HiroNori Craft Ramen — Restaurant in Cupertino

Edit/Update: The ramen is still good. But I don’t believe it will return to its past glory with the Tonkotsu ramen having nicely charred and thick pork slices. Maybe it is the result of inflation…not increasing the price but adjusting the ingredients portion. Been coming here rather regularly for the ramen for the reason that I like how the pork is cooked here. At Hiro Nori, the pork is charred and the meat is just cooked differently from most Japanese ramen places. I raved about it to others that they made the best ramen because of the pork slices. Having said that, I noticed a drop in quality recently and on this visit I brought this up to the staff. I told them that I have been to Hiro Nori many times and the last time the soup was too salty. The server informed me that they could make it with less salt, but I explained that I had been having their ramen all these times and only the last visit the soup was way too salty so I prefer to not adjust the taste of the soup since that wasn’t the case prior to that visit. Another server, Ely upon learning my past experiences, offered the option of adding more broth to dilute the saltiness. I was glad to learn of that option. He later served the Tonkotsu Ramen and brought an extra cup of broth to the table just in case. I ordered my ramen with thin noodles. After mixing all the ingredients in the soup, I did not adjust the taste with the extra broth that Ely had brought. I had intended to leave a review but each time I was in a hurry to tuck into my food that I forgot since I like to eat my food especially soup, piping hot. This time I told my friend I would make a conscious effort to take a pic to show the ramen. Ely was very friendly and was very attentive in his service. Therefore service was on point and not overbearing nor overwhelming. At the end of a simple meal, Ely came back to check with us on our experience. I told him that the pork seems to be thinner than before and he mentioned about new staff, etc. This place will remain my go-to for ramen till I find a better ramen place. Hopefully it can recover to its former standards and serve thick, tender delicious pork in its...

So good!!! Came on a Thursday evening for dinner after been wanting to try this place for a while now! Located in the Cupertino Village plaza (with Ranch 99, Tenren)- I think it might've taken over Creamistry (if not it's around that area). Worried it would be a long wait but there was only 1 party in front of us! Just wrote our name down on the list inside. Spacious interior but not too many tables. The tables just have stool chairs so not the comfiest when you are so full off food LOL but they do have hangers under the table for your purse! Service was pretty good and quick! Had fancy watermelon mint water too.

Tonkatsu Ramen w/ thick noodles: So good!!!!!! Portion size was pretty big, got me so full. The broth was rich and flavorful but not too thick/salty which I often dislike at other ramen places. You can ask for hot sauce/garlic on the side which I do recommend if you like those because it adds so much more flavor to the broth! The chashu pieces were thick cut and super tender. The noodles were al dente and not soggy. Exceeded my expectations!

Cucumber crab salad: Wanted to get a light side and glad we went with this instead of the crispy chicken because the ramen was so filling already (although definitely want to try the chicken next time because it looks so good!). However I guess it was pretty standard, just cucumbers with light pickled flavor and some imitation crab shreds on top. Probably would skip out next time unless I wanted some more veg.

Overall I love this place!! Would definitely be coming back. Also great boba options in the same plaza so...

Ideally, I'd give Hiro Nori 3.5/5

Hiro Nori used to be a go-to for some of the best ramen in the Bay area. Lately, the quality hasn't quite been the same. It's still a decent spot to grab a bowl, but it's fallen out of my top 5 ramen places.

One thing that hasn't changed is the convenience. The Cupertino location is spacious, with plenty of indoor seating – definitely bigger than their Santa Clara spot. We went on a weeknight and had no trouble getting a table for 7 right away. The staff was fantastic – friendly, fast, and super accommodating. They kept our water refilled and even let us swap some ingredients in our ramen for free. Plus, our food arrived quickly.

For vegetarians in the group, Hiro Nori offers veggie ramen, which is a definite plus. We tried the chicken karaage as an appetizer. The chicken itself was perfectly cooked – crispy and juicy. However, the sauce was a bit bland and lacked flavor punch.

My tonkotsu ramen was a mixed bag. The broth itself was creamy and rich, exactly as I like it. The thick noodles were a good match, soaking up the flavor nicely. Unfortunately, the pork chashu was a letdown. It was dry and flavorless, a far cry from the melt-in-your-mouth pork belly I was hoping for. Still, the portion size was generous.

Overall, Hiro Nori Cupertino is a decent option for ramen, especially if you have a larger group and need a place with good service and seating. However, with a slight dip in quality, especially the chashu, it's not quite the top contender...