Hokkaido Ramen Santouka

Officially my new favorite ramen noodle restaurant in Boston. This place has gotten a lot better than the last time I came here when it first opened.
The tako balls are the best that I have had. If you’re not fearful of octopus pieces, give this doughy and puffy ball a try. It’s topped with bonito flakes and drizzled with a sweet yakisoba sauce.
The ramen offers plenty of options to choose from. You get to pick your broth flavors (certain broth cost more but by only 50 cent), ramen portion size (small, regular $ 1.00 more, or large $ 2.00 more) and a side of either gyoza, rice bowl with grilled salmon and salmon roe, rice bowl and char xui, or chicken katzu.
Great place for kids also. Ample seating and very kid friendly as they provide small plate, a cup of water, a bowl, and spoon and fork for my sun as soon as water was brought out. Customer service has also been stellar both time.
See my pics for recommended items from the menu.

Not sure what all the hype is about! It was good, but nothing to write home about. The broth wasn’t extremely flavorful and the noodles weren’t homemade nor fresh. Meh. We’ll try somewhere else next!
There was very little meat in the ramen and they charge extra for the egg (which was over cooked) so that was disappointing.
However, the fried octopus balls were very good! They could pass at a much fancier restaurant.

My favorite ramen place in MA! I don’t think you can go wrong with anything here. I like their original ramen and I like that there are different sizes! The meats are delicious and tender. The noodles are cooked perfectly. The egg is also perfectly gooey. The place to go if you want ramen!

Jenn had a ramen craving, so we decided to head down Harvard’s way instead of over to Yume Wo Katare. We’re glad we did because Hokkaido Ramen Santouka was delicious! We started with the toroniku pao zi. I’ve tried David Chang’s Momofuku pork buns and Eddie Huang’s Chairman Bao. and this bun topped them both in my book! I found the combination of flavors perfect.
The ramen was delicious too, but I have Yume Wo Katare up on such a high pedestal that I don’t trust my own ramen reviews to be unbiased. Jenn loved her toroniku goma miso ramen and it definitely satisfied her craving.
Top notch comfort food!

OMG! this place is fabulous from the start! Get greeted by a traditional Japanese greeting before discovering an awesome fab ramen, spicy if you can handle it. Soo rich and satisfying. Perfect for this weather. Comfortable chairs and beautiful too. Try the Japanese soft drink with the glass marble too!
XOXO

Came in on a Thursday night — wait was about 15 minutes.
Once we ordered our food, it literally took 1 min to come out. Pleasant surprise because we were really hungry but it seems like it may vary from talking to other people.
The ramen was good and broth was good but I don’t think it was something I’d wait in line for and wait for. Portions were just enough — wish it came with more broth and with a bit more toppings and a bit on the pricy end.
Overall, I’m glad I came — I would have to try other ramen places in the area before returning.

I have been here for lunch and was very happy with the food and service. I have gotten the lunch combo, shoyu ramen and gyozas, and it was delicious, well seasoned, and well-​portioned.
There is often a short wait during lunch times when it gets busy. This short wait can become a long wait on the more popular days.
The service was pretty quick once we sat down, however. I found that the broth here is very tasty, not too greasy. The noodles are cooked very well. The pork belly is very tender and the gyoza, while a tad salty by the last one, was delicious and garlicky.
Overall, a good experience and I will certainly keep coming back.

We were almost immediately seated around noon today.
The delicate broth of the $ 12.25 large Shoyu ramen was so heavenly. We like it even more than the creamy, spicy and rich broth of the large $ 12.75 Tonkotsu Goma Miso ramen. The latter featured extremely tender pork cheeks. The Shoyu ramen had two slices of pork belly.
The wood ear mushrooms, bamboo shoots, and springy ramen noodles added interesting layers of texture.
The waitress Keiko was quick. Nevertheless, she forgot to stamp my loyalty card.
The tempting other ramen bowls will cause me to come back as soon as possible…

Came here for Sunday brunch since we were craving ramen… and wow, it was a 45 min wait for 5 people and a baby.
By the time we got seated, we were so hungry that we all ordered combos: p
We had ordered:
— Shiyake Ikura Gohan combo: Tonkotsu Miso Ramen and Grilled Salmon & Salmon Roe rice bowl
— Karaage combo: Tonkotsu Shio Raman and fried chicken
— Bara Toro Cha-​Shu
Both ramens were great! Nice, clean and flavourful! The fried chicken was yummy! The Cha Shu is nice and soft.
The only thing we didn’t enjoy as much was the grilled salmon and roe rice bowl. It wasn’t as fresh and a bit fishy.
But definitely will be back to try other items!

I went with my Japanese friend, who’s been here a LOT. She loves it. I followed her lead when ordering.
She got a Ramen Gyoza combo and I got the Ramen Karaage combo. We split the dumplings and fried chicken.
I enjoyed all of it — well flavored, tasted as I expected it to. No surprises. Reminiscent of my time in Japan.

This is my new favorite spot to get ramen now! A friend recommended this place and why not give it a try? lol.
I got the shio ramen with a side of salmon. The broth was delicious! Usually I never finish any soup and just leave it from there. But surprisingly I ended up chugging the bowl. Lmao. As for the noodles, it was neither under cooked nor over cooked. It was on point. Let’s not forget about the pork. They were the best. Tender and just melts in your mouth! So freakin good. LOL.
If you’re looking for a good place for some ramen. Go here. This is so far the best I’ve had.
Service was friendly and attentive.
Food didn’t take long to come out.

If there’s a queue to get in, don’t let that deter you from putting your name on the digital waitlist. The tables turn around quickly, and you can roam about Harvard Sq. freely until you’re notified via text that your table is ready.
Takoyaki — 5 crisp balls with a soft savory interior that houses a little golden nugget of chewy octopus; the bonito flakes and sauce all added to an enjoyable bite
Pork bun — A little disappointing tbh. The bun was room temperature and seemed a little more dense than when the bun is served piping hot, straight from the steamer. The pork belly, adorn with a few cilantro leaves was just fine. If you’re accustomed to the cucumber slice and green onions, you won’t find those on this bun. For $ 4.50/bun, you’d expect a soft pillowy bao with melt in your mouth pork belly… or dare I say, even two buns.
Spicy miso ramen — Rich miso flavor with a hint of spice; rather than focus on the heat of the chilies, this broth is complex in flavor and doesn’t seem as oily as the shiyo (soy sauce based). The slices of water shoot bamboo and wood ear mushroom added another layer of texture to the already chewy, springy noodles.
Shiyo, super sized (5 pieces of meat) — Despite having a nice pork flavoring, the broth was too salty and fatty for my liking.
+$ 1 to upsize to a L /​-$ 1 to downsize; well worth upsizing, hefty portion of noodles!
Don’t forget to ask for a frequent purchaser card. For each item, you get 1 stamp; collect 5 stamps, get gyozas; 10 stamps, and get a free bowl of ramen. Woohoo!
Also, great place for party of 1s. I saw several people eating at one of the communal tables, chop sticks in one hand, and a magazine in the other.

I’ve come to Santouka a couple of times since I live in Harvard Square and they are the closest ramen shop to my apartment. I LOVE ramen and have tried almost all of the ramen places in Boston. Santouka is decent — above average — but doesn’t compare to either Sapporo (better) or Pikaichi (much better), in my opinion.
Having said that, the meat at Santouka is some of the best I’ve had. The pork belly is very tender and flavorful. However, the rest of the ramen — broth, vegetables, etc — are not stand-​outs. In addition, their ramen is pretty expensive. Most bowls are around $ 12, with $ 1 less for the smaller size and $ 1 for the larger size, plus extra if you want to add an egg, more meat, and so on. If you compare that to Pikaichi, where you get more noodles and a more delicious ramen bowl for less cost (a bowl is about $ 8 – 9 at Pikaichi), and I’m willing to travel to Allston for the better tasting ramen.

Hokkaido Ramen Santoka is 100% owned by a Japanese corporate called K.K. ABU Out. The corporate owns over 40 shops in Japan and over 10 shops overseas (The biggest Japanese ramen related corporate worldwide). They are best known by their instant (pre-​made, easy to cock, very cost effective) ramen sold in convenience stores in Japan. Their instant ramens are sold at convenience stores such as Seven Eleven, and they are making very good profit. Excellent cash flow and they are expanding aggressively worldwide. Having said that, attached are what they produce and serve. Enjoy.;) I’d rather go to a privately owned ramen shop and enjoy their, made from a scratch everyday, fresh ramen. No thanks to the mcdonalds version of ramen. 馬鹿らしい。。。日本人として恥ずかしい。

This is the go-​to place for me to splurge on ramen. As a girl who has been to Japan, I still can’t bring myself to give it 5-​stars because the price is just too much for the food’s worth. But if I was going to eat overpriced ramen it would be here!
I usually get Tokusen Toroniku Ramen with a side of corn and butter, because let’s be real you haven’t had great ramen if no butter or corn was with in. The roasted pork cheeks are crazy delicious, soft and chewy but not too chewy, but absolutely cannot be eaten without ramen broth because it’d be a waste. Out of the other few ramen places in boston, this is the one your money should go to. Other wise save and go somewhere cheap with less quality.

Came here on a Friday night with some coworkers to chow down on some ramen. We arrived around 7:30pm and was told there was a 45 – 60 minute wait, left my phone number, and walked to Grafton next door to get a drink. The waitlist is so efficient and awesome — I wish every restaurant did this. They send you a text to let you know you’re on the list and once your table is ready, BAM — a text letting you know to head on over. It’s so simple and yet every other restaurant in Boston can’t figure this out. By the way, the wait was less than 30 minutes so that was a huge plus.
Onto the food, I ordered the Karaage combo with a regular sized shoyu ramen (a small is no charge, regular +$ 1, large +$ 2). I made my friend order the Gyoza combo with a regular sized kara miso ramen so I could try hers as well. While the karaage and gyoza were good — I’d rather just skip the combo and spend my money on the ramen. The shoyu was delicious — a hint of soy sauce with the perfect amount of sweet and salty. My noodles were al dente and chewy and the accouterments were on the skimpy side, but still good. Same with the kara miso — a good amount of spicy (I could probably go for a bit more heat) and the miso isn’t too overpowering. I’d definitely go for either — depends on if I’m feeling spicy or not.
The service was good and the ramen decently priced — they also give you a punch card with free gyoza on your 5^th and a free ramen on your 10^th stamp (each stamp for every $ 10 spent). Will definitely be back!

So delicious! This is ramen done well, in a beautiful modern space, with excellent service.
Yes, you’ll probably have to wait, but I think 25 minutes of wandering Harvard Square in the cold was well worth the meal that came afterward.
My friend and I shared an order of the takoyaki, which are fried dough balls with bits of octopus. I was kind of blown away at the texture — when you bit inside, your tongue got hit with this blast of creamy goodness, followed by the lightly chewy octopus. They were generously portioned with lots of octopus, plus the bonito flakes and barbecue soy sauce stuff on top were such a good complement!
Then we were on to the ramen itself. I got the shoyu, and my friend got the spicy miso ramen. I was pretty impressed — the broth was rich without being overly salty, the noodles had a great chewy texture, and the mushroom-​y things were insanely delicious. The only thing I didn’t live was the pork, because it was very fatty. But I think it’s supposed to be that way, so no real complaint from me.
On top of it all, our server was really nice — helpful without being intrusive, and available when we needed him. The helpers were great too, always ready with a water refill. Very good!
Ps — I too loved the little laundry basket used to shove your costs and bags into!

Their first mistake was sitting us next to the door on a 15 degree night. We felt a draft of ghastly wind every time someone opened the door, which was quite frequent, and that already set me off and put me in a bad mood. We came to warm ourselves with hot delicious ramen, instead we were antagonized by the cold air. They need to put a curtain over the door or not place a table in the vicinity of it.
So, the interior design is cool, but nobody cares about that if the food sucks. I got the $ 15 deal, which came with four dumplings, a hard boiled egg, and a small ramen. It felt like a huge ripoff. The bowl was appallingly small we all stared at our meals in disbelief. It looked like it was a meal for kids. There was also only ONE piece of pork in my dish, not many other toppings. Broth was not exciting either. For what it was, $ 15 felt like a ripoff, even with the dumplings and egg (sorry, but dumplings and an egg are cheap in my book…). Don’t understand the hype and won’t add to it.

I think 4 stars is right on:
Food: quality broth (had the shio tonkatsu), good char sui, good noodle texture. The soft boiled egg was good too. The karage was tasty, although a bit burnt. The salmon bowl was pretty «meh” — would be better with just 1 – 2 pieces of raw salmon plus the fish eggs.
Ambiance: nice and clean, casual, lots of kids when we were there
Service: really friendly, appreciated them having the high chair set up and a little tray with a cup of water and soft plastic spoon for our infant daughter. Their wait system is nice too– it is digital and gives you real time feedback of where you are in the line and then they text you to let you know your table is ready– I know a few restaurants where this would be super handy (i.e. Ajishin in Novi)
Value: minus a star since it’s a little pricey but somewhat to be expected given its prime location adjacent to the Harvard campus.
Overall a solid ramen shop if you’re in the area.

After having tried ramen shops in Tokyo, New York, Paris, Brussels and Dusseldorf, here I am in Boston! ;-)
Here is a good ramen place located in Harvard square, I had the Tonkotsu Kara Miso ramen, kind of a spicy version of the Shoyu. It was tasty, as for sidings, gyozas were very good, although karaage were very disappointing. Another down would be that they do not serve beer. I can’t help it, I need my Asahi/​Kirin while I’m having my ramen…
Nonetheless, a place to go, it’s good, it’s cheap and authentic!
Itadakimasu!
PS: they also have a loyalty card, free gyozas after 5 stamps and free ramen after 10!

This is such a fun and fresh restaurant in the sea of gastropubs. Don’t get me wrong: I LOVE me a good gastropub, but sometimes the craving hits for ramen. If/​when that happens, get yourself down here to the Square.
Once you arrive, you’ll be seated in a comfy living room-​esque area if your entire party isn’t here. But not to fret, they’ll text you once your table is ready – and they’ve got a queue system that ensures you won’t be looked over. Pretty snazzy.
Then, after you’re seated, they’ll wheel you over a nice little cart for you to put your bags (very authentic Japanese, arigato), lest any ramen broth spilleth over. Speaking of ramen, yes, do as everyone has said and go for it. Kara Miso Ramen. YUM. The perfect blend of hearty, spicy, and savory all in one. Get the pork, get the egg, get whatever… it’ll all taste great.
When you order (cold) tea, it comes in those cute little plastic Ito-​en bottles, which I wasn’t expecting, but you know, whatevs. Neither here nor there.
Overall, a delish albeit slightly pricey (Hahvahd Square after all) experience. Well worth it to satisfy that ramen craving.

Stopped by on a Saturday evening for dinner. The wait was only about 5 minutes, I was lucky to have just beat the crowd.
I ordered the Karaage (Japanese fried chicken) Combo with large bowl of shio ramen. The broth was delicious and the noodles were just right. However I felt that I was given very few slices of pork. For a large bowl, the amount of meat was disproportional to the amount of noodle and soup. Nonetheless, I really enjoyed the ramen. The soft boiled egg on the side was also amazing.
My favorite part of the meal was definitely the karaage. These two-​bite nuggets were deep-​fried perfection. They were crispy on the outside, and rich and flavorful on the inside.
Overall I was very pleased with my meal and will certainly come back again very soon.

Fellow ramen fan here.
The broth was amazing. Definitely top of my list and worth the three stars.
Rice was under cooked (it was still crunchy)!!! And the charsiu was dry, not the melt in your mouth type (but still fatty, which makes it even more disappointing).
The noodles… nothing special about it. It was soft on the outside and slightly crunchy on the inside.
Overall, it was… Okay. The rice was unacceptable (come on!).

Hot crispy takoyaki
Very good ramen.
The kara miso ramen is my favorite. A lil spicy but not a lot. But I also like the original shio ramen. I like the veggies that they add and the broth is full of flavor.
No beer :(
Long wait times, I guess they’re very popular! But they let you leave you rename to be called later.
They have a frequent visitor card, 5 stamps and you get free gyoza, 10 stamps and you get a bow of ramen.

I’m not a huge ramen fan, but I like this place! The place is modern and classy looking.
The ramen is great! They give a soft-​boiled egg on the side, which is a wonderful touch. I got a small ramen bowl combo with a bowl of «Ikura Gohan» which is literally «Salmon Roe Rice». It had salmon in it too! A bit of a carb overload, having a rice bowl and ramen together, so I recommend some of the other combinations.
Ramen flavor is nice, comes with a lot of toppings like wood ear mushrooms, chili threads, sesame seeds, chopped scallions, and a deep flavorful broth.
It is slightly pricier than other ramen places, especially for the portion size, but it rivals the best places in Boston for ramen.

— BOTTOM LINE:
Kick-​ass and, most importantly, reasonably priced ramen in the heart of Harvard Square. Of the ramen places in Boston, I’d rank it below Pikaichi in Allston but above Yume Wo Katare (although Yume will forever and always have the best pork belly).
+ Most of the ramens are $ 12.25 — you can get it smaller for a dollar less, and bigger for a dollar more. I love that!
+ Also, there are vegetarian ramen options!
— THE WAIT/​SERVICE:
Expect a wait, especially since you can’t make reservations. The waits are reasonable compared to the other ramen places in town. We’ve had decent luck around weekday lunch (~10 min wait) and a Monday dinner around 6 (~20 min wait). They have this great text/​mobile system where you can keep track of how many people are ahead of you.
The service is FAST and efficient. We got our food in 5 minutes flat after we ordered.
— THE RAMEN (and other things):
The takoyaki was beautiful and delicious — a healthy portion of fat, juicy octopus balls.
The tonkotsu miso ramen boasts a rich, but light broth. It was good enough for me to pick up the bowl and tip the broth into my mouth after I was done with the noodles. The pork belly has the perfect texture — yummy and fatty but still has some bite to it. Add in mushrooms and scallions and you’re gold. Make sure to add a soft-​boiled egg for extra richness.
The goma miso is a must try if you’re a fan of sesame (like I am). The broth is much creamier and richer and the ramen comes with a great hot sesame oil.
Thank you Santouka for finally bringing your excellent ramen to Boston so this girl can stop making pilgrimages to NJ and CA.

We really enjoyed this ramen spot in Harvard Square! Although we had to wait an hour to be seated on a Saturday night, I am appreciative that they do a texting system that allowed us to go shopping while waiting and then come back to the restaurant when they are ready. I had the spicy miso ramen which came with two slices of pork, green onion, and mushroom. Now, I’ve had Yume Wo Katare in Cambridge and think that it depends on what you like to determine which place is better. Yume has a heavier ramen with more meat, garlic, and pork fat. I felt that Santouka was more balanced to me, but the Yume noodles are better.
We also ordered takoyaki which was so creamy on the inside! I’d definitely go back or recommend it to others. Although be mindful of when you go because it can get very crowded.

I’ve been a long time fan of santouka since there are a bunch of them in California and they’re easily acessible with no wait. This santouka opened in cambridge earlier this year and it brings the same tastes to the eaast coast, although with a steep increase in price. Here are some notables:
— Long wait — expect to wait 45 minutes+ even on the weekday.
— Salted ramen is the Santouka ramen — you’ve got to try it once! A lot of my friends like it, but I like the other flavors that pack more flavor.
— Usually the hardest decision is between the miso and spicy miso ramen. They’re similar, but very different. Depends on my mood for the day
— I always throw in a cha siu rice bowl combo in there, even if I can never finish it.
Well worth the wait!

This place is phenomenal, whether in terms of service, price, quality of food, atmosphere, or convenience. The host and servers were all very friendly, attentive, and welcoming and the bustling atmosphere was just super lively, warm, and comforting. They also have a genius hamper-​like bin for you to store your bags so they don’t have to go on the floor or take up your seat. It was crowded on the Thursday night that I went with my boyfriend but the wait was no more than 15 minutes. It was really convenient that they sent texts to notify us that the table was ready.
The food is very reasonably priced — under $ 12 for a bowl of ramen and $ 15 – 16 for a combo that includes your choice of ramen with a soft boiled egg and an option for a side. My boyfriend and I both got the cha su rice bowl combo and we tried the shoyu and miso ramen, respectively. The portions may not seem like much at first because the combo comes with a small ramen unless you upgrade, but don’t underestimate it because I was stuffed at the end of the meal. The noodles were generous and springy, though it was on the saltier side. I’m not sure if that’s how traditional ramen is though because most ramen places that I’ve been to have been a bit salty too. The pork with the rice was tender and was tasty overall. The egg was also cooked nicely — I recommend putting it in your ramen so that the soup warms it up!
All in all, a great experience and I’d definitely recommend this to anyone in the Harvard Square area!

5 STARS! Do I even have to explain why? Everyone should agree with me, if not, I am going to try to convince you!
All of my friends know this is my favorite Japanese ramen place! I have been a fan since the first time I tried it 5 to 6 years ago in LA. There are so many Japanese ramen options, yet this was by far my favorite Japanese ramen place! Also, Santouka in California is in a small food court in Mitsuwa market. The Boston/​Cambridge location is definitely a fancier set-​up.
My favorite is the salt (shio) ramen. I love the rich, creamy broth that coats the ramen noodles. The pork is also very tender and melts in your mouth. The ramen is very authentic! I also tried the takoyaki here and it was delicious. They pack it with a lot of octopus and the shell is crispy and creamy at the same time! I recommend trying the takoyaki here!

I love ramen and eat ramen everywhere. I have favorite ramen shops at many of the cities I visit for work as I travel from time to time. Santoka is my favorite ramen shop in San Jose, CA. I wasn’t looking for ramen in Boston, I wanted to eat lobsters, oysters, all kinds of seafood during my short stay here but when I saw the name Santoka, I couldn’t help myself. Really, I didn’t need to load myself with extra carbohydrate and sodium. My jeans are already tight from extra muscle I recently gained from training. But it’s Santoka, how could I skip here? So here I was…
Wait time I was told was 15 – 30 mins. Standard for good ramen shop. They have nice little area with comfy sofa and cold pitcher of water to help you wait. Once the seating area was available, I sat comfortably with a cold cup of water in my hand. As I started settling in, I received a text message from the restaurant informing me that table is ready. I didn’t feel my wait was long at all. It think the comfy waiting area helped.
I chose to go with gyoza ramen set with ajitama (flavored soft boiled egg), standard noodle, normal soup, shio flavor is what I went this time. If it was cold outside, I would probably went for miso flavor.
Ramen, gyoza, and egg all were very good, just the way I remember from their San Jose location. Most shops make their egg ahead of time and sometimes they can’t warm up the egg enough and I bit into cold egg before. The egg they served was nice and warm yet yolk was still soft. It went with simple shio flavor. Gyoza was standard. Not the best I had but still very good.
Service was very good. I couldn’t tell which one was our server as several different staff kept coming by and they all took care of our table.
I got my ramen fix and made sure I walked a bit extra to burn those calories.