Ramen was one of the best we've had! We loved that the ambience made it feel like we were in Japan! The food was really authentic, and the people were prompt and friendly!

Slurp! My friends and I stumbled upon this lovely restaurant one evening while searching for ramen. We thought about just going to our usual spot in Japantown but we were attracted to the ambience and bright lights of this place. it is a fairly small restaurant with a very mellow ambiance with catchy and nostalgic music. It was great reminiscing to some of the songs playing. There was a line when we arrived but it moved fairly fast. The staff are attentive and friendly. We ordered Mekyabetsu (roasted brussel sprouts w/karashi mustard), Ha-Tsu (chicken heart) and Ba-Ra (pork belly) to share. The skewers come in twos but it is definitely enough for 3 ppl to share. The brussel sprouts were crispy and the karashi mustard provided an amazing tanginess! Both the chicken heart and pork belly were delicious- you can taste the fire it is cooked on! Fire! As for our ramens, we each ordered different ones, just because we like to taste each other's ramen broth, cause sharing is caring. We got the Niku (beef in house spicy sauce), Hotate Miso (scallops in a spicy miso broth w/black garlic oil) and the Spicy Miso Crab (soft shell crab w/chasu pork). All the broths were tasty and warmed our bellies on the chilly SF evening. I really enjoyed the Hotate Miso which is a popular item from what our server mentioned. The portion sizes are fairly large, so we got a few smaller bowls so that we can also share our ramen. Overall, this place was a great place to stumble upon and we will definitely be back to try the other items on the menu!

I visited with a friend on Sunday night, and there was a line out the door. This was as expected, given the small restaurant, so I definitely don't recommend a big group dinner here. The inside is nicely decorated, and we were seated and got to order quickly after we endured the half an hour line wait. We ordered the Ba-Ra skewers, Midori udon, and Hokkaido miso ramen, and food arrived pretty quickly. The udon and ramen were super flavorful, and I loved the portion of scallops that came in the udon. On top of a great menu, the waitress who served us was super nice, and though she was the primary person serving the entire place, she was quick, checked in on us multiple times, and was super attentive. Overall, we had a really great dinner, and I would definitely come back for happy hour or to try more of their small plates and desserts.

So far one higher ranked ramen in the Bay Area, even better than the ones in/near Japantown. It is a small cozy shop with 6-7 spots, perfect for small groups or for duos. The interior is very nicely decorated and have some pop-ish music in the background. I ordered the beef ramen and it was really well made. Ramen had the right consistency, the broth was amazing, and the beef slices were very tender. The other menu items very unique as well and different from all the standard fair. I would recommend calling ahead and setting a reservation. Definitely come here for happy hour. It's a small window but it's worth it.

At first I learned about Taniku Izakaya from an Instagram post sharing about their Happy Hour prices. Upon further inspection, I noticed that this restaurant boasted a rating of 4.9 on Google Reviews and 4.8 on Yelp... and then I really thought I was setting myself up with expectations that were too high. While the Happy Hour offerings seem great, we noted that the normal prices are pretty good for an izakaya in SF too - about ~$20 a dish, HH prices ~$15. So when our schedule for the day was a bit delayed and we missed HH (ending at 6pm) we didn't fret and came anyways. As parking typically is in SF, it was a bit tricky but not too hard to find along Geary. We noted that while the restaurant stayed full, it was just full enough that we along with other patrons didn't have to wait which was great! Upon being seated, we were kindly greeted by the waitress and offered the menu, of which so many things looked good! So our party of 3 ended up trying: Appetizers: - Karaage: meaty chicken bites - Hotate carpaccio: delicious, buttery soft and balanced scallops - Okanomiyaki potato tots: our favorite dish, the elevated tater tots with Japanese flavors were so delicious! - Kabocha Koro: a slightly sweet, very fragrant and well fried bite! Ramen: - Hokkaido miso: slightly spicy and thoroughly flavorful - Niku: rich aromatics and onion-y, garlic-y flavors - Garlic pork: simple and scrumptious tonkotsu broth, a well done classic All in all, we were very pleased by the fine details of the taste and composition of the dishes, and thoroughly enjoyed our experience. I think this restaurant does live up to its stars! I hope this place doesn't get too too popular because then I'd have to wait when I return!

With all the hype over this place, we finally tried and it was just fine but it did not wow me over. Service: pretty bad from the first impression and lack of acknowledgment from the staff for over 5 minutes when we arrived. Mind you the tables were half empty at the time and both of the staff was at the counter doing their thing. At one point they started discussing and examine 2 glasses of beer. Meanwhile not a single hello or even eye contact with us. Sadness really in a world when we all just want to be seen and heard. Even in a place where you pay for the service, I guess being seen at the door is too much to ask for. Food: We did make it in time for the happy hour but sadly I blanked and forgot to get picture of the menu. All the ramens are $15 (so $4 cheaper) and the rice bowls were also a few $$ cheaper. No discounts on the skewers. We did end up getting the ramens and the toppings were pretty good, especially the perfectly fried soft shell crab and the thick perfectly roasted pork chashu! However the miso broth and the noodles were just regular. The highlight was the beef Kobe ribeye skewer, which we devoured before I was able to take a picture! It was nicely flavored, charcoal grilled and tender. We also got the chicken yuzu skewer, which is a pass for next time. For the appetizers, definitely get the brussel sprouts!! It's nicely fried and their sauce is unique and flavorful. That was a winner!! Ambiance: once inside, it is nice and cozy. However, unless you get there early when they open, expect to wait outside in line for a while....since they're not good about acknowledging your existence.

A really great new spot in the city. While it is close to the Tenderloin, it's still in a relatively good spot that avoids the zombies. Recommend going during happy hour, which is when we went. At 4:45ish on a friday, we beat the rush. My favorite was the midori udon, I never had pesto udon with scallops the way they made it. Not too saucy, yet still very very flavorful. We had a good amount of scallops in as well in the udon. Probably one of my favorite ways to eat udon, and I love udon! The karaage was good, but the breading near the head of the squid/octopus got a bit mushy. Everything else was also good, nothing to complain about. Pricing is very fair, especially the happy hour discount. The waiters were also really quick to serve.m and made sure we always had water. The panna cotta was the best i've had. It was hojicha flavor, perfectly textured and sweet. I have a sweet tooth, so enjoyed how sweet it was.

My friend recommended trying this restaurant because of the $13 happy hour dishes. Noticed that the day my friend went a few days ago the happy hour prices were $13 but the menu prices were updated to $15. We ordered the Spicy Miso Crab Ramen and the Karaage Curry Don. Food, ok. My spicy ramen had mild spice which was nice. Friend's curry don looked well presented.

This place is awesome! We are excited to head back to try their happy hour for $13 bowls of ramen. We got unlucky with timing and waited roughly 40 minutes for a table at around 5:45, but when we left at 7pm there was no line! I ordered the garlic ramen and it was rich, flavorful, full of garlic, with a bouncy noodle. The apps at Tainiku are not to be missed as well!! We loved the beef skewers and the pork belly (not pictured) was seriously some of the best of my life. It is small, but the service is professional and efficient.

Arrived at around 5:10 PM and waited around 30 minutes to get seated. I do not recommend going with more than 3 people as this is a small restaurant. We were a party of 3 and all had to share a tiny table. The Hokkaido miso ramen is average amongst ramen restaurants. Nothing stood out but nothing was bad. The broth was flavorful but kinda salty. Noodles were average. The chashu was crispy which I liked but it's cut too thick, I prefer thinner slices. The cabbage and mushrooms didn't have any flavor, I wish they added bean sprouts or other toppings that would soak up the flavor some more. The takoyaki isn't super worth it since it's only 5 balls for $10. It was crispy but lacked flavor. The yuzu beer tasted pretty good. Honestly at its regular price, I would say this is like a 7.5/10. But during happy hour which is everyday from 4:30 PM-6:00 PM, the ramen was only $13 and the beer was $5, which honestly in this economy and in SF is a great deal. Given the fair price point, I would give this place a solid 8/10.