Coco’s Ramen

Pretty awesome ramen! The Japanese eggplant is very good too! Definitely come back.

This is probably one of the better ramen places that I’ve tried in the city (best ramen restaurants in LA). The most important parts of ramen for me are the noodles and the broth. Coco’s Spicy Miso broth is thick, flavorful, and I like the extra kick from the black garlic. The pork belly was fat and tender (definitely get that over the chashu). I also prefer their thicker noodle as well (reminds me of Santouka’s noodles).
The only downside is, of course, the wait and parking.

I must admit, I expected a lot. With that said. I was sorely disappointed with my meal.
I ordered a spicy tonkastu ramen with garlic and chashu, while he ordered a spicy seafood ramen with garlic. The chashu was not bad, had great flavor. However, the noodles were too firm for my liking and the broth tasted bland. I really enjoyed my bf’s seafood broth, though. Additionally, he only got one shrimp and one mussel in his soup, which I felt kind of sucked for him since I got two slabs of meat.
Overall, just OK for me. Not worth the hype, price, and trip to Bernal.

Good ramen, I got the miso ramen with medium spice. Nice hearty and creamy broth, and great large portions. Soups come with a soft boiled egg and your choice of meat, chashu or pork belly.
A few of the downsides: horrid service. Normally I don’t take this into much consideration but surprisingly this impacted my dinner here.
Very small compact space not utilized very well. There are a few big tables for groups only, who all take their time. Not their fault, but a party of two on the waitlist took 35+ minutes with no reservations ahead. Please add tables for two that you can put together for groups, instead of two giant tables taking up the entire space.
The space is so cramped that there’s no where to sit or wait inside, even if you’re the only ones waiting.
Good ramen! Just expect a long wait, and little to no service during your wait period or when your food arrives.

What I got:
Tonkatsu ramen w/​pork belly
What I thought:
The ramen here is honestly probably one of the best I’ve had in the city.
First off, I love that they use the thicker noodles for their ramen. Makes it taste that much better, in my opinion. The broth was extremely flavorful. I added in their black garlic which is an aged garlic sauce and it added in an extra delicious punch. The pork belly was gold! Very tender and just melted in my mouth.
Couldn’t get enough and kind of wish I had more now that I’m writing this review! A+ for sure!

Good ramen, but mediocre service. Only one waiter and understandably you will be busy, but one can still treat customers nicer. When looking at the menu, we noticed the page listing the ramen and next to it said «spiciness». The waiter comes to jot down our order and I ask him what «spiciness» meant. «10», he says. uh… «so what is your question?» he seemingly asked with a sarcastic tone. Someone else then reiterates the question and he explains that «spiciness» meant the level of spiciness of your broth (spiciness level 1 – 10, 1 = zero spicy). We all could’ve saved time had he clarified it the first time. Anyways, my party and I put in our ramen order, adding a couple of sides.
when the orders arrive, there was a mistake in one order (gave us chashu instead of pork belly) and the waiter was kind to comp us the pork belly, which by the way is delicious: very tender meat with the fat layer melting in your mouth. as I said, ramen is good, though soup is a little oily. It’s 3 stars for the food, and the redemption on the correcting the order.

Worst bowl of ramen I have ever had. Got the shoyu garlic broth with no spice and chasu and his was miso garlic no spice and chasu as well. The waiter seemed a bit confused when I said mild initially and then I just decided on no spice at all.
After a little bit our bowls came out. I noticed mine had literally only like two bean sprouts with some seaweed while his had a handful. My broth was so bland, like it tasted like a water broth with just some orange food coloring. His miso had a tad bit of flavor but was watery as well. The egg was pretty much the only good thing in the bowl. Some of the noodles were clumped together and seemed almost package like. Also one pork slice was a lot more tender than the other one in my bowl. A good noodle soup is based on the noodles and the broth, none of which were done well at all. The sad thing is I feel like they probably use MSG (from the way my tongue felt afterwards) yet the broth had no taste. The portions were on the smaller side too, and I wouldn’t mind if they were smaller and that high priced if the quality was actually there. $ 11.50 for each bowl, so disappointing! When I got home, I ate my husband’s leftover French fries from lunch, though they were cold, they were still more appetizing than our ramen.
Service wasn’t bad but wasn’t friendly either. They just seemed to be going through the motions. It’s tiny and maybe just gets a lot of business from being the only ramen place in the general area. Us and one other Asian couple were the only Asians in the restaurant. Coco Ramen is Cantonese owned as well.

Food is ok but bad operation. Server didn’t know how much is palm wine, forgot to send the appetizer we ordered, another appetizer came before main dishes. There is pricing issue with the the wine,$ 8 per cup and $ 25 per bottle but looks like each bottle only serve 3 cups…

Delicious ramen and really nice service! There was a bit of a wait on a weekday for dinner.
My entire group got the Tonkotsu Ramen with black garlic ($ 13) and we all loved it. The broth was super rich and the noodles were a perfect texture. The pork belly was amazing! So fatty and flavorful and I loved how soft the boiled egg was. I got mild spicy but next time I would order no spice so I can taste more of the flavors. The gyoza appetizers here were also really tasty.

WHY WE WENT HERE:
— recovery meal post-​rave
— soup is usually our go-​to when recovering from a night of partying
THE LOOK (FROM THE OUTSIDE):
— easy to miss; on a busy street and you have to go into the establishment that has «SUSHI» by the window
— street parking; might be a walk once you find parking
THE LOOK (FROM THE INSIDE):
— hole in the wall
— quaint/​intimate feel
THE MENU:
— appetizers: special dishes, fried, yakitori, vegetable)
— ramen
WHAT WE ORDERED:
— hot tea
— chicken karaage
— we all ordered different variations of the tonkotsu ramen (garlic, black garlic, mild spiciness, medium spiciness, braised pork belly, chashu)
THE TASTE:
— very good
— very fresh
CUSTOMER SERVICE:
— fast
— polite
— attentive

Uh no.
Tried the tonkatsu ramen, mild spicy with black garlic ($ 1) and added corn ($ 2). Tasted like a bowl of over-​cooked noodles drenched in Shin Yun instant ramen powder soup. $ 2 for a tiny scoop of corn, not worth adding. Kobocha was good but it was served lukewarm. It was good enough to try once, but not again. Waiter sucked. He asked me if I wanted my ramen spicy and I said mild please. Then he repeatedly asked me, «So do you want spicy or not spicy?» Did he not understand what «MILD» meant? I guess he decided to be a douche bag last night.
This is probably the worse ramen place I’ve been to.

Mmm. Ramen does wonders on chilly, late nights. At Coco’s, which is situated obscurely on a busy street in Bernal Heights, the ambiance of a small, comfy shop and the only sign that distinguishes this place — «Ramen» on the front door — makes this place a unique spot to stop in to.
Seating is only enough for maybe 20 people at one time and it’s pretty tight. But for some reason, I’m attracted to this type of dining that I hear are pretty typical in Tokyo. The menu is pretty small, but it offers several types of ramen. My boyfriend and I ordered the tonkotsu and the shoyu (pork & soy-​sauce based). The broth wasn’t overly salty and the spiciness really hit the spot. I love the way they cooked the pork belly — tender in the warm broth. Honestly, the ramen is good, but I think the atmosphere does it for me.
It’s restaurants like this one that keep SF charming. Again, you won’t see anything that says «Coco’s Ramen,» but instead, there will be a sign that says «Crazy Sushi» that is connected to their ramen shop. Enter in the door with the ramen sign!

mood:
Ill refrain from saying «I’m in love with the CoCo!» and instead state, arguably the best ramen I’ve had in San Francisco.
Bold claim, sure, but the food was so fantastic that it warranted a review after one visit.
It was a typical Monday. Cold, dreary and lacking sleep from an eventful birthday weekend packed with singing, dancing, drinking and sing-​a-​longs. After a hectic day at the office (and a vow to go on a diet), convenience overshadowed logic and resorted to Unilocal to find a quick bite instead of cooking. It was cold and we were dehydrated so ramen was the quick and reasonable solution. We wanted to find something in our hood, which is where Coco’s was a beaming light in an otherwise dark Monday.
While sitting in traffic, I scanned the reviews and vetted our remedies; My stomach growled in excitement and anticipation.
Upon coming in, you notice it’s a small joint where the restaurant is literally split in half by a curtain… where clearly patrons favor the ramen over the sushi. The ramen side had a small wait while the sushi side was a ghost town. Maybe everyone shared our Monday blues?
Due to popular demand, we started with the Kobocha as it peaked our interest and definitely delivered. The outside was perfectly fried and topped with spicy mayo. The anticipation set in as we cut in half, where the pumpkin mash and a beautiful slow cooked eggs greeted us with open arms. The combination of flavors, textures and sauces were a fantastic beginning of what was to come. At $ 10, it may be a bit steep for some but definitely justified as the only way to eat it would be to share.
I had the curry ramen, medium spicy with garlic and pork belly and it was a game changer. It kind of reminded me of a Japanese version of bun bo hue; flavorful, spicy and full of full-​bodied spices. One of my favorite meals is Japanese curry chicken over rice, which was this in soup form. The pork belly was beautifully tender and melted in my mouth, had yet another slow cooked egg and the noodles were cooked to perfection.
She had the miso ramen, not spicy with garlic and, again, one of the better miso broths I’ve had in SF. The pork belly was cooked wonderfully and they didn’t skimp out on the quantity like some other ramen spots.
While this may fall on deaf ears, coco’s is the real deal. I have eaten ramen all over the world and, more specifically, all over japan and coco’s is a front runner on the world stage. I foresee daydreaming of curry ramen with pork belly (ie: now) while all other ramen options get pushed to the back burner. Other ramen places charge an additional $ 4 for pork belly options, while cocos includes it making this an affordable tasty option as well.
Note: while I didn’t drink, they do have an array of premium sake options and Kirin on draft (most have bottled, there is a difference!). it does get crowded as tables are limited, so come early and come ready to wait. Totally worth it.

This is the best vegetarian Ramen I have had in San Francisco.
Ramen: The broth is pretty flavorful, and you get to choose three vegetables to add to it (out of I believe bamboo, corn, cabbage, and beansprouts).
Protip: If you like anything moderately spicy, order this at FULL spiciness. Anything else is a sad attempt to be spicy and really doesn’t do anything.
Service: The are very accommodating and nice here, great staff! I usually don’t have to wait for lunch or dinner.
Also, the sign says Crazy Sushi because they are connected restaurants.

TLDR: Tonkastu Ramen was decent but the Kobocha egg appetizer was amazing! Get there by 5:30 to avoid waiting for a table. I would come back again because of proximity to my apt.
THE FOOD
Kobocha (basically the Japanese version of a scotch egg): This was fantastic!!! The pumpkin mash was smooth and flavorful with a perfectly deep fried crunchy outer layer, and the slow cooked tea egg inside was just heaven on earth. A little steep at $ 12 a pop but totally worth it!!!
Seaweed salad: standard. I like that it was seasoned properly.
Eggplant appetizer: I wish the eggplant was marinaded in the sauces more. My friends liked the charred smoky taste, but I thought it was just ok.
Tonkatsu Ramen: Broth is on the creamy side, which I prefer, but nothing mind blowing. I liked that the noodles are el dente. I preferred the pork belly over the chasu, but for those who don’t like fatty meats, stick to the chasu.
WAS THERE A WAIT?
They don’t’ take reservations here so to avoid waiting, come when it opens at 5:30pm. I came on a Sunday night and got seated right away. I noticed a small line starting to form by around 6:15. I’m guessing it’s a 15 – 25 minute wait if you come around prime time.
ATMOSPHERE
Simple, warm, and cozy. The place probably seats around 30 people so it’s not a huge restaurant. I also noticed that it’s connected to the sushi restaurant next door. Pretty certain they share a kitchen.
SERVICE
The right amount of attentive. The appetizers came out almost immediately. The ramen took about 15 – 20 minutes but could be because we were the first ones seated.

Whoa delicious! One of the best ramen places in the city by far. The broth was perfect.
Came by on a Friday night around six pm. The place was packed already but luckily we were able to get two seats at the bar. Soon after the line was long. Come early! Also parking isn’t too easy to find either but we were lucky to find a spot by Safeway. The place is next to Crazy Sushi, which is also owned by them.
I ordered the shio ramen with chashu, garlic, and an extra slow cooked egg for $ 2 and no spiciness while my friend ordered the tonkatsu ramen with pork belly and also got an extra egg. The ramen came with half an egg already which we didn’t realize we would get. I got to try both broths and decided that I liked the tonkatsu better as it was more flavorful. My friend complained that the portions were small, but we were full by the end of our meal. Next time I’ll try the miso and get pork belly over chashu.

Solid four stars! Which is pretty interesting considering I’m really not sure how they’ll ever achieve five stars.
Ordered:
Tonkotsu Ramen ($ 11.50) — Classic ramen, very good pork. So fatty that I literally didn’t have to do any chewing, which is how I like my pork! Medium spicy was a good choice for this bowl. And they didn’t skimp on the side radishes and stuff, which I appreciate.
Curry Ramen ($ 11.50) — Literally tastes like Japanese curry, not sure why I was expecting it to taste like anything else… Good flavors if that’s your goal!
Fried Cheese ($ 4) — Kinda like the Japanese version of mozzarella sticks. Cheese sticks rolled in panko? And deep-​fried. Served with a sriracha mayo-​like sauce. Very heavy…
Quick and friendly service! And window seats are really nice for the people-​watching and lighting before sunset. Otherwise the restaurant is pretty dark.

Came with a friend for dinner and there was barely anyone here! (note that it was a weekday, don’t really know if that makes a difference) but we were so happy we didn’t have to wait!
I ordered the tonkotsu ramen (no spice because I’m a baby) with pork belly & garlic and my friend ordered miso ramen — mine came with bamboo, green onions, egg and seaweed (I’m pretty sure its the same for miso). You can definitely taste the difference between the two — both equally flavorful!
Service was alright — there as no refill on water until I tracked down a waiter…

I try not to write a review without going to the joint at least a few times but I just had such a nice experience here that I can’t help it. Typical foggy day in the city so I wanted something warm and noodle-​y to fill me up. There’s around 8 different ramen options here in additional to other Japanese food, so something for everyone.
There’s a bar in the back, so perfect place to sit if you’re going alone. I had a nice convo with both the waiters who are very good at their job.
Ramen curry was not what I was expecting (…so many carrots…) but it wasn’t bad. I am not well versed in ramen at all and the waiter gave me some suggestions after a series of embarrassing questions.
Parking is kind of hard (street parking and then residential just the next street back) but I parked in Safeway and walked over.
There’s no sign except for one taped in the window. It’s next to crazy sushi.
Their beer on tap was delicious and light. Perfect when you’re almost too full of ramen broth.
Lots of people getting food to go, so that’s an option too!

Mmm! This is my friends and I’s current go-​to ramen spot in the city!
I’ve personally ordered the miso and tonkotsu and was able to grab a bite of the curry and shoyu. All of them were extremely flavorful, delicious and rich! My favorites are definitely the miso and tonkotsu, and I always get it with pork belly (vs. cha sew) and garlic (duh). Their «mild» is a little more mild than usual, so we ask for the spicy sauce/​paste on the side. However I don’t think it’s the same spicy sauce/​paste/​whatever magic they put in when you do order it mild. (Maybe I’ll say «SUPER mild» next time ^_​^) Spicy or not, both absolutely delicious! The egg is also amazing and cooked perfectly to my liking! Portions are generous here, but that goes with the price.
Parking can be frustrating and may feel impossible during evening hours. I’ve had no problem finding parking during lunch hours though.
The restaurant may be hard to find, as there is no indicative obvious sign that says, «Coco’s Ramen». Use the address listed here and look for a door with a sign that says «Ramen» in not-​the-​biggest font. Their tiny menu is taped on the side. The restaurant is a little small so seating can be a bit congested depending on which table you get. Bathroom is located at the adjoining sushi restaurant, which I believe they own too. Service is never a problem… they get the job done.
Yummy ramen! Give this place a try!