Ramen Yamadaya

Had the yummiest meal here. I love the atmosphere, the food, the many options, particularly for vegans, vegetarians, and omnivores. The food was plentiful and delicious, and the restaurant is cozy and warm. I really felt at home here.
As amazing as the food was, the service was phenomenal! Joe was our server, and he so gets it. He gave us some great recommendations and was a joy to work with. As a waiter, he is head and shoulders above the rest. Loved him! Can’t wait to visit San Diego and Ramen Yamadaya again!

This Ramen house is the best. Nobu was great. Yoshimi is great aswell. Food here is allways fresh and delicious.

Joe provides legendary service! Food was on time and he was personable! We will be back!

Ramen is delicious, a bit on the pricey side, but very tasty none the less. Waiters are awesome, they actually brought us a free hot sake on the house. The wait wasn’t too long which was also great. I will definitely be returning. Although, if you’re reading this management, a happy hour would make it even better!

We got takeout. Tonkotsu spicy level 3. Noodles were thin. broth had great flavor. Delicious .
I would recommend dining in though. Any time I get ramen takeout the noodles always end up stuck together and springy. Tho takeout was good, I imagine dining in, the food is even better.
I’m picky about ramen. I’ve tried a lot of places in San Diego. So far this is one of the better ones I’ve found.

I have to admit, I have been waiting for Ramen Yamadaya to open it’s door since it put up their sign on Broadway in Downtown San Diego. It is with in walking distance from businesses, downtown living and a great addition to the eclectic food choices.
Arriving early is a must. Restaurant is small and can fill up quickly. I absolutely enjoyed the Shoyu broth of my Tonkotsu paired with the Kara-​age and Small Salad. I left feeling full and the price was reasonable.

We’ve waited SO LONG for this location to open. And when I finally get the chance to dine here… meh.
I showed up for lunch with a group of co-​workers. They were able to push a few tables together to seat us, which was nice. The first waitress we encountered must have been having a bad day. She was rude and snippy, and barely acknowledged us. The second waitress was marginally better, but still didn’t seem to care that most of the girls in my group had questions.
The waiter, though, was very friendly. He took the time to explain the menu to everybody else, gave recommendations, and asked for questions. He was the shining star of the day, that’s for sure.
When we were all finally able to place our order, we got waitress number two. She got the job done, at least…
When the food came out, we got waitress number one. TERRIBLE. Let me set the scene:
You have a table of seven, of which, only one is familiar with the menu. The waitress brings out bowls of ramen, and yells out the name of the dish. All around the table, there’s blinking and silence. She yells again. More blinking. Then people start saying things like, «I ordered the one that was the top-​left picture on the menu.» Instead of trying to clarify or work with the table, this chick yells one more time before dropping the bowl in front of the person sitting closest to her. So goes the entirety of the food presentation.
We spent a few minutes trying to figure out which bowl of ramen belonged to which woman. The horrible waitress had run off back to the kitchen without so much as an attempt to be helpful.
Thank goodness the waiter came back and was able to help us decode the ramen mystery.
After all that, the food was okay. Not as astounding as the Clairemont location. The ramen wasn’t piping hot, but at least it was warm and filling. The girls seemed to enjoy it, at least.
Not sure if I’ll bring the hubs. I don’t do well with wait staff that don’t try to hide the fact that they hate their job. I wish we had gotten the name of the rock star waiter, though.

Be sure to arrive at the dot when they open because it fills up quickly for lunch. We got here after 20 minutes after they open and it was all packed! We had to wait for 15 minutes for a table… So get there early or after the first wave of lunch.
The ramen is good. Yamadaya has always been one of my top to go ramen. I like the one in Clairemont and this one is just as good. I think the pricing is about $ 1 – 2 higher though. And they still give you the free fresh garlic to press into your ramen.
I like the porkbelly meat but the chashu was dry and not good. Next time I’ll only get the pork belly ramen with spicy broth. Each additional spice level will cost you! The first level is fine.
Service was so so, very busy during lunch.

I have been looking at this place ever since they started building it. I live in downtown and I’m always looking for a ramen place in so long! And ramen yamadaya was born!
Me and my boyfriend came in, I went in with high expectation. Unfortunately I was a little disappointed about the service. That’s why I’m only giving it a three star :(we went in not really sure where to sit cause there’s a sign that says wait to be seated… Lol confusing. I work in a Japanese restaurant I figured the employees would say hi in Japanese to acknowledge customers upon entry. We sat down by the window. I really like the interior cute and simple. Our server came got our order, we got the yamadaya buns, karaage bento box and the specialty ramen bowl with the pork broth and Sapporo. We got the yamadaya buns it was pretty good! I can tell it’s not pre-​made that came in packets and put in an oven. A group of Japanese guests came in and the employees greeted them across the restaurant when they came in me and my boyfriend were just like lol. It’s cause we’re not Japanese we don’t deserve to be greeted. It’s not a big deal or anything but how would you feel if you saw that happen to you, you know? My boyfriend got his karaage bento box, and I think the reason why I still had a a glimmer of happiness lol their karaage chicken is made Japanese style and I was so excited. The quantity of the bento box was gnarly. They had like almost two scoops of rice literally shaped like a football by the way lol it came with salad and some mayo sauce I don’t exactly what it was. It was good though! I got the ramen bowl, the flavor was decent I got the pork broth. I only tried this place for the first time but I wasn’t really satisfied with my food I like how the pork and beef was tender. Their a ramen place and I was disappointed but at least their buns and karaage chicken was good. Oh btw my server forgot about my Sapporo til I got the main course and there was only 2 tables in the restaurant. Honestly I would come back for something else besides ramen since it’s close to my house. It wouldn’t be on my top 10 to go eat out places though.

We got ramen to go since we were staying a block away at Hotel Palomar. Do yourself a favor and don’t ever get to go and eat inside. They separate all the fixings and when you get it, it’s a bunch of sticky noodles and the hot soup is in another container. I ordered the shoyu (soy sauce) ramen.
The ramen was so stuck together that it was hard to tear them apart even if you poured the hot soup over it! I was so disappointed. It took forever just to separate the noodles and by that time I already lost my appetite. I did eat the whole thing because I was so hungry.
Good place for ramen (right on broadway!), but make sure you dine in so you enjoy your ramen and don’t have to fight to eat it!

Yummy Ramen! Hits he spot on a 58 degree day in San Diego!
The Kakuni Ramin with the Tokyo sauce is the bomb. The bone broth, that is cooked it for 20 hours, is so tasty! They also have a vegan Ramen!

Still a great place with quick service. I had not previously tried the vegan ramen with the spinach noodles. I just did today for the first time and am happy to report that these nights are tasty AND chewy. That’s rare for non egg based noodles. But I do like the vegan broth better with chili oil. Still, it’s very satisfying.

The place is alright. Ramen was good, nice broth and slices of chasu.
Service: The service could be better. I came here with a small group of friends and there was no wait. The server took our order via memory and forgot an order, another was messed up twice… One waiter brought a tray of waters and didn’t hand it out, instead stood there and told us to «take it», then left. The same waiter was awkward as well, made our dinner somewhat not that enjoyable due to the weird jokes he kept telling.
Our friend asked for no green onion and they brought a bowl of green onions. They took it back and when it was brought out again, green onions were apparently not removed… Rather mixed into the broth. How?
Service didn’t bother or cared for their customers.
They do refill accordingly, so that’s cool I guess.
Food: the ramen was okay, their broth was good. There are variety of broth flavored from salt to spicy. They also have pork belly ramen which was good. The meat was very tender. Chasu could be better though, it tastes not fresh and frozen.
Overall, my experience here is up and down. Would not come back. Sad to see the review rate on here.

A nice addition to Downtown. Finally! Nice and clean not too big of a restaurant but I’ll assume that as soon as others find out about Ramen Yamadaya it’ll get very busy.
Food:
Kukuni Ramen
I’ve tried majority of San Diego’s Ramen joints however the Kukuni Ramen did not satisfy me. The pork belly was very hard and the flavor was a little tasteless compared to other broths I’ve had at their other locations. (Not sure why)
Anyway, I will definitely give them another try.

Wasn’t feeling awesome today so figured I’d give ramen a shot to see if it could clear out my sinuses and make me sweat a little. Excellent gyoza, and then BOOM goes the spicy ramen with FRESH GARLIC! Oh man, get the fresh garlic! Just press it raw in there… let the magic happen.

I love how all the employees are Asian. I really respect that when I go to a Asian restaurant. First, start with the Takoyaki, it’s really good. Was surprisingly impressed with the flavor. Beware of the Green Tea, it’s good, but you will burn your hand on the cup because it’s too hot. The Kakuni Ramen was good. I ordered a level 3 heat, which gave me a little tickle. Not too hot for me. Wouldn’t suggest that heat for most people though. Service wise, the place needs a lot of work. Would only give that 2 stars. With our appetizer, they never brought out plates to share. Not once did our server fill up our water either and we both ordered our ramen hot. The chef did come out later to ask if our Ramen was hot enough. So here’s my break down. Appetizer: Takoyaki 5 stars. Ramen: 4 stars. Service: 2 stars. Oh and the graffiti on the front window doesn’t help either. Fix their service and I’d easily give them 4.

Have been eagerly awaiting the opening of Ramen Yamadaya for a long time — the coming soon” sign is finally now an «open» sign. Worth the wait! Hip space, quick, friendly service, reasonably priced. But best of all, tasty ramen — flavorful, creamy broth, tender, chewy thin noodles and tasty pork and toppings. Perfect for a (relatively) chilly San Diego day!

So, I’m not a ramen expert, but if the waiter addresses you in Japanese, it’s probably more authentic than most.
First of all, cute place. Would be great for a date. the kitchen is kind of open, so you can hear and see when your food is coming.
I ordered the kakuni ramen– which is kind of like the «everything» ramen. I got it with salt flavored broth. The key to the kakuni is the kakuni pork. Um, it is freaking delicious! Very tender pork with a slight sweetness from the marinade. It was a very satisfying bowl of ramen.
The husband ordered the katsu curry. Amazing spices. I could taste the cinnamon and cumin in the curry. It was smooth and delicious.
The prices aren’t that bad for downtown either.

Cons
–only had thin noodles
–no sesame oil/​seeds in ramen
–no fried garlic chips
–waitresses took forever!
Pros
–has the biggest pork belly I’ve ever seen
–layout out is pretty hip, kind of intimate
–downtown location

Oh-​oh-​oh-​oh-​oh-​oh-​oh-​oh-​oh-​oh-​oh-​oh!
Caught eating bad ramen
Oh-​oh-​oh-​oh-​oh-​oh-​oh-​oh-​oh-​oh-​oh-​oh!
Caught eating bad ramen
Rah-​rah-​ah-​ah-​ah-​ah!
Ramen-​men-​men-​men!
Ya-​ya-​ma-​ma-​da-​ya!
Don’t want no more bad ramen
Ramen Yamadaya,
You know that I want you
And you know that I need you
I want it bad, your hot ramennnnnnnn!
Endorsed by Lady Gaga or not, this place is legit & I’m a fan!
+PROS+
–fast service!
I’ve been here for lunch & dinner, and they are pretty quick to bring you your food, which I really appreciate, since working in the hustle & bustle of downtown= it feels like I’m always in a rush to get in & get out during my lunch breaks.
–professionalism!
re: dinner, the server spoke japanese (cool) and when we ordered the garlic edamame, he was honest, and said they had never made it and it would be a few mins. Later, he updated us and said that the 1^st batch they made wasn’t up to par, and they would re-​make it for us. Mins later, he brought it out!
–attention to details!
re: dinner, the server asked if we wanted fresh garlic, and then brought out fresh cloves of garlic + garlic press. HOLD UP. Lemme jus say: DAYUMMM that’s next level stuff right dere! INSTANT RESPECT, YAMADAYA. Yum. Fresh garlic in my steaming hot bowl of ramen noodles!?! OKAYYYYY.
–food quality!
From the takoyaki to the edamame to the salad to the gyoza to the ramen, yes. It’s pretty good. Everything is flavorful and ingredients are fresh. Highlight for me is the spicy tonkatsu broth, plain tonkatsu broth and the yamadaya deluxe ramen toppings. The pork belly & chasiu are ON POINT.
–portions!
8 pieces of takoyaki? yes. big bowl of ramen noodles with egg & pork? yes.
–ambience!
hip, clean, trendy, new. Such a breath of fresh air, esp on that block!
–clean restrooms!
Unlike many Asian establishments from the Convoy area, the restroom here is actually really clean & appears newly renovated! It even smelled, dare I say it, FRAGRANT… whoa. Huge step forward for Asian restaurants everywhere! Take notice! #astronautachievements
–CONS/​IMPROVEMENTS–
–garlic edamame
this tasted VERY salty… to the point where it was definitely overpowering. the recipe here can definitely benefit from some more trial & error. If needed– I definitely volunteer as taste-​tester tribute! #hungergames
–salad
I didn’t really like the dressing, and the lettuce was all shredded in thin strips, which isn’t really my thing. I guess it’s the texture I don’t like, plus it reminds me a little of the topping that goes on top of tacos? #SanDiegan
–overboiled egg in ramen
Many ramen joints up in LA cook the egg so that it’s softboiled and that, my friends, is arguably to many, a sign of what makes a bowl of ramen great. The eggs in the ramen at this location and the Clairemont Mesa location are always overdone, which is fine, but would be
if it was softboiled.
–standard ramen ingredients
It’s a little odd that the standard ramen bowls only come with ONE piece of pork. It should definitely come with at least 2. Whenever I come here (ie at the Clairemont Mesa location too), I always order the Yamadaya version because one piece of meat just isn’t enough. It’s like eating a bowl of Lucky Charms with only 1 marshmallow– Nooooooooooo! #childhoodmemories
–laminated menu
I like how the menu is easy to read for the most part, and that it’s in color with pictures, however, it is SO HARD to pick up from the table. Like, I’m so serious. #thestruggleisreal #imhangry
ALL IN ALL
Great new addition to the downtown area. I hope it’s open late on weekends. It’s perfect for a late night snack after Parq! I’ll def be back here! And who knows, maybe I’ll bring Lady Gaga & her meat dress with, next time.