Shoki II Ramen House

I got the tan tan classic. It came out bland. Had to add chili paste to make it a little bit enjoyable.
The food and taste I give ¹⁄₅ stars.
My SO made her own ramen and all the sides were huge portions. However that doesn’t help because everything was just bland or didn’t taste right. Some stuff needed to be cooked a bit longer because I felt like I was biting on raw veggies.
Also to note, we went to a new location and the server was probably still learning because she messed up our order.
There was a more experienced waiter that had ⁵⁄₅ service. However, I can’t really give them any more stars because at the end of the day. You are there for the food.
Food ¹⁄₅
Overall service ³⁄₅

So many reviews, I had to try it. My friend recommended the Kurogoma tantan tsuke men with extra thin noodles. First i was a little surprised how much noodles I got. It was a whole plate. I didn’t think I was going to e able to finish it. But it was so good that i managed to eat it all. Tsuke men is a little different than your typical ramen. It’s cold noodles that you dip into a sauce. I got the Kurogoma which is the black sesame. It has an almost overwhelming sesame taste with a little kick to it. absolute deliciousness. The only thing that i didn’t like about Shoki is that you order everything separately. I prefer that the chef choose what is good. We went on fathers day and surprisingly there was no one else there. My wife had the tartan men and it was really good too. I’ll have to get that the next time. It seemed to take a long time to get food after we ordered and then it came out a little at a time. there was point when half of our table got food and the other half on the other side of the table was just staring at us waiting for their food. I guess we should have been polite and waited, but hell I was hungry!

Since there are now two locations… I went to the 21^st Street by accident, thinking it was the one on R Street… but no regrets! I think this location had just opened so business was pretty slow and quiet when we got there for an early lunch.
The menu is a little confusing to read/understand…but it’s basically a Build Your Own Ramen concept: you choose your soup base, noodle type (wheat, yam, thin, thick), meats/​proteins, and veggies. Everything costs money so be careful, as everything can add up if you get carried away. But even then, it’s not too expensive. There’s also some combinations for those who don’t want to build their own.
As for the food, everything my party got was super fresh and delicious. I ordered the black sesame (kurogoma) ramen with whole wheat noodles. It was delicious! It’s very black sesame-​y so only get it if you really like black sesame! They also claim everything is made in-​house with no MSG or preservatives, so that’s definitely a plus! Service was GREAT, and everyone was super attentive and kind.

Very good!
Came here before I went to the airport to catch a flight. Unfortunately my flight ended up being rescheduled. But that’s a different story.
This place had a good atmosphere and great food. I went with a party of 4. It was a bit packed but there is a reason for that.
We made it in time for lunch so I got to try the Ramen and donburri combo. (It’s been 3 or 4 years since I’ve been so I don’t remember what I got exactly)
Nevertheless it was delicious. The soup came out perfect. Noodles were chewy and the broth came out hot.
They had gluten free options as well
Price is reasonable.
I’d love to try this place again when I visit.
I miss Sacramento.

**21^st street location review**
Super cute location in what used to be Trails and delicious noodles but sadly wayyy overpriced to be able to enjoy it. I asked for a regular Kurogama Tan Tan Men which usually costs around $ 11/​$ 12 or so at R Street. At this 21^st street location, you cannot order the «standard menu» ramen as offered at the R Street location. The server asked me if I’d like to build it from scratch to include all the ingredients that the Kurogama Tan Tan usually has, and I said, sure! 10 – 15 minutes later I got my soup, and a bill for $ 18.99. Wow. $ 18.99 for a bowl of soup. And I can get the same bowl at their R Street location for about $ 7 less… How can you not feel like a shmuck after that? And how can you enjoy the food when you’re micro-​charged for every single ingredient or preference? It’s complicated and expensive. Shame, really. It is tasty ramen.

Tan tan men ramen? Wtf is this? Broth was bland AF.
First and last time here. Sactown does not know ramen if Shoki is a representative.

The quality of ramen and soup is amazing! If ever you are in Sacramento this is a sure spot you need to visit. I miss the old smaller Shoki Ramen shop as it gave the feeling of being in Japan. This place is better in seating as there is ample seating indoor and a bit outside. Just because there is better seating does not mean you will be seated though. This place is extremely popular with the locals so expect to wait during lunch and dinner time. Seating is pretty intimate as to enjoy the company of those you are with. It does get pretty loud in there with everyone talking so even with the close seating, you may have to raise your voice a bit to be heard. The service here is amazing with friendly staff and speedy service. I really believe you will not be disappointed if you decide to eat here.
When I was here last I got the Shoyu ramen and it was very delightful with the two slices of pork and everything else it came with. I wish I could venture out of Shoyu ramen but I always really enjoyed eating it so I never had the courage to change to another item.

Reading the menu takes longer than eating your ramen…
So, they are working out the kinks. I don’t even think they’ve technically had a ‘grand opening’ and I doubt they’d even have a formal one.
I didn’t even realize this was a new spot, my co-​worker brought us here on our monthly lunch. I have no clue what this was before, but I know I’ve driven past it tons of times and never paid attention to it, which is why I probably never noticed it being transformed into a noodle haven.
Ordering ramen really shouldn’t be that difficult. However, they are trying something new to the Sac ramen world. A create your own ramen, but it probably brings your total closer to $ 18 ramen. Also, I don’t want to think that much, I just want to get straight to slurpin my noodles.
The a la carte ramen was doing too much. The menu has so much text on it, trying to describe this ordering method I just gave up. Just skip all the way to the back side at the bottom, they have three classic ramen’s to chose from, but no substitutions. You can do add-on’s from the a la carte portion of the menu.
Ooh man, it’s not even summer yet and I was sweating out as much sodium as I was slurping while eating my ramen. It was a warm day and the inside was not as cool as you’d hope. I hope they figure that out before the warm Sac summers hit, otherwise it’s going to be disgustingly hot in there. There is nothing fancy about this joint at all, you can tell the building and décor has been around for a long time, I’d even suggest the booths, tables, and chairs might have been inherited from the previous owner.
The service was okay. Our server was trying really hard to explain the ‘make your own expensive ramen’ style they were trying to offer. But he didn’t quite execute it well. He was really pushing us to order it, but we all went with one of the classic options.
Also, don’t expect them to have everything their sister store on R street has. They don’t carry the curry on a regular basis, but they have it as a rotating special. They also have specials that are posted on the door (hopefully, just for the time being) — make sure you peep them before you sit down, so you know your options.
Note for Parking: Don’t park in the lot between Pancho’s and Shoki, that is Pancho’s parking lot. Shoki’s parking is on the other side of their restaurant. The dilapidated cacti blocked the sign that said this, so we ended up parking there. No harm no foul, just an FYI.
It was literally a hot mess, from the temp to the menu configuration. But my bowl was delicious, they still serve delicious bowls of noodles. I like ramen a lot, but not at the expense of sweating while I try to enjoy my meal. I know they are new, so I’ll probably go here again with J. I’m sure they will work things out, but until then, bring your sweat rag and get ready to read a lot.
Sacramento loves to be cramped and sweat while slurping down noodles!

In college this was the SPOT. not sure what happened. The menu is too complicated now; although there are more choices, the quality seems to have decreased for the ramen items.
Still good, but not my favorite.

I came to this place about 3 weeks after their soft opening.
Food quality has gone downhill. I was a bit overwhelmed with this «build your own» concept and luckily found the item I wanted without building my own. I was expecting the same bowl of tan tan ramen I enjoyed at their old location on 24^th. As most things in life, it changed. The broth itself was «off». The noodles were a bit too al dente.
Side note: I had one of their «buy 10 bowls — get one free» type of deal. These are the same owners who owned the one on 24^th Street. I earned my 10^th bowl just when they closed. I’m told my card is not valid at their new location. I bring up a valid complaint saying they are the same owners and I’m told basically I’m SOL (not exactly their wording). I’m obviously upset about it, and there’s no budging. My friend and I walk out. Halfway towards my car, one of the employees (a different one) approaches us, apologizes, and takes my name and number, so that when their «system» is able to take the cards, they will call me. Haha… what? This place is nothing but bullsh** now.
Not sure, if I’ll come back.

New Location — Soft opening — Estimate day 6
I have been waiting forever for this to open, finally this location is open for soft opening. The Grand opening will be in May.
They are still testing out the new concept compared to the R street location. This one is build your own ramen, meaning you get to customize and add or substitute ingredients. I do warn you, it will be pricy.
This location do open until 9pm and there is no breaks for closing, which is a big plus! Compared to R street they close from 3 to 5pm, for example.
I got the Classic tan tan ramen which was under $ 10 for extra noodles on the side too. I have calculated many ways to save and nothing is cheaper than this already built ramen and it includes, noodles, bamboo, bean sprouts, minced beef, and nori aka seaweed.
Vs.
My friend ordering a regular vegetarian tan tan ramen, noodles $ 1.50, bamboo $ 1, eggs $ 2, shitake mushrooms $ 3, bean sprouts $ 1, which came out to $ 16.
Just comparing and contrast with already built and creating your own bowl.
They also have crushed garlic garnish on the tables, along with crushed chili pepper paste, and a bottle of chili oil to spice it up the way you like.
They are vegan and vegetarian friendly here so eat without worries.
Love the descriptive menu and tells you what is in it.
Overall the food was rich and tasty. i do notice the lingering salty taste in the mouth, which i told them, and they are working on it to balance out their recipes. The service was wonderful, quick, friendly, and informative. I am fan of this place, and will be back very soon! Thanks for reading and ramen on!

I may be a ramen novice but I can’t see what they could possibly improve on here.
We were greeted immediately and like we were old regulars, told up front that this was a soft opening… which seemed odd since they moved locations and still have a grip of old Unilocal reviews… What evs because the food was M’m M’m goooood!
Thank you to whoever designed the menu. Vegetarian and vegan options are clearly outlined and they have basically lined out a step by step build your own bowl how-​to so a ramen rookie like me can order quickly.
Fresh, delicious, and the flavors they serve match what’s the menu descriptions exactly. Don’t you just love when that happens?
Had a chat with the server and learned they have plans to add coffee service (local brew) and Happy Hour deals. Both ideas I definitely approve of ;)

While this is a soft opening, I was expecting the same Shoki flavor and service. Thankfully, Shoki has not lost its touch.
I’ve literally been waiting for over a year for this location to open after they closed its doors on the original location on 24^th. I was bummed once the doors closed I didn’t have a walking distant place to enjoy ramen. Bummed. Seriously bummed.
Thankfully, yesterday my prayers were answered. Shoki has finally opened its doors to the place that will replace its original.
The menu was simple, different from both 24^th and R street. It’s a build your own concept. You choose your size and broth, then pick your noodles and toppings. Toppings can be shared between the table, which I recommend since (besides meat and egg) the topping sides are generous. Curry broth is, as always, delicious.
The place reminds me of the old Trails restaurant, they even kept some of the old décor in homage to the original space.
I really like the new space and concept. I really look forward to getting my ramen on again.

My 22^nd grand opening review, and my 4^th soft opening review.
Today on 4÷13÷2016, I decided to come to this new location located between Broadway and 21^st Street at the Curtis Park neighborhood thanks to their soft opening presentation. After the Shoki Ramen House opened it’s doors few years ago at the R Street location, they are adding an another location for the second time this year. As I entered their doors, the atmosphere and the concept remain the same except the outdoor patio outside. Everything inside like the interior is very clean and tidy which I can see the cookers are preparing to make the best Ramen noodles, and exploring comfort Japanese style designs too.
The employees inside the 21^st Street location are doing an excellent job for making the customers like me a sensational service. No cons at all.
Now onto the food. Since this is the first soft opening day before it officially opened to the public, I ordered the «create your own» Ramen bowl; Shabu Shabu style which you can have unlimited toppings you want to order although it gets adds up a bit if you have the perfect balance to make It. I picked the Tan Tan Men broth with Ramen noodles topped with 3 vegans: baby spinach, 3 tofu pieces, and Shiitake mushrooms. As I ate it after adding and mixing it, it tasted very good! Very similar to the original R Street location, yet it has the best natural flavors that I’ve ever tasted in years! The broth of Tan Tan Men is much superior and natural especially my topping choices too which it gives my CYO Ramen a wonderful lunch meal! Not a bad soft opening meal after all!
Parking at Shoki Ramen House at 21^st Street can be challenging to park. You can park at their smallest, limited parking lot on the right, or the nearest surface street parking for 2 hours limit both left to right. Otherwise, you can also ride a bike, walk, or use public transportation easier without the hassles.
In the end, this Shoki Ramen House at 21^st Street is defiantly the best spot to eat Ramen noodles in a naturally matter right at the neighborhood of Curtis Park. I do believe they will might add some special touches in the next couple of weeks according to the owner and staffers, and I can’t wait to see it again next time. Perfect for friends and family gatherings every 365 days a year! A well, worthy recommended visit! My rating: 5 solid stars.

My tan tan men was pretty decent. If you like things hot, ask for extra spicy. It’s still not all that spicy which makes me guess the medium is pretty tame. The noodles have solid texture too.
The staff looked a little overwhelmed. Not sure if the Sunday I was there was particularly short staffed but they weren’t super busy customer wise and still seemed a bit frantic.

I wanted to give Shoki another shot. I’m just not a Shoki fan. I’ve been to Shoki a number of times and have been underwhelmed. Thought I’d give Shoki II a shot, but I’m satisfied with my rating at a Three stars.
We ordered the large soy milk ramen with extra noodle along with a mini curry don. I added extra noodles, corn, and extra green onions. The noodle was cooked perfect but the broth was underwhelming. The mini curry don, is just that, «mini!» I’m exaggerating a bit but it’s small. Just enough to satisfy your craving.
With the extras, it came to over $ 15, not bad but a bit pricey for ramen. I’ll stick to the other ramen place.

Build Your Own Ramen. Yes please! More choice than I know what to do with, this sets Shoki apart from the other Ramen places in Sac right now.
We need to have a serious chat about the mushrooms prepared to perfection over at the Shoki Ramen House, currently located on R street across from the artist lofts. I’ve never had better mushrooms in my entire life, which since the age of 11 or so has involved eating copious amounts of mushrooms as one of many hobbies in my repertoire of boring hobbies. I am not kidding, I want to just order a huge bowl of them and eat that next time I come here.
In fact, it doesn’t matter that my broth could have been hotter, this totally makes up for that and anything that anyone here could have done to earn less than five stars. Mushrooms. In any event, my friend told me that you can always order your broth hotter, or send it back if it’s not hot enough. That solves that.
Service here has always been great, regardless of where the physical location of Shoki has been. On my last visit, my friends and I were greeted by a nice lady with a sing song voice, who continued to make sure everyone outside was taken care of. You could really tell she was checking on people, and the positive cheerfulness in her voice was infectious.
Oh, and the other food items to be had here are great too. Vegan, Vegetarian, Gluten-​Free Club Members, and Weirdo Flexitarians such as myself can and do dine here together in harmony with all the awesome ramen and broth options. I have dietary restrictions myself due to an unfortunate grouping of organs I’ve been blessed with, so I really appreciate their patience to accommodate literally everyone.
I look forward to the opening of the second location! No date is set yet, but it’s in the works. I don’t mind Shoki moving so many times, since it appears to stay consistently yummy.

Let me tell you how disappointed and upset I was last night at Shoki. It’s crazy how things changed in the past 2 years. The quality and quantity went down down down like Jay Sean. (You know that song down by Jay Sean from like 2009)
My friends and I needed food since we were going to be drinking. As we were looking at the menu, I’ve noticed they had a «Customized your own ramen» section now. I was excited to try it! Then our server, Erichk, came to take our order. I told him what I wanted for my customized ramen, but he told me that’s not how the customized your own order works… I would have to order one of the signature ramen bowls and do add ons. So I was confused on why they even have a customized your own ramen section when you can’t even build your own. I ordered a small Shoki and added an egg with chilli paste on the side.
Our orders arrived, I was even more confused on why the sides were separate from my bowl. We had to add in our own sides to our bowl. They were not playing on the size… A small was really small. The portion was pretty much kids size. Flavor wise… It wasn’t that great. Since the spinach was separate, it wasn’t too soft and cooked all the way once we added it to our soup.
My other friends came, but they sat at another table with a different server. She was able to order from the customized your own ramen section! That made me mad because our server basically lied to us. I’m assuming he was too lazy to enter everything separately in his iPad. Or maybe he was new. But yeah, Erickh, I wish I didn’t sign my bill before I found out about you lying so then I would save some money off from tipping you. Anyways, don’t get Erickh as your server. And Shoki, you won’t be seeing me again.

Loved it: from the service,
to the broth, to how HEALTHY I felt after eating a nice bowl of ramen!
I ordered the Shio (sea-​salt base) because I can’t stand spicy. I customized it with the gluten-​free yam noodles (which are clear, oddly enough, and also calorie-​free!), less salt, no bean sprouts, and added corn. It’s amazing how they can charge you for the littlest things… especially customizations that seem like they should be included in the cost (different noodles, an egg). Oh well. At Ryujin, your egg comes included for the same price of a bowl (without egg) here.
I decided on the regular size after eyeing the little bowl that was brought to a kid sitting at the table next to me. The regular was perfect! There was something about the flavor of the broth, the absence of MSG, and how light the noodles were that I ACTUALLY FINISHED THE ENTIRE BOWL. I don’t know that I’ve ever finished a whole bowl of ramen at once! And afterwards I didn’t have a nasty, heavy feeling in my stomach either. My soup had lovely fresh leaves of spinach, a tiny piece of Nori, and a handful of bamboo shoots. The sesame seeds didn’t seem to add any noticeable flavor, but neither was the dish lacking in depth.
There’s something to be said for a place that serves up a healthy-​feeling (and actually nutritious) bowl of ramen. You get comfort food PLUS actual comfort on your waistline. You will be packed like sardines and the wait may take awhile and the bathrooms are outside the building in the back, but I’d totally come back. Plus, the waiter was amazingly attentive and helpful!
I love eating and I love feeling good afterwards!

While I’ve always preferred Ryujin in the first place I caved and decided to give Shoki another shot since my buddy wanted to eat there. The place was packed as usual so we asked if we could sit on the patio. They said yes but we would have to pay by card. Cash isn’t accepted. Who doesn’t accept cash? I was told by their manager it is against their policy. I immediately left and ended up eating at Ryujin. Not only is this an odd policy but I believe it is also illegal.
Per the US Department of Treasury:
«The pertinent portion of law that applies to your question is the Coinage Act of 1965, specifically Section 31 U.S.C. 5103, entitled ‘Legal tender,’ which states: ‘United States coins and currency (including Federal reserve notes and circulating notes of Federal reserve banks and national banks) are legal tender for all debts, public charges, taxes, and dues.‘
This latest incident that was Shoki’s last chance. I’ll be eating at Ryujin from now on where the egg doesn’t come separately.

I’m probably the most forgiving guy when it comes to dinning out, but we had a really bad experience at Shoki Ramen House. The wait service was terrible, orders on the menu are limited, seating is elbow to elbow and the quality of the food was marginal. Everything else was pretty good.
After waiting 15 minutes for our order which had not arrived and other quest seated around us who ordered after us had received theirs, I asked Paul, our waiter to check. He returned from the kitchen and we were informed our order was shuffled to the back of the line in error and should be out in ten minutes. There were no apologies or offer for a comp drink. When the orders arrived, I asked Paul for a spoon… which never arrived. At that point he went into a disappearing act, walking by our table but never making eye contact or asking how things were. Shoki has a pretty small menu choice of simple dishes. They rely on customers jazzing up meals by adding extras at an additional cost. The seating at Shoki is elbow to elbow with the tables around yours… literally. It’s a very small restaurant that really packs the tables close together. To get our check, my wife had to walk over to the waiter station and request it from another waiter.
This was our first and will be our last visit to Shoki’s. There are several other ramen restaurants in the area where we have had a much better experience.

Shoki is worth going to if you’re in the Sacramento area. I ordered the Kurogoma Tan Tan which is described in the menu as «Soy Sauce based with thick noodles made with black sesame seeds (lots of vitamins).» I ordered it because I thought I was getting black sesame noodles (something new to me) swimming in a bowl of soy sauce tonkotsu broth. Why not try something different with some black sesame noodles, right? To my surprise, I saw the exact opposite when my meal arrived: regular thick noodles disappearing into a sea of black af sesame soup. I was like hold on… THIS IS EVEN BETTER! The Kurogoma Tan Tan did not disappoint as the broth had a nice texture and flavor to it because of the seeds, and the noodles were the perfect amount of chewy. My only regret is that I didn’t order it with a little more spice. I also had a chashu bowl on the side which was also a little different because the chashu was shredded instead of cubed like I’m used to, but it was still a nice appetizer. You can never go wrong with chashu at a ramen restaurant.
Other things to mention are that my friends and I (group of 6) got seated almost right away, and the waiters and servers were very friendly. I’d like to come back next time I’m in Sac and try out the Curry ramen that they had on the menu as well or maybe I’ll just get the Kurogoma Tan Tan again. Whatever, let’s just say I’d come back!

Best ramen I’ve had in Sac so far!
When I was living in Davis, I would always make the drive up to Sac if I was craving ramen, this place is simply REALLY good. Their menu is not too complicated but what is really cool about Shoki is that they really let you customize your ramen bowl. I know that’s not very traditional but I love my Shoyu ramen with extra oil, thick/​firm noodles, add egg/​green onions!
The thing that keeps bringing me back to Shoki is that both the broth and noodles are on point; it’s hard to find a good ramen place that does both correctly. The broth is super flavorful, deep, umami-​y and you can change the saltiness of it to your liking. The noodles are cooked to the perfect texture every time and you can choose between the egg, wheat, gluten free or yam noodles. Also, I love the service and how friendly the waiters are. It doesn’t matter how complicated you want to make your ramen order, the waiters there are always super nice and patient!
This place is one of my favorite ramen places of all time! You really get a high quality bowl of ramen for a great price. Now if Shoki served pork belly. then this place would definitely be 5 stars!

Shoki has changed so much since the last time I visited! Same crowded place, but service has gotten noticeably better.
The tan tan men ramen is still good — super fresh ingredients, perfect chewy noodles and tender cha shu pork. My boyfriend got the curry ramen, and while it had a good curry flavor, I thought the broth lacked a little depth. I still prefer tonkatsu ramen overall, but this was a good option for a post-​snowboarding stop on our way home.

My cousins and I stopped here on our way home from a snowboarding trip. Ramen sounds great after freezing your butt off and sweating a good workout on the slopes right?
For a party of 6 on a Friday night, we waited probably about 20 – 25 minutes to get seated. Little did we know that this place was very… organic. My cousins and I do not really care about that stuff (it’s going to kick our butts one day but oh well), but onward!
I ordered a small Tan Tan Men ramen, extra spicy, with a bowl of the Mini Curry Don added for $ 2.50.
I was really disappointed the Curry Don ONLY had potatoes in it… Me being super hungry and usually expecting curry to come with meat, there was none! There was no specification on this on the menu, and if I had known it was only potatoes, I would have definitely skipped out on it.
Now the ramen… very healthy twist on ramen. Instead of pieces of meat, you get a scoop of what is ground angus beef, spinach, bamboo shoots, etc. The ingredients are very fresh tasting and honestly I could see if I was a health or organic junkie how I’d go nuts for a healthy ramen! But me… no! I didn’t like it. Too healthy tasting, I might as well gone and eaten a Campbell’s Vegetable Soup or something.
Look, bottom line, if you want a hearty, FILLING, oily and delicious bowl of ramen, this place is not the place to go. This rating doesn’t reflect the service though, the workers were awesome and very kind… but the food. Nope, sorry.

I came here years ago, and I’m surprised at the better décor! They’ve revamped the place, so it’s definitely appealing to the eye and seems the seating may be a little easier? Patio seating is available as well.
This cute little Ramen House offers Ramen of all kinds with all sorts of broths and flavors and you can add meats and vegetables to your liking (with an extra charge)
My husband ordered the Shio, salted broth, I ordered the Tan Tan Men (spicy broth) and each comes with it’s own toppings and such but if you’d like to add tofu, meats, etc, it’s an extra charge for you. We also got the charsu appetizer, which is thinly sliced and seasoned pork, which was actually very very good.
I’m not taking away from the bowls of ramen, but I just cannot justify paying so much for a bowl of ramen. Broth is good, but their definition of «spicy» isn’t too spicy, so if you order the tan tan men, I’d suggest going for the «spicy» to next level up if you want a kick. Years ago when I tried the noodles, it tasted like they came straight from a cup o noodle container, so I do give them props for having fresher tasting noodles, but paying 2.50 for 3 slices of tofu or 1.00 for an egg seems over the top. Both bowls of ramen plus an appetizer came out to 50.00! I’d rather make ramen at home!
Good place to try, especially on a cold day, it will warm your belly. Probably won’t be back anytime soon.

I have nothing but amazing things to say about this place. I mean, don’t go hungry because you will most likely have to wait, but that’s a good sign, right? Or you can pull a me, and just bring some snacks, lol.
Anyway, The ramen is great. All natural, fresh ingredients. The best ramen I have ever had. I can’t find any other ramen that beats it. You won’t be disappointed if you come here. ENJOY!

If you wish to have Ramen with a great broth, then go to Ryujin but other than that, come here. Originally, I came here when I was quite young so my taste wasn’t refined. And recently, I revisited it and I enjoyed it severely to a point where I visited it multiple times over the past month.
It looks small from the outside. It takes quite a while to get a parking spot but who here complains about parking spot when it comes to good food? Not me, I’d sacrifice a few minutes for great food. Anyways it looks very small from the outside and it’s quite cramped in the inside but it’s not something to complain about because the atmosphere makes up for the lack of space.
Long story short, I took my friend on a date here and she commented how she loves the vibe and atmosphere of the place and I totally understand her. It’s cramped yes but it’s very «homey» and it feels like you’re eating at your mom or grandmother’s kitchen.
The service was very good, I have nothing to complain about, I just feel bad for them because it’s a bit small so they always have to be careful.
The ramen itself is good, I love their tan tan men the most. It’s great, the noodles are stellar but the broth doesn’t have any taste in my opinion. It lacks the taste that Ryujjin has but it doesn’t really matter because I eat the noodles for the most part. The side-​dishes are superb, next time I visit, I’m probably just gonna get their chashu bowl!
Moreover the place supports local business, I love it how they don’t serve Cocacola, rather, they serve this local drink that I simply love. It’s basically a chipotle version of ramen franchises.
You won’t regret coming here. Just enjoy the food, atmosphere, & your company!

As a fellow ramen lover, I give this place the «I approve this ramen to be worthy» stamp. From the noodle, to the chashu, the broth, the tamago (ouuuuu the tamago), bamboo (I usually don’t get it but I tried and only this place is good) and seaweed. yum I’m drooling just typing this. This place is definitely one of my favorite ramen houses. Especially in town. Located on R street which has really good hot spots to try out too! The people are welcoming and friendly. Small but I never have to wait more than 10 minutes. I get the tan tan men regular spicy and it’s perfect. I usually get mild when there’s a spice level but regular will do just fine! Oh and their sake was good as well! When I introduced my sister and boyfriend here, we all completely finished our bowls! It just shows how much we appreciate the chefs choices and style of making the ramen.

Vegan friendly ramen house? Any good? Short answer: Yes.
Stopped by this place on the way home with a couple friends. One of them had already been, and highly recommended we try. We all are fans of ramen, so it didn’t take much convincing.
It’s a smallish restaurant with both indoor and outdoor seating. However, I overheard a server say that if you chose to sit outside, you’d have to order and pay before they served you your food. Perhaps it’s a precaution to deter dining and dashing. Anyway, we sat inside, and the servers were really attentive and helpful.
Looked at their menu (which is beautifully designed btw) and was surprised to read that none of their broths are made with any animal fat. Sorry, no tonkatsu ramen here. This made me a bit skeptical — would it be lacking in any way, particularly in flavor? In lieu of the staple dish, however, were an assortment of noodle styles and home made broths from which to choose. I was impressed with the noodle options, as most restaurants don’t usually provide a choice. I put my qualms aside and ordered the popular Tan Tan Men ramen, in a size large, medium spicy with thick noodles and extra chashu. First impressions? That size large is big. check my picture with standard chopsticks as reference, haha. I went in, and my concerns melted away after the first spoonful of broth. Good flavor up front and just the right amount of heat in backend. I’m not usually a fan of shoyu style broths, but this one in particular was unlike any other I’ve tried. Perhaps it was the addition of grass fed, minced Angus beef that rounded out the flavor. In any case, I’m a fan! I’d definitely come back, if in the area, to try out all their different styles of ramen. Give it a try!
Side note: they have beer and wine suggestions to pair with your meal, which I thought was cool. Also, they have a ramen burrito available! My friend noticed it on their wall menu and decided to order it to go midway thorough our meal, haha. Interesting!

Food is amazing, especially the Tan Tan Men soup. We probably come here once a week and the service has always been great, except for today. We waited 55 minutes for a table. Our expected wait time was 30 minutes so we sat in our car where it was warm for our children.
We came to check in at the 20 minute mark only to find out our name was already called and we had to wait again. That’s not a problem since it was our fault, our new wait time was estimated to be 10 – 15 minutes.
My husband stood and waited outside for 30+ minutes, being the only person left waiting for a table and still not being seated. Well he goes inside to find out that we were not put back on the list. Super frustrating since we have small children with us who were starving and looking to dinner, only having to wait 1 hr to be sat.

I really love the ramen here. I’ve been a regular customer ever since they were located in the tiny house on 24^th Street near Broadway. I always order the same thing. Regular spicy Tan Tan Men, sometimes addition of shitake mushrooms or a soft boiled egg! DELICIOUS. I’ve never had anything like it. I love spicy and I love the flavor of the broth with the chewy al dente noodles. Perfect each and every time I go. I would definitely give this place a 5 star for the food.
But the reason why I am giving it 3 stars is because although the food is amazing, the service is VERY POOR. The food came out after 45 minutes of waiting on a busy Sunday. I get it. it was busy, but there should be no need for a 45 minute wait. Especially when there were sooo many bowls waiting to be served just sitting there at the serve up station. I could see it all piled up sitting there waiting to be served out. And I also heard the bell ring about 4 times for the food to go out. It was ridiculous. I was about to go up there and find my bowl. They need to hire more people.
I eventually asked to take the ramen TO-​GO because I was in a rush to leave. Honestly, I will be back only because the food is good and it really is my favorite ramen spot. I’ve tried places in San Francisco, San Jose and NYC and its just not the same. But I will definitely NOT be dining here on a busy day.

The best part about our experience at Shoki was our waiter Paul! he was very attentive & just an extremely genuine nice guy! If I was rating the service alone I’d give them 5 stars. But I have to give then 3 for a few reasons.
So first of all, I do like the little building the restaurant is in & there’s lots of parking, which was a nice change for downtown. For being lunchtime, my husband & I were afraid it would be really busy & crowded, but it wasn’t at all. The restaurant has lots of seating, but it felt really enclosed w/​all the tables & chairs, even w/​the few people that were in there. We walked inside & were sat next to a window… What we noticed first hand was all the flies!!! They were everywhere!!! It was really grossing us out & we ate our ramen as quickly as we could so that we could leave!
I ordered the curry ramen w/​a egg & bamboo. The broth was ok, but a bit salty & the seasoned egg was bland. The soup was good, but I felt like it was lacking something. I don’t remember what my husband had, but he didn’t eat much of it.
We came here to compare this ramen house to ramen house Ryujin on S St (we went there the week before) & were more impressed w/​the other restaurant. Again, our waiter was awesome, but the food & flies will prevent us from returning.

Seriously, this is the best ramen I’ve had and I’m somewhat of a ramen junkie. I’ve gone to literally as many places as I can in Sacramento, LA and San Fransisco and this is the best I’ve had.
Just so fresh. It’s as if you can taste all the ingredients as opposed to many places where it’s just a mishmash of flavors.
It’s one of those places you look at here on Unilocal and can’t imagine why it doesn’t have 4 – 5 stars. I can only imagine it’s because there are so many people out there that think ramen should come in a microwaveable cup. This is the real deal here folks. Fresh ramen at it’s best.