Ramen Gaijin
| Address: | 6948 Sebastopol Ave, Sebastopol, CA 95472, USA |
| Phone: | +1 707-827-3609 |
| Site: | ramengaijin.com |
| Rating: | 4.4 |
| Working: | Closed 12–2:30PM 12–2:30PM 12–2:30PM 12–2:30PM 12–2:30PM Closed |
Location
Photos 100
Reviews 9
ET
Ethan Minor
Delightful. Modern atmosphere complete with hip Japanese styling, and a blend of the old and the new. The cocktails are arguably the finest in Sebastopol, with a trend toward balanced complexity, exploring exotic blends of Japanese teas and Whisky, new spins on old classics in the "Bucks and Bulls" section of their drink menu, and of course a divine selection of Sake, filtered, unfiltered. Personally, i love the Teke-Teke, a cocktail named after a japanese urban legend about a nasty spirit, though the flavors presented in this ume plum garnished japanese-Manhattan spinoff are anything but. The Yakitori menu is simple and delish, a grear way to kick off your expierence, perhaps along with a Bason Buck, an amazingly tantilizing ginger beer, 10 year old rum and special spice concoction. The appetizer plates are like little works of art, each unique and attractive in their own ways. I believe i have ordered (and loved) the onkonomiyaki every time I have been in. Exotic and strong flavored, yet balanced in all the right places... Sweet and salty, crispy and soft, cold and hot...the dish is an exercise in bold flavors that do not present with too much richness. I could keep going, but you get the idea. Go. Eat. Drink...be Gaijin.
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Vera DeVera
For years, I thought Ramen Dojo in San Mateo was the best ramen in the Bay. And then +Will Kivinski shared mouthwatering pics from his recent visit to Ramen Gaijin in Sebastopol. Inspired, I took a day trip to Sebastopol with a friend who lives in nearby Petaluma. Ramen Gaijin is located in a bustling corridor of downtown Sebastopol. Once you step inside (at least around 2pm), you enter a calm, industrial chic space. We ordered drinks, 2 apps, and 2 bowls of shoyu ramen with pork belly. We started with four Humboldt Kumomoto oysters: plump, creamy and swimming in a citrus infused mignonette, light on the vinegar. Magnificent! Tomato season is at its peak so I ordered the tomato salad with seabeans and sea lettuce in a sesame and seaweed dressing. Wow, that was perfectly balanced. The sea lettuce is a succulent thats got a crisp bite. Finally, our hot bowls of ramen, finished with a thick cut of pork belly arrived. The noodles are thinner than Ive seen at other restaurants and are made of rye. It turned out to be the tastiest ramen Ive had to date. Ramen Gaijin is a must go if youre daytripping in Sonoma County!
DA
Danny Poulos
havent even eaten here..and unfortunately more than likely will not. just upon walking, I felt like I wasnt in a true Ramen house. Emphasis and focus seemed to be more interior design, esthetic, and overall cosmetic features of the establishment. The interior environment felt as if though it was desperately trying to "show off" ...and you cannot even enjoy "their" Ramen until 5:30p. A true Ramen house should be simple and true to its focus. This place just seems to masquerade itself as an overdone caterer to happy hour/bar types and not enough emphasis on the food at hand. Just really turned off..especially on a cold day like today, when they could have a line out the door..and an hour plus wait for seating if they could just adhere to the simple principles of a proper, intimate Ramen house. ...and, not even a traditional Tonkotsu style on the menu. Sorry for being a stubborn, simple purist..but you can only overhype yourself so much as an establishment (esp.. a Ramen house) before you inevitably steer yourself completely off course. Just bummed out by this is all.
CA
Carol Watson
I had a bowl of the shiitake/tofu noodle dish when this restaurant opened after their remodeling. That bowl of noodles was one of my top 5 meals, ever. It had multiple, individual, wonderful tastes in every bite. It was an experience of different/unique flavors. What a rare treat! I went to lunch today and had the same dish, and it was totally different. The entire dish tasted the same--salty, including the tofu which was different than before, and was super, super salty. None of the wonderful unique flavors from the first time. I have never been so disappointed, probably because it had been so wonderful before, and I have done nothing but rave about this place for months, telling all my friends to go there, and anticipating my next visit. Eating out is a rare occasion for me and most of my friends these days, but when I do I want that food experience to be so special that I talk about it for months, which I did after the first time. I just want to ask this restaurant to return to what it was doing before so I can have that experience again. Thanks for listening.
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chelsey Carrillo
This place is way over priced especially when considering the full package. Ordered 2 bottled beers upon being seated we didnt receive them until our meal, after our appetizers. The service was slow, even trying to spot a server to flag down was impossible. The food took a long time to get to the table. Once it final did get there was a live caterpillar on my bowl of hot ramen! Again try to flag someone down to tell them took about 10 minutes! The servers response was "well at least you know its organic. Sorry this is farm to table so it happens sometimes" hearing that she was not concerned about a live bug in my food was a little unsettling about what else I might have eaten there. Also had to send the bill back after I was still charged for the $20 bowl of ramen with the bug that I didnt even eat. Left still hungry, out $25 and over hour of my time wasted.
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Katie Casella
The food here is amazing! And I have had a lot of ramen. Seriously a fan and will happily make the trip up from San Francisco just to eat here. My only criticism is that because its so good, its REALLY popular making the wait times really long. Luckily they have a bar where you can order drinks and appetizers while you wait. We go there 15 mins after opening and there was already an hour wait for a table of 4! The food was worth the wait though. I recommend the pickled veggies, pot stickers, any of the ramen and add pork bell and fried chicken! Mmmm Im getting hungry just writing this review!
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Hanh Pham
Came here on a friends recommendation. There was an hour wait, but we gave them our phone number and walked around. We came back and got seated at the bar.I got the spicy tan tan ramen with an extra piece of pork belly. The broth was almost stew like with meaty bits and had a kick to it. The pork belly was the best part-- it was a nice thick piece that melted in the mouth. We shared a pickled plate that had a variety of seasonal pickled items. My favorite was the golden beets. The service was good and we enjoyed our meals. Definitely comforting and delicious.
DA
Danger Peaches
I love the atmosphere, amazing art on display, I was hoping to try traditional ramen, so that my weeb quest may continue but the ramen is a blend of Sonoma county cuisine and ramen. I tried the shoyu ramen, Its pretty good! Its much better with chili, I distinctly got the flavor of a wooden barn pre chili, and post chili the barn flavor was cut down. I think its due to the mushrooms? Idk. The mule they made for us was very tasty! I honestly thought they had topped it with a slice of raw salmon, but i was happily mistaken! Its just Ginger, dont be scared
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Randy Hall
Not just the best ramen you can get in Sonoma County, but this is one of the very best in Northern California, and thats saying something. My personal favorite is the Tan Tan Ramen (tantan-men) which is gorgeously presented, remarkably consistent from visit to visit, and thoroughly delicious. Youve never had a soft-boiled egg cooked and seasoned to perfection with your ramen until youve eaten here. Yes, its that serious.
