Mensho Tokyo SF
| Address: | 672 Geary St, San Francisco, CA 94102, USA |
| Phone: | +1 415-800-8345 |
| Site: | mensho.tokyo |
| Rating: | 4.5 |
| Working: | Closed 5–11:30PM 5–11:30PM 5–11:30PM 5–11:30PM 5–11:30PM 5–11:30PM |
Location
Photos 100
Reviews 8
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Sophia Yuen
2 hours of waiting and one trip all the way to Chinatown for boba and back later, our party of 3 finally got seated at the communal table they had. If you dont mind eating alone, come alone and you definitely wont have to wait as long. We had so much time in line looking at the menu, I already knew what I wanted - Tori Paitan with double meat! I was so excited when I got my bowl of ramen! I always think that if others are willing to wait in line that long as well, it must be pretty damn good. I dug in and the noodles were good. I like to let them soak in the broth so that they get a little softer. The broth is made with chicken and it was thick and creamy - perfect for a cold day. All the toppings were good as well. The pork chashu was tender and delicious and the duck chashu was melting in my mouth. So good! Overall, was it worth the 2 hour wait and $18 bowl of ramen? I think you should definitely try it at least once, but its pretty pricey (even though the quality is really good) and Id only go back if the line was shorter.
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Mike Mansour
By far the best ramen I have had in sf bay area. It makes all other ramen a lie. Everything is so well balanced. You wont want to go to your normal spot after this place. The 1-hr wait is totally worth it. The owner is a professional ramen critic in Japan with 200+ ramen spots under his belt. He somehow got a ramen master to come here and make the menu. I ate: :+: tori paitan ramen. It is like tonkutsu, but with chicken bones boiled till they dissolve. . This soup was very thick and heavy. Wow and the meat.. Duck and pork. The fat melted in my mouth. :+: oysters. Got 3 of them. They dont come on the shell and ate marinated. Interesting texture. :+: Girlfriend had the soy ramen. . That broth was well-balanced and light. Amazing flavors. The noodles are out of this world. Cool atmosphere.. Good for 2 people at a time. Dont do large parties. This would impress a date Thank you mensho owner for brining this ramen to sf.
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Kevin arnold
Stopping off at every ramen shop I see from my home in Saint Louis, to Japan and many trips in between. This place really stands out. Every ramen shop is different, but all seem to follow a structure, or guideline. This just can not be said about mensho. It was truly an unique experience. The broth was very thick, yet holding form, no separation of fat, with a creaminess of a just starting to peak whipped cream. Noodles were thick and chewy, held broth well, yet offered a good neutral after taste. All topped with surprising yet satisfying extras including kale, and lack of a soft boiled egg, which although a normal staple of mine, in this case wasnt missed. Not my favorite, but it compares well with my top picks in Tokyo and kyoto, and would be an absolute go to if I lived near by or worth the travel if you wanted to show a ramen junkie that the options are more diverse than we all once thought.
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Sylvia Lewis
Finally made it out to Mensho. We wandered over Saturday night around 10ish - and were surprised that the line wasnt very long (probably around 20 minute wait). The noodles were very fresh-tasting and chewy. The broth (we ordered the tori paitan and the vegan) was thick and creamy. Tori paitan tasted full and meaty (even porky tasting) and vegan was very nutty with some spicy kick. Qualms are that the broth is a bit too over-the-top creamy (more of a noodly chowder than a ramen) and theres no egg option. Oh man an egg would have been awesome. Also, maybe I should get the shoyu (clear broth) option instead next time. To be quite honest, I really enjoyed the meal but dont see myself coming back often. The wait in line isnt worth it to me and $18/bowl of ramen (I think our bill for two ramens and a tea was around $40) is a bit ludicrous, even for San Francisco.
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Ernie Bello
I live basically next door to this place. The lines are absurd, everyday on my walk home from work I maneuver my way through a long line of people. So i finally decided to try it. After a 30 minute wait in line (not that long seeing as ive noticed when is the best time to go to avoid the line), another 20 for the ramen, i was surprised to find the food to be pretty mediocre. Thick, creamy, and flavorful, but nothing to rave about. Other notes; The service was great. The restaurant is very cramped and is poorly lit. The small space probably works to make this place seem more exclusive to people. Im not saying it was bad, but i definitely wouldnt stand in line again when there is so much food elsewhere in the loin, saigon, etc. Hopefully the hype train will die down and let us walk in peace at least.
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Leonard Pak
A stairway to ramen heaven. (Though Im certain that the lines in real heaven are shorter than this one.) I had the Tori Paitan. Broth, meat, and ingredients were all top-notch. The broth is incredibly thick and creamy. Just imagine sipping on great tasting ramen-flavored gravy and thats what its like. The only nitpicky con is that the ramen broth is really heavy and thus quite hard to finish off. Also a long line, but it was worth it: arrived 45 minutes before opening (4:15pm) on a Sunday, got seated 75 minutes after opening (6:15pm), so a 2-hour wait. Judging from the line that was there around the time we left at 7pm, it looked like it was still a 1.5-2 hour long wait. I believe there are four tables of six inside, so expect to wait 50-70 minutes for every 20-25 people in line ahead of you.
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Gary Wang
Having tasted ramen joints all over LA, San Fran, and Tokyo, I can honestly say this spot ranks amongst the best. Its not the cheapest, nor the best location-wise, and the wait can be long. Heres a tip - go solo. From creamy and heavy, to light and savory, they cater to just about all different tastes, and they do a damn good job at it. I had vegan ramen (tantanmen). Very rich, almost too rich for my taste. But I appreciate the peanuts, which adds a layer of unique texture. Enoki chips is heavenly light and crunchy. Ume shio ramen had a bit too much of ume paste, but Im fine with it. Delicious as always. Oh they got abura soba (oil ramen) now. Kudos to them for bringing on something new. Be sure to add a dash of vinegar (Yep, vinegar!) for elevated amazing savory taste.
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Adam Schrader
This is the best ramen i have ever had. We walked past this pace on the way to a show and there was a huge lineup so we wanted to come back after. Luckily it is open late. There was no line later on a Wednesday but the place was still full. We got the last 2 seats. I had the Shio broth ramen and it was sooo tasty. A nice thick hearty broth and it appears they make their own noodles. My wife had tonkotsu and i couldnt decide which i liked better. We are from Calgary and the ramen scene has blown up largely with many great places so we are always on the lookout for the best ramen. But this place in lovely San Fran was just better and is a must if you love ramen. Even the beer was good, they had some nice unique Japanese options that you dont often see.
