Orenchi Beyond

Yummy ramen hidden away at end of Valencia @ Duboce. #realjapanese. Great staff, cool bright space. Ramen delish, but so are spicy chicken wings

5 stars if you ever get better noodles!
PROS:
— Great music
— Cool wall art
— Modern ambiance and décor
— Beyond ramen
— One of the best ramen shops in SF
— Location at the top of the Mission near Zeitgeist
— Usually no wait
CONS:
— Okay service
— Okay value

Thank you Orenchi Beyond for coming to San Francisco. Thank you for bringing your delicious ramen all the way from South Bay up to the city. Now, if Chick-​fil-​A would follow suit, I would never need to drive south again.
I actually prefer Orenchi Beyond to the original Orenchi but only because the wait I’ve become accustomed to in Santa Clara is nonexistent in San Francisco. Hold up. What? Awesome ramen AND no wait? What a perfect combination.
The ramen itself is great. There actually aren’t many choices which isn’t a bad thing. I’ve had the Beyond Ramen, Orenchi Ramen, and the Tori Soba.
If you’re feeling something «light» I would recommend the buckwheat Tori Soba with its clear broth. It’s not as rich and still quite enjoyable.
However, if you’re looking for real ramen, I’d go with the Orenchi Ramen. You might be tempted to go with the Beyond Ramen since it’s unique to this location, but the main difference is that with the Orenchi Ramen, you get a soft boiled seasoned egg. Fortunately, both bowls include their incredibly tender pork belly.
At the end of the day, the most «wow» bowl of ramen you’ll have in San Francisco is probably at Izakaya Sozai in Inner Sunset. However, the wait there can get ridiculous and at the end of that ramen bowl, the flavor gets to be too much and becomes a bit too salty. On the contrary, Orenchi Beyond has little to no wait and the ramen is satisfying to the very last bite.

I came here during my lunch break through a recommendation from a friend. The place is a nice little place, you def need to try hard to find it because my freind and I walked passed it twice! We just couldn’t notice any restaurant.
I’ve heard that this place was one of the top ramen places in SF so I decided to try it and there was really no «WOW ME «factor in it. I ordered the Orenchi Beyond ramen, and I felt that I had better. The soup base was super salty, and the little things that came with it wasn’t much. Everything tasted a bit too salty to my liking, so i didn’t have such a great experience. I also think the price was not worth it, only because again it was wasn’t much to eat other than a boiled egg, with two slices of meat and some seaweed on top.
The service was great, and the place looks nice and clean, I just wasn’t amazed by the ramen and the price for it. Again I would recommend to try everything once for your liking but I wouldn’t come back.

It’s… Alright. Typical ramen place. Love how there was no line or much of a wait. The waiters are friendly… One even told us about his day (weird?)
I ordered the orenchi ramen and it was… Well… Your typical ramen made with a creamy broth, half boiled egg, piece of pork, bamboo shoots, etc.
I always compare my ramen to Santouka, my favorite ramen place and this place did not come close. It’s decent but I probably would not get out of my way to eat here again.
We also ordered the fried chicken.

Very authentic and good foods!
I am not a big fan of ramen usually, so this was the first experience for me to go a ramen restaurant in US. Once I arrived in the front of the restaurant, I was amazed at the nice design of the exterior and interior of the restaurant. Outside of the restaurant, there was a bar counter. Inside was also authentic.
My boyfriend and I shared Karaage and bambamji salad as appetizers. The ramens we took were Beyond ramen and Orenchi ramen. Karaage was very good, the chicken were juicy and crispy. It was the same taste that I had in Japan. The bambamji salad was ok, actually it was not a salad but a shreded chicken breast. Beyond ramen is shoyu (soysauce) based taste, and Orenchi ramen was shio (salt) based taste. Both were very tasty. It depends on the preference but I prefer Orenchi ramen. The reason why I liked their ramen was the there were plenty oftopping ingredientsso that their ramen were pretty gorgeous. I’d be happy to visit again!

The 5 of us came here on a Friday night and sat down right away with no wait right before it started getting crowded. we sat at a center communal table. servers are all pretty japanese and also some japanese patrons here. good signs.
I was surprised that they only have 4 kinds of noodle, two of them ramen and the other two soba, on the menu since I thought of the Orenchi Ramen in south bay and did not notice this was Orenchi Beyond. Bummer. Was really looking forward to tsukemen. Four of us ordered the orenchi ramen $ 13 each. You cannot add noodle to it, but you can make it a large for an extra $ 1.80.
Ramen was good. Noodles are thick and round. Al dente which i like. The chashu has been torched which is a nice touch. It doesn’t look like much food but it is filling. especically when you see all the bits of pork fat floating around in your soup.
I also tried the ikura don, nankotsu karaage, and edamame. Everything was pretty good.
Pretty expensive though.

I was super excited to find some great ramen in the Mission-​ish area, but I was pretty disappointed. The karage was great, but the ramen itself was pretty poor. The flavor of the broth was very burnt (I have no problem with black garlic oil, but this wasn’t that) and fishy, which was bizarre. It was so bad that I couldn’t finish it and wound up getting a slice of pizza afterwards.
The good: we were able to get a seat within about five minutes of arriving on a Friday night at 9.
The bad: I really didn’t like the ramen. I wouldn’t get it again.

Meh.
My friend and I started with the chicken karaage, which was hot and fresh from the fryer. The skin was crispy, the inside was pretty moist, and this was probably my favorite part of the meal.
…But I judge ramen restaurants by their ramen, and despite the good appetizer, the ramen was very subpar.
I ordered the Orenchi Ramen. I found the broth to be really forgettable, as it was missing that tasty richness that a tonkotsu base should have. The bamboo shoots tasted odd like they came out of an old can, as did the mushrooms. Such a pity, because the ramen noodles themselves were cooked perfectly, as was the soft boiled egg, but the mediocre broth and other fillings kind of killed it.
With so many better options for ramen, I don’t think I’ll be back.

Came in looking to satisfy my ramen craving. I have been to the Orenchi in San Jose and I remember really enjoying it. This location was okay, but nothing too amazing or memorable… I ordered the beyond ramen and I liked it. That being said I’d come back because it’s convienent but I’ve had better.

Yeah, it’s awesome. They have two famous ramen bowls, both namesakes, I guess: the «Orenchi» and the «Beyond.» Both are great. However, if you are going to go back and forth between the two, you will find that the Beyond bowl always tastes magically delicious, while the Orenchi bowl tastes a bit odd if you have it right after a faceful of the Beyond.
Enjoy!

Came here because of the name since I’ve been to the SJ Orenchi multiple times. Don’t know if the SJ location and this SF location are siblings. Anyone know?
$ 13/​bowl which is alright but is pushing it.
I’d come back if I was absolutely craving ramen and was in the area. Otherwise I’d make the drive into San Mateo for Ramen Parlor. It’s worth the drive.

For $ 13 with no additional toppings, I expected the bowl of ramen to blow my socks off. Unfortunately, it was a lackluster experience.
Started off with the Nankotsu Karaage which is battered fried chicken cartilage. Its served with cherry tomatoes, shishito pepper and lemon. The batter was delicious and crispy, very colorful presentation. Who knew chicken cartilage was so tasty!
I ordered the Orenchi Beyond which came in a Tonkotsu pork based soup. Standard toppings included pork belly, soft boiled seasoned egg, green onion, bamboo shoot, mushroom, sesame, and a piece of dried seaweed. Soup was flat in flavor, I had to add a spoonful of garlic paste which they had as a condiment on the table next to the spicy powder. The noodles were smooth on the outside, but doughy on the inside, tasted a bit undercooked.
The highlight was the perfectly cooked soft boiled egg. That was the only thing that impressed me. It was seasoned well, the yolk was golden and runny, the white was smooth and cooked to a flawless consistency.
The restaurant is bright, clean and inviting. Service was good during lunch, though we came right when they opened at 11:30 am.

Came here on a Saturday night with a table of four.
They have a nice outdoor waiting area where you can gather with your dinner party and even order drinks from the bar while you wait. Outdoor heaters keep you warm as you wait.
My table of four waited about 30 mins, not too bad on a busy Saturday night in the city. However, my concern was for the waitresses, who were rather slow and clumsy about seating my party. A table had opened up, been cleaned, and was ready for our fat asses, but the waitress for some reason didn’t seat anyone at the table for a solid ten minutes. I’m sure they were very busy, but we could have just seated ourselves.
My table ordered the most popular ramen dish on Unilocal.It did not disappoint! Broth was flavorful and overall quite satisfying. There was a live DJ playing music which was way too loud for my small party to enjoy a conversation. I was practically yelling just to speak to the person across from me.
Food is great here, don’t get me wrong but my experience here is the reason why I am rating this place so lowly. I felt like our table had been neglected even when we wanted to pay for our meal.

Due to my love for ramen my friend recommended me to this place because it is one of her favorite ramen places. Today I finally had the chance to check this place out! We were the first customers into the restaurant and we were greeted by all the workers in Japanese. It was really neat on how friendly all of the workers were. Once seated I was surprise to be sitting on a tree stump! Also on the table there is a hook to put your purse (I love that!). There was also a very beautiful piece of artwork along the wall but I’m not fully sure on what it was (lion? Bear?). Anyways the restaurant was very cute.
When we sat down we ordered Aged Takoyaki ($ 7.50) for our appetizer. I’m really starting to get into Takoyaki so I found this very delectable. I liked how the Takoyaki didn’t fall to pieces like the ones I had in the past. But then again I am not too familiar with what is good and bad takoyaki.
For our main course I ordered the Beyond Ramen and my friend ordered the Orenchi Ramen. Mine contained a lot of garlic and had a lot of flavor in the broth. My broth gave my meat a great savory taste whereas my friends did not. My friends tasted like tonkotsu so it was nothing special except for their soft boiled egg which my friend really loved. Unfortunately the Beyond Ramen does not come with a soft boiled egg unless added to the dish but regardless it was delicious and I would say that is their best selling dish. I’m not sure if the noodles were handmade but they also had a unique texture that separated it from the other ramen noodles I’ve had. (I forgot to ask!)
But overall the food was average and if the place wasn’t so far away from where I live and opened sooner then I would be more willing to make another trip back.

I had heard about this place but randomly decided to come in and eat here when me and a friend were walking back. It was about 7PM and although the place was pretty full there was not a line so we got seated right away. I loved the ambiance of the place and how it’s decorated .
Takoyaki — I don’t know what kind of sauce they used for the takoyaki but it was not really to my liking. It tasted a little to mayo-​y. Would not order again or recommend .
Spicy Karage — Again the sauce for the chicken was off for me and my friend did not like the sauce at all. The karage also was not really crispy as I’ve usually had them. Again would not order again or recommend .
Orenchi Ramen — A little salty for my tastes but good nonetheless. The egg was nice and yolky how it should be. The cha siu was yummy and I enjoyed the consistency of the noodles. It tasted good even the day after and suprisingly the noodles did not get super thick the day after .
Overall I would definitely stick to the ramen and skip the appetizers.

My usual dining companion (boyfriend and I) were getting over a cold, were starving after a day of hard work, and were ecstatic when we saw that Orenchi Beyond was open late (on weekends). We zoomed on over and easily found (free) metered parking on the street.
Fair warning — the restaurant is a little hard to find since it’s tucked about 5 – 7 feet away from the usual store front and curb, but once you do find it, it’s hard to miss. We were greeted «irasshaimase» which means «welcome» in Japanese by all the workers including the chefs. Walking inside feels like you’re walking into an art gallery — the ceilings are high, the kitchen has a glass encasing, and even the tables have Japanese themed art work on them. It’s dimly lit but not so dark that you feel like you’re entering a sketchy club.
We were given menus and promptly ordered. They only have two types of ramen: 1) Orenchi $ 13 /​/​Tonkotsu based soup /​/​Toppings: Pork Belly, Soft Boiled Seasoned Egg, Green Onion, Bamboo Shoot, Mushroom, Sesame, Dried Seaweed
2) Beyond $ 13 /​/​Tonkotsu based soup /​/​Toppings: Pork Belly, Green Onion, Bamboo Shoot, Sesame, Dried Seaweed, Fried Garlic, Mizuna (
)
I personally had the beyond ramen and boyfriend ordered the orenchi ramen so we could sample both. My favorite between the two was the beyond ramen. For some reason, the broth seemed more flavorful compared to the orenchi.
We also ordered the spicy karaage $ 8 and it wasn’t your normal karaage either which is boneless bits of chicken and spice. No, these are actual chicken wings. I’d definitely pass on these — flavor is too strong and it was too sour for my liking.
All in all, a good place to add to your rotation of acceptable ramen places in the city. Definite plus that they are open even later on the weekends for us hard workers that work late into the evening.
Pro Tip: They allow you to modify a few things for your ramen — how cooked or uncooked your noodles are and how salty your broth is.

I’ve heard amazing things about Orenchi ramen in Santa Clara, so I was excited to try Orenchi Beyond. The décor and storefront look really nice and hipster, with a bar opening towards the front and heated lamps so patrons can have a drink and stay warm during the anticipated wait.
I was baffled at how much empty space they have inside the bar area (where the waiters are). I haven’t seen such a spacious bar area in a restaurant that is supposedly expecting a lot of visitors. Also, the tables are pretty low (if you’re not sitting at the bar, that is) and the chairs are upside down buckets! Pretty cute design, but not that functional haha.
I tried the Beyond (shoyu) ramen and a little bit of the shio ramen. The broth for the Beyond ramen is very flavourful and the shio one is less meaty. The ramen itself was pretty decent, but beware that if you don’t add extra meat, there is only ONE slice of meat in the bowl, so don’t go looking around for more in your bowl. You can add extra meat for some amount of money.
They did have this amazing price for the chashu rice — $ 3.20 for the chashu rice, and a regular bowl of rice is already $ 3! Not sure if this is a limited time promotion though.

When Jamie W. and I were coming back to the city from a weekend in Monterey, I stopped by the original Santa Clara location of Orenchi only to see a crowd of twenty-​something Asians waiting for tables and busily texting each other in front of the modest strip mall storefront. One look and Jamie refused to wait for a bowl of ramen there, perhaps flashing back to the disastrous Ramen Yokocho Festival where three-​hour waits were the norm. We ended up going to the nearly L&L Hawaiian Barbecue and I got indigestion from the worst bowl of saimin ever served to mankind. That lapse only whet my appetite even more when Kuniko Ozawa decided to open a location in San Francisco late last year.
I heard about ridiculous lines when it opened, so I didn’t even think about going there until recently when I got off work early and bolted over here. I shouldn’t have bothered since they don’t open until 6PM where I had nothing to do but sign my name on the sheet and sit on the boulder in front since it was raining. People would walk by and ask me when it was opening. Do I look like I work here or something? OK, maybe I do but still… Anyhow, when the young server did open the front door, she pointed me to the counter which only made sense since it probably took about fifteen minutes for the place to fill up. I perused the menu and noticed they serve only two ramen bowls and two soba bowls. Most of the toppings were extra though I didn’t even think strategically about the composition of my order.
However, before having the ramen, I thought an appetizer was in order, so I went with the $ 7 Ankimo Ponzu since I’ve been a sucker for monkfish liver ever since I had mounds of it at the just-​closed Ino Sushi. There were only four slices in this order, and they were topped with tobiko and nestled on a bed of chopped green onion marinated in ponzu (photo:
). It was delicious, of course, but it was also gone in about three minutes flat no matter how hard I tried to look like a sushi connoisseur. My ramen of choice turned out to be the $ 12 Orenchi Beyond since I figured I should go with the namesake bowl. I passed by the bubbling vats of full-​bodied broth through the window when I passed by from the men’s room.
I just presumed that was the tonkotsu ambrosia that I heard was the talk of the ramen aficionados (photo:
). When it arrived, I have to admit the broth was superb, very thick and flavorful without being obnoxious. It came with the bare minimum ingredients — al dente ramen noodles, one slice of pork belly (which to quote Amy Schumer, is like taking one Advil… why?), a bamboo shoot, fried garlic, a smattering of green onion and mizuna with a decorative square of nori (photo:
). The server suggested I add an egg for $ 1.20, but what I really wanted was the $ 5.30 Mega Cha-​Shu which would have added six slices of roast pork.
I learned my lesson that a true bowl is closer to $ 20, but still, it was quite tasty and worth savoring every drop of that broth. It was a good thing I added a $ 6.50 order of the Nankotsu Karaage which they billed graphically as ‘chicken cartilage’ (photo:
). Remember that I’m the guy that orders the fried chicken gizzards at Harold’s Fried Chicken on the South Side of Chicago. There aren’t many of us around that enjoy the chew of good cartilage, and as it turned out, it was a suitable substitute for all the missing pork. Believe it or not, I was tempted to get a $ 4.20 bowl of Shishito Age as I saw the blistered padron peppers pass by, but I held back for a change. Tasty stuff. Worth the hype? I’ll let you know after my next visit.
FOOD — 4 stars… a richly luxuriant tonkotsu broth stands out here and the rest was pretty good, too
AMBIANCE — 3.5 stars… an open modern space that crowds quickly like a Tokyo subway car
SERVICE — 3.5 stars… emphasis on efficiency doesn’t leave much room for a personal touch, come at 6PM sharp if you don’t want to wait
TOTAL — 4 stars… nice to know that a half-​day trek to Santa Clara won’t be necessary anymore

Wings — ²⁄₅
Takoyaki — ⁴⁄₅ — One of the best takoyaki that I’ve had in SF.
Karaage — ³⁄₅
Roasted garlic — ³⁄₅
Beyond ramen — ⁴⁄₅ — Very fatty, almost like a kotteri. Egg was just right. Pork had good flavor, very thin sliced, had to order that largest pork add on to get the right amount.
Overall, «I’m a fan.»