Harumama Ramen + Sushi (Encinitas) — Restaurant in Encinitas

A Saucy Tale of Love, Loss, and Ramen!

Alright, y'all, let's gab about Harumama, the local belly-lovin' gem smack dab in the plaza where I've clocked more hours than I care to admit (don't judge me, okay?).

First off, yes, the service. It's like a good date - attentive, charming, and occasionally tardy. But hey, aren't we all? They're worth the wait, promise.

Now, onto the tragedy of our tale. Imagine my shock, my heartbreak, when I found out that my beloved pulled chicken bao buns had been banished from the menu! I mean, I might've shed a tear. Just one, mind you.

And yes, sure, they sometimes run out of stuff. But hey, the early bird gets the bun...whatever the saying is. You get my drift.

But fear not, dear reader, for there is a silver (or should I say, spicy) lining. Allow me to introduce you to my new infatuation - "Me so hot! Ramen." Talk about a meal and a half, folks! Packed with enough punch to keep me fuelled from lunchtime till the stars come out.

And their character buns? Think doughy deliciousness meets a Pixar movie. Irresistible, I tell ya!

I still adore Harumama. Would I eat there more? Heck yes. But you know what they say, you are what you eat. And as much as I love 'em, I'm not quite ready to be as soft and squishy as their buns.

You don't want to turn into a bun, do you?...

A great noodle ramen restaurant. Family friendly. One dish took too long to come to the table, but honestly, it was worth the wait. It was so yummy that it completely made up for it. Turns out, there was an unfortunate mix up in the kitchen that caused the wait for the food. Every other dish came in five minutes. Ten minutes max. The character buns are cute and delicious. The restaurant was extremely clean, and the staff were polite, respectful, and open to constructive criticism. Some dishes that I would recommend are the salmon teriyaki, the bunny character buns, the duck bao bao buns, and pretty much any ramen dish you fancy. If you are going for a late night spot, though, got it the harumama in downtown San Diego. I have been to both and personally, I think that the one in downtown San Diego is a bit better. Quality food that will make you never stop going. They have the basic simple dishes cooked beautifully, as well as some original, more complex dishes to keep...

Over priced, over hyped, small portion food that doesn't even taste good. The whole experience was kind of lame.

Ordered takeout from this place one night based on their Yelp reviews and boy was I disappointed. Ordered the panda and cow character buns $9 for 2, they are teeny tiny, and the flavor was very plain and tasteless. The buns was premade and did not taste fresh at all. Definitely gimmicky.

Also got the bulgogi fries and that was super watery and no flavors at all. For $18, there was just a few pieces of flavorless meat and a whole bunch of fries. The vegetables were soggy. I would eat it if I was starving and had no options but definitely not worth the money. The karage chicken was no better, very small portion size, the chicken was tough, not tender at all and once again, no flavor. The ramen was super small as well and the noodles were not that fresh and the broth was watery.

Really overpriced and gimmicky food. Definitely will not be...