Hokkaido Ramen Santouka — Restaurant in Toronto

I came here to eat with a friend last week, on a weekday (forgot to write about it). It was around 4 pm, and they still had their lunch menu special going on all the way to 5 pm. The restaurant was quiet and not busy at all.

The washroom door's locking mechanism is a bit weird (locks in 2 places). The servers were attentive.

The lunch ramen special comes with an Ajitama egg & a choice of vegetable/pork gyoza (3 PC). I ordered the Ship Ramen & Pork Gyoza combo, while my friend ordered the Shoyu & Pork Gyoza combo. I also ordered the Wednesday Special, which was the Toroniku (Simmered Pork Dish) and an Oi Ocha (Unsweetened Iced Green Tea). My friend ordered Takoyaki (6 PC), and a Melon Soda x2 (cause it was so good, he said).

The ramen was pretty damn good. The noodles were just right and chewy. The soup wasn't too salty and over flavourful (however, the more soup you drink, the salt does add up over time). The toppings were bamboo, shredded black mushroom, green onions, a naruto fishcake, and chasu. The Toroniku was so tender, but also pretty salty. Threw the extra green onions into my soup. The Ajitama egg was deliciously creamy. The pork gyoza was actually pretty good. The iced green tea helped cut through the extra salt.

My friend and I enjoyed the food. The menu had some interesting food items I wished to try. I'll return to a Hokkaido Ramen Santouka in the future to try more of their menu.

Overall, enjoyed their food. Has deals and discounts on certain days. They have happy hour, but I don't drink and my friend was driving. They also seem to have events hosted there as well (learn Japanese...

After a brutal day of moving, we stumbled our way to this joint, relying on nostalgic memories and a hope that it hadn’t gone downhill like so many other places post-pandemic. To our delight, the service was friendly and attentive, even better than the downtown location. (I know, downtown location is normally busy, it's luxury to expect the such) Off to a good start! Skeptical about whether the food quality had taken a nosedive, we played it safe with the classics: Salmon Cutlet, Shoyu Ramen, and Shio Chashu Ramen with butter (don't judge me). If there's one of few things to dent, the menu booklet was a bit cluttered, not the streamlined selection I remembered. But onto the important stuff, the food! The soup base was just right, with a comforting pork aroma. It wasn’t as sweet as I remembered, but it still hit the spot. The chashu (sliced meats) was thinner than before but not disappointingly so as I've seen in many other places recently. And the butter? It added a lovely richness to the Shio ramen, perfect for those who like a bit more depth. If not, the Shio’s mild yet rich flavor and the Shoyu’s robust kick will more than suffice. Now, the salmon cutlet was a pleasant surprise. Thick, tender, and devoid of any fishy smell, it was akin to a well-cooked chicken breast, only better. Santouka proves that corporate-owned restaurants can maintain quality and standards. While so many others have let us down big time, this place remains a reliable refuge for ramen lovers. It's a place I'd revisit in...

The ramen here is amazing, though I will say this, it's a lot heavier than other places.

For context: Usually when my partner and I get ramen, we will share an appetizer or two, have a bowl of ramen each, then split a dessert. Coming here, we ordered gyoza, Kara Miso cha shu, ToKusen Toroniku Ramen (Miso ramen with the cheeks) and dango for dessert. Neither of us was able to get through our bowl of ramen, we got full fast. The Miso broth I got with the pork cheeks was thick and flavourful, the noodles cooked well, it wasn't greasy tasting, everything about it was great. The noodles sat a little heavy in the stomach, which is probably why we filled up faster than usual. I'd recommend a hot green tea to drink during your meal or afterwards to help digestion.

The dango was good as well, though the "brown sugar sauce" we chose over the red bean was just molasses, which was an interesting combination to say the least.

The place is a little cramped, but overall has decent seating and isn't claustrophobia inducing. Tables were clean and well spaced. Overall, a nice little store front restaurant. If you're looking for a more "homey" sitting ramen, I'd definitely recommend the ramen here.

They also give you a stamp for every bowl of ramen you buy, which can be used for a free appetizer at half filled or a bowl of ramen...