Hokkaido Ramen Santouka Harvard Square — Restaurant in Cambridge

Very last minute decision to come here to get my family to try some ramen . The place are really good reviews of your expecting super good food, but the lack of versatility in the menu was quite disappointing .

There was no ramen which offered chicken - anything was pork and very high fat as well :( I asked if it were possible to give less noodles in the ramen and add extra vegetables instead, but they said no to that Same with leaving out the rice in the chicken rice bowl and substituting it with some salad. I know that as well. I ended up just asking for a plane large salad and getting some protein from the fried chicken appetizer.

GREEN SALAD (fresh mixed greens served with original salad dressing) - This is exactly as described. Literally just the greens and that ginger dressing kind of thing that comes with. The dressing was actually quite strong so only a little bit was needed for the greens. A good portion size of the greens So the price was acceptable.

That KARAAGE (Japanese style deep fried chicken) appetizer was really good though! Crispy and good flavor.

TAKOYAKI (Fried octopus balls dizzled with takoyaki sauce, Japanese mayo, topped with bonito flakes) were also delicious! First time trying something like this and it was good. The sauce that it came with was a really good add-on.

TON TAKSU (Japanese Pork Cutlet) Really crispy, and lean meat inside. Meat filet itself was quite thin though.

TONKOTSU SHOUYU RAMEN (Savory & complex flavor of soy sauce combined with silky tonkotsu broth with a hint of bonito dashi) My husband and brother both got one of these each. And my sister got the mini version as part of the kids meal. All of them enjoyed and finished the entire portion! Broth was flavorful and good portion size here as well.

TONKOTSU KARA MISO RAMEN (Miso based ramen with a hint of spiciness gives a nice kick to the flavor) This was the spicy miso ramen; My dad got this one because he's a fan of spicy food. I tried it and oh my, the broth has actually spicy! This was his first time having ramen and he finished a sizable amount. Did not finish the entire bowl though, maybe because it was too much food and he...

Ate here twice while visiting for a conference, once alone for a later dinner, and once for lunch with someone else. Had the shio ramen the first time, and the seasonal black garlic ramen the second. The shio ramen was good, nothing to really go crazy for but a solid 'normal' bowl of ramen. The salmon rice side with the combo is quite nice, you get the salmon eggs as well and they're quite delicious, though personally I find eating noodles with a side of rice to be a bit odd; it's certainly filling at least. The marinated egg is pretty standard, which is still good but I wouldn't really say it stood out.

The black garlic ramen was stupidly good, very rich in flavor, deeply savory and allium-y. If I lived here I would wish it were a permanent menu item. The pickled onions were a very unique topping and I honestly wish there were more; it reminded me of pickled ginger that a few ramen places I've been to would put on to their richer bowls. But so much flavor is in that broth that it would be criminal to not give it a go, unless you truly hate garlic and/or onions and/or smokey flavors.

I tried some of the spicy miso ramen broth as well and it was quite good, not the best I've had but a very solid contender.

I didn't go here more entirely because I wanted to diversify my diet while in town, and felt I needed to go to the wharf for a few chowders, but if I didn't have those inhibitions I may well have had 5-6 bowls of ramen in the half week I...

Welcome to Hokkaido, a casual Ramen bar that has some pretty incredible food. Walk in and be welcomed by the announcement you have arrived. Come to your table and enjoy the upbeat jazz playing as you browse the menu. With 4 base flavors of broth (2 with miso and 1 salt, 1 soy) any Ramen lover will be happy.

I went for the combo meal with the traditional salt broth and WOW, I loved it! The boiled egg sliced in have with a small amount of runny yolk makes it a delicious morsel ( if you like eggs). The pork with rice was also delicious as it was simple, tender pieces of pork and a splash of chopped spring onion.

This place is cool, more of a casual lunch atmosphere and great to have a lunch meeting or meet for friends. I wouldn't recommend this as a first date, its a bit slurpy, but if your a couple looking for casual this could hit the spot.

Only 2 points of complaint.

Get rid of the plastic cups for drinks and the plastic trays for the lunch platter. It doesn't go with the rest of the dishes and bowls and looks out of place.

Get the odor out of the bathroom and bleach it. It smells bad and was not nice to use.

Otherwise it was FAB! I...