Ramen Taka

Services was superb! The ramen was really good! The noodles and soup mixed well nicely! Really enjoy eating here!

not bad! i love how they are not that popular yet so the line isnt ridiculously long…
the service is 5 stars.
food is 4 stars
portion is good, price is great.
Will def be back

Pretty good ramen spot if you’d like to avoid the intense lines of the many nearby ramen alternatives. Got their lunch special for 12 $ of tonkotsu shoyu ramen plus small chasu bowl. The bowl looks beautiful when it arrived, with the egg perfectly cooked to that magical 6 – 7 minute spot! The broth was a bit light on flavor. Though the broth was hearty and homey, it wasn’t particularly strong in the chicken and pork department. Noodles were softer than expected and portion size on the smaller side. The chasu bowl was just alright, with both the diced chasu pieces and white rice pretty dry. Overall, an acceptable experience unless you’re one of the more picky ramen connoisseurs of the bay.

the ramen broth is very good, had the thick noodles — not bad too
the ramen is around $ 9
also had the calamari, it was just okay (a little bit hard)
theres a small garage at the back of the restaurant
will be back

Had the Taka ramen: Pork based broth, which is the star– nice and hot, deep flavor, fatty), thin noodles — perfectly al’ dente, chasu (salted perfectly, fatty, secluded thin — delishhh), soft boiled egg cut in half perfect (unsalted — goes well with the broth), black eat mushrooms, scallions. $ 9
They have other items and ramen that I definitely will come back for. Parking is extremely limited in the back.
This right up there in quality and authenticity as Orenchi, Santouka for the to go to places for ramen.

Ramen Taka really improved since I first dinned here about about a year ago. They expanded their menu to include more appetizers – like the onigiri and takoyaki – and even have more entrees like the ramen burger. When I think about good ramen, there are two must-​haves: chewy, fresh noodles, and flavorful broth. I would say Ramen Taka has both! They have both the thick and thin noodles, which are cooked to just the right chewy texture, and the broth (I’ve tried a the shio, tonkatsu, and a sip of the miso) is very flavorful and not half-​oil, like some other places I’ve been to. Two thumbs up!
Another good thing is, going here doesn’t require a 1 – 2 hour wait like some other coveted bay area ramen spots. The service is good (minus one mishap with a waiter who skipped over our names on the list and forgot our order… maybe he was new?), and the restaurant is clean. Definitely give this place a try!

I couldn’t tell you the nation or culture of origin for the ubiquitous belief in antiquities like noodles symbolizing long life or round fruits symbolizing coins/​wealth but somewhere, somewhen, the idea of having noodles to commemorate birthdays and New Years and fresh starts became customary with our/​my family. So, for my «WHEN DID I GET THIS OLD?!”-th birthday, I took mom and dad out for lunch. After all, they’ve had to deal with me for «HOW HAS TIME MOVED THAT FAST?!» years.
Taka is an interesting juxtaposition of traditional and modern ramen restaurants. In my [admittedly limited] experience, more «traditional» ramen shoppes in the area tend to be tight spaces with as many tables as can reasonably fit intended to maximize capacity and output; ambiance bedimmed; décor unpronounced. Taka was refreshingly spacious with the nearest table/​party a comfortable distance away, open & bright via the large street-​facing windows, modern black & red aesthetic, exposed brick & high ceiling, and the groove of Japanese (?) breakbeats & jazz playing overhead. The front-​of-​house staff are young & tat’d & full of hustle, but attentive & servile with customers and were particularly warm to my parents (as well as other elders in the restaurant).
The ramen selections are pork on pork on pork. Pork bone broth, pork cutlet, sliced pork. Even the ramen with a chicken broth base is topped with shredded pork. I’m not complaining, but I’m sure my doctor will have something to say if I indulge too often. [Menu:
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I had the namesake Taka ramen — thin noodles in an earthy pork bone broth, egg, green onion, sliced pork, and mushrooms. It looks simple — a bundle of noodles and accompaniments hidden under a thick, cloudy broth, but it’s a hearty serving with a richness that *almost* borders on excessive, but so satisfying. Some of the other ramens have more picturesque presentations. [Pics:
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Taka offers quite a bit beyond ramen too; we only tried the gyoza and the spicy chicken karaage aside from our ramen, although there were some things like anchovy potato salad and fried takoyaki that sounded interesting. The gyoza are cooked to a perfectly satisfyingly toasted exterior when fresh/​hot, but exude a little oil if left to sit. The spicy karaage unfortunately a little rubbery, and regrettably not nearly as spicy as I’d hoped though the server was forthright in saying it was only mild. They have a ramen burger on the menu; I’m not particularly intrigued by this, but other people might want to get at that.
Altogether, is Taka my favorite or contender for the best ramen I’ve ever had? No, not really — the local ramen competition is steep, son! — but it’s pretty good in its own right, has a cool modern ambiance, and ultimately more accessible. That’s enough to bring me back again.
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Forty-​something years is a long time to go without knowing that one’s mom isn’t a fan (actually, kind of averse) to pork because that’s what they grew up on in the homeland. (I’M A BAD SON! How did I not know?!) She was still thrilled to try a new restaurant/​cuisine though.

I was really pleasantly surprised by Ramen Taka!
When they first opened, I saw some not so great reviews, so we put off trying this place even though it’s very conveniently close to home. I wish i had ignored those!
My husband ordered the Chashu Ramen Taka and loved it with the thin noodles.
I ordered the Tonkatsu shoyu ramen with bean sprouts and spicy paste. The thicker noodles were amazing (I didn’t try my husbands) and clearly made fresh. The true test of ramen is if I want to eat the noodles, and the broth both, since some places do one or the other better. Ramen Taka does both!
They broth was flavorful, the right temperature, and not too fatty or too salty. The chashu was also way better than other places. The chashu had nice slices, that were cooked perfectly, and had a lot of good flavor. It did not feel skimpy, like I have had at Orenchi. The soft boiled egg was perfect. Perfectly runny, but not too difficult to eat. Spicey paste was extra spicy, so I only used half. The bamboo shoots seemed flavored, and they were SO yummy. There are also some condiments on the table to add, such as pickled radish, and I can’t remember what other choices there were.
The hot teach choice here is Green tea, and it tasted like quality matcha. I was pleasantly surprised by this.
The only thing we were disappointed in was the crunchy poki appetizer. It was 4 servings, each a wonton cracker with some mango and two tiny pieces of tuna (imagine smaller or about the same size as you would get in one sushi roll), and some shredded cabbage with two sauces, a very tiny amount of a typical poki soy sauce, and a creamy salad dressing type sauce. All of the sauces and crunches and flavors were good, but there was little to no poki in the poki, and I couldn’t tell there was poki in the dish because it was so overshadowed. Rather than a palm size amount of fish, it contained maybe a finger sized. Again, it was a tasty snack, but seemed like the poki was not the feature of the dish.
The staff was friendly and efficient, and the ambiance was clean and nice.
We will definitely be back.

Was a cold rainy day… and nothing goes better with rain than Ramen. Well maybe a little sun to dry up that rain, but that wasn’t an option.
We came to Ramen Taka. Right next to Starbucks and a Pawn Shop that seems to be screening customers. Uh, kinda weird.
Very clean and modern on the inside. Big TVs playing sports (or at least they were when I was there) and people chowing down.
Ordered the Taka Ramen for $ 9 and it was delicious. The small size is the perfect amount. Flavor was well balanced and every ingredient had purpose. I added a ton of Spicy Taka and Pickled Ginger, and it was amazing.
Id come back in a heartbeat. Cheap, great food and excellent service… Parking is awful though.

Great service and great ramen. Even on Sat night it was not that crowded and everyone was warmly attended to. I usually ordered the tonkotsu ramen since I like thick noodles for ramen. We also ordered spicy karagge, which is not spicy but tasty as well!

One of my new favorite ramen joints! Firstly, you can park on the street in front or in the tiny lot in the back. We prefer the back lot. They accept cash & credit card. You do have to pay $ 0.25 for a to go box if you need one.
I tend to come here during lunch on the weekends just so I can get the lunch special, which is a ramen of your choice paired with either a fried rice or chashu bowl. My go to is the tonkotsu ramen with the chashu bowl, yum! I love that the ramen includes the delicious egg. There’s also non-​ramen options as well.
They also have some good appetizers as well. My favorite is the poke crunch (or something to that effect). A yummy drink for a sweet tooth is the melon cream soda. Just be cafeful not to mix it too early or it’ll flow over your cup!
Overall, a solid place to eat with very friendly & helpful staff. I am a regular & will continue to do so :)

My wife and I are always on the hunt for new Ramen restaurants and we gave Ramen Taka a try. We had to wait a few minutes upon arriving, but that’s to be expected for a Saturday night dinner. Upon being seated, we reviewed the menu and scanned the other guests around us as they «slurped» with approval.
We ordered the mini fried rice and Calamari appetizer. I must tell you that they serve only the legs, which were crispy and cooked to perfection. The Mayonnaise dipping sauce was on the lighter side, but was a nice touch.
My wife ordered the Taka Ramen, which was very good. The broth was very full of flavor and the noodles were a bit thicker.
I ordered the Tonkotsu Ramen and this was also really good. The broth was tasty, but I have to say the Taka broth was better. The flavor of the broth was more bold and I found myself «slurping-​up» what my wife didn’t finish. We’ll have to come back to try some of the other Ramen flavors.

Ramen Taka was wonderful in all aspects!
From its price point to portions… and most importantly, the quality/​taste of their ramen, everything was wonderful.
The price of the ramen was not too expensive, considering everything it came with. The portion was not small, but it also was not overwhelmingly huge. Cutting to the chase… The ramen noodles had the perfect consistency and the broth was very rich, but not super fatty or salty. My friend got the tonkotsu ramen, which generally is a fatty broth but you could tell right away that this broth is a lighter form of it, while maintaining its rich flavor. I got the miso ramen, which normally is a pretty salty broth… again, this broth was lighter while maintaining its flavor. We also got spicy kaarage as an appetizer and this was delicious as well, though not very spicy at all.
There was no wait when we went, service was fast/​friendly, and our ramen came out piping hot surprisingly quickly!
While everything was wonderful and catered to my ramen cravings, it’s not the best ramen I’ve had… Still, I will definitely be back! (:

I decided to come check this place out instead of heading over to Kotetsu. I would say that this place was average. I can say that I have been to many ramen places and this place is nothing really special.
I came here with my friends on a Sunday afternoon and the place was really small and packed, so we waited around 10 – 15 minutes before we got seated.
Their service got me confused, since they took another 5 minutes for the waiter to drop off the menu. (shouldn’t that be the first thing you do when you sit down at a table?)
Anyway, after the weird start, we ordered our food. I ordered the Tonkotsu with spicy sauce on the side. ~9 dollar per bowl
Since I was starving, I was really excited when the food arrived. The food looked good until I tasted the soup and the noodles. It was just alright. Kind of disappointed. =/​The spicy sauce was not that good. I was expecting more of a bolder flavor but it was just alright.
I wouldn’t go out of my way coming back here since there are better ramen just down the street which has much better quality food.
This place was Just A-​OK.

Pleasantly surprised by the ramen here after hearing mixed reviews. My guess for the reviews is probably a lack of education on ramen styles.
I really enjoyed their signature Taka Ramen. It had a lighter broth (not as rich as your typical tonkatsu style) and a flavor broth. The Hakata style which they serve might not appeal to all, but I found it to be fantastic. I also enjoyed the thinner style noodles that come with this style. Just keep in mind what you’re ordering I suppose because I think they offer different noodles for the other ramen broth types. It was a little disappointing to hear that they were running short on chashu so I couldn’t order a chashu ramen, but I still got to try a couple slices.
Also tried their gyoza which was pretty good too. I really enjoyed the friendly service here, the employees are all very eager to help you. Can’t wait to come back!

This place deserves a 2.5, not a 3. Just like my rating, I’ve honestly experienced much better.
I ordered the large Tonkotsu ramen with spicy sauce on the side as well as a side of their spicy chicken karaage to share. I was worried the chicken karaage wouldn’t be enough since it only had 6 pieces, but they were huge which got me excited. However, once we ate it, there really wasn’t anything special. It wasn’t even close to spicy. Next the soup looked appealing, but the broth was just a bit too watery and not as creamy as I had hoped.
Besides the mediocre food, the place definitely looked a bit more modern. The service was a bit slow, but they seemed understaffed so I understand. The only saving grace is that the normal sized bowl is $ 9 which is relatively cheap so you get what you pay for. Honestly, I’d rather pay $ 11-​$ 12 for a premium bowl of ramen at Orenchi, Ramen Parlor, or Ramen Dojo. A great alternative is Kotetsu or Santouka which has similar wait times but much better quality food!

Ramen Taka is close to Santa Clara University, on a strip with a couple other businesses. The ramen is comparably cheap, and you’ll get a decent portion whatever you buy. I had the shoyu tonkotsu ramen, which came with a perfect soft boiled egg, bamboo shoots, and a couple slices of pork. The broth was pretty salty, but it helped with my sore throat. I also heard that this place specializes in thin noodles, but I couldn’t get myself to stray from the routine. Maybe next time!
We also tried the karaage, which was delicious and crunchy! I also liked that Taka has many different condiments on the table, like picked ginger and sesame seeds.
The space is quite small, but we were seated relatively quickly considering it was a busy Saturday afternoon. It’s not particularly gorgeous on the inside, but that way, you can just focus on the incredibly yummy food!

This Ramen place was okay. Great establishment, not orenchi status or other socal ramen places; but for Norcal and San Jose area it was a great place to eat!
The restaurant itself was very nicely decorated, it is located next to Starbucks and their parking is small! it sucks! haha, they have a small desginated parking lot in the back which can get pretty full nearing the late hours of the night, lucky my party came before 6 and it was empty.
Service:
The service here was superb! they are quick and always checking up on your water! Perfect services for this place, could not give it less than ⁵⁄₅! They are on top of their game.
Food:
The food was okay to mediocre, their broth for the Miso ramen was great! and flavorful!
Wish they provided or added more meat with us ordering more :(. Spicy paste is a $ 1 extra! and it’s worth that dollar because it does add a nice kick to it.
The noodles were decent noodles, not to bad and not to good — it was in between whats expected of ramen.
The Fried Takoyaki was okay. It wasn’t the best I ever had and it wasnt the worse I ever had. The squid was lacking it inside, there was not enough for the ball itself. The takoyaki came with 6 balls, small size and had one little piece of squid inside. Overall, it was alright.
Verdict: The place is okay, would come back? sure will. It’s a great place and definitely needs improvement, but to each their own. I surely don’t hate it, and it’s still a decent joint.

Mmmmm. Comfort Food. Surprisingly, pretty empty on a Friday Night. I would imagine it’s hard to fill this place while it is so close to Ikes. Really nice people working here (with now hiring signs everywhere). Every time someone walks in, they yell and welcome the group into the restaurant. Décor is nice, lots of tables. I imagine you could get a bunch of people in here. Restrooms were clean!
Our group ordered 4 bowls of Ramen, Garlic Shrimp, Chicken Karaage and Gyoza. I LOVED their Ramen! Perfect balance of flavors, plenty of meats and vegetables and yummy broth. I didn’t care for the appetizers all that much. They were just okay.
All and all, I would come back.

This place is OK. The employees are pretty friendly and the service was very good, I’m not sure I got the right dishes. I didn’t think the food was outstanding. I got the Taka Ramen and the Spicy Karaage.
I’m not a big fan of the skinny noodles. The broth was a bit bland, lacked flavor IMHO. The eggs and the sliced pork were very good, perfectly done.
The Spicy Karaage was not good at all. to start it was not even spicy… coming from a person who does not have a high tolerance to spicy food. The rest of the chicken was too moist and soggy, it was not crispy enough on the outside.
While the food is definitely edible, I think there are many better Ramen houses. I will give this place another shot, and next time try some other dishes.