No Scarlett Johansson here (bummer). Just two ramen fans that were excited to welcome San Francisco into the big league of ramen towns. San Francisco has an Ippudo. Finally! No more queueing at Mensho for hours in the TL with bums. We could now queue in a wind tunnel off of Market Street! Despite being forewarned about the broth being dumbed down (at Ippudo Berkeley, which opened nine months earlier), we braved downtown, found a parking space and crossed Market Street for a bowl. A very expensive bowl.
Yes. That’s $82 (after tip) for dinner for two. A beer, a bun, a bowl and some ice cream. Keep in mind that the same bowl in Tokyo is half the price (along with the beer) in what gaijin call “the most expensive city” in the world. I would be willing to excuse this as “the price of doing business” in San Francisco, except the broth here tasted like they phoned it in. It’s technically tonkotsu, but set at 5 instead of 11. The best way to describe my disappointment is to say that the broth here has been Lost in Translation. It isn’t as “fierce” as it should be. Also, no sides of garlic and ginger as the other Ippudos in Asia have.
They did get some things right. The cha siu was tender and the broth could have been a smidge hotter (in order to keep the noodles hot). And Ippudo is probably the only place in San Francisco that can actually do the soft boiled ramen egg properly. Delish!
Because of this, it’s technically an “Ippudo”. The ramen was bowled properly, the noodles had some snap. The flavors are there, just not enough of it. I really wanted to love this place; to be able to say that it’s a match for Ippudo’s Tokyo and Singapore locations (I know these best) and everyone should brave the line and the price for a bowl of Akamaru Modern because THIS is what ramen is supposed to be like. Instead, I’d recommend this as a starter Ippudo. Go here and appreciate it for what it is. A decent, but VERY overpriced bowl (because of the local conditions that restaurants in San Francisco have to operate in, not because of Panda Express greed). Then book a flight to Tokyo, Hong Kong, Singapore or Shanghai and have a bowl over there. That’s how it’s supposed to taste. And you’ll save some money too.
Ippudo SF
18 Yerba Buena Lane
San Francisco, CA 94103