The Best Ramen in Irvine

Mazera

★★★★★ 4.8 (178) • $$

"This place serves several variations of mazemen (brothless ramen) but I think Original Mazemen is the way to go. It comes with spicy minced pork, poached egg, green onions, chives, seaweed, garlic, and fish powder. Flavor isn't quite as strong as places like MoguMogu, but I also don't get as much of an MSG attack either. I tried the Bulgogi Mazemen and Tonkotsu Ramen as well, but they weren't as good as the Original. The Tonkotsu Ramen tasted weird so I never ordered it again on my repeat visits. Service was friendly but the staff can do a better job in explaining how to eat mazemen for first time customers. There's an instruction on the table but would be nice if they can give verbal instruction and offer some rice at the end, instead of having to ask for it."

Ramen Akimoto

★★★★★ 4.6 (152) • $$

"This place is legit and would argue that it's comparable to ramen we've had in Japan. My husband and I have been here twice now in one week, first time to try their tsukemen and second time to try their jiro ramen. My husband loved the tsukemen and noted the yuzu peels were a sophisticated and welcomed addition to the thick tsukemen broth. I personally loved the jiro ramen. Hands down the best ramen I've ever eaten in SoCal. The noodles were cooked perfectly, and the blend of flavors took me right back to when we enjoyed bowls of ramen in Tokyo. I love how you can customize this ramen with as much bean sprouts as you want, and the bean sprouts soaked up all the delicious broth once served. Overall, highly recommend this shop. We'll definitely be back to try their other ramen and repeat our above orders. Seating is limited, and I hope that they do well enough to lease out a bigger space. There's maybe one or two tables that they can combine to accommodate more than 4 individuals, but the rest is either bar seating, tables or booths of 2 or 4. *Side note, on the wall, they have more details on the chef's background. It was cool to find out that he was an apprentice to a very well known ramen chef in Japan who invented tsukemen and was known as the "God of Ramen". Incredible background and it's a testament to why the ramen here is so good."

Slurpin' Ramen Bar - Costa Mesa

★★★★★ 4.5 (618) • $$

"The tsukemen was good and flavorful! They use my favorite type of noodles for the ramen and load you up with the toppings, which I thought was very generous. If you check in on Yelp, you get 2 free toppings, so I definitely took advantage of that! Our server Tristan was so amazing and hooked us up with free sides/toppings for us to try. They were the perfect pairing to the meal!"

Shin Sen Gumi Hakata Ramen - Fountain Valley

★★★★☆ 4.1 • $$

"Great ambiance with tables open to the kitchen. Service is quick and friendly. We ordered two Hakata Ramens for $9.50 each-Monday special is a great value. Here are my comments on the food:- Customizable options before you order, very easy, and they actually follow what you put. My partner and I could distinguish the differences in what we ordered.- Broth has a great pork taste, very deep and rich.- Chashu pork is on the thinner side, not as juicy as I would have liked.- Noodles were perfectly cooked; I ordered them firm, and they had a nice bite.- Chashu fried rice is delicious-my favorite side that I tried there.Overall, I will definitely be coming back regularly to this place. Great value, amazing service, and clean, quality food. Love it."

X-Fish Izakaya

★★★★☆ 4.3 • $$$

"I am shocked that this place gets such high reviews. Maybe it's because people are comparing it to other AYCE sushi experiences. At $27.99 per person for lunch they cannot be serving high quality fish and still turn a profit. Food: The actual sushi/fish offerings are average at best. If you order any of their rolls it wont matter though. Because they will over sauce it to cover up the fact the fish have no natural sweetness. Their Tonkatsu ramen was very bland. Completely lacked the richness characteristic of a Tonkatsu broth, and the marinated pork had no flavor. Service: The restaurant was roughly 80% full yet it still took 15 minutes to get my first order of sushi. You certainly do get what you pay for in life. At this price point, it's possible that I'm expecting too much."

Menya Hanabi - The Original Nagoya Mazesoba

★★★★☆ 4.4 (382) • $$

"Super friendly staff - i would come back just for the people here. Every single person working here were so nice and friendly - not in an over-kill way too. There was a bit of wait but the food and people definitely made it worth it. Very clean table and utensils. I liked that I can just order and pay on my phone. So convenient!"

Kopan Sushi & Ramen - Garden Grove

★★★★☆ 3.9 (605) • $$

"Such a cozy place, Ramens super good, the Sushis amazing. We ordered Kara miso ramen, volcano roll, Bake salmon roll , Okinawa Sashimi, spicy garlic edamame . Everything tasted excellent.Fresh and delicious options and a buy one get one 50% on a big portion of the menu. The price was right. Servers are always friendly and accommodating. Love this place !"

Hokkaido Ramen Santouka - Costa Mesa

★★★★☆ 4.2 • $$

"Review 6/365 My 1st time coming to Mitsawa Marketplace and trying Ramen here on Tuesday Sept 24, 2024.I love mee a good ramen bowl especially a scrumptious place along w spicy. What I ordered~ Toroniku Spicy Miso Ramen in Large $ 17.45 noodles are yummy, chewy and good. The broth is spicy but isn't as spicy as I'd like it to be. Broth was yummy and not oily. Loved it. The large size is good and can be shared, if not really hungry. The pork is tender. Definitely recommended.Service is fast & friendly. Just a bit hard w communication a bit w the associates. Located in the food court with so many food options eateries. Lots of tables available.Looks like a good legit Japanese Ramen restaurant.Menu is in Japanese writing. Cute booth in food court looking like a Japanese restaurant in Japan."

Kiiro

★★★★★ 4.5 (17)

"I was craving Japanese curry and this place popped up. Glad I checked it out as it did not disappoint! The curry sauce is top notch served alongside one of the best rice I've ever had! I know right? Rice! Really excellent! Truthfully, I would have been happy with just the rice and curry sauce but of course I enjoyed the chicken, shrimp and fried egg that came on the Curry Combo! I'll be back for sure to try their ramen next. Cant wait!"

Mogu Mogu

★★★★★ 4.6 (451) • $$

"Have heard good things about MoguMogu, was in the OC so wanted to check it out. So glad we did, loved it! There was a bit of a wait, but the servers were very nice and moved people through quickly, we got a beer while we waited and relaxed.The location is in a strange area, near railroad tracks, seems to be an industrial complex, so don't worry you are in the right spot when you arrive.The is a Mazemen ramen style spot which means it is a soulless noodle, but that does not mean it is flavorless, in fact these bowls are flavor bombs of goodness.Got an order of Shishito peppers to start, always love these and a tall chilled Sapporo on draft, so good.For my main, got the Tokyo, which is spicy minced pork, poached egg, scallions, chives, minced garlic, fish umami, seaweed flakes. Once you get your order you, mix it all together inside the noodles and enjoy. You must get the minced garlic, it makes the dish. I also added some spicy chili sauce to mine and their umami vinegar, perfect! At the end, they bring you a scoop of rice to use to eat the rest of the toppings left at the bottom of the noodles.Enjoy!"

Mymen Ramen

★★★★★ 4.6 (215) • $$

"Been here twice already and overall I find this to be an underrated, solid ramen place!The first time I was here I got the tonkotsu ramen and it hit the spot! The broth was rich, I opted for the thick noodles and that really made it a hearty meal. Good flavor! The latest time I went I tried the vegan ramen, and tasted some of the wonton shoyu. The vegan ramen was so good! The cauliflower had this nice roasted flavor to it and the broth was so rich, you wouldn't think vegan broth could be rich and flavorful but this is! The only other place I've had vegan ramen is hironori, and I think both nail their vegan ramen. So if you like that one, this one is on par and unique in its own way. I love swapping the noodles for the thick noodles, and adding garlic + spicy paste to the broth. I tried a little of the shoyu and that was delicious and classic also. Located in a slightly unassuming plaza, this is a reliable ramen place that isnt too busy. Next time, I will definitely try the mazesoba.Recommend if your craving ramen in the garden grove area!"

Sushi Fire - Fullerton

★★★★☆ 4.3 (168) • $$

"Came here by chance, after being at Dripp next door. They kind of share the outside patio, however the restaurant cuts off half for their patrons only. We ordered jalapeño poppers as an appetizer, spicy but delicious!I ordered the Philadelphia roll and a draft Sapporo to go with it. Roll was a good size and tasted fresh. We ate on the patio since it was nice and shaded with their pergola. Service was very friendly. Overall I'd recommend and come back."

Motto Ramen

★★★★☆ 4.2 (595) • $$

"Just came back from about a month in Japan, so my standards for ramen is probably more particular than usual. Almost faltered with coming in but so glad I didn't. Got the crispy pork ramen. Broth was decent, and would've merited a 4 stars. But the pork made this dish an easy 5 stars. Protein portion was generous. I didn't take a pic before eating because I didn't expect to be pleasantly surprised like so...so much so that I'm posting this as I am seated at the restaurant.Noticed the negative reviews were from 5-6 years ago, but if you look at the recent posts, they're pretty stellar. Was curious so I asked the server and was told the ownership transitioned to 4 friends about 2 years ago. I have without a doubt once H Mart opens in this plaza that this place will be buzzing. Def an underrated place"

Ramen & Tsukemen TAO

★★★★☆ 4.2 (721) • $$

"Made a 20min drive out to check out this 3 time Michelin Star winner restaurant. I am surprised to see reviews on bad customer service because our experience was nice and it was busy. I can understand maybe a language barrier with the gentlemen bringing out the food but our waitress Yoshiko (name on the receipt) was great and taking care of every single table. It is a small place so expect a wait at peak hour. The food did not disappoint everything was great. I would not make the drive out but I'd definitely pay them another visit if I'm conveniently in the area."

Hokkaido Ramen Santouka

★★★★☆ 4.1 (700) • $$

"The Ramen here is super good.Both of my kids will eat more Ramen than they should.They would eat this every day if they could. And the storefront uses a lot of wood. And if you're really hungry for Ramen, then you really should."

HiroNori Craft Ramen - Sand Canyon

★★★★☆ 4.3 (676) • $$

"Heard many great things about this place so decided to check it out. Located in a plaza with many other food shops right next door, but noticed that 80% of the people were eating this ramen! There is plenty of seating outside where this ramen place as well as other vendors will bring out the food to you if you choose outside seating. We chose to sit outside because it was a beautiful weather and wanted the fresh air. My bf and I both ordered the shoyu ramen and I added the garlic and house spicy sauce to mine which were free! Service was pretty good, they brought out the food at an efficient time and did check on us throughout the meal even though we were seated outside. The ramen was incredibly flavorful and I could see why it is popular. I would rate it a 7.5/10 as I have had better but it is still a good ramen spot to checkout. Total came to $38 for two bowls bc they automatically add a 10% gratuity fee. Great place and location! Check it out if you are in the mood for ramen!"

Silverlake Ramen - Huntington Beach

★★★★★ 4.5 • $$

"I feel like the quality can vary at different Silverlake locations, but I really enjoyed the ramen here. The service was nice & fast, which was a plus since we were trying to make it to a movie right after. The tonkatsu with pork is my go-to, and I thought the broth was super flavorful but not too rich. The noodles were soft & the meat was tender. Great place in Bella Terra to get a fast & high quality bite to eat!"

Aoki No Chuuka

★★★★☆ 3.7 (239) • $$

"A gem in the Costa Mesa area!! It's been part of the community for years. It's also rare to find a true Japanese style Chinese spot, which also means the menu/flavors are a little different from what most people are used to. We came on a weekend and it was pretty quiet. The staff are friendly and attentive! Food: I got the tenshinhan, which is something I've never had before. While the gravy looks overly thick in the photo, the flavor was actually quite light and not too salty! I ended up taking some home because it was so fillling. The shoyu ramen broth has a clean-tasting quality and isn't too oily. We also ordere the ebichili because we've never seen something like it at a Japanese restaurant. Also delicious! Parking: It's inside a plaza so there's lots of parking available."

Ramen Mura

★★★★☆ 4.4 (439) • $$

"Always a great experience at Ramen Mira. Food is always delicious. Today I got the Special Combo Habanero Ramen and a side of Gyoza and my husband got the Special Combo Habanero Ramen with the Spicy Tuna Crispy Rice. Ramen was flavorful, hot, spicy and filling. Perfect for a rainy day. For the first time, I tried their Gyoza and Spicy Tuna Crispy Rice and WOW delicious, full of flavor. Highly recommended."

KIN Craft Ramen & Izakaya By Kei Concepts

★★★★★ 4.5 • $$

"Large, spacious, and classy but casual interior. We had a 30 minute wait for a party of 2 on a Thursday night. HAPPY HOUR MENU- tom kha chashu ramen ($12): 9.2/10. SO GOOD !!! rich, delicious, and creamy. heavy but not too heavy that you get sick of it. so flavorful. RECOMMEND.- crispy calamari ($10): 7.2/10. pretty normal. Very yummy spicy mayo sauce that comes with it. Could have used a little more sauce and a lime/lemon on the side. Not a must.- hokkaido scallop crudo ($12): 9.0/10. DELICIOUS AND FRESH. i LOVE scallops. the yuzu sauce/marinate they serve the scallops with is SO GOOD and complements the scallops perfectly.- 3 set yakitori skewers ($10): 6.8/10. The chicken thigh and sausage skewers were pretty mediocre. Nothing special. However, the scallop skewer was DELICIOUS. I would just order the scallop skewer to be honest but each skewer is much more expensive when bought individually and not in the happy hour set."

Kitakata Ramen Ban Nai - Costa Mesa

★★★★☆ 4.4 • $$

"My absolute favorite ramen spot in the area. Their Tsukemen just always hits the spot. There's generally a line on the weekends so I get there 30 minutes before opening.Parking can be tough sometimes because it's a small plaza. Service is generally friendly and quick. Not sure I would recommend this place for large parties (6+) since it can be a bit crowded."

Hakata Ikkousha Ramen

★★★★☆ 4 • $$

"Yum!!!!!When they closed down the Hakata in Lake Forest I was so sad! We used to go there a lot.This is my first time trying the Costa Mesa location and I was not disappointed. I tried the new Tokyo tonkotsu ramen. It tasted just like the ramen in Japan. This place is giving Tsujita a run for their ramen! I tried so many ramen houses in the States, but Tsujita and Hakata are still my favorite.The servers were all really nice and attentive. The restaurant looked like a ramen house in Japan.HAPPY RAMENING!!"

Kitakata Ramen Ban Nai - Buena Park

★★★★☆ 4.3 • $$

"Tasted great! I had the Kitakata ramen lunch special, which came with 2 pieces of fried chicken and one boiled egg. I got it with a side of spicy shredded green onion and cornThe waiter was nothing out of the ordinary and the service was fine. It wasn't too noisy, but it just gave off the good ramen spot vibe."

Huntington Ramen & Sushi

★★★★★ 4.5 • $$

"Decent alternative to Kensho. I like that they have a huge variety of options for vegan sushi/ramen, but it's hard to choose what to get because they seem pretty similar. The volcano tempura had good texture/flavor, but the vegan crunch was underwhelming. There is a call button on each table, but the servers are not responsive to them and were probably in the process of being trained. They do have a lunch special (buy one roll get one 50% off) and offer complimentary ice cream."

Ramen Tatsunoya

★★★★★ 4.6 (97) • $$

"Backs again for the Jun Tonkotsu this time! So great! Service is always so friendly and the ramen comes out hot and ready to eat. Don't forget to add an egg. Love the ambiance!"

Yoshiharu Ramen

★★★★★ 4.6 • $$

"Yummy everything so so yummy.But Last time I came in I ordered my the crispy rice as usual and they put so much rice. I felt like it was all rice. :*( still yummy thoI ordered the soup also, I told her meat so dry and hard so she had them cut it thicker. That did the trick. Will have to ask for that fir now on was so delicious."

Mogu Mogu

★★★★★ 4.6 (451) • $$

"Have heard good things about MoguMogu, was in the OC so wanted to check it out. So glad we did, loved it! There was a bit of a wait, but the servers were very nice and moved people through quickly, we got a beer while we waited and relaxed.The location is in a strange area, near railroad tracks, seems to be an industrial complex, so don't worry you are in the right spot when you arrive.The is a Mazemen ramen style spot which means it is a soulless noodle, but that does not mean it is flavorless, in fact these bowls are flavor bombs of goodness.Got an order of Shishito peppers to start, always love these and a tall chilled Sapporo on draft, so good.For my main, got the Tokyo, which is spicy minced pork, poached egg, scallions, chives, minced garlic, fish umami, seaweed flakes. Once you get your order you, mix it all together inside the noodles and enjoy. You must get the minced garlic, it makes the dish. I also added some spicy chili sauce to mine and their umami vinegar, perfect! At the end, they bring you a scoop of rice to use to eat the rest of the toppings left at the bottom of the noodles.Enjoy!"

HIRO Ramen & Udon

★★★★☆ 4.2 (305) • $$

"HIRO Ramen & Udon is my favorite spot for some bomb.com yummy udon. Omg... I wish this place was closer to me, but unfortunately it's not. So whenever I'm in SoCal, I have to come here at least once or twice.I love the U2 Niku Beef Udon. It's perfectly flavorful, delicious, and just food for your soul...and belly. :D It's perfect. I have not tried their ramen, but I'm pretty sure they're good too. I'm just really hooked on the udon. What can I saw.. I'm committed to it. Hehe.. It's really easy to order through the touchscreen, and the service is pretty quick and friendly. I love the self-serve additional things that they have such as the pickled radishes and crunchies. The place is decorated beautifully with the Japanese touches. The bathroom is clean. They have chill music playing. I just simply love this place. I can't wait to come back again the next time I'm in the area. :D"

Ramen Mura

★★★★☆ 4.2 • $$

"Not good. Maybe because we redeemed the buy one get one free ramen off uber eats. We picked up the order and my husband was at the restaurant before it was even ready...It's about a 5 min drive homeNoodles were hard , egg was cold. Meat was dry. Our spicy tuna roll was okay but definitely not fresh."

Papi Tacos & Churros

★★★★★ 4.5 (504) • $$

"While in the area I found this gem! Located next to a gas station is a cute and small restaurant with plenty of seating.In the mood for something not too heavy, I ordered three tacos and a churro to go. The server suggested I order a dipping sauce for the churro and that ended up being a good suggestion.Everyone is friendly and the menu was clear and simple. Not too many options helped me with sensory overload. The tacos had seasoning, flavor and were tender, all elements that are hard to find as a combination. Even better was the churro - this isn't a Costco churro by any means. It was the perfect end to a great meal. I didn't feel overly full and for $16 it was perfect."

Tokyo Eats

★★★★★ 4.5 (432) • $$

"The waitress is so nice! Stumbled upon this place just walking on a Saturday night. Tbh great place to grab a bite to eat after the bars. Can't go wrong with curry and ramen. This curry hit the spot. You can never go wrong with for Japanese curry. Esp after a night of drinking, and no that's not the alcohol speaking. Check this place out if you're liking good Japanese eats. Open late too!"

O'hana Sushi & Ramen

★★★★☆ 4.1 (217) • $$

"Great little spot for fresh Sushi yummyTry the Newport roll with no rice- Spicy fire crunch and don't forget to get a crazy monkey"

Shin-Sen-Gumi Hakata Ramen & Udon - Irvine

★★★★☆ 3.7 • $$

"Came in to get takeout so I could eat it outside. I had to order and pay from a self-service kiosk near the right door. The machine to print the receipt wasn't working, but my food came with the receipt. The photo of the Overload Ramen Combo looked like there was a mixture of meat, so I got that. Turned out it was just a regular bowl of pork ramen with 3 extra meats on the side. The pork spare rib was really dry and hard. Pork cutlet was also kind of hard. But the pork belly was extremely tender and juicy. The ramen was tasty, and the Calpico was sweet and refreshing. Food was very filling, but I wish there were more veggies in the dish instead of just noodles and meat."

Sushi Mura

★★★★★ 4.9 (42) • $$

"Sushi and ramen. The best of both worlds on a cold SoCal night. We got word there was a new sushi spot in Buena Park so we decided to try it out. My son and I are suckers for good sushi. Imagine our surprise when we found out they had ramen too! We were absolutely delighted at this double happiness! Lunar New Year has brought us great fortune indeed! The service was so friendly and warm that we felt like we could ask a lot of questions for given it is a new restaurant and people tend to be shy about speaking up sometimes. We quickly order the tonkatsu ramen for my son, black garlic ramen for me and we split the sushi order - tuna, salmon, albacore and negitoro. What a treat. The food came so fast and before we even knew it, we were chopsticks and fork deep into the ramen, slurping our soup spoons and loving the tasty chashu. The wood ear mushroom was firm yet not chewy. How did they do that? Amazing! Then the sushi arrived. *Cue the church music*Oh wow. It was so good and as much as we were and we wanted to dive right in, you all know we had to do pics first or no one would believe it happened. Super fresh and firm texture told us the quality of the fish was definitely a cut above some of the sushi restaurants we have been to. Just the right amount of wasabi and WOW! Perfect! You can see from the pics how much my son was loving the meal. The smile was equally big on my face! If you are in Buena Park or anytime you want BOTH good ramen and sushi, come here. You will be glad you did. And yes, we will be back but next time, we will bring the wife so she isn't missing out. (She wasn't crazy that we discovered this new fav without her. )"

Kaiba Japanese Ramen, Sushi & Grill - Anaheim

★★★★★ 4.5 • $$

"Came back for the good sushi and this time they did not have a wait! The carpaccio sushi was good and my favorite is the Alaskan roll. I don't know if it was the food or the music but it got me vibing."