Ajisen Ramen

I usually end up eating here because Ajisen is one of the better places to eat in the food court and prices are reasonable!
My go-​to order is the corn and bbq pork ramen. It’s not authentic ramen but you can’t expect authenticity with franchise restaurants — still pretty tasty!
However, my only complaint it the temperature of the soup. The soup comes warm and never hot =/​so it’s a little disappointing if you’re a slow eater.

Dining area was packed on a Tuesday evening. Got the Ajisen Ramen to go, which comes with 3 slices of pork, half a hard boiled egg, scallions, and seaweed. Pork was deliciously fatty, but the broth was much too oily for my taste. Didn’t see a soft boiled egg option, but that would’ve been nice.
Nice that the total came in under $ 10, but the portion was on the smaller side. Overall, average ramen in a convenient location — really good for a mall! The search for the best ramen in SF continues.

I am not even reluctant to admit this chain ramen shop at a shopping mall is wayy better than Katana-​Ya and the others in Japantown, sadly.
After you shop til you drop, Ajisen Ramen will give you strength to get back on your feet and keep going. So far, they have been successful at fulfilling my ramen cravings, whenever I am in this area.
Are they the best ramen shop in SF? No, but they are surprisingly better than many. I usually order the Ajisen Combo, which has three different kinds of pork… because this girl loves meat! Is their pork the most tender and delicious? It varies time to time, but not bad at all! Although the tonkotsu broth is a little bit on the salty side sometimes, it hits the spot at most times.
Pros:
–Service, fast and efficient
–Convenience of location
–You can order to go (and «skip the line»)
–Reasonable price
Cons:
–No default egg in the Ajisen Combo
–The line (goes pretty fast though)
Recommended? Yes, to nourish yourself during your shopping sessions or lunch breaks.

Ramen is marginally better than Shin Black Label (Korean instant noodles)
Eating here is like getting ramen at one of those Richmond dessert houses… food is comparable and it’s also made by Chinese people
One star for the location and one star for the awesome prices considering location + table service

Their place is usually packed during the weekend and evenings. The only food place in the mall that has a wait list to be seated.
The staff is always friendly and attentive.
The ramen is flavorful and plenty. I usually get the fried chicken ramen or the pork ramen. You can add shrimp to any ramen for $ 1 each. I’ve also tried several of the iced teas and they are way too sweet for y taste. I usually add water but they are flavorful

Excellent Ramen and Service. Arisen Ramen was recommended to us when we were in LA and we like it. Now, we just discovered that there is an Ajisen Ramen inside the Westfield Shopping Mall in San Francisco. The restaurant is located in the food court… bottom floor. The place is not big so there was a waiting list to be seated. The whole time were were there, there was a line. Food was as good as what we had in LA. A+ for consistency.
If you’re a beginner in Ramen, you may want to start with the Fried Chicken Ramen. You get the Ramen Soup plus a side of Fried Chicken (Karaage). My wife and kids would order the Spicy Pork Ramen and Spicy Beef Ramen… both very good as well.
Service was great. We were seated in about 5min and we were the 4^th party on the list. They don’t check up on you as much, but probably because they’re very busy. However, if you needed something, you can get their attention and they were always helpful.
As for parking, well, there is a parking garage next to the mall. Of course, it’s not free.
We will definitely come back.

You’d be surprised that a ramen place inside the underground level of a shopping mall would be the home of some of the tastiest ramen in the city. The ABC (Ajisen Best Combo) is one of my favorites on the menu, providing you with some premium pork and tender pork ribs which is a must eat when here. The broth is so flavorful — salty, oily, all-​around delicious. The fried chicken and gyoza are both good sides but the gyoza is a little on the pricey side.
Service is a little lackluster, especially during peak dining periods. Don’t expect them to visit your table or refill your water — which you have to request btw, or they won’t bring you any.
Regardless, this is my go-​to spot — will definitely come here again. And again. And again!

I usually get the Ajisen Best Combo Ramen as it has the Tender pork Ribs, Premium Pork, and BBQ Pork. It’s $ 11.50 and taste really great on a rainy day. Sometimes the wait is long for a table so as soon as you walk up you need to write your name on the clipboard!

Surprisingly good for a mall restaurant! I liked the Mille-​feuille katsu and the salad that comes with it. Ramen is average.

I hesitate to eat in a mall, much more at a food court, but this modest and quaint place isn’t to be glossed over. If anything, it’s a reason to brave the mall crowds. For a mere $ 9.25, you get a giant bowl of ramen with pork dashi, veggies, and a huge tonkatsu (pork cutlet breaded in panko and fried). You can hear them pounding/​tenderizing it in the back so you know it’s fresh. If you must get the vegetarian broth, it’s mediocre, so if you are open to opting for the pork-​based broth, go for this. Just know it’s a bit on a spicy side, but the best broth I’ve had so far in the Bay. Also, don’t make a trip there without getting the tempura mochi with ginger dipping sauce. Staff are super friendly, and they try their very hardest to seat you quickly in the small and compact space. So worth the wait, so just suck it up and do it. To sum it up, super cheap yet high quality food with amazing and quick service.

Not bad for a food court. Love the ramen. I’ve tried the premium pork, spicy pork, tender pork and the Ajisen best combo. Love it all. So good especially on a cold day. The prices are not bad either. The only downfall is that they’re super busy. The wait times could be long. Sometimes the wait isn’t too bad. We ordered the ramen to go a couple times and eat at the tables out in the center of the mall. The only difference is that I feel like they give more portion if you eat inside. I noticed they give less for to-​go orders. Oh, and the ahi poke is a must get!

It’s been about 2 years since I had ramen here and boy had it gone downhill. The host was very rude. He couldn’t wait 2 secs for our other 2 members to seat us. Most of the people ordered to go anyway! Then when they arrived another patron offered to let our 5^th person sit at his table next us but the host didn’t allow it. The patron was still eating his food and told the host our friend could sit there. The service is really slow. They are not efficient in turning tables around. There was a good 10 min of empty tables. We opted to order to go instead. No tip for the Asian guy hosting.
–minus one star for crappy salty ramen
–minus one star for super sugary milk tea
–minus one star for extra long wait
–minus two stars for poor service all around.
Unfortunately I couldn’t rate this place a zero star.

Time: 6:47pm/51°F clear
Purpose: Couple of phone calls to east coast got me working late. Too late to get home and make something for dinner. Decided I need something hot and hearty right away. Frigid blistering wind got me shriveling.
Ambiance: Located in the bottom level of Westfield Shopping Centre. Place is no better than a food court setting. After all it’s located inside a mall. Closed-​table have you looking awkwardly a your neighbor while waiting for your food. Eavesdropping is so common as you can hear a person whole life story if you wanted to. It’s always somewhat pack no matter what time of day with weekends being the worst. It’s loud and noisy must talk louder than usual. Sign-​in list in front doesn’t help. Some people sneak in sit themselves workers are afraid to do or say anything. It feels cramp and not spacious. Turning sideway just to walk out is no fun. I’m not even a large person.
Staff: Full staff young crew guys and girls alike. Always buzzing around never a minute stop to check their social updates. Gave me a minute or two before returning to process order. Nice and polite, but seems rush. Close menu and order right away. There’s no telling what will happen next could be ten minutes before she’ll ever return again. When I saw her next, it was the bill. Not holding anything against them. Just young and naïve.
Cleanliness: Grade A, well kept place nothing out of mall standards. Table clear the moment you get up. Water dispenser has worn rubber gasket. Water catching in a bucket as droplets proceeds every few seconds.
Eats/​Drinks: ABC ramen $ 11.50 and fried oysters 3pcs/​$ 5.95. Oysters were just oyster no specific info of its souce. Taste like oysters you can get at local seafood market. However, it was a bit oily even when resting on bed of shredded lettuce. At least let it sit on grid so oil can drain itself before serving. Ramen bowl was decent size, but flavor wasn’t there. You’ll get about two pieces of thinly sliced meat along with pork fiber strands and a clump of overcooked noodles. They might have been spaghetti or angel hair noodles, but al dente. Ramen noodle aren’t supposed to be that slippery. Broth wasn’t even tasty very salty and lacks flavor. Black fungus supposed to have a quick slight snappy feel. This was soggy with no snap. Leading me to suspect overdue in water soaking. Slices of pork were ok average tasting just needed another slice or so, as two slices is not enough. Other pieces of meat was tasty and tender. Cabbage I didn’t like and not sure what to think of it. I’m not in Chinatown ordering a won-​ton noodle soup you know. Lastly the egg was overcooked. Almost like boiled egg. When that happen you know you’re in trouble with rest of your order. Place is more of a fast food disguise as Japanese formal eatery.
Main Features: Ramen bowls
Products/​Services: Ramen, rolls, tempura, croquette, cutlet, seaweed salad, calamari, karaage, eel, tofu, rice bowl, snacks, assorted beverages, smoothie/​slushies/​boba, buckwheat soba, shoyu, vegetarian, takes plastic, sign-​in list.
Punch Lines: Food court setting, long wait time, mediocre, not consistent, not as great, low portion control, comfort food, underwhelming, feel rushed, always buzzing, lively atmosphere, hordes of people, loud and busy, nothing out of the ordinary, tucked away in Westfield, struggling service during peak hours.
Tradeoffs: Paying ramen trend prices without any regard for quality and presentation. Use your funds at any ramen place along Geary Blvd. Safer bet.
Final Thoughts: If it wasn’t for working late, I would’ve not ended up here. However, I would return to their Fremont location. Just a better setting along with experience there. Anyways, I don’t take this place seriously when it comes to Japanese. It’s just alright for what it offers provided that you don’t think high-​end quality. Good for those walking around all day shopping being indecisive about where to go. Now use this method if you’re in a group. Have one person stay with waiting list while the rest go about the mall. When name is about to be call, you can phone them.

I serve as a chaperone for my school’s monthly Glide dinner service field trips. We conclude our trip with a stop at the SF Centre food court. The students love Chipotle (I don’t) so that limits the options the rest of us can get to Panda Express and a few other Asian-​inspired fast food places. My colleague thankfully recommended we try Ajisen. I’m grateful we did. Though we ordered to-​go so we could sit out in the food court with our students, we were treated to rich broth to go over our noodles and protein (I went with chicken). Exactly what I wanted on a rainy night. Will definitely stop by again!

VOLCANO RAMEN IS REALLY HOT! (In my opinion) that being said, onto the review:
I’ve been here various times for a quick ramen fix before catching Bart. They use thin tubular noodles that are different than your usual ramen noodle, but it’s decent. I’ve tried a lot of their ramen types, refer to the pictures, and they were all decent in flavour. HOWEVER, the noodle portions are small. I eat a lot of better ramen back home so this ramen was tasty, but too little! I needed a lot more noodle. Maybe you can pay for more but if they’re going to charge you for the amount they do, average $ 8 – 9, they better be giving you enough noodles. I remember the last shoyu ramen I had here I finished in like 6 bites and I eat slow.
Appetizers:
California roll is pretty good for something in the mall but a bit pricey in my opinion.
Croquette is tasty! If you’ve never had one I recommend trying this.
Drinks are pretty great. Peach green tea has chunks of peach in it and their boba is cooked perfectly.

Even after a five-​month ramen drought, I would still consider this just average ramen. The main thing it has going for it is the location — what else sounds better than a hot bowl of noodle soup after a morning of winter shopping? Anyways, this place doesn’t seem to slow down much even after the lunch hour, which means that although you might be seated quickly, you’re in for a wait on all other fronts.
The tables are squished together for maximum people: space ratio. Don’t feel bad about accidentally eavesdropping because others are probably doing the same to you! The huge menu is not nearly as daunting when you realize that at least 75% of the pages are dedicated to helpful pictures.
We started off with the Fried Tofu appetizer, which came out piping hot. Crisp on the outside, with a dishful of ginger shavings. Would order again… except that each cube cost over $ 1. I went with the Corn & BBQ Pork Ramen, while Jiwon M. got the Pork Rib Ramen. The first thing that stood out was how tender and fatty the meat was — a thumbs up for the protein! The broth was underwhelming, savory but not quite the pork or miso taste I was expecting (although the Pork Rib broth was better). I also wished they replaced the cabbage in the soup with seaweed or something with more umami flavor. On the plus side though, the soup wasn’t too salty. The noodles were thicker and softer than I’m used to, but not bad, and I was grateful for the mini ladle (because a spoon is not adequate) provided.
Portion sizes are good, but $ 10+ is still a lot to pay for average ramen. It took forever to finish paying for our meal, but the waitresses remained polite in spite of the busy-​ness. Would lean towards one of the many other ramen shops in the city unless it’s peak pricing for Über/​Lyft.

This place was conveniently placed at the end of our B.A.R.T trip to Westfield mall. Was dying of starvation and hunger and ectastic to see a ramen spot, my Achilles’ tendon.
Ordered the spicy beef with extra pork and extra bamboo shoot. Had 1 pepper for level of spicyness and it was pretty accurate; not too spicy but still made me sweat a little bit but not waaaay to spicy where it will burn a hole in your stomach. The beef could have been more tender but not overcooked by too much. The broth was creamy and warmed my tummy just right. Not bad for fast ramen. Our order came out within 10 – 15 minutes.
Also ordered the cranberry mango lychee drink which wasn’t too sweet. You can taste each ingredient within the drink.
Finally had the potato croquette. Crispy and soft on the inside served with a dipping, a side of mayo.

Love this place!!! This is actually one of the places that I love to come back to and introduce to my friends and family.
Every time I come here, I seem to always order the spicy beef ramen. By far, the best! When you take a bite into the ramen, it’s not too chewy but it has a little bit of crunch to it. Then you sip the soup and it’s just – amazing!!! AND the beef is cut into squares and they’re perfectly cooked. They’re soft but has a juicy texture. The soup is so well flavored. It’s spicy but not over the top where you can’t handle it. It’s creamy and delightful!
Every time someone I know says they want ramen, this is the first place that comes to mind!

This place is always busy for dinner for a mall restaurant
Had the Ajisen best combo ramen for about $ 11.50. Add an half an egg for an extra $ 0.50 cent. Average size bowl of ramen. Decent amount of pork meat. Flavor of the broth was not bad. The broth has that light taste
Didnt bring out water for my mom just cause she order a smoothie while my brothers and i had water. The kiwi smoothie that my mom had hards your head for some reason. Not sure what they put in it that my mom, one of my brothers, and myself head started to hurt.
The foods came out fast. Maybe because it was getting close to closing time. Workers were ok

I have had ramen at restaurants maybe twice in my entire life, so I am no ramen expert by any means.
I really liked their fried chicken pieces. They were really crispy and delicious. I ordered their ABC Ramen and the entrée was a bit disappointing. There were very little noodles and the meat didn’t taste too fresh. There were also not a lot of meats included with my order. The broth was also very oily and unsatisfying.
I honestly think you are better off ordering Panda Express or that Japanese Grill place next door because those places don’t cost a leg and a foot for a mediocre meal.