Hanabi Ramen & Japanese Curry

The best Japanese ramen I’ve ever had in the states. The only place I remember having possibly better is in Sapporo, Hokkaido (Japan).
I had the ma-​yu spicy miso pork ramen, and it has such a thoughtfully diverse array of ingredients. The broth is thick and spicy, with corn added for naturally light sweetness. The noodles are cooked to perfection. The egg… so deliciously runny. The spinach leaves… at first I thought they were just thrown in there like an afterthought, but NO they were seasoned with some sort of seasoned salt such that it melds perfectly with everything else. Last but not least, the pork on a bone! I thought you couldn’t get better than chashyuu, but this pork was juicy and tender on the inside, crisp and flavorful on the outside, and you get a different experience whether you it straight or soak it in the miso broth first.
I also want to say that you get quality customer service here as well since it’s a small shop. I first came here in January 2016 on a business trip and got to know the owner. I came back 6 months later, and the owner still remembered me. That kind of attention to customers just makes this place exceptional. Will come back every chance I can.

They close at 9:15pm, and we arrived at 8:30pm. They kindly sat our party of 4 down with no rush. I believe this was another ramen place before it was named Hanabi, I think Ramen Club?!?
We ordered:
Salmon sashimi, it was good but nothing to rave about.
Philly cheese rolls, not enough meat, but plenty of cheese.
Char siu ramen, just your typical ramen.
Karaage chicken, juicy chicken nuggets hehehe
Karaage chicken curry rice plate, comes with salad, and macaroni salad. Tastes good, I think it’s funny that my karaage was cut up already.
Ma yu spicy miso is definitely worth your money. That tender pork meat just falls off the bone. Juiciness on the inside and nice crunch on the outside. The ramen was not spicy to me, but it was for the hubby. I really enjoyed the ramen noodles and the soup base. I love texture and truly enjoyed the crunchy onions. The ma yu is unique to me because of the crispy tender pork and the ramen black garlic oil soup just complemented one another.
Service is attentive and fast. Parking is street. Place is a little cozy.

Great service and very good ramen. Miso ramen was delicious and the soft boiled egg is worth the extra money.

Thank you for making an off menu veggie ramen. Much appreciated. The broth is creamy and miso based. It has a complex taste and also good mouthfeel. They sprinkle a good dose of fried shallots, green onions in the ramen. I recommend the pasteurized soft boiled egg. It’s delicious. It was a cold evening and a hot bowl of ramen really hit the spot. Will
be back.

I love this place!!! Not only is their food amazing (especially their ramen) but they are so sweet! They really hold the accountability of their restaurant to heart and make sure you are happy with your food.
Their chicken teriyaki is godlike and I always get it when I’m there. I really enjoy their miso and Shoyu ramen and my boyfriend likes the Kim Chi Shoyu ramen. He has also tried the Japapeño Nira Shoyu Ramen, which he really likes, but it is very very spicy.

I found the ramen here to be pretty decent, considering that it’s not San Mateo and the wait for dinner is not terrible. In all of the ones we tried, the noodles were nice and soft, the paitan broth was thick and savory, and the chashu was tender and flavorful. The amount of other toppings was enough so that every slurp of noodles had something else mixed in. For a basic ramen, I really enjoyed the shio base, which accentuated the paitan (chicken) flavor. For something a bit more, the ma-​yu with the black garlic oil was another good bowl; although that does not come with the chashu, the pork chop that replaced it was really tasty and almost worth the extra few dollars. Finally, for something different, the curry ramen was intense and probably great for curry lovers.
We also had some appetizers, and those were okay if not a bit less memorable. The edamame’s garlic sauce was surprisingly addicting, and we actually used that sauce for the chicken karaage rather than the somewhat strange ones that the latter came with. Both items were what you’d typically expect. We also ordered an unagi roll, which was good, though a bit on the small side for the price. Actually, all the appetizers could probably have been bigger. They were probably meant for two people to share each.
Service wasn’t always there, but it was sufficiently busy so understandable.

Came here for dinner with the bf– we sat at the bar and watched basketball on the tv. Atmosphere is pretty casual. There wasn’t a wait, but it definitely got busy and people were waiting around 7 pm on a Tuesday night. I ordered the miso ramen, and he chose the fried oyster curry. The ramen was meh. The broth was orange in color and didn’t have enough pork flavor. The noodles were overcooked and soggy. The fried onions weren’t crispy at all, and the pork was cold. The curry, however, was delicious and flavorful. I really enjoyed the fried oysters. If you’re interested in checking out this place, I recommend trying the curry over the ramen.

Verdict: don’t bother unless you’re desperate for ramen and/​or curry in Burlingame (seriously, just drive a few more miles south to San Mateo for much better offerings!)
I’m not sure if I came on a really bad night or something, but I can’t fathom how this place averages 4 stars. The staff at this Chinese-​owned place were friendly enough but that’s about the only positive I could think of. I had a feeling that the food would be a letdown when I saw containers of red chili pepper flakes and Chinese chili sauce on the table instead of, say, shichimi togarashi (Japanese chili pepper), but hoped that the food would at least be decent.
Grilled whole squid: I tried warning my wife to stay away from seafood but she was craving it, so here we are. I heard a microwave being used in the kitchen, which lowered my expectations for our meal by several more notches. As feared, they brought out this completely dry and rubbery sad excuse of a squid out to us. Terrible.
Hamachi sushi roll (written special): the fish was surprisingly decent, but the rice was bad. My wife — who hates wasting food — had to pick off the rice…
Miso ramen with ajitama: this probably was one of the saddest bowls of ramen I’ve ever had. The «paitan» broth had distinct seafood flavors, which overwhelmed any chicken flavor that might have been there. The noodles seemed fairly low quality and were undercooked (under al dente). Unbelievably, the ajitama (half of an egg, mind you) tasted/​looked like it like it was pulled out of the refrigerator and partially reheated in the microwave — so ghetto!

I will actually keep this brief. The ramen here and service are spectacular. The food is delectable. Enjoy this endeavor. You will NOT regret it!

Let me start off by saying that the service, particularly from the owner, was excellent. They really care that you are enjoying the food and that was much appreciated.
We got there right at 5:30pm and as soon as we were seated within 15 most of the tables were taken.
My son had the miso ramen for kids and it was the perfect portion. I had the jalapeño Nira Shoyu and damn it was tasty! I had it medium and it was still pretty spicy. Flavorful, but spicy. The noodles were very good and the egg was perfectly made. I will definitely be going back to try something else.

Traveling for business and had a hankering for ramen. I’m staying near SFO and saw this place and decided to give it a try.
I ordered the shoyu ramen and I want to compliment them on the presentation. It’s beautiful, complete with fried onions, wakame (seaweed), spinach leaves, and pork slices.
I also ordered the pan fried gyoza and they were good, although different from any I’ve seen before. They were kind of flat shaped. Despite the unusual shape, they were good.
Back to the ramen, the broth was really outstanding.
My only negative here would be that $ 10.50 for ramen is a little on the pricey side and $ 6.50 for an order of gyoza seems a bit high, but all in all, a very satisfying meal and if I lived close, I would return.

Street parking was easy to find. There is no line here and it was easy to find a seat. The waitress was prompt in serving drinks and taking our order. I ordered #4– Jalapeño nira shoyu ramen with Ajitama. The broth usually makes the ramen for me. This jalapeño broth is something I have never had, so I thought I’d try it. It was a tad salty but satisfying and flavorful. Grilled corn is a must for me for ramen and I liked the addition of fried onion as well. The chashu was very tender as expected.
Curry ramen caught my eye in the menu and looks like something I want to try. Will be back.

I would not say Hanabi is my favorite Ramen restaurant in the Peninsula, but it certainly offers a tasty, quickly prepared meal at a reasonable price.
We made a reservation for 7:30, got there around 7:35 and were seated within three or four minutes, nice. We sat down, browsed over the menu, and ordered a couple drinks and appetizers. The chicken wings were pretty good, but not the greatest I have had. The edamame were good as well, although there isn’t really a huge margin for error with them.
I ordered the Jalapeño Ramen, and my wife got the special, the Black Garlic Ramen. They have other names in the restaurant, but for the life of me I cannot seem to remember them. My ramen was decently spicy, although I asked for it to be as hot as they can make it, and had a pretty good flavor. The egg inside was perfectly cooked, and the noodles and jalapeños were quite fresh tasting. Unfortunately, the base was just not that flavorful in my opinion.
My wife got the Black Garlic, as mentioned before. It was also just okay, and had a pretty decent flavor. It was not as intense of a garlic taste like I would have wanted, but it was most definitely edible.
The waitress that helped us was super friendly, and offered some good suggestions for what to get.
Overall it was a pleasant experience, but not something I would rush back to any time soon.

I was looking for a place to grab lunch before donating blood today, and Unilocal led me to try this place.
It’s a cute little restaurant with table seating for ~20 and a sushi bar that can handle another half dozen or so. It has a very casual and comfortable vibe.
It’s right on California in Burlingame near the Caltrain station. There’s parking in front and across the street and in the neighborhood behind.
I asked about their spicy pork kimchi ramen, but the waitress directed me to a new item they have instead — the Ma-​Yu Spicy Miso Pork. She said that was better, so that’s what I tried.
It’s a nice bowl of ramen. Good texture on the noodles, strong black garlic miso flavor in the broth. The bone-​in pork chop (not really a chop, but I don’t actually know whence it came) was meaty, super tender, and bursting with flavor. Fresh spinach added color and vitamins. Bean sprouts and crispy fried onions added texture. The egg was cooked very nicely, with a soft yolk that added a wonderfully rich umami experience to the bowl.
My only two comments that aren’t positive:
1. It was a tad too salty. My first slurp was fine, but by the time I was finishing the bowl, it was too much.
2. This wasn’t particularly spicy. I might have gotten the Caucasian treatment, but I would have enjoyed a couple more levels of heat.
Service was friendly and attentive.
Overall, a very good meal. I’ll keep this on my radar for my quarterly visits to the area.

I must admit, I went on a little ramen binge a while back when I thought ramen was the food of the Gods and I was on a quest to find more places to add to my list. Well, my search allowed me to stumble upon Hanabi in Burlingame and I really thought it was going to be good…
Hanabi isn’t really in a busy area of Burlingame. It’s along California St. and parking is on the streets and timed, but not metered so no worries about paying for parking. There’s parking across the street as well I believe and if not then there’s the residential neighborhoods near it.
The inside of this restaurant is a pretty decent size. There’s some tables and then there’s bar seating where you can actually see the cooks working which could be a good or bad thing depending on how you feel about it. I’m usually a fan but I was not liking what I was seeing when I was sitting at the bar with my boyfriend.
Majority of what I saw that comes out of their kitchen starts off by coming out of frozen bags. Okay, I get it. I’ll cheat once in a while when I’m in my kitchen, too, but guys please. They had their calamari coming out of frozen bags, their salad… It was quite a show trying to guess what would be coming out next.
I got their shoyu ramen and I usually get that at other ramen places because it’s a pretty basic dish and it will give me an insight to how their other dishes might be. Honestly though, I wasn’t a fan of this one. They add so much into it that the dish didn’t even need and I just wasn’t blown away. My boyfriend ended up getting some sushi that he said was alright. I feel like he was having more fun watching them cook than actually eating there. Oh, and avoid their taiyaki. For $ 3, it was just sad.
Overall, I’m alright… It took me 3 tries here before I realize that this just wasn’t for me.

Lunch with a coworker. It was rainy and gloomy. We needed something warm and yummy. We had planned for Phở, but ended up here for ramen instead. It was my first time here. Menus are always overwhelming to me when it’s my first time. Want to make sure I ordered the right thing.
I’m not usually a Japanese curry fan, but udon curry with karage sounded good to me. It wasn’t bad actually. The flavor was good, but my noodles were drown in curry. I’m not sure what others do, but I definitely cannot drink the curry… soup? broth? It was super heavy. I think half of what I got would’ve been perfect. I had to fish out my udons. Aside from karage, they added these small chicken balls. I don’t know why, but they’re not the most wonderful thing swimming in your mouth. Super mushy and I don’t know what it taste like!
Don’t think I’ll come here on my own, but if someone wants to go again, I’ll go. Probably try other things on the menu. They do have quite a variety to choose from.

Strong curry flavor but on the salty side
Would have preferred the Pork Katsu on the side (bottom was soggy)
Noodles were cooked well
Space is small, not meant for large groups
Overall Thoughts
At this point, still have mix emotions about Hanabi Ramen

Came here the other day for lunch with my bf. I had this place on bookmark for awhile.
First off parking here is a problem. I initially came here for the katsu curry and got disappointed when we walked in and they were all sold out. I ended up getting their lunch special… miso ramen and charsui bowl. If I do come back it would only be to try their katsu since there isn’t much options in Burlingame.

Ramen… I thought the make-​up was simply soup and noodles. Boy, was I wrong! There’s so much more to it. There’s different types of broth/​base, spice levels, meat vs seafood vs tofu, egg or no egg, veggies, and seaweed. You have so many options. The lady taking my order was extremely nice (and patient) as she explained everything. I had the asari clam soup (combination a). The broth was creamy, had a hint of clams and citrus, there were meatballs, a few slices of beef, clams, corn, green onions, and an egg. I couldn’t be happier! My soup-​game level is rookie; but the one thing I’ll forget is how their soup is like a hug in a bowl! Perfect for the upcoming winter months…
Great customer service and a big bowl of soup — definitely 4-​stars!

Over the years, some of my friends have asked me why some places take longer for me to review than others. There’s a variety of reasons, but the biggest might be that I’m kind of anal. Take a place like Hanabi — I made a point of coming here twice before writing about them. After all, hard to rate them on just their curry or their ramen when their name includes both! Well, that and because I’ve been torn for the longest time on how many stars to give…
Taking over the old Ramen Club space, Hanabi is different than your typical ramen joint (despite the name, the menu definitely tilts towards ramen over curry). Besides favoring a chicken-​based broth, they also focus on ways of making their food healthier — using triple filtered water, higher quality ingredients, and digital cooking methods. The result? No MSG, a broth that is both lighter and cleaner, and great looking bowls of ramen (the rest? Ehh.).
– TUNA TATAKI CARPACCIO…$ 12.00
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A great example of, «less is more». Simply, the dish was way overdressed (you can barely see the fish in the photo). While the tuna seemed fine and fresh (enough), the sauce it sat in was both overwhelming and overly acidic. The mayo helped to cut some of it, but there was just a RIDICULOUS amount of that too. Really, the tuna should be featured, not buried.
– CHICKEN KARAAGE…$ 7.20
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Easily the best of the appetizers I’ve tried. The order wasn’t super large, but it was done quite nicely. Not only was the batter thin yet crunchy, but it was well seasoned too. More importantly though, the meat was really juicy. A solid starter… I just wish there was more of it.
– SPICY CHICKEN KARAAGE…$ 8.25
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I expected a spicy version of the karaage, but this was quite different. Instead, the chicken was cut, lightly fried, and lathered in a spicy sauce. Not bad, and fairly interesting, but I wasn’t a fan of the sauce (a bit sweet). Plus, a few pieces of the chicken were kind of dry.
– ASARI RAMEN with Clam, Tsukune (Chicken Balls), Wakame, Garlic, and Green Onions…$ 13.50
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The only reason why I considered more than three stars. The broth is neither salty nor fatty, yet pretty flavorful with a garlicky tinge. The clams were delicious and plentiful, the noodles had a great consistency, and the tsukune added just the right meatiness. Plus, it’s so unique! Not often that you come across clam ramen (that tastes good). Not sure if it’s still served with corn though.
– KATSU CURRY RICE…$ 12.80
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On the one hand, the curry was fine and there was a lot of katsu. On the other, the overly sweet sauce killed the katsu for me. Even sadder considering how it was unnecessary, given the curry. Plus, the katsu was fine on its own. Taking away the sauce and adding some beef to the curry would have made this a plus dish.
As underwhelming as some of the dishes might have been, I’d still like to make another trip back to Hanabi to try a couple of their other starters, as well as to check out their other varieties of ramen. Undoubtedly, that seems to be the way to go. Four stars for that (and the karaage), but three for everything else. Love that parking in the area is pretty easy though!
And no, I’m not going to say how long it took to finish this review…

Este lugar me encanta!, es un pequeño restaurante ubicado en California Av. in Burlingame California, tienen un menú delicioso, la especialidad es la sopa ramen con especias es algo riquísimo, diferente, pero si no quieres animarte a comer eso, puedes pedir lo tradicional como el sushi, teriyaki que también es delicioso.
Unas meseras japonesas te atenderán de la mejor manera, el lugar es ideal para ir con tu pareja o con un grupo de 3 personas.
El servicio es bueno y la comida riquísima, cien por ciento recomendado.