Tanuki Izakaya & Ramen

I came here on Christmas Eve for dinner so it wasn't very busy. We were able to get a table right away and the server was quick to take our order. The interior is fairly small but cute. They have a super cute giant tanuki statue near the entrance that was imported from Japan.I tried the Una Don and the Pork Katsu Curry. The Una Don was really good but had a bit too much unagi sauce that it was overtaking the flavor of the actual unagi. The curry was flavorful and the pork cutlet well tender.

WHY WE WENT HERE:- ramenTHE LOOK (FROM THE OUTSIDE):- located in a plaza off Elk Grove Blvd and Bruceville Rd- located in the same plaza as Nugget Markets- unlike any Japanese restaurant I've been to, the decor from the outside even leading inside made you feel as if you're in a food market in TokyoTHE LOOK (FROM THE INSIDE):- loved the decor- bar at entrance to the left; seating for patrons to the right- TV mounted playing Kpop or Jpop compilation performancesTHE MENU:- very extensive!- yakitori- appetizers- ramen (noodle)- donburi (rice)- special menu- merchandise- drinksWHAT WE ORDERED:- A1 gyoza (pan fried)- A13 vegetable tempura- R2 black mayu tonkotsu ramen- beef tongue curry ramenTHE TASTE:- our appetizers were way better than our actual entrees- loved the little sauce squirt injectable bottle into the gyoza; presentation we've not seen before until now- vegetable tempura was crisp and dipping sauce was nice- our respective ramen bowls looked better than they tasted; we've had better; for the beef tongue curry ramen it was plain and not as tender and the beef and potatoes and carrots were VERY chunky cutCUSTOMER SERVICE:- seated immediately, greeted warmly- our server was very nice and soft spoken; all smiles- water refills were on point

When the cooler days hit the greater Sacramento area (which is usually from mid-November to late-February), many locals turn to hot comfort food. In this case, ramen is a safe bet as more and more of them are popping up in all directions. This takes me to "Tanuki Izakaya & Ramen" which has been around since early-2022. Located in the same shopping center as Nugget Market, this place is situated at the corner of Bruceville Rd and Elk Grove Blvd in the heart of Elk Grove; about 10 miles south of Sacramento.I came here with my lovely lady around 5:00pm on Saturday 2/15/2025. Hours are standard as is the case with many other Asian eateries as this place is open Tue-Sat from 11:30-2:30pm (lunch) & 5-9pm (dinner) while being open from Sunday from 12-8pm and closed on Monday. Since we were one of the first customers to arrive for dinner, we were seated immediately. As for the interior layout of this place, you really feel as if you're in a truly different place. The Japanese decor, murals, and displays are aesthetically pleasing and vibrant. Keep in mind that seating is very limited as there might be a bit of a wait during the busier times.As for the menu, they offer of Ramen (noodles), Donburi (rice), seafood, appetizers, and drinks. And for the restaurant being as small as it is, they have a vast selection to choose from on their menu. For an appetizer, we both split their spicy Garlic Edamame". To drink, I tried a Japanese yogurt cream soda. And as for main entrée, I went with their "Gyu Don" (D11) which is thinly sliced beef w/tender onions simmered in a sweet sauce, ginger, and soft-boiled egg over a bed of rice. My lady went with their "Tan Tan (Spicy) Ramen (R7) which offers chicken broth w/soy sauce, spicy tan-tan meat, bok choy, green onions, Itokiri Togarashi (Japanese dry red chili pepper), and a soft boiled egg.Our edamame arrives first and is piping hot (not spicy but hot as is steam rising hot). It was delicious as it had the perfect balance of garlic. As for my Gyu Don, this was delicious except for one minor thing. Every single bite of it was overly salty. I understand that some dishes need a fair share of sodium for flavor but this was too much of a salt overload. I tried some of her ramen and this was very delicious but also a bit on the salty side. I think the spices in her bowl almost masked the saltiness but hers was a bit more edible than mine.All in all, with the exceptional service, reasonable prices, beautiful Japanese decor, and authentic food, I am still going to give "Tanuki Izakaya & Ramen" an above average four-star rating despite the level of salt that was in my Donburi bowl. I will still give props for "Ryujin Ramen" being my favorite place in the greater Sacramento area. But if any of you know a better places, shoot me a private message or compliment!

I can't believe I've been delaying my visit to this place for so long. Not only is it decorated super cute and have friendly staff, but it offers more than just ramen. It also offers skewers when you dine in and also has Japanese comfort rice bowls. I was craving oyakodon so bad, but not many places have it. While I wanted to try their ramen, I had to go with my craving so I do have to return in the future for their ramen. The rice bowl was very soft, had meaty chicken and a generous spread of egg on top. If you're feeling tired after work or a long day, this bowl will heal your soul.The skewers were also pretty affordable, ranging $3.25 - $4.75 per skewer. The most expensive and outlier would be the wagyu, which is market price. We skipped this. We did get the beef tongue for $4.75 though and it was very soft and a hot addition to our meal.My only downside was while everything felt like it brings you into Japan, their music and MV videos on the screen were KPOP. I wish they played JPOP at least because Japanese music also has great bands. The KPOP took out the ambiance for me. But food wise, 5/5.

Weekday lunch(They close between 2:30-5:00)I was seated right away by a very friendly staff member and ordered tempura udon from their special menu. $17Ambiance is intimate with pleasing Japanese decor.Tempura udon was delicious on a rainy day and portions were perfect. I was able to finish everything and was quite full. I liked that the tempura was light and crunchy and freshly fried (2 shrimp 5 veg). Broth was just *slightly* on the salty side for my personal taste.I'll be back to try other items!

Food, ambiance and service were all awesome! The restaurant is busy, small, and very well decorated. We ordered the R1, R5, wagyu fried rice and shrimp tempura, and they were all great! It was our first time here, and we already can't wait to come back.

This is one of our favorite Japanese restaurant in elk grove. Been here 4x now and still wanted to come back for more. Our favorite is the black mayu tonkatsu ramen. You will never go wrong with this order. They even have yakisoba which we dont find it to other japanese restaurant. Love their appetizer like takoyaki and this fried squid. There is always a long queue on this restaurant specially on the weekends. We also tried their grill food and we love the wagyu, although little bit expensive but so far its good. Just that their pork belly skewers are always not available. So wanted to try that badly. Try this and you will never go wrong with this restaurant. Our favorite so far!

Thank you fellow Yelpers! This was just the perfect spot for a ramen night. Authentic feeling decor as soon as you walk through the door and Greeted with a smile. First time here. I can't say enough about the service. This day and age lots of places are lacking but not here. Never had to ask for a water refill, the recommendations by the server were of course delicious. Stop in for a little piece of Japan in the middle of Elk Grove!

Overall 3.75 starsPrices 2.5 starsAmbience 5 starsService 5 starsFood 3.75 starsIt's a Japanese restaurant that doesn't serve sushi. It serves mostly cooked Japanese items like yakitori items which is basically little pieces of either meat or veggies, seasoned & BBQd food on a stick. They also serve donburi which is cooked food on rice, and ramen which most ppl know by now.For the yakitori, I've had the amazing tender beef tongue, A5 wagyu, chicken thigh, shittake mushroom and asparagus. They have other yakitori items that sound enticing that I'd like to try one say such as the chicken gizzard/heart, zucchini, chicken cartilage, short rib, and chicken wings. All the ones I've tasted have been really good except for the shittake mushroom due to it tasting burnt. The winner for me is definitely the A5 wagyu but I believe it's a pretty $15 penny each time for two not that big pieces. The veggie items are around $3.50 and meat items a little more. In my opinion, the yakitori is what wins here, albeit you don't get full, so you spend much more $ because one gets small amounts for the $. I did try the tako (octopus) karrage cuz it sounded unique for $10.95 which I wasn't super impressed with but the usual geso (squid legs) at $11.95, I really loved. They have a medium sized selection for ramen although I haven't tried them yet, but I did see it has good reviews. I sampled a little of the broth but wasn't super feeling it (I am very picky with ramen broth.)They have a good sized donburi menu, the unagi (eel) being my typical favorite. I tried the gyu don for $16.95 which is a sauteed thin meat dish with onions on rice. Wasn't the best I've had, but wasn't terrible. They also have an impressive list of Japanese curries which I'd like to try one day. The prawn katsu curry for $18, the beef tongue curry $18, and also the beef tongue curry ramen for $18 are some enticing sounding dishes. FYI beef tongue is incredibly tender. Don't let the odd, weird & unique sounding food title fool you. It's so good. I've had the steamed oysters and they are ginormous. For my oyster connoisseurs, they use the large Miyagi Oysters. They weren't bad. My son devoured them and they were reasonably priced. One of my go to Japanese dishes that is really good is the hamachi kama (yellow tail collar). Its my fave dish here so far. It was big, tender, flavorful, & I highly suggest it.Some special menu items I wanna try one day when I am feeling really splurgey is the A5 wagyu fried rice for $35. Also the unagi fried rice for $28. They have ankimo (monkfish liver) & is my Japanese fave and its $11.95.I talked alot about food, but their ambience is pretty okay too. Their theme is city like, booths, and it's semi- private, not too quiet not too loud either which is important to my aging eardrums. They have a few 2 seaters and their booths can fit 4 -6. Seating is not too expansive, but interestingly, I haven't had to wait for a table anytime I've been here, and I've been here about 3 times already. The service I've had has been pretty good all the time. The thin, pretty, light skinned lady is pretty helpful and sweet. They choose their servers wisely that's for sure. Located in the Nugget shopping center & parking has been available every time. Great for casual lunch or dinner dates, small to medium sized groups. I don't think largeish parties 8 or more can fit here. If they added some Japanese rolls, sashimi, or nigiri I'd come here more often.

Nice little ramen/Japanese place located in Elk Grove. Restaurant is nicely decorated. It was small but cozy. Place was clean while I was there.They offer many selections on their menu. They even have special menu. They do not offer sushi. We ordered Tonkotsu Ramen, Tan Tan Ramen, Agedashi Tofu and Gyudon. Food came out pretty fast. All the food tastes really good and definitely fresh. Flavors were on point. Portions were decent. Our server was awesome! She was super friendly and patient with us as we needed more time to decide on what we wanted to order. She gave recommendations and answered all our questions. Also, she was smiling the whole time while serving us. Very attentive as well.Plenty of parking which is always a plus!