted by the sake master and the bartender. I ordered Spicy Miso ramen for my first visit, but later on, I also tried Chicken Koji Ramen, and even Gorgonzola Cheese Ramen before I hopped on my flight back home! All their broth were mellow but complex. You can taste the subtle sweetness from the vegetables and mushrooms, richness from the long hours of boiling from bones and melted cartilage, and light saltiness from the soy sauce. The fact that I can have multiple ramen in my short stay without feeling fat or suffering an MSG attack have confirmed the quality of their broth. Each piece of slow-cooked pork and chicken were charred with blow torch individually right in front of you behind the kitchen glass. The noodle was always al dente. Although the Spicy Miso has oddly short noodles that confused me a bit, the texture was always on point. After all, they just consistently delivered a very solid bowl of ramen. Their appetizers and desserts were equally impressive. Shrimp roll was very much like Vietnamese egg roll with a Japanese twist of Shiso leafs in it. Koji fried chicken was juicy and incredibly crunch. My favorite of all, Bagna Cauda. Yes. The garlic miso anchovies dip was divine. I really think they should package it as nacho dip and sell it nationwide. Lastly, I would highly recommend their shaved ice. I tried the Strawberry Tiramisu. The ice was so soft and fine, and just reminded me of my favorite shaved ice spot in Hawaii. Finally, the highlight of my visit was definitely their sake (and beer). Their sake master, Ayaka, was knowledgeable, friendly and attentive. Anyway, here is the list of beer/sake I tried. All of them were exceptional and Ayaka was able to tell the story behind each brand. -- Tsuyu Saison. A collaboration between Stone Brewing, Coedo (Japan), and Garage Project (New Zealand). A Saison brewed with plums and shiso, and aged in Chardonnay barrels. -- ENTER. Sake Black. Sake curated from the world famous DJ Richie Hawtin. -- Silver Mountain. Brewed by Tedorigawa Yoshida Sake Brewery. The "Netflix sake" from their documentary "The birth of Sake" Ramen is about the experience and BeShock delivered, and they have so much more to offer than ramen alone. Dont go in and immediately order your "usual" and compare it to your favorite spot in town. The menu can be a bit overwhelming but the overall experience is an adventure to the interesting tastes of Japan. Talk to the staff. Ask them questions about their sake and ramen. They are very proud of what they do and I am sure they will be glad to explain anything, just like they did to me.
CH
Christine Nicole
Our server Bailee was A+++!!! We absolutely adored her enthusiasm, knowledge and friendliness. Other servers also assisted whenever needed, happily and without asking. This place gets 6 stars for service! Atmosphere was lovely. Very modern with comfortable seating and wonderful view of the kitchen. The decor was very fitting for the type of restaurant. Now the food part. This is where I wish I could rate this place 4 and 3/4 stars... its ALMOST 5 STARS in my book. We loved the variety of rare Japanese beer on the menu and each ordered one, which was delightful. My beau ordered the pork belly appetizer (Im allergic, sadly) to which he described it with the phrase "mouth-gasm", something Ive NEVER heard him say. Each bite involved a little eye roll and sigh. It was entertaining to watch, and made me wish I could indulge. For mains, my beau ordered Tonkatsu ramen & I ordered Gorgonzola Cheese (hold the prosciutto) ramen. My beaus ramen had a somewhat mangled egg that was cold in the center when he ate it. My chicken tasted bland, like it was roasted without seasoning, sliced then placed in a container with plastic wrap (had a plastic-like flavor), and then sliced and seared quickly before plated. Usually I would say something but it was so minor and honestly I doubt there was anything that could have been done if thats the way the chicken was prepared. Otherwise the broth was absolutely to die for and the noodles were plentiful! Overall it was a great experience! I would definitely go again.
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Bonnie Davie
The service was phenomenal. They were on point with our food, and getting it out to us quickly. Our server recommended a sake, but they were out of it, so they gave us the next best sake for the same price for our original sake request, which was appreciated. The food, however, was a huge let down. We ordered the spicy tuna roll, the east village roll, the spicy Miso ramen, and the beshock ramen. The sushi tasted pretty fishy with low quality fish (my fiance knows his sushi), and both our ramen bowls were filled with more pork fat then pork. I literally had 2 slivers of meat on all 3 of my pieces of pork, my fiance had less pork meat then that. The best part of the ramen bowls was by far the broth. The noodles were a bit overcooked, and we were so disappointed with the pork meat to fat ratio that we didnt even finish our bowls or get dessert. I recommend this place if you want good service and servers, but unfortunately can not recommend any of the pork ramen bowls or sushi.
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Susan Addleman
BeShock is an outstanding restaurant. The ambiance is modern yet comfortable. Everything is beautifully designed. The service is just right - thoughtful and attentive. But the food is what dreams are made of. The Miso Ramen is pure comfort food - very filling and large portions. The Mussels Sakamushi is so delicious - made with a unique blend of sake and spices that sets it apart from any other mussels dish that I have ever had (an Ive had a lot!). But its the BeShock Buns that are truly epic. They make you want many more than the two that are served in the appetizer. Oh, so good. I think Ill head back over there for more now!
AN
Anthony Riehm
i like this place. came here with two friends, and we ordered the "pork belly lovers" and a bowl of tonkatsu ramen each. unfortunately i didnt get a photo of the pork belly, but its amazing. the ramen is very good, even if the noodles are just a tiiiny bit more underdone than i normally like. the broth has a really nice boniness to it. we also ordered their tiramisu shaved ice, which was super tasty as we. they just opened up within the last few weeks, so there are a number of things on the menu that arent yet available, but im eager to head back and try them out.
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Ryan Van Loo
My absolute, new favorite restaurant in San Diego. A little slice of Japan right in East Village. The waitstaff was polite, the ambiance entreating, the drinks delicious; but the food was incredible. We only had the miso ramen, Gorgonzola cheese ramen, and tuna carpaccio, but everything had amazingly full flavor and reminded us of Japan. Well, we had the mochi for dessert as well and could not have been happier. We will be coming back often to try the other offerings as well as dive into the sake and whiskey bar. A gem right in our back yard!
