Saiwaii Ramen
| Address: | 2240 Irving St, San Francisco, CA 94122, USA |
| Phone: | +1 415-665-7888 |
| Rating: | 4.1 |
| Working: | 11AM–3PM 11AM–3PM 11AM–3PM 11AM–3PM 11AM–3PM 11AM–3PM 11AM–3PM |
Location
Photos 100
Reviews 16
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Fred Espino
Disclaimer: I am a ramen virgin and my knowledge of what good vs amazing ramen its almost non-existant. All I knew was that I wanted to try tonkotsu ramen first. I chose Saiwaii only because of its hours and proximity to my visit to SF. I ordered the Spicy Garlic Tonkotsu lunch special which came with a 6 piece sushi roll; I opted for a Sake Avocado Roll. The service was amazingly fast with both items at the table in a matter of minutes. The sushi was OK, a bit small but it was only $2 more than the ramen alone. The tonkotsu was very delicious, not too spicy and just the right size. Although I was very satisfied with my meal, I the feeling that tonkotsu might be much better elsewhere. I will try a few more places as my visits to SF allow.
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Fran V
My friend suggested that we go here after looking up some ramen places. We got here around 9:30pm on a Friday and the place was still bustling with people. Be warned that it is a small restaurant, so be ready to wait, especially if you have a big group and arrive during peak hours. After waiting for about 15 minutes for a table to open up, we finally sat down and ordered. I chose to try their soy ramen and added an egg to it. When it arrived at the table, it was steaming and nice and hot. I quickly dug into it and finished it pretty quick. It was very tasty and the ingredients were fresh. Nothing like a bowl of hot ramen to warm me up during one of these colder September evenings. Hoping to return soon for my next serving of ramen! Nom!
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David H
I usually get their Garlic Tonkatsu ramen noodle soup. Its pretty tasty. Spiciness is not always consistent though. Sometimes its mild where it should be for me and a couple times it too spicy. One thing I dont like is that when you order Togo, the amount of soup they give you just a tad too little. You will have to pay more if you want extra soup. Update: So Ive tried this place a few more times, and the last time was it for me. The chashu was barely that. It was chewy pork belly. What happen to soft chashu meat that usually comes with ramen? The ramen is also on mediocre to me. I wont be coming back to this place, and will need to find a good alternative.
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Peter Preciado
Delicious ramen!! Very fast and friendly service. I eat ramen all over the city and one thing Ive noticed is that some places give you egg, mushroom and spinach or some combo of these included in the price. Here I had to pay a dollar for the egg, which is common. But over all really good food and nice people. It was pretty easy to park and walk here and even though they were packed, with a wait, I was sat within 5 minutes, order taken in two, answering all my questions patiently and good arrived about 5 minutes later. From parked to food in my face in 15 minutes. Wow!!!
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Curtis Chan
This is the second time Ive been here and both times, their sushi was subpar. Their rice was rather overcooked and somewhat soggy. But the fish inside was decent. Their ramen, however, was pretty tasty. Decent portion size for a reasonable price. I would definitely come back here for their ramen but not for their sushi. The place wasnt too crowded as well. Only had to wait a couple minutes on a Friday night.
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Kenji Muramoto
For being in a mini Chinatown district, its really not that bad. As most people in the area should know. Most Japanese restaurants that are owned by Chinese tend to not taste the same and the quality of food/service is usually sub-par at best. This place is one of the few exceptions. While its not the best Ive had. Its definitely one of the only places in San Francisco that Ill go for ramen.
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Jenny Fong
Sawaii Ramen is located in the Sunset district of San Francisco. Like other ramen shops, it is a small place good for a group of 2 to 4 people. Typically, I order the regular tonkotsu ramen or the mild spicy garlic tonkotsu ramen. It is not like Ramen Dojo, but it is still a satisfying bowl of ramen when I crave for it. Also, Sawaii Ramen has other delicious appetizers like garlic soft shell crab.
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Denise Dang
Saiwaiis ramen was a little bit disappointing. Being one of the higher rated ramen places in the city, I expected much more flavor from the ramen I got here. Perhaps people are right and that the best ramen houses are in San Mateo, because Saiwaii surely doesnt deserve such high accolades. Besides ramen, their bacon mochi was good and their sushi rolls are delicious.
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Daniel Chaitow
Maybe the best value ramen in the city. The noodles might not be quite as springy as the very best. And the broth not quite as complex as some. But theyre still very good and it costs $3-10 less than other bowls around the city. Add in cozy atmosphere, friendly service, and a nice selection of non-ramen dishes (sushi, karaage, grilled fish) and youve got a winner.
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Olivier Madnomad
The ramen soups are descent. The sushi is ok and too expensive for the quality being served. The ramen soups is what I would go for in this place, nothing else, as they are priced appropriately for the quality of the food in this restaurant. I like the local and unpretentious neighborhood atmosphere here, and I probably come once every 3 months.
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Gus Workman
Very tasty ramen! I got the miso ramen. It comes in a large bowl of miso broth, with some bean sprouts ramen noodles and several slices of meat (pork I think). I think that hot tea comes free with your meal, I think. It was around $9 if I remember right. For ramen, it wasnt too expensive. About on par. Also, the service was great. 5 stars
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Jazzy Piper
I ordered the garlic noodles, although they are very tasty, it cost a lot for noodles. I wont be going back. For what they charge for noodles, I can buy a weeks worth of noodles and make them myself. The Thai Iced tea, nothing great. I was expecting something spectacular in flavor but no, it missed the mark altogether.
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Christopher Shue
Go for ramen! Super drafty when the door opens. Doesnt matter where you sit. So be sure to bring lots of warm clothes. It helps that the staff consciously closes the door when they see it left open. I recommend spicy mala and spicy garlic tonkatsu(although I wish this one had more meat for the price)
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Ricky Shin
Had dinner here as it was the least crowded and no wait during prime dinner time on a Sunday. The ramen I had was okay, not great, not terrible. The broth didnt have a rich or deep flavor and the noodles were just one notch above "instant". Id return for a quick inexpensive meal but not a favorite.
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Jane Nguyen
Finally a good ramen place that doesnt have a long wait! I order the spicy Tonkatsu and happily slurp up every bit everytime Im here. Just enough garlic with DELICIOUS pork belly (I dont care that its mostly fat) and a perfectly cooked egg, Im sad that this place is so far out from me.
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Albert Wang
Their spicy garlic tonkatsu ramen is the item to get here. The flavor is good, but the ramen noodles are bit clumped together and sometimes stuck in a big ball, and the fattiness of the pork is inconsistent. Everything (including an egg) is extra and needs to be ordered separately.
